This book 's been giving me trouble, wad and slews of bother. I 've had more pain in the ass from this one than from the other four put together and it 's not even finished yet ! Grumble ... grumble ...

Anyway as a resultant role I may be slower to post than usual as I try to beat this twisty, hellish yarn I choose to call a story into submission.

Sorry, hopefully the story will be better for it.

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



"Hello ?"The shopkeeper peered, bleary eyed, at the physical body standing on the other side of the deoxyephedrine doorway."Sorry we ‘ re closed now."

"Good."The hooded man pushed the doorway open roughly."Then there will be no one to try us."

"What do you want."The shopkeeper edged his bridge player towards the verge in his air pocket."If it ‘ s money you ‘ re after-"

"I require a inspection and repair of you."The man said, clearly and arrogantly."Or rather my master does."

"If your passkey wants any of my service."The storekeeper grunted a laugh."He ‘ d better come himself. I don ‘ t do household calls and even if I did some of my equipment ‘ s too labored to move."

"You mistake me."The man sounded like he was smiling."My master want ‘ s you to give me something. A Shén de shÇ'u."

"A Sh-"The shopkeeper held his men up, backing away."No no no no ! Why would I-"

"I heard you were the man to go to for one."

"Yeah, years ago. When they were legal."The shopkeeper took his baton from his scoop and held it firmly towards the intruder."I think you ‘ d better 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 dismal mark emerge from under the shadow gown. Even this far from Great Britain everyone in the line of work knew what it meant.

"Are you a… a numb eater ?"

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

"I… I ‘ ll have to take a shit some calls."The shopkeeper shuddered, he just wanted this man gone."I don ‘ t have all the stuff here."

"I ‘ ll wait."The man pulled up an old wooden chair."While we wait we can discuss some other thing you may be able-bodied to serve me with. I ‘ m sure they will not be beyond your… skill."

The shopkeeper gulped as the man began listing what he wanted. His hands shook so much his scepter fell on the floor and rolled away unnoticed.

"I ‘ ll…"He cleared his throat, his back talk raw."I ‘ ll see what I can do."
*


Harry's flush hit fireplace and he drew his wand out and scanned the elbow room before lowering it and depositing the call for galleons in a jar by the barman.

"Thank you young master."The man simpered.

"He's probably telling someone I was there right now."Harry thought as he left the grubby pub."And that person will tell apart a death eater."

Harry broke into a run as old buildings flashed past him. He hadn't made for London, too obvious. The sheer silhouette of Edinburgh castle was outlined against the stars for a import between two building as Harry dashed along and he darted down an skittle alley towards it. He slowed as he passed a group of guys obviously out for the night, singing in the street, then sped up as the path began to climb towards the high castle.

He came up a incline road and turned away from the historic building. Fitting himself into the crew of Friday night revelers like a shadow. He flitted across the royal sea mile as fast as he thought prophylactic, clutching his longsighted coat tight about him. At XV years old multitude wouldn't think it weird for him to be out this recently but they might think of that he was alone. Any memory of his passing play was a financial obligation and Harry flicked his dog collar up and kept into the shadow of a house.

There were a few mavin pubs in Edinburgh, Harry had mapped them out. But thanks to his foolishness of not disguising himself as he flued into the utmost one he could not now risk any of them. Harry cursed, he was still an changeling. Still making stupid 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 bridgework and slinked in a side entrance. He bought a ticket from an automated simple machine ( no memory ) to the first emplacement on the release board. Then tore it up, cursing himself again, and bought one for the back one down.

It was only three minutes till it left. Harry stood in a box, hopefully just looking like any other traveler. They wouldn't check the station would they ? They thought like hotshot, not like muggles. Maybe he was being paranoid… the barkeep didn't have to distinguish anyone…

No ! Careless ! Better good. We want to push them, but on our terms.

Harry nodded, it was the rubber affair to do. He gritted his teeth as the seconds ticked by. He just needed to be gone. Wherever the train went he could notice wizards and labial pipe to… to somewhere. Somewhere better, Hogwarts possibly ? It was still weeks till he had to go back to school and Harry wasn't eager to slip back under Dumbledore's restrictive offstage. He'd go somewhere anyway.

Damn it ! Harry went stock still as two oddly habilimented individuals walked into the gearing place. One looked like his outfit was a Halloween costume of a pirate, the former was wearing lederhosen. They were the stupidest hatful Harry had ever seen.

They were also here to drink down him.

Harry could find the pith of barely contained violence coming off both of them and the plagiarist had a wand concealed up his arm. Harry stepped sideways, making his movement seem inconsequential, uninteresting, and pushed open a staff doorway. He stepped in calmly and confidently, not giving any trace that he didn't belong.

“'Ere ? Who are y-"

The cleanser 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 thumb back the way he ‘ d seed."You need to interlock that door."

"R… right."The man mumbled and Harry left swiftly, passing out a side door and feeling the cold night air. Harry crossed the road and passed to the next street over and breathed a sigh of relief. It was busy, full of revelers. He could be invisible here.

The good sort of unseeable, the form that didn't indigence cloaks.

Harry kept to the slope as he ducked down the foresighted stretch and ducked into a pub. A few instant later he emerged, unrecognisable. Wrinkled skin and gray-haired hair's-breadth, Shakey Jack walked again. Harry walked like an old man up the route, watching both ways.

tinker's dam it ! There was one, walking down the street towards him. He was surreptitiously pointing his wand at every person he passed, like he was dowsing. He was detecting legerdemain. Harry winced, there was his friend coming from the other focussing, doing the Same. Harry was cornered.

Harry began walking slowly towards the pirate death eater, making his steps retard and measured like the old man he was supposed to be. He hid his wand in his sleeve, he needed to hail up with a programme. There was no way he could oppose 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 scrunch up it would be different. But they weren't, they were just incidental.

"Silencio."Harry murmured it so quietly he could almost have been silenced himself, aiming at the death eater's baton. No way to have intercourse whether he had hit… The wand came up, aimed at Harry…

Nothing.

The wand passed on over to the next bystander and Harry breathed a mental suspiration of substitute. He began walking away, they didn't follow. He kept walking, passing out of surface area he could realise from maps and found an alley.

Harry pushed a wheelie bin aside and slouched down against the wall. He'd wait 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-of-the-moon R-2, eventually we all come back home.

Harry sneered as his eyelid began to droop, alleyway used be place, now they weren't. That didn't mean that anywhere else in specific was home, but it was an improvement. Harry dropped off to sleep, too tired to dream.

"He ‘ s here somewhere."

Harry's heart flicked opened, the wan light of first light filtering into the alleyway. footfall came slowly up the back street. Harry slid behind the bin that hid him and crawled to the other position. The two figures came cl… bent on !

"Are you certain ?"A deep familiar phonation said as the two men passed the bin Harry was behind."It might not even be him."

"Underage magic and marauding last eater, it ‘ s him."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 cryptical breath…
*


"Envenerate !"

Harry lifted his foreland off the smoke ( locoweed ? ) and looked around him. Moody was gone, but the tall opprobrious auror was still there, his weapon system 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 facilitate him up."Want to explain why my chief brought you here comatose ?"

"They didn ‘ t Tell you ?"

"Well Moody was too raging to verbalise and Kingsley kept laughing."

On cue a thick chortle escaped from the marvellous aurors mouth, swiftly covered with a hand.

"I ‘ ll let Moody tell the story when he calms down."Harry dusted himself off and surveyed the empty playing field. It seemed vaguely familiar."Where are we ?"

"Oh ! Right."Tonks dipped into her sac and drew out a minor piece of paper."Just read it, don't say it out loud."

Harry took the newspaper and unfolded it. On it was written, in loopy, hard to say handwriting…
The headquarters of the order of the Phoenix is the manor on the sorry moors.


"So what does it- WHOA !"Harry tripped backwards as the mansion exploded out of the land around him. Even the weed curled into the floor and became gravel and a fountain appeared like it had been pushed up from some tunnel subway. 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."safe 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 active since we didn ‘ t have a clue."

"I owled."

"Once. From cairo."genus 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 heart-to-heart for Harry to ill-use inside."Well in the mean time your friends and fan lodge have invaded my home."

"The rescript of the Phoenix ?"Harry looked around the cavernous entrance entrance hall."Never heard of them."

"It is Dumbledore ‘ s organization."Kingsley said from behind Harry."To forestall the last eaters."

"Why are you here ? Don ‘ t you have your own HQ ?"

"This is better apparently."genus Draco rolled his eyes.

"Didn ‘ t Voldemort live here ?"

"The hospital ward respond to the current heir."Draco looked over at the sprawling tapestry of the Malfoy family tree."Voldemort was forced to leave the moment…"

"The moment possession transferred ?"

"Yes. That."

"Well at least we 're all secure here. unceasing vigilance. '' At Harry 's words Shacklebolt clapped a hand to his mouth but could n't block off a snigger. Harry grinned and took another look at the tapis."Aren ‘ t you supposed to be on here ?"

"I ‘ m there."Draco pointed at a ride burnt spot 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 death Malfoy."Draco seemed to nod to himself, his voice full of some cold firmness."Anyway, as I was saying. With the family enchantments and the extra wards Dumbledore put up this post is totally impregnable."

"No such thing."Harry looked back at the aurors."Or as Helen Wills Moody would say, invariable vigilance."

"Stop saying that."Kingsley had to cover his oral cavity again.

"What is this ?"Tonks looked between them, confused."It ‘ d have to be something good to pass water you laugh."

"He snuck up behind Alastor Moody and yelled ‘ Constant weather eye ‘ in his ear."At Tonks'shocked expression he added."I ‘ m not joking."

"Harry you ‘ re insane !"Tonks doubled over, holding her stomach."He could get killed you !"

"You ‘ re certifiable Potter you really are."Draco shook his head, then stopped suddenly."How did you pilfer up on Helen Newington Wills ?"

"Yes."Kingsley stepped near."I ‘ ve been wondering that."

In answer Harry just smiled and rolled up his leave behind sleeve. Around his wrist joint was a brass bracer engraved with tracing vines. Right in the center, on the inside arm, was a hieroglyphic of a keen black eye.

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

"That's the evil eye."Tonks stepped closemouthed to look at it."It wards off magical monitoring."

"Yep."

"It ‘ s also all form 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 intercept him calling you ?"Dragon asked quietly.

"It makes it manageable."Harry pulled his arm down and put on a cheery smile."Too bad it only hides me, not my trick. Else I could do while whenever I wanted without the ministry seeing."

"And you ‘ d be even Sir Thomas More of a menace."Tonks smiled and winked at Harry."ejaculate on, the others are waiting."

Harry grinned and turned to follow the auror.

"We ‘ re mostly living in the due east wing."Tonks called back over her shoulder."This place is massive. It took us a workweek to find where you ‘ d left Macnair. He smelled awful."

"Sorry,"Harry shrugged theatrically."future time I ‘ ll try to bolt down in a unfertile environment."

They walked down a farseeing nighttime hallway, made more spooky by the fact that every picture was abandon. Dragon said nothing but Harry imagined they had left about the like time his forefather had. The door at the end had a steady glow coming from under it. Harry hurried forward and fling the room access open up theatrically.

"I ‘ m back !"

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

"Hi guys."Harry walked past the scrummage into the erectile way, which turned out to be a kitchen."Miss me ?"

"Where the the pits were you ?"Padma hadn't joined the kick and was sitting with her arms crossed and an tempestuous expression."Why did you pull up stakes ?"

"I never left."Harry held his hand to his heart."I was always with you, in here."

"Bullshit."

"Cynic."Harry shrugged and slid onto the prospicient judiciary across from her and Hermione."Have you no-"

"Voldemort is back."Hermione interrupted him.

"Really ?"Harry opened his center spacious in daze."Is he really ? No… no, I had no idea… How could that happen ? I would remember a thing like that ? Oh… oh wait ? grandiloquent guy with red centre ? You know I think I do call back a guy like that… torturing ME !"

"Alright Harry. Alright."Hermione held her custody up."I didn ‘ t mean it like that. I just meant that Voldemort ‘ s after you, he want ‘ s to kill you."

"Is this a get together of the obvious society ?"Harry said as the rest of the marauders 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 ling have some way 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 one-half dead again. future time he comes after me I ‘ ll not be helpless."

"Well the degree is that it shouldn ‘ t occur again."Tonks came up behind him and clapped him on the articulatio humeri."You ‘ re staying safe here till you can go to Hogwarts."

"safety here ?"Harry froze."Safe here ?"He pushed himself off the bench."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 marauder looked on confused."You know that."

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

"Dumbledore…"Tonks licked her backtalk."Dumbledore, who also knows that, says you ‘ re to be kept safe."

"For how long ?"

"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 restrain dumb."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 ground why."

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

Harry didn't speak as the two aurors left. When the door slammed shut he threw his deal up and shook his head.

"I have seen him angry. I ‘ ve seen him furious at me, it ‘ s not so bad."

"What was that Harry ?"Ginny asked.

"What ?"

"All that ‘ you know that'and ‘ he knows this'stuff. What ‘ s the secret ?"

"You didn ‘ t separate them ?"Harry turned to Neville.

"I thought it was a secret."Neville shrugged.

Harry turned to Draco, who rolled his eyes.

"Don ‘ t expression at me I don ‘ t even like them."

"Right,"Harry turned towards the doorway."It ‘ s not a mystical, at to the lowest degree not amongst us. Could you tell them for me Nev ? I ‘ m going to get some fresh air."

"You can't."Ron called after him."We have to persist inside the building."

"Wh…"

"The wards extend to the property line but it ‘ s strong in here."Hermione explained apologetically."They told us to stay-"

"By they you mean Dumbledore."

"Yes."

"Then I ‘ m finding an spread window."Harry looked over his shoulder back at the marauders."I can do that can ‘ t I ?"

"Your room ‘ s down the corridor, the doorway with the scorpion lock."Draco said.

"Is there a window in my cadre ?"

"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 morning as a retching auditory sensation came through the wall. He shook the masking off and pushed the curtains around his bed opened before hurrying to the adjacent room.

"Harry is that you ?"Draco was about to try the door before he thought right of it and ran a detection good luck charm. A couple of cruddy curses lifted out of the carpentry. Draco backed a few footmark away."Harry open up !"genus 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."genus Draco folded his weapon system."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 dancer. I was a little inebriate and, well… I was weak."

"Right,"Draco snorted.

"You ‘ re the for the first time one I ‘ ve told."

"I ‘ m touched."

"It ‘ ll be really elusive raising it on my own."

"I imagine labor won ‘ t be a duck soup either."Draco shook his question, if Harry didn ‘ t want to secern him then he didn ‘ t want to know."facial expression, it smells like breakfast ‘ s ready."

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


"Sit down Harry."mollie Weasley pulled out a chair for him."Have some eggs. There ‘ s toast too, and some sausages."

Harry looked around in disarray at the various people that had appeared in the kitchen of Malfoy manor. There were More Weasley's than there had been, the two parents and elderly brother. An odd man in a special K hat was there as well, smiling at Harry and waving, along with an former dame in an moth-eaten robe. There was one very recognizable face though, one that went had gone from smiling to stone cold the present moment he entered the room. Remus lupin had stood the moment he came in and walked away, leaving by the game door.

"A couple of masses live here now."Ginny said to cover the silence."A couple of the purchase order members."

"Why ?"

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

"It ‘ s because we ‘ re too visible."mollie Weasley explained."masses know we support Dumbledore, they know we were in the Holy Order death time. We ‘ re targets for blast. It ‘ s safer here."

"Right, safer."Harry tucked into his breakfast in secrecy, the marauders 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 make a move.

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

'' Prison ? '' Harry dropped a art object of toast. `` They 're using this topographic point as a prison ? ``

'' Obviously. '' Malfoy said grimly. `` Did you think Malfoy manor house had no cells ? And they ca n't use Azkaban anymore. ``

'' Is n't that dangerous ? ``

'' The hale manor is under the Fidelius magical spell. '' Hermione explained. Harry smiled in understanding, so that was what the little slip of newspaper publisher had been about. `` It means that a secret is- ''

'' I know what it is. '' Harry interrupted her calmly. `` But is n't it severe to tell the prisoners the secret ? ``

'' Yes. That 's why they do n't. '' Padma shrugged.

'' The prisoner are inside the arcanum but they have n'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 least there was a safe lieu for to house the demise feeder. Of trend Harry would prefer if they were all kept in nice good coffins but this was the next skilful thing. While they had been talking Draco had turned back to the unsounded chess game.

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

"Hours for this game."Hermione answered dejectedly."hebdomad if you ‘ re mean playing in general."

"Who ‘ s winning ?"

"I think Ron ‘ s ahead by two games."

"fountainhead 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 time they equalize I ‘ m stealing the bloody board."

"I have over eight hundred cheat boards in this house."Malfoy said idly as he nudged a pawn forward."You ‘ re welcome to try and regain all of them. Maybe you ‘ ll get lost along the way."

"But not today. Got you."Ron said triumphantly as he slid his horse forward. Harry frowned, even he, with his loose undemanding of the game, could see that it wasn't a checkmate. But apparently Malfoy could see something he couldn't, the blond boy hunched over the instrument panel for a few bit then,

"roll in the hay you Weasley."Draco angrily slapped his king down and stood up."It doesn ‘ t count. 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 game. I ‘ m bored of chess for today."Draco sat back down at the breakfast tabular array, pouting.

Harry grinned at the spectacle then pushed his discharge home base 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-place night."
*


"There ‘ s no chance he ‘ s going to unpack."Padma whispered across the piranha table.

Ginny shook her head. No one could tell 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 learn on him ?"Neville suggested.

"Let him be."Fred shrugged."He ‘ s got a lot to think about."His twin nodded.

"It ‘ d reach us something to do."Parvarti murmured quietly, voicing what they all felt. boredom was constant here. The simply occupy times were Holy Order encounter when the marauders would try to witness ways to listen in. style that were continually blocked.

All their homework had been done. All the course Christian Bible had been read and so many secret plan of exploding snap fastener had been played that they all had trivial diminutive burn on the ends of their fingers. There was nada else to do, literally nothing. They had looked, tried to come up up with early 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 word."We could study ?"

"We ‘ ve done all our homework."Ron said irritably.

"We could swap and do each others."Parvati pointed out. At the general seismic disturbance she just shrugged."I ‘ m that bored."

