This book's been giving me worry, lots and lots of worry. I've had More painful sensation from this one than from the other four put together and it's not even finished yet ! murmuring... grumbling...

Anyway as a result I may be slow to station than usual as I try to ticktock this twisty, hellish yarn I choose to forebode a write up into compliance.

Sorry, hopefully the story will be beneficial for it.

In other news : OVER 200,000 row ! HORAY !



“ Hello ? ” The market keeper peered, bleary eyed, at the public figure standing on the other side of the glassful door. “ Sorry we ‘ re closed now. ”

“ Good. ” The hooded man pushed the door capable roughly. “ Then there will be no one to hear us. ”

“ What do you want. ” The shopkeeper edged his deal towards the wand in his pocket. “ If it ‘ s money you ‘ re after- ”

“ I require a service of you. ” The man said, clearly and arrogantly. “ Or rather my passe-partout does. ”

“ If your skipper wants any of my service. ” The shopkeeper grunted a laugh. “ He ‘ d better ejaculate himself. I don ‘ t do household calls and even if I did some of my equipment ‘ s too heavy to move. ”

“ You mistake me. ” The man sounded like he was smiling. “ My lord want ‘ s you to open me something. A Sh & eacute ; n de sh & Ccedil ;’u. ”

“ A Sh- ” The shopkeeper held his workforce up, backing away. “ No no no no ! Why would I- ”

“ I heard you were the man to go to for one. ”

“ Yeah, long time ago. When they were legal. ” The shopkeeper took his wand from his pouch and held it firmly towards the intruder. “ I think you ‘ d honorable leave. ”

“ My master … ” The man began, rolling up his sleeve. “ Is not a man you want to displease. ”

The shopkeeper jumped back as he saw the iniquity mark emerge from under the dark robes. Even this far from Britain everyone in the business knew what it meant.

“ Are you a … a stagnant feeder ? ”

“ death eater. ” The man corrected pleasantly. “ Now about the Shen ? ”

“ I … I ‘ ll have to make some calls. ” The market keeper shuddered, he just wanted this man gone. “ I don ‘ t have all the stuff and nonsense here. ”

“ I ‘ ll wait. ” The man pulled up an old wooden president. “ While we wait we can discuss some early things you may be able to aid me with. I ‘ m sure they will not be beyond your … skill. ”

The storekeeper gulped as the man began listing what he wanted. His hands shook so much his wand fell on the story and rolled away unnoticed.

“ I ‘ ll … ” He cleared his throat, his mouth raw. “ I ‘ ll see what I can do. ”
*


Harry’s boots hit fireplace and he drew his wand out and scanned the room before lowering it and depositing the required galleons in a jar by the barman.

“ Thank you young master. ” The man simpered.

“ He’s probably telling someone I was there decently now. ” Harry thought as he left the Myxocephalus aenaeus pub. “ And that someone will tell a dying eater. ”

Harry broke into a run as old edifice flashed past him. He hadn’t made for British capital, too obvious. The bold silhouette of Edinburgh castle was outlined against the stars for a moment between two buildings as Harry dashed along and he darted down an alley towards it. He slowed as he passed a group of guy cable obviously out for the Nox, singing in the street, then sped up as the itinerary began to rise towards the gamy castle.

He came up a face road and turned away from the historical building. Fitting himself into the crowds of Friday night merrymaker like a trace. He flitted across the royal stag mile as fast as he thought safe, clutching his long coat tight about him. At xv years old people wouldn’t think it unearthly for him to be out this late but they might remember that he was alone. Any retention of his passage was a financial obligation and Harry flicked his shoe collar up and kept into the shadow of a house.

There were a few thaumaturge pubs in Edinburgh, Harry had mapped them out. But thanks to his foolishness of not disguising himself as he flued into the last one he could not now risk any of them. Harry cursed, he was still an half-wit. Still making stunned mistakes, Harry shook his head and pinched himself hard. He had to be better.

The rail station appeared beneath him and Harry swiftly crossed the bridge circuit and slinked in a side entrance. He bought a slate from an automated machine ( no remembering ) to the first fix on the release control board. Then tore it up, cursing himself again, and bought one for the second gear one down.

It was only three minutes till it left. Harry stood in a corner, hopefully just looking like any early traveller. They wouldn’t correspond the post would they ? They thought like wizards, not like muggles. Maybe he was being paranoid … the bartender didn’t have to evidence anyone …

No ! Careless ! better safe. We want to struggle them, but on our terms.

Harry nodded, it was the condom thing to do. He gritted his teeth as the seconds ticked by. He just needed to be gone. Wherever the train went he could find virtuoso and fluke to … to somewhere. Somewhere better, Hogwarts possibly ? It was still calendar week till he had to go back to school and Harry wasn’t eager to slip back under Dumbledore’s restrictive wing. He’d go somewhere anyway.

Damn it ! Harry went lineage still as two oddly dressed individuals walked into the train post. One looked like his turnout was a Allhallows Eve costume of a pirate, the other was wearing lederhosen. They were the stunned sight Harry had ever seen.

They were also here to wipe out him.

Harry could finger the essence of barely contained violence coming off both of them and the sea rover had a wand concealed up his sleeve. Harry stepped sideways, making his movement seem inconsequential, uninteresting, and pushed open a staff door. He stepped in calmly and confidently, not giving any trace that he didn’t belong.

“’Ere ? Who are y- ”

The cleaner in boilers suit got no further as Harry whipped his wand out and Confunded him.

“ You ‘ re done for the night. ” Harry whispered and jerked a pollex back the way he ‘ d number. “ You need to lock that door. ”

“ R … right. ” The man mumbled and Harry left swiftly, passing out a side doorway and feeling the frigidity dark air. Harry crossed the road and passed to the next street over and breathed a sigh of relief. It was occupy, entire of merrymaker. He could be invisible here.

The serious form of unseeable, the kind that didn’t need cloaks.

Harry kept to the side as he ducked down the long stint and ducked into a pub. A few minutes later he emerged, unrecognizable. Wrinkled skin and Charles Grey hair, Shakey Jack walked again. Harry walked like an old man up the road, watching both ways.

shucks it ! There was one, walking down the street towards him. He was surreptitiously pointing his wand at every somebody he passed, like he was dowsing. He was detecting magic. Harry winced, there was his friend coming from the other direction, doing the Lapplander. Harry was cornered.

Harry began walking slowly towards the plagiarist dying eater, making his footstep slow and measured like the old man he was supposed to be. He hid his wand in his sleeve, he needed to come up with a plan. There was no way he could struggle them here, too many bystanders, so that left taking them out instantly ( which would be almost unacceptable ) and running away.

Of course if one of them had been bow it would be unlike. But they weren’t, they were just incidental.

“ Silencio. ” Harry murmured it so quietly he could almost cause been silenced himself, aiming at the decease eater’s wand. No way to know whether he had hit … The baton came up, aimed at Harry …

Nothing.

The wand passed on over to the next bystander and Harry breathed a genial sigh of relief. He began walking away, they didn’t follow. He kept walking, passing out of area he could recognize from maps and found an alley.

Harry pushed a wheelie bin aside and slouched down against the paries. He’d waiting for morning here and try to leave the city then. Harry drew into his bag and pulled out the wrapped up remains of a sandwich.

Full set, eventually we all come back home.

Harry sneered as his eyelids began to droop, alley used be home, now they weren’t. That didn’t intend that anywhere else in particular proposition was home base, but it was an advance. Harry dropped off to sleep, too tired to dream.

“ He ‘ s here somewhere. ”

Harry’s heart flicked open, the wan light of sunup filtering into the alleyway. Footsteps came slowly up the alleyway. Harry slid behind the bin that hid him and crawled to the other side. The two figures came cl … Hang on !

“ Are you certain ? ” A deep conversant voice said as the two men passed the bin Harry was behind. “ It might not even be him. ”

“ Underage magic and marauding death feeder, it ‘ s him. ” Dwight Lyman Moody grumbled as he stumped along. “ He ‘ s back. ”

Harry waited until they had passed then grinned. He stepped out from behind the bin and slowly walked up behind the two aurors. You know what would be funny ? Harry took a deep breath …
*


“ Envenerate ! ”

Harry lifted his mind off the grass ( pasture ? ) and looked around him. Moody was gone, but the tall nigrify auror was still there, his arms crossed, calmly looking down at Harry. Harry glanced at the person who had brought him back.

“ Hey Tonks. ”

“ Wotcher Harry. ” Tonks held out an arm to help him up. “ deficiency to explain why my foreman brought you here comatose ? ”

“ They didn ‘ t tell you ? ”

“ wellspring Moody was too raging to sing and Kingsley kept laughing. ”

On cue a deep chortle escaped from the magniloquent aurors mouth, swiftly covered with a hand.

“ I ‘ ll let Moody assure the narration when he calms down. ” Harry dusted himself off and surveyed the empty-bellied field. It seemed vaguely familiar. “ Where are we ? ”

“ Oh ! Right. ” Tonks dipped into her pocket and drew out a small composition of newspaper publisher. “ Just read it, don’t say it out loud. ”

Harry took the newspaper publisher and unfolded it. On it was written, in loopy, hard to scan handwriting …
The home office of the order of the phoenix is the manor house on the macabre moors.


“ So what does it- WHOA ! ” Harry tripped backwards as the mansion exploded out of the solid ground around him. Even the sens curled into the trading floor and became gravel and a fountain appeared like it had been pushed up from some tunnel subway system. After everything settled Harry looked around,

“ Hey, isn ‘ t this- ”

“ Home. ” Came a voice out of the air. “ My home. ” Harry spun, wand out. Then relaxed.

“ Knew I recognized this place. ” Harry smiled. “ Good to see you Draco. ”

“ Good to see you too. ” The blond boy detached himself from the shadow of a doorway. “ Good too see you ‘ re still alive since we didn ‘ t have a clue. ”

“ I owled. ”

“ Once. From cairo. ” Draco said sarcastically. “ Then you drop totally off the map. ”

“ I was vacationing. ” Harry shrugged. “ Like I always do. ”

“ Yeah right. ” Draco pushed the door open for Harry to pace inside. “ Well in the mean time your booster and fan nine have invaded my home. ”

“ The rules of order of the capital of Arizona ? ” Harry looked around the cavernous entrance hall. “ Never heard of them. ”

“ It is Dumbledore ‘ s organization. ” Kingsley said from behind Harry. “ To anticipate the death eaters. ”

“ Why are you here ? Don ‘ t you have your own headquarters ? ”

“ This is better apparently. ” Draco rolled his eyes.

“ Didn ‘ t Voldemort live here ? ”

“ The hospital ward respond to the flow heir. ” Draco looked over at the sprawling tapestry of the Malfoy mob tree. “ Voldemort was forced to give the second … ”

“ The minute possession transferred ? ”

“ Yes. That. ”

“ Well at least we're all safe here. Constant vigilance. " At Harry's news Shacklebolt clapped a manus to his mouth but couldn't terminate a snicker. Harry grinned and took another look at the tapestry. “ Aren ‘ t you supposed to be on here ? ”

“ I ‘ m there. ” genus Draco pointed at a annoy burnt pip at the bottom. “ It seems my mother reverted to her own family traditions. ”

“ Why don ‘ t you fix it ? ”

“ Because I don ‘ t feel like it Potter. ” Draco snapped acidly. “ Besides ? Who would I fix it for ? I ‘ m the last Malfoy. ”

“ Unless you have children. ” Harry pointed out. genus Draco just shook his head.

“ No … no I ‘ m the last Malfoy. ” genus Draco seemed to nod to himself, his voice full of some cold firmness of purpose. “ Anyway, as I was saying. With the kin enchantments and the extra wards Dumbledore put up this seat is totally impregnable. ”

“ No such thing. ” Harry looked back at the aurors. “ Or as Moody would say, constant vigilance. ”

“ closure saying that. ” Kingsley had to treat his sassing again.

“ What is this ? ” Tonks looked between them, confused. “ It ‘ d have to be something good to make you laugh. ”

“ He snuck up behind Alastor Moody and yelled ‘ constant quantity vigilance ‘ in his ear. ” At Tonks’shocked aspect he added. “ I ‘ m not joking. ”

“ Harry you ‘ re insane ! ” Tonks doubled over, holding her stomach. “ He could have killed you ! ”

“ You ‘ re certifiable potter you really are. ” Dragon shook his head, then stopped suddenly. “ How did you cabbage up on Moody ? ”

“ Yes. ” Kingsley stepped closer. “ I ‘ ve been wondering that. ”

In answer Harry just smiled and rolled up his leave behind sleeve. Around his radiocarpal joint was a administration pick-me-up engraved with tracing vines. Right in the center, on the inside arm, was a hieroglyphic of a great black eye.

“ Picked this up in Egypt. ” Harry said, running a linger along the edge.

“ That’s the evil eye. ” Tonks stepped skinny to look at it. “ It wards off sorcerous monitoring. ”

“ Yep. ”

“ It ‘ s also all sorts of illegal. ”

“ Yep. ” Harry shrugged. “ Somehow I doubt the ministry would care considering what ‘ s being kept at bay under the eye. ”

“ Under … oh … ” Tonks nodded faintly and stepped back. “ Right. ”

“ Does it stop him calling you ? ” Draco asked quietly.

“ It makes it manageable. ” Harry pulled his sleeve down and put on a cheery grin. “ Too bad it only hides me, not my illusion. Else I could do magical spell whenever I wanted without the ministry seeing. ”

“ And you ‘ d be even More of a menace. ” Tonks smiled and winked at Harry. “ Come on, the others are waiting. ”

Harry grinned and turned to stick to the auror.

“ We ‘ re mostly living in the eastward wing. ” Tonks called back over her shoulder joint. “ This plaza is monolithic. It took us a week to find where you ‘ d left Macnair. He smelled awful. ”

“ Sorry, ” Harry shrugged theatrically. “ Next time I ‘ ll try to shoot down in a sterile environment. ”

They walked down a retentive dark hallway, made more spooky by the fact that every moving-picture show was empty-bellied. Draco said nada but Harry imagined they had left about the Lapplander time his founder had. The door at the end had a steady incandescence coming from under it. Harry hurried forward and toss the door open theatrically.

“ I ‘ m back ! ”

“ Harry ! ” Harry was knocked back as marauder piled towards him, and on him. Harry laughed and extricated himself from under the pile.

“ Hi guys. ” Harry walked past the scrummage into the cavernous room, which turned out to be a kitchen. “ Miss me ? ”

“ Where the perdition were you ? ” Padma hadn’t joined the direction and was sitting with her limb crossed and an angry expression. “ Why did you leave ? ”

“ I never left. ” Harry held his hand to his ticker. “ I was always with you, in here. ”

“ Bullshit. ”

“ Cynic. ” Harry shrugged and slid onto the long bench across from her and Hermione. “ rich person you no- ”

“ Voldemort is back. ” Hermione interrupted him.

“ Really ? ” Harry opened his middle wide in shock. “ Is he really ? No … no, I had no approximation … How could that happen ? I would remember a thing like that ? Oh … oh wait ? Tall guy with red oculus ? You know I think I do retrieve a guy like that … TORTURING ME ! ”

“ Alright Harry. Alright. ” Hermione held her hired hand up. “ I didn ‘ t mean it like that. I just meant that Voldemort ‘ s after you, he want ‘ s to shoot down you. ”

“ Is this a meeting of the obvious guild ? ” Harry said as the rest of the piranha crowded around.

“ What she means is that this isn ‘ t a time to go sunbathing in Majorca. ” Padma said in exasperation. “ Or skiing or hang-gliding or whatever it is you did. ”

“ Well I didn ‘ t bloody hang-glide. ” Harry grimaced. “ At least brooms have some means of propulsion. And I didn ‘ t ski or sunbathe. I ‘ ve been working. ”

“ Working on what ? ”

“ Working on not getting tortured again, working on being … better. ”

“ You ‘ ve been training ? ” Fred asked. “ You found some Tibetan temple or something ? ”

“ No, no temple. ” Harry shrugged. “ But I have been training. I ‘ m not ending up half deadened again. Next prison term he comes after me I ‘ ll not be helpless. ”

“ wellspring the percentage point is that it shouldn ‘ t bump again. ” Tonks came up behind him and clapped him on the articulatio humeri. “ You ‘ re staying rubber here till you can go to Hogwarts. ”

“ Safe here ? ” Harry froze. “ prophylactic here ? ” He pushed himself off the judiciary. “ I have to go out there ! ”

“ Wh … what ? ”

“ I have to go out there and fight them. You know that right ? ” Harry looked Tonks in the eye, the marauders looked on confused. “ You know that. ”

Tonks glanced back at Draco, who just frowned and looked at the floor.

“ Dumbledore … ” Tonks licked her lips. “ Dumbledore, who also knows that, says you ‘ re to be kept safe. ”

“ For how farseeing ? ”

“ I don ‘ t know. However long it takes. ”

“ You are aware that without me it will take precisely forever. ” Harry said through gritted teeth.

“ I ‘ m sure Dumbledore has considered that. ”

“ Dumbledore. Is. Senile. ” Harry looked over at Kingsley, who had thus far hold on silent. “ How bout you ? You got a take on this ? ”

“ I trust Dumbledore. ” Kingsley said confidently.

“ Everyone always does. ” Harry snorted. “ And as yet I ‘ ve seen no reason why. ”

“ You haven ‘ t seen him angry. ” Kingsley turned towards the room access. “ Come on Tonks, we need to get back on duty before we ‘ re missed. ”

Harry didn’t mouth as the two aurors left. When the door slammed shut he threw his mitt up and shake off his head.

“ I have seen him raging. I ‘ ve seen him angry at me, it ‘ s not so bad. ”

“ What was that Harry ? ” Ginny asked.

“ What ? ”

“ All that ‘ you know that’and ‘ he knows this’poppycock. What ‘ s the secret ? ”

“ You didn ‘ t tell them ? ” Harry turned to Neville.

“ I thought it was a secret. ” Neville shrugged.

Harry turned to Draco, who rolled his eyes.

“ Don ‘ t look at me I don ‘ t even like them. ”

“ right, ” Harry turned towards the room access. “ It ‘ s not a secret, at to the lowest degree not amongst us. Could you distinguish them for me Nev ? I ‘ m going to get some fresh air. ”

“ You can’t. ” Ron called after him. “ We have to rest inside the building. ”

“ Wh … ”

“ The Barbara Ward extend to the property line but it ‘ s stronger in here. ” Hermione explained apologetically. “ They told us to stay- ”

“ By they you mean Dumbledore. ”

“ Yes. ”

“ Then I ‘ m finding an open window. ” Harry looked over his shoulder back at the vulture. “ I can do that can ‘ t I ? ”

“ Your way ‘ s down the corridor, the door with the Scorpio lock. ” genus Draco said.

“ Is there a windowpane in my cell ? ”

“ Yes, it ‘ s not barred either. Not un-metaphorically anyway. ”

Harry, didn’t respond. He just pushed the door open and left.
*


Draco woke the next morn as a retching sound came through the wall. He shook the covers off and pushed the curtains around his bed open before hurrying to the adjacent room.

“ Harry is that you ? ” genus Draco was about to try the door before he thought ameliorate of it and ran a spying appeal. A couple of filthy curses lifted out of the carpentry. genus Draco backed a few steps away. “ Harry spread up ! ” Draco heard footsteps then the door scraped open.

“ What ? ” Harry growled sleepily.

“ Were you just sick ? ”

“ No … no. ” Harry shook his head. “ Why would you think that ? ”

“ Because I just discover you Harry. ” Draco folded his arms. “ You also smell of vomit. ”

“ I … I do. ” Harry sniffed. “ Fine. You caught me. ”

“ You ‘ re sick ? ”

“ I ‘ m pregnant. ” Harry shrugged. “ There was this terpsichorean. I was a little drunk and, well … I was weak. ”

“ Right, ” Draco snorted.

“ You ‘ re the get-go one I ‘ ve told. ”

“ I ‘ m touched. ”

“ It ‘ ll be really tough raising it on my own. ”

“ I imagine undertaking won ‘ t be a child's play either. ” genus Draco shook his head, if Harry didn ‘ t want to say him then he didn ‘ t want to know. “ feel, it smells like breakfast ‘ s ready. ”

“ Great, ” Harry shrugged, then frowned. “ Who ‘ s cooking ? ”
*


“ Sit down Harry. ” Molly Weasley pulled out a chairwoman for him. “ Have some nut. There ‘ s crisp too, and some sausages. ”

Harry looked around in confusion at the various citizenry that had appeared in the kitchen of Malfoy manor. There were more Weasley’s than there had been, the two parents and older brothers. An odd man in a common hat was there as well, smiling at Harry and wafture, along with an older lady in an ratty robe. There was one very recognizable face though, one that went had gone from smiling to stone cold the here and now he entered the way. Remus lupine had stood the moment he came in and walked away, leaving by the back door.

“ A couple of people live here now. ” Ginny said to cover the quiet. “ A couple of the rescript members. ”

“ Why ? ”

“ Because I haven ‘ t started charging rent yet. ” Malfoy muttered darkly, leaning over a chessboard.

“ It ‘ s because we ‘ re too visible. ” Molly Weasley explained. “ People know we support Dumbledore, they know we were in the order hold out clip. We ‘ re mark for attack. It ‘ s safer here. ”

“ right hand, safer. ” Harry tucked into his breakfast in silence, the vulture chatting around him. Apart from him only Malfoy and Ron were silent, both intently staring at the chessboard. Occasionally, very occasionally, one of them would get to a move.

" It would be nice if they'd find their own base though. " Malfoy murmured, still staring at the board. " Or their own prison. "

" prison house ? " Harry dropped a patch of toast. " They're using this place as a prison ? "

" Obviously. " Malfoy said grimly. " Did you think Malfoy manor had no jail cell ? And they can't use Azkaban anymore. "

" Isn't that dangerous ? "

" The whole manor is under the Fidelius charm. " Hermione explained. Harry smiled in savvy, so that was what the footling gaucherie of paper had been about. " It means that a mystery is- "

" I know what it is. " Harry interrupted her calmly. " But isn't it dangerous to assure the prisoner the arcanum ? "

" Yes. That's why they don't. " Padma shrugged.

" The prisoners are inside the secret but they haven't been told it ? " Harry's eyebrow furrowed. " I wonder what that feels like for them. "

" They tend to scream a lot. "

Harry shrugged, unworried. At to the lowest degree there was a dependable place for to home the death feeder. Of course of study Harry would prefer if they were all kept in dainty safe casket but this was the next just matter. While they had been talking Draco had turned back to the silent chess game.

“ How long have they been at that ? ” Harry asked Hermione.

“ Hours for this game. ” Hermione answered dejectedly. “ Weeks if you ‘ re mean playing in general. ”

“ Who ‘ s winning ? ”

“ I think Ron ‘ s ahead by two games. ”

“ Well that ‘ s- ”

“ Out of two hundred and twenty six. ” Padma chimed in irritably. “ Neither of them’s been up by more than four at any point. Next metre they equalize I ‘ m stealing the bloody board. ”

“ I have over eight hundred chess circuit board in this house. ” Malfoy said idly as he nudged a pawn forward. “ You ‘ re welcome to try and find all of them. Maybe you ‘ ll get lost along the way. ”

“ But not today. Got you. ” Ron said triumphantly as he slid his knight forward. Harry frowned, even he, with his loose undemanding of the plot, could see that it wasn’t a mate. But apparently Malfoy could see something he couldn’t, the blond boy hunched over the board for a few moments then,

“ piece of ass you Weasley. ” Draco angrily slapped his king down and stood up. “ It doesn ‘ t numeration. I was distracted, I was talking to Harry. ”

“ It counts. ” Ron replied angrily. He began to reset the pieces but Draco grabbed a pawn out of his hand and slammed it back into it’s box.

“ I don ‘ t want another biz. I ‘ m bored of Bromus secalinus for today. ” Draco sat back down at the breakfast board, pouting.

Harry grinned at the spectacle then pushed his empty dental plate away and stood to leave.

“ Where are you going dear ? ” Molly Weasley called after him.

“ Just back to my room. ” Harry answered cheerily. “ I didn ‘ t unpack last night. ”
*


“ There ‘ s no opportunity he ‘ s going to unpack. ” Padma whispered across the marauder table.

Ginny shook her head. No one could narrate when Harry was lying, not even the marauders. But since Harry hadn’t unpacked anything ever since he’d got that bottomless bag it was unlikely he was doing so now.

“ Should one of us go check on him ? ” Neville suggested.

“ Let him be. ” Fred shrugged. “ He ‘ s got a lot to intend about. ” His Twin Falls nodded.

“ It ‘ d dedicate us something to do. ” Parvarti murmured quietly, voicing what they all felt. Boredom was ceaseless here. The lonesome worry times were order meetings when the predator would try to find style to listen in. way of life that were continually blocked.

All their homework had been done. All the course Scripture had been read and so many games of exploding snap had been played that they all had little flyspeck George Burns on the ends of their fingerbreadth. There was nix else to do, literally nothing. They had looked, tried to come up with other thing to do. They had failed.

“ We could try gobstones again. ” Fred suggested as their mother bustled around the room.

“ Definitely not. ” Hermione shook her head. “ We could contemplate ? ”

“ We ‘ ve done all our homework. ” Ron said irritably.

“ We could swap and do each others. ” Parvati pointed out. At the ecumenical shock she just shrugged. “ I ‘ m that bored. ”

“ We could play quidditch ! ” Ron perked up instantly. “ Why didn’t we think of this before ! Yeah ! We can have a- ”

“ How ? ” Ginny cut in. “ We can ‘ t go outside. ”

“ well … oh. ”

The marauders lapsed into quiet. Defeated again.

“ Mrs Weasley. ” Malfoy suddenly said. “ Harry was feeling ill earlier. Do you have anything that could help him ? ”

“ Why didn ‘ t you tell me ? ” The Weasley Matriarch hurried off down the corridor towards Harry’s room. As soon as she disappeared Malfoy pushed himself away from the table.

“ Let ‘ s go. Quickly. ”

“ Why ? ” Ginny crossed her arms. “ Why should we go with you ? ”

“ Because I know where we can meet quidditch. ” Draco glanced at the door. " Believe it or not I am as bored as you are Weasley. Now can we go ? You're mother won't be distracted for long. "
*


" Whoa ! " Ginny gasped as they were led into a massive hall. On the floor there were plinths and cases holding strange sparkling items.

" What is this lieu ? " Hemione asked.

" My fathers. " Draco lugged the orb case over. " It's just junk. " True to his word he shoved three vases off a video display stand to put the case in their blank space. " Now... teams. "

" I call captain ! " Ginny yelled.

" Me too. " Ron nodded.

" Right, " Malfoy was still looking the other way. " Captains are Ginerva and myself. "

" But- "

" It's my house. " Malfoy cut him off snidely. " I'll take the twins. "

" Which single ? "

" The quidditch playing ones. " Malfoy rolled his eyes. Fred and George reluctantly went over to stand by Malfoy.

" You can't blame both. " Ginny argued.

" Would you split them up ? " Malfoy said sarcastically. " Have a heart. "

" Fine. You can have them. " Ginny grinned. " I get everyone else. "

" wellspring well Weasley. " Malfoy said appraisingly. " Betting on quantity over calibre ? "

" Shut up and release the bludgers. "
*


Ginny shot past a cabinet laughing, the clangoring from behind her told her George V hadn't been so lucky. The quaffle flew up and bounced inside the Methedrine circle on the wall.

" Goal ! " Ginny spun on the spot, pumping her clenched fist in the air.

" You're still behind Weasley ! " Malfoy yelled as he shot past.

Damn it he was right, Ginny shot forward after him. If only the sneaker would come out ! It shouldn't be so hard to catch it in this enclosed field. Unfortunately the magic spell on the snitch were never designed to dish out with an irregular maze of cabinets and as a effect it kept moving erratically. They had found and lost it three time already. Ginny saw Malfoy trying to score and being blocked by Ron. She took the chance to take on another look for it.

" Over there ! " Someone yelled, Ginny didn't hesitate. The flash of amber disappeared behind a urn and Ginny spun around it. Where was it ? Another flash, there by the rack of swords. Ginny heard a crash from the side her, Malfoy was closing in. There, by the glass again ? No ! By the urns again ! hoot it, there were reflection everywhere. It was like there were six snitches !

Ginny narrowly avoided colliding with the paries. A clump behind her told her Malfoy wasn’t so lucky. There it was ! Right near the corner of the room. Ginny sped up, it was so close ! Her fingers closed around it. And it felt... wrong.

Ginny drew to a halt, holding the thing in her bridge player. It was gold, but it wasn’t a snitcher. It was a cup, a little amber plated teacup, still struggling to break loose from her fingerbreadth. Dragon hovered in next to her, looking perplexed.

“ That didn ‘ t used to fly. ” He grabbed it out her hand, holding it by it’s tiny handgrip and letting it try to pull away. “ This isn ‘ t even stored in this room. ”

“ What is it ? ”

“ It ‘ s a teacupful Weasley how dense are you ? ” Draco insulted idily, still staring at the bantam matter. “ Or did you always just drink in out of a till at your menage ? ”

“ No. ” Ginny just gritted her teeth and swallowed the insult. They had to live in this house for weeks yet. “ Where did it descend from ? ”

The early marauders came in finisher, staring at it.

“ I saw it by the door. ” Parvati said curiously. “ I thought it was hovering there but maybe it came through. ”

“ We should look. ” Malfoy began floating in that direction.

“ What about the real stoolie ? ” Fred asked, wrestling a bludger back into its case.

“ It ‘ s just a preparation stoolie. It comes when it ‘ s called. ” Malfoy held out his hired man. “ Ollyollyoxen ! ” In a wink of gold the snitch darted down from the ceiling and settled in his hand.

“ Lashkar-e-Toiba go. ” He said curtly, jerked his head and floated off towards the door.

“ Guess we ‘ re not walking. ” Hermione murmured as the marauder flew after him. The corridor was fairly narrow and the marauders had to fly in undivided Indian file. The empty portrait were here as well, even the animal in the landscape painting had left.

“ Do you hear that ? ” Neville whispered and clumsily stopped.

“ What Longbottom ? ” Malfoy turned in the air, restlessness realise on his face. “ I don ‘ t hear anything. ”

“ That would be because you ‘ re talking. ” Padma snapped at him. “ Shut up a minute. ”

muteness filled the hallway for a second, then... a upstage interference. It sounded like an explosion underwater, muffled by the rampart. The marauder looked at each former, they had all heard it.

“ There it is again. ” Ron said quietly as the sound echoed down the hall.

“ Sounds... ” Malfoy screwed up his nerve. “ It ‘ s beneath us. ”

“ Are you sure ? ” Ginny floated forwards to where he was hovering. “ It ‘ s echoing a lot, maybe- ”

“ My household Weasley. ” Malfoy cut her off. “ It ‘ s coming from beneath us. This way. ” Malfoy shot forward and turned sharply into a slope corridor. Ginny rushed to hold up with him and she could learn the piranha behind her doing the same. A door was flung open in front of them and Ginny spun into it, following the blond flash in front man of her. Down some steps, along a retentive dark hall, next - STOP !

Ginny had to bump raspingly to avoid hitting Malfoy who was hopping off his broom in front man of a bombastic wooden door.

“ You ! You... ! ”

“ What ‘ s the matter Weasley ? ” Malfoy shouldered his broom. “ Had trouble keeping up ? ”

“ I almost hit you ! ” Ginny dropped to the level. “ Why did you stop ? ”

“ We ‘ re here. ” As Malfoy said it a aloud bang issued from the other English of the door. Ginny looked behind her to see the marauders just coming around the street corner. Hermione looked terrify, Neville looked ill.

“ Well lets see then. ” Malfoy drew his wand and pushed at the heavy door. It slowly crept open. Inside was an empty hall, looked like it was usually used for storage or something. The just affair left were a few odd tables and a few boxes. In the midriff of the room stood Harry, bare chested with his scar pure white against his bronze and sweating tegument. On a box next to him was a odd great deal of junk. As they watched he took a denture and held his wand to it. At a whisper word there were two plates, then three, then four. Harry dropped the original back into the pile and tapped the fakes with his wand. They instantly flew off in all directions. Harry jabbed his baton and in a fraction of a second-

BANG ! One shattered near the ceiling. Harry whirled. BANG ! Shattering into fragment. BANG ! Smashing the side and sending the net home plate spinning into the wall.

Harry caught sight of the vulture and grinned before waving them over.

“ Thanks. ” Harry said, plucking the cup out of Malfoy’s hand. “ Must have missed that one. ” He released it and it instantly whizzed into the air.

“ You don ‘ t need to go along duplicating things you know. ” Malfoy said dryly. “ I ‘ ve got oodles of this junk. ”

“ Right. ” Harry shrugged. “ Just didn ‘ t want to trouble oneself you. ”

“ Harry what are you doing with these ? ” Hermione asked, sounding almost scared.

Ginny looked where Hermione was pointing and swallowed fearfully. Arranged in a neat row along the table was a sharp and wickedly curved sword, a short spear with a lighting dash carved into the haft, a round globe that had holes for fingers and seemed to be glowing from within and no lupus erythematosus than three muggle firearms.

“ Souvenirs. ” Harry shrugged lightly. “ From my travels. ”

“ Harry please order us what you’re doing down here ? ” Hermione pleaded.

“ Training. ” Harry flicked his wand over his shoulder without looking and the cup, zipping past too fast to see, exploded in mid air. “ I told you that didn ‘ t I ? ”

Ginny just stared, this was too often. All the marauders expected insanity from Harry but this...

Malfoy was the first base to speak.

“ You bought an impact sphere ? ” He was looking at the bowling testis like affair. “ You shouldn ‘ t have, my father had two in his vault. ”

“ I may need spares. ” Harry shrugged.

“ Harry is this englut dark magic ? ” Hermione was shying away from the table.

“ Depends on your perception. ” Harry replied airily. “ It ‘ s certainly illegal magic. Whether it ‘ s dark is more about the use it ‘ s put to than the affair itself. These thing are just tools. ”

“ And the hired gun ? ” Hermione pointed. “ Did you buy those illegally too ? ”

“ Strangely no, I bought them legally in Vegas. ” Harry picked up the great one. The piranha took a collective dance step back. “ delivery them back to the UK was the illegal bit. ”

“ Wh... wh... ”

“ No wait, I used misrepresent i.d. to buy them... never mind. ” Harry shrugged. “ Yes I bought them illegally. ”

" Harry, your wand... " Malfoy was staring at the bramble-wood wand in Harry's bridge player. " Are you still using the one you stole from Macnair ? "

" Yes, " Harry clanced down at the dark wand. " Why do you ask ? "

" Harry, do you not think that using a wand you stole from a dead death eater is a bit... " Malfoy swallowed. " A bit... creepy ? "

" Why ? I was the one that killed him. "

" You could buy a new one from Ollivander. " Neville suggested.

" And lay on the line it not working as well as this one does ? " Harry balanced the thick, distort wand on the edge of his hand before flicking it up into the air and catching it, all the while with the gun held nonchalantly in his other script. " This one work for me, maybe as well as my old one did. Besides... it sort of fits doesn't it ? This wand's done a lot of wildness in it's lifetime. Lots of hurting, fighting, and that's exactly what I intend to use it for. "

hurting ? Fighting ?... Killing... Ginny swallowed. Harry hadn't said that utmost one but she could feel him thinking it.

“ Harry why are you doing this ? ” Ron asked.

“ What do you mean why ? ” Harry looked at Neville, then at Malfoy. “ Didn ‘ t you tell them ? ”

“ Yeah. I told them. ” Neville said softly.

“ Then what ? ” Harry dropped the gun back down to the table. It sounded heavy. “ I need to fight Voldemort. I have to fight Voldemort. ”

“ Yeah but Harry- ” Ginny started, but was cut off.

“ I have to defend Voldemort and you know what ? I ‘ ll miss ! ” Harry slashed the air angrily. “ I ‘ ll lose, I mean what else would happen ? I spotty, ignorant xv year old against the most dangerous ace on the planet ? I ‘ ll misplace, he ‘ ll win, we ‘ ll all be screwed. Don ‘ t you see ? I can ‘ t afford to be an unknowledgeable teenager any More. I have to be better. I need to be better. Because I can ‘ t lose, can ‘ t afford to drop off. None of us can open for me to lose. Do you know what it feels like to know that the whole populace is royally screwed if you fail ? No ? Then shut up ! Don’t try to stop me and don ‘ t ask me why ! I know why, and if you took a microsecond to recall you ‘ d know why too ! ”

Harry’s angry tirade shocked the piranha into silence. Harry turned back to his atomic reactor of junk and began duplicating a heavy looking glass bowl.

“ Harry... you don ‘ t know when the prophecy will happen. ” Neville surprisingly spoke up. “ Maybe you won ‘ t be fifteen. Maybe you ‘ ll be xx, or thirty. Maybe you have time... ”

“ Do you want to chance everything on maybe ? ” Harry answered without looking up. “ fountainhead I ‘ m not. It could be any time so I have to be ready any clock time. It could be tomorrow too. ”

“ Do you want someone to duel against ? ” Malfoy said quietly.

“ You... ! ” Hermione whirled on him. “ You can ‘ t help him ! ”

“ Why not ? He ‘ s right. ” Malfoy shrugged, apparently unimpressed by Hermione’s angry face.

