A/N: I know that it has been such a long time, and I'm sorry for the wait, but I have been murderously busy. Plus, another thing, I know that I promised to have the battle finally start in this chapter, but I never even realized just how much information I had to get it before I could do that. You must be patient with me, but it is simply not something I want to rush into. Since this is a very important part of the plot, I want to get it done in the best manner possible, and that may mean taking an extra chapter or two to get there, but I'd rather get it done right and good than anything.
As for the HBP, I understand that disappointment stood with many of you, as it did with me, but hopefully, this will be somewhat of a replacement for it although, we all know that it is hardly possible to replace something such as that. However, despite all that, here is chapter 21!
Chapter 21
Getting to the Point
Harry paced the dungeons outside of the Order's headquarters as Ron and Hermione stood at the side and waited patently for the door to open.
"Harry, don't move so much, you're making us - me nervous," said Ron, with correction once he saw Hermione glare at him.
He stopped and scowled at Ron, hands tied behind his back. Taken aback, Ron somehow found it in himself to not meet his eye and take a step back from him.
No sooner had silence filled the room once more when the door sprang open and Mr. Thompson and Lupin walked outside followed by members such as Hagrid and Tonks.
Harry's head propped up attentively and his eyes grew with both excitement and anxiety.
Ron shifted uncomfortably in position, watching them, and Hermione put on a stern face, coming to stand closer to Harry.
"I suppose we don't have much of a choice," said Mr. Thompson. "We agreed to make this your call, after all, Harry."
Harry bit his lip and looked at them, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Ron," said Harry suddenly, and turned to see his friend slightly pale in the face behind him. "Come here," he told him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Use Ron," he told them. "I guarantee he can fix our positions better than anyone - "
"But Harry - " Ron began, as a majority of them stared at him. "I don't think -"
"You better start," Hermione blurted. He looked at her, frowning, and she then said, "Oh, sorry."
Ron sighed and, facing the Order members, shrugged.
"All right, then," said Mr. Thompson. "Anything else?"
"Yes," said Harry. "Hermione -"
Hermione looked at him, a curious look on her face.
"Whatever she's up to - er, working on - let her keep at it," said Harry, finally decided on the fact that he didn't care that Hermione was keeping something from him; if it was that important to her, he would stand by it.
Hermione turned scarlet in the face and looked absolutely shocked. "Harry, wh-what are you talking about?"
The Order members looked concerned at Harry's words and a slight murmuring erupted between some of them.
"Oh, enough playing, Hermione. I know you're doing something for the Order behind my back. I've decided that I don't care to find out, but I guess it must be that important if you would keep it from me."
"I...I - I wouldn't - I -"
"Just do it, Hermione," said Harry, exasperated as Ron looked from Harry to Hermione, aghast.
Hermione looked as if she would burst and her shocked expression turned to that of anger. She came up to stand between him and the Order members and said, "You listen here, Harry, I admire the fact that you're letting me `go about' doing whatever I need to do, but you do not have the right to - to order me around like I'm some kind of...thing."
Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head saying, "Why don't you try it sometime, then?"
"You are to respect me, Harry Potter," she whisper warningly so that only he could hear her, pointing a threatening finger at him.
Hermione shook her head disbelievingly as she stood back when Harry's expression didn't change and said, "You're acting like him," in an annoyed tone.
"Like who?" Harry snapped.
"You know...who..."
"Harry, is that all?" Lupin suddenly said, with authority. "We don't have all day."
"Yes, yes, that's...all," said Harry, not taking his eyes off Hermione, who still had fury written all over her face.
"We'll meet you there tonight outside on the ground once more, then," said Mr. Thompson and the room emptied, leaving Harry, Hermione, and Ron alone.
Harry finally looked away from Hermione and rubbed the back of his neck. "What was all that, Hermione?" he said enraged, turning to face her sharply. "And in front of the Order!"
"You should know better, Harry!" Hermione yelled and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
Harry turned to look at Ron, who was playing with his fingers and not looking back at him.
Harry opened his mouth to say something and then followed Hermione's example and left the dungeon.
Returning to the common room, Harry found Hermione to be the last person in it, sitting on the couch and flipping though a book.
"Hey -" he began.
"I really don't want to talk right now, Harry, especially to you."
"But -"
She slammed the book shut and stood up to face Harry.
"I though I made it clear that I don't want to speak to you right now. You told me to try it - well, now I am."
