Harry Potter and the Circle's End Year Seven by Madscientist
Chapter 1: A Fortnight of Longing
************************#4 Privet Drive******************************
The night outside was sweltering as Harry stared vacantly at the lampposts and dimly lit houses of Privet Drive. This summer, unlike years before, had been a wet one. The air was still dense and muggy from the rain that had poured down this afternoon. A brief flicker of wind rustled a disheveled stack of parchments on his desk even though the night was still and dead. Harry sighed and glanced absently at an eleven-inch holly rod sitting propped against a large, framed photograph, on his battered and gouged nightstand, of which at least one of the gouges had been the fault of his head getting in the way of the nightstand. In the photo a tall, freckled, redheaded young man was standing with his arm around the shoulders of a brown eyed, honey-haired girl. Her curly locks were falling forward over her eyes, hiding one from view, but the other, the one that could be seen, was glancing worriedly over at Harry's doppelganger.
In the pictures, a small, half smile was decorating his lips as he stood slightly to the side. His hands were deep in the pockets of the jeans that could be seen under his partially open robes. Harry sighed again as Ron smiled hugely in the picture and gave him a thumbs-up. He rose with a thoughtful expression on his face and crossed to the window. In the photo, Hermione's eyes tracked him all the way.
He stood at the window, looking out at the dark houses of muggles who did not know that unless the despised delinquent nephew of Vernon's pulled off a feat worthy of Merlin, that their comfortable, two car, suburban home...normal lives would be shattered. In prescient flashes of emerald and screams of terror and pain, the scene faded to another night, a night not that long ago, when all hope had been shattered, when all had seemingly been lost.
"Avada Kedavra" a swarthy, goateed, man hissed and a green bolt snapped across the intervening space and the man, the great man that had defined the side of light for a hundred and fifty years fell to a traitor. Harry stared; his body shielded by the cloak as Snape grabbed his precious Slytherin prodigy and ran.
Harry sighed again and absently ran his hands up and down his arms, the air had suddenly taken on a chilly tone as he thought of that the night. Mum, dad, Sirius Dumbledore...who else must fall for me. Will it be Ron, Remus...Hermione next? Absently he waved his hand towards his wand and it flew to his subconscious call. For even as he had been thinking, moping, trying to deal, he was watching a curious sight, and for Harry Potter, curious sights were not always welcome ones. One by one, the pinpricks of light of each streetlamp and porch light were jumping from their bulbs and floods, slicing across the night and vanishing as if they were being placed in a box.
Harry's eyes scanned the night, the tip of his wand following them. Finally the last light vanished and darkness, total darkness settled across the lawns of Privet Drive. Nothing happened for a long moment and then, BOOM, BOOM. A pair of loud, thunderous knocks sounded in the house.
"WHO THE RUDDY HELL IS THAT?" Vernon screamed as his elephantine footsteps stamped down the hall from the master bedroom to pause outside of Harry's door. "It better not be one of your freaks." He growled as he started off again, the floor was slightly quaking at his passage. Harry crossed to the door, and rattled it. It was locked, of course, with many chains and deadbolts blocking his passage to the hall. A tapping at his window drew his attention from the door, and in a rush of almost silent wings, a great, snowy-white owl flew across the room and dropped a short missive onto Harry's waiting hand. Even as he caught the paper, a brief flash of...something swept across the house, causing the short hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. His eyes flicked to the paper in his hand:
The Ministry cannot punish what it cannot see.
The note was unsigned, but that would have been a waste of ink. After six years of seeing those neat characters correcting his papers and filling passed notes, he knew that writing as well as his own. With a wry grin, he flicked his wand at the door, and like some odd eighteenth century machine, the many locks on the door clicked, whirred and rattled and the door fell open. Harry crept out onto the landing just as Vernon flung open the door.
Harry's smile grew wider as Vernon goggled at the sight before him. For it was not a hooded, cloaked or cowled figure with a glowing, electric-blue eye or pink hair or some large, purple pointy hat. No instead, a slim girl of seventeen in worn jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt stood silently with her hands behind her back, bouncing slightly on her the balls of her feet as she stood waiting on the porch. "Who the ruddy hell are you girl?" Vernon repeated himself as stared at her. "Dudley is asleep."