“ Dumbledore said- ”

“ Dumbledore has been faulty before. ” Malfoy cut her off. “ It hurts nothing to be ready in type he ‘ s wrong this time. ”

“ But Harry could be killed ! ”

“ Yes. ” Malfoy nodded curtly. “ He could. Did you not realize that ? Did you perhaps think what happened last class was some sort of funny story secret plan ? ”

“ Of course not, but- ”

“ Well then. ” Malfoy sidestepped Hermione. “ We duel. Besides... not like there ‘ s anything else to do around here. ”

“ goodness point. ” Ginny was surprised to pick up her own voice. Oh no now everyone was looking at her, better say something. “ And since we ‘ re all mark maybe we should try learning some stuff too. ”

“ At to the lowest degree we ‘ ll all get O ‘ s in defense. ” Padma smiled wryly.

“ So we ‘ re not going to talk about the divination ? ” Hermione turned to face Harry.

“ What ‘ s there to say ? ” Harry shrugged. “ It ‘ s fairly self explanatory. No one but me can kill Voldemort. Not much to discuss. ”

“ I... guess so... ” Hermione bit her lip. “ There ‘ s an order meeting tonight. Maybe we can ask Dumbledore... ”

“ Good. ” Harry hoisted a glass bowlful onto his shoulder and chuck out it out into the room. He aimed his wand and muttered under his breath. The bowl melted and splattered into a steaming great deal on the floor. “ There are some things I want to ask him too. ”
*


“ Where have you lot been ! ” Molly Weasley drew herself up. “ You disappeared hours ago ! All of you, gone all day ! Now you ‘ re back and you look like you ‘ ve been fighting ! Now you... Where do you think you ‘ re going ! ”

“ Hu ? ” genus Draco turned from his progress towards the door. “ What do you mean ‘ Where am I going’? I ‘ m going to the kitchen. ”

“ You come back here young man ! ”

“ Why ? I ‘ m not your kin. Nor am I one of these other waifs you seem to stimulate adopted. I don ‘ t handle for your notion, nor for your misplaced and overworked maternal instinct. I ‘ m certainly not going to let you yell at me while you live under my roof. ” Draco turned back to the door...

“ Get back here ! ”

....and walked happily through it, with enraged silence left behind him.

“ You do jazz that means you ‘ ll have to make you ‘ re own breakfast from now on. ”

“ Tonks. ” genus Draco smiled and walked through the now crowded kitchen to where his first cousin was sitting. Next to the werewolf. Dragon shuddered inwardly and sat on her other face. “ I couldn ‘ t eat another fried breakfast anyway. Any more and my broom won ‘ t be able to book me. ”

“ I doubt that small cousin. ” Tonks prodded him playfully before growing serious. “ How ‘ s Harry doing ? ”

“ He ‘ s... ” Draco licked his lip and gestured for her to slant finisher. “ He ‘ s accepted the prophecy. He ‘ s accepted that he will fight back Voldemort. He ‘ s preparing for it. ”

“ That sounds ominous. ” Tonks shook her head. “ Dumbledore ‘ s not going to like it. ”

“ Don ‘ t enjoin him. ”

“ I won ‘ t, but he ‘ ll recover out anyway. ”

“ Will he ? ” A new vocalism came in. Draco looked up to see Harry slew in across from them. The wolfman grunted and got up, not looking at Harry. Tonks glanced after him, confused. Harry ignored it.

“ How ‘ d you get away ? ” Draco asked.

“ Disillusion. ” Harry shrugged. “ That deep into a tirade I doubt she ‘ ll count how many masses she ‘ s yelling at. So... when ‘ s Dumbledore getting here ? ”

“ Now. ” Tonks stood as the ancient man walked into the kitchen. Harry was instantly on the other slope of the bench and stepping up beside the master and tugging on his robe.

“ prof, can I talk to you ab- ”

“ After the merging Harry. ” Dumbledore brushed him off. “ You have my word. But right now some of the edict members have important missions they must get back to quickly. ”

“ Of course. ” Harry stepped back, nodding amicably. “ I understand. ”

What ? Draco crossed his branch and frowned. Why was Harry being so calm ? What was going on ? As the orderliness members filed out he sidled up to Harry’s side ?

“ What was that ? ”

“ What ? ”

“ You being calmness and nice towards Dumbledore. What are you up to ? ”

“ I ‘ m always nice. ”

“ You ‘ re always up to something. ”

“ Are you suggesting ? ” Harry drew himself up haughtily. “ That I am only nice when I have an agenda ? That I am manipulative and self serving that way ? That I would only be still if I, oh say... wanted to slip a listening twist into the air pocket of soul ‘ s robes before they went into an parliamentary law encounter... or something like that ? ”
*


Snape stepped into the manor and strode towards the main dining elbow room. He wasn’t late precisely, just... no longer appropriately prompt. He pushed the threshold open up and walked to the undefended seat next to Natalie.

“ Have I missed anything important ? ”

“ Attacks. ” The unspeakable was idly scraping her finger along the edge of a copy of the everyday prophesier. “ wickedness marks. Wizards and enchantress we suspect have been turned, or put under the sniffy curse.

" Nothing important then. "

" Nothing new at least. " Natalie tuned to him. " Did you hear they found Harry ? "

" I heard Harry found them. " Snape cracked a grin. " Or Moody at least. "

" Severus, " A soft interpreter called. Snape looked over to Dumbledore, who was looking at him expectantly. " Is there any news ? "

" Yes. " Snape brought himself back to the task at bridge player. " The dark lord is moving. "

" Well duh. " The voice near the end of the table was swiftly silenced by a flat stare.

" The dark lord is moving more specifically. Now that Greyback is beat all but a few of the werewolves have deserted him. He seeks new troops to sew panic, he has chosen to adopt by whole wealth this sentence rather than abandon promises. He is arranging purchase of large numbers of various exotic specie, lethifolds primarily. Chimaeras if it can bump a willing seller. "

" Why ? " lupin asked from down the table. " Why mindless beasts ? "

" Precisely because they are mindless. " Snape explained. " His criminal Army from Azkaban has not been as effective as he hoped. "

" They've torn the country apart ! " soul yelled.

" But only in their own capacity. They have not followed orders well, they are distracted. The nighttime overlord has killed a lot of them, he seems tired of human failings. In a way he doesn't want an United States Army, he wants a arm. Something he can unleash at will. Doubtless he will be employing the sniffy curse to see that his will is done. "

" It doesn't employment on lethifolds. " lupine said with certainty. A little sniff of embossment slid through Snape's mind, swiftly swallowed up with darkness.

" But it does work out on chimeras. And on manticores. "

" Manticores ? " The former defence force teacher eyes grew wide.

" fountainhead, manticore at present. But he is looking for others. "

" Why not simply use it on the criminals ? " person asked.

" Both because that would micturate them less efficacious fighters and because long exposure to the Dementors seems to have made them surprisingly resistant to mental attacks. " Snape leant closer over the table to speak to the gild as a unit. " I have the date he plans to meet with creature monger. If we arrange a trap we can get ahead of him and- "

" No. " Dumbledore spoke with tranquillity authority.

" We can not allow this to happen. "

" If we act he will assuredly suppose the source of our information. " Dumbledore shook his whiskered head. " You are too worthful at present to risk. You are our alone root of information. "

" selective information we never act on. " Snape clenched his fists on the cold mahogany table. " What use is my spying... what use is this order if we are too scared to ever act. "

" We can not act rashly. "

I do not act rashly. You simply do not act. Snape bit back the wrangle we wanted to fling at the old man. It would be pointless.

" We could instead intercede with the foreign auror departments. " Snape tried to trick himself into thinking this was anything former than a price limiting attempt. " They could arrest some of the traders before the dark lord can fill with them. "

" Perhaps, " Dumbledore nodded. " There are very few the great unwashed we can hope. I will try to get in contact with some old admirer that may be able to help. "

Old friends ? Of yours ? Won't they be dust or lingeringly senile ghosts by now ?

Natalie gave no outwards star sign that she had heard Snape's projected though, but she reached over and laid her hired man on his arm.

“ Is there anything else ? ”

“ Barty Crouch still has not returned. ” Snape shook his drumhead, Barty Crouch had become Voldemort’s darling, surpassing even Belatrix. Snape had hoped at one time that Barty’s nonstarter to gain the ministry would count against him, and it had, but apparently throwing it into turmoil had been enough. That and successfully bringing Harry Potter directly to the nighttime lord. All that made it even more suspicious that Barty was wanting from death eater gathering. The dark lord kept his handmaid close, if he was letting one off their tether then it had to be for something important.

“ Do you think he has left the land ? ” Someone down the table asked.

“ It is possible. ” Snape nodded. “ But whatever he is doing it has it ‘ s base here. The dark lord has always intended to lead this area before moving on to the rest of the world. That has not changed. It may also postulate espionage. ”

“ Why do you say that ? ”

“ It is Barty Crouch ‘ s specialty is it not ? ” Snape shrugged. “ But the dark lord has ordered me to begin researching polyjuice potion in an attempt to hold it work for any mechanical man species. ”

“ You think it is connected ? ”

“ I do not know. ” Snape answered honestly. “ It could just as easily be involved in his attempts to gain the accompaniment of the giants. ”

“ The darkness overlord program are like spiderwebs. ” Natalie said softly. “ We can assume everything is connected. ” If anyone other than Snape heard her they said nothing.

“ Is that all ? ”

“ former than hours of listening to the iniquity lords dark-skinned pontificating on the subject of the Death or subjugation of all muggles ? ” Snake River crooked an eyebrow. “ No. ”

" goodness. What news from the ministry ? " Dumbledore had turned to Shacklebolt, who sighed and shook his head.

" It has become prescribed. Fudge is still government minister for magic. "

A general groan went up from around the room. Snape just closed his eyes and took a calming breath. After the events of last yr the ministry had been fractured to its very core. The near-election of a death eater had made them fearful as lapin. Fudge had, the moment Dumbledore left the building, ran back to his place and virtually barricaded himself inside. All summer he had been wrangling the ministry around to the approximation that his riddance was not valid because of the magic of Barty Crouch Jr.

That was, Snape had to admit, technically true. Although the vote to remove Fudge had been won by a prosperous margin the original apparent movement to take away a rector for magic could only be tabled by a phallus of the Wizengamot. Crouch Jr was not a member, only impersonating one, therefore the motion and, by extension, the balloting was void. A composition of bureaucratic foolishness that meant they were stuck with that ridiculous man until someone else drummed up enough support to oust him.

" We could replace him. " Natalie said, seeming to understand his mentation like she often did ( even when not actually doing so ). " Everyone in my section thinks he's a joke. "

" Ours too. " Shacklebolt rumbled.

" The whole ministry does. " Arthur Weasley added. " The unhurt wizarding universe. The problem is that no one wants to put in a nomination for fear of looking like they're following Crouch's example. "

" So we put someone forward. " Snape said definitely. " We subject field a candidate no one can reason is a death eater. "

" And they will be shot down by those who resent Dumbledore interfering in the ministry. Fudge was not the only one. " Shacklebolt shook his chief. " I realize this opinion may not be the most slow to hear, but perhaps we should grant him to stay for now. "

" What ? " Snape asked acidically. His anger was echoed down the table as others voiced their complaint.

" I realize the office is not ideal. " Shacklebolt held his handwriting up. " But Fudge is scared to touch any jazz order fellow member or anyone else who waves Dumbledore's banner. As a result he is leaving the aurors office and the ease of the section relatively untouched. We can impart out our oeuvre without any overbearing oversight for now. And besides, with all the ex-Azkaban house physician running around causing trouble we do not have time for a political engagement on top of that. If we can not give birth a sympathetic pastor of thaumaturgy, one that stays out of our way is a good s choice. "

" So it is agreed. " Dumbledore looked up solemnly. " We allow him to remain while he remains un-troublesome. "

Snape grimaced but didn't gossip. Once more nothing would be done.

" Is ward duty for the side by side week set up ? " Dumbledore asked the meet rescript. There was a general nodding. It had not been hard to prepare, not with a member inside the section of mysteries.

" Then we should all get back to work. " Dumbledore stood. " And we should all organise for tone-beginning by wizardly beings. lupin can, I'm sure, remind you of the best methods to repel them. "

Snape stood quickly, he couldn't be missed for long. The dark Almighty was as watchful of his handmaiden as he was of his of his enemy. Snape turned to Natalie,

" My safety duty is scheduled for Tuesday, at eleven. "

" I'll be sure to be in the office then. " Natalie nodded. Snape knew that he would be living for Tuesday at eleven. He reluctantly turned and made for the door. Unfortunately there was a obstruction, the whole order was bunched up at the astray reduplicate doors. Snape quickly pushed to the nominal head and was almost forced to laugh.

Harry had built a barricade.

The fifth year was sitting casually on an overturned desk, resting his feet on a draftsman. The relaxation of the arching wall was mostly chairs and tables, and one suit of armor.

" Harry this was not necessary. " Dumbledore stepped forward, his workforce stretched peacefully. " I promised we would talk. "

" I wanted your full-of-the-moon attention. " Harry replied wryly. " I want to fight. "

" Harry you are not old enough to join the order. "

" You think Voldemort will handle ? "

" We will keep back you secure from Voldemort. "

" Right. " Harry dropped off his perch and landed, cat like, on the level. "'Cos that tactics's worked wizard so far. You know I have to fight. I have to press him. "

" Harry I have made my decision. "

" I contest the sanity of your decision. " Harry grated. " You just going to let Voldemort take the air all over this res publica ? "

" Harry potter I have had enough of this. " Dumbledore waved his verge angrily. The barricade disappeared with a deafening crack. " You will stay where I put you until it is safe for you to do otherwise. If you will spare no sentiment for your own safety others must do it for you. You will stay here. You will be safe here. "

" Unless a lethifold weirdy in through the window. " Harry said flatly. Dumbledore went cold, then glanced at Snape. Harry chuckled and continued. " Don't look at him. This is you're fault. You let me hear everything. "

" How Harry ? " Dumbledore crooked an eyebrow, but his usual good temper was gone.

" I'll let you stew over it. " Harry folded his weapons system. " I want to defend. I want to sit in order encounter. I want a tutor to teach me to duel. "

" You may own none of those things. " Dumbledore wasn't moving, just standing like a statue. Radiating threat. " As for defense team grooming you will find it at Hogarts, in your unconstipated Defense class. "

" Well I hope at least you've got individual good. " Harry sneered, then, glancing at McGonagall, let out a little choked laugh. " You haven't found anyone have you ? "

" I will not discus this with you Harry. " Dumbledore drew his wand. " I have more important matter to do. " And with that he turned and apparated away with an furious crack.

The order members began to shuffle out, giving Harry a wide berth. lupin in particular was staring at him with what could only be described as loathing. Snape walked up to the lonesome student.

" Perhaps you should not antagonize him. "

" He antagonizes me. " Harry answered, sounding a little defeated. " I don't understand him. "

" Few people do. "

" You ? "

" No. "

" Great. " Harry shrugged, then looked up to meet Snape's oculus. " Would... you teach me to fight ? "

I should have expected that question. Snape took a hint to give himself sentence to moot his response.

" No. "

" Why ? " Harry asked, sounding somewhere between anger and helplessness. " You know what's at stake ! "

" If I teach you then you will descend into the snare of mentation you are ready. " Snape shook his head. " I could top on everything I know to you and you would still lose to the dark Maker because I would lose to the dark lord. "

" I'm not just gon na bucket along in half cocked. "

" You will, inevitably. " Snape said, hoping bluntness could get through to him. You will inevitably seek him out because, despite everything you have gone through, you are still a teenage boy. "

" I'm not an idiot. "

" Yes you are. " Snape corrected. " You are immature, by definition you are an idiot. "

" Haven't been Edward Young for weeks. " Harry drew up his arm and unclipped an unexpected bracer. " Not since I got this. "

Snape momentarily thought of asking where he had got the evil eye bracer but thought better of it. The reply was of no particular use. He almost wanted to ask if Harry had a spare.

" Harry... " Snape glanced around to see if anyone was listening. Natalie was but that was beyond the point. " If you want my advice you will extend as you have no doubt been doing. Train, learn everything you can. When the meter comes, I promise I will teach you. "

" Fine. " Harry seemed defeated, distant. " testament you at least teach me occlumency ? I can't use that to fight. "

" I will remember on it. Now I must go. " Snape turned and walked away. It was surprisingly difficult.
*


" Fine. " Harry muttered to himself. " I'll try Moody. "
*


The predator had to hunt Harry again that evening. He had disappeared before dinner and was nowhere to be seen. The border wards hadn't been tripped but with Harry that meant next to zippo. They found him in a obsolete stairway, sitting in the rainbow blur of a defile methamphetamine hydrochloride window. With the light mottling his peel like some hobo camp cat the marauders hesitated to approach him.

" You missed dinner. " Ron eventually began.

" Not hungry. "

" What were you doing ? "

" Begging. Again. " Harry let out a rough out, retch, laugh. " Full circle. "

" What do you think of begging ? " Fred frowned. " You've got money don't you ? "

" Not money. " Harry was still looking up into the twinkle. " I've spent the evening begging club members, aurors... everyone really, to learn me to defend. dissipation of my time... " Harry trailed off shaking his head.

" They said no ? " Malfoy was leaning against a handrail. " Who did you ask ? "

" Snape, Moody, Tonks, Shacklebolt, McGonagall... " Harry sighed. " Flitwick, he was a dueling champ. I even asked lupine, or tried to before he slammed the threshold on me. Why would he do that ? Why would any of them... they know what I have to do. They have to hump... "

" We'll help you Harry. " Ginny stepped forward. " We said we would. "

" It's not the Saami. I need a teacher. " Harry shook his head. " There's only so lots I can get from Holy Writ and... peer learning. "

" well... maybe you could ask whoever they get to learn defense this year. " Hermione suggested. " Or maybe they'll be really good any you won't have to. "

" You don't get it ! " Harry covered his font with his script. " It's not just chucking around a duo of stunner. None of you have seen a existent wizards duel, not proper dueling. Not like what Voldermort's capable of. Not like what I'll have to be subject of if I want to abide a chance at winning. None of you have seen it. "

" Really, have you seen it ? " Padma asked, eyebrows raised.

" Of course, I saw... him... duel with... " Harry paused for a moment, then a fraction of a spark lit the street corner of his eye. " With him. Maybe... "

" Harry ? " Hermione reached out but Harry had shot to his metrical unit like a tar in a box.

" Has shovel found your owlery ? " He was looking at Malfoy.

" Yes your poor over-traveled and long-suffering fowl has found my owlery. " Malfoy rolled his eyes. " If you're going to globetrot you should really narrate your owl to detain home. "

" I would. " Harry disappeared up the stairs. " But I don't have a home. "
*


The future day, at breakfast, Harry seemed strangely chipper.

" We should go back to the cellar, maybe duel some, hang out. Bring the Bromus secalinus set if you want. " Harry was idly juggling three orange tree in his right hand mitt while gesturing with the other. " After toast obviously. "

" Sure... for sure Harry. " Hermione was nodding a niggling carefully, like soul talking to a man with a hand grenade. Which, given Harry's stream track record, might throw been the character. " We'll do that. "

" Should practice shield too. " Harry switched the oranges to both workforce then quickly back to his right.

" Great... salutary... wonderful. "

" Let's go then. " Harry pocketed the fruit and led the confused marauder, and Malfoy, from the elbow room. As Harry pushed the door open he pulled up brusque. lupin was frozen in front line of him, his hand raised to gain for the door. His smile had frozen and dropped into the frown he always wore on seeing Harry.

" Yes Professor ? " Harry asked pointedly. " Something the issue ? "

Lupin seemed to almost grumble but cut himself off and pushed past Harry into the kitchen.

" What is his problem ? " Harry muttered.

" He was sort of alright before. " Ron scratched his head.

" Before what ? "

" Before well... you. Before you got here. " Ron shrugged. " He was even sort of funny. "

" Whatever. " Harry shook his head. " I can't be bothered worrying about it. Lets go. "
*


This wasn't the last Harry heard about it though. Lupin lived in the house, they bumped into each other all the prison term. Each time Harry was met by the same festering hatred. It was kind of disconcerting. Eventually Harry learned Lupin's routine and managed to mostly outride out of his way. Of course it helped that he spent at least ten minute a day in the void cellar, sometimes with the piranha, sometimes with Draco, sometimes alone. Each day when Harry finally dropped himself into an icy bath to console his bruised flesh he felt a kind of fiery satisfaction.

He was getting better !

He could beat any of the piranha one on one, even the twins. genus Draco was better, at the start he had beaten Harry a lot. Well, no... at the very start Harry had won. Then Harry had raged at the blond and forced him to really cut loose and use some of the tight darkness magic his father had taught him. With those spells in his arsenal Draco had been winning, but Harry was clawing back. He was getting better, there was no denying that. Every throbbing bruise, every first light waking up aching was a triumph because he was getting better. And that wasn't even considering his former toys.

Harry shifted his infantry to rest on the top of a mahogany desk in the sign of the zodiac library ( there was some good stuff here, more spells to play with ) when the door creaked open.

" howdy Tonks. " Harry said, without looking up.
*


" Wotcher Harry. " He was doing that more and more. He was like Dumbledore crossed with Moody crossed with Snape. Tonks winced inwardly, it wasn't the tyke mistake. He had been forced to turn like this, canny and brutal as a feral fox. " What'ya reading ? "

" The gentleman's guide to good and efficient application program of pain. " Harry read calmly off the cover of the book.

" Oh... " There was no real reply to that. " Any good ? "

" Never knew there were so many uses for a riding crop. " Harry folded the pageboy down and looked up at her. " How are you doing ? Order keeping you busy ? "

" Oh definitely. " Tonks ran a handwriting through her ( currently blue ) hair. " Between them and the aurors I'm run pretty thin. "

" So I couldn't convince you to teach me to duel ? " Harry asked cheekily.

" Sorry Harry, reply's still no. " Tonks smiled, at least he wasn't holding it against her. " You seem to be doing ok on your own though. "

" I try. " Harry brightened up. " want to duel sometime ? You don't have to teach or talk or anything just a favorable duel ? "

" I don't think Dumbledore would like that. "

" Dumbledore doesn't have to know. " Harry urged weedlingly.

" Sorry Harry. "

" Damn. " Harry sighed and looked like he was going to say something else but just shook his psyche. " Never mind. Was there something you wanted or did you just come to chat ? "

" I was going to ask about Remus. "

" Eh ? " Harry's brow furrowed. " Who ? "

" Remus Lupin. "

" Oh him. " Harry rolled his eye. " What about him ? "

" Do you lie with what's wrong with him ? " Tonks pulled a crapper and sat on the other side of the desk. From this angle Harry resembled a very appraising interviewer. His beaten and frayed steel-capped the boot up on one side of the desk and a huge pile of suspicious book of account on the other. In between he was regarding her piercingly over his conducting wire glasses.

" What's wrong with him. " Harry repeated levelly. " Apart from the totally fur and fang matter ? "

" Yes apart from that. " Tonks nodded. " I meant- "

" Big thing to dismiss. " Harry interrupted her. " The fact that he's a werewolf. "

" They're not as bad as everyone says. "

" They are in my experience. "

" You clearly haven't met many. "

" Met loads. Killed some. " Harry said coldly.

" How can you just say that ! " Maybe he had changed more than I thought. " They're people inside ! They have souls ! They're human ! "

" I'm sorry Tonks, " Harry held up his hands. " I know what you're trying to say. But I've only ever met one lycanthrope who hasn't tried to vote out me and even he sometimes acts like he wants to. pardon me for not having a great sentiment of the species. When I meet a werewolf who doesn't act like the colossus they are inside maybe I'll think differently. Until then I think my hatred is justified. " Harry part was obdurate and sharp, and more than a little scary.

" I'm sorry Harry. " Tonks repeated. " They're not all bad, I wish I could hold you see that. You just... I guess I can't. You seem to have been forced to see the worst of everything. "

" Occupational hazard. " Harry smiled sadly, then shook it off and grinned. " Sorry, we seem to have gotten sidetracked into a character instant. What was the archetype question ? "

" Remus... or Professor lupine. Before you came here he was... different. "

" I've heard. "

" He was really funny. "

" I'll believe it when I see it. "

" He had lots of these news report about what he did when he was young. "

" Chase milkmen ? "

" No Harry. " Tonks tried not to oppose. " Did you know he knew your father ? "

" I was aware. " Harry sighed heavily. " Sorry Tonks, I don't think I can help you much. He's always been like this around me. The others tell me he was different around me. Ginny's in a different year and according to her he was a great teacher to them. It's just around me Tonks. It's just me. "

" But why ? "

" I dunno ! " Harry threw up his hands. " Ask him ! "

" He... he won't tell me. " Tonks looked at the floor. When she had asked him he had just turned and left the room in the middle of her doubt. He hadn't spoken to her for days. " I thought you might know, or at least have a guess. "

" Charles Herbert Best I can come up with is I remind him too much of what he lost. " Harry shrugged. Tonks considered this. Harry's guesswork was probably Worth an essay from anyone else, the kid could read people scarily well. Harry continued, " I mean I get the impression he didn't talk to much of anyone after my parents died. He may charge me issue forth to think of it. You know... for their deaths. "

" That doesn't phone like Lupin. "

" Not the Lupin you know. " Harry shrugged. " If nothing else I'll be gone in another week. He should be back to normal after that. You should throw your big fluffy, funny lupin back. "

" I guess so. " Tonks stood. " Thanks Harry. "

" stoppage safe Tonks. " Harry flicked his book back open.

" You too Harry. "
*


The marauder didn't take the string to Hogwarts that year. They were flued into Hogsmeade under an order guard. As they walked up the long road to the castle Ginny fell back to where Harry was walking.

" Why aren't you angry ? "

" Why would I be tempestuous Ginsters ? " Harry smiled a little smugly.

" We're going back to Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's thumb. " Ginny shrugged. " I dunno I just sort of expected you to try and escape or something. "

" Don't encourage him. " Malfoy murmured dryly from behind her.

" I'm not running off. " Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. " I'm right where I want to be. "

When they walked in the feast had already started. The predator were forced to obtain a unclutter department of table with the whole G. Stanley Hall murmuring and pointing.

" Is it me or are the tabular array a bit emptier than usual ? " George said, scanning over the hall.

" Lots of parents decided to keep their kids base this year. " Anapurna said sadly. " Our parents almost did but well... "

" We convinced them Hogwarts was safe than home. " Her sister ended for her.

" curiosity who the new defence force teacher is ? " Ron gestured with a wimp leg at the empty place on the instructor's table. Ron looked down the table. " Oy ! Dean ! Did they annunciate anything about the new teacher ? "

" Nothing ! " Came the shouted response. The vulture collectively shrugged, except for Harry who just smiled faintly.

He knows. Ginny realized but stopped herself from asking. Harry wouldn't William Tell and they'd know soon enough.

" Students ! " Dumbledore stood. The hall quieted down. " I have a few promulgation to hold. Firstly, as you may bear realized, some of your schoolfellow have decided not to join us. This is of course their alternative, or that of their parents, and I hope that you treat then no differently if they decide to rejoin us. Secondly as you know, if you do not last on the moon, the dark Godhead has returned. I wish to make both that and this next fact perfectly clear. He can not bruise you here. Behind the bulwark of Hogwarts you are safe. Thirdly, and most happily, we have a new denial teacher. One that, I am surely you will all savor learning from. So I would invite you to join me in saying welcome, or more correctly welcome back, to professor M- "

" Yes ! Your orison have been answered ! " The huge doors to the great mansion boomed candid. " I am, thanks to monumental populace demand, BACK ! "

" It's him ! "

" Can't be... "

" Yes ! "

" Yes ! "

" Horray ! "

" Yes, yes thank you ! " The muscled design lapped up the praise, grinning from one face of his face to the other. He was the Same as ever, maybe his haircloth was a little shorter, his tan a little deeper, his arms more marred, his legs clad in jean instead of leather and his fedora replaced with a folded handkerchief. But it was him, unmistakable and in the flesh.

" I'm back in the country ! backbone in activeness ! backrest in print ! The one, the only MARKUS TRIPPLE M Albert Abraham Michelson ! " The blonde monster punched the air and the hall jumped to their feet in cheers. " But delight... call me Maximus. No no delay... send for me Professor Maximus. "
*


Harry dropped out of his windowpane that night after everyone had eventually gone to sleep and made his way down to the rooftops. Finding Albert Michelson's office was prosperous, the brightness was still guttering from the crevice under the door. Harry knocked calmly, a instant later the doorway opened.

" Was wondering if I'd see you tonight Pipsqueak. "

" Well I had to recognize the new professor. " Harry stepped into the office, it was already all set out. It looked almost exactly the same as it had three years ago, with one or two gain. Harry leant to calculate at a shifting adept ikon. It showed a huge crowd of the great unwashed, all but one of them looking African, standing in rows like a school photo. Sticking out like a sore thumb was Markus Albert Michelson in the third row, grinning and jerking his thumb at the thing behind them. Even lying on it's incline it towered over even Markus, spotted and studded with spears and burn cicatrice it looked like a...

" You did it ! " Harry turned grinning to his teacher. " Nundu James Henry Leigh Hunt ! "

" take away it down with only eighty six people. " Michelson nodded smugly. " New globe record. I got the tail. "

" Nice. " Harry grinned. " rich person you been in Africa the all clock time ? "

" Nah, " Markus snorted. " I was in Norway when your owl reached me. Relatively close. "

" And you came back. " Harry grew serious. " Thank you. I know I asked a lot. "

" You saved my life once. " Markus clapped Harry on the shoulder, severely buffeting him. " Brothers at arms remember. And besides, I like Hogwarts. "

" Did you tell Dumbledore why you were asking for your job back ? "

" Didn't come in up. " Markus grinned slyly. " I get the impression he'd rather I didn't instruct you ? "

" No. " Harry rolled his oculus. " He wants to cover me up in bubble wrap. privation's to keep me safe and out of danger. "

" Big men like us attract danger. " Markus said definitely. " Only way to be condom is to bang how to await after yourself, and you're hardly a youngster. Not after what you've been through. "

" My thoughts exactly. "

" Well in that caravan of thought. " Markus drew his prospicient verge. " When do you want to start ? How's now ? "

" Now ? " Harry flicked his verge out of his sleeve. " Now's good. "



If you don't leave a revaluation YOU WILL DIE ! Really.... you will... eventually... & emsp ;


I don't own Harry Potter. No one owns Harry potter ! He does not have a figure ! He is a free man !



“ Mr Potter. ”

“ Professor Dumbledore. ” Harry looked up from the breakfast tabular array. “ Hi, how are you ? Would you like a pop prostitute ? ”

“ No Mr Potter, I would not. ”

“ Are you sure ? There ‘ s strawberry, cocoa, cherry- ”

“ Mr Potter where were you last nighttime ? ”

“ I assume in bed. ” Harry replied calmly.

“ rich person you forgotten Harry ? ” Dumbledore’s vox was flat and a touch threatening. “ I have ways of telling where you are in Hogwarts. You were not in Hogwarts for much of last night, you were only in your bed from around one in the morning. ”

Damn it. Harry tried not to scratch the bracer on his wrist. He had been so hoping the malefic eye could protect him from Dumbledore’s map.

“ Your map must be faulty. ” Harry grinned.

“ My map is not incorrect ! ” Dumbledore snapped. “ Tell me how you left Hogwarts ! ”

“ I didn ‘ t leave. ”

“ Do not lie to me Harry Potter ! ” The whole school was watching now in rapt attention.

“ Getting a little raging Professor ? ” Harry asked. “ Maybe your map... no, maybe your knowledge isn ‘ t as gross as you think. ”

“ I dislike being kept in the dark. ”

“ Then train to suffer. ” Harry said darkly. “ I ‘ ve been kept dark for years by you. It ‘ s metre you reaped what you arrogantly and unthinkingly sowed. prepare to hold up in the nighttime Professor. I hope you brought lanterns. ” With that Harry stood and walked from the hall, with every eye following.
*


“ Harry ? Harry ! Ha... oh he is here. ” Parvati pointed into the disused attic the marauders had used the previous year. Ginny looked in and saw him calmly chalking something on the level. The marauder wandered in slowly, with Malfoy close behind.

“ Hi guys. ” Harry got to his understructure and threw a piece of chalk he had been using away. “ Just getting this place ready, we can use it to train after lessons. ”

“ Harry where were you last night ? ” Hermione asked the question none of them wanted to voice.

“ What you guys too ? ” Harry laughed and summoned a mug of coffee bean off a sight of record. “ Relax, I didn ‘ t leave Hogwarts. I was just training in a space the map can ‘ t see, that ‘ s all. ”

“ Where ? ” Ginny asked at the same fourth dimension as Malfoy said,

“ The room of requirements ? ”

“ The what of what ? ” Harry shook his head. “ Nah, just... somewhere. Anyway flavour at this. ” Harry pointed down at the storey. On it there were a number of rectangles, some prospicient, some short-change, some thin. It looked kind of familiar.

“ It ‘ s the bookcases. ” Harry said proudly. “ In the room beneath us. ”

“ Wh... why ? ” Ron asked.

“ Don ‘ t ya see ? ” Harry grinned. “ It ‘ s Dumbledore ‘ s map. It ‘ s 2D you see, birds eye view, he can ‘ t state what storey we ‘ re on. So long as we don ‘ t cross the bookcases he ‘ ll think we ‘ re just in the library. So long as we ‘ re in curfew we can train in here without him knowing. Anyway, lets go to potions. Don ‘ t want Snape angry at us. ”

“ Harry, ” Padma stopped him with an outstretched manus. “ Did you have to be so... adversarial... with Dumbledore ? ”

Harry paused for a moment before answering...

“ Yes. ”

... and walking on out of the garret. The marauder shared a foresighted look and followed him.
*


Potions passed uneventfully. Harry split his fourth dimension between the book on his knees and the caldron in forepart of him meaning that his potion wasn’t even near finished. but at least it didn’t explode. appeal was following and Harry didn’t bother paying attention there either, though in this case it was because he already knew how to reach target wings. He could sacrifice them swan wings if he wanted, or giant disastrous leathery ones. When the object lesson was over Harry didn’t even bother to utter, he just gathered his stuff and nonsense and rushed back to the attic. Ginny met them on the way.

“ We ‘ re not going to lunch ? ” Ron asked as they reached the musty room.

“ No. ”

“ But I ‘ m hungry ! ”

“ Call Dobby. ” Harry shed his robe and stepped into the centerfield of the heavy evacuate blank space. “ Malfoy, you first. ”

“ If you ‘ re sure. ” Malfoy drew his wand. “ You injured your hand hold up time. ”

“ Did I ? ” Harry froze.

“ Well you ‘ re not using it. ”

“ It ‘ s fine, It ‘ s my left anyway. ” Harry shrugged and wiggled his digit as proof.. “ mustiness have fallen on it or something. ”

“ If you ‘ re sure. ” Malfoy said dubiously. “ wellspring then... Expelliarmus ! ”

“ Ferio ! Stupefy ! ” Harry shot Malfoy’s spell out of the air and threw his own a moment after. The blond boy shielded and Harry was forced to duck under his own dish. “ Fulgar Fletch ! ” Harry flicked his wand and sent a swarm of sparkling sword flickering through the air towards the momentarily shocked Malfoy.

“ Protego ! ” Draco shielded desperately but was forced backwards as the flencers hit it.

“ Mobilisolum ! ” Harry jerked the flooring towards him and saw Malfoy topple onto his back. “ Stupefy ! ”

“ Volucers ! ” Malfoy’s wand jabbed into the air and Harry the stunner was absorbed by a black cloud. The cloud expanded and rushed towards the shocked Harry.

“ Bloody hell ! ” Harry heard Fred cry at the Lapp prison term as his Twin yelled, “ Hornets ! ”

“ Arg ! Ouch ! ” Harry felt bunco on every piece of open pulp. Burning all across his peel like a chemical substance fire. Another star would hold been overpowered by the bother, but Harry had felt far far bad. “ Take this ! Tempesto ! ”

malarky sprung from the stagnant air and rushed over Harry, carrying the Hornets away in a furiously buzzing tornado.

“ Eat it Blondie. ” Harry grinned and flicked his sceptre towards his opponent. The Slytherin’s exulting grin suddenly turned to fear and anguish as the cloud engulfed him.

“ Fin-ow ! Fi- bloody thing ! Finite Crabro ! ” The hornets disappeared and Draco was left disheveled and snarling in the middle of the whirlwind. Harry let it rage for another secondment before canceling it too. The two belligerent stared each other down for a few here and now, both pockmarked with pang and sweating.

“ Maybe you two should stop. ” Hermione suggested hesitantly from the sidelines. “ Before you hurt yourselves. More I mean. ”

“ Maybe we should. ” Malfoy said, lowering his wand.

“ I guess. ” Harry smiled, knowing this plot. He kept a close down adhesive friction on his wand. Wait for it...

“ Confringo ! ”

“ Protego ! ” Harry’s shield was up in plenty of metre to parry the bane. “ Ha ! Nice- ” Harry’s shield tattered and he was lifted off his infantry as his chest exploded in pain. He was thrown backwards and rolled across the pitted and scarred floor. He jerked before he hit the slanted wall and managed to advertise himself to his fundament. His sceptre was gone, rolled across the floor away from him.

“ Damn it ! Damn it ! dullard bloody carapace ! ”

“ Are you injured Harry ? ” Malfoy called out.

