Author's Note: With only a week to go before Deathly Hallows comes out, I strongly believe that I will be able to finish this story and post it before it comes out. In the meantime, I'm not hanging out on the internet much because I don't want to read any spoilers. I mean, I was spoiled about Sirius and Dumbledore and that took some of the fun out of reading the books. So yeah, no spoilers for me. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and of course, thanks to Charmaine for poking me whenever I'm not writing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
AURORS AND INFERI
Ron and Hermione were shocked to see Harry back so soon. He quickly told them everything that had happened in Dumbledore's office. The looks on their faces as he told them went from shock to grim.
"It doesn't surprise me," Hermione said. "Voldemort likes attacking people in powerful places. Look at what happened to Fudge last year."
"What d'you reckon? Vampires, werewolves, or Death Eaters?" Ron asked.
"I dunno. Kingsley didn't say," Harry replied.
Ron frowned. "So what will happen now? They've got to find a new Head for the Auror Department."
"Yeah, that's what Dumbledore said," Harry said. "He said that the Aurors will nominate people for the job and then they're interviewed by the Minister and the Wizengamot."
"I hope it doesn't take them as long to get a new Head as it did for them to get a new Minister," Hermione said. "The Aurors are the ones who battle against Voldemort's army. Without a leader, who will they take direction from?"
"Who knows?" Harry said.
"Right now they're probably under the Head of Magical Law Enforcement's control," Ron said. "I think that's what my dad told me what they would do if something like this were to happen."
"It makes sense," Hermione said. "I'm sure the Prophet will keep track of all this."
Harry nodded. "This Jarrett's death will probably be their leading headline tomorrow."
It was. Harry read the article the next morning over Hermione's shoulder, but it did not disclose any information that he didn't already know. A few days later, there was an article announcing the nominees to take over the job as Head of the Auror Department.
"'Yesterday, Aurors nominated their fellows to become the new Head of their department,'" Hermione read to Harry and Ron. "'Three people were nominated, which is much lower than the seventeen made when the late Xavier Jarrett became the Head. The three nominated are Mara Frost, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Gawain Greene.'"
"Mara Frost!" Ron exclaimed. "Who in their right mind would nominate her?"
Hermione shushed him and continued reading. "'Frost has nineteen-years of experience with the Aurors-the least of the three nominees-but is known for her determination and belief of extreme punishment for captured Death Eaters, a belief that many witches and wizards share. Against her is the fact that she was one of the three Aurors sent to protect Hogwarts last year where three deaths occurred under her nose. She redeemed herself by helping to put away a large number of Death Eaters last summer when they were captured in a cemetery near Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, Frost is the daughter of known Death Eater Augustus Frost, who died in Azkaban ten years ago.
"'Shacklebolt-an Auror for twenty-five years-has the same discredit to his record as Frost. He also was at Hogwarts during the murders last year and failed to recognize his own cohort, Joaquin Crow, as a Death Eater. He was also in charge of the search for Sirius Black until word came of Black's death. Black was later acquitted as Shacklebolt found new evidence to suggest that Peter Pettigrew (the man that Black supposedly killed) was still alive and that he was the one responsible for the deaths of twelve Muggles. Shacklebolt has led numerous Auror teams during the war and is widely respected throughout the department as a man who has a great respect for the job and the people in it.
"'Greene, meanwhile, has been an Auror for twenty-three years and has led an abundance of Auror teams. He is known as a brave individual who always steps up to take a challenge. This fellow Aurors think of him as a fierce warrior and a great leader. Greene was in charge of the successful ambushes in Westbury-on-Severn in Gloucestershire and also in Cardiff, Wales. He is admired and respected all throughout Wizarding Britain.
"'The nominees will be interviewed later this week by the Wizengamot and Amelia Bones, the Minister of Magic.'"
"I hope Kingsley gets the job," Ron said.
"Anybody but Frost, in my opinion," Harry said.
"You'd take this Greene bloke? He's just trying to play hero so that he'll be famous," Ron said.
"I don't think he is," Hermione said. "I still stand by the fact that the Prophet is trying to make him look like a hero."
