Harry Potter and the Time Turner

***Disclaimer—This page is a general disclaimer for all of the chapters that follow.

Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor any of the characters in this story, they are the property of J. K. Rowling.

This story is set after OotP and therefore contains spoilers.

Ch 1: Harry's World Destroyed

Smoke hung thickly everywhere over the once green fields of Hogwarts, obscuring some of the sights, but not the sounds of the battlefield. Yet Harry did not need his eyes to tell him where the bodies lay. His mind's eye recalled for him with perfect, gut-wrenching detail the location of every friend's body that had fallen so far in the brutal battle. With virtually no time to prepare any defenses before the vast army of Voldemort appeared in the fields bordering Hogwarts, the professors, the sixth and seventh year students, the members of the Order of the Phoenix, and as many Aurors from the Ministry of Magic as could arrive in time had formed a small defensive line forming an arc protecting the entrance to Hogwarts.

To his right lay Hagrid's body, beaten savagely by three giants. Behind Hagrid's massive form lay the bodies of Lupin and McGonagall, surrounded by piles of Death Eaters and giants. Hagrid's sacrifice had provided McGonagall enough time to cast one final explosive spell, taking with her six Death Eaters and two giants before an Avada Kedavra curse struck her down. Having lost his wand to a powerful Expelliarmus spell, Lupin had transformed into his werewolf form, hoping to take a few more Death Eaters with him before he was caught in the powerful grip of a surviving giant. With a painful yelp and a sickening crunch as the giant twisted his head brutally, the werewolf body was then tossed roughly back to the ground to lay by his lifeless friends.

Off to Harry's left, most of the Weasley family and several members of the Order of the Phoenix lay crumpled on the charred ground. Molly lay in the middle, surrounded by her sons as they had made a final stand against the surrounding Death Eaters and Dementors. As their Patronus charms finally wore down and were overcome by the insatiable hunger of the Dementors, Molly watched as her husband and her sons were each given the Dementor's kiss after being paralyzed by several stunning spells from Death Eaters eager to prolong their agony. Harry shuddered as he recalled the look on her face as the dark hood bent over her face and her body then stiffened like the rest of her family before her.

Between those groups of friends lay the remaining members of the staff at Hogwarts, all the sixth and seventh year students who had chosen to fight, the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, and every Auror from the Ministry of Magic that had come to their aid. In front of them lay hordes of Death Eaters, Dementors, and perhaps a score of giants. Hopelessly outnumbered by Voldemort's army, they had nevertheless put up a tremendous, if ultimately futile, resistance. Amidst all this chaos stood the sole remaining defenders of Hogwarts—Harry, flanked by Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore. Dumbledore stood motionless, immobilized by Voldemort's last spell. Voldemort's high-pitched laugh continued, mocking the remaining survivors.

"You were correct Dumbledore. There are worse things than death—such as watching helplessly as those you care for die painfully."

The moans of the dying and the shrieks of those already dead continued to echo in the ears of Harry. Focusing on the source of all his pain and misery, Harry noticed numbly as Voldemort raised his wand to Harry's side and intoned "Avada Kedavra."

Harry had raised his own wand but only managed "Expell…" before the green light erupted from Voldemort's wandtip and struck Ron in the chest.

"Nooooo!" erupted his futile scream. "Nooooo. Not Ron!" Harry caught the slumped form of Ron and eased him softly to the ground as the tears began to fall again.

"Foolish boy. Did you really think you could successfully oppose me again? Have you learned nothing? Did you really think you could best me with your pathetic knowledge and skill? I, who have spent years perfecting my art? Did you really think your luck would last forever? Nobody can save you now—not your teachers, not your adopted family, not your filthy Mudblood friend, not even your precious mentor Dumbledore. My army will finish off the rest of the Mudblood students and those who are disloyal here at Hogwarts under the watchful eye of its last headmaster. He will also be allowed to watch as I finish off you and your Mudblood friend here as a lesson about the futility and stupidity of opposing Lord Voldemort. Crucio."

Hermione's body jerked and she screamed in anguish.

"Impedimenta! Impedimenta!" screamed Harry.

"Silly child. You will need much stronger magic than that. Here, let me show you while I finish off your friend. Petrificus totalus."

As Harry's body froze in place, he could only watch helplessly as Hermione's cries became weaker and weaker. Collapsed on the ground, her body shaking from pain, she managed to raise her head and uttered "Harry, I…I…" Unable to finish, her head dropped back to the ground and she lay very still.

Wanting to scream, wanting to cry, Harry realized a fury he had never known he possessed. He only wanted to put his hands around Voldemort's neck and squeeze the life out of him. With a surge of will, he broke free of the full body bind curse and took one halting step towards his tormentor.

"Now, now Harry. Temper, temper. Surely you have learned better manners than that while here at Hogwarts? Surely you know to bow before your betters and kneel before your master? Imperio."

"You know I won't bow to you! You know I won't kneel to you!" Harry screamed to the voice inside his head. Taking another halting step forward, he shouted out loud, "You have killed everyone I ever cared about. I hate you! I'm going to kill you!"

"And just how do you propose to do that boy?" Voldemort's laughed again. "But enough, boy. I tire of these games. This has gone on long enough. It is time for you to die now. Avada Kedavra."

Again, Harry raised his wand to defend himself, but once again, too slowly. There was a bright green flash and then everything went dark. Harry heard a loud noise that slowly grew in intensity. Harry slowly realized it was his own voice he heard screaming into his dark bedroom at the Dursleys.

His scream echoed in the room until Harry rolled over and shoved his face in his pillow. Hedwig, startled out of her slumber, flapped excitedly in her cage. Lumbering footsteps outside of his door ended as a loud pounding rattled his bedroom door.

"You bloody insensitive idiot! It's nearly two in the morning and some of us decent folk have to work tomorrow. I swear, boy, if I get one more complaint from the neighbors about these silly outbursts of yours at night, you'll end up back in your room under the stairs for the rest of the summer! Are you listening to me boy?"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," came the mumbled reply.

"It bloody well better not," muttered his uncle as he stomped off back to bed.

Fumbling for his glasses, Harry rose from his bed, unlocked Hedwig's cage, and began stroking her feathers, trying to soothe the startled owl.

"There, there Hedwig. I'm sorry I frightened you. It's okay. It's okay." The last part was as much for himself as it was for the bird.

As he sat back on his bed, the violent nightmare replayed itself over and over again in his mind as he calmed his pet owl. "What am I going to do? How am I supposed to beat him? I'm not strong enough or smart enough to beat him. How am I supposed to save the world from him? I've barely been able to save myself, and then it's just been dumb luck. I couldn't save Cedric, or…or…or Sirius. How many more people are going to die because of me?" Sleep driven far from his mind, Harry leaned back against the wall and continued to stroke Hedwig hopelessly.

*** Author's Note—This is a slightly revised and re-edited version of a story I have posted elsewhere. I was so happy with the terrific response I got to my first story I posted here on Portkey, that I felt inspired to post this one as well. Once I fix mistakes other readers have pointed out and make a few other changes in the plotline, I should be able to update fairly regularly—my goal is twice a week. I should have the entire story posted before the real sixth year story by JKR comes out. As always, reviews are deeply appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys the story.

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Ch 2: "Never Surrender"

Unable to sleep, Harry's gaze moved around the small bedroom where he had spent the last two weeks cooped up. Scrolls and books littered the room in disorganized piles, evidence of his attempts to keep himself too busy to think. The threats made by Moody, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, and his other friends had so intimidated Uncle Vernon that he was not even required to cook or do any of the other chores he was normally expected to do for the Dursleys. Unfortunately, this left him with hours of free time on his hands—time in which he found his thoughts continually drifting back towards the horrible events at the Department of Mysteries. They seemed to be so terrified that that they would be held responsible if something similar to what happened at the end of last summer when Harry and Dudley were attacked by the two Dementors that Harry wasn't even allowed to leave his room, let alone the house. They were so afraid that Harry was going to say something bad about them that they allowed him to owl his friends at night as often as he wanted to, but he had nothing to say to any of them. And they had allowed him to use one of Dudley's old TVs so he could watch the news without bothering them.

It was to the TV that Harry now turned his attention. Keeping the volume low, he quickly changed several channels looking for something to watch and take his mind off of his terrible nightmares. None of the channels seemed to be coming in very clearly, however. Harry remembered that this particular TV had taken a particular beating from Dudley one day when he had thrown a temper tantrum over a video game he had lost. "Of course they had to give me the broken TV. Wouldn't want me thinking they had gone soft on me, I suppose," he mumbled to himself.

Finally, one channel seemed to emerge from the snowy background. Harry stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out what the program was. It was mostly black and white, with a narrator's voice talking over the various video pictures. As Harry watched, he felt like he was back in Professor Binn's classroom, listening to him drone on and on with lists of names and dates.

"1933—The Third Reich declared under Hitler and the Nazis… 1936—Germany began rearmament and rebuilt its air force, navy, and army… Germany occupied the Rhineland… 1938—Germany annexed Austria… Hitler demanded that the Sudetenland be restored to Germany… after the Munich Conference, Chamberlain declared `peace in our time'…1939—Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia and then Poland… 1940—France fell to the German blitzkrieg in forty days …British managed to evacuate most of its armies from Dunkirk despite terrible losses" the voice from the TV went on and on. Though Harry spent little time in the Muggle world any longer, he still recognized that the general subject of the documentary was World War II, a terrible war that had devastated England, the Continent, and large parts of the world about fifty years ago.

"Ahhhh. Just like a good history lesson. This ought to put me right back to sleep any moment now," thought Harry. Hedwig cooed softly and contentedly, finally calmed down by Harry's brushing. "There, there Hedwig. That's better…" Harry fluffed up his pillow and laid back, watching the TV through drooping eyelids before a new voice, a powerful voice, caused him to lean forward and listen with greater interest.

"We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, `What is our policy?' I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, `What is our aim?' I can answer with one word: Victory - victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival."1

These words, spoken by a new voice, captured Harry's attention. He looked back to the television and saw a short, heavy-set, nearly bald man speaking to a small audience of older men in some kind of audience chamber or government room. It wasn't the picture, but the words, and the strength and determination he heard in the voice that uttered them that stirred something deep inside of Harry. He watched spellbound as the short, heavy man addressed a similar audience again in a later speech.

"We shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do."

"Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of the Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."2

Something inside Harry sparked and began to burn, even as tears began to roll down his face. Now completely engrossed in the program, Harry watched over the next several hours as war engulfed Europe and spread throughout the world. The screen flickered between footage of the gruesome carnage of infantry campaigns, brutal dogfights in the air, massive tank battles, deadly contests on the oceans, the bombings of cities, the frenzied flight of innocent civilians, and the appalling evidence of mass murder and inhumane atrocities. He noticed that as the war dragged on year after year that the soldiers became younger and younger. Many of them appeared to be only a year or two older than Harry and his friends at school.

He watched as a small number of people on a tiny island, led by the short round man he had heard speak earlier, defied the strength and wrath of an entire continent led by a madman bent on destruction, domination, and the elimination of an entire race of people. He watched as the few battled the many, withstood tremendous attacks, and persevered to finally obtain victory over their enemies. He watched as they stood courageously, alone at first, and then later joined by their former colonies across the Atlantic. He watched the tide of war turn from bleakest despair, to faint hope, to certain victory. He saw how that after leading his country to incredible victory over its enemies, the stout little man named Churchill was driven from power. Amazed, he saw as Churchill once again, speaking in the former colonies this time, pointed out a new enemy, one that had been a friend. All the while, as Harry's heart burned, and the tears continued to stream down his face, these words continued to echo in his head, "We shall fight…We shall fight…We shall never surrender!"

As the program ended, he turned to look at the first rays of sun peeking over the horizon. As the new day began, he recognized one of the feelings he had felt earlier. Hope. He had almost forgotten what it felt like. Without chores to do, he lay on his bed for a long time thinking about what he had seen. Finally, exhausted by his long night, Harry rolled over and easily fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

***Author's Note—Most of Winston Churchill's speeches can be found easily online at websites such as www.winstonchurchill.org. It is also easy to find brief audio recordings of Churchill delivering his speeches online as well.

1 From Churchill's first address as the newly appointed Prime Minister delivered to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940.

2 From another speech given by Churchill before the House of Commons on June 4, 1940.

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Ch 3: Decisions, Decisions

Later that afternoon, Harry felt much better. With a much clearer head, he began thinking about last night and the past couple of weeks. He thought long and hard about what he had viewed last night and compared it with his own experiences. He had certainly suffered mightily in his fifteen years of life. But so had countless others—both Muggle-born and Magic-born. He wasn't much younger than many of those soldiers he had seen march off to war last night. And he was as old or older than many of the victims of the terrible war he had seen as well. There was something comforting, horrible as the notion might seem, that he no longer felt so alone in his suffering. True, his individual trials had been different, in fact unique from everyone else's, but he was not the only person to suffer great and tremendous loss because of evil.

He thought of his parents, of their love and sacrifice for his life and tears flowed once more down his face. He thought of Cedric and Sirius, of Neville's parents at St. Mungo's, of the many other victims of Voldemort and his Death Eaters that he didn't really know and the tears stopped, replaced by a growing determination to do something. He remembered the words from the prophecy describing how his parents had defied Voldemort three times successfully and thought, "You were wrong. They defied him a fourth time by saving me. And I will make their sacrifice mean something. I can't change what has passed, and I don't know how I can affect the future. But I will. I don't know how I can defeat Voldemort, but there must be a way. And I will find it. No matter what. I promise you Mum, Dad, Sirius. I swear that your deaths won't have been in vain. I will fight Voldemort and find some way to defeat him. I promise you that."

He remembered two of the lessons he had drawn from watching the documentary the night before. The first was that neither good nor evil seemed to ever suffer a complete, permanent defeat. Though Hitler and the Nazis had been defeated, and defeated decisively, it wasn't long after the war that a new threat to world peace had risen. Just like Voldemort. Everyone, well, almost everyone, had thought he had been defeated and was gone for good. But he came back. The war between good and evil was never truly over, there were only pauses between conflicts. Those pauses could be long and peaceful if good triumphed, or dark and terrible if evil was victorious.

The second lesson was that evil had to be opposed. It couldn't be ignored, or bought off, or reasoned with. It had to be fought. Those who knew about the evil had to confront it, no matter the odds of winning. Evil had to be fought, no matter what. For some reason, one of Moody's favorite sayings—even though it hadn't been the real Moody who had said it to Harry—popped into Harry's mind, "Constant vigilance, Potter. Constant vigilance." Harry smiled and thought to himself. "Yes, constant vigilance. But then action." Like the actions taken by the Order of the Phoenix.

And what had he done? He had moped and felt sorry for himself and taken out his anger on all those who were closest to him. Harry's cheeks burned with shame as he recalled his behavior from the year before. His anger and stubbornness had nearly cost the lives of several of his fellow students, including his best friends. And it had cost the life of his godfather Sirius. Bowing his head, Harry nearly felt his heart break as waves of guilt and self-recrimination broke over him again. He sat huddled on his bed for a long time, rocking back and forth gently with his knees tucked to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around them.

A flapping at the window broke his quiet recollection. The active little Pig, buzzing like a hummingbird, was busily searching for a way through his window. When Harry opened it a crack, he shot through like an arrow and flew delightedly around Harry as he reached for a treat. Pig had a scroll wrapped around each of his legs.

"That's odd," thought Potter as he unrolled the smaller one and began reading it softly out loud to himself.

"Hello Harry," began the letter in Ron's scrawling handwriting.

"I hope everything's going well so far this summer. Hermione and I are a bit worried since we haven't heard from you yet this summer. I guess you're doing alright since nobody has launched a rescue mission yet."

Harry grinned at that, recalling the various threats his friends in the Order of the Phoenix had made to his Uncle and Aunt at the train station a few weeks ago. He had responded with very brief messages to Lupin's messages that came every other day, but hadn't bothered responding to anyone else's messages.

"As you may have guessed, both Hermione and I are back at the same place we were last year—but don't worry, we don't know anything and we're not having any fun at all."

This time, a wider grin spread momentarily over Harry's face, one that almost reached his sad eyes, as he recalled his angry outbursts last summer when he finally arrived at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, his godfather's family home at Grimwauld Place in London.

"Don't worry mate, we're trying to make sure you can come and visit as soon as possible. Let us know if there's anything you need. Mom's dying to send you some food. You know I'm really sorry about you know what, and I wish I could have done more to help. I'm really sorry. I hope to see you soon. Best, Ron."

“What a friend,” thought Harry. “And he blamed himself for not helping more. If only Ron knew how much he had already done for him, how much his friendship meant to him. And he had done everything he could. It wasn't his fault he couldn't do more. He really shouldn't blame himself—after all, he was busy trying to defend his friends and Sirius was a powerful wizard, fully capable of taking care of himself…” and then it hit him. Harry staggered for a moment and fell back on his bed as the realization struck him.

Everyone was trying to take the blame for Sirius' death—Ron, Dumbledore, and mostly Harry himself. Yes, there had been things they could have done differently that might have avoided the circumstances that led to Sirius' death, but they had all done the best they could before and during the battle at the Ministry. But there were too many what if's and could have been's. The real blame lay with those who had killed Sirius, Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Sirius and the rest had only been doing what they had to do, opposing evil to the best of their abilities. Though his grief for the loss of Sirius was not any less, Harry nevertheless felt like an enormous burden had just been lifted from his shoulders.

Feeling somewhat lighter inside, Harry turned to the other rolled scroll. The neat, meticulous penmanship of Hermione greeted his eyes as he unrolled the parchment.

"Dear Harry, I hope those relatives of yours are treating you decently. I do wish you would write back to let us know how you are doing. Lupin has been sharing your brief letters, but there isn't much in them. I completely understand if you don't feel like talking about what happened, but I hope you understand we just want to help any way we can. We are trying to get you here as soon as possible, but we understand you might not want to come here because of, well you know, but we're not sure Ron's home would be as safe. Everyone here is…"

Scanning down, Harry thought that, "Hermione seems very out of sorts, she's just rambling through most of this letter and keeps repeating herself. I hope she's OK."

"…anyways, if there is anything we"—here it looked as if we had been rewritten over the top of a capital I—"can do, please let us"—again, it seemed as if us had been written over the word me—"know. With Love, Hermione." The word with looked like it had been squeezed in front of the word love as an afterthought.

"What a bizarre letter," mused Harry.

Guiltily, Harry thought about how he had ignored his friends so far this summer and had treated them most of last year. Sighing, Harry determined to do better in the future. "I can't change what happened last year, but I can do better this year. And I will." He then sat down and wrote a short note to both Ron and Hermione.

"Hello Ron and Hermione, I'm sorry I have ignored your letters this summer and that I was such an insufferable prat last year. I promise to treat you both better this year. I'm doing fine, in fact, your letters really helped me feel a lot better today. I hope you both realize how much your friendship means to me. I'll see both of you soon, Harry." Harry called for Pig and tied the short note to his leg, gave him a bit of water, and let him out the window, having checked to make sure none of the neighbors were watching.

Returning to his bed, he looked around the messy room and decided to tidy up a bit as his thoughts wandered. Satisfied that everything was in some sort of order, Harry sat down in a chair by his window, propped up his feet on the sill, and sat, quietly thinking the rest of the afternoon. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. The last twelve hours seemed to have marked a monumental shift in his life somehow. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but he almost felt like a new person as he quietly pondered the view outside his window.

Though he still feared for his friends, and dreaded the eventual confrontation with Voldemort, he no longer felt immobilized by fear and despair. He still grieved for Sirius, Cedric, and his parents, but he no longer blamed himself entirely for their deaths. He felt a burning desire to do something, to stop letting others act for him and make all the decisions, but to take a more active part in his own life. He was tired of waiting and worrying about what Voldemort planned to do to him or his friends. He knew he would never defeat Voldemort that way. If he was really the key to defeating Voldemort, then he would have to do something more than he had been. Raging at his friends and feeling sorry for himself was not going to help him beat Voldemort. He had spent five years at Hogwarts, but still felt very unprepared to take on Voldemort, a wizard with amazing powers and years of practice and experience. If he had any of the powers mentioned by the prophecy, he realized he had better discover them and develop them quickly, because he knew Voldemort wouldn't wait much longer to attack him again. He needed more time. But how? How?

*** Author's note—Quotations in italics indicate that the character is thinking those thoughts rather than saying them out loud. Thanks again to everyone for all of the great reviews.

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Ch 4: Initial Plans

Later that afternoon, Harry stood up and walked over to Hedwig's cage with a small scroll in his hand. Opening the door, he called softly, "Come here, Hedwig. I need you to take this letter to George or Fred Weasley. It doesn't matter which. But please do it quickly. Thanks." With an affectionate nibble on Harry's ear, Hedwig took off into the late afternoon sky. Before turning back to his bedroom, Harry thought he noticed an approaching speck in the sky. Coming closer, he noticed a rather dignified looking hawk descending to his window. In a rather formal manner, the bird raised its leg so that Harry could retrieve the message. With a stiff nod, the bird then leapt from the window and soared upward. The inscription on the scroll read "Mr. Harry Potter, heir of the late Sirius Black."

With a heavy heart, Harry broke the seal and unrolled the scroll. "Mr. Harry Potter, At the request of Sirius Black, we hereby inform you of the recent changes he made in his will. As the last remaining descendent of the Black family, Sirius Black has transferred all remaining estates, properties, accounts, investments, etc. to his godson, Harry Potter. Inasmuch as you, Harry Potter, remain a minor, the estate will be administered by Remus Lupin, who has been designated by Sirius Black as Harry Potter's guardian until Mr. Potter reaches the age of seventeen. In the meantime, Harry Potter will be given full ownership and control of Sirius Black's previous residence, including all of the items and servants within. Any questions may be addressed to Gertrius Mondoke at Gringotts, Diagon Alley. Sincerely, with respect, etc. etc."

Harry wasn't really surprised, but it did remind him of the finality of Sirius' death. With a crooked grin, Harry thought wryly, "I would give up both the Black and Potter fortunes just to have them all back. I doubt I'll ever be able to spend all of the money I've inherited." Tapping his favorite eagle feather quill against his cheek, he turned back to the small desk where his blank parchments lay and began to write again.

*-*-*

"A letter from Harry?"

"I wonder what this means?"

"He can still write?"

"Shut up you stupid git and unroll the letter." The two pairs of eyes read through the letter fairly quickly and at the end, George and Fred looked at each other with mischievous glints in their eyes.

"Wicked."

"Cool. I wonder what Harry needs all of this stuff for?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's planning one helluva surprise for somebody."

"Excellent. I hope it's for those awful relatives of his. Should we send him some extra surprises?"

"Of course. You can never have too many specialty items from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. I suggest we see how Harry makes use of his little care package, and if he's up to snuff, we'll promote him to full partnership status."

"My thoughts of course, dear brother. And as a full partner, obviously he would see the need to help us conduct experiments and test our products on the students…erm…excuse me…on behalf of the students at Hogwarts, right?"

"Yes, I was thinking the exact same thing. Now lets get his package together and off to him so that the fun can start."

*-*-*

Just after dusk, Harry, resting lightly on his bed, arose quickly to unlatch his window to let in two very tired looking owls. The package was larger than he had expected, which explained the grumpy looks he got from both birds. He gave them water and a double helping of snacks, which seemed to improve their mood immensely. After giving them a half hour to rest, Harry looked at the Weasley's owl sadly. "I'm sorry to have to ask you to fly again so soon, but I have an important errand I need for you to run." With that, he attached a small scroll to the owl from the Weasley twins and sent him off.

Checking through the box, Harry found everything that he had asked the twins for, plus a couple of extra bonuses. With a smile, he thought, "How considerate of those two. They even sent me some going away presents to give the Dursleys. A couple of Tongue Toffies, which Dudley probably remembers. Plus some Bubblehead Bubblegum. Hmmm. The description says that unlike the Bubblehead charm, this gum actually turns the chewer's head into a large bubble while retaining their facial characteristics. Wish I had time to see that one. And this must be for Uncle Vernon. Wrinkle Away Spray. The bottle says `Never worry about unpressed clothes again. Just spray on to erase the wrinkles—Caution, one hour after being worn, the clothes disappear as well for twelve hours. Do not use on underwear, or at least, not on your own underwear.' Excellent. Uncle Vernon does like to make an impression at work. Looks like they have some stuff for my aunt, too, but…No. She's my mother's sister and no matter how she's treated me, I won't do anything to her. But I think the Make-up Remaker should have a nice interaction with both Uncle Vernon's and Dudley's shaving cream. What does the can say…recolors the make-up every ten minutes for eight hours. Boy, tomorrow is going to be a long day for those two. Heh heh heh."

Harry moved around the room, collecting everything he owned and placing it all in his school trunk. He then gathered his `gifts' for his uncle and cousin and threw his Invisibility cloak over his head. Reaching for his pocketknife, he slid it through the doorjam and felt it unlock the various locks his uncle had installed. Pausing momentarily, he listened to the various snores that ensured everyone else in the house was asleep. Quietly, quickly, he deposited the candies in several of the hiding spots Dudley used to store the food that allowed him to survive his strict diet. He also sprayed several of his uncle's best slacks, and mixed the Make-up Remaker with their cologne, aftershave, and shaving cream. "Maybe they'll get lucky for a couple of days," Harry snickered to himself. Lastly, he found his aunt's broom and returned quietly to his room. He had barely closed the door and run the pocketknife's third blade along the doorjam to relock the locks when a sharp pop broke the silence of his room.

"Master called for Dobby?" croaked the house-elf, his bulbous eyes scanning the room quickly.

"I'm right here, Dobby," replied Harry, pulling off his Invisibility cloak. "And I'm not your master."

"Ahh, yes. Whatever Master Potter says. How can Dobby be of help?"

"Well, Dobby, I have a few questions about house-elves…" A half hour later, a satisfied Harry told Dobby thank you and good-bye. With that, Dobby disappeared again with a pop. Harry then turned to Hedwig, who looked much better rested now and promised, "This is the last flight tonight, Hedwig. Then you can have a nice long rest." Harry leaned over and whispered lightly in his ear and Hedwig leaped from the window into the sky and quickly disappeared into the dark night.

Harry gazed at his room once more to make sure nothing else remained to pack. Checking in the mirror, he made sure everything appeared as it should. Dark pants and a dark shirt were covered by one of his black robes from Hogwarts. He tucked his wand into his beltband, just in case. He hoped he wouldn't need it, since if he had to use wand magic he would probably draw the attention of half the Order of the Phoenix and probably some Death Eaters as well. With a loud sigh, Harry finished his preparations to leave the Dursley's house on Privet Drive, hopefully forever.

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Ch 5: Flight

"I'm telling you, the boy's up to no good," growled Mad-Eye Moody.

"Oh, come on, quit being so paranoid. It's after midnight and I'm sure he'll be going to sleep any minute now," teased Tonks. "After all, he didn't get much sleep last night, did he?" she added thoughtfully.

"That's just it. The boy hasn't been sleeping well all summer. We've all heard his screams during the nightmares. Half the neighborhood has. The boy has been avoiding contact with almost everyone all summer, and all of a sudden today he has four birds come to visit and sends off another five? I'm telling you, he's up to something."

"I think it's good that he's finally owling somebody besides Lupin. No offense of course, Lupin," replied Tonks.

"None taken. I agree with Tonks. I think it's healthy that he's finally talking to someone besides me. Not that he's said that much in any of my messages. But, I think it's a good sign."

The three huddled together inside a magically concealed tent that, though invisible to the outside world and protected against the elements, allowed them to watch Harry's house unobserved. The interior four walls were like windows allowing them to watch all around them as well as keep an eye on Harry. Despite the various other tasks that needed to be accomplished by the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore had insisted that the protection of Harry Potter was the most vital. And because of the fiasco last summer, an additional member of the Order was assigned to the watches over Harry that all of the members shared.

"Well, you two can think what you want to, but I'm telling you that Potter is up to…what the…"Moody's words trailed off as first his magical eye, and then the rest of his body swiveled to take in the scene at Harry Potter's bedroom window. Stunned, the other two could only watch in disbelief at what they saw.

Harry Potter, mounted on a beat up old broom, hovered above his window ledge. All of a sudden, he shot forward, straight as an arrow and streaked across the night sky. Moody growled to Tonks and Lupin, "Follow him. I'll stay here and let the others know." Tonks and Lupin were already mounting their broomsticks and kicking off the ground in pursuit. Turning back to Harry's bedroom, he stopped and muttered. "What are you up to boy?"

*-*-*

Tonks and Lupin followed in pursuit, trying to catch the speedy Potter blazing far ahead of them.

"I didn't know his Firebolt was this fast," grimaced Tonks.

"Neither did I," muttered Lupin. "But he's still a sitting duck if a Death Eater catches him. And we know that Voldemort has scattered his troops, hoping for just such an opportunity this summer. No!. Noooo!"

At his exclamation, Tonks turned to see two dark forms rising from the ground ahead of them. They were much closer to Potter.

"Duck you foolish boy! Don't you see them? Move! Do something!" he screamed in agony, trying to urge every last bit of speed out of his broomstick. There were two flashes of green light and they saw Potter's broomstick fall earthward. The two dark shapes followed and so did Tonks and Lupin, their faces grim and full of rage.

The Death Eaters landed and moved cautiously around the crash site. They saw a broomstick, snapped in two and a dented silver cup. It was the last thing they saw, as they dropped to the ground, stunned by two furious wizards. They too, looked at the crash site in disbelief. There was no evidence of Harry's dead body

Kneeling by the broom, Lupin whispered harshly. "That's not his Firebolt. I don't think that broom can even fly.”

“What is that, a rocket on the end?" gasped Tonks.

"And what is this?" breathed Lupin as he picked up the silver cup and read it. "Dudley Dursley—Boxing Champion.” He glanced back at Tonks. “Moody was right. Harry was up to something tonight. And when I find him, I'm going to kill him!"

*-*-*

Looking back at the house, Moody watched intently with his magical eye. Raising his wand, he tapped himself on the head and felt the coldness wash over himself as the Disillusionment Charm took effect. He then quickly strode off down the street. At the corner he turned left and continued to walk for several more blocks. Another right and another fifteen minutes of walking left him in front of a small bus station. He walked off to his left, where a group of shadows lingered behind a small bench and a broken street lamp. Reaching out, he grasped an arm firmly and whispered harshly, "Going somewhere, Potter?"

"Ahhh!" gulped the surprised Harry, trying to shake free from the tight grasp on his right arm.

"Quiet. We don't want to attract any more attention. Now come along quietly and I'll return you to your home. I don't know what got into you, Potter, running off like that, I thought you had more…"

"I am not running away. And I am not going back to the Dursley's. I am going…"

"Now that's enough boy. I'm taking you back and…"

"I am not a boy. And you are not taking me anywhere. I am not going back to the Dursley's. And you can't make me." Harry finally shook free of the powerful grip.

"Oh no young pup?" Moody moved to get his wand out only to realize that Harry already had his wand pointed at him underneath his cloak. "So you think you can best me, do you?"

A chuckle and then Harry said softly, "No, not yet. But you'll have to keep me stunned the rest of the summer if you expect me to stay another minute at the Dursley's."

"Very well, boy. Where are you off to then? What is your big plan, eh?"

"Well, I had planned on taking the bus to London and then hiring a taxi, but since you're here, why don't you just Apparate us there?"

"To where, boy?"

"To Grimmauld Place. And quit calling me boy."

"To Grimmauld Place? Why would you want to… I thought…"

"Can you do it?"

"Perhaps, but it's dangerous. I don' think it's worth the risk of splinching the both of us."

"Fine then, we'll have to go with my original plan. I've got enough money for both of us. But we'll have to be visible to get on the bus."

"Why?"

"Its too easy for someone to bump into one of us on a bus, even though it's probably not too crowded this late at night. Trust me, Moody."

"Fine, fine. We'll do it your way." After a quick look around to make sure they were alone, Moody stepped back into the shadows and tapped himself with his wand while Harry removed his cloak, folded it and put it back in his pocket. Pulling out a wad of notes, Harry led the way to the ticket booth and bought two tickets to London. They climbed aboard the next departing bus and settled in at the back. Harry leaned next to the window and dozed while Moody's eye continued to spin, trying to watch everything at once. As Harry rested, Moody would occasionally look over and wonder at the changes he had noticed in the brief time he had been with him. This wasn't the same grief-stricken boy they had bid farewell at the train platform. There was definitely something different, but Moody was not quite sure what it was yet.

*-*-*

"I'm going to kill them. I'm going to kill them both!" bellowed Lupin. If possible, his mood had grown worse on the flight to Grimmauld Place. As he burst through the front doors, his loud voice awoke the portrait on the wall of Sirius' mother.

"Filth! Scum! Half-breeds of the most vile…"

"Shut it you old bag! I've had enough…" roared Lupin.

"What on earth is the matter?" boomed Mrs. Weasley. "What are you doing here Lupin? Aren't you supposed to be guarding Harry? Has something happened? Oh, my poor, dear little…"

"Your poor, dear little boy is off running around who knows where. Apparently he thought it would be funny to somehow send an image of himself off into the night as a diversion so he could give us the slip. Tonks and I followed what we thought was Harry on a broomstick, only to watch two Death Eaters blow it out of the sky. We followed and stunned them, but it turns out it wasn't Potter at all, but some sort of stupid trick he rigged. When we returned to his house, neither he nor Moody was there. I swear, when I get my hands on…"

"He what?!?! Harry did what?!?! I'll bet the twins put him up to this! Why, when I get my hands on those three, I'll…"thundered Molly Weasley, stoking the flames of her famous temper.

"When Tonks and I returned to Privet Drive, there wasn't a trace of either Harry or Moody. I'm hoping that he didn't give Moody the slip and that either Moody is following him or is traveling with him for some reason. I came as quickly as I could to notify Dumbledore and the other members of the Order. Tonks is searching the skies between the Dursley's home and Hogwarts in case they went that way. I just can't believe it Molly. I never imagined Harry would do something like…"

"Mrs. Weasley, Professor Lupin, I think you ought to see this," muttered a small little voice from the stairway. Ron looked fearfully at the two enraged adults. Hermione stepped around Ron with Hedwig on her shoulder and a small note in her hand. She gave Harry's note to Mrs. Weasley, who read it quickly and then handed it to Lupin.

"What do you make of this, Molly?" asked Lupin.

"I think what it means is that he plans to come here," whispered Hermione softly.

"He what?!?!" repeated both Molly and Lupin.

"The note says he will see us soon, and Hedwig arrived here about a half an hour before you arrived, but without a letter or anything, like he was just sent here to wait. And from the sound of it, Harry has left the Dursley's tonight. I think he's probably on his way here." Hermione continued.

"But how could he… What was he thinking…" muttered Molly.

"And what else do you know of his plans? What has he told you and Ron?" demanded Lupin.

"Nothing, nothing," stammered Hermione. "This is the first time he's even written to one of us all summer," continued Hermione as a tear started down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.

"Yes, yes dear," replied Molly, with a stern look towards Lupin. "We're all just very worried about Harry, that's all." She took Hermione under her arm and led her back to the kitchen.

"Whoa. So Harry gave you guys the slip, huh? Wick…" finished Ron awkwardly as Lupin glared at him as he headed to the meeting room where the Order usually held their councils. "Wow, Harry, are you in deep this time, mate. I hope Dumbledore gets here to protect you before one of those two kills you. I think he's the only one who could save you from my mum right now—though maybe not," muttered Ron as he climbed down the stairs and followed the others to the kitchen to wait for Harry. "On second thought, Dumbledore will probably be a bit miffed as well. I am sooo glad I am not in your robes tonight, mate."

-->

Ch 6: Arrival at Grimmauld

Arriving at the bus terminal still well before dawn, there weren't many taxis to choose from, but neither was there a heavy demand for them yet or snarled traffic in the streets. Harry flagged a taxi down, and continued his journey with Moody. At the head of Grimmauld Place, they got out, paid the driver, and turned to walk down the street. When they got between number eleven and thirteen, Harry took a deep breath and thought of number twelve.

As before, the dirty house seemed to push the other homes aside as Harry and Moody strode to the porch and opened the door.

"You know they're going to kill you, don't you? Especially Molly," growled Moody.

"I would be surprised if they didn't," grinned Harry a bit nervously.

As Harry crossed the threshold, the dark hallway brought back memories of last summer and Christmas, memories of when Sirius was still around.

"So, the prodigal son has returned home. Had your little fun, have we Potter? Are we still moping about, feeling sorry for…" snarled the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.

Moody tensed for an explosion and watched as Harry tensed, too. Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly relaxed himself and replied in a calm, controlled voice.

"Yes, I have been moping a bit Professor Nigellus. And I admit that I still feel terrible about the death of my godfather and your great-great-grandson. But, I don't believe there is any shame in grieving for him. Now…"

"No shame in grieving for the death of the blood traitor?!?!" screamed the picture of Sirius' mother. "I've been celebrating his death for weeks. And I owe it all to you, you filthy Mudblood lover, you freak of magical nature…" As her voice gathered momentum the hallway door to the kitchen opened and out filed one seething wizard and a very angry witch, followed by two very concerned teenagers. When they heard the vile taunts and insults being hurled at Harry about himself and the death of Sirius, they froze, anticipating the explosion of anger Moody had feared earlier.

Nobody spoke as the picture continued to rant and rave. After ten minutes, she seemed to pause for breath, though as a picture she really didn't need to.

"Are you quite finished Mrs. Black?" Harry's quiet voice asked. She paused, seemingly stunned by his lack of reaction. "I want to make sure you get it all out of your system, because you will never say…another… demeaning …word…about …my …godfather…again."

Everyone stared first at Harry, then at the portrait, then back at Harry in amazement. The lady in the portrait appeared too startled to respond.

"Very well, then." Nobody saw more than a blur as Harry whipped out his wand and pointed his wand at the hanging portrait. Harry spoke quite clearly the words "Silencio Vox," and an orange light from his wand struck Sirius' mother right at the base of the throat. She gasped, and then began to scream, but the tense stillness continued. Drawing the shades once again over her portrait, Harry looked back to Phineas Nigellus.

"Before we were so rudely interrupted Professor Nigellus, I was about to ask for a small favor."

"Yes, Mr. Potter," replied Nigellus with uncharacteristic politeness.

"Would you please notify Professor Dumbledore that I'm here? I'm sure that he and a great many others have been very concerned tonight. Thank you," asked Harry politely.

As he turned from the now vacant picture of Nigellus, he was bombarded by questions. At that exact moment, he felt a peculiar sensation in the left pocket of his jeans. To the surprise of everyone there, his pocket began to stretch and expand. The pocket broke apart at the seams and Harry had to quickly jump back to avoid getting his foot crushed by the rapidly growing school trunk. With a thud, it fell on the floor and silenced the crowd momentarily. Harry gazed at it and then back at his ripped jeans.

Looking around at the shocked expressions Harry mumbled, "I guess the shrinking powder wore off." Bits of laughter began to erupt from around the room, breaking the earlier tension.

In a tone that brooked no dissent, Molly ordered Harry to take his school trunk upstairs and change into some new pants. She announced that she would start breakfast. Ron offered to help carry the trunk, but Harry declined and instead pointed his wand and commanded, "Locomotor Trunk."

Hermione hissed, "You can't keep using spells like that Harry. The Ministry will nail you for underage use of magic again this year."

"Hermione, we used lots of spells last year helping Mrs. Weasley clean this house and nobody got into trouble. Besides, this is one of the best protected places I know. If I can't practice magic here, I won't be able to anywhere. And believe me, I need to practice." Several of the adults shot him an odd look when he said this, but they continued into the kitchen as Ron and Hermione followed Harry and his trunk upstairs.

Once he settled the trunk on the floor of the bedroom that he shared with Ron, Harry was nearly thrown over backwards as Hermione grabbed him in a huge bear hug. Just as quickly she stepped back holding his arms tightly, looked him right in the eye and screeched, "What on earth were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!" She then burst into tears and fled from the room. Harry and Ron just looked at each other, stunned.

"What on earth was that about?" asked Harry.

"Barking mad, if you ask me, mate. She's a girl, remember? We're not supposed to understand them. Anyways, let's go grab a bite to eat before they execute you. You do know they're going to bloody kill you, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know. Have they decided who gets to go first or do they have to wait until Dumbledore gets here?"

"I don't think even he can save you from my mum."

"Yeah, I know. Let's go." Sighing heavily, Harry squared his shoulders and walked back out of the room.

As they walked down the hall, Hermione left her room sniffling quietly and fell in behind them. Pausing at the kitchen door, Harry took another deep breath before pushing it open. Grim looks met him from around the table as he moved to sit down. Before he could seat himself, though, there was a burst of green flame in the fireplace, and Dumbledore stepped out, followed by a very tense McGonagall and a very angry Tonks.

Though his blue eyes twinkled ever so slightly, Dumbledore's face remained extremely stern. "I trust that there are some excellent reasons for your actions tonight, Harry. Needless to say, you have caused us all a great deal of worry. You know how important it is for you…"

"Yes, yes, I never forget how important I am to the wizarding world," interrupted Harry bitterly. Pausing for a moment and gathering his breath, Harry continued in a different tone, "I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean it like that. It has just been a very long night and I'm surprised you came and…"

"Of course I came, Harry. You know how much I, how much we all care for you. That is why we are all so disturbed by your actions tonight."

"I know you care, sir. But I thought you might be afraid of Voldemort trying to…" at this, Harry paused, looking around the room, not wanting to express aloud his fear that Voldemort might try to possess him again.

"I think Voldemort learned his lesson last time, Harry. It's a very difficult spell, one that would require his immediate presence to attempt again. I do not believe he will attempt that again so long as you can feel what you did last time. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think so. And I'm glad you're here. If everyone would please sit down, I'll try and explain about last night." As everyone began to take a seat, a low, nasty chuckle was heard and through the door burst the Black house-elf, Kreacher.

"Ah, I thought I heard the return of the old Master's favorite," muttered the elf, "but Kreacher knows the old Master will never be returning. Kreacher made sure of that, yes he did." Once again the assembled group froze, sure this time Potter would explode with fury at the treacherous house elf responsible for Sirius' death at the Ministry of Magic.

On the other side of the table, Harry grabbed the back of his chair until his knuckles turned white. His face grim, Harry moved to the other side of the table to confront the small elf before speaking out loud. "Did you know that Sirius had altered his will? No, probably not. You should know that upon his death, the entire Black estate and fortune was transferred to me. This house, with all of its items and its servant, now belongs to me."

With a slight tremor of fear, Kreacher gazed at Harry for the first time.

"Harry, you can't own a house-elf. It's not …"

"Hermione, let me take care of this," spoke Harry with a cold voice.

"You're not going to…to hurt him or kill him are you? He's just a poor…"

"No, I'm not going to kill him. Though he deserves it for what he has done. And he's not crazy, either. He knew exactly what he was doing when he betrayed Sirius to his death. No, I've got something else in mind for Kreacher. Come here!" his voice boomed in the kitchen. Hermione looked frantically around at the adults, afraid Harry might do something terrible, but they just watched, unsure what he was planning.

Shuffling forward, Kreacher presented himself before Harry. "Acknowledge me!" commanded Harry.

"Harry, please, don't…"stammered Hermione.

In a flat, cold voice Harry responded. "Hermione, let me handle this." Turning to look at her sad face, Harry softened. "Please. Trust me."

Turning back to Kreacher, he demanded. "Who am I?"

"You are my new master, Master Potter."

"Very well. I wish to give you something."

"Clothes?" squeaked the elf, "Stupid master wants to give Kreacher clothes? But maybe we can go back to…"

"No Kreacher, not clothes. I want to give you this bracelet."

"Jewelry?!?!" A look of horror covered the house-elf's face. "Nooo!!! Not jewelry!!! NOOOOO!!!" Frantically, the elf looked about for some way to escape.

"Stand still!" commanded Harry. "You know the significance of the gift of jewelry, then?"

"Yesss. Please master. Kreacher will do anything. But master must not give him jewelry. Please, nooo!"

"If you had not betrayed Sirius, then I would not be in a position to give you the bracelet. If you had not tried to betray everyone within the Order, I would not give you the bracelet. But since you know no loyalty to your master, present or past, you are no longer welcome as my servant. Though this gift of jewelry frees you from my service, it does not free you from my commands. You are never to speak or communicate in any way anything you learned, saw, or heard within this house or anything about myself or any person who has been within this house. You are to communicate nothing about the Order of the Phoenix, its members, or its activities to anyone else in any manner. Am I perfectly clear? AM I CLEAR?" roared Harry.

"Yes, master. Perfectly clear," came the sobbing response.

"Your new master, should you find one, will know perfectly well by the bracelet you wear that your service may be only temporary, that I can call you back to my service anytime should I wish it. So should you wish to serve either the Malfoys or the Lestranges," Harry spat out the names, "they will know that you cannot be completely trusted with their secrets. After all, your duty to me, through the gift of the bracelet, will always prevail over their claim on you. Should I wish to recall you, my claim on your service could be used to force you to divulge all of their secrets. Now receive this bracelet as a gift." Kreacher whimpered as if the approaching bracelet was going to brand his skin. "Now be gone traitor. May you find a new master more suited to your evil nature." With a final whimper, Kreacher disappeared from the room with a sharp pop.

Harry's shoulders slumped and he returned to his chair. He gratefully accepted the cup of cocoa that Molly pushed in front of him, but did not look up. He did not feel like meeting anyone's eyes right now.

"Harry, why were you so mean…I mean couldn't you have…"

"Couldn't I have what—left him here to betray us as well? Hermione, he tricked all of us and helped cause Sirius' death. Given the chance, he would do the same to every one of us. What was I supposed to do, lock him up in a cupboard somewhere? Wouldn't that have been more cruel? This way, he may eventually find a new master, and our secrets here are safe from further betrayal. I didn't mean to be cruel, but I did what I felt was for the best. It wasn't just out of revenge. Please believe me, Hermione."

"I…I do, Harry. But how did you know about the jewelry? I've never heard of that." Other mutters around the room indicated nobody else had a clue, either. Except for Dumbledore.

"Well, I asked Dobby about it. He was the one who told me. I knew when I inherited this place that I had to do something about Kreacher. I didn't want to risk letting him betray someone else. And…and I was afraid that if I didn't get rid of him, I might kill him myself." The last sentence was spoken very low in hopes that nobody would hear, but everybody did.

Molly spoke up then. "Breakfast is just about ready. Why we don't all have some and save any further discussion for afterwards."

Harry looked up gratefully again at Molly and mouthed thank-you. He then returned his eyes to his now full plate and tucked in, not raising his eyes to make contact with anyone else and not feeling like talking either. Uncomfortable chatter surrounded him throughout the uneasy breakfast. Harry appreciated the few minutes the quick breakfast gave him to recompose himself after speaking with Kreacher. He knew that it was very important to make himself understood following breakfast.

After finishing his breakfast of eggs, ham, toast, and cocoa, Harry waited for the sound of eating and talking around him to subside. Glancing up, he saw that everyone was finished, and simply waiting for him to begin. Most of the angry looks had been replaced by concern mingled with curiosity. Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be twinkling more than before, but perhaps that was his imagination.

"Well, first, let me—uh—apologize to everyone for frightening you. If I could have thought of another way, or warned you of my plans, I would have done that before I left. But I needed to do something. I—uh, oh—where should I start??? Well, after Sirius' death I didn't know what to think. I just couldn't believe it. Once again, someone very close to me had died. And it was all my fault. Well, I felt like it was all my fault. And that's all I've been able to think about. And when I'm asleep, it's worse. I've been having these nightmares. It's like I can see a vision of the final battle with Voldemort, and everybody is there and…and…and you're all dead. I can't save you. I can't save any of you." Looking around the table, he noticed how most winced at the mention of Voldemort's name and looked at everyone for a moment, but one by one, everyone but Dumbledore dropped their head, unable to maintain eye contact with the terrible look of sorrow in his eyes. "The worst thing is that when I try to do something, Voldemort just laughs and asks `Is that the best you can do? Haven't you learned anything?' and then he just laughs at me. And I feel like there should be something else I should have done, something else I should have learned—but because I didn't everything is lost. Everything! All of you, everyone I know and care for, the whole magical world as we know it is over because I can't defeat Voldemort."

"That's complete nonsense, Harry. Nobody expects you to save the world. You're only…" spouted Molly.

"Then why does Voldemort keep coming after me? Why did he try to kill me as an infant? There must be something, some hidden talent I have that he's afraid I'm going to use against him," countered Harry.

"Harry, I'm sure you realize that these dreams are probably sent by Voldemort, that he's trying to keep you off balance, trying to trick you once again," offered Dumbledore. "You know he only speaks in lies and deceptions."

"More like half-truths, Professor. I've been very lucky in every encounter I've had with Voldemort. No, wait," continued Harry, anticipating their arguments and raising his hand. "I have. Nobody knows that better than I. And one of these days, my luck is going to run out. But in the dreams, I think Voldemort revealed more than he meant. He kept mocking me for not having learned more, for not having developed more skill. But I didn't realize that at first. All I could focus on was failing you, all of you, of the additional deaths that I had been unable to prevent. No, please, let me finish. And then late last night, or early this morning I guess, now, after another one of those dreams, I happened to turn on the TV. It's a Muggle box that shows moving pictures. And I ended up watching pictures of a terrible war fought in the Muggle world about fifty years ago that was fought throughout the world. Many parts of it reminded me of our own struggle against Voldemort. There was this man named Winston Churchill…"

"Ah Winston. One of the finest, and bravest men I have ever met," sighed Dumbledore.

"But he didn't actually fight…and how do you know him?" sputtered Harry.

"Oh Winston fought in earlier wars. But he faced much more dangerous enemies later in life, in the time you saw him." A slight smile worked its way over Dumbledore's face. "He faced bureaucrats, politicians, and public indifference. Formidable foes, those, and nearly unbeatable. It was a dark decade for both the Muggle and magical worlds. Many of us helped when and where we could," he finished mysteriously, with another sparkle in his eyes.

Struggling to overcome his shock, Harry continued. "Churchill led Great Britain in this war, as I'm sure most of you know, when it looked like all hope was lost. But he rallied his countrymen and urged them to keep on fighting, to never surrender, to continue to fight no matter the odds. And the tide eventually turned. But it came at great sacrifice. As the war dragged on, the soldiers got younger and younger for all the sides."

He looked over at Ron. "Most of them weren't more than a year or two older than us. And they were scared, I could tell in the pictures. But they fought. They fought! They didn't wait for the enemy to come to them, but they went out and fought them. And I guess that's the best way to explain why I left."

At the looks of horror around him Harry held up his hands and continued. "Don't worry, I don't plan to go and try and find Voldemort today and fight him. But I'm tired of hiding at the Dursley's. I'm sick of spending my entire year at school waiting for one of his attacks and worrying about what he's planning to do to me and the rest of the wizarding world. It's about time I did something. If there is something about me that scared him enough to try and kill me as a baby, I have to find out what it is and use it to defeat him."

"When I left the Dursley's, I wasn't running away and it wasn't just some silly prank. I left because it was no longer helpful to be there. Look, I understand that I'm supposed to be protected there, but there are more important things than my safety. So I left and came here for two reasons. First, it was the best place outside of Hogwarts that I could think of where I could practice magic. Second, all of you are here, at least part of the time. And that is crucial, because I have an enormous favor to ask of you." Harry looked around at the table, everyone hanging on his every word. "I want you, no—I need you to help train me. Help me discover whatever talent I have that Voldemort is so afraid of and help me develop it into a weapon to use against him and defeat him once and for all. Please."

The kitchen exploded into confusion as everyone began to talk at once. Looking around, Dumbledore quickly hid a smile before waving his arms for attention. "Please, please. If I may…" He waited for the commotion to subside. "I imagine we all have slightly different opinions of Harry's comments."

Turning directly to Harry he continued. "I hope you realize both the size and the danger of the task you hope to undertake."

"I do, sir, and am ready to do it," replied Harry hopefully.

"No, Harry, I don't believe you understand the full magnitude of the burden you wish to bear, at least not yet. But you have already carried far heavier burdens than anyone your age should ever be expected to bear. I do not doubt for one moment either your courage, your determination, or your ability to develop those hidden talents of yours. In addition, you have the finest of friends to support you in your efforts." Dumbledore paused to glance meaningfully at both Hermione and Ron. "And Harry will need all the support you can give him. Together with these friends, Harry, I would like to offer you any assistance I might be able to give. I would be happy to continue your Occlumency training, as well as helping you develop any other talents or skills that we might discover and which might prove useful."

"Albus, you can't be serious. Harry is far too young for this. This is probably just what You-Know-Who wants—Harry to get a few extra lessons and try and seek him out in battle so he can kill him," protested Molly.

"No, Molly. I believe the last thing on earth Voldemort wants is for Harry to seek additional training. I believe Voldemort has greatly erred in sending these nightmares to Harry. Harry's courage has never failed him in the past. Nor does it do so now. No, Voldemort made a grave mistake, trying to frighten Harry with terrible nightmares. Instead of breaking him, I believe Voldemort has only managed to make him stronger." Dumbledore looked directly into the grateful eyes of Harry as he finished.

