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The night was filled with little silences, pockets of nothingness where sound bounced off seemingly invisible barriers. In the highest tower, the Ravenclaws plotted. Behind a painting, the Gryffindors lay content. In a basement, the Hufflepuffs seethed. In an ignoble tower, a former Death Eater spun the wheels of the machine. In the dungeons, two Slytherins were caught in a web.

"Tracey, I'm not doing anything," Harry protested weekly.

Should I tell her? I have to tell her. I can't lie to her. Harry was paralyzed with indecision, unable to process his thoughts the way Granger could. He wasn't prepared for this confrontation. He wasn't prepared to explain to Tracey why he had been disappearing every night. Instead, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Later on, when he was older and far wiser, he would learn not to do such things with women.

"Why were you following me?"

Tracey rose up, her blue eyes propelling herself forward. So aggressive was her stance that Harry unconsciously shrunk back a step, immediately regretting his decision to question her.

"You were disappearing in the middle of the night," she hissed, "You wouldn't come back for hours at a time. No one knew where you were and I checked Trow's classroom a couple times and he said that you hadn't been there the whole night! I'm not an idiot, Harry. I thought I'd give you the benefit of the doubt. I thought maybe it was...something with Snape...or something secret you didn't want me to know. But I had to know. I didn't want to follow you, but you left me no choice!"

Harry clenched his jaw, torn with the realization that she was correct but also trying to find justice in his own actions. "Tracey, I have a good reason for this."

"Then what is it, Harry?!" Tracey's voice rose so it became a shrill high pitched note in an otherwise empty room.

His hand darted out to grab her own. So unexpected was the sudden movement that Tracey flinched in response, but Harry was left with no choice. Placing a finger to his lips, Harry mimed a quiet motion as he perked his ears to listen for any potential eavesdroppers. After a tense minute, Harry relaxed his grip, assessing the grim and astonished expression on Tracey's face.

"It's complicated. I'd appreciate it if you were a bit more discrete about this."

"It depends on what it is," she stubbornly replied.

I have to tell her. She was one of his first friends. She was a steady supporter of his even when others didn't believe him. She never flinched at his side and never disobeyed his orders in Battle class. Tracey was loyal, but not even she could accept the depths of this potential treachery. It wasn't just that it was a Gryffindor. This was Granger, a girl that Tracey had already slighted and exchanged a few words with. Not telling her would be akin to placing his deal with Granger over their friendship.

Sighing, Harry led her to the corner of the room and wished he had some sort of spell to muffle the air around him. Reminding himself to take a look in the library for such a thing, Harry spoke lowly, leaning in very closely as he was still wary of any stray ears.

"There's this -"

Harry tried to speak but something caught in his throat. He tried again, but it was if his vocal chords wouldn't touch each other and nothing came out but a blank emptiness.

"What?" Tracey leaned forward with the hushed question.

"We're studying in this -"

The words, the words were like sand funneled down his throat, drowning him and preventing any sort of communication. He must've been quite a sight, mouth gaping like a Squib as he tried to explain the cave to Tracey and why they were meeting in there. It was only after a few gasps of air that he remembered the blasted contract Granger made him sign when he was first introduced to the cave.

"Are you having a laugh at me?" Tracey's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No!" Harry exclaimed, reaching his hands out to take one of hers in both of his. "I'm trying to explain it, but I think...I think Granger did something."

Tracey's automatic defensiveness kicked in as her blue eyes grew icy and her hand squeezed his. "What did that little bint do?"

"It's nothing like that -" Harry found himself in the awkward position of defending Granger from his own accusation, "-I just have to figure something out first."

Harry could only imagine Tracey's confusion, finding her best friend sneaking around at late hours of the night with a rival House. Seeking to comfort her, Harry squeezed her hand again, trying to distract her from further anger.

"I have to figure something out with her first, but after that, I promise. I promise that I'll tell you, Tracey." Harry did his best to put on his most earnest voice, pleading with his best friend.

She looked none too happy to have the answer delayed after so much investigative work but she nodded slowly, her curly black hair flickering against the back drop of the orange glow of the fire. Harry sighed in relief but had one more request to ask of her.