“ I ‘ m fine. ” Harry pushed himself off the level. “ Bloody shield broke like a pastry casing ! Keeps doing that... ”

“ It ‘ s the wand apparent motion Harry. ” Hermione called out. “ If you look at the theory- ”

“ I ‘ ve learn the possibility. I ‘ ve read the original newspaper publisher. I ‘ ve read the completely book. ” Harry grabbed his wand off the floor. “ I don ‘ t get it. It ‘ s a charm, it ‘ s a basic bloody spell and I can ‘ t do it right. ”

“ You can. ” Neville said encouragingly. “ It can stop basic spells. ”

“ wellspring Voldemort won ‘ t use canonic spells ! ” Harry punched the floor violently. “ He ‘ ll use nasty, evil, mighty spells. ”

“ You ‘ re right. ” Malfoy said flatly. “ He ‘ ll be using the killing curse word and it won ‘ t issue if you have the dear shield in the creation. If you don ‘ t dodge you ‘ re dead. ”

“ Simplification. ” Harry waved the input away. “ Come on, we ‘ ve got clock time for another duel before creatures. Unless we skip it... ”

“ We can ‘ t. ” Hermione said automatically.

“ Especially since we know Voldemort ‘ s boosting his army with morose creatures. ” Padma agreed.

“ mulct fine. ” Harry shook his head. “ Ron and Hermione, duel me. ”

“ Both of us ? ”

“ Like, at the same meter ? ”

“ Yes. ” Harry shucked off his swither soaked tee shirt. “ Get on with it. ”

“ But that ‘ s not fair. ” Ron pointed out.

“ Neither ‘ s this. ” Harry blasted the floorboard by Ron’s feet causing him to yelp like a puppy. “ Draw your bloody wands. ”

In the end they were gladiola for the outside scene of creatures, although they were the only ones not wearing coats. Harry eased his aching left helping hand in a slow circuit, it was deserving it. It would be worth it. Harry listened with half an ear to the object lesson, it was about unicorns. The fortune of Voldemort sending an U. S. Army on unicorns was low to laughable so Harry lidded his eyes and dozed.
*


As the moral ended Parvati turned towards Harry to wake him and found that someone had beaten her to it. someone unexpected.

“ Oh no. ” She whispered under her breath.

“ What is... oh. ” Her sister stood beside her. “ This isn ‘ t going to end well. ”

“ It could. ” Annapurna said shakily. “ He could apologize. ”

“ rich person you met Harry ? ”

Parvati’s spunk dropped and they watched deaf-and-dumb person as the figure tapped Harry on the shoulder.

“ howdy Susan. ” Harry said calmly, then opened his eyes. “ Is the lesson over ? ”

“ Yes Harry, it is. ” Susan finger cymbals folded her arms and seemed to be waiting.

“ Great, ” Harry stood and stretched. “ Thanks for waking me. ” Harry turned to leave.

“’Thanks for waking me ‘ ? ” Susan said incredulously. “ That ‘ s it ? ! ”

“ What do you want Susan ? ” Harry asked flatly.

“ You didn ‘ t write. The whole summer ! You didn ‘ t say goodbye before you left. You just... disappeared. ”

“ I was busy. ” Harry said sharply. “ I still am. Anything else ? ”

“ Wh... what is this Harry ? ” Susan swallowed. “ Am I still your girlfriend ? Are we arguing ? Are we breaking up or did you break up with me at the end of hold out year and just blank out to tell me ? ”

“ Susan... ” Harry glanced down, for the 1st meter in the conversation his stony mask slipped a beat. But when he looked back up it was harder than ever. “ I don ‘ t have prison term for a girlfriend now, and I won ‘ t for a long time. So yes, we ‘ re broken up. ” Harry turned and began to walk back up towards the castle.

Susan just stood there, her hands lightly clenching the cloth of her robes. Staring into space. As the counterpart watched she sobbed wetly and drew a script across her eyes before running off towards the greenhouses, one arm shielding her face from any passers by.

“ That was... I mean that was... ” Anapurna began bet trailed off. “ What he did, it was just... ”

“ Cruel. Harsh. cold. Evil. ” Padma finished for her.

“ Yeah, that. ” Parvati nodded. “ I ‘ m going after her. ”

“ Good. You do that. I ‘ m going after Harry. ”
*


“ I know what you ‘ re going to say. ” Harry said when Padma finally caught up to him in the hall.

“ Well you ‘ re going to bloody mind anyway- ”

“ No I ‘ m not. ” Harry interrupted, and disappeared. Padma saw the darkness of a disillusionment relocation off down a passage but lost it a consequence later.

Harry wasn’t in history of magic. No one expected him to be.
*


“ Is this it now ? ” Padma asked her baby as they got ready for bed. “ Fight all day ? Let Harry bruise us up, snub his new attitude and get ready for tomorrow so he can do it all over again ? ”

“ He ‘ s going through some stuff. ” Parvati sighed. “ He needs our help. He needs us. ”

“ He has a laughable way of showing it. ”

“ He thinks this is what he has to do. ” Hermione voluntered. “ He thinks he has to be like this to perplex Voldemort. This hard, this cold. ”

“ He ‘ s awry ! ” Parvati insisted emotionally.

“ That ‘ s the sad thing sister. ” Padma shook her head sadly. “ He may not be. ”
*


Snape was awakened in the middle of the night by glowing silver lighting. One of the welfare of being an occlumens was total mental control and Snape was awake in an wink. As his centre flickered open air he groaned inwardly, then thought skillful of it and groaned outwardly.

“ What is it you old chump ? ” Snape said angrily. The phoenix patronus couldn’t hear him and wouldn’t report back so it was a perfective quarry to vent at.

“ Come to my position immediately Severus. It is about Harry. ”

Snape was already out the threshold before the silver bird disappeared. He shucked his robe on as he hurried down the corridor. Wait, why was he walking ? Was Harry’s base hit less important than not looking stupid. Snape broke into a run. The sound of his flapping pes filled the corridor as he hammered towards the Headmaster’s office.

“ Slug ice-cream. ” The gargoyle slid aside and Snape threw himself into the stairwell. The stairs began to rise, painfully slowly. Snape gasped his breath back as he silently urged them to go faster. Eventually the headmaster’s door came into survey and Snape pushed it candid quickly and said, “ Albus ! I ‘ m here. ”

“ Severus welcome. ” The headmaster was sitting calmly at his desk. “ understand this if you would. ”

Snape blinked in mental confusion for a moment, then noticed the paper on Dumbledore’s desk. He stepped closer and saw that it was an early copy of the Prophet. This was the emergency ? Perhaps he was missing something ?
slaying AFOOT

Dannion LeSang was found dead in his household this first light. A window of his penthouse apartment had been shattered, possibly so that the grampus could pull in entrance. Once inside poor people Mr LeSang was beaten horribly, with a blunt instrument, possibly a table leg. The aurors have cordoned off the sphere and refused to exhaust any detals but this newsman has discovered that his injuries were not what killed him. Oh no he was poisoned ! Poisoned by a toxin that the ministry

HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE !

Is there a psycho killer at loose ? The aurors gave no comment, perhaps because they as yet, know nada ! Why anyone would desire to kill Mr LeSang is stranger, perhaps an old competitor from his recollective and recognise quidditch career...


Snape dropped the paper in disgust.

“ Is this your emergency ? Is this what you dragged me from my bed for ? ”

“ Dannion LeSang was a known death eater. ”

“ I am aware that Dannion LeSang was a death feeder. Do you perhaps remember who informed you that Dannion LeSang was a death eater ? Who gave you the shocking news that the daring, smiling, lead pursuer for the Wigtown bird of passage loved to torment muggles ? Do you ? ”

“ It was you. ”

“ It was me. ”

“ You do not think his destruction is of import ? ”

“ I do not think his death involved Harry. ”

“ No society member was involved. ”

“ Albus there are people other than the order who despise end eaters. ” Snape felt like laughing, and did. “ mass other than Harry as well. Perhaps- ” Snape was cut off as the door to the office was flung open air again.

“ Why did you cognize the password you arrogant trivial toerag ! ” Filch dragged Harry in by the ear and pushed him onto the floor.

“ Fairly obvious choice. ” Harry chuckled and pushed himself up from the flooring. He was fully clothed, at two o clock in the morning. “ I mean surely by now you ‘ ve used all the non-disgusting sweets. ”

“ Hello Harry. Thank you Mr Filch, you may go. ” Dumbledore gestured and the ancient stinking squib of a caretaker bowed out. As soon as he was gone Dumbledore handed the paper to Harry. “ What do you know of this ? ”

Harry reached out slowly and took the paper, his eye scanning from one face to the early. After a present moment he looked up.

“ I know nil about this. ” Harry held out the report. “ May I go now ? ”

“ You were not in history of magic yesterday. ” Dumbledore said pointedly. “ Did you leave the castle ? ”

“ I ‘ m never in history of magic. ” Harry barked a laugh. “ But no, I didn ‘ t leave the castle. ”

“ You understand I have trouble trusting you Harry. ” Dumbledore said levelly. “ It is very loose to see you turning vigilante. That would be a mistake. ”

“ We ‘ ve had this conversation before. ” Harry said abruptly. “ Didn ‘ t end well for you I recall. But come on, poisonous substance ? A toxin the ministry can ‘ t name ? Honestly, do you think that ‘ s me ? You ‘ ve seen my potions marks. ”

“ I did not think you had the acquisition to brew it Harry. But I know you have the imagination to buy it. ”

“ well I didn ‘ t. ” Harry threw the newspaper publisher on the floor. " Can I go ? "

Dumbledore leant back, confluence Harry's eyes with his own flinty stare. For a long moment the old star and the young stared each early down across the still office. Snape could almost experience the sparking magic as the schoolmaster tried to force Harry's idea open. After a consequence Harry snorted and said,

" Whatever. " Harry turned and pushed the door open air. " Wake me if you have any other unsolved murders you want to pin on a scapegoat. "

The two teachers stood without speaking as they heard Harry's footstep echoing away from the stairwell. Even after they had faded to goose egg it was a retentive meter before either of them spoke.

" Do you believe him Severus ? "

" Yes. "

" Why pray William Tell ? "

" Because I trust him. " That was a lie, it was because Harry wouldn't have broken a window.
*


" Mr Potter. "

Hmmm...

" Harry potter ! "

Hmmm... sleepy.

" Harry ceramicist why is it always my class you choose to catch some Z's in ? "

Dumbledore's fault. inculpation Dumbledore. Wanted to sleep...

" Alright fine Mr ceramist. You have driven me to this. " There was quiet for a few moments, then... " Sonorus. HARRY ceramicist GET UP ! "

Harry was buffeted by sound and slowly, blearily, rubbed his eyes. In movement of him was a bust glassy stump. Harry reached forward and picked it up.

" You broke my glass. " Harry reached up to his face to lay down surely his own glasses weren't broken then drew his wand and repaired the Champaign glass. He didn't even cognise what he was supposed to be turning it into, possibly some kind of squid.

Why a calamary ?

We were dreaming about a squid.

That makes no sense.

Shut up.

I can't shut up I'm part of your brain.

I'll lobotomize you.

No you won't, go back to thinking about calamari. Or wait, maybe we should pay attending to McGonagall.

She is looking kind of angry.

" I can plow it into a squid. I swear, just watch. " Harry held the trash up sleepily and tapped it with his verge. " Kalamaraki Krasi. "

The crank split along its top, flipped upside down and scuttled along the desk blowing colicky house of cards out of a fleshy extrusion. Harry smiled,

" See ! I did Ok. "

" Harry... " McGonagall was staring at the glass calamary, which was currently hiding behind a chair leg. " We were turning them into tulips. "

" Wha... ? We were ? "

" How in the h... How did you do that ? "

" I... don't know. "

" Would you hazard a guess ? "

" wellspring... " Harry tried to gum together an explanation from his shaky knowledge of Hellene. " Well Kalamaraki means calamari... and I think Krasi is some sort of vegetable... "

" Harry... "

" Yes ? "

" Go back to sleep. "

Harry gave a jumpy two-baser thumbs up as he sank back down to the table.
*


Harry slipped into bed that night confident in the noesis that he had got at to the lowest degree two time of day sleep over the course of the day. He dozed with an alarm clock clock under pillow until it sounded and prompted him to shuck his cover off and leant out of the window. He looked over towards the Headmaster's tower, the light was still on. Harry flicked a pair of binoculars out of his bag and focused in on the faraway window. Dumbledore was staring into a reflective, the silver grey ignite playing on his lined expression. He looked exhaust, very tired.

But at least he wasn't looking at the map.

Harry slid out onto the bulwark and confidently let himself strike. The wind whistled thrillingly in his ears as the tiles rose up to meet him. A moment before he hit Harry felt a roughly tugging around his chest and his terminal drop slowed to a crawl. His pes touched ground and he flitted off across the roofing tile. Harry reached the window that was his destination and flicked it open with his verge. He dropped through again, trusting his bought magic, and landed lightly in front of a sink.

" Sissasc. " Harry hissed. The sink stayed exactly where it was. " sodomist, er... Zissasc ? Sizzak ? Sizzasc ? Ci... " Harry broke off as the sinkhole began moving.

" Damn ! Silencio. " Harry caught it before it made too much noise and watched as the entrance to the bedchamber of secret was slowly revealed. Harry lowered himself into the thermionic valve and said, " Cissycis. " This fourth dimension he got it first prison term and the ingress began closing up as Harry slid off down the chute.

Harry landed feet first, expecting to hit mucky water, and instead felt dry rock. This berth had been cleaned up a bit since last sentence he was here. Harry continued through the cave, passing the giant snake-door. The bedchamber was sinister, maybe Markus wasn't here yet... Damn it !

Harry dove to the face as the stunner flashed through the air. He threw a bludgeoning hex towards where it had come from but heard nix. A import later Albert Michelson appeared, totally unruffled, out of the shadows.

" Nicely done Pipsqueak. " The professor clapped his Brobdingnagian hands. " But you should take aimed Thomas More, that hex didn't have a opportunity of hitting me. "

" I couldn't see you. " Harry pointed out.

" You saw my spell. " Markus folded his sleeve. " You saw where it was coming from. You also know the layout of this elbow room and could use that cunning brain of yours to guess where I was hiding. "

" There wasn't often time. "

" shuffling metre by moving faster. " Michelson drew his sceptre and squared up in the middle of the room. " ejaculate on lad, metre to duel. "

" Duel ? Seriously ? " Harry shed his robe. " I thought you were gon na learn me some more utilitarian magic spell first. Right now I won't last ten moment in a affaire d'honneur with you. "

" Well who would ? " Michelson laughed, then grew serious again. " You know enough spells to get started, we'll fill in the dummy on the way. Anyhow I've seen that you know spells. I want to see whether you know how to use them. "

" Any convention ? " Harry asked, knowing the answer.

" Yes, win. "

" That could be troublesome to apply to both of us. "

" Not for me. Ewwyiky ! "

Harry had no idea what the hellhole that was so plunge for cover, rolling and coming up with his scepter trained on his teacher. Somewhere behind Harry there was a gimcrack squelching sound but Harry was already fighting back.

" Ferio ! " Harry threw, not expecting it to go through. Instead it was just a beguilement for, " Cronos spear ! "

“ Protego. ” Markus wasn’t fooled. Harry watched, awed, as Michelson angled his shield to reflect the bludgeoning hex right into the course of the frozen bolt following it, reducing them both to a shower of noisy sparks. “ You ‘ ll have to do serious than that ! ” The massive man called out calmly. Harry answered with violence.

“ Incendio ! Reducto ! ” Harry aimed the first at Markus and the second at the cap far above him. “ Stupefy ! ” Harry blasted the enchantment into Makrus’face and didn’t wait to see if it hit. Instead he aimed at a chunk of falling ceiling. “ Confringo ! ” And flung himself away as it detonated like a bombshell. He rolled on the floor and came to his human foot in time to fling the first three turn he could think off at the figure in the center of the expanding cloud of dust and fire.

The only warning Harry got was a newsbreak of red before the trance flashed from the cloud and hit him in the breadbasket, throwing him to the floor.

“ bettor even than that. ” Michelson stepped out of the dust, not a hair out of place. “ That was full though, imaginative. Good illusion with the rock candy, might take in caught a lesser wizard. Again. ”

Harry forced himself to his foot and raised his sceptre. This sentence he lasted just a few instant before a sweetheart blasted through his hastily raised buckler and knocked his spark out. associate unconscious mind blackness held him in it’s comforting embrace for a few bit before Markus brought him back.

“ That was not as good. ”

“ I know, I know. ” Harry shook his head. “ Bloody shield. I can ‘ t do it, it ‘ s useless. ”

“ Don ‘ t use it then. ” Markus shrugged, as if they were discussing the weather.

“ Don ‘ t shield ? ” Harry laughed humorlessly. “ Just let stuff and nonsense hit me ? ”

“ flavour kid, you first learn this tour three twelvemonth ago. ” Markus explained. “ You ‘ ve had to use it piles of times since then. You ‘ ve practiced. You ‘ ve practiced a lot and it hasn ‘ t got any salutary. It ‘ s fair to usurp you and the buckler charm just don ‘ t go well together. It happens. ”

“ To you ? ”

“ No. But to early people. ”

“ So that ‘ s it ? ” Harry sighed. “ No way around it ? ”

“ Yes. Use other things. ” Markus turned and walked back to his starting cross. “ You know plenty of other ways to block turn. Play to your intensity and use your prodigious imagination. ”

“ Use your imagination. ” Harry rolled his eyes and wearily stood. “ Right... Incendio ! ”

Harry lasted almost a minute of arc of savage dodging and franticly blowing spells out of the air before he was disarmed and slapped himself unvoiced. He had to be better.

“ Again. ”

... Harry was clipped by a bane and went down...

“ Again. ”

... Mown down by a bar of iron that came from nowhere...

“ Again. ”

... Floored with a lick...

“ Again ! ”

... paralysed...

“ Again ! ”

... stunned...

“ AGAIN ! ”

... shocked...

“ AGAIN ! ”

“ This is hopeless. ” Harry didn’t pain in the ass to get up from the floor. “ I ‘ m not getting any better. We should just face it, I can ‘ t duel. ”

“ Not with that attitude. ”

“ I ‘ m sorry I brought you here. ”

“ I ‘ m not. ” Markus folded his arms. “ At least I wasn ‘ t until now. ”

“ I thought I could get better. ”

“ I think you can get better. ”

“ Whole world should just give up. ” Harry held his promontory in his hands. “ I can ‘ t beat him. ”

“ Who ? Voldemort ? ” Markus Michelson threw up his paw. “ wellspring no ! I don ‘ t think I could pose him. I don ‘ t think Dumbledore could beat him. He ‘ s one of the most sinewy keep wizards and has memory access to great power decent people don ‘ t touch. But if what you ‘ ve told me is straight then you ‘ ve got... what was it ? ”

“’A tycoon he knows not ‘ ” Harry quoted sarcastically.

“ Right. But it doesn ‘ t matter. ” Markus walked around so he was standing in front line of Harry. “ I ‘ d bet money on you even if there wasn ‘ t a prophecy. ”

“ Why ? ”

“ I ‘ d get good odds. ” Markus smiled and winked. Harry didn’t laugh. “ But seriously, you can learn to duel. You already know enough to scramble any regular wizard hands down. ”

“ Voldemort isn ‘ t a fixture wi- ”

“ I know ! ” Markus interrupted him angrily. “ Which is why you need to acquire to duel like a master. Which is why you called me. Which is why you should listen to me ! Now... you need to play to your strengths. Tell me what you ‘ re good at. ”

“ Oh come on. ” Harry snorted. “ Don ‘ t give me this psyco-crap. ”

“ What. Are. You. serious. At ? ” Albert Abraham Michelson punctuated each Bible by poking Harry’s sitting form.

“ I... I don ‘ t know. ”

“ Yes you do ! ”

“ I don ‘ t. ” Harry shook his head. “ I guess I ‘ m not really good at anything useful. ”

“ Oh for Merlin ‘ s sake ! Who are you ? ” Markus leant down, his angrily pointing finger barely an in from Harry’s typeface. “ Where ‘ s the Harry I met three years ago ? I don ‘ t see him. Where the hell has he gone ? Where ‘ s the kid who walked this schoolhouse like he owned the place and obeyed instructor on sufferance ? Where is that arrogant dickhead because he ‘ s the one who can beat Voldemort ! Not the whiney brat he apparently became ! wellspring I need him here now ! WHAT ARE YOU commodity AT ! ”

“ I... spell ? ” Harry said, staring up at Michelson.

“ Right. ” Michelson nodded. “ You ‘ re proficient at magical spell. You ‘ re excellent at charms. You ‘ re a bloody savant at charms. If I heard the rumors in the staff room right you built a professional quality broom at 13 year old. Out flew a Firebolt. ”

“ That was mostly Ginny doing the flying. ” Harry shook his head again. “ And anyway I don’t see how that’ll avail me in a duel. ”

“ Harry you... ” Markus Michelson held his mitt to his head and breathed out a foresighted, bore breath. “ Let me try this a unlike way. You ‘ ve seen a lot of duels right ? ”

“ Yeah. ”

“ You ‘ ve seen a lot of people duel. ”

“ Yeah. ”

“ Seen departure ? ”

“ What do you... ? ” Harry bit his lip. He didn ‘ t want to get yelled at again. “ Yeah, there are differences. ”

“ What differences ? Specifically ? ”

“ fountainhead... It’s like... you kind of rich person.... This is hard. Can I explain it how I see in in my own read/write head ? ”

“ Of course. ”

“ You have kind of three types. ” Harry gestured vaguely. “ There are the measure dueller, they throw sweetheart and jinx, lots of carapace charms too, and they seem to mostly derive out of the Hogwarts defense year. Not that that makes them bad. Some are really estimable, but they all seem to use this one style. This one set of spells. ”

“ Hmm... and the next character ? ”

“ Death eaters. They aren ‘ t all even very in force at fighting. But they use torment. Unforgivables and stuff. And that makes up for the lack of skill. ”

“ And the last eccentric ? ”

“ The masters. ” Harry shook his head. “ I watched some duel on video while I was traveling. Thought I could plunk up some tips. almost of the duelists were group-ones, but some of them... the best ones... they ‘ re not even in the same league. They move like they ‘ re weapon system. They don ‘ t chow stunners around, most of the clock time I couldn ‘ t even recognize the spells they were using. It wasn ‘ t dueling like I ‘ d ever seen. Except maybe when I saw you fight Tom conundrum, right here. That ‘ s the difference I guess. That ‘ s the difference between duelists. ”

“ Harry, you are absolutely right. ” Michelson was smiling broadly. “ What you just said is exactly right. ”

“ Um... so ? I ‘ m still not seeing how that ‘ s connected to anything. ”

“ You ‘ ve grasped one of the central concepts of dueling. One of the affair that make multitude mathematical group threes. The acquisition curve is huge, there ‘ s a item when you just become beyond everyone else. When you stop dueling with dueling spells and start dueling with everything. Do you bonk what the other deviation is ? ”

“ No. ”

“ It’s that we all have tricks. ” Michelson winked. “ All the group threes. Some trick that makes us near, something that separates us from each former and from the ones and twos. ”

“ A... magic trick ? ”

“ face at Dumbledore, he uses transfiguration. By the end of a fight with Dumbledore you ‘ re not just fighting him, you ‘ re fighting the walls, doors, ceiling and floor. Plus anything else he can wrench into a moving, thinking weapon against you. Voldemort ? Well he uses dark magic, champaign and simple. You ‘ ve already realized that that gives a person major power beyond your science. And he already has lot of skill. Me ? I use foreign spells, spells my foe have never heard of. The last parole of a surprising figure of my opponents was ‘ What the snake pit is that ?'”

Harry chuckled, but Markus wasn’t finished.

“ Dee Finsbury, the current world champion duelist is also a virtuoso visionary. Your own professor Flitwick dueled for England, you think he threw around stunners ? And you ? Well you can do charms. Right ? ”

“ Yeah. ” Harry nodded. “ Yes. ”

“ Say it. ”

“ Yes I can do charms. ”

“ trade good. Then use them. ” Markus turned to go back to his sucker. “ And get up off the floor. ”

I’m on the storey ? Harry looked around. Oh yeah, he was. Harry pushed himself to his feet with renewed vigor. He gripped his wand and turned towards his teacher. Use good luck charm ? Well he would give it a pellet. What should he use ? Michelson appeared to be just waiting to see what he would do. Well, he’d have to do something...

“ Engorgio ! ” Harry aimed, not at Markus, but at the flag and saw his instructor stagger as the rock music puffed up like a gem. “ Reducto ! ” Harry blew the Stone to smithereens.

Markus righted himself easily and flicked his verge. Harry blanched as a gigantic bolide was sent rocketing towards him. Harry swallowed, time for risks.

“ Ardor-Algidus ! ” Harry yelled and stood his ground as the inferno passed over him. He caught a glimpse of Markus’shocked face as he emerged unhurt on the early position before he aimed and fired. “ Confringo ! Ferio ! Stubefy ! ” The surprise flack forced the instructor onto the defensive attitude, shielding desperately. A present moment later he brought up a polishing silver sphere. Harry’s spells bounded off like bowling pin off a frying pan, sending Echo all over the huge bedroom. Michelson looked out appreciatively from the safe of the sphere.

“ What was that Pipsqueak ? ”

“ flaming freezing charm. ” Harry smiled proudly. “ Nullified your fireball. ”

“ Nicely done. ” Michelson nodded. “ Try... this ! ”

“ Bugger ! ” Harry dived for back as the tail erupted with movement. Giant leatherlike trend. Harry dashed behind a tower as the squash racket flung themselves through the air towards him. They were huge, offstage at least a measure wide, with Brobdingnagian fang. “ Incendio ! ” Harry waved a fiery swath through the bats but more just materialized to replace them.

“ Jupitall ! ”

Harry dived out of the way as a spinning orb of plasma burnt through the air where he’d been. Albert Abraham Michelson wasn’t going easy on him just because he was interfering with the bats. He couldn’t dodge forever, if he didn’t sort out the air he was dead.

“ Depulso ! ” Harry yelled desperately, but the bat's were too warm and Harry had to hurl himself against the wall to forfend another thrown go from his opponent. He needed a good luck charm... what charm ? Wait ! Bats were like, sort of giant hornets... really. “ Tempesto ! ”

Harry called a bulwark of wind and threw it against the leathery creatures, swatting them out of the sky and crashing them into the far wall of the bedchamber. A. A. Michelson didn’t grant him any suspension though and responded with a punishing waterfall that appeared out of nowhere above Harry. Harry felt a pang of old terror, but the fear only made him think faster.

“ Arefacio ! ” The drought good luck charm banished the waterfall before it even touched him. “ Accio ! ” Michelson was forced to land his silver shield back up as a c bat remains funneled by him.

“ Depulso ! ” Harry flicked his wand, spinning the ballock of trunk back away from him and bowled it back to let out against the prof shield sphere. Harry wasn’t going to let up now. “ Diffindo ! ” The spell scratched against the shield to no effect, screeching like a fiddle. “ Reducto ! ” Michelson wasn’t even knocked backwards as carapace once again absorbed the spell with a trashy note. Harry gripped his wand angrily, cipher he had could better this sodding ash grey shield.

postponement... maybe he didn’t have to !

“ Motus ! ” Harry aimed squarely at the center of the silver ball and twisted. It vibrated like a buzzer and filled the bedchamber with ringing. Harry twisted further and the speech sound intensified. Inside his bubble Michelson clutched his pinna. Harry found the resonance and wrench harder, the audio outside the shield was deafening, inside it must bear been excruciating. Markus threw his arm out violently and Harry had to fling himself sideways as the screaming carapace cannonballed past times him. “ Ferio ! ” Harry threw a hex at the staggering Michelson that he just caught with a counter. Harry kept up the onslaught in a rush of mirthfulness ! He was winning !

“ KhaNDana ! ”

The bolt of lightning came from nowhere. Slicing out of the dark too fast for him to oppose. Harry was thrown to the ground, electric electric discharge raging down every artery and turning him into a screaming battery of painfulness. Harry felt his wand torn from his supine hired hand and at in conclusion managed to blank is mind to the pain sensation. He waited in the dark for it to recede. When he at final opened his eyes Michelson was staring down at him. The huge superstar put his sceptre to first one ear then the other, muttering something, then whipped away the blood that had ran from both of them with a sleeve.

“ Good. ” He said, unusually loudly. “ Again. ”



Review now or you will struck blind and be let loose into a arena full of giant over-embellished bear cakehole. Also total of bears. The bears will be able-bodied to avoid the bear traps, you will not.


I don't own Harry potter. Neither have I seen him recently. If you have any information as to his whereabouts delight earphone. He is out in the frigidity without any intellectual nourishment and we think his leash may have come off. He's black and ashen with lightlessness mitt and he's missing a little bit of his ear. He also answers to the public figure of combat. He likes tuna.






Severus Snape landed lightly on the scrubland and looked about him. This would consume been a monumentally desolate station if not for the distant lights of a muggle road in the valley far below. Snape walked over to the gathering of contraband cloaked design standing near the edge of the cliff. Snape counted faces, Barty Crouch was still absent. What was the labor that man had been set ? It disturbed Snape greatly that he did not fuck. It made him wonder if perhaps others of the gloomy figures did, if perhaps he was missing something.

One figure was apart from the others, right at the edge. The figure stood with his rear to them, his long robes streaming out to the side in the harsh night wind. He seemed to be looking down at the road, and at the further lightness of a town.

Like a falcon, Snape realized, or a waiting war hawk. Sitting and surveying it's prey before swooping down and clutching one up in its talons. The scepter in the security guard's manus twitched as if thinking of raining fervency and pain down on those beneath him. The twitch subsided. Thank god.

" Severus. " The shadow lord turned at last from the cliff. " You have come at last. I was forced to wait. I dislike waiting. "

" My apologia Lord. " Snape bowed deeply. " I could not invoke suspicion about why I was going. I was forced to sacrifice speed for safety. I am sorry. "

" And where were you. " Voldemort continued, his vocalization terrifyingly low-cal. " Were you at Hogwarts ? "

" No my Lord. " The very fact that he asked the doubtfulness meant he knew that Snape had left. Which was very, very bad. What lie could occur ? " There was an Order meeting. "

" Was anything discussed ? Anything I should be made aware of ? "

" No my Lord. They continue to guard the department of secret, Dumbledore still fears to affect. cipher has changed. "

" Well, " The dark lord smiled thinly. " That at least is good news. "

He does not cognise where I was. Snape kept his face perfectly unemotional. He suspects... he strongly suspects but he does not bed. He values me, he values me as a spy in the edict. That is why I am still alive, because on the of-chance that I have not betrayed him I am valuable. He will kill me. He will pour down me soon but until then I must remain a spy. I am valuable.

“ I notice Mr Crouch is still absent. ” Snape tried to vocalise uninterested. “ Perhaps he has been captured. We may throw to rescue him. Again. ”

He expected a chuckle from the death eaters. None of them liked Crouch. Instead there was silence.

“ honey Barty is none of your concern. ” The dark master replied, in the colloquial tone that was so practically worse than anger. “ His task is going well. Is yours Severus ? ”

“ Alas no passkey. I apologize. ” Snape hung his pass. “ I am afraid there is simply no way to adapt polyjuice potion to allow for a human to suit non-human. ”

“ I dislike failure Severus. ”

“ Master if you asked me to jump off this drop-off and try to fly I would do so. ” Snape tried to sound contrite. “ But I doubt I would be successful. Some affair are not possible. ”

“ For you perhaps. ” The iniquity Almighty was smiling slyly. “ But no issue. You may cease your experimentation. The potion is not necessity any more. ”

“ Yes master. ” Is it not necessary or do you just not intrust me to brew it any more ?

" On to the meeting, we began without you Severus. I hope you don ‘ t mind. " The shadow lord turned back towards the cliff and Snape had to strain to hear him over the steer. " We were discussing an assassination. "

" Who is the mark ? Perhaps I could brew a poisonous substance or some chassis of- "

" No. " The night lord cut him off. " Not poison. I intend her death to be more graphic than that. An example. "

" She ? " Swirling horror rose in Snape's stomach.

" A prominent build in the department of mysteries. " Voldemort half turned back towards Snape. " A fille Natalie Zhao. Do you have sex her ? "

" Yes. " No god no. " She is an club member. "

" I know. You informed me of that yourself. "

" I did my lord. " I begged her not to take me enjoin him. She said it wouldn't matter. Nothing connected them. " If I may ask, why have you decided she must die. "

" She is the daughter of a squib, in a salient side in the ministry. A travesty. "

" I agree my lord. But, why her ? " Snape momentarily considered just attacking Voldemort, but it would do no good. He'd die and Natalie would die anyway. " There are many other people equally worthy of death. "

" Your lord has decided she should die is that not enough for you Severus ? " The shadow lord smiled from the depths of his soulless, piercing eye. " Does her death... trouble you ? "

" Of course not my master. She is the child of bad blood, of form she must be killed. " Snape bowed and stepped backward. " I will make certain that Dumbledore and the other order members at Hogwarts are distracted. "

" That will not be necessary Severus. We have already cut all communicating to Mrs Zhao's residence. I have also deployed dementors to intercept any messages sent by patronus. No messages can reach her. From anyone. "

" Most prudent my lord. " Snape nodded, furiously trying to churn his Einstein and feel some solvent to the problem. He could not remember, it was as if gruesome tendrils and fibrous black vines were choking his usually perfect tense genial machinery. There must be some way to get a message to her, there had to be !

" Severus ? " Voldemort questioned lightly. " volition you be at Hogwarts this eventide ? "

" Yes my lord. "

" All night ? No errands to run ? " The dark Maker's mouth quirked. " No midnight strolls ? "

" No my lord. "

" Good. " Voldemort's eyes narrowed. " Because I shall have a go at it Severus. I shall know. "
*


Snape walked calmly along the recollective route to the great doors of Hogwarts using all the force of will he had not to break into a run. The witness were no doubt already in place, at the edge of the forest beyond the wards. As were the attackers probably, in his mind he could already see them apparating into the dark streets around Natalie's flat tire. He ached to run but couldn't. It was excruciation, caught in chain that didn't even exist. An ground tackle in his mind.

He reached the doorway and stepped through it. He pushed it closed calmly, then turned and ran.

He reached Dumbledore's stairway and yelled the password. He sure as blaze wasn't waiting for the staircase this time.

" Acellelero ! " Snape clung to the central pillar as the staircase rocketed upwards and came to a screeching stoppage at the top. Snape threw the door open, startling the Headmaster.

" Severus ? What is the meaning of this- "

" I need the order ! " Snape snapped. " We need to circulate now ! "

" Severus calm down. You will need to explain. "

Snape growled and choked out a curt explanation of what had happened. At the end Dumbledore dropped down into his seat and shook his head.

" We can not, avail her. He has outmaneuvered us again I fear. "

" Not if we move now ! "

" To impress confirms his suspicions of you. And it would do no good. The people watching you no doubt have Order to vote out you if you try to bequeath. No message can get hold of her. Yes, yes he had truly outmaneuvered us. "

" I can take Fawkes. " Snape argued. " I can leave without a trace. Warn her, then- "

" You can not demand Fawkes. The methods phoenix's use to travel can be detected by those who know how. Voldemort knows how. "

" I can not just sit idly by while she is killed ! "

" Which is exactly what Voldemort expects. " Dumbledore said angrily. " Surely you see that this was directed at you ! lure to impel you to reveal your confessedly loyalty. It is a psychometric test, if you fail we lose our spy. If you pass however you will be his most sure servant. "

" Passing means the death of Natalie ! "

" Not necessarily. " Dumbledore was obviously trying to be soothing. " She is an realized fighter. She could escape or- "

" She will be outnumbered ten to one. "

" Think of how many people your information saved in the lastly war. Countless lives. "

" Some living are worth more to me than others. "

" well not to me. " Dumbledore stood and stared down the potions lord. " The unspoiled you can do for her is to make for certain you are seen here. Go and pick herbs from one of the outside secret plan, go and get some unicorn hair from Hagrid. Anything that lets them see you here. That is all you can do. If you try to leave they will kill you. Then they will kill her. You can do nothing. "

Snape scrunched up his eyes. The old man was right.
*


Natalie Zhao turned the varlet idly on the report she was reading and yawned. There was too often to do. She flicked it closed and clicked the igniter out before rolling over and dropping the pamphlet onto her bedside table. Perhaps all the job would just magically have gone away when she got up tomorrow. It was unlikely though.

Natalie burrowed deeper into her pillow and closed her eyes. The humans was falling apart, not even dreams could provide respite for long.

A floorboard creaking.

Natalie's eyes flickered unfold in a moment. Was it just her neighbor downstairs ? She reached for her wand and silently checked her hospital ward. She hissed as she realized they were in tatters and rolled off the bed. Her hand moved towards the lighting electrical switch then thought honorable of it, it might let them know they had seen her. She slid towards her bedroom room access and looked out through the keyhole just as the door at the other end of the corridor was pushed open slowly. Revealing a robed figure.

Natalie slid back silently. She tried to apparate away, not really expecting it to work. No, they had a Aaron Montgomery Ward up. They would have blocked the flue as well. The only way she was getting out was through the front door, which meant through them.

They would check the rooms along the hall first, she perhaps had a minute.
*


Drum Lemon had never pretended to be an level-headed man, just a utile one. He was utile say, when someone hadn't paid their debts in time and natural process needed to be taken. He had been locked up for being utile in the wrong place at the legal injury time, set free eventually, become useful again and caught again. This time for being so useful towards a ministry hit-wizard that the man was no use to anyone anymore.

He had been locked up for just. Until the dark lord had given him a endorse chance. A prospect to rejoin society again, to be useful again. He was only half blood but he had just enough brains to never note that to anyone. When the wickedness Creator had explained what needed to be done to this bint he had stepped forward instantly. It was the right way up his alley, he might even earn the Saint Mark if he succeeded. Then he'd really be set.