"He seemed really embarrassed by it when I met him," Harry said. "I doubt he wants the attention. He only seems concerned about ending the war."
"Come on," Hermione said. "We've got class to get to."
They grabbed their bags sitting next to them and headed outside into the early April sunlight. Spring was making an attempt to settle in. The weather was a bit warmer and buds began to appear on trees. Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed to the greenhouses, knowing that the sun beating down through the glass would warm them up.
"Good morning seventh years!" Professor Sprout said, beaming, when she walked into the greenhouse.
"Good morning, Professor Sprout," the class chanted back.
"Today we're going to do something very interesting and very dangerous." If they hadn't been paying attention before, all of the students were paying very close attention after Professor Sprout's announcement. "We're going to go out on the grounds and tend to a very large plant, one that can crack ribs if you're not careful."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione gave each other nervous glances. Beside them, Neville gulped.
"The plant that I am talking about, of course, is the Whomping Willow. It's got some dead branches on it and it will be our job to prune them," Professor Sprout said.
"Er-Professor? How are we supposed to do that?" Ernie Macmillan asked in a squeaky voice.
"Oh, there's a trick to keeping a Whomping Willow from, well, whomping you," Professor Sprout said. "Come on, I'll show you."
"This is not going to be a good day," Ron muttered as he followed Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the class outside. "Freezing the Willow or no, we're going to get knocked around."
Harry nodded. After his encounters with the tree, he wasn't very keen on going anywhere near it.
Professor Sprout showed them how to immobilize the tree by touching the knot. After that, Harry, Ron, and several other students began to climb the tree in order to get to its higher branches and trim away anything that was dead. Neville, who scurried under the deadly limbs while the tree was motionless, would hit the knot every time the tree suddenly came to life. Hermione and the other students not in the tree ran around on the ground, cleaning up.
When Harry and Ron climbed down, they were covered in scratches and cuts where the tree had hit them before Neville could smack the knot again.
"First chance we get, I need a bowl of that Essence of Murtlap," Ron said, swabbing a cut with his robes.
Harry touched his bleeding lower lip gingerly. "Yeah."
"Oh, here," Hermione said, taking out her wand and touching it to Harry's lip. "Episkey!"
Harry's cut lip suddenly healed. He ran the tip of his tongue over it as Hermione performed the same spell on Ron's cut. "Hey, that's a pretty good spell."
"Yeah," Ron said, flexing his hand. "Maybe you should think about becoming a Healer instead of a barrister."
Hermione shrugged. "Being a Healer is wonderful work, but I don't think it's suited for me."
"Right. You want to do something meaningful with your life," Ron said. "House-elf rights."
"I'm not trying to imply that being a Healer isn't meaningful, if that's what you're getting at," Hermione said.
"I think every job available is meaningful in some way," Ron said.
"Oh, yes, becoming a huge Quidditch star is very meaningful," Hermione said scathingly.
"I doubt I'm good enough to do that," Ron said, his shoulders slumping. "None of those scouts at our matches have contacted us."
Harry shrugged. He didn't much care about scouts. When it came to his future, the only thing he was concerned about was living long enough to become an Auror.
"I suppose on the plus side," Hermione said, "Quidditch teams don't care how many O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s you received."
"Are you saying I'm not going to do well on my N.E.W.T.s?" Ron demanded.
"No! I'm sure you'll do-"
"What d'you think I'm still here for? Practice?"
"You're still here because your mum would kill you if you went the same route as Fred and George," Hermione said. "Besides, you don't want to disappoint her."
Ron frowned and marched along ahead. Harry sighed. Even though all three of them knew that Hermione had spoken the truth, Ron still hated to admit that she was right.
*****
The following evening, Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office for his training session.
"Pepper Imp," Harry said to the gargoyle, which hopped out of the way. He took the revolving staircase two at a time and, when he reached the outside of Dumbledore's office, he heard voices from within. He paused and listened.
"The problem is, Gawain wonders who you're supporting, him or Kingsley," Harry heard a familiar voice say.
"I do not play favorites," Dumbledore said.
"I know you don't, sir," said the familiar voice. "But Gawain thinks you might. He thinks you'll be supporting Kingsley because he's been in the Order longer."