As Dumbledore finished, Professor McGonagall spoke. Glancing briefly at Dumbledore, then over at Harry she announced briskly. "Well, if Albus believes this is the best course of action, then I, too, will assist how I can. I will offer you additional training in Transfiguration, should you desire it, but be warned, it will be much more difficult than my classes at Hogwarts." Harry's face blanched only slightly at the threat of additional homework.

Looking over at Moody and Tonks, who both gave shallow nods, Lupin cleared his throat and said, "Since it appears we will no longer need to spend time on guard duty at the Dursley's, we might as well spend our extra time giving you DADA lessons. But they won't be easy. And you're going to pay for your little escapade last night."

Harry quickly bowed his head to hide his smile. Raising it, he looked around gratefully at all of his friends gathered around the table. Noticing the looks of concern on both Hermione's and Molly's faces he spoke. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. I don't want to do this, believe me. But this fight has to be fought. Evil must be opposed and defeated. And if I can somehow help turn the tide, then I have to do my best to help. I can't just hide, or stand aside and do nothing, or hope that somehow things will work out for the best. I have to do something. Please try and understand. Please." Hermione simply nodded and bowed her head. Harry didn't notice her tears because Molly quickly crossed the room and wrapped him in a huge hug.

"I know, Harry. I know. You're just so young and you're like one of my own boys. This is just too much to ask of any one person. But I'll help as best I can. And I'll try not to cry too much. I know my sons hate that," Molly tried to joke.

"Thanks, Molly. It's OK to cry a little if you want to. That's what good mums do," he smiled back at her and she hugged him tighter.

As everyone moved to leave the kitchen, Ron's voice broke the silence. "If you're done smothering poor Harry mum, I've got a question for him." Molly broke away quickly, looking slightly embarrassed. "How on earth did you fool those three and get out of your house?" Ron ignored the angry glares he received from Tonks, Lupin, and Moody.

Suddenly embarrassed himself, Harry quickly looked at the ground to avoid eye contact with Mrs. Weasley. "Well, uhhm, I had some uhh—friends who sent me a few uhh—things that helped a bit."

"Those twins! When I get my hands on those two…"snorted Molly under her breath and moved quickly to the sink, pretending to begin cleaning up the breakfast mess. She was very quiet though, as if she wanted to hear more of the details along with everyone else.

"So what did you do with these things?" goaded Ron.

"Well, I figured that there were members of the Order watching me again this year like last year. I also suspected that Voldemort would have some people watching, but they wouldn't know where to be watching exactly. I have no idea how many Death Eaters he has now, or how effective they might be in watching areas. I figured if I did any spellcasting of my own, there might be a way for them to detect it, like the Ministry of Magic can. So I ordered some uhh—special magical devices that could do the spells I needed."

"Clever, Potter. Very clever," complimented Moody.

"And what would be the names of these uhh-special magical devices, Harry? I thought my list of specialty items from Weas…" with a glance at Mrs. Weasley, Dumbledore continued, "uhh…the various joke shops was the most up-to-date and complete, but I have failed to find any items that seem to match the effects that Lupin and Moody described to me." In complete shock, everyone in the room slowly turned to see Dumbledore glancing over a very thick scroll that must have measured nearly eight feet if fully rolled out.

"That is their new order form?" gasped a very white Molly Weasley.

"Why yes Molly. They're quite ingenius really. They sell the most amazing pranks and joke items. Why, when they were in school they did some of the funniest…" Dumbledore's voice stumbled as he received a very severe glare from Professor McGonagall. "Well, back to the point. As headmaster of Hogwarts, I find it very beneficial to stay abreast of the most current items offered by the various joke shops. Your sons run the best and most innovative, by far. I make it a point to keep a particular watch on their items, because for whatever reason, a good number of them happen to appear at Hogwarts." Dumbledore noted the look of pride in Molly's eyes that she tried to hide. "But Harry," he repeated, "I must admit that I, too, am very curious to know how you effected your escape."

"Well," continued Harry, still refusing to meet Molly's eyes, "first I needed to create a distraction so that I could slip off with my Invisibility cloak. I packed everything in my trunk and sprinkled some Sprinkle'um Shrink'um dust on it. It only works on inanimate objects and the length of time varies, as does the size it shrinks too. There are a lot of variables involved. I guess I was lucky my trunk didn't explode on me earlier while I was on the bus." A round of laughs followed.

"I snuck out of my room and gathered my aunt's broom and my cousin's trophy," Harry saw no need to tell them about the jokes on his uncle or cousin, though he would probably tell Ron later, "and returned to my room. I taped the trophy to the broom and then used the Splittin' Image." Noticing the looks around him, Harry explained. "The Splittin' Image is a little globe with two buttons. You stand in front of it, dressed how you want to be seen, and press one button, which captures the image. Then you push the other button and it creates a second image of you. Fre—uhh, my friends intended it to be used by students who wanted to make it look like they were in bed asleep so that they could actually be off—uhh, well whatever—I mean studying." Harry paused at the next round of laughs.

"Harry, this image. Is it corporeal or ethereal?" asked Dumbledore.

"There's nothing solid about it. You would still have to put pillows under the sheets and stuff if you wanted to slip out—I mean, that's how it was explained to me, I wouldn't know. It's just an image that is produced." Harry tried to ignore the loud laughs at his obvious lie. "I thought it might work well enough to make an image of me riding my broomstick, so I did that and stuck the ball in the trophy and taped it in too."

"Next time, make sure you use an image with you on your real broomstick, not some beat up hand me down broom from your aunt's closet. That's how I knew you hadn't left for real Potter—you weren't riding your Firebolt," suggested Moody and then added, "And there better not be another time, Potter.

"Uhh, yeah. I should have thought of that. Actually I was hoping you weren't on duty—I thought you would have known something was up when you saw me through the Invisibility cloak," replied Harry.

"I did, when I thought to look for you again after I realized that it wasn't you on the broom."

"But I thought with your eye…" started Harry.

"I can't see everything all the time, boy. Too many images for too long would drive me mad. I have to limit the amount of sensory input or I'd fry my brain. I'd end up madder than I already am," laughed Moody.

"But how did you get that old broom to fly without magic?" asked Tonks.

"Well, once I had an image of me flying, I used a Flaming Flying Floater. It's basically a modification of some of the fireworks the twi—uh, some students set off last year at Hogwarts," said Harry with a quick glance at Molly, who pretended to keep scrubbing pans. "The Flaming Flying Floater can be used to make any object, say a big pot, float in midair, and then fly with a huge burning trail behind it. It's basically a flat headed tube. You attach the flat head to whatever you want to fly, say the big pot, then you aim it, and then stand back out of the way. I just dismantled the flame part. I didn't think it would look too realistic if my broom was on fire."

"And who did you rob to pay our bus fare, Potter?" growled Moody over the rising laughter.

"Well, my friends advanced me a small loan and changed it into Muggle money for me. At Gringott's of course. They're not counterfeiters!" defended Harry.

"Of course not, Harry. Very resourceful. Very resourceful indeed," laughed Dumbledore. "Now you've had a very long night. Why don't you get settled in and get some sleep. We'll arrange some of our schedules so that you can start your new lessons tomorrow."

Suddenly, Harry felt very tired. "So we can get started tomorrow?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, but I strongly advise you to go and get some sleep. You'll need it," grinned Dumbledore.

"All right, I'm going. Thanks for hearing me out." As he rose to leave, Ron and Hermione joined him. Their voices drifted back into the kitchen as they headed up the stairs.

"Harry, that was bloody brilliant. I couldn't believe…" laughed Ron.

"I couldn't believe you did that without telling anyone. You could have been killed you know. You know a pair of Death Eaters blasted your broom and the trophy, don't you. That could have been you!" berated Hermione.

"Really? Good thing I didn't actually send my Firebolt then, huh? What would I have done during Quidditch season?" Harry chuckled and Ron laughed loudly. Hermione's snort of disgust could be heard clear in the kitchen as well as her last words, "Honestly, you two. Is that all you ever think about?"

Back in the kitchen, Professor McGonagall muttered, "Well, at least one of them has some brains. I swear, Mr. Potter finds more ways to get into trouble…"

"Now, Minerva, don't judge him too harshly." Glancing up at Molly, Dumbledore continued. "Harry has excellent friends. Yes, Hermione seems to be the most responsible of the three, but he needs Ron just as much. Ron helps him let off the steam he needs to and take time to just have fun and enjoy life. Harry has never really had anyone who watches out for him like Hermione or someone to just have fun with like Ron. Both friends are crucial to him, and will become even more important to him with the additional burdens he will be taking up soon."

"Do you really think Harry is ready for all of this? He takes far too much responsibility for things as it is," asked Molly.

"Harry is old enough now to choose the burdens he will carry. If I could have given him an ordinary childhood and adolescence, I would have in an instant. But Harry has a vital role to play in the coming conflict with Voldemort. And the sooner we help him discover his role and prepare for it, the safer he will be Molly. Do not worry, I will be watching him even more closely than before."

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Ch 7: Another Nightmare

By the time Harry reached the top of the stairs, he could barely contain his yawns. He told his friends goodnight and they returned downstairs. Entering his room, Harry took off his shoes and flopped on the bed.

An hour later, Dumbledore and the others had just about finished planning the new teaching schedule for Harry when they heard the first scream. Molly was the first to react and ran quickly up the stairs, followed by everyone else. When they entered the room, they noticed that Harry was thrashing wildly upon the bed.

Molly ran to his side and lifted under his shoulders, as if to cradle him. She stiffened and groaned as Harry screamed, "No!!! Not Molly!!!!" As soon as her hands touched his back, Molly shared a part of Harry's nightmare. She saw her own death at tas envisioned by Harry.

On Harry's other side, Ron paused as he grabbed Harry's elbow to try and shake him awake. He, too, saw the green stream of light aimed at him by Voldemort. "NOOO! NOT RON TOO!!!" screamed Harry. Then he began screaming out the other names of his friends he saw die on that battlefield. When he mentioned the name of someone present in the room, they paled as they too, shared the vision of their death with Harry.

Dumbledore moved up and gently pulled both Ron and Molly away from Harry. Stepping close, Hermione noticed how Harry's scar burned a bright red. Placing her hand on his forehead, she paused in horror as she saw herself die by the Cruciatus Curse but with a tremendous burst of will, forced herself to snap back to reality. "He's burning up!" she exclaimed and ran to get a damp rag. Harry seemed to calm down a little bit, though he was still muttering furiously. Everyone seemed to snap out of their shock at sharing the visions of their deaths they had been sharing with Harry. When she returned, she laid the damp rag on top of his scar and started brushing his hair back. Harry immediately calmed down and stopped muttering. Soon, only deep breaths could be heard as he slowly settled down into a deeper sleep.

Albus looked quickly at Molly, shook his head softly at her, and then said, "That was quick thinking, Hermione. It seems to have broken his fever. Well done." Hermione looked pleased, but somewhat embarrassed. She didn't seem to notice that she continued to brush Harry's tousled hair. Dumbledore quickly motioned everyone out of the room. Ron left with a funny look on his face and Molly glanced with concern at Dumbledore. Hermione and Harry remained oblivious to them all.

"If you don't mind, Hermione, would you continue watching Harry for a little while? We have some things to finish downstairs," asked Dumbledore.

"Sure, that's fine," she muttered absentmindedly.

Outside the door to the room, Molly grabbed Dumbledore's arm. "Did you notice how he calmed down when she felt his scar and started brushing his hair?"

"Yes. As I said before, I believe both Ron and Hermione have a vital role to play in helping Harry. Hermione's role may be even more important than I had originally thought. But whatever happens, they must discover it and deal with it themselves."

"I wonder if Ron suspects something. Do you want me to speak to him?" asked Molly worriedly.

"No, he is a crucial part of this as well. Whatever happens, those three must deal with it on their own. We cannot take the risk of interfering. Do not worry, Molly. Those three have good hearts and they truly love one another. Things will work out for the best. Trust in them to work it out for themselves."

When they returned to the kitchen, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I will talk to Harry about the vision we all saw, but I would appreciate it if none of you let him know that you were actually able to see part of his nightmare. I think he would feel hurt and embarrassed that you had to share part of his pain. You will be able to tell him eventually, but I do not think now is the appropriate time. Could you tell Hermione later for me Molly?"

"But how were we able to see it at all, Professor?" asked a still pale Ron.

"Well, this is what I will tell Harry. We all know that Voldemort and Harry have shared a strange link through his scar. I believe that when Voldemort initially cursed Harry, he not only transferred some of his own powers, but he also sparked, or quickened certain powers within Harry. Whether those powers would have stayed dormant or emerged later on their own I do not know. But I believe several of the powers that we can see emerging in Harry are types of strong mental powers such as empathy and telepathy. We know that Harry sometimes had visions of Voldemort as well as an ability to sense some of his feelings. Now Harry has been communicating some of his feelings and visions to the rest of us. Of course he did not do that consciously, but he might be able to gain that type of control. I do not know for sure. But I will discuss it with him. For now, he needs some rest. Tell Harry when he wakes up that I will be by later this afternoon to speak with him."

Dumbledore and McGonagall stepped to the fireplace and returned to Hogwarts. Molly left the kitchen and went upstairs to chat with Hermione. The remaining adults talked softly among themselves and Ron went outside by himself, found his broom, and flew in aimless circles in the backyard deep in thought.

After a brief chat with Hermione, Molly returned to Harry's room with several of Hermione's books and then left them alone. When she returned several hours later, Harry was still sound asleep on his bed. Hermione was sitting in a chair next to him, an open book on her lap, and her head tilted slightly to one side as she, too, slept. Not wanting to disturb them, she turned to leave when she heard Harry stirring. Hermione woke instantly, leaned over to check on Harry and sent her book sliding out of her lap with a crash to the floor. Startled, Harry looked around quickly as his right hand reached for his wand. Hermione reached out and grabbed his wrist, whispering softly, "It's OK, Harry. It's just me. I'm sorry, I dropped my book. It's OK." Harry visibly relaxed and then spoke.

"Uhh, what are you doing in my room Hermione?" he asked, looking at her.

"Ohhh…" her face colored slightly. "It was my—uhh—turn to watch you. You were having a nightmare earlier and…"

"Ohh, uhh—thanks." It was Harry's turn to blush now. "I'm really sorry. I didn't really mean to be a problem and…"

"Oh, it wasn't a problem at all. Don't worry about it. Umm, did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah, I feel a lot better. Thanks."

Feeling it was now safe to come in, Molly made some extra noise at the door before entering. "Good to see you up and refreshed Harry. Would you like some lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm starving! Thanks Molly."

"Well, I'll have some sandwiches ready downstairs in a few minutes. You can have some too, Hermione. And Professor Dumbledore wanted to visit with you later today. I'll let him know you're awake, OK?"

"Sure. Thanks, Mrs. Weasley." Molly returned downstairs and left the two teens to freshen up a bit after their naps. She spoke briefly to Dumbledore through the fireplace and began fixing sandwiches. Harry and Hermione came bounding down the stairs a few minutes later. As they sat down at the table, she went outside to call Ron in for lunch. He landed, put his broom away, and walked towards the back door. "Everything all right, Ron? You look kind of thoughtful."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just been thinking about stuff is all. Did you say food? I'm famished."

Deciding to ignore the brushoff and change of topic, Molly simply followed Ron back into the kitchen where Harry and Hermione were already eating.

"Hey Ron, how's it going?" they both asked between bites.

"Fine," he replied as he piled several sandwiches on his plate.

"Listen, I'm supposed to visit with Dumbledore later, but there is something I want to talk to both of you about later, OK?" whispered Harry.

"What is it Harry?" asked Ron.

"I'll tell you later," replied Harry mysteriously, glancing at Mrs. Weasley's back as she made more sandwiches. She turned and joined them and they chatted of other things as they finished their lunch. After lunch, Harry went and found Hedwig and sent off a message, but refused to explain his actions to either Hermione or Ron. Ron convinced him to go take a lap or two in the garden on their broomsticks, and Harry quickly agreed. Hermione returned to her room to read, but occasionally glanced out the window to watch her friends enjoying their broomsticks.

Later that evening, before dinner, Dumbledore returned through the fireplace in the kitchen and spoke with Molly for a few minutes. She then went back outside and called to both Ron and Harry, who were still busy chasing each other on their broomsticks. "Harry, Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you."

"Fine, I'll be right down." Harry and Ron both descended, and walked back to the house. "Why don't we go to the study, where we can talk by ourselves?" suggested Dumbledore.

"Sounds good," replied Harry. "I think I remember where it is." They walked back out into the main hall and entered one of the far doors near the front of the house.

"Ahh. Looks like Molly has been doing some redecorating. This is much better," observed Dumbledore. Harry agreed. The red and gold carpeting and the overstuffed chairs seemed much more inviting than the previous furniture. The heavy bookcases remained daunting, however, covered with dark spined books with odd looking covers.

"I'll have to look those over later with Hermione," thought Harry, "and see if there is anything that might be useful. In fact, I probably should have been doing that instead of flying on the broom." Sighing, Harry thought once again about the enormity of the task he had taken on.

"Come, take a seat Harry. There are a few things I wish to discuss with you," encouraged Dumbledore. He waited for Harry to be seated before continuing. "First of all, I want to commend you on your recent decisions. I think you are pursuing the correct path, though it will not be an easy one. I want you to know that you have my complete support and confidence." He then went on to repeat what he had told the others earlier about his theories of Voldemort awakening some of Harry's mental powers.

"So now I'm sharing my nightmares with you? Did I do that to anyone else?" Dumbledore paused momentarily and Harry answered his own question. "I did, didn't I? I can tell by your hesitation. You were going to try and hide it from me, weren't you? Why are you still hiding things from me? Don't you trust me? I thought we had moved beyond that?" He looked at Dumbledore accusingly.

"Yes, Harry. I was trying to protect you. I am sorry. I meant no harm. I simply asked the others not to bring it up. Feel free to discuss it with them if you wish. Perhaps it is best that way. But your perception and intuition is improving. That is encouraging," finished Dumbledore.

"Yeah. And now that I can project nightmares, maybe I can scare Voldemort to death," countered Harry bitterly.

"Do not be so dismissive. Every power, every talent, has a tremendous potential for good, if used properly. Surely you see this having taken advantage of the Weasley's joke items? You may have a single great talent that might be overwhelming to Voldemort. Or you might have a number of talents, that used together can defeat him. I do not know. But we should seek to exploit every advantage we can."

"Yes, of course. You're right. Can you really help me develop these mental talents?" continued Harry.

"Well, I can offer you some guidance and advice, and point you to a few books that may help, but much of it you will need to learn on your own, through practice."

"OK, when do we start?" asked Harry eagerly.

"Tomorrow. But first there is another thing I would like to discuss with you. I want to speak with you for a moment about the nature of magic. You are aware, no doubt, that not all magic requires a wand?"

"Well, yes. There were a few incidents before I came to Hogwarts." Harry remembered when he removed the glass on the snake and put Dudley in the snake pit. He grinned. "But I didn't really do any of them on purpose. They just happened."

"Yes. It is sometimes possible to cast spells without a wand. But there's more to it than that. Take potions for example. Not all potions require a spell to be cast on them for them to work. Some work because of the interaction of their various components. And some of those components seem to have no power whatsoever until they interact with other items. In your study of magical beasts, you have no doubt noticed a variety of talents they exhibit, yet they do not actually cast spells. Rather they use innate abilities and magical powers. You may have noticed in your Divination class," Dumbledore smiled, "that when it functions properly it is often aided by some sort of an item, but rarely a wand. Magic can be worked through a variety of ways, but for most wizards it is easiest through a wand. Magic, in essence, is the channeling and focusing of energy, changing it from one form to another in order to accomplish the desired goal. In some ways, it is not so different from what some Muggles are able to do with what they call science or technology. They can achieve some of the same ends that we can, but through very different methods." Dumbledore paused thoughtfully before continuing.

"Most of the magic we think of now is created through the use of wands. However, it remains possible to work magic without a wand, though it is fairly rare these days. Almost everyone has had an experience or two with it, usually when in a highly emotional state or under extreme duress. But it is usually unpredictable and uncertain, unlike spells cast with wands which are much more reliable and certain in their effects. But the ability to control that type of spontaneous magic is very rare these days. And there are few witches and wizards who have ever been able to do more than a few spells. It takes a lot of practice and mental control to do it. I believe it might be worthwhile to teach you the fundamentals, should you wish Harry."

"Really? You think I could do it?"

"You have already demonstrated the potential to do so. It took an incredible amount of concentration and force of will to overcome Voldemort when both your wands were bound together in the Prior Incantatum spell. Your ability to quickly master certain spells, such as the Accio and Patronus charms indicates what you are capable of, when you focus your entire attention on something. I strongly believe that given the proper training, it is very likely you could develop some skill in this type of magic. But it will not be easy."

"I know. Nothing I will be doing from here on out will be easy. How is it different from magic created with a wand?"

"Well, for starters, if you were able to conjure a shield or cast a countercurse, you can cast it much faster than with a wand. Only by a second or two, but then that extra second can make all the difference in the world. If you're ever without your wand, it would be useful to be able to do magic without it, even if it is just to summon your wand. There have even been stories about powerful mages somehow blending the two types of magic together, enhancing the strength of their spells. But we'll start with the basics and see how it goes from there."

"Wow. OK. Is there anything else?"

"Not for now. I think you will have plenty to keep you busy for the next couple of weeks. I will see you tomorrow at ten, Harry. Try and get a good night's rest."

"Thanks Professor, I will." Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts through the fireplace, and Harry stumbled from the room, his mind awhirl with the possibilities before him. As he headed back to the kitchen he saw Hermione and Ron on the stairway. They motioned for him to be quiet, and he realized they were listening to the rising voice of Molly Weasley.

"I can't believe you two would encourage Harry to take such risks. Honestly, if there were half a brain between the two of you, you would have realized how dangerous it is for Harry outside of his home. And for you to not only encourage him, but to provide him with the means to escape…Oh, you two make me so furious! If your father were here…"

Harry turned to look at Ron and whispered, "Yeah, if your father were here, he'd probably be asking me all about the taxi and bus ride. But not in front of Molly." Ron had to shove a fist in his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Hermione tried to look stern, but a smile kept tugging at her lips. Harry continued, "The only problem is that he would have been disappointed that I didn't use Muggle fireworks or something." At this, Hermione shoved her fist into her mouth to keep from laughing. "I better go save them, before Molly gets really wound up."

Pushing through the doors, Harry froze at the image of Molly glaring up at her two twins. She looked like she was getting ready to continue, when she saw Harry and crooned in a very loving voice, "And how are you doing, Harry? Are you hungry yet? I'll have dinner ready in about half an hour," Glaring at the twins again, she muttered, "I suppose you two are expecting an invitation to dinner. I really shouldn't after the way you two have behaved recently, but there will probably be some food left over. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind. Go on. Get!" They didn't need to be told twice. Harry followed quickly and led them all back to the study rather than upstairs.

Once they were all in the study, Harry turned and apologized to the twins, "Sorry about that. I really didn't mean to drag you into this."

"Ah no worries, Harry. It's good for mum to express herself like that. It's not healthy for her to bottle up her emotions. Fred and I are very therapeutic that way," smiled George.

"But it's not often we get such a tongue lashing without knowing exactly why. I mean we suspect why, but you do owe us a few details," finished Fred.

Harry then told them about his escape and how he had put their various inventions to use. They interrupted him frequently to ask questions about how much dust he used, the length of spell effects, how convincing the image was. Glancing reluctantly at Hermione, Harry also told him about the pranks he had played on his uncle and cousin.

"Well, at least you didn't do anything to your aunt. I suppose your uncle and cousin had it coming," sniffed Hermione.

When they finished laughing, George said, "You didn't wait to see the effects? Not very scientific of you, chum. I mean after all, Fred and I risked our lives providing you with these tools of liberation, and you didn't bother to wait for the results? Are we going to have to go over the responsibilities of being a full partner again?" Fred and Ron laughed. Even Harry managed a smile.

"I know, I know. I promise I'll do better next time," chuckled Harry.

"I think I'm going to pretend I did not hear that," muttered Hermione. "I'm sure that with all the extra work you are taking on this school year, you won't have any time for testing out joke products for Fred and George."

"I'm quite sure I won't," answered Harry very solemnly, with a wink towards the twins and Ron.

"Good," finished Hermione, who had closed her eyes to avoid any winks and signs from Harry she didn't want to know about.

"Here are a couple of suggestions I would make on how to improve the items I tested," continued Harry. When Hermione got up to leave, Harry asked her to stay for just a few more minutes. When Harry and the twins had finished their discussion Harry stood up and checked the door to make sure it was locked. He then cast a quick silencing charm on it and turned back to the other four who were now looking at him very curiously. He moved to the far edge of the room and began talking in a very low voice.

"You're probably wondering why I owled you two to come. Believe me, it wasn't just to let your mum have a go at you." Ron chuckled. "I have another plan, and I'm going to need your help. All of your help."

"Excellent. Is it illegal?" asked Fred.

"Wicked. Is it dangerous?" asked George.

"Yes. And probably yes," answered Harry calmly.

"Great! Count us in!" chimed the three Weasleys.

"No way! I'm not getting expelled from Hogwarts before the school year even starts!" declared Hermione.

"But Hermione, you're going to be the key to this whole plan. I really need your help," he pleaded with Hermione. "Just let me explain first. You all know how sometimes I can pick up on the feelings and visions of Voldemort?" Ron and Hermione shared a quick glance, one which Harry also saw. "Well, I've been thinking about how to do something about that. It seems especially important, now, if I'm going to start doing extra training. We don't want Voldemort rummaging through my thoughts and figuring out what we're up to, right? I've been working on Occlumency with Snape, but that hasn't been too effective…"

"But you're going to start working with Dumbledore. Won't that help?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, I'll be working with Dumbledore to improve it. But I may not get any better at it. Or it might take too long to improve to be very helpful. So I think I should try some other options as well. I was thinking about how Sirius told me he escaped from Azkaban. In his dog form, the Dementors didn't recognize him—his thoughts and feelings were no longer entirely human, they were cloaked, or guarded, or something. I don't know for sure. But they could no longer detect him. Something like that might work for me to shield my thoughts from Voldemort."

"But you can't turn into a dog, or any animal. To do that, you'd have to become an…" Hermione's eyes widened as she realized what Harry meant to do. "But Harry, you would have to stay in an animal form all the time for that to work. If you actually have an Animagus form and if you manage the transformation."

"No, I don't think so. The visions only come when I'm asleep. The pain and emotions sometimes come when I'm awake, but I don't care as much about hiding my emotions. I don't want Voldemort creeping around my mind, seeing what I've seen when I'm asleep. And I think it will work if I sleep in my animal form."

"But Harry. From what I've read, the process is very complicated and can be very dangerous. And it might not even work," protested Hermione.

"But I need to do something. Occlumency hasn't helped yet. It might not help in the future. If you have a better alternative, I'd love to hear it."

She paused, thinking quickly. "No, Harry, I don't have any other suggestions. But I still don't think it's a very good idea. It would just be very difficult to do all by yourself, with everything else you are trying to do."

Harry smiled. "But who said I was going to do it all by myself? Wouldn't it be as easy to make five Animagi as it would one?" He glanced around at his friends as they slowly gasped in wonder. "We could wait until the school year started, but then we would have to probably borrow books from the Restricted section and some of Snape's potion components. But I don't want to wait that long. If we can do it before school starts, even better. The sooner I can block out Voldemort, the better. And that's where the twins come in. They can get everything we need—books, components, whatever. But I need your help Hermione. Like you said, I'm going to be very busy with my extra lessons. That's why I need you to head our secret little project. I'm sure Ron would be willing to help, right?" Ron shook his head emphatically. "What do you say, Hermione? Will you help me?"

With all four boys looking at her eagerly, Hermione blushed. When she looked up at Harry's intense stare, she said, "Of course I'll help you Harry. You know I'll always help you." They both smiled at each other for a long moment and then started.

"Right then. I'm going to need the most recent volume of The Making of an Animagi: Ten Difficult Steps, and of course I'll have to check the ingredients needed, I can't remember how difficult they are to obtain…" she continued to mutter to herself for a minute. Looking up quickly at the twins, she asked, "Are you two staying the night?"

"Of course, what did the lady have in mind?" snickered Fred.

"I—uhh—what did you say?" she thundered, her face assuming a sternness in its anger that would have done McGonagall proud.

"What my brother meant to say was if you can put together a list of items you need tonight then we would just head home tonight and start picking up things tomorrow. If not, we will spend the night and you can give us the list tomorrow. It would probably be better to give us the list in person, rather than by owl."

"Oh, alright then," mumbled Hermione and walked off, still talking to herself about the things she would need.

"Thanks for covering, George," whispered a white faced Fred, "I thought she was going to pull a McGonagall right then and there and give me a detention or something." Glancing at Ron and Harry, he whispered, "Does she get that mad that often?"

Chuckling, Ron smirked, "All the time, bro. All the time."

George laughed quietly, "You two are braver than I thought."

"Well, we better get headed to dinner. We wouldn't want anyone to think we were up to something, would we?" chuckled Harry. Everyone followed him back to the kitchen, including Hermione, who continued to mutter to herself.

Molly had calmed down by then and everyone enjoyed a good dinner. After dinner, Hermione wandered down to the study with several of her books. Harry, Ron, and the twins played a little two on two Quidditch for a little while, then all four headed back to the study. Ron and the twins took turns playing Wizard's Chess and discussing possible joke ideas for the shop while Harry browsed through the books he had inherited. He was making a small pile of books he thought might have useful curses and counter-curses to study later. Hermione looked up for a moment, walked over to Harry's pile and began resorting them.

"These are the best ones to look at of that lot," she suggested.

"Would you mind helping me sort out some other good ones off of these shelves?" asked Harry.

"I never thought I'd see the day. Harry Potter getting off his broom early to come in for a little studying," Hermione laughed.

"I know. I know. And Hermione the prefect helping four of her friends become Animagi illegally. Tsk. Tsk. Never make Head Girl that way," Harry countered and Hermione laughed again. They turned back to the bookshelves and added several more to Harry's pile.

Later that evening, Molly softly pushed open the door to the study. She glanced over at the three boys talking quietly in one corner and then to the two remaining teenagers at a large table, nearly buried behind tall stacks of thick books. "Why do they have to grow up so quickly? It's not fair that they barely have time to enjoy their youth," she thought sadly. Out loud, she announced, "Time for bed. Tomorrow will be a very busy day." Surprisingly, without a murmur of protest, the five youths followed her out of the study and went upstairs to bed.

Fifteen minutes later when she went to check on them, she was surprised to find them all asleep, and not up chatting in one of the rooms. Returning to the kitchen, she poured herself a cup of cocoa and passed the pot to the others who had returned a little earlier from various tasks for the Order. She recapped the day for them and they talked briefly about the changes that they had witnessed, especially those in Harry.

"I'm telling you Molly, he's reminding me more and more each day of his father," commented Lupin. "James joked around most of the time, but if the need arose, he could get deadly serious. I think Harry's even more intense than his father. And with good reason."

"Well, I'm glad they could have a little fun today. I doubt he'll have too many more days like today," said Molly wistfully. "They're too young to have such terrible responsibilities thrust upon them."

"But they're strong enough to handle it Molly. Mark my words. You've got good strong sons, there Molly. And that Granger girl. Like a miniature McGonagall. And sharp as a razor. But you watch. Harry is full of surprises. And strong as steel. I haven't known him as long as the rest of you, but there's much more to the boy than meets the eye. I can sense it. I think Voldemort made a terrible mistake making an enemy of that boy. And he'll soon regret it. You'll see."

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Ch 8: The Lessons Begin

When Harry began screaming again that night, Hermione was the first one to arrive. She found Ron by his side, shaking his shoulder, trying to wake him up. “Let him sleep,” she hissed as she shouldered him aside to put another damp cloth on his forehead and began smoothing his hair. When Molly arrived, she shooed away the other adults who were coming to check on Harry saying, "It's alright. He just needs the cloth to cool his fever. It helped earlier, it will probably do the same tonight." She watched as Hermione continued to comfort Harry, and looked on as Harry quickly relaxed and fell easily into a deep sleep. Ron watched curiously for a moment and then headed back to his bed. When she returned to check on the teens later, Harry and Ron were both sound asleep, as was Hermione in a chair. Gently waking her up, she led Hermione back to her room.

In the morning, everyone awoke refreshed, though Hermione was slightly tired. Harry didn't remember having any nightmares and nobody reminded him that he had. After a filling breakfast, the teens headed to the study. Hermione gave the twins a list of books and supplies and they left. Harry and Hermione began reading through some of the books they had picked out last night and Ron went to offer his mom some help.

When Dumbledore arrived at ten, Hermione went back to her room for a nap while Harry began his first lesson. Dumbledore proceeded in much the same manner as Snape had, but offered much more explanation and advice before beginning. Harry found it much easier to concentrate than he ever had with Snape. Dumbledore, too, seemed pleased with Harry's efforts. After they had practiced Occlumency for an hour, Dumbledore described several exercises he wanted Harry to practice for focusing the mind and improving his concentration.

"These exercises will help refine your ability to focus and concentrate. The biggest difference between magic with a wand and magic without a wand is the level of mental discipline and focus required. The wand is a tremendous aid to the wizard or witch in focusing the power of the magic into the spell desired. But without a wand, your mind alone must focus, shape, and above all, control the magical power you summon for your spell. Do these exercises as often as possible, they will help in a variety of ways," counseled Dumbledore at the end of the session.

"How else will they help?" asked Harry.

"Well, for one, they will help you with all of the extra reading and studying you will be doing. Later on I will teach you some techniques to help you read faster and remember more clearly what you have read, but focus on these exercises for now. Also, as you improve at these exercises, you will probably notice an increase in the power of the spells you will cast with a wand, so be careful."

"What? Why?"

"As your ability to focus and concentrate improves, it is only natural that your strength in casting spells with a wand will improve as well."

"Wow. Great! I hadn't thought of that."

"Well keep it in mind and use it for motivation if you need. But remember to always be careful when you cast spells, especially during the coming school year. Before you return to classes, I will show you how to control the amount of energy you put into a spell so that nobody gets hurt accidentally or becomes aware of any increase in your magical power."

"You mean I might accidentally hurt someone with one of my spells if I study this extra stuff?" asked Harry worriedly.

"Not at first. It is far too soon to tell how much you will benefit from these exercises. We will have to wait and see. But we will be careful Harry. Do not worry," comforted Dumbledore before he turned to leave. "Professor McGonagall will be here tomorrow and then I will be back the day after at the same time. Practice the exercises as often as you can Harry." Dumbledore then left.

After lunch, Harry had a couple of hours to practice what Dumbledore had taught him before he began his DADA lessons with Lupin and Moody. In the basement, they cleared out a large room that they could use to practice dueling and practice various spells and counter-curses. On the first day, they did mostly review work, but before finishing they assigned Harry a chapter to cover for the next day.

Harry and the others quickly fell into a fairly regular routine. Harry would wake up Ron an hour before breakfast and they would go outside to get a little exercise and fly on their brooms for a bit. Breakfast was followed by reading in the study, until either Dumbledore or McGonagall arrived for Harry's morning lesson. Lunch was followed with more study time. Harry split his time doing his homework from his summer classes and practicing the exercises Dumbledore had given him. At four, he would have DADA lessons with Lupin, Moody, or Tonks. Dinner followed, and then more study time until bedtime. While Harry was in classes, Hermione, with Ron's help, was studying the spells and preparing the potions they would need for the Animagus transformations.

Of course, the nightmares continued every night, but they seemed to be decreasing in severity. Hermione kept a ready supply of damp cloths in her room since she was always the first one to respond to Harry's screams. After a few days, the only ones who continued to get up were Hermione and Molly. Hermione took care of Harry and Molly made sure that Hermione didn't wear herself out.

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Ch 9: Secret Books

"I would very much like to hear your opinion of Harry's progress, Minerva," requested Dumbledore as he leaned back in his chair.

Seated in another chair on the other side of his broad desk, McGonagall answered, "Well, it's only been two weeks, but I've been very impressed with his progress so far. If only he would apply himself like this during the regular school year, he might give Hermione a run for her money in earning top marks."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, yes. I too am very pleased with his progress. He is working very hard," His eyes softened. "He inherited so many wonderful qualities from both of his parents."

"Well, he could do with a few more from his mother and a few less from his father," replied McGonagall, but her face too softened as she remembered Harry's parents. "Do you realize I've given up trying to keep track of the number of school rules that young man has bent, broken, or fractured in just five years?"

"Really, Minerva? I was quite unaware that Harry was not following all of the school rules to the letter," said Dumbledore in a mock serious tone while his blue eyes twinkled laughingly.

Before McGonagall could reply, a voice from the fireplace spoke.

"Professor Dumbledore, it is Harivius Blinkblott. If you have a moment, I would like a word with you."

"Very well, Harivius," invited Dumbledore. “Go ahead.”

A greenish head appeared in the fireplace and began to speak. Slightly surprised at seeing Professor McGonagall, he continued. "As you have requested, I have been keeping an eye open for any unusual purchases. Normally, I wouldn't bother you with this, since the purchase of that spellbook requires the immediate notification of both the Ministry of Magic and the Licensing Board."

Harivius Blinkblott was a co-owner of the famous Blinkblott bookstore in Diagon Alley, and one of the most widely respected booksellers in all of Great Britain. Very few books changed hands in the wizarding world of which he was unaware. Since the incident with young Ginny Weasley, Dumbledore had enlisted his aid in hopes of preventing another such incident. And with the return of Voldemort, Dumbledore had asked him to watch out for any type of suspicious activity, especially involving books about the Dark Arts.

"Is there a problem then?" asked Dumbledore earnestly.

"Well, I'm not quite sure. Let me explain. About two weeks ago, two of the Weasleys, Fred and George, began buying about every book they could find on Animagi. Of course, they didn't buy them all here—that would have been too obvious. No, they bought the books from about every source one can find in Diagon Alley, and even tracked down a few in Hogsmeade. That's what made me really suspicious. They didn't buy more than a book or two from any one source, and two thirds of those sources are not the kinds of sources that a normal wizard would uhh—well, come into contact with every day—if you know what I mean. It seems like they didn't want anyone to know they were looking for information about Animagi. But then they went and bought the latest edition of The Making of an Animagus: Ten Difficult Steps. But the purchase of that book, as you well know, requires immediate notification of the Ministry of Magic and the Licensing Board. It doesn't make any sense. Why sneak around and buy all these other books about Animagi secretly and then buy the one book that automatically informs the Ministry of what you're interested in?"

"So they've been making these purchases over the last two weeks?" asked Dumbledore, tapping his fingertips together as he thought. "Was there anything else?"

"I was just getting to that. It appears as if they have registered with the Ministry of Magic and the Licensing Board and declared their intent to attempt the Animagus transformation."

"What?" roared McGonagall. "They're too young. You can't attempt it unless you're twenty one. Not without a parent's signature giving permission. And I don't see either Molly or Arthur giving them permission. Well, maybe Arthur, but Molly would kill him. Is the ministry mad?"

"Well, that's a different question entirely, but I saw the paperwork myself when they purchased the book. And it appears as if Arthur has given his permission."

"But he is in Romania with Ginny visiting their son Charlie. They've been there all summer on … uh—vacation. They must have forged it. That's the only way," argued McGonagall.

"The Ministry uses very sophisticated spells to prevent this type of forgery. I doubt they've even seen this kind of age protection spell before," finished Harivius.

"Actually, they have Harivius. Though they failed to pass my age protection spell guarding the goblet of fire, they have had nearly two years to think about it. They are very clever and resourceful. Indeed, I would not be surprised at all if they had discovered some way to forge a signature capable of fooling the Ministry of Magic."

"Hmmm. Well, as disturbing as it is to think that they might have fooled the Ministry of Magic in order to get a hold of this book, this last piece of news is what I found most distressing. As you can imagine, they buy large quantities of spell components to create the various items in their joke shop. When I made some discreet inquiries with several shops, I found that in the last two days they have ordered several specific components in addition to the usual orders they normally place. These additional ingredients are all crucial ingredients for the potions necessary for the Animagus tranformation. And they have purchased enough components to make enough potions for not just two people, but as many as five or six. Knowing the type of business they are running, and being aware of their close ties to Hogwarts, I fear that they might be attempting to create some sort of joke that might turn students into animals or something. I'm not sure they realize the deadly consequences a prank of this nature might pose, and I thought it imperative that I warn you."

McGonagall looked stunned as Dumbledore thanked Harivius for the warning. The head in the fireplace disappeared.

"I never thought those two might actually endanger another student's life in such a thoughtless, silly manner. I'd better inform Molly. The next time I see those two…"

"Just a moment, Minerva. If Fred and George were really contemplating such a prank, it seems unlikely that they would buy the Making of an Animagus and register it. At the very least they would have tried to buy an outdated copy from someone who wouldn't see the need to report it."

"But why buy all those other books secretly, if all they needed was the Making of an Animagus?" asked McGonagall.

"I am getting to that. First, it seems that neither Fred nor George care if the Ministry knows they are trying to become Animagi. It provides them with cover if anyone else discovers that they are buying other books about Animagi or ingredients for the necessary potions. But they also purchased enough components for five or six people. Now I know those two could be careless in class, and I'm sure Severus would insist that they're incompetent in potions, but those two are very clever and actually extremely competent wizards when it suits their purpose. I seriously doubt they would be careless in trying to create the potions and spells of the Animagus process, nor would they anticipate needing to remake the potions two, possibly three times. No, I believe that they are openly announcing their intention to become Animagi so that three or four of their friends can secretly become Animagi."

"Who would…" McGonagall's brow furrowed in thought and then her eyes widened momentarily as she realized, "Potter. It's always Harry. He's always mixed up in these kinds of wild schemes. Honestly, how does he think he's going to be able to complete all of the necessary preparations while doing all the extra work we're giving him?"

"Oh, I agree with you Minerva. I'm quite certain Harry is involved. But I don't believe he will be the one doing all the preparations…"

"Well, it wouldn't be Ron. That only leaves…Hermione?! No, she knows better than this. This is much too risky. She's much more level-headed than the rest of them. She would never do something this dangerous," argued McGonagall.

"Normally, I would agree with you. She would think this foolish and dangerous. However, she is also perfectly willing to break the rules if she thought it was for the greater good or would help her friends somehow. I'm not talking about cheating in class or anything like that, I'm talking about things like breaking curfew and room restrictions to help Harry learn a spell or find clues to unravel a mystery. It does not always make sense to follow the old rules, especially if the world has changed, as it certainly has with the return of Voldemort."

"Yes, I suppose you're right…"

"Besides, who else besides Hermione would insist on acquiring every possible book related to Animagi?" smiled Dumbledore.

"Oh, yes. You're entirely correct about that," chuckled McGonagall. "Still, it's a very dangerous spell to attempt at their age. I've never seen students like these before. Honestly."

"Never?" questioned Dumbledore. "I seem to recall a rather rowdy bunch that called themselves the Marauders, and they too attempted a rather foolhardy spell in order to help a friend."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. But we'll have to keep an extra close watch on them."

"Of course, Minerva. But I am afraid that I am beginning to run out of eyes with which to watch young Harry," chuckled Dumbledore.

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Ch 10: Metamorphmagus

During a break in DADA class one afternoon, Harry and Tonks were resting after an intense session of dueling. Lupin and Moody were off on Order business, so it was just the two of them.

"Tonks, I have a question," started Harry as he tried to catch his breath.

"Go ahead," encouraged Tonks.

"Last year, when you picked me up at my house, you said that Metamorphmagi were born, not made. How did you know you could do what you do?"

"Oh, uhh—well. If you promise not to tell anyone else, I'll tell you." Confused, Harry quickly promised. Looking around to make sure nobody could hear, which was silly, they were the only two in the room, she whispered, "When I was little, I had really big ears. Really big. Other kids used to laugh and tease me. I remember looking in the mirror one day, I was probably about six or so, just hating how my ears looked. I closed my eyes and wished as hard as I could that they were different, that they were like my mum's. When I opened my eyes, my ears were different, they were like my mum's only a little smaller." Tonk smiled as she remembered.

"Hmmm," muttered Harry as he thought to himself. “I've wished this scar would disappear a million times, but it never seemed to happen.” Out loud he asked, "Tonks, can you change the length of your hair? I mean, in addition to its color?"

"Of course, why?"

"Well, I remember a time when I was little, I don't remember how old exactly, but I was old enough to go to school. Anyways, my aunt gave me this horrible haircut because she was tired of it sticking up everywhere…kind of like it is now…anyways, I hid in my closet I was so mad. I didn't want to go to school the next day, because my haircut looked so bad. It was like she intentionally botched it just to make me look bad. Anyways, when I woke up the next morning, my hair had grown back to its normal length, just like before she had cut it."

"Really?" gasped Tonks. "Wotcher Harry! That's…Come here, Harry. Let's try something." Harry moved over and sat in front of Tonks. "Now, when you try to change a personal feature, it's not enough to just wish the feature was gone, or different. You really have to focus on how you want it to look after it's changed. Otherwise nothing will happen. Understand?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"OK. If you could change something about your appearance, what would it be?” At Harry's questioning smirk she continued. “Right. Think about your scar. Now think about it being gone, disappeared, erased. Now think about how your forehead will look without the scar on it. Concentrate."

Harry's face screwed up tight in concentration. Letting out his breath and opening his eyes, he looked up at Tonks and saw her frown.

"Hmmm. Maybe that was too hard. Or maybe because it's a magical scar. Let's try something else, like changing your eye color. Think about your green eyes. Pick a color that you'd like to change your eyes to."

"Brown," came the instant response.

"Fine. Brown then. Now concentrate on how your eyes would look if they were brown. Concentrate."

Once again Harry thought hard. He pictured himself with deep brown eyes instead of bright green ones. Opening his eyes, he looked again at Tonks. This time she smiled.

"What? What happened? Did I do it?" he demanded.

In response, she conjured a mirror and handed it to him. Looking in the mirror, he realized his eyes were almost completely brown. There were a few flecks of green in them, but they were definitely brown in color. "Wow. So what does this mean?"

"It means Harry, that with additional practice, you might be able to change your appearance as well."

"Cool. So I could like make myself six and a half feet tall and strong as an ox?" he asked, thinking of some of the Quidditch players he had seen at the World Cup tournament.

"In a word, no. If a Metamorphmagus could do that, why would I have a face and a figure like this?"

Turning red, Harry stuttered trying to say something halfway intelligent.

"If a Metamorphmagus could assume any shape they wanted, wouldn't we all be famous models or actors or athletes or something? No, it doesn't work like that. We can really only affect our appearance, not our actual physical makeup. You might be able to make it appear as if you had huge muscles, but you actually wouldn't have the strength. For example, if I got injured by a spell, I couldn't just envision a healthy body and heal my body that way. I might be able to project an image of a healthy body, but actually I would still be wounded by the spell. As I told you before, Metamorphmagi are very rare, and those that can change their entire physical appearance for more than a few hours at a time are very, very few in number. I can only do it for about an hour before I'm completely exhausted."

"But I thought…"

"This is how I would normally look, except for my ears and the color of my hair. Neither of those take much energy to maintain. And the effects go away when you sleep. So I have to redo the effects every morning, or after a nap." Tonks laughed. "There is no such thing as a permanent magical effect, Harry, at least as far as Megamorphmagi are concerned. I could tell when you found out that I was a Megamorphmagus that you thought it was a very simple and powerful thing. But few things are as simple, or as powerful as they might appear at first. There are many uses for my skills and the skills you seem to share, but they are not all powerful. Though most magical defenses cannot detect the illusions we might use to disguise ourselves with through our Megamorphmagus powers, there are some that will. And it is usually in those situations, against those enemies that we might most need those powers that they might fail us and allow us to be detected. That's when we have to use the other skills that we have developed as well. That's why the training for an Auror is so well rounded. It is very dangerous to become too dependent on any one skill or spell—no matter how powerful the talent. There is always a price to be paid for the most powerful magics that are performed." Harry simply listened quietly.

"But enough of that for now. Let's change your eyes back before class is over." Harry closed his eyes again and concentrated. Opening his eyes, he stared in the mirror again. His eyes were green again, but there were still flecks of brown floating in them.

"Well, that's pretty good for a first try. It will take a lot more practice to get the hang of it."

"How long will my eyes stay like that?"

"Well, unless you want to keep trying to change them back, until you sleep tonight. Like I said, it doesn't take very much energy to maintain your eye color, so it probably won't wear off on its own," explained Tonks.

Harry tried a couple of more times without much success. "Tonks, can we just keep this between us for now?"

"Sure, Harry. We can practice it during our DADA sessions when it's just us if you like."

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Tonks."

As Harry turned to leave the room, Tonks watched him leave. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, he is Harry Potter after all," she thought. "I wonder how many more surprises he has in store for us."

Sitting down at dinner later, Harry happened to sit across the table from Hermione.

"What happened to your eyes, Harry? Since when did you have brown flecks in them?" asked Hermione curiously.

With a quick glance at Tonks, Harry muttered, "Uhh—it must just be the light. They sometimes change color a little bit like that."

"That's funny, I never noticed that before," replied Hermione.

Dumbledore, who had stopped by earlier on Order business and stayed for dinner seemed to be watching the discussion intently, though he said nothing.

"So are you the local expert on Harry's eyes now?" teased Fred.

"How many shades of color do my eyes normally have?" added George.

"Are you two sure you really want to continue this discussion?" asked Hermione in a quiet, dangerous voice. Leaning across the table so that only the twins and Harry could hear, she hissed, "You two wouldn't want to end up as a pair of flobberworms would you?"

Paling slightly they replied, "You wouldn't…" Seeing the set tone of her face and her stern look without a hint of a smile, they decided they didn't really want to continue the conversation and quickly changed the subject.

"Hey Ron, how about we do some flying after dinner?"

Harry looked back at Hermione and said, "Good one. That was pretty funny."

Still looking quite serious, Hermione responded, "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Unable to answer for sure one way or the other, Harry decided to change the subject as well and asked her about some of her latest reading. He was glad there were no more questions about his eye color.

Dumbledore raised his glass and tried to hide his smile behind it as he drank slowly, thinking about the exchanges he had just witnessed.

Hermione suddenly turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Professor, do you know when we'll be getting our OWL results back? We're already into the first week of July and we haven't been notified yet."

Over the groans of Harry and Ron, Dumbledore replied, "I believe they will probably be later this year than normal, with everything else that has been happening this summer. But do not worry, I am confident you will receive them in time to schedule your classes for this fall." Dumbledore smiled again as he viewed the students.

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Ch 11: Sweet Sixteen

Harry's training continued in the same manner through July as it had during June. On the day before Harry's birthday, his DADA professors gave him the afternoon and evening off to relax. Harry convinced Lupin and Moody to join him and the Weasleys in a spirited game of Quidditch. Opening the door to leave the kitchen, Hermione paused when Molly spoke.

"Going out to play or just to watch, dear?"

"Umm, I'll probably watch a bit later. I'm just going to take a short little walk I think," replied Hermione.

"Haven't you explored all of the trails back there yet? You go for an hour long walk everyday back there," joked Molly.

"Well, yeah, but I enjoy the fresh air and a bit of exercise, too. You know, it's nice to get away from my books for a little bit once in a while."

Arching her eyebrows, Molly replied, "Very well, just be careful out there and don't wander too far."

Hermione quickly left. "That was close," thought Hermione as she headed out to the woods in the backyard. "It's too bad we couldn't have hidden the stuff somewhere in the house. But I guess Harry was right. It was too risky that someone from the Order might have recognized what we were up to.” She glanced upwards to watch the Quidditch players zooming around above her. Keeping an eye on the twins in case they accidentally sent a bludger her way, she made her way quickly to the treeline.

Once in the shade of the woods, she quickly found the area where they had set up the magical tent they had found in the basement. Muttering the password, she watched as her vision shimmered for a moment, then she could clearly see the tent. As she walked to the front and opened the flap, she thought how lucky they had been to find a set of warding stones in the house as well. These stones had enabled them to make the area immediately surrounding the tent invisible. Using the password was the only way one could discover the tent at all.

Passing inside the tent, Hermione glanced quickly at the several cauldrons that were slowly simmering. Everything looked fine so far. Passing to the far side, she sat down in a comfortable chair next to the small bookshelf containing the various books she had forced the Weasleys to collect for their project. As usual, she had insisted on learning about every possible theory and fact associated with the Animagus transformation in order to make sure it was done correctly. It was the most complex series of spells and potions she had ever encountered and she could easily understand why the attempt to become an Animagus was so strictly regulated. She quickly reviewed what still needed to be done. In a week, she would begin teaching the others the series of spells and incantations they would need to perform flawlessly for the transformations to be successful. That would give them a week to practice before the potions would be ready. The first stage would take several hours, then they would have to wait a week, before they could finish the transformation spell. If they were successful up to that point, and if each of them actually had an animal form they could assume, she was unsure how much practice each would need before they could easily and quickly transform between their human and animal forms and learn to function in their animal forms. Hopefully, they would be done before the school term started at the beginning of September. If not, it might be tougher for Ron, Hermione, and Harry to continue practicing their shapeshifting while at Hogwarts.

