A/N Here we go, another chapter...Thanks for all the reviews, I do read each and every one, though I don't always answer them all...Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.
Chapter 45: The Light Further Dims
***************************London, Near Hyde Park**********************
April 8, 1998
1:25 am
Black hair shimmered wetly in the light from several dim Muggle streetlamps as a young, eighteen-year-old girl ran panting down the street. In her right hand, she desperately clutched a broken piece of wood, as if it were a talisman ensuring her safety, but she knew better. Howling laughter followed her as she ran into a blind alley and stopped, her dark eyes wide as she took in a thirty foot tall brick wall.
"Fuck," the word tumbled from young lips, in desperation, rather than the happy times it normally escaped, as she turned to face her pursuers. A dozen cloaked, masked shapes filled the entrance to the alley sneering and laughing. She took a breath, her eyes hardening.
"Can we play with her Rastaban?" one of the Death Eaters at the end of the line asked eagerly, his voice salivating at the thought, "She's such a pretty one, for an Auror."
"Quiet Malinkroft," the man replied, "perhaps later, we shall see what is left after we ask her a few...questions. Because of you and your incompetent friends, there are no other prisoners to...talk to."
Cho smiled slightly, and slid out from cover. "Did your little Death Eaters foul up your plan, Rastaban?" she asked, an Edinburgh accent thick in her soft voice. She took a breath, watched as Rastaban started to respond, and charged. She ran directly at the Death Eater who had spoken first, wheeling into him, her heel coming up to crush his mask and the nose underneath. He fell away, his eyes suddenly blank as she spun on the next one as the rest began to react.
She dodged a clumsy punch from the next, crouching and driving a fist into his balls, before rising with the movement and snapping an elbow across his throat. She dodged a well-aimed kick that would have broken several ribs, caught the ankle and jerked up, dropping the Death Eater to the concrete and kicking him in the head as he lay on the ground. Cho took a quick breath, turned to break for the hole her actions had caused and fell flat on her face as a Full Body Bind hit her from behind.
She felt her body try to shiver, as the very toe of a boot kicked her in the breast and rolled her over. Rastaban looked down at her and sneered. "I suppose that we could take Malinkroft's suggestion...you are rather lovely, my dear. But you are one of Potter's little whores; I would hate to catch something." He flicked his wand, releasing her from the bind.
Cho spat at him, sitting up and scooting back slightly on her elbows; "Go to Hell, you fucking pervert." One of the Death Eaters casually took a step to her side, knelt, fisted his hand in her hair, which was slick with her own blood, and punched her in the stomach, hard, pulling on her hair to arch her head back.
"Perhaps," Rabastan conceded, waving away the Death Eater who had her in his grip. "But first I need to ask you a few questions which are vexing my master...Who ambushed Mulciber at Pendle Hill? Where is Narcissa Malfoy?"
"Even if I knew," Cho replied slowly, looking around, "I wouldn't tell a group of arsehole wankers like you, who can't even get it up."
Rabastan shook his head, "CRUCIO." A yellow beam of light snapped out, impaling the young Auror Trainee. She screamed hoarsely as the pain of a thousand knives ripped into her. He flicked his wand again; canceling the spell, "Remember yet?"
Cho glared at him, and slowly raised one finger in a brief salute. She screamed into the night once more as he flicked his wand again, canceling it this time after a solid two minutes. She panted for a long moment, "I'm a bloody trainee, you fucking wankers, how the hell would I know?"
"Indeed," Rastaban replied sadly, "indeed." He turned to one of his surviving Death Eaters one of nine that had survived both Cho's desperate last charge and the ambush of the four-person Auror team sent to look into a report of a Dark Mark. He had started the night with fifteen plus, himself. "Reginald, kill her, don't use the Kedavra...it's so, impersonal."
Cho's eyes widened as the Death Eater pulled a blade and walked towards her slowly, a manic grin on his face.