"We could meet quidditch !"Ron perked up instantly."Why didn't we think of this before ! Yeah ! We can feature a-"

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

"Well… oh."

The vulture lapsed into silence. Defeated again.

"Mrs Weasley."Malfoy suddenly said."Harry was feeling ill earlier. Do you stimulate 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 blazonry."Why should we go with you ?"

"Because I know where we can play 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 wo n't be distracted for long. ``
*


'' Whoa ! '' Ginny gasped as they were led into a massive Granville Stanley Hall. On the floor there were pedestal and caseful holding strange sparkling items.

'' What is this billet ? '' Hemione asked.

'' My fathers. '' Draco lugged the ball instance over. `` It 's just debris. '' True to his countersign he shoved three vases off a show rack to put the event in their place. `` Now ... team. ``

'' I call captain ! '' Ginny yelled.

'' Me too. '' Ron nodded.

'' Right, '' Malfoy was still looking the early way. `` skipper are Ginerva and myself. ``

'' But- ''

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

'' Which ones ? ``

'' The quidditch playing ones. '' Malfoy rolled his heart. Fred and George VI reluctantly went over to put up by Malfoy.

'' You ca n't pick both. '' Ginny argued.

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

'' Fine. You can hold them. '' Ginny grinned. `` I get everyone else. ``

'' Well well Weasley. '' Malfoy said appraisingly. `` Betting on quantity over quality ? ``

'' Shut up and release the bludgers. ``
*


Ginny shot past a cabinet laughing, the clangor from behind her told her George had n't been so lucky. The quaffle flew up and bounced inside the ice circle on the wall.

'' finish ! '' Ginny spun on the spot, pumping her fist in the air.

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

red cent it he was right, Ginny shot forward after him. If only the fink would appear ! It should n't be so hard to enamour it in this enclosed orbit. Unfortunately the appealingness on the snitch were never designed to deal with an irregular maze of console and as a result it kept moving erratically. They had found and lost it three times already. Ginny saw Malfoy trying to nock and being blocked by Ron. She took the opportunity to take on another facial expression for it.

'' Over there ! '' mortal yelled, Ginny did n't hesitate. The flash lamp of gold 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 methamphetamine hydrochloride again ? No ! By the urns again ! darn it, there were mirror image everywhere. It was like there were six snitcher !

Ginny narrowly avoided colliding with the rampart. A clunk behind her told her Malfoy wasn't so prosperous. There it was ! Right near the corner of the elbow room. Ginny sped up, it was so close ! Her finger closed around it. And it felt ... wrong.

Ginny drew to a freeze, holding the thing in her mitt. It was aureate, but it wasn't a sneaker. It was a cup, a little gold plated teacup, still struggling to scat from her fingerbreadth. genus Draco hovered in future to her, looking perplexed.

"That didn ‘ t used to fly."He grabbed it out her hand, holding it by it's tiny handle and letting it try to root for away."This isn ‘ t even stored in this room."

"What is it ?"

"It ‘ s a teacup Weasley how dense are you ?"Draco insulted idily, still staring at the tiny thing."Or did you always just imbibe out of a trough at your business firm ?"

"No."Ginny just gritted her teeth and swallowed the insult. They had to last in this house for weeks yet."Where did it come from ?"

The other piranha came in closer, 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 really snitch ?"Fred asked, wrestling a bludger back into its case.

"It ‘ s just a breeding stool pigeon. It comes when it ‘ s called."Malfoy held out his deal."Ollyollyoxen !"In a flash of gold the stoolie darted down from the ceiling and settled in his hand.

"Lets 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-minded and the predator had to fly in single file. The empty portraits were here as well, even the beast in the landscapes had left.

"Do you listen that ?"Neville whispered and clumsily stopped.

"What Longbottom ?"Malfoy turned in the air, restlessness clean on his boldness."I don ‘ t hear anything."

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

secretiveness filled the hallway for a moment, then ... a aloof disturbance. It sounded like an burst underwater, muffled by the walls. The vulture looked at each early, they had all heard it.

"There it is again."Ron said quietly as the auditory sensation echoed down the hall.

"Sounds ..."Malfoy screwed up his face."It ‘ s beneath us."

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

"My house Weasley."Malfoy cut her off."It ‘ s coming from beneath us. This way."Malfoy dig forward and turned sharply into a side corridor. Ginny rushed to retain up with him and she could get word the marauders behind her doing the Sami. A door was flung give in front of them and Ginny spun into it, following the blond flash in front end of her. Down some steps, along a long wickedness hall, next - period !

Ginny had to crack harshly to avert hitting Malfoy who was hopping off his broom in front of a large wooden door.

"You ! You ... !"

"What ‘ s the issue Weasley ?"Malfoy shouldered his Scots heather."Had trouble keeping up ?"

"I almost hit you !"Ginny dropped to the floor."Why did you give up ?"

"We ‘ re here."As Malfoy said it a meretricious smash issued from the other incline of the door. Ginny looked behind her to see the marauders just coming around the box. Hermione looked terrorise, Neville looked ill.

"Well lets see then."Malfoy drew his wand and pushed at the heavy door. It slowly crept surface. Inside was an abandon mansion house, looked like it was usually used for memory or something. The only things left were a few odd tabular array and a few boxes. In the center of the room stood Harry, bare chested with his scars pure white against his tanned and diaphoresis skin. On a box next to him was a odd pile of junk. As they watched he took a crustal plate and held his wand to it. At a whispered word there were two plate, then three, then four. Harry dropped the master copy back into the pile and tapped the fakes with his wand. They instantly flew off in all directions. Harry jabbed his wand and in a fraction of a second-

thrill ! One shattered near the ceiling. Harry whirled. BANG ! Shattering into shards. clap ! Smashing the position and sending the last plate spinning into the wall.

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

"Thanks."Harry said, plucking the cup out of Malfoy's hand."moldiness have missed that one."He released it and it instantly whizzed into the air.

"You don ‘ t need to keep duplicating things you know."Malfoy said dryly."I ‘ ve got tons of this junk."

"Right."Harry shrugged."Just didn ‘ t want to gravel 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 penetrative and wickedly curved brand, a scant spear with a lighting bolt carved into the haft, a round egg that had holes for fingers and seemed to be glowing from within and no less than three muggle firearms.

"Souvenirs."Harry shrugged lightly."From my travels."

"Harry delight state us what you're doing down here ?"Hermione pleaded.

"Training."Harry flicked his baton over his shoulder joint 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 a good deal. All the marauders expected insanity from Harry but this ...

Malfoy was the maiden to speak.

"You bought an impact sphere ?"He was looking at the bowling ball like thing."You shouldn ‘ t have, my father had two in his vault."

"I may need spares."Harry shrugged.

"Harry is this engorge dark conjuration ?"Hermione was shying away from the table.

"Depends on your perception."Harry replied airily."It ‘ s certainly illegal deception. Whether it ‘ s iniquity is more about the use it ‘ s put to than the thing itself. These matter are just tools."

"And the gun for hire ?"Hermione pointed."Did you buy those illegally too ?"

"Strangely no, I bought them legally in Vegas."Harry picked up the largest one. The marauders took a corporate step back."Bringing them back to the UK was the illegal bit."

"Wh ... wh ..."

"No wait, I used simulated i.d. to buy them ... never mind."Harry shrugged."Yes I bought them illegally."

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

'' Yes, '' Harry clanced down at the saturnine 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 risk it not working as well as this one does ? '' Harry balanced the thick, twisted 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 deal. `` This one works for me, maybe as well as my old one did. Besides ... it form of fits does n't it ? This scepter 's done a lot of violence in it 's lifetime. wads of hurting, fighting, and that 's exactly what I intend to use it for. ``

Hurting ? Fighting ? ... Killing ... Ginny swallowed. Harry had n't said that finale one but she could palpate him thinking it.

"Harry why are you doing this ?"Ron asked.

"What do you stand for 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 ponderous."I need to struggle Voldemort. I have to fight back Voldemort."

"Yeah but Harry-"Ginny started, but was cut off.

"I have to campaign Voldemort and you know what ? I ‘ ll lose !"Harry slashed the air angrily."I ‘ ll lose, I mean what else would happen ? I spotty, ignorant fifteen twelvemonth old against the most dangerous whizz on the planet ? I ‘ ll lose, he ‘ ll win, we ‘ ll all be screwed. Don ‘ t you see ? I can ‘ t afford to be an unlettered teenager any more. I have to be substantially. I need to be better. Because I can ‘ t lose, can ‘ t afford to lose. None of us can afford for me to lose. Do you jazz what it feels like to know that the wholly humanity 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 retrieve you ‘ d know why too !"

Harry's wild tirade shocked the piranha into quiet. Harry turned back to his pile of rubble and began duplicating a heavy 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 twenty, or thirty. Maybe you have time ..."

"Do you want to risk everything on maybe ?"Harry answered without looking up."Well I ‘ m not. It could be any time so I have to be cook any time. It could be tomorrow too."

"Do you require mortal 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 wild face.

"Dumbledore said-"

"Dumbledore has been wrong before."Malfoy cut her off."It hurts null to be ready in case he ‘ s wrong this time."

"But Harry could be killed !"

"Yes."Malfoy nodded curtly."He could. Did you not agnize that ? Did you perhaps think what happened lastly class was some sort of queer biz ?"

"Of course not, but-"

"well then."Malfoy sidestepped Hermione."We duel. Besides ... not like there ‘ s anything else to do around here."

"trade good point."Ginny was surprised to hear 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 least we ‘ ll all get O ‘ s in defense."Padma smiled wryly.

"So we ‘ re not going to blab out about the prophecy ?"Hermione turned to face Harry.

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

"I ... guess so ..."Hermione bit her lip."There ‘ s an order coming together tonight. Maybe we can ask Dumbledore ..."

"Good."Harry hoisted a chicken feed sports stadium onto his shoulder and throw away it out into the room. He aimed his wand and muttered under his breath. The bowl melted and splattered into a steaming heap 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 family line. Nor am I one of these other street child you seem to accept adopted. I don ‘ t attention for your view, nor for your misplaced and overworked paternal instinct. I ‘ m certainly not going to let you shout out at me while you live under my roof."Draco turned back to the doorway ...

"Get back here !"

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

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

"Tonks."Draco smiled and walked through the now crowded kitchen to where his full cousin was sitting. Next to the lycanthrope. Draco shuddered inwardly and sat on her early incline."I couldn ‘ t eat another fried breakfast anyway. Any more and my broom won ‘ t be capable to hold me."

"I doubt that little cousin."Tonks prodded him playfully before growing dangerous."How ‘ s Harry doing ?"

"He ‘ s ..."Draco licked his mouth and gestured for her to lean finisher."He ‘ s accepted the prophecy. He ‘ s accepted that he will fight Voldemort. He ‘ s preparing for it."

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

"Don ‘ t tell him."

"I won ‘ t, but he ‘ ll get hold out anyway."

"Will he ?"A new articulation came in. genus Draco looked up to see Harry slide in across from them. The loup-garou grunted and got up, not looking at Harry. Tonks glanced after him, confused. Harry ignored it.

"How ‘ d you get away ?"genus Draco asked.

"Disillusion."Harry shrugged."That oceanic abyss into a tirade I doubt she ‘ ll numeration how many masses she ‘ s yelling at. So ... when ‘ s Dumbledore getting here ?"

"Now."Tonks stood as the antediluvian man walked into the kitchen. Harry was instantly on the other side of the Bench and stepping up beside the headmaster and tugging on his robe.

"Professor, can I lecture to you ab-"

"After the meeting Harry."Dumbledore brushed him off."You have my Holy Writ. But right now some of the order extremity have important missions they must get back to quickly."

"Of course."Harry stepped back, nodding amicably."I understand."

What ? Draco crossed his arms and frowned. Why was Harry being so calm ? What was going on ? As the order of magnitude members filed out he sidled up to Harry's side ?

"What was that ?"

"What ?"

"You being steady 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 dainty when I have an agendum ? That I am manipulative and self serving that way ? That I would only be calmness if I, oh say ... wanted to slip a listening device into the pocket of soul ‘ s gown before they went into an order merging ... or something like that ?"
*


Snape stepped into the manor and strode towards the main dining way. He wasn't late precisely, just ... no longer appropriately prompt. He pushed the door open and walked to the afford hindquarters adjacent to Natalie.

"Have I missed anything important ?"

"Attacks."The indefinable was idly scraping her finger along the boundary of a written matter of the daily prophet."shadow gull. Wizards and crone we suspect have been turned, or put under the lordly curse.

'' goose egg 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 to the lowest degree. ``

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

'' Yes. '' Snape brought himself back to the job at deal. `` The dark lord is moving. ``

'' well duh. '' The vocalism near the end of the tabular array was swiftly silenced by a savorless stare.

'' The dark Lord is moving more specifically. Now that Johnny is dead all but a few of the loup-garou have deserted him. He seeks new soldiery to sew terror, he has chosen to develop by upstanding riches this prison term rather than void promises. He is arranging purchase of great numbers of various alien species, lethifolds primarily. Chimaeras if it can find a willing seller. ``

'' Why ? '' lupin asked from down the table. `` Why mindless beasts ? ``

'' Precisely because they are mindless. '' Snape explained. `` His criminal USA from Azkaban has not been as effective as he hoped. ``

'' They 've torn the country apart ! '' Someone yelled.

'' But only in their own capacity. They have not followed orders well, they are distracted. The shadow lord has killed a lot of them, he seems tired of human flunk. In a way he does n't want an army, he wants a weapon. Something he can unleash at will. Doubtless he will be employing the imperious curse to see that his will is done. ``

'' It does n't work on lethifolds. '' lupin said with certainty. A petty snuff of alleviation slid through Snape 's mind, swiftly swallowed up with darkness.

'' But it does bring on chimaera. And on manticores. ``

'' mantiger ? '' The former defense teacher eyes grew wide.

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

'' Why not simply use it on the criminal ? '' Someone asked.

'' Both because that would make 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 board to speak to the social club as a whole. `` I have the engagement he plans to run into with beast traders. If we arrange a trap we can get ahead of him and- ''

'' No. '' Dumbledore spoke with still authority.

'' We can not allow this to pass off. ``

'' If we act he will assuredly guess the seed of our information. '' Dumbledore shook his whiskered header. `` You are too valuable at present to risk. You are our only reference of information. ``

'' 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 Word we wanted to fling at the old man. It would be pointless.

'' We could instead mediate with the extraneous auror departments. '' Snape tried to trick himself into thinking this was anything early than a equipment casualty limiting try. `` They could arrest some of the traders before the dark lord can foregather with them. ``

'' Perhaps, '' Dumbledore nodded. `` There are very few people we can believe. I will try to get in contact with some old friends that may be able to help. ``

Old friends ? Of yours ? Wo n't they be dust or lingeringly doddering trace by now ?

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

"Is there anything else ?"

"Barty Crouch still has not returned."Snape shook his promontory, Barty Crouch had become Voldemort's favorite, surpassing even Belatrix. Snape had hoped at one time that Barty's nonstarter to gain the ministry would weigh against him, and it had, but apparently throwing it into turmoil had been enough. That and successfully bringing Harry potter directly to the dark lord. All that made it even more suspicious that Barty was absent from death feeder gatherings. The dark lord kept his servants close, if he was letting one off their tether then it had to be for something important.

"Do you recall he has left the area ?"Someone down the mesa asked.

"It is possible."Snape nodded."But whatever he is doing it has it ‘ s root here. The dark Jehovah has always intended to take this country before moving on to the residue of the world. That has not changed. It may also imply espionage."

"Why do you say that ?"

"It is Barty Crouch ‘ s metier is it not ?"Snape shrugged."But the dark Jehovah has ordered me to begin researching polyjuice potion in an attempt to stool it put to work for any android species."

"You think it is connected ?"

"I do not know."Snape answered honestly."It could just as easily be involved in his attack to gain the support of the giants."

"The dark lords architectural plan 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 dark Creator dark pontificating on the subject of the death or subjugation of all muggles ?"serpent crooked an eyebrow."No."

'' Good. What news show from the ministry ? '' Dumbledore had turned to Shacklebolt, who sighed and shook his head.

'' It has become official. Fudge is still minister of religion for magic. ``

A world-wide groan went up from around the room. Snape just closed his eyes and took a quieten breathing spell. After the effect of conclusion twelvemonth the ministry had been fractured to its very core. The near-election of a dying eater had made them direful as rabbits. Fudge had, the instant Dumbledore left the building, ran back to his office and virtually barricaded himself inside. All summertime he had been wrangling the ministry around to the idea that his expulsion was not valid because of the deceptions of Barty Crouch Jr.

That was, Snape had to acknowledge, technically true. Although the vote to absent Fudge had been won by a comfortable margin the original apparent motion to bump off a minister for thaumaturgy could only be tabled by a member of the Wizengamot. Crouch Jr was not a phallus, only impersonating one, therefore the motion and, by extension, the vote was void. A piece of bureaucratic imbecility that meant they were stuck with that ridiculous man until mortal else drummed up enough living to throw out him.

'' We could replace him. '' Natalie said, seeming to read his thoughts 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 whole wizarding population. The trouble is that no one wants to put in a nominating address for fear of looking like they 're following Crouch 's example. ``

'' So we put someone forward. '' Snape said definitely. `` We discipline a candidate no one can argue is a dying eater. ``

'' And they will be shot down by those who resent Dumbledore interfering in the ministry. Fudge was not the solitary one. '' Shacklebolt shook his fountainhead. `` I realize this judgment may not be the most easy to see, 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 situation is not ideal. '' Shacklebolt held his hands up. `` But Fudge is scared to contact any known lodge extremity or anyone else who waves Dumbledore 's standard. As a effect he is leaving the aurors office and the remainder of the section relatively untouched. We can carry out our body of work without any overbearing lapse for now. And besides, with all the ex-Azkaban residents running around causing trouble we do not have time for a political fight on top of that. If we can not have a sympathetic minister of magic, one that stays out of our way is a secure second selection. ``

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

Snape grimaced but did n't comment. Once more nothing would be done.

'' Is guard duty for the adjacent week set up ? '' Dumbledore asked the assemble Holy Order. There was a cosmopolitan nodding. It had not been hard to organize, not with a member inside the department of mysteries.

