I am not J.K. Rowling, nor am I associated with Scholastic, Warner Brothers or anybody else rolling in the dough because of a certain seventeen-year-old wizard. I just write fun stories about him where he has a decent love interest.
I'm really sorry this chapter is so late. I had every intention of updating this story a week and a half ago. I still hope to have the next one out before Deathly Hallows is released.
Chapter 20: Conflict
An otherworldly bellow echoed across the Forbidden Forest as a centaur's arrow struck a giant in the eye, forcing its colossal frame to the ground with a loud thump. Its brothers and sisters kept pushing forward, however, creating a thunderous, deafening rumbling sound that carried for miles around, no doubt frightening some of the first and second years who were being kept deep inside the castle. The centaurs were not cowed, however, and a hail of arrows descended on the giants, with some breaking through their flesh and others bouncing off harmlessly.
From the Astronomy Tower, Ron Weasley watched what was happening below through a pair of omnioculars that had arrived only a few days ago in a care package from Fred and George. "D'you know what this reminds me of?"
Harry Potter was leaning against the window, watching the sun go down over the horizon. It took him a moment before he figured out what Ron was talking about, but eventually the realization dawned on him. "That time Voldemort took over the Cotswolds. He made all of those magical creatures fight each other, just so he could see which ones would be the best to recruit."
"Hard to believe that a goblin won," Ron remarked as he pulled the omnioculars down and turned to face Harry. "The quintaped looked like such a sure thing. Then it got beaten by a nundu." Ron frowned. "How did Voldemort get a nundu into the Cotswolds anyway?"
"Very carefully," Harry answered matter-of-factly.
"Well, however he did it, it was one hell of a fight," Ron said, losing himself for a moment in Septimus Prince's memories. "Not that I actually think that it was fun or anything."
"No, of course not," Harry replied as he shook his head emphatically. "It was…horrible."
"Terrible, really," Ron agreed in a half-hearted mutter. He turned back to look at the carnage below, as the centaurs and giants battled each other for control of the Forbidden Forest. "I wish there was something that we could do to help."
Harry exhaled slowly. "Wood's Air Defense Force already flew out there to help the centaurs and got nothing but friendly fire for their troubles. The centaurs don't want us there any more than Voldemort's army of giants does. We can't afford to fight both of them. Not now, anyway." As Harry watched the sun go down over the Scottish highlands, he reminded himself that he would not see it again until it was Halloween. Tomorrow would be the day Voldemort began the battle in earnest.
"What about Firenze?" Ron asked. "Couldn't he talk some sense into them?"
"I asked him about it, but he just spouted off something about the stars being aligned a certain way and galloped off," Harry grumbled. "I didn't really want to press him too much. I'm just glad he's willing to fight on our side."
As Ron watched centaur's arrows plunge deeply into a row of giants' knees, he winced. "Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with you on that one." Ron put the omnioculars down again and looked Harry straight in the eye. "Do you have any special plans for tonight?"
"I asked Remus for one last training session," Harry answered honestly, "and I need to talk to McGonagall about moving the first and second years as far away from the Chamber of Secrets as possible…"
Ron rolled his eyes. "I meant with Hermione."
"Oh." This gave Harry pause. He hadn't given the matter of what they would do the night before the battle much thought.
"This could be our last night on Earth, mate," Ron reminded him needlessly. "Luna and I are planning on taking the grand tour of Hogwarts' nicer broom closets, but I figured you and Hermione would be planning something, I dunno, classier. Like a candlelit dinner or a romantic shag by the lake. Not that I want details, mind you."
"I haven't been able to give Hermione as much romance as she deserves," Harry said with a twinge of regret in his voice. "We've not really had a proper date yet. I don't think I've been a very good boyfriend to her."
Ron snorted. "Somehow I don't think Hermione's terribly upset that you've spent more time trying to defeat Voldemort than you have snogging her. She's just not that kind of girl." Ron gave Harry an appraising look. "Do you love her? I mean, really love her? Can you picture yourself getting married to her, having kids and then bragging endlessly about their high NEWT scores?"
Harry couldn't help the wide smile that broke out on his face. "Definitely. Yes, I love her. I really do."
"Then let me talk to McGonagall, cut the training session with Lupin short and give Hermione a night she won't ever forget," Ron advised with eyebrows raised. "Trust me, you'll thank me for it later."
"I'll thank you for it now," Harry said earnestly. "Thanks, Ron." Just as Harry turned to exit the Astronomy Tower and Ron turned his attention back to the battle below, Harry thought of something. "You and Luna might want to spend a little extra time in the third floor broom closet next to the trophy room. It has candles that give off the scent of rose petals when you burn them."
"Good to know," Ron told him with a small nod of thanks. "Now get out of here and go find Hermione before she decides to spend the night curled up with a book instead of you."
***
The Day of the Match
Nearly a week earlier, the castle was all abuzz about the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. Some, notably Hermione, felt that holding a sporting event this close to an imminent attack on the castle by Lord Voldemort was an unnecessary distraction. Headmistress McGonagall, on the other hand, believed that it would provide a morale boost for the school and help everyone forget about their problems, if only for a little while. Harry would never have admitted it to Hermione, but in this particular instance he agreed with McGonagall. Besides, this was his first chance to watch a Gryffindor Quidditch match from the stands with his girlfriend sitting beside him. This was a time-honored golden opportunity for Hogwarts' boys to get in a discreet bit of snogging, particularly if they had the good fortune to be dating someone who was not at all interested in the sport.
Harry gave Hermione a warm smile as he threw his arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. There was definitely something to be said for dating a girl who wasn't a Quidditch player. "Is there someplace you usually sit?" Harry asked Hermione politely as they neared the stands.
Hermione considered that for a moment. "When you were playing, I always picked a place where I could watch you without any difficulty. When you weren't playing, I never much cared where I sat. Today, though, I think I'd just like to sit in the shade. We wouldn't want to get too hot."
