Chapter 9: The Longest Weekend
Thursday was as dull as ever. His session with Cho left him so tired, he could barely get out of bed. He had handed in his completed Charms essay. When he got up Friday from another one, he knew he was going to dread Friday. Potions and Defense. He may love Sirius like a father, but everyday of doing offensive and defensive spells was a taxing thing.
He got dressed, and walked out into the hallway, when he met Ron coming out of the Gryffindor Portrait hole, grumbling like Kreacher did at Grimmauld place last year.
"What's wrong, Ron?"
"I asked Hermione to the ball."
"And I take that it didn't go well?"
"No, I didn't. She knew I was trying to restart our relationship. I asked her, she said no, and then gave me a fifteen minute sound bite on how our relationship didn't work, and how we will only be friends."
"Ouch."
"Yeah." Ron grumbled, and started heading toward the great hall.
He saw Hermione walk out of the portrait hole, fuming mad. Harry looked at her once, his eyes bulging out of his head. Somehow, he knew it wasn't just Hermione yelling back there.
"Hermione, what's-"
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" she shrieked. She looked at Harry for a second, and realized it was him, "oh, sorry. I didn't realize it was you."
"What's wrong?" he said, wrapping his arms around her.
"Ron. He still thinks that we can salvage our relationship. He asked me to the ball with that pretense. It turned into our last fight all over again."
Harry rubbed her back, calming her anger. He knew that there was no way that Ron and Hermione could get back together. Every time he saw them together last year, they were more awkward than ever, not knowing what to do, or they were fighting. He knew that there was no hope.
Hermione loved the feeling coursing through her as she stood in Harry's arms. God, why can't he just ask me out? She asked herself. She stepped back from him, missing the feeling, but remembering it all the same, "thanks Harry."
"Anytime." Why does he have to be so damn loveable? God, it drives me crazy!
They walked to the great hall, wondering about what potions with Snape was going to bring. All of the Gryffindors ate quickly, not wanting to give Snape any excuse to give them a detention, and went down to the potions dungeon.
Professor Severus Snape was sitting at the desk in the front of the class, looking over some notes for a potion. They all sat quickly, hoping for the lesson to end.
Snape looked up, eyeing them for a second, "Well, well, well. Sixth year potions. You all passed to my N.E.W.T. potions class. Good job. But now the stakes raise. This is probably the hardest course you will ever take. The potions in this class require so much exactness, that one screw-up could turn deadly. You have been warned.
The potion we are going to be working on today is a very explosive one. It is called Phoenix Blood. As you all know, a Phoenix bursts into flames when it dies, and is reborn from the ashes. This potion works in almost the same way, except what ever is destroyed won't come back.
Any messing around today will result in removal from this class, suspension, and request for expulsion. All of you will be working pairs of three. You have three hours. Begin!" Snape waved his wand, and the instructions appeared on the blackboard in front.
Harry, Ron and Hermione saw the potion was pretty easy to brew, and completed their work very quickly. Draco Malfoy was having trouble getting his fire to stay at the right temperature, and nearly made his potion explode when his wand discharged a spell during his cursing.
"Everybody, out of the room! Malfoy, up here with me!"
Everyone ran out of the room as fast as they could, and slammed the door. Minutes later they heard the lock turn, and a slam of another door. After that, the school rumbled with tremendous force.
"Well, we can say this is a good Friday." Ron said, laughing. Snape came out moments later, telling everyone to go to lunch. The Gryffindors ate quickly, not wanting to miss their next lesson, which Sirius said they were going to enjoy. They went to the defense of the dark arts classroom, to see a sign posted on it.
Defense Against the Dark Arts
Meet at Training Location 1
Take piece of paper on the side
To find out the training locations.
Sirius Black
Harry grabbed three papers and handed two of them to Ron and Hermione, and read it to himself. It said:
Training Area 1: Grounds by the lake.
Training Area 2: Outside by Hagrid's Cabin
Training Area 3: The Great Hall
Training Area 4: Forbidden Forest (MEET WITH HAGRID, WILL DIRECT YOU TO LOCATION)
Training Area 5: Rooftop Training Paddock
"Rooftop training paddock?" Harry asked, looking at training location five.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Hermione said, a look of dread on her face.
Harry walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, "I'm sure that we won't be able to fall off. Sirius will have put up the right charms." Harry knew of her fear of heights. He spoke again, "hey, at least you'll be able to ride a broomstick."
Hermione chuckled nervously, "we better go."
The Gryffindor class walked outside, and to the lake, to see a large structure on top of the water, with steps leading to the mainland.