*******************************Hogwarts*****************************
2:15 am
Harry muttered dire imprecations against the future health and reproductive capacity of whomever was setting off his and Hermione's door chime at this hour. He glanced over at the clock on the bedside table, squinting to read, "Are you a crazy person?" He sighed, secretly agreeing with the clock as he gently slid out from under Hermione, whispering, "I'll be right back, Mione." She muttered something in her sleep that he took to mean understanding as he stepped onto the bare floor, his feet shivering. He walked over to the closet, summoning his glasses to his hands before he slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He was not bothering with anything else, as he figured it would take about a minute to turn whoever was knocking to a newt. Most of that was walking time. He reached the door, and pulled it open to find Remus knocking on the inner door. He knew the secret of the archway; James and Lily had lived here after all, but didn't have the password for the door, which only Ron, Luna and McGonagall had, outside of the two who were here permanently.
"What?" Harry asked gruffly, his eyes slightly bloodshot with lack of sleep. "Do you have a bloody clue how comfortable I just was?"
"Yeah," Remus replied, "probably about the same as me, fifteen minutes ago." Harry nodded, accepting the unspoken apology, and waved Remus in. Lupin took a step into the room and closed the door, but he did not sit at Harry's waved invitation. He glanced up as Hermione paced into the room, a long, on her, Quidditch t-shirt thrown on.
She looked at him forebodingly, "This isn't a social call, is it, Moony?"
"I am afraid not, Hermione," he said sadly, "get your gear, we had another attack."
"Ongoing?" Harry snapped as Hermione dashed back into the bedroom, leaving the door open to noises of frantic searching, before she emerged several minutes later with Harry's sword and wand, and dressed in ripped jeans, combat boots and a black, hooded sweatshirt worn under a black, long-sleeved cloak. She tossed him his weapons, and his badge from a pocket in her cloak, before making a pair of boots similar to hers appear and fly across the room complete with socks.
"No, it's over, Tonks should already be there. Death Eaters set up an Auror patrol, and ambushed them. They had a trainee with them," he paused looking between them, "you know her."
"Who?" Harry asked as he finished lacing his boots.
Remus sighed, "Cho, Harry." Harry grimaced and shook his head. He watched as Harry paced over to a coat hook set near the door, and grabbed a cloak similar to Hermione's, "You two should change your appearance or something, no one who's not authorized can see your name on your ID's, but..."
"Yeah," Hermione agreed softly, and concentrated for a moment. Remus watched a bit unnerved as Hermione's eyes flickered, and her appearance changed. Her hair remained long and curly, but changed to a deep, fire red, and as the glow in her eyes faded, the color did not go away, changing to an emerald exactly Harry's own. She glanced over at Harry and watched as he flicked his fingers over his face, changing his locks from inky black to a light brown, his eyes from emerald to a dark blue, and hiding the scar behind a Glamour.
He sighed and concentrated again, this time muttered a sentence in Latin. He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples, "I hate that spell; I'll have such a headache in the morning." He slid his glasses into an inner pocket of his cloak, and glanced over to Hermione.
"I have a potion made up, Harry," Hermione replied, walking over to squeeze his hand once, quickly. Hermione took a small, gold orb from her pocket and held it out, looking at Lupin, "Where are we going?"
Remus rattled of a stream of coordinates, "Near Hyde Park," he added thoughtfully.
Hermione nodded, and programmed the Portkey. She motioned Remus in, "Let's go then," emotion drained from her voice. A whirlwind of sound and color engulfed them and they were gone.
******************************London, Near Hyde Park********************
A fall of color and a rush of wind announced the arrival of Harry, Hermione and Remus, as they stepped out of a whirlpool to the cracked and stained floor of an alley. Five Aurors spun, their wands pointed towards the newcomer's heads, until a tall-solidly built man at the center snapped, "They're ours." Kingsley glanced to either side at the Aurors clustered there, "Oi, get your arses to work. You four," he pointed at every Auror there, except Tonks, who had not bothered to draw her wand, having recognized Remus, and therefore Harry and Hermione, instantly, "Go secure the other scene."
He watched as the indicated four vanished in a series of soft CRACKs, and shook his head sadly, "Merlin, I wish Alastor was still here with us, these kids are so...I don't rightly know." He waved the newcomers forward, and knelt next to an uncovered body, crumpled facedown in a dark pool halfway down the alley.
Hermione brought her hands up to cover her mouth as she took in the scene. She swallowed heavily as she glanced over to see Harry's face hard and set. He nodded to her once and knelt next to the body. Harry reached into a pocket of his cloak and pulled a pair of Muggle nitrile gloves and slipped them on. He looked to Tonks, "Do you know which one of Voldie's wankers did this?"
