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Harry Potter and the Gauntlet by Firnwilwarin
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Harry Potter and the Gauntlet

Firnwilwarin

Chapter 4: Iaur Dúath

Shutting the door behind her, Hermione blinked for a few moments to let her eyes adjust to the dark interior of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Once she could see clearly, she looked around for Harry or Ron, but they were no where in sight. After a couple of minutes, she heard a thump from upstairs and then Harry's voice. Biting her lower lip, she made her way to the second landing, and for some reason she found herself gathering all of her nerve just to talk to one of her best friends.

"I tell you Harry, this year is already shaping up to be a good one." Ron said from within the room Hermione was approaching. He really liked the fact that they were together now, which Hermione had to smile at. He was still rather insensitive at times, and would stop whatever he was doing at the drop of a hat if food was around, but she didn't mind all that much, really. Ron was still sweet and kind, and cared for her a great deal.

Truth be told, Hermione had always been confused about her feelings regarding her two best friends. On one hand, there was Ron, who was kind of cute, even if he was a bit lanky, and good-natured. The two of them were always getting into arguments about something, but lately she'd put that down to "hidden passions" or something of the sort. Though she cared about Ron deeply, Hermione didn't feel the all consuming passion she'd expected when she first agreed to start dating Ron. Sure, they'd kissed a few times, but it wasn't anything impressive. There was no gasping for breath afterwards, or seeing stars, like she'd heard Lavender and Parvati giggling about late at night in the girl dormitories. There was no electricity to their contact.

And then there was Harry. Harry Potter. The-Boy-Who-Lived, to all those that didn't know him that well. Or, the youngest Seeker in a century, to most of the people at Hogwarts. Any number of things, actually, to all of those people who looked at the fifteen soon-to-be sixteen year old young man, except for what he really was. Kind. Resourceful. A good person and a better friend. The excitement that Hermione had been expecting from her relationship with Ron she naturally felt around Harry. It was Harry she couldn't take her eyes off of at all those Quidditch games, even the ones where Ron was playing. It was Harry, poor suffering Harry, who had been sitting by her bedside when she woke up after what happened at the Department of Mysteries. Harry who had waited for her in the lake, when he had Ron and Cho had already been taken by Cedric. And, though it felt sooo good when she found out that Harry had stayed to make sure that she'd be alright, Hermione couldn't forget the way he'd used to talk about and look at Cho. He never had, and probably never would, look at her like that - not when he had his choice of any witch in the wizarding world. Who wouldn't want the Harry Potter?

When it came down to it, Ron liked her and Harry didn't, at least not the same way that Ron did. With Ron, she had a future. A future with someone who cared for her, someone who wanted her.

Still, Hermione didn't like the fact that the primary reason she was with Ron was because she was sure that her other best friend didn't like her in that way. Besides, it wasn't as if she had those feelings for Harry anyway! That was preposterous!

As Hermione approached the doorway, Harry came out with his trunk in his arms. He stopped for a second when he saw her, then nodded and made his way upstairs. Hermione hesitated for a second, and then followed him up. Ron came out of the room that she and Ginny would be sharing, after helping Harry put away Hermione's luggage, and went upstairs as well. He quickly caught up with Hermione, who was standing out side of the bedroom on the third landing that had previously belonged to Sirius.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other askance, wondering how Harry would be able to deal with being in the house that Sirius had all but been trapped in for the last year of his life. From the looks of it, Harry had dealt with his grief and survivors' guilt just fine in the scant matter of days that he'd been on his own. He looked as if he were calmer and more collected than he was before they were forced to let him go home with those damnable monsters the Dursleys.

I just hope he doesn't blow up at us again, Hermione thought with a trace of bitterness, since often times she was the one who caught the brunt of Harry's wrath the previous year. Though he had calmed down somewhat as their fifth year progressed, when he began to shout at her after the History of Magic O.W.L. exam, she'd actually thought he was going to hit her. That was the only time she could even remember being even momentarily afraid of her best friend.

"Looks like Sirius was something of a pack rat, doesn't it?" Harry asked, to the surprise of both of his friends. Dropping his trunk at the foot of the king sized four poster bed, Harry looked around at the clutter-filled room appraisingly.