"Take your shoes off on the grass, and come inside." Sirius was wearing only a pear of sweatpants, and Harry saw a lot of the girls fanning themselves off, trying to keep their hormones under control. They did what he said, and entered the large structure.
"Has anyone here have any fighting skills other than magic?" Sirius asked, looking over the students. Ron raised his hand almost immediately, as well as Seamus and Dean. Harry had raised his hand, surprising everyone.
Sirius smirked, "alright, Potter. You're on. Everyone get behind the glass I have installed." He pointed his wand at Harry, "I must shield you from physical harm. Regarius!" He said, and Harry felt something cold wash over him, like he was being disillusioned.
Harry took of his school cloak, leaving every thing else on. He got to one of the lines on the floor of the arena, and got into the fighting stance that he had used with Cho last night. Sirius mimicked his movements, looking intently at him.
"Begin." Sirius said, and he and Harry ran at each other. Then, Harry's mind was flooded with different moves and combos he could use. Sirius swung his right hand at Harry, who twisted to his left and hit Sirius in the back with his right hand. He then jumped, and twisted, and using his right foot to kick Sirius in the chest, sending him into the glass.
"Good. Determination, Improvisation, Technique. That was perfect. You may go behind the glass."
Harry walked back there and joined Ron and Hermione. She kissed his cheek and congratulated him. Ron was stunned.
"Where did you learn that?"
"Honestly, I don't know. It just came to me."
"You're kidding me! You looked like you did those moves a million times before." Hermione said.
"No, that was the first time." Harry said, watching as Seamus hit Sirius in the side of the head, making him flip backward, and land face first onto the ground. Parvati ran out towards him, "Seamus!"
"Baby, I'm ok."
"Did he hurt you?"
"No, that charm took the whole power of the attack. I'm fine." Seamus said as he kissed her forehead.
"Alright." she said, but giving Sirius a death glare.
"Mr. Finnigan, you have two weaknesses. Your first one, you put too much emphasis on brute force, and two, you hesitate. You could've moved out of the way of that last kick, but you didn't. Good but not great."
The class ended with Sirius teaching them a three hit combo of left jab, right hook, and right round kick. Being the first lesson, things were simple.
"Now, as we progress, you might move up in training places. You are all at level one. If you get to level five, you will be training on Mondays, on the roof, after dinner. Now, go eat! Harry, Ron and Hermione, hold back a second."
They watched as the rest of the class left the arena, leaving them with Sirius.
"What is it?"
"Professor Dumbledore told me to tell you that you will be upgraded to level 5 training, starting next Monday."
"Why?"
"You three have more importance in this war than anything else. You'll need to protect yourself in all different ways. You also meet with Professor Dumbledore on Saturday nights, starting next week, and learn the unforgivable curses."
Harry stared at Sirius, a look of fright on his face, "Sirius, I could never be able to perform those. I've been through every one of those, I could use it on anyone."
"Harry, you're a good man. Just like you're father. He told Dumbledore those same words, and I'm going to tell you what Dumbledore told him. He said that 'there will be a time, where you will have no choice but to use them. No choice but to live, or die."
Harry couldn't believe his ears. Neither could Hermione by the looks of it. Her face had gone ghostly white, her skin cold as ice, and her breath hitched in her throat. While Ron looked scared, he was not too surprised at these words.
"Sorry about saying this to you, but if I didn't Dumbledore would have. Listen, if it means anything, I don't agree with it either." Sirius said, obvious his words weren't having any comfort over the sixteen year-old, "Come on! Let's go eat!" he said, starting to lead them back towards the entrance to the school.
Harry woke up the next morning, still hyper about the training session he had with Cho last night. Usually he would be tired, but today was a little abnormal. She made him do more training with the sword and a little bit of hand-to-hand combat.
The sound of rain hitting the stone walls and roof filled Harry's ears. It sounded like a million guns going off at the same time.
He looked at the clock in his room. It read eight fifty-five. He dressed quickly, and walked out of his room, to see Hermione reading a book, sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Harry then felt the need to get behind her, wrap his arms around her, and read over her shoulder, STOP! She's your best friend, Ron's ex-girlfriend. You know- she knows everything about you. She understands you better than you understand yourself sometimes. Why wouldn't you want this? Because it's wrong. Ron would be mad, and will try to kill you. Plus she's so beautiful- STOP, STOP, STOP! I can't think these thoughts!
Hermione looked at him, finally realizing Harry was there, and gave out a small gasp. She looked utterly horrified.
"Hey, after breakfast I was thinking of going down to Hagrid's. You wanna come with me?"
"NO! Oh, wait, yes, yes I'll come to Hagrid's with you. I mean GO to Hagrid's with you." she said, looking at Harry with utter confusion, anger, and embarrassment.
