A/N: I'm really sorry for the wait, folks, feel free to hex me I probably deserve it. But hey! The invitations are out and plans are well on the way so that's some good news. Hope you enjoy this. And only leave a review if you want to, I love them, but I don't mind. Thanks, Roman.
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CHAPTER ELEVEN: DUMBLEDORES ARMY
~~~~~September 25th, 1996~~~~~
Harry found himself rather tired as he prepared for the first DA meeting of the new school year. It wasn't a surprise that he'd been pretty exhausted lately. Monday nights he had advanced magic training, still perfecting non-verbal spells; Wednesday mornings he had training with the sword, and now the DA at night; Fridays were the worst with physical training in the morning and occlumency at night; And then there were quidditch practice Saturday arvos with training in wandless magic at night. All of this on top of regular classes and the homework that came with them.
Hermione and Ron were the first to arrive and Hermione hung up a peice of parchment on the cork board that had appeared so people could write their names on it. At six-thirty exactly people started filing into the Room of Requirement. Harry was shocked at how many were actually turning up, so many in fact that the room had to expand itself.
The majority of Gryffindors had turned up, first years right through to seventh. There were quite alot of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well. And Harry noted with some shock that four Slytherins also came in, two looked like first years but the others were older. He nudged Hermione and pointed them out.
She just smiled and said, "I told you a couple would turn up."
When it looked as if everyone who was coming entered Harry stood up on the raised platform and began. "Welcome to the Defense Association, a.k.a. Dumbledores Army. Here we are going to expand on what is taught in Defense Against The Dark Arts and get a little more practice of our defensive skills.
"With the times being as they are then we all need as much practice in being able to defend ourselves. We didn't expect so many people to arrive so give us a minute to congregate for a moment."
Harry jumped off the platform and talked to Hermione and Ron. "What do you think we should start with? I was just going to show them a few spells, but there's so many here."
A voice from behind Harry made him jump about a foot. "Well, perhaps we should start with where you lot left off last year."
Brodsky and Dumbledore had slipped in quietly. Dumbledore smiled, "We wanted to see if we could help."
"That'd be great." Harry grinned, "Umm, what did you mean 'where we left off'?"
"You should start with the events of the Ministry. You kids weren't ready and it cost you, these kids need to be ready should something like that happen to them. You all need to learn from your mistakes." Brodsky explained.
"So we should show them what happened at the Ministry?"
"Yes, Harry." Dumbledore spoke, "We are able to show them if we can just copy the memory from you."
Harry nodded so Dumbledore stepped forward. He put his wand to Harrys head and then closed his eyes for a minute before pulling out the memory. Instead of putting it in a pensieve like Harry thought he would, Dumbledore held it for a few moments, eyes still closed his lips muttering something. He then opened his eyes and turned to a wall that had morphed all the bookshelves that were lining it into just a blank white wall. He literally threw the memory at the wall and the entire wall changed from its blank white to grey.
"What was that, Headmaster?" Hermione asked.
"I just modified Harrys memory slightly so we are looking at it not from his point of view but in third person. Harry, if you would?"
Harry jumped back up on the platform and everyone silenced. "Right, we're going to start off by showing you all what happened at the Ministry of Magic when Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny and myself went there the night that the Ministry admitted Lord Voldemorts return." He ignored all of the usual cringes and continued. "We weren't prepared for that battle, but we'll learn from our mistakes."
The room changed again. The mats on the floor turned into chairs and beanbags and everyone made themselves comfortable as the lights all darkened. Harry sat next to Hermione on a couch right up the back.
"Are you sure you want to see this?" He whispered.
"We all screwed up that night, Harry. I need to learn from my mistakes as well."
"Come on Mione, you were better prepared than any of us."
"Are you sure you want to see this?"
Harry thought for a moment about what he'd see, mainly Sirius' death, "I've seen it all before over and over again and right now I'm more worried about you." Hermione just shook him off as the screen in front of them flickered to life.
It started when they first entered the empty atrium and Harry noted that it was more like a muggle film instead of a memory, it even had colour and sound.
***Harry led them down the hallway and to the lifts. They travelled down on the noisy elevators and into the torch lit corridor.***
In the Room of Requirement Harry watched himself stop and try to suggest that some stay behind and they all refused.
***They all entered the circular rotating room and then go on to try the doors until they found the glittering room. Harry opened the door and found the place that they were looking for, a room full of nothing but towering shelves with small orbs. They all crept forward looking for row ninety-seven.
"He might be..." The Harry on the screen whispered. "Or maybe..."
"Harry?"
"What?" His tone was rather vicious.
"I...I don't think Sirius is here."
They watched Harry search for any sign of Sirius or a struggle. There was nothing at all. "Harry?" Ron was the next one to speak. Ron had found the prophecy.
"Harry, I don't think you should touch it."***
The Harry up the back instinctively moved closer to Hermione on the couch. He should've known after all of their years together to listen to her. Looking back, if he had of listened to her when she told him it was a trap, then Sirius would be alive, and if he had of listened to her when she told him not to touch the prophecy then the death eaters wouldn't have known they were there.
But Harry cursed himself again for not listening to Hermione as he watched himself pick up the prophecy off the shelf and almost immediately realize that Hermione had been right on both counts.
***"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me." Lucius Malfoy drawled as the six found themselves surrounded by death eaters.***
Harry felt proud as he watched his group. ***Surrounded by death eaters they all stood defiantly and without hesitation followed his lead and raised their wands. Harry and Malfoy talked for a while, the only plan Harry had was to keep them talking until something else came to them.***
Harry watched the shelves explode and watched as his hand grabbed a hold of Hermiones robes and dragged her away. He smiled slightly as he realized that he could of reached for any of them, but he'd grabbed hold of her as if his own sub-conscious was trying to tell him something.