"I didn't mean -"
"Choose your words wisely, Harry. You never know when they may come in handy."
"Hermione!" he called after her just as she began to climb up the stairs.
She froze on the spot, not turning back to look at him.
"Wh - what, are you mad at me? Is that it? You're angry? Because if you are, look, I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it; whatever you're doing is your business and yours alone. It's just that I'm...frustrated with everything and - and this on top! It's just not helping -"
"No, Harry," she spoke valiantly. "I am not angry with you. I did not favor the tone with which you spoke to me, but I am not angry. I just need some...time to adjust to all of this. Not every girl goes through a war this way, you know."
"I know," said Harry, slowly approaching her. "And I'm sorry."
"You need not be, Harry, we're after the same prize," she said with a slight laugh before he got to her.
Harry stopped walking.
"What - what did you just say?" said Harry, his eyes growing wide as Hermione turned to face him.
She looked surprised when she saw his face. "I...said that you shouldn't worry, I'll be just fine after I spend some time alone - what did you think I said?"
"That's not what you said!" said Harry, taking a step away from her.
"Harry - " Hermione began, extending a hand to him.
Before she could do anything else, however, Harry shook his head disbelievingly and ran out of the common room, leaving Hermione speechless on the stairs.
Harry walked across the Great Hall and slumped himself into a seat at the practically empty table, sinking his face into his hand.
"It just can't be..." he said to himself. "He's trying to trick me! He is absolutely sick! How...how could he do something like this? Make me think - Hermione, of all people! How could...how could he?"
A soft and sinister laughter filled the Great Hall and Harry's head snapped up from the table.
For a second, Harry could have sworn that he was imagining things, but then, the voice spoke....
"You seem to be quite sure of yourself, Harry Potter....Do you really think you know me that well? As well as I know your pathetic mind?..."
"Where are you?!" Harry yelled, the few students seated in the hall turning to face him and then murmured between themselves.
The voice laughed once more. "Nowhere that concerns you, Harry, but you would think that there are other things on your mind, are there not? Like that hapless Muddblood -"
"Shut up!"
"Well, well, Potter has a mouth. Don't speak up to your superiors, Harry."
"Too bad that doesn't apply to you," said Harry softly.
Laughter rang once more. "That was an impressive little spell that you performed. Too bad it didn't work on you, did it? After all, the castor of the spell never does get affected..."
"Can they hear you?" Harry asked softly, a horrible feeling arousing itself at the pit of his stomach.
"No, they can't. Which would well qualify you to be classified as completely out of your mind in quite a few books, but, then again, you would know all about that, now, wouldn't you, Harry?"
"What do you want?" Harry said through gritted teeth, searching the hall for any sign of a shadowy figure or even a sinister face.
"Not much, I must say, just one thing. Your little scheme will never work, you know that, don't you, Harry? Sacrifice yourself and Hogwarts will go untouched."
"Never!" Harry spat. "You can't trick me!"
"Who's playing tricks, Harry?" the voice cooed nastily. "You know what I'm after, and your silly heart won't care but to save all of the meaningless lives in that school. What do you say? After all, you're the great hero, aren't you? My supposed `downfall?' Where is it, Harry? Where's that Gryffindor spirit?"
"You wouldn't know anything," said Harry softly.
"That's too bad," said the voice. "Think about it, Harry. And if you're wise, you'll leave Hogwarts. After all, no one would really intend to die for you, would they? And after all you've done for them...well, I would expect some sort of appreciation. And now you had to perform a charm only to get them to go along with you? A little sad, isn't it? It's not worth it, Harry. Let it end...you know you want it all to end..."
"NO!" Harry screamed and, covering his ears, escaped out of the Great Hall, hearing only echoes of a booming laugh.
***
"Hermione! Hermione, please, open up!" Harry yelled as he tried to steady himself alongside the window that led to the girl's dormitories.
When it finally swung open, it revealed a startled Hermione that gasped when she saw that Harry was outside her window on a broomstick, hardly holding himself in place from the strong wind.
"Harry, what are you doing?" she yelled so that he could hear her through the storm. "Are you all right? Why did you run off like that, was it something I said?"
"Yes, it was," said Harry loudly in return. "That's why I never again want to see you out of my sight."
"Harry, what -?" but she didn't get to finish as Harry suddenly kissed her on the lips. When he let go, she slowly opened her eyes and had a dazed look on her face.
"I need to talk to you about something," he told and she snapped out of it, nodding her head sincerely.