"No," Hermione replied politely as her eyes flicked up the stairs to see Harry leaning against the landing with his arms crossed and a grin on his face. Her chocolate eyes flicked back down to the florid man blocking her path and a matching grin to Harry's lit her face. Her hands came from behind her back and she slid a carved, ivy-wood wand behind one ear. "I am here to see Harry."
Vernon goggled... "FREAK" Hermione flicked her wand at him and his roars faded to nothingness. Another flick and his large body floated out of her way, and dropped to the floor in the hall. Hermione glanced at him, more to make sure she hadn't hurt him...seriously, and as her eyes swept away from him, they caught a shining steel padlock on a painted hasp. The lock was guarding a cupboard under the stairs.
Hermione's breath caught, and only a callused hand catching her wand on the down stroke, saved Vernon Dursley. Harry gave her a small smile as he shook his head and whispered, "its not worth it, Hermione." "Somus" he muttered and Vernon fell asleep once more. "Come on." He said taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. A creak echoed as Dudley's door eased open and a huge, slightly hung-over, younger version of the elder Dursley poked his head out. He glanced at Harry and Hermione blearily. His head snapped through a double take.
"MUM, DAD, HARRY'S GOT A GIRL..." Any further words of Dudley's were lost as an invisible force flung him backwards into the room. A crashing sound was heard from within as Dudley's flight path intersected a pile of his possessions. Hermione's wand danced and two doors flashed white for an instant.
"That should hold them." Hermione said with a satisfied air as she took Harry's hand and pulled him towards the smallest bedroom. A soft, inarticulate growl escaped her throat as she saw the locks on the outside of the door. The door closed and locked itself behind them, though neither moved their wands. Hermione turned to Harry, and smiled, "Hi Harry." She said, laughing.
"Hi yourself." He replied. Harry barely caught her as she jumped and almost cracked one of his ribs as bushy, brown hair filled his field of view. After a long moment, Hermione dropped the hug. Her eyes dropped to the floor for an instant, "I missed that."
"Yeah." Harry muttered, not really looking at her, but enough to catch a fleeting look of...something in her eyes. Harry sat on the bed, which was really the only seating in the room. After a minute Hermione joined him and they both sat looking at Hedwig, neither one talking.
Finally Hermione broke the silence. "I'm sorry Harry." She did not turn to face him with her words. Instead her gaze remained fixed on the living symbol of wisdom who was currently cleaning her feathers.
"For what?" Harry replied. A bemused expression danced in his eyes as he looked over at her. He turned to face her, but her eyes were still locked on Hedwig. Her hands twisted in her lap as she whispered something inaudible. "What Hermione?" Harry repeated.
"I failed you Harry." Hermione whispered, just barely enough for him to hear. Harry mutely shook his head, but she went on, resolutely, "I didn't listen, I was too caught up in being jealous over your potion scores, and I was so mad at you for listening to that damn book...I didn't think you needed me anymore Harry." A soft sob escaped her throat. Harry leaned over and pulled her into a hug, his hands rubbing small circles on her back as she continued whispering in a voice choked with tears. "I just don't know what came over me last year."
"Hey," Harry replied, as he fought not to laugh, "I'll always need you. Ron and I would have failed out long ago if it weren't for you." Hermione stiffened for an instant as the word "failed" slipped across the room. "Hermione?"
Hermione slipped out of his arms and stood. She crossed to Hedwig and started petting the rather pleased with herself owl. She cooed quietly as Hermione stood, softly stroking her feathers. Harry watched Hermione's face as she obviously was working out exactly what she wanted to say. He waited, patiently. It was enough that she had come to free him from this prison. She shrugged, and looked over at him. "Will you reconsider coming back to school?" Harry opened his mouth to respond but stopped at a wait-a-moment gesture. He crooked an eyebrow and waited. She did not immediately speak but instead dug into a pocket. Finding her quarry, she tossed a shiny gold object at him. Almost seven years of instinct guided his hand as it snapped the object out of the air. He looked down and a brief look of shock flitted across his face as he took in the golden badge in the palm of his hand. A large H overlaid the coat of arms of Hogwarts, with the motto "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus" wound about the bottom of the shield. He flipped it over to find Harry Potter, Head Boy inscribed on the back.
"Hermione...I already said that I wouldn't be coming back, even if McGonagall kept it open." Harry objected softly and started to toss it back to her.