He touched the door lock with his pollex. Warded, what else ? He turned and pointed into the mob behind him at a hunched figure, then pointed back at the door. The man shuffled forward, he had been a damn good hex surf until he was caught skimming a cut off the top. He was just prosperous the ministry caught him before the goblins did.

Drum waited in silence as the bantam man clicked and hummed in front of the room access. A few min later the curse breakers pushed the room access undecided. tympan stepped into the monotonous and looked around professionally. It was set out fairly unconstipated. Kitchen that way... void. Drum waved two cat towards the rearwards room and ignored it. This place was like a catalog, everything was in its space except for the books and report strewn across the coffee table. Well, that and the three fish tank near the dorsum. Not full of water supply. Some sort of reptile. Some sort of incense in the air, some new age garbage.

Drum shrugged, not an outcome. The sleeping room would either be at the end of the 2d room access down on the left hand. That was how these construction were built. membranophone stepped down the corridor and pushed the doorway on the left open. boxwood. Down the hall then. He looked behind him, the other criminals were hanging back. Pathetic. The iniquity lord had grabbed everyone who would stick out up straight with no regard for experience. Not that he was criticizing, at least he would get total credit for the kill.

Drum breathed in deeply. Smelled like vanilla, it was very strong. Someone had once told him that olfaction was the firm trigger for memory. He certainly remembered that muggle girl every time he smelled cut sess. Perhaps from now on vanilla would echo in his head, reminding him of Natalie Zhao. The woman who made him the favored assassin of the dreary lord.

He made his way towards the finally door. He raised his scepter, fumbled it and caught it again. He shook his head teacher. Had to stay sharpen. He reached the door and pushed it open. Darkness, he stepped up to the bed. He hadn't used the killing curse before, but he had no doubt he could make it knead. He raised his wand, aiming at the lump in the covers. His wand was shaking, he grabbed it with both mitt. What was awry with him ? barrel shook his head, the sceptre was still shaking.

Oh... no, no, no...

brake drum stepped backwards and tripped over his own robe. He looked back towards the door. It was closed. Did he shut it ?

" You didn't close it. " tympan looked up, his eyes already drooping. The girl was standing there, arms crossed.

" Doped us. " Drum mumbled through blunt sassing. " Incense... Vanilla... "

" How many More of you are there ? " The girl demanded.

Won't tell you you bitch.

" twenty dollar bill ? "

What !

" Where are there ? "

Ice cold bitch queen.

" Five in the flat, five in the stairwell. The rest outside. " She almost seemed to be talking to herself. " And dememtors flying everywhere. "

" You won't get out ? " Drum managed to get out. " We've surrounded you. Your fumes may receive got me... the early five in here. Won't get the sleep. You'll never get out. " The daughter raised her wand.

" I can try. "
*


Natalie stunned the swarthy necromancer and pushed his body in front end of the door. How long before the others checked on him ?

The door handle rattled. That long.

Natalie put herself right in front of the door. If she was lucky...

Confringo ! She said the while silently and angled her wand sharply down. The threshold exploded outwards, the violence of the burst channeled down the hallway. She saw three bodies flying away from her and dashed out after them.

“ Cruci- ”

Natalie whirled on the caster. No time for spells, she found his eyes, pushed in like a obelisk and found the off switch in his brain. He folded like a tool with the string cut. She heard a cry behind her and protegoed so harshly that the turn edges of her carapace forced the bulwark out like crumpling theme. She turned and saw the hooded man dodging his own enchantment and threw her own, striking him in the chest.

That was the I in the flatcar done.

She rushed to the threshold but it had been torn off its hinges. A black anatomy reared from the stairwell. Natalie had her wand up in a consequence but before she could throw the man grabbed his chest and fell to the level. Natalie crept close, blood on his thorax. somebody had hit him with a puncture curse.

She threw herself to the side. They must have been shooting from the other edifice outside. Aiming blind through the mantle. Aiming at her. Well that put climbing out the window out of the pic. She crouched and made her way towards the stairwell. She glanced between the slats and pulled her head back as a green fanfare obliterated the wooden banister where she had been.

Time to start surprise them.

Natalie aimed at out into the midsection of the stairway. A flicker of her wand and a ball of glowing light appeared. Another flick and a spiraling lance of Dame Muriel Spark shot down the step like a varlet firework. She twisted and the Lucille Ball dropped slowly, like a balloon, spitting exploding spears in every direction and shrinking as it fell.

That should keep them busy.

She dashed down the steps and took out another toughie as he desperately tried to parry the multi-fire. Natalie had to jump over a man lying prone on the sec flooring, a victim of the fireworks. A spell shattered the tile near her shoulder and she threw up a shield against the future one. Where were they coming from ?

Damnit ! Two above her, one below. They must consume hid in the English corridors. She aimed her wand up at the two firers and vanished the floor under them. One of them dropped like a Harlan F. Stone, the former was fast enough to grab the bound of the hole. But that just made him an easy mark to get picked off. Natalie spun to engage out the guy below her but he was already down. Blood on him, and pooling on the story. Another victim of the cackshots outside.

There were still ten men outside. Natalie reached the ground floor and took a deep intimation. They would be spread out all around her building to stop her escaping. What was her best bet to survive ? The back entrance ? It led onto an alley, easy for them to immobilise or watch. The front was no dubiousness a deathtrap, she’d be hit from every face before she got two steps. There was a solid ground floor window out into the car ballpark... ace tended to ignore cars. She didn’t have one but surely some compounding of trance could convert one to start. It was her best shot.

Natalie can down a side corridor and found the window, she peered out. No one visible, but they could be hidden among the railroad car. She slid the windowpane open and climbed out uncomfortably, breathing tough. Strangely her paper pushing desk job didn’t keep her in very good chassis. She fell down between two railroad car and turned towards one of them. She was about to charm the ringlet when she felt a apparition decline on her.

“ Got you missy. ” Natalie froze. The voice was twisted and slick, like oil. “ Turn round so I can see your pretty face. ”

Bad idea. Natalie turned and looked up into the pockmark face above her. Into his eyes... He fell with a heavy, rag-doll thump and Natalie grabbed his wand.

“ Ere what was that ? ”

stride ! Natalie crept back to the wall and got between it and the car just before the footsteps stopped.

“ She ‘ s ‘ ere ! She got Poxx ! ”

Natalie heard more scat feet and tried to slink away along the edge of the bulwark. She reached the corner, no where to go. If she tried to make for the departure they’d see her for trusted. She pushed at the apparation ward again but it was no good. They had extended it beyond the building itself. How far would they have pulled it ? To overlay the whole stop would have been insufferable. Could she just run for the border ?

They were searching the lot. They were getting closer. Natalie looked up under the nearest car. At least five couplet of feet within well-off plenty. The entering was close, she might take a shit it. With a distraction.

She looked carefully out over the back of the car and aimed her wand at a puritanical car at the other end of the lot. It didn’t have to be much, just enough to get their tending. She said the spell silently. The car’s alarm sounded like a claxon in the dark air.

“ What the bloody ‘ ell is that ! ”

Natalie stood and ran. They were looking the other way, she could take in it. She blazed out of the car parking lot and made for the end of the street, all the while pushing against the apparation barrier. A spell pin-wheeled over her header and she sprinted harder. It had to end soon. She heard shouting and running behind her. please let it end soon. A chunk of the road was blown away, throwing her to the flooring. No... She desperately threw herself against the ward as footsteps surrounded her. It wouldn’t John Donald Budge, she knew it wouldn’t.

“ Now missy turn round nice and slow. ” She rolled over and tried to assemble the man standing in front of her’s eyes. “ Nah, don ‘ t try any of that. ” He broke eye link and started openly staring at her chest.

“ You ‘ ve led us lads a merry chase. ” He continued, and there was a rising chuckle from the cluster of star surrounding her. “ Me and the cuss worked voiceless. I recon we deserve a reward. ”

“ I assume your overlord will bring home the bacon that. ” Natalie said, her eyes desperately flicking around for a way out.

“ I was thinking you might. ” The front man sneered and the others drew in closer. Natalie could see the rapacity of eld in prison flickering bright in their optic. “ Actually I was thinking you ‘ re gon na. Seeing as you don ‘ t have a ch... ch... aa... oh. ” The man raised his hand to his oral fissure, there was a trickle of blood coming out of the niche. His eyebrows knitted in confusion as he fell to the floor. His buster stared at him. After a soundless moment one of them stepped forward and knelt down side by side to him. The man reached out and touched the fallen criminal back.

“ It ‘ s origin. He ‘ s utter. He- Aaa ! ” The neck of the kneeling man exploded, showering them with blood. The malefactor jumped back in shock. Natalie grabbed her wand and threw herself backwards, rolling as she hit the ground. She had stunned one of the thaumaturgist while they were still in blow and had turned her wand on another when her mystery Jesus revealed himself. She had to give it to him, he knew how to make an entrance.

He dropped from the top of another edifice, his gown billowing behind him as he fell straight into the middle of the wizards. He landed on one of them and rolled, a dark flesh in his hand coming up. Another felon was thrown back and landed wetly on the floor. The warrior looked up at her but she couldn’t catch his face in the wickedness. He nodded to her. She nodded back, and they turned on the rest of the bastards.

It was the strangest fighting Natalie had ever been involved in. Strange for it’s quiet. Whatever weapon the strange man was using it made no sound as it fired and she tended to cast non verbally. The outlaw yelled their spells but they were in such confusion they were mostly throwing desperate stunners at each early. other than those there was only the sound of footfall, rapid-fire like a dance, and the episodic spray of blood line. A tacit engagement at midnight, underneath stuttering streetlamps. Natalie’s breather was hot in her ears by the meter it was over. She turned to her savior, he was dumping what was now obviously a silenciod handgun in his bag.

“ Who are you ? ” Natalie demanded. “ Did Dumbledore institutionalize you ? ”

“ Most assuredly not. ” The trope said cheerily and turned towards her. “ Miss Zhao, I do believe we ‘ ve already been introduced. ”

“ Ha... Harry ? ”

“ Yep. ” The young boy’s eyes wandered south and he glanced away. “ Um you ‘ re going to have got to have a alteration of wardrobe if you want to take any sort of intelligent conversation. ”

“ Why ? ”

“ Well, long story shortly you ‘ re still wearing a nightie and the priming coat you were just rolling around on is quite damp. ”

“ Oh. ” Natalie felt the bloom rising in her nerve as she conjured a robe. “ Better ? ”

“ Worse. ” Harry hung his head. “ Now I can ‘ t see anything. ”
*


carting bodies up to her 2-dimensional had been a phantasmagoric experience. She had healed the one that could be healed before stunning them into a coma. In the end they had two big bucks, sixteen live and four dead. She didn't doubt that without wizard music the count would have been a lot higher.

And here she was, sitting by her coffee table staring at lined up, stunned, criminals who ten bit ago had been trying to kill her, drinking tea with the boy-who-lived.

“ Do you have any cookie ? ”

“ What ? ”

“ I missed dinner. ”

“ Oh... yes. In that cupboard. ” Natalie pointed and the black robed boy grabbed them before coming back and sitting beside her on the couch. She looked over at him. He looked older than when she had last seen him. Much senior. “ You saved my life. ”

“ Don ‘ t worry about it. ” Harry shrugged. “ The biscuit more than make up for it. ”

“ You shot them. ” Natalie’s thought’s were still a fiddling divorce and she was trying to fill in the pieces. “ With a gun. ”

“ go would have warned Voldemort I was there. ” Harry shrugged. “ By now I bet they have someone watching the underage magic demodulator. I tried to shoot their arms mostly. ” He added almost to himself.

Natalie decided not to gloss, instead she asked.

“ How did you even know to come here ? ”

“ Oh, that. ” Harry turned to her. “ I happened to overhear something while I was eavesdropping. ”

Natalie listened in shock as Harry briefly explained a conversation that had apparently taken place between Severus and Dumbledore former that evening. Poor Severus, she could just see him now. Pacing his office, unable to do anything. Hating himself even though it wasn’t his flaw. He always did.

“ How did you even get out of the castling ? ” She asked.

“ Easy, snuck into the forest. ” Harry shrugged. “ The citizenry that got sent to watch out Snape were all, big surprise, watching Snape. meaning I could slip by undetected. After that I dashed for the paries, climbed it easy, the ward doesn ‘ t keep in humans. Legged it to Hogsmeade and broke into a cottage to use the flue pipe. I didn ‘ t want anyone to recognise I ‘ d gone through there, that was why I didn ‘ t use one of the pubs. ”

Natalie didn’t speak as Harry finished his fib. She looked over at the bundle of criminals, then back at Harry. Her mental capacity, unencumbered by headache, was making the reckoning that Snape hadn’t been capable to.

“ Dumbledore was right. ”

“ What ? ”

“ This was a test. ” Natalie nodded slowly. “ And Snape can still pass. ”

“ Are you thinking... ” Harry glanced at the plenty. “ Are you thinking of taking a page out of my book ? ”

“ Yes Harry. I ‘ m going to die. ” Natalie smiled. “ The character assassination will be a winner. Too bad the aurors came and arrested everyone afterwards, but Snape still passes the test. ”

“ Snape passes and you can hole up at chez Malfoy. One job, They ‘ ll remember the truth. ” Harry pointed out, jabbing a pollex towards the outlaw. “ Voldemort ‘ ll feel a way to get it out of them. Even in custody. ”

“ I ‘ ll forebode an old friend. ” Natalie stepped into her kitchen and picked the telephone set off the counter. “ Goldie will be able to facilitate with that. ”

“ Voldemort ‘ s good at Legillimancy. ”

“ I know that Harry. ” Natalie pulled out her address leger and started flicking through. “ But my champion ‘ s trade good too. He ‘ s a ministry obliviator, the best. ”

“ delay a instant... ” Harry’s forehead furrowed. “ You ‘ re telephone set is working ? ”

“ Of course. ”

“ So why did I just break out of school and travel the length of the land to keep you ? ” Harry threw his paw up. “ Couldn ‘ t Snape have just called you ? ”

“ Harry Snape may be using a pen now, but he ‘ s still a wizard to his toes. ” Natalie smiled fondly. “ I checked. ”

“ Eew ! ” Harry cringed back. “ Mental image ! All wrong ! ”

“ Revenge. ” Natalie grinned, then found the file posting she was looking for and grew serious. “ Listen Harry you should go back. I can handle things from here, and it ‘ ll be easier to explain to Goldie without you here. ”

“ You sure ? ”

“ Yes, ” Natalie nodded and Harry turned to will. “ Harry ! ” She stopped him as he reached the door.

“ Yeah ? ”

“ Thank you. ”

“ Just doing my job. ” Harry shrugged. “ Apparently. ”

“ And Happy Halloween. ”

“ Halloween ? ” Harry glanced over at the clock, seeing that it was after twelve. “ Oh yeah, felicitous Halloween. ”
*


Harry didn’t try to reenter Hogwarts that night. Too very much danger of being seen by one of the viewer. Instead he dozed on a bench and slipped back in around sunrise. He attended breakfast purely to procure coffee tree in orotund amount and managed to get through his first few moral somehow. During lunch break he dragged his sleepy form down to the dungeons and found the right field office. He pushed the door undefendable without knocking.

“ What is the meaning of thi... Potter. ” Snape deflated, his aspect going soft. “ Natalie told me. I can not begin to thank you- ”

“ You ‘ re going to instruct me occlumency. ” Harry interrupted. “ And Legillimancy. ” There was a intermission. Then,

“ I suppose I am. ”

“ And you ‘ re going to state me everything you know about Barty Crouch. ”
*


As soon as Harry’s feet touched the floor he knew it was a dream. Before him the bungalow at Godrics holler rose above his head. Looking so... normal. null to mouth to it’s momentous importance. It could have been any one of thousand of houses, there were others that could be its twin dotted down the street. zippo special, and yet it repelled him.

Harry felt his skin front crawl. The business firm was... wrong... somehow. Harry turned and dashed down the street, passing trees and hedges. He dashed with no care and caught his fundament on a paving stone, sending him sprawling to the base. As he got to his base he felt grass under his fundament. He was back on the front lawn. The cottage was right in front of him.

He could hear the river in his ears, raging in the distance. Harry scratched at his skin, it was all wrong. Harry felt sickness grow in the pit of his stomach. Oh wait... that wasn’t contribution of the dream.

Harry slammed his eyes open and dropped out of bed, rushing for the bathroom.
*


" Harry ? " Ron knocked on the gutter door. " Harry are you ok ? "

" I'm fine. " Came the tone down reply.

" You don't sound fine. You sound- "

" I said I'm fine. " Harry jerked the door open, the black bag under his eyes even more visible than usual against his K and indisposed skin.

" You don't flavor fine. "

" Probably something I ate. " Harry shook his drumhead and pushed past Ron.

" Harry everyone in Gryffindor eats the same stuff and no one else is- "

“ I SAID I ‘ M FINE ! ” Harry whirled on his Ron. “ I was sick. For some reason. Some unknown and unimportant ground. I threw up. I feel better. We should go to breakfast. ”

“ Breakfast is over. ” Ron shrugged. “ We let you sleep through it. The girls should be bringing some leftovers when we go to creatures. ”

“ Well then let ‘ s go to creatures. I ‘ m hungry. ” Harry threw his bag over his shoulder and made for the door, his principal drooping.

Ron followed slowly. Harry was slowly getting worse, sick. Was it just lack of quietus doing this to Harry ? He hadn’t looked this bad even when he’d been time jumping. This meter he seemed physically ill. Ron shucked his bag up further on his back. They all needed a little more sleep, Harry had been pushing them hard.

More sleep, and more bruise-remover.
*


Ginny looked up as Harry pushed the door to the attic open.

“ Charms finished early ? ” Harry asked as the marauders trouped in behind him.

“ I already knew the lesson. ” Ginny flicked her book closed. “ It was summoning charms. ”

“ You can already summon an elephant. ” Harry dropped his bag on the table. “ Skip the next few lessons. ”

“ The sleep of us can ‘ t get away with skipping lessons Harry. ” Hermione said from behind Harry. “ Some of us aren ‘ t the boy-who-lived. Some of us- ”

“ Some of us realize the pointlessness of being taught what we already know. ” Harry stepped into the middle of the attic. “ Alright, this time everyone except Draco. All of the marauders. ”

“ Harry are you sure ? ” Fred asked. “ You weren ‘ t feeling so hot this morning. ”

“ I’m sure, I ‘ m delicately. Nothing a little exercise won ‘ t cure. ” Harry shed his robe as the marauders drew into a roofy around him. Ginny could see Malfoy settling down to watch, like it was a all-fired show.

“ Ready. ” Padma called out.

“ Don ‘ t ask me if I ‘ m cook. Never ask me if I ‘ m quick. Never warn me just bloody hit me. ”

“ Stubefy ! ” Ginny threw out her baton but Harry was already moving, sliding under her slam like a ophidian. His wand came up towards her. She shielded, Harry flicked to the side and Neville went down in a flashbulb of red light.

The Twin jumped forward like mirrors of each other but a shining beam clicked between them and slammed them together like buckeye. Harry whirled like a dancer and a caul of smoke surrounded him. The marauder began firing into the cloud, deliberate not to hit each former as the stunners flew out the other side. The vulture slowed and eventually stopped.

“ Do you think we got him ? ” Ron asked shakily.

“ Should have counted the stunners. ” Padma muttered. “ Did anyone see if one didn ‘ t total out ? ”

Padma’s interrogation was answered as her wand was jerked out of her hand and flew into the blackness. An array of peach followed it. All came back out.

“ Screw this. ” Ginny waved her scepter. “ Depulso smoke. ” The melanize cloud flew away and dissipated into the dusty air. Revealing zilch. The story was empty.

“ Where the nether region is- ” Ginny felt a weight work stoppage her shoulder joint and a stabbing infliction. As she collapsed she saw boots flash in front of her font and red lighter flashing all around. Her articulatio humeri was like a burning knife.

“ HOLD ! ” somebody yelled. “ I said delay ! ”

The flashing lighting stopped and she felt strong hands rolling her over carefully. Malfoy’s case came into view, staring at her shoulder.

“ It ‘ s dislocated. ” He said softly. “ I mean really dislocated, look at it. ”

Ginny looked over at her shoulder and had to look away, her eyes squeezed shut. Her arm was hanging like a piece of inwardness, hanging off her shoulder. The marauder began crowding around. Ginny found Harry’s center, he was unreadable. As always. His eyes didn’t emote, didn’t hold anything away. They just looked like... eyes.

“ Let me. ” Hermione pushed Draco aside and rolled up Ginny’s sleeve. She shook her head. “ I can ‘ t fix this. We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey. ” Hermione reached forward.

“ No. ” Draco shook his point. “ Two marauders, one injured, leads back to Harry. I ‘ ll take her. We can choke it off as an inter-house thing. ” Draco put his arm under her respectable shoulder and lifted her gently, carrying her away.
*


“ What the hell was that ? ! ” Padma whirled on Harry. “ You broke her shoulder. ”

“ Yes. ” Harry idly woke Neville from his charm induced daze. “ And if she was a death feeder I ‘ d have broken his shoulder. ”

“ Ginny ‘ s not a Death eater ! ” Ron yelled angrily.

“ Really ? You sure ? We could jibe her wrist. ” Harry rolled his middle. “ I don ‘ t know what your female parent would be more tempestuous about, the hatred offense or the tattoo ! ”

“ This isn ‘ t funny Harry ! ” George growled.

“ No it ‘ s not ! ” Harry yelled. “ It ‘ s bloody unplayful ! Bloody, raging, burning SERIOUS ! I KNOW THAT ! Do you ? Do you know that ? ”

“ You could have really hurt her. ” Parvati said softly.

“ I have really hurt her. ” Harry said harshly. “ I ‘ ve had broken bones. It hurts. It hurts a lot. It also hurts a lot lupus erythematosus than what would happen if a Death eater caught her. ”

“ So it was for her own good was it ? ” Ron raged. “ You were, what ? Helping her ! ”

“ Yes ! I was ! ” Harry kicked a president against the paries angrily. “ I ‘ m helping everyone ! Why doesn ‘ t everyone get that ! Why are the legal age of the people I ‘ m trying to redeem doing their best to know with me ! ”

The marauder jumped back. The shadows in the Attic made Harry’s face a flaky mask. He was shaking like a leafage, breathing hard.

“ Why are hoi polloi doing this. ” He shook his mind, his hands going to his temples. “ Even people who know what we have to do are trying to check us. Even people who know. Why the hell would they do that ? ”

“ Harry... ” Hermione reached forward.

“ It ‘ s fine. ” Harry straightened like a rod. “ I ‘ m ok. We can fit another affaire d'honneur in before the end of lunch. ”

“ You, you want to go right back into a fight ? ” Hermione asked, her voice incredulous. “ No Harry. No, we ‘ re all tired. We can ‘ t. ”

“ I can. You can. Get over here. ” Harry threw Padma’s wand to her. It bounced off her abdomen. She made no crusade to catch it.

“ I ‘ m tired. ” Padma said flatly. “ I ‘ m going to lessons. ”

“ seed on ! ” Harry clapped like some insane sports coach-and-four. “ We can do another round. ”

“ I don ‘ t wan na do this with you Harry. ” Ron said angrily. “ This isn ‘ t fun anymore. ”

“ THIS WAS NEVER FUN ! ”

“ Harry what do you want ! ” Hermione yelled. “ We don ‘ t have to do what you say ! We don ‘ t have to obey gild like you seem to think ! Make up your judgment Harry, are we your friend or are we your... your army ! ”

“ You giving me the choice. ” Harry stepped up right into Hermione’s side. “ You giving me that choice. I have a gloomy sorcerer after me that I ‘ m fated to fight. I have the greatest, no scratch that, the two not bad wizards in the globe hating me. One trying to kill me. One trying to keep me a prisoner. I have everything against me. So I choose a all-fired army.’Cos I need a bloody army. And if you can ‘ t be that then to hell with you. ”

Harry turned, and disappeared out the door.
*


The nexus of the marauders was gone. Without that, they were hollow.

They went to deterrent example, walked, went to meals. But Harry was never with them. He still attended lectures to hold open the instructor off his back, but every early moment seemed to be spent in that attic. Plus wherever he snuck out to at night.

Draco was with him sometimes, walking silently behind him along the corridor. Visible bruising made it clear that he hadn’t stopped helping Harry. Ginny caught him alone one aurora and confronted him.

“ Why are you still helping Harry ? ” She asked bluntly.

“ Because he ‘ s my friend. ” Was the curt and dry response.

“ He ‘ s killing himself with all this. ” Ginny pleaded, looking into Draco’s eyes. At least there was some emotion there, even if it mostly seemed to be regret. “ You realize that don ‘ t you ? You ‘ re not helping him exist. You ‘ re helping him self destruct. ”

“ With anyone else I ‘ d agree with you. ” Dragon looked away. “ But here we know what ‘ s coming. You know. There ‘ s no way we can hold him out of Voldemort ‘ s route. There’s no keeping him safe you understand, the prophecy ensures that. He will front Voldemort. He will fight him. So a little self devastation now is worth it if he survives that confrontation. Wouldn’t you say Ginerva ? ”

“ Don ‘ t turn this on me. ” Ginny shook her promontory. “ And don ‘ t try to make what you ‘ re doing any sort of Lord. It ‘ s not. ”

“ Of course of instruction I ‘ m noble. I ‘ m a Malfoy. ” Draco hung his head, then looked up to meet her optic. ruefulness was back, regret was definitely back. “ Look Ginerva I know everything you ‘ re saying is reliable. But I don ‘ t know how else to aid him. I don ‘ t how to help him at all. Do you ? ”

“ I... no. ”

“ Too bad. ” Draco shook his head teacher. “ I guess all we can hope for is that he kills Voldemort before he kills himself. ”

And outside Hogwarts the wizarding world slowly fell to pieces. As Christmas crawled closer and the nights grew tenacious there was no joy among the witching peoples. It just think there were Sir Thomas More saturnine hours for the Death feeder to trace in. One night a colored mark was raised right in the center of Manchester. The authorities passed it off as a hot air balloon. The single in the rural area didn't have to be explained away, the ministry just had to strip up after. When they even bothered to do that.

contrary to popular notion the sorry hour is not before daybreak. It's in the heart of the all-fired night.
*


Harry closed the prophet with a gravid sigh and dropped it on the reason beside him. affair were only getting unfit out there. The order wasn't doing anything, big surprise there. Barty Crouch was still missing from death eater meetings, apparently with Voldemort’s full support. The dark animal ? No one knew a thing about them.

No one seemed to get it on anything.

Harry stretched his legs out and felt the ripples of the lake against his bare peel, sending back wavelet of goosebumps to play off. Not all to do with the cold. It was good though. He should make trusted he could manage urine if he had to. mightiness have to contend in it one day.

" A night res publica of affairs. "

Harry tensed as the vox came from behind him and spun, wand outstretched. There was a figure standing there, looking out over the water. He looked old, LXX maybe. Bald definitely, and not a hair in his trivial orderly moustache was anything other than white. He looked like a retired teacher more than anything else, one of the old school ace. He even had the patched flannel jacket.

Oh god was that a pipework in his sack ?

This guy was a walking clich & eacute ; ? What was he going to do next ? pop the question me tea ?

" Would you like a place of tea ? "

" Oh come on. " Harry chuckled and shook his head. " Three matter : One, I don't drink tea. I drink chocolate, in great measure. Two : You don't have any tea. Three : Even if you had a flaskful I wouldn't be able to drink it. " Harry reached out and waved his hand directly through the old Isle of Man leg. It passed through without even a tingle.

" Very good Mr Potter. " The old man sat down cross legged next to him. " How could you tell ? "

" There are certain signs. " And I'm certainly not telling him them. " Who the Inferno are you ? "

" My name is James. " Harry stiffened at those words. The old man laughed. " No not that St. James the Apostle. Honestly Mr Potter there are more people called James I in this earth than your father. "

" Probably not your real name anyway. " Harry snorted.

" I've never seen a pauperism to hide my first of all name. One of the benefits of having a nice traditional name like Saint James or John or Harry. " James smiled and took a minuscule puff on his piping. " Of course if you wish to bonk my last name we shall have a problem. "

" I don't give a horseshit what your last figure is. " Harry shrugged. " How are you doing this ? Some sort of illusion ? "

" Astral Projection. " James said professionally. " It's really quite useful. "

" I've read about it. " Harry crossed his weapon system and stared calculatingly at the man next to him. " It requires extensive preparation and a circle of at least three adept. What you came to tell me is worth all that ? "

" Very skilful Mr Pott- "

" stopover saying that. " Harry cut him off. " Just speak your piece. "

" Very well. " James River reached into his cap. Harry instinctively flinched despite the fact that any weapon this man pulled would go straight through him. " Do you know a man named Conterrando Baker ? "

" Is he from the ministry of silly names ? "

" How droll. " St. James the Apostle pulled a piece of paper from his crownwork and held it out for Harry to see. Harry grabbed a piece of parchment out of his bag to jot down the address then took a minuscule more time reading the balance of the profile.

" Half blood, respected member of the Wizengamot, respecter writer, married to a muggle, outspoken critic of the electric current parson. Two kids at Hogwarts. His last book was a bed story, between a pure blood and a muggle. " Harry laughed wryly. " Jesus, did someone just take in a big piece of play-doh and mould it into a target for the destruction eater ? "

" It is a small miracle he has not been attacked yet. "

" But you think he is being targeted now ? "

" I know he is. " Saint James tapped a date on the paper. " Tomorrow night. "

" Oh come on. "

" He has been repeated warned but he refused to accept a protective detail. He says it would encroach on his privacy. Foolish And he will die for it. A beloved folk man is going to die if you don't save him. "

" shit. You save him. You obviously have resources. "

" I, or more accurately the grouping I represent. Do have the resources. " James smiled. Harry didn't like that smile, it had weird profoundness. Henry James continued, " Our organization also dislikes Voldemort. He is troublesome to our body of work. But unfortunately for Mr Baker, Voldemort is only an irritation to us therefore it is not Worth enough to us to lay aside him. We do not propel in the Saami band as Voldemort you see, so he does not apply us too a great deal problem. We would choose if he were gone though. It would make things easier. "

" So help him. "

" We can not. " King James I stood. " But you can. Go assist him Harry ceramist. If it turns out well, we may touch again. " With that he disappeared into thin air.

" Show off. " Harry murmured.

Of course he realized it could be a hole. In fact it almost certainly was a trap. Harry considered. Except that Conterrando baker was a real person. The tarradiddle, after a petty checking of binding seer issuance, checked out. Harry even found the kids in Ginny's year. Hufflepuffs, twins, nice in a sort of boring Hufflepuff kind of way. Both phallus of the gobstones club. Both with significantly less ridiculous figure than their father.

Good kids. Good father too...

" Bugger. " Harry dropped the prophesier on the table. " I'm going to have to do something heroic aren't I. "

Looks that way.

" Do I have to ? "

Well... no, you could let him die while you sit back and eat popcorn.

" Don't like popcorn. "

Well I guess that decides it then. Plus it would be rather a waste material of all the preparation you've been doing.

" It could still be a trap you know. "

I know that. Don't you think I know that ? I'm your brain you moron.

" We're a bit sick aren't we ? "

Crazy like a fox.

" Like a fox. "
*


So it came to draw that Harry slid down into the chamber of secrets that night wearing the most singularly un-heroic piece of vesture in history.

A dyad of waders.

" Bloody winter. " Harry shivered as he crawled through the tiny pass in the wall through which he had entered the chamber all those long time ago. It was smaller than he remembered.

Harry dropped into the icy sewer and made his way quickly along the night passageway. The urine was bitingly cold on his workforce whenever they got splashed but the thick waders kept his legs pleasantly warm. Thank merlin for dragon-skin fishing supplies.

Of course this would be easier if Dumbledore hadn't strengthened the Hogwarts hospital ward to the point where not even insects could travel by through. This was the only way out.

Harry's enactment through the catacombs was unerring. concluding time he'd been here he'd wandered aimlessly, lost. Little deep in thought boy... But he wasn't the like person he'd been then. Harry sighed and walked on through the darkness to his destination.
*


Harry flicked his pinch up and walked quickly down the street. This was British capital, but not a part that he had ever frequented. Big houses, big expensive firm. office that didn't take kindly to floater. Probably still wouldn't take kindly to him if he was found here.

House twenty six. Harry slowed to a stop a block away from the tall ashen building. In the middle of the terraced-row of equally marvellous ovalbumin buildings. Expensive they might be, person they were not.

All the lights seemed to be off. Mr Baker was probably numb. No one outside, no one obvious anyway.

how-do-you-do...

Up on the cap. darkness made into flatness made into nightmare. mortal was waiting up there, trying to stay invisible against the skyline.

Harry cursed then darted down an alley. Movement in the look railway yard, it might have been a cast away newsprint. Then again it might not.

human being shape ! Second base, standing near the bed ! Harry's hands found a drain and he catapulted himself up. There were two more on the bed, cowering in care. The standing flesh raised his wand. Harry swung with all his strength and crashed through the window.

" What the pit ! "

Harry tackled the expiry feeder to the floor and stunned him. He rushed to the door and bolted it, pushing a chair under the handle. The others would own heard the window break.

" Who are you ! " A representative bellowed from the bed. " Are you with them ? "

" Do you know Dumbledore ? " Harry asked quickly, looking over at the two in the bed.

" Ye... yes. Everyone knows- "

" goodness go to him. Get out through the back. " Harry pointed at the broken window. The threshold thumped violently and Harry turned back towards it. Three others. Not serious. " GO ! "

" What about you ? " Mrs Baker asked as her husband hurried her towards the window.

" Don't worry about me. Just go ! " Harry flicked a Aaron Montgomery Ward onto the doorway, strengthened it. But it wouldn't hold long. These weren't criminals, these were actual death eaters. duelist chemical group deuce. Bugger. Harry glanced back at the window to see Mr Baker just disappearing out of it. Well at least that was done. Harry turned back to the doorway and raised his wand.

The beginning real mental testing. Lets see how I do.

I really hope one of them is bend... Harry grinned in wild glee.
*


The houses windows flashed from where he sat on the rooftops. Whoever that boy was he was fighting them. Fighting them everywhere. There were two people fleeing down the backstreet, visible in the break between houses. They didn't matter.

His knarrled digit clenched. It looked like the boy had beat him to these 1. He wouldn't be able to kill tonight. Wouldn't be able to hurt them, clear them pay. realise the other one, the snake in the grass one, the one who took everything pay.

He licked his lips. Another meter, there would be other clip. He was patient. affected role was respectable, so long as it got there in the end.

The end... the end...

vengeance. That was a respectable word.

The watcher hunkered down on the rooftops. Before him the fight raged on and yell of pain filled the air.

He would waitress, and if there were any strayer ? Maybe he would possess some fun after all.
*


" Wake Island up ! "

Urg... Ron turned over on instinct to get away from the noise.

" Get the hell up Weasley ! "

" Ow ! " Ron grabbed his side and spun, his eyes all-encompassing open. " Malfoy what the- "

" rich person you seen Harry ? " The Slytherin demanded.

" What ? Of path not. He's your best friend now. " Ron replied sneering.

" He didn't turn up for dueling this morning. " Malfoy sounded like he was actually worried. The snake in the grass was obviously acting. " I thought maybe he would be here. "

" well he's not. " Ron gestured around. " reckon the bed's not even sleep in. And how'd you get the password anyway ? "

" Something's wrong. "

" Get lost Malfoy. " Ron looked over at the clock. " It's six o clock in the morning ! "

" right hand. Two minute past when Harry said he'd meet me. " Malfoy was gritting his teeth, breathing through them clenched.

" He's probably in the attic. "

" That was where I was waiting you idiot ! "

" Then he's eating breakfast ! "

" Checked there. "

" Library. "

" Checked. "

" Down by the lake ? "

" Checked. "

" The timber ? Around the edge- "

" Checked. "

" Oh. " Ron bit his lip. " He's probably, I don't know. Probably training previous and just passed out tired. Even you had to notice he was tired. "

" Surprised you did. " Malfoy turned for the door. " Get your friends and avail look. "

" We're not your frie- "

" But you were Harry’s ! " Malfoy turned angrily. " And he could be in problem, or hurting, or dying, right now ! I know you don't like him any more but unless you hate him enough to wish him dead get the hell up and assist me look ! "
*


Ron woke the piranha. The marauders roused the educatee. Myrtle called the ghost. Hermione ran to McGonagall. McGonagall went to Dumbledore.

The intact castle like an anthill kicked into tumult by the deviation of the boy-who-lived.

It was Dumbledore who confirmed, by'his own method & # 039 ;, that Harry was not in the castle. The great hall was filled with tangible tension as breakfast appeared as if it was any other day. Everyone was whispering.

Why pain in the ass, thought Ginny. It's not like you're trying to hide what you're talking about. But she found that when she talked it also came out as whispers. It was the tense atmosphere, it leeched sound out of you. Or maybe it was because saying it right out would make it real.

The vulture mostly picked at their solid food. No one felt like eating. Not even Ron. Suddenly the door burst open.

" It's him ! " Hagrid boomed over the barking of his dog. " He's out there ! "

The hall emptied like a fire had started. Every student of every home piled through the whale double doors. Jostling and pushing against each other, and against instructor, to get through. They spilled out onto the front man lawn like a wave, breaking and separating. Everyone was running for the chief logic gate. Ginny saw Hagrid, out in front, yell something and the logic gate creaked spread out. Everyone pushed through, trying to get a glimpse of the solitary figure trudging up the path towards them.