In the middle of her fifth rereading of The Making of an Animagus, Hermione stopped to check the time and noticed that she only had a half hour before the surprise party was scheduled to begin. She rushed quickly from the tent after marking her place in the thick tome and ran towards the house. A stray bludger nearly missed her shoulder.

"Heads up, Hermione!" shouted Fred.

"Sorry about that, Hermione," yelled George as he laughed.

"Knock if off, you gits!" boomed Harry's voice. "If you two don't watch it, she might put something nasty in the next thing you drink."

Hermione looked up at Harry and smiled as he winked. She saw the faces of the twins pale considerably.

"We're really sorry, Hermione. We were just joking, you know we wouldn't have really hit you," they both stammered at her. Instead of replying, Hermione just smiled evilly and turned back to the house. As she passed the kitchen, she saw Molly putting the finishing touches on the cake.

"It looks wonderful Molly. I'm so sorry, I should have offered to help."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you needed the break. Where are you off to?"

"Oh, I was just going to head to my room and get cleaned up a bit. You know, for the party." Hermione then turned and ran up the stairs.

"Of course, dear. For the party," Molly smiled to herself and finished in the kitchen.

Half an hour later, the twins, complaining that they were tired, convinced the rest of the players to call it a night. As they headed past the kitchen, they suggested grabbing a quick bite and Ron and Harry quickly agreed. As they entered the kitchen a deafening Happy Birthday echoed in the large room that had been magically expanded to make space for all of the guests who had come to Harry's surprise birthday party. Many of the members of the Order of the Phoenix were there, as well as Hagrid and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"`Appy Birthday Harry!" boomed Hagrid as he clenched him in a nearly bone-breaking hug.

Gasping for air, Harry complained, "But my birthday's not until after midnight."

"That's why they call it a surprise party, mate," laughed Ron as he punched him in the arm.

Harry gazed around at all of his well-wishers and noticed there was one prominent face missing. Moving around the room, he chatted briefly with each of his many friends as the room slowly grew colder. He noticed several people shivering slightly and Molly went to check the windows to make sure they were shut.

"Must `ave a nasty draft `ere abouts," thundered Hagrid. "Maybe we should stoke the fire a bit, eh Harry?"

A few minutes later Harry heard Molly's voice exclaim, "Why, there you are Hermione! I was wondering what had kept you. You look very lovely, dear."

"Yeah, you can say that again mum. Wow!" chipped in Fred.

"Yeah, Hermione…You're looking very fine-ay," added George.

With a frosty glare, Hermione asked coldly, "Did you boys remember to check your drinks before you started drinking them?"

As their snickering died down, they looked at their drinks and gulped loudly. The ice cubes in their drinks were melting very rapidly and the glasses were becoming rather warm. They hastily set down their drinks and moved to the opposite side of the room as Hermione. She had already turned away from them and was chatting with Hagrid.

"Oh Hermione. It's so good ter see yah again," bellowed Hagrid. "And yah seem to have melted the chill that was settlin' on the room. Ignore that pair o' dolts, but Molly was right. Yah look very pretty tonight."

Hermione blushed and curtsied slightly at Hagrid's compliment. She had changed out of her jeans and shirt into a nice dress. She had put her hair up and applied a touch of make-up. Looking up, she saw a pair of deep green eyes already looking at hers.

His throat suddenly dry, Harry rasped, "You look beautiful, Hermione, even better than at the Yule Ball," and his face reddened deeply, just as Hermione's did. "Uhh, I'm glad you could make it to the party."

"Uhh, Harry, how could I have missed it? I'm staying here for the summer."

"Yeah, I know, but you weren't here earlier and I thought…uhhh…"

"Oh, don't be silly Harry. I wouldn't have missed this party for the world!" Hermione gave Harry a huge smile.

All of a sudden the sound of about half a dozen people spitting out their drinks could be heard along with various comments. "Ahh! My mouth! Too hot!! What happened to the ice?!?" Around the room, people were hastily putting down drinks that were quickly becoming too hot to drink. Harry noticed a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead and tugged at his collar.

"Let's move away from the fire. I don't know what they put in it, but it looks more like a furnace," suggested Harry. Indeed, the flames in the fire looked like they were trying to escape the fireplace and incinerate the entire wall.

"Yes, it is certainly getting warm in here, isn't it?" Hermione replied.

"Yeah. It was a little chilly when I first arrived, but now it's like someone turned the heater on full blast," replied Hermione. As they looked around the room, they noticed they weren't the only ones looking flushed and beginning to sweat. As Molly opened the windows to let in some cooler air, she glared over at her twin sons. "If this is some kind of prank you two cooked up…" she growled.

"It's not us mum, honest. If only we could control the temperature…" they replied and then continued talking to themselves, discussing the design of several joke items they would make if they could change a room's temperature.

Soon the cake was cut and pieces were passed around. Then everyone gathered around to watch Harry open his presents. Most of his gifts from the Order were various copies of books of defense against the Dark Arts. Hagrid had given him some stonelike treacle pudding and the latest edition of the Magical Creature Encyclopedia, from Aboni to Zyleki Harvesters. Molly had knitted him another beautiful green sweater with a large H on the front and supplied a huge box of homemade fudge. Harry thanked both of them profusely.

Ron had gotten him a book explaining different strength training exercises for Seekers with several different workout programs. "Not that you really need it, Harry. You're probably the best seeker Hogwarts has ever seen. But you seem to enjoy working out in the mornings and I thought this might give you some more ideas," offered Ron helpfully.

"Thanks a lot Ron. But I'll probably need somebody to exercise with," smiled Harry.

"Well, maybe if you don't start too early in the morning," laughed Ron.

McGonagall had given him a thin book simply titled In Search of Stunning Seeker Strategies. The first page contained what seemed like an endless list of names. Looking over at McGonagall, she said, "Choose one." He tapped the Wronski Feint and turned the page. On one side of the page was a text describing every aspect of the movement. Most of the two pages however was dominated by a moving picture of the Wronski Feint that constantly changed, showing the reader how to perform it and how it looked from every possible angle.

"Thanks," stammered Harry.

"I expect it to be put to good use this year, Mr. Potter. But don't let me catch you neglecting your more important studies," smiled Professor McGonagall.

"But what about my lifetime ban from Quidditch?" asked Harry.

"Really, now Mr. Potter. You don't think that anything that old ba…that incompetent frau…" struggled Professor McGonagall.

"I believe what Professor McGonagall is trying to say is that the Ministry has decided to revoke a number of its most recent decrees regarding education as well as the various punishments and rules set down by the uhh…overzealous Miss Umbridge." finished Professor Dumbledore. Harry's smile was only slightly wider than that of his other friends.

"And what happened to Umbridge, Professor Dumbledore?" asked Hermione.

"Well, it seems that she will be under investigation by the Ministry for a number of unethical and illegal acts as soon as she recovers from her stay at St. Mungos," replied Dumbledore somberly. Everyone's grins widened.

Hermione mumbled, "Just what she deserves."

Everyone's attention returned to the presents. The twins' present was what appeared to be a plain leather pouch with a fairly wide opening. He looked over at them with a question in his eyes.

"That's genuine cowhide leather, Harry. We thought it would be useful for carrying around your extra quills and parchment. No sense taking up good space in a backpack with that stuff," they boomed, ignoring the odd looks from the others and the slight look of disgust from their mother.

Catching their sly wink, Harry replied, "Thanks guys, I appreciate it." He opened Dumbledore's box next. Inside he found two huge tomes. One was titled Magicking the Magical and the other was called Enchanting the Enchanted.

"I can't believe you got a copy of Magicking the Magical and Enchanting the Enchanted!" nearly screamed Hermione. "You can't find a copy of them anywhere. It's—oh—it's a wonderful gift Harry. Do you think I might be able to browse through them sometime?" A number of laughs broke out after this.

"Of course, Hermione. You can read them and then explain them to me," chuckled Harry. He then turned to Dumbledore, "Thank you very much, sir."

"I hope they will prove beneficial to you this year," replied Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry had saved Hermione's gift for last, but didn't see another box on the table. "Oh, maybe she didn't bring one. Well, she's been very busy. I really shouldn't have expected…" he thought to himself.

"Here's my present Harry," said Hermione, as she slid a small box into Harry's hand. When their hands met, Harry swore he could feel a funny tingle as their hands brushed. Hermione looked surprised, too. The fire, which had been dying down, suddenly exploded with a loud burst of flame.

As everyone looked to see what had happened in the fireplace, Harry told Hermione thank you and began opening the box.

While everyone else was watching the fire, waiting for it to explode again, Dumbledore noticed that the table and everything on it was shaking slightly. Molly began warning the twins again about playing pranks and Harry finished opening the box, his hands trembling slightly.

"What a beautiful watch, Hermione. I love it. Thank you so much." He pulled out a beautiful silver watch with a leather band and placed it on his wrist.

"Well, it has a bunch of different functions—it has multiple alarms to help you keep track of your schedule and classes and exams, it can keep time in several different time zones, obviously you can read it at night, it's waterproof and…"

"Can it tell me what time it is right now?" asked Harry with a grin.

"Well, yes, but it can do so much more, like…"

"Well, that's what I need it for the most, I think. Thank you very much, Hermione." Suddenly aware that everyone was watching them very closely, Harry and Hermione both blushed slightly and Harry suggested they all have some more cake and see if the drinks had cooled down.

As the party sprang back to life, the twins pulled aside Harry and they began a lively discussion. Dumbledore sat thoughtfully at the end of the table, his eyes twinkling as he watched everyone at the party enjoying themselves.

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Ch 12: New Classes and OWLs

The next morning, after Harry's morning class, Dumbledore asked, "Could you stay for a few more moments, Harry? There is something I wish to discuss with you."

`Of course, sir. What is it?"

"Well, I understand that you have not yet received your OWL results, but I would like to discuss a few possible class selections with you."

"Well, I was planning on taking Charms, Transfiguration, Magical Creatures, and definitely DADA. I'll try and take Potions, if I can, but only because McGonagall said it would be important if I wanted to be an Auror. Astronomy and Herbology are all right, but I'll be happy to drop Divination and History of Magic."

"Ah, those were two of the classes I would like to discuss with you. I believe strongly you should continue with History of Magic…"

"Are you serious? Of course I mean no disrespect, but have you been to one of Professor Binn's lectures? It's just one name after another. Honestly, Professor, Hermione is the only one who can stay awake through an entire lecture."

Smiling, Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I understand what you mean, Harry. But have you ever asked Professor Binn any questions? Have you ever asked him to explain something in greater depth on any particular subject?"

Pausing, Harry wracked his brain and realized he had never asked a question in his class. Not in five years. In fact, the only question he could remember ever being asked was when Hermione had asked him about the Chamber of Secrets. And come to think of it, Professor Binn had known quite a bit about the subject.

"There is much more to learning than simply sitting in class and taking notes, Harry," suggested Dumbledore with a bemused smile. "As for Divination,"

"Please, Professor. I can't take one more death prediction from Professor Trelawney. I don't have that many lives left," joked Harry.

Dumbledore smiled too. "Yes, I understand completely, Harry. However, I was going to suggest you drop Divination and Astronomy and take a different class instead."

"Oh, really? What?"

"Do you know Professor Winklett?"

"I think Hermione had him for Muggle Studies her third year."

"Yes. I would like you to take a special study course with him in Muggle Science."

"What? Why?"

"Remember our little discussion about the different types of magic?"

"Well, yes, but I'm a wizard. I don't really need to understand Muggle science, do I? I mean I can work magic." Harry was a little confused.

"I think that far too often both of our worlds ignore the other's knowledge and skill to the detriment of both. I'm afraid you will have to trust me on this one, Harry. But I strongly believe that this class will prove immensely beneficial to you over the course of the year. Would you be willing to take this special course with Professor Winklett?"

"Yeah, if you think it will help. What about the extra training I've been getting over the summer? How are we going to continue to do that?"

"Well, we'll schedule you for some `special' classes that you will be working on independently, so as to continue your extra training. Trust me, you won't be falling behind the other students, even with a lighter official class load. But be sure to guard your magic use closely while in your classes, especially in DADA, where your extra training will show most easily. I think it best if nobody outside the immediate group that will be training you knows about the extra lessons."

"Well, that sounds good then. So my classes will be Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Magical Creatures, History of Magic, Muggle Science, and my extra training? Oh, and Potions too—if I can somehow get an Outstanding, that is."

Smiling, Dumbledore reassured Harry, "Do not worry yourself too much about Potions, Harry. The OWL board is well aware of Professor Snape's—uhh, teaching style. In fact, year after year his students have scored the highest marks on average. It seems that many of his students seem to perform much better on their exams, without him there watching, than most of their academic records would seem to indicate." Dumbledore smiled.

With new hope, Harry looked over at Dumbledore. "Really?" he asked and grinned at Dumbledore's nod. Harry remembered that he had felt a lot less worried brewing his potion knowing that Snape wasn't hovering over him hissing insults and belittling his work. "Thanks, Professor. Is there anything else?"

"Not for now. Should we go have some of Mrs. Weasley's excellent lunch?"

"Yeah, that sounds great."

Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Hermione were already there waiting for them. As they all sat down, Mrs. Weasley set down huge platters full of sandwiches and several pitchers of pumpkin juice.

Halfway through their meal, three owls arrived at the window. Hermione exploded from her seat to open the window.

"They're here! They're finally here! Our OWLs have finally arrived!" She looked astonished to see that both Harry and Ron simply kept eating. "Don't you want to know what you got?" she asked both of them.

"I'd rather get my bad news on a full stomach," replied Ron. She looked at Harry.

"I'm with him. I'd like to enjoy my meal before I get any bad news," answered Harry.

"Honestly, you two. Well, then hurry up. I guess I'll wait until you two finish. But hurry." She kept bouncing around the kitchen, obviously too excited to sit still. She kept peeking at the scroll, trying to read it without actually unrolling it.

"Please, Hermione, can't a guy eat in peace?" complained Ron around a mouthful of food. Hermione glowered at him. "Tell you what, Hermione. I'll put you out of your misery." Smiling at Harry, he snatched the scroll from Hermione and placed it on his forehead. "I, Ron Weasley, using the powers of divination within me and honed by three years of practice in class predict that you have achieved Outstandings in every subject."

With a grimace, Hermione snatched the scroll back and glared at Ron. Indignantly, she said, "Ron, I would no further trust your divination skills than I would those of that fraud Trel…" she paused, looking up at Dumbledore and left the sentence unfinished. Dumbledore barely managed to hide his growing smile. Turning on the chuckling boys, she glared at both of them instead.

A few minutes later, Ron and Harry finished their sandwiches and decided to let Hermione check her results. They agreed to open all three at the same time and read them. Ron looked very happy and Harry looked ecstatic. Only Hermione seemed about to explode.

"What? This isn't fair! I'll demand a retest. That's what I'll do. There must be some grounds for an appeal. We should have all requested a retest immediately after it happened. How on earth did they expect us to concentrate when two of our teachers were attacked right in front of our eyes? This is completely unacceptable."

"What's the matter Hermione, didn't get straight Outstandings?" teased Ron.

With a cold glare, Hermione rounded on Ron. "No I did not. I received two Exceeds Expectations. Two!" she screamed.

"Well, that still sounds pretty good," offered Harry. "What else did you get?"

"Oh, the other twenty were Outstandings," she muttered.

"What?" shouted Ron and Harry simultaneously. "You're complaining about only getting twenty Outstandings?"

"No, I'm complaining about the unfairness of the E I received in Astronomy. We were only about halfway through the exam when those…those monsters… attacked Professor McGonagall and Hagrid. They should have readministered the test. I actually didn't expect to get an Outstanding in Muggle Studies, but…"

"Hermione, you took Muggle Studies for one year and you earned an E?" blurted Harry incredulously.

"Yes, well obviously I didn't devote as much study time to it as I did my other subjects. But there really should be some sort of re-examination. I'm sure that when I file my complaint…"

"But Hermione, you got twenty Outstandings! That's got to be some sort of school record," said Ron.

"Indeed it is. The old record was eighteen Outstandings, set by a student several years ago named Minerva McGonagall."

"I beat a school record set by Professor McGonagall?" breathed Hermione.

"You didn't set the school record, Professor Dumbledore?" asked a disbelieving Harry.

Laughing, Dumbledore replied, "I was not always the most focused of students." Ron laughed and Harry continued to look on in disbelief. Hermione seemed a little less angry as well.

Snapping out of her shock, she started, "I'm so sorry. I didn't even ask how the two of you did."

Ron replied, "I got six O's—in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and DADA; an E in Transfiguration; and A's in Charms, Potions, Astronomy, and History of Magic."

"That's very good, Ron," complimented Molly. "Of course your older brothers…"

"I know Mum, I know…" grumbled Ron.

"But that's only eight subjects, how did you do in Divination?" asked Hermione.

Glaring first at Hermione, and then looking down at his mother's feet, he mumbled "I got a D in Divination." Before Molly could explode, Harry jumped to Ron's defense.

"So did I."

"You did what Harry?!?!" shouted Hermione.

"Hey, don't you start giving me lectures about Divination." Hermione quickly snapped her mouth shut. He was tempted to remind her that she was the one who had walked out of class, but thought better of it. "Besides, I did a lot better in all of my other classes. I got O's in Charms, Transfiguration, Magical Creatures, DADA of course, and even in Potions; an E in Herbology, and A's in Astronomy and History of Magic."

"Well, that's very good Harry. I'm very proud of you," said Hermione as Harry blushed.

"Yes, you all did very well indeed, especially with so many other distractions at the time. Congratulations," intoned Dumbledore.

"Thank you, sir," they all replied in unison.

"Now I must be getting back to the school, so I will leave you three to plan your classes and continue your studies and practice." Dumbledore turned and left through the fireplace.

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*** Author's Note—Thanks again for all of the great reviews. I want to especially thank Lady Starlight who has reviewed every chapter and has provided very helpful comments and suggestions for improving the story. In fact, I had to repost the last chapter to fix some errors she had pointed out but I also posted this chapter today—I didn't want anyone thinking I had put up a new chapter only to find a slightly revised chapter they had read last week. Anyways, thanks again. Once again, I wanted to remind the readers that sentences in italics represent someone's thoughts—it will become increasingly clear why that is important. Thanks again for reading and leaving reviews. Now on with the story.

Ch 13: Animagus Anyone?

About a week after receiving their OWLs, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Fred and George met in the study after Harry's lessons were finished for the day. Hermione explained the difficult and intricate nature of the Animagus process to everyone there.

"If you're not sure you want to do it, tell me now, because it wouldn't be a good idea to try and stop in the middle. So if you want out, decide now." She looked around. Everyone looked a little scared and nervous, but nobody moved. "Very well, then, for the next week, we will be learning the various spells and procedures you will need to enact over the next couple of weeks. I hope I am making myself perfectly clear when I say that the slightest imperfection, because of lack of concentration or joking around, can have extremely serious, even fatal consequences." She looked directly at the Weasley twins.

"Don't worry Hermione. We may make lots of funny items for our shop, but we are deadly serious when we cast the spells to make them. We're not stupid enough to fool around with this kind of magic."

Hermione appeared satisfied, and began teaching them the necessary words and movements they would have to perform in a week.

As Harry's lessons continued as normal, the group of five met each night to practice under Hermione's direction. By the end of a week, she believed everyone had perfected the necessary spells. That Saturday night, an hour after they had all retired to bed, they snuck out quietly to the magical tent in the backyard. Once there, Hermione carefully explained the procedure they were to begin that evening.

"After drinking the potion, each of you will need to cast the first six spells we have been practicing. Together with the potion, they will help you enter a trance that will help you identify your alternate animal form. You will need to keep repeating the spells until you can visualize the form you are to take. At first, the image doesn't have to be exact, but you need to know in general if you're some kind of bird, or a cat, or a bear or something. The seventh spell will reveal to you exactly the form you will take. The eighth spell, which you will have to cast every night before you sleep, will help you focus that image within your mind, so that a week from now we can try the actual transformation. The ninth spell will help you achieve the initial transformation next week, and the tenth spell will allow you to transform later on without needing a spell or a wand, you will be able to do it simply by thinking about it. I've read that sometimes the initial change can be painful, but you must focus on the spells. Continue with the spells no matter what happens, or it will get a lot worse. Any questions? OK, this is your last chance to change your mind. All right then, let's start."

Fred and George drank their potions and fell to the ground moaning.

"Say the spells," urged Hermione. They began the first spell and seemed to be in a little less pain.

With round eyes, Ron looked at Harry and Hermione, then he drank his potion, followed by Harry. Ron quickly fell to his knees, just like his brothers. Harry drank his potion and seemed fine, though his face looked a bit odd as he started the spell. Moving over to Ron, Hermione urged him to start the spell. He just clasped at his stomach. "Do it," she hissed urgently. For a minute, she wondered whether she had made a mistake with the potions, but Harry still seemed OK. “What if I accidentally poisoned them?” she thought, terrified. Slowly, Ron's body relaxed as he began reciting the first spell.

Relieved, she glanced over at Harry, who didn't seem to notice her and she moved to take her potion. The Weasleys seemed to be doing better, so she drank the final potion. She felt nothing but the bad taste as it slid down her throat. As she began the first spell, she seemed surrounded by darkness and felt herself falling. “Concentrate, concentrate,” she told herself. “Focus on the spells.” As she cycled through the spells, she lost all sense of time, but gradually seemed to sense a shape forming around her. As she continued, she became increasingly aware of feathers, then a beak, claws, and wings. She was a bird of some sort! As the form seemed to solidify she became increasingly excited. As she flexed her new appendages, she rotated her head and felt an exploding pain erupt.

Groggily, Hermione woke up and put her hand to her head. "Owww," she mumbled and looked around. Everyone else was still reciting the spells. She checked her watch and noticed that nearly four hours had passed. “What?!?!” she thought. “This part of the process was only supposed to take an hour or two, perhaps three at the most.” She had not read of a single case taking more than three hours, yet hers had taken four. And everyone else was still working through their spells. What had gone wrong? A few minutes later, the twins woke from their trance, looking shaky. Several minutes later, Ron woke, too, holding his head. Nearly twenty minutes later, about four and a half hours into the process, Harry blinked and looked around with a shocked look on his face.

"When you said it could be painful, you weren't kidding, were you Hermione?"

"No, but it shouldn't have taken us this long to do the spell either. I was pretty sure we did everything right, but I'm not so sure," replied a concerned Hermione.

"You said we were supposed to be able to eventually focus on one animal, right?" asked Fred.

"Yes, just one animal form."

"Well, I feel like I'm split in two," said George.

"Yeah, me too," chipped in Fred. "I could see some sort of cat, a big one, fairly clearly, but it felt like I kept swapping places with something else, like a bird or something."

"Me, too," added George, "though I definitely felt like a bird, maybe a hawk. But I felt like I kept switching places with something bigger. Maybe like a cat."

Looking at his brothers, Ron muttered, "I kept feeling torn between two images as well. Sometimes I was a big cat, like a lion or something. Sometimes I was a big, ferocious bird. I thought I was losing my mind."

Hermione looked shocked. "That is impossible. There isn't a single case of somebody having more than one form. It's always been just one animal form."

The Weasleys shrugged. "What is your form Hermione?" asked Ron.

"An owl, I believe. A bird at any rate."

Ron laughed, "That figures." He turned to Harry. "You're awful quiet mate. What do you think you're going to turn into?"

Looking around at his friends, Harry said in a low voice, "Well, at first I thought I was some kind of snake." He shuddered. "Then I noticed I had four legs as well."

"A lizard?" asked Hermione.

Looking right at Hermione, Harry replied, "Not unless you know of any lizards with wings. I think I'm going to be a dragon."

Silence dropped over the group. Hermione exclaimed, "But that's impossible, Harry. Nobody has ever turned into a magical creature before. It's impossible."

"I don't know Hermione, but that's what it looked like to me. And we've seen a few dragons haven't we—I mean I think I know what one looks like. But I think it was a small dragon for some reason."

Hermione was muttering to herself, "This is incredible, I can't believe this is happening." Getting a hold of herself, she continued. "Well, we have no choice but to continue. We don't have much longer before dawn, so we better begin with the seventh spell. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes, but then again, who knows."

She watched to make sure everyone was casting it properly, and then cast it on herself. She saw herself as a beautiful, light brown owl. As the form became very clear and distinct, once again she felt a sharp pain in her head.

Waking up again, she noticed that almost half an hour had passed. The twins and Ron were already awake, but Harry still seemed to be in a trance. Ron looked over at Hermione and said softly, "It seems like all three of us have two animal forms. Those two see a large, reddish brown panther and a red-tailed hawk. I see myself as a tiger and a huge reddish hawk."

Hermione gasped, "That's incredible." The twins and Ron just grinned with huge smiles.

Ten minutes later, Harry too, awoke from his trance. "Yep, I'm a dragon alright. Boy does my head hurt."

"It does? So does mine. Anyone else?" she looked at the three Weasleys.

"No, we're just bushed."

"Hmm. It's probably just the strain of the spells. Here's the eighth spell that you need to use every night this week until we meet next Saturday to finish the transformation. Do not forget to do this every night." She quickly reviewed it with them and then they hurried back to the house before the sun came up for a few minutes of sleep. Luckily it was Sunday, so there wouldn't be any classes. They would have the entire day to sleep, if they wanted.

As the teenagers headed towards the stairs, Hermione pulled Harry aside to speak with him privately while the others went straight to their bedrooms.

"Harry, I don't know if you remember them, but you're still having nightmares every night."

Harry looked horrified.

"They seem to be getting better, well, I'm sure they're still terrible, but you're not screaming and thrashing around as much. Look, the only reason I brought it up is that I'm worried that they might cause a problem with the success of the transformation. Molly and I have noticed that if we put a damp cloth on your forehead, it seems to relieve the fever that always occurs with your nightmares. What I suggest is that either Molly or I wait with a damp cloth while you fall asleep to try and head off the nightmares before they disturb your sleep."

Harry looked embarrassed at the thought of either Molly or Hermione watching over him while he tried to fall asleep.

Noticing his concern, Hermione bristled, "Get over it Harry. We've been doing it all summer. This is too important to let a little shyness or pride prevent you from getting the sleep you need this week. Especially with the form you might take, I don't want to take any chances that something bad will happen. Now if you would prefer that Molly stays…"

"Oh, no," exclaimed Harry, "I'd rather have you…" looking around quickly, Harry dropped his voice, "I mean, we don't want to do something out of the ordinary and raise Molly's suspicions…"

"No, of course not," replied Hermione, secretly pleased that Harry had chosen her to stay.

"But maybe it would be better if you came in after I was asleep. I think I would have a hard time falling asleep with you sitting there staring at me…"

"Honestly Harry. I wasn't going to be just sitting there staring at you," replied Hermione rather indignantly, "I was planning on bringing some books to read."

"Well, whatever, but let's just keep this between us, OK?"

"And who on earth did you think I was going to tell? The twins?" laughed Hermione.

The plan seemed to work fairly well that week. Ron was always the first to fall asleep and after several deadly glares and nasty threats from Harry and Hermione, had kept his humorous remarks to himself. Hermione read quietly in a corner of the room while Harry tried to fall asleep despite Ron's loud snoring. She kept her promise not to stare at Harry the entire time and only peeked up occasionally to stare at Harry as he slept. As soon as he started moaning or thrashing about in bed, she would quickly apply a cool cloth, wait for him to calm down, and then return to her room to get some sleep.

The following week passed like usual, except that both Hermione and Harry suffered terrible headaches all week. Several of his teachers noticed that Harry wasn't as sharp as usual, but when asked he just brushed off their questions. Dumbledore's lessons were easier than usual for some reason, he just emphasized the need to continue with the various mental techniques they had been practicing.

The following Saturday night, the five youths met again in the magical tent. Hermione began right away.

"By now, you should have a perfect image in your head of the form, or forms, you will be able to take. The first spell will allow you to transform into that shape for the first time." Looking at the Weasleys, she instructed, "I suggest you three focus very hard on just one form, and then we'll have you cast the ninth spell again for the second form. We don't want any hawks with panther hindquarters. That could get pretty messy."

They gulped but listened as Hermione carefully reviewed the spell.

George cast his spell first and the others gasped as his body slowly transformed into a large panther with reddish brown fur. Fred went next and a moment later there were two identical panthers prowling around the floor of the tent. Ron went next and transformed into a huge tiger with dull orange stripes. Larger and heavier than the panthers, he began to chase one of them around. All three began to wrestle until Hermione shouted, "Enough. Now transform back. Now try your second form." All three did and quickly became hawks, though once again Ron was larger than either of his brothers.

"Excellent," observed Hermione. "You realize of course, that you only have to inform the ministry of one of your forms?" She smiled at the twins.

"That's right, we can still be unlicensed Animagi like the rest of you," exclaimed Fred.

"Very clever, but not very honest, Hermione. Excellent idea however. Fred, I do believe that we're having a very positive influence on Miss Granger," smiled George.

"Now I believe it is Harry's turn," Hermione turned nervously to Harry and tried to give him an encouraging smile.

Harry focused intently for a moment, then cast the spell. He slowly shrank until he assumed the form of a tiny dragon about three feet long. His scales seemed to shimmer a bright silver. The dragon walked awkwardly on its four legs for a moment and whipped its tail around a few times before it learned to balance itself properly. Coiling its legs, it sprang into the air and began beating its wings, only to crash back to the floor in a heap. It lay there for a moment, and then transformed back into Harry. He had a large smile. "I guess I'll have to work on that flying thing a bit more," he added sheepishly. Squinting oddly he peered through his glasses, took them off, squinted again and then put the glasses in his pocket.

"Wow, that was so cool, mate. But do you know how tiny you were? My tiger form could swallow you in one bite."

"Your normal mouth is big enough to swallow him in one bite, Ron," joked Hermione. "But you'd have to be able to catch him first."

"What do you mean, Hermione?" asked Ron.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly what magical abilities Harry's dragon might have, but as a magical creature he will probably have some. And I seem to remember reading about some of the defenses of smaller dragons like camouflage and apparation. We can probably check in Harry's new Magical Animal Encyclopedia."

"Do you remember anything about mental abilities, Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Not off the top of my head. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. Just curious."

Puzzled, she just looked at Harry. "Well, let me review the tenth spell, so that you can all do the transformations instantaneously without spells or wand and keep practicing. Especially you Harry. Then I'll finish mine and we can go back to the house." She made sure they could all do it correctly and then waited for each one to finish.

Satisfied that all of their transformations were complete and that they were safe, Hermione invoked the ninth spell and transformed herself into a beautiful, brownish owl. For a moment she thought her head would explode as a jumble of voices erupted inside of her head. Looking at Harry, she focused on what he was saying and thankfully the other voices quieted down.

“Wow, what a beautiful owl. Maybe she'll learn to enjoy flying more now,”she heard Harry say but then realized his lips hadn't moved.

“Am I going crazy?” she thought. She turned to look at each of the other Weasleys in turn and realized she could hear what they were thinking even though they weren't saying anything out loud. “This can't be possible.” She looked back at Harry. As she focused on what he was saying she seemed to imagine an enormous labyrinth with passages and doorways twisting every which way. Some of the passages seemed bright and well lit, while others seemed dark and forbidding. She moved towards one passage with a door in front and attempted to open it.

“Get out Voldemort! Get OUT! This is my head and my memories!” The raw anger and fury shocked Hermione. She felt a building rage around her gathering tremendous force.

“Harry! Please, no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pry. I didn't realize…”

She felt the gathering rage stop temporarily, as if held in check by a tremendous will.

“Hermione?” came a much calmer voice, much more like the voice Harry normally used. “Is that you? But how?” Then she felt the rage build again. “This is just another trick Voldemort! I won't be fooled again!”

“No, Harry! Please wait! Look at me! Look at the owl! I don't know how to explain it, but somehow as the owl I can hear the thoughts of those around me. You have to believe me, Harry. Please! It's me, Hermione!” she pleaded.

Harry stared at her with a look of amazement in his eyes. “You can hear me?”

“Yes.”

“But why did you try and get into my head. I could feel you trying to read my mind or something…”

“I didn't know what I was doing. I'm sorry Harry. I didn't realize. You know I would never do anything to hurt you…I'm so sorry.”

“It's all right. I believe you. There's no harm done. Maybe you should transform back and we'll all head back to the house and get some sleep.”

“OK, that sounds like a good idea,” replied Hermione.

When she transformed back, Hermione pressed her fingers against her temple. “Ohhh, these headaches just keep getting worse and worse.”

Harry looked and smiled, “I know what you mean. Finish your spell and we'll all go get some rest.”

Hermione cast the tenth and final spell and smiled. All of a sudden her head exploded with pain as four different voices seemed to start shouting incoherent things at her. Putting both hands to the side of her head she collapsed to the ground screaming. The last thought she could discern before she blacked out was what she thought was Harry's voice trying to comfort her saying, “It's OK Hermione, everything will be OK. It'll be OK.”

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*** Author's Note—I was very pleased and astonished to see all the reviews yesterday. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I felt very inspired to continue my editing so here is the next installment. Enjoy.

Ch 14: Dealing with New Powers

Moving quickly to Hermione's unconscious form, Harry wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up.

"What the hell happened?" exclaimed Ron, looking very concerned.

"I don't know for sure, but I don't think Hermione is just an ordinary owl."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"Well, for one thing, she is telepathic when she is in her owl form."

"She's what?!?!" exclaimed Fred and George.

"Can she read our minds?" asked Ron, looking a little frightened.

"I'm not sure exactly how it works. I know she could talk to me, and I could talk back to her. I don't know what else she can do," replied Harry.

"Well what happened when she finished the spell? I mean she did it correctly, we all heard her."

"I think the problem is that she is still telepathic when she returns to her human form."

"What? How do you know that?"

"I suspect that like me, her alternate form is some sort of magical creature as well. And I think if your alternate form is a magical creature, then the wizard or witch retains some of those abilities even in human form. And the reason I know is that I can already tell that I have some of the abilities of the dragon form I have. Didn't you wonder why I'm not wearing my glasses? When I transformed back, I thought I had gone blind for a minute. Then I realized that my eyesight was perfect, better than perfect. I don't know how well a dragon can see for sure, but I have a feeling I'm going to find out soon," replied Harry.

"Really? What else can you do?" asked Ron, as his eyes grew rounder.

"Well, I think I can breathe fire," and he coughed very loudly on Ron, who jumped back about ten feet. Harry and the twins broke out laughing.

"Just kidding, mate. I don't think I can. Well, not yet anyways."

Ron still looked very upset.

"I'm sorry, Ron. Bad joke. Anyways, I think Hermione still has her telepathic ability, but is unable to control it. Let's take her inside and try and make her comfortable and try and keep everyone away from her. The closer someone is to her, the stronger and louder the mental voices. I think that's what caused her all that pain."

Perfectly willing to follow Harry's lead, the twins and Ron led Harry, still carrying Hermione, out of the tent. The twins apparated into their rooms and Ron unfolded the Invisibility Cloak over the remaining three.

"It's getting a little crowded under here, isn't it?" whispered Ron.

"If someone would stop eating so much every chance he gets," replied Harry.

"Can't help it, I'm a growing boy."

As they left the tent, Harry staggered and nearly fell. His mind reeled momentarily as a multitude of sounds and smells and sights bombarded him. Focusing intently on blocking out everything but simply putting one foot in front of the other, he regained his equilibrium and kept following Ron. They continued in silence as they reached the house and went up the stairs. Ron went to the room they shared while Harry went and placed Hermione on her bed. Back in his own room, he grabbed his copy of the Magical Animal Encyclopedia and a couple of other books and headed back to Hermione's room. He wanted to be there in case she woke up. Seated comfortably in a chair, he started flipping through the encyclopedia, paying particular attention to any entries about owls and dragons.

When Hermione woke up the next morning, the first thing she saw was Harry slumped in a chair next to her bed with a huge book resting in his lap. Her head still ached, but she couldn't hear any voices right now. “What happened last night?”she asked herself.

All she could remember was the confusion of the different voices and then a terrible pain and then nothing. Wait, there was something. The voices and the pain had been similar to when she made the initial transformation to the owl. She had been momentarily confused by several different voices, but then had focused on Harry's alone. “So why would it happen to her in her human form? Would it happen every time she transformed?” She fervently hoped not.

With a sudden realization she opened her eyes. “Harry? Can you hear me Harry?” she thought.

“Who? Hermione? Are you OK?” Harry leaped from his chair, sending the book flying.

Hermione ducked and thought. “Yes, now calm down. And quit yelling. I can hear you just fine.”

Turning, Harry apologized. “We were pretty worried about you. Are you feeling any better?”

“My head still throbs, but other than that, yeah, I feel better. But how can we be talking telepathically if I'm not in my owl form? And why could I talk telepathically at all as an owl?”

“Well, I don't think your owl form is a normal animal form. I think your owl form is a magical creature, like my dragon. That's why you were telepathic when you were an owl. And I think the fact that your animal form is magical explains why you maintained the telepathic ability when you reverted to your human form. You may notice that you have other special abilities or enhanced senses in time.”

“What? How do you know this, Harry?”

“Well, much of it is just speculation, but part of it is because some of my own senses and abilities have been enhanced. For example, I don't need my glasses, my eyesight is now perfect, probably better than perfect for a human, if that's possible. It's probably closer to dragonsight. I have a feeling it might take us a couple of days at least to get used to some of these changes. Here, I want to show you something.” In his encyclopedia, Harry turned to a section titled `Owls of Athena, or Athenian Owls' and gave it to Hermione to read.

“Extremely rare, Athenian Owls are highly prized for their extremely high intellect and mental abilities in addition to their highly acute senses of sight, hearing, and smell. Originally used by priestesses of Athena in ancient Greece, these highly intelligent owls possess powerful telepathic abilities as well as the ability to translate and converse in every known language. Obviously, they are highly sought after for the help they can offer in a variety of intellectual studies and interpersonal relations. They have aided wizards and witches of the past greatly in such varied areas as diplomatic relations, gathering information, magical research, the courts of justice, and negotiations.~

~Wow. You think this is what my owl form is, Harry? It does explain quite a bit.~

~I think that's why we've both been getting such terrible headaches. Our bodies have been trying to adjust to some of the magical changes. Remember how the Weasleys thought they were splitting in two? Well, in a sense they were. And our bodies, well, mostly our minds, have been trying to adapt to the changes brought about by having a magical animal as our animal form.~

~Have you figured out what kind of dragon you are yet?”

“I think I'm a Prince Dragon. Here, let me read it to you. `Prince Dragon, Dragon-Princeling, or most commonly the mini dragon. While similar in proportion to larger dragons, this small dragon usually only measures between two and four feet. Its scales are usually of a metallic hue, either copper, silver, or gold in color. While not endowed with the offensive weapons of its larger cousins, the mini dragon has impressive defensive abilities, including a very high resistance to magical effects, an ability to camouflage itself so well as to render itself invisible like a Disillusionment Charm, and an ability to teleport itself from place to place similar to an Apparation Spell. It's extremely high intellect and magical resistance also provide it with very strong mental defenses against telepathic or other types of mind attacks. It can attack with its four claws and a sharp spike on its tail, but due to its small size, they do not inflict much damage. It can and will bite, and the two large fangs can inject a potent poison that will cause the victim to sleep for anywhere from one hour to twelve hours, depending upon the size of the victim. In addition, it can breathe a stinging cloud of gas that is not fatal, but will cause those within the cloud to experience severe tearing in the eyes as well as coughing and choking. Extremely rare…”

Hermione looked with wide eyes at Harry. “Can you do any of those things yet?”

“Well, I really haven't tried. Well, I did try breathing fire on Ron, but…”

Hermione started laughing and Harry joined in.

“Yeah, you should have seen him jump. Ask the twins about it sometime. The other things, I don't know yet. I haven't figured out a way to test and see if I can do them or anything yet. Maybe I'll just wake up one day and know how to do them instinctively, or maybe I won't be able to do much at all. I don't know. But there was something else I wanted to tell you, though it might be easier to show you. Dumbledore has been teaching me a lot of different exercises to help strengthen my mental concentration and focus. I think they might help you to learn how to focus and more importantly, filter out unwanted stimuli. Moody once explained to me that with that magic glass eye of his, he can't see everything at once or he'd go mad. He has to filter it most of the time, but he can regulate how much and how he sees with it. I've been doing the same thing since last night, but then I've been doing a lot of practicing over the last couple of weeks. That's why I think you passed out last night. Your brain was receiving too much information and it just shut down.”

~But I'm fine now. It's not bothering me at all.~

“That's because I put some spells around your room to sort of sanitize it. Can you smell anything at all? Or hear anything outside of this room? Did you notice the curtains are still closed?”

“Well, no.”

“What I want you to do is what you tried to do last night. Go back into my mind, and I will help you find where the exercises are and I can show them to you. I think it will save weeks of instruction.”

“But Harry, I don't want to intrude. I don't want to…”

“Don't worry. I trust you. I don't think you could go anywhere I didn't let you anyways. But I think I can help. Please try it.”

“OK.” They locked gazes and once again, Hermione envisioned herself in a large labyrinth.

“Hermione? Here, come over here. This way.” She felt a gentle push and moved down one corridor after another. “Just behind this door here, I think.” She pushed gently and entered. Her mind was suddenly flooded with images of various mental exercises and practices. Shocked at first, she regained control and slowed them down so that she could make sense of them for herself. She then blinked and found herself still staring into Harry's eyes.

“Wow! That was incredible! How long were we like that?”

Glancing at his watch, Harry thought “Since you only woke up about five minutes ago and we were talking—errr—telepathing, teletalking, I don't know, what should we call it, whatever most of the time, I would say less than a minute, I'm not sure.”

“How about mindspeaking?”

“That sounds good, and just about right, too. Well, I think I'll go downstairs and tell Molly you'll probably be sick in bed all day. That will give you some time to practice the exercises.”

“I think I will be fine, Harry, if you don't mind.”

“Uhh, I wouldn't if I were you. I really think you'd be better off in here until you can build up some mental strength to filter out all of the stimuli you're going to experience.”

“If it's all the same to you, Harry. I think I'll make up my own mind.”

Realizing she was going to do whatever she wanted, Harry simply got up and followed her to the door. As soon as she turned the handle, she looked at Harry and smiled smugly. But as soon as she took one step beyond the doorway, she was bombarded by a thousand smells and a roar of conversations, both spoken and mental. Falling to her knees she threw her hands over her ears as Harry reached down, pulled her up gently, and guided her back into the room. He shut the door softly and led her back to her bed. In the silence, she whimpered softly on her bed.

“Thank you, Harry. And thanks for not saying I told you so,” she whispered in a quiet voice.

“I wouldn't have dreamed it,” he replied sincerely. “Why don't you rest for a while—I'll come back and check on you later, OK?”

“OK,” she mumbled as she fell back asleep. Looking at her sleep, it pained him to see how vulnerable she looked. He turned and left the room quietly.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, his head was spinning from the sounds and smells he was experiencing. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Hermione. As he walked into the kitchen, he cringed as Molly turned and shouted "Good Morning!"

Walking over to Molly, he whispered, "Mrs. Weasley, Hermione is feeling pretty sick and told me she would be staying in her bed all day today. She said it's some sort of stomach flu."

"Well, I better go see what I can do for her."

"No, she said she didn't feel like visitors today. And she just fell back asleep after I checked on her."

"Well, OK, but you don't look so good yourself, Harry. Where are your glasses?

"I think I left them in my room."

"Are you feeling sick as well?"

"A little. I think I'll grab a quick bite and then get some more rest." Harry turned back to the table but just about gagged when he saw the eggs and bacon. Grabbing a piece of toast, he practically ran from the room and back up to his bedroom. Still feeling nauseous, he went to Hermione's room and let himself in and locked the door. Finishing his toast, he went over to the overstuffed chair and quickly fell asleep.

Later that afternoon, both Hermione and Harry felt much better, but very hungry. Harry snuck down to the kitchen and brought up some bread and plain water. They thought it tasted delicious. Then they spent the next couple of hours practicing the exercises Dumbledore had taught Harry. Later that evening they practiced shapechanging between their animal and human forms, trying to discover any new talents or how to use their suspected magical abilities in their human form.

Tired after a long day of practice, Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "Do you know a spell that could change my glasses to normal glass? I can't use them like they are now, and it might raise too many questions if I just stopped wearing them."

Hermione thought for a moment, then grabbed her wand, pointed and said, "Occulis reformo."

"What would I do without you, Hermione? Thanks." Stifling a yawn, Harry got up and left.

When Harry returned to his room, he continued practicing the exercises until he fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning, it was nearly nine-thirty. He changed quickly and went and checked quickly on Hermione, who was still asleep. He then hurried downstairs, grabbed half a dozen pieces of toast and ate several on the way back to her room. He left a couple of slices on the table by her bed and went back downstairs to wait for Dumbledore.

Luckily his senses didn't seem as out of control today. As he sat waiting in the study, he experimented with his senses, trying to determine if he could focus on one sense or a certain smell or sound. For example he found that he could distinguish between different books on the shelf with his sense of smell based on the age of the paper, the material of the cover, the type of binding it had, and the kind of ink that had been used. Listening to Molly clean up breakfast in the kitchen, he thought he could discern a difference between knives, spoons, and forks being put away, though he wasn't sure which metallic clang corresponded with which utensil. "I'll have to practice more with this, this could be very useful," he concluded.

The lesson with Dumbledore began as usual, though Dumbledore seemed surprised at something during Occlumency. When they moved on to the mental practices, he again seemed surprised and introduced several new exercises as well as the reading and studying techniques he had promised. At the end of the lesson, Dumbledore commented, "This was an excellent session today Harry. Your hard work is paying off immensely." Dumbledore looked extremely pleased. "Looking forward to classes starting next week?"

"Well, I'm a little nervous about all the extra work, and managing my time, but yes, it will be great to be back at Hogwarts."

"Excellent. Keep practicing, Harry. You're doing far better and progressing much more quickly than I had ever imagined."

Feeling very good about himself, Harry ran back upstairs to check on Hermione after Dumbledore had left. He knocked softly and entered when he heard her voice telling him to come in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Much better, thanks. And thanks for the toast."

"No problem. Do you feel up to trying to go downstairs?"

"Yeah, I think so. I can't hide up here forever."

"All right, let's go."

As they left the door, she focused on Harry and Harry alone. There was a dull roar in the background, but it wasn't painful. The overwhelming scents nearly made her gag for a moment though. After a moment, her stomach settled and she continued on, leaning on Harry's arm for support. As they arrived at the kitchen, she could hear Molly thinking thoughts of cooking before they even opened the door. She paused for a moment and Molly's voice died down. Opening the door, she quickly sat down with Harry's help and once again suppressed a gag at the powerful aromas of the soup that was boiling on the stove.

"Are you feeling any better dear?"

"A little, though my stomach is still queasy. And loud noises give me a terrible headache," answered Hermione quite truthfully.

"Well, sit down while I make you something plain that will go down and stay down. Are you feeling better, Harry?"

"Yes, thank you."

Hermione winced as the twins and Ron came barreling through the door. As soon as they saw Hermione, they fell quiet and she appeared more at ease.

“It'll just take a little time and some practice. I was feeling just like you yesterday, actually a little worse, but today I feel much better. Don't worry, you'll get through it,” Harry thought to Hermione and gave her shoulder a little squeeze as he sat down beside her. Everyone ate quietly as they finished their lunch. The Weasley boys went back outside when they were done while Harry and Hermione went to the study and practiced their exercises.

Lupin and Moody both seemed so impressed with Harry's dueling performance that they assigned him two chapters instead of the usual one. After he finished his reading later that night in the study, Hermione asked him if he had been able to figure out whether he could use any of the other abilities from his dragon form.

"Apart from my heightened senses, I don't think so. Though I did do much better today in my classes. I think my concentration and focus is much better. I mean the exercises have been helping all along, but things seemed a lot easier today. I think even Dumbledore and the others noticed."

After reading for a little while longer, they practiced their mental exercises until it was time for bed. The next morning, Hermione was feeling much better, and didn't mind being around four or five people at a time. That evening, Harry and Hermione went outside to sit in the backyard for a while. At first, the sounds and smells of the outdoors overwhelmed both of them, but their constant practice enabled them to quickly put up a number of filters to limit the sensory input to tolerable levels. Then they took turns trying to identify a particular sound or smell by adjusting their mental filters.

Molly's voice rang clearly in the backyard, breaking the stillness. "Are you two still out here? Come inside, it's pitch black out here."

Surprised, Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Then they noticed there was no moon at all, but it still seemed like barely dusk to both of them.

“Umm, Hermione? How well can an owl see at night?” asked Harry.

“Probably about as well as a dragon, I imagine,” chuckled Hermione.

“Yeah, that's about what I thought.” Both of them then called out to Molly, "We'll be right in."

"All right, then," answered Molly and let the back door swing shut. Harry and Hermione then thought about adjusting the mental filters for their eyes and found they could adjust both the range and the clarity with which they saw. Thinking for a moment, Harry looked again.

"Hermione, can you see anything giving off heat? Can you see that orangish-reddish shape over there that looks like a field mouse?" asked Harry.

"Well, I can see the field mouse quite clearly, but I don't notice an orange or red color," she replied. Hermione closed her eyes and thought for a moment. When she opened them again, she looked around again. "No, I can't see anything giving off heat like that. You can?"

"Yeah, but it's really weird to see. I keep having to switch back and forth between the different types of vision to be able to tell what the heat shapes I am seeing really are."

"That's amazing Harry. But like everything else, it will probably just take lots of practice, Harry. Come on, we better get back inside. Molly will probably think we're up to something."

Harry was very glad she couldn't see him blush just then.

The next couple of days passed much the same as before their Animagus transformations with classes, reading, and mental practice taking up most of Harry's time. He also squeezed in time to practice shapeshifting and gaining better control of his senses. Classes were going to start next week and everyone was looking forward to a relaxing weekend before school started. Arthur and Ginny were coming back from visiting Charlie, and Hermione's parents were returning from a summer vacation to visit Hermione before she returned to school. Voldemort had other plans however.

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Ch 15: New Attacks

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful. Harry had no classes today, he was taking one last break with the others before classes began again on Monday. Tomorrow, they would be returning to Hogwarts in the morning. Molly had already done all of the school shopping for them, and everyone was packed early for once, so that they could fully enjoy their day together.

While Hermione relaxed with a book in the backyard, the boys were chasing each other once again on their brooms in a very fast paced version of Quidditch. Hermione watched the blurs for a moment and thought they all seemed to be flying a bit differently, especially Harry. She wondered for a moment whether their Animagi forms were subconsciously influencing the way they flew. They all seemed to be flying more naturally, and much more aggressively than she had ever seen them fly before. And she had seen all of them play in the matches Harry had played in. Returning to her book for a moment, she looked up as Molly yelled at the twins.

"I need you two to pop in at home briefly and pick up an extra trunk for Ginny. I picked up a few extra things for her and they won't all fit in her old trunk. Here's a list of a few other things I need you to pick up from the house for me as well."

"But, Mum, can't you see we're very busy right now?"

"Actually, you look like a bunch of rabid flying squirrels chasing each other like you've all gone barking mad. I need that trunk, NOW!" she roared. Ignoring Hermione's chuckles, Molly added nicely, "Thank you so much sweeties. You can bring all the stuff back to the kitchen."

With nasty looks at Hermione, who had dropped her book and was doubled over laughing now, Fred and George landed and gathered the list from their mother. The game temporarily suspended, Ron and Harry hovered on their brooms, laughing at the twins getting bossed around by their mother. Without another word, the twins disappeared, only to reappear five seconds later, both of their faces white as a sheet.

"What's the matter…"

"Get Dumbledore and notify the rest of the Order," stammered Fred.

"Tell somebody at the ministry as well," added George, "our house is on fire and there's ah…ah…ah huge green skull with a snake in its mouth floating above our house."

Molly's face whitened and she spun back into the kitchen to notify Dumbledore and the others. All of a sudden, Harry's broomstick fell out of the air. Harry was nowhere to be seen.

Ron landed and cried out, "What the bloody hell?!?! Where's Harry? Are you two sure what you saw? If this is some kind of bloody joke, Mum will absolutely kill you!"

"Noo, no joke. It's the same sign we saw two years ago at the World Cup championships. Where did Harry go? You don't suppose V-V-Voldemort…" stammered George.

"The three of us will look around here for him. But don't tell Molly yet that he's missing. She's got enough to worry about right now. Fred, you Apparate back to your house and look for Harry there," commanded Hermione.

"But Harry can't Apparate, can he? How could he be there?" questioned Fred.

"Please, we don't have time to argue. Just trust me. He might be there. Just go and look. And bring him back if he's there."

Fred disappeared again as the other three split up, spread out, and began searching inside the house and the backyard. Within a minute or two, the house was crawling with members of the Order who spoke quickly to Molly and George, and then disappeared again just as quickly.

*-*-*

Harry had nearly fallen off his broom when he had seen the twins reappear outside the house. When he heard what they said, all he could think of was that he needed to go there, he needed to see for himself the latest tragedy he had caused his friends to suffer because Voldemort was trying to get to him.

One moment, he was hovering on his broom in the backyard of the Black mansion and the next time he blinked, he was standing outside the Burrow where the Weasleys lived, the home now engulfed in flames. Still hanging in the air was the unmistakable Dark Mark, a green skull with a snake slithering out of the mouth.

