Chapter 33
The meeting with the rest of the order went well considering they were all shocked that Voldemort was able to go through the defenses of Hogwarts. However, Dumbledore had assured them that precautions were in place in order to prevent the same incident from happening again. He mentioned that Harry had placed special protection to guard from the mental or remote types of attacks.
They looked at Dumbledore with their mouths agape, especially those who did not know Harry well and of course not everyone was aware of just how powerful Harry had become. He decided against telling them that Harry was well aware for their thoughts and feelings and that he knew of Voldemort's hide out. He'd decided it wasn't worth the scene it would cost.
Harry sat quietly wanting to laugh at some of the thoughts and feelings the others around him were giving off, but he controlled himself. He would do well to remember that hubris always get people in trouble including Merlin himself. It didn't stop him from wanting to show everyone exactly what he could do, but it did stop him from showcasing what he could do.
The other six kept looking over at Harry, probably to make sure he wasn't going to do anything rash. After the third time they looked his way, he had to send them a message telling them that all was well with him and that the people's thoughts would amuse them if they could just see them. They all smiled at him to acknowledge his thoughts except for Hermione who gave him a warning look.
After the meeting when everyone except Dumbledore, the Weasley's, Tonks, Lupin and the seven were left. "Well, that was productive," Ron let out sarcastically. Dumbledore chuckled at his comment.
"What did you expect?" Molly asked him.
"I thought people would contribute more in the planning for Voldemort's destruction. But it seemed clear that they are all depending on us fulfilling our so called destinies. I mean, don't they even think about such things like a back up plan or better yet, backup for when we do go into battle." Ron shook his head. "Pathetic really if they think we still won't need any of their help. No offense Harry."
"None taken mate," Harry chuckled.
"Come on Ron," Neville started. "I think Professor Dumbledore would have thought of something like that."
"Thanks for your vote of confidence, Neville. I do have something in mind if you should all perish." He shivered at the thought, and then smiled fondly at Harry. "But I have fate in your abilities and in your loyalty as well as love and friendship. There are no higher motivators that those."
"Thanks professor."
"Well, why don't we all get back home and get some rest. I'm sure you all have a lot of other things to do aside from Order business."
Before the others Harry finally revealed his leaping abilities. The seven of them held hands and he leapt them back to their own little meeting room back within the Gryffindor tower. Since they'd come in via floo before, the others were a bit surprised to witness their disappearance.
"I didn't know you'd all taught them to apparate?" asked Molly with her hand on her heart as if to still the rapid beating of it.
"They can't. Not all of them anyway," Dumbledore answered.
"Then, how?"
"It's called leaping. I'm sure you've all heard legends and stories about the origination of that type of travel. It's best you clear your minds of them and stop wondering. It wouldn't be good for all of us if any of our minds are probed and the knowledge revealed to the enemy."
They all nodded. They knew the professor would reveal the truth when the time came, but he was right. The less they knew about what the kids are up to, the safer they were. They felt helpless in that way, but they also knew that they would do their best to be their backup if that was their destiny in this war.
In their meeting room, Ron was pacing while the others sat in the pillows that Harry had conjured for them. He knew that Lavender was the last person that needed to solve the last song. It seemed much more difficult when they knew who it was that was supposed to solve the song. He stopped and looked at the wall where the last song was written.
The gift of Seeing be the last
Forgotten Island's spell.
"What the bloody hell, does it mean? We all could see can't we? And where in the world is the Forgotten Island?"
"Ron, calm down," Ginny advised. "You're making Lavender crazy with all your pacing not to mention the rest of us. Besides, you're not the one who's supposed to solve it, remember?"
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I can't help, now can I?"
"You're right Ron," Hermione added with a calm soothing voice. She supposed her impending motherhood is making her more maternal. She couldn't understand where all the calmness was coming from, but she was thankful for it. "However, in my experience they more I tend to think about a problem the harder it was to find the answer. We all need today to relax and center ourselves. We won't be helping our cause by getting burnt out."
"Easy for you to say," Ron sneered.
"Ron," Harry called his attention in a calm but commanding voice. "Don't start."
"Fine, it figures you'd take her side."
"Honey," Lavender soothed. "Harry and Hermione are right. We need to relax and start again tomorrow. I need to wind down and relax. Help me?" It was more a suggestion than a question, but Ron caught her meaning immediately.