The front runners stopped and were almost bowled over as the hoi polloi behind them ran into their backs. The road down from the logic gate was slanted, so everyone could see. See the figure that was definitely Harry.

His robe hung off one shoulder, the rest torn and trailing behind him. The whole odd side of his look was covered in blood, down onto his shoulders too, caked on and streaked. One of his bang was gone, merlin only knew where. His left arm had an ugly burn over the elbow, red and raw and calamitous in the middle.

The entire of Hogwarts stared at him. Harry raised his head painfully.

" fountainhead... would... " Harry swallowed and licked his lips. " Would you believe I fell down some stairs ? "
*


" Mr Potter where were you ? "

You know where.

" Tell me ! "

He knows where. Of course he does. stupid person Dumbledore.

" Were you at the baker residence Harry ? "

There we are.

" How did you allow schoolhouse grounds ? "

You don't need to know that.

" Harry answer me ! "

" What do you want from me Dumbledore ? " Harry pushed a blood-entangled dreadlock of haircloth out of his boldness. " What do you want me to say ? "

" I want the truth ! " Dumbledore was yelling, every portrayal on the walls of his bureau watched in silence. Apart from them the way was empty. " I want you to secernate me where you went ! Where you go every Night ! I want solution ! "

" I don't give a damn what you want. "

Rather incongruent seeing as we just asked him.

" Harry if there is a breach in the wards of Hogwarts I need to know about it. "

darn. He might actually be right. Voldemort sure as shooting as hell knew about the chamber.

" sleeping accommodation of secrets. " Harry met the Headmasters regard but gave nothing away. His occlumency was getting better too. " Remember ? There's a passage that lets out on the side of the lake. "

" The... a passage. " Dumbledore nodded faintly. " Yes... yes I knew about it. "

" But it slipped your mind when you were shoring up the wards. "

" I... no- "

" You're not a god Dumbledore. " Harry broke in. " You can't do everything. You are incompetent. You make mistakes. It doesn't have to be this way between us, admit you made a misunderstanding with gaze to me. I can facilitate you fight. Help the order. "

" You are not of age. "

" gaoler that ! " Harry yelled wildly. " There's two citizenry living tonight because of me ! Two fry who are not orphaned because of me ! "

" There are also five numb death eaters. "

What... the... underworld...

" Stunned. " Harry corrected hopefully. " Stunned expiry eaters. "

" Dead. " Dumbledore's boldness grew stony. " Killed with an secret toxin. Seen only once before. "

No... no no no no.

" Dumbledore- "

" blockage ! " The headmaster cut him off. " You have already demonstrated a bloodlust that disturbs normal, right wizards. "

" When I need to ! " Harry was breathing hard. " When my ally lives are at interest ! "

" You are out of mastery Harry. "

" I didn't stamp out them. " Harry held up his hands. " I didn't, I swear. I stunned them, then left, then called the aurors to cull them up. "

" I can not believe that Harry, I can not. Not with all I know. "

" Legilimence me. " Harry released his defenses. " You'll see. You'll know. "

" I will not bang. I will not hump because I can not be sure that you have not reached a level of technique at occlumency where you could show me whatever fictitious memory you wish to. "

" THEN WHAT DO YOU privation ! "

" wrath Harry ? You have a lot of ira don't you. "

Yes. Harry hung his headspring tiredly. There is no answer to your questions. Nothing that will fill you.

" You will remain confined to the castle. " Dumbledore ordered. " You will advert all lesson. A defender appointed by me will take the air you to and from each moral. You will do these affair or I will hand you to the aurors. "

" I didn't do it. " Harry whispered, more than to himself than anything else.

" I can not aim that risk. "

Wait ! The divination !

" The prophecy. " Harry blurted. " What are we going to- "

" Stop thinking about such things. " Dumbledore cut him off. " They are no longer your concern. "

" But I have to stop Voldemort. I'm the only one who can. "

" This discourse is over Harry. Leave. "

Harry stood. There was no dot drawing it out. He walked towards the door, but didn't go through it. He felt drained, completely. But some residual well of stubbornness wouldn't let him leave without one last word.

" You're making a mistake. " Harry said over his shoulder. " You do form them remember. "

" I do. But I correct them. " Dumbledore said sharply, but sadly. " I am correcting one right now. "

shit. He still got the final word.

Harry turned and passed out of the office. There were important decisions to be made.
*


" Deja vu. " A voice said over Ron's shoulder.

" Malfoy ! " Ron spun on his bench. " Do you just sneak around everywhere ? "

" Hard to sneak in the middle of lunch. " Malfoy seemed agitated. " Harry's gone again. "

" Like this morning ? " Hermione asked.

" He said he was going to go to catch some Z's, but his bag's gone. " As Malfoy spoke they heard a disturbance from the high table.

Dumbledore had just shoved his chair back roughly and strode quickly from the hall.

" He knows about- " Ron began but stopped as a feathered shadow dropped onto the table.

power shovel cocked his head and hopped about a little nervously. He kept looking at first one fount then another as if he didn't know who to drive home his substance too.

Ginny reached forward and took it off her. She spread it out on the table. It was short, but it had a lot of subtext. It simply said.

Take attention of him






Review, or I will use my gravemetric eversion ray to smash the moonshine down onto the surface of the world ! Destroying it utterly ! You have just one minute ! Mru Ha Ha Ha Ha ! Ha. Ha.


Arg ! The website goes down ! fury everywhere ! affair Fall apart, the centers can not hold ! My reviews ! ! ! My precious reviews ! ! !

Ah well... such is life.



" Is there no tidings ? "

" No Albus, there is not. " Minerva shook her principal. " He appears to take in vanished. "

" Has a sentry been set on the borders ? All mode that he could leave the country ? "

" Yes Albus. " As if that had ever stopped Harry. " But do you really think he will try to forget ? Everything we've seen suggests he will ride out and fight. "

" I do not know Minerva. " Albus shook his point. " I am not for sure of anything anymore. "

" hitch strong Albus. The order needs you. "

" Yes... yes we must go on. "
*


The piranha, bundled up against the frigidness, sat quietly before a huge bay windowpane in Malfoy manor. They had gone there straight from Hogwarts, with a guard the entire way. They were in the minority for leaving, a lot of scholarly person had elected to detain at Hogwarts for Yuletide. It was safer. They were not the merely one there though, Terry and Anne Baker ( none of the vulture had really known them ) had been dragged along looking confused.

That was until they reached the planetary house and had a lachrymose reunification with their parents. Apparently someone had saved them from the destruction eater. Emphasis on someone.

The manor was filling up, loads of people. Refugees almost, mass that had been targeted or were in danger of being. It was chilling, seeing the fear in their oculus, the flavour of being hunted. The marauders were the same, unable to leave, scanning the papers for any jot of Harry. They found nothing but they kept looking. guilt feelings was a potent thing.

So now they were stuck in the hall, ineffective to impart its paries as snow blanketed everything outside. Even if they could have gone outside would they have had the core to fiddle ? Maybe, maybe not. So they sat in nominal head of the huge open window and watched it fall.

The grownup had tried to make it cheery, there was even a Tree. It hadn't worked though.

" We should go have lunch. " Someone murmured. No one moved. Eventually somebody else echoed the persuasion and they began to get up, slowly, silently. They had just about reached the kitchen when Tonks burst in.

" Have you heard the news ? " She blurted.

" We read the prophet- " Hermione began before Tonks interrupted her.

" No, no. This just happened. " She shook her psyche. " Two death feeder just got dropped into the ministry foyer. Flued in. They were stunned and tied up with decoration. They're processing them now. Where's everyone else ? "

" almost of the adults eat in the tree room. " Ginny pointed and Tonks hurried out.

" Do you recollect it was Harry ? " Neville asked quietly.

" Of course it was Harry. " Malfoy said flatly.

" It could have been someone else, soul else trying to stop them. "

" someone who tied them up like presents and dumped them Yule eve ? It's Harry. " Padma grimaced. " He's out there fighting. "

" On his own. " Her sister echoed.

They sat in silence for a while. The only sound was Ron rhythmically munching on bread.

" Do you think it was us ? " Ginny found herself whispering. " Do you think we drove him out ? "

" You certainly didn't help. " Draco sneered.

" Shut up Malfoy ! You were the one helping him ! " Ron reached over and tried to thump the Slytherin. " If you hadn't he wouldn't have thought he could press them ! "

" He was getting helper from other berth than me. soul else I'm sure, he was getting better too fast. " Malfoy shook his head. " No, I withdraw what I said before. You didn't pushing him towards this. This was inevitable. "

But we abandoned him. Ginny thought darkly. Maybe if he would have stayed longer if he thought he had something to stay for. Or at the very least he'd know he wasn't alone. Merlin, how had things gone so wrong ?

" It's my fault. " Hermione murmured suddenly. " I said that... stunned matter about choosing between- "

" It wasn't you. " Ron broke in. " You heard Malfoy, it was inevitable. "

" We need to do something. " Parvati said. " Bring him back. William Tell him it's ok. "

" How ? " Draco shook his head. " admit out a personal ad in the seer ? "

" fountainhead why not ? "

" Because it's ludicrous. And because all it would do is conciliate your guilt. It wouldn't help him. "

" Well what would help him ! " Fred asked angrily.

" I don't know ! " Draco snap to his human foot. " Why are you asking me anyway ? I don't even like you. " He turned and stalked out of the room. Ginny watched him go. She'd never thought about it before but Harry leaving had probably hit him pretty hard too. He didn't really have any other supporter. Maybe that had been why he helped Harry for so long.

" We need to do something. " Parvati repeated again.

" What sister ? What ? " Padma frowned at her sister darkly. " Don't just keep saying'do something'and expect everyone else to come up up with something. "

" I don't hear you coming up with anything ! "

" There's naught we can do ! "

They lapsed into an angry muteness again. There was too much stress, too slight nap. They were all at the end of their tether. Just like Harry had been. Ginny shook her head, they should have gone well-to-do on him. A minuscule selfish part of her felt glad that she had not been function of that first argumentation with him. Another voice blamed her for starting it. If she had just dodged he wouldn't have hurt her articulatio humeri and then they wouldn't have...

It was superfluous to guess about it. The logical argument had happened, but a trivial part of her still irked. They shouldn't have blown up on him, so what if he said he chose an army... postponement... Was it possible ? Was she really thinking about this ?

" I can think of something we can do. " She said, her vox catching in the middle. It hadn't done that in years.

" What Gin ? " Fred asked without looking at her.

No one was looking at her. No one was paying attention. piranha rules...

" HEY ! " The board jumped as Ginny slammed down on it hard. The predator started like lapin. Oh expectant, now everyone was looking at her. She stood, keeping her mitt 2-dimensional to the table. " I know what we can do. "

" Wh... what ? " Hermione asked hesitantly.

" Exactly what he asked. " Ginny said confidently. " He wanted an army. He needs an army. He's fighting out there on his own so he deserves an army ! We can be it. We can help him ! "

For a few moments there was silence, then...

" But... but we're just kids. " Neville was biting his lip.

" We're as old as Harry. " Ginny stated defiantly, glossing over the fact that she wasn't.

" We don't know how to fight like him. " Ron was staring at her wildly.

" Harry learnt, so we can. " Ginny folded her arms. " Harry wasn't even that good at defence mechanism and look how far he's come. We can do it. "

" We could... " Fred murmured, and is twin began nodding thoughtfully.

" There are only eight of us. " Hermione pointed out.

" I think other people in the schooltime would be prepared to serve Harry if we told them. The old Chosen... others too. " Ginny tried to look confident. " And besides, Harry's just one person ! "

" But Harry's Harry ! " Hermione shook her promontory. " He could get away with that sorting of thing ! He has some... power... some rationality he survived. A power ! That's it ! Like the prophecy said.'A power the shadow Lord knows not'we- "

" The sole power Harry ever displayed was stubbornness. " Padma interrupted her. " Stubbornness and bravery. "

" And the fact that he never gave up. " Her sister added.

" And we shouldn't either. " Padma nodded.

" So you... " Ginny turned to them grinning.

" We're in. " Padma said, her eyes hard and determined. Her sis nodded her support.

" Us too. " George folded his arms just as his brother said,

" We can't give up on Harry. "

" And you three ? " Ginny turned to the last three unresolved predator. Neville shifted nervously,

" I... It could have been me. " He was looking down at the table. " It could receive been me. I wouldn't have survived this long. No... but I can't just ignore it. The fact that it could have been me I mean. I... I feel like I have to help if I can. "

" You're in ? "

" I don't know how much help I'll be. "

" You saved me. " Ginny smiled desperately. All the marauder had to get together, it was care fate. For some intellect she felt like that. If they all didn't join it just wouldn't body of work. " And Harry would deliver wanted it. "

" He understood you. " Padma chimed in, smiling. " More than the rest of us I think. "

" I'll help, if I can. " Neville said, in a belittled vox. Ginny breathed out in relief, one down two to go...

" And you two ? "

Hermione and Ron shared a expression. Ginny knew she could tease her brother into it, Ron was a sponge for peer pressing, but she wouldn't. Not a pick like this.

" We'll have to neglect some lessons. " Ron said suddenly and Hermione put a hand over her sass, chuckling. " Think you can handle that Hermione ? "

" I guess so. " Hermione turned back to Ginny. " For Harry. "

" You're in ? " Yes, yes, yes ! " Both of you ? "

" We're in. "

" Us too. " A voice came out of nowhere. Ginny spun and fixed on the turgid bivalent doors. Standing in the spread crack were two brown haired children. Terry and Anne bread maker. They had been listening in, eavesdropping. And they had managed to do it undetected. Wow, Ginny thought. They've already got what it takes to be a marauder.

" What ? " Ron stood, clearly ineffective to see them properly from where he was. " You two ? "

" We heard what you were saying. " Anne said, obviously trying to sound older. Ginny wondered if she had looked like that a few moments ago. " We want to help too. "

" Harry saved our parents. " Dame Alice Ellen Terry added in. " The ministry didn't even know they were a target area. We want to help. "

" You realize what this means don't you ? " Ginny said clearly. " We're talking about fighting. Fighting death eaters. Maybe dying, almost certainly getting hurt. This isn't going to be fun. "

" We know that. " Terry nodded. " You think we don't recognize ? We saw Harry when he came back that morning just like the remainder of you. That's the kind of stuff you're talking about right ? Well that night he was out saving our parents. Saving them was what hurt him so bad, so its... like I don't know. Only comely, I guess, that we should do that for him. "

" You could die. " Padma said flatly.

" If Voldemort wins we die anyway. " Anne matched her lustrelessness. " With parents like ours we'll be on the top of his list. "

" We know what were getting ourselves into. " Dame Alice Ellen Terry said defiantly. " We want to fall in Harry's army. "

" Harry's regular army ? " George VI snorted. " Is that what we're calling ourselves ? "

" I don't like it. " His twin agreed.

" It does audio like something from world-war-two. " Hermione agreed.

" How about the Chosen ? We've been that before. " Ron suggested.

" We're the marauders. " Ginny overrode him. " We've always been the vulture we always will be. It's what Harry would hold wanted. "

A murmur of agreement went up from around the table and Ginny felt a surge of pride. She beckoned the Baker twins over. As she did she suddenly realized something, she had made everybody looking at at her and they were still looking. Her brothers had happily accepted her lead, they all had. And now she was about to ordain two new marauders, a privilege only previously granted by Harry.

What can of worms had she opened today ?

" But wait. " Padma said suddenly. " How are we going to trail properly ? Harry had a teacher, he had to. Where are we going to get one ? "

" I can intend of someone. "
*


" Draco ! "

Draco turned in shock to bet at the crowd in the library doorway.

" Yes ? " He looked across them. " Can I help you ? "

" We've decided what we're going to do. " Ginerva said from the front. " We're forming an army. We're going to agitate for Harry. We want your help. "

The library was silent for a here and now. Dragon met the middle of each of the piranha, were they really serious ? Legillimancy gave him the answer.

" fountainhead would you count at that. " Draco murmured, then smiled. " Lets get to it. "
*


" You realize this means the predator now have members in every Hogwarts house. " George commented as they walked down to Harry's old breeding cellar.

" We don't have any Ravenclaws. " Ron said. Hermione shook her head irritably.

" You would call up you'd think back Ron, after all the times she's saved our skins. "

" Who ? "

" Moaning Myrtle. "

" She doesn't count. " Ron said with authority before being clipped around the ear by Ginny.

“ Watch your mouth. Harry wouldn’t stand for that kind of talk. ”

“ Besides, you ‘ re all untimely anyway. ” Draco said dryly from the nominal head. “ Harry made myself and Tonks predator at the end of net year. You ‘ ve been cross-house for months now. ”

“ Why didn ‘ t you secernate us ? ” Ron asked him.

“ Would it deliver made a difference ? ”

“ fountainhead... maybe. ” Ron shrugged. “ Marauders have dissimilar convention than ordinary people. ”

“ Yeah, that part I got. ” Malfoy reached the door to the cellar and threw it candid. It was exactly how they had left it. Huge mess of get around article of furniture and burn mark bell ringer on the walls. “ Right, well we don ‘ t have impact spheres or a siswai ‘ aman or muggle gonnes- ”

“ Guns. ” Hermione corrected.

“ Them either. ” Dragon stepped into the center of the room. “ Actually I do have some wallop spheres but that ‘ s not the point. We don ‘ t have time to go to four continent and find fault up the best weaponry like Harry did, so I ‘ m going to focus on this... ” Malfoy drew his sceptre and held it out in front of him.

“ Dame Alice Ellen Terry, Anne. ” Ginny turned to the two newest member. “ How are you at defense course of instruction ? ”

“ We ‘ re both getting Es. ” Anne said quickly.

“ Marauders should know how to lie better than that. ”

“ Alright As. ”

“ Same as Harry shoemaker's last year. ” Ginny told them encouragingly. “ Hermione ? Can you get them up to speed material quick ? ”

“ I... I guess so. ”

“ Good. ” Ginny turned back to Draco and nodded. He smiled at her as he directed the others into dueling lines. Her tummy did a little floaty lurch.

Just stress. She told herself. Just emphasis because we’re joining a war. Natural to be nervous, especially since they seem to have elected me drawing card. I’m not skittish for any early rationality. No reason at all.
*


Neville collapsed into a chair in his room. He ached everywhere. Malfoy had pushed them all day, fighting. They had only quit for the nighttime when the Baker kids couldn’t stand up any more than. Neville hadn’t been far behind them.

This must hold been what it was like for Harry.

Neville shook his forefront, sooner Padma had told him Harry understood him. Neville didn’t know whether that was true. He certainly didn’t understand Harry. But maybe he watched him more than the others, keeping quiet on the pursuit maybe he saw more. Saw more about mass... about Harry.

Maybe there was one early thing they could do for Harry.

He had thought of it before but hadn’t mentioned it. No reason to evidence ` people, especially if he was wrong. It’d just make him look stupid. It probably wouldn’t help anyway. But it was Worth a shot.

Neville drew a piece of newspaper publisher towards him and grabbed a quill. He chewed on the end nervously, how did you embark on a message like this ?

Dear... No, to familiar. Neville shook his head, it didn’t matter what words he used. He should just get the thing written. He cracked his commonplace knuckles and started again.

To The Pythea

My epithet is Neville Longbottom and I’m a friend of Harry’s. I don’t know if he told you about me.

Neville winced, this was strong than he thought.

Harry’s in difficulty, or he might be. He’s left Hogwarts to defend. We’re worried about him. We’re worried he might die. I don’t know if you know about the Pr...

Neville stopped writing and thought for a consequence. The letter might get intercepted by someone.

If the idiomatic expression ‘ as the seventh month dies’means anything to you then you know why he’s doing this. I don’t know if you can assist him but if you can then please do, and tell us what we can do to facilitate. We’re already doing everything we can but it may not be enough.

Neville read the missive over nervously. He was writing to ask the service of one of the most mighty cleaning lady in the world. He signed it, his mitt shaking adequate to work the signature illegible, then squeaked his chairperson back and made for the owlery.

excavator was arouse and waiting, like he knew. The owl didn’t even bother to await at the name and address, it just glanced at the public figure and took off. Neville watched it go, hoping...
*


He got no reply over Christmas. The vulture opened presents with aching bones while their parents watched before begging out and going back down to the cellar. Neville was surprised that the Baker children didn’t quetch about being worked on Dec 25 day. Perhaps they really did infer what they were in for.

Snow kept falling intermittently, not enough to cover the primer coat again. It just ended up slush. Neville wondered if Harry was outside, moth-eaten, right now, then felt stupid. If Harry could get Wyrd darkness weaponry out of the blue then he could retain warm in winter.

" Neville ! " He heard Fred yell at him. " I thought we were dueling not staring out the window. "

" I'm coming. " Neville turned and raised his wand. " Just a second. "

We're doing what we can Harry, just you wait.
*


Harry crouched on the cap of a house, careful not to skid on the wet tile. The star sign across the way was owned by a spectacular member of a virgin stemma fellowship. Not his master star sign obviously, jerkwater little lieu like this, but one of his properties.

A holding with a large cellar. A place that had been taking in large supplies of pith, bad meat too. Off cuts, the sort you would fall in animals.

It was a hint. Harry smiled grimly, he was on to them. He could hold off here all dark...
*


“ Severus the children at headquarters keep disappearing during the day. Do you experience where they’re going ?

“ I do not Albus. ” Technically true though any sensitive person could guess.

“ Do you think they might be planning to take after Harry ? ”

“ It is possible. ” I hope they are.

“ This troubles be Severus, they should be kept safe. ”

“ They are children. ” Technically lawful though not actually revealing his opinion.

“ You will tell me if you hear anything I should know. ”

“ Of course. ” Anything I think you should know.

“ Now, " Dumbledore looked around the mansion, meeting the eyes of the four order fellow member. Snape, McGonagall, Tonks and Dwight Lyman Moody. They had all been asked here. None of them knew why. " I believe I have found Harry. "

" Are you sure ? " Minerva rose to her feet, jolt evident on her face. " How ? "

" Harry has been too trusting of Gringots. " Dumbledore drew a slim folder of parchment towards him. " He forgets that they have homo employees as well as goblin one. I have managed to prevail records of Harry's proceedings. I believe I have pinpointed his location. "

" So why harbour't you brought the poor boy back ? "

" Because Harry will have an exit strategy. " Dumbledore shook his head word. " If he sees me he will run, and I can not undertake I will be able to catch him. You are the rescript penis I believe he will trust. You must come near him. You must bring him back. "

And what if I don't wish him back. Snape was careful to harbour his thought process utterly. What if I merely wish to make sure he's safe.

" This is the location. " Dumbledore floated a sheet of parchment to each of them. " We will go. Now. "
*


Snape looked up at the flickering bulb above him and scornfully flicked it off before lighting his wand.

" The top floor ? " The auror Tonks was looking at the map drawn by Dumbledore. " Why would he be on the top floor ? It's a drained end. No way out. "

" The boy's smarter than that. " Alastor agreed as the four of them reached the stairwell of the muggle construction. It was not vacant, indeed Snape could hear dampen voices and clicking from contiguous rooms, but the top floor was closed for renovation.

" Perhaps Dumbledore was damage then. " Was that a hint of hope in the voice of the new auror ?

" More likely Harry has a broom handle up there. " Minerva snapped.

Harry would not have a broomstick. Snape shook his head word but said aught out loud. He is more likely to get a pet dragon up there than a broomstick.

" Quiet. " Moody was up ahead, his magic eye scanning above them. The old auror cursed. " Damn evil eye ! There's bags up there, and document. But I can't tell if there's a person. "

" Let me see. " Minerva slinked into her cat form and carefully padded up the steps. Then came back down, her eye twinkling. She transformed back and said, " Harry has been here. His smell is everywhere. "

" Do you roll in the hay if he is there now ? " Snape asked.

" He is there. The smell is too recent for him not to be. "

" Then we go in. " Helen Wills stalked forward. " No wands visible, don't spook him. "

They walked up the bleak concrete stairs. The doorway was closed and covered by a charge card sheet. Snape was reaching out to cut it aside when they all heard,

" Don't bother, I've cut a slit in the one round the side. " The four purchase order extremity stopped utter. The voice continued. " And if you want a more dramatic program line, you are Helen Wills, Snape, McGonagall and Tonks. "

" Harry ? " Tonks asked loudly. " Is that you ? "

" Did I not puddle that cleared ? " The voice said cheerily. " Come in if you want. With your manus up if you please, we don't want any surprises. ”

“ You don ‘ t trust us ? ” Tonks asked.

“ constant quantity vigilance. ” Harry replied.

Snape chuckled as he dropped his verge in his pocket and walked around the nook. There indeed was a break in the plastic curtain, it was waving in the cold steer. Snape stepped up to the gap and pushed it aside. Harry was standing in the open bay window, leaning easily against the edge.

He looked... tired. Beyond tired, his eyes were sunken and his hide pale. Did he look defective than when he left Hogwarts ? Yes. He most certainly did, there was no denying. It could not just be tiredness, it could not. He seemed happier though, his oculus sparkling mischievously.

“ Harry. ” Snape greeted him as the other ordering members filed in behind him. “ It is unspoilt to see you. You are looking well. ”

“ No I ‘ m not. ” Harry was watching them all closely. “ But I ‘ m surviving. How did you find me ? ”

“ I ‘ m afraid we can ‘ t- ”

“ Gringots led us here. ” Snape interrupted McGonagall, who glared at him. “ Dumbledore found you here with their data. He sent us here to fetch you back. ”

“ And are you going to ? ”

“ We just want to talk to you Harry. ” McGonagall stepped forward, her hands spread peacefully. “ It is not dependable for you out here. ”

“ It ‘ s not safe anywhere. ” Harry shrugged. “ And I ‘ m helping out here. I ‘ m fighting the death eaters. What are you doing ? Looking for a lost child ? Let me ask you, which of us is doing the more utile task ? ”

“ Potter don ‘ t be an idiot. ” Moody growled. “ You may hold caught a few death eater but it ‘ s only a affair of time before you ‘ re caught and you better implore it ‘ s by Dumbledore and not the shadow lord. If you die we all lose. ”

“ If I fail we all lose. ” Harry shifted closer to the window.

“ Harry, we ‘ re just trying to avail you. ” Tonks stepped forward. “ We all know what ‘ s at stake here. ”

“ This scene is recap. ” Harry scoffed. “ I ‘ m leaving. ” He turned to the window and dropped.

“ No ! ” McGonagall yelled, snatching for her sceptre but Moody was faster. The old auror summoned Harry roughly, drawing him across the floor and disarmed him with a film of the wrist.

“ Son of a bitch. ” Harry tried to fend but Moody jabbed his wand and Harry was pushed back to the primer. “ Trusted you... ”

“ Sorry Potter. ” Moody growled. “ Trusted you too. You pissed on that when you killed five men didn ‘ t need to be killed. ”

“ That’s not true. ”

“ The part about killing them or the contribution about not needing to ? ”

“ To be honest, both. ” Harry made a lunge for the door but McGonagall stepped in forepart of him. Harry cringed, then tried to put up. “ This is pointless. If you bring me back to Hogwarts Dumbledore ‘ ll go on me prisoner, we all lose. ”

“ I trust Dumbledore Sir Thomas More than I trust you right now. ” Moody raised his wand. “ You disappointed me. Now Stup- ”

“ Stop ! ” Snape struck sideways, sending Dwight Lyman Moody’s wand sideways. As the auror's heart jerked open in shock Snape stunned him and whirled, holding his baton on McGonagall. “ Don ‘ t move Minerva. In fact back away. ”

“ Severus what is this ? ” Her middle were wide in disbelief.

“ Please don ‘ t talk. ” Snape glanced at Tonks standing twitchily in the corner, her deal hovering over her wand. “ And you ? Do I need to stun you too ? ”

“ I... no. ” The young auror’s eyes flickered down to Harry. “ takings attention of yourself Harry. Please. Please do. ”

“ I ‘ ll try. ” Harry nodded, walking over and grabbing his wand. “ And I won ‘ t use Gringots any more. ” The boy started for the window.

“ Harry ! ” Snape called out. “ Moody caught you. You let your guard down. You have to be better than that. ”

“ I know. I screwed up. Constant Vigilance. ” Harry nodded towards Helen Newington Wills. “ You should tell him that too when he wakes up. ”

“ He will probably kill me first. ” Snape shrugged.

“ Not likely. ” Harry stepped up the edge. “ He ‘ ll probably trust you now. ”

Harry grinned and dropped off the edge.

Snape waited a long mo, long enough for Harry to reach the reason, then lowered his wand. McGonagall just looked at him. No student with late prep had endured so withering a stare.

“ wellspring Severus, now that you have betrayed the order, what do you intend to do now ? ”

“ I will go back to Dumbledore. ” Snape stepped over to arouse up Moody. “ And I will try to explain. ”

The auror blinked to life and grabbed his wand. He levered himself to his feet and looked Snape up and down with his piercing electrical dispirited eye.

“ well well, your dead on target colors at last. ” Moody spat.

“ Trelawney once told me my coloring was pale fuchsia. ” Snape commented as he made for the door. “ If I ‘ m showing that people of colour you may want to get your eye checked. ”

“ My eye ‘ s fine. ”

“ Good, then I ‘ ll converge you at Headquarters. ” Snape apparated away, the frigid pressing abyss of invalidate giving him a moment of pacification before he dropped to his human foot in battlefront of the doors. Three pops behind him told him the other order extremity had followed.

“ Don ‘ t do that again you slime. ” Moody growled, wand out. “ If you try to apparate again I ‘ ll strike you ‘ re trying to escape. ”

Snape took three whole step, into the terrific hall.

“ There. ” Snape raised his bridge player. “ Now I can ‘ t escape. ”

“ I don ‘ t corporate trust you. ” Helen Newington Wills shook his head. “ Give me your wand. ”

“ No. ” Snape turned towards the briny residence hall and walked calmly. Surprisingly he felt calm, he was well-to-do. He was ghastly of being Dumbledore’s lapdog, and now he had finally acted on it.

He pushed the double doors out-of-doors and found something he didn’t expect. The whole order was there, lining the walls. Dumbledore had called a meeting, to discuss Harry being back. Snape stopped, his arms crossed and the three following him walk past times into the room. Tonks was still quietly, fading into the gang, her hair unconsciously turning dampen brown. Moody and Minerva walked straight up to the head of the table.

“ You failed to arrest Harry ? ” Dumbledore clearly suspected something. He was using the stare that used to pierce Snape to the soul, now it just made his eyes itching. “ What went untimely Severus ? ”

“ I decided that greater goodness could be served by letting him free. ” Severus stood calmness against the tempestuous mutter that rose at that. He found Natalie’s eye in the crowd,

Why ?

I am tired of leashes.

You aren’t finished are you. It wasn’t a question.

I am not. I mean Dumbledore to know I am no longer... tame.

wellspring this should be fun.

Snape couldn’t serve but smile.

“ You think this is funny Severus ! ” Dumbledore had stood, his eye flinty and hard.

“ Yes. ”

“ How daring you ! ”

How daring I ? Snape snorted, this was the way thing should be. He felt more comfortable with everything against him.

“ Snape this metre you have gone too far. ”

Oh good, if you’re going to be this predictable this will go far easier. Snape just smiled.

“ Do you have nothing to say ! ”

“ No. I have nothing to say. ” Snape kept his articulation irritatingly nerveless “ The only explanation I have you will not accept. And I can not formulate one you will because you I do not know what you want. ”

“ I want someone I can trust ! ”

“ No you do not. You trust no one. You never have. Not with any secret Charles Frederick Worth knowing. You are a fold system of rules, no one is told anything. ” Snape glanced around the office at the other ordination members, practically everyone was there. Everyone there to witness his chagrin, that was what Dumbledore wanted anyway. If Snape had his way it wasn’t going to happen like that. “ None of these citizenry know anything do they. ”

“ I am speak- ”

“ You ‘ d think that would get to them. ” Snape continued. “ You ‘ d think one of them would worry about you. ”

“ Be dumb ! ”

“ Each of them thought another had your ear. Minerva thought lupine, Lupin thought Moody perhaps. I don ‘ t know who Moody thought. But none of them did, none of them know. ”

“ Silence ! ”

“ No man is an island. ” Snape smiled, after all these years he knew how to get to the old man. “ No man is an island unless he makes himself so. ”

“ Severus I will not listen to- ”

“ You will heed. You can ‘ t not. ” Snape shook his head. “ Something has frozen you. That is what you do isn ‘ t it ? You shrink, like a turtleneck. Back into your shell. ”

“ And what is my casing ? ” Dumbledore growled with uncontained furore and frustration.

“ Your past. Your reputation. ” Snape sniffed. “ The last war, your glory mean solar day. Ha ha... you have retreated into repetition and now ? Now you are paralyzed by it. We are not fighting this war, we are reliving it. ”

“ You have made it clear what you think about- ”

“ Shut up. ” utterly silence. Snape folded his sleeve, grinning faintly. Behaving like Harry was fun. “ I am talking now and you will take heed. You are paralyzed by something. Guilt I would judge. I don ‘ t know of course, no one knows, but I would... well... safely assume that it is guilt. Everyone is motivated by something, we each have something that makes us... check. You have guilt, gravid swirling syndicate of it. In every pore of you, in every aspect of your mind. It ‘ s been there since the number 1 time I ever saw you, I didn ‘ t recognize it then of course, but it was there. By the time I came to work for you I was old enough to recognize it. Something in your past times, in your present too, fill you with a festering remorse. And it just gets worse and defective, makes you doubt yourself, makes you cogitate you are never suitable. shuffling you turn down the position of minister for legerdemain. Over and over again. I know what made you like this, you think I would solve for you and not investigate your past. You know I am more thrifty than that. You must take known that I knew. You must ingest known that I had found out about Kendra. ”

Dumbledore froze, every tendon tensed. Snape breathed a sigh of relief in his brain. He had not known for sure, not until that bit. He still didn’t know really, not what had happened in that room. That secret would probably be taken to the graves of the men concerned. No issue, Snape could gloss over the details.

“ It was there in the first war. ” Snape continued, his abrasive voice the only auditory sensation in the wad Marguerite Radclyffe Hall. “ Back then it was... helpful. It made you deliberate. It made you fallible but... it made you deliberate. I do not understand what has happened since then, perhaps it is as Harry says and you are simply senile, but it is worse now Previously guilt made you careful, sensible. Now it makes you useless. Useless and broken. You are no longer the renowned Albus Dumbledore, you are a fracture variation of him. ”

“ No. ”

“ Something destroyed you. ”

“ Stop. ”

“ I don ‘ t know what it was. ”

“ Please. ”

“ It must have been something terrible. ” Snape smiled slyly, letting his words sink in. Weakening. “ Whatever could it possess been ? You don ‘ t have another babe... ”

“ SILENC- ”

“ Legilimens ! ”
*


iniquity falling, falling everywhere. My fault, always my fault. I shouldn’t have put him there, no right I had no right wing. I condemned him, his last. My one charge. nonstarter. No. Must be done. Hope. Death. Failure. Truth shrouded so deeply. So deep it hurts. The trueness would divulge us all. But even without we are doomed.

It is all a lie and we are all doomed.

Everything you know I told you.

Everything you know is lies.
*


Snape tore his mind away, shaking. He fell to his knees on the flooring, the repugnance, the confusion, filling him. Dumbledore had fallen too, back into his chair. The old serviceman face twisted in pure agony. To keep a truth locked inside for nine years only to have it roughly ripped from you ? It must sustain felt like his pith had been torn out. Snape shook his head, it could not be true, it couldn’t be. But behind the dark mutterings of Dumbledore’s mind, behind the aching self-reproach the actual memories hid. He had pushed them deep, as if trying to leave them but they were there. They were impossible to forget. Snape knew he never would. The order of magnitude of what the old man had done hit him and he doubled over, vomiting onto the low temperature Lucy Stone floor.

He felt custody on his shoulders. Natalie. He reached up for one and grasped it, holding on to something veridical as office of his cosmos fell apart. He tried to fend and found he needed Natalie’s serve to turn out to his feet. His wooden leg felt like water, his feet like led. He tried to wee-wee his mouth body of work, things needed to be said. Something needed to be said.

“ How daring you ? ” Predictable, but Snape could think of zip better. “ How could you do that ? To a kid ! ”

“ It... was necessary. ” Dumbledore’s spokesperson was barely a muttering, a syncope whisper in the air. “ It had to be done. It had to be done. It had to be done. ” Dumbledore mumbled that phrase over and over like a prayer.

“ Necessary ? ” Snape found his natural language and used it to growl. “ No. No it was not. Not even you believe that. ”

“ We needed- ”

“ BE SILENT ! ” Snape snapped, the schoolmaster cringed back as if struck. “ I am leaving Dumbledore. I am going to serve Harry. To get hold him and help him, and you will let me. You have no right to have anything to do with that boy. You have no right. ” Snape turned towards the door, but stopped as his eye fell on Lupin.

“ And you. ” Snape sneered. “ You... for going along with him. For keeping it a mysterious. For treating Harry the way you do because of something that was none of his doing. Something that was done to him. You... you are a monster. One that has goose egg to do with the moon. ” Snape turned away and hobbled from the room, leaning heavily on the pocket-sized woman beside him.

“ Severus ! ” Dumbledore called after him, suddenly sounding scared. “ You will tell no one ! Surely even you can see that this must remain a mystical ! ”

Snape kept walking, not trusting himself to verbalize. They reached the door and he stiffened, his philia felt like it had a thousand tiny maulers in it, each one attached to a weight.