"You can't tell anyone yet. Not even Blaise," Harry hurriedly added.

To his surprise, she assented quicker this time. "I haven't told him yet. Didn't want him to think I was crazy for following you."

"Guess you had good reason."

Tracey looked up at him, her hand slowly slipping through his fingers. Her face was blank, a circular nothingness that was normally full of emotion. In that moment, she reminded him of her father.

"Guess I did."

* * * * *

Harry had to wait the whole day, furtively trying to find a way to isolate Granger, but she was uncharacteristically busy and surrounded today. Furthermore, he was frustrated and annoyed that he didn't read the fine print when he signed the contract. He assumed it would be binding, but the exact wording would have proved useful especially in the situation he found himself in now. It wasn't until after supper that he finally cornered her moderately alone in Trow's classroom, peering into one of the Stationary Omnioculars. Only Trow was in the classroom, but when he stepped out for a minute, Harry took his chance.

Quickly walking over to her, Harry purposefully sat down with a large clatter, but she didn't even look up.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit busy right now."

Harry pinched his brow. "Granger, I need to talk to you."

"We can talk later," she emphasized.

"No we can't," Harry hissed back.

"Tracey knows about us."

That got her attention. Her head snapped up, the bushy, tangled mess flying back like a furry bear. Her eyes gave the class one easy scan, assessing any other potential listeners, but they were alone. At once, she turned to him and Harry wondered to himself if girls practiced that seething look in the mirror.

"How much does she know?" Her voice was hushed but urgent, containing not an insignificant tremor.

"Nothing obviously. The stupid contract you made me sign shut me up from saying anything."

"Anything? Anything is a lot of things. Anything doesn't cover everything in the contract. Harry, this is really important. What does she know?"

"I told you already, she knows nothing!"

"Does she know that we're studying Occlumency? Does she know that?" Granger was leaning forward with a terrified look in her eyes.

Harry leaned back, slightly befuddled. "No. Granger, listen to me, she doesn't know anything. I tried to tell her about the cave but then I couldn't say anything. Whatever curse was on that contract worked."

She quieted, the sudden storm abated as her mind spun into overdrive. Harry let her think, knowing this was her preferred method of quiet. She was almost obsessive in this quiet moment, diagramming the various responses and potential reactions in her head.

"Well obviously you can't tell her," she concluded.

Harry was afraid she would be this obtuse about it. "I have to tell her. What else am I going to say? She saw us coming out together from the wall."

Granger slapped her hand to her face, running it down to her chin as she expressed the universal face of bloody hell.

"You mean to tell me that she was following you around? What kind of friends do you have, Harry?"

"The kind of friends that know I've been disappearing for nights on end without a word to anyone. Does anyone worry about you?" Harry snapped back.

The mask slipped over Granger's face again, the arrogant coldness that had some dubbing her as the Mudblood Champion. Harry instantly knew he had insulted her, but honestly, he didn't regret it. He was tired of her power plays.

"This cave is important, Potter. No one else knows about it and it's obviously quite hidden away from the rest of the school. Not to mention the work we're doing down there. Are you going to tell her everything?"

Harry, for once, was prepared to answer this question with some confidence. "I won't tell her specifically what we're doing, but I will tell her that we're working on things that are helping us improve in Battle class."

"And how are you going to explain me?"

"What do you mean?"

Granger sighed and rolled her eyes, pointing between them. "Us. How are you going to explain us?"

Harry shrugged. "Just that you're smart obviously and...and...it's good to learn how the enemy thinks?"

Granger snorted, looking towards the front door to make sure Trow hadn't returned. "If she believes that, she's dumber than she looks."

"Tracey's not dumb," Harry said reflexively.

"If you wish. So no mention of the cave, Occlumency, or the spell?"

"That's right."

Granger thought for a moment, her eyes cast upwards as she measured the potential risks involved with including Tracey in the knowledge of the cave. Harry knew she had limited options and the irritation written across her face didn't quell his anger. He knew it was his fault really. He knew that he should have read the stupid contract before signing it, but he didn't think Granger would stoop to this level.