"Ah, just because someone has been a part of the Order longer, Tonks, doesn't mean they're fit to be Head of a department. I have a lot of issues to weigh before coming to a conclusion," Dumbledore said.
"Well, between you and me, sir," Tonks said, "I'd much rather have Kingsley become the new Head. He's more…I don't know. Frost has horrible people skills and Gawain…Well, I like Gawain a lot, but he's a bit of a zealot. Kingsley looks after his own."
"I appreciate your opinion, Tonks," Dumbledore said. "Now, I'm sure you'll want to attend to the other reason why you're here, since you certainly could have delivered this report to me via Floo or Patronus."
"Oh-er-yeah," Tonks said.
Harry decided that was the right moment to knock.
"Enter," Dumbledore called.
Harry opened the door. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, looking pensive, while Tonks stood beside the chair she had obviously just been sitting in. When she saw Harry, she grinned.
"Wotcher, Harry!"
"Hi, Tonks," Harry said, putting a look of surprise on his face. "What're you doing here?"
"Order business," she said with a wink. "I was just about to leave. I'm going to drop by Remus's office first, though, to say hi."
"Did your meeting with him in Hogsmeade go well last December?" Harry asked.
"My…Oh! That!" She actually blushed. "Yes, it went very well."
"That's good," Harry said.
"Well, good-bye," Tonks said. "Have a good lesson."
"Thanks," Harry said as Tonks left the headmaster's office.
Harry sat down in the spot that Tonks had just vacated. "Wandless magic today, sir?" he asked.
"That indeed was the plan," Dumbledore said with a small smile.
Harry stared at him for a moment. Something seemed off about his headmaster. The twinkle in his eyes was missing and he seemed to be lost in thought.
"Sir? Is there-er-anything wrong?" he asked.
He shook his head. "Nothing that I'm sure a young man like yourself would be too concerned with," he said.
Harry sat back in his chair. "Try me."
Dumbledore smiled. "Aside from having to leave Hogwarts to help the Wizengamot and the Minister choose a new Head for the Auror Department, I have recently received owls from both Madam Maxime and the new headmaster of Durmstrang."
"What for?" Harry asked.
"Regarding the Triwizard Tournament that is supposed to take place in two years," Dumbledore said.
"That's right," Harry murmured. "It takes place every five years."
"Correct," Dumbledore said. "But, in these dark times, the headmasters of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang feel that perhaps the tournament should not go on. After all, the thing we feared most-the death of one of the champions-happened."
Harry frowned. The tournament had by no means been pleasant; however, it did allow the students to meet others from different countries. He couldn't tell whether or not he was happy or angry over this news.
"It was a good try," Dumbledore said.
Harry nodded, feeling as though that were the only thing he could do.
"Now, to your lesson. Last time we did the…"
"Impediment Jinx, sir," Harry replied.
"Ah, yes, and if I recall, you did rather well. I think today I will let you pick the spell we'll work on."
"Yes, sir," Harry said, thinking. "Could I…could I try the Patronus Charm?"
Dumbledore nodded. "If you feel you are ready."
Harry stood up and walked to the center of the office. As he searched for a happy memory to help him conjure the Patronus, he waved his wand at the chair and murmured, "Evanesco." The chair vanished, leaving plenty of room for him.
Finally settling on his happy memory of him and Hermione at the Yule Ball, he closed his eyes and said, "Expecto Patronum!"
Nothing happened. He opened his eyes to see his hand held out in front of him, but there was no trace of a spell. He turned to Dumbledore and frowned. "Let me guess, concentrate harder."
Dumbledore nodded.
Harry concentrated harder on the memory. He could practically feel his lips on Hermione's as they had kissed in the shadows of the castle. "Expecto Patronum!" he cried, but again, nothing happened.
He tried again. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he roared and suddenly, silver wisps of…something emerged from his fingertips. He turned to Dumbledore, grinning, to find a look of great surprise in his sparkling blue eyes.
Dumbledore stood up. "Try that one more time, would you, Harry?" he asked.