"It'll probably take a few days, but this room should clean up nicely," he said. He turned towards Hermione and Ron and said, "So, you two hungry?"

Needless to say, the couple was a bit nonplussed. "Er…Harry…" Ron began, "Don't we need to move your things downstairs to our room?"

Harry shrugged as he passed his friends on the stair well, "Actually, Ron, I was thinking that I should stay in Sirius' room while I'm here. You know, let you have the room downstairs all to yourself this summer."

Though Hermione thought this to be a bit peculiar, especially in that Harry wasn't looking at either of them while he said this, Ron's face brightened immeasurably at the announcement. It wasn't until the three got to the ground floor that Hermione realized why Ron was so happy and Harry looked a tad bit uncomfortable: he thought that his friend would need privacy during their stay.

A slight blush appeared on Hermione's cheeks, and to Harry it appeared that she was a bit excited about the prospect of staying in a house where her boyfriend had a room all to himself. Holding back his sigh, Harry pushed his way into the kitchen.

Though she was blushing, Hermione wasn't excited by the fact that her boyfriend had a place where they could spend time alone, unsupervised. In fact, she was a tad miffed at the smile that had appeared on Ron's face as soon as he'd heard that he'd have the room to himself.

Of all the nerve, Hermione thought as she followed her two friends into the kitchen, I can't believe that Ron - and Harry - thinks that I'm that kind of girl! Honestly, those two…

As she nodded a greeting to Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione pondered on whom she was more disturbed with - Ron, for thinking that she might want to spend the night with him after dating for only a few days, or Harry, for thinking that she wanted to do something like that with Ron.

Logically, Hermione told herself as she sat down to get some lunch, I should be most upset with Ron for thinking such things about me - his girlfriend. But, then why am I so scared that Harry thinks that I want to do… that, with Ron?

Lunch was a rather tense affair, in that Lupin and Tonks were both quiet, silently berating themselves over letting Harry's little escapade slip to the other kids when Dumbledore had strictly told them not to say anything to either Ron or Hermione. As for the kids, Ron was devising plans to utilize his now private room later that night (all of them encompassing Hermione in varying states of undress) while Hermione was fuming over Harry keeping things from her and Harry silently tortured himself by observing his best friend and the young woman that he loved more than anything in the world sitting much closer than people who were 'just friends' do.

I just hope he makes her happy, Harry thought as he suddenly lost his appetite when he saw Ron smile at Hermione, his eyes naked with wanting. Harry excused himself before his heart was completely broken by Hermione's similar response.

Had Harry stayed, he would have seen something very different from what he expected. Hermione returned Ron's lustful gaze with a menacing glare, as if to say, How dare you?

Hermione excused herself as well, leaving Ron sitting at the table, stuffing himself to avoid thinking about his girlfriend's outright rejection at a prospective late-night interlude.

Walking upstairs, Hermione searched for Harry throughout the first and second landings, but she couldn't find him. Deciding that he probably went up to Sirius' - no, his room - she climbed the stairs to the third landing and approached the closed door. She knocked hesitantly, unsure as to why her breathing was so ragged, but there was no answer. She thought that he wasn't in the room until she heard sounds of movement within.

Harry would be okay with me coming in, she told herself, I do it all the time at Hogwarts.

Hermione opened the door and let out a startled gasp at what she was met with. Harry was doing some kind of exercise - from the looks of it, he was practicing some form of martial arts - without a shirt or shoes and socks on. To say that Hermione blushed upon seeing Harry in such a state of undress would be a drastic understatement. Of course, she had seen her best friend in his pajamas before, and sometimes without a shirt, but things had definitely changed since the last time that had happened.

Gone was the scrawny little tousle-haired boy that she'd known, and in his place was a very well developed young man. His muscles were now well defined, and coated in a fine sheen of sweat from his workout. His eyes, which were no longer covered by the round spectacles that she was used to, widened in shock upon seeing her burst into his room. His hair was longer than she remembered, and plastered to his face and neck with sweat.

Apparently, he had been quite busy in the fifteen minutes that he'd been gone from the table. There was a pregnant pause between the two, while both were trying to figure out why they were so embarrassed by the situation.

