Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me... except, perhaps, a small, tiny part of the plot.
A/N: This chapter is longer than normal too, about 60 per cent, though you may wonder what normal is by now... tell me what you think! It means a lot.
I also have a new beta. His name is Matthew and he is really good. You'll see him in the forum under the name Aurabolt.
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Ch20: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
We're leaving together
But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back
To earth, who can tell
I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground
Will things ever be the same again?
It's the final countdown…
(- The Final Countdown - Europe)
A week later Harry had a hard time finding sleep. He was starting to feel anxious and was afraid to sleep after just witnessing another vision from Voldemort the last night.
He did not want to have them anymore.
By the window Akin was sleeping peacefully and Harry smiled. He felt very committed to that snake... ironic as it was.
Just as he thought it, Akin opened his eyes and gazed at him.
"Hi," said Harry in Parseltongue. "Did I wake you?"
"No," said Akin, still gazing at him. "Do you have sssomething on your mind? You ssseem troubled."
Harry grinned more widely. "Your mother said something like that once."
Akin paused. "Mother? When?"
"The night I got you."
"I sssee. I wish I could have ssseen her, but I care a lot about you and your human. Ssshe isss like a mother to me."
"Yes," said Harry, bathing in the memory of Hermione. "She is the most wonderful person I know."
Silence.
"Do you think she will leave me?" asked Harry suddenly, feeling a little anxious. He had gotten the feeling lately and it was scaring him.
"We sssnakes usssually do not have lifelong partnersss... We have one for mating ssseasssonsss and then we move on. But it ssseemsss different from you humansss."
Harry laughed softly. "Yes, it is a bit different... but there is some people who do as you. Change females I mean."
Akin seemed amused, but then he dropped his head slightly. "Show me my mother?"
Harry nodded and thought back to the time in Grimmauld Place where he had called the golden serpent. He thought back to how she had looked, how her eyes had been green like his and how the scales on its skin had reflected the light. He wished he could remember his own mother like that... everybody seemed to keep him away from learning anything about his parents.
He had became so much better in Occlumency that he could focus on two things at once now. Of course, Hermione was the only human person he had tried it with, so he had no idea how his so-called Occlumency would work with an experienced Legilimens.
Akin seemed to drink from his memory a little, before he pulled back and was quiet. Harry let him alone with his thoughts, and before long he finally felt sleep coming to him. This time he took extra care in protecting his mind, praying that it was enough to keep Voldemort out for at least one night.
-
Harry felt very tired the next morning, but happy nonetheless since he had actually gotten through the rest of the whole night without any visions or disturbing and daring dreams about Hermione...
When he got down he was surprised to see Dean and Seamus looking tired as well. Dean was, naturally, still upset about his family and avoided Harry's eyes, but it did not explain Seamus' appearance.
Harry shook his head and decided to ignore it; he had morning classes and wanted to eat a little before he did anything else.
However, as he waited impatiently for Hermione to show up, Seamus approached him:
"Harry? We need to talk to you."
Harry raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more as he followed him and sat down in an empty armchair.
"It's about that snake of yours," said Seamus and licked his lips. Harry was immediately
suspicious.
"What about him?"
"We don't want him there, it's creepy."
"Yeah, too much Slytherin, I say," Dean voted in.
Harry scowled. "But he can't leave, he has nowhere else to go!"
"Technically, we could make him go," said Seamus, who had obviously thought it through well. "You already own an owl and you're only allowed to have one pet at Hogwarts. We can just drop him outside the Slytherin common room where he belongs."
"You wouldn't!" said Harry, horrified that he might lose his new friend that he had promised to take care of.
"Not yet, but we could... at least consider it, we don't want to be around that thing."
"He's not dangerous!"
"He will be when he get older."
"Not if I tell him not to!" said Harry, outraged and barely keeping control over himself.
"You better, or we'll take this case to McGonagall."
"What about me?" said someone from the corner and Harry whirled around and faced no other than McGonagall in person. She had to be his guard for the morning, he realized with more than a little bitterness. How much had she heard?
Seamus did not look surprised though. "Hi there professor. We were just talking about what we will cover the next Transfiguration lesson... we're really looking forward to it."
McGonagall looked pleased. "Ready for breakfast, Harry?"