Since the weather had lately seemed much more like winter than the middle of fall and both of them were wearing heavy scarves and mittens, Harry knew that avoiding the hot sun was not her true motivation for suggesting somewhere shady. Apparently, the boys weren't the only ones who knew of the joys of Quidditch match snogging. "That sounds like a good idea," Harry told her with a coy smile.
From the Quidditch pitch, Ginny Weasley did not need omnioculars to see Harry Potter and Hermione Granger sitting together someplace secluded, no doubt hoping to turn the match into an excuse for a prolonged make out session. 'It just isn't fair,' Ginny pouted to herself 'I would have put out for him, too. He has to know that by now. I slept with Draco Malfoy, for pity's sake!'
Ah, but that had been the rub, hadn't it? The plan to make Harry jealous by sleeping with Malfoy had backfired completely, making him want nothing to do with her instead. 'Maybe he'll come around. Maybe if he thinks that I wasn't just using Draco to make him jealous he'll want to step in and rescue me.'
As Ginny watched Draco Malfoy giving last minute instructions to his fellow teammates, a small smile crossed her lips. Of course he was on the wrong side of the war and could be completely insufferable at times, but he had many of the same qualities she had found attractive in Harry. He was stubborn, handsome in his own way, and, perhaps best of all, very wealthy. 'And not a bad lover, either,' she thought to herself with a coquettish giggle.
Ginny's smile grew wider as she gave her own team a short pep talk before the game. This was going to be the most lopsided Quidditch match in the history of the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry. Back in September, Professor Brinecove had suspended the entire Slytherin Quidditch team for pranks that they'd pulled on Muggleborn first years. The idiots had then managed to extend that suspension by somehow jinxing Brinecove so that the words 'Mudblood lover' regularly appeared on his clothing. The only break Slytherin had gotten was when Brinecove decided that the suspension did not apply to Draco Malfoy (as he had not been at Hogwarts at the time) and allowed him the opportunity to assemble a new team. He had done so, but his team was comprised completely of reserves and amateurs who'd had little time to practice. Perhaps it was not as certain a victory as if Slytherin had had to forfeit the match, but it would be much more satisfying.
Ginny tried her best not to watch Harry snuggling close to Hermione as Madame Hooch gave her traditional 'clean game' speech, only this time with a frowning Oliver Wood at her side. As soon as the snitch was in the air, however, her mind was entirely on the game. She would not give Draco Malfoy the satisfaction of beating her in her first match as Quidditch captain.
***
The Battle's Eve
Despite what Harry had told Ron, there was something he needed to do that was slightly more important than spending a romantic evening alone with Hermione. He needed to get Ravenclaw's quill away from Professor Brinecove. With Bill Weasley's help, he had concocted a plan to steal the quill while the duplicitous head of Slytherin House was otherwise occupied. Harry had come up with several interesting ideas on how to distract the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher (many of which were quite painful), but after grabbing his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map from the Head Boy's room, he quickly realized that he wouldn't have to use any of them.
Upon consulting the map, Harry discovered that the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Division, Sophocles Plante, was meeting with Brinecove (as well as Professor Chambers and Percy Weasley) in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry did not know what the meeting was about, but suspected that it had something to do with the battle going on in the Forest. Almost all of the Aurors who had been assigned to guard Hogwarts were standing outside the classroom and they were bunched so closely together that Harry could not make out their individual names on the map. Harry could only guess that Plante did not have the Aurors gathered there because he was happy with the Ministry's three appointed professors. Perhaps this was just the distraction he needed. The Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Division had been an old friend of Dumbledore's and, if nothing else, would prevent Brinecove from punishing Harry too harshly if he were caught.
'Great,' Harry thought to himself. 'Now all I have to do is get past several dozen Aurors, sneak into the classroom, perform an extremely difficult spell nonverbally, take the horcrux and sneak back out again before Brinecove knows I'm there.' It was far from the ideal situation, but with time running out, he had little choice. He had to get the quill and destroy it. It was now or never.
As he neared the proper corridor on the Second Floor, he tossed the invisibility cloak over himself fully and, with a whispered 'mischief managed', tucked the Marauder's Map away inside his robes. He crept along as quietly as possible, hoping not to attract any attention from all of the Aurors standing around nearby. As much as he didn't care about Tonks or Kingsley Shacklebolt noticing something out of the ordinary, the others would finger him for sure. Thankfully, he entered the classroom undetected, taking the opportunity to slip through the open door as an Auror exited the room.
"This was not your call to make, Chambers," Brinecove exclaimed angrily, pounding his desk for emphasis. "I represent the Ministry here!"
Slowly and quietly, Harry tiptoed along the edge of the far wall, deciding to approach the Box of Set, where Professor Brinecove was keeping Ravenclaw's quill, from behind. "Not anymore you don't," Plante replied sternly. "Professor Chambers was right to contact me. If an army of giants invading the Forbidden Forest does not constitute an emergency, I do not know what does." Plante tugged thoughtfully at his gray beard. "I shall have to issue a Ministerial proclamation in the morning. The school will be shut down and all faculty members and students confined to their quarters."
"With all due respect, Sophocles, I think that's premature," Brinecove countered with a glower.
"Premature?!" Chambers squawked. "Might I remind you that there are giants outside?
"He's right, Commodus," Sophocles Plante said solemnly. "I'm afraid I have no choice but to reassert direct Ministry control over…"
"Imperio!" Brinecove called out suddenly, waving his wand in the direction of Sophocles Plante. The elder wizard seemed to be in a stupor as the DADA teacher's Unforgiveable Curse hit him, his eyes now possessing a dazed look. Harry froze only a few meters away from where the Box of Set lay on Professor Brinecove's desk, unwilling to risk being found out now that he had seen this. 'What the bloody hell is going on here?' he thought to himself.
Professor Chambers reacted almost instantly, leveling his wand at Brinecove threateningly. Before he could do or say anything, however, Percy Weasley raised his own wand. "Obliviate!"