"Wait a minute damn it." Hermione snapped and Harry sat back. He motioned for her to continue. "Listen, I have one too ok?" Harry nodded; he had expected that if the school remained open. "I have been thinking over the last two weeks."
"There's a shocker" Harry quipped, gaining a momentary, wintry smile.
"Done being a smart arse?" She replied though she wasn't really angry. He knew her angry and this wasn't it by a far shot. He nodded anyway more to placate her than anything and she went on. "Listen, we will need a base of operations and supplies and support..."
"Hermione." Harry replied, slightly impatiently "I am not going to risk...look if you and Ron want to stay behind, fine I understand. McGonagall can give the badge to Ron, he deserves it..."
A sudden glare answered his words and she crossed the room in two strides. She took a deep breath, then another. Hedwig rustled his feathers and took flight into the night out of the open window as the lights flickered in the room for an instant. "Listen." Hermione snapped, then blinked and continued on a more even keel. "Listen Harry, I...and Ron will charge the bloody gates of hell with you. You are not getting rid of us ok?" Harry nodded warily and she gave him a soft, half-smile. "Now I am not saying what we should do. But McGonagall came to my parents' place last night as I was packing to come get you and...."
"Wait a moment." Harry interrupted as if he suddenly realized something. "Where is Ron? The letter you sent the other day said you both were coming." His hand twisted towards his wand but he stopped as quickly as he started. "Never mind"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "what about constant vigilance Harry?"
"I know it's you without asking...ok?"
Not knowing what to make of that answer right now she shrugged. "Ron was going to come with me, but at the last
minute he sent Pig with a note saying he wasn't able to..."
"WHAT" Harry snapped jumping to his feet, "you shouldn't be alone...He..."He quieted as a soft
hand touched his shoulder.
"Harry, I'm a big girl now, and unlike you I can do magic without my wand getting snapped..."
"I know," he sighed, "I know Hermione, but I couldn't stand to loose you or Ron, not after..."
She smiled at him as he trailed off and sat back down next to him. Hermione twisted on the bed and scooted up it to rest her back on the headboard and drew her legs up under her Indian style. Harry bit back a small chuckle as she slipped her wand behind one ear, just like Luna was wont to do. "What?"
"Nothing."
Hermione grinned at him for a brief instant before her gaze fell and she started playing with a loose thread on the hem of her jeans absently. They sat mutely. Hedwig, having noticed that the room was quiet once more, fluttered in the window to perch on top of her cage. Large amber eyes glared reproachfully at each of them in turn. On the nightstand, Hermione's picture looked up at her namesake then over at Harry. Hermione shrugged and pulled off her trainers and tossed them in a corner. She slipped down on the bed to lie down with her head propped up on an elbow. "Well I guess we should get some sleep." She announced softly.
"WE?" Harry choked out as the implications sunk in. He looked around the room like a trapped animal looking to escape. He sighed, "ok then toss me a pillow then, I'll kip out on the floor."
Hermione rolled her eyes, and slapped a pillow next to her, "Harry...honestly, we are both adults, I trust you with my life, I can bloody well trust you with my virtue. Get your scrawny arse up here."
"Only because I'm too tired to argue." Harry grumped, "and my arse is not scrawny." Hermione crooked an eyebrow and smirked as he settled on his back next to her. Harry tucked his hands under his head and stared up at the cracked plaster of the ceiling. "G'night Hermione." He whispered and faded away as he closed his eyes.
Hermione flicked her wand and the lights in the room extinguished. She carefully tucked her wand under her appropriated pillow. Hedwig rustled into flight behind her as she laid watching Harry sleep in the moonlight leaking in from the otherwise dark outside. She bit her lower lip absently as she carefully reached out and plucked the glasses from his face and dropped them on the nightstand behind her. Merlin knows I'll have to fix them if I don't, she convinced herself silently. "Goodnight Harry." She whispered as she tucked her hands under her pillow and closed her eyes.
A sudden sense of wrongness caused Hermione to gasp awake several hours later. She tried to move, but a strong arm held her fast. She turned her head to find Harry shaking, trembling. Soft muttering words sounded in the room. "Mum...don't leave mum...please." He took a breath and shook violently, as if he were being slapped. "No Sirius...not you." Hermione gently worked her arm loosed and tried to shake him gently, "No...No....NO!. Snape you bastard." Harry growled, and then a suddenly tear-choked voice he added, come back Professor...please I..." Hermione let out a breath as Harry calmed for a moment, and settled back down. She closed her eyes and... "No...Hermione...please don't be dead." Her eyes shot open one more as his tremors redoubled and he snapped awake, sweating, tears filling his unseeing eyes. "No...not Hermione...no damn it...I can't loose her, not her." His muttering escaladed as he stared, sightless, out of the window.