"More or less," Tonks admitted, glancing at Hermione, before giving Remus a meaningful look. "But frankly, that's not why we called you in on this," she slowly drew her wand, and stood. She flicked it and a blue fan of light erupted from the end, she slowly panned it over the body to show the former Ravenclaw lying in a deep, black pool. Harry nodded grimly, and Tonks held his eyes as she panned the beam up into the wall.
Glistening, black letters were painted there, Harry bit off a curse and looked to Hermione quickly, to find her eyes hard and set, as she read the words: "This one was first, Potter, the Blood-Traitor and the Mudblood are next, sweet dreams." Harry flowed to his feet quickly and paced to the open end of the alley. Hermione glanced back at Tonks and followed him just in time to see a glowing ball snap from his hand and explode a divot in the wall with a thunderous BANG. He reached up to tangle his hands in still disheveled locks.
"Don't worry, Mione, I'm not going to ask you to go into hiding," Harry muttered as she placed her hand on his shoulder. He took a breath as she moved around into his field of vision.
I know you're not, Harry, Hermione replied as she watched his eyes, they were a different color, but she still knew them better than her own. Are you alright to do this?
I'm the one who should be asking you that, Harry replied, with bitter amusement. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair again, gave Hermione a quick nod and paced back towards the three Aurors, all three of whom were watching the pair intently. "Sorry, Kingsley," Harry said, "that was uncalled for."
Shacklebolt shook his head, and pointed towards a divot on the other side of the alley, "No worries, Mate, I punched the wall, at least you didn't have to have Tonks show off her healing abilities."
"Why was she here, Kingsley?" Hermione asked into the sudden silence, she glanced around the alley. She drew her wand and flicked it around the scene, watching as an almost photo quality sketch appeared on piece of summoned parchment.
"You mean was this attack actually targeted at her, Hermione?" he asked, with none of the reticence that he might have once shown towards her. She nodded slowly, and he shrugged, "We can't imagine how, we've already considered it of course, especially considering the, um, message, but... she was picked on a random rotation. We've been sending the cadets out to thicken the ranks, about one to every three, to make up a normal four-man team. They were here investigating a report of the Dark Mark near here, over," he pulled a notebook from a pocket of his long, battered leather coat, "the house of a Katherine Zahn, she was a Healer at St. Mungo's. Specialized in Obstetrics, thirty-four, Caucasian, graduate of Hogwarts in eighty-one, no known enemies or threats against her. She was single, the last daughter of a German clan from Frankfurt, Pureblood by the way," he added thoughtfully.
Harry knelt next to Tonks as she panned her wand over the fallen girl and then reached back into a pouch behind her back with a purple-gloved hand and pulled a plain crystal out. Her wand directed a faint shimmer into the crystal and she slid her wand back into a sleeve holster. "I got it, Shack," she announced, "faint, but should be enough for at least an ID, if we've seen his or her work before." Shacklebolt held up his hand, and caught the small glowing crystal from the air one-handed. He reached back into his coat and pulled a small, black box, with a cutout exactly the size and shape of the crystal. He snapped the crystal into the slot and waited as the box began to shake and hum.
Seconds later, flaming letters started to slide out of the end of the box, floating up to arrange themselves in the air over the box. Kingsley nodded and glanced to the others. "Rabastan," Lupin growled, "figures, it'd be one of them. It has all the hallmarks of one of theirs." He glanced down towards the end of the alley where three covered bundles sat unremarked in the early morning London fog, "What about those three?"
Tonks shrugged, "I don't know, Wolfie," she said absently, it was a sign of the air of the night that no one said a word at Remus' pet name, "all three are Death Eaters, they all have the Mark, but we'll have to get them to the Ministry to ID them. At a guess though, it looks as if sometime during the fight, probably before she made it to the alley, her wand was broken. She seems to have tried to fight her way free, took out these three on the way and was hit from behind by a Petrificus."
"And the other three agents with her?" Remus asked crossing his arms and growling. All five of them jumped suddenly as four white-robed wizards appeared with a snap, quickly raised their hands as they finished materializing as they saw five glowing wand tips pointed at their heads.