Closing his eyes in grief, Harry stood still for a moment, grateful that at least nobody had been there. Even as a fire seemed to burn within him, he suddenly noticed a cool breeze on his face. Opening his eyes again, he noticed that the house was now only smoldering and smoking, the flames had gone out. But then he smelled something. Raising his head sharply, he concentrated. Amidst the acrid smell of burnt wood and powerful magic, he could smell…death. It was unmistakable. Slowly he walked towards the house. Shouldering aside the door that was nearly blasted off of its hinges, he paused for a split second to allow his sight to adjust to the dim, smoky interior. There, crumpled on the stairs was a form in a dark robe. Harry moved quickly to the body and fearfully rolled it over gently to look at the face.

Percy's lifeless eyes stared back at him with the same vacant stare he had seen in Cedric's after his murder. Suddenly he heard a rush of pops around the house outside.

He heard Dumbledore exclaim, "Fred, what are you doing here? I thought you and George had returned to your mother."

"I came looking for…uhh, I thought I might be of help here."

"You will be most helpful back with your mother comforting her. It is a terrifying thing to come home and find the Dark Mark floating above your home. Return to her and help her," urged Dumbledore quietly.

Harry thought desperately, “They can't find me in here. I can't be seen here.” Wizards were already entering the living room as Harry looked quickly for a place to hide. To his surprise, three men walked right past him without even casting him a sideways glance. Looking, down, he thought he had looked right through his hand and leg, because all he could see was the floor. “I must have somehow triggered my teleportation and Disillusionment abilities.” Harry thought to himself.

Several wizards were working quickly to put out the smoldering fires and trying to save what they could from the home. Dumbledore entered the living room and took command, magicking a sheet out of thin air and placing it over Percy before either Arthur or Molly appeared.

Moody turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Why Percy? This doesn't make any sense at all. He was no threat."

Looking at Moody, Dumbledore replied. "I think Percy just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I think this is a message to Harry. So far, Voldemort has been unsuccessful in defeating or destroying Harry. And I believe Harry is defending himself better against Voldemort's mental intrusions. Perhaps Voldemort is trying another strategy, trying to beat Harry by hurting those closest to him."

As the smoke cleared out, a faint message became visible on one wall. It read, "A useful tool, a worthless fool. So end all those who oppose Lord Voldemort and all those who aid his enemies."

With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore erased the message. "There is no need for them to see that when they arrive," he said mournfully.

Harry watched quietly as the wizards continued to move around the home, looking for additional clues now that the fires were out. His mind raced. Suddenly something clicked. “Hermione's parents! Voldemort would be after them, too.” his mind screamed. But he didn't know where they lived. “Hermione! She would know. I have to get back!” Despite already being invisible, Harry disappeared from the Burrow.

Puzzled, Dumbledore put a hand to the side of his head. For some reason, the words "Hermione's parents," and "Hermione," had flashed in his head. Gasping with realization, he motioned for Moody and several other members of the Order to follow him back to Black's estate.

*-*-*

Hermione had finished looking outside and in the woods. Harry wasn't here. She strongly suspected he had somehow teleported himself to the Burrow after hearing the startling news. She heard a pop and looked to see Fred appear again in the back yard. She ran over to him quickly.

"Did you find him?"

"I looked everywhere around the house at first and didn't see him. When I came around the front again, I saw him go in the front door. I was going to follow him in the house, when all of a sudden about half the Aurors from the ministry and Dumbledore showed up and they sent me back here to stay with mum. I stayed outside arguing with a few of the Aurors for a minute, but they wouldn't let me inside the house. I didn't see Harry come out so he must have left or hid himself or something. I don't know what happened."

All of a sudden, Harry reappeared with a mixture of sorrow, rage, and concern etched deeply on his face.

"How did you do that? What happened in there?" asked Fred.

"Later, Fred. I'm terribly sorry. Hermione, listen to me. Do you know what your parents' schedule was today? Were they going to stop at your home at all or were they coming straight here?" asked Harry urgently.

"I'm not sure, Harry. It's been a while since I've spoken with them. I just knew they were coming here at noon. Why? You don't think…" her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I don't know. I hope not…" Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione and tried to comfort her as she began to sob. Five distinct pops were heard and Harry and Hermione broke apart to look with Fred at Dumbledore, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Shacklebolt.

"Miss Granger. I apologize for not remembering your address, but it is very important that you give it to me now," quietly asked Dumbledore.

"Why? Do you think Voldemort has attacked my house too? Maybe…maybe my parents?" cried Hermione.

With a sharp look at Harry, Dumbledore responded, "I do not know. I hope not. But we intend to go there as quickly as possible and make sure your parents are safe."

She quickly gave him the address and he pulled a small glass globe from a pocket in his robe. He gazed at it for a moment and then passed it to the other Aurors, all of whom looked at it intently as well.

"Please take me with you," burst Hermione, "I need to see if my parents are OK. Please…"

"I am sorry, but I feel it is much too dangerous Miss Granger. I believe it would be best if you remained here for now," sadly answered Dumbledore, but he looked at Harry as well. "Please understand."

Coldly, Harry answered, "What we understand is that despite all of the dangers we have faced and overcome, we are still treated as children. Come on Hermione, let's go see if we can help Molly."

"But Harry…"

“Trust me, Hermione. I have an idea.” he thought to Hermione.

“OK.” With a last glance at Dumbledore, they turned back to the house as the five disappeared once again. Entering the house, Harry led Hermione to the study and turned and locked the door.

"Did you see that globe of Dumbledore's?"

"Yes, but so what?"

"Well, he's never been to your house before, so I don't think he could just Apparate there. I think he needed a visual image of your home first—that's why they all looked at the globe. I tried to look at it too, but I couldn't see through all of their hands as they kept passing it around. Here's what I suggest we do. First, let me tell you that I managed to both teleport and use the Disillusion abilities of my dragon form today, but I'm still not sure exactly how I did it. To be able use those abilities again, I'm going to need your help. If you can help me figure out how to use them, then I will need you to give me a mental image of your home. Then you can use my Invisibility Cloak and I will use my Disillusion ability and I will try to teleport both of us to your house."

"I don't know Harry, that sounds like a lot of if's."

"If you have a better plan, I'm listening."

"No, let's try it. Come here and sit in front of me." Harry sat opposite of Hermione and they looked into each other's eyes. Like before, Hermione saw herself within and enormous labyrinth. “You've got to help me, Harry. I don't know where I'm going.”

“This way, I think.” She followed the mental suggestions through dozens of passages before arriving at a large entryway that looked fairly new. The huge door looked like it was wedged closed. “Here.” came Harry's voice. Hermione reached for the door handle and began to pull. She could feel a surge of power building somewhere beside her. As she tugged on the door, the power helped her, strengthening her, and increasing her effort to pull the door open “Ahhh! So that's how I did teleported. That's pretty easy, actually—I don't know why I didn't realize it before.” said Harry happily.

“Where do I go to help you with the Disillusionment?” asked Hermione, gasping from her effort.

“This way, over here. And thanks.” Shortly Hermione found another blocked door. This time, she drew her wand but then thought. “Harry, do you think it would be safe for me to use magic inside your mind?”

“I don't know. But I trust you. We'll have to talk about how you think this works later, but do whatever you think is best. I'll help you the best I can.”

Concentrating intently, she intoned “Porto Flexiono,” making the hinges of the door a little looser so it could swing open more freely. She tugged on the door and it opened easily. “Excellent, Hermione. That took hardly any effort at all. Now can you show me some memories of your home?”

“Yes, I'll try. Let me explain how I see things in your mind.” Hermione quickly explained how she perceived his mind as a labyrinth of passages and how she followed his voice. “Now concentrate on seeing yourself in my mind.”

Harry concentrated, trying to imagine the inside of Hermione's mind and suddenly found himself surrounded by shelves and shelves of books like an enormous maze. Chuckling, he thought, “I should have known. Of course Hermione's mind would look like the world's largest library.”

“This way, Harry. It should be in section H, stack 78, shelf G, number 745.”

“Uhh, which way would that be?”

“Oh, honestly. Just follow my voice.” She quickly led him to the correct shelf and he reached out, grabbed the book, and opened it. A vision of an old, but well kept two story home on a country lane next to an open field with a small stream and some bushy trees came to his mind.

“Got it!” he exclaimed and found himself back in the study with Hermione looking back at him. He raised his wand and commanded, "Accio Invisibility Cloak." As the cloak appeared in his hand, he asked Hermione, "Ready?" At her nod, he gave her the cloak but before she put it over her head, he whispered, "No matter what happens, I'll be there for you. Don't worry, everything will be fine. You'll see." She nodded quickly and put the cloak over her and disappeared. He used his Disillusionment ability and thought, “This is sort of like cloaking myself in my Invisibility Cloak.” He then filtered his sight briefly, so that he could see the warmth of Hermione's hand and grab hold of it.

Before he teleported them, Hermione asked him “Are you sure you know what you're doing? Are you sure you can teleport both of us?”

“No.”

“What?!?!”

But then the room around them disappeared and they reappeared in the field by Hermione's house. Or what was left of it. An ugly green skull was floating above the house which was engulfed with flames. Dumbledore and the others were busily working to put out the flames and Harry felt a surge of white hot anger.

Hermione's gasp forced him to look at her. He of course saw right through her but saw immediately what had surprised her. Where there had been a raging inferno only a moment before, there was just a smoking ruin. The five wizards looked on in amazement, and Dumbledore looked around quickly. He seemed to pause a moment while looking in the direction of Harry and Hermione, but Harry couldn't be sure. Putting his arm around Hermione's shoulder he guided them closer to the burnt out house.

As they got closer to the house, they walked past the garage to get to what was left of the back door. “Hermione, weren't your parents driving their car?”

“Yes, why?” she replied chokingly, on the verge of breaking out into sobs again.

“Well, if they were here, wouldn't their car be in the garage or in the driveway somewhere?”

Whipping around, Hermione realized there was no sign of her parents' car. For the first time, she felt a slight ray of hope. “You mean maybe they weren't here at all? Maybe they're still alive?”

“Yeah, I think they might be safe. Nobody has been murdered around here.”

“Harry, how can you know?”

“Because at the Weasleys, I could smell death when I arrived.” he replied sorrowfully.

“You what? Not Ginny or Arthur! Nooo!”

“No. It wasn't either of them. It was Percy.”

“Not Percy! Oh poor Molly! She'll never forgive herself! Oh I can't believe this, this is terrible!”

“I know. I don't know what on earth he was doing there, but the Death Eaters caught him there and they murdered him.” He didn't add the suspicions that Dumbledore had mentioned.

“Hermione, can you wait outside for a minute? There is something I need to check inside.”

“So now you're treating me like Dumbledore treated us earlier. I don't think I like…”

“You're right Hermione. I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect you…”

“I know. But I really don't want to be alone right now.”

“I understand. Come on. There is something I need to see."

They walked quietly through the back door and moved softly through the house. In the living room, Harry and Hermione found the wizards reading another message left on the wall. "The next time we visit the Mudblood's parents, they'll die screaming before the Dark Lord's power. You can't be everywhere, you can't protect them all, who will be the next friend of Potter's to fall?"

An icy rage built within Harry and the wall exploded in flame. Hermione stepped back in surprise as did all of the other wizards except Harry and Dumbledore. Dumbledore whispered something to Moody, who then looked around and seemed to pause where Hermione and Harry were cloaked by invisibility. Harry just stared at the flame until the wall was no more. Surprisingly the fire did not spread, it simply died out as quickly as it had begun.

Both Harry and Hermione turned to one of the front windows as they heard a car approach. “Mum! Dad!” Hermione moved forward but Harry quickly grabbed her by the shoulders. “Harry, I just want to hug them, I was so scared that I would never see them again.”

“I know, I know. But remember, we're not supposed to be here. Dumbledore and the others will take care of them. I'm sure they will take them somewhere safe like Grimmauld Place until they can figure out some place to protect them from another attack. I promise you that you'll see them soon. We can stay until they talk with them, but then we'll have to return, OK?”

“All right.” They followed the wizards outside. Hermione's parents had stopped their car on the side of the road and were gasping in horror at what was left of their home.

Dumbledore moved quickly to speak with them. "I am Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. I would like for you both to come with me. I will be happy to take you to see your daughter, and I will explain what has happened. But we must leave quickly. Please, come with me."

Harry grabbed Hermione's shoulder and teleported them back to the study at the Black mansion. Sobbing in relief, Hermione leaned against Harry. He gently pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of her and removed his own invisibility cloaking.

“Harry, I feel so terrible. I am so glad that my parents are alive, but I shouldn't because the Weasleys have just lost a son and a brother. This is awful, I—I don't know what to feel.”

“I think it's OK to feel both. I feel the same way. I'm very glad that your family is OK but I feel horrible about what happened to Percy. It's not his fault he knew me…”

“Now don't go blaming yourself for all of this, again Harry. It's not your fault. It's Voldemort. He's evil. If it wasn't you and the people who love you, he would be doing this to somebody else. It's not your fault!”

“I know that. I know that. But I still can't help feeling responsible.”

A knock at the door interrupted them. They unlocked the door and Dumbledore brought in Hermione's parents. As they embraced in a huge, tear-filled hug, Harry and Dumbledore quietly slipped out.

Harry could hear Molly sobbing in the kitchen and suddenly felt bad that he hadn't stayed to comfort her. But Hermione had needed to know about her parents, too. With great bitterness, he realized he couldn't be everywhere at once. As he and Dumbledore entered the kitchen, Harry ran to give her a huge hug.

"I'm so sorry Molly," he whispered between tears. Just then, Arthur stepped through the kitchen door, followed by Ginny.

"Molly, I am so sorry about Percy," began Arthur.

"Mum!" wailed Ginny. Molly wrapped them both up in huge hugs. When the Weasley boys entered, Harry once again slipped away from a tearful family reunion, following Dumbledore out of the room.

-->

Ch 16: Discussions with Dumbledore

"Why don't we go to my office, Harry," suggested Dumbledore as he headed towards the large room where the Order of the Phoenix usually held its meetings. "There are a few things I would like to discuss with you." Harry simply nodded and followed him into the room.

"Harry, grab the sleeve on my robe and hang on," instructed Dumbledore. Looking slightly confused, Harry did as he was told and followed Dumbledore through the fireplace. When his stomach stopped dropping and seemed to return to its normal position below his chest, Harry opened his eyes and gazed around Dumbledore's office.

"I could have flooed here on my own, Professor," said Harry.

"Well, not to the Headmaster's office. There are a number of Floo fireplaces that have very tight restrictions. The fireplace in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts is one of those. It will only allow the Headmaster and anyone he brings with him to travel through it. Now please have a seat, Harry."

Gesturing to a stuffed chair on one side of his desk, Dumbledore sat down on the opposite side from Harry, leaned back and bridged his hands, placing the fingertips together and tapping them. Harry sat down as well, trying to rein in his racing thoughts. They sat quietly for several moments, each thinking their own thoughts.

Dumbledore began. "Harry, I am very sorry about Percy. If we had had any idea about Voldemort's intentions, we would have done strengthened the protections on him and the rest of the Weasleys as well as the Grangers..."

"Why didn't I see it coming?!?! Why didn't the scar warn me?!?! Everything else Voldemort has done, I've had some kind of warning, some kind of hint something bad was coming. But this time, nothing! Nothing! I used to hate the pain and the scar and the nightmares. But at least I had some idea if Voldemort was up to something. Now, nothing! How can I fight him if I don't know what he's doing?" Harry's voice grew louder and louder as his frustration grew. With his back to the fire, Harry did not notice that the flames in the fireplace were roaring, seeking some escape from the stony confines. Dumbledore noticed, and pulled his cloak more closely around his shoulders as the room became steadily chillier.

"Harry, there are two items I wish to discuss with you. The first concerns your link to Voldemort. I have been very impressed with your improvement in Occlumency over the past several weeks this summer. I strongly believe that it is your hard work, in addition to some of your other special abilities," Dumbledore seemed to smile slightly as he said this, causing Harry to wonder if he knew about the Animagus transformations he and his friends had undergone, "that seems to be helping you block out the nightmares and feelings from Voldemort. Yes, it is unfortunate that you may no longer get warnings about his activities, but he will not be able to learn anything about your activities either, including your training."

"Perhaps, but if I had known what Voldemort was up to, I could have kept Percy from getting killed." Still angry, Harry leaped from his chair and began to pace the room.

"Perhaps, it is difficult to say. But do not lay that burden upon yourself, Harry. You have more than enough to bear," sympathized Dumbledore. "Tell me, Harry, do you feel a little bit cold?"

"No, what I feel is...yeah, you're right. It's freezing in here Professor. Maybe you should start a fire..." suggested Harry and then turned to notice the roaring inferno in the fireplace. Puzzled, he looked back at Dumbledore.

"Perhaps, if you calmed down just a bit, we could talk about the second issue I wished to discuss with you. Please, have a seat again, Harry. Would you care for a lemon drop?"

Harry started to protest, then flopped back in the chair with a resigned sigh and plopped a couple of lemon drops in his mouth. Then he noticed that the room seemed slightly warmer, despite the fact that the fire was slowly dying down. "How did you do that Professor Dumbledore?"

"I did not do anything, Harry."

"Oh. Well then, who...you don't mean I did that do you? I couldn't have. I mean, I don't know how...I don't have that kind of power..."

"No Harry. I believe you do have that kind of power, a very rare and powerful form of magic indeed. And no, I do not believe you understand exactly how you do it either. I have noticed these kinds of changes in air temperature or fire twice before. Earlier, at the Grangers' house, we were working to put out the flames consuming the house when all of a sudden they just went out. They were extinguished much more quickly than we could have managed, even with five of us working together. Later, there was a message on one of the walls, a very nasty message left by Voldemort's lackeys, that was entirely consumed by a burst of flame, along with the entire wall. As soon as the message and the wall were consumed, the fire went out."

Trying to hide a guilty look, Harry sputtered, "But, it could have been..."

"I suspected something when the flames in the house went out, and was pretty certain when the wall exploded. I asked Moody to have a good look around, and he said with great surprise that he saw Miss Granger under an Invisibility Cloak. I told him to keep looking, and he finally spotted you beside her. You can imagine our surprise and concern when we realized both of you had decided to follow us despite our..."

"We are getting tired of being treated like children..." began Harry, his anger rising.

"Yes, I understand. Perhaps I made a mistake. Well, two actually. The first was being overprotective of both you and Miss Granger, especially after what we found at the Weasleys. The second was assuming you would actually stay put and not try to get involved somehow. I should have remembered that neither you nor Miss Granger ever give up on an argument so quickly." Dumbledore smiled. "I am sorry, Harry, but we did not know whether there were still Death Eaters waiting to spring a trap or not. I understand it is frustrating to feel like everyone is being overprotective and I am sorry."

Harry looked up and asked "Sir, how did you know to check on Hermione's parents?"

"Well, actually, I believe you gave me the idea."

"What?!?!" "While we were there trying to put out the rest of the fire and determine what had happened, I heard three words that seemed to be screamed into my mind—Hermione and Hermione's parents. I quickly realized that I needed to check on them as well, since she is your other best friend."

"Yeah, I was at the Weasley's as well,” admitted Harry. “When I saw what had happened to Percy and the Weasley's house, I just knew that something similar was going to happen to the Grangers. All I could think of was how it would affect Hermione. I didn't realize you could read my mind."

"I cannot Harry. I do seem to have some affinity for some of the mental talents, but I cannot truly read peoples' minds. No, I believe the stress of the situation caused you to project a few of your thoughts to me. That is all. If I sometimes appear to be able to read people's minds, it is due mainly to intuition and my experience in working with many different people."

"Professor, how was I able to put out the fires, or blow up that wall? I've never been able to do anything like that before."

"Nor have you been able to Apparate before either, at least as far as I am aware. You do seem to be developing a number of quite useful talents, Harry. But now to your question. We will try and address the first part of that question over the course of this year in your classes with Professor Winklett."

"How is studying Muggle science going to help with that?"

"There have been very few wizards who could ever influence the natural elements. Consequently there is very little literature that might be of any use. The natural forces you can influence have laws and principles that they follow. Muggles have made extensive studies of these forces for many centuries and their knowledge in many areas far exceeds that of most wizards and witches. I believe that a better grasp of the fundamental principles governing the behavior of air, fire, water, and earth will help you improve your influence over them."

"How? Wouldn't I just use my wand or a spell?"

"Have you used either before to influence the elements?"

"Well, no."

"I believe your will, strengthened by emotion at times, has been directing the various changes we have occasionally witnessed. I think with a better understanding of how the elements behave in nature, you will gain a better ability to influence them."

"OK," replied Harry, sounding unconvinced. "How long have you known I could do this? I mean, I didn't know I could do this."

"Well, that brings up the second part of your earlier question. I began to suspect you might have additional powers at your sixteenth birthday party. Do you remember the boiling drinks, the cold room that suddenly became very warm, the roaring fire, and the slight tremor?"

"Well, yeah, but I thought those were just jokes by the twins. Did you say there was an earthquake?"

"Yes, but it was only a small tremor that shook the table. No, it was not a trick of the twins. I believe it was evidence of one of your unique powers emerging. I'm not sure exactly what triggered it, perhaps it was just a matter of time, I do not know," replied Dumbledore.

"But I wasn't mad or angry or anything like that on my birthday. It was a great day with all of my friends."

"There are other emotions besides anger and fear and mourning. There are other emotions that can be much more powerful than those three."

"Oh. Well, I guess I was really glad to have all of my friends there," mused Harry.

Dumbledore smiled gently.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had been really happy to see all of his friends, especially Hermione. Hermione had looked so beautiful that night and...Harry stopped that line of thought with a start. “We're just good friends, that's all, nothing more. We're just good friends…” he told himself over and over.

Dumbledore continued smiling.

Breaking the awkward silence, Harry tried to change the subject. "Professor Dumbledore, I have a question. Why wasn't I arrested and thrown into Azkaban or something when I cast the Cruciatus curse on Bellatrix?" asked Harry and then mumbled, "Even though it didn't seem to work very well…"

Dumbledore's smile evaporated, replaced by a grim look. "First, the fact that the curse did not work well for you speaks volumes about your character, Harry. Those who cast the most effective Cruciatus curses have the most vile of natures, the least amount of human compassion and love for life. I am very relieved, though not surprised that you could not cast it well. Second, the Unforgivable curses are normally only punishable when their use is not provoked, for example to torture someone or compel them to do something for you. In the heat of a battle such as you were in, it is very rare for a punishment to be given."

"But I was in a life or death situation when those Dementors came after me last summer. What was the difference then? I didn't even use an Unforgivable curse, I just used the Patronus charm."

"I'm afraid the only difference was in the attitudes of those in the Ministry, Harry. With members of the Ministry able to see for themselves the Death Eaters and Voldemort, they saw the spells you and your friends used in a very different context. I understand this explanation does not seem a very good one, but it is the best I can offer." Dumbledore's eyes seemed to seethe with anger.

"Professor Dumbledore, why didn't you kill Voldemort? I know that according to the prophecy, I guess I'm supposed to, but…you seemed so much more powerful than him. Why didn't you finish him off at the Ministry?"

Dumbledore's eyes shifted from anger to deepest sorrow. "I wish I could have, Harry. If I could have made it so that he could never harm anyone ever again, I would do so in a heartbeat."

"But you could have used the Avada Kedavra. Surely you are powerful enough to kill Voldemort with an Avada Kedavra curse," argued Harry.

"To take a life is no light thing, Harry, even the life of one as horrible and terrible as Voldemort. Even when done in self-defense, or in the defense of friends and allies, killing an enemy is a terrible thing and brings with it an enormous cost. Of course, the price of not doing anything is even higher. To not defend the innocent or powerless, to not protect your family and friends, to not confront evil when it attacks is much worse. I sleep much better knowing that some of my old foes will never harm another victim. I am glad that they are no longer a threat, but I take no joy in their deaths. Taking an enemy's life should always be the final option, only do it if there is no alternative.

But this is a horrible war in which we find ourselves Harry, as are all wars. It is extremely likely that you will find yourself in a battle in which there will be no opportunity to stun, or incapacitate, or force your enemies to surrender and the only choice you will have is to kill or be killed. If you must kill, Harry, do it quickly, without hesitation—for you can expect no mercy from Voldemort or his servants.

But do not be hasty in dealing out death and destruction. You have not been that way in the past, do not change your character, your very nature, now."

Harry pondered deeply upon what Dumbledore had just explained. He thought about when he had almost killed Sirius, thinking he had murdered his parents. How glad he was that he had been merciful then. Then he thought about sparing Wormtail's life and wondered again for perhaps the thousandth time if he had made a mistake in showing mercy.

"Harry, do not continue to doubt your past decisions. Your reactions with both Sirius and Wormtail do you great credit. Do not blame yourself for the return of Voldemort. If not through the aid of Wormtail, Voldemort would have eventually returned with the aid of another."

Stunned, Harry turned to Dumbledore, "Do you really think so?"

"Yes. Voldemort endured countless magical enhancements and changes in order to cheat death. That is why I am not sure even an Avada Kadavra spell will defeat him."

In complete shock, Harry stared. His mind reeled. "How can he be defeated then?"

"I am not entirely sure. But I believe your mother took the correct approach. She invoked powerful, ancient magic when she cast that guarding ward upon you before Voldemort burst into your room that night. Your father gave her enough time to complete the spell that nearly finished the Dark Lord. Amidst my other duties, I have been researching various spells that might help counter and undo some of the spells that Voldemort has used to cling to life. With time, I believe we will discover the necessary spells to counter his efforts and you will be able to develop your powers to the point that you will be able to meet and defeat Voldemort as indicated by the prophecy," explained Dumbledore.

This was all too much for Harry. The attacks at the Weasleys and the Grangers, the murder of Percy, the memories of his parents' sacrifice, the betrayals by Wormtail, the death of Sirius, the discovery of new but uncontrollable powers seemed overwhelming combined with the knowledge that the all-powerful Dumbledore wasn't even sure how to defeat Voldemort except in the vaguest of terms. Harry exploded, along with the fire in the fireplace.

"We don't have enough time!!! Voldemort is back and getting more powerful and you don't have a clue how to beat him!!! I've been here for five years and am nowhere close to being powerful enough to defeat him! He is not going to give me another five or ten years to develop my powers or give me time to train! He's already attacked the families of my two best friends, he won't waste much more time until he comes after me or one of them again!!!" Harry paced quickly back and forth in front of the desk while Dumbledore sat quietly, shivering in the frosty air while waiting for Harry's anger to subside again. "If only I could go back…"

Dumbledore asked him to sit again. After another minute or so, Harry did so disgustedly. Dumbledore then tried to calm Harry down by explaining several possible courses of action, but Harry wasn't paying attention. All he could think of was that he needed more time. Glancing at the side of the room, Harry noticed a silver necklace with a small hourglass-shaped pendant hanging from the chain. He interrupted Dumbledore, "Could I borrow a Time Turner?" Dumbledore stopped to stare at him thoughtfully.

"Harry, I am afraid you cannot change what has already happened. Going back in time to prevent a death is impossible—it has too many unforeseeable effects to attempt. Trying to restore a life through the manipulation of time might unravel the fabric of time itself and destroy the entire present. If it were possible, the Death Eaters would never have been able to kill anyone. The ministry would simply have gone back in time to help the victims escape. You and Hermione were able to save Sirius that night only because he had not been executed yet. You cannot bring back Percy or Sirius or Cedric or your parents or any of Voldemort's other victims this way, Harry."

"No, I understand that Professor. What I mean is that I need more time to train and study."

"Ahh, I see. Even its use in that manner is both difficult and draining. Perhaps you remember how Miss Granger struggled during her third year?"

"Yes, that was what gave me the idea."

"Yes, well, the use of a Time Turner is strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic. It could take a while to get all the necessary forms and approvals. A request like that could also attract a lot of notice. I believe Voldemort still has spies in many places, including the Ministry. More importantly, the use of a Time Turner is very delicate and must be very limited. It can have very detrimental effects on all those in the current time and cause serious side effects on the one who actually moves back and forth in time if it is used too extensively. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes,” replied Harry impatiently. “I was wondering if perhaps you had one you could lend me from your extensive collection of magical artifacts?"

"Well Harry, even as Headmaster, I would be unable to just give you one without going through the necessary approval process at the Ministry. I do believe I had a Time Turner lying around here somewhere, but I have been unable to locate it since your last visit. If you recall, you were a little upset and broke a few of my things." Dumbledore smiled slightly at Harry as his eyes twinkled.

Slightly embarrassed, Harry looked at his feet for a minute. Confused, he looked back at Dumbledore and then glanced over to the table where he could clearly see the Time Turner laying on top. “What did Dumbledore mean—he couldn't locate the Time Turner? It was right there, wasn't it?”

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "If you will be so good as to stay here a moment, Harry, I have a few things I need to get out of my private chamber. I'll be back in a few minutes and then we'll return to your house." Dumbledore rose and left.

Suddenly, Dumbledore's hidden meaning dawned on Harry. Glancing around quickly at the portraits on the walls, Harry noticed that they all seemed to be asleep. Or at least they were pretending to be asleep. He rose quickly from his chair, strode over to the table and stretched out his hand out for the Time Turner. Grasping the silver necklace, he lifted it quickly, put it around his neck, and made sure it was hidden under his shirt. Then he returned to his chair and waited for Dumbledore.

"All set, then Harry?" asked Dumbledore as he returned a few minutes later.

"Yes, sir," replied Harry steadily.

Stepping into the empty fireplace with a pinch of Floo powder, the two returned to Harry's mansion.

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Ch 17: School Begins

When they returned to the mansion, they took turns visiting quietly with both the Grangers and the Weasleys. Sunday morning broke grey and cheerless, matching the mood of those gathered at the mansion. Little enthusiasm for school was expressed amidst the general depression. Harry seemed to withdraw, largely playing the role of observer, watching as everyone else tried to offer comfort to each other.

Rather than go to the train station, Dumbledore arranged for a portkey to take the four students and himself directly to the front gates of Hogwarts. Before they left, several Aurors from the Order of the Phoenix arrived to consult with Dumbledore about the special protective living arrangements for both the Weasleys and the Grangers over the coming school year.

Tears broke out again as Ron, Ginny, and Hermione said goodbye to their families. With Harry, they grabbed hold of the wooden walking stick Dumbledore held, and felt their stomachs churn as they were transported just outside the grounds of Hogswarts. In the distance, they could see the Hogswarts Express pulling to a stop and the students beginning to disembark.

"Your luggage has been sent with the train and will be forwarded to your rooms. If you wish, you may accompany me to the Great Hall. I am sorry to ask you to come to the feast—I know that none of you are in any mood to celebrate—but the first years will need your help. I am sorry I have to ask this of you."

"It's quite alright, Professor Dumbledore," replied Hermione.

"It might help me get my mind off of..."started a red eyed Ron, as he put his arm around Ginny and hugged her tight. They walked off together, leaving Dumbledore, Hermione, and Harry behind. They followed slowly and quietly.

The four sat together huddled at one end of the Gryffindor table as Dumbledore sat at the head table. The four tried to ignore the cheers and joyful shouts of the students as they swarmed into the Great Hall.

As different Gryffindors looked in surprise at the four and then tried to come near them to talk, Harry intercepted them and asked that they be left alone for now. Looks of curiosity and concern were aimed at the four from most members of the Gryffindor table which was unusually quiet.

Professor McGonagall soon led in the first years and sent an extremely sympathetic look towards the four huddled at one end. As she passed by them on her way to the head table, she gently grasped the shoulders of both Ron and Ginny and looked sadly at Hermione. After the first years were sorted, there were several transfer students who were sorted, a third year from Beauxbatons was sent to Ravenclaw and a fifth year transfer student from Durmstrang was sorted into Slytherin. Though Harry and the others had not been paying much attention, Harry did notice that though most of the Slytherins were cheering the light haired girl, Draco seemed extremely angry to see her.

Following the sorting, Dumbledore rose to his feet. "Though I have a few announcements, I will reserve them until the end of the feast. Tuck in!"

After an hour, most everyone had seemed to have their fill, though neither Harry, Hermione, Ron, or Ginny had done much more than push the food around on their plates.

Dumbledore stood to speak, waiting for everyone to finish and look up. "I have just a few announcements to make. First, I would like to welcome everyone back to Hogwarts for another fine year. Second, all students should remember that the Forbidden Forest is exactly that, forbidden to all students who value either life or limb. In addition, for those who like to skulk about the halls, the northeast tower is off limits this year as well. Third, in order to supplement the excellent theoretical base many of you acquired in your DADA classes last year,"

Dumbledore ignored the hisses, groans, and nasty comments from both the staff and students of Hogwarts as they remembered the despised Professor Dolores Umbridge, "we have hired two DADA teachers this year. Therefore, all students will be taking a double load of DADA classes this year." More groans erupted. "Though you have met them before, let me re-introduce both Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody as your new DADA instructors." Both Lupin and Moody emerged from the small faculty room at the side of the hall and took their places at the head table. Cheers erupted, especially from the Gryffindor table.

"My final announcement is a most tragic one. Many of you may remember Percival Weasley—he served all of us at Hogwarts as both a Prefect and a Head Boy and graduated three years ago. He was brutally murdered this weekend by Death Eaters serving Lord Voldemort."

The school sat in shocked silence and many of the Gryffindors looked with extreme compassion at both Ron and Ginny.

With a wave of Dumbledore's hand, goblets appeared on all of the tables. "I propose a toast to a fine student and a fine young man. Percival Weasley." Goblets around the Hall were raised in tribute, though many of the Slytherins seemed to be doing so only under the baleful stare of Snape, who glared at them from his seat at the head table. "You are dismissed."

The students silently left the hall, Prefects leading the way to the different dorms. Harry was the last to leave. With a slow glance at the different teachers at the head table, he turned and followed the others.

McGonagall leaned over to Dumbledore and whispered, "Do you think they will be all right? This has been a terrible weekend."

"I hope so Minerva. They are strong, and they have strong friendships. They will need all of them right now. I believe this experience will strengthen them rather than destroy them—I hope."

*-*-*

Classes began the next day, and the four quickly fell into a routine that ignored most everyone else and centered on them and their classes. Wednesday they were notified that they would have special permission to leave the school grounds to attend Percy's funeral on Saturday. The first week of classes passed uneventfully and Saturday quickly arrived.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin, and Moody accompanied the four to the funeral on Saturday. When they arrived, they were amazed at how many people had arrived to give their condolences to the Weasleys on the loss of their son. They were also amazed at the amount of security provided by the Ministry of Magic.

After a brief service, Penelope Clearwater came up to the Weasleys. Harry and Hermione, who had been sitting with the Weasleys, overheard her quiet discussion with the Weasley family.

"I am sooo sorry, this is all my fault. I was the one who kept insisting that he visit and apologize about the way he had treated both of you over the last year, especially after...after...after he proposed to me."

In shock, Harry, Hermione, and all of the Weasleys gaped at the engagement ring she wore on her left hand and had been subconsciously tugging at the entire time.

"He had been so awful to you, and he was feeling terrible about it. And...and...and I kept telling him to go and apologize. And after he proposed two weeks ago, I insisted that he inform you and invite you to the wedding and that he apologize for the way he had treated you this past year. I am soo sorry. I shouldn't have made him. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so..."

She couldn't continue because Molly and Arthur had wrapped her up in a huge hug and everyone had started crying again. Harry just stared at his feet as his eyes watered. Hermione's shoulders shook with sobs beside him.

After the service, the students returned with their professors to Hogwarts. They all slept long into Sunday morning. When they awoke, Ron and Ginny seemed much better, though still very sad. Seeing the improved mood of their friends lifted the spirits of Harry and Hermione as well. That afternoon, they began talking with other Gryffindors and everyone felt a little better as they began to share the grief they had carried by themselves for the last week.

The next day, Harry began his extra classes, which were held in the northeast tower, away from the other students. He was to go there in his Invisibility Cloak, which most of his special instructors knew he had anyway, to avoid attracting unwanted attention. He had been practicing his mental exercises and trying to develop his other skills during the previous week and had begun using the Time Turner to give him additional time to practice. His additional classes went much better than his normal classes.

After the second week of classes, Harry began asking each instructor for a few extra minutes here and there, sometimes an additional meeting or two a week. Each seemed impressed with Harry's progress and enthusiasm.

In the third week of classes, during a rather dry lecture on the second revolt of the Agnecian warlocks in 1771 being given by Professor Binn, Harry cleared his throat to ask a question. At the noise, Professor Binn paused, and several of the other students seemed to awake from their trances, including Ron. Hermione glanced over at Harry, curious. "Professor Binn, I have a question."

"Yes, Mr.—uhhh—Potter, go ahead."

"Well, you've told us about the primary leaders of the revolt on both sides, and that the second revolt was the final revolt by the Agnecian warlocks. But how were they defeated? How did the mage Lirius manage to inspire the other wizards to oppose the warlocks? I mean, the warlocks were very powerful and everyone was terrified of them. How did Lirius convince the others to stand up to them? How did they finally track down the warlocks and defeat them so decisively?"

"That is an excellent question, Mr. Potter." Professor Binn looked around the room and noticed that every student was looking very intently at him. "There are several opinions on how Lirius managed to unite the various wizards. Let me discuss those briefly first, and then I'll describe how they actually planned and achieved the defeat of the warlocks…" For the following hour, Harry and the others marveled at both the breadth and the depth of Professor Binn's insights about how the Agnecian warlocks were defeated.

As they left class, Ron commented to Harry, "Who would have thought history could have been so interesting? He should teach every class like that, instead of just listing names and dates until my eyes snap shut."

Looking at Hermione and smiling, Harry replied, "Yeah, who would have thought history could have been so interesting, or so useful."

*-*-*

Following a grueling practice session with the Gryffindor Quidditch team in preparation for their first match at the end of September, Harry and Ron were resting on the side of the field with the rest of the team as the Slytherin team took the field.

Crabbe and Goyle, along with several other Slytherins had accompanied their Quidditch team to watch them practice. When they saw the Gryffindors still there, they began yelling various taunts, trying to provoke them. Katie Bell, the new Gryffindor captain, motioned for everybody to get up and just ignore them and head back to the castle. She looked pointedly at Ron and Harry.

"Yeah, you better go run and hide Weasel King! You don't want to end up like your brother!" yelled Crabbe, loud enough for everyone on the field to hear him. Everyone froze, as Ron slowly turned around.

"Yeah, keep running! Your mother's not here to protect you Weasel! That's right, she's still with your dad hiding from the Dark Lord, isn't she?" shouted Goyle, smirking.

There was a flash of light and Goyle fell to his knees. His hands reached for his face as the skin started to blister and peel. He screamed in pain. Harry turned to Ron, but realized he was still reaching for his wand. In amazement, Harry turned back to the Slytherins, as did everyone else. Crabbe looked back to see Draco Malfoy's wand pointed at his face.

"Do you have another funny comment you'd like to make about someone's mother and Voldemort?" spat Draco, fury burning in his eyes.

"Draco, wha…what did you do that for? Why did you curse Goyle?"

"Shut up, you idiot. You're lucky I …"

"What is going on here?" boomed Snape's voice as he made his way onto the field. Glancing at the moaning Goyle, he glared at Harry and Ron. He ignored Draco, who had slowly lowered his wand. He signaled to two Slytherins to take Goyle to the infirmary.

"So you think it's funny to use the Burning Blister curse, do you Potter? Let's see if it still seems funny after two weeks' detention. And I'll be speaking with Professor Dumbledore about getting your lifetime ban from Quidditch reinstated for this type of attack on a fellow student," snarled Snape.

"If you're looking to punish someone, Professor Snape, then you better start with me," said Draco. "Potter and Weasley didn't do anything. They were probably about to, but I'm the one that cast the Burning Blister curse on Goyle.

"What?!?! You did what? Mr. Potter, take the rest of the Gryffindors and leave. I believe your practice is over. Mr. Malfoy, come with me to my office."

Harry led the dumbfounded Gryffindors back to the castle. None of them could believe that Draco had attacked another Slytherin, let alone admit having done it to Snape to prevent Harry and Ron from getting punished for it.

Harry whispered to Ron, "Stay with the others and head on back to the common room. I'll catch up in a few minutes."

Ron grinned and replied, "Let me know what you find out." Harry grinned back. As soon as the others were out of sight around a corner, Harry shapeshifted into his dragon form and cloaked himself, becoming invisible. He then waited for Snape and Draco to enter the castle, and followed silently as they made their way down to Snape's dungeon office.

Slamming the door shut, Snape demanded, "What on earth were you thinking Draco? Attacking another Slytherin student? And one of your friends at that? Explain yourself."

"Well, you probably know what happened to my mother over the summer…" began Draco.

Snape's face softened somewhat at that comment.

"After my stupid father got himself caught at the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort was furious. He sent a couple of Death Eaters to our house to remind our family of the price of failure. I think he was trying to send a message to my father. So they used the Cruciatus curse on me, and then on my mother. I don't think they meant for it to happen, and I really don't care. But they kept it on her too long…it was too much and she couldn't take it. Now she's in St. Mungo's in a bed next to Longbottom's parents. She doesn't even know who I am anymore!!!" Draco paused to catch his breath. "And these stupid idiots run around the common room all day talking about how great Voldemort is and how they can't wait until he's overthrown the Ministry and is running the wizarding world. And that moron Goyle was taunting Weasel about his brother, and his mum and dad still on the run hiding from Voldemort, and they all thought it was sooo funny. I just lost it. I snapped. But I don't care. I hate them! I hate them all!!!" Draco looked like he wanted to break down and cry, but only a single tear streaked down his cheek.

Looking very uncomfortable, Snape reached out tentatively and then gave Draco a small hug. Draco wrapped his arms around him and his shoulders began to heave.

Harry could not believe what he had just seen. “Draco's mother insane in St. Mungo's? Because of Voldemort's Death Eaters? Snape actually trying to comfort a student?” It was all too much. It gave Harry a lot to think about as he teleported to an empty hall a short distance from the Gryffindor common room.

After he walked through the portrait, he quickly saw Ron chatting with some of the Quidditch players and Hermione studying in a corner. Catching their eyes, he made a subtle motion and they quickly left the room and went to where Harry held his DA club meetings to discuss what he had discovered. They were both in shock.

"Obviously, we can't act like we know anything, but it wouldn't hurt if we tried to be a little nicer to Draco. I doubt he'll have many friends left in Slytherin after today," suggested Harry.

"Are you serious?" asked an incredulous Ron.

Hermione rounded on Ron. "How would you feel if the situation were reversed? Voldemort had driven your mom insane because your father was in jail and everyone in Gryffindor was constantly talking about how great Voldemort was and how great it would be when he was running the whole show. And Harry and I were making jokes about him chasing people's parents and then you attacked one of us. How would the rest of the Gryffindors feel about you? How do you think they would start treating you?"

"Well, I guess you're right. I hadn't thought of it like that," admitted Ron.

Over the next week, Harry, Ron and Hermione ignored any insults that Draco sent their way and tried to maintain a cautious civility. To their surprise, the insults gradually ceased, though there were plenty from the other Slytherins. Harry noticed that Draco seemed isolated among the Slytherins, he no longer practiced with the Quidditch team, and some days he seemed to wince as he moved. Harry suspected Draco was paying a serious price for his outburst on the Quidditch practice field. Harry and Hermione sympathized, but could think of little that they could do to help Draco besides being polite to him.

*-*-*

After several weeks, the professors noticed subtle differences in both Harry and his friends. If it were possible, Hermione seemed to work twice as hard. No longer was Hermione the most serious student in class. Ron rarely joked around in his classes anymore, but paid serious attention and improved dramatically in all of his classes. Ginny had always been a good student, but now seemed constantly distracted. Though Harry seemed more focused and disciplined, his work in his regular classes did not improve as much as the others, except in his DADA classes where he continued to lead the class. However, they were all very impressed with Harry's growing abilities and eagerness in his extra training.

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Ch 18: Staff Meeting

Shortly before the Christmas holiday, Dumbledore met with the rest of the staff to review the progress of the school during the previous several months and discuss any problems facing the school.

"Someone has been stealing potion ingredients again this year. A lot of potion ingredients," barked out Snape. “And I suspect it is one of your darling Gryffindors, Albus. Probably Pot…”

"Could you give me a list of the missing items, Severus?" interrupted Dumbledore.

"Of course,” replied Snape, his eyes glittering.

"Someone has been entering the Restricted section in the library. I am constantly finding books missing for a day or two at a time, only to find them turn up again," complained Madame Pince.

"And all of the books have been returned?"

"Yes, except for the three that are currently missing. And when I trapped the shelves with howler books, the perpetrator left all of their tongues tied in knots."

Glowering at McGonagall, Snape hissed. “No doubt another Gryffindor, probably that insufferable know-it-all bushy headed member of the Terrible Trio.”

Dumbledore hid a small smile. “Anything else?”

Hagrid added, "Thar's been loads of activity in the Forest. I haven't seen any students," he explained at Dumbledore's quick look, "What I meant ter say is thar's been lots of different interestin' creatures a comin' and goin' is all."

"Do you suspect Death Eater spies?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, it's not an evil feelin'. It's odd. It's not like thar spyin', it's more like thar visitin'—but I get the feelin' that thar up to something. The forest has a very thoughtful mood about it. I dun't know how to explain it Professor.

"The forest is in a thoughtful mood?" sneered Snape.

Hagrid returned Snape's disdainful stare easily with an equal amount of barely checked disgust and anger, "That's what I said."

"Very well. Anything else?" commented Dumbledore, leaning back in his chair thoughtfully. “Moody?”

"I've already told you, the DADA classes are going as well as can be expected, considering the quality of their past instructors,” growled Moody. “None of the students have killed either themselves or anybody else. And when they do get hurt, they learn their lesson. What more do you expect from a DADA class—we're not exactly knitting hats or doilies in there.”

Dumbledore quickly turned his chuckle into a cough. “Of course, Moody. What more could we expect?”

"The DA club is doing extremely well. Harry has delegated quite a few of the teaching responsibilities, which is giving a number of other students invaluable learning experience. They're accomplishing quite a lot on their own and mastering quite a few advanced spells," added Lupin proudly.

“Some of `em,” muttered Moody.

"It's not really a complaint, but has anyone noticed that Peeves has been behaving rather strangely lately?" asked McGonagall.

"If you mean that he seems to be focusing his misdirected maliciousness mostly at the Slytherins and hardly at all at the Gryffindors, then yes, I have noticed," growled Snape.

"Ah, yes. Peeves. Who can really understand why a ghost does anything," mused Dumbledore, with an amused glint in his eye. "If there is nothing further, I will look into these matters myself. Enjoy your holidays and try not to assign too much homework to the students over the break. They can use the vacation. Dismissed."

*-*-*

Later that afternoon, in Dumbledore's office, Harry knocked and was invited in.

“He looks tired, but then it's been a grueling four months with all of his extra training.” thought Dumbledore as Harry sat in a chair across from his desk. "First, I want to commend you on your excellent work with the DA club. It seems you have been able to help even more students this year than last."

"Thank you sir."

"Are you looking forward to the break, Harry?"

"Yeah, a break would be nice," replied Harry unconvincingly. "I could probably use a few days off."

"Yes, I can imagine. I asked you here because I wished to discuss with you several issues that some of the faculty have raised. I know it has been very difficult keeping your additional training secret and you have done very well. Would you know anything about books disappearing from the Restricted section of the library? Or tongue-tied howler books?" Dumbledore seemed to be smiling.

Harry grinned back. "Well, I have to admit that I have been doing a little extra-curricular reading. It was a little inconvenient to have the howler books setting off alarms in the school, waking up Madame Pince and Filch. I figured that they needed their rest, so I altered the howler books slightly so that I could borrow the books I needed without disturbing anyone."

"I suspected as much. What about missing potion ingredients from Snape's office?"

Harry blushed faintly. "Yes, well, it seemed easier than trying to order the components I needed by owl. And I always intended to fully reimburse the school at the end of the year."

"Yes, yes, I do not doubt it. But what potions are you brewing that you need so many ingredients?"

Harry paused, then replied, "Well, we…err…I am trying to create a variety of power enhancing potions along the lines several uhh…I have discovered in some of the restricted texts. Don't worry, sir, I'm not taking them myself, I'm just trying to determine how to counteract their effects. I believe Voldemort may have taken some or is still taking some and I am looking for a way to counteract them." Dumbledore looked at him intently as he gave his answer.

Harry held his breath as he watched Dumbledore think and raised his own mental shields. He forced himself to relax and emptied his mind of everything else he was trying to hide from Dumbledore. He buried deeply his thoughts about the other potions he was brewing, the additional ingredients he was getting from Fred and George, the additional training he was doing on his own, his visits with Hermione to the Forbidden Forest, and his research trips away from Hogwarts.

Dumbledore asked, "Is there anything else, Harry?"

"No, sir," came the short reply.

"Hagrid mentioned that he has noticed an unusual amount of activity in the Forbidden Forest. Do you know anything about this, Harry?"

"No, sir," repeated Harry, again managing to keep a straight face. “How had Hagrid noticed that? How much time did Hagrid spend in the woods, anyways? Well, at least Hermione and I only go there in our Animagi forms, so Hagrid would never have seen either one of us. I'll have to be extra careful in the future when I change to my human form to speak with the other magical creatures, though.”

"Very well. One last question. Do you know anything about Peeve's recent change in behavior?"

Harry started laughing. "Well, Peeves caught me one day in the northeast tower practicing and when he threatened to make a new little song about what he'd seen, I had a little chat with him."

"Oh?" asked Dumbledore, looking amused.

"Yes. I asked Peeves if he would like to spend the rest of eternity in the shape of a mouse so that Filch's cat could chase him and play with him to his heart's content. He did not seem to care for that idea, so I told him to lay off of me and the rest of the Gryffindors. I guess he's been taking out some of his frustrations on the Slytherins." Harry chuckled.

"Very well, Harry. Enjoy your Christmas holidays. I will probably stop by to visit."

Sensing he was dismissed, Harry got up and left.

"The boy is holding something back, you know," said Phineas.

"Oh yes, I am quite sure of it. And I doubt that either one of us guesses correctly the full extent of what he is trying to hide," replied Dumbledore.

"Students! Always thinking they're cleverer by half than their instructors."

"I really cannot blame him, Phineas. Perhaps if I had been completely forthright from the beginning with him, he would be more open with me now. I will do the best that I can, and hope that it will be enough," sighed Dumbledore.

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*** Author's Note—Thanks for all the great reviews-it really keeps me motivated. A lot of people have been wondering about Harry & Hermione, about the next Death Eater attack, and about the Time Turner. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!

Ch 19: `Twas the Night Before Christmas

After most of the students had gone home for the holidays, only Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Draco remained after classes were over. Dumbledore had informed Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys that they would remain at the school over most of the holidays, but that on the 24th and 25th, they would be able to visit with their families at Harry's mansion. Since there was just the five students, there was only one table set up in the Great Hall. At first, Draco didn't eat at the same time, but after several days, he began eating with them, though he was quiet at first and kept to himself.

On the 23rd during lunch, Harry addressed Draco while the others were eating. "Uhh, Draco. If you would like to go somewhere for Christmas besides just staying here, you would be welcome to come have Christmas with us."

Ron spit his mouthful of soup across the table and Hermione glanced up with amazement in her eyes.

"Well, if you must know, I have several invitations I am considering accepting right now Potter. I'm not here because I have nowhere to go. You know where my father is and my mother is…uhh…visiting old family on the continent this year. I am here merely working on an independent study project with Professor Snape. I certainly don't need any charity from you Potter."

In a controlled voice, Harry replied, "Well, if you change your mind, the offer remains open. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning at nine from Dumbledore's office."

When Draco left, Ron hissed, "Have you gone mad? Why on earth would you invite him to spoil our holidays?"

Harry turned and gazed at Ron, "How many times have you spent Christmas alone, without any family or friends? It's one of the worst feelings in the world Ron. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even Draco." Then Harry stood up and left.

The next morning, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny took their packed bags and walked up to Dumbledore's office. There they saw Draco sitting on a small packed trunk.

"Well, it seems Professor Snape won't be needing any help for the next day or two, so if the offer is still good, Potter, I accept your invitation," said Draco quietly.

"Good, come on then," offered Harry.

Dumbledore's gargoyle began to turn, and down strode Dumbledore himself. "Everyone ready?" his eyes seemed to sparkle as he gazed at the four teens. "Grab your things then and grab hold of this staff."

A moment later, the five found themselves on the street outside of Harry's mansion on Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore gave Draco a piece of paper to read and then they walked to the front door. Harry disappeared briefly for a moment, though only Hermione noticed. Before she could say anything, he reappeared and grinned widely, shaking his head. All six entered the mansion and spent the next hour settling in. Ron and Draco sat down and played several very violent games of Wizard's Chess, while Harry and Hermione read a few books nearby to make sure that it was only the wizard pieces that exchanged physical blows. Hermione didn't ask where he had disappeared to, she was just glad to see him happy and peaceful. Harry was in the best mood she had seen him in for several months. Later, while Ginny busied herself decorating a tree Harry brought from the backyard and making the house seem more festive, Harry and Hermione wandered around the house. In midafternoon, both the Weasleys and the Grangers arrived with Auror escorts. Several professors from the school arrived as did several members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Ron hissed at Hermione, "Who on earth invited Snape?" as he glared at Draco talking quietly with Snape by themselves in a corner. With a glance at Harry, Hermione looked back at Ron. "He's going soft in the head, you know," he whispered to her. Hermione just sighed in exasperation.