'' Then we should all get back to oeuvre. '' Dumbledore stood. `` And we should all prepare for attacks by magical being. lupine can, I 'm sure, remind you of the better methods to repel them. ``

Snape stood quickly, he could n't be missed for long. The night lord was as watchful of his servants as he was of his of his enemies. Snape turned to Natalie,

'' My guard tariff 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 Tues at eleven. He reluctantly turned and made for the room access. Unfortunately there was a blockage, the whole order was bunched up at the blanket double doors. Snape quickly pushed to the social movement and was almost forced to laugh.

Harry had built a barricade.

The fifth year was sitting casually on an annul desk, resting his feet on a drawer. The rest of the arching bulwark was mostly president and tabular array, and one suit of armor.

'' Harry this was not necessity. '' Dumbledore stepped forward, his hands stretched peacefully. `` I promised we would spill. ``

'' I wanted your full attention. '' Harry replied wryly. `` I want to fight. ``

'' Harry you are not old enough to bring together the order. ``

'' You think Voldemort will care ? ``

'' We will prevent you prophylactic from Voldemort. ``

'' rightfield. '' Harry dropped off his rod and landed, cat like, on the floor. `` 'Cos that tactic 's mold champion so far. You know I have to contend. I have to fight him. ``

'' Harry I have made my conclusion. ``

'' I contest the sanity of your determination. '' Harry grated. `` You just going to let Voldemort walk all over this res publica ? ``

'' Harry thrower I have had enough of this. '' Dumbledore waved his scepter 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 thought for your own safety others must do it for you. You will detain here. You will be safe here. ``

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

'' How Harry ? '' Dumbledore crooked an brow, but his usual good humor was gone.

'' I 'll let you stew over it. '' Harry folded his arms. `` I want to struggle. I want to sit in order meeting. I want a tutor to instruct me to duel. ``

'' You may give birth none of those things. '' Dumbledore was n't moving, just standing like a statue. Radiating menace. `` As for defense breeding you will find it at Hogarts, in your unconstipated defense class. ``

'' wellspring I hope at to the lowest degree you 've got person good. '' Harry sneered, then, glancing at McGonagall, let out a little choked gag. `` You have n't found anyone have you ? ``

'' I will not discus this with you Harry. '' Dumbledore drew his sceptre. `` I have more important things to do. '' And with that he turned and apparated away with an angry crack.

The edict members began to mix out, giving Harry a all-inclusive berth. Lupin in particular was staring at him with what could only be described as loathing. Snape walked up to the solitary student.

'' Perhaps you should not antagonize him. ``

'' He antagonizes me. '' Harry answered, sounding a small vote down. `` I do n't understand him. ``

'' Few people do. ``

'' You ? ``

'' No. ``

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

I should have expected that interrogative. Snape took a breath to give himself time to study 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 fall into the ambush of thinking you are ready. '' Snape shook his head. `` I could communicate on everything I know to you and you would still lose to the wickedness lord because I would turn a loss to the darkness lord. ``

'' I 'm not just gon na rush in half prance. ``

'' 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 young, by definition you are an retard. ``

'' Have n't been vernal for hebdomad. '' 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 immorality eye bracer but thought beneficial of it. The answer was of no detail 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 detail. `` If you want my advice you will preserve as you have no doubtfulness been doing. gearing, learn everything you can. When the time comes, I promise I will teach you. ``

'' Fine. '' Harry seemed defeated, distant. `` Will you at to the lowest degree instruct me occlumency ? I ca n't use that to agitate. ``

'' I will think 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 piranha had to hunt Harry again that evening. He had disappeared before dinner party and was nowhere to be seen. The border cellblock had n't been tripped but with Harry that meant following to nothing. They found him in a disused stairway, sitting in the rainbow blur of a varnished shabu windowpane. With the scant mottling his skin like some jungle cat the predator hesitated to near him.

'' You missed dinner. '' Ron eventually began.

'' Not hungry. ``

'' What were you doing ? ``

'' begging. Again. '' Harry let out a rough out, cast, laugh. `` Full circle. ``

'' What do you mean begging ? '' Fred frowned. `` You 've got money do n't you ? ``

'' Not money. '' Harry was still looking up into the luminousness. `` I 've spent the evening begging order penis, aurors ... everyone really, to instruct me to campaign. barren of my time ... '' Harry trailed off shaking his head.

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

'' Snape, Dwight Lyman Moody, Tonks, Shacklebolt, McGonagall ... '' Harry sighed. `` Flitwick, he was a dueling champion. I even asked Lupin, or tried to before he slammed the door on me. Why would he do that ? Why would any of them ... they know what I have to do. They have to have it off ... ''

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

'' It 's not the Lapp. I need a teacher. '' Harry shook his head. `` There 's only so much I can get from books and ... peer acquisition. ``

'' Well ... maybe you could ask whoever they get to teach defense reaction this year. '' Hermione suggested. `` Or maybe they 'll be really in force any you wo n't have to. ``

'' You do n't get it ! '' Harry covered his face with his helping hand. `` It 's not just chucking around a couple of lulu. None of you have seen a genuine wizards duel, not right dueling. Not like what Voldermort 's subject of. Not like what I 'll have to be capable of if I want to stand a chance at winning. None of you have seen it. ``

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

'' Of form, I saw ... him ... affaire d'honneur with ... '' Harry paused for a present moment, then a fraction of a light lit the corner of his eye. `` With him. Maybe ... ''

'' Harry ? '' Hermione reached out but Harry had shot to his feet like a jack in a box.

'' Has excavator 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 quell home. ``

'' I would. '' Harry disappeared up the stairs. `` But I do n't make a plate. ``
*


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

'' We should go back to the root cellar, maybe duel some, hang out. Bring the Bromus secalinus set if you want. '' Harry was idly juggling three oranges in his right field deal while gesturing with the other. `` After toast obviously. ``

'' sure as shooting ... sure Harry. '' Hermione was nodding a little carefully, like individual talking to a man with a hand grenade. Which, given Harry 's flow running phonograph record, might have been the typeface. `` We 'll do that. ``

'' Should practice session shields too. '' Harry switched the oranges to both manpower then quickly back to his right.

'' Great ... dear ... wonderful. ``

'' Let 's go then. '' Harry pocketed the fruit and led the confused vulture, and Malfoy, from the room. As Harry pushed the door subject he pulled up forgetful. lupin was frozen in front of him, his hand raised to reach for the room access. His smile had frozen and dropped into the scowl he always wore on seeing Harry.

'' Yes prof ? '' Harry asked pointedly. `` Something the affair ? ``

lupine seemed to almost growl but cut himself off and pushed past Harry into the kitchen.

'' What is his problem ? '' Harry muttered.

'' He was sorting of alright before. '' Ron scratched his head.

'' Before what ? ``

'' Before well ... you. Before you got here. '' Ron shrugged. `` He was even variety of funny. ``

'' Whatever. '' Harry shook his head. `` I ca n't be bothered worrying about it. Lets go. ``
*


This was n't the death Harry heard about it though. Lupin lived in the theater, they bumped into each early all the metre. Each time Harry was met by the Sami festering hatred. It was kind of disconcerting. Eventually Harry learned Lupin 's routine and managed to mostly stay out of his way. Of course it helped that he spent at least ten hours a day in the vacate cellar, sometimes with the piranha, sometimes with Draco, sometimes alone. Each day when Harry finally dropped himself into an icy tub to soothe his contuse frame he felt a kind of fiery satisfaction.

He was getting better !

He could baffle any of the marauders one on one, even the similitude. Dragon was better, at the start he had beaten Harry a lot. Well, no ... at the very offset Harry had won. Then Harry had raged at the blond and forced him to really cut loose and use some of the nastier dark magic his father had taught him. With those spells in his armory Draco had been winning, but Harry was clawing back. He was getting better, there was no denying that. Every throb bruise, every cockcrow waking up aching was a triumph because he was getting better. And that was n't even considering his early toys.

Harry shifted his feet to rest on the top of a reddish brown desk in the mansion library ( there was some well material here, more patch to bring with ) when the threshold creaked open.

'' Hello Tonks. '' Harry said, without looking up.
*


'' Wotcher Harry. '' He was doing that more and more. He was like Dumbledore crossed with Helen Wills Moody crossed with Snape. Tonks winced inwardly, it was n't the nestling fault. He had been forced to become like this, canny and brutal as a ferine fox. `` What'ya reading ? ``

'' The valet de chambre 's guide to effective and efficient application of pain. '' Harry read calmly off the cover of the book.

'' Oh ... '' There was no real response to that. `` Any good ? ``

'' Never knew there were so many economic consumption for a riding harvest. '' Harry folded the Page down and looked up at her. `` How are you doing ? rules of order keeping you busy ? ``

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

'' So I could n't convince you to teach me to duel ? '' Harry asked cheekily.

'' Sorry Harry, result 's still no. '' Tonks smiled, at to the lowest degree he was n'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 do n't give to teach or tattle or anything just a friendly duel ? ``

'' I do n't think Dumbledore would care that. ``

'' Dumbledore does n't have got to know. '' Harry urged weedlingly.

'' Sorry Harry. ``

'' shit. '' Harry sighed and looked like he was going to say something else but just agitate his head. `` Never mind. Was there something you wanted or did you just amount to chat ? ``

'' I was going to ask about Remus. ``

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

'' Remus lupin. ``

'' Oh him. '' Harry rolled his eyes. `` What about him ? ``

'' Do you love what 's incorrectly with him ? '' Tonks pulled a stool and sat on the former side of the desk. From this angle Harry resembled a very appraising interviewer. His beaten and frayed steel-capped iron heel up on one side of the desk and a Brobdingnagian pile of suspicious books on the other. In between he was regarding her piercingly over his telegram glasses.

'' What 's wrong with him. '' Harry repeated levelly. `` Apart from the whole fur and Fang thing ? ``

'' Yes apart from that. '' Tonks nodded. `` I meant- ''

'' Big affair to drop. '' Harry interrupted her. `` The fact that he 's a lycanthrope. ``

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

'' They are in my experience. ``

'' You clearly have n'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 mass inside ! They have souls ! They 're human ! ``

'' I 'm sorry Tonks, '' Harry held up his helping hand. `` I know what you 're trying to say. But I 've only ever met one werewolf who has n't tried to kill me and even he sometimes acts like he wants to. excuse me for not having a gravid opinion of the species. When I meet a werewolf who does n't act like the monster they are inside maybe I 'll think differently. Until then I think my hatred is justified. '' Harry voice was flinty and sharp, and more than than a little scary.

'' I 'm sorry Harry. '' Tonks repeated. `` They 're not all bad, I wish I could make you see that. You just ... I guess I ca n't. You seem to have been forced to see the spoilt of everything. ``

'' Occupational peril. '' Harry smiled sadly, then shook it off and grinned. `` Sorry, we seem to bear gotten sidetracked into a fictitious character mo. What was the original doubtfulness ? ``

'' Remus ... or prof lupin. Before you came here he was ... different. ``

'' I 've heard. ``

'' He was really funny. ``

'' I 'll conceive it when I see it. ``

'' He had lots of these stories about what he did when he was untested. ``

'' chase milkmen ? ``

'' No Harry. '' Tonks tried not to respond. `` Did you know he get laid your sire ? ``

'' I was aware. '' Harry sighed heavily. `` Sorry Tonks, I do n'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 work force. `` Ask him ! ``

'' He ... he wo n't secernate me. '' Tonks looked at the floor. When she had asked him he had just turned and left the elbow room in the middle of her doubt. He had n't spoken to her for days. `` I thought you might experience, or at to the lowest degree have a conjecture. ``

'' right 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 stamp he did n't blab to much of anyone after my parents died. He may blame me issue forth to intend of it. You know ... for their deaths. ``

'' That does n't sound like Lupin. ``

'' Not the lupine you know. '' Harry shrugged. `` If cipher else I 'll be gone in another week. He should be back to normal after that. You should take in your big fluffy, shady lupine back. ``

'' I guess so. '' Tonks stood. `` Thanks Harry. ``

'' Stay safe Tonks. '' Harry flicked his Good Book back open.

'' You too Harry. ``
*


The marauders did n't consume the gearing to Hogwarts that year. They were flued into Hogsmeade under an purchase order guard. As they walked up the yearn road to the castle Ginny fell back to where Harry was walking.

'' Why are n't you angry ? ``

'' Why would I be angry Ginsters ? '' Harry smiled a little smugly.

'' We 're going back to Hogwarts, under Dumbledore 's thumb. '' Ginny shrugged. `` I dunno I just variety of expected you to try and run away or something. ``

'' Do n't encourage him. '' Malfoy murmured dryly from behind her.

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

When they walked in the feast had already started. The vulture were forced to discover a authorize surgical incision of table with the hale hall murmuring and pointing.

'' Is it me or are the tables a bit empty than usual ? '' George said, scanning over the hall.

'' Lots of parents decided to keep their kids home this yr. '' Annapurna said sadly. `` Our parents almost did but well ... ''

'' We convinced them Hogwarts was safe than abode. '' Her sis ended for her.

'' Wonder who the new United States Department of Defense teacher is ? '' Ron gestured with a chicken leg at the evacuate quad on the teacher 's mesa. Ron looked down the table. `` Oy ! Dean ! Did they declare anything about the new teacher ? ``

'' Nothing ! '' Came the exclaim response. The marauders collectively shrugged, except for Harry who just smiled faintly.

He knows. Ginny realized but stopped herself from asking. Harry would n't secernate and they 'd know soon enough.

'' scholarly person ! '' Dumbledore stood. The hall quieted down. `` I have a few promulgation to stool. Firstly, as you may have realized, some of your classmates have decided not to link up us. This is of track their pick, or that of their parents, and I hope that you treat then no differently if they decide to retort us. Secondly as you know, if you do not dwell on the Sun Myung Moon, the wickedness God Almighty has returned. I wish to pee-pee both that and this future fact perfectly gain. He can not bruise you here. Behind the walls of Hogwarts you are safe. Thirdly, and to the highest degree happily, we have a new defense team teacher. One that, I am sure you will all relish learning from. So I would ask in you to fall in me in saying welcome, or more correctly receive back, to Professor M- ''

'' Yes ! Your prayer have been answered ! '' The huge doorway to the capital hall boomed open. `` I am, thanks to massive public demand, BACK ! ``

'' It 's him ! ``

'' Ca n't be ... ''

'' Yes ! ``

'' Yes ! ``

'' Horray ! ``

'' Yes, yes thank you ! '' The muscled figure lapped up the extolment, grinning from one side of his human face to the other. He was the same as ever, maybe his whisker was a little shorter, his tan a little deeper, his arms more pit, his legs clad in jean instead of leather and his fedora replaced with a close hanky. But it was him, patent and in the flesh.

'' I 'm back in the country ! backbone in action ! Back in photographic print ! The one, the solely MARKUS TRIPPLE M Albert Michelson ! '' The blond heavyweight punched the air and the hall jumped to their groundwork in cheers. `` But please ... call me Maximus. No no wait ... call me Professor Maximus. ``
*


Harry dropped out of his window that night after everyone had eventually gone to sleep and made his way down to the rooftops. Finding Albert Michelson 's office was promiscuous, the igniter was still guttering from the tornado under the door. Harry knocked calmly, a moment later the door opened.

'' Was wondering if I 'd see you this night Pipsqueak. ``

'' well I had to greet the new prof. '' 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 additions. Harry leant to look at a shifting wizard photograph. It showed a huge gang of hoi polloi, all but one of them looking African, standing in rows like a school photo. Sticking out like a sore thumb was Markus Michelson in the third row, grinning and jerking his thumb at the thing behind them. Even lying on it 's side it towered over even Markus, spotted and studded with spear and burn scratch it looked like a ...

'' You did it ! '' Harry turned grinning to his teacher. `` Nundu hunt ! ``

'' Took it down with entirely eighty six people. '' A. A. Michelson nodded smugly. `` New human beings record. I got the tail. ``

'' Nice. '' Harry grinned. `` Have you been in Africa the wholly 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 lifespan once. '' Markus clapped Harry on the articulatio humeri, severely buffeting him. `` buddy at coat of arms remember. And besides, I like Hogwarts. ``

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

'' Did n't come in up. '' Markus grinned slyly. `` I get the notion he 'd rather I did n't teach you ? ``

'' No. '' Harry rolled his eyes. `` He wants to embrace me up in burble wrap. Want 's to stay fresh me good and out of danger. ``

'' Big men like us attract danger. '' Markus said definitely. `` alone way to be safety is to know how to look after yourself, and you 're hardly a tike. Not after what you 've been through. ``

'' My thought exactly. ``

'' Well in that train of thinking. '' Markus drew his foresighted wand. `` When do you desire to start ? How 's now ? ``

'' Now ? '' Harry flicked his wand out of his sleeve. `` Now 's good. ``



If you do n't leave a recap YOU WILL DIE ! Really .... you will ... eventually ...


I do n't own Harry ceramist. No one owns Harry ceramicist ! He does not possess a number ! He is a devoid man !



"Mr Potter."

"prof Dumbledore."Harry looked up from the breakfast board."Hi, how are you ? Would you like a pop tart ?"

"No Mr Potter, I would not."

"Are you sure ? There ‘ s strawberry, chocolate, cherry-"

"Mr potter where were you last Nox ?"

"I assume in bed."Harry replied calmly.

"Have you forgotten Harry ?"Dumbledore's articulation was flat and a touch threatening."I have ways of telling where you are in Hogwarts. You were not in Hogwarts for much of live on night, you were only in your bed from around one in the morning."

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

"Your map must be faulty."Harry grinned.

"My map is not faulty !"Dumbledore snapped."Tell me how you left Hogwarts !"

"I didn ‘ t leave."

"Do not lie to me Harry ceramicist !"The whole school was watching now in rapt attention.

"Getting a slight angry professor ?"Harry asked."Maybe your map ... no, maybe your knowledge isn ‘ t as nail as you think."

"I dislike being kept in the dark."

"Then develop to suffer."Harry said darkly."I ‘ ve been kept iniquity for yr by you. It ‘ s time you reaped what you arrogantly and unthinkingly sowed. prepare to live in the dark 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."Annapurna pointed into the disused attic the marauders had used the previous twelvemonth. Ginny looked in and saw him calmly chalking something on the floor. The vulture wandered in slowly, with Malfoy close down behind.

"Hi guys."Harry got to his feet and threw a man of glass he had been using away."Just getting this place ready, we can use it to train after lessons."

"Harry where were you last nighttime ?"Hermione asked the doubt none of them wanted to voice.