Shaking his head quickly to keep any and all thoughts from popping up as a result of being shirtless around Hermione, Harry reached over towards his discarded clothing and began slipping them on, being careful to keep his back from her sight. If she saw what was there, it would definitely raise some questions that he didn't feel like answering.

"Do you need something, 'Mione?"

"Um…" Hermione began, blushing furiously and unable to tear her eyes away from Harry's torso. Finally, when he'd buttoned up his shirt and was putting on his socks did she snap out of her daze, "I was wanting to know why you didn't tell me about the attack when it happened."

"Well, Hermione," Harry frowned, not seeing why this should really matter, "You weren't exactly there, now were you? I figured that since I'd see you in a few days, I could tell you and Ron then. Which, I did, if you'll recall."

"And you didn't think that I'd - we'd - be worried about you? As soon as you knew that someone was going to try to attack you, you should have written us!"

"Hermione," Harry began, not exactly sure why she was getting so upset, "Tonks and Shacklebolt were there afterwards. I thought that one of them would have told you guys everything."

Hermione mumbled something in response, and all he heard was his name. "Pardon?" Harry said, "I didn't quite catch that."

"I said," Hermione said, looking at him with sad eyes, "That you could have been hurt, Harry."

"'Mione," Harry began, a bit exasperated at her reaction to all of this and her taunting presence, when he knew full well that she was so close and yet so far away, "I'm number one on Voldemort's 'To Kill' list. I've been in danger since the day I was born. Honestly, do you really think that just because they're making open attacks that I'm in any more danger? They'll always be trying to kill me, you should know that by now!"

Hermione was on the verge of tears when she heard Harry saying these things. It was true that she'd always known these things, but they were always in the abstract. Voldemort may have been back, but he was staying away because they were under Dumbledore's protection. Harry was always safe at Hogwarts, with her, where she could keep an eye on him. Learning that an attempt had been made on his life, and that Harry treated it as something of little importance, almost broke Hermione's heart.

"Harry," she said quietly, looking down at her shoes since she didn't want to think about what could happen to this wonderful boy - man - in front of her, "They'll have to come through us to get to you."

She'd meant it as a declaration of her commitment to him, that no matter what she would never leave his side. Unfortunately, that wasn't how Harry heard it. To him, it seemed as if she were making an accusation, or at least a statement of what would happen before Voldemort got to him - the Dark Lord was going to come after his friends, and Hermione was worried about what could to happen to her or Ron because they were targets just for being around him.

Harry was aghast at this, for even though he'd had the same fears since after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, he'd never expected Hermione to bring it up. He'd always expected her to stick by him, no matter what. Perhaps, in the back of his mind, he'd hoped that she held just a glimmer of the love for him that he held for her.

But she's more worried about what could happen to Ron than me. I can't blame her, really. He is her boyfriend, after all.

However, all of the rationality in the world couldn't overcome the hurt he was feeling just then. He knew she'd already made her choice between him and Ron, but he didn't think that that choice was so extensive.

If she's that worried about what could happen to them, she probably came up here to tell me that it would be best to stay away…

"Don't worry Hermione," Harry said as emotionless as possible, which caused Hermione to look up at his eyes, "I'll make sure that neither you two, nor anyone else, will be hurt because of my presence. I understand why you don't want me around anymore…"

Hermione's eyes widened at his last statement, and her mind frantically searched for a reason as to why he would ever think such a horrible thing. Of course she didn't want him to leave! He had to stay, so that she could help him. So that he could keep them all safe.

As she was about to ask Harry why he thought she didn't want him around her anymore when a voice from the doorway said, "Excuse me, Ms. Granger, but I need a few minutes alone with Harry."

Startled, the two turned to find Dumbledore standing in the doorway, looking somber. Harry backed away from Hermione and turned to look out the window, watching the birds fly by. Distressed, but not knowing how to remedy this disaster, Hermione's eyes fell to the floor as she left the room. She went downstairs to the room that she would be sharing with Ginny and closed the door. Thinking about the look in Harry's eyes as he'd said that he knew she didn't want to be near him anymore, she fell to her bed and began to silently cry.

"Hello Harry," Dumbledore began before he was cut off.