"You can tell her that we're studying things to help with Battle class. You can't make any mention of the cave and you definitely can't mention the Occlumency." Granger said it slowly, enunciating every word to make sure he understood her parameters.

"And if she asks for more?"

Granger looked at him sideways, the passive mask sitting tightly around her face.

"You won't be able to."

* * * * *

Harry explained everything as best he could after Granger instructed him to wait an hour after she left and he was relieved that his voice finally worked. Editing the story so that he met Granger one night going through the false wall, Harry relayed as best he could that they were trying things to help each other in Battle class.

"Things that you can't study in hidden rooms behind magic walls that nobody can find?" Tracey asked evenly.

"When you put it that way, it is a bit cloak and dagger, but look at what you thought," Harry pointed out.

Tracey shook her head, the ringlets falling around her face. "I still don't like it, Harry. I don't like her."

Carefully parsing his words, Harry half-heartedly agreed. "She's still a bit insufferable, but even you can't deny she's practically a walking encyclopedia."

"Encyclopedias that talk probably," Tracey muttered darkly. "She's probably told all of Gryffindor about your meetings."

Harry shook his head in negation. "She hasn't."

"You seem mighty confident of that."

"I just know she hasn't."

There was a pause as they sat in the corner of the library late at night, the best place they could find as the Common Room was busy with studying and lingering students. Harry chose a table with open pathways to ensure there weren't any curious students hiding behind bookcases. Merlin knows what would happen if even more people found out about his arrangement with Granger.

Tracey leaned forward, resting her head on her hands as she sighed loudly. Harry kept his mouth shut, hoping this information was enough to call of her nightly searches. He still hadn't decided what he would do about future meetings with Granger, but he would cross that bridge when the time came. For now, he was solely focused in making sure Tracey believed him.

"One more time," Tracey grumbled, "You're studying whatever it is that's making you better in Battle class with Granger and you just can't tell me about it."

There was a pleading in her voice, a desperate begging that would confirm that was all it was and truly, Harry believed that was what they were doing. Yet, a lingering snake burrowed into his mind as easily as one of Granger's Legilimens spells. It was a nagging, reminding him of the rather intimate moment they shared as he opened up about his scars.

"Yes," Harry answered. "That's all it is."

The swirling snow whipped across the back windows, smacking against them with an icy sharpness. The only sounds in the library were the swish of pages turned and the scrapes of wooden legs against the floor, but Tracey's breathing seemed to be magnified. There was nothing Harry could do but wait for her reply and it was maddening.

"So take me with you," Tracey finally said.

Prepared, Harry shook his head. "I can't. Only Granger knows the way in. She's a bit paranoid."

Tracey looked at him incredulously, the moonlight shining through the flakes of snow attached to the window and bathing her in a dull white glow. Harry flinched internally, but kept a cool visage, trying desperately to maintain some semblance of control. He felt guilty and ashamed, yet upturned and stubborn. If she only knew the progress he and Granger had achieved in such a short amount of time. Yet, she couldn't know for if she knew, that would betray Granger's trust as well. Not to mention the fact that she had magically binded him regardless.

"You're just having a laugh at me, aren't you? Harry, this is ridiculous! I'm your friend, if you've somehow forgotten that during your meetings with that stupid Gryffindor. Regardless of what you think you're trying to hide or whatever you're trying to protect Granger from, I think...I think I deserve to know what you're doing! At the very least, you could help me."

Her words bounced off him like a spell against a Protego shield. If anything, he grew more frustrated with her pursuit of answers. He blamed both of them, Granger and Tracey both, for putting him in this bind. Granger for magically binding him with some sort of magical contract he couldn't touch and Tracey for her damned curiousity. Some things were better left alone and untouched, but this ethereal dream was now shattered. The cave could no longer live anonymously.

Then again, Granger never did make a stipulation to physically bringing Tracey with him. He couldn't speak the words, but what would stop him from actively bringing Tracey along during their next meeting? There was little else he could do now that Tracey knew and a small part of him, the one that wasn't frustrated at her for blowing the whole plot up, felt that he owed his longest friend a smidgen more of explanation.