"On that note, I'll be turning in now," Neville announced.
"Good idea, mate," Harry seconded.
Neville went to the dormitories, Harry and Hermione leapt to their rooms, Lavender and Ron went to their private meeting room and Draco and Ginny stayed behind and locked the doors and had a snog session.
The next day they found themselves in the Forgotten Island on Fincayra. Emrys and Rhia only directed them to the island but did not accompany them as usual. Deep inside they knew it was not their time to see the island yet. They couldn't jeopardize their destinies or the fate of Fincayra as well.
They looked around and found nothing but wreckage and barren wasteland. There were no plants of any kind, not even cacti. The closest green things they could find on the island were the brown sea weed that had been washed up on shore. It was truly a forgotten Island.
They went further up the hills and all they saw were remnants of a building that could have been as beautiful as the Parthenon. There were fallen statues with what looked like wings. The pile of rubble seemed like the building had been hit with a giant club of some kind. Whatever stood at the top of the hill had been smashed in smithereens.
"What do you supposed happened here?" Harry asked to no one in particular.
"Don't know, but I'd guess something very bad happened here," Draco supplied.
"I wonder if there were any people here." Lavender spoke her thoughts aloud.
"I don't know, love, but whoever the people were that lived here are long gone. Look there." Ron pointed to a piece of bone sticking out of the rubble.
"Dear Merlin," Ginny gasped. "I wonder who or what could have done such a thing."
"We'll probably never know unless we travel back to when this land was still thriving." Harry added.
"Couldn't we then?" asked Neville.
"No, it was named the forgotten island for a reason, and it must have happened after everything here was destroyed. Going back to when this island was still alive wouldn't help us one bit.
"Harry, do you think you and Hermione and feel the ground and check if the ground could help us in any way?" asked Lavender.
At that Harry and Hermione crouched down and touched the ground. To their amazement, they could not feel anything.
"It seems as though what happened here long ago killed all the life on this island and eventually the island itself," Harry told them as he stood up and helped Hermione up. She wasn't showing yet, but her back was starting to bother her a bit if she stayed in a crouched position for long periods of time. Just as Harry stood up he was hit by a blinding pain in his scar. Something he'd never thought would follow him to Fincayra, but it seemed as though being on the forgotten island somehow disrupted the protection that the rest of Fincayra offered him.
"Ah!" he screamed and jolted everyone to stand still.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed as well and made a grab for his hand. "Is it Voldemort?"
"Yes, hold on. Let me try to astral project with the help of leaping." As he sat and concentrated with a grimace apparent on his face, the others waited anxiously. They knew the battle was finally close if it wasn't already happening. And they knew that Lavender still needed to find her song's meaning if they were to be successful in defeating Voldemort.
After a few minutes, Harry looked up at them. "We need to go back. They're planning to start attacking tonight. We need to keep them where they are and attack them at their turf."
"Wouldn't that give them an advantage over us?" asked Draco.
"Not if they're not expecting us. We will have the element of surprise. Voldemort is too confident to realize that we know where he is and that we could attack him any time."
They nodded in agreement. Harry leapt them back directly in Dumbledore's office. Harry didn't even check if Dumbledore was otherwise preoccupied with other things at that moment. The urgency of the matter overrode any and all current priority or activities Dumbledore may have had at that moment.
At the look on the teens' faces Dumbledore knew something was amiss. They would have never leapt into his office unannounced or so suddenly.
"Is it time?"
"Yes," Harry answered. "It will happen tonight. We need to catch them before they go out."
Just then, Snape rushed in out of breath. "Headmaster!" he exclaimed until he saw the seven youths standing before him.
"It is true then, Severus?"
"What is true sir?"
"That Voldemort plans to attack tonight?"
"How did you know sir? I just learned of it myself." Dumbledore shifted his eyes toward Harry. "I see."
Snape felt like a useless rag at that point. He'd risked his life to become a double agent so to speak and his information had already been relayed before he could even say it himself.
"Thank you for the confirmation, Severus." Snape nodded in acknowledgement and felt a bit better about his accomplishment. "We must call the members of the Order immediately. We don't have much time to loose. We'll assemble at the Shrieking shack post haste."