"Are you alright, Hermione?" Harry asked looking at the girl with bewilderment.
"Yes, I'm fine. Go and eat your breakfast, and I'll be down there in a few minutes."
Harry just raised an eyebrow at her, and said, "I'll see you in the great hall." And walked out the common room down to the great hall. He was about halfway down the grand staircase when realization suddenly dawned on him.
Harry's face turned sour and pale, "ewwww, in the common room? SICK!" he said aloud, scaring a couple of Hufflepuff second years. He took a seat next to Ron, who was talking cheerfully to Leah York. Ron saw and Harry and asked, "When's our first Quidditch practice? We need almost a whole new team."
"I know, and me being captain, I'm going to have to make the final decision."
"Yeah, I'm just glad I'm not captain."
"Why is that?"
"I suck."
"Oh yeah…" Harry said, making a mock look of remembrance. Hermione walked in a few moments later, her cheeks flushed as she passed Harry without a word.
"What's wrong with-"
"Trust me Ron, you do not want to know."
"Why not?"
"Just don't ask. And Hermione, if you want to do that, please do that in your bedroom, not the prefect common room."
"Alright." She said, her voice barely audible.
"Harry, what was she doing?"
"Ron, what did I say?"
Ginny burst into the Great Hall, with tears of laughter in her eyes.
"Oh, Ernie, that was good. Nice job on Luna."
"Ginny, what happened?"
"Ernie Macmillan and his girlfriend, Hannah Abbot convinced Peeves to do some of the worst things to Luna Lovegood. She now doesn't even want to talk to the Grey Lady without the proper spells to protect herself!"
They all burst out with laughter. Each one of them imagining Luna with a different look to her. The laughter died out after a few minutes, and all four of them were eating their breakfast.
"So, what are you guys going to do today?" Ginny asked, looking at the three of them.
"Well, Hagrid invited us for tea over the weekend, so I thought we all would go."
"You're damn straight. I want to heal all about what he did for the-"
"SHHHHHHHH!!" Hermione told him sharply, "there are people here who are the offspring of Death Eaters here!"
"Oh, right. Thanks."
Harry, Hermione and Ron ate quickly, and went to see Hagrid. They knocked on his cabin door, and it got answered with a sob.
"Who is it?" asked Hagrid from behind the door.
"It's us, Hagrid. Me, Ron, and Hermione."
The door swung open. Hagrid was standing there, his beard soaking wet from the tears streaming down his face.
"Hagrid, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, looking at Hagrid's tear-stained face.
"Come on in. I was just fixing meself a pot o' tea." he said, evasively.
They walked inside, and sat on the couch under the window, listening to the rain falling peacefully against the cabin. Hagrid was taking the tea off of the stove, and broke down, sobbing. The teapot fell to the fell to the floor, sending tea everywhere.
"Hagrid!" Hermione said, running over to clean up the mess. After she cleaned it up, she sat back down on the couch. Looking at Hagrid hold himself up on the countertop, weeping.
"Hagrid, what happened? What's wrong?"
Hagrid walked to a chair, and tried to sit down on it. He missed it completely, landing on the floor. When he finally got situated, Hagrid pointed to the letter sitting on the table. Harry picked it up and read it aloud.
Dear Mr. Ruberus Hagrid,
We here at the Ministry of Magic are sorry to inform you that your wife, Madame Olympe Maxime was killed, on the night of June 24th, 2006. She was killed by one of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's Henchmen. We do not know the identity of her killer, but rest assured they will be caught and tried for murder.
Madame Maxime was one of the greatest Headmistresses that the French magical school of Beauxbatons has ever seen. She worked long and hard to bring the school from one of the worst magical schools in France (Made that way by her predecessor) to one of the most successful schools in the world.
A funeral and memorial service will take place in ten days, with all of the students, and family members that she had. You, being her husband, have been asked to give a eulogy.
We are very sorry for your loss
Sincerely,
Mineleden Hagerforth
Department of War Casualties
"Oh my god." Hermione said, staring down at the paper. Harry had repeated those same three words over and over in his head in the past minutes since he finished reading the letter. Ron just looked dumbstruck.
"Wife? But you two weren't married when you left."
"RON!" Hermione exclaimed, "HOW COULD YOU BE SO INSENSITIVE?!"
Harry was thinking the same thing right now. Who cares when he got married to her? It was his wife! How could you say something like that?!
Hagrid broke down again, looking at Ron with extreme pain. Harry looked at Hagrid, understanding what he was going through. Losing his father, his wife, not knowing his mother, losing everyone around him. No wonder he's such a mess.
"I'm sorry Hagrid. I never realized how much she meant to you." Ron said, looking at his abnormally large feet.