"WOTCHER," Tonks snapped, "do they take away your common sense when then give you lab robes? How we keep from killing off more then five or six a year, I will never understand." They looked sheepish, and looked around the area nervously, Tonks sighed, "Process the scene, there's three Death Eaters at the end of the alley." Her voice softened, "She's one of ours, give her the proper respect."
"We will," the tallest of the white robed Wizards said as he pulled on gloves and motioned his companions towards the Death Eaters. He walked towards Cho's body and sighed, "she was what, eighteen, nineteen?" Tonks nodded slowly. "Just like Maura," he mused. He nodded as Kingsley handed him the crystal, and gave him a form to sign, transferring custody of the scene and evidence.
Tonks moved like an old woman towards Harry, Hermione and Remus, "All four of them were ambushed about a klick from here, she was the only one managed to get clear, we found spellfire traces all the way here." She looked around the alley, before she scrunched her nose, letting her hair lighten back to her preferred pink, "Let's all go home, and...try to get some sleep."
Hermione reached into a pocket of her cloak and retrieved the Heads' Portkey Orb, she reset it for her and Harry's common room and looked up at Tonks as she felt Harry weaving his fingers with those of her free hand, "Does it ever get any easier, Tonks?" she asked softly.
"No, Hermione," Tonks replied reaching out and giving her, almost, younger sister a quick, one armed hug, "It doesn't."
"That's what I thought," Hermione whispered, her knuckles whitened on the orb as the others touched it, and they vanished once more in a fall of color and a rush of wind.
**************************Little Hangleton**************************
Voldemort glared at the various Death Eaters awaiting his pleasure. He reached down, lightly stoking Nagini's head as she slithered slowly over the slumbering body of his other pet. Bellatrix was curled at his feet, her thin gown open over her belly. She moaned softly as Nagini settled down, draped over her, and Voldemort nodded to himself, as he brought his hands up to the armrests of a twisted, black throne. A long, ghostly forefinger stroked a twisted yew wand, as he thought over the events since last July. He looked out over the crowd of several hundred Death Eaters crowded in the catacombs under the ancient Riddle House, catacombs that the last Muggle occupants had had no idea that existed, and though his forces were vaster than ever, his frozen blood boiled as he thought over recent history.
He had started that month in an ebullient mood, the Great White Wizard, Albus Dumbledore, was dead, the hated Order was effectively crushed and on the run, and Scrimgeour had proven too acerbic as a Minister for fast results. And by all accounts, especially those of his spymaster and Potions Master, Potter was broken and weak, too weak to even threaten him, let alone the great Lord Voldemort.
All of that had changed, on a warm night at the end of July.
Instead of the broken, cowering child that Severus told him to expect, ready to be destroyed by the merest application of precise force, he had found a Lion, waiting. Counter to the kitten that Voldemort thought had waited at Harry's side, a weak and timid child that provided information but froze at clash of spellfire, a Lioness had tore from the night to defend her Pride. Very suddenly, the war had become two sided again. The opening salvo, the murders of the Dursleys, the strikes at the gathered Weasleys in their run down shack and at Potter's little Mudblood 'Brain', were in the end disastrous. The entire force sent against the Weasleys was destroyed for the loss of only two of their own. The second attack of the night was the one that had truly told the tale. That attack should have been the one to complete the process started in a graveyard three years ago to break the "Chosen One", by destroying his closest ally and defender. By destroying the one person, that both Severus and Potter's own, stolen thoughts proved was his true weakness, Potter should have finally fallen to the superior Wizard.
Severus Snape had barely escaped with his life from the assault on 'The Mudblood's' parents. Antonin Dolohov had not been so lucky, nor had any other member of the force sent. A rash of counters had returned, striking down Order members, Aurors and civilians but not effectively harming Potter.
Fenrir, trusted Fenrir, had been next, sent to rend Potter's whore, and leave her for him on the broad lawns of the school. He had never returned, it was only because of his own spies in Hogwarts that he knew that she had in turn killed him, leaving him for carrion somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest.