"Alright," Harry sighed in defeat. "This is how it has to happen."

* * * * * *

Cave. 10.

The inscription was emblazoned upon Granger's special Sickle and Harry sat in the lavatory for approximately three minutes starting at it, knowing the implications. The silliness of it all was that he wanted nothing than for them to get along, but he doubted that either would forget the other's less that civil exchanges. Granger had predictably harped on Tracey's perceived lack of intelligence, though rather unfairly since almost everyone came short in that regard compared to her, while Tracey shattered through the fake mask of indifference Granger usually wore.

He wished there was someone he could turn to for advice, but Blaise had to be kept out of the loop for now, despite the fact that Harry knew it was only a matter of time before Tracey pressed to include him as well. Doubting that Professor Trow held some nugget of divine knowledge, Harry got off the pan and went to find his Slytherin counterpart to inform her of the time of their meeting.

The nervousness only wore on as the night grew long, Tracey impatiently bouncing her knee as she stared furtively at the entrance door to the Common Room. They both made excuses to Blaise about homework and knew that the third wheel could care less on the status of such things. So easy was their exit that Harry made sure to double back twice to ensure they weren't being followed. When Tracey asked why he would do such a thing, he simply pointedly looked at her until she understood the meaning.

The alcove suited them just fine, but it was a tight space. Their shoulders were touching against the walls and against each others as they waited for Granger to appear. By now, Harry knew that the patrols rarely came around at this hour in the dungeons. For one, it was cold and dank even in the winter. All the meters of snow melted and seeped through the soil, causing a hazed fogginess to emit through the crevices. That alone was enough to potentially scare any less than perfunctory Prefects. The teachers had other things to worry about than students slinking in the subterranean.

Granger emerged like a shadow out of blackness, quietly walking along with an air of assured confidence from several repetitions. Out of amusement, Harry wished that he could have captured her face on camera as Tracey emerged with him from the alcoves. Oh, what a priceless shot it would have been.

"Potter, what is she doing here?" Granger overtly dismissed Tracey, more annoyance than fear in her voice.

"I've brought her with me. Figured she can learn too." Harry tried hard not to sound so tepid despite the way he felt and attempted appealing to her academic nature.

Tracey stepped up, as bold and brash as any Gryffindor. "Harry's told me everything -"

"Has he now?" Granger raised an eyebrow, her expression wrought with amusement.

Tracey's eyes fluttered back and forth between them in a brief moment of hesitation before pushing on. "-he's told me that you've been studying things. I want to learn them too."

Harry could sense the smarmy retort even before Granger opened her mouth and jumped in to intervene. "A moment, Granger?"

She looked surprise that he would request such an aside and judging by Tracey's stiffness, the Slytherin girl looked none too pleased at the prospect of being excluded from the conversation. Granger nodded, her eyes never leaving Tracey's.

Stepping a few paces from Tracey, Harry leaned in towards Granger and said in a quiet whisper, "I don't really have much of a choice here."

"A choice, really? It wouldn't have been that hard. Telling her to leave off with it would have been pretty simple."

"It's not that easy."

"It's not supposed to be easy." Her mask slipped as impatience got the best of her. "You think it's easy hiding this from the rest of the Gryffindors? You think it's easy hiding this from Neville? He's been one of the only people that's stuck by me through all of this shite and I haven't told him a thing, but the second Davis finds out, you cave like -"

"-Longbottom during a duel," Harry finished coldly. "Maybe it would help if you brought a couple of other people in."

She stared at him, partial shock registering across her pretty features. "That's...that's not it at all!"

"Come off it, Granger. You mean to tell me that you would've just been studying all of this even if I weren't around?"

Her face turned red, an uneasy shakiness coming about her. "The bloody arrogance of you! You think you know everything when the reality is that you don't even know the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all of -"

"Are you two done?"

Tracey interrupted them with a petulant cross of her arms and a tapping of one foot. It didn't take a Granger-like genius to realize that the Gryffindor girl was in the fit of a ranting rampage and Harry knew that Tracey's interruption was partially for his benefit.