"Just waiting for Hermione, professor," mumbled Harry grudgingly. A second later his bushy haired girlfriend came down the stairs, looking quite muffled and distressed.
"I'm so sorry, Harry!"
"Whatever for?" asked Harry, she wasn't that late.
"For keeping you waiting when I promised to be by your side always! Oh, maybe we should've slept in the same - oh, hi professor," said Hermione, finally noticing McGonagall and blushed deep red. "Sorry, didn't see you there."
"That's quite alright, Ms. Granger. Let's go then."
-
At breakfast they (McGonagall went up to get her own breakfast) met Neville, Parvati and Ron, who were happily filling their stomachs with pancakes.
"Know what `Arry?" said Ron between a mouth-full, smirking a little. "You and Hermione are supposed to meet with McClaggan and Moody in the Forbidden Forest this evening after classes. Good luck!"
"Wait-!" questioned Harry. "Moody AND McClaggan at the same time? Merlin help us!"
Even Hermione looked a bit nervous. "At least there's two of them. The chance that both of them being on the Dark Side is less likely that way."
"I think we should be more concerned of one or both of them giving us a heart attack... they're quite unpredictable," mumbled Harry so only Hermione could hear, receiving a playful smack on the hand for his comment.
Suddenly Ron dropped his head to the table with a clunk. "It's Care of Magical Creatures again today! Two hours! I swear - it's almost as boring as History of Magic when we actually have a peaceful animal that won't try to kill us."
"Seriously?" asked Harry, feeling protective of his Giant-friend.
"No... but you can't say it's fun... everybody have seen a bloody Phoenix before anyway!"
"I haven't," said Parvati pointedly, and Ron shut his mouth.
They quickly shoved down the rest of the food and left the table, heading for the lesson with Hagrid.
-
-
The lesson was quite uneventful, and Harry could not help but agree with Ron to some extent. As predicted (though Ron may have heard it from someone else) they did indeed have about Phoenixes and Harry was even asked to talk about some of his "adventures," that he only did because he did not want Hagrid to feel betrayed. Luckily Harry had mind enough to bring Akin with him and he could safely watch his baby snake looking for bugs to eat. When he had to entertain the class he had Akin around his wrist for support.
Next class was Potions and with Hermione's help Harry managed to brew an acceptable potion, even though he knew that Snape would find a reason to grade it bad no matter what he did.
Finally they ended the day with two hours Charms, but the days was far from over. They still had Apparition left, and both of them did not know if they should feel excited or scared. McClaggan was bad enough, but with Moody they had no idea what could happen.
-
They met right outside the Forbidden Forest and the adults arranged it so Hermione and Harry went in the middle, McClaggan in the front and Moody in the back. All of them had their wands up, but the way up to their Apparition point went fine. Harry and Hermione were both surprised to see that their practicing point was at the same spot they had finally gotten together... after the not so subtle confrontation between Harry and Draco.
Harry shot Hermione a smile and squeezed her hand which she squeezed back, though she looked a little tense.
"Let's get started, shall we?" suggested McClaggan, and arranged them so they were standing on the opposite side of each other. "Now, I want both of you to take a round around this clearing, and get to know your area. Ignore each other."
Harry sighed and did as he was told, keeping a half eye on Hermione who did the same thing as he. He took great care to notice the details, every bush and every stone, though he doubted he would remember it all or how much use it would be.
When both of them had walked the distance and were standing where they had started (Harry with Moody and Hermione with McClaggan) they waited for the next instruction.
"Good, now I suggest we make a little game out of this."
"Game?" asked Hermione, arching her eyebrows.
"Yes. I want both of you to race. Pretend you have Death Eaters in your heels if you have to. What we want to accomplish is accidental Apparition. Have any of you done that before?"
Hermione shook her head, but Harry answered: "Yes, three times or so."
"Interesting," mumbled Alastor Moody and McClaggan nodded.
"Indeed. Ready?" (The teens nodded) "Set... go!"
Harry broke into a run and felt a little joy to get some of his ever-lasting nervousness out of his body. He reached the end in no time; the clearing wasn't particular long. Hermione reached her end a little after Harry did.
Moody grinned. "Looks like they need a little "push," what do you say, Brian?"