Rodolphus was next, lost in an, now, obvious trap for him, when the Mudblood's parents had reappeared, then became a deep pit in which the entire attack had vanished never to reappear. Rookwood had fallen to the Aurors, the very night that His reign should have commenced, with the death of Scrimgeour. Severus had pleaded that his minion, the young Malfoy had performed as directed, even after hours under the Cruciatus, but it had taken Bella to clean up that mess.
Severus had paid with his life, in the end for that transgression; Potter's own tame wolf had sent along the head to remind Him of that.
In return, Lucius Malfoy had been tasked with punishing Potter, taking his half-Giant friend, his half-breed companion and the always-dangerous Alastor Moody from the field of play forever. Potter in turn had taken all three Malfoys, and the funding that they had controlled, right out from under Malfoy's own security team, an act that if done a year ago, could have crippled His plans, but now, as He looked out on the hundreds crowded into the large, underground cavern, only an inconvenience.
The truly worrisome fact was that Potter had already fought Him to a standstill twice this year, he and his Mudblood, along with Potter's followers. But now, as Voldemort looked down on the gravid belly of his pet and smiled, secure in his long term destiny. He looked up at Rastaban, and the cowering blonde woman in pale blue Healer's robes held in his arms, squirming, "There is your patient, Healer, if you do well, you may even live." He glanced up at Rastaban, "You left a message for Potter, yes?"
"Aye, my Lord," he looked down at his sister, then back up at his Master, "we used the opportunity presented."
"Very good. For now, take twenty and prepare for our next strike." Rastaban nodded solemnly, and Voldemort smirked, "Very soon, the end will be nigh for Potter and his friends."
*************************Hogwarts*****************************
April 10, 1998.
2:30 pm
Remus Lupin turned from the clatter of spells striking shields and cries of casting to the window overlooking the lake. He sighed, not bothering to duck the errant Stunner that passed several feet to his right to shatter a window from the NEWT students practicing dueling, as he watched two, who technically should have been in the class, walk slowly around the lake. He turned back to his class, and shared a slight headshake with Ron, as the youngest male Weasley dueled with Crabbe and Goyle.
Ron was winning...trivially.
At the lake, Harry looked back towards the castle, and pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his robes, shrugging. He didn't object as Hermione twisted her arm around his, and slipped her hand into one of his pockets next to his, but didn't say a word, either, as he just continued to slowly pace down the thousand-year-old trail around the lake. Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes tired from too much reading, again. Why are we still here, Hermione?
She shrugged without moving her head or arm, Food's good, neighbors are alright, if you ignore the Slytherins, and the our bed beats a lean to in the middle of some forest somewhere, she replied softly. Hermione's eyes cut up and left, to catch Harry's, I'll leave with you right now, if that's want you really want, Harry, she said seriously, she waited a beat, is that what you want?
I just want it to be over, Mione, Harry replied watching her eyes carefully, you saw...
Yeah, and they would have done that no matter whom she went on a date or two to Hogsmeade with, Harry, you know that.
I know.
Besides, if we left, all of the DA would just follow us anyway, and then we'd never get any privacy in our lean-to. Honestly, it would be bloody well crowded.
Harry snorted, stepped over a slow stampede of yellow-tailed Sneaglespawn, and glanced down at her, I didn't know you liked everyone watching, Mione.
Hermione spun around his arm and punched him on the shoulder with her free hand, Prat...that's not what I meant... Harry grinned slowly and she rolled her eyes, sharing the grin, before it slipped away. Although....
Harry snorted a laugh, and turned his head to kiss her quickly before he frowned and looked down at his feet as they walked, kicking side a loose stone in his path, We have to find the Cup, Mione...it, all hinges on that, find and destroy it, and I...we can hunt him. Then...We can show him what it's like when the door explodes inward in the night, and see if he has the stones to stay and die where he stands.
Harry...
I'm sorry, Harry glanced over to see her shake her head quickly, her hair fluttering around her head like a cloud in negation. He nodded; We've increased the watch over Ginny, hopefully, without her noticing, anyway, just in case it wasn't just a taunt. He squeezed the hand that was with his in his robe pocket, And I'm not letting you out of my sight.