"What you guys too ?"Harry laughed and summoned a mug of coffee off a good deal of books."Relax, I didn ‘ t leave Hogwarts. I was just training in a place the map can ‘ t see, that ‘ s all."

"Where ?"Ginny asked at the same time as Malfoy said,

"The room of necessity ?"

"The what of what ?"Harry shook his head."Nah, just ... somewhere. Anyway smell at this."Harry pointed down at the floor. On it there were a issue of rectangles, some recollective, some forgetful, some thin. It looked kind of familiar.

"It ‘ s the bookcases."Harry said proudly."In the elbow room beneath us."

"Wh ... why ?"Ron asked.

"Don ‘ t ya see ?"Harry grinned."It ‘ s Dumbledore ‘ s map. It ‘ s 2D you see, dame eye aspect, he can ‘ t order what floor 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 groom in here without him knowing. Anyway, lets go to potions. Don ‘ t want Snape raging at us."

"Harry,"Padma stopped him with an outstretched hand."Did you have to be so ... adversarial ... with Dumbledore ?"

Harry paused for a minute before answering ...

"Yes."

... and walking on out of the attic. The marauder shared a long face and followed him.
*


Potions passed uneventfully. Harry split his metre between the record on his knees and the cauldron in presence of him meaning that his potion wasn't even near finished. but at least it didn't explode. charm was adjacent and Harry didn't bother paying attention there either, though in this character it was because he already knew how to render objects wings. He could pass them swan flank if he wanted, or giant Negroid leathery ones. When the lesson was over Harry didn't even bother to speak, he just gathered his stuff 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 athirst !"

"Call Dobby."Harry shed his robe and stepped into the eye of the declamatory empty blank space."Malfoy, you first."

"If you ‘ re sure."Malfoy drew his verge."You injured your hand utmost time."

"Did I ?"Harry froze.

"fountainhead you ‘ re not using it."

"It ‘ s fine, It ‘ s my left anyway."Harry shrugged and wiggled his fingerbreadth as proof.."Must have fallen on it or something."

"If you ‘ re sure."Malfoy said dubiously."Well 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 skirt under his own stunner."Fulgar Fletch !"Harry flicked his baton and sent a cloud of sparkling blade flickering through the air towards the momentarily shocked Malfoy.

"Protego !"Dragon 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 lulu was absorbed by a black cloud. The cloud expanded and rushed towards the traumatize Harry.

"Bloody hell !"Harry heard Fred yell at the like prison term as his twin yelled,"Hornets !"

"Arg ! Ouch !"Harry felt stings on every piece of music of open pulp. Burning all across his skin like a chemical fire. Another wizard would have been overpowered by the pain, but Harry had felt far far worse."pick out this ! Tempesto !"

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

"Eat it Blondie."Harry grinned and flicked his baton towards his opponent. The Slytherin's triumphant grin suddenly turned to fear and trouble as the drove engulfed him.

"Fin-ow ! Fi- bloody things ! Finite Crabro !"The hornets disappeared and Draco was left dishevelled and snarling in the midriff of the whirlwind. Harry let it rage for another second before canceling it too. The two combatants stared each former down for a few minute, both pockmarked with confidence game and sweating.

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

"Maybe we should."Malfoy said, lowering his wand.

"I guess."Harry smiled, knowing this game. He kept a ending grip on his wand. Wait for it ...

"Confringo !"

"Protego !"Harry's cuticle was up in plenty of time to block the curse."Ha ! Nice-"Harry's shield shattered and he was lifted off his feet as his chest exploded in pain. He was thrown backwards and rolled across the pitted and scarred level. He jerked before he hit the slanted wall and managed to push himself to his foot. His sceptre was gone, rolled across the floor away from him.

"Damn it ! Damn it ! Stupid bloody buckler !"

"Are you injured Harry ?"Malfoy called out.

"I ‘ m fine."Harry pushed himself off the base."Bloody cuticle broke like a pastry shell ! Keeps doing that ..."

"It ‘ s the scepter apparent movement Harry."Hermione called out."If you look at the theory-"

"I ‘ ve read the hypothesis. I ‘ ve read the original paper. I ‘ ve read the whole book."Harry grabbed his wand off the level."I don ‘ t get it. It ‘ s a appeal, it ‘ s a staple bloody magical spell and I can ‘ t do it right."

"You can."Neville said encouragingly."It can stop basic spells."

"Well Voldemort won ‘ t use introductory piece !"Harry punched the story violently."He ‘ ll use awful, evil, powerful spells."

"You ‘ re right."Malfoy said flatly."He ‘ ll be using the killing curse and it won ‘ t matter if you have the C. H. Best shield in the man. If you don ‘ t dodging you ‘ re dead."

"Simplification."Harry waved the comment away."Come on, we ‘ ve got time for another duel before creatures. Unless we skip it ..."

"We can ‘ t."Hermione said automatically.

"Especially since we know Voldemort ‘ s boosting his ground forces with dark creatures."Padma agreed.

"Fine fine."Harry shook his brain."Ron and Hermione, duel me."

"Both of us ?"

"Like, at the same time ?"

"Yes."Harry shucked off his sweat soaked T-shirt."Get on with it."

"But that ‘ s not fair."Ron pointed out.

"Neither ‘ s this."Harry blasted the floor board by Ron's metrical unit causing him to yelp like a puppy."attraction your bloody wands."

In the end they were glad for the outdoor setting of fauna, although they were the solitary ones not wearing coats. Harry eased his aching left hand in a slow band, it was Charles Frederick Worth it. It would be worth it. Harry listened with half an ear to the lesson, it was about unicorns. The chances of Voldemort sending an army on unicorns was low to laughable so Harry lidded his eyes and dozed.
*


As the lesson ended Parvati turned towards Harry to wake him and found that mortal had beaten her to it. Someone unexpected.

"Oh no."She whispered under her breath.

"What is ... oh."Her babe stood beside her."This isn ‘ t going to end well."

"It could."Annapurna said shakily."He could apologize."

"wealthy person you met Harry ?"

Parvati's heart dropped and they watched deaf-mute as the digit tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"how-do-you-do Susan."Harry said calmly, then opened his centre."Is the deterrent example over ?"

"Yes Harry, it is."Susan clappers 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 summertime ! 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 lady friend ? Are we arguing ? Are we breaking up or did you break up with me at the end of finally class and just forget to assure me ?"

"Susan ..."Harry glanced down, for the first time in the conversation his stony masquerade slipped a beat. But when he looked back up it was harder than ever."I don ‘ t have sentence for a girlfriend now, and I won ‘ t for a retentive 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 fabric of her robes. Staring into outer space. As the twins watched she sobbed wetly and drew a hand across her eyes before running off towards the nursery, one arm shielding her face from any passers by.

"That was ... I mean that was ..."Annapurna 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."

"commodity. 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 listen anyway-"

"No I ‘ m not."Harry interrupted, and disappeared. Padma saw the shadow of a disenchantment move off down a passage but lost it a moment later.

Harry wasn't in chronicle of magic. No one expected him to be.
*


"Is this it now ?"Padma asked her sister as they got prepare for bed."Fight all day ? Let Harry bruise us up, brush aside his new position and get quick for tomorrow so he can do it all over again ?"

"He ‘ s going through some stuff."Parvati sighed."He needs our service. He needs us."

"He has a queer way of showing it."

"He thinks this is what he has to do."Hermione voluntered."He thinks he has to be like this to drum Voldemort. This knockout, this cold."

"He ‘ s amiss !"Parvati insisted emotionally.

"That ‘ s the sad matter sister."Padma shook her head sadly."He may not be."
*


Snape was awakened in the midriff of the nighttime by glowing silver twinkle. One of the welfare of being an occlumens was total mental control and Snape was awake in an instant. As his eyes flickered open he groaned inwardly, then thought better of it and groaned outwardly.

"What is it you old patsy ?"Snape said angrily. The phoenix patronus couldn't hear him and wouldn't report back so it was a perfect objective to vent at.

"semen to my part immediately Severus. It is about Harry."

Snape was already out the door before the flatware bird disappeared. He shucked his robe on as he hurried down the corridor. wait, why was he walking ? Was Harry's safety less of import than not looking stupid. Snape broke into a run. The sound of his flapping groundwork filled the corridor as he hammered towards the schoolmaster's office.

"poke ice-cream."The gargoyle slid aside and Snape threw himself into the stairwell. The stairs began to rise, painfully slowly. Snape gasped his breathing time back as he silently urged them to go faster. Eventually the Headmaster's door came into view and Snape pushed it out-of-doors quickly and said,"Albus ! I ‘ m here."

"Severus welcome."The Headmaster was sitting calmly at his desk."interpret this if you would."

Snape blinked in confusion for a moment, then noticed the paper on Dumbledore's desk. He stepped closer and saw that it was an early written matter of the prophesier. This was the parking brake ? Perhaps he was missing something ?
slaying AFOOT

Dannion LeSang was found dead in his home this morning. A window of his penthouse apartment had been shattered, possibly so that the orca could take in entrance. Once inside poor Mr LeSang was beaten horribly, with a blunt cat's-paw, possibly a table leg. The aurors have cordoned off the area and refused to release any detals but this reporter has discovered that his combat injury were not what killed him. Oh no he was poisoned ! Poisoned by a toxin that the ministry

HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE !

Is there a psychotic person orca at loose ? The aurors gave no comment, perhaps because they as yet, know zero ! Why anyone would require to vote out Mr LeSang is unknown quantity, perhaps an old challenger from his foresightful and distinguished 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 expiry eater."

"I am aware that Dannion LeSang was a expiry eater. Do you perhaps remember who informed you that Dannion LeSang was a death eater ? Who gave you the shocking intelligence that the daring, smiling, star chaser for the Wigtown Wanderers loved to torture muggles ? Do you ?"

"It was you."

"It was me."

"You do not believe his decease is important ?"

"I do not think his Death involved Harry."

"No order member was involved."

"Albus there are the great unwashed early than the order who despise death eaters."Snape felt like laughing, and did."People early than Harry as well. Perhaps-"Snape was cut off as the room access to the office was flung unresolved again.

"Why did you know the word you arrogant little 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 floor. He was fully clothed, at two o clock in the daybreak."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 newspaper publisher to Harry."What do you recognize of this ?"

Harry reached out slowly and took the paper, his center scanning from one face to the other. After a consequence he looked up.

"I know zilch about this."Harry held out the report."May I go now ?"

"You were not in chronicle of thaumaturgy yesterday."Dumbledore said pointedly."Did you leave the rook ?"

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

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

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

"I did not think you had the accomplishment to brew it Harry. But I know you have the resources to buy it."

"well I didn ‘ t."Harry threw the report on the flooring. `` Can I go ? ``

Dumbledore leant back, meeting Harry 's middle with his own flinty stare. For a long moment the old sensation and the Thomas Young stared each other down across the mum office. Snape could almost feel the sparking thaumaturgy as the schoolmaster tried to thrust Harry 's mind open. After a moment Harry snorted and said,

'' Whatever. '' Harry turned and pushed the room access open. `` inflame me if you have any early unsolved execution you want to pin on a scapegoat. ``

The two teachers stood without speaking as they heard Harry 's stride echoing away from the stairwell. Even after they had faded to nothing it was a long time before either of them spoke.

'' Do you consider him Severus ? ``

'' Yes. ``

'' Why pray William Tell ? ``

'' Because I trust him. '' That was a lie, it was because Harry would n't deliver broken a window.
*


'' Mr ceramist. ``

Hmmm ...

'' Harry Potter ! ``

Hmmm ... sleepy.

'' Harry thrower why is it always my division you choose to log Z's in ? ``

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

'' Alright ok Mr thrower. You have driven me to this. '' There was silence for a few moments, then ... `` Sonorus. HARRY POTTER GET UP ! ``

Harry was buffeted by auditory sensation and slowly, blearily, rubbed his eyes. In presence of him was a broken glassy podium. Harry reached forward and picked it up.

'' You broke my glass. '' Harry reached up to his font to hit trusted his own Methedrine were n't broken then drew his wand and repaired the champaign Methedrine. He did n't even know what he was supposed to be turning it into, possibly some sort of squid.

Why a calamari ?

We were dreaming about a squid.

That makes no sense.

Shut up.

I ca n't shut out up I 'm component of your brain.

I 'll lobotomize you.

No you wo n't, go back to thinking about squid. Or wait, maybe we should pay attention to McGonagall.

She is looking form of angry.

'' I can turn it into a squid. I swear, just watch. '' Harry held the glass up sleepily and tapped it with his wand. `` Kalamaraki Krasi. ``

The glassful split along its top, flipped upside down and scuttled along the desk blowing flatulent house of cards out of a fleshy jutting. Harry smiled,

'' See ! I did Ok. ''

'' Harry ... '' McGonagall was staring at the chicken feed squid, 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 ... do n't know. ``

'' Would you hazard a shot ? ``

'' Well ... '' Harry tried to gum together an account from his shaky knowledge of Hellene. `` Well Kalamaraki means squid ... and I think Krasi is some kind of vegetable ... ''

'' Harry ... ''

'' Yes ? ``

'' Go back to sleep. ``

Harry gave a rough in doubling thumbs up as he sank back down to the table.
*


Harry slipped into bed that night confident in the cognition that he had got at least two hours sleep over the row of the day. He dozed with an alarm clock under pillow until it sounded and prompted him to shuck his blanket off and tend out of the window. He looked over towards the Headmaster 's tug, 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 pensive, the silver light playing on his lined typeface. He looked fag out, very tired.

But at least he was n't looking at the map.

Harry slid out onto the rampart and confidently let himself fall. The hint whistled thrillingly in his auricle as the tiles rose up to meet him. A instant before he hit Harry felt a rough tugging around his dresser and his terminal drop slowed to a crawl. His invertebrate foot touched footing and he flitted off across the tile. Harry reached the window that was his destination and flicked it open with his sceptre. He dropped through again, trusting his bought magic, and landed lightly in forepart of a sink.

'' Sissasc. '' Harry hissed. The sink stayed exactly where it was. `` Bugger, er ... Zissasc ? Sizzak ? Sizzasc ? Ci ... '' Harry broke off as the cesspool began moving.

'' shit ! Silencio. '' Harry caught it before it made too much dissonance and watched as the entering to the bedroom of secrets was slowly revealed. Harry lowered himself into the subway and said, `` Cissycis. '' This time he got it first base time and the entree began closing up as Harry slid off down the chute.

Harry landed foundation first, expecting to hit mucky pee, and instead felt dry tilt. This piazza had been cleaned up a bit since final stage time he was here. Harry continued through the cave, passing the giant snake-door. The chamber was dark, maybe Markus was n't here yet ... Damn it !

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

'' Nicely done Pipsqueak. '' The prof clapped his huge script. `` But you should sustain aimed more, that hex did n't have a chance of hitting me. ``

'' I could n't see you. '' Harry pointed out.

'' You saw my tour. '' Markus folded his arms. `` You saw where it was coming from. You also know the layout of this elbow room and could use that cunning nous of yours to guess where I was hiding. ``

'' There was n't a good deal prison term. ``

'' Make metre by moving faster. '' Michelson drew his wand and squared up in the midsection of the room. `` Come on lad, time to duel. ``

'' Duel ? Seriously ? '' Harry shed his robe. `` I thought you were gon na teach me some more useful go first. Right now I wo n't finally ten seconds in a duel with you. ``

'' wellspring 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 prescript ? '' Harry asked, knowing the answer.

'' Yes, win. ``

'' That could be troublesome to apply to both of us. ``

'' Not for me. Ewwyiky ! ``

Harry had no thought what the hell that was so dived for screening, rolling and coming up with his sceptre trained on his teacher. Somewhere behind Harry there was a loud squelching sound but Harry was already fighting back.

'' Ferio ! '' Harry threw, not expecting it to go through. Instead it was just a distraction for, `` Cronos spear ! ``

"Protego."Markus wasn't fooled. Harry watched, awed, as Albert Abraham Michelson angled his shield to reverberate the bludgeoning hex right into the itinerary of the frozen bolt following it, reducing them both to a shower of noisy sparks."You ‘ ll have to do better than that !"The monumental man called out calmly. Harry answered with violence.

"Incendio ! Reducto !"Harry aimed the foremost at Markus and the second at the ceiling far above him."Stupefy !"Harry blasted the spell 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 thunderbolt. He rolled on the level and came to his feet in time to fling the start three spells he could think off at the chassis in the center of attention of the expanding cloud of rubble and fire.

The only warning Harry got was a fanfare of red before the spell flashed from the cloud and hit him in the tummy, throwing him to the floor.

"bettor even than that."Michelson stepped out of the dust, not a hair out of billet."That was unspoilt though, imaginative. expert trick with the rock, might get caught a lesser thaumaturgist. Again."

Harry forced himself to his base and raised his scepter. This time he lasted just a few seconds before a stunner blasted through his hastily raised shield and knocked his lights out. comrade unconscious inkiness held him in it's comforting embrace for a few moments before Markus brought him back.

"That was not as good."

"I know, I know."Harry shook his capitulum."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 cuticle ?"Harry laughed humorlessly."Just let stuff hit me ?"

"facial expression kid, you first determine this spell three class ago."Markus explained."You ‘ ve had to use it lots of times since then. You ‘ ve practiced. You ‘ ve practiced a lot and it hasn ‘ t got any safe. It ‘ s fair to assume you and the harbor charm just don ‘ t go well together. It happens."

"To you ?"

"No. But to other people."

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

"Yes. Use other things."Markus turned and walked back to his starting mark."You know plenty of former room to halt tour. Play to your posture and use your prodigious imagination."

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

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

"Again."

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

"Again."

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

"Again."

... Floored with a biff ...

"Again !"

... paralysed ...

"Again !"

... stunned ...

"AGAIN !"

... shocked ...

"AGAIN !"

"This is hopeless."Harry didn't bother to get up from the floor."I ‘ m not getting any safe. We should just confront 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 move over up."Harry held his head word in his hands."I can ‘ t rhythm him."

"Who ? Voldemort ?"Markus Michelson threw up his hired hand."well no ! I don ‘ t think I could beat him. I don ‘ t think Dumbledore could outsmart him. He ‘ s one of the most mightily living sensation and has accession to powers decent people don ‘ t touch. But if what you ‘ ve told me is true then you ‘ ve got ... what was it ?"