"What do you want?" Harry growled. Dumbledore might have explained why he'd kept things from Harry the year before, but that didn't mean that Harry was ready to forgive him.

"I wish to speak to you about the upcoming year," Dumbledore said gravely, "And I would like to speak with you about what happened a few days ago."

"You mean how I caught Lestrange and the others." Harry said flatly.

"Yes. I would like to debrief you, as well as discuss your continued lessons in Occlumency with -"

"I'll tell you what you want to know, but as for continued lessons in Occlumency, that won't be necessary." Harry replied as he turned away from the headmaster and began putting his clothes away

Dumbledore sighed, "Yes, Harry, it is very necessary for you to continue studying Occlumency until you've mastered it. If you do not, Voldemort could once again use his connection to you to his advantage."

Harry stiffened at the headmaster's words, but then he relaxed and turned around to look the man in the eyes, "No headmaster, you don't understand. I won't need any further instruction in Occlumency because I've already mastered it. Voldemort will not be able to manipulate me like that again.

"As a matter of fact," Harry continued as he stepped past the man he'd once considered as a grandfather and closed the door, "I'm not entirely sure that I'll be coming back to Hogwarts this year - or ever again."

For the first time in his life, Dumbledore was at a loss for words as he met the soon-to-be-sixteen year old's eyes and saw an unfamiliar twinkle there. It was a twinkle that he knew well, even though he'd never seen it in person, unless one counted looking into a mirror.

When did Harry pick up that little trick?

"What do you mean Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Professor," Harry sighed and moved to the bed, where he sat down, "You and I both know that if I go back to Hogwarts that nearly 800 students will be in danger, not to mention the staff. It would be best for everyone if I didn't come back."

Dumbledore was aghast. Truthfully, he'd guessed that Harry might try to distance himself from his friends in a vain effort to protect them from Voldemort. "Harry, surely you realize that even if you're not there, your friends are going to be in danger. We all will be as long as Tom is still out there."

"Voldemort won't be concentrating on Hogwarts if he knows that I'm not there. He'll come after me first, just to show the wizarding world that there is no hope. If he thinks he has a chance of putting my remains up on display for our entire world to see, he'll go for it and we both know it.

"Besides Professor," Harry snorted, "I've grown up a bit since you last saw me. It'll take a lot of work, but I can deal with Voldemort. As soon as he's dealt with, I'll come back. I have some prank ideas to pull that will outshine anything done by the Marauders and the Weasley twins combined."

Dumbledore quickly racked his brains, trying to find some way to convince his favorite pupil - ever - that he should come back to the safety of Hogwarts. It wasn't until the protective grandfatherly (even though they weren't related by blood, that's how he felt about the boy) instincts quieted down for a bit that rationality kicked back in.

"Harry, you're not even sixteen yet, you can't leave school even if you wanted to."

To say that Dumbledore was surprised when Harry not only rolled his eyes but actually laughed would be an understatement worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records. It was a few moments before Harry actually calmed down enough to see the look of absolute worry etched on Dumbledore's face.

"Professor," he began, before deciding that this required a more personal touch, "Albus, you and I both know that after the OWLs a student can leave Hogwarts. Listen, I can't tell you why I'm leaving. All I can tell you right now is that there is nothing more I can learn at Hogwarts that would help me in my confrontation with Voldemort. I need to stop him now before a full fledged war starts."

Now Dumbledore was grasping at straws, "Harry, if you truly feel that there is nothing more for you to learn at Hogwarts, why don't you become my apprentice? There are a lot of things I could teach you that you wouldn't learn anywhere else."

"No Albus," Harry sighed again, "That won't be necessary. There is nothing that you could teach me that I wouldn't already know."

A tiny part of Dumbledore was insulted by that, but it was overshadowed by the all-consuming panic flushing through his system at the thought of Harry - his Harry - out there all alone with a psychotic Dark Wizard after him. In a final act of desperation, Dumbledore did the only thing he could think of to convince Harry that he was wrong: he tried Legilimency.

I'm sorry Harry, but this is the only way to show you how unprepared you are…

If Dumbledore only knew.