McClaggan grinned back, his eyes glittering wickedly. "Kids, get over here."
On guard, the Teenagers did as they were told.
"Now we are going to chase you," said Moody, "however, we want both of you two stay inside this clearing." To prove his meaning, McClaggan performed a spell that framed the clearing with blue flames. Harry was slightly reminded of his confrontation with Quirrel in his first year, and didn't like it. The matter that the two professors could be working for Voldemort didn't make matters less alarming.
"We are going to use whatever curse or hex we want to... except the Unforgivables of course," said McClaggan with a slightly sarcastic voice, that sounded a little wicked. A little gust of wind blew on his face, what made him look even more unpredictable.
Great, thought Harry, and felt Hermione sneak on of her arms around his waist.
"Ready?" asked Moody, and Harry wanted nothing more than to say no, "Set..." Harry held his breath and stiffened his muscles, "go!"
On the signal Harry span around, grabbing Hermione's hand and sprinted towards to other side, changing directions often so they would be a harder subject to catch.
"Harry, wait!" panted Hermione, and jumped when some of the ground beside them exploded by a Reducto curse. "They're using that spell?" she questioned, and speeded up.
However, the two adults didn't make it easy for them. While Moody had fired curses McClaggan had apparated somewhere to their left, and started to fire curses from there.
Harry and Hermione had no choice but to turn right, but suddenly Moody apparated in front of them, scaring both of them so much that Harry felt his feet leaving the ground. For a moment everything went black and he felt a little wind press against his face, and he realized that he had made it... he had apparated. A second later he appeared right next to the spot where they had begun, however, somehow he was still holding Hermione's hand, who had squeezed her eyes shut and were whimpering quietly.
"Hermione! Are you alright? You're not - you're whole, aren't you?" Harry looked her over worriedly, but couldn't see anything wrong. She slowly opened her eyes.
"Oh..." she said, clearly confused herself, "that felt funny. Scary and strange, but a little comforting too. I wonder..." Two pops were heard on front of them.
"Which one of you Apparated?" asked Moody.
"Me," said Harry, wondering if they had to be chased more.
"Curious," said McClaggan, "you're way in front of us boy, taking someone with you and still manage to appear whole. Can you do it by will?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know..."
"Give it a go then!" urged Moody, looking a little excited that made his face look even more wrinkled and damaged. Harry did as he was told and started to focus... it was harder to do it by will though and he had to seriously concentrate on the feeling he had just felt and where he wanted to go.
Minutes passed, but he didn't manage it. The more time that went the more exasperated he became. Finally he stumped his foot angrily and jumped into the air, and felt a whoosh of joy when he felt himself appear on the other side. He had made it!
However, he could not see very clearly and he felt much colder now, as he felt the cold air on his skin. Skin!
With horror he realized he had left his glasses and clothes behind. He was naked!
"Turn around!" he yelled, and quickly summoned his equipment. "Turn!"
He quickly dressed and walked the way back, blushing furiously all the way. Hermione blushed like crazy as well when she saw him and closed and opened her mouth several times before deciding to say nothing at all and stare into the ground.
However, McClaggan seemed to bristle with laugher and Moody looked highly amused.
"You're lucky we are somewhere private, Mr. Potter." Harry nodded. "Your turn, Ms. Granger."
"Me?" squeaked Hermione, looking like she wanted to hide somewhere or sink in the ground. "D-do I have to?"
"Yes," was the curt answer she got, and she had no choice but comply. However, since she had not been the one to Apparate she had to be chased around again.
Harry sat down on the ground and patently waited for the practice to end, feeling that it might take a while.
-
A while it took indeed. Hermione had to be chased around for twenty minutes before they made any progress and she had to take two Pepper-Up potions so she wouldn't tire herself to death. Harry felt bad for her, but there was nothing he could do.
Harry had gotten some more training as well, while McClaggan practiced with Hermione Moody went over to him, trying to get him to Apparate again. This time he managed to keep his clothes on, though his glasses were left behind once again. They practiced until he had gotten it right and was comforted by Moody when the Almost-Professor said that Apparating by will was much harder than to Apparate by accident, and only a few wizard grasped the technique as fast as Harry had done.
After the practice they went back to the castle, where they met up with McGonagall.