Molly was in the kitchen with Ginny cooking an enormous feast, most everybody else was scattered in rooms from the kitchen to the study to the large meeting room where the Christmas tree stood.

When it was time for dinner, Harry stood at the large table in front of the Christmas tree and thanked them all for coming. He then gave a toast to a better year and invited them to all begin eating. After dinner, everyone hung around, chatting in small groups, when several different lights began flashing from the star on top of the tree.

"Nice star, Harry," commented George. "It's not one of ours, is it?"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want it to explode or anything," laughed Fred.

With a serious look on his face, Harry glanced at Hermione. "They're coming," he announced. Looking up at the star, he counted four quick blue blinks, saw a pause, then counted four quick blue blinks again. The talking had subsided as everyone in the room looked curiously at the very serious looking Harry.

"The Death Eaters are here, and they're coming for us." Aurors and professors around the room reached for their wands.

"That's impossible," shouted Lupin. "This place is one of the most powerfully guarded and hidden of any place in Britain."

"Nothing is impossible, no defense is perfect," muttered Harry quietly. "My parents were perfectly hidden as well."

Hagrid boomed, "Bring `em on!"

"No Hagrid! There are too many. There are at least eighty out there. By now they've probably sealed off both the floo network and raised anti-Apparation spells. And there are too many for us to fight."

Chaos broke out as wizards and witches protested. Harry tried to regain control but nobody paid him much attention. Dumbledore raised his hands and called for attention. "I believe Harry has something else he wishes to tell us."

A small boom shook the walls, causing everyone to look around.

"Listen to me. That will be the Death Eaters trying to penetrate the outer shell of defenses. We don't have much time. You need to listen to me." Harry glanced around the room quickly, making sure he had everyone's attention. "Everyone gather around the Christmas tree and grab hold of a branch. It is a portkey that will take us to the front gate of Hogwarts." Harry waited as everyone moved to the tree and grabbed a branch. Then he grabbed a branch as well and said, "Hogwart's Front Gate."

A moment later, everyone opened their eyes to see the clear, star filled sky above Hogwarts glowing down on them. Hermione's shriek made everyone look around.

"I knew he'd do something stupid like this. I just knew it!" she screamed.

"Who? What?" asked Ron.

"Harry of course! He's gone!" Everyone looked around and realized she was right. The tree, the decorations, the presents, and everyone that had been at the party was there by the front gate. Everyone except Harry.

"We have to go back and get him," she urged.

Dumbledore, Moody, and Lupin seemed to flicker for a minute.

"I am afraid that we cannot, Miss Granger. The spells blocking Apparation are working both ways. Nobody can either get in or out of the mansion now."

"What about nearby the mansion? You have to try again. Please."

But the three had already disappeared again. This time they did not come back. There was nothing for the rest to do but wait.

*-*-*

As Harry triggered the portkey, he cloaked himself to make himself invisible. Once he was sure that everyone was safe at Hogwarts, he teleported himself back to the study, then he teleported himself several times around the room, just to make sure that he could still move about the mansion. He had suspected that the anti-Apparition spells would not prevent him from teleporting, since it was a different type of magic that he used from those who Apparated. Concentrating for a moment, he felt the ground tremble and waited for a moment. Sniffing, he sensed the odor he was waiting for and smiled. Feeling the outer shell of spell defenses collapse, he waited. It took them a few more minutes to break through the second ring of defenses. He smiled again. Concentrating his senses, he could discern their anger and frustration.

Moving to the table, he took a candle, created a globe of air around it, and then caused the candle to light within the globe. With a wave of his hand, he sent the lit candle flying across the room to hover in front of the double doors to the meeting room and waited. It wouldn't be long now. He could hear the shouts of triumph from both the front and back doors. He could hear the pounding of several pairs of boots stomping upstairs, but most of the Death Eaters were moving slowly and methodically through the house, looking for him and his friends.

Within a minute, the double doors were thrown open and in burst nearly twenty Death Eaters. Standing on the far side of the room, Harry caused the burning candle to float backwards to the middle of the room. Every eye in the room followed its progress.

"Cheap parlor tricks? Is this how you plan to defy the Dark Lord? You might as well come out of your hiding holes. We will find you!"

"You will only find me. The others have already left and are safe," replied Harry as he uncloaked himself and made his body visible to the Death Eaters. "I only remained behind to offer you the chance to surrender."

The Death Eaters laughed. "You are outnumbered twenty to one in this room alone. You and your friends couldn't handle half that number in the Ministry of Magic," mocked the leader of the Death Eaters in a voice that Harry recognized with a flash of anger and rage.

"Perhaps not, but aren't they all in prison now? And didn't your precious Lord Voldemort abandon them to their fates as he, too, fled in fear from Dumbledore? Tell me, Lestrange, why did Voldemort bother rescuing you from the Ministry when he left everyone else behind?" taunted Harry with a smile.

"Silence!" shrieked Bellatrix Lestrange. "There is no escape for you this time Potter! Your continued interference in the plans of our Master will end tonight. As will the interference of your friends. Now, where are they hiding?" she threatened as she lifted her wand.

"Before you reject my offer to surrender peacefully, let me explain the alternative. Take a deep breath. That odd odor you detect is natural gas. Muggles use it for heating but in large enough quantities, it can be very explosive. By now, the house is flooded with it. The only thing allowing you to continue serving your despicable master from this side of the grave is the fact that the burning candle you see in front of you is enclosed in a bubble. The first spell that disrupts either the bubble or my concentration on the bubble will create a fiery inferno that will end all of your miserable lives in a heartbeat."

"You're bluffing. This is just a trick. Besides, you would be caught in it as well. You can't Apparate away."

"No, I can't Apparate away. But I have a portkey, do you?"

Several of the Death Eaters looked extremely uneasy.

"Make up your minds, I'm not going to wait around all night. I've got presents to unwrap in the morning."

As a dozen of them raised their wands led by Lestrange, Harry muttered, "I was afraid of that." After he heard the first syllables of Avada uttered, he disappeared. The bubble disappeared too. A moment later, the mansion and everyone inside disappeared as well in an explosion of fire.

Harry reappeared fifty feet in front of the mansion as the fireball expanded. Concentrating intently, he remembered some of the basic lessons from his Muggle science class and focused on using the warm air currents to push the gas upward, so that the force of the fireball would be directed upward, and not sideways towards the other homes on the street.

The street quickly filled with shrieking people, gaping at the burning house that had suddenly appeared between the others. Harry could see there were Death Eaters scattered around the back and the front, screaming and in pain—many of them with their robes on fire. A sudden weariness gripped his body and his knees nearly collapsed.

"Nice work Potter," commented Moody, who had just appeared behind him.

As tears filled his eyes, Harry hissed. "There's nothing nice about what I did tonight. I'm probably a murderer fifty times over now after tonight."

Dumbledore's hand clasped his shoulder. "I doubt you killed them without giving them an opportunity to escape or surrender."

Harry merely shrugged and nodded slightly in the affirmative.

"You did not kill anyone in cold blood, Harry. You gave them a chance. It is more than they would have given any one of us. Yes, there are a number of people dead tonight, Harry. But you saved all of your friends tonight by your courageous actions. All of us are deeply in your debt, Harry. Thank you."

Harry still felt sick at the thought of so much death, death that he had brought about, despite what Dumbledore had said. But Dumbledore was right, he had saved his friends. And that was worth it. It had to be. Harry started shaking with exhaustion.

"Can you make it back to Hogwarts?" asked Dumbledore urgently. Seeing Harry nod, he continued, "Lupin and Moody will make sure the Ministry is informed and they will handle the situation here. I will accompany you back to the school."

When Harry and Dumbledore appeared at the gates of Hogwarts, they were mobbed by their remaining friends.

Pushing her way right to the front, Hermione bellowed, "Harry Potter, how dare you try and…"

She paused as Harry muttered sorry and collapsed right into her arms. Ron lent her a hand in supporting the unconscious Harry until Dumbledore muttered “Mobilicorpus,” and levitated Harry to the infirmary with the others following close behind.

*-*-*

For perhaps the fiftieth time, Madame Pomfrey insisted Harry was fine and just resting, finally convincing the remaining teachers and friends to leave Harry alone in the infirmary. Only Dumbledore and Hermione remained. Hermione sat rooted in her chair at his side, holding Harry's hand tightly. Dumbledore was seated on the opposite side, deep in thought. Realizing that neither was leaving or going to pay her any attention, Madame Pomfrey left in a huff muttering, "I've never seen the like. It'll be a miracle if the boy lives long enough to graduate…"

Clearing his throat, Dumbledore spoke softly to Hermione. "I am very curious about how Harry knew we were going to be attacked and how the mansion was so well defended."

Hermione looked across and answered. "Harry was nervous since it had been so long since Voldemort had tried something. He suspects that Voldemort has spies everywhere and even though the mansion is supposed be unplottable, it seemed like a good opportunity to attack, with everyone there for the holidays. Harry told me that Sirius had been doing a number of modifications on the house's defenses while he was there last year and Harry and I spent some time today checking on them. The star was a simple alarm that could be activated or tripped by an intruder. The blue light blinked for every twenty enemies it detected. The other defensive spells, well, uhh…they were already there. We just made sure they were still working."

"And the Christmas tree portkey?"

"Oh, Sirius had left that. We just transformed it into a huge Christmas tree."

"Do you know why we could not Apparate back in to the mansion? Normally we never Apparate to a place that's unplottable like the mansion because it sets off all kinds of magical interference that reveals the hidden location. But since the mansion had already been compromised, it did not matter if we Apparated straight there. However, the mansion was completely sealed against Apparition, both in and out. Do you know anything about this at all, Miss Granger?"

"I thought the Death Eaters did that," replied Hermione.

"Well, they could have, but usually it is two different spells. And they usually do not cast them both, but I suppose they could have done so," mused Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, what happened back at the mansion? Why is Harry so tired?"

“He has not told her about his elemental magic. Ahh, Harry, you try so hard to protect everyone around you. Is that why you blocked us from Apparating back to the house to help you? Were you afraid that we would get caught in the explosion, too? You try to hold far too many things too close to your chest. You need to share some of your secrets, for your own sake.” Dumbledore did not notice Hermione's eyes focused in concentration.

"When we returned we were heading towards the mansion when it exploded. I am not sure exactly how—probably some combination of spells cast by the Death Eaters. Harry managed to escape, but most of the Death Eaters perished. There were some that were seriously hurt outside, but I believe most everyone in the house died. The Ministry is cleaning it up. I do not believe any innocent lives were lost in any of the surrounding houses. Harry was probably just exhausted from casting spells."

Hermione watched him silently. “He's hiding something from me. Something about elemental magic and Harry. And he's trying to soften it. Harry laid a trap somehow for those Death Eaters. The mansion didn't blow up on accident. Harry probably did it on purpose and will probably have to deal with the guilt of killing all of those Death Eaters. Great! Just what Harry needs—more burdens to carry. Poor Harry.” “I see. So Harry will be OK?”

"He just needs a good night's sleep, Miss Granger. I would suggest that you go to your own room and do the same."

"I believe I am quite comfortable here in my chair, Professor Dumbledore," replied Hermione, with a steely look in her eyes.

"Of course, Miss Granger. It was only a suggestion." Standing, Dumbledore managed to hide his grin. "If Harry is awake and feeling better by morning, bring him to the Great Hall tomorrow, I believe the tree and all of the presents have been relocated there. Good night." Dumbledore turned and left quietly.

A few minutes later, Hermione was asleep in her chair, still holding Harry's hand. Madame Pomfrey checked on them occasionally, but made no further attempts to make Hermione leave.

*-*-*

Harry kept repeating the night's events over and over in his dream. He had passed the bulk of the day happily, confident that the preparations he and Hermione had made would be in place before the Death Eaters attacked. They had spent most of the day consulting books on how to strengthen the defensive wards at Grimmauld Place and making them as strong as possible. They had also made the Christmas tree portkey. Hermione had thoroughly researched the subject, but they had never attempted to do it. They had tested it that afternoon, and it seemed to work fine.

He knew everything would work out fine because when he had disappeared before entering the mansion, he had transformed into his dragonform, cloaked himself in invisibility, and flew to the roof to act as a sentinel. Later that evening, his keen hearing detected the sharp poppings of Death Eaters Apparating into the woods behind the house and across the street. He made a rapid count of the approaching enemies and made the decorative star he was going to use as his alarm begin blinking. Then he teleported to Hogwart's grounds to wait for the arrival of all of his friends. Several minutes later, they appeared, and he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he could enjoy a few hours with his friends despite the coming attack because he knew they would all escape safely. Then he flew to the forest where he could transform back to his normal, human form and turned back the Time Turner to go enjoy his day with his friends. He relived the joyful scenes of the day, the party and the dinner, as well as the tense moments of the escape and showdown with the Death Eaters. Then his world exploded in orange flame and screams and he was left alone in darkness. These same scenes unfolded before his eyes again and again and again.

Only suddenly he didn't feel quite so alone. There was something there, something warm just past the darkness, something in his hand. He couldn't make out what it was, but he kept searching for it. As his mind fought back against the explosions and the screams and the smothering loneliness of the darkness, he realized it was a hand. Someone was holding his hand. As his eyes cracked open, he made out the form of the body that belonged to the hand. “Of course. Hermione. You've always been there for me. Always. You have never let me down, ever. How can I ever thank you enough for all you've done for me. Thank you again.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and drifted back into a deep, dreamless, restful sleep.

*-*-*

With light streaming through the windows, Harry shifted in bed and woke up slowly, stretching his arms as he sat up. He looked over at Hermione, who looked beautiful, sleeping peacefully in her chair. He thought he saw a smudge on the side of her cheek and reached over to brush it off. As he rubbed her cheek with his thumb, Hermione's eyes popped open and she squealed as she jumped backwards, tripping on the chair and tumbling into the next bed.

"Harry Potter! What on earth do you think you're doing?!?!" she screeched.

"Uhh, I was trying to uhhh…clean your face?" he offered, realizing what a stupid answer it was as soon as he had said it.

"While I was asleep?"

Harry was quickly realizing just how foolish he must appear. "Well, you had this smudge on your cheek and uhh.."

"The smudge you are referring to was probably my mascara running because I was crying hysterically last night because like some idiotic knight in shining armor, you were running around last night trying to save the rest of us at the risk of your own life…"

"Did you say crying hysterically?" grinned Harry.

"What I meant to say was that it was raining buckets last night when you portkeyed all of us out of the mansion—but you wouldn't know because you didn't come with us, you were too busy playing hero-boy again trying to protect the rest of us…"

"Oh, yes, well, I'm very sorry I made you uhh…that I made it rain here and that I didn't check the weather here first. But Hermione, I really wanted to thank you for staying here by my side last night. I had some really bad nightmares, and you…uhh…well I slept very…uhh…well, thank you very much for staying. It meant a lot."

Blushing a little bit, Hermione said softly, "You're welcome." More softly, she added "Anytime."

Blushing a bit himself, Harry asked, "What?"

"I said, you're welcome."

"Oh, that's what I thought. Uhh, Happy Christmas."

"That's right, it's Christmas Day! Come on, let's go to the Great Hall. Everyone is probably there by now."

Together, they raced through the halls to the Great Hall. Pushing open the large doors, they received a thunderous greeting. Everyone was overjoyed to see Harry back and in one piece. There was plenty of wonderful food for everyone and lots of presents to be opened by everyone. Despite the events of the previous evening, Harry thought it was probably his best Christmas ever.

Watching from the side, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Moody, and Lupin discussed the various events of the previous evening.

"So are you buying into Potter's load of bull about Sirius strengthening the protection enchantments and making that portkey?" asked Moody.

Lupin shook his head and chuckled as Dumbledore answered. "Of course not. Sirius had many strengths, but he was never particularly adept at defensive wards or creating magical items. Harry is very good at hiding things, but he is not a particularly convincing liar, at least not yet. Unfortunately, he is improving. No, I believe that Harry and Hermione have been working on a number of projects together. The work they did at the Black mansion is probably only the tip of the iceberg."

"Albus, how did the Death Eaters find out about the mansion in the first place? It was supposed to be untrackable, unplottable. I don't understand," asked McGonagall.

"Minerva, that is one of my greatest concerns. They could never have found out about the mansion without someone telling them about it—someone who has been there."

"Probably that filthy little Kreacher," growled Moody.

"Possibly, but I do not believe so. I am afraid it is one of us who have visited the place with Harry, someone who knew we were going to be celebrating Christmas there with the Grangers and the Weasleys. No, I am afraid we have a traitor in our midst."

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Ch 19: Late Christmas Presents

The fact that fifty Death Eaters had been incinerated and another twenty-five were still recovering from severe burns made headlines in all of the wizarding papers for weeks after Christmas. None of the stories mentioned Harry Potter at all, but everyone suspected he was somehow involved. When classes resumed, Harry was being toasted at nearly every meal by three of the houses in Hogwarts. At the fourth table, nearly half of the students glared at him with open hatred.

In the first week of classes following the Christmas vacations, the first, and last, open confrontation occurred between Harry and the members of the Slytherin house. As Harry and Hermione walked down the hall leading to their potions class with Snape, they both realized they were alone, surrounded by hostile Slytherins. Despite the dim torchlight, both Harry and Hermione easily discerned the huge, bulky forms of Crabbe and Goyle, who seemed to be leading the angry group of Slytherins.

“It'll be OK, Hermione. Let me handle this. Just watch my back.”

“Harry, I don't need your protection. Don't do anything stupid.”

“Just trust me, OK.”

“OK, but be careful. It looks like they've given this some thought.”

“Who? Crabbe and Goyle? Give me a break. But you're right. They're planning something. We should have anticipated something like this was bound to happen. Probably half of their parents were at my mansion Christmas Eve.”

"Well, well, what do we have here. Two high and mighty Gryffindors prancing around our dungeons," snorted Crabbe. He poked Harry with a thick finger in the chest, knocking him off balance momentarily.

"Ha ha," guffawed Goyle. "Not so tough without all of your mighty wizard friends around, are ya, you little runt?" Harry just gazed back at them quietly.

"Look, he's too scared to say anything. Don't start crying Harry. Your girlfriend here might not like that," taunted Crabbe.

"Yeah, she looks a lot tougher than you," sneered Goyle and began to step past Harry towards Hermione. Harry moved sideways to block him.

"Oh, you going to stop me, Potter?" taunted Goyle.

"If anyone here has a problem with me, then let's deal with it. But leave Hermione out of it. Anyone that so much as touches her is going to regret it," stated Harry in an icy voice. A few of the Slytherin students looked slowly at each other. Hermione had never heard his voice so chilling, so menacing. It sent a shiver down her spine.

"You're bluffing, you're not going to do anything, you're all talk," growled Crabbe.

"That's funny. That's almost exactly what the last Death Eater I talked to said, right before she blew herself and all of her stupid cronies straight to hell."

The tunnel exploded with roars of anger. Shouts of "My dad was there!" and "My uncle was killed there!" and "My cousin is still recovering from his burns!" echoed off the walls. Despite her growing anxiety, Hermione glanced calmly around at the faces, trying to detect where the first attack was going to come from. “Are you sure you know what you're doing Harry? I'm not sure reminding them that you just sent half of their families to hell is the best way to defuse this situation.”

“Something like this was bound to happen eventually. Better to get it done with now and out of the way.”

"You think that's funny, Potter. You're going to pay for that. My dad is dead because of you."

"I've been dealing with bullies bigger than you all my life, Crabbe. Bring it on."

With a roar of anger, Crabbe lunged forward and aimed a huge, ham-sized fist at Harry's head. Sidestepping the punch easily, Harry jammed two of his knuckles right into Crabbe's windpipe. Crabbe dropped to his knees, clutching his throat with both hands. Goyle leaped forward and grabbed the front of Harry's robes, lifting him from the ground. His feet dangling, Harry reached for the front of Goyle's robes and leaned his head back for a moment. Then he snapped his head forward, smashing Goyle's nose with his forehead. Stunned, Goyle let go of Harry, who stepped in closer as he cocked his right fist, and punched him hard on the tip of his chin. Goyle's entire jaw snapped back, pinching the nerves right under his ears, and he toppled over on his side, unconscious.

As the stars stopped blinking in front of his eyes, Harry sensed a movement behind him and he dropped to the floor. A red light hit three other Slytherins, who began madly scratching at their faces, quickly drawing long lines of blood with their fingernails. Whipping out his wand, he cast his spell a split second behind Hermione. “Petrificus Totalus!” was followed by “Expelliarmus!”. The transfer student from Durmstrang was first immobilized, then she was slammed into a wall as her wand went sailing behind her.

“Thanks, Hermione.”

“I'm sorry I didn't see her sneak out her wand, she had it in her sleeve already. There were too many people too watch and too many minds to try and look at.”

“It's OK. I'm fine.”

"Is there anyone else who would like to discuss this past Christmas? If you have friends or family that died or were injured, then I am sorry. But they made a terrible mistake in backing Voldemort. He is a monster that will not hesitate to use and discard any one of you, or your families, to get what he wants. Do not make the same mistake they did. Now if there's nothing else, I would recommend that you take those five up to the infirmary."

Glancing back at the stunned girl, he added, "Maybe take her, too." Looking at her wand that had stuck itself in a wall between two cracks, he commanded, "Accio wand."

Walking in front of the stunned girl, he said, "Until you learn to play nice, I think this will do much better." Aiming his own wand at hers, he transformed it into a pink teddy bear with red hearts on the stomach and frilly ribbon around its neck and tossed it at her feet.

"Well, its been fun chatting, but Hermione and I are already late for Spape's class so we'll be running along now." Looking around at the cowed glances, Harry didn't think there would be any more problems from the Slytherins. Hermione just followed along in awe. Harry had dispatched two of the largest Slytherins with his bare hands without breaking a sweat. Then he had dodged a sneak attack from behind that he couldn't even see without getting hit at all.

“How on earth did you do that?”

“Well, not all of the training Lupin and Moody have been giving me has been magical practice. There are a lot of situations Aurors find themselves in where they can't use magic, so they have to know how to defend themselves physically as well. They've been teaching me a few tricks. The dodge was just lucky, I think.”

“Somehow I doubt it was just luck.” thought Hermione to herself.

They paused briefly before entering Snape's classroom, expecting the worst, especially since they were late.

"Well, well. If it isn't our most notorious twosome. I'm so pleased you've decided to finally make an appearance in my class today. Twenty points from Gryffindor…from each of you." snarled Snape. Looking closely at Harry, he added, "What's wrong, Potter, did you forget your glasses and walk into a wall this morning?"

Glancing quickly at Harry, Hermione noticed that his nose was scraped and bleeding where his glasses had probably been shoved backward when he smacked Goyle with his forehead. As he reached to wipe away the blood, she noticed that his right knuckles were skinned as well.

"No, sir," replied Harry politely. "Actually, I was exchanging a few late Christmas presents with some of the Slytherins." Harry grinned at Hermione as he sat down while Snape watched with a confused look on his face.

*-*-*

By noon of the next day, everyone in the castle had heard about the late Christmas presents. But as when happened when Harry retrieved the Philosopher's stone, even though Harry and Hermione had told nobody what had happened, everyone had learned of the confrontation in the dungeon.

Officially nothing was done, because there were no witnesses who came forward or official complaints lodged. The Slytherins in the hospital wing made up a variety of pathetic explanations ranging from miscast acne removal charms to falling down the dungeon stairs. Unofficially, many teachers were working overtime restoring points being taken away left and right from the Gryffindors by an extremely irate and vengeful Snape. The first day after the incident, he took nearly eight hundred points from Gryffindor students in one day, a school record. Harry himself lost nearly three hundred points all by himself in the next potions class he attended, another school record.

By the end of the week, when most of the Slytherins had recovered, Crabbe still had a rather hoarse voice, Goyle's nose had somehow healed crooked, and the girl's wand was still in the form of a teddy bear, which she tried to carry hidden under her robes. They tried to ignore the laughs and comments directed at them as they sat at their table, glaring at the Gryffindors in general but at Harry and Hermione in particular.

After dinner that Friday, while most of the Gryffindors were heading back to the common room, Ron and Hermione stopped to talk about something from Transformation class while Harry continued on ahead. Suddenly, Ginny's very full backpack split and everything tumbled out. There was a hiss and a sharp meow from the side of the hall, and out ran Filch's cat, apparently startled by the sound of the bookbag dropping. Trying to help, Harry picked up several books and handed them to Ginny and then picked up a strange looking orb with what looked like a green rope twisted around the bottom. He looked at it oddly while it seemed to grow misty.

"Give it here, it's mine," snapped Ginny angrily.

"Here you go, I'm just trying to help," replied Harry, looking at Ginny strangely. She finished putting the rest of her things in the bag and left without another word. Just then, Ron and Hermione caught up with Harry and looked at Ginny stalking away.

"What was that all about? Why was my sister hissing at you?"

"What?" asked Harry.

"Weren't you listening, Ron? She said, `Give it here, it's mine.'"

"You must have better ears than I do, all I heard was her hissing and spitting like a cat. I thought she was going to scratch out your eyes, Harry." Shaking his head, Ron headed back to the common room.

Looking at Hermione sharply, Harry thought “You heard her say that, right?”

“Well, yeah. Why didn't Ron? We weren't that far away.”

“Remember in second year, when only I could understand what the basilisk and that black snake were saying, because I was the only Parseltongue?”

“Yeah, what are you getting at?”

“Well, I couldn't tell the difference between Parseltongue and English, they both sounded alike to me. But now you're able to translate different languages as well because of your Animagus form. Are you sure you heard her say that, or is that what you interpreted her to have said?”

“I'm not sure now. I might have interpreted it. Why—Ginny can't speak Parseltongue. She could only do that when…Harry! What are you suggesting? Surely you don't think Ginny is working for Voldemort!”

“Listen to me first. Ginny has been acting strange ever since her brother's death. I know everybody was. But Ginny still is. Not as strange as she was our second year perhaps, but she's been much different than last year. Now the Weasleys got a lot of presents and gifts at the funeral—remember there was a ton of people. What if another Death Eater slipped Ginny something? Not a book, but something else. That globe I picked up, it had a green serpent wrapped around the base of it. What if it somehow reminded Ginny of when Voldemort was controlling her through the diary? She knows better than to look at a book like that now. But it might only take a glance for something like that globe to do something similar. And it could have happened as soon as it was opened. I don't think that as long as Voldemort is alive, either of us will be completely free of him. Even though I'm not having nightmares anymore, I can still sort of feel him there at the edges, like he's waiting to come back and pounce. What if it's the same for Ginny?”

“Why do you think her strange behavior has anything to with Voldemort?”

“Somebody had to have told Voldemort where we were all heading for Christmas. Somebody had to have told him where the mansion on Grimmauld Place was. Somebody betrayed us. Either intentionally or unintentionally.”

“But Snape and Draco were there too.”

“Now you sound like Ron. Yeah, I suppose Snape could have done it, but neither of them were invited until the last minute. And Draco had never been there before.”

“Do you really think she might be the spy?”

Harry thought quickly. He didn't know if he should tell Hermione the truth. He did think she was the spy and he wanted to help her, but if they did, it might tip off Voldemort. No, better to keep acting like he wasn't learning that much, continue to keep Ginny and most everyone out of the loop about his secret training. The fewer that knew, the better. So many secrets. It nearly broke his heart to abandon Ginny like this, if she really was under the influence of Voldemort again. How could he do this to her and her family? How could he live with himself or ever look her in the eye again? To use her as another tool against Voldemort—did that make him the same as Voldemort? He tried to think of what a final victory would mean to everyone, a world without Voldemort. Would that be worth the price of a few more months, maybe years of torment for Ginny? The benefits of that final victory had to be worth it. It had to be.

“No, I think you're right. Ginny's probably not the spy. Ron was probably just hearing Mrs. Norris or his stomach rumble or something. I guess I'm just getting paranoid.”

Hermione didn't look convinced. “Are you sure you're OK, Harry?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine.” he told her. To himself, he thought, “I hope. And I hope Ginny will be fine. I hope I'm not making another monumental mistake. I hope.”

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Ch 21: Additional Help

Only one week after the incident with the Slytherin students, Harry screwed up his courage to go speak to Snape in his office. Knocking lightly on the door, Snape told him to enter. Snape was working on a potion in the corner, but when he turned and saw who was in his office, his face turned red with rage.

"I didn't think you had enough Gryffindor courage to actually come and face me alone. So you've finally come to offer your apologies for sending six of my students to the infirmary?"

"Beg pardon, sir?"

"You heard me. Well, out with it. I haven't got all day."

"I didn't come to apologize, Professor Snape. If you really want to know what happened, I would be more than happy to show you in a Pensieve. In fact, invite all of the students who were there, and we can see exactly what did happen."

Snape just gave him a withering glance.

"Do you really want to know the truth about what happened? Do you even care? Or do you still hate my father so much that you're bound and determined to take it out on his son?"

"Your father was an arrogant, insufferable…"

"Don't you dare speak about him like that! He saved your life!"

"Don't raise your voice to me, Potter. Don't forget who you are speaking with! I am still your…"

Furious, Harry clenched his fists to his sides as he struggled to control his temper. “He's put me through six years of hell—why am I even bothering with him? He's hated me and my family since before I was born. If he had sincerely tried to help me last year, maybe Sirius would still be alive now!!! Why did I ever let Dumbledore convince me to invite him for Christmas? I've tried all year to be civil, to be polite, to ignore his snide remarks and his bitter attacks…and for what?!?! Why not give him a taste of his own medicine? Why not pull a play out of good old Moody's playbook and turn him into a horned toad and bounce him around for a bit in the dungeon? Nobody would know and I could always wipe his memory later. Oh, yes, this could be great fun.”

“HARRY! What on earth are you doing?!?! Don't you even dare think about attacking a teacher! Where are you? What's going on?!?! Wait right there, I'm coming!”

“Hermione! Why are you reading my mind?!?! I thought you promised to never try and…”

“Don't snap at me, Harry! You're so angry right now you were practically screaming your thoughts at me. Get a grip before you do something stupid.”

Drawing a deep breath, Harry tried to calm himself down and realized he had already drawn his wand and was holding his wand and pointing it directly at Snape's chest. Looking in Snape's eyes he detected a mixture of anger, scorn, bitterness, and…fear?

"Awfully brave of you, Potter, threatening an unarmed wizard. Go ahead and do it then, if you've got it in you. Finish me off if you like. If you can. If you expect me to beg for my life, I'm not going to give you the pleasure. I've faced down much more powerful, more terrible wizards than you, boy!" spit out Snape, glowering with fury and hatred at Harry.

Harry's grip on his wand tightened until his knuckles cracked, then his wand slowly dropped to his side and he put it back under his cloak. “It's OK, Hermione. I'm fine. Thanks for bringing me back to my senses.”

“Hang on Harry, I'll be right there.”

“No, Hermione. I need to do this alone. I promise you I'll be fine. I'll explain later. And I'm sorry I doubted you. Thank you again though for being there for me, Hermione. It means a lot.”

“You're welcome. You know I'll always be there for you, Harry.”

“I know. Thanks.” Just thinking about Hermione helped soothe Harry's temper and enabled him to regain control of his emotions again.

Watching Harry put away his wand, Snape mocked him. "Lose your nerve, Potter? I never understood what Dumbledore saw in you. All that nonsense about a prophecy…you can't even control your own emotions, let alone enough power to seriously challenge the Dark Lord. No matter. After this little incident Potter, rest assured, you will be expelled from Hogwarts. I'm going to see to it personally." Snape then moved to slam his office door in Harry's face.

Raising his left hand slightly with the palm towards the door, Harry spoke quietly. "We're not through talking yet, Professor."

Trying to shove the door shut, Snape looked up in confusion at Harry.

"Oh, I'm afraid this little chat is over, Potter. I have much more important things to do." Again, Snape tried to shut the door, but it refused to budge.

"Professor Snape, I did not come just to provoke you. I…I…apologize for my earlier behavior."

"It's a little late for that, Potter. I'm going to make sure you get tossed…"

"I do not think I will be getting expelled from this school anytime soon…"

"Oh, you don't, do you? Well, we'll see about that, Potter."

"Professor Snape! Please stop and listen to me for just one minute! Please! I am sorry I lost my temper a moment ago. I did not come down here to argue with you or taunt you or threaten you! I came to ask for your help."

"You what?!?! What? Oh, this is precious! Perfect little Potter finally coming in to ask for help in potions. Afraid I might toss you out like you deserve? You should never have been allowed in this class to begin with. It was simply unbelievable, someone of your obviously mediocre talents and lack of aptitude getting an Outstanding on your potions OWL exam."

"Actually, I did not come to ask for your help in potions either. I'm doing quite well with my study of potions. I came to ask for your help in another area of your expertise."

"So you think you're qualified to reach your own judgments about your performance in potions, do you? How arrogant and presumptuous. So like your father. And don't try and butter me up with compliments either. You're wasting my time. Now get out."

"Perhaps you would be interested in a deal, well, actually something closer to a bet, Professor."

Turning away from Harry Snape snapped, "Are you still here, Potter?"

"Just hear me out before you try and throw me out again. I'm willing to bet that I can create any potion that a sixth year student would be able to do."

"You do, do you? And if you can't?"

"If you don't find the potion up to your standards, then I will withdraw from your class and never set foot in your classroom again."

"Oh, this is too easy, Potter."

"But if I do make an acceptable potion, then you agree to meet with me at least three times a week to discuss the subject I wish to work on with you."

"Is it Occlumency?"

Harry laughed humourlessly. "No, I think we spent more than enough time together on that project, wouldn't you agree?"

"So if you fail, you're out of my class? No running to Dumbledore?"

"You realize I'm trusting you to be a fair judge…"

"Oh, there will be no need for that Potter. You will, of course, be taking your own potion so any mistakes will be very obvious and serve to teach you a very needed lesson."

"Very well, shall we begin?"

"What? Now? Don't you want to try cramming for a day or two with Granger before you fail?"

"No. I don't need the books. Whenever you're ready, give me the potion you'd like me to make for you."

"Arrogance, Potter. It will bring you down. Very well, brew for me a potion for protection against the corporeal dead."

"Have we covered that one yet, sir?"

"Well, this particular class is running about two weeks behind one of my normal sixth year classes. We should be covering it next week I imagine. Shall I make out the resignation slip for you now Potter?"

"No, that's fine. I think I'll take a crack at it all the same."

"Surely you're joking, Potter. You've never even seen the potion made. And we all know that Granger is the only one who actually reads ahead of her classes. A single mistake with this potion can cause severe consequences."

"Such as stripping the flesh from your bones? Or creating an addiction to the drinking of blood?"

"Don't get cheeky with me, Potter."

"I wasn't trying to do that, sir. I was simply trying to demonstrate that I know the risks. Now if you would be so kind as to pass me a cauldron, preferably a silver one if you have one, I will begin your potion."

"Very well, Potter. There's a silver cauldron in the cupboard in the corner. Don't ruin it—replacements are very expensive. And here's a book with the potion in it. I don't want Dumbledore accusing me of trying to kill you."

"I don't need it. It wasn't part of the deal. I can make the potion without it."

"You're mad Potter—madder than I would have ever thought. Have it your way, then." Disgusted, Snape turned back to his potion and tried to ignore Harry. But something about the boy's confidence and courage, made him continually look back to see check what he was doing. After half an hour, he just sat and watched Harry work.

Oblivious to Snape's attention, Harry worked smoothly and methodically. He had read and reread all of the standard spell textbooks months ago, but was able to recall every spell within them with perfect recall thanks to the various mental exercises he had undergone with Dumbledore. Setting the pot to boil slowly while he chopped and prepared the ingredients, Harry whistled softly to himself. Pausing momentarily, he looked up to ask Snape a question, only to find himself being watched.

"Uhh, Professor Snape, would you prefer the potion to protect more powerfully against skeletons, or vampires, or ghouls, or something else?"

"What?"

"Well, the potion can be altered slightly to provide additional protection against a specific type of corporeal dead. Garlic for vampires, calcium for skeletons, that sort of thing. I was just wondering if you would prefer the standard potion or one of the modified versions."

"The standard potion will be fine, Potter" replied Snape. “How did Potter know about those other versions? We don't even bother teaching those here at Hogwarts. Where would he have come across those? There were probably some in the Restricted section, but…ahh. Of course. Somebody's been reading in the Restricted section all year. I figured it had been Granger. She's the only real bookworm in the entire school. I never saw Potter as that serious of a scholar. Hmmm.”

Three hours later, Harry's potion was slowly cooling down. Snape had continued to be impressed. He had been watching very closely, and Harry had not made a single mistake in creating the very complex potion.

Reaching down with a ladle, Harry prepared to scoop some out to demonstrate for Snape.

"Don't waste more of our time, Potter. We both know the potion was made flawlessly."

Harry, surprised to hear a compliment from Snape, looked over at him. Snape handed Harry several storage flasks and indicated that he should fill it from the cauldron.

"Now tell me what this subject you wish to discuss with me is and we can arrange the times you can come and visit me in my office."

"Well, I have been discussing various historical battles with Professor Binn, and he has been very helpful in describing the context, motives, and participants involved. But he doesn't feel as comfortable discussing in great depth the strategies and tactics that were actually used in many of the battles. Oh, he knows what they were, but can't always explain why they were chosen over other tactics. He suggested I speak with you about it," explained Harry.

"Really? Very well, then. Let me think about where we could start and I will let you know," replied Snape.

"Actually, I already have some battles and wars in mind that I would like to discuss with you, if that is OK."

"Very well, which one would you like to start with?"

"Well, I thought the two revolts of the Agrecian warlocks would be a good place to start."

"Yes, very interesting tactics in both of those wars." “And quite similar in many ways to our own current struggles. Very perceptive, Potter.” "Potter, I have an additional question for you. You are obviously talented at potions, when you apply yourself. Why do you continue to perform below your potential in class?"

"Well, in past years with all of the other things going on, it seemed like it was all I could do to barely survive in potions. But I can focus better this year, partly because of some extra training I had been receiving from various members of the Order of the Phoenix."

"Ahh, I should have guessed you were involved Potter. You're the reason the northeast tower is closed to students. I presume that is where you've been receiving this extra training."

"Yes sir. But I didn't think it would be a good idea if I suddenly started doing a lot better in all of my classes, particularly yours, sir."

"But I hear you're doing very well in your DADA classes. And Remus is always nauseatingly cheerful about the achievements of that little DA club you organized."

"Well, that would never surprise anyone. Everyone always expects me to be the best in DADA. After all, I have the scar, don't I?" replied Harry somewhat bitterly.

Snape looked at him closely. "Yes, expectations can be tough to live up to. Or to live down. But it wouldn't kill you to do better in potions. It might even inspire some of your classmates to see you improve."

"No, but it might shock some of them to death. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes, I'll be here in my office tomorrow at the same time. And Potter?"

"Yes sir?"

"Do try and avoid my Slytherin students as much as possible. Many of them really need to spend as much time as possible in the classroom. And I will be deducting fifty points for your little outburst earlier."

"Yes sir," replied Harry as he hid a smile and left Snape's office. “Who would have thought I could have a decent conversation with Snape, and almost hear him crack a joke while putting down his own students?”

“There's much more to this Potter boy than I had ever imagined. Voldemort, you have chosen your enemies very poorly. Potter is going to take you down. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure of that.”

*-*-*

Harry's extra lessons with Dumbledore, Moody, Lupin, Tonks, and McGonagall continued much as before the Christmas break, only he continually increased their frequency and intensity. When he got tired or needed extra time to study or practice, he simply used the Time Turner more often. Or he would sip one of his Power Potions, as he fondly called them, a type of energizing potion he had discovered in an old text from the Restricted area and refined to help him concentrate and maintain the energy he needed to keep driving his strenuous studies along.

With Moody and Lupin, Harry continued to practice dueling, sometimes against both of them, as well as working on advanced curses and countercurses and physical self defense. Tonks continued to duel with him and help him with various DADA spells, as well as practicing various disguise and information gathering techniques. McGonagall taught him various aspects of Transfiguration, including the enchanting of objects and the discernment of magical endowments on various items. Snape and Harry spent hours discussing various historic battles and the strategies and tactics that had been employed, and then analyzed how various scenarios using different approaches might have succeeded or failed. Dumbledore continued to teach him various mental techniques as well as practicing magic without a wand.

Apart from his official lessons, Harry spent even more time on his own, practicing and refining his various emerging skills by himself. Extremely proficient at shapeshifting back and forth, he continued to exercise and hone the other abilities he had in both forms, both magical and sensory. Though he continued to work hard in his Muggle science class to understand the underlying concepts and laws governing the natural world, he only tried to experiment with those elemental powers in small ways, since large efforts seemed to exhaust him. But he realized his abilities were getting stronger.

He and Hermione had continued working on their telepathic links until it seemed like second nature to them. They also visited the Forbidden Forest frequently to speak with representatives from different magical species trying to enlist their aid for the upcoming battles. They would fly in animal form, then Harry would transform to his human form to speak with the different groups. Hermione stayed in bird form, translating mentally for both him and the magical creatures they visited. She could have done so just as easily in her own form, but they thought it safer if nobody else knew she was there helping him. All of this was possible, of course, because of the improved Splittin' Images that Fred and George provided for them, which allowed them to slip out at night.

Harry even used the DA club meetings to enhance his skills. As he watched the various students dueling, he learned to anticipate which spell they would cast through very close observation and a developing intuition. He had been turning every class and situation he could think of into an opportunity to hone his magical skills and develop the instincts and reflexes he expected he would need to eventually confront Voldemort and his minions.

Quidditch practices became Harry's only time to relax and actually enjoy himself for an hour or so. Flying freely through the air chasing the snitch, Harry felt he could leave all of his concerns and the increasing pressure of his training behind, if only temporarily. Though he immensely enjoyed the time he spent with Hermione, most of the time they were so busy studying ancient texts that he had `borrowed' looking for spells to defeat Voldemort or visiting with magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest trying to gain allies for the coming battles, it was not really very relaxing.

Though Harry could feel his powers growing, and was growing more confident in his abilities, he was also feeling increasingly tired and worn out, despite the energizing potions and extra sleep he scheduled into some of his days. As the months of training dragged on, the pressure increased. Harry could feel himself becoming more distant, more coolly detached from those around him, more prone to snap out in anger and frustration. It took nearly every ounce of willpower to control his temper during some of his extra training, when he felt the pace wasn't going quickly enough. He lost his temper most frequently with his classmates in his regular classes, and occasionally blew up over small incidents in the Gryffindor common room. Most people started avoiding him, fearful of his oddly growing temper, which only reinforced his solitude. Hermione and Ron never abandoned him and did their best to help and support him, but neither of them knew about all of the training and pressure he was struggling with. Between the loneliness, the weight of all the secrets he carried, the increasing pressure of his accelerated training, and the gnawing fear that Voldemort might launch another attack of some sort before he was ready, Harry was unsure how much longer he could go on like this. But he had to. He knew there was nobody else to do what needed to be done. He had to keep it together. He just had to. There was no other choice.

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Ch 22: Quidditch Battles

As he sat with the others listening as Katie Bell finished her Quidditch war speech, Harry tried to enjoy the moment. For the next hour or two, all he would focus on would be finding and capturing the elusive snitch. No extra training, no managing the Time Turner, no worrying about whether he was training fast enough or hard enough for the battles he knew would come eventually. This afternoon would give him that much needed break from the relentless grind of studying and training he had set himself. Walking into the bright sunshine with his beloved Firebolt on one shoulder, Harry paused and exulted in the moment.

The moment the Quaffle was released, Harry soared into the sky. He was not hunting particularly hard for the snitch, but was rather enjoying the warm sunshine and cool breeze as he zoomed over the playing field. “If anyone deserves a bit of a break, I do,” he told himself. Avoiding the bludgers aimed at him by the menacing Slytherins, Harry amused himself by feinting towards an area now and again, drawing Draco after him. Ron's improved reflexes and intense training had paid off as he fended off goal after goal. The Gryffindors were in easy command of the game.

Cruising slowly above the level of the highest bleachers packed with students, faculty, and visitors, Harry kept one eye on the Slytherin beaters and another eye peeled for the snitch. Then he saw it, far off in the distance, in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Not a glint of gold, but of red. For a moment, he froze in shock. As he refocused his eyes to try and discern for certain what he thought he saw, a Bludger whizzed by his head, missing him by inches.

"Don't sit there like a bloody target, Harry! Move!" encouraged Ron from the other end of the field.

“Hermione! Is that a … Can you tell if that's a …a dragon?”

“A what-did-you-say? A drag…Yes, Harry. And she's furious about something.”

“Can you detect anything else out there, anything besides what's normally in the Forest?”

“Hate. Fear. Despair.” Harry could almost feel Hermione shudder.

“So they're bringing Dementors, too. Great! I'll tell Dumbledore, you tell McGonagall. Go now!”

As Hermione pushed her way through the crowded stands to where the faculty were watching, Harry flew to where Dumbledore was seated with several important guests visiting from the Ministry.

Harry hovered several feet in front of Dumbledore and started to explain what he had seen. "Professor Dumbledore, they're coming. You need to alert…"

The Slytherin beaters again took advantage of Harry's distraction to fire a pair of bludgers at Harry. Suddenly, Harry pointed his broomstick almost straight down. As he moved forward and downward, he rolled hard to his right. A split second later, he had completely reversed direction and was staring straight at the oncoming bludgers. As he rolled, he flexed his right wrist and his wand seemed to materialize in his hand. He took quick aim at the first bludger and muttered, "Momentium reversis." Immediately the bludger stopped in midair and flew back towards the beater who had swatted it. Luckily for him, he had continued flying past the point from where he had launched it at Harry's head. The bludger dug an enormous hole in the ground of the field when it finally landed. The other bludger was less then ten feet away when Harry turned to it and spoke quickly, pointing his wand again "Incendio bludger."

As the bludger exploded, Harry turned his broom away from the shocked looks on the players' faces towards Dumbledore again. The cheering audience fell into an immediate silence following Harry's actions and watched for what Harry would do next. Harry spoke again in a low voice to Dumbledore. Hermione had reached the teachers' stand by then and was whispering quietly to McGonagall who stood looking stunned, along with almost everyone else, by Harry's actions.

"Professor, you need to evacuate the students. They're bringing a red dragon. And Dementors. Lots of Dementors. Voldemort is launching an attack on the school."

Before Dumbledore could reply, several of the ministers sputtered, "Preposterous!" "What is the boy saying?" "Nobody can attack Hogwarts! Its defenses are too strong! Unbelievable!"

Glaring at the bureaucrats, Harry warned, "Professor, we don't have time for a discussion or a committee meeting. The students don't have time for this. They need to go somewhere safer. We can't defend the Quidditch field. I will try and distract the dragon, but the students have to go. NOW! Please, Dumbledore, trust me."

Pointing his wand at his throat, Dumbledore intoned, "Sonorus. Attention everyone, the Quidditch match has been canceled. All first through fifth year students are to return to the Great Hall, with first years going first. The faculty will assist you. All visitors will please join them. Professors Moody, Lupin, McGonagall, Snape, and Hagrid please meet me on the eastern side of the Quidditch field. Sixth and seventh year students will meet there as well. You may all leave now in an orderly manner."

Whispering a quick thank you, Harry flew to the center of the field, where the rest of the Gryffindor team flew to meet him, followed by a few of the Slytherin Quidditch players.

"What the bloody hell was that all about Harry?" demanded Ron. Harry glanced at him and Ginny briefly before Malfoy marched up. All three bore looks of complete surprise mixed with growing anger.

"You've got some explaining to do, Potter," sneered Draco.

"There's a red dragon heading this way. Voldemort is attacking the school. He's sending Dementors as well. I've got to find a way to distract the dragon, keep it away from the students until they can get safely inside," Harry explained to the whitening faces of his fellow students.

"What can we do?" asked Ron quietly.

"You can help get the others in safely," Harry turned to fly off.

"I think what he meant to say, is how can we help you distract the dragon?" explained Draco. Ginny shook her head almost violently in agreement.

Harry looked quickly at Draco and then at the shocked looks on the Gryffindors. Concentrating briefly on the various wands used by his friends in Gryffindor, Harry opened his eyes and commanded, "Accio wands." All of the Gryffindors' wands appeared, but of the Slytherins, only Draco's came as summoned.

"Yours is the only one I've seen often enough," smirked Harry. Draco grinned back. "You're probably not going to be able to bring the dragon down,” he instructed them quickly, “Our job is just to harass it and keep it away from the other students until they're safely in the castle and try not to get ourselves killed in the process. That's it. Now let's go."

As they rose above the level of the stands again, all of them could easily see the enormous form of a red dragon flying over the Forbidden Forest towards the school. With only moments to spare before the dragon would overtake the column of students heading towards the castle, Harry led the charge of Quidditch players. As they flew towards the dragon, they could hear the shouts and screams of students as they, too, spotted its hurtling form. The slowly moving orderly line quickly panicked and fell into confusion as students began running as fast as possible for the safety of the school, despite the best attempts of the teachers to maintain order.

Flying straight at the dragon's head, Harry watched as the mouth slowly opened and then he dodged as if to drop down and to his right, then flew up and to his left. Hissing in fury, the dragon tried to turn to snap again at him, but was unable to maneuver as quickly as the Quidditch flier. By that time, there was a swarm of Quidditch players flying around, above, and below the dragon, hitting it with stunning spells and sleeping charms. None of the spells seemed to have any other effect but to further enrage the dragon. But it had turned its attention from the fleeing students to focus its anger on the buzzing gnats that continued to annoy it.

Harry felt it first. The slow, mind-numbing fear that gradually sapped all of your joy and will to live. A quick glance told him that the Dementors were emerging from the forest. He could sense their anticipation at the feast of students lying before them that Voldemort had no doubt promised would be theirs for the taking. It looked like there were Death Eaters mixed in but he didn't have time to actually count their numbers. A brief look at the Quidditch field revealed Dumbledore with several of the faculty organizing themselves and the sixth and seventh year students into a protective arc that guarded the retreat of the remaining students. It looked like most of the students would be able to get to the castle before the Dementors would arrive. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he focused his attention back on the dragon.

As a blast of green shot by him, Harry shouted out, "Watch out for rebounding spells. Dragons are fairly resistant to spells! And watch for the claws and fire it can breathe!"

"Why didn't you mention that before, Potter," grimaced Draco as he narrowly avoided a sleeping charm that bounced off the dragon's thick hide. One of the Gryffindor beaters wasn't so lucky. A stunning spell struck him in the middle of the back, and he plummeted fifty feet to the ground, striking the ground soundly, flat on his back. Ron barely avoided a narrow stream of fire as he dashed quickly in front of the dragon and then off to its right. However, the blast caught Katie Bell in the side, knocking her clear from her broomstick and igniting the side of her Quidditch robes and her long braid of hair. Harry glanced at her quickly and extinguished the flames, storing the energy for his next spell.

Ron shouted "Wingardium leviosa!" as he pointed his wand at her to soften her fall. As he concentrated on easing her to the ground, he forgot about the dragon momentarily. At the last second, he sensed the raking claws of the dragon and dodged to the side, preventing his head from being completely severed from his trunk. The sharp talons ripped into his shoulder and slashed a bloody swath across his left cheek. Fighting to maintain consciousness and control of his broom, Ron fell from the sky and landed heavily, bouncing on the ground as he skidded to a halt not too far from where Katie Bell had fallen.

A scream of rage burst from Harry's throat, "NOOOOOO!!!" He looked at the still form of his best friend, bleeding heavily on the ground. His heart seemed to burst. He cast another stunning spell at the dragon, right below the throat and put all the stored up energy he had into it. It simply bounced off, narrowly missing the other Gryffindor chaser and Draco. It merely singed their robes as it passed by them. Rolling around the side of the dragon, Harry stole another glance at his fallen friend. Katie was somehow conscious despite the blast of fire which had knocked her from the sky and had crawled over to Ron to try and slow the bleeding. As he caught her eyes, she nodded in answer to the pleading question in his look. Ron was still alive. Right now at least. But he was bleeding heavily and probably wouldn't last long—especially if the Dementors or the dragon got to him.

The Quidditch players quickly realized that they had to watch out not only for the dragon's attacks, but also those of the Death Eaters. Dumbledore was able to stun a few, but there were dozens, and most of the remaining faculty and guests who had remained with the older students were trying to drive away the several hundred Dementors trying to reach the school. With most of the Hogwarts' staff focused on protecting the students from the Dementors, the Death Eaters were trying to knock the Quidditch players out of the sky. Luckily for the Quidditch players, they were extremely difficult targets to hit. But they were not impossible to hit, as one of the Slytherin beaters found out when he was hit with an Avada Kedavra curse that killed him instantly.

Wracking his brain for a spell potent enough to bring down a dragon, Harry dodged a pair of spells from Death Eaters. He flew below the beast, dodged another reflected spell and turned around to approach the slower moving dragon from behind. Finally thinking of a spell that might work, Harry chanted, "Bauttuerum Martel!" A blast of white light shot from his wandtip and hit the dragon right where the right wing met the body at the joint.

