Chapter 18 - The Great Escape
"The Ministry has tried to keep this a secret," Ginny informed the three. "All the prisoners in Azkaban have escaped. The new guards placed there after the Dementors left have all been killed."
Harry, on hearing the dreadful news, became extremely quiet. He felt his anger creep back into his conscious mind. Hermione's hand suddenly felt a surge of pain and she realized he was feeling anger. She took action to prevent him from doing anything rash.
"Harry, come with me." She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside the Gryffindor Common room.
"Snap out of it. You know you there's nothing you can do, not right now. You know it was Voldemort."
"What are you talking about?" he snapped back.
"Shhh… come here." She grabbed him again and pulled him into the Gryffindor prefect's lounge. "Harry, I know what you're feeling, so don't try to hide it."
"Stuff it, Granger," he growled, "How the bloody hell do YOU know what I'm feeling?"
"This." She held her palm out to him. He could see the scar, but couldn't make the connection.
"So what about your scar?"
"It's a signal to tell me what you're feeling. It tingled pleasantly when you were in a good mood, and stung when you got angry at Snape. It's not too hard to figure out what caused it. I haven't told anyone, except you."
"Wonderful, if it wasn't enough 'he' could invade my mind, now even my moods aren't even private."
"At least 'he' can't read this; otherwise he could use it against you. Look, Harry, I know you think this is an invasion of your thoughts, but I'm glad it's me that has this 'gift', maybe now I can help you before you do something silly like last time."
"Hermione, it's just that it's not fair that you or anyone has to suffer. I mean he wants me. He's trying to get to me…"
"No, Harry, he wants power, and you're the only one that can stop 'him'. We can stop the others, but you've got to stop Voldemort from getting the power he craves."
"But..."
"No, there's no 'but'. I've vowed to stand by you no matter what. And now I'll know when you
need me the most. It's a secret weapon we'll have. But we have to continue our training sessions."
"Fine. Go ahead and train the 'weapon'. I don't car---"
SLAP---
"OWW! Damn, Harry, I need to remember I can feel it when you get hurt."
"Oww youself. That bloody hurt, I wish you'd stop slapping me."
"Then start acting like yourself! You DO care, or things like this wouldn't affect you. You have a lot of people willing to help and support you; because we are your friends and because I… you're truly loved. Remember that, or have you forgotten Christmas already?"
He reflected on her council and admitted his foolishness. "I just wish this was all over; one way or another. I can't take another year of this."
"Harry, things will get better. Now let's go see if there's an announcement about the attack yet. And if you're wondering, my hand's feeling normal, so I guess you're feeling better. Just remember, you can always confide in me. I won't tell anyone about this, ok?"
"Yeah, fine."
She again grabbed his arm and nudged him to the door, following closely behind. The others waited outside; Ron had granted Luna permission to enter the common room. Ginny was the first to speak up.
"You ok Harry?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now."
"I thought he was going back into his depression, so I had to snap him out of it."
"I see, still got your right-hook working." Ron commented with a grin after noticing the handprint on his cheek.
"What's the official news? Anything released from the Ministry yet?" Harry asked.
"Nothing official, yet. But do you really expect those fools at the Ministry to act? My father at the Quibbler knows more about the Death Eaters' activities then the Aurors."
"Harry," Ron interjected, "it's time for a formal DA meeting. Hermione, do your coins still work?"
"Yes, if everyone's still carrying them, they should."
Harry looked down to the floor, and was silent for a few minutes.
"Call a meeting tonight, 8:00," he commanded to his Lieutenants, then turned and left the common room. The group stood there, almost in disbelief that he had ordered a meeting, everyone except one witch that stood there rubbing the sting out of her hand.
Ron turned to catch him when Hermione grabbed his arm. "Let him go, you can't reason with him right now, he's quite upset."
- - -
At the stoke of half past the seventh hour past noon, the diminutive youth sucked in a chest full of air and stood from his seat, and as he left the table, a transformation began. He no longer reflected an impression of doubt and weakness, but that of the strength and conviction a leader turning to face his warrior troops needed before facing a battle. He threw his shoulders back, ran his hand through his raven black hair and left the room.
He walked past several small groups, milling about, as if waiting for a sign. The sign they expected walked past them. Each of those small groups merged into the procession that had begun with one the lone soul. He continued his trek up the first flight of stairs, where more joined his growing column of warriors. He continued to the next flight, where a group of 4 fell into step directly behind him.
The massive clock chimed three quarters past the hour.
At the top of the third floor, he continued to a space in the middle of the hallway, his growing army waited several paces back, as if expecting an order from their commander. He stood in his place, frozen to the spot, pulled a rather large time piece from his pocket and watched the seconds continue to tick into minutes until the main clock was about to chime the hour. He stood to the wall and paced back and forth three times. As expected, a massive double door archway appeared in the wall, and the doors creaked open. He stood to the side of the door, with his Lieutenants joining him as they flanked him.