Before Dumbledore even finished the incantation to enter the boy's mind, Harry had already prepared himself for the intrusion. When there should have been random, happy memories floating to the surface of Harry's consciousness (Dumbledore was not as vindictive as Snape was by any means), there was nothing.

Instead, Harry's eyes only shimmered with power, and Dumbledore found himself caught in the boy's emerald gaze. Before he could do anything, Dumbledore felt a familiar tugging sensation behind his navel and a swirl of colors flashed before his eyes.

How is this possible?

With a loud thump! Dumbledore landed in what appeared to be a large tomb or dungeon. He was lying in a circle of light, no more than seven feet in diameter. Outside of the small space of light everything was blurred and unrecognizable. Slowly, the aged headmaster got to his feet and tried to puzzle out what had happened.

"That wasn't very nice, Albus."

Dumbledore whirled around, trying to find the source of the deep, resonating voice that echoed in the darkness beyond.

"Harry?"

"Don't worry Albus. I know why you tried to do what you did, and I appreciate the fact that you love me like your own flesh and blood. Regardless, don't try it again."

"Harry," Dumbledore said, quite proud that he was able to suppress any quavering in his voice, "How are you doing this? Severus said -"

"Severus!" Harry's voice cut in before Dumbledore could continue, "Professor Snape didn't try to teach me Occlumency, he tried to dig up dirt on me so he could hurt me later. As for how I'm doing this, I told you before - I know everything I need to know, and there is nothing more I can learn from any of you."

Dumbledore was frightened; both by the fact that he couldn't perform any magic and that he had lost all control of this situation. Also, he was terrified of the thought of letting Harry walk out into danger without any help whatsoever.

"I can understand your fear, Albus," Harry said as he revealed himself to Dumbledore, "But you don't need to worry about me. As you can see, I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

Dumbledore's eyes widened as he took in Harry's appearance. The boy had obviously grown since the last term ended, and he was dressed strangely. He had on what looked to be a body suit made from a red velvet-like material, as well as a golden tunic over that. He looked like a warrior ready to do battle.

"Harry, what is going on?"

Harry sighed and looked away before answering, "I can't tell you anything yet, Albus. Just know that I'm more than ready to deal with anything that Voldemort can throw at me. With a few more days, I should be able to come up with something to take care of him as well.

"However," he said, turning back to an awestruck Dumbledore, "Soon, I'll be able to tell you everything. After I have defeated Voldemort, we'll sit down and discuss what's happened to me. Until then, I still need to practice some things…on my own."

With that, the surrounding darkness faded away to reveal a labyrinth that defied the laws of physics. Not only was it gargantuan, but there were staircases that ran along the walls and ceilings, as if the floor had switched with those places. Dumbledore's first impression of it being a tomb had some merit, as the floor, ceiling and walls were covered with some kind of arcane runes the likes of which he'd never seen before. It was then that Dumbledore noticed hundreds upon hundreds of wrought iron doors along the walls, as well as faint shadows in the far off distance that were moving.

Some kind of creatures lurking about?

Before he got the chance to further explore this fascinating place that Harry had brought him too, Dumbledore felt that familiar tug behind his navel and the plethora of colors and light as he traveled back to chair that he'd been sitting in when speaking to Harry.

He looked up to see Harry standing before him, once again dressed as he was when Dumbledore came into the room. He shook his head, as if to clear it of some strange thought when Harry began to speak.

"As you saw, anyone who tries to enter my mind will have a hell of a time with my mental defenses. Personally, I don't think Voldemort will make it past the first few booby-trapped rooms before he decides to stop trying.

"So," he said, causing Dumbledore to meet his gaze, "Are we in agreement that I won't need to come back to Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore nodded mutely, still reeling from his botched attempt to intrude into Harry's mind. Never in his life had he seen mental defenses that strong. When it came to Legilimency, Dumbledore was unrivaled save by Voldemort, and Harry had batted down his attempts as if they were nothing.

Something strange is going on here, but I won't be able to find out anything until Harry decides to tell me.

Dumbledore only listened half-heartedly while Harry gave him a blow by blow account of what transpired the day he was attacked by the Death Eaters (minus his interaction with Alfirin, of course), though he did interrupt a few times to ask questions about what the Death Eaters said at the time and if Harry had felt any kind of warning from his scar. After Harry had finished with his story, Dumbledore stood.