Not knowing what else to do, Hermione threw her arms around him, and pulled him back down onto the bed. "I'm right here, Harry." She cooed in his ear, "I'm right here, I won't leave you." She felt his trembling subside as he blinked and saw her for the first time.
"Hermione?" He whispered disbelievingly as her fingers gently swept damp bangs off of his forehead. His eyes squinted slightly and Hermione moved a fraction closer so he could see her.
"I'm here Harry."
"Sorry I woke you." Harry apologized. He started to pull back, but stopped at a curious resistance.
Her bottom lip was in her teeth again for an instant, before she glanced up and her brown eyes were glistening with an unshed tear in the dimness. "Do you always think I'm going to leave you?" She asked guiltily. Harry looked away suddenly until a small hand pulled grasped his chin and forced him to look in her eyes.
Last year, Harry had been briefly able to lie to her...that was gone once more, and something that had been missing for too long, basically since the start of last school year came home. "Not leave me Hermione...sometimes it's Ron who...who dies. But yeah, it's usually you."
"I can't promise I won't die Harry." Her gaze never dropped from his as her hand slowly fell back to the pillow. "But I can promise that I will never leave." Harry gave her a half smile, but didn't answer.
He glanced out the window to see the night still black and still. "You should," She opened her mouth to snap a retort, but stopped and glared at his wave to silence. "I know you won't, but..." He sighed, and pulled away from her and rolled to off the bed and to his feet in one move. Her eyes widened as his glasses floated across the room to him, and settled on his face. Harry didn't seem to notice as he went to the door. "I can't sleep now, I'm going to go get something to drink, go back to sleep Hermione."
Hermione stretched like a bushy-haired, brown-eyed, larger version of Crookshanks and sat up, "hold on, I'll join you." She grimaced a bit, "I haven't been sleeping too well either, since, you know."
"Yeah." Harry agreed and opened the door and waited silently for her to cross the room. She passed him and headed down the stairs, "I know."
They stepped over the prostrate from of the unconscious Vernon and into the immaculate kitchen of Petunia. Hermione looked around and whistled softly. "Even my mum's kitchen isn't this clean."
"Well yeah," Harry replied absently as he opened the fridge to retrieve a bottle of milk. He set it on the counter and pulled a pair of mugs off a nearby rack. "At least if I live, whoever ends up having to put up with me can be happy that I can keep a clean house." He poured the milk into the mugs and placed a bit of coco mix into each from a retrieved jar. "I can thank them for that at least." Harry motioned absently upstairs and Hermione's breath hissed through clenched teeth. Harry didn't notice as he smiled sarcastically, "I wouldn't be surprised if I could out clean Dobby if I had a mind to."
Hermione looked at him and stood suddenly. "Harry," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Her eyes bored into his, "show me that cupboard." He shook his head, "Now, Harry, I need to know." She stepped around the small table, quickly, and grabbed his and pulled him out of the kitchen and down the hall until they were standing, staring down at a small door that still occasionally haunted Harry's dreams. Her wand flicked and the hasp clicked open. She dropped to her knees and crawled into the tiny space, and as Harry knelt down, looking in the door, he could see tears threatening to erupt once more on her face. Her fingers traced where he had scratched his name into the wood inside, over the tiny toy soldiers that he had stolen from Dudley to have some company here in his prison, and her lower lip trembled slightly.
"Come here, Mione." Harry said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the tiny closet. He fell back to his rear and sat against the wall opposite the door as she hugged him. "It's ok now, it's over, I'm gone tomorrow and I never have to come back."
"I'm sorry Harry." She whispered tightly into his shoulder "I'm so sorry, I never knew, never really knew. I would have..."
Harry ran his hand absently down the back of her hair, "Don't be Hermione, you didn't do this. You out of every single person I know; are the person most not responsible for this. For the last six years, thoughts of you...and Ron and the rest have kept me sane until I escape from here every summer. And you are the one who is taking me away forever." He stood slowly, pulling her to her feet as he did so. He noticed that she carefully did not touch the wand in her back pocket or look in the direction of Vernon as she let him lead her back to the kitchen and back to her abandoned coco. She watched silently as he waved his wand over the tops of the mugs and steam gushed from them.