Harry nodded and concentrated with all of his might on his memory. He let the contentment and excitement of that moment fill him and, with a yell loud enough to make Fawkes the phoenix jump, he cried, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Once again, more silver wisps escaped through his fingertips. Dumbledore bent low to examine them as they floated lazily around the room for a moment and then straightened when they vanished. Without a word, he returned to his seat and slipped his half-moon spectacles off his crooked nose.
"Sir?" Harry asked warily.
"Sit down, Harry," Dumbledore said, snapping his fingers and causing the chair that Harry had vanished to reappear.
Harry sat down, feeling anxious. Had he done something wrong?
Dumbledore was quiet for a moment before he said, "I am not often surprised or impressed, Harry, but what you just accomplished did both."
Harry, who had expecting him to punish him or something, couldn't believe his ears. "Sir?"
Dumbledore was giving Harry a hard look. "The Patronus Charm is very complicated magic. Not even I can produce a Patronus without my wand. The fact that you can produce even a partial Patronus without the use of a wand is simply extraordinary." He frowned. "I fear that I may not have much more that I can teach you in regards to true sorcery."
Harry sat there, dazed. He couldn't possibly have done something that even Dumbledore couldn't do. It was impossible. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard he knew. No one was more powerful than Dumbledore, not even Lord Voldemort. Yet there Dumbledore was, saying that Harry had just done something that even he could not do. It all seemed so surreal to Harry.
"Does this mean that you're not going to train me anymore?" Harry asked slowly.
"I am willing to help you as much as I can," Dumbledore said. "You have proven, however, that you have the ability to continue on without any help. You understand what you have to do. All that you lack is the ability to do it consistently. With time and practice, you will, though."
"I-I-"
"If we end your training here tonight, you will only have to see me every other week to continue Occlumency. During those lessons, we can talk about any difficulties you've been having and see if I can't help you with them. Otherwise, this would allow you more spare time to deal with your increasing amount of homework and, of course, your other duties," Dumbledore said.
Harry didn't know what to say. He would love the extra time to do his homework, prepare for N.E.W.T.s (Wow, Hermione has gotten to me, he thought), and hold more Quidditch practices. He'd have more time to spend with his friends and to, unfortunately, go on more rounds as part of his Head Boy duties.
Still, he was uncomfortable with the thought of pursuing his training by himself. He couldn't think of any way that he could go off to practice without telling Ron and Hermione about what he was up to. The less they knew about what he could do, the less danger they would be in. Harry had not forgotten why Joaquin Crow had taken Hermione to the cemetery. The Death Eaters had wanted to know what Harry and Dumbledore had been up to.
In the end, though, the thought of having more time on his hands was far too appealing for Harry. "I think I'll end my training and continue on my own," he told Dumbledore. "If I need any help, I will come and ask you."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. We should end things here for tonight. Next week, we will continue your Occlumency lessons."
Harry got up. "Good night, sir."
"Good night, Harry."
Without another word, he left, still marveling over what Dumbledore had told him.
*****
Professor McGonagall swooped around the tables over the next couple of days with a sign-up sheet to stay at Hogwarts during the Easter holiday. Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately signed it, knowing that the professors would use the holiday to double their homework. Plus, as Hermione reminded them, they needed to start seriously studying for their N.E.W.T.s.
That day, the arrival of the Daily Prophet heralded the news of a new Head of the Auror Department.
Greene Named New Head of Aurors
In a nearly unanimous vote yesterday evening, the Wizengamot, along with Minister Amelia Bones, named Gawain Greene as the new Head of the Auror Department.
"I'm honored," Greene said after hearing of his promotion. "I hope that I'll be able to live up to some of my predecessors.
"I'd like to take the fight to [You-Know-Who] and show him that we're not afraid; that we're willing to fight back."
"I think he'll do a great job," Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the other two nominees, said. "I have a great respect for what Greene can do in the field."
"He's very popular, right now," Mara Frost, the third nominee, said. "He can rally people around him and he's a decent tactician. I just hope he doesn't go soft behind the big desk."
Greene, however, doesn't plan on staying behind the desk. "I'll be out in the field," he said when asked about the subject. "I don't want my men and women to do anything that I'm not willing to do myself."