"Let me guess, you came 'ere to talk about my mission?"
"We did, Hagrid, but we can wait." Hermione said, looking at Harry who was agreeing with her before she cast him one of their death glares. She looked at him softer, and turned to Ron with a suppressed anger, making him agree as well.
"No, I need to talk 'bout it. Dumbledore came to see me after I go' the letter. He said I should tell someone 'bout it. If you want to know, I'll tell ya."
Hermione nodded. She somehow knew what he was going through.
"Our mission was to get teh' giants on our side. But the only thing we had to do was keep us alive. It took us a little over four months to get to a set of mountains outside of Nice, France. When we got there, the few giants that were left, had already turned. They tried to attack us, but we got out of there as soon as possible.
We got married in a church, in the magical part of Nice, and set off, tryin' to get back to Hogwarts and report to Dumbledore. But when we got to the English Channel, we got discovered by a large mass of Death Eaters. We each killed a few hundred, but we got separated as we crossed the channel.
I got back to Hogwarts a week before the term started, and wished, hoped she escaped from the Death Eaters. I asked Dumbledore if she tried to contact him from Beauxbatons, but he had told me no, and not to worry about her, that she'll be fine. And now this!" Hagrid started crying again.
Harry now understood what Mr. Weasley was saying, how they were too young to understand what Voldemort could do to a person. The terror, fear, anger, hatred, all of the feelings he could invoke onto a person without even pointing his wand at them.
Harry understood what Voldemort does to a person if he wants to recruit them, or if he wants to kill them. He doesn't just go after you, he goes after your entire family, making you feel as tall as an ant, killing everyone around you. Evoking fear and hatred towards him, until you make what some people would call a mistake of facing him. And the only choice you had then was to die.
"Harry, I heard 'bout what happened. I heard it from Dumbledore. Now, I can' say I blame yeh, with all of the stuff that you've seen, that you've been through, I really can't say I wouldn't have tried the same thing meself. You have faced things that no person should ever face in their entire lifetime. You have seen things any person would have walked away from, said 'no' to."
"I said a couple of years ago, I told you that you did exactly what your father had done, and that I could give you no higher praise than that. But now I realize you do deserve a higher praise. Your father, as strong as he was, wouldn't be able to see what you've seen, and be able hold on to his own sanity. You should be proud of what you've done."
"Yeah, I should."
"Harry, I know everything that's happened, but I learned an important thing on my mission. That one death, even though one person doesn't see it as necessary, and sees it as unfair to them, means a whole lot to one more, ten more, a thousand, a million more people. Because that one person's actions were the only thing that saved them.
Everything that we do in this war, in this battle between good and evil, will inexorably lead to one conclusion, one end. Harry, if there are more people like you in this world, I believe that we will win this war. I believe that if there are more people like you in this world, we will defeat Voldemort."
Harry looked down at his feet. Why does everyone have to believe in me? Why does everyone think that I am the key to defeating Voldemort?
"Look, Hagrid, I'm sorry about everything that has happened. I'm sorry about Madame Maxime. I'm sorry I could save them."
"Harry, your father would have said the same thing. You have to understand that this is a war. People are going to die, no matter what people do. You can't save everyone. Harry, you don't have to apologize for what you weren't able to physically do. I know that you feel like you were able to do something when you couldn't, but you have to stop, or we will never be able to stop the death, stop the destruction. You need to show these people, that we need to have hope."
"Why does everyone think am the key to defeating him?"
"Because of what you have been through. Everyone knows what you have been through, everyone knows of what you have heard. They find this out, then they see you bounce back from that, and that gives them hope. Hope that they can live. Hope that they can survive. Hope that we, as humans, can live on through the bloodshed.
That's why. You are their light of hope. That light can shine through even the darkest of times. Harry, hang on to that strength. Hang on to it, because sometimes, it's the only thing we have."
Harry nodded, and looked at his watch. Eleven fifty-eight.
"Uh, Hagrid."
"What is it?" he replied, and looked at a small clock on his wall, "oh my god! It's time for you to eat lunch!"
At that moment, Ron's stomach rumbled, sounding like an earthquake. Harry and Hermione laughed at him, as he sheepishly held himself.
"Yeah, I guess we better go." He said, and Hagrid let them out of the cabin, walking them up to the castle.
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Hey everybody! I hope you like this chapter! I know that a lot of you people want to see H/Hr smut soon. You will have to wait a couple of chapters for that though, and stick around for Chapter 10: Love's Game, coming soon! Just like to give a few shout outs!
Whitelight- You gave me input, as well as the title for this chapter.
And anyone who reviewed. Thank you.