"Harry give me your wand." She said suddenly. Harry raised an eyebrow, but did as she asked without question. He watched as she carefully placed it on the pristine, white tablecloth. She touched the tip of her wand to his, and mouthed a long, complex spell. His wand glowed suddenly, jumped up in the air, spun around five times and dropped back to the table with a clatter. She waved towards it impatiently, "well try it on something."
Harry picked up his wand, and looked at her challengingly, he pointed it at a stool across the room, "Wingardium Leviosa." He pronounced clearly and distinctly and the stool floated about for several seconds, "finite" the stool fell back to the floor, "It's fine Hermione, though now that I think about it, there was always this odd vibration when I cast a low level spell, I never noticed it with combat spells, but..."
"You were usually busy at the time, I know." She gave him a slight grin, the same one he had first seen when she told him and Ron about the polyjuice potion in second year. The "I am a supergenius and you should bow before me," grin. Harry felt lightheaded for an instant, and took a drink of his coco, he hadn't eaten all day. "The vibration comes from the Ministry tracking spells that Olivander is required to place on your wand. They don't admit it, but that's why its discouraged to have a foreign made wand, especially an American made one; they don't track at all. Did you ever wonder how the Death Eaters could go around casting unforgivables right and left and the Ministry's "massive magical detectors" never seem to find them, but you get blamed for magic Dobby does? Yes they do monitor magic use at know underage wizard's houses, which is why I used the cloaking spell that Mad-Eye taught me before I came and got you on the house wards, but they are able to detect wand usage as well. That's how Umbridge came after you, your wand had a special tracking charm on it." She shrugged, "It seems that mine did as well; as does Ron's new one. You my friend, as us muggle-borne, say are now the proud owner of an off the grid wand." Her eyes grew hard for an instant, "happy hunting Harry."
"And just where did you learn this little trick?" Harry asked with a tiny smirk as he pocketed his now, unregistered wand.
Hermione blushed the tiniest bit as she looked down at her mug. "I...um...had Tonks go get me some of the Dark Arts tomes in Grimmauld. I told her that you said it was ok, and she was family, so with the wards reset she could enter. It was ok, wasn't it?"
Harry laughed and a tiny smile lit Hermione's face, "yeah, Hermione. In fact, stay here a second." She watched, perplexed as Harry got up, and after several minutes in which she could hear the creak of the stairs in the otherwise silent house as he went up and then came back down he reappeared with something clutched in his right hand. A gold chain dangled loosely from his clenched fist and without any explanation he set the item down in front of her.
Hermione stared open mouthed at the Gringotts key that lay on the table in front of her. She looked at him and he knew her question before she asked. "Take it, Hermione. You and Ron are all the family I have left. What's mine is yours. All of my money is spilt between you two in my will anyway. This just speeds up the process a bit."
"Harry I don't want your money." Hermione snapped and pushed the key at him. "It's like you are giving up..."
He sighed and gently picked the key back up and without looking from her eyes, slowly turned over her hand, and placed the key back in her palm. He closed her fist around it and gently held it closed. "Hermione...do you have any clue just how rich I am right now? I have not only my trust fund, and the money Sirius left me..." he breathed out through his nose slowly, "Dumbledore left me a great deal, and he was richer than the Blacks if you can believe it, and according to a letter I got from Gringotts, on my seventeenth birthday, the remainder of the Potter monies and estate becomes mine."
"So you will give Ron a key too?" Hermione asked softly.
"Sort of..." he shrugged, she stared, he explained, "he has a separate account now that receives 100,000 galleons a year. Officially he now has a job as a field investigator for Fawkes Industries as of my birthday when the incorporation papers will be filled on my behalf with the Ministry."
"So my key is the same?" Hermione asked as she dropped the chain around her neck and tucked it under her shirt; Harry watched the key fall and then looked away quickly. "Like something you see Mr. Potter?" Her eyebrow inched upward.
"Yes...no.... anyway. No Hermione, your key is different." Harry quickly changed the subject. She's with Ron, maybe. Hermione's voice echoed in his head. Why the hell am I even thinking about it? You must be lonely after Ginny and she is a very pretty girl after all, and I am still only sixteen. His own voice replied followed once more by Hermione's Sure...and you are Seventeen very soon. He shook off the sudden internal dialogue to answer her initial question. "No yours is a duplicate of mine. You have full rights to all of my money."