Oh, that's a big change, Hermione commented snarkily, and wrinkled her nose at him, she took a breath, and looked out over the lake as a splash announced the Squid's afternoon performance for a group of third years that in happier times would be in Care of Magical Creatures. She looked up at Honor, who had drawn the duty of being the Prefect watching the little ones out on lawn. Hermione gave her a small nod at the quick high sign the girl flashed her, before she continued to watch the seemingly tiny third years taking notes on the squid. Since it was an OWL subject, McGonagall had finally decided to just distribute a list of various Magical Creatures in and around Hogwarts to the fifth years and below, and have them submit essays on them to her. Hermione bit her lip slightly and looked down at her shoes, I think it has to have to deal with Grindelwald, Harry.
Umm?
What else could it be, Harry? Hermione reasoned, pulling them to a halt at the edge of a small cove out of sight of the third years. She let go of him, and walked around to the blackened stump of a tree destroyed by lighting almost fifty years before. She splayed her legs slightly and leaned forward in a quite unladylike pose, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands as she looked up at Harry. Sure, Dumbledore is the greatest wizard since Merlin, and is known for...even I don't know how many things, but what Tom would have imprinted into his mind, what Tom will think Dumbledore's main claim to fame was, was killing Grindelwald. After all, if Dumbledore had killed one...Tom would have wanted to prove that he was better than Grindelwald and Dumbledore.
So, where are we going? Harry murmured thoughtfully as he crouched down in front of his truest advisor and placed his hands on her knees next to her elbows. Somewhere nice and warm, hopefully? Harry looked at her with huge, hopeful eyes, and Hermione reached out and swatted him on the nose.
You just want to see me in that bikini, she laughed.
Well...yes, but I would still like to go somewhere warm.
We will, Hermione promised him, I don't know Harry...there are almost twenty journals that deal with his years fighting Grindelwald off and on, from '32 to '45. It could have been any one of those encounters or something spinning off from that. I need to talk to Dumbledore's portrait.
Harry leaned forward slowly and kissed her forehead, before flowing to his feet with Hermione's eyes on him the entire way. Both of his hands came up to tangle in his hair and he closed his eyes for an instant, missing the flash of pain that crossed Hermione's face at the same time, but seeing it nonetheless, as he watched the scene of an alley two nights before cross his thoughts. Hermione watched as his eyes slowly opened and locked with hers, she nodded before he even 'spoke': Find me a target, Hermione, I'll get them ready.
Everyone then, Harry? she asked softly.
We can't make a mistake this time...All the seventh years, you find it, and we fall on it like a ton of bricks. I want enough there that we can handle, anything, Harry looked out over the lake, this is the one of his first Horcruxes, it could have anything there...Ron and I will get them ready, you find us a place to get them ready for.
**************************Head's Common Room***********************
April 11, 1998.
9:35 pm
Hermione looked up as Seamus and Dean slipped into the room, broad, cheery smiles on their faces. Hermione's eyes narrowed for an instant as she detected a faint hint of rosiness to Seamus' cheeks, then shrugged, as she looked at the already filled table in front of her. Harry closed the door after them, and flicked a wand at the walls, sealing the room and activating the defensive wards of the suite with a snap of power.
He crossed the room and dropped next to Hermione, on an old, depilated couch, pausing as Hermione leaned against him for a moment. He looked around at the others crowded into the room, or not so crowded on the various bits of furniture that had been magically placed in the room. Ron and Luna sat cozily together in the oversized chair across from them, with Luna looking at them with an expression of polite indifference as she curled up on Ron's lap, sipping from a butterbeer.
Next to Ron, on a loveseat that Hermione had conjured just this evening along with another couch to match the one she was on, Neville sat silently holding an amber tumbler of firewhisky between his hands. He took a small sip and glanced over at Parvati and Lavender sitting next to him, talking to Padma who was sitting on a settee facing them. Padma pointed out something in copy of Witch Weekly spread out across her lap, and laughed gesturing over her shoulder with her thumb at Harry. Padma tilted the magazine to Luna, who shrugged at Harry appearing in the list of the top five eligible bachelors for Wizarding Britain, again. Padma tilted it over her shoulder, "Look, Hermione, your husband made the list again." Padma giggled as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Yeah," she snorted, "he's such the publicity hound." Harry shook his head tolerantly and sighed. She gave him a small grin, and watched as Seamus and Dean settled on the free couch and leaned forward, serving themselves from the refreshments scattered across the coffee table set in the middle of the circle of seating.