"Is she in or not?" Harry quickly asked.

Granger glared at him murderously, emotions melting across her eyes before she achieved the blank state of mind associated with a healthy control of Occlumency. The mask slipped back on her face, but Harry could still detect the stormy interior.

"It's too late to go back now."

* * * * * *

The tenuous relationship held for about a week without any massive arguments. It annoyed both Harry and Grange to start at square one when it came to Occlumency. Predictably, Tracey didn't pick up on it as easily as the other two and Harry thought that Granger was bringing a little more zest to her Legilimency attacks than necessary. Still, he wasn't one to question her teaching methods and for Tracey's part, the Slytherin girl never complained.

Still, tensions grew as Tracey failed to repel even a simpler attack by Harry. For one, it was difficult for him to sift through her memories. More difficult than it was slicing through Granger's. He flinched whenever he saw an argument from her father or a chastising from her mother. The feeling of loneliness was evident through several different memories he had captured and his attacks grew more feeble as time went on. Even then, she struggled to clear her mind or come up with mental defenses like Harry.

"Come on, Davis!" Granger finally snapped after the other girl failed to clear her mind yet again. "Clear your mind!"

"Don't you think I'm bloody trying." Tracey tried to snap at her but judging by her weak pallor, it was tiring her out to do just that.

Granger shook her head in disgust as she pushed away from the desk, walking over to the water at the end of the cave. Harry let Tracey rest for a moment before standing up and handing her a piece of chocolate he nicked from dinner.

"You just have to concentrate," he offered.

"I'm not as good as this as you...or her." A bit of venom returned as she shot a contemptuous look at Granger's back.

"You'll get it. You just have to turn the corner," Harry assured, but internally, he had his doubts. He never pegged Tracey to be one of the more powerful duelists, that much he knew, but even her learning curve was surprisingly steep. Was Occlumency that hard for her or were he and Granger just that good at it?

Granger was still at the small pond, angrily throwing pebbles into it. Tracey glared at the back of the other girl for a moment before looking up, examining the transparent ceiling. Harry stared up with her, basking in the depth of the lake.

"It's quite a sight," Harry breathed.

Tracey was silent for a moment, her blue eyes peering upwards at the vast expanse. Sighing, she lowered her head and said, "She's good, isn't she? Smart. Good at dueling."

"She's had a lot of practice," Harry pointed out.

"That's not just it. Good of you to defend her though," Tracey said with a tinge of sadness.

Harry shook his head. "Listen, you'll get it okay?"

Tracey nodded though she didn't look any bit more confident. "Can I call it a night? I can find my way back while you two do...whatever you do." She wrinkled her nose at that but continued on, "Besides, even Blaise will catch on after a while."

Harry laughed a little bit at that, glad Tracey still found the room for good spirits despite the relentless training on their hands. She quietly bid Harry farewell, not bothering to say good-bye to the Gryffindor girl. As she left, Harry sighed, seeing there was no love lost between them.

"Why do you insist with her?" Granger immediately asked as soon as Tracey left.

"Why do you on insist with Longbottom? At least Tracey's competent. Longbottom's a hopeless case."

"Not all things can be measured in how good you are in Battle class."

"Really? I thought this was the point of all this," Harry said.

"The point of all this was to learn things far above our level. To realize that we're abnormalities, Harry. Surely you can see that too."

"I don't think we're abnormal." Harry air quoted the word. "We're just better at this than a lot of people. Besides, there's still some other kids in other Houses that are challenging."

"Harry." Granger crossed her arms, a motion she usually made before delving into a lecture. "I saw the duel with you and the three Ravenclaws. Mandy's their best duelist and she couldn't even touch you. If it weren't for the fact that Snape surprised you with a third person, you would have dispatched them without any fanfare."

"They'll catch up. They always do." Harry flippantly waved it off.

"But not this time. They don't know what you're doing; they don't know what we're doing. That is, if Tracey keeps quiet."

"Tracey won't say a thing."