Harry told Hermione to follow him into the common room as she escaped the girl's dorm room and Harry flew in through the window by the fireplace.
Just as he landed, he watched as Ron walked in through the portrait hole just as Hermione descended down the stairs.
Ron froze on the spot, as if he wasn't sure if this was a good time to interrupt, but Harry grinned at him and said, "Come on, Ron, I need to talk to the both of you."
Ron looked uneasy and walked toward Harry, saying, "Are you two...er...settled with what not...."
"Yeah, we're fine," said Hermione briskly, "Harry, what was the matter? You want to tell us something?"
Harry nodded and, placing his broom down, took a seat on the couch, wondering how best he could enable the words to come out of his mouth.
"Harry?" Hermione repeated when he didn't say anything for quite a while and stared away into the fire.
He finally looked at the both of them and sighed. "He...knows everything," said Harry dully.
"Knows everything?" said Hermione, as though what Harry said was the most understandable thing in the world. "But...how?"
Ron raised an eyebrow a hand in interruption. "Wait," he said, "when you're talking about a `he,' you mean - do you mean You-Know - You-Know-Who?"
"Of course, Ron," Hermione snapped impatiently.
"Alright, sorry," said Ron, folding his arms.
Hermione sat down not far from Harry and looked at him, concern filling her eyes.
"I...I was in the Great Hall and...he just spoke to me..."
"Voldemort spoke to you? He's here?" Hermione said, a numbing awareness residing on her face.
For once, Ron didn't cringe, but rather looked deep in thought about something.
"No, no," Harry shook his head. "He's not here, of course. He just...he's trying to get at me...he talked about...sacrificing myself for Hogwarts and - "
"No!" said Hermione sharply, standing up.
"I'm not going to do it, Hermione," Harry assured her.
"He can't," said Ron. When both of them looked at him for an explanation, he continued, "You remember what that book said. No matter what, you can't give in, Harry. You know that. The power thing, it will go away!"
"Well, that too," Harry sighed heavily, only now remembering about the content.
"What exactly did Voldemort say, Harry?" Hermione said cautiously, sitting down once more.
Harry rubbed his eyes with his hand and tried to focus on the past hour.
"I don't remember exactly," said Harry. "It's all such a blur - he was just...urgh...he was everywhere...."
"He doesn't really know, does he, Harry?" Hermione said softly.
"He knows about the Spell," Harry retorted.
"That means nothing, Harry. He's the heir of Slytherin - of course he knew! He felt it."
"How do you know?" said Harry.
Hermione blinked. "I...I don't - I just...I - you know, I assume."
"Right. Yeah," said Ron suddenly.
"Ron, who are you talking to?" Hermione turned to him.
"Er...myself. Don't mind me," he said, going back to thinking hard on something.
Hermione shook her head and turned to Harry once more and said, "Harry, try to wipe him out of your mind. He's not worth it right now. Focus on this right now, please. It's important that we assure everyone's safety; you can't let the madness get to you."
"You're right," said Harry. "He is trying to drive me mad."
"But you won't let him, will you, Harry?" said Hermione gently.
"`Course not," Harry said and gave her a small smile.
She smiled back and they both looked up to see Ron still gazing into deep space, in concentrated though.
"Er...Ron?" said Harry finally, and he caught their eyes.
"Yeah," he said, removing his hand from his chin.
"Welcome back," Harry said, grinning broadly at his friend.
Ron gave him a you're-being-very-clever expression and sunk into the pillow cushions beside his two best friends.
"You ready for tonight?" Hermione asked the both of them.
"Nope," said Harry with a light tone, "can't say who is."
"I know I'm not," said Ron, and Harry could tell that he was probably feeling as if he had a rather unpleasant lump down his throat.
As the evening passed, Harry soon found himself descending down the Hogwarts stairs to the first floor amongst the members of the D.A., who had been either walking casually near him or actually coming up to him and asking for his opinion on how this was all going to happen. He explained, though with slight annoyance at having to retell it time and time again, that he was not sure what the expect from the Order, but that they have to be familiar with several concepts first before they can begin to assemble and practice on the battle ground. From anxious to feared responses, he trained himself not to react to most of them since every one of them had a different opinion in mind.
Bursting through the front doors, now rather a crowd surrounding Harry from behind, he led them onto the field, beckoning them to follow him. Stopping to watch for any signs of the Order, he then observed as the Hogwarts gates creaked open and Lupin walked in along with Mr. Thompson.