"Have you corrected our latest test yet, professor?" asked Hermione, looking a little nervous, though Harry couldn't understand why she had a reason to be.
"Yes, I have... I'm sorry Ms. Granger, though it is a wonderful accomplishment you only managed to answer 91 per cent of the answers correctly. However, there is nothing to be ashamed of, you're still the best in class."
"What about me, professor?" asked Harry, wanting to get the attention away from Hermione when he saw how upset she was.
"87 per cent, Potter, not bad at all." The Professor looked at both of them pointedly and they started to walk the rest of the way. Sometimes Harry heard Hermione mutter; "I can't believe this, I can't believe this..." over and over, but he didn't know what to do about it so he let it be. He was sure she'd do her usual best the next test.
-
-
Ron had used a lot of time with Luna and surprisingly Lavender and seemed pleased with it, at least for the time being. He also used a little time with Neville, whose confidence had grown immensely, especially with his new wand and the knowledge that he had helped the Harry Potter against a bunch of Death Eaters, while still being alive to tell the tale...
Harry had finally began to manage Occlumency properly and could now successfully block his mind for Akin, Hermione and probably even Snape. He didn't know about Dumbledore yet, but he had the feeling that he could do that too before long. He practiced Occlumency every night and the visions from Voldemort stopped completely, much to Harry's delight. He couldn't stop his scar from hurting from time to time, but it was a far cry from what he had expected to manage by then. Now he could stand up in the mornings and actually feel rested, and that alone helped him a bunch. The lesson with McClaggan followed as they usually did every day, but now both of them were more impatient than ever. If Harry didn't manage one thing before an hour they would just move on to the next spell or curse and practice some more on them instead. They had little time to lose.
-
The next DA lesson, the 20th of October, everybody - especially Harry - felt tense, and that resulted in the hardest lesson yet. Harry pressed all of them so hard that many of the girls started to cry in exasperation, and he was short-tempered and snappy to everyone he saw. Nobody - except Malfoy - complained though, they understood the pressure he was under. Hermione looked like she had a lot to say to him, but she kept quiet almost whole the time, following Harry silently while biting her lip. Even "their time" together - as they've grown accustomed to call it - felt tense, despise all of their attempts to not think about Halloween.
That day, however, was a day Harry had not been looking forward to. At noon, instead of classes; he, Ron, Dumbledore, and Hermione were to take a Portkey to Diagon Alley. There they were due to meet Tonks and Remus and go to the Wizarding bank Gringotts to take care of Harry's Will.
Yes Will, they couldn't avoid it. Harry was the last one in the Potter line as far as anyone knew, and if they did nothing the money would probably go to the Dursleys. The whole Wizarding world that had some kind of communication to the rest of the world, especially Harry himself, knew that the Dursley didn't deserve that amount of money and would probably waste them away. That thought was the only thing that in the end finally convinced Harry to accept it.
At the bank they met an old Goblin named Dippelhook, who led them to a privet room. The room was quite fancy; with a large, dark and polished table in the middle, over a red and fluffy carpet, that would spit out small, harmless flames from time to time. All around them Harry saw bookshelves with file after file, and he wondered if all Wills were kept there. He voiced his question, but Dippelhook assured him that the files he saw was only copies, and that the real ones were kept in the appropriate vaults where they belonged.
Once that was settled, all of them sat down by the table.
"Okay, let's begin this," said Dippelhook and took a quill out from his pocket. Then he summoned a box from one of the shelves and opened it. "The Will of Harry James Potter."
As he said that Hermione shuddered violently and a little sob escaped her. Harry placed a hand on her back to show support and he felt the delicate bones in her back rise and fall silently as she tried so stifle her sobs.
"Now, now, Ms. Granger, this is merely a formality," Dumbledore tried to assure her, but he looked sad as well and his eyes didn't have the usual spark in them. Ron glanced over at them from the other side of the table, opened his mouth and then closed it again. Harry shot him a questioning look (he welcomed every chance he had to be distracted), but the Weasley just shrugged as if to say it was nothing.
"Can you, Harry James Potter, confirm that you are the one you say you are, and came here willingly?" Dippelhook continued.
"Yes," said Harry hoarsely.