"Actually, Harry, there were two other things I wanted to tell you," he said, placing a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder, "The first being that Sirius' will is to be read on your birthday. I think I should tell you that aside from a few items and some money he left to Remus, Tonks and the Weasleys, you're getting just about everything. Would you be willing to allow us to continue using Grimmauld Place as the Order's Headquarters?"

"Of course, Professor," Harry said, his eyes downcast, "It would be an honor for the Order to use this place as Headquarters. At least it'll be put to some good use. What else did you wish to speak with me about?"

"Actually," Dumbledore said as the familiar twinkle returned to eyes somewhat, "the second thing I have to tell you concerns you and your friends." At Harry's confused look, Dumbledore grinned, "Your OWL results. I brought them with me. I imagine Ms. Granger should be going spare over them, don't you?"

Harry smiled a bittersweet smile and looked at the door, "Yes, sir, I'm sure she is, even though she probably got O's on everything." He got up and followed Dumbledore downstairs to the kitchen, where Ron, Remus and Tonks were still sitting at the table. It looked as though Ron had finally finished eating moments before they had walked in.

"Oh, Harry dear, how wonderful it is to see you!"

Harry spun around and came face to face with Arthur and Molly Weasley, the latter of which quickly enveloped him in a rib-crushing hug. Luckily, Mr. Weasley was there to pull her off him before he passed out, after which the two shook hands. Once Mr. Weasley stepped aside, Ginny, Fred and George came into view. Ginny began to run up to Harry but stopped a few steps away, her gaze raking up and down his body and her mouth dropped open.

"H-Harry?"

"Bloody Hell, mate! Whatever you've been up to let us in on it!" George exclaimed, side-stepping his baby sister and coming forward to shake Harry's hand, followed closely (as always) by Fred. The twins repeated Ginny's action, though without the flash of wanting in their eyes that had been in their sister's.

Once everyone had settled down and resumed their seats at the table, Dumbledore cleared his throat and reached inside of his robes. Harry and Ron craned forward to see the three envelopes he laid on the table. They could clearly see their names printed on the front, as well as one for Hermione.

Their OWL results.

Hermione's going to be so excited, Harry thought. With a pang, he wondered if Ron would give her a celebratory kiss to congratulate her on her good scores.

Tonks got up from the table and left the room, saying over her shoulder, "I'll go get Hermione - she'll definitely want to see these."

Harry put off opening his, because he knew that Hermione would want to open them together. Ron, however, immediately tore his open to see how he'd done. Harry thought that was odd, seeing as how Ron was usually hesitant about anything having to do with school. Then he noticed Mrs. Weasley all but glowering at her youngest son, and Ron's uncharacteristic haste was no longer a mystery.

The door opened and a subdued Hermione came in followed by a confused Tonks. Hermione looked at Harry for a second then averted her eyes to the letter in Ron's hands. As soon as she realized what it was that Ron was reading, her face brightened just a little bit and she snatched up her OWL results.

Seeing that Hermione was about to open hers, Harry picked up his results as well and tore open the envelope, hoping against all odds that his grades would at least help back up his claims that he didn't need to come back to Hogwarts for his remaining two years. He looked over his results.

They did. By a considerable degree. Judging by the ecstatic look on Hermione's face, she'd done as expected - which meant phenomenal. Ron, on the other hand, looked a bit pale as he perused his grades.

"Well, Ron, how did you do?" Mrs. Weasley asked imperiously. Ron looked at her and gulped.

"I g-got 7 OWLs m-mum." Ron replied. Mrs. Weasley looked at him for a few seconds and then rushed around the table and gathered him in a typical Weasley bone-crushing hug.