“'A power he knows not ‘"Harry quoted sarcastically.

"rightfulness. But it doesn ‘ t matter."Markus walked around so he was standing in front 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 get a line to duel. You already know enough to scramble any habitue wizard hands down."

"Voldemort isn ‘ t a unconstipated wi-"

"I know !"Markus interrupted him angrily."Which is why you need to learn to duel like a master key. Which is why you called me. Which is why you should listen to me ! Now ... you need to diddle to your strengths. tell me what you ‘ re undecomposed at."

"Oh come on."Harry snorted."Don ‘ t cave in me this psyco-crap."

"What. Are. You. Good. At ?"Albert Abraham Michelson punctuated each word 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 trade good at anything useful."

"Oh for Falco columbarius ‘ s rice beer ! Who are you ?"Markus leant down, his angrily pointing finger barely an inch from Harry's face."Where ‘ s the Harry I met three old age ago ? I don ‘ t see him. Where the hell has he gone ? Where ‘ s the kid who walked this school like he owned the berth and obeyed teachers on sufferance ? Where is that arrogant shit because he ‘ s the one who can beat Voldemort ! Not the whiney bratwurst he apparently became ! fountainhead I need him here now ! WHAT ARE YOU good AT !"

"I ... Charms ?"Harry said, staring up at Michelson.

"Right."Albert Abraham Michelson nodded."You ‘ re honest at charm. You ‘ re excellent at magical spell. You ‘ re a flaming pundit at charms. If I heard the rumors in the staff room rightfield you built a professional tone Calluna vulgaris at thirteen years old. Out flew a Firebolt."

"That was mostly Ginny doing the flying."Harry shook his straits again."And anyway I don't see how that'll help me in a duel."

"Harry you ..."Markus Michelson held his hand to his caput and breathed out a longsighted, tired breathing spell."Let me try this a different way. You ‘ ve seen a lot of affaire d'honneur 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 ?"

"Well ... It's like ... you kind of have .... This is hard. Can I excuse it how I see in in my own head ?"

"Of course."

"You have kind of three types."Harry gestured vaguely."There are the standard dueller, they throw stunners and jinx, lots of shield magic spell too, and they seem to mostly follow out of the Hogwarts defense classes. Not that that makes them bad. Some are really good, but they all seem to use this one expressive style. This one set of spells."

"Hmm ... and the next type ?"

"Death feeder. They aren ‘ t all even very honorable at fighting. But they use curses. Unforgivables and stuff. And that makes up for the deficiency of skill."

"And the cobbler's last case ?"

"The masters."Harry shook his top dog."I watched some affaire d'honneur on video while I was traveling. Thought I could pick up some backsheesh. almost of the duelists were group-ones, but some of them ... the considerably ones ... they ‘ re not even in the same league. They move like they ‘ re weapon. They don ‘ t chuck stunners around, near of the prison term I couldn ‘ t even recognize the piece 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."Albert Abraham 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 fundamental concepts of dueling. One of the things that make people chemical group threes. The learning curve is huge, there ‘ s a detail when you just become beyond everyone else. When you stop dueling with dueling tour and start dueling with everything. Do you bang what the other difference is ?"

"No."

"It's that we all have tricks."Michelson winked."All the radical threes. Some trick that makes us salutary, something that separates us from each other and from the 1 and twos."

"A ... john ?"

"Look at Dumbledore, he uses Transfiguration. By the end of a engagement with Dumbledore you ‘ re not just fighting him, you ‘ re fighting the walls, doors, roof and base. Plus anything else he can twist into a moving, thinking artillery against you. Voldemort ? Well he uses dark conjuring trick, champaign and simple. You ‘ ve already realized that that gives a person top executive beyond your skill. And he already has lot of skill. Me ? I use foreign spells, while my enemies have never heard of. The finale word of honor of a storm phone number of my opposer was ‘ What the netherworld is that ?'”

Harry chuckled, but Markus wasn't finished.

"Dee Finsbury, the current world friend duelist is also a champion seer. Your own prof Flitwick dueled for England, you think he threw around smasher ? And you ? Well you can do appealingness. Right ?"

"Yeah."Harry nodded."Yes."

"Say it."

"Yes I can do charms."

"commodity. Then use them."Markus turned to go back to his mark."And get up off the floor."

I'm on the trading floor ? Harry looked around. Oh yeah, he was. Harry pushed himself to his feet with renewed energy. He gripped his wand and turned towards his teacher. Use magic spell ? Well he would give it a shot. What should he use ? A. A. Michelson appeared to be just waiting to see what he would do. fountainhead, he'd accept to do something ...

"Engorgio !"Harry aimed, not at Markus, but at the flagstones and saw his teacher trip-up as the Rock puffed up like a muffin."Reducto !"Harry blew the stone to smithereens.

Markus righted himself easily and flicked his wand. Harry blanched as a gigantic fireball was sent rocketing towards him. Harry swallowed, prison term for risks.

"Ardor-Algidus !"Harry yelled and stood his soil as the snake pit passed over him. He caught a glimpse of Markus'shocked face as he emerged unhurt on the other side of meat before he aimed and fired."Confringo ! Ferio ! Stubefy !"The surprise attack forced the teacher onto the defensive, shielding desperately. A moment later he brought up a shining ash gray sphere. Harry's spells bounded off like pins off a frying pan, sending echoes all over the huge chamber. Michelson looked out appreciatively from the condom 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 natural covering as the apparition erupted with movement. titan leathered trend. Harry dashed behind a pillar as the chiropteran flung themselves through the air towards him. They were huge, wings at to the lowest degree a meter wide, with huge fangs."Incendio !"Harry waved a fiery swath through the cricket bat but more than just materialized to supercede them.

"Jupitall !"

Harry dived out of the way as a spinning orb of plasma burnt through the air where he'd been. Michelson wasn't going well-to-do on him just because he was busy with the at-bat. He couldn't dodge forever, if he didn't clear the air he was dead.

"Depulso !"Harry yelled desperately, but the bat 's were too firm and Harry had to throw himself against the wall to avoid another thrown tour from his opponent. He needed a charm ... what charm ? Wait ! Bats were like, sort of giant star hornets ... really."Tempesto !"

Harry called a rampart of wind and threw it against the leathery creatures, swatting them out of the sky and crashing them into the far paries of the chamber. Michelson didn't give him any respite though and responded with a punishing waterfall that appeared out of nowhere above Harry. Harry felt a stab of old affright, but the fear only made him think faster.

"Arefacio !"The drought charm banished the waterfall before it even touched him."Accio !"Albert Michelson was forced to fetch his silver shield back up as a hundred bat cadaver funneled retiring him.

"Depulso !"Harry flicked his baton, spinning the formal of dead body back away from him and bowled it back to break against the prof shield sphere. Harry wasn't going to let up now."Diffindo !"The while scratched against the shield to no event, screeching like a violin."Reducto !"Albert Abraham Michelson wasn't even knocked backwards as cuticle once again absorbed the spell with a brasslike banker's bill. Harry gripped his wand angrily, nothing he had could break this sodding Ag shield.

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

"Motus !"Harry aimed squarely at the centre of attention of the Ag bollock and twisted. It vibrated like a bell and filled the chamber with ringing. Harry twisted further and the strait intensified. Inside his guggle A. A. Michelson clutched his spike. Harry found the resonance and wrestle harder, the phone outside the shield was deafening, inside it must make been excruciating. Markus threw his arm out violently and Harry had to fling himself sideways as the screaming shield cannonballed past him."Ferio !"Harry threw a hex at the staggering Michelson that he just caught with a counter. Harry kept up the barrage in a hurry of glee ! He was winning !

"KhaNDana !"

The bolt came from nowhere. Slicing out of the dark too fast for him to react. Harry was thrown to the ground, electric flicker raging down every artery and turning him into a screaming battery of pain in the neck. Harry felt his wand torn from his unresisting hired hand and at net managed to blank is mind to the pain. He waited in the dark for it to move back. When he at last opened his oculus Michelson was staring down at him. The Brobdingnagian wizard put his wand 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 let loose into a field of operations full of giant purple bear traps. Also replete of bears. The bears will be able-bodied to debar the bear bunker, you will not.


I do n't own Harry potter. Neither have I seen him recently. If you have any entropy as to his whereabouts please phone. He is out in the cold without any food and we think his dog collar may suffer come off. He 's Negroid and blanched with blackamoor paws and he 's missing a little bit of his ear. He also answers to the gens of Scraps. He likes tuna.






Severus Snape landed lightly on the scrubland and looked about him. This would throw been a monumentally stark place if not for the distant spark of a muggle road in the valley far below. Snape walked over to the gathering of blackness cloaked figure of speech standing near the boundary of the cliff. Snape counted faces, Barty Crouch was still lacking. What was the task that man had been set ? It disturbed Snape greatly that he did not know. It made him inquire if perhaps others of the dark figures did, if perhaps he was missing something.

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

Like a falcon, Snape realized, or a waiting mortarboard. Sitting and surveying it 's target before swooping down and clutching one up in its talons. The baton in the watcher 's hired hand twitched as if thinking of raining fire and pain down on those beneath him. The vellication subsided. Thank god.

'' Severus. '' The nighttime Maker turned at final 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 arouse suspicion about why I was going. I was forced to give swiftness for safe. I am sorry. ``

'' And where were you. '' Voldemort continued, his voice terrifyingly illume. `` Were you at Hogwarts ? ``

'' No my Lord. '' The very fact that he asked the question meant he knew that Snape had left. Which was very, very bad. What lie could pass ? `` 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 mysteries, Dumbledore still fears to strike. null has changed. ``

'' Well, '' The dark Creator smiled thinly. `` That at least is in effect news. ``

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

"I notice Mr Crouch is still absent."Snape tried to sound uninterested."Perhaps he has been captured. We may have to rescue him. Again."

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

"dear Barty is none of your concern."The darkness Lord replied, in the conversational shade that was so much worse than anger."His task is going well. Is yours Severus ?"

"Alas no captain. I apologize."Snape hung his head."I am afraid there is simply no way to adapt polyjuice potion to let a human being to become non-human."

"I dislike failure Severus."

"Master if you asked me to jump off this cliff and try to fly I would do so."Snape tried to voice contrite."But I doubt I would be successful. Some thing are not possible."

"For you perhaps."The nighttime God Almighty was smiling slyly."But no matter. You may cease your experimentation. The potion is not necessary any more."

"Yes master."Is it not necessary or do you just not trust me to brew it any more ?

'' On to the meeting, we began without you Severus. I hope you don ‘ t mind. '' The night God Almighty turned back towards the cliff and Snape had to tense up to take heed him over the wind. `` We were discussing an blackwash. ``

'' Who is the target ? Perhaps I could brew a poisonous substance or some contour of- ''

'' No. '' The dark lord cut him off. `` Not poisonous substance. I intend her dying to be more computer graphic than that. An example. ``

'' She ? '' Swirling revulsion rose in Snape 's stomach.

'' A large figure in the department of mysteries. '' Voldemort half turned back towards Snape. `` A Miss Natalie Zhao. Do you cognise her ? ``

'' Yes. '' No god no. `` She is an order phallus. ``

'' I know. You informed me of that yourself. ``

'' I did my God Almighty. '' I begged her not to construct me severalise him. She said it would n't matter. null connected them. `` If I may ask, why have you decided she must die. ``

'' She is the daughter of a squib, in a striking locating in the ministry. A takeoff. ``

'' I agree my Godhead. 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 multitude equally worthy of death. ``

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

'' Of grade not my master. She is the child of bad stock, of course she must be killed. '' Snape bowed and stepped backward. `` I will get to sure that Dumbledore and the other parliamentary procedure extremity at Hogwarts are distracted. ``

'' That will not be necessary Severus. We have already cut all communication 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 roil his brain and find some solution to the problem. He could not think, it was as if gruesome tendrils and hempen black vines were choking his usually perfect 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 eve ? ``

'' Yes my Creator. ``

'' All night ? No errands to run ? '' The wickedness noble 's mouth quirked. `` No midnight strolls ? ``

'' No my lord. ``

'' Good. '' Voldemort 's eyes narrowed. `` Because I shall know Severus. I shall know. ``
*


Snape walked calmly along the hanker way to the great doors of Hogwarts using all the force of will he had not to break into a run. The watchman were no incertitude already in space, at the edge of the forest beyond the Montgomery Ward. As were the attackers probably, in his mind he could already see them apparating into the dour streets around Natalie 's flat. He ached to run but could n't. It was agony, caught in chains that did n't even subsist. An mainstay in his mind.

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

He reached Dumbledore 's staircase and yelled the password. He sure as hell was n't waiting for the staircase this time.

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

'' Severus ? What is the import of this- ''

'' I need the rescript ! '' Snape snapped. `` We need to mobilize now ! ``

'' Severus calm down. You will need to explain. ``

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

'' We can not, help oneself her. He has outmaneuvered us again I fear. ``

'' Not if we move now ! ``

'' To move confirms his suspicions of you. And it would do no good. The multitude watching you no dubiousness have orders to kill you if you try to leave. No subject matter can get hold of her. Yes, yes he had truly outsmart us. ``

'' I can take Fawkes. '' Snape argued. `` I can leave without a ghost. Warn her, then- ''

'' You can not take Fawkes. The method phoenix 's use to move around 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 ! Bait to force you to reveal your true up allegiance. It is a exam, if you fail we lose our spy. If you pass however you will be his most trusted servant. ``

'' Passing means the death of Natalie ! ``

'' Not necessarily. '' Dumbledore was obviously trying to be soothing. `` She is an execute battler. She could run or- ''

'' She will be outnumbered ten to one. ``

'' Think of how many people your information saved in the last war. Countless lives. ``

'' Some lives are worth Thomas More to me than others. ``

'' Well not to me. '' Dumbledore stood and stared down the potions sea captain. `` The best you can do for her is to crap for certain you are seen here. Go and pick herb from one of the outside patch, 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 vote down her. You can do cipher. ``

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


Natalie Zhao turned the Sir Frederick Handley Page idly on the theme she was reading and yawned. There was too lots to do. She flicked it closed and clicked the Light Within out before rolling over and dropping the folder onto her bedside table. Perhaps all the problems 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 human beings was falling apart, not even dreaming could leave reprieve for long.

A floorboard creaking.

Natalie 's eye flickered out-of-doors in a moment. Was it just her neighbour downstairs ? She reached for her wand and silently checked her wards. She hissed as she realized they were in tag and rolled off the bed. Her deal moved towards the light switching then thought better of it, it might let them know they had seen her. She slid towards her sleeping accommodation room access and looked out through the keyhole just as the doorway at the former 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 bring. No, they had a ward up. They would deliver blocked the flue pipe as well. The lonesome way she was getting out was through the movement door, which meant through them.

They would watch the way along the hall first, she perhaps had a minute.
*


Drum Lemon had never pretended to be an intelligent man, just a utile one. He was utile say, when individual had n't paid their debts in time and activity needed to be taken. He had been locked up for being useful in the incorrect home at the wrong clip, set liberal eventually, become utile again and caught again. This prison term for being so useful towards a ministry hit-wizard that the man was no use to anyone anymore.

He had been locked up for well. Until the wickedness Almighty had given him a secondly chance. A chance to rejoin society again, to be useful again. He was only half descent but he had just enough brains to never remark that to anyone. When the dark nobleman had explained what needed to be done to this bint he had stepped forward instantly. It was powerful up his bowling alley, he might even earn the mark if he succeeded. Then he 'd really be set.

He touched the door ringlet with his thumb. Warded, what else ? He turned and pointed into the rabble behind him at a hunched shape, then pointed back at the doorway. The man shuffled forward, he had been a damn good bane breakers until he was caught skimming a cut off the top. He was just lucky the ministry caught him before the hobgoblin did.

drumfish waited in secrecy as the tiny man clicked and hummed in front of the door. A few minutes later the curse breaker pushed the door open air. drumfish stepped into the flat and looked around professionally. It was set out fairly fixture. Kitchen that way ... empty. tympan waved two guys towards the plump for room and ignored it. This place was like a catalogue, everything was in its place except for the Holy Scripture and papers strewn across the coffee berry table. Well, that and the three marine museum near the back. Not entire of piss. Some sort of reptile. Some sort of incense in the air, some new age garbage.

barrel shrugged, not an issue. The bedchamber would either be at the end of the second door down on the left. That was how these building were built. brake drum stepped down the corridor and pushed the door on the left hand clear. Boxes. Down the student residence then. He looked behind him, the other crook were hanging back. Pathetic. The dark Almighty had grabbed everyone who would stand up straight with no wish for experience. Not that he was criticizing, at least he would get full acknowledgment for the kill.

Drum breathed in deeply. Smelled like vanilla, it was very stiff. person had once told him that smell was the firm initiation for memory. He certainly remembered that muggle girl every time he smelled cut pot. 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 black lord.

He made his way towards the last threshold. He raised his sceptre, fumbled it and caught it again. He shook his school principal. Had to stay focused. He reached the threshold and pushed it receptive. Darkness, he stepped up to the bed. He had n't used the killing curse before, but he had no doubt he could make it work. He raised his sceptre, aiming at the lump in the covers. His sceptre was shaking, he grabbed it with both hands. What was wrong with him ? Drum shook his head teacher, the wand was still shaking.

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

drum stepped backwards and tripped over his own gown. He looked back towards the door. It was closed. Did he come together it ?

'' You did n't come together it. '' Drum looked up, his eyes already drooping. The little girl was standing there, munition crossed.

'' Doped us. '' Drum mumbled through numb backtalk. `` Incense ... Vanilla ... ``

'' How many more of you are there ? '' The girl demanded.

Wo n't secern you you bitch.

'' Twenty ? ``

What !

'' Where are there ? ``

Ice cold bitch queen.

'' Five in the two-dimensional, five in the stairwell. The rest outside. '' She almost seemed to be talking to herself. `` And dememtors flying everywhere. ``

'' You wo n't get out ? '' Drum managed to get out. `` We 've surrounded you. Your exhaust may possess got me ... the other five in here. Wo n't get the rest. You 'll never get out. '' The girl raised her wand.

'' I can try. ``
*


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

The threshold handgrip rattled. That long.

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

Confringo ! She said the while silently and angled her baton sharply down. The door exploded outwards, the force of the blowup channeled down the hallway. She saw three bodies flying away from her and dashed out after them.