Looking around at the rest of the DA Harry saw that they were all sitting in rapt silence as they watched the events unfold, a few girls letting out the occasional gasp or something.
***They ran through the ministry, having the occasional quick duel with a death eater or two. They watched in silent horror as the death eaters head transformed back to babyhood.***
Harry let out a little laugh along with a few others, Rons being the loudest, despite the situation they were watching.
***Hermione seized Harrys arm and told him, "You can't hurt a baby!"***
Hermione poked him in the ribs and whispered, "Shutup."
"Well, come on, Mione."
They turned back to the screen just in time to see it. What they had both been dreading to see. Gasps of horror were heard throughout the room when the others watched it. Most of the school knew she had been hurt, but didn't know it was serious.
***A slashing movement from Dolohov and a purple flame passed right across Hermiones chest. She looked down at her chest then up at Harry and gave a little "Oh!" surprised at what had happened, then fell to the floor.
"Hermione!" Harry yelled as he fell to his knees beside her.***
Harry looked over at Hermione to see her face pale in the light of the screen. She was swallowing hard and refused to look at the screen even when she heard Harrys begging.
***"Hermione. Hermione, wake up..."***
Harry didn't focus on the rest of the Ministry battle. He kept watching Hermione intently. She still wouldn't look up as the Order came to the rescue, the prophecy smashed and Sirius died. She wouldn't even watch the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore.
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.
Hermione didn't answer, just turned to him with her tears and buried her head in his warm shoulder. He held her tightly as the final events of that night came through.
When it was finished she moved away from him. She hadn't cried, but had come damn near close. Hermione wasn't the only one to have tears in her eyes after the viewing, quite a few girls had let their tears flow at the tragic events of the night.
Harry returned to the class and with Ron, Brodsky and Dumbledores help they went through all the screw-ups they had made that night; Going in unprepared, not having enough information, etc.
At the end of the session Harry stayed behind a bit while he and Dumbledore talked quickly about what lessons he'd be holding. He watched Hermione walk out of the room and she gave him an I'll-see-you-later look.
After Dumbledore departed Harry opted to stay for a few more minutes, trying to gather his strength to be strong for Hermione tonight. It was only after the door closed behind the Headmaster that Harry realized he wasn't alone in the room.
"Hi Harry." Cho Chang announced from behind him.
Harry spun around to see she was too close for comfort. "Ah, hi Cho."
"We haven't had much time to talk this year, have we?" She smiled saucily.
"No, I suppose we haven't. What did you want to talk about?"
"Us." She said with a grin. "I know things didn't go too well with us last year, Harry, but well, over the summer I did alot of thinking and alot of grieving, and I'm ready to move on from Cedric. And I...well, I'd like another shot if you'd give it to me." She blushed a little after she said this.
"What? You mean, us? Going out again?" Harry asked in shock.
"Yeah. It'll be alot better this time, I promise. I'm over losing Cedric, Harry."
Harry sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Cho, but I don't think it'd work out."
"What?" She asked, completely caught off gaurd by this. "You don't want to give it another go? You don't even want to try?"
"What you saw tonight changed me, Cho. I came out of the Ministry a different person and I'm not the same guy I was when I wanted to be with you. That part of me died with Sirius. I'm sorry, I'm just looking for something more."
"Something more than me?" Harry knew she didn't mean it the way that she said it; like a stuck up bitch.
"I'm looking for love, Cho."
"Well, give it some time Harry, you may just find it with me."
Harry shook his head. "I might, but I'm looking for something deeper. I'm looking for my soulmate, Cho, and I already know who it is and it's not you."
Cho looked at him as if she'd known this all along for a long moment and then with a resigned sigh she dropped her gaze and said, "Hermione Granger."
"How'd you know?"
"I can see it everytime you look at her, Harry, even when we were dating I could. There was always something in your eyes that you only got with her, like you knew she'd be with you for the rest of your life. I can see now that noone else ever stood a chance with you."
"Cho, Hermione and I haven't exactly sorted out anything yet, so - -"
She cut him off with a small smile, "It's okay, Harry, your secrets safe with me."
Harry smiled in appreciation and walked her out of the Room of Requirement. They parted ways as they went to their seperate towers. Harry found the common room completely empty when he walked in, not even Hermione was waiting by the fire as she usually did, so he just went to bed.
It was a little after midnight that he was awoken by another presence in his bed. The extra weight had moved in beside him and closed the bed hangings.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered.
"Yeah, Mione?"
"Does your offer still hold?"
He took her in his arms and took out his wand from under his pillow, placing a silencing charm around them so his roommates wouldn't hear and he stuck his bed hangings with another charm so nobody could rip them open and find the two together.
He slid up behind her and gently brushed away the tears that were silently spilling from her eyes. Even in the darkness and not even looking at her face he knew she was crying. 'Soulmate,' the word repeated itself in his mind over and over as he held her as if his life depended on it.
"Go to sleep, Love. I'll chase away your nightmares." He whispered in her ear.
"I don't know if I can, Harry, everytime I close my eyes I see him and the purple flame. I don't know if I can sleep."
"I won't let anything happen to you, Mione. I'll take care of you. Just close your eyes and know that I'll be right here when you wake up."
"You promise?"
"I promise, Mione. I've told you a thousand times, I'll never leave your side. You're stuck with me now."
Hermione giggled tiredly, "I don't mind so much. How is it you can focus on my pain when you just saw Sirius die again."
"I've already grieved for him, Hermione, and I know that he'd want me to try and help you, rather than grieve all over again. He'd understand. And you need me right now, and when you need me there's nothing that could keep me from you."
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