Leon Chambers slumped to the ground, landing in a heap at the redhead's feet. "Remain here with Chambers, Mr. Weasley. Sophocles Plante and I have an announcement to make to the Aurors outside." Percy nodded swiftly as Brinecove led Plante outside the classroom.
Harry stared after Brinecove for a few moments, trying desperately to make sense of what he had just seen. 'Alright, Potter. Get a grip on yourself. Figure out what they're up to later, get the quill now.' Carefully keeping the invisibility cloak from slipping, Harry raised his wand and pointed it at the Box of Set. With only Percy in the room, he decided not to risk performing the spell nonverbally. "Regis cetro," Harry whispered.
As soon as the words left Harry's lips, he saw the quill in his mind's eye, even though it was still imprisoned inside the Ancient Egyptian box. The spell and his own mind were supposed to create a magical field that would be temporarily more powerful than the curses protecting the Box of Set. Once that was done, it was only a matter of using wandless magic to make a feather float. 'At least it's something I've had practice doing. Of course, I was never actually successful…'
Cold sweat beaded up on Harry's forehead. Bill had said that this spell would take a great deal of concentration, but this was already taking a heavy toll on him mentally and he wasn't sure how much longer he could last. What must have been seconds seemed like hours as Bill's 'royal scepter' spell finally took effect, engulfing Ravenclaw's quill in a faint red glow. Once he was sure that the spell was in place, Harry began to gently push Ravenclaw's quill along, moving it only with the power of his mind. It was slow going, and Harry nearly passed out from the strain the spell was putting on his mind, but it was working; the temporarily intangible quill was now inching its way outside of the box. He was finally close to getting the last horcrux.
Harry could not afford to pay much attention as Commodus Brinecove re-entered the room. "Professor Weasley, would you mind escorting Professor Chambers and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Division elsewhere? I have some business to attend to."
"As do I," Percy sniffed haughtily. "However, I suppose mine can wait while I do as you ask. You should know that while I am willing to help you in this fool's errand of yours, I neither approve of your methods nor your blatant disrespect for Ministry of Magic officials."
"I would suggest that you reexamine your priorities, Mr. Weasley," Brinecove replied in a menacing tone. "Rufus Scrimgeour's term as Minister of Magic will be brief, but what we do here tonight could well affect wizardkind for thousands of years. Remember that."
Percy said nothing else, leading Harry to guess that he had left the room with Plante and Chambers, and for a few moments a pall of silence fell over the room. As Harry began to quiver from the loss of magical energy, Ravenclaw's quill lie only a few centimeters away from the outermost edge of the Box of Set. In a few moments, he could finally destroy it. There would no longer be anything stopping him from killing Voldemort.
"Stupefy," Brinecove incanted softly. Since Harry's eyes had been on the box, he did not see the stunner coming at him and had no chance to avoid it. It hit him in the forehead, forcing him to recoil slightly, but did not cause him a terrible amount of pain. His concentration had been broken, however, and Harry could no longer see Ravenclaw's quill in his mind's eye. His chance to take the horcrux had passed.
"It was a valiant effort, Mr. Potter," Brinecove said evenly. "Truly it was. If I could afford to let anyone know what just happened here, I'd even give you house points for it."
Since it was obviously doing him no good, Harry threw the invisibility cloak aside and rose to his feet. "You're working for Voldemort, aren't you?" Harry demanded coldly. "You're protecting Ravenclaw's quill, you put Sophocles Plante under the Imperius Curse and now you're trying to overthrow the Minister of Magic!"
Commodus Brinecove's lips pursed and his peppered black and grey eyebrows knitted together. "I never said any such thing."
"I just heard you!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "You said Scrimgeour's term as Minister of Magic was going to be short, you…you said…"
"It would be best for everyone if you did not repeat what you have heard here tonight, Mr. Potter," Brinecove warned in a deceptively calm voice. "Nor should you relate anything that you've seen. People might get the wrong impression, just as you seem to have done."
Harry's teeth clenched together and his wand was now pointed threateningly at Professor Brinecove. "Oh, I think I have the right impression. I've had the right impression of you all along. Dumbledore was right. You're a Death Eater."
Anger flashed in Brinecove's eyes. "No, I'm not!" he yelled. "You don't understand what's happening here! You don't know what's at stake! There are people who are trying to…"
Harry could hear the gentle creak of the door opening behind Brinecove and saw Remus Lupin's familiar face peeking into the classroom. "I would say that I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but it's perfectly obvious that I am. What exactly is going on here, Professor Brinecove? Is Mr. Potter in trouble?"
Brinecove hesitated for a moment and then seemingly came to a decision. "No," he answered in his usual friendly tone of voice. "Not at all. The Head Boy and I were merely having a friendly disagreement. I made a careless remark about him being the most unpopular Head Boy in recent memory. He contended that it was our current Potions Master instead. No hexes were fired in anger, but…perhaps it's a good thing you came in when you did, Assistant Professor Lupin. Otherwise I might have been forced to deduct house points."
"Mr. Potter was supposed to meet me half an hour ago," Lupin said by way of explaining his presence here, "for advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. When he was more than five minutes late, I concluded that his tardiness was not the product of his dalliances with Miss Granger and, on a hunch, guessed that he might be here." Lupin had a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he said this and Harry couldn't help but suspect that Remus had been talking to Bill Weasley.
Brinecove's eyes widened. "I had no idea Mr. Potter was interested in advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. I would be more than happy to instruct him myself."
"In your dreams," Harry said under his breath.
"I think what Mr. Potter means is that he's not quite ready to face you in combat yet," Remus tried diplomatically, even though everything in Harry's body language said exactly the opposite.
"Very well," Professor Brinecove conceded. "I will leave you two to it, then." Commodus Brinecove turned to leave his own classroom, but as he neared the doorway, he turned back around and regarded Lupin seriously. "Be sure and watch your back, Assistant Professor Lupin. You are about to face a very tricky opponent, who may strike at you when you least expect it."