"You mean she won't go telling Blaise about this? You think she's going to appreciate that she's not as good as us?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably, the question weighing heavily on him. He didn't like the way Granger spoke with such unbinding truth, the easiness in which she objectively dissected situations. It unnerved him, especially coming from a house in which secrecy and deceit were as commonplace as speaking.

"You'll just have to trust me," Harry responded quietly.

Granger arched an eyebrow, making it clear what she thought of that request. She picked up her bag, a signal that this particularly frustrating night was over. Harry followed her outside the dark tunnel, exiting the secret entrance of the cave. They walked silently, each lost in their own thoughts before they reached the split that would mark their departure from one another.

She left without a word and Harry had to shake off that grumpy feeling as he realized she was discontent. Hopefully it was directed at Tracey and not at him, but the rational part of his mind couldn't release that nagging voice in his head that was quickly resembling Granger. She's not as good as us...

And then he heard it.

His Occlumency was his saving grace this time, a constant passive presence that kept a part of his mind cleared away. It was either that or his highly tuned magical contact that made him side step the Stupefy. He whirled around, not producing his shield as to keep his reserves in store. There was a shadow at the end of the hall, standing at the bend between the Hufflepuff and Slytherin partition between the basement and the cellar.

The shadow was already turning to run, plans foiled as Harry avoided the surprise attack. The attacker was at some distance and must have been waiting for quite some time for him. He quietly tucked the fact into a corner of his mind and let loose the one spell that would gain him the necessary information.

"Legilimens."

He had to speak it at a normal tone, not trusting his wordless magic to carry the spell that far. Fortunately, it didn't require a beam or strike that would take time to travel. The spell was near instantaneous and Harry doubted that the attacker would realize what was happening.

There was only one memory he could grasp, but it was enough. There was a fiery hearth with golden-red carpets and matching furniture. There was a portrait with a fat lady and a staircase that lead towards the dormitories. The feelings of comfort and warmth were radiating throughout his thoughts as Harry stretched the memory as far as he could. A mirror suddenly arose and one flash of red hair confirmed his suspicions.

The attacker might have gotten away and Harry had no way of knowing for sure that he knew the spell, but for once he saw a silver lining. After months of fruitless searches and a rather dormant group, a silly and poorly aimed spell was their undoing. There were four bullies and while Harry already knew one, he could identify the second just by the vividness of his hair.

Ron Weasley.

* * * * * *

"How are you feeling?"

"As well as expected. More lives sacrificed to take out another Horcrux."

"And then there were two."

"Three if you would believe some people."

"I'm confident that it's two, but let us move on."

"Am I correct in assuming their thoughts are completely closed off now?"

"For the most part. I can still ascertain a few reads from the Muggleborn but the boy is totally gone. Any instance of intrusion is met with a surprising veracity. His Occlumency is far different than anything I've ever encountered."

"Talented."

"And at the cusp of something great. I suspect we will see some of his true ability at the end of this year."

"And the preparations are finished for the end of the semester?"

"It is almost complete, as are the plans against him. There are a few matters he has to deal with in order to complete his other objectives."

"Ah yes - the matter of the four. I thought we abandoned that plan."

"You abandoned it. I still feel there is something for him to learn. I thought the Slytherins would have robbed the mercy of him, but he still holds on to it. He didn't deliver the request punishment to the Hufflepuff boy and instead offered to help him. He constraints against the Hufflepuffs again. He's missing it..."

"Not all of us are so easy when it comes to delivering the final blow."

"That's not a luxury he can particularly afford."

"The time will come when he is ready. He is young still. We have time."

"Not as much as you think. The Dark Lord has surely known about the destruction of his Horcruxes. We have risked luring him out of his den and I fear we will succeed in that regard."

"A snake is not so easily trapped. He will take his time, this I am sure of."

"Time is not just his constraint as well. Come, it is time for the wolf to hunt again."

* * * * * *

A/N: Thank you all for the outpouring of reviews. It's great to know that so many of you are enjoying the storyline and the characters especially. I'm sticking to my word that the Third Year will last less than a dozen chapters more. Until then, enjoy - read - and review.

Estimated update time: 14 days

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