A scream of pain erupted from the dragon unlike Harry had ever heard before. Its right wing now bent at an odd angle, the dragon began to plummet to the ground, no longer able to remain aloft with one uninjured wing. The heavy dragon plowed a huge furrow between the castle and the Quidditch field as it landed roughly.

"Let's go back and help the others with the Dementors," shouted Harry at the others as he turned back to lead the way. He wondered briefly if he should stop and help Ron, but very little of his training had focused on healing, mostly just its opposite. He saw Katie finish tying some loose strips of robe and begin waving her wand over Ron.

“Harry, we've got to help her!”

“Who?”

“The dragon. She's only attacking because…”

“…because she's working with Voldemort? Are you insane Hermione? Didn't you see her nearly take off Ron's head!?!?”

“No, I've been a little busy down here with all the Dementors and Death Eaters who came to play. But listen to me for a minute. They kidnapped her clutch of dragonlings. That's how they forced her to attack the school. That's why she is so upset.”

“Well, I don't think she's going to accept our help now after we just knocked her from the sky. Do you?”

“Well, we've got to try. Come and get me and let me see if we can reason with her.”

“Have you been hanging out with Hagrid again?”

“Just come and get me. I have a feeling we can help her.”

“But what about the rest of the Dementors and Death Eaters? And Ron?”

“Harry, if we can get her help, maybe we can turn the tide.”

“OK, OK. Maybe you're right. I'm coming. I don't think I could do much more than Katie is right now for Ron anyways.”

Harry spotted Hermione in the middle of the defensive arc, just behind the professors. He swooped down low and slowed down, as if to catch her by the arm to swing her up behind him on his broom. He didn't seem to notice the half dozen or so Death Eaters who were anxiously watching his approach. As Harry's hand brushed Hermione's there was a sizzling explosion of lights, as they simultaneously cast a variety of curses at the pair. There was a puff of smoke and then when it cleared—Harry and Hermione were gone. Nothing remained where they had been but scorched earth.

The professors looked dumbfounded, unable to believe what they had just seen. Several of the students who had seen it dropped their wands. Even Dumbledore looked shocked and concerned. With renewed fury, despite the hopelessness that now gripped their hearts, they turned back to the enemies that confronted them, trying to buy more time for the students in the school. But what was the point? If Harry was dead, who would defeat Voldemort?

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Ch 23: Helping Dragons

Harry and Hermione reappeared on the other side of the dragon, hidden from the view of the students and faculty. Harry got off his broom, set it on the ground, and moved by Hermione's side.

“Why didn't you tell me you were going to teleport us? I hate it when you do that!”

“Well, I wasn't going to until I felt all those spells coming at us. Believe me, we're much better off here than there. Can you talk to the dragon at all?”

“Give me a minute… No. She's in too much pain right now. And she's nearly mad with fear over her children. I think we've got to do something for the pain first, before I can try talking to her.” Reaching out with her wand, Hermione concentrated intently and muttered "Dolorium obscurint." The dragon seemed to breathe a little easier.

“Can't you heal her bones or something?”

“And do what? Turn her wing into jelly like that git Lockhart did to your arm? I don't know dragon anatomy well enough to do it properly, and this is hardly the time or place to try something like that. No, I just masked her pain for a little while. I'm afraid it's the best I can do for now. Maybe Hagrid can help later.”

“Fine, can you talk to her now?”

After a moment, “Yes, but she's still so worried about her dragon hatchlings, that she's not listening to me.”

“All right. Let me try something.” Moving around to the dragon's head, where she could see him, Harry slowly stepped closer with his hands up and his wand out of sight. When she turned to see him, her eye filled with anger. “Calm her down for a minute if you can. Tell her I'm sorry, that we didn't understand why she attacked us. Tell her I'm sorry and that I would like to help.” As he told Hermione to do this, he slowly shapechanged to his dragon form. The look of anger was replaced by one of shock.

“She's listening to me! She can't believe what she just saw! She's never heard of a human who could take on the form of a dragon.”

“Tell her I am sorry again for adding to her pain. Ask her if there is any way we could be of service to her.”

“I can hear you Dragon Princeling. I am sorry for attacking. I wish you could help me, but you cannot. And now my dragonlings will die”

“Do you know where they are? Can you tell us?”

“I can show you the place as they see it. But it is of no use. It is magically guarded and much too small for me to enter. I have already tried. And several of those men are guarding my children. They will kill them if this attack fails.”

“Show me where they are. We will go and rescue them.”

“Very well. I would be most grateful if you could help.” She opened her mind to Harry and Hermione, giving them a view of a small cavern. There appeared to be three other dragon hatchlings, besides the one they seemed to be seeing the cavern through, and five Death Eaters.

“You can see through their eyes then? Can you talk to them as well?” asked Harry.

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

“Tell them to calm down, everything will be OK. And tell them not to attack the two young humans they are about to see appear in front of them.” Looking over at Hermione, Harry asked, “Ready?” She nodded. “You take the two in the back of the cavern, and I'll tackle the three in front.” He shifted back to his human form and stood by Hermione. With their wands out, Harry stood by her side and grasped her left shoulder with his left hand, so they were facing opposite directions, and then visualized the cavern as they teleported.

"Stupefy!" shouted Hermione. "Impedimenta!" The two Death Eaters in the back of the room crumpled before they fully realized the two were there.

"Bauttuerum Martel!" The three shocked Death Eaters in the front of the cavern flew back ten feet and slammed against the wall hard. Not one of them stirred. As they looked around quickly for other opponents, Harry quickly examined the three. All three were bleeding and unconscious, but alive.

“What was that spell? I've never seen anything like it.” asked Hermione.

“It's the one I used on the dragon's wing. It's called the Thundering Hammer. It was used during medieval sieges to knock down castle walls or gates. I used a light version on our friends over there. I figured that would probably be enough. But I gave the dragon everything I had. Tough old bird.”

Walking back to the four dragon hatchlings, Harry held up his hands again and mindspoke to them. “Your mother sent us to take you home. Can you picture your home for me?” Seeing the enormous cavern surrounded by steaming craters, Harry and Hermione gasped at the mounds of treasure they saw lying around in scattered piles. Reaching out to one of the dragonlings, he reassured them all. “It's OK now. I've come to take you home.” In the blink of an eye, he and the small dragon were gone, then Harry reappeared alone. In less than thirty seconds, he had returned the four dragonlings to their home. Grasping Hermione's hand, they returned to the side of the wounded mother dragon.

“I can think of no way that I could ever repay you, young princeling. No amount of treasure, no favor is large enough to repay the gift you have given me this day.”

“I was only too glad to help, after having wounded you earlier. I hate to ask it of you, with you still wounded and wanting to see your children, but we could use your help here to defeat the Dementors. Their only wish is to destroy the other children who are looking for shelter in the castle.”

“I would be only too glad to assist you, Princeling.”

“We deeply appreciate whatever aid you can give to us. We must go now to another part of the battle."

“Before you go, young Princeling, I would know your name.”

“I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I am Harry Potter and this is Hermione Granger.”

“Well met, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. I am known as Brunjildtha. Again I thank you for saving the lives of my children.”

Bowing deeply, “One can never be too polite to a dragon,” he thought, Harry squeezed Hermione's hand and they disappeared again. The dragon rose unsteadily, turned around and charged the nearest ranks of Dementors giving them a full blast of firebreath which incinerated them completely.

*-*-*

Harry and Hermione reappeared at the edge of the Forbidden Forest under the cover of the overhanging trees. Looking out, they could tell that the battle continued to rage fiercely. Suddenly they saw an enormous white stag charging through the ranks of the Dementors. Those too slow to move from its path were impaled on its horns and torn asunder, leaving their dark robes to flap in the breeze as their horrid bodies evaporated under the powerful magic of the Patronus charm. Wheeling around the stag charged again through the ranks, leaving a trail of black robes fluttering to the ground.

With a shocked look on her face, Hermione wheeled on Harry. "I have never seen your Patronus look so powerful, Harry. It looked like it had assumed a solid shape. I didn't know that was possible. But how did you do it?" Then her eyes narrowed. "And when did you cast it Harry? You've been with me the entire time. The last time you cast a Patronus that powerful it was because you had already seen it when we used the…" Reaching at the collar of Harry's robes, Hermione grabbed at the silver chain, nearly yanking it off of Harry's neck.

“Hey, ouch! That hurt!”

“And just how long have you been using this, Harry Potter?!?! And why didn't you tell me?”

“Well, you didn't tell me when you had yours, now did you? Besides, how did you think I was managing to keep up with all of the reading we were doing? I'm not as smart as you are Hermione.”

“Don't try using flattery to get out of this one, Harry”

“We can talk about this later. Right now we need to jump back in time so that I can cast that Patronus charm and we can help finish off this battle. OK?”

“Fine, but we're not through discussing this yet.”

Looping the chain around both of their necks, Harry flipped the hourglass over, counting under his breath as about a dozen grains flowed from one end to the other.

“What are you doing?”

“Just trust me. It's not like this is the first time I've used it. I know what I'm doing.”

Hermione remembered the queer sensation of time travel and opened her eyes to see the same forest surrounding them. At her side, Harry pulled out his Invisibility Cloak from the leather pouch that Fred and George had given them while Hermione looked at him curiously.

“This isn't any ordinary pouch, Hermione. Fred and George created this magical pouch so that I could just reach in anytime I wanted and pull out a joke from their shop to use. That way I wouldn't have to bother with owling them requests or anything. Well, I modified it a bit using Dumbledore's books and now I can pull any of my own possessions whenever I need them.”

Hermione looked fairly impressed. “Altering magical items takes a lot of time and study Harry. Where did you find the time for it?”

Harry just grinned, but Hermione felt a cold shiver run down her spine. He continued, “Look, I'll go up in my dragonform, invisible of course, and watch the battle unfold. Then right after we almost get hit by those spells I'll come back and teleport us a few feet away from it, hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. Sound like a good plan?”

“Yeah, it sounds fine.”

Harry disappeared and Hermione waited under the Invisibility Cloak in the form of an owl. She had no desire for one of the Dementors to sense her hiding here.

After about ten minutes, Harry reappeared. Hermione shifted back to her normal shape, and lifted the cloak for Harry to slip under as well.

“Not much room here anymore is there?” he seemed to laugh.

Hermione grinned back as Harry draped his arm around her shoulders, trying to get close enough to her so that they both fit under the cloak.

“Ready?” he asked.

She hesitated, enjoying the moment alone with Harry and nodded. He teleported them back to the middle of the battlefield. Lifting the cloak, Harry and Hermione peered out. They were several feet to the side of a scorched crater, behind Dumbledore and several of the other professors. Sizing up the situation, Harry raised his wand and aimed it where it seemed several of the sixth year students were faltering in holding back the Dementors.

Thinking how nice it had felt to have his arm around Hermione's shoulders a moment ago, Harry boomed "EXPECTO PATRONUS!" The white stag burst forth from his wand, leaped over the heads of several of the students, and charged through the front line of the Dementors sending them fleeing. Some of the students and several of the professors turned around with surprise in their eyes.

"Harry! Hermione! What happened to you two! Where did you go?" shouted McGonagall. "We thought you were dead!"

"I…uhh…fell off of my broom trying to pick up Hermione, and we rolled a few feet away from where all of those spells hit. With all that smoke in the air, Hermione pulled out my Invisibility Cloak and put it over us while I caught my breath for a minute."

McGonagall looked dubiously at Harry and then Hermione, while Dumbledore merely smiled. Thankfully, nobody asked where Harry's broom was.

"I'm very glad you both are OK. I don't suppose you two would have any idea why the dragon seems to have turned on the Dementors, would you?" asked Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, knowing Voldemort, he probably found some way of forcing her to help him. Maybe she changed her mind. I think we should just be grateful that she's no longer attacking us," answered Hermione. They both watched for a moment as the dragon blasted another small group of Dementors with her fiery breath as she mauled two Death Eaters foolish enough to get close to her claws.

"Yes, perhaps you'll help me thank her later." Dumbledore smiled and returned to the battle.

“How much does he suspect?” Hermione wondered to herself and then she too turned back to the battle at hand. She could see that while Harry's stag was still galloping among the Dementors, most of the other Patronus charms were weakening. The students as well as the faculty were getting tired from the continuing strain of trying to hold back the hundreds of Dementors that still remained. She could tell that they wouldn't be able to hold them back from the castle much longer. “Why hadn't the Ministry sent help? Didn't they know we were under attack?”

On her right side, Harry saw as several students down the line fell beneath the spells of several Death Eaters. Like Hermione, he too could tell that there was not much time left. As his fellow wizards and witches grew increasingly more tired, their numbers continued to decline as they were picked off by the Death Eaters. As he prepared to cast a stunning spell at them, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a trio of Death Eaters take aim at Hermione and himself. Spinning, he aimed his wand at the three and shouted, "Incantantum Reducto!" and pushed Hermione down to the ground in front of him. One of the spells was a death curse. Harry's spell crossed with it and the two spells altered course, sailing over the heads of the warring factions. The second curse was a powerful stunning curse, strong enough to stop the beating of a heart or the expansion of the lungs. This curse hit Hermione in the shoulder, sending her spinning away from Harry and flying backwards. Harry heard a sickening crack as her shoulder separated but was thankful the curse hadn't struck her in the chest as intended. He was sure it would have killed her. His relief was short lived as the third spell, a Cruciatus curse, struck him in the side.

The pain was severe at first and then intensified as the caster concentrated. On his hands and knees by Dumbledore, Harry grimaced in pain but made no sound. Instead of trying to ignore the pain, Harry used it to feed his growing rage.

Dumbledore cast a stunning spell at the Death Eater casting the Cruciatus curse and broke the spell on Harry. Turning to help Harry to his feet, Dumbledore stopped at the look on Harry's face.

“Leave me alone. Let me finish it now,” whispered Harry harshly, his voice raspy. “Whatever happens next, you need to take credit for it. Tell them it was a defensive ward of Hogwarts you invoked or something. Nobody can know about my power yet. Not yet. Promise me Dumbledore. And take care of Hermione. And Ron." Then Harry slumped to the ground.

Dumbledore raised his arms and noticed that the air was suddenly very dry. Then he saw a few dark clouds forming at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. As he looked over the field of battle, he noticed that the grass and bushes no longer looked as green, they seemed to be drying out even as he watched.

He noticed that on the right side of the defensive arc, the Dementors had broken through. Several of the Dementors were bending over fallen students, but many more were now headed towards the school. Suddenly, Harry's stag was there routing the Dementors, attacking those that were trying to suck the souls from the fallen defenders.

A moment later a flash of light lit up the afternoon sky followed by a massive clap of thunder. A lightening bolt struck the Dementor closest to the school. The massive burst of electricity then branched out and pierced the robes of the Dementors behind it. In less than a second, nearly fifty Dementors had collapsed into smoking piles of robes on the ground. With a surging cheer, the Hogwarts defenders redoubled their efforts and strengthened their defensive arc. Another lightening bolt struck in the middle of another group of Dementors and lit a small tree on fire. The flames from the tree quickly spread along the grass and formed a slightly rounded line, one that ran roughly parallel to the defensive arc, only larger because it was farther away from the school. A third bolt of lightening struck the ground right in front of the professors, knocking everyone within twenty feet to the ground. A similar line of fire quickly spread, separating the Hogwarts defenders from the attacking Dementors and Death Eaters, who now looked with growing concern back and forth between the fire lines that had them trapped.

Oddly, the defenders felt no heat from the raging inferno just feet in front of them. They could tell that was not the case from the looks on the faces of the Death Eaters. Many of them were beginning to panic as the fire lines slowly converged, trapping them in the middle. Some tried to Apparate away only to discover that they couldn't. Dumbledore looked around and noticed Dobby leading most of the elves from the castle watching closely, deep in concentration.

Dumbledore then raised his voice, hoping Harry was listening. "Your only chance at survival is to toss aside your wands and masks, and gather in a circle between the converging lines of fire. Surrender and your lives may be spared. Continue your present course of action, and you will perish in the flames." He could not see what effect his words had, since the flame and smoke soon obscured all view of what was happening within the flame arcs.

Several minutes later, the fires extinguished themselves, leaving only a smoldering, charred surface. Sending the students back to the castle doors, Dumbledore left McGonagall and Hagrid to watch over Hermione and Harry and the other fallen students, while he and Lupin, Moody, and Snape searched the smoky area for survivors. In the very center of the burn area, they found a ten foot ring that seemed untouched, filled with about ten Death Eaters lying on the ground coughing. There was not a single trace of a Dementor. Leaving the three Professors to take care of the surviving Death Eaters until Aurors from the Ministry of Magic arrived, Dumbledore returned to McGonagall and Hagrid.

McGonagall looked at him questioningly with an eyebrow raised. "Albus, what was that? What did you do?"

"It was an ancient magic, a strong defensive ward of Hogwarts, that was invoked to protect the students."

"Oh really, Albus. I thought I was fairly familiar with all of Hogwarts' defenses, but I've never heard of that one. One so powerful."

"That is the story we will tell, Minerva."

"Of course Headmaster." Minerva headed back to the students gathered at the front door to begin organizing them to take the various wounded students from the battlefield to the Great Hall, which they would convert into a temporary infirmary. She sent several of the students inside to tell the other students the battle was over and to return to their common rooms to await further instructions.

Leaning down to Harry, Dumbledore grasped his shoulder and whispered, "Thank you for showing mercy, Harry. It is perhaps more than they deserve, but it is noble of you to extend it nevertheless. Thank you. I'm very proud of you. You saved us all today."

Raggedly drawing breath, Harry whispered back, "Is Hermione OK? Ron? Is everyone else OK?"

"I do not know yet, Harry. It is too soon to tell. We may have lost several students, but all of us would have perished today without your efforts. Thank you again. Do not blame yourself, Harry. You did the best you could. We all did."

"Dumbledore, have Hagrid help the dragon. I think her wing is broke. I'll talk to her. Make sure nobody knows that I did this. He can't know yet of the powers I'm developing." Harry sent a quick mental message to Brunjildtha that Hagrid would be able to help her heal until she could return home. Then he closed his eyes and muttered, "I am so tired. Sooo tired." As Harry's head rolled slowly to the side, Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise. Harry's face became much paler, much thinner. Most surprising of all, he appeared almost transparent, ghostly even. Sucking in his breath, Dumbledore reached down as if to lift him up. Unbelievably, his hands seemed to pass right through Harry's body. Reaching for his wand, Dumbledore muttered "Corpilus integris," and then "Mobilicorpus." Placing Harry's Invisibility Cloak over Harry's body, he directed it to the castle.

Passing by McGonagall, Dumbledore whispered, "Make sure the rest of the wounded students get to the Great Hall. Have Miss Granger sent to the infirmary. I'm taking Harry there myself, now. Have Moody inform the Ministry and St. Mungo's to send as much help as possible. Get in touch with Arthur and Molly Weasley and have them come here to organize a system for the students to get in touch with their parents. As soon as the Ministry learns of this, we're going to be swamped with owls and concerned parents. Take a few minutes and reassure your Gryffindor students. But as soon as you can, I need you to round up all of Harry's special instructors and have them meet me in the infirmary. Have Severus come as well."

"But where is Harry? I don't see him."

"I will explain later, Minerva. Be sure to bring them. Oh, and I would like a word with Dobby as well." Dumbledore headed into the castle, ignoring the very puzzled look on McGonagall's face.

Half an hour later, both Hermione and Harry were settled in beds in the infirmary. Dumbledore sat between them, looking mostly at Harry. He turned as the door opened and in walked McGonagall, Snape, Moody, Lupin, Tonks and Winkley.

"Headmaster, I'm afraid we have lost fifteen students. Another seven are in very critical condition, but are expected to survive. Ron Weasley is one of the most severely injured, but they think he will recover as well. There are a number of other students with minor injuries, nothing too serious. We are still receiving help from St. Mungo's and the Ministry has sent every spare person they have to help as well. Arthur and Molly have started organizing visits for the parents of those students who are injured and notified the parents of all those who escaped without harm to the castle. I informed the families of the students who…who did not make it through today. They are visiting with the Weasleys right now," reported McGonagall.

"Thank you Minerva. I will go visit them as well shortly. But first there is another important matter I must discuss with all of you. It concerns the extra training of Mr. Potter," announced Dumbledore, turning to Harry.

There was a number of gasps as the professors got their first good look at Harry. His face was deathly white and his cheek bones seemed to jut out through his thin skin. His breathing was extremely shallow and labored. Most incredible of all, he appeared to have all the mass of a ghost. They could easily see the bedsheets he was lying on right through his chest.

"Is he dying?" choked McGonagall.

"I do not believe so," Dumbledore looked around at the concerned and perplexed professors. "But I am not sure how much longer he will be with us in this time."

-->

Ch 24: Second Council

Looking around at the uncomprehending faces, Dumbledore continued. "As you all know, Harry was working very hard taking extra classes and doing extra training. But until today, I had no idea just how much he was trying to do. I should have foreseen it, I should have guessed, I should have known Harry would try something like this…" Dumbledore paused, then continued. "Minerva, how much time were you spending with Harry on extra lessons?"

"Well, he would come by about twice a week and we would work for about three hours. Plus I gave him hefty amounts of reading, so I would guess maybe altogether he was spending fifteen hours a week on my training in addition to his Quidditch, DA club meetings, and regular classes. I figured fifteen hours on top of probably fifty hours for the rest of that wasn't too extreme." She looked at the amazed faces around her.

"Moody, Lupin? About how many hours did you spend with him in extra DADA training?"

"What do you mean, extra DADA training? I thought I was the only one giving him extra training," exclaimed McGonagall.

"I believe that is what Harry wanted us to believe," responded Dumbledore quietly.

"Well, Lupin and I were working with him on dueling and countercurses every afternoon for about two hours," explained Moody.

"And I worked an additional three hours twice a week with him," added Lupin.

"So did I," chimed in Moody. "And tons of reading on top of that."

"I worked with him three times a week on disguise and…" Tonks looked around the room nervously, "developing his Metamorphmagus skills. It seems he has that talent as well. Though he didn't want anyone to know about it."

"Ahh. Well that explains how he could hide his worsening condition from us. But he must be very powerful to maintain such a powerful illusion for so long," mused Dumbledore.

"He is the most powerful Metamorphmagus I've ever seen," replied Tonks.

"We visited three times a week for three or four hours at a time discussing strategy and tactics from various historic wars," whispered Snape. "I know he did an enormous amount of reading for Professor Binn's History of Magic class as well additional reading for our discussions."

Professor Winkle added, "Harry did a lot of extra reading for my class, but I believe he mostly practiced on his own. There wasn't that much we could really do together, beyond the experiments in class."

"What does Muggle science have to do with any of this?" asked Tonks.

"It was Harry's understanding of Muggle science that saved the school today." Dumbledore explained in a quiet voice. "There are two additional things I should probably inform you of today. Harry has developed not only a wide variety of talents, but is a mage of considerable power, as all of you have probably guessed. Well, one of the talents he has discovered and developed is that he can work magic through the basic elements. He can't control them entirely, nobody can do that. However he can get them to behave in certain ways, according to natural principles that he has been studying in his Muggle science class. It is an exhausting task however."

There was a deep silence in the room as the professors looked at Harry in awe.

"What's the second thing you needed to tell us?" asked McGonagall.

"Hmm. Yes. Have any of you noticed that students who are normally on time have been late? Or extremely early for class? Or perhaps you have been very late or early for a class or meeting?"

Looking around at the nods, Dumbledore continued. "I have noticed this myself, but I brushed it off as mere coincidence. Old age I thought. Besides, it is very common. But upon seeing Harry's current condition and after discussing it with you, I have come to a different conclusion. Let me explain.

Knowing now that Harry was spending so much additional time working with each of you, have you figured out yet how he managed to do it all? After all, it is not humanly possible for him to be physically meeting with all of you at the same time, nor to keep up with the monstrous load of reading we have all been assigning him. You see, I, too, have been meeting with Harry three or four times a week helping him develop skills casting spells without his wand and teaching him various mental exercises to help him study better and improve at Occlumency. Obviously, he spent many additional hours studying the books I gave him and practicing the techniques and spells we worked on. As he did for all of you. But not even the techniques I taught him could have allowed him to read all the material in the amount of time he would have had—let alone practice it and master it to the level we have seen him perform.

No, there must be some other explanation. It first occurred to me when I saw him on the battlefield, much as you see him now. I spoke with Dobby earlier. He is a house elf who is very good friends with Harry's and works in the kitchens. Dobby told me that Harry has had quite the appetite this year. Last week alone, Harry was going to the kitchen every hour during the day, sometimes every half hour to grab a small meal. With what you have all told me, I have no doubt that Harry was traveling back in time again and again to make enough time to do all of the work for your extra training. And I have no idea how many extra hours he has been putting in on his own, practicing and developing his various talents, and reading the books from our library as well as the comprehensive archives in the Ministry of Magic. From a friend of mine, I have heard that a number of private collections have been visited as well.

But he has overextended himself. Time travel is difficult enough to do once. But when one constantly loops back and forth, all sorts of problems can develop. I believe that is what is happening to Harry right now. I believe all the mental and physical stress of looping in time, together with the intensity of his lessons and training, and added to the enormous amount of energy he used today in saving the school is causing his current condition. I am not sure his body knows which time he belongs in."

"But how is that possible, Albus? Surely the boy cannot cast a time travel spell? And even if he could, he couldn't be powerful enough to cast it as often as you suggest could he?" questioned Moody.

"No, I do not believe he can. But he does not need to. He has been using my Time Turner." There were gasps around the room.

"You're the one who gave it to him? Are you MAD?" screamed Hermione as she sat up in her bed. She had been awake for most of the conversation, but had laid quietly in bed, seething with anger. “How could they have done this to him? How could they not notice? Didn't they care about him?” A quiet, logical voice inside her head gently reminded her that she hadn't noticed anything wrong, that she hadn't figured out everything Harry had been up to. That realization made her even angrier. "What on earth were you thinking, giving Harry a Time Turner?"

"I can understand your concern, Miss Granger. Technically, I did not give Harry the…" began Dumbledore.

"Don't play word games with me or hide your involvement with semantics, Professor," snapped Hermione as she rose from her bed to stand in front of Dumbledore.

"Now Miss Granger, if you'll just calm down," soothed McGonagall.

"Don't patronize me! I'm not a child! And it's your fault that Harry is nearly dead—all of yours! If it hadn't been for your silly secrets, your secret training, he never would have pushed himself like this. If anything happens to Harry…if he…if he…" Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she glared at Dumbledore, "if he doesn't get better, I'll put you under the Panzgigi curse. All of you! Now I'm going to the library to bring back a few books to read. Somebody has to find a way to help Harry. And somebody tell Madame Pince to stay out of my way and keep her Howler books off the shelves. I don't have time to deal with them and I will be taking whatever I need to read." Hermione turned and stalked angrily from the room, wincing slightly as she jarred her left arm hanging in its sling.

McGonagall turned to follow, but Dumbledore quietly shook his head. "Let her go Minerva, she needs some time alone. She blames herself as much as any of us for not protecting Harry better. She has her own secrets she is hiding and I suspect she is feeling partly responsible for Harry's condition. Give her some time and let her read, though I'm afraid she won't find any answers in her books this time. But do please let Madame Pince know that Miss Granger has my permission to read and withdraw any book she wishes. And kindly, but quietly, caution her to stay out of Miss Granger's way. We don't want our school librarian turned into anything unpleasant."

"What was that nonsense about the Panzgigi curse, Professor? What sort of rubbish was she making up?" asked Snape.

"Oh, I am afraid the Panzgigi curse is a real curse. Nearly seven hundred years ago, Panzgigi was a nasty, but powerful wizard with a number of enemies. One of his hobbies was to capture his enemies and cast a special transformation spell he developed on them." Seeing that everyone was listening closely, he continued. "The transformation worked randomly once cast, changing the victim into a new creature every day. One day the victim might be a scorpion, the next day a slug, or perhaps a spider. But always something most people would find disagreeable. Apparently Panzgigi liked to keep his enemies in several aquariums he had specially built and would occasionally put several of his transformed enemies in one to fight and kill one another. Needless to say Panzgigi was very disturbed."

"She dared threaten us with a curse like that," said a slightly more pale Snape. "How did she learn of something like that? I have never even heard of it."

"Few wizards have. It is mentioned in an ancient volume of Dark curses kept in the Prohibited section at the Ministry archives. I would love to know how Mister Potter and Miss Granger got in there, as would several Ministry librarians, I am sure," answered Dumbledore.

"But she wouldn't actually be capable of casting something like that, would she? She's only in sixth year," asked Tonks.

"You don't know her as well as we here at Hogwarts do. If any sixth year student would be capable of casting a spell like that, it would be Hermione Granger...or Harry Potter.""

"But she wouldn't would she…" followed up Tonks.

"Given a chance to calm down and under normal circumstances, I would say no. However, given the proper motivation and her deep…uhh…concern for Harry, I would have to say that she would be quite capable of something like this. But only if it might help Harry." Dumbledore looked around at the other instructors. "I have heard that Rita Skeeter has a very interesting story she could share about Hermione's ability and determination to protect Harry," he added wryly.

Noting the serious looks being passed around, Dumbledore continued in a somber voice. "I will of course speak with Madame Pomfrey to see if there is anything else we can do for Harry. However, I am afraid there is not much we can do except wait and hope. Obviously, none of what we have discussed here leaves this room. Right now, we have a number of other students and their families we need to attend to—go and help as best you can. Minerva, if I could have a quick word with you?" They whispered softly at the door as the other teachers left and then they left the room as well.

Later that evening, Dumbledore stopped by the infirmary to check in on Hermione and Harry. He had, of course, heard the rumors circulating around the school about floating stacks of books, but even he was unprepared for the piles of books around Harry and Hermione that threatened to fall over and crush them both at any minute. “She must have brought down half the library!” he thought to himself with a wry chuckle.

"Miss Granger, I have come to offer my apologies once again. I am terribly sorry about what has happened to Harry. I should have known he would try and push his limits."

Looking sadly at Dumbledore, Hermione replied, "I should have recognized what he was doing, too. I helped push him just as hard as any of you did. I feel terrible. I've got to find a way to help him. And I'm sorry about threatening you with the Panzgigi curse."

"I am sure you will find a way to help Hermione, but I do not believe the answers you are looking for will be found in a book. Sometimes there are other ways, more powerful ways than magic, to help those we care about," suggested Dumbledore. "I will be checking in on you and Harry again tomorrow." Then Dumbledore left.

As she turned back to her pile of books, Hermione wondered, “What did he mean, other ways more powerful than magic? What could be more powerful than magic? Surely not Muggle science? Muggle medicine? I doubt it! What then? What?”

*-*-*

Dumbledore had suspended classes for two weeks, allowing the students to return home and visit their families if they wished. Nobody had been able to figure out how so many enemies had been able to get so close to Hogwarts without setting off any of the defensive wards or alarms protecting Hogwarts. Most of the faculty worked with Dumbledore and Aurors from the Ministry in restoring the protective and defensive wards around Hogwarts and establishing new defenses.

Newspapers covering the Battle at Hogwarts, for that is what they were calling it, sold out in minutes and ran through multiple editions. Everybody wanted to read about the powerful Dumbledore invoking the ancient protections of the Hogwarts school and the continued heroics of The Boy Who Lived. According to the papers, Harry Potter had first spotted the approaching army and had flown off to defeat the dragon by himself. Once he had defeated the dragon singlehandedly with a powerful stunning spell, he had created an army of Patronus charms that held off the Dementors until Dumbledore was able to trigger the protective fire spell. While Harry had concentrated on defeating the Dementors, twenty Death Eaters fired their spells in unison to strike Harry Potter. According to the most popular account, Harry had actually reflected all of the spells at the casters, remaining untouched. However, the effort he had expended at the battle had so tired him out, he was still recovering. That, and his natural shyness were used as explanations for why nobody had seen him or spoken with him since the battle.

There was little mention of the fifteen funerals that were held for the students who had perished at the Battle of Hogwarts. At least one member of every house had perished in the battle. All of the other students were recovering under the careful eye of Madam Pomfrey and the staff at St. Mungo's who had come to help. All of the students were well on the road to recovery except for Harry. A week had passed, and still there had been no significant change in Harry's condition.

*-*-*

Late one afternoon, Hermione shifted in her chair and adjusted the thick tome she was reading. Nearly a week of solid reading and she had found nothing—not one thing that might prove useful in helping Harry recover. For the thousandth time, she was tempted to use the Time Turner to give herself additional time to read and search. Then she would look again at Harry and see for herself the consequences that could occur. With a disgusted sigh, she tossed the book aside on a large pile of discarded tomes. Standing, she stretched with both arms. Her shoulder felt much better, the bones mended and the shoulder back in its socket where it belonged. Hearing the door open, her head snapped up.

It was Ron and some girl was with him—Katie Bell? “Oh Ron! I haven't been to see you at all! How could I have been so thoughtless?! I've been here so worried about Harry, and Ron nearly died, too! What kind of friend am I?”

She ran forward. "Ron, I am so sorry I haven't been by to see you! You must think I'm a terrible friend. I…" she couldn't actually bring herself to say that she had completely forgotten about him in her concern over Harry and ended lamely, "I've just been very busy." She couldn't help staring for a moment at the long scar that ran across his left cheek.

Looking at the stacks of books, Ron chuckled. "I can see that. Starting your own library in here Hermione? Don't worry, I've had plenty of company while I've been getting better." He looked quickly at Katie and then back at Hermione.

Running his finger along his scar, Ron added, "Pomfrey says the scar probably won't completely fade away. How cool is that? How many friends do you have with a dragon claw scar?"

"Actually I hope none of my friends ever get a scar," she replied.

"So how is he doing?" He headed over to Harry's side. "I can't visit long. If Pomfrey finds out I've slipped away, she'll put me in a bed for another week."

"He looks a little better now, but there's been hardly any change at all in a week," answered Hermione sadly. "I haven't been able to find anything at all to help him."

Both Ron and Katie gasped when they got close enough to Harry to realize they could see through him.

"What happened to him?" asked Katie. "What kind of spell would do that?"

Looking at Ron, Hermione replied, "They don't know for sure."

Ron knelt down by his friend's side and tried to take his hand in his. "You hang in there mate. You come back to us, you hear. Hermione's taking good care of you, you'll be OK." Ron turned as Katie leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Hermione heard her perfectly. "Come on Ron, you need to get back to bed. Pomfrey will have a fit if she catches you sneaking out. And she won't let me visit anymore." Neither one of them had noticed Harry stir slightly when Hermione's name was mentioned. Only Hermione saw it.

"Well, I guess I better head back. Take care of him for me, OK, Hermione? I'll be back as soon as I can to visit. And don't be a stranger, OK?" said Ron as he looked at Hermione, then at Harry, then turned back to the door. Hermione saw him reach for Katie's hand as they walked to the door and how Katie reached back for his hand to grab it tightly.

“What kind of idiot was she? Why hadn't she thought of this before? Not every answer is in a book, silly gir,”~ she chided herself. “Of course. Maybe this was like Harry's nightmares. Magic hadn't helped then either. It was only when she had put the washcloths on his forehead. But then again, maybe it wasn't just the washcloths either. Maybe it was something else.” Moving to the side of Harry's bed, she tried to grab Harry's hand and hold it tight. "Listen to me Harry. It's Hermione." She saw him stir again. "You've got to come back to us. We need you. I need you." “I don't know what I'd do without you, Harry. You've got to come back to me. I can't imagine living my life without you. Please come back to me.” She sat for a moment, shocked by the thoughts that had just crossed her mind. Then she realized they were true. As the tears streamed down her face, she tried to hold his hand again and kept thinking, “Come back to me Harry. I need you. I love you. Come back, Harry. Please come back to me. I love you.”

*-*-*

He felt as if he had been wandering among these memories for an eternity. He kept reliving the seemingly endless days of training and studying. It was all just a huge blur. He couldn't seem to decide where he fit in at all. He knew that he was the one doing the studying and practicing the magic spells, but he felt like he was watching himself go through the motions as well. As if part of him were actually living, and part was just watching him live. He didn't know how to make any sense of it. So he kept watching.

Then he heard a name—two names actually. They seemed to mean something to him, but he couldn't be sure. Hermione and Harry. He thought about them for a minute. They seemed to be important somehow, for some reason. There was a voice, too. It seemed familiar somehow. He wasn't sure why, but he felt drawn to it. Through the shadowy world of images, he followed the voice, searching for the source. Occasionally he lost it, but he simply focused harder on finding it again. Retracing his steps, he always found it again. For some reason he didn't quite understand, he felt driven to find the voice. And so he searched. And searched.

*-*-*

Lifting her head slightly, she tried to remember where she was. All she could see was white. As she lifted her head higher, she realized she had fallen asleep with her head on Harry's chest. Jerking wide awake she stopped and stared. Harry no longer looked deathly white. He was still pale, and rather thin, but she could no longer see right through him. His body was solid again!

"Harry! Harry! Wake up!" she cried, looking expectantly at his face. He stirred, and she thought she detected the trace of a smile, but his eyes remained closed. She grabbed his hand and shouted at him again. "Wake up, Harry! It's me, Hermione!" Though he moved slightly, he still remained asleep.

“It's OK. It's OK. He just needs a little more time. He just needs a little more rest,” she kept telling herself. After all, physically, he looked much better. She felt sure the mental healing would soon follow. She sat holding his hand and whispering to him for another hour, then decided she should go get some breakfast.

As she closed the door behind her, she didn't realize this was the first time in a week she had actually stepped outside of the infirmary. It didn't strike her as odd that she saw few students headed to class in the hallways. When she arrived at the Great Hall, she saw that there were beds lining the wall. Confused, she saw Ron sitting in bed with Katie sitting in a chair by his side. As she approached, she saw Katie jump back and drop Ron's hand.

Ron grinned easily. "Hey, Hermione. How are you doing? When was the last time you brushed your hair?"

Katie reached out and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Oww!" he complained. "That's the one the dragon slashed!"

"Ohhh, I'm sooo sorry," apologized Katie. "But I thought it was your left one?"

"Oh yeah, you're right. It was the left one," smiled Ron. Katie punched his right shoulder again, harder this time.

"Ummm. What is everyone doing in here? Where would I get some breakfast?"

Chuckling, Ron replied. "You have been out of the loop, haven't you? They made this into the temporary infirmary. There were too many to fit in the regular one. Besides, everyone figured Harry was pretty out of it, since nobody's seen him in a week and has been in the infirmary by himself. Well, except for…" He smiled wickedly as if to add something, but stopped at a warning look from Katie. Hermione didn't notice. "Haven't you eaten in a week?"

"Ummm. I think somebody must have been leaving food around the infirmary for me to eat. I don't really remember," admitted Hermione. "Where is Dumbledore? I need to talk to him. Harry's looking much better. No, he's not awake yet, but he's looking a lot better. Thanks to you two," and she smiled widely at both Ron and Katie.

Katie reddened and Ron muttered, "Uhh. Sure, glad to help. Though I'm not sure how."

"I think I'll just go look for him myself," Hermione stood up to leave and then turned to Katie. "You can hold his hand if you want to, Katie. I'm not going to hex you." Smiling again, she turned again and left Ron sputtering and Katie laughing.

By the time Hermione had tracked down Dumbledore, he already knew. Apparently the whole school was buzzing about how Harry was slowly improving, though nobody knew exactly what was wrong. Before returning to the infirmary, she stopped by the kitchen where she was nearly smothered by Dobby in a huge hug. After explaining that yes, Harry was doing much better, Hermione was fed until she nearly exploded. She finally returned to the infirmary and sat with Harry for awhile, gently holding his hand and mindspeaking with him.

Weariness finally overcame her, and she fell asleep in the chair again. She did not waken as the door opened slowly and three figures stealthily entered. Nor did she wake up when one of the cloaked figures pulled out a wand and whispered, "Serpentsortia." Only when the fangs sank into her neck did Hermione awake with a frightful scream. She surged to her feet, ripped the black snake from her neck, and wheeled to face her attackers. As she whipped out her wand, she collapsed to her knees. As the darkness surrounded her, she fell to the floor and saw nothing more.

When Madame Pomfrey burst from her quarters at Hermione's scream, she froze when she saw the three wands aimed at her. "What do you think you're…" she managed before she was blasted backwards by three stunning spells to crumple on the floor by the wall.

"Now your turn, Potter," threatened a high, thin voice full of hatred and malice as the wand turned towards the unconscious wizard.

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Ch 25: Slytherin Treachery

He hadn't heard the voice for some time, but that didn't worry him. For some reason he knew it would be back. So he focused on the names again. Harry and Hermione. Hermione and Harry. Slowly, the darkness lightened, and he begin to catch glimpses of other memories. Many of them were dark and dangerous, some were light and humorous. In almost all of them was the image of a brown haired witch by the side of a dark-haired young wizard with glasses. There were occasionally other figures of course, but the most constant one was the witch with curly brown hair.

“Hermione! That's who the witch was! Hermione! Then I must be Harry! I'm Harry! But Harry who?” Then it came to him. “Harry Potter.” In an instant, he was flooded with all of his memories, from the earliest ones he could remember to the last grueling months of training. How long he watched his life unfold before him again, he did not know. But he saw it all with a different perspective.

In particular, he viewed his latest year of schooling much differently. Where before, he felt as if he had been living a life fractured in a thousand different pieces, he looked back on his recent training as a whole. He could see now how all the different aspects of his study and training had contributed and complemented one another in a way he had missed before. Everything seemed much clearer now.

But there was something else that felt different as well. He paused, wondering what it was. Then he watched as a parade of memories passed before him again, this time focusing on Hermione. As he viewed the many ways she had helped him, how she had always been there for him and supported him, he realized what it was that was different. It was his feelings for her. “How could I have been so blind before? How could I have been so thick?” He finally recognized that the strongest force he had felt in the past year was his growing feelings toward Hermione. They had always been there for each other. They knew each other better than anyone else. He hadn't realized until now how much of his motivation for training and studying came from her support, from a desire to protect her, from the hope of making a world safe where they might have a future together. When he had given it any thought at all, he imagined it was a desire for revenge, or a sense of duty that compelled him to prepare for a confrontation with Voldemort. But now he realized that it was his growing love for Hermione that kept driving him forward and had sustained him through the grueling training he had undertaken. It was her love and constant support that had really enabled him to accomplish all that he had done so far. She had helped him prepare and survive every one of his dangerous adventures. She had helped him through the nightmares of the previous summer. She had helped him become an Animagus. She had supported him through all of his training and studying this year. And if he managed to defeat Voldemort, Harry suddenly realized, Hermione would be the deciding factor. “I can't do it without you Hermione. I need you. I've always needed you. I…I love you Hermione.”

Shocked at his own admission, Harry was unprepared for the warm feeling that seemed to be burning inside his chest. He had never felt so good or so happy in his entire life. “Wow?!?! Is this what love feels like?” he wondered. “Is this what it feels like to be in love?”

Suddenly he heard the voice again, and realized it was Hermione. “I'm coming! I have so much to tell you! I'm coming!” he tried to tell her. Harry pushed steadily again through the returning mists. It was very tiring. Then her voice was gone. He realized she was still nearby, just sleeping. Feeling very tired himself, Harry paused. “I'll get some rest while she's sleeping. No need to wake her right now. We'll have plenty of time to talk later. Rest well, Hermione. I love you.”

*-*-*

In quiet anger, the thin Slytherin stalked across the nearly deserted Great Hall. Stopping by a bedside where a young man talked quietly with a young woman, he started to speak but was immediately cut off.

"Don't you have some first years to go scare, Ferret?" taunted Ron, as he looked away from Katie.

"I didn't come to swap pathetic insults with the likes of you, Weasel. Do you have your wand with you?"

Surprised at the turn of conversation, Ron replied. "I never go anywhere without it. Why? Am I going to need it?" he said as he drew his wand from under his pillow.

"Unless you can cast spells without it bring it and come with me now," commanded Draco.

"Hey! I'm not one of your Slytherin sidekicks you can just boss around…" protested Ron.

"If you want your friends to live to see another day, you'll come with me right now," hissed Draco.

"What?!?! If you've done anything to Harry or Hermione, I'll…" growled Ron as Katie laid a restraining arm on his shoulder.

"I don't think he would come here warning us about Harry or Hermione if he was going to do something to them," whispered Katie.

"Listen to your girlfriend, Weasley. She's got twice the brains you have," sneered Draco.

"Malfoy," growled Ron and rose from his bed. Katie stepped forward between the two.

"Bring the girl if you want, but I don't have time to waste standing here trying to explain the situation to you," Draco spoke sharply and turned on his heel. After a quick glance at each other, Ron and Katie hurried to catch up with him.

"What's this all about, Malfoy?" asked Ron.

"I think someone means to finish the job the Death Eaters and Dementors couldn't at the Battle of Hogwarts," explained Draco in a low voice as he strode quickly through the halls.

"What do you mean?" burst Ron.

"How thick are you? Who would the Dark Lord like to see dead more than anyone else? And how tough would it be right now to kill a wizard who's flat on his back and been out cold for at least a week?"

"Harry," muttered Ron. "But they've redone the defenses. They can't come back again so soon."

"They don't have to break through the defenses if there are people already inside who would be willing to do the job for them."

"Like Snape," suggested Ron.

"Honestly, Weasley, you are such a thick headed idiot. How on earth Granger and Potter continue to put up with you never ceases to amaze me. Snape's not the enemy. But there are plenty of other Slytherins who would love to get even with Potter. A lot of them lost parents and relatives in the last two attacks on him."

"Like Crabbe and Goyle."

"Ahhh. So you do have a few brain cells after all. Crabbe and Goyle would love nothing better than to get even with Potter. But neither one of them is bright enough to do anything to him and get away with it."

"What do you mean? Like you said, it's not too tough to get even with someone who's out cold."

"But what's the point of getting even if you're immediately caught? They can't just attack him openly. I'm sure they're helping—I heard them talking about something earlier this morning—but someone else is doing the thinking. I think it's my wonderful cousin Deminique."

"Is that the transfer student from Durmstrang? The one who had her wand turned into a pink teddy bear for a couple of days by Harry?" asked Katie.

"It's good to see someone pays attention to things besides Granger."

"Ohh, her." Ron's eyes widened. "Well, she's certainly got a reason to be angry with Harry, but to want to kill him? I don't get it."

"You weren't listening when she was introduced, were you? Her last name is Lestrange. Her mother, my lovely aunt, was one of the Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic chasing all of you last year. I doubt the Dark Lord was very happy about their failure. What better way for Deminique to redeem her family name, and make a name for herself, than by eliminating Potter for the Dark Lord?"

They had been talking quietly as they marched quickly through the halls heading to the dormitory. They were a few steps away from the door when they heard a blood curdling scream. Racing to the door, Ron threw his shoulder against the door and burst into the room, Draco and Katie right behind him. They heard the echoes of “Stupefy!” and saw Madame Pomfrey fall to the ground. Curses exploded from their lips as they aimed their own wands at the three Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were hit immediately and fell to the floor, one was stunned and the other had a full body lock curse cast on him. Deminique had managed to dodge the initial flurry of curses and cast a stunning spell that Draco managed to dodge. However, it hit Katie in the chest and knocked her to the floor. Deminique then quickly cast Serpensortia again, hoping that the two snakes would distract one or both of her opponents.

"Ah, sweet, tormented cousin Draco. I see you've picked the wrong side to support. Just like your favorite teacher Snape. Your family would be so ashamed. But then your dad was foolish enough to get himself caught and your mum—well, mother said she barely lasted five minutes under her Cruciatus curse."

"That was her under the mask?!?! She did that to her own sister?!?!"

"Well, obviously she disguised her voice. She didn't need her own sister and nephew knowing who it was administering the Dark Lord's punishments. You wouldn't have been much use to her in the future. Not that your mother is of any use in St. Mungo's now anyways. But you Draco, will be of great use to me now. Thank you so much for showing up. I was going to frame the brainless trolls over there, but this will be so much sweeter. Once I dispatch you and the red headed freak, I'll use your wand to finish off Potter. A few memory charms and everybody will think you planned the whole thing. Everybody knows of your hatred and rivalry with Potter. And I'll get off scot free. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll send your sidekicks to keep you company when they pack you off to Azkaban—that is if they don't simply tear you limb from limb for killing their precious hero Potter."

Draco's face was white with fury. Ron was slowly backing to the door, his wand out watching the two black snakes advance towards him.

"Don't run too far," sneered Deminique. "Shall we?" she mockingly asked Draco.

They prepared to duel. Both their wands had barely assumed the ready position when they both launched their first curses. Spells bounced around the room as Ron finally stepped out of sight behind the door, the two black snakes slithering towards him. There was a terrible roar from outside the room that startled the two Slytherins and then Ron reentered the room, blood dripping from his hands as he raised his wand slowly at Deminique.

"How?" she started, astonished to see Ron still alive. While she was momentarily distracted, Draco shouted “CRUCIO!” and the spell knocked her to the ground, causing her muscles to contort painfully as waves of intense pain shot through her body.

Without an expression on his face, Draco stepped closer. "This is for me,” he hissed as he spun his wand slightly clockwise to increase the strength of the spell. Draco's expression did not change as Deminique's eyes filled with pain. She made no sound, though her body continued to twitch with painful spasms.

Ron stepped closer. "Malfoy, stop it. That's enough."

"Stay out of this Weasley. This is between family."

Ron grabbed Draco's arm and broke his concentration.

"I warned you to stay out of this Weasley!" and he pushed Ron backwards on the floor. As both Ron and Deminique watched in horror, Draco raised his wand again. "And this is for my mother. Avada…"

"DRACO MALFOY!" boomed the voice of Dumbledore in anger. Draco and Ron whirled to see him stride quickly into the room, his eyes blazing. "You are a Malfoy, but you do not need to end up like your father. The Malfoys are an ancient wizarding family, and you have many noble ancestors. You can help restore honor to your family name. But not if you use that curse on a defenseless witch. Use that curse and you will end up like your father."

Draco stood there, a series of emotions playing across his face. Finally he nodded stiffly and lowered his wand.

A sudden thrashing on one of the beds suddenly attracted everyone's attention. Harry's body was jerking violently on his bed. Harry began mumbling, his voice slowly growing louder. "Danger…must help her…awful pain…betrayal…snake…bit her…noooo…too late…too late…must fight, must find her…must remember…can't lose her now…must keep going…must return…needs me…too late…NOOOO!" With a start, Harry sat up and tried to stand, wobbling on his legs. Seeing Hermione lying on the floor at his feet, Harry screamed again. He fell to his knees and put a hand to her neck, trying to stop the bleeding. He remained oblivious to everyone else in the room. He tried to cradle her body and began rocking back and forth, moaning softly as the tears streamed down his face.

When Ron saw that Hermione was injured, he cried out in alarm and ran to her side.

Dumbledore was the first to notice that the room was quickly becoming very chilly. "Harry! You must calm down."

Harry looked up and seemed to finally realize that he and Hermione were not alone. "We've got to help her. We have to save her."

"I am truly sorry, Harry," said Dumbledore softly as he kneeled by Hermione and examined the bite marks. "I will revive Madame Pomfrey and see if she has any antidotes. Judging from the remains I found lying outside the room, I suspect the snake was conjured by the Serpensortia spell, and their venom is very difficult to counteract. I am afraid we may be too late…"

With a look of desparation, Harry asked, "What about Fawkes? He could help, couldn't he? He healed me from the bite of the basilisk."

"Ordinarily, he could. But he just died and returned to life last night. It will be a few days before his powers develop to the point where he might be of assistance. I am afraid we do not have that much time, Harry."

In a calm, quiet voice, Harry stated, "Then I will make the time." He reached for the Time Turner under his shirt. With a look of amazement, he realized it wasn't there and turned to Dumbledore. "Where is it?"

"What?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Professor."

"I wish I could help you, Harry. But I cannot."

Desperately, his emotions surging, Harry focused on Dumbledore “Where is the Time Turner? I need it to save Hermione. I can go back, bring Fawkes forward in time to help her, and then return him. Is that too much to ask?”

“Harry?” Startled, Dumbledore continued. “No, it is not too much to ask. But it is too risky for you to do any more time traveling. Your body and mind barely survived this past year. No one has ever attempted, let alone survived, what you have done these past months. I admit I do not fully understand how you survived at all. Or how you came back to us. But to risk going back in time again may very well put you back in your coma again, or leave you in some alternate time. You cannot take that risk, Harry.”

“I cannot take that risk? Do not lecture me on what risks I can take! Don't you think I know what the risks are? Every minute of every day I am reminded that I'm the only person who can oppose Voldemort. Every year, I'm told I can't do this or that, it might be too dangerous. I must be protected at all costs. I must survive to confront Voldemort while those around me suffer and die. I know! I know! The whole fate of the magical world depends upon me confronting and defeating Voldemort. Well, you know what? If I lose Hermione, we all lose. She has helped me face and overcome every obstacle and danger I have encountered since I came to Hogwarts. She is the only reason I made it through this awful year so far. And I know if I ever defeat Voldemort, it will be because of her. She is just as important to defeating Voldemort as I am. You have to let me go back in time once more to get Fawkes to try and save her. If you don't want me using it for anymore training, fine. But let me use it just once more to save Hermione. Please.”