Greene will begin his new duties immediately.
"Well, that doesn't come as any big surprise," Hermione said, flipping to page two. "There probably would have been an outcry if Greene hadn't gotten the job."
"What d'you mean?" Ron asked.
"The wizarding world knows more about him than either Kingsley or Frost," Hermione said. "They see Greene as a hero and as such, would want him as high up as possible. They see him as someone who will do something. I imagine if anything were to happen to Madam Bones anytime soon, the people would demand Greene's promotion to Minister."
"Come off it, he just became the Head of the Auror Department," Ron said incredulously. "That's a lot of power to give one bloke that the newspaper likes."
"But that's the way the media works. It can sway the opinion of the masses anyway it likes. If Voldemort ever got control over the Daily Prophet or the WWN, he could use a load of propaganda and gain even more power. It's happened in the Muggle world."
"The media's not out there to spread the truth. It's out there to sell itself," Harry said.
"Exactly," Hermione said, giving Harry an approving look. "It's like any other business-it wants money."
"My, aren't we pessimistic," Ron said.
"It's not pessimism, Ron, it's the truth," Hermione said angrily.
Harry, sensing another row, got up.
"Hey, Harry! Where are you going?" Ron asked.
"Up to the common room to get my bag," Harry replied, happy that he left it there that morning.
"Oh. Okay. We'll be up shortly," Ron said, shoving a piece of toast in his mouth.
Hermione gave him a disgusted look. "Actually, I'll come with you now."
Harry shrugged as Hermione jumped up and joined him. They left the Great Hall and headed up the marble staircase.
"I'm sorry about Ron and me," she said. "It seems as though every time we talk we end up having a row or nearly having a row. I suppose that's what siblings do, isn't it? I mean, I don't have any real siblings to know for sure, but Ron's the closest thing I have to a brother."
"Yeah, I know," Harry said. "I just hate being in the middle of it when you two do start going at each other."
"I would too if I were in your position. I'm really sorry, Harry. He annoys me so much that I can't help myself," she said.
Harry chuckled. "Don't I know it."
"I mean, if he were a little more like you, I wouldn't have a problem with him," she went on.
"That's what I don't understand," Harry said. "What is it about me that you find so appealing? Why have you never thought of me as a brother?"
Hermione blushed a little. "It's probably because you aren't my complete opposite. You aren't completely insensitive and you can be quite brilliant when you want to be. You can be passionate about things you care about and you care about so much. I'm not just talking about Quidditch or anything like that. You really care about your friends and want to see them happy, even if that means sacrificing something on your own part. I mean, didn't you once say that if you thought that Ron really fancied me and that I fancied him back, you'd step out of the way, regardless of how you felt?"
He nodded, his cheeks burning. "Yeah, I did."
"You see? You can be very selfless, Harry. Besides, I don't think I could ever consider you to be like a brother to me when I've fancied you for so long," Hermione finished. "It wouldn't have been right."
At that, he laughed. "I'll say."
"How come I've never seemed like a sister to you?" Hermione asked.
He shrugged. "I dunno. I've always felt a need to protect you, even when we weren't friends. That's why I knew I had to find you to warn you about the troll. But…I really can't explain why I've never felt as though I were a brother to you. Possibly because I don't have any siblings-just a cousin who I hated." He pulled back a tapestry and let her pass by him before following up the stairs. "Or it could possibly be that, unlike Ron, I've always recognized the fact that you're a girl."
"So I was never 'one of the guys?'" she asked.
"No, never that," Harry said with a lopsided grin. "You were different-special. At least for me."
Hermione shot a smirk over her shoulder. "Am I still special?"
"Oh yes," Harry said with a laugh. "But you're a different kind of special now."
"How so?"
He stepped up behind her and kissed her cheek. Then he whispered in her ear, "Whenever I need to find the strength to continue on, I think of you, and that's very special indeed."
She turned toward him and, thanks to the stairs, their faces were level. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You make me feel pretty special," she said, smiling.
"And you make me feel like I'm the luckiest bloke on the planet," he said. "Unfortunately, we've got to go get our bags before we're late to class."