Harry walked to meet them, the group moving instantly after him and, just as he noticed that they were in his wake, he turned and motioned for them to stop.
Lupin addressed him first and said, "Harry, you are aware that it may not have been the best idea to invite everyone from the D.A. to join you this time? This may not influence them in the best way. You do realized that they are not all like Ron and Hermione?"
"They're ready for anything," said Harry definitely.
Both Lupin and Mr. Thompson looked impressed by this information and Mr. Thompson said, "Very well, then, Harry. Hagrid will come by shortly."
"Hagrid?" said Harry, raising his eyebrows. "What's he -?"
But before he had the chance to ask just what they were planning, the ground suddenly began to slightly tremble and then gradually shake under their feet.
Confused whispers came from the D.A. and Harry was watching the Forest with wide eyes while Lupin and Mr. Thompson stood aside calmly.
All momentarily became still and quiet until Hagrid emerged thought the gates holding what appeared to be a large leash.
Without knowing exactly how he got the pulse to move his feet, Harry took a couple of steps back as an enormous dragon with large yellow eyes and rather metal-like skin emerged from behind Hagrid.
"N-Norbert?" said Ron in a shaky voice, who was now standing behind Harry.
Harry looked from him to the dragon and said, "No," slowly.
"Well, there yeh are, Harry," said Hagrid, beaming. "Yeh recognize `im, don't ye h? This here's Norbert."
Harry gave a shaky laugh and knew that shocked gasps were coming from the D.A., though, for a while, he refused to hear them.
He caught a short glimpse of Lupin and Mr. Thomas, who were both silently talking between each other and then looked once more at Hagrid, who was still beaming and calmly petting Norbert, who had sat down.
"Er," said Harry. "What are we - Hagrid? What's Norbert doing here?"
"Well, yeh see, it's simple, there, Harry," Hagrid began. "Norbert's going to help yeh with your escape plans."
"Just how exactly is he going to do that?" Harry asked, something in his chest telling him that this was definitely a bad idea.
Lupin and Mr. Thompson had finally decided to join the moment and walked over to Harry.
"The idea is simple, complicated, and yet effective," said Lupin. "Norbert has been trained to handle humans since he was a small dragon and has no dangerous teeth or sharp claws to stand in anyone's way. If we disillusion him, a number of our younger students will be able to actually fly on his back out of the school grounds."
After Lupin had finished speaking, Harry found his jaw hanging loose. "That's insanity."
"Of course it's not," said Mr. Thompson. "Why do you say so, Harry?"
"Well, because - because he's a fire-breathing dragon that's a good several feet tall and weighs several pounds. I mean, how is that going to go unnoticed?" said Harry, exasperated, and gesturing to the dragon.
"Yeh don't have ter worry about that, Harry. Norbert's fully trained, he is," said Hagrid, patting the dragon, who made out a slight roar.
Harry winced and looked at Lupin. "You're sure about this, Remus? And you, Mr. Thompson?"
Mr. Thompson gave a short laugh and said, "Not only us, Harry, but the whole Order, including Dumbledore."
Harry sighed. He felt rather outnumbered.
"Well, then, shall we move on?" said Lupin. "You'll be able to explain this later to all of them, won't you?" he gestured to the D.A.
Harry nodded and wondered what else they had in store that they considered to be "escape plans."
As Lupin and Mr. Thompson began to walk toward the lake, leaving Hagrid to tend to Norbert, Harry followed them and beckoned the D.A. after him.
As they approached the bay of the lake, the waters were quite placid and even the gust that was now blowing through their hair wildly did not seem to disrupt them.
They watched as Lupin went up to the lake and made a swishing movement with his wand, murmuring a spell under his breath and, suddenly, the water became anything but still.
Harry spread his arms apart in signal for everyone to back up, just as he did, and saw a giant ship emerge to the surface, water leaking from all sides.
Harry stood astonished and could not believe his eyes. Did this mean that the Durmstrang students were here as well?
"A gift," said Lupin loudly, "from the Durmstrang Institute, courtesy of Igor Karkarof. He sent a letter to Dumbledore informing him that if there was any way in which he could aid him, he was free to contact the school."
Not taking his eyes from the ship and once again trying to not pay any attention to the amused gasps and sounds of astonishment from the group, Harry asked, "Has Karkaroff stopped running, then?"