Seamus sighed appreciably as he took a sip of his whisky before looking up at Harry speculatively, "Not that I might terribly, Mate, but what brought this on?" he raised his tumbler pointedly. Dean just looked at him and shrugged before downing his drink.
Harry glanced at Hermione, and stood pacing to the hearth before looking back at them. Hermione gave him an encouraging smile, and Harry nodded, "It's to save time, really, as you will probably want to drink after this." Every eye locked to him, as had been his intention. "I can't tell you everything yet, but we need to get ready for a large mission, location as of yet unknown, that could mean a great deal to this war." Seven heads nodded slightly, and Harry gave them all a thankful look, "We'll see how happy you all will be when you hear the rest."
"As of now," Hermione went on, her eyes not leaving Harry's, "Harry and I will only be in class in name only, we may go on occasion, even most days really if we are here, but, honestly," she grinned slightly, "either of us can take the NEWTs tomorrow. And we've already handed in all the essays that Lupin and Tonks had in their lesson plans for the rest of the year. Slughorn wouldn't give them to us, but we can sit the exams, which is all that matters really in that class. Charms, Runes and Arithmancy have all been similarly dealt with." Hermione frowned slightly as she thought of one class that she had not mentioned.
Ron frowned, "Bloody hell, I know you could have sat your NEWTs when you were twelve, Hermione," he looked back at Harry, "but isn't this a touch extreme?" He glanced at the others, "So next week we all start training full time, skiving off class," he frowned slightly, "I suppose that Gryffindor will have to forfeit the Quidditch Cup this year."
"Honestly, Ron," Hermione, "you still have to go to class."
"And I fully expect Gryffindor to annihilate Slytherin next Saturday," Harry added quickly, "In fact it would be rather suspicious for all of us to suddenly drop classes...Ron, you will take a couple of Hermione's decoys with you to all the classes that we have with you, we will come up with something else for Runes and Arithmancy."
"Alright," Ron sighed.
"No choice, Ron," Harry replied with more than a touch of regret, "but we don't have a time turner, and we need to be free for...other things," Harry's eyebrow crooked slightly as Ron opened his mouth. "If you finish that statement, Ron." Ron's mouth closed with a snap.
Hermione gnawed on a corner of her lip, Neville cleared his throat, "Whatever you need, we're there," he said firmly, his voice betraying no trace of the tumbler full he had already drunk or of any nervousness at the prospect, "we end this, we make sure that none of that bastards' little wankers kick in some poor family's door in the middle of the night again." Parvati grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it, and Neville gave her a wan smile.
"We'll make sure of it, Neville," Hermione replied softly, looking around at her friends and family.
"What do you need us to do?" Dean asked into the sudden silence, his first words of the night; "Don't get me wrong, this is bloody cool and all, but we would have done any of that anyway." None of them noticed as a bearded face popped into a portrait on the wall, grinned and vanished.
Harry nodded, all he could trust his voice for a moment, before he went on in a slightly rough voice, "First, Ron, Neville, you two start working up training for the DA, concentrate on both covering actions and infiltrations...Luna," she perked up slightly, her eyes focusing on Harry, "help Ron, and look into creatures and beasts and such that Voldemort has used in the past in both assaults and to defend his possessions." She nodded, her eyes glittering slightly.
"Dean, Seamus," Hermione looked at the pair, catching Seamus with a butterbeer halfway to his lips, he froze, waiting on her, "make sure that we have more than enough provisions in the caches around Hogwarts, just in case, also get with the twins to see if there is anything new. After that, work with Ron and Neville, to make sure that we are ready for anything." She swallowed slightly, "Ron, I made a slight modification to the Infirmary plans, basically we should be able to evacuate or hide, anyone, that is in the Infirmary in case of an attack." Ron didn't react much at her emphasis on 'anyone' but he realized her intent just the same.
"Par, Lav, Padma, you three will help the boys, and Lavender, I especially want you to keep your ear to the ground, it's been too quiet from the Slytherin quarter, see if you can pick up any gossip. Sometimes they will let the damnest things slip in front of a firstie," Harry mentioned, Lavender grinned. He took a deep breath, "One more thing...I realize that you three are Ginny's greatest fans...I want you three to more or less take over her protection, we have Honor and Gretchen in her year covering her in class and such, but when you can I want one of you with her as well. Neville too, if he can manage it. She may be in danger..."