When the final chime from the clock tolled, the last of the procession entered the large room. The five that remained at the door, entered and stood to the front of the crowd. He produced a thin wooden shaft from the inside of his cloak and with a wave, the doors sealed themselves.
Not a sound had been made with the exception of the scuffling of feet while the large group organized themselves into ordered columns and rows. The young man standing at the head of the army, still flanked on either side by his Lieutenants, stood statue still as he gathered his thoughts.
"Friends, we all know why we're here in the Room of Requirement. There has been an escape from Azkaban, all the guards had been murdered and we all know who's responsible, Voldemort. I know many of you have suffered and some are still suffering from the Kings Cross attack." He motioned to Parvati to join them in the front. "I have felt myself to be at fault for not stopping that catastrophe for occurring and for the loss of two of our own, Padma Patil and Hannah Abbott. That's why I couldn't resume our little army before today.
"I've lived with that guilt since then and with the help of my friends, I've realized I'm not the one to blame. Again it was Voldemort, he had sent Bellatrix and three others to do his dirty work. Now his ranks are growing after some of us here risked our own lives to have them captured.
"The list of those criminals that have escaped are Avery , Dolohov, Jugson, Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Macnair, Lucius Malfoy, Mulciber, Nott, and Rookwood. We will help the authorities track and re-capture as many as we can. Some of us will be asked to assist on missions suited for your specific skills, those details will come later.
"Since the year is half gone, and this is our first real meeting, we have a lot of work in store for all of us. I'm restructuring our organization, since we've obviously grown since last year. I can't help train everyone by myself, so here's the new structure. I'll be working directly with a small group; they in turn will be in control of a group of their own. Ron Weasley is our strategist, he's going to help co-ordinate our missions. He'll be directly under me. Hermione Granger will be our brain; she'll help me learn those charms and spells that I'll be teaching everyone else. Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom were all instrumental in the Battle at the Ministry, so they and Pavarti Patil will become the team leads reporting directly to Professor Dumbeldore or me. Each of the rest of the original members, Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, Michael Corner, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, Ernie Macmillan, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas will be split up under these four, and they will have all the new members report to them. We'll re-organize like this again next year to fill those spots vacated by those in their seventh year."
Hermione read off the original member groupings so they knew who to report to, and then adding the names of all the new members to her original list. She handed each new member the same enchanted coin as the old members with instructions on its use. By half past the hour, the newly reformed "Defense Army" split off into their groups. The core team of Harry, Ron and Hermione began observing as the new team leaders began with the simplest spells for defense. Harry watched as his new leaders proved to be worthy of their new positions. They trained in earnest for the next hour and a half, which proved exhausting for many newer members.
Before breaking the groups for the evening, Harry made one last remark. "I'm going to leave the details of each groups' training up to their leads, I'll be working with them individually. If anyone here is having problems, you can always come to me for help."
Everyone left the Room of Requirement for their dormitories, as solemn as when they entered. Every member had a new respect for the leadership shown in this meeting, by Harry and those he selected to help him lead. If he'd had any remaining self-doubt to his leadership abilities, he crushed them this night.
Harry and his friends retired to their beds for a well-deserved rest.
- - -
A young couple sat dreamily watching the distant ocean, as a dolphin playfully swam in front of them. The water splashed across the boat and landed onto the sandy beach where the same couple kneeled, locked in a lover's embrace. A touch on her hips sent a shudder through her that she never felt before. She stroked her fingers through his matted, twisted hair, feeling each strand; as his hands danced from her breasts to her legs and across her thighs. His lips began exploring each curve of her body, stopping in the middle of her belly.
The moans of pleasure from the dream caused real moans of pleasure from one of the beds in the room, and snickering from the other occupants, each listening as the intensity increased.
The girl reached to her lover and lifted his head, and pulled a corn muffin to her lips as she watched the crumbs fall into powder blue sheets where they both lay. She let a wide grin pass over her lips as she pulled him to her for a long deep sharing of their passion. The girl opened her eyes and left his lips to place one on his forehead, next to a familiar scar.
Hermione sat bolt upright as she shook the visions of his scar from her head, and noticed she was covered in a warm layer of sweat, as if she had been in the middle of a workout. That was when she heard the giggles from beyond her curtains.
"What's so funny? She yelled.
"Oh, nothing. 'Mione please… MMMMM… don't... Ohhhhh… Yes… Yess… Don't stop…'" she heard from one of her dorm-mates.
"Sod off… It's not like you've never moaned in you sleep, Lav."
Mortified, she rolled over in the bed and screamed into her pillow.
'Harry? Was I dreaming about him?' "ARRRRGGG!" she screamed again into her pillow.