"A drop of your blood, please," the Goblin commanded and Harry gave Dumbledore his hand. The old man took out his wand a softly muttered a spell that made a little cut in his palm, and a few red drops fell to the paper. Hermione quickly grasped his other hand and refused to let it go.
The rest of the procedure was pretty easy. The Goblin asked what Harry would like to give to whom and how much. It was decided that Lupin, Ron and Hermione would split his money, Ron would take his Firebolt, Hermione his part of Grimmauld Place, books and other personal items, and Remus would take the Motorcycle from Sirius. Remus instantly promised that if the worst would happen they could ride the bike anytime they wanted, and at that point Hermione could take no more and started to cry for real this time and didn't stop until they were out of the bank and back in safety at Hogwarts.
-
The remaining days of the months went away much more quickly than Harry preferred. The day before Halloween he was nothing but a nervous wreck, despite all the watch he constantly had around him. His protection increased from one to two, and the only time in the day he could be for himself was when he slept or went to the bathroom, but even then they were never far away.
His training with McClaggan stopped, because he couldn't concentrate and was instantly watching over his shoulder.
The day passed, and before he knew it there was only half an hour before midnight. He and Hermione shared the couch in the Common Room together; their bodies so close together that one could hardly tell them apart.
"I just wish I knew what they were planning," mumbled Harry, turning his head slightly towards Hermione and kissed her softly on the lips; enjoying how his body would heat up by the taste of her. He knew he loved her now; and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world.
"Harry..." she said, clutching his shirt fiercely as they kissed. "Please..." Harry nodded softly, and sank deeper down on the couch and pushed her to him, his hands pressed hard against her back. Sometimes he could feel her tense and tremble slightly, but then he would kiss her harder, more desperately, and the reality would avoid them a little longer. He didn't feel totally at ease though because of their guards (that pretended not to notice), but it was worth it. He had became so familiar with them that he didn't care much anymore.
"Harry..." Hermione tried again, panting a little bit. "Have you-?"
"No, I don't want to think about it, not now, just-"
"That's not what I meant... have you checked-?"
"Checked what?"
"The - the Marauders' Map?"
"Why would I-? Oh." Harry broke off the kiss and stared at her. Then he grinned widely at her and said: "You truly are the most brilliant witch EVER! Simply brilliant! As soon as someone that's not meant to be here enters the ground we'll see them!"
Hermione sat up. "Go and find it! Midnight is barely ten minutes away now."
Harry grinned at her again, gave her a quick hug and jolted up the stairs to his Dormitory.
He was so excited that he almost missed the right door in, but as soon as he found the right spot he started to go trough his things. If only he could remember where he had hid it!
Grumbling to himself, he emptied his school bag and continued searching. However, the map was no where in sight.
Where was it?! Surely he hadn't left it somewhere? No, that couldn't be the case, he was always careful to not leave it behind...
Getting desperate, Harry turned his whole trunk on the head and sorted through all the things he owned. Still no map.
"How odd..." he said to himself, "it's gone..."
Suddenly it went up to him what it could mean. Had somebody stolen it because... they wanted him to be taken? Feeling his stomach turn over, Harry quickly found his wand and cried: "ACCIO MAP! ACCIO MAP!"
Why he had not thought about using that charm before was beyond him... it did no good, however, the map did not come.
Now furious and scared, Harry bolted back down to stairs, stopping only a couple of feet before the couch where Hermione was waiting for him.
"The map is gone!"
She looked up, and when she met his eyes her eyes widened in fear. "Gone? Are you... are you sure?"
"Yes!" said Harry, feeling the panic rise in him and fill every inch of his body. "It's not there! I've looked-"
"Sure you haven't just... misplaced it somewhere?" asked Hermione worriedly, biting her lip and rose from the couch. She took a couple of hesitant steps forward, not completely sure if Harry needed comfort or space to rant.
"Yes! Merlin, Hermione, what do we do now? How could someone take it like that?!"
"We'll think if something..." said Hermione softly, but suddenly Harry realized something and abruptly turned around so he could get a complete view of the room, searching for some red.
"Only WE know about the map, `Mione!" he said. "We and Ron! Ron may have it! But where is he?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know... I haven't seen him today."
Then, the clock struck midnight. Halloween had began.
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