***
The Day of the Match
"And Slytherin's pathetic offense fails to score again, despite mediocre goal-tending by Ronald Weasley," Zacharias Smith announced, his voice enhanced by the sonorus spell.
"Another brilliant save by Gryffindor's handsome Keeper!" Luna Lovegood called out enthusiastically. "Go Ronald!"
In an effort to keep the commentary fair, it was decided that two students would call the game, one from each house that was not playing. Since this was a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Hufflepuff Zacharias Smith and Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood had been given the honors. "Finnigan's got the Quaffle now. He passes to Thomas. Thomas is in scoring position…and the Quaffle goes through the hoop. That makes the score 90-0, Gryffindor," Smith related unenthusiastically. "But that means the game is still in reach for either one of the two teams' Seekers." Both Zacharias Smith and Luna Lovegood paused as the sound of a song coming from the Slytherin side of the bleachers suddenly filled the stadium.
"Oh dear," Luna fretted. "I hope it's not another one about Ronald."
Ginny had followed Draco Malfoy's every move on her broom but neither of them had spotted the snitch, which did nothing to defuse the air of tension that now existed between them. "What's the matter, Weaselbit? Are you afraid I'll run away from you? That you weren't quite good enough in the sack to keep me around?"
"Shove off, Malfoy," Ginny retorted angrily. "I'll have you know that…" But before she could finish, she heard the words of the song, echoing through the Slytherin section of the stands.
"Ginny Weasley is the witch
Harry Potter had to ditch
All her robes are hand-me-downs
Because her parents are not rich"
Ginny glared angrily at Draco Malfoy. "You did this, didn't you? You told them about Harry breaking up with me. Who else would have known?"
Draco Malfoy's eyes became very wide. "The whole school knows! Everyone's seen how googley-eyed Potter is over Granger, although, of course, they're a bit mystified as to why."
As Ginny fumed, the song continued,
"Gryffindor has got the itch
Got the itch to make a switch
Harry Potter in the stands
For Ginny Weasley on the pitch"
Harry squirmed uneasily. For the first time since catching her en flagrante with Draco Malfoy, he actually felt sorry for his ex-girlfriend. "I can't believe they're doing this."
"They're just trying to rattle her," Hermione reasoned. "They're trying to get her angry and make her forget all about the snitch."
Harry watched as Ginny exchanged heated words with Draco Malfoy as they hovered near each other. "It looks like it's working. Trouble for them is it's working on Malfoy, too."
"I didn't write it, I swear," Draco assured her. "Just because I was behind that stupid 'Weasley is Our King' song doesn't mean that I had anything to do with this one."
Unhelpfully, the Slytherin faithful offered up another verse,
"Ginny Weasley is the witch
Who won't ever catch the snitch
Ask the girls in Gryffindor
They'll say she's nothing but a…"
"That's enough!" Draco bellowed at the crowd as he buzzed the Slytherins in the stands, an angry scowl set on his face. Ginny had already flown well away from him, however, making a deliberate effort to pretend to look for the snitch. Muttering a few choice words under his breath, Malfoy sped off after her.
"And Gryffindor scores again!" Luna reported happily. "That makes it 110 to nothing."
"But the seekers still haven't spotted the snitch," Zacharias Smith pointed out in a tone of voice that was almost pouting. "In fact, they seem to only be chasing each other."
***
The Battle's Eve
"You're not concentrating, Harry," Remus Lupin chided him as Harry only bared missed being hit by his second stunner of the night. "You have to focus. Your enemy can strike you from anywhere at any time. Petrificus totalus!" Harry evaded the spell with a simple protean charm. "You have to be on your toes constantly. If Commodus Brinecove has taught you nothing else about defending yourself against the Dark Arts, as I'm sure he hasn't, I would hope you've at least learned that by now. Furnunculus!" Thankfully for his complexion (and love life) Harry dodged that curse, which would have made boils break out all over his skin.
"Constant vigilance," Harry said through ragged breaths, quoting Mad-Eye Moody in a beleaguered voice.
"For you, Harry, constant vigilance has to be more than just a slogan," Lupin elaborated grimly. "From now until the moment you face Voldemort, it has to be the way you live your life. With Dumbledore dead, you are our world's only hope against him. You can't afford to get sloppy. Rictusempra!"
Harry blocked the tickling charm effortlessly as well. "I don't think Death Eaters will be using Tickling Charms and boil curses on me, Remus," Harry pointed out.
"No, I'm afraid they won't," Lupin admitted. "In a way, I wish that I could work on the Unforgiveable Curses with you, but, unlike certain other professors, I don't have Ministry approval to do so. As a werewolf, I barely even have Ministry approval to exist." Remus gave Harry the sign they had come up with which meant 'time out'.
The confident Harry who had been blocking Lupin's spells with shielding charms was gone and in his place was a more uncertain young man, confused as to what to do next. "I'm not sure I can use the killing curse on Voldemort. The one time I tried to use an Unforgiveable...well, it didn't go very well." The memory of him trying to use the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange flashed through his mind.
"You will not be able to defeat Voldemort by using Unforgiveables, Harry," Lupin said sagely. "That is his strength, not yours. You need to do what you do best."
Harry did not know exactly what it was that he did best, but simply nodded his head in agreement with Remus' truism. "Play to my strengths. I seem to recall Mad-Eye Moody telling me that once, too." He looked up at Lupin with a smirk. "OK, so it was really Barty Crouch, Jr., but it was still good advice." Harry's wand hand fell to his side and his shoulders slumped slightly as he asked, "Is this the end of the lesson?" Harry could not help but think of spending the rest of the night with Hermione, cuddled up in the Head Boy's room.
"Alright," Remus said permissively. "I think we've done enough for one..." A knock on the classroom door startled them both.