“ Severus ? ” Natalie murmured beside him. “ You need to go family, I ‘ ll take you- ”

“ No. Not home. Hogwarts. ” Snape shook his head. “ Hogwarts first. ”

“ Alright. ” She didn’t argue, she knew when his psyche was made up. There was a brusque, acuate chime and the woman he was leaning on had blond pilus and pale white skin. Of course, she was supposed to be dead. reliance her to commend particular even at a time like this. They stepped outside the edge of the wards and apparated, the common cold and pressing vacuum once more hold in him.

He stepped out himself onto the grass before the gates and allowed himself to be led up the long path to the palace. Corridors passed and Snape realized he was being led to his quarters. Good. The walls are warded so no one will take heed. As they reached the door Snape pushed it open air and went directly to the John Barleycorn cabinet. He poured himself a whisky and drunk it down, wincing at the suntan in his throat.

“ wraith myrtle Henderson. ” Snape called out softly. specter could always get wind their names. A few minute later the shadowy cast of Moaning Vinca minor sunk out of the ceiling.

“ Why did you squall me ? ” She asked impudently. “ I don ‘ t answer to you. ”

“ I called you because the house elves report to Dumbledore as do the other ghosts. I need these words to be private. ” Snape snapped quickly. “ I need you to bring prof A. A. Michelson down here and I need you to tell apart no one. ”

“ You can’t order me ar- ”

“ It is about Harry. ”

“ Oh. Oh... ” Myrtle nodded fervently and shot back up through the stone. Snape turned to Natalie, now back to looking like her old self, waiting patiently.

“ You don ‘ t have to recount me. ” She said understandingly. “ I understand if it ‘ s something you want to keep to yourself. After all Dumbledore- ”

“ Was wrong. ” Snape cut her off. “ And I will severalize you. If nothing else I need your help to make sense of it. ” Snape took a deep breath and began explaining. He could give just given her the remembering but he didn’t want her to get the jolt he had. It didn’t actually rent that long to explain, in the end it was so simple. When he was finished she just sat there, staring at him. As if willing him to jump up and shout ‘ fooled you ! & rsquo ;, but knowing he would not.

“ This... this changes everything. ” She said breathlessly.

“ It changes nothing. ” Snape gritted his tooth. “ We still need to help Harry. ”

“ You ‘ re right, we still do. But it changes everything else Severus. Everything else. You can not deny that it does. ”

“ No. No I can not. ”

They fell into secretiveness as the door was pushed open. Markus Albert Abraham Michelson strode in, looking around the belittled room quickly.

“ The spook said this was about Harry. ” He said, still glancing around as if Harry would jump from a buffet. “ Do you have it away where he is ? ”

“ No, but I have... I have left the parliamentary procedure to search for him. To avail him with what he is trying to do. If I can. ” Snape fixed the other man in the eye. “ I know you ‘ ve been teaching him. I would appreciate your help. ”

“ well finally ! ” Albert Michelson threw up his arms. “ I was beginning to recall I was the only one in this property with my head on straight. ”

“ You are not far wrong. ” Snape shrugged.

“ So what does this make us ? ” Natalie smiled. “ The order of the Kneasle ? ”

“ The order of the Nundu more like. ” Michelson cracked his knuckles.

“ You know, I think it makes us marauders. ” Snape smiled faintly. “ Saint James ceramicist must be spinning in his grave. ”



half of my reassessment seem to possess disappeared... very sad... : (

You all have to review twice now to make up for it. If you do depart a review then a fairy will visit you while you sleep and sprinkle fairy dust on you. The fairy junk won’t do thaumaturgy or let you fly or anything but it’ll be very pretty.


Harry Potter and the moron Child : Chapter 5 : The wickedness marketplace

Harry travels to find information.




This newsman has some shocking news. News that will fall you, in force reviewer, to your very core. Harry Potter has been declared a unsafe vigilante by the ministry. Yes, Harry thrower the-boy-who-lived, is a liquidator. According to ministry functionary Harry has been responsible for at least six deaths and possibly more !

Minister Fudge was quoted as saying ‘ Yes, well this is shocking but not entirely unexpected. Just facial expression at his natural process during the Triwizard Tournament, the boy stole a ship for Merlin’s sake. He’s always been a loose cannon that boy has.’

This announcement came at the Saami time as his official projection from Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
*


The marauder looked at each early along the long board in the great hall. None of them said'Is this a laugh ?'or'No way'or anything naively childish like that. They were yesteryear that. They had all known, on some level, that this was possible. Maybe even inevitable.

" Changes nothing. " Fred was the initiative to mouth. " It's all bollocs so it changes nothing. "

" This is weirdo ! Do they think we're stupe ? " Ron was almost spluttering in ira. " No one's gon na believe any of this ! "

" I almost wish hoi polloi did. " Hermione was shaking her head as she peered down at the front page article.

" What ! You want mass to believe Harry's a- " Ron rounded on her, about to let lax, but Ginny held up a handwriting to bring him up short. He was still fuming though and said, more reasonably. " Maybe you should explain that comment. "

" Because no one will think it Ronald. " Hermione bit her lip worriedly. " Or at least many people won't. And hoi polloi will blame the ministry. People will hate the ministry for attacking their hero. "

" Remember the riots terminal year ? " Padma said darkly. " Imagine that. Except much worse. "

" Oh... " Ron's face fell. " I guess that is bad. "

" It changes nothing. " Malfoy said sharply. " Not really. We all knew this was a possibility. "

" Right, " Ginny nodded, putting on her leader face. " He's right. All this does is puddle what we're doing even more urgent. "

They all nodded, they had been training ever since they had got back to hogwarts a month ago.
*


His description has been given to every ministry law enforcement official and hit superstar. His side on the ministry's wanted listing is only a few plaza short of the known dying eater !

According to the ministry Harry's M.O. is to use toxicant to do his dirty workplace. A poison there is no love antidote to.

Harry's verbal description is known to every wizard and witch alive but you should be aware that he may be in disguise.
*


" This is Dumbledore's doing. " Natalie shook her head word as she slid the paper over to Snape. Michelson had already flicked his copy closed and was staring at it angrily, as if blaming the newspaper itself. Snape sighed, he had already read the offending article.

" Dumbledore undoubtedly had a hand in it. " Snape tried to terminate his ire rising to the surface. Keep it under wrap, save it for when it was needed. " Perhaps he thinks he can scare Harry back to him. "

" Then he doesn't know Harry. " Michelson stood and began pacing angrily, obviously he felt no need to continue his ire under wraps. " This'll just make Harry even more sure that everyone's against him ! "

" Undoubtedly. " Snape flicked through the rest of the newspaper. " At least there is some beneficial news show... "
*


Harry may be dynamic in Leeds. Yesterday the ministry was handed an anon. tip that led them to a star sign there that had been converted to house dark creature. No decease eater were caught ( perhaps the body are hidden elsewhere ! ) but the basement was a nest of lethifolds, swarming in the darkness in Book of Numbers never before seen on Brits dirt. I do not ask to tell you, beneficial reviewer, that if they had been unleashed they would possess caused untold death. The lethifolds have been disposed of by the ministry.

There is no trial impression that Harry was there but a middleman in the aurors office said that they were investigating the possibility.

Harry is to be considered as serious as any death eater. Perhaps more so.
*


Harry dumped the paper in a methamphetamine can. It didn't matter anymore. He coughed roughly, clutching at his stomach. It didn't issue if the ministry caught him so long as he did what he had to do first. What the hell did he give care what everybody else thought ? It just meant he had to be Thomas More careful.

Harry shoved off the rampart and flicked his hood up before walking off down he alleyway. There was still work to do.
*


" Is it true ? "

Ginny turned at the sound, the angry and emphatic auditory sensation. The vulture spun with her, almost in synchronizing. Cho Yangtze River stepped back fearfully. In her defense reaction the piranha now numerate eleven, filling the hallway with consistent ire. They had also all drawn their wands at the Same clock time as she spoke, in reception to the possible threat.

They must have truly looked like an army.

Cho had frozen in seat, anger turned to bedaze silence. Ginny stepped forward.

" Of course it's not true. " She said simply. " How can you even ask that ? "

" I just... " Cho swallowed, fear still flickering across her aspect. " Is Harry Ok ? "

" We don't know. "

" Where is he ? "

" We don't know. "

" Does he need help ? "

" We don't know. We're trying to facilitate him. " Ginny said curtly. She was beginning to get tired of Cho's stupid interrogative. Ginny turned to leave when Cho broke in,

" Well I want to facilitate too ! " Ginny felt a short genial groan. That was just what she needed, a complaining pretty-girl in the ranks. A invariable irritation at best, a liability at worst. Cho went on, " I'm sure-enough than you, and I'm a Ravenclaw. I must know tidy sum of patch you don't know yet ! You should let me join. "

" No you don't you arrogant too big for one's breeches... " Ginny clamped her mouth shut and took a trench calming breath. " This isn't the bloody gobstones club. You can't just join on a whim. We're training to fight, really conflict. Fight death eaters. "

" I know that. " Cho looked down her nose arrogantly. " If you can do it then I can too. "

" You don't understand ! You... " Ginny gritted her teeth tight together again before turning to the predator. " balloting. All of us. I vote no. "

The marauders glanced about between them. Some of them had obviously been thinking of voting yes before she made her tone so abundantly exculpated. After some embarrassed shuffling Dragon stepped forward, eyeing Cho up and down silently. Ginny felt another spurt of bile rise in her gut.

" You accept the fact that you could die ? " Draco asked flatly. Cho nodded, her optic wide. Draco looked into her eyes for a present moment, Ginny thought she heard him mutter something under his breath. genus Draco cocked his school principal to the English and asked another question. " Do you swallow the fact that you have to necessitate orders from Ginny ? "

YES ! Take that you bitch ! Ginny was shocked at the level of glee her subconscious mind threw up at that question. If her subconscious was glad with the inquiry, her stallion brainiac grinned when Cho grimaced and nodded.

" Fine. " Draco shrugged. " We need more citizenry. I vote yes. If she doesn't work out we can always seduce her leave. "

" We vote yes. " Fred said, shrugging. His similitude added, " Sorry Ginny. "

" I... yes. " Anapurna nodded, a minuscule hesitantly.

" No. " Padma shook her head, earning her a shocked glance from her Sister. " We don't need her. No rationality to engage on another labor when we don't need her. "

" tone just put your hands up. " Ginny said tiredly. " Hands for no ? "

Three hands rose, herself, Padma and Hermione. Ginny's breadbasket dropped, this didn't look good.

" For yes ? "

quintet handwriting were raised. Ron had followed his older brothers. Ginny turned to silent three remainders.

" Neville, Anna, Terry ? " Neville shifted uncomfortably and the bread maker twins looked at the floor. " You need to vote. "

" I don't want to vote. " Neville said quietly.

" And we're new. " Anna shrugged. " We'll let you decide. "

" You see ! " Cho said triumphantly. " I'm in ! "

Ginny turned slowly, it was done. Time to fix the dear of it.

" Fine. meet us here after example today. "

" Today ? But I've got quidditch practice. "

I know. Ginny didn't say it, but she so wanted to. " This is more of import than quidditch. We all understand that. You need to. "

With that she turned and strode away. She hoped Cho wouldn't turn up tonight. That would really make her day.

Ginny survived herbology with a leger of whammy propped up against a plant life pot. She did the Saami in defence force, professor A. A. Michelson was being oddly blind to the transgressions of the vulture. After the lessons were done she slammed her record away and dashed for the door. She ran for the meeting place but slowed down before she got there. She wouldn't total all covered in sweat and breathing hard. She wouldn't give Cho the satisfa...

Cho wasn't alone.

Ginny stopped with the marauders a few paces away from the newcomers. Lucy Kingston stood by her Ravenclaw booster with her boyfriend, Joshua tear, standing on her other side. The two ex-Slytherin Gryffindors, genus Vanessa and Elizabeth stood in front of him, eyeing Malfoy warily. It irked Ginny that all of them were here. It irked her more that they were probably the people she would have chosen to include to the marauders herself. stupefied Cho.

" You told them. " She tried to make her vox come out icily furious, hoping it didn't just reasoned peevish. " You told all of them. What the hell do you think- "

" I don't evidence them ! " Cho interrupted her. " Everyone in the school day is talking about the newsworthiness about Harry, and everybody knows you lot are doing something secret. They just... "

" We eavesdropped. " stock split interrupted. " We want to help Harry too. "

" This is getting ridiculous. " Padma muttered from the depths of the marauders.

" We heard what you asked Cho. " stock split went on. " And we understand the jeopardy. Lets face it, if you trust him, " rip jerked his Kuki-Chin towards Malfoy. " You have to trust us. "

" I don't have to trust any of you. " goodness, that sounded like Harry. " Listen I don't manage what you say. We're going to train now. If you can sustain up you can stay, we don't have time to slow down for you. "

" Fine with us... dame sergeant. " Split added sarcastically.

" Idiots. " Ginny muttered as she led the amassed hordes off down the corridor.
*


" Listen. "

Malfoy stopped and turned towards Split. The older boy had halted them just outside the entrance to the vulture attic, everyone else was already inside.

" Yes ? " Malfoy said evenly. " Can I help you ? "

" I just want you to screw we're here for Harry. " stock split said challengingly. " We don't trustingness you. We don't forgive you. "

" You're here for the same reason I am then. "

" Whatever. " Split shook his read/write head. " God knows why she trusts you. Let alone... well you know. "

" I know what ? " Malfoy looked around in discombobulation. " She who ? "

" You don't know ? " tear almost seemed to smile. " Idiot. "

" She who ? "

" I expect she'll let you know in her own time. "

" She who ? "
*


Harry pushed his way out of the old shop he had flued into and a clap of heat hit his face. He dragged a broad brimmed hat out of his bag and pulled it low over his eyes. Ah, that was better. His coating and it's various enchantments would birth kept his physical structure assuredness but it would have looked incredibly conspicuous here. He winced in the harsh spark and shucked his bag up on his shoulders before setting off along the nighttime macadam street.

Muggles walked past him without a second thought, jabbering to each other in French people. The speech pattern was very unlike from what he was used to but that was only to be expected. Harry had learnt French in Svizzera and only spoken it to the students of Beauxbatons. Harry idly wondered if his French had a Swiss accent or an side one.

No thing, he was in Marrakesh, thousands of miles from France or England. He would stand out as a foreigner whatever he did. No point trying to combine in with the locals, much better to just look like another dazed tourist. There were one or two others around. Harry picked up his pace as he crossed the street and into the souk.

Why is it that I always find myself in snarl ? Harry thought to himself chuckling as he skirted around a booth of vegetables and slid through the crowd of shoppers. The muggle souk was bad enough, a gigantic Earl Warren of streets and alleyways full of shop and market kiosk selling everything from spice to electronics. Harry kept on an unerring grade through it, it wasn't his destination.

Hopefully he knew where his destination was, his information was sketchy at best.

Harry came to the booth he wanted, a coloured hole in the rampart selling decrepit and moth eaten vesture. He took a black t-shirt with a sensation on it off the rack and glanced at the aging storekeeper. There was a barely perceptible nod. Harry stepped behind a screen, a rough changing room, and pulled the pall shut. He held the shirt up and tapped the star twice. With a sharp groaning the floor began to grind slowly downwards.

Harry tried not to bear upon the English of the Harlan Fiske Stone passageway as the opening at the top got further and further away. Ten meters... twenty dollar bill.... XXX.... forty- clunk. Harry snapped to attention as the floor stopped descending. The Harlan Fiske Stone in strawman of him break open apart slowly, light spilled in, and air. The smells... every olfactory property imaginable, burning, animals, food of every form, incense made of spun lightning, every smell a wizard with no regard for the laws of chemistry could make hung in the air as Harry stepped out of the gloomy entrance into the under-souk, the dark market.

Knockturn bowling alley had nothing on this place.

Harry looked up at the ceiling a far above, arial mosaic kaleidoscoped over the rounded surface, changing every mo. There were no walls for as far as Harry could see, just pillars dotted around. In no pattern Harry could see. Every one as widely as an oak, twisted and gouged and splaying up into that fantastic ceiling. Disappearing into it. And down at reason level ? It was unutterable. Every sort of shop class, every kind of stall. Some sellers just sitting of a mat, array of nursing bottle out in forepart of them. Others had displays that looked like insane and un-feasible pop up books, everything spilling out of everything else. The noise was deafening, worse than up above because the racket of sparking spells and fuming potions was added to the cosmopolitan noise of people, and there was the periodic shriek as another shopper was brought down by one of the entrances.

There was no finding your way in this place. Not unless you grew up down here. Harry scanned the area while walking calmly forwards. Many stalls had tall range pole to identify them from far away, he was looking for... ah. Harry spotted the masthead he was looking for and headed for it, surreptitiously checking his disguise as he did so. Harry flicked a black robe out of his bag and threw it over his berm. Like this he looked like about thirty, maybe more, with longsighted black hair and a recondite mark on his buttock. Threatening, but not obvious.

Harry smelt his destination before he got there. The smell of animals and animal dung beating out the other aroma more and more the finisher he got. He came to an afford stead in the food market, a space where the stalls had been pushed aside to create room for rank upon membership of cages. Harry recognized some of the creatures in them, others were a mystery, all he gave a wide birthing. The batting cage seemed almost stupidly sturdy, surely they used unbreakable charm. Surely they did...

Harry felt himself edging away and forced himself to settle down down. He looked into one of the cages, a freak made of whole I-beams, and saw the eye of a dragon staring back at him. Somehow they must take in stopped it flaming, they must have. Harry stepped calmly up the rough desk at the end of the cages. It was surrounded by bags of what looked like some sort of feed. An ordinary fowl batting cage sat on the recess with a humble gilt shuttlecock fluffing its feathers. The heavily bearded and mustachioed man sat behind it looked up as he approached.

" Yes ? " He asked in easy English people. " Are you look for something ? "

" My public figure is Jack caiman. I have come for you to state me the advancement of an order. " Harry pulled back his sleeve, revealing the dark mark. The shopkeeper recoiled, glancing about fearfully.

" Put that away ! " He gestured wildly. Harry calmly rolled his sleeve back down.

" You have naught to fear. " Harry said airily. " Not while you do the wickedness lord's work. "

" Why you come here ? " The man's eyes were still shifting nervously. " All on schedule. "

" There have been some trouble at the other end. "

" Not my fault. " The seller shook his head. " Got them safe to you. You lose them after it not my fault. "

" Of line not. " Harry smiled in an uncomforting way. " You mistake me. I merely meant that we have understanding to need to fix sure this delivery goes smoothly. There can be no mistakes. You understand. "

" Of course, of course. " The man nodded rapidly. " Do not worry. You can tell your master not to worry. Everything is fine. "

" Where are the brute now ? "

" They are on ship. " The man shuffled back to his desk and sat down. " Loaded on two mean solar day ago. "

Damnit, Harry cursed inwardly. It would have been so much leisurely if they were still on dry land.

" Tell me their course. " Harry leant down threateningly. " My skipper is thinking of sending some the great unwashed to see there are no... mistakes. "

" No mistakes. " The man nodded again, dragging a map out of a drawer in his desk. " No mistakes. "

Harry smiled, people were so pudden-head when they thought you were going to defeat them.
*


Harry dropped back onto British soil and immediately flued again to stave in off any pursuit. He walked the finish long walk of life to the abandoned house he was staying in and pushed the door open up. It was glowering inside, the window covered by anti-vandal plates put up by the police. It was void, not even a death chair when he had first arrived. But it was clean and the water was still running. Harry slouched down against the wall and collapsed. Long day. He reached over and picked up a bottle of pep up potion. He uncorked it and let some slosh into his mouth. This was his second venereal infection today. It was growing harder to keep going... the malady...

Harry shook his head, no use dwelling on it. Back to study. He spread the maps out in front of him on the storey and roughly arranged them out into a roughly peer to the coast of Africa and Europe. The maps were seriously old, like everything else wizards had, and some of the nation had the wrong names. One of them had a big'here be dragons'warning written in the middle of the Atlantic. Knowing that it was a witching map it might well be true.

Harry sighed as he looked at the times that were written on different checkpoints on the map. The ship was old too, or looked it. The man had sketched a rough lottery of it. It resembled goose egg to a greater extent than a titan wooden brick with small sail that surely could never impel it too fast. Of course it would be propelled by magic, if not it would just be stupid, but it would still adopt almost a calendar month to come up from Africa. Could be adopt it in the middle of the ocean ? Harry shuddered at the thinking. Besides the coursing concern at the very persuasion it was airy to reboot. How would he even get on board the ship ? How would he even find it on the blank featureless sea ?

Harry trawled over the maps again, was there any place where it came close to realm ? Was there any... ambush power point ?

Oh of course ! There's this big Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the middle of the ocean that you can hide behind. Sharks use it all the time to enamor seals.

Harry sat back tiredly, this was going to be punishing than he thought. His palpebra felt so heavily... sleep...

Harry glanced around, he was in a business firm. A ardor crackled warmly on the hearth, throwing faint shadows on the unobjectionable bluing paries. The pictures on the walls, a redheaded woman, a man with a companion face. Harry shook his head, it was a dream. He had had it before. He walked towards the door and pushed it open hurrying out of the home and into the keen garden. He glanced back, the cottage was as it always was. The cottage at Godrics Hollow. Harry shuddered, every sentence his aspiration put him in this stead he had an undeniable urge to leave. It was like putting your hand in a pail of wriggling insect, a crawling sentience over his entire peel. And yet his dreams brought his back here again and again and again.

Harry hugged his blazon to his chest. Maybe this would be one of the good Nox, the Nox when he managed to escape. There was a timber out there somewhere, a timber of orchard apple tree tree, their heyday filling the air. When he could feel that in his dreams he slept well, he slept comfortably. But for every one of those there would be one of the bad unity, when the planetary house kept drawing him back. He didn’t even want to suppose about what had happened once, when the river had come for him.

Harry pulled himself together with a force-out of will. Those orchard apple tree tree diagram weren’t going to find themselves. He was about to set off when a fluttering strait reached his ear. Harry spent a back wondering if it was some new unpleasantness the ambition was throwing at him before he realized it was coming from outside.

Harry woke with a start and was on his infantry in a moment, verge in paw. He relaxed when he saw that the sound was coming from a small white bird trying to pinch in through the seat of the window. The Bronx cheer twittered then flickered back external. It took Harry a moment to realize it had left something behind, a humble fold slice of paper.

Interesting. Especially considering no one should be able to touch me here.

Harry stood and hesitantly poked the paper with his wand. It did nothing. He prodded it again. Still zip. He flicked it on the floor and folded it open with the end of a fork. He bent down and read it without touching it.

Harry

I once told you to watch your own path if you thought it was right. You seem to induce taken that advice to marrow. I can not and will not say that your selection is wrong, it may be, it may not be, I do not know. But you can not destroy yourself for the sake of this battle. Do not. Your booster worry about you. They are as I write this working to help you. Training as hard as you ever did. You are not alone no matter how much you fight to produce it so. There are citizenry that will bear if you die, even if you take Voldemort with you.

I can not offer you any selective information about Voldemort's plan or whereabouts. I am constrained by the rules of my order. I would give way them for you but it would do no effective. I would be found out retentive before I could divine anything for you.

The only help I can grant you I have already given. I wish I could do more Harry, you must believe that.

Remember to endure the pendent.

DO NOT DIE.

Pythea.

Harry picked the small patch of lambskin up carefully and slipped it into his breast sac. His script stayed there a moment longer, pressing it into his chest, before he took a cryptic breathing time and let it out.

Do not die.

He did not intend to, but it had always been a hypothesis. And no matter how very much people would lose if he died they would suffer more if Voldemort was left awake. Harry had a strong itch to remove the missive back out and read it once again, or maybe twice or three times. But no, he had piece of work to do. Wait... something in the varsity letter tugged at his psyche. Maybe there was a way.
*


Malfoy snorted as Cho was sent flying across the room. The new military recruit were trying to save up, they were just failing. He turned away, they were useless, just a waste of time for the rest of them. The piranha themselves ? Draco managed a modest smiling for that, they were progressing nicely. They could defend. They could fight as a team. They could fight on their own. They could fight like kneazles in a sack if they needed to. And they would need to.

He moved over to a pile of washy boxes and ran his digit over a long, fragile, hoar cloak inside. The Weasley similitude claimed they could turn them into temporary invisibleness cloaks with some more practice. Draco didn't doubt it. The appealingness wouldn't last for more than a day or two but that was all they needed. They could just respell them afterwards. Shield magical spell graced the dark gray-headed cap in the next box, plenty to deter fry hexes. In the beginning it had just been a way to carry the good luck charm, the same as an amulet or a hoop. anchor ring of invisibility were common enough even though they were hideously hard to crap and protective talisman were ten a penny. But the wearing apparel were easier for the Weasleys to work, and the dark grey made them inconspicuous at Night. That had been the scratch line, but now it almost seemed more... Like they were becoming an army in the true, they had uniforms. Parvati had wanted to stitch trivial Ms onto the clothing as a symbol of the predator but Ginny hadn't let her. Waste of clip, too conspicuous too. Dragon smiled again, it didn't subject if the clothes were unmistakable Zane Grey or knock with little stool pigeon. Either way by the end they would have an chemical group of invisible, shielded, deadly fighters.

Invincible cutthroat mongrel. Marauders to the core. Harry would take in been gallant. At least, Draco hoped he would be.

" Draco ! " Ron yelled. " Break time's up get back here. "

" I'm coming Weasley diaphragm yelling. " Dragon gritted his teeth, all of his musculus hurt. Never nous. " Back to work. "

" closure. I need to talk to you. "

The phonation came out of nowhere. The marauders twisted towards it, wands out. The duels ceased, every eye widened in shock.

" I heard somebody was raising an army. " Harry quirked an eyebrow. " I find myself in need of an army. Is this one for hire ? "

" Hire ? " George let out a laugh. " Harry this is your army. "

" Good, I should get a discount. "

The marauder broke and all began talking at once, it was a happy violent storm of sound with Harry laughing in the center. Dragon stayed silent, he glanced over at Ginny, also staying back. She nodded to him, her mouth a hard ancestry. She had realized too. Harry hadn't follow back for a happy reunification. He wouldn't have. He had come because he needed them. This would be the first job of the army.

" Harry... " Draco cleared his throat. The putting green oculus of the boy who lived fell on him. " What is it you want the United States Army for ? "

" Oh... that. " Harry reached into his bag. " Do you have a tabular array ? "

Draco pointed the way and Harry pulled a huge sheet of parchment out of his bag. Harry laid them down on the jumpy surface of the in conclusion surviving tabular array in the noodle. It looked like a giant star written matter of a map.

" There's a ship. " Harry traced it's track along a long communication channel on the map. " It's stuffed to the branchia with dark animate being. Direct to the dark Jehovah. century, including a lot that we really don't want him getting his bridge player on. It's not going to relieve oneself port before Britain, it's going to be far out to sea. No portkeys, no flues, only way there is to fly. "

" That's why you need us. " Padma said thoughtfully.

" Yeah, variety of. " Harry hung his head. " I can just about manage to fly in a heterosexual line. Slowly. But out over water ? With the wind and maybe storms and... and over water system. And when I might have to make a quick exit ? No. I need getaway drivers. "

" I thought you wanted us to fight. " Ron said, disappointedly. Harry's eyes narrowed, he opened his mouth but Ginny cut in.

" We're here for whatever Harry needs us for Ron. " She snapped. " You should know that. "

" I... right. "

" Right. " Ginny nodded sharply. genus Draco half expected Ron to drink. Ginny turned back to Harry. " What kind of dark creatures are we talking about ? "

" Various kinds of nasty. " Harry was looking between Ginny and Ron curiously. " lots of creatures. "

" Manticores ? " Hermione added.

" Yes... " Harry looked at a list jotted at the bottom of the map. " Six of them. "

Dragon glanced at the list and let out a galvanise oath. They could not let this ship compass commonwealth. Even if they had to lose half the army to do it. The hellhound had to be juvenile person at least, no one could overindulge six broad grown 1 into a ship. Unless it had been magically expanded. Which it almost certainly had. They could not let that embark reach land.

" We need to get on that ship. " He heard himself saying, his vocalization a little breathless. " We could fly on, or... or... "

" Go onto it ? " Harry let out a abrasive laugh. " That would be pretty dangerous. "

" Because of the wight ? "

" Because I'm going to settle it. "



This is the last chapter of setup, I promise. From now to the end of the book is consummate adrenalin-fueled plot.


I don't own Harry potter. I do however own some cheese. Which is just as good.



" settle it ? " Hermione's voice was a shrill, disbelieving whine.

Ginny felt like slamming her hand up to her forehead. Of grade Harry would desire to sink the ship, it was the simple-minded, easiest, solution if you didn't handle about the consequences.

" But... but... " Dame Alice Ellen Terry Baker raised his hand slowly as if he were in class.

" Yes unexpected-addition-1. " Harry nodded pleasantly.

" Aren't there people on the ship ? "

" Yes, but they'll be wizards, they can just apparate to shore. They won't be killed. "

" How about the beast ? " Ron asked, scratching his headland. " Won't they just swim to shore up ? "

" Damnit ! " Harry clicked his finger's breadth. " Foiled again ! If only someone had stuffed them in big metal coop for ecstasy. Then they'd sink straight to the bottom. "

" How are you planning to sink it anyway ? " Fred asked, eagerness clearly seeable in his eyes.

" well, I plan to blow a big hole in it underneath the water supply note. Then I'm going to put another big hole in it underneath the weewee line. And if that doesn't employment I'm going to put a third- "

" This is a wizard boat I assume Harry. " Draco interrupted. " Putting a muddle in it may not be as easy as you think. It'll have all variety of magical spell and protections. "

" I can get around them. "

" Without the people on the ship realizing ? "

" Yes. "

" Really ? "

" Yes. " Harry folded his weapon. " I have thought about this genus Draco. I have planned this. "

The attic became silent again. Ginny could feel the cogs moving in people's heads. They were all thinking how far they were will to go. The predator... well they were probably in. The others ? They had signed up to contend end feeder not commit acts of terrorism. How did she remain firm on this ? On balance... with Harry. Those tool could not be allowed to progress to shore.

" We can't do this. " Padma was shaking her head teacher. " We can't sinkhole it. "

" You running away ? " Harry was looking at her in horror. " You want to just let them release that kind of- "

" No of course not ! " Padma interrupted him. " But you haven't thought of everything. "

" Oh yeah ? Well what have I missed ? "

" The legislative act of secrecy. " Padma looked down at the map, perhaps just to avoid meeting the great unwashed's eyes. " If we do this they'll be this behemoth wreck with trio headed skeleton and they could float to the surface or get into the disconnection watercourse or plunger could find them. Not to refer that someone's going to notice a whale exploding ship off the coast. Even if we tell the ministry afterwards they can't manage this kind of cleanup, not on this graduated table. No one can. It'll be worse than Roswell. Keeping witching arcanum from muggles, the statute of secrecy, is the one thing both face of this war agree on. If we break it then they're going to set off breaking it and then we're going to be really screwed. "

Harry leant back, rocking back on the balls of his feet. He bit his lip. Thinking. The marauder held their breath.

" Ok. " Harry spun the map to face Padma. " Give me another option. "

" We board the ship. disable the crew. Kill the creatures. " Padma said definitively. " If I'm reading this right the ship only a 12 people on it. No death eaters. nigh of them are just there to keep the creature in hinderance. Shouldn't be too hard to bedaze them. "

" And the animals ? " Harry asked quizzically. " Some of them aren't easy to kill. "

" The killing curse. " gasp rose from the army. " It'll kill everything on this list. "

" Isn't it an twinkling life sentence ? " Cho choked out.

" Only when used against humans. " Padma replied calmly at the Same metre as Harry said,

" Only if someone finds out. But wouldn't any minor deception be detected. ”

“ Not in international waters. ”

" And the ship ? " Harry asked. " If we just leave it drifting won't that be against the statute of privacy ? "

" We leave the crowd on it. They can get it so a good whiz harbor. "

" Hmm... " Harry folded his arms and looked at Padma appraisingly. " That... could... employment. It would be more difficult, more risky... more fun... but it could work. "

Ginny felt a grin. This was the almost like the old Harry back again. Sure they were planning an act of massive plagiarization rather than a prank but it was Harry back again.

" We can split up. " Harry continued. " Send a couple of the great unwashed down to the water to wait. The residuum of us go in. If we can take the work party out and kill the animals we do. If not ? We default back to my plan and the people in the water muff it to smithereens. We worry about the fallout later. "

Ginny took a inscrutable breath and halfway through realized that nigh of the predator were looking at her. Her throat closed up and she almost coughed up her lungs. They were still looking to her, even though Harry was back. Harry was the general they all knew that, but maybe... maybe she was the serjeant or something.

" Who can swim ? " It was literally the first thing that popped into her straits. " Who can drown really well ? "

Parvati's deal shot up instantly smiling, the two Baker small fry volunteered slower maybe still a piddling hesitant, finally Split shrugged and lacklusterly raised his arm.

" Four people. " Ginny looked down at the map, at the little study of the ship. " We can put... two each in the water near the social movement and back. "

" bow and stern. " Draco murmured. She glared at him.

" Near the front and back. " Ginny continued. " Everybody else land on the front. "

" On the back. " Harry disagreed. " Here, in the steering bit with the wheel. "

" Bridge. "

" Shut up. We land on the steery bit and take everybody out quickly. " Harry pointed at genus Draco. " You stay there and keep the ship on course. You can do that ? You know the right names for the steery wheel and the clit and stuff. Yes. Good. You stay there, the rest period of us go down to the cabins and stun everybody, stamp out the animals. Leave. We keep the broom handy so that if something goes wrong we miko the swimmers and fly out of there. "

" Sounds like a plan. " Ginny nodded.

" Right. " Harry reached over and drew a big interbreeding on the map over a lighthouse, right down on the Confederacy coast of Cornwall. “ I will encounter you here. ”

“ sports meeting us ? ” Ron scratched his head.

“ The ship ‘ s not reaching us for another month. ” Harry shrugged. “ You don ‘ t expect me to hang around here the unanimous meter. Dumbledore ‘ s out for the day but I think he ‘ ll notice if I start appearing on his trivial map. ”

“ I thought- ”

“ You thought I was back. ” Harry finished for him. “ fountainhead I ‘ m not. There ‘ s still death eater ‘ s out there. Still sour to be done. Train up, be gear up, and I ‘ ll meet you there. prevent the map, I ‘ ve got copy. But don ‘ t let anyone see it. Goes without saying. And calculate up how to fight all these things. ” Harry turned towards the door. He disillusioned himself with a picture of the radiocarpal joint, and a moment later he was gone.

“ well, ” Malfoy said dryly. “ I guess we have work to do. ”
*


“ Can you believe he came back ? ” Ron drew his human knee up to his chest. He and Hermione were in the subroutine library, the actual subroutine library, not the attic. They were on research tariff and had about eight billion books out in front of them on every kind of magic puppet, trawling through them for the utile unity. There weren’t many. The Hogwarts library for some intellect didn’t have books on how to butcher cage creature. Ron thought it was useless, they had already decided to use the killing curse, but apparently Harry wanted to be prepared so...

“ Hmm ? ” Hermione hadn’t looked up from the huge account book in forepart of her.

“ Can you believe he came back ? ” Ron repeated. “ Harry. ”

“ Shush ! ” Hermione put a finger to her rim. “ We ‘ re not supposed to talk about him where people could hear ! ”

“ No one ‘ s listening. ” Ron rolled his eyes. “ We’re sitting on the floor in the restricted section of the subroutine library, at midnight, under a temporary invisibility cloak. ”

“ It ‘ s not an inaudibility cloak. ” Hermione hissed.

“ Hermione no one is here. ”

“ Just keep reading. ” Hermione looked back down at her book. “ I ‘ m not doing all this myself. ”

“ I’d have thought you ‘ d jump at the chance. ” Ron smirked. “ With all the training it must be old age since you studied anything. ”

“ Yes... ” Hermione bit her lip. “ And the owls are later this year... ”

“ What we ‘ re doing now is more important. ”

“ Yes. Yes I know. ” Hermione shrugged noncommittally. “ It ‘ s just... well there ‘ s the rest of our lives to intend about. What about after the war ends ? What then ? ”

“ Look at it this way. If Voldemort destroys the ministry he’ll probably put down the Wizarding examen Authority too. ”

“ That doesn ‘ t help. ” Hermione stared at him angrily. Ron felt his hackles rising, another battle brewing. But they couldn’t fight, not here.

“ You ‘ re here because if you weren ‘ t here you ‘ d experience guilty for not being here. ” Ron blurted. “ And you could be somewhere else but you ‘ d be thinking about being here so it wouldn ‘ t even issue that you were there because you wouldn ‘ t be able to reduce because you ‘ d be thinking about here and him and Voldemort will pop everyone. Even bad you ‘ d get bad class because you ‘ d be feeling guilty. ” Ron ran out of breath.

Hermione’s mouth hung open, mid yell. She opened and shut it a few times before coming out with,

“ Shush. People will hear you. ”

I won. Ron smiled as he flicked a random book open.
*


“ I am disquieted Severus. ”

Snape stayed silent. He could not think of a safe response.

“ I should be winning this war. ”

Still no prophylactic response.

“ And yet things are not progressing as well as they should be. ” The nighttime lord was staring out into the darkness through a faded windowpane. They were in another nondescript and abandoned building. Snape felt his skin crawl, he had been summoned alone. That was worrying.

“ The ministry grows weakly every day. ” Snape volunteered.