"I am so proud of you, Ronniekins!" she exclaimed while Ron went red in the face (either from being called 'Ronniekins' in front of everyone, including Dumbledore and his girlfriend, or from lack of oxygen) while Fred and George both made retching sounds in the background. Harry quickly glanced at his letter, looking straight at the total number of OWLs he'd received. The letter read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

Below are your results from the Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations. The grading system is thus - for every exam containing two parts, both Theory and Practical, the grades were averaged to give a single grade for the entire test. 'Outstanding' (O) is worth two OWLs, while 'Exceeds Expectations' (E) and 'Average' (A) give a total of one OWL. Grades of 'Poor' (P), 'Dreadful' (D) and 'Terrible' (T) render scores of zero OWLs. Your grades are as follows:

Astronomy: A/A - Final grade: A

Care of Magical Creatures: O/O - Final grade: O

Charms: E/E - Final grade: E

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O/O+ - Final grade: O+*

Divination: Ø/P - Final grade: P

Herbology: A/E - Final grade: E

History of Magic: Ø/D - Final grade: D

Potions: O/O - Final grade: O

Transfiguration: E/O - Final grade: O

Total Number of OWLs: 11

*Bonus points given for ability to produce highly advanced Patronus Charm. Highest recorded DADA OWL exam score in history.

Congratulations, Mr. Potter, on a job well done.

Wizarding Examination Board

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Hermione's excited squeal as she waved her letter around frantically, "15 OWLs! I've gotten 15 OWLs!"

"Well then," Harry said, smiling at her, "I guess we know who's going to be Head Girl next year, don't we?"

"Yeah, congratulations Herms!" Ron chirped as soon as his mother let him go. He immediately rushed over to her and gave her a hug and was about to kiss her when she turned her head towards Harry, making him kiss her on the cheek instead.

"How many did you get, Harry?" she asked pensively, hoping he'd gotten over his crazy notion that she didn't want him around anymore.

"I got 11 OWLs." Harry said. Remus and Mrs. Weasley beamed at him, while Hermione and Ron looked at him, shock evident on their faces.

"Well," Dumbledore said to everyone, "This obviously calls for a celebration!" With that, he clapped his hands and party decorations popped into existence around the room. Mrs. Weasley went to the stove to make a cake for the party. Remus quickly jumped up to keep Tonks from 'helping' while the twins, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry all sat down at the table, swapping their letters so that each could see how the others did.

A few hours passed as everyone celebrated the Trio's good performance on their tests. Throughout that time, Harry managed to avoid talking to anyone about his plans for the following school year. He wanted to avoid a confrontation with Mrs. Weasley and Remus for as long as possible, which meant steering clear of his intent to not return to Hogwarts for his sixth year, at least not until Voldemort was vanquished. It was all going so well, until Hermione cautiously approached him and began commenting on his OWL results.

"You know, Harry," she said quietly, trying to think of a way to ease into the area of why he thought she wanted him gone, "With those results, you can take all the classes you need to enter the Auror program. You still have a shot at becoming an Auror after graduating."

"Not to mention," Mrs. Weasley cut in, surprising both Hermione and Harry, "that with 11 OWLs, Harry here has a decent chance at becoming Head Boy next year. You'd better keep on your toes, Ron," she said to her youngest son, who was over in a corner with the twins when he looked up after hearing his name, "or Harry will beat you to the Head Boy position."

Harry looked over at Ron to see his face clouded with a myriad of unidentifiable emotions at hearing this, and decided that he couldn't avoid it any longer. Casting an imploring look in Dumbledore's direction, Harry calmly said, "Actually, I won't be competing with Ron for the spot of Head Boy this year, or taking Auror prep classes - at least, not until Voldemort is taken care of."

A collective gasp ran through the room, as well as every single person save Harry and Dumbledore shuddering at that name. As he was about to begin explaining, Harry felt the comforting hand of Dumbledore resting on his shoulder, lending him strength.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Molly asked quietly, "Why won't you be doing those things until H-He is gone?"

Looking into Hermione's mocha eyes, Harry answered all of their questions, spoken and otherwise, by saying, "I have decided that I will not return to Hogwarts this September. Instead, I will take the fight to Voldemort and end this before it becomes a full fledged war."

Hermione's eyes grew wide at this statement, and then even wider still as realization dawned on her as to one of the, if not the, causes of his not returning to Hogwarts: He thinks that we'll all be in danger if he's there with us!

He thinks I - we - don't want him there. Oh no…

Molly and Remus were both flabbergasted, but before they could object, Harry cut in, "I know that you have a problem with this. You think it's too dangerous and that I'm still a child and therefore shouldn't take any part of this fight, at least for now. However, Professor Dumbledore and I have discussed it, and he agrees with my decision to not return to Hogwarts until I have defeated Voldemort."