"Were you expecting someone?" Harry asked Lupin curiously.
"I asked Professor Weasley to brew a batch of Wolfsbane Potion for me," Remus replied. "But I don't know why he would look for me here."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You asked Percy to brew Wolfsbane Potion? And he agreed?!"
"Yes, but reluctantly," Lupin answered with a nod. "You might recall that Snape did as well. Potions Masters are a strange breed, Harry. Their pride in their craft can sometimes supersede their own sense of morality."
"I don't think you should trust Percy," Harry said in an urgent tone of voice. "Tonight, I saw him..."
"I trust this has something to do with Professor Brinecove," Remus interrupted in a soft voice. When Harry nodded, he continued, "Then perhaps we should discuss it after we see who our visitor is." Lupin walked to the door and opened it, his wand drawn. To Harry's relief and Remus' embarrassment, it was Tonks.
"Wotcher," she greeted them both with a smile. "Is this a bad time?"
"No," Remus Lupin said in a timid voice as he averted his eyes. "Please, come in." Despite the awkwardness, Lupin could not completely hide the fact that he was happy to see her. "You'll have to excuse the mess. I haven't been able to do a thing with this place in three years." Tonks giggled at that. "What brings you here tonight?"
"You," she answered bluntly. "Could we maybe speak in private?" Tonks asked with a nod of her head in Harry's direction.
Remus' happy demeanor vanished. Apparently, he was in no mood to be alone with his ex-girlfriend right now. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it in front of Harry."
Harry would very much have liked to disagree with that statement, but it was clear that Lupin wanted him there, whatever the reason. Tonks nodded, her eyes not quite meeting Remus'. "Alright. I suppose I deserve that." Now her eyes did meet his. "Look, I'm sorry, OK? I was stupid. You were being a little jealous and overprotective and well...I overreacted. I still think we can make this work, though, if you're willing to give me a second chance."
Remus frowned. "Are you certain that now is the best time to be making that decision? Voldemort's army is looming outside and many lives will likely be cut short. I wouldn't want us to do anything in the heat of the moment that we'll regret later."
Tonks took Lupin's hands in her own. "I won't regret it. And if you were being honest with yourself, I think this is what you want, too."
Remus Lupin made a conscious effort not to blush, but failed. "I...I have missed you. And, since I'm being honest with myself, I don't know if there's anybody else who would put up with me." Tonks smiled widely. "We'll need to build each other's trust back up, though. That could take time."
"We may not have much," Tonks reminded him. "I was hoping we could do all that relationship stuff later and just snog now."
Lupin considered that for a moment, then nodded. "I wish I could come up with a convincing argument to counter that, but I just can't seem to. Meet me in my quarters in half an hour. I need to finish up a few things here first."
Harry had discreetly said nothing during their heart-to-heart and now turned his eyes to face the wall as they shared a quick kiss. "I look forward to it," Tonks said in a coo. As she walked away from him, Remus had a contented smile on his face for the first time since he had arrived at Hogwarts. "Oh and Remus?" Lupin turned to face her once again with an expectant look on his face. "Corpus vile."
Before Remus had time to react, the spell struck him in the chest, making him slump to the ground lifelessly. He stammered something Harry couldn't understand, his eyes beginning to glaze over and his right hand clutching his chest, as though it were causing him a great deal of pain. Harry's gaze fell angrily upon Tonks. "What did you do to him?!" he demanded.
Tonks' laugh was now a short, harsh bark. "Don't you remember, ickle baby Potter? That spell is lethal to magical creatures, if you do it wrong." She placed a particular emphasis on that last word, as though it gave her great joy that she had indeed done the spell incorrectly. "I'm afraid my little cousin always was a bit clumsy."
"You're...you're not Tonks," Harry said accusingly. "You're Bellatrix Lestrange." As though that revelation had removed her disguise, Nymphadora Tonks' visage vanished, leaving only the familiar face of Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater. Well remembering how dangerous she could be, Harry wasn't going to take any chances with her. "Expelliarmus!"
Bellatrix did not even attempt to block the spell, watching with only casual interest as her wand flew across the room. "Very good, Potter. You've disarmed me. The wolf doesn't look like he'll last long, though. So you can save him or you can have your revenge on me, but you haven't the time to do both." Bellatrix cackled. "Then again, judging by your performance at the Department of Mysteries, I'd wager you can't do either. Come on, Potter. Show me how you've grown up. Use an Unforgiveable on me. Let your hatred guide your magic."
Harry shook with rage as he pointed his wand at her. "A…avada…avada kedavra!" he tried.
Green light sputtered weakly from Harry's wand, giving Lestrange ample time to avoid the spell. "How pathetic. You're nothing more than a child, walking around in a man's clothes. I've killed your precious godfather and now your most beloved teacher and still you don't have the stones to…"
"Avada kedavra," a voice from behind her called out. A green jet of light struck Bellatrix Lestrange in the back, causing her to fall forward. Once her body hit the floor, Harry could see Percy Weasley standing over her, a cauldron of Wolfsbane Potion cradled in his left arm. He shot Remus Lupin a sad, bewildered look. "Remain here. I'll fetch Madame Pomfrey." When Harry looked like he might object, Percy interrupted him with, "I give you my word as a Weasley that I'll return as quickly as I can."
Harry nodded, his eyes already beginning to tear up as he saw how pale Remus had become. "Alright, go, but please hurry." As soon as Percy Weasley left the room, Harry fell to one knee to kneel by Lupin's side. "It's going to be alright, Professor. You'll be fine. Just hold on. Please hold on."
Lupin's head shook slightly as Harry's hand moved to support it. "Too late…I'm afraid. I can feel the wolf inside of me…dying…"
"Just the wolf, though, right?" Harry asked, an unconvincing laugh escaping from his mouth as he tried desperately to keep tears from running down his face. "Not you."
"The wolf…is me, Harry," Remus told him with a wan smile. "It took me too long…to realize…" His words were cut off by deep, gasping breaths that suddenly overtook him.