“ It grows more fearful each day. ” Voldemort tapped his fingerbreadth on the chicken feed. “ veneration can be my weapon, but it can also work against me. They retreat, they place more guards, they make it more hard for me to arrive at what I seek. Do the order still keep a sentry go on the department of closed book Severus ? ”

“ Yes my lord. ” For all I know they could have stopped, not probably though.

“ At this dot the well-heeled way to gain approach to it may simply be to squash the ministry entirely. ” He was still staring out the window. If Snape didn’t bed ameliorate he would opine the shadow lord was worried.

“ If you wish to trounce the ministry perhaps we could use the prideful curse- ”

“ No ! ” The dark lord snapped. “ No Severus, no more sly maneuvering in the darkness. No Sir Thomas More corruption. I tire of it. I tire of it ‘ s inadequacy. I should not bear to work from the darkness. Do you not think so ? ”

“ I always work in the shadows Lord. ”

“ Yes... yes you do. ” The wickedness nobleman narrowed his oculus. “ The thrower boy is a problem. ”

Snape gritted his teeth. He had to think fast to keep up with these lightning fast variety of pace.

“ The Potter boy has always been a problem. ” Snape said diffidently. “ But he is just one person. ”

“ He has caused me a slap-up deal of trouble for one person. I would once again order his death but... I fear it would do no good. ”

“ He wants to kill you. ” Snape said, letting his back talk motion as his nous worked. “ We could set some kind of trap. ”

“ With your Maker as decoy ? ” The dark lord’s vocalisation was not angry, he knew that that was not what Snape meant. This was actually what passed for banter.

“ Of trend not my Lord. I apologize. ” That had been what the dark lord expected to hear.

“ Is there any progress with the toxin Severus ? The one that has been killing so many of our friend ? ”

“ Not a bang-up good deal my lord. ” Severus bowed his head. He had no trouble feigning shame at not being able to reveal the mystery of the occult toxin. “ It is very strange. I can not separate a undivided factor out. It is almost as if the poison was not brewed at all. ”

“ Explain. ”

“ As if it came directly from a creature. ” Though that was of class impossible. No eff creature carried a toxin like this. “ All I can imagine of is that perhaps someone has been breaking the decree against data-based breeding. ”

“ You do not believe it was Potter ? ”

“ It may hold been. ” punter to keep the dark master guessing. “ If he did not then we have two vigilantes against us. ”

“ Against us... ” The dark lord seemed to roll the word on his mouth. “ Against us... people who are against me die. I have let this continue for too long. We have been forced back too very much. It will cease now. I have decided. We will squelch the ministry. We will obscure them utterly. No subversion, no darkness, I will kill them. ”

“ Yes my lord. ” Snape tried to work out how many last feeder were left. Surprisingly few. Harry had seriously cut into their numbers. Did they even have enough hoi polloi for an assault on the ministry ? Probably... they probably had enough. If the society helped though... if Dumbledore helped...

“ We will await for the lading to arrive. ” The dark Creator said, almost to himself. “ Then we will sustain the power necessary. ”

The shipment. The phantom consignment. None of the decease eater knew when it would be arriving. It was apparently too important.

“ Yes my lord. ” Snape bowed deeply. “ We will need everyone for this to come through. If I might ask where Barty Crouch is perhaps- ”

“ No ! ” The night lord looked at Snape over his articulatio humeri. The icy stare could suffer nailed oxen to the wall. “ Crouch is doing what he has been told to. He will succeed, in time. He is one of the few I can trust. Him and you, Severus. ”

You trust no one. Snape thought as he turned away. Now where have I heard that before ?
*


Hermione held on tighter as the broomstick angled down. She was following the broom ahead of her but the beacon light was already visible far below, sending out it ‘ s pulsing beacon light across the night-time sea. The wind was hideously cold on her face and the glowering lashings of pelting kept spraying in through her exhaust hood. There couldn’t have been a worse day to infest a ship wax of monsters.

The solid ground came up and she managed to shoot down without falling. All around her she heard the rest of the army touch down. Well... about of the respite of the U. S. Army... Of the new military recruit only rip was there, lounging over his broomstick in his common land of mild boredom. The others had been left behind, Ginny had decided they weren’t set up, weren ‘ t trail yet. Not that rip was properly quick either but he was only going in the water.

Hermione looked around. Harry was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he wasn’t here yet.

“ You ‘ re late. ” Harry faded out of nowhere, shocking the piranha. “ let get on with this. ” Harry kept glancing at the crashing Wave nervously. He drew a large bottle out of his coat and took a deep draft from it before shoving it back. " Pep up potion, didn't eternal rest well finale night. " Harry explained. Hermione tried to ignore the twin facts, one : that the bottle had been almost evacuate and two : that as Harry shoved it back in his pocket there had been the manifest chink of foster bottles.

“ Take these. ” George V broke the silence and stepped forward with a trivial M shaped pin and a small brace of drab tinted glasses.

“ What the hell are these ? ” Harry squinted through the lenses. “ Everything looks weird. ”

“ The tholepin are tags. ” George explained. “ The spyglass can see the tags even under invisibility cloaks. This way we can keep track of each other. ”

“ Ah... nice. ” Harry pinned the tag on his nighttime coat and dropped the spectacles in a sack. “ I ‘ ll put them on when we get there. ”

“ They ‘ re your prescription. ”

“ I know. ” Harry nodded. “ Thanks. Who ‘ s broom am I sharing ? ”

“ Over here. ” Draco waved him over and Harry hesitantly flipped a leg over his broom.

“ Well, we all know what we have to do. ” Harry addressed the marauder. “ Lets get this done before we get too wet. ”

Draco’s broom scene into the air and Hermione reluctantly followed. Out over the water the wind was even unfit if that was potential, she kept being buffeted one way then the early. The sea underneath a groaning grey sheet, a muffled reflection of the sky. They were getting further and further from land. The occasional Inner Light of the pharos got more and more deliquium. She couldn’t see the broadsheet around her ! She panicked for a moment until she realized how unintelligent she was being and slipped her low lenses over her center. The little glowing glint of the shred sprung into view, each one illuminating a fiddling glowing blue spook of a someone. Like an abstract in the shadow. Flying close, she was near the front. How did Harry expect to find the ship in this ?

“ slant LEFT ! ” Was that Harry ? The radiance phantasm of Harry and Malfoy started to turn left. She turned to fit them. What was he following ? hunch ? Magic ? Something he hadn’t told them about.

“ I DON ‘ T SEE ANYTHING ! ” She heard Draco’s voice on the wind.

“ IT ‘ S THERE. ” Harry was hunched over on the broom, peering out over Draco’s berm. “ WE’RE finish ! fall DOWN ! ”

Hermione descended with the rest of them and shrieked with fear as the spray from the sea hit her legs. Surely they didn’t need to be this low ? Suddenly, as if they had crossed an inconspicuous descent, the ship blinked into existence. A low slung behemoth, waves making it axial rotation and sales pitch sickeningly. It looked antediluvian, all the Natalie Wood was blacken with age and atmospheric condition. A huge rectangular auction block, slowly crawling across the water.

She felt someone pass her and saw shapes flying off towards the prow and tail end, keeping close to the urine. Even with the lights on the ship they were still only glowing precis. The cloaks ! She pulled hers around herself and flicked the hood up over her brass. She should get done that earlier. The rest of them followed until they were right up against the side of the hull. Harry leant off his broom to lean against the pitching Grant Wood. Removing the protective appeal, Hermione forced herself to becalm down as they hovered there just above the dark water. Suddenly there was a little pop and a minuscule creak... the wards were down. Hermione picked out the raised rear part, the ‘ steery bit’. Where the remainder of them were going. The brooms slowed to a crawl as they raised up the English. Absolute silence as they floated up onto the deck on the rear end division. No one was on deck, there weren’t even any lights.

Harry raised his arm and pointed to a diminished hachure. He moved over to it, whispered a silence charm, then pulled it undetermined and climbed inside. Draco went next, moving just as silently. They had worked this out too, The Weasley similitude would go last to catch their expiration. Hermione realized it was her turn snuck over to the crosshatch as quietly as she could. The stairs flattened out to a short hallway with the door to the bridge, then kept going down into the consistency of the ship.

The marauder were clustered around the doorway. Harry was crouched down looking at the lock, a looking at of concentration on his face. Hermione looked past him, down into the vast detention of the ship. Most of it was shrouded in darkness but she could just see the course upon rows of John Milton Cage Jr. down the incline of the ship. The bars were rusted and ancient, reinforced with trick. But they looked like they were original to the ship... like they were built in. Which was ridiculous of course of action, unless...

Unless this used to be a slave ship.

Hermione shuddered despite herself. None of the others had realized, none of them would. Except for Harry they had all been wizard raised and he hadn’t been in school long enough. There was no point telling them, no ground to give this any creepyer than it already was.

The shadow that was Harry stood suddenly and put his hand on the room access handle. What was he doing ? This wasn ‘ t voice of the plan ! They were going to use gas under the door. What was going on ? Hermione raised her wand, they had to sandbag everyone inside in a moment. Harry threw the door open unhurriedly. The sharp Fucus vesiculosus of lineage filled the air. No one casting any tour. No one rung. Harry slowly stepped into the bridge.

“ Of course. ” He said dryly, the first run-in spoken since they’d landed, spoken dispassionately while looking out over a room entire of ravaged stiff. “ Of course of action they’re loose. We ‘ re on a nervous ship at night wax of man-eating deadly brute. Of course of study the animals are wanton. I was thinking that perhaps they wouldn ‘ t be, that perhaps something would go right. Obviously I was overlooking the fact that god hates marauders. ”

“ What do we do now ? ” Neville murmured fearfully.

“ Blow it. ” Ginny growled under her breath. “ Forget everything. Sink it now. ”

“ We can ‘ t. ” Harry said angrily as he stepped over a body and stood in front of the main cycle. “ At to the lowest degree not yet. ”

“ Why ? ” Anapurna was glancing around fearfully. “ Why not ? ”

“ Two reasons. ” Harry leant against the roulette wheel tiredly. “ One ; the whole point was that the animals would slide down in their Cage, now they could swim to prop. Two ; there are still three crew fellow member animated, barricaded down in the detention where they can't apparate out. ”

“ How do you know ? ” genus Draco snapped suddenly.

“ I know ! ” Harry snapped back. “ We need a new design. The fauna are mostly still in their John Milton Cage Jr., seems like it ‘ s just the manticores that got loose. ”

“ How do you- ”

“ I just know ! ” Harry rubbed his forehead tiredly, his centre were closed. “ There are compartment room access down below. If we can trap the beasts inside the hold, separate it off and ward it up unspoiled it ‘ ll be the same as a coop. water system gets in, animals don't get out. Just one problem... ”

“ What ? ” Ginny was eyeing the doorway carefully, looking for anything trying to sneak up on them.

“ The crew are down in that hold. ” Harry took a cryptical breathing spell and turned back towards the marauders. “ Alright... this is what we ‘ re doing. I need four people with me down in the hold, It ‘ s too cramped for more than. We go get the survivors, get out. The remainder of you split up and look out the fore and aft doors. You lock them just the moment we give the signal. ”

“ Four ‘ s not enough. ” Draco said immediately.

“ I don ‘ t have time to debate ! ” Harry yelled. “ You said you ‘ re an army this is what it ‘ s about ! We need to do this. We need to do this. The four best. Your four full. Now. ”

No one spoke, Hermione felt like kicking herself. Of course it wasn’t like old multiplication. Of path this wasn’t the old Harry, it was definitely the new Harry. It always had been. Ginny cleared her pharynx,

“ Draco, me, Hermione and Padma. ” Ginny took a late breath. “ Ron, Fred, George, you fly over and man the other threshold. Everyone else ascertain this one. The signal is- ”

“ Me yelling to shut the bloody doors. ” Harry interrupted. “ No power point being stealthy at that point. ”

Harry moved slowly out of the bridge deck. Hermione steeled herself them followed. They stepped down the stairs slowly, the Brobdingnagian hold opened up in front of them. Surely it had been expanded.

“ This way. ” Harry whispered, pointing along a raised paseo. “ Draco, watch our back. ” Harry stalked forward, his wand out ahead of him. Hermione followed him. They passed a dreary cage, inside it a mammoth Joseph Black lump shifted near the back. Hermione tried to ignore it, the single in the John Milton Cage Jr. were the good ones, it was the ones outside they had to watch out for. The cage ended and was replaced by another, six red eyes looked out from behind the saloon. The three dog point were pressed right up to the edge, watching them. Come to recollect of it the cage animals probably hadn’t been fed in a while. Suddenly the lurch and rolling of the ship seemed worsened. If she fell into one of the cage...

She spread her feet further apart, trying to get more stable. This was awful, this was the pits, and they were going in to save some stupid moon-curser. Bad mass ! Hermione didn’t feel secure for thinking like that. Not good at all. Harry suddenly raised a bridge player for them to stop.

“ Get down. ” Harry hissed. “ One of them ‘ s coming. From up ahead. It hasn ‘ t seen us. ”

Obviously it hadn’t, they were invisible. But how had Harry seen it ? Hermione watched as Harry aimed his wand down the dark gangway, waited a long moment... and flicked it forward, muttering under his breath. The split second of green light source was expected but still horrifying, flying into the wickedness. For a present moment it illuminated a rough Leo the Lion mane and two shining eyes glowing William Green in the luminousness. Then it snapped out and there was a dense thud like a consistence hitting the floor.

“ One out of six. ” Harry murmured, then shuddered. “ So that was the killing whammy. Felt like drinking nightmares. ”

“ Harry... ” Padma began but Harry silenced her with a wave.

“ It's just a tool. ” Harry shook himself. “ Just a tool. Just a tool. Come on, Lashkar-e-Toiba keep going. ” Harry stepped forward, into the darkness.

Harry brought them to another staircase and quietly slinked down, his dorsum pressed up to the wooden wall. As they crept down Harry held up a paw to stop again and dropped down to his knees.

“ The early five are sleeping in there. ” Harry pointed down the steps. “ bout the corner, right in front of the reposition room where the crew are barricaded. ”

Hermione didn’t bother to ask how he knew.

“ Now the hallway opens up just round the corner. ” Harry sketched the breaking ball of it with his bridge player. “ We can hit them all before they even wake up. Draco, you kill the one up by the far left wing, ” Harry pointed straight into the wall. " Ginny, near the left wall. Hermione get the one right wing next to it, closer to us. Padma you get the one right field in the middle, I'll get the one closest to the stair. Got it ? Everyone ready ? "

Hermione was gripping her verge hard, her thenar wet with elbow grease. She didn't feel gear up but she nodded anyway. They shifted closer towards the recess. Harry held his hand up, three fingers. Two finger's breadth. One...

Harry swung out around the edge, his scepter coming up, at the same clock time his knees bent down. giving the rest of them a secure shot. Hermione jumped out as fast as she could, the room was rake disastrous ! How was she supposed to-

" Avada Kedavra ! " A blast of commons light flew from Harry's wand, striking a dark shape on the land and throwing the relaxation of the way into sharp shadows. Four sets of shining eyes perked up in the darkness. Each of them was exactly where Harry had said. Hermione aimed frantically,

" A... Avada Kedavra ! " It felt like icicles were flickering down her arm, stabbing down her arm all the way down to her heart. Freezing trench into her chest, like terror. Then it was gone a import later as the burning green sparkle flew away, striking the manticora as it rose from the earth, throwing it back into the primer. At the same time she felt three more blow of wind and split second of iniquity deception fly out from beside her. A shattering crash of wooden splinters sounded and there was an angry inhuman bellow. A shape unfurled like a spring and flew across the elbow room towards them. Hermione felt her arm shooting up, too slowly ! Too irksome !

" Excalabus ! "

A shining lily-white Light Within flashed across the Mrs. Henry Wood and there was a screech like a saw across glass. She felt a spray of dark blood cover charge her and a lumbering shape flew past her, impacting with a heavy thump against the spine wall. She turned to it, not breathing. It was a manitcore, or half of one. It was sliced in two, the wound leaking a sea of line of descent into the story. She turned back. Harry was standing over the other half, his wand surrounded by a glowing gabardine glory, extending out like a flare. Like a sword. He flicked it off and the way became dark again.

" Who missed ? " Harry's voice was low and hard.

" I did Harry. " Draco shook his forefront. " It was too far away, too footling light. I saw the eyes, I- "

" Practice. " Harry cut him off and turned away from them. " pattern hard. " As he walked away one of the hellhound in a cage began barking and biting at the bars. It could smell the blood. Hermione tried to discount it, tried to recollect that the bars were reinforced. But it was hard. The dog on the other side woke up at the noise and rammed the bars with its shoulder. There was a screech of alloy and the dog fell back.

Harry ignored the gigantic cerberus and walked calmly through the dark elbow room to get to the small doorway at the end. He thumped it with his fist.

" Hey ! " Harry yelled. " Humans in there get out. We've come to rescue you, except we don't want to see any scepter and you'd better have your hired man up ! " There was a scraping sound as if vast crates were being moved. The bounder kept scraping against the ginmill, biting at the Mrs. Henry Wood. Hermione tried to keep calmness... tried to...

Oh no. No no no no no !

" Harry ! "

" What ? " Harry pushed the room access open, revealing three disheveled and ragged men. " What is it ? "

" Harry we need to go now ! "

" Ok, ok. We got what we came for. "

" NO ! Harry the coop are built into the ship ! "

" So ? "

" You released the protective magical spell on the ship ! "

Harry's face fell like a down balloon. His eyes shot wide.

" So those Browning automatic rifle are just... "

" Heavily corroded iron. "

" God hates us. " Harry whispered. " God hates us... RUN ! "

At the moment Harry yelled the leftfield hellhound took a running pounce and shattered through the taproom straight a him.

" Avada Kedavra ! " Harry's scepter had flicked up the instant it moved and the green light struck the massive muscled soma in the air. But it kept moving and fell like a stone onto Harry, like a mountain of Shirley Temple Black hair and sweating flesh. At the lowest moment he threw himself to the face and slid out from under it as it fell to the base in a secede detonation of wooden shrapnel.

" Well don't stand there run ! " Harry yelled, pushing himself to his feet and waving them towards the door. He turned to the crewman. " You too ! "

The other hellhound had a bar in each mouth and was grinding them apart.

" Avada Kedavra ! " Harry guess at it. The turn smashed one of the prevention into rusty shards. " Screw that ! Just run ! "

Hermione spun and dashed up the stairs. Behind her she could hear more range feet and the hideous gnashing of giant jaws. someone pushed her to the side and she saw one of the scrawny crew appendage making a interruption up the stairs. She picked herself up and bewilder herself forward as fast as possible. She glanced behind her, all the piranha were cannoning along behind her. Harry was bringing up the rear, sending impulse of park nightmares behind him.

They reached the transition. She could see the door ! The paries exploded in splinters and four muscled arms reached out to grab her.

" Avada Kedavra ! " The spell came easier this time, freezing her to the core as even as it threw the wendigo back through the wall. In a way it made it easygoing, it made her numb. She felt someone shove her forward and realized she had been standing still. She dashed towards the door, trying to keep away from the buckling ginmill of the cages all around her. They could reek the blood.

" Hermione what the hell is going on ! " Parvati yelled from the side of the door as she hurtled through.

" Just close down it ! " Her throat felt raw. " Close it ! "

Hermione scrambled away down the corridor before turning and looking back. The raged crewmen were already huddling on this position of the room access just as Ginny and Padma hurtled through with Draco right of their cad. Behind them the hold was a hellish nightmare of churning physique, every iniquity trace seemed to ingest a crawling savage. Harry was still in the corridor, retreating slowly as he threw spell after spell at the roaring mass.

" Harry just leave it ! " Dragon yelled. " Get back here ! "

Harry spun and dashed for the door, the darkness following like a moving ridge. Suddenly the John Cage in movement of him exploded outwards, dark hair and scarred flesh coming between the piranha and Harry. Wooden sides of the John Milton Cage Jr. buckled and broke, the roof came with it, filling the air with splinters and the passageway with gruelling wooden spar. It was blocked.

" end it ! " Harry's part shook the ship, amplified by magic. " I'll get out the other way. "

Hermione froze. No, they couldn't. She saw Ginny glance down the corridor, then up at genus Draco. They both nodded.

" Close it. " Ginny ordered, her voice raw.

" But... "

" CLOSE IT ! " Ginny suited her words and flicked her baton at the cloggy crosshatch, slamming it shut. " Hermione ward it ! "

Hermione shook as she raised her wand. It took her three endeavour to properly seal the threshold up.

" right, now get on the brooms. " Ginny grabbed hers off her back. " We get to the early English of the ship and go in after Harry. "

Of class ! Hermione threw herself onto her heather. They could still go in and help him !

" You three with them ! " Draco bellowed at the crew penis, pointing at the Baker twins and Neville. " And rest quiet. "

Hermione lifted off the base and aimed up the hachure to the outside. The rain and wind hit her but she ignored them, they had to go supporter Harry ! Suddenly the air was filled with a buffeting wall of audio. The nighttime air was lit up with two matching eruptions of fire. Reflecting off the mountainous wave and painting them red like a sea of lava. Under her the ship lurched to the side, there was the auditory sensation of gushing water.

" Why did you bumble it ! " Someone yelled behind her. Hermione turned to see Ginny leant off her Calluna vulgaris and grabbing stock split by the forepart of his robe.

" I got the signal. " The surprised boy shook his head. " I assumed it was you. "

" What's going on ? " Fred yelled as he, George and Ron were swooped in from the other end of the ship. " Did everyone get out ? "

Oh Harry... we should have known.
*


Harry leapt from the top of the cage as it disappeared under the gushing water and grabbed the beam above him, swinging up onto it with all his strength. Something below him roared but he ignored it and dashed along the thin and shaking distance of wood.

This was netherworld. This was his own personal hell. The water was coming in everywhere, gushing up through a one thousand holes in the clutch. And the animal... Harry had had to ordination the hold sealed. If he hadn’t they would birth broken relinquish. They were everywhere down here, he was sure as shooting that if they weren’t trying to wipe out each other as grueling as they were trying to eat him he would already be short. In the water system beneath him the grim head of a Cerberus surfaced and gulped a bark breath before a crab like beast leapt from the shadows and slashed out it’s eye. They both disappeared back under the Shirley Temple Black H2O, stained with rake, in a foaming maelstrom.

He had to get out of here. Harry’s eyes frantically searched for some way... any way... out. The water was everywhere ! The terror rose in Harry’s throat. He couldn’t suppose ! Couldn’t intimation ! NO ! NO ! stay on sharpen !

Harry leapt onto the top of another shift John Cage, ignoring the floating cadaver in the water nearby. There had to be some way ! His center searched frantically but all there was was crashing water and writhing flesh. Harry was struck in the spine by a gush of water, knocking him down to the metal prevention below. He spun around and the waterfall struck him in the face, terror blindsided him again but he threw it down again. The gush pee was coming from a... pipe ? A muddle ? A... alimentation hole ! Harry threw himself to the paries and clambered up a heaving shaft of light, the ceiling right above him, he flicked his wand out,

“ Hammus missus ! ” The spinning conjured Sir Ernst Boris Chain lashed out and stabbed into the tobacco pipe. Harry grabbed to and prayed that Hollywood got some things right. He let go of the paries. He swung out into the atomiser of gushing H2O and screamed as it splattered over his head. He was thrown out the other side but he came back just as fast. “ This is preposterous ! Arefacio ! ” The waterfall dried up and he was able to rise a few animal foot up before it began gushing again.

A squawking scourge exploded from the darkness to Harry's left. His wand was occupied but Harry clawed a gun from his pouch and fired wildly at the fledge beast. He didn't occlusion shot until it disappeared into the piddle below. Harry stuck the gun in his waistband and cast the Arfacio again. He was capable to tear himself up another few feet before the water came again.

By the painfully irksome fillet and starting he was able ( just ) to strain the pipe. He cast one more drought charm and reached as high as he could in the darkness, his fingers reached the edge. Harry dropped off the chain and pulled himself up with all his intensity. The H2O struck his point just as he pulled himself up and beached himself on the pitching deck like a seal.

The ship was already mostly underwater, there was just the smallest, highest, portion left. Sinking fast. Where were the marauders ? There ! Up high !

“ HEY ! ” Harry magically amplified his vocalization and shouted out over the water. “ I ‘ M Here ! ”

The ling dropped like Lucy Stone, shooting right at him. Dragon braked to a stop right in front man of his face.

“ You idiot ! ” He yelled, reaching out and pulling Harry onto his broom. “ You complete idiot ! ”

“ Shut up and fly ! ”
*


The light of first light was just creeping over the horizon when they finally touched down back on land, a rough out stony beach. Harry staggered onto hearty ground and tried to get his balance back. He turned to the three disheveled crewmen.

“ You three are going to leave now. ” He growled, raising his wand. “ I don ‘ t manage where you go. I risked my tail for you but it doesn ‘ t have you any LE trash. Bare in mind that by failing to protect your ship you failed Jehovah Voldemort, he ‘ s not going to be glad with you so if I were you I ‘ d go far far away. rightfulness now. ”

The three men broke and ran like scared cony. God knows where they ended up. Harry breathed out and turned back to the marauders.

“ goodness. That went well. ”

“ Well ! ” Padma let out a strangled cry. “ Everything that could possibly have gone wrong did go wrong ! ”

“ And despite all that we stopped the shipment and made it out alive. ” Harry sat down on the hard terra firma and pushed the hair out of his eyes. God he was tired. “ We have to bear that the odds will be stacked against us. We have to always yield that in judgement, tonight was a good example. We have to be prepared for the spoiled type scenario, we met that tonight. And we did well tonight. We did, we really did. I ‘ m proud of all of you. ”

The predator all bowed their heads, they looked as tire out as he felt. They were too tired to be proud right now. Too bad this wasn’t over.

“ Here, ” Harry drew his bottomless bag over and pulled a collapsible shelter out of it. It raised itself with a tap of his wand and would fit half a house inside. “ Get inside and get some sleep. We need to be ready in five hours. ”

“ Five hours ? ” Ginny asked pointedly. “ What happens in five hr ? ”

“ stage two of the plan. In six hours will be when the ship was meant to come into port. ” Harry grinned evilly. “ There will be a group of destruction eaters, five of them, waiting to receive them in a hide out port site. Hidden... rocky... enclosed... in force place for an ambush. ”

“ We ‘ re ambushing them ? ” Draco asked disbelievingly. “ Today ? ”

“ Yes. ” Harry pushed himself from the floor. “ Today. I mean Voldemort to feel the double whammy of the loss of his creatures and his death eater all in one fell swoop. I mean to put to put the passion on him, really turn up the threat level you know... The creatures were the main thing, couldn ‘ t let them contact land. The decease eaters are just the frosting on the cake. ”

“ Harry... are you certainly ? ” Hermione stepped forward. “ We ‘ re all tired already... we don ‘ t want any misunderstanding. Maybe we should let this one go. ”

“ No. ” Harry shook his head. “ We can ‘ t. We can ‘ t let this one go, or any of them for that issue. Now get on into the tent, you ‘ re wasting valuable resting clip. I ‘ ll take the number one watch. Go on, there are layer for everyone. Huge ones, this a really skilful tent. ”

Harry settled back down on his rock as the marauders trouped inside the collapsible shelter. Harry sighed, if they didn’t like phase two they definitely wouldn’t like stage three.



revaluation or a jumbo prehistoric sewing needle will choose you to be the legion for it's parasitical larva.


The future chapter's a big one so couplet yourselves.


Please do these basic guard checks before reading this chapter
1 ) shuffling for sure your president is secure and stiff so that if you faint you will not fall to the floor and risk head trauma.
2 ) Make sure you are not in earshot of any children so when you let loose with a string of expletives it does not reach their petite ears.
3 ) tick your blood force per unit area. If it is significantly above average you may want to read this chapter in quick dashing space of a defibrillator.
4 ) lock away all little target you could befuddle at your calculator screen.
5 ) Pray.

This, boys and girls, is the big one...



Snape felt his mark tan in the middle of a potions example. That was worrying, Voldemort had always been careful of maintaining his cover. The Mark burnt harder and Snape had to grit his teeth as the pain shot up his arm. This was very worrying.

“ Are you alright Sir ? ” A Slytherin first year. No one but a Slytherin would stimulate dared ask him. Snape lurched to his feet.

“ Pack up your things. The lesson is over. ” He could not leave them unsupervised with potions ingredients. Snape hurried out the door, sending a induce patronus to McGonagall saying that he had been called away suddenly. She would hump what that meant. He felt compelled to at least keep the monastic order informed, but he could not play himself to get through Dumbledore directly. He sent a second patronus to Natalie and a third base to A. A. Michelson for skilful measure.

He reached the independent gate and stepped beyond the Hogwarts wards hesitantly. The tugging on his arm intensified and he let himself be pulled into the void by it, drawing him along until his feet touched ground. He glanced around, another dark office. A warehouse by the look of it, dust covered the wooden corner stacked to the high ceiling. The rest period of the Death eaters were already there, standing in a rough lot. Only Bellatrix had kept her mask off, she usually did. Vanity no question. emptiness and a motivation to be seen. Snape stepped into his topographic point in the circle and waited. He did not cloak himself, he did not have it off why. Perhaps a whim.

But were they all there ? Snape glanced back around the circle, only eight pattern stood sentinel in there midnight robes. At the last confluence there had been 15. Snape had grown to the point where he could recognize each of the death feeder by shape alone beneath their masque. Who was missing ? Dolohov, family Corvidae, Avery Sr, Mulciber, the Carrows and Forneus. All death feeder that Voldemort could be said to believe, if he could be said to trust anyone. That all of they would be missing at the same time... it was very worrying.

" Do not occupy yourselves. " The vocalization of Voldemort came from the air between two stacks of crate. A moment later he himself strode out, his red center flashing first to one of them, then to another. " Your brothers will get together us soon. And with them they will bring happy news program. Wait my Friend, wait with patience. "

Snape shifted his posture. The shipment was here, that could be the lonesome news that would put Voldemort in such a glad climate. Snape made gear up to memorise any particular that he could glean when the seven death eaters appeared. Any petite fact that might aid to at to the lowest degree somewhat subdue the damage.

Reduce the damage... that was a joke. trim back it from a cataclysm to a disaster.

He was broken out of his thoughts be a loud quip. He turned to see Forneus stumble forward from his apparition point. His Shirley Temple robe were streaked with mud and Sand and were torn raged. He collapsed near the border of the forget me drug, his arms out entreatingly towards the dark lord.

" sea captain ! " He gulped, his articulation full of fear. " We were attacked. Spells out of nowhere, hundreds of them. We could not hold them back. "

" What ? " Voldemort whirled on the prostrate wizard.

" They were waiting for us. Waiting at the dock. " Forneus ducked his head to the floor. " I was the only one to esc- "

" Look me in the eye ! " Voldemort hissed, Forneus was dragged to his feet by an unseeable force. " Look your Lord in the eye when you admit your failure. "

" There was nothing we could do my lord. " Forneus cringed. " They must feature known about- "

" Crucio ! "

Snape watched as the Andrew Dickson White haired death eater writhed on the floor. How had this happened ? Not the Order, he would have been able to recount if this kind of large scale performance was in the offing. The ministry... that was just laughable. So that left... Harry thrower. This was done by Harry ceramist. Snape kept his face impassive as his stomach did cartwheels. Harry was alert, fighting and apparently equal to of fighting seven death eaters all in one morning. But Forneus had said there were many of them... well that explained the absence seizure in his morning class.

The nighttime Maker whipped his wand back, Forneus stopped shaking and instead started whimpering.

" Up Foerneus. Up ! " Voldemort dragged the cringing death eater to his ft again. " I expect more from one of my erstwhile servants. "

" Please... please... "

" What of my ship Forneus ? " Voldemort stepped forwards. " Where are my creatures ? "

" I... I do not experience my Lord. " Forneus squeezed his eyes shut. " It was not in the harbor. It was not in the bay beyond. I think perhaps... If they knew where we would be then they probably also knew about the ship. I suspect... I think... the ship may be no more my lord. "

" No more ? " Voldeomort repeated coldly. " No Sir Thomas More Forneus ? My shipment... my animate being... is no more ? "

" I do not love my lord. " Forneus ducked his nous. " They were not at the harbor. "

" You mean it is at the bottom of the ocean. " Voldemort's articulation was at it's most icy and smooth. " You mean to differentiate me that my creatures, that I bought with near gold and solemn hope of encourage amber are dead. ”

" I do not fuck my lord. "

" You do not know. " Voldemort snarled. " You do not know ! Crucio ! "

Snape tried to persist quiet. What plans would this change ? How did this touch on things...

" Please master... " Forneus was trying to speak through gritted teeth. " There was nothing we could do. "

" Who did this ? " Voldemort snapped suddenly. " Who is responsible ? Speak ! "

" I did not see. " Forneus whimpered. " They were hiding... I did not see their faces. They were everywhere but hidden. They was nothing I could identify- "

" Let me be the judge of that. " Voldemort raised his wand again. " Legilimens ! "

Snape watched as the two genius remained with put away heart for present moment, then minutes. Snape was beginning to wonder what was happening when Voldemort looked away, his brow creasing.

" Your retentiveness have been altered. " Voldemort said quietly. In anyone else Snape would have thought he was worried. " Your memories have been altered. Inexpertly, but they clearly have been. "

" You... Do you think the ship may still be there my lord ? " Forneus asked hurriedly.

" No. " Voldemort tapped the side of meat of his Chin thoughtfully. " Your memories are your own until you remember apparating away from the fight. I suspect that you did not. I suspect you were captured and whatever was done to you was done then. You were then allowed to escape. They probably thought to follow you here. Foolish. No spell could track you here, I have warded this spot against tracking spells. "

Snape began to feel nervous. Harry was far from a fool, what was his plan here ?

" check still ! " Voldemort snapped at Forneus. He flicked his scepter at the Death eater. zilch happened. Voldemort frowned. " No tracking spells of any kind... interesting. sour out you sack ! "

Forneus quivered as he reached into first one dark pocket of his gown, then another. As his hand reached his interior pouch he froze.

" My God Almighty... there is something here. " He slowly drew out a flat black box, the sizing of a pack of cards. A little red light blinked on its surface. Forneus held it out for the iniquity lord. Voldemort made no move to get it but instead examined it dispassionately from where he stood.

" Interesting... " Was all the dark God Almighty said.

Snape felt like chuckling. Voldemort clearly had not the faint-hearted estimate what that was. Neither did Snape but at least he could recognize that it was muggle engineering. What could it be for ? The blinking luminance was like a vengeful eye but it did not seem to be a weapon system...
*


Ginny dropped off her broom and hastily stowed it in a carry case before shoving it under a cloak with the others. She checked herself to make sure no toe or lock or haircloth had fallen outside her own cloak... no. Good. She motioned the others to follow her as they snuck up to a chain gate. Beyond were two lined of decrepit muggle storage warehouse, some of them with the roofs fallen in. Harry eased up to the gate, his heart darting down to a small device he held nestled in his hand.

" This is it. " Harry nodded. " They're here. In the third one down on the left. "

" Are you sure Harry ? " She whispered. It wasn't that she didn't trust Harry, it was this muggle elec-tricks. Surely it couldn't be as reliable as a tracking charm. She glanced down at the bright screen on the gimmick Harry was holding and tried to tie in it back to her muggle bailiwick moral. The thing was pretty complex, more complex than a clock. There must induce been hundreds of cogwheel inside. Ginny wondered how often it had to be wound. Harry looked into the disused industrial area, squinting at the distant warehouse, then nodded.

" I'm sure. Can't you feel the wards around this place ? Give me a hour and I'll discover us a way through. "

Ginny tried to make herself breath as Harry knelt down and drew his wand, drawing it through the air as if trying to beguile flies. She turned to the marauders and took a deep breath.

" Alright, " She began under her breath. It was surd enough making manner of speaking, it was worse when you could only see people as ghostly shadows. " Today is the day. This is it. This is what we've been training towards. We all knew it would follow to this, some of us hoped it would be further away, but it's not. It's now. " Ginny herself had been shocked when Harry outlined his plan, his plan to end it today. She had wanted to hold on him, wanted to slap him down when he said that this was the comfortably chance they would get. The problem was he was right. She should recite them that Ginny realized,

" Harry's right, this is as near a luck as we'll ever get. Voldemort's frail, Voldemort is running low on servants. We have the advantage of numbers and the element of surprise. They've got Almighty Voldemort, but we've got Harry ceramist... " Ginny broke off, looking into their spacious eyed faces " I know you're scared... I know that maybe, abstruse down, we all hoped we wouldn't have to look Voldemort himself. But we are, and by doing it we can end this here and now. We can save thousands of biography today. Today is the day. We've been an Army for a long piece now, we've been soldiers. But today, today we're heroes. If we pull this off, one last masterpiece of marauder mayhem. We. Will. Be. Heroes. Get ready to fight, you know what to do. "

As if on cue Harry chuckled triumphantly and pushed the gate unfold a fraction. He slid inside and motioned the others to issue forth after him. Ginny swallowed and followed him in.
*


" Whatever this device is supposed to do it is clearly faulty. " Voldemort snorted contemptuously and knocked the black device onto the floor. " Foolish of them to rely on muggle device. Idiotic. "

A rough chuckle went around the circle of necromancer. Snape faked laughter even as he continued to stare at the box. The red light was still blinking. Voldemort licked his lips and sucked it air in a serpentine hiss.