"Oh no," Lupin replied. "He's still out there. But he has, of course, kept in touch with Dumbldedore. If there's one thing he fears right now, it's Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and the longer he's hiding, the longer he stays alive."
Harry nodded gravely and looked up at the ship. "What are we to do with this then? Another escape route?"
"Exactly," said Mr. Thompson. "One by air, one by sea. The only thing left is - "
"By land," Harry finished for him.
"Precisely," said Lupin.
Harry blinked and couldn't imagine anything that could possibly help them escape by land.
As Lupin and Mr. Thompson now headed toward the Forbidden Forest, however, something grand dawned over Harry and he whispered to himself, "No way."
He ran to catch up with them, having frozen on the spot for a moment and felt the D.A. follow, now without him having to call for them.
They stopped just before the forest and Lupin turned to Harry. "I don't suppose you've guessed what it is that we have to show you now, Harry?"
"Please don't let it be what I think it is," said Hermione who, like the rest of the D.A. had now come closer to Harry and the Order members.
Lupin snickered and led their eyes with his hand to an opening in the forest through which Harry and the others watched several rather muscular centaurs emerge.
Harry heard Hermione emit a chocking noise and he felt rather stiff himself.
"We meet again, then," said a centaur in a ample tone, facing Harry. He noticed that this had been the same centaur that had held him as a prisoner last year when they had unbecomingly gone into the forest to get rid of Umbridge.
"Er...hi," said Harry in a voice that sounded like anything but his own.
He saw Hermione give a small wave with a meek smile and slightly burry herself behind Ron and Neville.
"Don't worry," said another centaur, giving a rather horrid grin. "We mean no harm. In times like these, I believe, it's best that we put the past behind us and join forces since Jupiter and Mars have aligned. If innocent blood is at stake, then we are willing to help."
"I thought you helped no one?" said Harry, quietly, but meaningfully.
"That was so," said another centaur, "and we shall not stoop low enough for anyone to take advantage of us, but we are willing to help innocent youth, if that is the case."
"You don't mind, then?" said Hermione, who had now emerged from Ron's back.
"We will not cater to anyone your age, of course," said a female centaur, scowling, "but the younger ones, yes. They do not deserve such a horrible fate. They are merely children."
Hermione raised and eyebrow and wrinkled her nose, looking at Harry, who shrugged and looked at Lupin and Mr. Thomspon.
He sighed and then spoke to the centaurs once more, "We really appreciate this, thanks."
The centaur that had been standing at the front, bearing a back of long blonde hair, smiled and motioned to his group and they soon disappeared once more into the forest.
"Is that it, then?" Harry asked Lupin.
"Yes, Harry, that's it," he replied, "but I trust that you - " he looked from Harry to Ron and Hermione - "will make good sense of these conditions. Remember, the plans must be thought out wisely, and if anyone can do it, it's you. We are, however, looking for constant reports from you. Training and preparations will begin by the turn of the month. Can you be ready by then?"
"You can count on it," said Harry, nodding his head.
"Very well, then," said Mr. Thompson. "I trust that you will be able to explain the circumstances thoroughly to your D.A. members and we will see you around, Harry."
Harry took this as a sign of departure and made sense to lead the D.A. back to the castle.
***
The next time that Harry had walked into Narcissa's classroom, he was several minutes early and found it utterly empty. Seeing Professor Malfoy seated at her desk and heavily examining some documents, he watched as her blonde hair fell on the paper and obscured most of her face, though he could still make out the dark circles clearly visible under her glasses.
"Er...Professor?" he said, only to make sure that his presence didn't take her by surprise. Harry was taken aback, however, when Narcissa did not lift her head and said, "Take a seat, Potter."
Walking over to his seat, Harry planted his bag into it, but remained standing. He wasn't sure what consequences to what he was about to say may have, but he decided that he wouldn't rest until he at least heard some answers from Narcissa.
"Professor Malfoy," Harry began.
Narcissa finally looked up, taking of her glasses and said, "I thought I told you to sit, Potter? I have no time for this, you must excuse me. Whatever help you need with the lesson, you may want to ask Hermione Granger. The war is a bit more important right now."
"This...doesn't have anything to do with the lesson," said Harry, who had come nearer to her desk and looked at her gravely.
Just as Narcissa had prepared herself to return to her work, a blank look now occupied her face and she laid down the glasses.
"Well," said Narcissa. "What is it then?"
"I - I realize this isn't the best subject, but I understand that you're one of the Order and I'm supposed to trust you. It's just - "
"Are you going to interrogate me, Potter?" she said in a rather amused tone, raising her eyebrows.