"You just have to wait for Madame Pomfrey," Harry told Remus firmly. "She'll be along any minute now. She'll be able to…" Lupin let out a soft moan as his harsh, stilted breathing stopped. Harry checked his wrist for a pulse but found none. Remus Lupin was dead.
***
The Day of the Match
"Slytherin has got the itch
Itch to rule the Quidditch pitch
If there's a witch who'll scratch that itch
Then Ginny Weasley is the witch"
From the stands, it was now plain to see that Ginny Weasley was livid with Draco Malfoy and that neither of them were truly paying attention to the game going on around them or the Golden Snitch (which had flown right by them on several occasions, as though to remind them of what they were supposed to be doing). Gryffindor's Chasers were shooting her dirty looks and even Ron was beginning to glower at his little sister. Harry shook his head slowly. "I can't really tell who's the angriest out there."
Hermione snorted. "It has to be Oliver Wood. He looks like he wants to take over Gryffindor's team himself and bench Ginny for the rest of the season."
Harry's eyes darted to his former Quidditch captain, whose reddened face was recognizable even from here. "I see what you mean. I wonder if he…"
"Harry," Hermione interrupted as she placed her hand softly on his cheek and turned his head to face her. "Weren't we supposed to be not watching the match?"
Harry smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "That's right. We were. How ever could I have forgotten that?"
After several minutes of blissful snogging, the sound of an older woman clearing her throat interrupted them. Both Harry and Hermione turned around in their seats and pretended to be watching the match. "Headmistress McGonagall," Harry addressed her respectfully. "Quite a match, isn't it?"
McGonagall was not amused. "Draco Malfoy caught the snitch five minutes ago, I'm afraid, which gave Slytherin House the win. I must admit that I'm disappointed you weren't our Seeker for this match, Mr. Potter, and that you paid so little attention to the game itself." Hermione blushed a very deep shade of red. "However, I did not come up here to discuss either of those things with you. As you know, all former Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts get their own portrait. Dumbledore's is now awake. It wishes to speak with you in my office."
Harry was dumbfounded. "Dumbledore wants to talk to me?"
"Not Dumbledore," McGonagall snapped coldly. "His portrait." Her eyes began to blink rapidly. "I…apologize, Potter. This has been a difficult day for me. Will you please see him? He's been quite insistent. I believe his portrait to be as stubborn as he ever was."
Harry hesitated only for a moment. "Alright." As he rose to follow McGonagall, he asked her, "Can Hermione come along?"
"I'm afraid not," the Headmistress answered in a slightly softer voice. "Albus was quite specific in his instructions. He wishes to speak with you alone."
***
The Battle's Eve
Harry Potter stormed through the castle, grievous anger fueling him onward as he wound his way down into the dungeons. As he neared his destination, he caught sight of two male Order members he did not recognize. "I need to see Severus Snape," Harry said in a deceptively calm voice.
The younger one spoke up first. "I'm afraid we're under orders from Remus Lupin not to…"
"Lupin's dead," Harry told them, his voice now hollow. "Let me see him."
Too stunned to argue any longer, the guards opened the door, allowing Harry to enter without another word. Snape was sitting in the far corner, reading a book on someone named Rudolf Hess by candlelight. "So," Snape began in a disinterested tone of voice, "once again your father figure has died and once again you've come to blame me. I grow weary of this game."
"You knew," Harry said, his voice chillingly cold. "You had to have known. Voldemort tells you everything…"
"I have no idea what you're blathering about," Snape sniffed contemptuously.
With a wave of his wand and a quickly muttered "levicorpus", Snape was turned upside down, his ankles now a meter or so above Harry's head. "You know, I think I may have been wrong about Percy Weasley. Not only did he actually kill a Death Eater when he saw one, unlike some other Potions Master I know, but he was willing to give me some of his own private stock of Veritaserum."
Snape's glare was murderous. "You wouldn't dare."
Harry did not flinch. "Watch me." After chaining Snape's ankles to the wall, Harry performed a body-bind hex on him, forced his jaws open and poured the Veritaserum into his mouth. He then removed the hex and cast another spell which locked Snape's jaws shut. Once his former teacher swallowed the potion, Harry removed that spell as well but kept his wand trained on Snape. "Did you know that Bellatrix Lestrange was a metamorphmagus?"
"Yes," Snape answered reflexively.
"Did you know that she was impersonating Nymphadora Tonks?" Harry continued.
Snape did not look at Harry as he said, "No."
Harry wanted to pound the wall with his fists in anger. "How could you not have known?" he demanded.
"The Dark Lord has been very secretive of late," Snape reported dutifully. "He does not want his left hand to know what his right hand is doing."
Harry's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did you really swear an oath to Dumbledore that you would do everything you could to make sure that I survive the final battle and that Voldemort doesn't?"
Snape grimaced. "Those were not the precise words that were used, but yes, I did swear such an oath." Severus Snape heaved a sigh. "This interrogation is pointless. The one you should be asking these questions of is Commodus Brinecove."
Harry frowned. "Brinecove? Why? D'you think he knew about Bellatrix Lestrange?"
"His job is Internal Security, is it not?" Snape asked rhetorically. "He should have known that Tonks was not who she said she was from the moment he looked into her eyes." That thought gave Harry pause. Hadn't Brinecove tried to use the very same spell on Remus which Bellatrix Lestrange had used to kill him? "Did you know that it was Brinecove who was responsible for Regulus Black's death?" Harry's eyebrows shot up immediately. "Oh yes. It was he who Regulus was referring to when he wrote of 'someone Sirius has never trusted'. And it was also he who let the Dark Lord know that Regulus had not hidden the horcrux where he had ordered him to."
Harry had a puzzled look on his face, well remembering the note Regulus Black had left his brother Sirius, which he had discovered in the Master's Study at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. "You know about the letter? But how?"