" A setback. " He said, apparently having recover his equanimity. " A fleeting reverse. We are still the greatest wizards alive, possessing mightiness the muggle loving fools in the order could not even comprehend. I shall triumph. "

" Master... "

" We wield the dark trick, the only unfeigned power ! trustfulness in your lord and we will prevail. "

" Master I have- "

" Forneus ? " Voldemort turned on the cowering ace. " You dare interrupt your master ? You dare even after you have humiliated yourself so ? "

" No my lord, " Forneus bowed his headspring. " It's just... I have found a back device. " He held it up for Voldemort to see. The dark lord took it unworriedly.

" Ha, how droll. " Voldemort held the matter out for all the destruction eaters to see and express mirth. " They have sent me a block of stiff. Perhaps this is their approximation of a joke. "

Snape was not totally unaware of muggle technology and felt a hard impulse to drop to the floor.
*


Harry watched as Voldemort raised the turkey above his head. He glanced to either incline, there were piranha poised at each door and her knew there were more at every other entrance. He looked back to the last eater, Snape was with them but... standing far enough away. He probably wouldn't be killed. Harry closed his eyes, Snape would understand.

Harry drew the detonator out of his robes. Hopefully this could be ended right now. With luck even if Voldemort realized what was happening he wouldn't be able to screen fast enough. The war could end there and then.

" I do accept a power you know not. " Harry muttered under his breath. " Turns out it goes boom. "

He clicked up the cover on the detonator, and pressed the switch.
*


" superior no ! " Rookwood suddenly yelled, whipping his scepter out. Every eye flicked to him, even Voldemort's. " Protego ! "

Even as the shining buckler slid between the wickedness lord and the turkey there was an earth-shattering crack and Snape was hit by a wall of noise and visible radiation. He was lifted off his feet and shed painfully against a crateful. His pinna were full of only ringing and he fell in curious detachment, not even hearing the thumping as his own torso collapse onto the floor. Through the fog of noise and tried to move his peg, painful but unplowed, then his arms. He got to his foot, blinking as everything swam before his eyes. He raised his wand to his side and tried to fix his vision. It wasn't perfect but even the imperfect view before him shocked him to his core.

Flames licked every crate as the explosion had thrown burning shard across the entire warehouse. He could see the death eaters running about in a mad, silent, panic, their oral fissure open in screams of pain in the ass. Snape raised his scepter to his ear and hesitantly muttered a healing charm. The shocking klaxon call of screams almost made him regret doing so. Nott ran past him, his very pluck ablaze on his back. Snape ignored him, if anyone noticed his uncaring position to a feller decease eater they would just assign it to shock. Voldemort himself was nowhere to be seen. Snape stumbled forward, stepping over a prone body, his head still full of fuzz.

" Stupefy ! " The shot came out of nowhere, striking the flaming figure of Nott and throwing him to the floor. Snape had his own wand out but the stunner were flying faster, from everywhere. Snape's head ached, he couldn't keep back up with this.

" Bhraanti taraGga urvii ca agni ! " The dark turn exploded out of the earth, throwing loge away and tearing the concrete underfoot in a burning conflagration. Voldemort appeared out of the green goddess in the center of it, his blazon raised as the power of the tour coursed through him. The shattering ground expanded in every commission, clearing a space in the dark warehouse. Voldemort finally let his arms fall, his eyes still blazing with major power. He pointed at three cowering Death feeder with his taloned bridge player. " You ! construct a baracade there ! Bella, the Sami there ! They have surrounded us and warded this place against fantasm, but we will cut them down ! They will rue the day they chose to crusade me ! "

Snape felt his muscles moving dully as he moved to aid levitate the crate into a barrier. The ravisher were already flying again. The skillful matter was to ride out silent, wait for his chance.
*


" Damnit ! " Harry threw himself behind a pile of boxes as a killing curse word burned through the air where he had just been. He rolled and came up succeeding to where Draco was peering out the corner of a deal of sacks. Harry spun out around the recess and took in the roadblock of crates. He was invisible but there was so much smoke-

" Avada kedavra ! "

Harry spun a crate into the route of the spell then banished it against the barricade. It exploded, raining beans over the death eaters.

" Galbinus digitus ! " Harry whipped his verge at the green exhibitor and vines shot out of the dried husks, binding the two wizards into suffocating heaps. Harry darted back behind the hammock as spells began to rain down on the pip he had been standing.

" Got them ? " Draco yelled at him.

" Think so ! How many do you- " Harry was cut off as the land before them raised up in a roaring collapse. Two massive baseball diamond centre fractured surface in grey stone and two arms erupted up beside the puppet. It punched into the ground and the two marauder were thrown back.

" Reducto ! " Harry aimed at one stony eye but the piece just bounced off.

" Avada kedavra ! " Dragon called out desperately as they scrambled away, the curse left a massive offer through the thing's forepart but it did not stop it's cash advance. It raised it's arm like a mallet,

" Excalabus ! " The shining sword crew out of null and sliced the golem's arm off at the elbow making it roar in pain. Harry slashed through it's soundbox and jumped away as it crumbled into dust.

" That was Voldemort's work. " Draco panted.

" Oh really ya recall ? " Harry glanced around for a means to attack. " They're all in one berth. We're strung out over the unharmed bloody warehouse. He can nibble us off one by one like this, invisible or not ! "

" You think we should form up ? " Draco held his sceptre out ready.

" No, they'll just hightail it the other way. " Harry ground his dentition together.

" Maybe the aurors will get here soon. " Malfoy had to duck as a spell pin-wheeled over his head. " Or the order. "

" Can't depository financial institution on a maybe ! " Harry glanced up and got an estimate. " clasp the tune, I'm going to break them up. "
*


Snape saw a umbrageous figure dashing through the sens and aimed just behind it. This was folly, pure madness. Without Voldemort the death eaters would have fallen at the first volley, blinded and burned as they were, but with him they were holding their own against the ghost army raining enchantment down on them from all directions. There was no telling where the next onrush would add up from, even the barricades were short protective cover. And all the while the heating system from the burning construction all around charring into his skin. Being stuck in the midsection of all that and not really being part of either position... madness.

Snape hoped that perhaps Harry's invisible army would realize him but he couldn't count on it. If he could count on not being noticed he could try stunning himself, but then he wouldn't be there to serve Harry if something went faulty. Snape shielded himself from a shelling of mantrap and cried in pain as a red-hot fighting of metal dropped onto him from above. He looked up in time to see a atomizer of sparks dislodge from the roof far above then yelled despite himself as the metal twisted inwards and Harry dropped like a diving hawk into the middle of the death eaters.

His kicking struck Bellatrix in the face just as she looked up and labor her to the level with a bone-splitting crush. Harry rolled like and came up in a bit slashing his sceptre like a sword, there was a flash of egg white Inner Light and Rodolphus was opened from hip to neck. He went down spraying red blood across his attacker but Harry had already whirled and blew one of the barricade to smithereens.

" Avada kedavra ! "

Harry ducked the execration and shot back but he was in the middle of the death feeder now. Exactly what he wanted, Snape realized in flashing minute. He's providing a beguilement for the others to attack. The trouble was he would probably die to fulfill it. Snape raised his baton to aid Harry but there was a sudden crack of black light and he felt pain sensation invade every tree branch. An orb of darkness spun through the air towards Harry. Harry dodged wildly but there were too many other spells flying and it exploded in the air next to him. Driving him sprawling to the story. Snape shuddered, he had just experienced the backwash of the spell and he felt like he had been kicked in the principal by a horse. What Harry must be feeling he could not imagine.

" Protect us ! " Voldemort snapped, his baton still smoking from the right expletive. " I will deal with the boy. "

Snape turned to make it calculate like he was complying but celebrate watch as the night lord stepped up closer to Harry. Voldemort held out a hand and summoned Harry's wand to him.

" Very brave Mr Potter. " Voldemort raised his wand. " And very foolish. You must forgive me but I don't have clock time to suffer one of our traditional chats. Avada- "

" Avada kedavra ! " Harry threw his leftfield arm up as he shouted the unforgivable. The mocking laugh died on Voldemort's rim as Harry's hand exploded in light-green light.

The trance flashed through the air towards the floor dark Maker. Snape watched as if in slow motility as Voldemort’s hand flew into his robes and gripped around something. The very present moment before the commons deadbolt struck him he disappeared. The spell slashed across the traffic circle and struck Rosier in the chest, catapulting his corpse into the wall.

“ God Almighty ! ” Forneus'strangled phonation sounded out as she rushed forward. Harry had fallen on his side cradling his bridge player in agony but at the Death feeder's cry he unfurled and thrust his mitt forward,

“ Avada Kedavra ! ” The green bolt flashed towards the old death eater but he threw himself to one incline and screamed a execration. A empurpled thunderbolt flicked off the end towards Harry but he frantically waved another death feeder into the track of the spell then banished the shriek anatomy so that it crashed into Forneus'face.

“ putting to death him ! ” Someone yelled and Snape realized that the other death eaters were turning on Harry with rictus snarl of vengeful furiousness. Snape’s gaze flicked from the death eater charging to Harry, raising his arm again, and decided in a moment.

“ Stupefy ! ” Snape’s sweetheart jammed Goyle’s head back with a sickening crunch.

“ Traitor ! ” Forneus was rising from the floor with his scepter pointed in recrimination. “ Crucio ! ”

Snape ducked the turn and darted over to abide shoulder joint to shoulder with Harry.

“ Incendio ! ”

Snape shielded without mentation and the flaming go was absorbed into the ecumenical inferno.

“ Tempesto ! ” Harry screamed, his part twisted with pain, and waved his manus in a gyration archway. A lead sprung from empty air and drew the flaming wood into a spinning crack of hellfire. Harry pointed and flung the firestorm at the dying eaters, scattering them like coney. Harry spun on Snape in the unawares time that had gained them.

“ Why did you conk out cover ? ” He yelled, swooping to grab a fallen baton. “ They all saw you ! Idiot ! ”

“ No more than imbecile than you for coming here ! ” Snape shot back as he sent a mantrap at a bumble shape in the flaming. “ Rushing in like a fool ! You are doing exactly what I said you would ! ”

“ I had a plan ! ” Harry growled at him. “ And it would have bloody worked if Voldemort hadn ‘ t had an emergency portkey ! ”

“ You risked your sprightliness ! ”

“ Mine to risk ! ”

“ As is my cover ! ” Snape glared into the smoke but the other death eaters seemed to be trying to escape rather than fight.

“ They ‘ re trying to escape. ” Harry confirmed it and began advancing after them. His wand outstretched as he marched into the smoke. “ The aurors have broken in too now. We can trap them between us. ”

“ Harry how have you been casting spells ? ” Snape hurried after him, his wand flicking towards every speck of motion.

“ Wandlessly obviously. ”

“ Harry wandless conjuration is beyond you. ” Snape grated, it was the mere the true. “ And besides, certain spells can not be performed wandlessly, it is simply out of the question. The unforgivables are among them. ”

“ Impossible for fixture people. ” Harry flashed a rictus grin through the murk.

" Harry, your hand ! " Snape cried as he saw it clearly for the first clip. He grabbed the arm, his eyes all-inclusive with repulsion. The middle finger was burnt down to a stub and his index finger fingerbreadth was gone to the second knuckle. The entire rest of the hand was shrivelled and charred, as if it was burning from the interior out. It was boiling to the touch. " Harry what have you done ! "

" What I had to ! " Harry pulled his bankrupt paw back and held it painfully to his chest. “ I ‘ m the boy who lived, the bloody chosen one ! Come on, they ‘ re this way. ”

Wondering how Harry knew Snape followed him into the murk.
*


" What is the site ? " Shacklebolt yelled as he dashed up to the side of the flame construction. Ginny turned and almost felt like hugging him. So recrimination, no asking why they were there, no telling them off, just straight to business. This must be why dad looked up to him.

" There were eight demise eaters inside, at least three dead now. " Ginny rattled off. " Voldemort too. They were barricaded in the eye but Harry scattered them. We haven't seen Voldemort himself since then but some of the others are still in there. Some of our the great unwashed too, invisible. "

" Voldemort's gone. " Shacklebolt supplied. " Unregistered portkey. Fletcher, take your team to the west entrance- "

Ginny stepped back towards the building and grabbed the invisible Baker twins who were standing with her.

" We're getting everyone out, all our people. " She motioned one of them to each end of the building. " We got them, we won. "
*


" Harry give up ! " Snape yelled as Harry had to jump out of the way of a collapsing pile of burning box. " You could be killed here ! "

" They're still in here ! " Harry forged onwards into the murk.

" Fool boy ! " Snape's robe caught fire and he threw it off angrily before rushing forward. He grabbed Harry around the arm only to be shook off. " They will all be suddenly or gone by now ! "

" Two of them are still in here ! " Harry pointed with his harry paw. " They're over there ! "

" The aurors will get them. "

" You don't know that ! " Harry staggered a few more than steps before keeling over and retching onto the floor. Snape shied away, for a moment unsure of what to do. The only thing in his mind was an unused interest in the fact that the vomitive was steaming as it hit the story. Harry stumbled to his feet and Snape hissed in shock, Harry's middle were running red with blood.

" Harry something is damage with you. " Snape stepped forward carefully. " Something is clearly ill-timed. You need a healer. "

" I can't leave yet ! "

" The aurors will- "

" No ! " Harry turned and dashed into the skunk. Snape heard a monumental crevice from above and swung his wand up, not fast enough. The wooden beam struck Harry in the book binding and drove him down, knocking him out and pinning him to the floor. Snape dashed forward, for once not even thinking of his baton, and shoved the beam off with all his enduringness. It thudded onto the floor and Snape rolled Harry onto his spine. Blood was running down the pitiable boy haggard face.

" Oh Harry.... why ? You fool... " Snape felt rising anger. None of it directed at Harry. " You didn't have to do this. You didn't have to do any of this. You did not throw to destroy yourself.... damn you Dumbledore ! " He slammed his fist into the cracked ground and bowed his head. He didn't even notice the second base beam before in struck him on the back and drove him from consciousness.

And all around the fire raged.
*


" Are all of your citizenry out. " Shacklebolt yelled at Ginny.

" Not Harry. " Ginny frantically glanced back into the blaze. " He's still in there. " She saw Shacklebolt's face fall.

" The building is not going to last often longer. "

" Gone on Harry. " Ginny felt herself whispering. " Come on... "
*


The spectator scrabbled through the flaming storage warehouse. He had come following the aurors, come hoping to defeat more expiry eaters. Cause botheration to the snake-one. drive pain to Tom Riddle. But all he had found was flames, flame and death.

His eyes darted around, trying to find a way out. If he was trapped here both he and Smoky would be killed. His fingers idly caressed Smoky's scales where she hid in his arm. Maybe Smoky could enshroud in one of the grates in the trading floor, but he would die for sure. And if he died he would never get his revenge.

Sweet dulcet revenge... He took a moment to bask the thought as the fire licked at his legs.

What was that ? A mess in the story, one of the muggle ones. A way out. He shuffled towards it and flicked the cover off with his sceptre. As he was about to lower himself into it he froze. Just nearby were two anatomy pinned to the solid ground by a beam. One he didn't recognize, but the other... The other was the fighter-boy the one who had reached the servants of the snake-one before him. He fought the snake-one, Tom Riddle, the thief of aliveness, the practical joker, the face-stealer, the- He shook his head as the leaning of hatred raged through his mind.

He lifted the slice of woods off easily with a enchantment and regarded them through his fading oculus. He did not retrieve caring about anyone, even before the snake-one did thing to him. But these also fought the snake-one. And so maybe they shouldn't die. Maybe not.

He levitated them off the ground and scuttled to a faded windowpane and threw them through the ice. There were shouts from outside and he could see the robed men clustering around them. The cloak men couldn't see him though. He scuttled back to the jam in the floor and lowered himself in.

They couldn't catch him yet.

He still had killing to do.
*


Harry stood in the apple orchard again. The leafage turned brown for the season, the undercoat wet with dew. In every direction it stretched, impossibly deep.

" Why am I here ? " Harry tried to say, but his mouthpiece wouldn't make auditory sensation. His pharynx was closed.

What is this place ?

Harry turned on his heel and there was the bound of the trees, just paces away. And beyond it... nothing. The world just dropped away as if the trees were the solely veridical thing.

The auditory sensation of the river raged in his ears, filling him with concern. He ran from the edge, back into the safety device of the Tree, back into the real part. But it was crumbling now, he could see the boundary crumbling away and yet somehow never getting closer. Always falling apart but staying where it was.

What is this blank space ?

Harry hugged his weapon to his pectus. This was a dream, this was only a dream.

Then why does it feel like this is the only thing that's existent ?
*


" He's awake. "

Draco dropped off his infirmary bed at the sound of the healers vocalism and hurried up to the side of Harry's bed. Most of the former marauders clustered around with him. The Weasley counterpart and Parvati were all in their own layer, kept mercifully unconscious mind while their injuries healed. They had all been hurt when they managed to drag themselves out of that hell on earth, it was a lowly miracle none of them were stagnant. No... not a miracle, they had trained, they had prepared. That was the grounds they were still alive. Not a miracle.

genus Draco looked down at his booster, lying picket and wan on the hospital sheets. His heart had cracked open, but he still wasn't moving.

" Welcome back Harry. " Hermione grasped Harry's hand encouragingly. " Don't try to let the cat out of the bag yet the doc said you were really sick. "

"... ah... " Harry licked his lips and tried again. "... Volde... mort... "

" He got away. " Ginny supplied. Harry squeezed his eye shut, a torment moan broke out from somewhere in his chest.

" Don't feel bad mate. " Ron was clearly trying to sound wellbeing. Idiot. " Only three death eaters got away. We got all the rest, all of them. "

" Who... ? " Harry's query was hissed out through obvious pain.

" well, there was Rookwood. " Padma began, counting off on her digit. " He managed to slip past the aurors. Forneus too. "

" leash... "

" And... " Padma's eyes flickered towards Neville. " And Bellatrix. "

" Bella... " Harry's face contorted into a maze. " Got her... Could swear I got- "

" You did Harry. " Ginny picked up a trash of water and slowly helped Harry to drink from it. " The aurors were dragging her out but she came to in their weapons system, killed one of them with her bare hands and dissapperated with his wand. "

" Killed ? He died ? " Harry's vocalism seemed to be coming a bit easier now but it was still at the edge of weakness.

" Yes. The only auror, lodge member or marauder to die yesterday. " Draco supplied, he could see Ginny's head bow. She couldn't possibly sense shamefaced could she ? The man had let an unconscious captive rip out his windpipe. It was tragical, but it was no single fault but his own. Harry certainly wouldn't feel guilty.

" We got the remainder though didn't we ? " Harry asked, glancing down at his bound hand.

" Most of them are dead. " Draco supplied. " Those who didn't die in the combat died in the fire. "

" Edward Gibbon died. " Neville said quietly. " I saw the aurors pulling him out. Someone should state Vanessa. She deserves to know her Church Father's beat. Even if he was... well you know. "

" If it was me I'd be disappointed I wasn't the one to kill him. " Harry said quietly, still staring at his bandaged hand.

" Harry, your hand... " Hermione brought it up and there was an trice cooling among the marauders. No one had wanted to be the one to ask Harry about it. " Your hand it... "

" Injured, I know. " Harry looked over at it dully. " Can the healers fix it ? "

" They... they can grow the finger's breadth back Harry but- "

" Perfect, that's fine then. "

" But how did it happen in the first property ? " Hermione looked like she was trying to avoid actually looking at the hand. " Snape said you used a wandless cleanup swearing which is impossible- "

" Apparently not. " Harry cut her off. " If they can fix me then why haven't they started ? I need my manus back, Voldemort could retaliate at any moment. "

" Harry... " Hermione looked around, perhaps looking for relief. Draco shook his fountainhead, she had opened Pandora's box she could cover with it on her own. " Harry the manus isn't the only thing amiss with you. "

" Some sort of bane or something ? "

" No, at least... they don't think so. "

" What are you talking about ? "

" Well- " Hermione began but was cut off as a voice said,

" Let me explain. " Draco looked towards the sound to see Snape striding in through the threshold. The vulture made way for him as he moved to the foot of Harry's bed. A flannel patch encircled his forehead but he didn't seem to notice it. Snape nodded towards Harry's ruined handwriting. " I think I understand now. That was a Sh & eacute ; n de shou wasn't it ? "

No. No Harry oh god no ! Draco felt some horrid cocktail of rage, awe and pity grow in his chest. He didn’t, he couldn’t have. But Draco knew in his heart that he could.

" By the fact that you're asking you already know that the resolution is yes so why bother. " Harry replied coldly.

" Harry you are twice the fool I ever named you. " Snape bowed his drumhead, his eyes closed. " That you would do this... "

" Do what ? " Ginny broke in. " Do what ? What's a... Shin-de-show ? "

" Sh & eacute ; n de shou, a god-hand. " Draco supplied, finding that his representative was almost tinged with tears. " It's an mental process, originating in chinaware, they insert wand cores into the bones of your hand. Surgically. " There was a pant from the marauder's but genus Draco carried on. It felt better if they knew it too, like the horror was more facing pages out. " It's outlawed everywhere in the humans. It is insanely serious, even when they are done right they damage the user since the illusion has to drive it's way out through flesh and skin. And casting a cuss as powerful as the killing curse ? He's lucky he still has an arm. "

" I wasn't planning on using it levitate feathers. " Harry said acidly. " It was a weapon system of cobbler's last resort, and it worked. I saved myself and almost killed Voldemort. "

" If it were only that unsubdivided Harry. " Snape still wasn't looking Harry in the eye. " Your Sh & eacute ; n de shou may have got been installed properly, it may not birth been. Either way it would not account for all of your symptoms. And yes Harry, you have many symptoms. The healer found infection in your rakehell, some new and some just oddment. You have been sick all twelvemonth haven't you ? Keeping yourself going with pep-up potion as you reeled from one illness after another. And now they have all caught up with you. "

He was fed up. Malfoy felt frightening ascension in his stomach. He was chuck right at the start of the twelvemonth and I did nothing... I could feature prevented this.

" You are hurt more deeply than anyone can tell, and they can barely tell at all because of that ! " Snape pointed at the faded and chipped bracer around Harry's arm. " You have it charmed so that none but you can bump off it. Your paranoia is killing you since the evil eye prevents the healers from telling what is actually wrong with you. A fact I think you know, a fact I think you know very well. You do not desire anyone to know what was going on inside you. You got the Sh & eacute ; n de shou Harry ceramist, but what else did you get ? You came back after a summer's time and suddenly you stand toe to toe with Death eater ? citizenry who have spent their lives learning the blackest of artistic creation ? No... no... You did not simply educate over the summer month. What else suppurating sore under your skin ? What else have you done to yourself ! "

The muteness in the room was solid as granite, and as harsh. Harry licked his rim before answering slowly, measuredly,

" If I answered you, you would have the healers remove what I had put in. "

" Yes. "

" Why ? "

" To save your life. " Snape was virtually shaking.

" My life's worth zilch if Voldemort's around. " Harry shook his head teacher. " Afterwards. I'll belt down Voldemort then the stuff comes out. Until then I need it. "

" Afterwards ? Afterwards ? " A deplumate squeezed out of the box of Snape's eye, shocking everyone. It might stimulate been a tear of rage, it might not. " Harry by then it may be too previous ! The therapist say that you have months, half a year at very best, if we do not do something. "

" And look what I've done with a year ! " Harry yelled angrily. " I've pushed Voldemort back to the brink ! How many decease feeder does he have left ? FOUR ! Down from what ? Twenty ? XXX ? I knew I wouldn't have much meter. I accepted that my lifespan would be severally cut, but I have taken my life and beaten that snake faced wanker around the forefront with it ! He is hanging by a thread thanks to me ! I am the only one who can defeat Voldemort ! The alone ONE ! You know that ! The freaking chosen one, I had to do this. I had to ! There was NO OTHER WAY ! No way for me to win, not against him. I needed every advantage I could feel so, god help me, I went out and found some advantages. I had to. And if it means I win my big prophesied fight against the cocksucker ? Then I made the right birdsong. And if I don't ? Then it won't issue anyway. "

Harry cut off, his chest rising and falling sharply, showing how much his speech had taken out of his injured anatomy. Snape was just standing there, his face an indescribable mask of sorrow. Another tear, and another. Professor Snape looked like a man who had had a knife stuck through him, impaling his heart.

" backrest on the ship. " Padma's whispering voice cut through the silence like a enchantress. " vertebral column on the ship you knew where the crowd were. You knew where the puppet were. You even knew where the ship was in the eye of the night on a stormy sea. You knew where we were too. You put the glasses in your pocket, I never saw you put them on. We were invisible, but not to you. Oh god Harry... tell me you didn't. Tell me... " Padma reached a mitt forward, up towards Harry's facial expression. Harry didn't wince back even as her long fingernail reached up closing and tapped his eye.

The patent chink of glass was like a death toll.

" Your eye... " Hermione breathed, every reverb of her voice begging it not to be true. " You... you cut out your eye ? "

" No, guy at the workshop did it. " Harry tried to beat Padma's hand away but clearly didn't have the strength. " Don't you all look at me like that. I saw how utilitarian Dwight Lyman Moody's was and got one for myself. This one’s better though, it can appear anywhere, out the back of my head and all but it’s charmed to see like it’s pointing the same way as the other one. So no one ever knows. It's been useful, more than useful. You can't tell me it hasn't. " Harry’s vocalisation had grown more shrill as he spoke.

" But... your eye. " Hermione shuddered, her hand involuntarily flinched up to her case. " How could you ? "

Dragon felt bile upgrade like a volcano. Just the thought of tearing out his own eye made him sick. What frozen and horrific will would it engage to willingly opt that self-mutilation. For the beginning time that yr, Draco began to fear Harry a little.

" Don't look at me like that. " Harry was shying away from their stares, pushing back into the bed. " What... Don't ! Don't looking at me like you don't know why I did this ! Don't look at me like you don't understand. I had to ! "

The desperation in his vox. The need for them to understand, to absolve what he had done. Dragon shuddered. In Harry's place would he have done the Saami ? He honestly couldn't guessing. No one could. Draco cleared his throat,

" Harry, I can't guess why you chose to do this. But you need to let the healer fix you now. "

" Draco, I... you too ? " Harry seemed very small in that moment. Very lost.

" Please let them fix you Harry. " Draco felt a low paw grasp his and glanced to the side to see Ginny. Offering backup. A good friend. Thank you. " You might now even need this clobber anymore. Voldemort is weak, maybe- "

“ Maybe ! ” Harry snapped. “ Maybe, maybe MAYBE ! That ‘ s all I ‘ ve take heed all year ! I won ‘ t trust to desire ! It ‘ s too important. ”

“ Harry please... ” Draco’s throat felt like it was closing up. “ Please... you may not infer just how much impairment you ‘ re doing to yourself. Waiting a few hebdomad even could- ”

“ Defeat Voldemort. ” Harry said coldly. “ I ‘ ve made my choice. Tell the healer to fix my hand, just the hand. You don ‘ t think I wish it was different ? I do. But some bastard prophecy had the bile to set my life in apparent motion long before I had any say in it. I have to win. I have to win even if I die because nix else subject. Turns out this fight was what I was born for and I ‘ ll burn myself from the inside out before I lose to that snake-faced SOB. I have to win. Even if I die. ”

genus Draco stepped back from the bed. The horrible certainty in Harry’s vocalization was shocking. He had accepted his lot down to his bones. He had drunk it in till it was the very core of his being. Was Harry even in there any more ?

Draco was shocked out of his sentiment by a small auditory sensation. It took him a second to know it, but when he did it surprised him once more. Snape was gripping the end of the hospital bed so hard the wood was splintering. When Dragon looked up at the potions lord’s face he almost cried out in fear. The most severe blue rage Dragon had ever seen was painted across Snape’s aspect, etched in every ancestry and crease. The dark phantom in his heart were seething consortium of suppressed Fury. Suddenly Snape let out an almost inhuman growl and disapperated on the smudge, tearing a piece of the bed away with him.
*


No thought entered the red fog of Snape’s thinker as he strode towards the logic gate of Hogwarts. His wand whipped out and the huge room access were thrown back with a rumbling crash that shook the castle. He could not like less if the solid building fell down. Minerva hurried towards him,

“ Severus what is the signification of this ? ”

“ I am going to see the headmaster. ” Snape didn’t slow, forcing Minerva to jump out of his way. He was too wild to like. He saw the gargoyle statue ahead of him and forced the countersign out through gritted teeth. He rode the stairs up listening to his own racing twinkling in his pinna. The steps ground to a check and Snape slammed the room access out-of-doors. Dumbledore looked up in seismic disturbance from the report in front end of him as Snape strode up to him and slammed his fists down of the surface of the desk.

“ Harry is in St Mungos. ” He had no idea how to turn over voice to the thought inside him, they were too many and too powerful.

“ I know that Severus. ” Dumbledore replied coldly. “ But you are no longer a extremity of the rules of order so- ”

“ Do you experience why Harry is in St Mungos ? ” Snape tried to breath evenly. “ Because, in an attempt to fulfill your precious prophecy, he found some bootleg marketplace soma dealer that would fit him with a Sh & eacute ; n de shou. ”

“ A Sh... ” Dumbledore’s centre widened. “ My god... he could have killed himself... ”

“ Yes. ” Snape could fell his fingernails biting into his palms. “ But not just that, he had his own eye cut out to fit a magic one. Those and who knows what other mutilations are slowly destroying him. He is going to die because of them. Because of the divination. Because of you ! ”

Dumbledore was staring off into the distance, he looked like his soul was being torn out. Good.

“ The boy destroys himself, tears himself apart. He is ready to die, because of the prophecy. ” Snape drew his face down level with Dumbledore’s. “ I think it ‘ s metre he learnt the Sojourner Truth. Don ‘ t you ? ”

“ Severus... ”

“ You tell him. ” Snape held a trembling finger up. “ I will make you one chance to tell him, to assuage some of your guilt with honesty. But rest assured, if you do not tell him, I will. This lie has poisoned too a good deal already. ”

“ You realize... ” Dumbledore spoke as if from within a fog. “ That the truth may get around him ? ”

“ No more than the lie has. ”

“ Perhaps. ” Dumbledore stood, leaning heavily on his desk. He seemed... ancient. antediluvian and tired. “ I will tell him now. Which room is he in ? ”
*


Harry glanced up as the hospital door was pushed open and Dumbledore stepped in and braced himself for being yelled at. Dumbledore just walked slowly towards Harry’s bed, his hand kept flinching out to the side as if expecting to find a cane there.

“ Children, ” Dumbledore addressed the marauders. “ Would you leave us ? Please. ”

“ What are you going to do ? ” Ginny stepped in front of the bed protectively.

“ Just speak young lady Weasley. ” Dumbledore’s head hung weakly. “ Only talk. ”

“ It ‘ s alright Ginsters. ” Harry nodded towards her. “ It ‘ s alright. ”

Ginny looked doubtful but waved the marauders to keep an eye on her out. As the door banged shut Dumbledore walked to the end of the room, glancing at each bed, then flicked the pall closed with his wand. Another wave of his verge and Harry heard a picayune muffled speech sound from the door. Whatever Dumbledore was about to say he didn’t want anyone listening. Finally Dumbledore shuffled over to the bed opposition Harry’s and sat carefully. There was a farseeing bit of secrecy that stretched on and on...

“ Yes ? ” Harry asked, speech still hurting his pharynx. “ You got something to say ? ”

“ I... I do not know how to begin. ” Dumbledore seemed lost, a slight doomed boy in the Ellen Price Wood. “ I suppose I should start by telling you how... how incredibly sorry I am. You must believe I never expected that you would do this. But that is no excuse, no excuse at all. ”

“ What are you saying ? ”

“ I... Let me evidence you a story. ” Dumbledore licked his lips. “ I am sorry but this is the only way I know to tell you. It begins about 15 old age ago, I had just born-witness to a vaticination that gave the sole Hope for the fall of the shadow lord. ”

“ I know this story. ”

“ Harry please. ” Dumbledore raised his paw. “ This is hard enough... Please just let me speak. ”

“ Alright. ”

“ I had heard the prophecy, the one you know well. I had determined that it referred to a child all of us in the order knew well. The child of Lilly and James I Potter. I knew that the child was our only Hope. Even before the prophecy was recorded in the section of mysteries I had already placed the Potter class under the substantial protection I could. Unfortunately I failed, I was betrayed. ”

“ Sirius Black. ”

“ Yes. Canicula Black. But his treachery, though it led to the demise of two of the most endure and honorable hoi polloi I know, also spelled the end of the dark lord. Voldemort was destroyed. well-nigh of the wizarding creation considered him idle. The celebrations... they went on for days... weeks truly. The full wizarding Earth breathed again thanks to the sacrifice of Lilly and James River Potter and the natural selection of their son. The boy-who-lived. The boy who showed that Voldemort was not invincible. He was the symbol of victory, the symbol of hope. But I knew the the true, that Voldemort was not truly dead. I knew that the prophecy was not yet fulfilled and that, when the dark Creator would finally rise again, the people would take the boy-who-lived. So I placed him with his female parent blood, with his aunt. The rationality were coordination compound, the blood inter-group communication provided him protective covering of a sort but it is unimportant now. I should consume known my folly, should take in known. It is my fault in so many ways. My fault in every way that matter. I should have watched closer... Because one day, when that boy was six, his aunt had taken both him and his cousin-german to the shops. Perhaps she was not paying attention or perhaps it was simply an chance event, but the boy ran out into the road. A car struck him, terribly fast. I have watched the retention of the crash through others oculus... he flew so far... doctors worked on him, then I had him moved to St Mungos and the therapist worked as hard as the could. But the damage... the wounds to his skull... his breast... he passed from this humankind. Just six yr old. My fault. All my break. His blood on my hired hand... But I knew it was not over. I knew that Voldemort would still rise, the wizarding world would still involve their symbolisation of Hope, their boy-who-lived. Their hero. So I found another boy, of the correct age, in a muggle orphanage. I worked magic to deepen his appearing, his voice, his remembering... his memories I destroyed entirely and replaced with juke, I even supplemented them with some of my own memories of King James I ceramist to urinate the boy seem like him. Then I placed him back at Privet Drive, I changed the memories of the aunty... the uncle... the cousin. I sought out everyone who had seen the crash and tore the storage from their skulls, the doctors, the therapist... I made it so that it never happened. And then a sat back and watched... I watched my fake grow up. I felt my guilty conscience grow. But it was done, and it could not be undone. My great shame... the lie that makes everything else a lie as well. The Sojourner Truth is that the chosen one has been perfectly for nine years. You are not him. ”

Dumbledore trailed off, he seemed smaller, even imperfect, as if letting this heavy mystic out of him had drained him of everything. Harry shook his brain. No... No no no...

“ No, you ‘ re lying. You. Are. Lying. ”

“ I so wish that I was. ”

“ But I ‘ m the... I ‘ m Harry Potter ! ” He shook his fountainhead. “ I ‘ m Harry potter ! ”

“ No. You are not. ”

“ I have the scar ! ”

“ I gave you that scar. ” Dumbledore had his eyes closed. But even so a tear squeezed out from the side, running down his long nose and dropping to the level. “ I can remove it right now if you wish it. ”

“ No ! ” His hands jumped up to his forehead protectively. “ You ‘ re just... you ‘ re saying these things... WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME ? ”

“ I am drab. I am so sorry. ” Dumbledore bowed his head. “ I can not say that to you enough. I... I destroyed you. ”

“ No ! I... I cut out my eye ! ” Harry could feel his blood pumping in his auricle. “ I ‘ ve campaign ! I ‘ ve fought him all year ! I ‘ m the chosen one ! ”

“ You are not. There is no chosen one. ” Dumbledore sounded like a man burning his last tag end of Hope. “ The vaticination died nine days ago. Voldemort won. ”

“ No. No... ” He was shaking, he couldn’t stop. “ Lies it ‘ s just lies ! ”

“ It is not. ” Dumbledore shook his head. “ If you want cogent evidence just look to your friend. You named them the marauders. On your very 1st day. How did you know that name ? You know that James potter named his mathematical group of friends the same ? ”

“ No, he can’t have ! It ‘ s a lie ! ”

“ It is not. You knew the name because I put in in your mind. If you doubt me ask anyone who was at school with them. ” Dumbledore was speaking in dead spirit now, he had reached the bottom. “ I have heard you refer to Professor Snape as Snivellus and to Remus Lupin as Moony. Those were both names James IV Potter invented. You also knew about Professor Snape ‘ s dark mark. How else would you have sex ? ”

“ I... I... ” The boy could feel himself shaking, his mind shaking apart.

“ It is lawful. It is all true... I am so sorry. I am so... I can not begin to think what this must be doing to you. What this has done to you. ”

“ So... who am I ? ” The boy looked up. “ What ‘ s my name ? ”

“ I do not know. ”

“ You found me ! ” He could hear his pipe voice in his spike. “ You dragged me to this lifetime you have to know ! ”

“ I do not Harry I ‘ m... ”

“ Harry ? Harry ? ” The boy threw his read/write head back and screamed, a screeching cacophony of torture. “ And don ‘ t you dare say you ‘ re sorry ! Don ‘ t you dare ! ”

“ I... I can not - ”

“ Get out ! ” He grabbed his glass of water and threw it with all his specialty, teardrop blurring his middle. It shattered against the Headmaster ‘ s shoulder. “ Get out ! Get out ! GET OUT ! ”

Dumbledore fled the room, holding his arm. As the old wiz crashed through the doors the boy threw himself back against the wall and howled in pain and muddiness, tearing at his hair's-breadth with hands like claws. Tears ran freely down his facial expression from the one real eye he had left.

Sobbing and bankrupt he lay there, until dark closed in.



reexamination. I just know you have something to say about this.