Harry sighed heavily and said, "I overheard you talking to Remus about his brother, Romulus."
Narcissa's eyes broadened and her nostrils grew slightly. From the brief amount of time that it took her to collect herself, however, Harry could tell that Narcissa was a very strong woman and wouldn't stand for a mere teenager facing her with such a topic. He began to slowly back away.
Narcissa closed her eyes for a moment and opened them once more, looking at Harry, just as he was beginning to think that she would start yelling.
"What...you may have heard me discuss with Remus," spoke Narcissa in a calm voice, though Harry detected a slight hint of a quiver, "is a very personal issue, but I do not blame you for...being concerned, Harry. I understand that you would like to know any connections that I may have with your godfather, but I am sorry, I cannot say. Let's just leave it at that I - let's just say Romulus and I were rather close back in the day, but it's...nothing you should ever concern yourself about, Harry. If you need to learn to trust me, I'm afraid you must find some other way."
She finished speaking, breathed deeply, and returned to the document, placing her glasses on once more.
"Er...thanks," said Harry after a moment of silence occupied the classroom.
Narcissa peered at him through her glasses. "If I may say so, Harry, you are by no account to question me of any such information ever again. I simply answered because I want you to be able to trust me, are we understood?"
"Yes, Professor," said Harry, nodding his head slightly.
"Good," she said, lowering her gaze. "Take your seat, then, Potter."
Harry took one last look at her and settled himself at his desk.
While the rest of the class slowly filled in, Harry kept his eyes on the clock. If anything, it was not that he wanted to be out of Defense Agaist the Dark Arts Class, but he had anticipated meeting with the D.A. After everything, would they be willing to go along with a dragon, a sinking ship, and a herd of centaurs? Harry had to admit that he had doubts himself, but he had not faced any a number of those who had seen what the Order had to show them last night except Ron and Hermione, who were already ultimately in belief that the Order had completely lost it, and he couldn't blame them.
As Narcissa Malfoy finally rose to start the lesson, Harry focused on the fact that she had taken out a small, black velvet box and placed it at the center front of her table. Finding that others, like himself, were watching it curiously, he boggled his mind for what could be in the box. Could it be a contained Eternal Spell?
Narcissa seemed to have finally put away the documents and laid her glasses gently on the table.
"We may as well cover the last two Eternal Spells in the next upcoming weeks," spoke Narcissa, placing her palms on her desk to face them, "since circumstances have come at hand."
Murmurs of acknowledgment occupied the room but a stern look from Narcissa made all go silent in a moment.
"Thought we will be covering the two at such a quick rate, that does not mean that the amount of work on each will be minimized, though I will make sure that homework is evenly distributed. As I mentioned earlier, one of the two final Eternal Spells is the Legacy Spell, while the other, one which you may not have hear of, is called the Spell of Destruction."
This time, no response came from the students. Most of them were too busy trying to put together what either one could mean. Either that, or they most definitely did not like the sound of the second spell.
All eyes watched cheerfully as Narcissa bent over and opened the velvet box, which immediately emitted a soft gold glow. Placing her hand into the box, she drew out something that looked like a floating golden chain.
She held onto two opposites sides of the chain carefully with both hands and it slowly arranged itself into what looked like a family tree. Harry noticed that, at points, some parts of the chain glowed brighter and stronger then the rest while others well extremely dull, dim, and practically meaningless.
"Is that - ?" said Hermione, eyebrow raised.
"Yes, what do you believe it is, Ms. Granger/" said Narcissa boldly.
"An actual legacy?" asked Hermione, her voice astounded.
"Could be," said Narcissa with a glint in her eye.
"But legacies aren't...real, are they? I mean - "
Narcissa raised her eyebrows. "Do you dare claim something unreal that you have unveiled before your eyes, Mr. Finnigan?"
Seamus turned slightly pink.
"A legacy, in all sense, is a heritage. Something rather grand, may I say, passed on for generations. This is an actual legacy in form of my family."
Several gasps erupted around the room and Harry could feel himself rather struck at the idea. There was a legacy that had to do with Narcissa? Of course, who's else's could it be? He doubted many would trust others with their family's legacy, no matter who they were. What about his legacy, though? Did every family have one? Did James's or Lily's? Anything was highly possible, after all.