She sighed. "We'll have to find time to finish this later," she said.
"Knowing us, we will," he said with a grin and followed her up the rest of the stairs.
*****
When the weekend arrived, Harry settled himself down on the common room floor to get his homework done. The professors had been none too forgiving and as the next week was the week before the Easter holiday, he only expected more to be handed his way. He was just making good headway on his Transfiguration essay when Hunter sat down beside him.
"Erm-Harry?" he asked tentatively.
"One second, let me just finish off this sentence…ah," he said, putting a period at the end and then dropping his quill. "What's up?"
"Well-er-I was looking for some advice from my-er-mentor," Hunter said, shifting uncomfortably.
Harry smiled. "You came to the right person. What sort of advice d'you need?"
Hunter gulped audibly. "Girl advice."
"Oh."
"How d'you-I mean-how do you know when a girl-erm-fancies you?" Hunter asked.
"Er-" Harry said, wishing desperately that Hermione was there with him. "Well, I'm not really one-hundred percent sure," he answered truthfully. Fat lot of help you're being, he thought. "Why?"
"Well, because I think a girl fancies me," Hunter said, looking embarrassed.
"Who?"
He blushed. "Tara."
"The first year who wanted to try out for the Quidditch team? Hermione's other mentee?"
Hunter nodded. "That's her. She hangs out with me, Dylan, and Ally a lot."
"Oh. What makes you think she fancies you?" Harry asked.
"She looks at me a lot and she asked me to dance with her at the Yule Ball. And she's asked me to teach her how to play Quidditch," he said.
Harry thought about it for a moment. "I reckon she might fancy you a tad. Hermione's better at this stuff than I am."
"I don't really want to talk to her, though," Hunter said. "She's Ally and Tara's mentor." He frowned. "Speaking of Ally, how moody do girls get before they start…you know…"
Harry felt his cheeks redden. Why oh why was he having this conversation? "I dunno. I think it varies from girl to girl. I mean, Hermione's okay, but I heard some girls become these sort of towering infernos."
"Maybe that's what her problem is," Hunter muttered. "It would explain why she keeps griping at me."
"Does she gripe at anyone else?" Harry asked.
"No, only me, although I did catch her giving Tara some pretty dirty looks a few times. But she's perfectly nice to Dylan and Laura. I mean, what did I do to deserve her little scathing comments?" Hunter grumbled.
Suddenly, things started clicking in Harry's head. He remembered the looks of jealousy on Ally's face at the Yule Ball, only he hadn't connected them to the fact that Hunter and Tara were dancing at the same moment. It was all becoming clear-Ally fancied Hunter, but Tara was pursuing him. He actually laughed.
"What?" Hunter said, giving Harry a sour look.
"I think I get what's going on," Harry said. "Tell me something, d'you fancy anyone yourself?"
Hunter's cheeks were the color of fresh, ripened cherries. "No."
Harry felt a vibration in his pocket. He grinned. "Don't lie."
"I'm not lying," Hunter said defensively.
Another vibration. Harry pulled the pager out of his pocket and showed it to Hunter. "Hermione charmed this to vibrate whenever someone lies."
Hunter stared at the pager, a fearful look on his face. "Oh, alright, I do fancy someone-a little."
The pager lay calmly in Harry's hand. He slipped it back into his pocket. "Who?"
"I don't want to say," Hunter said.
"Well, if it's Tara, then you've got no problems. You could be probably the only second year with a girlfriend," Harry said.
"I don't really want a girlfriend," Hunter said, "and I don't fancy Tara."
"Laura?"
"No!"
"Ah, then it's Ally," Harry said.
Hunter gave him a dirty look, but said nothing.
"Well, it's not really my place to tell you this, but as your mentor…I think she fancies you, too," Harry said.
Hunter's gray eyes went wide. "What?"
Harry nodded. "I could be completely wrong, of course, but I think the reason why she's being so snippy with you and giving Tara dirty looks is because she's mad that Tara fancies you and you seem to be returning her feelings."
"But I'm not!" Hunter insisted. "I was just trying to be nice."