Had Snape not been under the influence of Veritaserum, Harry would not have expected an answer. As he was, however, "One of the first places I thought to hide young Mr. Malfoy over the summer was Grimmauld Place. I confunded Kreacher, making him think that Draco was now Master of the House. It was he who discovered the room and copied the letter, allowing me to read it. It was also Malfoy who placed Slytherin's locket there, where only you could find it."
Harry began to tremble with fury at the thought of Brinecove betraying Sirius' brother…of him trying to kill Lupin. "You're contemplating revenge against Professor Brinecove, aren't you?" Snape asked pointedly.
Harry spun around angrily. "So what if I am? He deserves it, doesn't he?"
Snape smirked. "Your desire for vengeance will be your undoing, Potter. You've already done things that you disapproved of your father doing. What will be next? An Unforgiveable?" Harry turned back around, unwilling to face his father's old nemesis any longer. "No. Since it was Percy Weasley who actually killed Bellatrix Lestrange, I would imagine you're still unable to perform one successfully. Tell me, have you managed to retrieve the last horcrux from Professor Brinecove?" Harry shook his head 'no.' "Did you know that the Box of Set only works so long as the person who placed the object inside the box is alive?"
"Are you telling me that if I kill Brinecove, I can just take the quill from the Box?" Harry asked, although he was still not looking at Snape.
"Indeed," Snape answered immediately.
It was tempting. Brinecove was no doubt a Death Eater, a liar and, on balance, no better than a murderer. If he could get his hands on the last horcrux and destroy it, Voldemort would be mortal before he could even reach the Temple of Osiris. Thinking of what Snape had told him of the Temple, Harry asked, "What about the relics of Osiris? Couldn't they be destroyed?" Presumably, this would mean that Voldemort could not achieve eternal life once inside the temple, which was nestled beneath the Chamber of Secrets.
"Perhaps," Snape conceded. "But not with parlor tricks like speaking parseltongue. They will be immeasurably more difficult to destroy than the horcruxes and there are more of them. Your best bet is to concentrate on getting Ravenclaw's quill."
Harry turned and gave Snape a look of fierce determination. "Then that's exactly what I'll do."
***
The Day of the Match
Harry did not know what he would say when seeing Dumbledore's portrait for the first time. This would be completely different from looking at Dumbledore's image in the pensieve will. Harry would be able to interact with this version of his old Headmaster, almost as if the elderly wizard were alive and well once again. The prospect was both exhilarating and depressing, all at once. 'No wonder McGonagall's been on edge. Everyone knows how close they were. I can't imagine it's easy for her.'
"You may go in anytime you like," Headmistress McGonagall told him as they reached the door to her office, which had been Dumbledore's only a few months earlier. "I will remain here, in order to give you two some privacy."
Harry entered the Headmistress' office slowly, although whether out of fear or reverence he could not truly say. "Do not be afraid, Harry," Dumbledore's warm, welcoming voice called out. Stepping up his pace a little at those words, Harry quickly found himself standing in front of the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. "It seems I cut a far less imposing figure now that I'm inside a frame."
Harry smiled at that. "Rubbish. You're as terrifying as ever, sir."
"Have Hogwarts' rules become so rigid in my absence that the students must now address a picture as 'sir'?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye. "I am given to understand that the Ministry has personally selected certain faculty members, but I had no idea that a former Headmaster's portrait now outranked the Head Boy. Dolores Umbridge would no doubt be pleased."
"It's good to see you again," Harry told him earnestly. "Do you…erm…that is to say…is your memory…?"
"I remember everything that happened to me up until my death, if that is what you are asking," Dumbledore informed him sagely. "I would in turn ask you if all of Voldemort's horcruxes have been destroyed, except that I know they have not been, as you're still standing here."
Harry averted his eyes from the portrait and began to examine the carpet. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"There was so much about your past that it would be hard for anyone to understand, let alone come to terms with," Dumbledore answered him. "I tried to let you know as much as I could as soon as I thought you were ready. Tell me, do you think it would have been proper to tell you that a piece of Tom's soul resided within you when you were in first or second year?"
"No," Harry countered with a twinge of irritation in his voice. "But after fourth year would have been nice. As long as Mum's barrier held Voldemort in, there wasn't much he could do. But now…"
"You've been having dreams, I take it," Dumbledore interrupted with a slow nod. "Severus told me that might happen." When the mention of Snape's name made a shadow cross Harry's face, Dumbledore frowned. "I would have thought you'd know by now why Severus did what he did."
"I do," Harry grumbled by way of reply. "It just doesn't make me like him any better."
Dumbledore acknowledged that with a small smile. "Ah. I see." The image of Dumbledore inside the portrait tugged at his beard. "I think you should know, Harry, that my death was not a murderous deed, but an act of sacrifice. I went willingly. If it had not been Snape who cast the killing curse, it would have had to have been someone else. Do you think you could have done it?"
Harry's eyes widened in horror. "Of course not! I would never…" Harry let out a small sigh. "I suppose I see your point. I guess I just don't understand why all of the choices have to be so hard."
"That's what life is, I'm afraid," Dumbledore pointed out. "Now about the horcruxes…"
"There's only one left to be destroyed," Harry told him. "Well, that is unless I have to be destroyed…"
"I thought Severus would have covered that with you by now," the older wizard remarked. "A living horcrux does not guarantee the wizard who made it eternal life."
"He did," Harry replied, relief obvious on his face. "I just wanted to be sure. I would have destroyed the last horcrux by now…except that it's being guarded by Commodus Brinecove."
"I remember Brinecove well, if not fondly," Dumbledore replied with a grimace. "You must take it from him and destroy it, Harry. Otherwise you will not be able to defeat Lord Voldemort."
Harry let out a short, mirthless laugh. "I'm not sure I'll be able to defeat him anyhow. I've seen how powerful Voldemort is. I'm nowhere near his level."