Dumbledore looked steadily at Harry for a full minute, considering everything that Harry had told him. Then he reached into his pocket and gave Harry the necklace. “Very well. Take Hermione with you to the northeast tower and take her back in time with you to yesterday morning. Come visit me in my office, give this note to my past self, and we will see if Fawkes can help her recover. Then come back here to this time.”

“You have a note? So you knew all along? Why didn't you come earlier? You could have stopped Hermione from being…”

“And you may never have woken up from your coma or realized how much Miss Granger means to you. I am sorry Harry, but when we time travel we can never change the past. We can only try to shape the future. And this horrible experience may have been necessary for you to discover your feelings for Miss Granger and discover the power he knows not. Believe me Harry, if I could have spared you and her from this pain, I would have, but this may have been the only way to save you both. Can you get Hermione to the northeast tower?”

“Yes, I'm feeling much better.”

“Go quickly then. I will take care of everything here. Good luck.”

Taking the note and putting it in a pocket, Harry stooped and picked up the very pale and still bleeding Hermione. Ron moved to help, but he shook his head and whispered, "Help Dumbledore. I'll be back in a little bit. Trust me."

Stepping outside the room, he saw pieces of black snake everywhere in the hall. There seemed to be huge claw marks everywhere. “Good for you, Ron.” Harry smiled. Then he and Hermione disappeared, only to reappear in the northeast tower. As he put the chain first around his neck and then around Hermione's, he whispered, "Hang in there Hermione. Hang on. You're going to be OK. I promise." He spun the hourglass back to take them to the previous morning. Once his stomach settled, he pulled the chain off of their necks. He then teleported both of them to Dumbledore's office, only to discover that it was empty. He called out for Dumbledore, and surprised a number of the painted portraits.

Dumbledore came out of one of the back rooms looking around the room curiously and moved forward quickly when he saw the blood covered teens.

"Harry! You're awake but what happened to you and Hermione? Are you hurt? How did you get in here?"

"It's a long story Professor. Here's a note I am supposed to give you from your future self. Is Fawkes OK?" Harry passed him the note and turned to gaze at the normally beautiful bird. At the moment he looked rather sickly.

Dumbledore quickly scanned through the note as Harry approached Fawkes. Harry looked at Fawkes as he flew to his shoulder and pleaded, "Please help her Fawkes. You're her only hope. Please." Fawkes leaned over Hermione and several tears fell on Hermione's neck. Instantly, the holes in her neck closed and Harry could see the color return to her face. As Fawkes flew back to his perch, Harry hugged her tight and ignored the tears that started to stream down his face.

"Harry? Harry? You're OK?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

"I thought I had lost you, Hermione. I nearly did."

"I thought we had lost you, Harry. I couldn't bear the thought of that. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Smiling through his tears, Harry replied, "Oh, you'd probably be much safer far away from me curled up in a very comfy chair by a warm fire reading the latest edition of Hogwarts, A History."

"Well, if that's your idea of a thank you, you can put me down right now."

"Actually, I thought this might be a better way to thank you for everything you've done for me." He set her down and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Is that better?" he asked, smiling at her shocked expression.

"Actually, I was thinking of something more like this," as she leaned up closer to Harry's face. Looking deeply into her eyes, Harry smiled and bent down to…

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Ch 26: The Calm Before the Storm

Dumbledore discreetly cleared his throat, causing the two teens to jump apart. He looked at both with a huge grin on his face and his blue eyes twinkling merrily. "If you two will excuse me, I have a few things I need to do. I imagine you two would like to spend some time together, you probably have quite a few things to discuss. Please stay in my office. I will be back to have lunch with you at noon. You may stay here until three, when I have a meeting with the faculty and the Order regarding the status of the school's defenses and to discuss possible remedies for your condition—I guess we'll just focus on the school's defenses. You should probably return to your time with the Time Turner and then give it back to me Harry." With a smile, Dumbledore turned to leave.

"Oh, Miss Granger, would you please make sure that Mr. Potter stays away from the cabinets? Harry's curiosity has been known to get the better of him at times, and some of those objects can be very dangerous." Dumbledore then left the two sitting very close together on a sofa with Harry's arm around Hermione. They talked quietly under the watchful eyes of the former Headmasters.

Shortly before three, Harry teleported with Hermione to the northeast tower, looped the silver chain around their necks, put the Invisibility Cloak over their heads, and returned them to their own time. They waited for a few minutes. A very worried looking Harry appeared, carrying a bloody and pale Hermione in his arms. Hermione shuddered at the sight and listened as the visible Harry spoke, "Hang in there Hermione. Hang on. You're going to be OK. I promise." Under the cloak, Hermione squeezed Harry and whispered, "Thank you, Harry." Harry just hugged her back quietly. Once Harry and the pale Hermione disappeared, Harry teleported them both back to the hallway outside of the infirmary. Seeing nobody around, Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak and put the Time Turner and the cloak in his leather pouch. Hearing voices inside the infirmary, they entered.

"Hermione, you're OK! But you were only gone for a minute or so."

"We just went for a quick potion, Ron," answered Harry.

"Oh, right then." Ron seemed satisfied and turned back to Katie. "Enervate," he commanded. Katie's eyes flicked open and she looked around in confusion. Dumbledore performed the same spell on Madame Pomfrey and revived her.

Turning, he saw that Harry and Hermione had returned. "Feeling better, Miss Granger? You do not know how glad I am to see you back with us." Then he looked at the three Slytherins still immobilized by earlier spells. With a wave of his wand and the pronouncement of "Finite Incantatum,” all three found they could move again, though they froze again at the wrathful gaze they received from Dumbledore. "Never in the history of Hogwarts have we had a student attempt to murder another student in cold blood. Never! You will surrender your wands at once. Expelliarmus." Dumbledore reached out his hand, and caught all three wands as they flew in the air. "Mr. Malfoy will summon Professor Snape and the three of you will be expelled this afternoon." Dumbledore looked at Draco, who left the room quickly. "I will also bring the matter before the Ministry of Magic. You may be underage for a full criminal trial, but these are serious crimes that you have committed. You will be punished to the fullest extent possible. I guarantee it." Two of the sets of eyes looked at Dumbledore with pure fear. The other pair of eyes merely glared with hatred at Dumbledore, Harry, and Hermione.

Turning back to the Gryffindor students, Dumbledore said, "You may all return to your common rooms and rest there until lunch this afternoon," instructed Dumbledore. "After lunch, you will probably need to speak with the Aurors who will be coming from the Ministry to investigate these attacks." Ron helped Katie to the door, and Harry and Hermione followed them. On their way back to their rooms, they passed Draco and Snape heading in the direction of the infirmary. They had never seen Snape so furious.

To their surprise, he stopped and asked, "Are you feeling all right Miss Granger? Miss Bell? Mr. Weasley? Mr. Potter?" After seeing each of their nods, he added softly, "I am terribly sorry about what was done to each of you. Those who tried to do this to you will be punished severely. I will see to it personally." And he strode off.

Harry stopped Draco. "Thank you Draco. Hermione and I owe you our lives. Thank you."

Draco seemed unsure what to say and mumbled, "You're welcome, Potter. You too, Granger." He nodded slightly to Hermione.

Harry extended his hand and said, "You can call me Harry."

"Very well. You're welcome Harry," replied Draco and shook Harry's hand briefly before he turned to follow Snape.

When they got to the Gryffindor common room, they were smothered by excited classmates, happy to see Harry back with them. They visited quietly with their friends until it was time for lunch. The Great Hall exploded when Harry and his friends entered and the room buzzed with conversation throughout lunch. Harry noticed that there were several Aurors from the Ministry sitting with Dumbledore at the head table. After lunch had finished, Dumbledore dismissed the students to their rooms, except for Harry, Hermione, Ron, Katie, and Draco. They spent the rest of their afternoon telling their version of what had happened earlier that morning. None of them saw Crabbe, Goyle, or Lestrange again.

They stayed for dinner, and then retired to the common rooms where the Gryffindors had planned a "Welcome back Harry!" party. After several hours, both Hermione and Harry were getting tired, but the party showed no signs of dying down. Harry walked Hermione to the base of the stairs leading up to the girls' rooms, and looked around quickly. Seeing they were alone, he leaned over and gave her a quick good night kiss on the cheek.

"I knew it! I knew it!" thundered Ron, who had snuck up behind the two.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Harry, whirling in front of Hermione. Both were blushing.

"Oh knock it off. It's about time you two got together. You've been falling for each other for months now, if not years. Everybody's seen it coming for a long time except you two!" laughed Ron loudly. He turned to go back to the party and they saw maybe two dozen heads looking around the corner at the three of them.

"Well, since everybody knows…" started Hermione. She stepped to Harry's side and reached up with both hands to his face. Pulling his head down slightly, Hermione gave him a long, sweet kiss that left Harry's senses reeling. With a last, quick kiss, Hermione said softly, "Good night Harry." She then turned and sauntered up the stairs without a look back.

"G-g-night uhh..Herr..minny" stuttered Harry, looking starstruck. Ron quickly returned to his friend's side, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"Uhh…Harry, you OK there mate? You look like you just got a bludger to the head."

"I think I just kissed an angel," muttered Harry. Harry didn't seem to notice the cheers that had broken out from everyone in the Gryffindor room. Ron helped Harry back out to the common room shouting to the amusement of everyone around, "Clear the way! Clear the way! The love-struck Defender against the Dark Arts needs some air. The fearless foe of troll, basilisk, Dementor, dragon and dark wizards has been conquered by the kiss of his beautiful princess! Make some space! Make some space!" Helping Harry to a seat, Ron sat beside him with a huge grin on his face.

"So, I take it you liked that kiss better than the one with Cho?" asked Ron mischievously.

"Who?"

Ron burst out laughing. Katie had moved over to sit next to them, and pulled on Ron's elbow.

"Quit making such a scene, Ron. You know Harry hates all the attention." As students made their way over to Ron and started giving him coins, she looked at him questioningly.

Slowly coming back to his senses, Harry noticed it too. "Ron, why is everyone giving you money?"

"Well mate, I won the betting pool. I figured one more visit to the hospital would convince Hermione to express her feelings towards you. Some of these dunderheads actually thought you would kiss her first at some point!" Ron laughed.

"You made a bet on me and Hermione? Hey! I did kiss her first," he protested.

"What? That peck on the cheek? That doesn't count. No, it had to be a good kiss right on the…owww!" Ron looked down and found Katie's shoe stomping down hard on his foot. "Anyways, I won the bet."

"Ginny won the bet on Ron and I," added Katie as she put her arm around Ron.

"What?!?! You and Katie? You two are a couple?" Harry looked in amazement.

Katie smiled and said, "You really didn't see anything but Hermione tonight, did you?"

"After all those extra Quidditch practices? You like her now? I thought you always said she was …owww!" Harry reached down and started rubbing his sore foot.

"All in the past, Harry," explained Ron smoothly.

"What was that about Ron? Was there something I should know about?" asked Katie as she removed her arm from Ron's shoulders.

"Of course not. Harry's just rambling. I think his head is still spinning from Hermione's kiss," explained Ron, looking for a change of topic. "In fact, I should probably get him up to bed. He's had a long day." Ron helped Harry stand and led him up to his room.

As he got ready for bed, Harry asked, "So you and Katie, huh?"

"Yeah. I can't believe my luck, mate. When I cast that levitation spell to ease her fall to the ground, I completely forgot about the dragon for a minute. I was just afraid she was going to end up like…" He rubbed his scar for a minute. "Well, anyways, when I woke up in the infirmary, there she was by my bedside. Her face and hair was still slightly burnt, and it looked like she hadn't slept a wink. But she was worried about me. And all I got were a couple of scratches. We had a lot of time to talk, and well, I dunno exactly what happened, but here we are." Ron smiled.

"But I thought you always had a crush on Hermione."

"Oh, I did. But you've seen us fight. Honestly, what on earth do you think we'd be like if we were married or something. Eiigh! No, I'm glad you two finally got together. Really I am."

"Yeah, me too. I can't believe it took me this long to realize what she means to me. I'm such a thick-headed idiot."

"Can't argue with you about that, mate," laughed Ron.

"Shut up and let me get some sleep," smiled Harry.

*-*-*

The next day the four of them headed down to pay Hagrid a visit and check on Brunjildtha. She was sleeping outside of Hagrid's hut, so they let her be and knocked quietly on his door.

"Come in, come in," boomed Hagrid. "I heard you Gryffindors partying half the night last night. Figgered you might be feelin' better, Harry. I'm glad ye came down to visit. Would ya like somethin' to eat?"

"Uhh, no thanks Hagrid. We just stopped by to say hi and see how Brunjildtha was doing."

"She's doing much better than she was. That was a nasty spell ya hit her with, Harry. Ya shoulda been more careful," urged Hagrid.

"Well, she wasn't on our side yet, Hagrid," explained Harry.

"Oh yeah, right ye are, right ye are." Hagrid noticed Harry and Hermione holding hands and asked, "So ya two are a couple now, are ya?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," blushed Harry slightly.

"Ahh. Reckon Dumbledore'll be happy to win the pot," muttered Hagrid loudly.

"What pot?! You don't mean that the faculty had bets about Harry and I, do you?!" shrieked Hermione. Ron, Katie, and Harry tried to stifle their grins. They had forgotten to tell Hermione about the students' bets. "What are you three laughing at?"

Harry sputtered, "Well the Gryffindor students were running a betting pool on us as well."

"And you found that amusing?" she asked dangerously.

"Not just the Gryffindors," added Ron with a laugh.

Both Harry and Hermione looked at him in shock.

"And which one of our so-called friends won the bet?" demanded Hermione.

Ron blushed red, then went pale as Hermione's eyes narrowed on him.

"I did. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Hermione. It was only meant in fun," explained Katie.

"Oh, that's OK. It's not that big of a deal I guess. But I can't believe that the faculty would become involved in something like this," went on Hermione. Ron mouthed a silent thank you to Katie.

"I should na have said that. I should na have said that," repeated Hagrid to himself.

Having calmed down, Hermione chatted with the others for a while before they all returned to the castle for lunch. After lunch, Harry and Hermione went to the library and discovered that all of the books she had borrowed and read in the infirmary had been returned. Finding a large table, they pulled several tomes from the stacks and began browsing through them.

After half an hour, Harry complained, "Hermione, we've already been through all of these. There's nothing here that's going to help. And we've talked to Dumbledore and he hasn't found anything yet, either. There is one last area in the Restricted Section at the Ministry I want to check. I'll bring some books back and we'll check through them."

"Fine. But do you have some alternative plan?"

"Not really. But I think this can work. It has to work. Dumbledore himself says he doesn't know of the spells that can defeat Voldemort. I think this is the only way. Don't worry, we'll find something. Let's try and enjoy the rest of the afternoon, then I'll go and get the books tonight, OK?"

"All right. But we're studying hard until school starts next week."

"I know. We haven't got much time. He'll try again. Soon. I know it. But I can't get the books until tonight. Let's go for a walk." They spent the rest of the afternoon walking hand in hand by the lake and talking happily.

The rest of the week they spent in the northeast tower, reading through one thick spell book after another. Late one afternoon, Harry noticed that Hermione was reading very intently. When she caught his eye, she quickly turned back a few pages and said, "Yeah, I think I might have found what we've been looking for here. It's called the Tutaminis Trium. It's a variation of a powerful protective ward created from the magical power of those within its sphere. But it needs three casters, not one."

"What? Let me see," moving over, Harry read through the several pages and sat back and thought. "This is the best we've been able to find. It will have to work. I assume you think you'll be the second caster."

"Of course, Harry. Who did you expect?"

"Do you think Ron can handle the third spot?"

"Yeah, easily. It's not just the magical strength that is important in this spell, Harry. But it also depends on the relationship between the three casters. It has to be strong."

"I'll talk to him later. Let me read it again more thoroughly." He wanted to make sure he fully understood the spell. Noticing that Hermione was engrossed in another spellbook, looking for a better defensive spell, Harry turned to the pages Hermione had been reading earlier. His eyes widened slightly. He looked over at Hermione thoughtfully, and then continued to read.

Later they headed down to dinner and Harry pulled Ron aside afterwards. He talked briefly with him and then they went and talked for a while with Hermione. The three were very busy the entire weekend, classes were supposed to resume on Monday. Late Sunday night, Harry had one last talk with both of them. He had to make sure they both understood exactly what they had to do the next day and that they were both willing to do it. Their lives depended on it.

*-*-*

As the students took their places in the Great Hall, there was a loud buzz in the hall as they chatted about their two week vacation. Dumbledore slowly stood, waiting for the talk to quiet down. "Welcome back to Hogwarts. I hope you have not forgotten everything you have learned so far this year over your two week break. In order to help you return to some sense of normality here at school, I have scheduled a trip to Hogsmeade this weekend for all of the students who would like to visit."

"Are you serious?!?! I can't believe you actually brought back all of the students while Voldemort is still on the loose! It's bad enough bringing them back to Hogswarts, but now you want to take them all to Hogsmeade? The protections here at Hogswarts couldn't keep Voldemort away. What chance will they have at Hogsmeade? Well, I'm not sitting around here, waiting for Voldemort and his army to come back and get me. I'm leaving. If any of you have any brains, you'll leave as well."

There was a hush throughout the hall as everyone turned to try and discover who had caused the outburst. The shock was complete in the Hall when Harry Potter rose from his seat and headed towards the doors.

"Harry, wait. You can't go! You have to stay and help us…" wailed Hermione.

"I can't go? Since when is it my responsibility to save the entire world? I never asked to be a hero. I'm not. I know, I'm supposed to stay and keep learning and training until I maybe I can defeat Voldemort again. Well, you know what? I'm sick of it. I can't beat him. And I don't care anymore. Voldemort nearly leveled the place two weeks ago, and now everybody's back, waiting for it to happen again. If you were half as smart as everyone thinks you are, you'd be out of here too."

"I'm not going anywhere Harry. My place is here,"

"Fine!" snarled Harry. Looking at Ron he growled, "I suppose your place is here too? Think the professors are going to be able to protect you again? Do what you like, I don't care. I don't need you!" he looked right at Hermione. "And I don't need you!" he shouted at Ron. Glaring at Dumbledore, he boomed, "AND I NEVER NEEDED YOU. You should have left me in that Muggle house. I'm not the one your precious prophecy supposedly told you about. I'm not going to be the downfall of Voldemort. Let somebody else do that. I'm sick of trying to be the hero! I'M OUTTA HERE!!!" Harry whirled and stalked out of the room, slamming the doors closed behind him, leaving the Hall absolutely silent, except for the sobs of Hermione, left standing alone by the Gryffindor table.

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Ch 27: The Storm Breaks

Hermione eventually stopped crying, and ignoring everyone else, sat back in her seat and started eating breakfast slowly, almost mechanically. Following her example, the rest of the Hall ate in silence, while the professors looked at each other in astonishment at Harry's outburst.

Outside the castle, Harry paused to summon his Firebolt and then mounted and flew off. If he noticed the two cloaked figures that followed him from the Forbidden Forest, he gave no indication. After about half an hour, Harry hovered over a large green field bordered on the south by a steep cliff, on the west by a large lake, and on the east by an overgrown forest. To the north, the field gently rose to a small hill. Descending on his broom, Harry landed gently and dismounted, looking down at the field towards the cliff in the distance.

"Foolish boy!" hissed one of the Death Eaters who had followed him from the borders of Hogwarts.

"How silly to run away from the protection of Hogwarts and its Headmaster," added the second figure. "Now the Dark Lord will make you pay for all that you have done to us. Stupefy!"

Harry turned towards the second voice, but made no effort to defend himself. His face already looked defeated. Moments later, a tall, dark robed figure appeared, surrounded by about two dozen masked Death Eaters.

"We meet for the last time, Harry Potter. Did you truly believe you could simply run away and leave your fate behind? You are destined to die so that I might once again rule the magical world with fear and terror and complete power," hissed Voldemort as he raised his wand. "How fitting that you should die alone, all alone. No friend or family to aid you in your moment of need. Any final words, Potter?" he taunted.

Surprisingly, Harry spoke. "I am not completely alone, Voldemort. I have many allies willing to stand up to you and everything you represent. In fact, they're all around us." With a wave of his hand, scores of wizards and witches materialized on the hill surrounding Harry, Voldemort, and the Death Eaters. With their wands out, they waited quietly.

Glaring at the Death Eater who had supposedly stunned Harry, Voldemort roared, "If it's a battle you want, Potter, I'll give you one a hundred times worse than any nightmare you ever dreamed!" Turning to several of his Death Eaters, he barked an order. "Summon my army!" When they appeared to hesitate for a moment, he screamed, "Now! All of them!"

"But Master, they can't all Apparate. Your plans have them moving…"

"Then bring as many as you can you fools! Down there, in the green field!" They disappeared, followed a moment later by Voldemort and the remaining Death Eaters, who then reappeared in the middle of the field.

"Your pathetic army doesn't seem too eager to attack, Potter!" shouted Voldemort. "In a moment, I'll obliterate them, just like you feared would happen. The last moments of your life will be spent watching the deaths of your friends and allies. Then it will be your turn."

Harry watched as the green field before him began to fill with enemies. Death Eaters were Apparating with giants, trolls, wolves and Dementors. Harry and the wizards on the hill would quickly be outnumbered. Focusing intensely, Harry thought “It's time, Hermione. He's taken the bait. Bring everybody you can.”

*-*-*

Halfway through breakfast, Hermione decided it was time to inform the professors. As she methodically chewed on a piece of dry toast, she opened her mind to establish mental links with all of the professors sitting at the head table.

“Professors!”

In surprise and confusion, the teachers at the head table looked up. First they looked at each other, then out at the students.

“Keep eating. Act as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Harry thinks there are still spies here at Hogwarts. Secrecy is still critical, at least for a few more minutes.”

“Hermione?” came Professor Dumbledore's voice.

“Yes.”

“But how can you communicate with us telepathically?” asked McGonagall.

“I am an Animagus. My animal form is that of an Athenian owl. For some reason, I retain some of the magical powers in my human form. But I really have more important things I need to explain.

Harry is going to need all the help he can get in a few minutes. Hopefully, Harry's silly little tantrum earlier fooled any spies that might be here inside the castle. Harry leaving by himself will certainly draw out any spies watching outside of the castle. Harry set himself up as bait for a trap to catch Voldemort.”

“He did what?” demanded Snape. “Of all the foolish, juvenile…”

“That's enough, Professor” snapped Hermione. “Not all of Harry's little act was faked. He's tired of being a target. He's tired of endangering everyone else around him. He did this to protect everyone else as best he could. He deliberately left, by himself, hoping to draw out Voldemort so that we can finish this once and for all. Anyone who goes to help him will do so by their own choice, not because they're forced to defend their home or school. He's picked a battleground far away from where any innocent people can be hurt.”

“And why does he think Voldemort will appear?” asked Snape.

“Because Voldemort is a coward! If Harry is surrounded by friends or protected somewhere, he sends his minions to do his dirty work for him. He didn't take part in the attack on either the mansion or Hogwarts. He didn't have the courage to try and get the prophecy for himself. When Cedric and Harry accidentally ended up in the graveyard, he didn't attack Harry until his other Death Eaters were there. The first time he tried to kill Harry, he went in the dead of night, hoping his parents would be asleep and he could kill a defenseless child. When Voldemort hears that Harry has left Hogwarts on his own, he'll chase Harry, with some Death Eaters no doubt, and try and finish him off.”

“How does Harry think he is he going to defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters all by himself?” asked McGonagall.

“He doesn't. He will need all of our help. If you are willing. I think that anyone from the school that you think is trustworthy and would be willing to come should be invited as well. Harry didn't want any of the students to come—he didn't want to risk any more of them getting hurt—but I think it is their fight as well. He's not always reasonable, you know.”

Both Dumbledore and McGonagall hid smiles.

“But how does he expect to survive until we get there to help him? Shouldn't we be going now instead of just talking?” asked Moody.

“He's not alone. And we have to wait until I get the signal. If we go too early, Voldemort might escape the trap. We don't want just Voldemort, we want everyone that supports him as well.”

The professors looked stunned for a moment.

“And who else is helping Harry at the moment, Miss Granger?” asked Dumbledore.

“Well, Harry and I have been meeting with representatives from other groups of magical creatures, trying to form alliances or get promises of help. We've had some luck. Some of them are with Harry now. Others will show up later, we hope.

You will need a few minutes to organize the school during our absence, and invite the students you think would be willing to help. Then we really need to get to the faculty room by the Great Hall, so that I can show you the portkey we made to transport us there. Also, you need to alert the other members of the Order of the Phoenix that there is a portkey in their meeting hall that will take them to the battle. And the new water fountain statue at the Ministry of Magic will act as a portkey to take the Aurors from the ministry there as well. Professor Dumbledore, Harry wanted me to ask you to make sure to invite all of the Death Stalkers, Wind Warriors, and Beast Masters you could. I'm not sure what Harry meant, but he said that you would understand. Oh, and that thestrals would be provided as mounts for the Wind Warriors.

At both places, a small mirror will start flashing a series of bright lights, like the star on the Christmas tree did. That will be the signal that Harry needs their help and to use the portkey.

Oh, my! I haven't even asked you all for your help.” Hermione looked anxiously up at the head table. “Will you come and help Harry?”

Dumbledore smiled and answered for the rest of the faculty. “Of course, Hermione. You don't even need to ask. Though I am sure you could have trusted us a little more and informed us a little earlier of your wild plans.”

“Well, we weren't sure you'd really approve of our wild plans.”

“Indeed not, Miss Granger.” added Snape.

As Dumbledore turned to address the student body and announced that classes were canceled for the day and that Madame Pomfrey would be overseeing the school for the rest of the day. He then invited all of the sixth and seventh year students to accompany the faculty to the faculty room and dismissed the rest of the students to their common rooms.

Hermione turned to Snape. “That reminds me Professor Snape. Harry wanted me to help you, at least at first, in the upcoming battle.”

“And just how do you presume to do that?”

“Harry wants you to coordinate the strategies of the different groups we have gathered for the battle. I will be translating your orders for the different species. Just trust me. I can do it.

Now relax your mind so I can give you a visual picture of what the lay of the land is. That's right. Now Voldemort's forces should be concentrated in the large green field in the center. He'll be pinned in by the forest on one side, the lake on the other, and the cliff behind. We're pretty sure his Death Eaters will be bringing trolls, giants, Dementors, and wolves. But we don't think he has enough Death Eaters to Apparate his entire army. Plus he may have a few dragons. He may be able to bring in some of the undead allies he's been recruiting besides the Dementors, but we're not sure how many will be Apparated or how many can come on their own. Hopefully, a daytime battle will prevent the most powerful ones from helping Voldemort today.

Now we have tree sprites, wood nymphs, and wild elves in the forest. There will be some mountain dwarves by the cliffs. We have mermen and mermaids in the lake. There are a few unicorns, and several of the centaurs have agreed to help. There will be a herd of hippogriffs, some thestrals, and probably some big cats. But the big cats probably won't listen to you.”

“That's quite a motley crew you have assembled. Not exactly a cohesive fighting force for defeating an army like the one you say Voldemort is assembling.”

“It's the best we could do. It's mostly to prevent his army from escaping.”

“And how do you intend to prevent them from simply Apparating away?”

With a huge smile, Hermione explained “The house-elves will be taking care of that.”

“The house-elves?!?! Granger! Are you and Potter insane?!?!”

“Listen. When we arrive, the hill will already be covered with images of Aurors from the Ministry. They are just that though, images. They can fire spells, but the spells don't really do anything. They were props meant to do two things. First, scare Voldemort into bringing his army. Second, they will provide useful cover for the rest of us when we arrive. Our enemies won't be able to tell the real witches and wizards from the fake ones. Except the fake ones simply disappear when hit with a spell.”

Snape looked puzzled.

“It's something the Weasley twins have been working on all year. Don't worry, they work.”

“Oh, if the Weasley twins are involved, then I feel completely safe.” replied Snape sarcastically.

“This is the last bit of information I have for you. Harry said the field was laid out like the battle of Sargiwott. But the actual composition of the forces, both ours and theirs, was more like the final battle of the Smrythian Witch Wars. I haven't studied them as intensely as Harry has, but he said you would understand what he meant.” Hermione looked at Snape.

Snape thought for a moment and then it came in a flash. “Of course. That explains Harry's fascination with the strategies of unorthodox forces. They had discussed the most important battles involving two armies of wizards and witches. But they had spent what Snape thought was an unjustifiable amount of time discussing the various tactics used by very unconventional armies. Armies composed of odd and temporary alliances between wizards, witches and other magical creatures. Just like the one they would have today. Harry has been preparing both himself and especially me for this final battle. And he wants me, not Dumbledore, to direct the allied forces.” Snape discovered a new level of respect for the young wizard.

“I believe Harry wanted you and Dumbledore to work together on strategy. I can help coordinate that as well.” added Hermione.

As Snape went to talk to several Slytherins, Hermione watched as most of the sixth and seventh years from the other houses went into the faculty room. She waited until everybody that was going to enter had passed through the door, then she followed.

"I'm not sure if the Heads of your House have told you or not, but today will be the last battle against Voldemort. Harry is already there, despite what you heard earlier, and will need all of the help we can give him. You are not expected to be there, you do not have to go at all. In fact, Harry would rather none of the students go at all. He does not want any more of his fellow students dying like at the Battle of Hogwarts. And it will be a battle far worse than that battle though. Voldemort will be there, as will all of the forces he can muster. If any of you do not wish to fight in this war, you may leave now. Nobody will think any less of you," Hermione paused to give them a chance to leave. To her great pleasure, and the immense pride of the professors, not a single person left. "Very well. I will be getting a signal shortly from Harry, and then we will go. To get to the battle, all you need to do is touch the table here and say, `Victory over Voldemort.'"

Looking around, she noticed that both Lupin and Moody were gone. “Where…”

“Moody went to the Ministry, and Lupin went to the Order's new headquarters to alert them,” answered Dumbledore.

They waited in the room quietly. Several minutes later, Hermione heard Harry's voice very faintly, “It's time, Hermione. He's taken the bait. Bring everybody you can.”

“We're coming, Harry. We're coming!” She pulled a small mirror from her pocket and tapped it. It immediately started to give off a variety of brightly colored lights. She looked around at the others and announced, "It's time." She placed her hand on the table and said in a firm voice, "Victory over Voldemort!" The same phrase echoed off the walls as the room quickly emptied of wizards and witches.

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Ch 28: The Chaos of War

Harry stood watching Voldemort's growing army. There were several hundred trolls, nearly five hundred Dementors, and maybe forty or fifty giants. There were perhaps three hundred wolves, and at least that many Death Eaters. In the far distance, nearly beyond the limit of his sight, he could see several colored spots in the air that were slowly growing larger. “Dragons I'll bet.” Suddenly Hermione appeared by his side. He smiled. "Glad to see you could make it for all the fun. Are you bringing any friends?" It was Hermione's chance to smile as the faculty from the school and several of their classmates started appearing on the hill.

“I thought I said no other students,” thought Harry.

“I know what you thought and I know what you said. But I thought differently. And so did they. This is their fight, too, Harry.” Smiling, she added, “Besides, I think there are more than enough bad guys to go around, Harry. You can share.”

Grinning back, Harry sighed. “I guess you're right.”

”Of course I am,” she finished.

Actually, despite his concern for their safety, Harry was glad to see so many of the sixth and seventh year students here to support him and help fight against Voldemort. He was especially glad to see so many members of the DA club. Ginny and Luna, and especially Neville, once he had gotten his own wand, had improved their DADA skills immensely over the past year. Spying Ginny among the students he thought, “Keep a close eye on her Hermione.”

“So you do think she's the spy.”

“I think she's one of the spies, but I'm sure she's being forced to do it.”

Hermione nodded as they moved over to Dumbledore and the rest of the professors.

"Sorry about the little scene earlier," Harry apologized. "I hope Hermione explained."

"There is nothing to explain, Harry. But next time a little more notification and cooperation might work better," responded Dumbledore.

"With any luck today, sir, there won't be a next time," replied Harry firmly.

"Professor Snape, did Hermione talk with you about…"

"Yes, I understand. But I could have been better prepared if I had known beforehand."

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you. But I…I thought it was for the best. I guess we'll see shortly," Harry looked up as he saw Aurors from the Ministry and members from the Order arriving as well. Among the group of Aurors arriving from the ministry were nearly twenty witches and wizards dressed very strangely—none of them in robes. One small group, about six in number, were dressed in loose fitting, light blue clothing with a short grey cloak. Another six were dressed in shimmering green and brown robes that seemed to constantly shift colors and carried long staves or heavy clubs. The third group of five members were all dressed in black with silver trim. Down on the field, he saw the massing army of Voldemort organizing itself into deep ranks in order to charge up the hill.

Turning back towards Dumbledore and Snape, Harry straightened and seemed to grow in authority. "Dumbledore, I was hoping you and Snape would coordinate the activities of the wizards and witches with the allies Hermione and I have enlisted. I haven't seen any of Voldemort's undead allies besides the Dementors arrive yet, but that doesn't mean they won't come later. The thestrals will be here shortly for the Wind Warriors. Hermione will be helping Snape communicate with our allies as long as she can. Dumbledore, you will be directing the human forces while Snape guides the other magical creatures with Hermione's help. I trust Hermione explained my strategic suggestions. You can change them if you like, after all, they were only suggestions. I will be doing what I can to help during the battle, until I can isolate Voldemort when he has become weaker. Focus on his forces. If you can make him use his magic to defend them, even better. But don't try to attack him directly. Leave that to me. Above all, make sure nothing happens to either Ron or Hermione during the battle. I can't defeat Voldemort without them. Keep them as safe as you possibly can. And keep a very close eye on Ron—he's liable to get a little wild. And when I confront Voldemort, do nothing to interfere. You won't be able to help me at all, and may only hinder me." He looked steadily around at the wizards and witches surrounding him. Many were shocked at the tone of voice he had taken with his professors. Most were amazed at the calm and focus that was evident in his manner. "Whatever happens, please trust me."

Dumbledore raised his hands to begin directing the defensive formations of the wizards. Many of them lined up beside the false images of the wizards Harry had created from the Weasley twins' magical orbs. Hermione stood by Snape with a look of intense concentration on her face. Once the lines were set by Dumbledore, they awaited the attack of the enemy.

"So, your friends have come to die with you today, Potter! Do you really think you stand a chance against my army? Today you will get a preview of what I will do to your surviving friends and family after I defeat you here. I have been denied for too long. Behold the fury of my power!" Voldemort dropped his arms and the trolls, the wolves, and the Dementors charged forward. His Death Eaters prepared to launch spells from behind the advancing troops as the giants bent down to pick up huge boulders to throw from the edge of the cliff.

A clear voice boomed from the top of the hill. "I give you one final opportunity to surrender, Voldemort. Accept the justice you deserve peacefully, or you and your servants will pay the ultimate price. The choice is yours." The advancing trolls stopped momentarily in confusion, as the wizards and witches of both sides looked in momentary awe at the figure of Harry Potter standing upon the hill, speaking in a tone of voice full of strength and power.

"Kill them all!" screamed Voldemort, reenergizing his troops and urging them forward again.

"So be it," said Harry in a quiet, but steady voice. As the wolves and trolls advanced, the air was filled with a slight buzzing and hissing. Two swarms of dark arrows rose from either side of the advancing troops to fall upon their ranks. The several hundred merpeople in the lake quickly launched another volley, before the first trolls and wolves fell from their arrows. The tiny darts of the wood sprites, the nasty, barbed arrows of the wild elves, and the long, slender arrows of the centaurs filled the air on the other side of the advancing line like a deadly rain. The air in front of the charging line quickly filled with the spectral shapes of the Patronus charm, led by the powerful and solid figure of a white stag that tore through the ranks of the Dementors.

As Harry concentrated from his vantage point on the crest of the hill, a loud rumble filled the valley and echoed off of the cliff. As the first boulders landed among the defending wizards, the cliffs themselves seemed to shake. Suddenly, a huge crack appeared in the side of the cliff and an enormous slab of rock slid off, crushing most of the giants near its base. Perhaps half a dozen giants staggered from the choking cloud of dust and rock that followed the massive avalanche. From either side of the collapsed cliff face charged small figures wielding enormous axes. Their axes falling with deadly rhythm, the mountain dwarves commenced the bloody work of finishing off their hated enemies, the giants.

Watching the dragons approach from the south, he looked to the north and with relief, saw a speck of red. “Please hurry, Brunjildtha. I have great need of your aid.”

“Do not worry, Princeling. I have spoken with the other dragon mothers. They have told me that if what I say is true, they will not help the Dark Wizard.”

“How do I prove that?”

“They wish to see the human who is also a dragon for themselves.”

“Do you think they will help?”

“They may. We dragons dislike being deceived or manipulated.”

Trying to reach out his mind to the other dragons, Harry thought “Great dragons of the air, I am the one you seek. I am the one who gave aid to Brunjildtha and helped rescue her dragonlings from the Dark Wizard who stole them from her and who now seeks your aid in this war. I implore you not to attack either myself or my allies, but rather help us defeat the Dark Wizard and his minions, lest he attack you and your dragonlings in the future should you not submit to his will.”

“Show yourself to us, Princeling, and we will consider your words,” commanded one of the dragons approaching the battle.

To the shock of the professors and students around him, Harry shifted to his dragonform and leaped into the sky. High above the earth, he flew towards the approaching dragons.

As he approached them, he heard, “We see that you speak the truth about your dragonform. Perhaps you speak the truth about the Dark Wizard as well. We will not attack either you or your allies, but we see no reason to provoke the Dark Wizard either. We will leave you to your battle."

As they turned to leave, Harry heard one of the dragons say, “We are not yours to command, Dark Wizard. You promised us great wealth and treasure. However, we have decided to return to our homes.” There was a pause then Harry heard an enraged voice, “Do not try your mind control spells on the likes of us, human! We are DRAGONS! We do not bow the knee to any of your kind!” Another pause and then, “WHAT?!?! You dare threaten a dragon?!?! Foolish wizard! You will pay for your insolence!”

Harry couldn't believe what he had just heard. “Hermione! Did you hear any of that?”

“Yeah. I think Voldemort just made a huge mistake threatening the dragons, don't you?”

“Uh-yeah. I think he's going to realize that in about thirty seconds. How's it going down there?”

“It's getting worse. Most of the Weasley images are gone, and the front ranks of the trolls and wolves are at the edge of the hill. You know the merpeople and the hill sprites can't leave their areas, so I'm afraid it's going to get a lot tougher for the rest of us in a minute.”

“I'm on my way. The thestrals and hippogriffs are almost here.” In another second, Harry reappeared in human form on the hill. For a moment, he concentrated, and then opened his eyes to direct the flow of water from the lake into the low lying ground of the plain. Within minutes, many of the secondary ranks of the wolves and trolls were fighting through knee-deep mud, making them easy targets for the half dozen enraged dragons that began swooping down upon them.

About twenty hippogriffs, led by Buckbeak, dived right into the middle of Voldemort's army, raking with their claws and slashing with their beaks and sewing widespread confusion. Occassionally, one of the hippogriffs would seize a Death Eater or wolf in its claws and then fly skyward, only to drop them to their deaths. The thestrals landed a moment later on the hill, and the blue robed Aurors mounted them quickly. They quickly joined the dragons in attacking the ground troops of Voldemort, strafing his lines with powerful spells. Some of the students cranked their heads to watch in amazement as they flew easily upon the flying steeds, hanging on using only their legs while their hands were busy firing spells. Instead of a wand, it seemed as if they were using a small bow to launch spells at the Death Eaters from above. After the Battle of Hogwarts, the thestrals were visible to nearly everybody from Hogwarts, though they were still frightening to behold. Many of the Death Eaters were now focusing their attention on trying to bring down the dragons and hippogriffs and the riders on the thestrals in order to protect their troops, rather than attacking the defending witches and wizards on the hill.

However, even without the spells of the Death Eaters, the fighting on the hill was becoming very intense. Very few of the Dementors had made it to the hill, but many of the trolls were attacking viciously with their clubs and the wolves were very quick and difficult to hit with a spell. On the top of the hill, Snape surveyed the field and his brow furrowed in thought as Hermione stood beside him, her eyes closed tightly in concentration. Suddenly, from the woods on the left burst a variety of wild howls and yells as dozens of wild elves burst into view. Wielding long, wickedly curved swords they gleefully threw themselves upon the suddenly frightened wolves. Close on their heels thundered six unicorns and four centaurs. The unicorns' dangerous hooves and deadly horns trampled and tore asunder anything in their way, including the Dementors. The mighty bows of the centaurs were replaced by twelve foot long halberds wielded by the enraged centaurs. The mighty blades cut an incredible swath through the ranks of Voldemort's army. From the right, there was two high pitched screams as two three-hundred pound reddish-brown cats tore into a pack of wolves. In the center of the group of students, their were gasps of shock as several of them, including Katie Bell, watched Ron transform himself into a four hundred and fifty pound tiger and leap upon three of the wolves that were attacking them. Harry charged to the front of the line and shouted, "Inflammatio whip!" Waving his wand back and forth in front of him, a line of flame extended about eight feet from the tip of his wand. The fur of any wolf hit by the line of fire burst into flame. He saw several other DA students repeat his spell and soon most of the wolves were retreating to the swampy green field.

Between Harry and Ron and the Weasley twins, the Aurors in brown and green stepped in and began swinging mightily with their staves and clubs. Every time one of their weapons connected, there was a deep rumble, like the roll of thunder, and the creature went down. Where there were still groups of Dementors, the black clothed Aurors stepped forward to confront them. Several of the students around them watched in amazement as the Aurors' wands transformed into swords in their hands. With the words "Neco Flamen,"the Death Stalkers cast the Flame of Death charm on their swords and their blades glowed with a silvery white light that was almost too bright to behold. The Dementors attempted to retreat, but they were too slow as the Death Stalkers exploded into action, swinging and slicing their blazing swords with incredible skill. The very air around them appeared to glow with light as one dark robe after another fell to their bright swords.

Harry looked around, desperately trying to think of some way to repel the trolls still trying to climb the hill. Hearing a loud roar from the top of the hill, Harry looked up and saw Grawp finally arrive. Several of the trolls who saw him turned and ran back down the hill. Grawp, followed happily by Hagrid, ran at another group of trolls. Harry turned and ran back up the hill, opening his hand as he ran and summoning several of the Weasley magical orbs to his hand as he did so. Just out of sight over the top of the hill, Harry knelt and touched each orb with his wand, altering the image it would project. “Those trolls might just be dumb enough to fall for it again.”

Back on top of the hill, he tossed the orbs to the ground and waved his hand again to activate them. The air seemed to tremble with roars, as another six giants seemed to run from behind the hill towards different groups of trolls. None of them actually did anything other than yell and wave their arms, but the trolls didn't wait around long enough to see that.

As Harry looked back into the middle of the field, he noticed that the army in front of them was much smaller than the one half an hour before. Many of the Death Eaters were still standing, but most of the giants were gone, about half of the Dementors were no more, and about a third of the trolls and wolves were down. Harry figured that another ten minutes under the constant barrage of arrows from the merpeople, tree sprites, and wild elves, the fire of the dragons and the Wind Warriors, and the spells of the spellcasters would take care of most of them. Harry began lobbing powerful spells into the midst of the attacking army, trying to force Voldemort to expend his magical power in defense of his army.

After a few minutes dozens of the trolls tried to flee into the woods while many of the wolves tried their luck in the lake. The merpeople quickly pulled them under the surface, and a disconcerting noise of branches rustling and wood pounding on metal and flesh left the impression that the trolls fared no better. Harry and the other spellcasters focused their efforts on the remaining Death Eaters.

As his army continued to fall around him, Voldemort looked around with fury. "Very well, Potter. You may have won today, but we shall return." He gave the signal to Apparate. Puzzled when nobody disappeared, he gave the signal again.

Harry chuckled, then his voice boomed. "Did you really think you could just come and fight for a while and then run away if things didn't go your way Voldemort? There will be no retreat today, for you or any of your servants. The house-elves will ensure none of you Apparate away to plot your revenge or another attack. No, Voldemort. We finish it today."

Looking around in disbelief, Voldemort himself tried to Apparate away from the battlefield and the look of shock on his face revealed to everyone that Voldemort and his army was trapped with nowhere to run. In desperation, the Death Eaters attacked even more fiercely than before. Stunned by their ferocity, the defending witches and wizards gave way before the violence of their attacks. But only momentarily. Dumbledore, Snape, and the other faculty roused the remaining spellcasters in a counterattack. The air sizzled as spells and counterspells flew from both sides.

The battle reached its most intense moments so far as both sides collided in anger. The Death Eaters were trapped and fighting for their wretched lives. The rest were fighting for their lives as well but they also fought for something more. They fought for their friends and families at home. They fought against tyranny and oppression, against the chaos and brutality that would result if they should fail. They fought for freedom, and love, and hope. They fought for a better, safer world, one free of the terror of the Dark Lord and his mark. They fought so that the horrors of the past would not be repeated. Most of all, they fought so that good might triumph over evil. And they fought better than their enemies, in part because they had more to win, and more to lose.

Slowly, steadily, the line in front of Voldemort became a ring around him and his remaining servants and the noose slowly tightened. No quarter was asked and none was given. The grim faces of the surviving spellcasters reflected the losses they had suffered that day.

With less than twenty supporters remaining in a defensive ring around him, Voldemort began muttering a spell in a low, terrible voice and the earth began to shake and the air filled with a horrible moaning sound. Both attackers and defenders looked around in amazement as the hundreds of bodies lying on the field slowly began to lift themselves from the ground slowly. The Death Stalkers immediately began attacking the rising corpses nearest to them as the rest watched in momentary shock and growing horror.

“Harry! Is Voldemort actually raising his army from the dead?!?! How can that be? How can he be that powerful?!?!”

Harry looked from Hermione to Dumbledore with surprise evident in his eyes. Then his face tightened and his eyes hardened.

The attacking wizards now turned outward to defend themselves again while the remaining Death Eaters laughed out loud.

"How many times do you think you can beat my army, Potter? Perhaps I should now offer you the chance to surrender your pathetic little army that is completely surrounded. If you do, I will make the deaths of your friends a little less painful than they will be otherwise." Voldemort laughed.

A cold fury worked its way through Harry's gut. Desperation stoked his rage as he watched the corpses move slowly towards the ring of defenders. Harry recalled the nightmares and the deaths he had witnessed over and over again months ago and screwed his eyes shut in pain.

"NOOOO!" he screamed and opened his eyes, which were blazing with a green fury. There was a slight buzzing in the air and then sparks began to pop in the air around the surrounded defenders. Suddenly an arc of electricity jumped between two of the reanimated giants which quickly jumped from corpse to corpse. As it passed through their bodies the bolts flew to other reanimated corpses, burning them away and leaving nothing but a pile of ash and a charred spot on the ground where they had risen. Everyone but Voldemort and Harry watched silently in amazement. However, only the bodies of Voldemort's army were destroyed. The dead allies of Harry that Voldemort had reanimated were frozen in place, and before the eyes of the observers, they slowly turned into stone statues.

With his entire army destroyed again, Voldemort looked around in fury while Harry's body seemed to sag for a moment as he nearly collapsed to the ground. Ron and Hermione were close enough to catch him before he fell and steadied Harry for a moment as he stood, wobbling on his feet. At a signal from Voldemort, his Death Eaters put up a series of defensive shields around the group moments before the first offensive spells began flying their way again.

Harry only watched tiredly. He felt so exhausted all of a sudden. “I shouldn't have done that. Now I don't have enough energy left to defeat Voldemort! What was I thinking? What have I done? But I had to—there was no other way. Damn! Why didn't I guess he might do something like that? What am I going to do now…” Harry's racing thoughts were interrupted by Hermione's scream.

“Harry! Dumbledore! What is he casting?!?!” screamed Hermione's voice. “He wouldn't dare, would he?”

Hermione looked in horror at Dumbledore and Dumbledore's face turned extremely grim as he turned to Harry.

"But he's not even putting up any defensive wards! He won't even be able to control them, they'll just go berserk and destroy everything!" shrieked Hermione.

Snape spoke quietly, "He has nothing left to lose. If he can't win, he would rather destroy everything." Several of the professors paused to look at Hermione, then Snape, and then at Dumbledore.

Before Dumbledore could speak, Harry announced in a calm, but tired voice, "Everybody stop casting your spells. Voldemort is opening a demon-gate. If we disrupt the process now, there's no telling what might happen to the gate." He looked at what seemed to be a pinhole of darkest black several feet to the side of the Death Eaters. As he watched, the other wizards and witches looked too and watched with growing dread as it slowly grew bigger.

"Dumbledore, do you think a Casses Pius ward might close the gate?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry thoughtfully. "It might. Do you have enough energy left to create a Holy Net that is strong enough by yourself in time?"

"I better. I've never tried creating one, but I'm familiar with the theory. We don't have much time so unless you have a better suggestion…" looking back at the widening circle of darkness, Harry could hear screams and shrieks of anticipation and see clawed hands beginning to reach from out of the darkness towards the light of their world.

As the other wizards and witches looked on in confusion and growing horror, Harry closed his eyes. Several moved in front of the slowly growing black disc until Dumbledore waved them away. "If Harry is unable to seal the gate, then we will have to do the best we can. But our best hope right now is to let Harry cast the spell. We do not have time to initiate the proper counterspell."

Harry ignored the world around him and went over the intricate spell in his mind, making sure he would be able to cast it correctly. He could feel his strength slowly returning to him. He knew he would have just barely enough time to cast a variation of the Holy Net ward before the gate was large enough for the demons to emerge. But for him to be able to make the spell strong enough to prevent them from passing through the gate, he needed a name. A powerful name. “Hermione, how was he known in ancient Hebrew?”

“Yahveh.”

The portal was nearly five feet wide when Harry opened his eyes and extended his arms. "Gratia occludo portus diabolus, creo casses pius nomine teminus ab Yahveh!" A bright white light appeared in the center of the dark, black sphere. From a single point in the center, lines quickly extended up, down, left and right, forming a huge cross in the center of the demon-gate. From each of these lines, other lines of light emerged, quickly forming a crisscrossing pattern of bright, almost blinding light. The screams of anticipation quickly turned to anger and pain as several of the claws made contact with the white lines and were burned. With a scream of rage, Voldemort turned back to Harry and the other wizards and launched a series of curses at the white net Harry had placed on the demon-gate. They all bounced off harmlessly, except for the ones which hit his Death Eaters.

The battle began again in earnest and the air buzzed once again with spells. Harry watched quietly with a defensive shield in front of his body as he slowly recovered his strength. Within a few minutes, Voldemort stood alone. With the last of his Death Eaters lying either unconscious or dead at his feet, Voldemort looked around at the enemies surrounding him and began to laugh.

"Which one of you thinks that they can actually kill me? Which one of you is foolish enough to think they are actually that powerful? You, Dumbledore? Not past your prime yet? What about you, Snape? You've always coveted my power. Anyone? Or are you going to make the boy try and do it? How very brave of you all. He's managed to save you so far, right? Place all of your burdens, all of your hopes, on the poor orphan's shoulders. How pathetic. Do you think you have it in you boy? Do you really think you can kill me? That's what you'll have to do, you know. I won't surrender. Think you can do it?" Voldemort laughed again.

Harry lowered his shield as he stepped forward and looked quietly at Voldemort. He said nothing, but stood gazing at Voldemort with an inscrutable look on his face.

Voldemort shifted his look away from Harry uneasily. "No brave last words, Potter? No final threats or demands that I surrender? Very well, prepare to meet your parents at last. But don't worry, I won't send you off all alone. I'll be sending all of your other friends with you. Perhaps I'll start with her." Pointing his wand at Hermione, Voldemort intoned, "Avada…"

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* Author's Note.

I believe I had read somewhere that most Portkey readers had a strong dislike for cliffhangers, but it seems I had forgotten. I did not intend to create distress among the great readers at Portkey—but I always envisioned this last battle in three parts spread out over three chapters. Besides, I didn't think the cliffhangers were that bad, especially since I have been able to update fairly regularly (but that may be because I already know what is going to happen—sorry).

In the sequel I am writing to this story, I will try to limit them, but sometimes they form a natural break between chapters. Besides, I intend to update it very regularly as well. For those of you who like longer chapters, the sequel is already longer than this story, though I haven't finished writing the final five or six chapters yet. Anyways, thank you again for all the wonderful reviews and the helpful comments. Now, without further ado, on with the battle.

Ch 29: Breaking the Bands of Death

"STUPEFY!!!" shouted Harry, pointing with the two fingers of his left hand at Voldemort's hand. The spell was disrupted and Voldemort's wand fell from his suddenly numb hand. Stretching out his left hand, he spoke quickly, before Harry had a chance to cast another spell with or without his wand. "Accio wand." Catching his wand in his other hand, Voldemort sneered, "Circus tricks won't save you now, Potter."

"Nor will attacking my friends, Riddle. Or would you prefer Tom? Tommy perhaps? Is that what your sweet old Muggle daddy called you—Tommy? Or did he just call you boy before he left you and your mum?"