"Professor?" asked Harry "We will meet you at a rendezvous point near Voldemort's hideout."
"What do you mean?"
"We need to go there now."
"But, Harry!" Ron protested, "Lavender…." Harry gave him a look to ask him to trust him.
"But we don't know where the hideout is."
"We will meet at Glastonbury near the Tor. You will need to use portkeys." Harry waved his hand and a number of coins dropped on the professor's desk. "Use those and you must go in separate groups of 7. The coins will be activated only when seven people are touching it."
"What happens if we have an odd number?" Snape asked trying to keep the awe out of his voice. He who was twice Harry's age at least could not conjure and make portkeys at the wave of his hands. Bloody Hell, he thought, he couldn't even conjure up small things without full concentration.
"The coins will know when there will be left over members that do not equal seven and the coins will multiply if you need more."
"Thank you Harry," Dumbledore managed to say though the tightening in his heart kept a lump in his throat.
Harry looked at him, maybe for the last time, then went to him and hugged him with all his might. "Don't worry. I love you grandfather," he whispered.
"I love you too, Harry. Be safe. Please."
"I will certainly do my best. We will do what we can before you arrive. I just need to bring my friends to see their families first. It's the least I can give them."
"Very well, come here all of you and give this old man a hug." They each went to him and hugged him before Harry leapt them to their next destination. Though the pain in his scar increase with each second, he controlled it well and concentrated on his task at hand.
They first went to the Brown resident where Lavender pretended to give them the news of her and Ron's engagement (even though she'd already owled them about it.) They didn't say anything. Somehow they knew that the battle was about to take place and that their daughter must take her rightful place as it was written in the stars. Her mom cried and though her father tried not to, his tears gathered in his eyes. When they left Mr. and Mrs. Brown held on to each other before grabbing their wands to join Dumbledore's Army into battle. They hadn't been privy to the order, but they knew somehow that Dumbledore would have gathered people to fight against the evil Dark Lord.
The next stop was Neville's grandmother's house. Though she was startled at first when the seven teenagers appeared, she immediately gathered her wits and opened her arms to Neville. She'd known that his destiny would be fulfilled. She told him that his parents would be proud of him and that although she'd never really told him often, she did love him and was quite of everything he's accomplished. She'd also promised to go tell his parents even if they probably won't understand what she was telling them. Neville thanked him for looking after him and that he too loved her very much.
The girls were teary eyed and though the boys tried not to be affected, they too were choked up with all the emotions.
When they arrived at the burrow, Molly knew right away since she was a member of the Order and had already received there missive. She ran and hugged Ginny, then Ron, then Harry, Hermione, Lavender, Neville and even Draco. She was sobbing, but she managed to put on a smile.
Since the other Weasley's were also there preparing for the fight, they each hugged each other murmuring goodluck and I love you.
"We'll see at the rendezvous point, then." Arthur managed to breathe out. He looked at his children as they stood united against the great evil that would plague their future if they don't put a stop to it on that night. He was proud of them and if he didn't make it out alive, at least he knew that they would fight as a family.
The seven went on to Galstonbury. Since it was purely a muggle town that had quite a magical history itself, they felt safe. But as a safety precaution, Harry had conjoured them all muggle clothes to blend in a bit more. They'd changed into their clothes at the Weasleys where Harry left the Weasleys in awe when he conjured the clothes in front of him. Harry was no longer afraid of showing his full power. It would all be revealed that night.
"So, does anyone know the history of this place?" asked Hermione with her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Do you all know what the isle is called?" Everyone looked at her as if she were a loon. "Come on, don't any of you bloody read?"
"Sorry, Hermione, but this trivia thing is sorta not the first thing on our minds right now," Ron answered her sarcastically.
"You git! This is the Isle of Avalon. This Galstonbury in this Isle of Avalon was said to have been were Arthur and Guinevere were buried. Legend also has it that this was a place were the mother goddess was worshipped by the Druids. And Harry, isn't your estate called Avalon for a reason. There has to be a connection Harry."
They all looked at Hermione with their mouths agape. They all made fun at how much she read, but at that moment they wanted to bow down at her feet.
"Quick get a feel for the grounds," Harry commanded Hermione. She glared at him. "Please." She smiled then and just as Harry did, she put her hand on the ground and left herself open to the feelings that poured out from the earth.