Harry instantly remembered the Black family tree and realized that the legacy that Narcissa was holding had to pertain to the Black ancestry. Looking more carefully at it, however, Harry noticed that lines that lead each other in every way were not what he remembered of the Black family portrait. He considered this for a moment and came up with the idea that this may as well have been the legacy of Narcissa's mother.
"How does a legacy work?" asked Neville, who had raised his hand. "After every member of a certain family is perhaps dead, what happens to it then?"
"A legacy is a strange and powerful thing," Narcissa said dark, still holding the chain. "It can sustain incredible power and, it is according to the heir and their acceptance of this legacy. There happen to be members that chose to go against all odds to hold off their legacy while others try to drain as much power and force from it as possible."
"Does every family line have a legacy?" Harry blurted out.
"Most certainly not," said Narcissa, looking at him. "Legacies begin with a single very powerful witch or wizard who chooses to portray a piece of him or herself throughout the generations of their line to come. And how else could he or she do that...then through the Legacy Spell."
For a moment, Narcissa seemed to admire the looks of comprehension that she was getting from her students.
Harry stared at the legacy that Narcissa was holding. There was a heavy link at the end that looked somewhat burned.
"To answer your question earlier, however," said Narcissa, "once the last member of a Legacy is dead, it is forever lost and cannot by any means be accessed by anyone that does not have the blood. However, a Legacy Spell not only requires blood. It is a imprint that attaches itself to every soul and can be accessed by no one other than the beholder of the line."
Harry looked at Hermione, who was sitting next to him and carrying a pensive look on her face, listening as attentively as possible. Harry couldn't help but notice the appreciation and respect that Hermione held for Narcissa, yet also reminded himself of the fact that, had it not been from Dumbledore allowing Narcissa to teach Defense Class, they would have never learned any of these spells. Had he been trying to train him all along? First Narcissa, then Snape, and finally Mr. Thompson. But why couldn't he simply get all of this through to himself? Was it really necessary other Hogwarts students to learn of such things? The clear answer was `yes,' Harry told himself. They all had to know. This was no longer just about him, it was a war, not a one-on-one battle.
At the end of the lesson, Narcissa exclaimed that she needed a two-roll essay on famous legacies and possible referrences to the Spell of Destruction, at which all she had hinted that it would have to have caused major problems globally.
When Harry was finally free to leave, he rushed to the Room of Requirements, even volunteering to carry some of Hermione's books so that they could both get there faster.
Hermione made sure to assure him that he had done a superb presentation since there were few members who were still uncertain of the Order's decision for the escape plans. Despite anything, it was not up to them, after all. They would be fighting; those who they really had to get out of there were those in the younger years. Harry sighed as D.A. practice continued and watched Ron working steadily at the map in the corner, seeming a little too tense for his good. Luna had come over to him and placed a gentle hand on his back. She said something that Harry could not make out, but guessed that is was something rather typical of her since Ron snorter with laughter and she simply blinked. He continued to talk to her, however, and it came to have rid his mind of tension since, once she left a couple of minutes later, he now was staring at the map and grinning rather goofily.
Smiling at his best friend, Harry resumed his monitoring and was glad that, for once, at least one burden was off his shoulders and also, for once, Ron didn't have to entirely suffer at the hands of it.
***
"You reckon Narcissa was in love with Romulus? But how?" said Hermione anxiously, peering up at Harry from her paper.
"I don't know," said Harry, sighing, "but it sure does tell us more about her. I mean, the fact that there was this life before all the Death Eaters and everything. You think maybe Narcissa was once - "
"Good?" Hermione finished, shaking her head. "I never said she wasn't, but we can't deny, Harry, that she is the wife of Lucius Malfoy and the mother of Draco Malfoy."
"Not exactly our top benefactors," said Ron, scribbling away between the map and his essay. "And who said this Romulus fellow was a good guy, anyway, even if he was Remus's brother? I thought I heard they never got along?"
Harry rested his chin on his palm and looked at Hermione who gave off a he's-got-a-point look and once more began to speak. "Anyway," she said, "I don't understand why we're focused on this whole Professor Malfoy business. We've learned to trust her, haven't we? Dumbledore trusts her as much as Snape. You said yourself, Harry - "
Ron snorted and Hermione threw him a dirty look.
" - that she should be trusted."
"Maybe you're right," Harry said. "It's not like she has anything to hide. She seems alright, after all - for a Malfoy, that is."
Ron looked up and nodded with a slight smile; Hermione seemed to approve of the statement.