His face livid with rage, Voldemort sputtered, "I'm going to kill you right now, Potter."

"That's right, Tommy-boy, this is between you and me."

Voldemort's wand swished in the air, emitting a bright flash of orange light as Harry stepped quickly to one side. One of the Aurors behind Harry barely dodged in time.

“Get everyone back Hermione. I can't block everything he's going to throw at me. Have the house-elves put up an anti-magic shield orb around the two of us and move everyone behind it. Then wait for my signal. I'll let you know when I think he's weak enough to try the spell. Then you let Ron know, OK? And make sure the elves let you and Ron Apparate back in.”

“OK, Harry. Please be careful. I love you.”

“I know. I love you too. But we both knew I had to do this part alone.”

Hermione concentrated and everyone began moving back, while Dumbledore and Snape explained to Hagrid that there was nothing more they could do at the moment and that the presence of so many innocent bystanders only worked in the favor of Voldemort.

Meanwhile, the two continued to duel fiercely. Lights flashed as streams of magical power crossed in the air between them and ricocheted off the anti-magical wards set up by the house-elves. Harry noticed that Voldemort was very careful to not cast a spell at the same time as Harry. Smiling, Harry realized he feared to lose another battle of wills should their wands attack each other simultaneously and repeat the Priori Incantatem that had allowed Harry to escape Voldemort and his Death Eaters two years ago. Using their wands for casting offensive spells, both used their other hand to raise various defensive magical shields. The sweat began to drip off both of them as they maneuvered around the field, looking for a weakness in the other's defenses.

Harry countered Voldemort's Serpensortia with Incendio, incinerating the deadly serpents he created. Voldemort countered Harry's Thundering Hammer spell with Fuerza diffusa, dispersing the destructive force unleashed at him. When Voldemort created a number of snakelike tentacles that reached for Harry around his defensive shield, he conjured a number of flying discs, similar to fanged frisbees that sliced the tentacles apart. Harry caused two huge mounds of earth to rise on either side of Voldemort, to crush him in between and Voldemort turned them to stone and then shattered them with another spell. As the smaller rocks flew apart, Harry redirected their motion backwards so they once again pelted Voldemort in the head and stomach. As the rocks assaulted him, Voldemort managed to shout "Caecusunt!" blinding Harry. Harry's other senses came to his aid, enabling him to dodge the other spell attacks Voldemort launched until he could remember the counter spell and regain his sight. Back and forth it went, each casting an effective counter spell for each one launched at them, and then trying a new, different spell. Sometimes they screamed the spells they launched to make them more powerful, occasionally they fired one off wordlessly, trying to disguise it or slip it past the other unnoticed.

Most of their spells simply bounced off the other's magical shield, or missed the target as they dodged. While Voldemort had spent decades studying the Dark Arts, Harry's intensive training and extensive reading over the past year had prepared him well for the confrontation and he had a formidable array of spells, as well as other talents to draw on. Harry's ability to teleport gave him an additional advantage when dodging Voldemort's attacks in addition to his lightning like reflexes honed by years of Quidditch. Harry tried a different tactic and cried "Inflammatio whip!" Harry's attack with the flaming whip ended when Voldemort's wand became a sword of ice and sliced it in two. With a flick of his wrist and rolling his fingers, Harry directed the severed line of flame to wrap around Voldemort's blade and melt it before Voldemort could hit him with his backswing.

Suddenly Voldemort transformed into a large serpent. Harry swung his wand down at the snake and muttered "Gladius." As he sliced downward, his wand transformed into a gleaming sword. But the snake was much quicker than he had thought and he merely sliced the side of it. Its tail hit him from behind before he could duck and he lost his footing. Quickly Voldemort wrapped several thick coils around him. Harry tried to swing the sword again, but found that his wrist was trapped by the powerful tail. "Now you die, Potter," hissed Voldemort, opening his mouth to reveal long fangs dripping with venom.

"We're not done playing yet Tommy-boy," replied Harry as he morphed into his dragon form. He ignored the gasps of fear and wonder from those watching him from a short distance away, concentrating on the battle at hand. Using his teleportation ability again to disappear momentarily, Harry reappeared immediately right under the black serpent's jaws and sunk his tiny fangs between two of the soft scales underneath the jaw, where the snake's scaly skin stretched to allow the jaw to dislocate in order to swallow its prey.

“Now, Hermione. Tell Ron and both of you get to your places.”

All three of them disappeared, only to reappear a short distance away from the madly hissing snake. Harry reappeared in his human form and glanced quickly at the other two and nodded. It was now or never. The small amount of venom would not really do much against the large snake. But hopefully, it would distract Voldemort long enough to cast the defensive ward.

With each of his friends ten feet away to either side, they formed a triangle with Voldemort in the middle. Harry began a variation of the ancient incantation Hermione had found.

"With trust in friends

and to achieve our ends,

to protect all living, I add my strength to this spell I begin

to trap this wizard and contain the evil power within.

Tutaminis Trium."

Ron, to his left, continued the spell,

"With trust in friends

and to achieve our ends,

that the evil magic within may dissipate,

I add my strength that he entrapped may meet his fate.

Tutaminis Trium."

Hermione added the final part,

"With trust in friends

and to achieve our ends,

to protect all living, I add my strength and seal this spell

and warn him within that should he fight, that next his soul will be in hell.

Tutaminis Trium.""

A faint blue line sprang up between each of the three teens and a blue, shimmering sphere became visible around Voldemort, who had now returned to his human form. "Another trick, Potter? I appreciated your little shapeshifting act a moment ago. Did you really think that mosquito bite you gave me would take me down? Surely a more useful form would have been like the tiger of your friend here. So, you've finally realized that you can't defeat me by yourself. Decided to call in some help? Is this the best you could do? A Mudblood and a Mudblood-loving Weasley? Well, they've sealed their doom, along with yours, Potter." Voldemort fired another spell at Harry which he deflected. "As you can see, your pathetic little spell can't protect any of you."

Harry and Voldemort continued to exchange spells through the pulsing blue sphere. Each time one of the spells passed through, the sphere brightened and then shrunk in size.

“Do you think it's working?” asked Harry.

“I think so. I think the changing lights and the fact that it's getting smaller is a good sign.”

“I hope so. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.”

Hermione didn't reply, but looked at Ron and nodded. Immediately, both began chanting softly. Harry looked up at them, distracted for a moment, and barely ducked as a spell sizzled across his left side, glancing off his ribs. Clutching his side in pain, he realized what his two friends were trying to do. Hermione and Ron were attempting another variation of the spell. A few pages after the Tutaminis Trium, Hermione had found a slightly different version of the spell but had not told Harry about it. Luckily, he had seen her reading it and studied it after she moved on to another book, afraid that she might try to use it. Instead of just lending their strength to the spell, both Ron and Hermione were risking their very lives in an effort to strengthen the spell in order to protect the third member, in this case, Harry. They were trying to sacrifice themselves in order that he might live long enough to defeat Voldemort.

Though extremely grateful for their willingness to give their very lives for him, the thought of losing either one of them to Voldemort infuriated him. Hearing Voldemort's mocking laughter, Harry became even more furious.

"Running out of tricks, Potter?" taunted Voldemort.

Enraged almost beyond reason, Harry tried to focus on completing two different, but essential tasks. The first was to add his own voice to the chanting cadences of his two friends. He was more than willing to lay down his life for both of them. He wouldn't accept their sacrifice without offering his own. The second task was to use his building rage to hammer Voldemort in every way he could think of with his influence over the elements. He hoped it would wear him down and force him to focus on defense instead of additional attacks.

Within the blue sphere itself, Voldemort's eyes grew wide as he suffered blasts of fiery winds, followed by freezing rain and sleet. The ground under his feet became boiling hot, then icy cold. Electricity sparked in the air as his body was wracked with pain as the violent currents passed through him. The ground shook hard enough to knock him to the ground, and then tried to swallow him whole. Those outside the sphere watched in amazement and even felt some of the effects, though to a lesser extent. Voldemort bent every effort to protecting himself from the attacks and could launch no counterattack.

After several minutes, Hermione and Ron finished their spell, and Hermione glanced at Harry with a mixture of confusion, anger, and compassion as she realized that he had taken part in the spell as well and was just finishing. Exhausted by the effort, Ron and Hermione were barely able to remain standing, but the blue sphere was considerably brighter now, and much smaller. Looking at Harry, she noticed the strain on his face and the sweat dripping from his forehead. She felt completely spent.

She had no idea how Harry could still be standing, let alone casting spells. After what seemed like an eternity, Harry gave a low moan and nearly tumbled to the ground, bent over double gasping for breath and wiping a bloody sleeve across his forehead. Voldemort was barely visible inside the bright blue globe, crumpled on his knees, moaning in pain.

"Is that the best you've got, Potter?" he grated through his teeth. Struggling awkwardly to his feet, Voldemort sneered, "It's going to take more than that to kill me, boy." As he finished his last remark, Voldemort launched a series of curses at Harry.

His face registering his complete astonishment that Voldemort still had so much power after the incredible beating he had just taken, he barely raised a defensive shield in time to deflect the spells. They sizzled harmlessly past Harry, but he was not sure how much longer he could keep this up. He felt exhausted.

"Still got enough in the tank to protect yourself, eh Potter? Now make your choice. You can't protect everyone. Who are you going to sacrifice? The redhead or the Mudblood? One of them will die—it's your choice." Raising his arms and pointing one at each of them, Voldemort began another spell.

Ron and Hermione were too weak to offer any resistance. They simply stared with resignation at Voldemort.

“I love you, Harry. Goodbye.”

“Finish of this worthless…” growled Ron tiredly.

“It's not goodbye. Don't give up now!” yelled Harry. Screaming in frustration, Harry focused intensely, somehow finding the energy within himself to create not one but two defensive shields, one for each of his friends. The streams of red light from Voldemort's spells nearly shattered them, but they held. It was Voldemort's turn to scream in frustration as he looked in astonishment at the two shields Harry had created. But Voldemort noticed that Harry's own shield was no longer there. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he cast another spell at Harry. "Avada Kedavra."

The spell hit Harry full in the chest before he had a chance to react, but Voldemort did not notice that the color of the spell had changed from green to a light blue the moment it passed through the blue sphere that was now very close to him. Feeling dizzy for a moment, Voldemort nearly swooned. Then he saw that Harry was still on his feet.

"Impossible!" he roared.

Harry simply gazed back at him, looking much better than he had a few moments ago. "Thanks, Tommy-boy. I really needed that. I feel much better now. Shall we continue?"

Looking more closely at Voldemort, Harry noticed something odd. He thought for a moment that his vision was just blurry, but when he kept looking, he decided he wasn't seeing things. Voldemort's form didn't seem as substantial as it should be. For a couple of seconds at a time, Harry could almost see right through him.

“I think it's working Hermione! I think some of the enchantments keeping him alive are finally breaking down. You did it Hermione! You did it!”

“No, Harry. You did it. Now finish it.” she replied very wearily.

“I'll try.”

Once again, Harry began hammering Voldemort with elemental magic. But it was even more intense this time. The wizards and witches watching could tell because the effects outside the sphere were even more significant. Many of them had to begin casting spells to protect themselves. They could only imagine what it must have felt like inside the sphere for Voldemort.

But Harry couldn't tell for sure if Voldemort was tiring or weakening. “Surely he must be! What else can I do?!?!” Then something in his head seemed to click. Was there any way he could channel some of the energy from the elements around him into his own spells? He decided to try. Within his mind, he felt as if a dam had suddenly burst and he felt flooded with power. He nearly lost consciousness and barely maintained control. "BAUTTUERUM MARTEL!" he shouted.

Voldemort barely had time to strengthen the shield in front of him with his wand but the spell still knocked Voldemort to his knees and his eyes widened in sudden fear. He slowly stood again and Harry altered the air within his sphere, superheating it again. Then he cast a stunning spell. Then he sent another electrical current through Voldemort's body. He followed that with a spellshield breaking spell, then a strength draining spell, and then created a freezing sleet that blew sideways. Harry continued to alter his attacks, trying to avoid any routine or repetition, but kept a steady and intense barrage of attacks trying to wear down Voldemort's defenses. Harry did not hear the gasps of the wizards and witches still watching as they witnessed the most powerful display of magic they had ever witnessed or read about. Hermione shifted her glance from Voldemort to Harry, and realized for the first time, as did all of the witches and wizards gathered there watching, the incredible power available to an elemental mage. She shivered slightly trying to imagine just how powerful Harry might become, if he survived this battle with Voldemort. Dumbledore himself looked on in awe at the power with which Harry was able to cast his spells and still maintain control of the elements. “His power has advanced far beyond that of any of us, but can he maintain his control?” As if he could help Harry, Dumbledore kept thinking, “Stay in control, Harry. Do not lose control. Stay in control.”

Voldemort was having a horrific time trying to defend against the variety of powerful spells Harry now sent his way. The mixed attack of spells and elemental magic kept him off balance and unable to launch any sort of effective counteroffensive. The pain and agony was much worse this time, and his spells didn't seem to be as effective as earlier. After what seemed like hours of excruciating pain and using every last ounce of power he had in fending off the various elemental effects and spells cast by Harry, Voldemort collapsed to his knees again. The fiery burning in his legs, the dull ache throughout his body from the pounding of powerful spells, the sharp pains in his sides and shoulders where some of the spells had landed, the damp, chilly air filling his lungs, the painful electrical currents that made his body shake with spasms suddenly dulled in comparison to the pain that immediately exploded in his heart. A scream of fear and pain ripped free from his throat and echoed loudly in the air. Opening his eyes, he saw not only the three teenagers standing warily around him, but gray, hazy images of all of his past victims surrounding him. He screamed again, this time in pure fear.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron suddenly noticed the ghostly images as well. And they realized that they were no longer outside in a sunny, field of grass, but in a dimly lit plain covered in a thin, wispy mist. Harry's concentration broke as he saw three figures separate themselves from the large circle surrounding himself and his two friends and move closer.

"Mum? Dad? Sirius?" They hovered closer and smiled at him. His mother spoke.

"You've done it Harry. You've broken the bands Voldemort placed on himself to stave off death. We have come to help you finish and ensure he never hurts another victim in your world." Her eyes beamed with love and pride. His father and Sirius both looked extremely proud and motioned as if to grab his shoulder and squeeze. Then they each moved away and took a place between himself and one of his friends. James stood on his right, between him and Hermione. Lily stood between Ron and Harry, on the opposite side of Hermione. Sirius stood directly opposite of Harry, between Ron and Hermione. The three of them chanted for a minute, and another series of lines, colored gray, sprang up between them. Voldemort was now surrounded by two triangles with their tops in opposite directions, one blue, and the other gray.

A hysterical cry rang from the bright blue sphere. "You can't kill me Potter. Nobody can! I'm undefeatable! I'll come back Potter. I'll have my revenge!"

"Not this time Voldemort. It's over. But I don't want to kill you. In fact, I sort of pity you, you pathetic coward. Maybe if you apologize to all of your victims here, I'll let you surrender and go quietly to Azkaban. First you can apologize to my parents, for being a sniveling, cowardly murderer. Start with my mother and apologize on your knees!"

"Never Potter! Never! I'll kill you with my bare hands if I have to!"

Charging forward in a blind rage, Voldemort began one final spell. "AVADA KEDAVRA!!!"

Voldemort's arm touched the bright blue sphere at the same time that his spell rebounded and struck him full in the chest, knocking him to the ground. There was a bright blue explosion and then the sphere disappeared.

Harry sagged in relief and nobody moved for a minute, just staring in disbelief at the fallen body of Voldemort. Their shock turned to horror as the form quivered slightly, then began to rise again from the earth. In dismay, Harry, Hermione, and Ron watched as Voldemort once again rose shakily to face Harry.

"I told you, Potter! Your pathetic defensive wards are no match for my power! Not even with the help of your dead parents and their pathetic sidekick! Did you really think I would somehow die from one of my own spells?!?! Foolish boy, have you learned nothing with all of your extra training? The Avada Kadavra curse does not work on the wizard who casts it. It can't rebound and kill the caster. Besides, Potter, I have your precious Mudblood mother's blood in my veins protecting me now. Or did you forget?" Voldemort laughed cruelly as he looked over at Lily and then back to her son. The ghosts said nothing, though James and Sirius looked even more furious, if that were possible.

Shaking off his doubt, and furious at the insult Voldemort had hurled against his mother, Harry fought to regain his calm. Then he noticed a faint blue aura surrounding Voldemort's body. With a smile, Harry replied in a low, deadly voice. "No, Tommy-boy. I haven't forgotten. But my mother's blood would never protect something like you. But let me show you another little surprise I've been saving, TB. Do you remember this?" From the pouch at his side, Harry withdrew a slender, silver blade.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed as they studied the blade, then widened slightly in fear.

"Yes, Tommy-boy, this is the same dagger from your little ceremony two years ago. I had hoped you had left it in the graveyard in the confusion after I escaped. But no, I wasn't that lucky. But I did get lucky when you were foolish enough to send Wormtail as one of your spies to watch Hogwarts from the Forbidden Forest. Didn't Wormtail tell you how I spared his life, how he owed me a life debt when he returned to you?" At Voldemort's look of surprise and anger, Harry continued. "No? I didn't think so. Well, after I cornered him in the Forest, I reminded him of his debt and called in the favor. He knew exactly where you had hidden the items from that ceremony and it was fairly easy for him to steal it for me. You know the danger it poses don't you? The same dagger that helped you magically bind your spirit back to a body can destroy those ties just as easily, can't it?" Holding the dagger in his left hand with his wand pointed at Voldemort in his right, Harry slowly advanced on a visibly shaking Voldemort, though it was impossible to tell whether it was with fear or rage. Or both. As Harry moved forward, he spoke the word Gladius quite softly and the wand in his right hand changed into a long, narrow-bladed sword.

Voldemort's snakelike face seemed to grin as he lifted his own wand and created a long, curved sword with wicked hooks and spikes along the back of the blade. "So you've decided you can't best me with magic, eh, Potter? Think you're man enough to finish me off physically, boy? You're stupider than I thought."

Harry said nothing, but simply assumed a balanced pose with his dagger held low and his sword in a defensive position, angled slightly upwards in front of him. Harry watched as Voldemort moved slowly and painfully in front of him with his sword held confidently. Harry knew from the way Voldemort handled his blade that he was the more skilled of the two. Harry had not been able to find a suitable fencing tutor, everything he knew was from reading books and practicing on his own. However, he could tell that Voldemort was in bad shape physically from the magical assaults earlier, no matter how well he seemed to conceal it. But he knew that it would be very dangerous to let the fight go on very long lest the odds return somehow to Voldemort's favor.

"Impedimenta!" screamed Voldemort. Harry barely managed to dodge to one side as Voldemort cast the wandless spell.

"Cheating already, TB? You didn't even bow before we began dueling. Surely they taught you better manners than that when you attended Hogwarts?"

Harry thrust high with his sword and then stabbed low with his dagger. Voldemort sidestepped easily and beat aside both attacks with his longer sword.

"You should have stuck to dueling with wands, Potter. You have no skill for this," taunted Voldemort.

Harry circled again and launched a low slicing cut aimed at Voldemort's shins, which he easily hopped over, but was unable to dodge the dagger which came flashing up and sliced his left forearm. Harry quickly spun away from the countering sword that came flashing across as Voldemort howled in pain.

"Now the blade has your blood, as well as Wormtail's and mine," mocked Harry.

Voldemort lunged and slashed down with the curved sword, and Harry raised both of his blades in an X to block its downward momentum. Voldemort pulled back the blade as it descended, allowing it to pass the center of Harry's defensive crossed blades. Voldemort then halted its downward momentum, and stabbed towards Harry's chest. As Harry twisted to avoid the thrust and moved to parry it downward with his sword, Voldemort then swung the blade up and out to his right. One of the hooks on the back of the blade caught Harry's left forearm, piercing it and jerked Harry forward, off balance, to fall at Voldemort's feet. The dagger was sent spinning in the air to fall twenty feet behind Voldemort, somewhat to his right.

His pale face gleaming with his anticipated victory, Voldemort laughed again. "Pathetic, Potter. To have worked so hard this year training and planning my defeat, only to die so easily in front of your parents and friends. Any last words before you die?" he mocked as he raised his sword again to finish off the fight.

Harry glanced around quickly at the concerned faces surrounding him. Hermione and his mother both looked to be in tears, while Ron, Sirius, and his father started to move forward. But they were too far away to give any type of aid. Harry looked back at Voldemort and raised his bleeding left arm with the palm extended as if to surrender and then in a strong voice commanded "Accio dagger."

With a look of horror on his face, Voldemort turned and with his own open hand countered with "Prot…." Then Voldemort felt a searing pain in his left lung as Harry plunged his sword deep through the side of his chest. A moment later a sharp pain exploded in the front of his chest as the dagger struck deep, right below the rib cage in his solar plexus.

Harry withdrew his sword and stood in front of Voldemort, who had slumped to his knees and was drawing deep, gasping breaths. Harry said quietly, yet forcefully, "Why the look of surprise, Tommy? You opened the duel to magic use. Or perhaps you're wondering why you are dying? The blue sphere wasn't meant to protect us, it was meant to break down your magical defenses against death. Since it disappeared, you've been quite mortal. Even if I couldn't have finished you off, the other wizards waiting for your return would have easily ended your miserable life. After all, I had no way of telling whether or not Wormtail gave me the correct dagger for sure. He's betrayed my family before and fooled some of the wisest and most powerful wizards in the world. But cheer up and have a look around Tommy, it seems like you have quite the welcoming party." Harry smiled as he saw the fear return to Voldemort's eyes when he looked around at the shadowy images surrounding him. Harry watched grimly as the life slowly ebbed out of Voldemort and he finally fell back to the ground. This time he did not rise.

Harry nearly swooned as his parents came close to him once more.

"Thank you, son. You've finally made all of our sacrifices worth something. Voldemort will never trouble the world of the living again. I am so proud of you son. You're more than I ever hoped for in a son," choked his father.

"The world of the living? But what about your world? Will he be able to hurt you again?" asked Harry.

"No, Harry. He always feared the afterlife. He has no power there. He'll never hurt anyone again," comforted his mother. "Do not worry about us, Harry. We are happy with our friends and family there." With a beautiful smile, she added, "And though we love you more than you can imagine, we do not want to see you there anytime soon, young man. I want you to enjoy a long, happy life with your friends and future family in the world of the living." She glanced meaningfully at Hermione and than back at her son. "You will see all of us again someday, Harry. Enjoy the life you have before you now." Lily and James turned to go.

"Wait. Wait! Can't you stay just a little bit longer? There is so much I want to talk to you about…"

"I am sorry son, but we have to return. As do you. None of us can stay any longer here between worlds." Harry could have sworn he felt her lips brush against his forehead, and then they were gone. When Harry blinked again, he was standing again in the bloody, spell scorched field.

Ron was kneeling and bent over on his hands, gasping for breath. His robes were soaked with wolves' blood and probably some of his own. Most of his robes were hanging in tatters. Hermione looked a little better than Ron. She looked very tired and was covered with grime, but didn't look like she had been wounded. Voldemort lay flat on his back with the dagger still buried in his chest, his snakelike eyes staring blankly at the sky. Shuffling awkwardly, Harry staggered over to look at him more closely, to make sure he was dead. He focused his senses intently for a full minute, unaware that the surviving faculty, students, and Aurors had gathered closer. Hermione was standing right next to him on one side, and Dumbledore on the other. Harry could detect no heartbeat, and not a trace of magical energy anywhere in the still body. Putting his wand in his back pocket, he extended his hand and picked up Voldemort's wand, which had returned to its normal form after Voldemort's death.

Looking up, he noticed everyone looking at me hesitantly. "It's over. It's finally over. Voldemort is dead." Turning to Dumbledore, he asked, "Would you do me the honor? Save the pieces to show those that weren't here that Voldemort has been defeated. For good this time."

With a wide grin and his eyes sparkling, Dumbledore raised the wand between his fists and snapped it in two.

The field erupted with cheers. Harry didn't notice because all of a sudden, he felt very tired. He suddenly realized that every inch of his body ached, his side burned fiercely, and his arm throbbed and was bleeding heavily. Looking over the field again, he saw the vast devastation and destruction that had occurred during the battle. He knew that the statues of the bodies he saw standing around would never enjoy life again. He didn't know how many of his friends from school had lost their lives today and he was afraid to know. He didn't dare count the number of statues. Looking at the field itself, he knew that this small, once beautiful valley would not support any sort of life again for many decades, if ever. The field and hill would become barren, the forest would die away, and the waters would become inhospitable. He had tapped too deeply into the magical and natural sources of this area in order to defeat Voldemort. Then he thought again of how he had manipulated and deceived people to win this battle. And what he had let happen to Ginny. But Voldemort was dead. His reign of terror and bloodshed was over. There would be no more victims of Voldemort or his Death Eaters. That had to be worth something. It had to be worth the price that had been paid. It had to be, he kept telling himself as he felt himself falling into darkness.

“Dumbledore, I can't shut the demon-gate, I'm too tired. Can you do it? And you have to find the rest of Voldemort's army. They're not all here. There could be more! You have to find them!”

“Rest, Harry. You have done well, much better than any of us could have ever dreamed.”

“No, you don't know everything I've done. If you knew the half of it, you wouldn't say that.”

Dumbledore looked with concern at Harry.

“Hermione, tell the Weasleys I am so sorry for everything. And Hermione, please remember that I love you. I always will. I'm sorry I can't…”

Harry didn't finish as the darkness overcame him completely and he collapsed into the arms of Hermione and Dumbledore on the ruined field.

*Author's note—To ease any anguish caused by the end of this chapter, rest assured, I do not kill off Harry or Hermione. And JKR better not either. The final chapter will be up as soon as I'm done editing it.

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Ch 30: Finding Peace

Following the return of the survivors of the battle to Hogwarts, news quickly spread of Voldemort's defeat. That evening, celebrations sprang up through out the wizarding world, though spirits were not as high at Hogwarts, where the injured were slowly recuperating. Though the final battle had been disastrous for Voldemort and his army, it had been quite devastating for Harry and his allies as well. Two of the dragons had been severely hurt, as well as dozens of injuries and fatalities for the merpeople, the tree sprites, the dwarves, and the wild elves. Several of the centaurs and unicorns had been injured, but none seriously. Nearly sixty of the Aurors from the Ministry had perished, as had Moody, Tonks, Shacklebolt and Mundungus. Eleven students from the school perished as well. Both the Weasley twins were severely injured, but were expected to make it. The other Weasleys were all injured as well, but not as badly as the twins. Luna and Neville were both injured, as was Draco, but made rapid recoveries. Hagrid, McGonagall, and Snape had all suffered severe wounds and several other members of the teaching staff had perished. Harry remained unconscious in the infirmary with Hermione hovering by his side.

The three faculty members and Harry received several visitors throughout the afternoon and evening, but Madame Pomfrey had driven everyone out by eight o'clock. Everyone, of course, but Hermione. Tossing her hands in exasperation and with a glare at the departing Dumbledore, Pomfrey gave up trying to evict the very determined looking Hermione from her seat. Sleeping in her favorite chair, Hermione awoke in the morning still holding Harry's hand. Noticing no change in his condition, Hermione thought quietly about how she could help Harry. She recalled some of Harry's last thoughts before he had fallen unconscious, they had troubled him so greatly it had seemed as if he were screaming them to her. He wondered if the guilt he doubtless felt about some of the means he had used to gain the victory over Voldemort was making his exhaustion from the spell use yesterday worse. Or was it something else?

“Harry? Harry, can you hear me?” she thought. When she heard no response, she waited and then tried again. After half an hour of calling out to him gently, she decided to take more direct action. Gently probing his mind, she found herself again in his mental labyrinth. She called out again, looking for some hint of where she might find him. Receiving no answer, she started making her way through the labyrinth.

*-*-*

"Headmaster, I'm very worried about both of them," sighed Poppy. "Miss Granger has been sitting there for two days now, and neither of them have moved a muscle the entire time. I've given them both potions to heal their bodies and give them some energy. Miss Granger wasn't hurt very badly, and Mr. Potter's wounds have been healed—there's nothing wrong with either of them physically, but…"

"Sometimes the gravest wounds are found in the heart and mind," remarked Dumbledore loud enough for the faculty, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and Arthur and Molly Weasley to hear. "Both Mr. Potter and Miss Granger have been through a number of incredibly difficult experiences, and instead of sharing their burdens with others, have relied almost solely upon each other and their individual strength. I believe they will have to help each other through this final trial alone—but knowing their strength and courage, and yes, sheer stubbornness as I do, I am certain they will find a way to come back to us. Until then, I am afraid there is little we can do to help them at this point except wait and hope. And give them all the support they will accept when they return." The eyes of the adults returned to the still forms of the motionless teenagers.

*-*-*

Finally reaching the center of the labyrinth, Hermione gazed up at the magnificent castle that soared upward in front of her. As she stepped forward, a roar of magical flame leaped upward from an immense moat that surrounded the castle. Peering through the flames, she could barely make out a drawbridge, drawn up tightly against the castle's outer wall.

“Harry! Let me in! It's Hermione! Please open up and let me in,”

“Go away! I don't want to talk to anyone! I don't deserve to talk to anyone!”

“Harry, I just want to help! Please let me in to help you!”

“No! Go away! I don't want your help!” then more quietly, she heard, “I don't deserve your help.”

“But Harry, I love you. I've come to help you!”

“NO! Go away! You can't help me now! Don't you know what I've become?!?! I'm just like him now. I've used anything and anyone to make sure that he was defeated. Do you have any idea how many lies I've used, how many people I've deceived? Do you know the terrible danger I've put my friends in? Do you know what I allowed to happen to Ginny? You saw the power I was able to wield against Voldemort. I'm just as bad as he ever was, maybe worse. Now go away and leave me alone!"

“Harry! I will not abandon you now after all you've done! Harry! Listen to me!” Hermione waited, but there was no further response. She stepped closer to the moat and the magical fire roared upward again.

“I won't let you shut me out Harry!”

Gathering her courage, Hermione shapeshifted into her owl form and soared into the sky. The magical flames surged around her, but did not harm her. As she soared over the moat and castle wall, she landed in the outer courtyard and shifted back to her normal form. As she landed, she exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Looking around quickly to get her bearings, she marched straight towards the large double doors outside of the largest building. Pushing gently, she realized they were barred. “Harry! Open up and let me in!” No response. Pointing her wand, she spoke softly, "Alohomora." Nothing happened. She tried again with a little more effort. Again nothing. She tried a third time and felt Harry's resistance, strongly at first and then give way as if his heart truly wasn't in it. The doors swung open gently.

As she walked into an enormous hall, she called out, "Harry!" Still no response. She slowly worked her way through the various rooms on the first two floors. She really hadn't expected to find him in the kitchen, the dining hall, the throne room, or any of the small rooms on the second floor. On the third floor, the second door she checked opened into an enormous library that must have covered most of the third story. Shelves lined the twenty foot tall walls. A small fire burned lowly at one end of the room in a fireplace with several comfortable chairs in front of it. "Harry?" she asked again, knowing he was in one of the chairs even if he didn't answer. The silence continued. She walked to the fire and turned to one of the chairs. It was empty. She slowly turned to the other chair and froze in shock.

There was a long pause and then “HARRY!!! What happened? What did Voldemort do to you?”

Looking back at her slowly, Harry replied in a low tone. “Voldemort didn't do anything to me, Hermione. I did this to myself. The lies, the deceptions, the time travel, the advanced spells and the elemental power I summoned, the deaths I caused—all of it has shaped what you see before you.”

Hermione forced herself to maintain eye contact with Harry and not allow herself to look away. Instead of the handsome, young, vibrant sixteen-year old boy she had known and fallen in love with at Hogwarts, the twisted and tortured creature in front of her was nearly unrecognizable. His limbs appeared to have been twisted and stretched into grotesque angles, with barely enough skin stretched tight to cover them. His skin had dark patches covering it, looking like badly healed burn marks. His thin shoulders stooped over his sunken chest, which seemed to catch at nearly every breath. But what nearly broke Hermione's heart was when he raised his wrinkled, disfigured face to look at hers. One eye was lost beneath a mass of scar tissue, but the remaining eye, instead of a sparkling hue of emerald appeared to be a dull, lifeless greyish-green. She could sense no life nor spark at all within its murky depths.

"Oh Harry!" she cried and reached forward to give him a hug.

“NO!!! I don't want your pity. I never wanted you to see me like this. Now go and leave me alone. It's what I deserve.” Harry laughed bitterly. “Tonks once told me that `There is always a price to be paid for the most powerful magics that are performed.' Only extremely powerful magic could have defeated Voldemort, and I did what I had to do. And now I'm paying the price for it. Don't get me wrong Hermione—I'm glad I did what I did. The wizarding world will be a better place with Voldemort gone. I'd do it again if I had to, just to make the world better and safer for you Hermione. My only regret is that I won't be able to enjoy that world with you Hermione. Now please go. Please just leave me alone.” Harry's chin dropped to his chest.

Hermione's soft but strong fingers lifted his chin so that he could see her face again as the tears streamed from her eyes. “Harry, if you think I'm just going to leave you now when you need me the most, then you never really understood how much you mean to me. Without you there beside me, I will never enjoy a world without Voldemort.”

“But I can't go back Hermione.”

“Then neither will I.”

“What?!?!”

“I'm staying here with you, Harry. Don't you get it? I love you Harry and I want to be with you, no matter what.” She reached forward and easily lifted the quietly crying Harry in her arms and cradled him gently. “I love you, Harry. No matter what. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing!”

“I love you too, Hermione. I love you too.”

Hermione sat down in the chair Harry had been resting in and continued to hold him close. As the tears rolled down her face, she felt his breathing ease a bit and realized that he had fallen asleep. As she gazed into the fire she cried softly to herself at the enormous price Harry was paying to make the world safe from Voldemort. He had sacrificed everything but his life. And what kind of life did he have left, trapped here within the confines of his own mind? Hermione determined that she would make sure it was as peaceful and pleasant as possible. “Oh Harry, I would give anything to heal your mind and heart, to help you enjoy the kind of life you deserve. Anything.” And then Hermione fell asleep too, still holding Harry close in her arms.

*-*-*

When Hermione awoke, she was still sitting in her chair, but Harry was gone. The fire had gone out too, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark room. Then she realized that she was no longer in the library of Harry's mental castle at all but was back in the infirmary. Quickly she looked down and found Harry's hand still clasped in her own.

“Harry! Are you there? Harry, please!” Nothing. She leaned forward and began to cry softly on his chest. The darkness slowly faded as dawn approached and sent her first rays over the horizon. The edge of the sun appeared and chased the remaining shadows from the room.

A hand gently brushed Hermione's hair as she heard a soft voice say “Hermione?”

“HARRY!”

“Hi there. Uhh, you're getting me all wet crying like that.”

“What! Oh! Harry! You're back!” Hermione leaned over and gave him a huge hug. Then she turned and looked up at him and paused.

"Harry, what happened?"

With a look of horror on his face, he raised his hands to his face and felt nothing but smooth skin. Then he closed his right eye and looked around with his left eye to see if he could still see clearly. He saw Hermione looking back at him with an odd look on her face.

Then he opened both his eyes and looked down at his arms and hands. He saw his own arms, lean but strong and the callused and powerful hands of a Quidditch player. "Hermione! You healed me!"

"I what?!?!"

"You managed to heal me somehow! I feel so much bet…" as Harry sat up quickly, he felt a little woozy. "Well, maybe I need a little more rest first," he grinned as he laid back down again on the bed.

"And I will make sure you get plenty of rest, Mr. Potter," clucked Madame Pomfrey as she came running out of her office. "My dear boy, you have no idea how glad I am to see you back with the living. And you too, Miss Granger." She missed the slight frown that flashed across Harry's face, but Hermione saw and reached out and squeezed his hand. Madame Pomfrey sat across from Harry and quickly began to fuss over him.

A few minutes later, both Dumbledore and McGonagall burst through the door. McGonagall was still limping slightly. Hermione looked at them and asked, "How did you know…"

McGonagall looked at her and almost laughed. "My dear girl, you probably woke the entire staff screaming like you did a few minutes ago."

Hermione blushed a deep red.

"Harry, I can't begin to tell you how worried we were about you." Looking at Hermione, Dumbledore added, "about both of you."

"How long have I been out this time, Professor?" asked Harry.

"Three days have passed since you defeated Voldemort, Harry. You are recovering much more quickly this time though."

"No, I don't think so Professor." The three adults and Hermione looked at Harry with great concern. "I mean I wouldn't even be here at all if it wasn't for Hermione. Everything I've done and gone through in the past year finally caught up with me after Voldemort's defeat…Professor! Were you able to close the demon-gate? What about the rest of Voldemort's army? Have they been found?" Harry tried to sit up, only to have Hermione push him back down on the bed easily.

"Yes, yes Harry. Everything is fine. Professors Snape, McGonagall, Lupin and I were able to close the demon-gate. The Aurors have been very busy tracking down the remnants of Voldemort's army. The Death Stalkers have been particularly busy. Most offered little resistance and there were no organized attacks after they discovered Voldemort been defeated."

"Professor, who were the Death Stalkers, the Wind Warriors, and the Beast Masters? I've never heard of them. Are they some type of specially trained wizard?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, Hermione. Aurors are trained to deal with a wide variety of problems, but usually deal primarily with Dark wizards and witches. The other three types you saw at the battle are specially trained Aurors. Death Stalkers hunt the undead. Beast Masters deal with magical beasts that become problematic. And Wind Warriors are specially trained to deal with airborne creatures."

"How did they know Voldemort had been defeated?" asked Harry.

Following his defeat, the dark mark on all of his surviving servants faded so that only the barest of outlines remained. Enough remains of the mark to still be able to identify his followers however."

Harry slapped his hand to his forehead searching for his scar. Hermione brushed his hand aside and looked. "It's still there Harry." He looked disappointed. "But it doesn't seem as prominent—it seems to have faded away somewhat."

"Really?!?!" He looked around quickly for a mirror and then took the one Hermione had just conjured for him. "Thanks, Hermione," and then looked at his slightly faded scar. "Cool." Then his brow furrowed. "But I still don't understand how you healed me Hermione."

All three adults now looked at Hermione.

"I told you, I didn't do anything, Harry."

"Well, if you didn't then maybe I'll still end up like…" Harry's face froze in terror.

Hermione leaned forward and grabbed his chin gently. "Harry! Harry, stay with me. We'll get through this, I promise. You're going to be fine, I promise."

Harry looked at her and nodded.

"Perhaps if you told me what happened, I could be of some assistance," offered Dumbledore quietly.

"I don't think so, Professor. But thanks all the same."

Looking quickly at Harry, Hermione spoke, "Harry, keeping secrets is a big part of what caused, well you know. We may have had an easier time this year if we had asked for a little more help and been a little more open with people."

Harry looked at Hermione and then at Dumbledore and then made his decision. "Fine, but could you tell him Hermione? Or maybe show him with your memories. I think it would be easier that way."

"I am sure it would be easier that way, Harry, but I do not believe that would help you very much. I hate to ask it of you Harry, but I really think it would be better if you showed me yourself. I think it will help like when you told me what happened after you disappeared from the Triwizard Tournament."

Harry stared at Dumbledore for a minute, reliving briefly the pain of that memory, but also remembering how it had helped to share it with someone else. "Fine. Let me concentrate. Maybe Hermione can help, she's much better at mindspeaking with others than I am."

"As you wish, Harry."

Dumbledore, Harry, and Hermione closed their eyes briefly in concentration. Hermione quickly took Dumbledore through the labyrinth to the castle where he could review all that had happened the previous three days. Sitting in the library, Harry seemed very nervous answering Dumbledore's various questions.

Finally, Harry asked Hermione, “What…what do I look like Hermione? And don't lie.”

Looking him straight in the eye, Hermione replied “You look just like yourself, Harry. Your normal sixteen-year old self.”

“What!?!? How is that possible?!?! Yesterday, I was maimed and crippled and burnt out with magic use and nearly dead!!! How can this be?!?! I don't understand!”

“May I offer a possible explanation, Harry?”

Both Harry and Hermione turned to look at Dumbledore.

“A few weeks ago I told Hermione that there are other ways, more powerful ways than magic, that can help those we care about.”

Hermione nodded and Harry just listened.

“After the battle, neither you nor Harry had suffered very critical injuries, or at least injuries visible to the human eye. Madame Pomfrey could take care of those external wounds. But you were both wounded in your minds and in your hearts. Especially you Harry. And that is where you have been able to do the greatest amount of good, Hermione. In a way that Voldemort never understood, but that both you and Lily Potter understood instinctively, you both realized the incredible power of love. Lily was able to protect Harry's life. You were able to restore it.

I have seen the condition you were in only hours ago, Harry and I can tell you there is no power in the wizarding world that could have saved you from that fate. There is only one thing that could have healed you Harry and that is the power of love. Your heart and mind have been healed of most of the trauma it has been put through over the last year because of Hermione's deep love for you. Some of your other scars will not heal as quickly, but they will heal with time and as long as you trust in her and love her enough to let her help heal you.

Voldemort never really understood the most dangerous weapon you possessed, Harry. It wasn't your magical power, formidable as that has become. It wasn't your knowledge of magic, your reflexes, your friends and allies, or anything else. It was the love you had for your friends and the love they had for you. It was this love that gave you the strength to shoulder the burdens you assumed this past year and to push through with the study and practice you endured this year beyond most people's ability to endure. It was the love the three of you share that enabled you to cast the spell that ultimately proved Voldemort's undoing.”

Harry and Hermione just stared at Dumbledore in awe.

~But enough of an old man's ramblings. I apologize. However, before we return to the world of the living, I just want to say two more things. First Harry, do not judge yourself too harshly for what you have done to defeat Voldemort. I am not saying that the ends justify the means. However, there are certain times when the normal rules no longer apply. The world is not always clearly revealed in black and white. You did what you thought was best in the circumstances in which you found yourself. You were trying to protect all of us. We could ask no more than that. In fact, I think you will find that those who you feel you have manipulated or deceived are not as hurt as you fear, but instead are grateful for your sacrifice and will be very forgiving of any errors you may believe you have made.

Second, allow the love you and Hermione share, and the friendships you have with those around you, to help you recover fully. You have carried too much responsibility and too many worries by yourself for far too long. You will find that by sharing those burdens with those around you who care for you, life will be much easier and fulfilling. I understand your fear and reluctance in accepting help and support, but let us help you. There are plenty of us who are more than willing to help shoulder your burdens, support you in your grief and sorrow, and share in your joy and happiness. Do not shut us out.

There, I have had my say. Come, let us return.” Dumbledore held out his hands. Instead of grabbing his hands, Harry and Hermione gave him a huge hug.

Opening their eyes again, they found themselves back in the infirmary. With a look at Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore announced, "I imagine you two would like some time alone to talk, so I will delay any additional visitors for another hour or so." Smiling broadly, "Beyond that, I can make no promises. Once the entire Weasley family learns of this, I fear not even I will be able to prevent Molly and her children from breaking down the doors."

Harry and Hermione grinned as the three adults turned to leave. Harry reached for Hermione's hand and they watched silently as the sun burned off the last of the dew outside the window. They just sat there quietly, enjoying the silence and each other's company.

About an hour later, Harry and Hermione turned to the door after hearing a loud commotion outside.

"Madame Pomfrey, with all due respect, I don't care if Dumbledore himself said he was to have no visitors. I am not a visitor! I am his mother! Now step aside!" roared Molly.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and started laughing as Molly brushed by a frustrated Madame Pomfrey.

"And I'm his best friend!" bellowed Ron as he pushed his way in.

"And we're his…uhh…" started Fred.

"Bodyguards!" finished George and they charged through.

"And if Molly is his mother, that makes me his father!" added Arthur and followed his sons.

"I taught Harry everything there is to know about dragons!" chimed in Charlie shouldering his way past the door.

"And I…I…well, I'm a Weasley too, and I'm going in!" explained Bill and came in as well.

"And we're her parents, so we're coming in too!" shouted the Grangers and they entered as well.

Looking out the door, Harry caught glimpses between the Weasleys entering the room of a very full hall of people waiting to see him.

"Madame Pomfrey, if you would just let everyone from Hogwarts in that wants to see me, I promise I will take a long nap this afternoon. Otherwise, I will be seeing visitors all day long."

"Very well, Mr. Potter. I don't even know why I bother!" muttered a disgruntled Madame Pomfrey as she threw up her hands in defeat. She turned to the mob outside his room and shouted, "Professors and Gryffindors, come on in. You have one hour to visit Mr. Potter. ONE HOUR! And if I catch one of you reporters trying to sneak in, I'll give you something that will keep you in your bathroom for a solid week!"

Very quickly the infirmary filled beyond capacity as the Gryffindors and professors took turns chatting briefly with Harry, thanking him for defeating Voldemort and wishing him a speedy recovery. Sadly, Harry noticed a number of sixth and seventh years missing, as well as several members of the faculty. What bothered him most was that he had not seen Ginny Weasley at all. The hour passed very quickly and as Madame Pomfrey was shooing out the visitors, a slender, pretty red-haired girl came to the door and peeked in. Harry immediately recognized Ginny and motioned her to come in. When Pomfrey looked like she would object, Harry promised it would only take ten minutes. Satisfied, she made sure everyone else had left.

Looking nervously at Harry and Hermione, Ginny stood quietly by Harry's bed. Hermione moved as if to get up, but both Harry and Ginny asked her to stay. Harry and Ginny laughed nervously, since they had said the same thing at the same time.

Ginny started to open her mouth but Harry started first. "Ginny, I am so sorry that I…"

"Harry, I am so sorry that I…"

"What?" they both said again at the same time.

"Ginny, you have nothing to apologize for. I am the one that should be apologizing. I left you under Voldemort's control, just so I could try and spring a trap on him. I left you alone, unprotected, as a spy, just to avoid discovery and I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am. You'll probably hate me forever, and I completely understand, but I am so sorry."

"Harry! What on earth are you apologizing for? I was the one spying on Voldemort and giving him information! I was the one that told him where the Black mansion was and nearly got us all killed! I wasn't strong enough to resist him again! I am so sorry I nearly got you killed!"

"But Ginny, I didn't try and help you at all…"

"You defeated Voldemort, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"And how on earth did you think you were going to help me then, if it wasn't by defeating Voldemort? As long as he was alive, there was always the chance that he would come back and try and possess me again. All it took was one stupid glance at that orb, and I was back under his power again! And there was nothing I could do about it! I tried so hard, Harry!"

"That wasn't your fault, Ginny. Don't blame yourself for that. I know you tried. But Voldemort was very powerful. But…but…you're not mad at me because I didn't try and help you get out from under his influence?"

"Harry, you helped me the only way you could—you made sure Voldemort died. I'm finally free of him. Forever! I can't thank you enough Harry. What was a couple of months compared to a lifetime of his control? If you had tried something to help me before and Voldemort realized that you knew he was using me as a spy, it might have taken months, even years longer for you to defeat him. And all of that time I would have been under his control. You're not mad at me because I was spying on you?"

"Of course not, Ginny!"

"Oh, I am so glad!" she exclaimed as she leaned forward and gave Harry a huge hug.

"I'm so relieved that you don't hate me, Ginny! I'm so sorry," replied Harry.

"Enough with the sorry's, Harry. I'm just glad we're still friends."

"Of course we are Ginny."

"Well, I better get going. Pomfrey looks like she's going to burst a vein or something. Hope you get feeling better soon, Harry."

"I'll go with you, Ginny," announced Hermione. "You need a decent nap, Harry. Don't worry, I'll be back later to check in on you."

Harry tried to protest, then nodded. "OK, I'll see you later then."

They turned to leave and then Ginny stopped for a moment and turned back. “I almost forgot. I found this on the edge of the woods.” She reached into a large pouch she had on her side and pulled out a silver hand and stepped forward to give it to Harry.

Harry looked at in anger and then glanced at Ginny. “Where did you…”

“I found it on the field by the forest where Ron caught up with him. It was when Ron and the twins were chasing some of the wolves and trolls into the forest when he hit one of the twins with a spell and was trying to run away when Ron…he just went completely berserk and…well, after your spell destroyed all of Voldemort's army again, this was all that was left of him,” she explained. “Not that Ron left that much,” she added grimly, remembering the scene.

Harry took it from her, feeling the dead weight of it but sensing none of the dark magic that had once animated it. “I'll give this to Dumbledore to make sure it never hurts anyone again. Thanks Ginny. And I'll thank Ron later.” Setting it on the bedstand he added quietly, “He's had that coming for a long time.” Suddenly he looked up. “You don't still have that snake orb, do you?”

Ginny actually grinned. “I smashed it into about a billion pieces in Dumbledore's office a few days ago. He taught me a new spell just for that. Don't worry, I'm fine now Harry. Besides he's going to start giving me Occlumency lessons as well.”

“Sure,” Harry teased, “you get to have lessons with Dumbledore right from the start, I had to start with Snape.”

Ginny just grinned and stuck out her tongue. Hermione chuckled and they headed out of the room.

As they left, he laid back on his bed and thought about the events of the last few days. Though he felt a huge relief that Voldemort had been defeated, he still felt bad about the way in which he had acted to gain that victory. And he was still nervous about the incredible power that seemed available to him. But his heart felt much lighter after his discussion with Ginny. He had really been afraid of talking to her again. Then he thought about what Dumbledore had said and decided he would talk with him later about additional training. He needed to learn better control over his magic. He didn't want it burning him out. He smiled as he thought of the many friends who had come to thank him and wish him well. Dumbledore was right, he did have a lot of friends willing to help him. Then he thought about Hermione and the possible future they might have together. It was with those happy thoughts in mind that he finally fell into a deep, restful sleep untroubled for the first time in his life with thoughts of the future.

Later that afternoon, Harry and Hermione sat on the grass down by the lake watching the sun slowly drop towards the horizon. Harry closed his eyes and breathed in the rich fragrance of grass and flowers down by the pond. He listened as the insects and birds chirped softly in the distance. He could feel the cool breeze ruffle his hair and the afternoon sun warming his face. Smiling, he opened his eyes and looked at Hermione. With a nod upwards, he turned into his dragonform and flew into the sky. A moment later he could hear the screech of an owl flying right beside him. For an hour they flew side by side, circling the castle, sometimes chasing each other around the towers and turrets and then relaxing as they glided along with the various air currents moving about Hogwarts. His senses had never seemed so alive—the whole world seemed alive! And when he turned to glance at Hermione, he realized he had never felt so happy.

“The feeling's mutual, Harry. Why don't we go back down to the lake for a bit? I'm getting a bit tired.”

“And I'm getting a bit hungry. You head on back. I'm going to grab us a quick bite to eat from the kitchens.”

“How much longer do you think your Splittin' Image will fool Madame Pomfrey?”

“Well, I'm safe as long as she doesn't try and take my temperature or give me a potion while I'm sleeping. It's a good simulation, but it's not perfect.”

“All right, see you in a minute.”

Neither had noticed the amused pair of blue eyes that had been watching them fly around the castle for the past hour. “Ahhh. To be young again and have so many possibilities in front of you. Good luck Harry and Hermione. You have both certainly earned whatever joy you can find together.” He turned back to his office whistling cheerfully.

Harry reappeared beside Hermione with his arms full of small pies, pastries, and several slices of cake.

“I thought you were going for a `quick bite.'”

Grinning, Harry explained “I was, but you know Dobby. Here, help me out with some of these.” She took a small slice of cake.

Sitting back on the grass, munching on a sweet pie, he closed his eyes and savored again the beautiful spring afternoon. “Could this day be any more perfect?”

“Yes.”

Startled, Harry opened his eyes and saw Hermione move her face close to his. He looked up and smiled as their lips brushed and then kissed. Once again he felt like there were fireworks going off in his head. After a moment, he felt Hermione sit next to him and lean her head on his shoulder. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and held her close. “You were right, Mione. Now it's a perfect day.”

“Mione?” She thought for a minute. “Yeah, I like the sound of that, Harry. It feels right.”

He turned sideways and gave her another kiss.

“But I like that even better.”

“Yeah, me too.”

As they just sat quietly together, enjoying the solitude and the beautiful world around them, Harry let his mind just drift. He had no idea where he was going to live this summer or what he was going to do after he graduated, but none of that mattered right now. Hermione, the person he loved with all his heart, was right there beside him, enjoying this perfect day with him. He was with Mione, and that was all that really mattered.

Finis.

*** Author's Note—When I originally wrote this story, I had no intention of writing a sequel to it, but I got so many encouraging reviews and I had a couple of plot ideas that began bouncing around in my head and demanded that they be written out. So, I am writing a sequel called Harry Potter and the Curse of Atlantis. It has a lot of action and adventure, several more mysteries to be solved, a host of powerful new enemies, and additional development of some of the other characters. In this story, most of the focus seemed to be on Harry and to a lesser extent, on Hermione. In the sequel, I continue with them as the central figures, but I try to do more with the twins, Ron, and some of their friends at school. If you enjoyed this story, I think you'll enjoy the next one as well. I hope to have it finished before the sixth book comes out in July and will be posting the chapters I already have written on Portkey as quickly as I can re-edit them.

Thanks again for reading and for all the wonderful reviews.

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