"Yeah, well, she's probably mistaking that as you trying to tell Tara that you fancy her back. Tara's probably misinterpreting these things, too," Harry said.
"What do I do?" Hunter asked.
"Good question. I'd say nothing unless you want to tell Ally how you feel and hurt Tara's feelings," Harry said.
"Why does all of this have to be so complicated?" Hunter asked.
"Because humans are stupid and complicate things," Harry said. "Any more questions?"
"No," Hunter muttered. "I suppose I'll just keep my mouth shut."
"If that's the way you want to go," Harry said.
Hunter sighed. "Thanks, Harry. How'd you learn all this stuff about girls, anyway?"
"Hermione," he said simply. "I've gotten to channeling her lately-not sure why."
Hunter grinned. "For whatever reason, I'm happy you've got some idea of what you're talking about. See you."
"'Bye," Harry said as Hunter got up and walked away. At the same moment, Hermione walked in and, spotting Harry, sat down next to him.
"Hello," she said. "I've been in the library."
"I figured as much," he said with a grin. "Hey, what do you know about the Hunter-Ally-Tara triangle?"
She gave him a shrewd look. "Quite a bit. I am the mentor to both girls," she said. "They've both confided in me, wanting to know what they could do to gain Hunter's attention."
"Yeah, well, Hunter just asked me about them," Harry said. "He fancies Ally."
"Does he?" Hermione asked. "Well, that's ironic."
"Ironic?"
"Ally's a bit more like me than Tara is," Hermione said, "while Hunter is a lot like you."
"And we're together," Harry said, putting two and two together. "Very ironic."
"Well, birds of a feather," Hermione murmured.
"I hope I gave him good advice," Harry said. "I doubt a twelve-year-old like him really wants to start dating yet."
"Did you tell him not to do anything about it?" she asked.
"Pretty much."
She shook her head. "Well, at least he knows she's there."
"Yeah. He's brighter than me in that respect," Harry said.
"Much."
Harry gave her a rueful look. "Ha, ha."
She gave him an innocent look. "What?"
He stood up and gathered his books. "I think I'll go to the library and do this. That way I don't have to listen to your teasing."
"I'm not teasing," she said with a laugh. "I'm just…toying with you."
"Sure," he said, but was also grinning. "I'll see you later." With that, he left Hermione behind, who was trying not to giggle.
*****
The final week before the Easter holiday was filled with so much homework that Harry felt like all he did was attend class, eat, sleep, and have his nose buried in a book. He longed to sit down with Ron and play a nice game of wizard's chess, but even Ron couldn't procrastinate.
Harry gave a sigh of relief that Friday evening when classes were over. Sure, they had a huge pile of work to do over break, but he didn't have any other responsibilities that might hinder his progress. He, along with Ron and Hermione, spent most of the evening after dinner in the library, attempting to get one of their numerous assignments done.
"Why is Flitwick being so cruel?" Ron groaned.
"Because he wants us to do well on our N.E.W.T.s," Hermione said.
"It was a rhetorical question, Hermione," Ron muttered, glaring at her.
"How was I supposed to know that?" Hermione shot back.
"You know," Harry said loudly, "the last time you two bickered in the library and I walked out, I got hit with a mental barrier, which is still there, incidentally, because I was too irritated to perform the Occlumency I needed to keep Voldemort away from me."
Ron and Hermione cringed. "Sorry, Harry."
"Yeah, sorry, mate."
"It's okay," Harry said, going back to his essay.
They stayed silent for another half-hour when Ron finally gave up and announced that he was going to bed.
"We'd better follow his lead," Hermione said, watching him go. "The library is about to close soon, anyway."
They packed up their bags and left.
Once they were back in the common room, Harry found that he was too tired to try to finish his essay, so he bade Hermione good night and went up to his dormitory. Ron was already ready for bed.
"Hey, Harry, how about a little Quidditch practice tomorrow once everyone's left? That'd be nice, wouldn't it?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, sure. It'd be nice to not have my nose in a book. I feel way too much like Hermione," he said, rummaging around in his trunk for his bed clothes.
"Excellent! Well, good night."