"He is the superior wizard," Dumbledore conceded. "But you are the better human being. In the end, it is that fact which will carry the day."
"But how?" Harry asked. "How does me being a better person or love or any of this feel-good rubbish help me defeat an evil wizard?"
"It's hardly rubbish, Harry," Dumbledore assured him. "There are still things left I cannot tell you, but know this. You have proven time and again that you did belong in Gryffindor. The bravery you have displayed while combating Voldemort has been truly remarkable. But in the end, when everything is said and done, loving someone is the bravest act of all."
Harry hid his frustration well. It seemed that nobody really had any more idea of how to defeat Voldemort than he did, they just wanted to tell him what a stand-up bloke they thought he was. That was all well and good, except it wouldn't help him in the final battle. "I'm trying to prepare everyone for Voldemort to attack the school. I'm leading an army now, but…I don't really have any clue what I'm doing."
"Harry," Dumbledore began with a crooked half-smile. "Did I ever give you the impression that I knew what I was doing?"
"Yeah you did, actually," Harry confessed. "Quite a lot."
Dumbledore's smile now brightened his entire face. "Well then, I suppose I did my job. Now it's time for you to do yours."
***
The Battle's Eve
Harry waited until he was safely inside the Head Boy's room to collapse. Perhaps it wasn't manly at all, but his body was soon wracked with sobs and tears began to flow freely down his face. Losing a friend was hard, but knowing that he was killed by someone else Harry thought was a friend was harder. 'I should have picked up on something. Some subtle hint that it wasn't really Tonks.' Upon reflection, Harry realized that Tonks and Charlie Weasley had been talking to each other at the hospital when Ron first went into a coma. Then when he, Hermione, Remus and 'Tonks' arrived in Romania, Charlie acted like he hadn't seen Tonks since Hogwarts. 'She must have used a memory charm on him.' Maybe he had figured out who she really was and had threatened to tell the others. He supposed it was all irrelevant now.
A soft knock on the door elicited no response from Harry. "It's Hermione. Please let me in." Harry rose slowly and opened the door, prompting Hermione to envelop him in a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry, Harry. Is…well, is there anything I can do for you?"
"I was going to give you a big romantic evening," Harry told her in a deeply sad voice. "A candlelit dinner in the Room of Requirement or a nice long walk by the lake. But now…" He couldn't stop a sob from escaping, despite the fact that he definitely did not want Hermione to see him like this. "Now all I want is to hold you. All night long. Just so I can tell myself, for one night at least, that I'll never let you go. That I'll never let anything happen to you."
"Oh Harry," Hermione replied softly, "you can't promise me that. No one can."
"I know," Harry answered her as he shut his eyes tightly, willing the tears to go away. "I just want to be able to pretend for a while. That's all."
The two of them spent the night before the battle together in the Head Boy's room. They embraced and offered kisses of reassurance to each other. Although they did not make love, spending the night together this way felt much more intimate than sex. Harry had never been so sure that Hermione was the only girl he would ever truly love.
When morning came, the two of them awoke from their peaceful slumber to find a panicked Dobby standing at the foot of their bed. "Excuse me, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby doesn't mean to disturb you, sir, but the giants has broken through the forest. Everyone is lining up to fight. Including Dobby, sir." The house elf stuck his chest out proudly, as if Harry might pin a medal there.
"Thank you, Dobby," Hermione said with a smile as she scrambled out of Harry's bed and grabbed her wand. "Tell everyone we'll be there as soon as we…"
"There is something else Dobby should be telling you," the house elf's squeaky voice went on. "The castle is changing, Harry Potter, sir."
"What do you mean, 'changing'?" Harry asked with a quizzical expression.
Dobby shook his head violently. "Dobby doesn't know, sir, but some of the other house elves are very frightened. Things aren't in places where they should be. Dobby isn't worried, though. Dobby knows Harry Potter will know what to do."
"Very good, Dobby," Harry said appreciatively. "We'll be along in a minute." As Dobby vanished, Harry gave Hermione a look of confusion. "What do you think all that's about?"
"I don't know," Hermione admitted, "but perhaps checking the Marauder's Map would be a good idea."
"A brilliant idea, more like," Harry threw in as he grabbed the old map, giving a short, sad look to the word 'Moony'. "Wood said the castle might reconfigure itself slightly during the battle, maybe that's all that Dobby was…"
"Harry, look!" Hermione exclaimed. "The Astronomy Tower!"
"It's half gone," Harry acknowledged as he ran his finger over where the tower should have been. The walls were no longer sketched along the pinnacle of the tower and it looked as though a hole of some kind had appeared just where they used to be. The names Severus Snape and Septima Vector appeared near the hole, while it looked as though Commodus Brinecove was ascending the stairs to the top of the tower. "Come on," Harry beckoned Hermione as he grabbed his invisibility cloak.
As the two of them walked by the Great Hall, Neville grabbed Harry's arm. "Harry, thank goodness you're here. We need to know who's going to lead the army, now that Lupin's…well…you know…"
"You are," Harry told him authoritatively.
"But…but…Harry…" Neville stammered as he grew very pale. "I couldn't possibly…"
"You're never going to know what you couldn't possibly do until you try," Harry told him. "Now go out there and make me proud, Neville. I know you can do it."
Once Harry and Hermione arrived at the base of the Astronomy Tower, they consulted the Marauder's Map once again. Severus Snape's name was now gone and Commodus Brinecove and Septima Vector were practically on top of each other. "What do you think's happening up there?" Hermione asked.
"I haven't the foggiest," Harry answered honestly. "But we're about to find out." Hermione looked very worried, but followed Harry up the stairs without another word. What they found there was a large magical portal that seemed to have torn a hole inside the Astronomy Tower…and one Professor Commodus Brinecove, standing over the dead body of Professor Vector.
The next chapter is called "The Devil You Know" and will reveal Commodus Brinecove's secret and feature the final battle between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. I sincerely hope you enjoy it!
ITL