"Well," she finally said, closing a thick and old book that she had been examining, "I think I may have gotten some wind of what the Spell of Destruction may mean."
"Don't tell me you've already finished the two scrolls?" said Ron in disgust.
She raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, I never did blame you for not finishing already since you do have that map to work on and Harry has other things on his mind. You would think you would give me the space to get my homework done on time, in the least, Ron."
Ron didn't reply but grudged a look and lowered his head to continue working.
"Never mind that now, though," said Hermione lively and continued, pointing to her notes. "I looked over the time lines of activities both in the wizarding and Muggle worlds and there seem to be high climaxes in which the two have thing s to do with each other, and I don't mean wars or anything of the sort, but global disasters. For example, when the Ice Age occurred, Daimon Charlsworth had been working on a Cooling Charm when his adversary, Carmen Kronswick had sworn to seek revenge on him after he lost him his reputation. Days after the Cooling Charm was finally perfected and introduced to the wizarding world, suddenly a peculiar enchantment took over the world that caused everything to freeze. Daimon Charlsworth was never found again, but Carmen Kronswick had mysteriously disappeared and reappeared only years later, claiming to take credit for the Ice Age, though no one dared to believe him. Although - "
"Hermione," said Ron, annoyed, "where are you going with this? Could you please just - ?"
"I'm getting to the point," she said with difficulty, her lip lightly trembling. "The point is that this is not the first example of something taking on a global effect. No sole simple wizard could do this on their own; this was power beyond imagination, a power that had to be controlled. Other such examples came to lose whole islands, erupt Volcanoes when a Greek sorcerer was angry with the king of an ancient city, and start whirlpools, blizzards, things that normal wizards cannot accomplish on a day-to-day basis. A greater power was at work, it had to be. For heaven's sake, not even Dumbledore or Voldemort could ever pull something like this off!"
This seemed to get Ron's attention, who had now finally put down his quill and looked a little apprehensive.
"What are you saying?" said Harry attentively.
"The Spell of Destruction," said Hermione, "is no ordinary Eternal Spell. If anything, this spell should not only affect man kind, but the fabric of time alternates when these changes compete with history itself. The only way a spell such as this could be performed is by using some kind of solid - oh, I don't know - background. This isn't just done by a wizard. This must be a spell that requires threads and threads of facts and history to tie in together so that even one insignificant challenge in the life of one wizard would change everything in an ultimate manner."
Ron and Harry both stared at her as she looked enlightened.
"Of course, no ordinary wizard or witch could do something of the sort; they would have to be quite powerful in the coarse."
"What are you getting at?" said Ron suspiciously.
Hermione blinked. "Well...I - it's not necessary that this is exactly what the last Eternal Spell is it's just...possible, isn't it?"
"And that was your point?" said Ron, sounding disappointed.
Hermione looked insulted and returned to her books, not speaking another word of it.
Harry, however, remained thoughtful.
As the evening passed, Harry found it simple enough to finally gather his mind and finish the essay after Hermione had already gone to bed. Ron, however, was still struggling with the map until he laid it aside and said, "You know, I think it's possible that it may be ready?"
Harry looked up slightly amused. "You mean the map? Done?"
"I should think that the Order just may be able to take a final look over it now," said Ron with a smug look on his face.
Harry grinned and said, "Wow, Ron, I don't believe it. You actually took something and stuck to it. And didn't complain. You know, Hermione would be proud."
"Yup. Can't wait to rub it in her face," said Ron enthusiastically.
Harry grinned once more and decided that he too was going to turn in for the night. Ron gathered everything off of the table in agreement and said that he would finish the remainder of his essay during breakfast.
"You're sure you won't get jam all over it?" Harry said, smiling.
"Ha, ha," said Ron, yawning.
Ascending the stairs, Harry suddenly felt a slight prickle on his forehead.
Ron looked startled and asked, "What's wrong? Not your...scar, is it?"
Harry said nothing but looked to the window and could have sworn that he saw a green shooting star in a distance, one that was unnaturally traveling upward.
"No," said Harry, "it's nothing."
And with that, they lazily climbed their way up to the boys' dorm, gathering barely enough strength to find their way into bed.
A/N: Just in case you missed the note that I left before this chapter, I must apologize for promising the beginning of the battle since I simply didn't realize just how much information I had to get in. Although, better late than never. Therefore, I will not absolutely promise it in the next chapter, but more development will come toward it, never fear! Please review, it does both mine and your soul good!
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