"HARRY JAMES..."
"Hermione," Harry muttered placatingly, "you already are the one I have designated as my primary decision maker in case I am incapacitated or something." He shrugged, "who else am I going to name?"
"Oh I don't know, Lupin, Tonks, Arthur Molly?" Hermione shot back snarkishly, but she didn't, Harry noticed with an inner grin, remove the key from her neck. He knew that he had already won; she was just going on because she was Hermione, and so he ended the argument.
"I trust you, no one else, not even Ron if it comes down to it." Hermione's lips snapped together as any response she would have volleyed back withered and died.
"Thank you Harry." Both of them knew that she wasn't thanking him for suddenly making her de facto one of, and perhaps, the richest witch in England. He nodded and smirked just slightly as she laughed softly, "I just have to know, just how rich are we now?"
"As of the 31rst of July, there will be about 250 million galleons in liquid assets available, with properties and stocks and others perhaps quadrupling that number." Her jaw dropped, she had had no idea. "Yeah no one did, I don't think Sirius had any real comprehension of just what he had available alone. He knew of the cash, and Grimmauld, but not of the ohh...Florida estate, the one in the south of France near Nice...and mum and Dad both seem to have had a few properties more than just the cottage at Godric's Hollow." He laughed hollowly... "There's a bloody castle Hermione. There's a bloody castle Hermione." He repeated and his voice cracked. His head fell to his hands as silent tears began to leak from his eyes. He only vaguely noticed, as it was her turn to hold him as he started to cry. Her lower lip was in her teeth as, "damn it Hermione...why, I don't want this...I want them...why can't I trade?"
"I don't know Harry. I don't know." She held him as his tears exhausted themselves, and let go as he quieted down and gave her a little shake. She watched as he stood, and walked to the door.
"Will you be able to sleep tonight anyway?" Harry asked, knowing the answer, he knew her, and somehow, he knew her like he used to, before Dumbledore died, before he was proven right about what he had been saying about Snape for all these years. She frowned slightly and shook her head; he nodded knowingly. Let's leave then." She followed him, forgetting about Vernon in the floor and stepping on him. Harry smiled slightly at her muttered, "oops." They stepped into the room, Harry flicked his wand, and something that he had wanted to do ever since he learned he was a wizard happened. All of his possessions shrunk themselves, flew to his trunk and it slammed closed. Hedwig looked at him expectantly from the windowsill. "Go to the Burrow Hedwig, we will be there sometime tomorrow."
"Sometime tomorrow?" Hermione asked with a slightly confused expression.
"Yeah, You and I need to go somewhere else first." Harry replied and Hermione was suddenly shocked as a Harry flicked his wand and she felt the wards around the house die. He gave her a melancholy look, "and you thought that I just learned about Voldemort's history from Dumbledore." Harry held out his hand, and Hermione unthinkingly took it, "If you don't mind my lady, I would like you to apparate us to the gates of Hogwarts. There are some people you and I need to talk to and a couple of items that Dumbledore requested I collect from his office in his will.
A loud CRACK echoed in the room, and in an instant, a bare room was left behind; as if no one had ever lived there save the marks on the window where bars had once been, a cat flap in the bedroom door and many, many locks on that door.
A/N: Ok this is the book I started right after HBP came out and briefly abandoned after the "interview." I am
posting this chapter as a bit of an experiment, to see how everyone likes it. As usual this book will be R or maybe
higher rated if it continues, I couldn't write a G book to save my life. If I choose to keep on with this, I
don't know how often I will update it, probably not as often as the Lions universe books, because frankly, that one
makes sense, after HBP, who knows... My really big challenge for this book is twofold...First H/Hr will be together,
eventually. I don't promise when, but I took all of Darkness to get them there in my other universe. Second, at
some point Harry has to be able to face Voldemort and have a chance of winning. In HBP he never was shown to actually
train, he learned more magic on screen from the HBP book than Dumbledore...So I may "cheat" and assume that
he did do so, but off screen. Next chapter if I write it, which unlike my normal practice I haven't yet written,
will deal with Hermione and Harry getting to Hogwarts, a chat with DD's portrait and another talk with
McGonagall.
SeYa
Mike
- 11 -