"Cruci-"

Natalie whirled on the castor. No clip for piece, she found his eyes, pushed in like a dagger and found the off switch in his brain. He folded like a puppet with the strings cut. She heard a call behind her and protegoed so harshly that the round edges of her shield forced the rampart out like crumpling newspaper publisher. She turned and saw the hooded man dodging his own spell and threw her own, striking him in the chest.

That was the single in the flat done.

She rushed to the door but it had been torn off its hinges. A dark pattern reared from the stairwell. Natalie had her scepter up in a moment but before she could cast the man grabbed his chest and fell to the floor. Natalie crept close, blood on his chest. Someone had hit him with a puncture curse.

She threw herself to the face. They must have been shooting from the former construction outside. Aiming blind through the mantle. Aiming at her. Well that put climbing out the window out of the icon. She crouched and made her way towards the stairwell. She glanced between the slats and pulled her brain back as a K flash obliterated the wooden banisters where she had been.

fourth dimension to originate surprising them.

Natalie aimed at out into the middle of the staircase. A flicker of her scepter and a ball of glowing light appeared. Another flick and a spiraling spear of sparks shot down the stair like a varlet firework. She twisted and the ball dropped slowly, like a balloon, spitting exploding spears in every instruction and shrinking as it fell.

That should hold on them busy.

She dashed down the stairs and took out another hood as he desperately tried to dodge the multi-fire. Natalie had to start over a man lying prone on the second trading floor, a victim of the pyrotechnic. A enchantment shattered the roofing tile near her shoulder and she threw up a shield against the next one. Where were they coming from ?

Damnit ! Two above her, one below. They must have hid in the side corridors. She aimed her wand up at the two firers and vanished the trading floor under them. One of them dropped like a gemstone, the other was fast enough to seize the sharpness of the gob. But that just made him an leisurely quarry to get picked off. Natalie spun to direct out the guy below her but he was already down. Blood on him, and pooling on the flooring. Another victim of the cackshots outside.

There were still ten men outside. Natalie reached the solid ground flooring and took a deep breath. They would be spread out all around her edifice to stop her escaping. What was her topper bet to live ? The backrest incoming ? It led onto an bowling alley, easy for them to freeze or watch. The front was no incertitude a deathtrap, she'd be hit from every side before she got two steps. There was a ground floor windowpane out into the car park ... wizards tended to ignore motorcar. She didn't have one but surely some combining of go could convince one to start. It was her outdo shot.

Natalie can down a face corridor and found the window, she peered out. No one visible, but they could be hidden among the cars. She slid the window undefendable and climbed out uncomfortably, breathing gruelling. Strangely her composition pushing desk job didn't hold her in very good form. She fell down between two gondola and turned towards one of them. She was about to charm the lock when she felt a dark downfall on her.

"Got you missy."Natalie froze. The voice was twisted and slick, like oil."act rhythm so I can see your passably face."

Bad melodic theme. Natalie turned and looked up into the pockmarked typeface above her. Into his heart ... He fell with a heavy, rag-doll thump and Natalie grabbed his wand.

"Ere what was that ?"

footfall ! 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 ply feet and tried to slink away along the border of the bulwark. She reached the niche, no where to go. If she tried to make for the issue they'd see her for sure. She pushed at the apparation ward again but it was no good. They had extended it beyond the building itself. How far would they get pulled it ? To extend the whole stop would have been impossible. Could she just run for the edge ?

They were searching the lot. They were getting closer. Natalie looked up under the nearest car. At least five distich of base within well-situated sight. The entrance was close, she might make it. With a distraction.

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

"What the bloody ‘ ell is that !"

Natalie stood and ran. They were looking the early way, she could wee-wee it. She blazed out of the car Mungo Park and made for the end of the street, all the patch pushing against the apparation barrier. A spell pin-wheeled over her top dog and she sprinted harder. It had to end soon. She heard shouting and running behind her. Please let it end soon. A clump of the route was blown away, throwing her to the floor. No ... She desperately threw herself against the ward as footsteps surrounded her. It wouldn't Don Budge, she knew it wouldn't.

"Now missy twist stave nice and slow."She rolled over and tried to meet the man standing in forepart of her's eye."Nah, don ‘ t try any of that."He broke eye contact 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 wizards surrounding her."Me and the lads worked knockout. I recon we deserve a reward."

"I assume your Creator will provide 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 finisher. Natalie could see the greed of eld in prison flickering bright in their eyes."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 sassing, there was a drip of blood coming out of the turning point. His eyebrow knitted in confusion as he fell to the floor. His fellows stared at him. After a dumb present moment one of them stepped forward and knelt down adjacent to him. The man reached out and touched the fallen crook back.

"It ‘ s descent. He ‘ s dead. He- Aaa !"The neck opening of the kneeling man exploded, showering them with blood. The criminal jumped back in shock absorber. Natalie grabbed her sceptre and threw herself backwards, rolling as she hit the ground. She had stunned one of the wizards while they were still in jar and had turned her sceptre on another when her mystery savior revealed himself. She had to throw it to him, he knew how to score an entrance.

He dropped from the top of another building, his robe billowing behind him as he fell straight into the midsection of the champion. He landed on one of them and rolled, a dark human body in his hand coming up. Another crook was thrown back and landed wetly on the floor. The warrior looked up at her but she couldn't catch his human face in the shadow. He nodded to her. She nodded back, and they turned on the respite of the bastards.

It was the strangest fight Natalie had ever been involved in. Strange for it's silence. Whatever weapon the unusual man was using it made no sound as it fired and she tended to cast non verbally. The criminal yelled their charm but they were in such confusedness they were mostly throwing desperate knockout at each early. other than those there was only the auditory sensation of stride, rapid-fire like a saltation, and the episodic spray of blood. A still fight at midnight, underneath stuttering streetlamps. Natalie's breath was hot in her ears by the sentence 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 direct you ?"

"Most assuredly not."The physical body said cheerily and turned towards her."Miss Zhao, I do think we ‘ ve already been introduced."

"Ha ... Harry ?"

"Yep."The Danton True Young boy's middle wandered south and he glanced away."Um you ‘ re going to have to bear a modification of wardrobe if you want to give birth any kind of thinking conversation."

"Why ?"

"Well, long story inadequate you ‘ re still wearing a nightie and the solid ground you were just rolling around on is quite damp."

"Oh."Natalie felt the flush rising in her cheeks as she conjured a robe."Better ?"

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


Carting bodies up to her plane had been a surreal experience. She had healed the ones that could be healed before stunning them into a coma. In the end they had two cumulus, sixteen live and four dead. She did n't doubt that without wizard medicine the count would have been a lot higher.

And here she was, sitting by her coffee tree table staring at lined up, stunned, outlaw who ten minutes 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 blacken robed boy grabbed them before coming back and sitting beside her on the couch. She looked over at him. He looked quondam than when she had last seen him. Much older."You saved my life."

"Don ‘ t worry about it."Harry shrugged."The biscuits More than name up for it."

"You shot them."Natalie's thought's were still a little unconnected and she was trying to fill in the pieces."With a gun."

"while would get warned Voldemort I was there."Harry shrugged."By now I bet they have person watching the underage magic detector. I tried to dart their arms mostly."He added almost to himself.

Natalie decided not to gloss, instead she asked.

"How did you even know to amount here ?"

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

Natalie listened in shock absorber as Harry briefly explained a conversation that had apparently taken lieu between Severus and Dumbledore former that evening. poor people Severus, she could just see him now. Pacing his office staff, ineffective to do anything. Hating himself even though it wasn't his geological fault. He always did.

"How did you even get out of the castle ?"She asked.

"Easy, snuck into the forest."Harry shrugged."The people that got sent to watch Snape were all, big surprise, watching Snape. significance I could drop away by undetected. After that I dashed for the wall, climbed it well-situated, the ward doesn ‘ t bread and butter in humans. Legged it to Hogsmeade and broke into a cottage to use the flue. I didn ‘ t want anyone to know I ‘ d gone through there, that was why I didn ‘ t use one of the pubs."

Natalie didn't speak as Harry finished his story. She looked over at the galvanic pile of criminals, then back at Harry. Her learning ability, unencumbered by worry, was making the calculations that Snape hadn't been able to.

"Dumbledore was right."

"What ?"

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

"Are you thinking ..."Harry glanced at the pile."Are you thinking of taking a page out of my Word of God ?"

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

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

"I ‘ ll call an old friend."Natalie stepped into her kitchen and picked the phone off the parry."Goldie will be able to assist with that."

"Voldemort ‘ s good at Legillimancy."

"I know that Harry."Natalie pulled out her address book and started flicking through."But my friend ‘ s good too. He ‘ s a ministry obliviator, the best."

"Wait a minute ..."Harry's brow furrowed."You ‘ re earpiece is working ?"

"Of course."

"So why did I just infract out of schooling and jaunt the length of the state to write you ?"Harry threw his hands 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 menu she was looking for and grew serious."Listen Harry you should go back. I can handle affair from here, and it ‘ ll be comfortable to explain to Goldie without you here."

"You sure ?"

"Yes,"Natalie nodded and Harry turned to leave."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, Happy Halloween."
*


Harry didn't try to reenter Hogwarts that night. Too much risk of exposure of being seen by one of the watchers. Instead he dozed on a workbench and slipped back in around sunrise. He attended breakfast purely to pander coffee in heavy quantity and managed to get through his world-class few lessons somehow. During luncheon rift he dragged his sleepy work down to the dungeon and found the veracious place. He pushed the door candid without knocking.

"What is the meaning of thi ... Potter."Snape deflated, his case going soft."Natalie told me. I can not start to thank you-"

"You ‘ re going to learn me occlumency."Harry interrupted."And Legillimancy."There was a pause. Then,

"I suppose I am."

"And you ‘ re going to tell me everything you know about Barty Crouch."
*


As soon as Harry's foot touched the floor he knew it was a aspiration. Before him the bungalow at Godrics Hollow rose above his brain. Looking so ... rule. Nothing to utter to it's momentous importance. It could have been any one of thousands of star sign, there were others that could be its Twin Falls dotted down the street. naught special, and yet it repelled him.

Harry felt his hide front crawl. The house was ... wrong ... somehow. Harry turned and dashed down the street, passing tree and hedges. He dashed with no care and caught his foot on a paving stone, sending him sprawling to the floor. As he got to his foundation he felt sess under his feet. He was back on the movement lawn. The bungalow was correct in front of him.

He could get a line the river in his spike, raging in the distance. Harry scratched at his skin, it was all improper. Harry felt nausea grow in the pit of his tummy. Oh wait ... that wasn't part of the dream.

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


'' Harry ? '' Ron knocked on the sewer door. `` Harry are you ok ? ``

'' I 'm amercement. '' Came the mute reply.

'' You do n't sound fine. You sound- ''

'' I said I 'm fine. '' Harry jerked the door open, the black travelling bag under his center even more seeable than usual against his William Green and sickly skin.

'' You do n't search all right. ``

'' Probably something I ate. '' Harry shook his head word and pushed past Ron.

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

"I SAID I ‘ M fine !"Harry whirled on his Ron."I was sick. For some reason. Some unknown region and unimportant rationality. I threw up. I feel better. We should go to breakfast."

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

"wellspring then let ‘ s go to creatures. I ‘ m hungry."Harry threw his bag over his articulatio humeri and made for the door, his head drooping.

Ron followed slowly. Harry was slowly getting unsound, crazy. Was it just lack of log Z's doing this to Harry ? He hadn't looked this bad even when he'd been metre jumping. This metre he seemed physically ill. Ron shucked his bag up further on his cover. They all needed a little more nap, Harry had been pushing them hard.

More rest, and more bruise-remover.
*


Ginny looked up as Harry pushed the door to the noggin 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 board."omission the next few lessons."

"The rest 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 Dragon. All of the marauders."

"Harry are you certain ?"Fred asked."You weren ‘ t feeling so hot this morning."

"I'm sure, I ‘ m mulct. Nothing a little exercise won ‘ t cure."Harry shed his gown as the marauder drew into a circle around him. Ginny could see Malfoy settling down to watch, like it was a flaming show.

"Ready."Padma called out.

"Don ‘ t ask me if I ‘ m ready. Never ask me if I ‘ m make. Never warn me just bloody hit me."

"Stubefy !"Ginny threw out her wand but Harry was already moving, sliding under her shot like a Snake. His wand came up towards her. She shielded, Harry flicked to the side and Neville went down in a ostentation of red light.

The twins jumped forward like mirrors of each former but a shining beam clicked between them and slammed them together like conkers. Harry whirled like a professional dancer and a head covering of smoke surrounded him. The predator began firing into the cloud, careful not to hit each former as the looker flew out the other incline. The marauders 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 come out ?"

Padma's question was answered as her wand was jerked out of her hand and flew into the blackness. An array of lulu followed it. All came back out.

"ass this."Ginny waved her wand."Depulso smoke."The Negro cloud flew away and dissipated into the cold air. Revealing cypher. The trading floor was empty.

"Where the hell is-"Ginny felt a weight strike her articulatio humeri and a stabbing pain. As she collapsed she saw boots flash in presence of her look and red light flashing all around. Her shoulder was like a burning knife.

"clench !"someone yelled."I said hold !"

The flashing light source stopped and she felt substantial custody rolling her over carefully. Malfoy's face 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 meat, hanging off her shoulder joint. The predator began crowding around. Ginny found Harry's eyes, he was unreadable. As always. His heart didn't emote, didn't give 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 brothel keeper Pomfrey."Hermione reached forward.

"No."Draco shook his drumhead."Two marauders, one injured, leads back to Harry. I ‘ ll bring her. We can croak it off as an inter-house thing."genus Draco put his arm under her expert shoulder and lifted her gently, carrying her away.
*


"What the blaze was that ? !"Padma whirled on Harry."You broke her shoulder."

"Yes."Harry idly woke Neville from his piece induced shock."And if she was a death eater I ‘ d have broken his shoulder."

"Ginny ‘ s not a expiry eater !"Ron yelled angrily.

"Really ? You sure ? We could mark her wrist."Harry rolled his centre."I don ‘ t know what your mother would be more than angry about, the hate criminal offence or the tattoo !"

"This isn ‘ t funny Harry !"George VI growled.

"No it ‘ s not !"Harry yelled."It ‘ s fucking severe ! Bloody, raging, burning SERIOUS ! I KNOW THAT ! Do you ? Do you know that ?"

"You could give birth 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 less than what would happen if a decease 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 death chair against the wall angrily."I ‘ m helping everyone ! Why doesn ‘ t everyone get that ! Why are the bulk of the people I ‘ m trying to save doing their unspoiled to screw with me !"

The predator jumped back. The shadows in the loft made Harry's aspect a freakish mask. He was shaking like a leaf, breathing hard.

"Why are hoi polloi doing this."He shook his oral sex, his hands going to his temples."Even people who know what we have to do are trying to stop us. Even multitude who know. Why the the pits would they do that ?"

"Harry ..."Hermione reached forward.

"It ‘ s fine."Harry straightened like a rod."I ‘ m fine. We can fit another duel in before the end of lunch."

"You, you want to go flop back into a fight ?"Hermione asked, her vocalism incredulous."No Harry. No, we ‘ re all tire. We can ‘ t."

"I can. You can. Get over here."Harry threw Padma's wand to her. It bounced off her stomach. She made no effort to capture it.

"I ‘ m tired."Padma said flatly."I ‘ m going to lessons."

"Come on !"Harry clapped like some mad mutation coach."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 require !"Hermione yelled."We don ‘ t have to do what you say ! We don ‘ t have to obey orders like you seem to think ! Make up your creative thinker Harry, are we your friends or are we your ... your army !"

"You giving me the choice."Harry stepped up right into Hermione's fount."You giving me that pick. I have a iniquity wizard after me that I ‘ m fated to fight. I have the not bad, no scratch that, the two greatest wizards in the populace hating me. One trying to wipe out me. One trying to keep me a prisoner. I have everything against me. So I choose a blooming army.'Cos I need a bloody US Army. And if you can ‘ t be that then to hell with you."

Harry turned, and disappeared out the door.
*


The nexus of the piranha 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 observe the instructor off his back, but every other 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 morning 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 heart. At to the lowest degree there was some emotion there, even if it mostly seemed to be regret."You realize that don ‘ t you ? You ‘ re not helping him go. 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 back him out of Voldemort ‘ s path. There's no keeping him safe you understand, the divination ensures that. He will face Voldemort. He will fight him. So a little self end now is worth it if he survives that encounter. Wouldn't you say Ginerva ?"

"Don ‘ t turn this on me."Ginny shook her head."And don ‘ t try to pretend what you ‘ re doing any sort of Lord. It ‘ s not."

"Of path I ‘ m noble. I ‘ m a Malfoy."Dragon hung his head, then looked up to meet her oculus. regret was back, regret was definitely back."Look Ginerva I know everything you ‘ re saying is truthful. But I don ‘ t acknowledge how else to facilitate him. I don ‘ t how to help him at all. Do you ?"

"I ... no."

"Too bad."genus Draco shook his psyche."I guess all we can go for for is that he kills Voldemort before he kills himself."

And outside Hogwarts the wizarding humankind slowly fell to objet d'art. As Noel crawled closer and the nights grew tenacious there was no joy among the magic peoples. It just mean there were more sullen hours for the death eaters to hunt in. One night a dark mark was raised right in the midriff of Manchester. The government agency passed it off as a hot air balloon. The 1 in the land did n't deliver to be explained away, the ministry just had to clean up after. When they even bothered to do that.

reverse to pop impression the darkest hour is not before dawn. It 's in the middle of the bloody night.
*


Harry closed the prophesier with a heavy suspiration and dropped it on the ground beside him. affair were only getting spoilt out there. The decree was n't doing anything, big surprise there. Barty Crouch was still missing from Death eater meetings, apparently with Voldemort's full reenforcement. The dark creatures ? No one knew a thing about them.

No one seemed to recognise anything.

Harry stretched his stage out and felt the rippling of the lake against his bare skin, sending back ripple of goosebumps to agree. Not all to do with the cold. It was good though. He should make sure he could manage water if he had to. Might have to fight in it one day.

'' A dark state of social function. ``

Harry tensed as the voice came from behind him and spun, sceptre outstretched. There was a figure standing there, looking out over the piss. He looked old, seventy maybe. Bald definitely, and not a hair in his little slap-up mustache was anything other than gabardine. He looked like a retired teacher more than anything else, one of the old school ones. He even had the patched tweed jacket.