None of the girls, or Neville, really looked happy at that, but they nodded anyway. Knowing that while they knew that neither Harry nor Hermione considered them sacrificial, that their real utility if someone came after the girl hard enough, was to delay the attackers and get Ginny away to cover long enough for the DA to arrive in force.
Ron pushed past Luna a touch to pour himself a shot, before straightening up and taking a sip. "Oi," he mumbled as she grabbed his hand to take a drink of the top. Harry laughed as Luna licked her lips and looked up at Ron with a huge, beaming smile.
2:25 am.
Harryyy, Hermione giggled looking up at him from the seat of the couch. She pawed at her hair, twice, before succeeding in pulling it from her eyes. She smiled languidly as she succeeded; I love youu...
Harry nodded, solemnly as if she were imparting the secrets of the universe. You are really, really, pretty. Hermione giggled again, scooting along the couch until she could curl up in his lap like a large cat. Harry looked down at her, as she began to slowly run her fingers up and down the front of his shirt, she smirked, her eyes squinting slightly as she pulled the hem of his shirt from his jeans and pushed small, warm hands up under his shirt. Hermione froze suddenly at the sound of a large, thump, behind her. Her head turned slowly, as Harry craned his neck to look around her, she laughed, swaying slightly in her drunkenness, as she caught sight of the sight behind her.
Harry's hands stabbed out instantly, keeping her safe, as he began to laugh as well.
The chair that Ron and Luna had been or rather still were occupying, was lying in on its back, a bewildered expression on Ron's face as he stared unseeingly at the ceiling. Luna had not stopped her ministrations as she continued to nuzzle at his neck, still high enough to see how the chair had tipped backwards. Harry glanced to the side to see Dean and Seamus passing a bottle back and forth as they tried to play a game of Wizard's chess, with rules that didn't quite seem to match those accepted in normal Wizarding society. Padma was curled up next to Seamus, snoring softly with her head on his lap. He occasionally would pause in his loud conversation with Dean to pet her hair lightly.
On the other couch, Neville was asleep with the other two girls curled in a ball together next to him. Hermione smirked, Lightweights. She frowned slightly, her eyes crossing slightly as she concentrated on the new song that the enchanted CD player started to belt out. Come on, Hermione giggled slightly and flowed to her feet, pulling him along with her, let's dance.
We're the only ones, Mione, Harry whispered, bending his head to hers, as they started to sway idly together, he leaned forward a inch or two, kissing her as her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer. She smirked slowly as she pulled away, to rest her head on his shoulder. I'm sorry, Hermione.
Whatever for?
I know this isn't how you envisioned your seventh year.
No, Hermione shrugged, bending her head and kissing his shoulder, I admit I was slightly surprised to be married at eighteen, but that's only because I figured it would be at least two more years until I convinced you to pop the question. As to the rest, she lifted one hand from behind his neck and waggled it back and forth, I will say that if I had thought ahead when I was twelve, that I wouldn't expect as Head Girl that I'd be hosting a technically illegal party in my quarters.
That's not what I meant. He laughed softly; I know you, Mione, better than I know myself. What about that NEWT record, or...
I will probably score a couple less points than I would have, as I don't really intend on reviewing...that much anyway, She kissed him quickly, missing once and hitting his nose, there's nowhere I'd rather be, Harry. She cocked her head slightly, Har...Harry, baby, can I ask for one teennyy favor? He nodded, slightly befuddled as to why she was even asking, she nodded, I know I don't need to ask, Harry, but, still...I want to go see Mum and Dad, she's due in like a month.
Alright, let's go.
I didn't mean now, she laughed, folding herself closer, moving her leg between his. Her breath hitched slightly as she felt Harry's response to her. Or that either...but, she took a step back, giggling loudly and pulled him towards their room. "Night all," Hermione said brightly, pushed Harry into the room and closed it behind them with a loud squelch.
A/N there you go....next chapter, the search and life goes on, despite the war...One can never surrender your life to the darkness, or it has already won....One last turn around the pitch.