Harry could see that Mrs. Weasley was beginning to warm up to one of her trademark yelling sessions, so he turned to Dumbledore and whispered quietly in his ear, "If they keep asking questions, just tell them about the prophecy and that you know that I'm ready." Harry then turned away and headed for the door before Dumbledore stopped him.

"Harry, where are you going?"

"Professor," he said, turning around to look at Dumbledore, that familiar twinkle back in his eyes, "It has been a long and tiring day, and I want to go to bed. Goodnight all."

With that, Harry walked out of the room and started up the stairs. Back in the kitchen, all eyes turned towards Dumbledore, except for Hermione, who was already on her way out of the kitchen, following Harry up the stairs.

Now, why did he leave so abruptly after dropping that bombshell, Dumbledore thought to himself as he looked around, meeting the angry and confused stares of the two elder Weasleys, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. All four of which looked ready to tear him a new…orifice…for allowing Harry to choose to not return to Hogwarts. It wasn't until he noticed their angry glares that Dumbledore remembered that Harry had left it up to him to explain everything to these people who looked ready to murder for the slightest provocation.

Ah, Dumbledore thought admiringly, that's why.

The four adults in the room slowly walked towards him, closing him in.

Uh oh…

Hermione caught up with Harry on the second landing outside of her room. She reached out and touched his shoulder, causing him to stiffen and turn towards her.

"Harry," she began, "Why don't you want to come back to Hogwarts?"

He sighed, clearly vexed at how to answer her. One moment it's You need to stay away for me and my love's sake and the next it was What are you doing? Don't leave!

"Like I told you and Professor Dumbledore, Hermione, Voldemort is going to keep coming after me. It makes more sense if I'm the only one in the line of fire, instead of nearly a thousand other people that he could kill."

"But," she said, desperately trying to think of something that would make him want to come back with her to Hogwarts, "Can't you think of any reasons to come back? I mean, you still have a lot to learn, classes to take for Auror prep."

Harry looked at her sadly before he answered, "There is nothing more I can learn at Hogwarts that would help me against Voldemort. Besides, other than classes, I get the feeling that it would be a bad idea for me to be around." The pain in his eyes was almost too much for Hermione to bear.

"Harry-" she began but was cut off by the sounds of people coming up the stairs. It was Ginny, Ron and the twins, all grumbling about not being allowed into the meetings for the adults. Hermione broke away from Harry as he sadly looked at her and started back up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Mione."

Hermione turned around and fled into her room and shut the door before she began to cry for the second time that day. At least before, she'd had the thought of being with Harry at school, so that they could work things out and she could figure out why she felt so strange when he was about, why it was so different than with Ron.

Now, it appeared that she only had until the end of the summer to puzzled everything out.

Harry sighed as he entered the bedroom at the top of the third landing and closed the door.

"Ah, young love. Is anything ever as sweet as that?"

Harry spun around to find a strange man sitting in a chair by the window, silhouetted by the night sky. He was wearing obsidian robes, and he was sitting with his elbows on the arm rests of the chair, his fingers steepled in front of his face. Though he could see no eyes, Harry got the impression this stranger was looking directly at him.

The man slowly stood up, his face slowly entering the light. Harry kept his distance, seeing as how this person found a way in though the Fidelius Charm placed on the house, so this guy had to be dangerous. As soon as his face was hit with the light, Harry noticed that his face had a toned, aristocratic shape to it, which was nicely balanced with a striking goatee and perfectly shaped nose. In fact, the only thing that ruined his looks was his eyes.

His eyes were pitch black, as black as the man's robes. Not just the irises of the eyes, but the entire eye, as if something were coloring his entire eye black.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Harry demanded.

"I got in because I wanted to get in. As for my name…well…you can call me Iaur Dúath."

That name struck a bell with Harry. That was the name of the man responsible for the tests that Harry would have to take to prove that he was worthy of the Aewonaur Coll.

Iaur closed the gap between the two of them and leaned forward, "The tests shall now begin. You, Harry Potter," he pointed a long digit at Harry, "Will now run the Gauntlet."