Oh god was that a tobacco pipe in his pocket ?

This guy was a walking cliché ? What was he going to do next ? put up me tea ?

'' Would you like a spot of tea ? ``

'' Oh come on. '' Harry chuckled and shook his header. `` three thing : One, I do n't drink tea. I drink coffee tree, in prominent quantities. Two : You do n't have any tea. Three : Even if you had a flask I would n't be capable to drink it. '' Harry reached out and waved his hand directly through the old Man leg. It passed through without even a tingle.

'' Very good Mr ceramicist. '' 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 hell are you ? ``

'' My epithet is James River. '' Harry stiffened at those Holy Writ. The old man laughed. `` No not that James. Honestly Mr Potter there are more people called James in this world than your Fatherhood. ``

'' Probably not your real public figure anyway. '' Harry snorted.

'' I 've never seen a penury to conceal my first name. One of the benefit of having a nice traditional name like King James or John or Harry. '' Henry James smiled and took a piddling puff on his pipe. `` Of course if you wish to recognise my close public figure we shall give a problem. ``

'' I do n't give a crap what your cobbler's last name is. '' Harry shrugged. `` How are you doing this ? Some sort of illusion ? ``

'' Astral protrusion. '' James said professionally. `` It 's really quite useful. ``

'' I 've read about it. '' Harry crossed his coat of arms and stared calculatingly at the man next to him. `` It requires panoptic preparation and a circle of at to the lowest degree three wizards. What you came to recount me is worth all that ? ``

'' Very dependable Mr Pott- ''

'' occlusion saying that. '' Harry cut him off. `` Just speak your piece. ``

'' Very well. '' James reached into his crownwork. Harry instinctively flinched despite the fact that any weapon system this man pulled would go straight through him. `` Do you know a man named Conterrando Baker ? ``

'' Is he from the ministry of silly name calling ? ``

'' How droll. '' James pulled a piece of composition from his jacket and held it out for Harry to see. Harry grabbed a piece of lambskin out of his bag to jot down the address then took a small more clip reading the repose of the profile.

'' half line, respected phallus of the Wizengamot, respecter writer, married to a muggle, free-spoken critic of the flow minister. Two kids at Hogwarts. His finally book was a have it off story, between a pure blood and a muggle. '' Harry laughed wryly. `` Saviour, did someone just take a big piece of play-doh and mold it into a butt for the end eaters ? ``

'' It is a small miracle he has not been attacked yet. ``

'' But you think he is being targeted now ? ``

'' I know he is. '' Henry James tapped a date on the newspaper. `` Tomorrow night. ``

'' Oh come on. ``

'' He has been repeated warned but he refused to go for a protective detail. He says it would impinge on his privacy. Foolish And he will die for it. A beloved family man is going to die if you do n't economize him. ``

'' bullshit. You save him. You obviously have resourcefulness. ``

'' I, or more accurately the group I represent. Do suffer the imagination. '' James smiled. Harry did n't like that grin, it had weird depths. James continued, `` Our organization also dislikes Voldemort. He is troublesome to our work. But unfortunately for Mr baker, Voldemort is only an vexation to us therefore it is not worth enough to us to hold open him. We do not incite in the same circles as Voldemort you see, so he does not give us too much trouble. We would favour if he were gone though. It would make things easier. ``

'' So serve him. ``

'' We can not. '' James stood. `` But you can. Go help him Harry Potter. If it turns out well, we may play again. '' With that he disappeared into flimsy air.

'' appearance off. '' Harry murmured.

Of course of action he realized it could be a snare. In fact it almost certainly was a bunker. Harry considered. Except that Conterrando baker was a real soul. The story, after a little checking of back vaticinator outlet, checked out. Harry even found the child in Ginny 's year. Hufflepuffs, twins, nice in a kind of boring Hufflepuff sort of way. Both member of the gobstones club. Both with significantly less ridiculous names than their father.

commodity tiddler. Good Father-God too ...

'' Bugger. '' Harry dropped the prophesier on the table. `` I 'm going to have to do something heroic verse are n't I. ``

Looks that way.

'' Do I have to ? ``

fountainhead ... no, you could let him die while you sit back and eat popcorn.

'' Do n't like Zea mays everta. ``

Well I guess that decides it then. Plus it would be rather a waste of all the education you 've been doing.

'' It could still be a trap you know. ``

I know that. Do n't you think I know that ? I 'm your brain you moron.

'' We 're a bit crazy are n't we ? ``

crazy like a fox.

'' Like a fox. ``
*


So it came to pass that Harry slid down into the chamber of secrets that night wearing the most singularly un-heroic piece of clothing in history.

A duet of waders.

'' Bloody winter. '' Harry shivered as he crawled through the tiny pass in the rampart through which he had entered the sleeping accommodation all those years ago. It was littler than he remembered.

Harry dropped into the icy gutter and made his way quickly along the darkness passageway. The pee was bitingly cold on his hired hand whenever they got splashed but the thick wading bird kept his legs pleasantly warm. Thank merlin for dragon-skin fishing supplies.

Of course this would be easier if Dumbledore had n't strengthened the Hogwarts wards to the point where not even insects could pass through. This was the only way out.

Harry 's musical passage through the catacombs was unerring. Last time he 'd been here he 'd wandered aimlessly, lost. niggling lost boy ... But he was n't the Lapp person he 'd been then. Harry sighed and walked on through the duskiness to his destination.
*


Harry flicked his collar up and walked quickly down the street. This was Jack London, but not a voice that he had ever frequented. Big theatre, big expensive household. billet that did n't take kindly to vagrant. Probably still would n't fill kindly to him if he was found here.

theatre twenty six. Harry slowed to a stop a occlusion away from the tall white building. In the middle of the terraced-row of equally improbable lily-white building. Expensive they might be, case-by-case they were not.

All the light source seemed to be off. Mr Baker was probably numb. No one exterior, no one obvious anyway.

Hello ...

Up on the cap. shadow made into matte made into nightmare. Someone was waiting up there, trying to persist inconspicuous against the skyline.

Harry cursed then darted down an alley. drive in the social movement yard, it might give birth been a discarded newspaper. Then again it might not.

man flesh ! minute floor, standing near the bed ! Harry 's hands found a drain and he catapulted himself up. There were two to a greater extent on the bed, cowering in awe. The standing figure raised his wand. Harry swung with all his strength and crashed through the window.

'' What the hell ! ``

Harry tackled the demise eater to the floor and stunned him. He rushed to the room access and bolted it, pushing a chair under the handle. The others would have heard the window break.

'' Who are you ! '' A voice 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- ''

'' Good go to him. Get out through the rear. '' Harry pointed at the broken window. The door thumped violently and Harry turned back towards it. Three others. Not beneficial. `` GO ! ``

'' What about you ? '' Mrs baker asked as her hubby hurried her towards the window.

'' Do n't worry about me. Just go ! '' Harry flicked a ward onto the door, strengthened it. But it would n't harbour long. These were n't criminals, these were actual death feeder. Duelist radical deuce. sod. 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 door and raised his wand.

The first real test. Lets see how I do.

I really hope one of them is Crouch ... Harry grinned in violent 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 hoi polloi fleeing down the backstreet, visible in the opening between sign of the zodiac. They did n't matter.

His knarrled fingers clenched. It looked like the boy had beat him to these ones. He would n't be able to stamp out tonight. Would n't be able to bruise them, piddle them pay. pretend the other one, the Snake River one, the one who took everything pay.

He licked his lips. Another prison term, there would be former times. He was patient. Patient was good, so long as it got there in the end.

The end ... the end ...

Vengeance. That was a good word.

The watcher hunkered down on the rooftops. Before him the battle raged on and cries of pain filled the air.

He would expect, and if there were any stragglers ? Maybe he would feature some fun after all.
*


'' waken up ! ``

Urg ... Ron turned over on instinct to get away from the noise.

'' Get the the pits up Weasley ! ``

'' Ow ! '' Ron grabbed his incline and spun, his center wide-eyed open. `` Malfoy what the- ''

'' Have you seen Harry ? '' The Slytherin demanded.

'' What ? Of course not. He 's your best ally now. '' Ron replied sneering.

'' He did n't sour up for dueling this morning. '' Malfoy sounded like he was actually worried. The snake was obviously acting. `` I thought maybe he would be here. ``

'' wellspring he 's not. '' Ron gestured around. `` front the bed 's not even slept in. And how 'd you get the watchword anyway ? ``

'' Something 's untimely. ``

'' Get lost Malfoy. '' Ron looked over at the clock. `` It 's six o clock in the morning ! ``

'' Right. Two hour past when Harry said he 'd fill me. '' Malfoy was gritting his teeth, breathing through them clenched.

'' He 's probably in the noodle. ``

'' That was where I was waiting you idiot ! ``

'' Then he 's eating breakfast ! ``

'' Checked there. ``

'' Library. ``

'' Checked. ``

'' Down by the lake ? ``

'' Checked. ``

'' The afforest ? Around the edge- ''

'' Checked. ``

'' Oh. '' Ron bit his lip. `` He 's probably, I do n't know. Probably training recently and just passed out tired. Even you had to notice he was tired. ``

'' Surprised you did. '' Malfoy turned for the door. `` Get your friend and help reckon. ``

'' We 're not your frie- ''

'' But you were Harry's ! '' Malfoy turned angrily. `` And he could be in difficulty, or pain in the neck, or dying, right now ! I know you do n't like him any more but unless you hate him enough to wish him utterly get the hell up and help me look ! ``
*


Ron woke the marauders. The vulture roused the bookman. Vinca minor called the ghosts. Hermione ran to McGonagall. McGonagall went to Dumbledore.

The entire castle like an anthill kicked into turmoil by the departure of the boy-who-lived.

It was Dumbledore who confirmed, by 'his own methods', that Harry was not in the castle. The big hall was filled with touchable tension as breakfast appeared as if it was any other day. Everyone was whispering.

Why bother, 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 marauders 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 house piled through the giant double doorway. Jostling and pushing against each other, and against teachers, to get through. They spilled out onto the movement lawn like a wave, breaking and separating. Everyone was running for the main gate. Ginny saw Hagrid, out in front, yell something and the gate creaked heart-to-heart. Everyone pushed through, trying to get a glimpse of the solitary figure trudging up the course towards them.

The front runners stopped and were almost bowled over as the mass behind them ran into their backs. The road down from the gates was slanted, so everyone could see. See the figure that was definitely Harry.

His robe hung off one shoulder, the eternal rest torn and trailing behind him. The unhurt pass on side of his face was covered in line of descent, 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 black in the middle.

The entire of Hogwarts stared at him. Harry raised his head painfully.

'' well ... 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 track he does. Stupid Dumbledore.

'' Were you at the bread maker manse Harry ? ``

There we are.

'' How did you leave alone school day cause ? ``

You do n't need to cognise that.

'' Harry do me ! ``

'' What do you desire from me Dumbledore ? '' Harry pushed a blood-entangled dreadlock of hair out of his look. `` What do you want me to say ? ``

'' I want the truth ! '' Dumbledore was yelling, every portrait on the walls of his office watched in silence. Apart from them the room was empty. `` I want you to assure me where you went ! Where you go every night ! I want answers ! ``

'' I do n't give a damn what you want. ``

Rather incongruent seeing as we just asked him.

'' Harry if there is a break in the wards of Hogwarts I need to be intimate about it. ``

tinker's dam. He might actually be compensate. Voldemort sure as perdition knew about the chamber.

'' Chamber of secrets. '' Harry met the Headmasters regard but gave null 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 cellblock. ``

'' I ... no- ''

'' You 're not a god Dumbledore. '' Harry broke in. `` You ca n't do everything. You are incompetent. You make error. It does n't take to be this way between us, admit you made a mistake with heed to me. I can help you fight. aid the order. ``

'' You are not of age. ``

'' Screw that ! '' Harry yelled wildly. `` There 's two citizenry living tonight because of me ! Two Thomas Kyd who are not orphaned because of me ! ``

'' There are also five dead death eaters. ``

What ... the ... Scheol ...

'' Stunned. '' Harry corrected hopefully. `` Stunned death feeder. ``

'' Dead. '' Dumbledore 's face grew stony. `` Killed with an mystical toxin. Seen only once before. ``

No ... no no no no.

'' Dumbledore- ''

'' Stop ! '' The Headmaster cut him off. `` You have already demonstrated a bloodlust that disturbs normal, the right way wizards. ``

'' When I need to ! '' Harry was breathing hard. `` When my acquaintance life history are at stake ! ``

'' You are out of control Harry. ``

'' I did n't pour down them. '' Harry held up his hands. `` I did n't, I swear. I stunned them, then left, then called the aurors to pick them up. ``

'' I can not believe that Harry, I can not. Not with all I know. ``

'' Legilimence me. '' Harry released his defense. `` You 'll see. You 'll know. ``

'' I will not know. I will not recognise because I can not be sure that you have not reached a level of proficiency at occlumency where you could show me whatever make up memory you wish to. ``

'' THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT ! ``

'' Anger Harry ? You have a lot of anger do n't you. ``

Yes. Harry hung his head tiredly. There is no solvent to your motion. zilch that will satisfy you.

'' You will stay confined to the palace. '' Dumbledore ordered. `` You will wait on all deterrent example. A guardian appointed by me will walk you to and from each example. You will do these thing or I will helping hand you to the aurors. ``

'' I did n't do it. '' Harry whispered, more to himself than anything else.

'' I can not take that risk of exposure. ``

wait ! The Prophecy !

'' The prophecy. '' Harry blurted. `` What are we going to- ''

'' stopover thinking about such things. '' Dumbledore cut him off. `` They are no longer your business concern. ``

'' But I have to stop Voldemort. I 'm the only one who can. ``

'' This discussion is over Harry. Leave. ``

Harry stood. There was no point drawing it out. He walked towards the door, but did n't go through it. He felt drained, completely. But some residual well of obstinance would n't let him go away without one last word.

'' You 're making a mistake. '' Harry said over his shoulder. `` You do earn them remember. ``

'' I do. But I correct them. '' Dumbledore said sharply, but sadly. `` I am correcting one right now. ``

Damn. He still got the hold up word.

Harry turned and passed out of the spot. There were important decisions to be made.
*


'' Deja vu. '' A part said over Ron 's shoulder.

'' Malfoy ! '' Ron spun on his bench. `` Do you just hook around everywhere ? ``

'' Hard to purloin in the middle of lunch. '' Malfoy seemed agitated. `` Harry 's gone again. ``

'' Like this sunrise ? '' Hermione asked.

'' He said he was going to go to slumber, but his bag 's gone. '' As Malfoy spoke they heard a noise from the high table.

Dumbledore had just shoved his death chair back roughly and strode quickly from the hall.

'' He knows about- '' Ron began but stopped as a feathered shadow dropped onto the table.

Digger cocked his head and hopped about a little nervously. He kept looking at first one expression then another as if he did n't make out who to deliver his message too.

Ginny reached forward and took it off her. She spread it out on the board. It was short, but it had a lot of subtext. It simply said.

Take care of him






Review, or I will use my gravemetric anastrophe ray to smash the moon down onto the aerofoil of the Earth ! Destroying it utterly ! You have just one 60 minutes ! Mru Ha Ha Ha Ha ! Ha. Ha.


Arg ! The site goes down ! Madness everywhere ! Things declivity apart, the centerfield can not hold ! My review article ! ! ! My precious recapitulation ! ! !

Ah well ... such is life.



'' Is there no news ? ``

'' No Albus, there is not. '' Minerva shook her head. `` He appears to make vanished. ``

'' Has a watch been set on the borders ? All elbow room that he could provide the nation ? ``

'' Yes Albus. '' As if that had ever stopped Harry. `` But do you really think he will try to leave ? Everything we 've seen suggests he will stay and fight. ``

'' I do not recognize Minerva. '' Albus shook his head. `` I am not sure of anything anymore. ``

'' hitch strong Albus. The parliamentary law needs you. ``

'' Yes ... yes we must go on. ``
*


The marauders, bundled up against the cold, sat quietly before a huge bay windowpane in Malfoy manor. They had gone there straight from Hogwarts, with a sentry duty the entire way. They were in the nonage for leaving, a lot of students had elected to persist at Hogwarts for Yule. It was safer. They were not the only ones there though, terry and Anne bread maker ( none of the piranha had really known them ) had been dragged along looking confused.

That was until they reached the house and had a lachrymose reunion with their parents. Apparently someone had saved them from the decease eaters. Emphasis on someone.

The manor was filling up, loads of people. Refugees almost, hoi polloi that had been targeted or were in risk of being. It was scary, seeing the care in their eyes, the belief of being hunted. The marauders were the like, unable to leave, scanning the paper for any hint of Harry. They found naught but they kept looking. guiltiness was a powerful thing.

So now they were stuck in the sign of the zodiac, ineffectual to go away its walls as hoodwink blanketed everything outside. Even if they could have gone outside would they have had the mettle to play ? Maybe, maybe not. So they sat in front end of the huge undecided window and watched it fall.

The adult had tried to wee it cheery, there was even a Tree. It had n't worked though.

'' We should go accept lunch. '' individual murmured. No one moved. Eventually mortal else echoed the sentiment 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 straits. `` Two death eaters just got dropped into the ministry foyer. Flued in. They were stunned and tied up with typewriter ribbon. They 're processing them now. Where 's everyone else ? ``

'' Most of the grownup eat in the tree elbow room. '' Ginny pointed and Tonks hurried out.

'' Do you remember it was Harry ? '' Neville asked quietly.

'' Of class it was Harry. '' Malfoy said flatly.

'' It could have been person else, someone else trying to bar them. ``

'' Someone who tied them up like presents and dumped them Xmas 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 sole 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 did n't help. '' Draco sneered.

'' Shut up Malfoy ! You were the one helping him ! '' Ron reached over and tried to beat the Slytherin. `` If you had n't he would n't give birth thought he could fight them ! ``

'' He was getting help from other stead than me. soul else I 'm sure, he was getting better too flying. '' Malfoy shook his head. `` No, I withdraw what I said before. You did n't push him towards this. This was inevitable. ``

But we abandoned him. Ginny thought darkly. Maybe if he would take stayed long if he thought he had something to abide for. Or at the very least he 'd know he was n't alone. Merlin, how had matter gone so incorrectly ?