"Oh, my!" Hermione exclaimed first. Harry smiled and the five of them looked at them with confusion.
"What is it?" Ginny asked.
"We are standing in practically the same place we were just standing on a few hours ago."
"Huh?" Ron asked while the others thought about where they've been.
"We're at the forgotten island?" Lavender asked and at Harry and Hermione's nod, she was filled with relief. She knew that she still had a chance to solve her song before the day was over and the confrontation began.
"Come on, let's have a look around. We're starting to get strange stares from the locals," Draco suggested. He'd been a bit quiet since they'd visited their families. He wanted to see his mother, but he knew that if they'd gone to Malfoy Manor, Lucius may have been there. He doesn't even think of him as his father anymore. He just thought of him as Lucius Malfoy.
Harry sensed Draco's sadness and asked him if he wanted to see his mom. "If she won't be in any danger, do you think you could leap me there by myself. But only if she's alone though." Harry nodded and closed his eyes to take a look around Malfoy Manor.
He found Narcissa sitting on her bed. She was crying and Harry could feel her longing to hold her son and someone else he couldn't pin point at that moment. She had a feeling that something big was going to happen tonight, but she didn't know what. She knew that Lucius had been acting strangely, more strange than usual. He'd left her locked in their bedroom to wait for him.
He asked Draco if he was ready. Draco looked at Ginny and kissed her before he nodded. Harry told him to touch his locket as soon as was ready to return.
"Mother?" Draco whispered.
"Am I dreaming? Oh dear Merlin, Draco? Is that really you? But how?"
"It's me, and it's a long story but I haven't got enough time. Please trust me." Narcissa nodded almost defeated.
"Come here and let me hold you." He did as he asked and held his mother while she sobbed on his shoulder. "You're going to the battle aren't you?"
"Yes."
"No Draco, please do not fight with your father. I've held on to my tongue long enough. I know there are things you won't understand and find it hard to believe, but believe me when I say that you're father has not always been so bad. Something changed long ago and I haven't been able to get him out of whatever was pulling him into the darker side of magic. It became worst when Voldemort appeared and I thought after you and …." She stuttered. "after you were born, I thought he'd changed, but he was more determined to serve his new master."
"Why didn't you leave him?"
"I loved him and I still do?"
"I love you mother and I don't want you to get hurt. Please come with me."
"I can't Draco, if you're father comes back and I am not here, he'll be furious."
"My friends and I will protect you mother, please do this for my sake and for the sake of your future grandchildren. I don't want any of my children to grow up in the kind of environment I grew up in."
"Oh, Draco. If only I were strong enough."
"You are strong enough. I must have gotten my strength from somewhere. I don't think it's from Lucius." Narcissa cringed at the way Draco said his father's name. He hadn't even called him father. "Please. I want you to be safe."
"All right Draco. I will follow you. Where are you apparating to?"
"Hold my hand, we'll travel a different way." As soon as Draco touched his locket they were brought to where Harry and the others waited anxiously for him.
As soon as they saw that Draco wasn't alone, they were a bit hesitant, except for Harry. He welcomed her and asked her to remain wherever they put her. There would be protective spells on the place and she would be safe from any tracker of any kind.
Narcissa's eyes grew wide as soon as she saw the children. She knew Harry Potter and when Draco had told her she was safe with his friends, she hadn't questioned him. But now as she stood in the middle of all the people's children who her husband hated with passion, she was proud of her son. She didn't know he'd made friends with one of the greatest wizards of their time. Oh she knew that Lucius was fighting a lost cost. She'd known about another prophecy that she'd heard from her family, the Blacks. She'd kept it from her husband. She knew that Sirius had been destined to be somehow in charge of a wizard who was from a long line of wizards and was said would be great, even greater than Merlin himself.
But she'd thought the wizard would be of pure wizarding blood so she never thought anything of it when Sirius became godfather to James and Lily Potter's child. Even her cousins including Bellatrix did not know that the greatest wizard would be of mixed blood. She knew now the prophecy had come true as she stood and looked upon Harry Potter.
Then one of the girls caught her eyes. She couldn't believe her luck when she saw her. After waiting for so long she finally came face to face with her daughter.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Almost done. I promise. Just setting up for the battle. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
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