"'Night, Ron," Harry said and got ready for bed. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thought was wondering whether or not Hermione would be mad at him if he played a little Quidditch…
He was in a dark room. The only light came from two candles that stood on a table. The dim light showed the shadow of a bed and a wardrobe. Under his feet he could feel old, worn carpet.
He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a bag and several sets of black robes. He stuffed the robes carelessly into the bag. Then, he took out his wand and, with a wave, shrunk it down to the size of a peanut.
There was a knock on the door. "What?" he said in a cold, cruel voice.
The door opened, flooding the room with light from the hallway. In the doorway stood Lucius Malfoy, who bowed deeply. "Master, we have found him."
Harry grabbed his wand and walked swiftly out the door. Malfoy fell into step behind him, keeping his head bowed. "Did you find the Inferi?" he asked.
"No, my lord. I believe he's hiding them somewhere," Malfoy replied.
"I'll get that information out of him, then," he murmured, going down a flight of steps. He entered a room across the hallway and pointed his wand at the fireplace. Immediately, a large fire erupted. Harry stepped over to a high-backed chair and sat. "Bring him in, then."
Malfoy bowed. "Yes, master."
He waited only moments between Malfoy's departure and return. He and Rastaban Lestrange were dragging in an unconscious man. They dropped him at Harry's feet.
Malfoy took out his wand. "Ennervate."
Slowly, the man woke up. He blinked a few times and then, with a look of horror on his face, his eyes traveled upward and met Harry's. He squealed in fright.
"Welcome back, Addams," Harry said coldly. "I trust your trip went well?"
Addams cowered at his feet. "M-m-m-master, I'm sorry!"
Harry flicked his wand at him. "Crucio!" he said and Addams screamed in pain. He watched him idly for a moment, twitching and convulsing on the floor, before lifting the curse. "Where are my Inferi, Addams?"
Addams looked at him fearfully. "I-I-I-"
"Crucio!" Harry cried again and Addams screamed in a fresh fit of pain. "Tell me where they are!" he demanded when he released him. "Look at me you pathetic fool. Imperio!"
Slowly, Addams's eyes rose to meet his. "Legilimens!" Harry muttered and examined his memories. He saw Addams raise the Inferi and Apparate with them…they arrived at another cemetery where he immediately did what was needed to return them to the ground, fear in his gut. Harry snarled and left his mind. "Why did you return the Inferi to the ground?" he asked.
"They're not even half-breeds, master," Addams said, gasping. "They're worse. They're pathetic. I thought we could do better. It should be the purebloods that purify the wizarding world, not creatures."
"So, you are challenging my tactics," Harry said quietly.
Addams looked into his eyes and said, bravely, "No, I am challenging you period, Half-Blood."
Harry made a slicing motion with his wand. "Sectumsempra!"
Deep cuts etched themselves across Addams's chest, spilling blood everywhere. He gasped and fell to the floor, clutching his chest.
Harry stood up and towered over him, watching the blood as it poured out of the pathetic man on the floor. Then, raising his wand one last time, he spat, "Avada Kedavra!" A green light flashed and Addams was dead.
Harry stepped away from the body. "Clean up this mess," he ordered and walked away.
Rastaban got to work while Malfoy quickly followed him. "My lord, will you be sending another one of us-er-more loyal followers out to raise your army of Inferi?"
"No, but there will be hell to pay for this night. Lucius, my good friend," he said, stepping over and placing his long, spidery white hands on Malfoy's shoulders, "you will lead the Death Eaters to Belfast immediately. It is time to make Ireland tremble in fear. Attack at dawn and destroy all you can."
"Yes, master," Malfoy said, bowing.
"I am leaving you in charge while I am gone, Lucius, so don't get captured," Harry said.
"Gone, my lord?"
"Yes. I am taking a little trip to Greece within the coming days. I have…business there."
"Yes, master," Malfoy said. "I shall not fail you."
"You had better not or your fate will be the same as Addams's," Harry said. "Now go."
"Yes, master," Malfoy said and quickly left him.
Harry walked back up the stairs and into his room. Alone, he screamed in rage, a scream that woke not only him, but everyone else in his dorm up, too.