'' It 's my fault. '' Hermione murmured suddenly. `` I said that ... stupid thing about choosing between- ''

'' It was n't you. '' Ron broke in. `` You heard Malfoy, it was inevitable. ``

'' We need to do something. '' Parvati said. `` Bring him back. Tell him it 's ok. ''

'' How ? '' genus Draco shook his nous. `` Take out a personal ad in the Prophet ? ``

'' Well why not ? ``

'' Because it 's pathetic. And because all it would do is assuage your guilt trip. It would n't help him. ``

'' well what would help him ! '' Fred asked angrily.

'' I do n't experience ! '' Draco injection to his substructure. `` Why are you asking me anyway ? I do n'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 did n't really have any other acquaintance. 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. `` Do n't just retain saying 'do something'and expect everyone else to come up with something. ``

'' I do n't hear you coming up with anything ! ``

'' There 's nothing we can do ! ``

They lapsed into an angry secrecy again. There was too a lot focus, too picayune sleep. They were all at the end of their leash. Just like Harry had been. Ginny shook her mind, they should sustain gone easier on him. A picayune selfish component part of her felt gladiolus that she had not been part of that initiative argument with him. Another piece blamed her for starting it. If she had just dodged he would n't have hurt her shoulder and then they would n't ingest ...

It was otiose to call up about it. The literary argument had happened, but a little contribution of her still irked. They should n't have blown up on him, so what if he said he chose an army ... wait ... Was it possible ? Was she really thinking about this ?

'' I can cerebrate of something we can do. '' She said, her vocalization catching in the midriff. It had n't done that in years.

'' What Gin ? '' Fred asked without looking at her.

No one was looking at her. No one was paying aid. vulture principle ...

'' HEY ! '' The board jumped as Ginny slammed down on it hard. The piranha started like rabbits. Oh great, now everyone was looking at her. She stood, keeping her men bland 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 instant there was secretiveness, 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 do n't have sex how to agitate like him. '' Ron was staring at her wildly.

'' Harry learnt, so we can. '' Ginny folded her arms. `` Harry was n't even that dear at defensive structure and expect how far he 's do. We can do it. ``

'' We could ... '' Fred murmured, and is Gemini began nodding thoughtfully.

'' There are only eight of us. '' Hermione pointed out.

'' I think other the great unwashed in the schooling would be prepared to help Harry if we told them. The old elect ... others too. '' Ginny tried to look surefooted. `` And besides, Harry 's just one individual ! ``

'' But Harry 's Harry ! '' Hermione shook her head. `` He could get away with that variety of affair ! He has some ... ability ... some reason he survived. A magnate ! That 's it ! Like the divination said .'A power the dark God Almighty knows not'we- ''

'' The but power Harry ever displayed was stubbornness. '' Padma interrupted her. `` bullheadedness and braveness. ``

'' And the fact that he never gave up. '' Her Sister added.

'' And we should n't either. '' Padma nodded.

'' So you ... '' Ginny turned to them grinning.

'' We 're in. '' Padma said, her centre hard and determined. Her sister nodded her support.

'' Us too. '' George folded his blazonry just as his comrade said,

'' We ca n't give up on Harry. ``

'' And you three ? '' Ginny turned to the last three undecided marauders. Neville shifted nervously,

'' I ... It could have been me. '' He was looking down at the table. `` It could have been me. I would n't birth survived this recollective. No ... but I ca n't just disregard it. The fact that it could have been me I mean. I ... I feel like I have to avail if I can. ``

'' You 're in ? ``

'' I do n't know how practically help I 'll be. ``

'' You saved me. '' Ginny smiled desperately. All the vulture had to join, it was like fate. For some reason she felt like that. If they all did n't fall in it just would n't shape. `` And Harry would have wanted it. ``

'' He understood you. '' Padma chimed in, smiling. `` Thomas More than the remainder of us I think. ``

'' I 'll aid, if I can. '' Neville said, in a minuscule vocalisation. Ginny breathed out in fill-in, one down two to go ...

'' And you two ? ``

Hermione and Ron shared a aspect. Ginny knew she could bait her brother into it, Ron was a poriferan for peer pressure sensation, but she would n't. Not a choice like this.

'' We 'll consume to miss some object lesson. '' Ron said suddenly and Hermione put a handwriting over her mouth, chuckling. `` Think you can treat 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 vauntingly dual door. Standing in the receptive crack were two brownish haired baby. Dame Alice Ellen Terry and Anne Baker. 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 serve too. ``

'' Harry saved our parents. '' Dame Ellen Terry added in. `` The ministry did n't even sleep with they were a target. We want to help. ``

'' You realize what this means do n't you ? '' Ginny said clearly. `` We 're talking about fighting. Fighting death eaters. Maybe dying, almost certainly getting hurt. This is n't going to be fun. ``

'' We know that. '' Terry nodded. `` You think we do n't get it on ? We saw Harry when he came back that morning just like the rest of you. That 's the kind of hooey you 're talking about right hand ? Well that dark he was out saving our parents. Saving them was what hurt him so bad, so its ... like I do n't know. Only fair, I guess, that we should do that for him. ``

'' You could die. '' Padma said flatly.

'' If Voldemort wins we die anyway. '' Anne matched her mat. `` With parents like ours we 'll be on the top of his list. ``

'' We know what were getting ourselves into. '' terry cloth said defiantly. `` We want to join Harry 's United States Army. ``

'' Harry 's US Army ? '' George III snorted. `` Is that what we 're calling ourselves ? ``

'' I do n't care it. '' His twin agreed.

'' It does sounds like something from world-war-two. '' Hermione agreed.

'' How about the elect ? We 've been that before. '' Ron suggested.

'' We 're the marauders. '' Ginny overrode him. `` We 've always been the marauders we always will be. It 's what Harry would induce wanted. ``

A murmur of correspondence went up from around the table and Ginny felt a surge of pridefulness. She beckoned the Baker twins over. As she did she suddenly realized something, she had made everybody look at her and they were still looking. Her brothers had happily accepted her track, they all had. And now she was about to ordain two new vulture, a privilege only previously granted by Harry.

What can of dirt ball had she opened today ?

'' But wait. '' Padma said suddenly. `` How are we going to train properly ? Harry had a teacher, he had to. Where are we going to get one ? ``

'' I can call up of someone. ``
*


'' genus Draco ! ``

Draco turned in impact to look 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 regular army. We 're going to fight for Harry. We want your help. ``

The library was soundless for a second. Draco met the center of each of the marauders, were they really serious ? Legillimancy gave him the answer.

'' Well would you face at that. '' Draco murmured, then smiled. `` Lets get to it. ``
*


'' You realize this means the marauders now have fellow member in every Hogwarts family. '' George II commented as they walked down to Harry 's old training cellar.

'' We do n't have any Ravenclaws. '' Ron said. Hermione shook her heading irritably.

'' You would imagine you 'd recall Ron, after all the times she 's save our peel. ``

'' Who ? ``

'' Moaning Myrtle. ``

'' She does n't calculate. '' Ron said with authority before being clipped around the ear by Ginny.

"Watch your mouth. Harry wouldn't pedestal for that kind of talk."

"Besides, you ‘ re all wrong anyway."Draco said dryly from the front man."Harry made myself and Tonks marauders at the end of last year. You ‘ ve been cross-house for months now."

"Why didn ‘ t you tell us ?"Ron asked him.

"Would it have made a difference ?"

"wellspring ... maybe."Ron shrugged."Marauders have different rules than average people."

"Yeah, that portion I got."Malfoy reached the door to the cellar and threw it open. It was exactly how they had left it. Huge piles of broken furniture and burn Marks on the wall."Right, well we don ‘ t have impact celestial sphere or a siswai ‘ aman or muggle gonnes-"

"Guns."Hermione corrected.

"Them either."Draco stepped into the heart and soul of the room."Actually I do have some encroachment spheres but that ‘ s not the peak. We don ‘ t have prison term to go to four continent and cull up the best weaponry like Harry did, so I ‘ m going to focalize on this ..."Malfoy drew his scepter and held it out in straw man of him.

"terry cloth, Anne."Ginny turned to the two newfangled penis."How are you at defense course of instruction ?"

"We ‘ re both getting Es."Anne said quickly.

"marauder should know how to lie better than that."

"Alright As."

"Lapplander as Harry last year."Ginny told them encouragingly."Hermione ? Can you impart them up to speed really 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 belly did a little floaty lurch.

Just accent. She told herself. Just focus because we're joining a war. Natural to be nervous, especially since they seem to have elected me leader. I'm not unquiet for any other reason. No reason at all.
*


Neville collapsed into a chair in his way. He ached everywhere. Malfoy had pushed them all day, fighting. They had only quit for the night when the baker minor couldn't stand up any more. Neville hadn't been far behind them.

This must have been what it was like for Harry.

Neville shook his pass, earlier Padma had told him Harry understood him. Neville didn't know whether that was on-key. 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 masses ... about Harry.

Maybe there was one former thing they could do for Harry.

He had thought of it before but hadn't mentioned it. No ground to recount ` people, especially if he was wrong. It'd just make him appear stupid. It probably wouldn't help anyway. But it was worth a shot.

Neville drew a small-arm of report towards him and grabbed a quill. He chewed on the end nervously, how did you start a message like this ?

lamb ... No, to familiar. Neville shook his straits, it didn't thing what words he used. He should just get the thing written. He cracked his tire out knucks and started again.

To The Pythea

My name 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 tough than he thought.

Harry's in trouble, or he might be. He's left Hogwarts to struggle. 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 moment. The letter might get intercepted by someone.

If the phrase ‘ as the seventh month dies'means anything to you then you know why he's doing this. I don't know if you can help him but if you can then please do, and tell us what we can do to avail. We're already doing everything we can but it may not be enough.

Neville read the letter of the alphabet over nervously. He was writing to ask the helper of one of the most powerful women in the humans. He signed it, his mitt shaking enough to make the touch illegible, then squeaked his chair back and made for the owlery.

excavator was awake and waiting, like he knew. The owl didn't even bother to reckon at the address, it just glanced at the name and took off. Neville watched it go, hoping ...
*


He got no reply over Noel. The marauders opened presents with aching castanets while their parents watched before begging out and going back down to the cellar. Neville was surprised that the Baker nestling didn't complain about being worked on Christmas day. Perhaps they really did understand what they were in for.

snow kept falling intermittently, not enough to cover the priming again. It just ended up slush. Neville wondered if Harry was outside, cold, right now, then felt dullard. If Harry could get uncanny iniquity weaponry out of the blue then he could observe warm in winter.

'' Neville ! '' He heard Fred yell at him. `` I thought we were dueling not staring out the windowpane. ``

'' 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 roof of a house, careful not to slue on the wet tile. The house across the way was owned by a prominent penis of a pure blood family. Not his main house obviously, pokey little place like this, but one of his properties.

A property with a heavy basement. A property that had been taking in prominent supplying of sum, bad meat too. Off cuts, the variety you would kick in animals.

It was a lead. Harry smiled grimly, he was on to them. He could wait here all nighttime ...
*


"Severus the children at headquarters keep disappearing during the day. Do you know where they're going ?

"I do not Albus."Technically reliable though any sensible person could guess.

"Do you think they might be planning to follow Harry ?"

"It is possible."I hope they are.

"This troubles be Severus, they should be kept safe."

"They are children."Technically genuine 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 hall, meeting the center of the four order appendage. Snape, McGonagall, Tonks and 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 base, cushion evident on her case. `` How ? ``

'' Harry has been too trusting of Gringots. '' Dumbledore drew a slim down folder of lambskin towards him. `` He forgets that they have human employees as well as goblin unity. I have managed to obtain book of Harry 's transaction. I believe I have pinpointed his locating. ``

'' So why have n't you brought the poor boy back ? ``

'' Because Harry will have an expiration strategy. '' Dumbledore shook his head. `` If he sees me he will run, and I can not guarantee I will be able to view him. You are the order fellow member I believe he will trust. You must approach him. You must bring in him back. ``

And what if I do n't wish him back. Snape was careful to harbor his mentation utterly. What if I merely wish to make sure as shooting he 's safe.

'' This is the location. '' Dumbledore floated a weather 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 flooring ? '' The auror Tonks was looking at the map drawn by Dumbledore. `` Why would he be on the top floor ? It 's a numb end. No way out. ``

'' The boy 's impertinent than that. '' Alastor agreed as the four of them reached the stairwell of the muggle building. It was not vacant, indeed Snape could hear muffled vocalisation and clicking from adjacent rooms, but the top storey was closed for renovation.

'' Perhaps Dumbledore was wrong then. '' Was that a mite of Bob Hope in the vocalisation of the Thomas Young auror ?

'' More probable Harry has a broomstick up there. '' Minerva snapped.

Harry would not have a broomstick. Snape shook his point but said null out loud. He is more likely to sustain a pet dragon up there than a broomstick.

'' Quiet. '' Helen Wills was up ahead, his sorcerous eye scanning above them. The old auror cursed. `` Damn evil eye ! There 's bags up there, and papers. But I ca n't evidence if there 's a person. ``

'' Let me see. '' Minerva slinked into her cat form and carefully padded up the pace. Then came back down, her eye twinkling. She transformed back and said, `` Harry has been here. His feeling is everywhere. ``

'' Do you be intimate if he is there now ? '' Snape asked.

'' He is there. The aroma is too recent for him not to be. ``

'' Then we go in. '' Helen Wills stalked forward. `` No wands seeable, do n't spook him. ``

They walked up the stark concrete stairs. The door was closed and covered by a plastic bed sheet. Snape was reaching out to cut it aside when they all heard,

'' Do n't nettle, I 've cut a slit in the one round the slope. '' The four guild members stopped stagnant. The vox continued. `` And if you want a more dramatic program line, you are Moody, Snape, McGonagall and Tonks. ``

'' Harry ? '' Tonks asked loudly. `` Is that you ? ``

'' Did I not make that solve ? '' The vocalization said cheerily. `` come in if you want. With your custody up if you please, we do n't require any surprises."

"You don ‘ t trust us ?"Tonks asked.

"Constant vigilance."Harry replied.

Snape chuckled as he dropped his sceptre in his pocket and walked around the corner. There indeed was a break in the charge card mantle, it was waving in the cold-blooded wind. Snape stepped up to the gap and pushed it aside. Harry was standing in the candid bay window, leaning easily against the edge.

He looked ... tired. Beyond tired, his center were sunken and his skin pale. Did he look worse 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 glad though, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Harry."Snape greeted him as the early order members filed in behind him."It is good to see you. You are looking well."

"No I ‘ m not."Harry was watching them all closely."But I ‘ m surviving. How did you get me ?"

"I ‘ m afraid we can ‘ t-"

"Gringots led us here."Snape interrupted McGonagall, who glared at him."Dumbledore found you here with their information. He sent us here to bring you back."

"And are you going to ?"

"We just want to talk to you Harry."McGonagall stepped forward, her hands circulate peacefully."It is not safe for you out here."

"It ‘ s not safe anywhere."Harry shrugged."And I ‘ m helping out here. I ‘ m fighting the last eater. What are you doing ? Looking for a lost child ? Let me ask you, which of us is doing the more useful job ?"

"ceramist don ‘ t be an idiot."Moody growled."You may have caught a few dying eaters but it ‘ s only a matter of time before you ‘ re caught and you beneficial beg it ‘ s by Dumbledore and not the dark overlord. If you die we all lose."

"If I fail we all lose."Harry shifted near to the window.

"Harry, we ‘ re just trying to assist you."Tonks stepped forward."We all know what ‘ s at post here."

"This tantrum is recap."Harry scoffed."I ‘ m leaving."He turned to the windowpane and dropped.

"No !"McGonagall yelled, snatching for her wand but Moody was faster. The old auror summoned Harry roughly, drawing him across the base and disarmed him with a flick of the wrist.

"Son of a bitch."Harry tried to stand but Moody jabbed his wand and Harry was pushed back to the ground."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 voice about not needing to ?"

"To be honest, both."Harry made a passado for the door but McGonagall stepped in front of him. Harry cringed, then tried to stand."This is pointless. If you bring me back to Hogwarts Dumbledore ‘ ll keep me prisoner, we all lose."

"I trust Dumbledore Sir Thomas More than I trust you right now."Helen Wills Moody raised his wand."You disappointed me. Now Stup-"

"stay !"Snape struck sideways, sending Helen Wills Moody's wand sideways. As the auror 's optic jerked open in electrical shock Snape stunned him and whirled, holding his wand on McGonagall."Don ‘ t motion Minerva. In fact back away."

"Severus what is this ?"Her eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Please don ‘ t talk."Snape glanced at Tonks standing twitchily in the corner, her hand hovering over her wand."And you ? Do I need to daze you too ?"

"I ... no."The young auror's eyes flickered down to Harry."return care 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 effective than that."

"I know. I screwed up. Constant Vigilance."Harry nodded towards Moody."You should severalize him that too when he wakes up."

"He will probably toss off me first."Snape shrugged.

"Not likely."Harry stepped up the bound."He ‘ ll probably trustfulness you now."

Harry grinned and dropped off the edge.

Snape waited a foresighted instant, long enough for Harry to get through the reason, then lowered his verge. 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 specify to do now ?"

"I will go back to Dumbledore."Snape stepped over to wake up Moody."And I will try to explain."

The auror blinked to living and grabbed his scepter. He levered himself to his feet and looked Snape up and down with his piercing electric bluing eye.

"wellspring well, your straight colors at last."Dwight Lyman Moody spat.

"Trelawney once told me my color was pale fuchsia."Snape commented as he made for the room access."If I ‘ m showing that color you may want to get your eye checked."

"My eye ‘ s fine."

"commodity, then I ‘ ll meet you at Headquarters."Snape apparated away, the cold pressing abyss of empty giving him a moment of peace before he dropped to his feet in front of the doorway. Three pops behind him told him the other parliamentary law fellow member had followed.

"Don ‘ t do that again you slime."Dwight Lyman Moody growled, wand out."If you try to apparate again I ‘ ll assume you ‘ re trying to escape."

Snape took three whole tone, into the grand hall.

"There."Snape raised his workforce."Now I can ‘ t escape."

"I don ‘ t trust you."Helen Wills Moody shook his head."Give me your wand."

"No."Snape turned towards the briny antechamber and walked calmly. Surprisingly he felt equanimity, he was comfy. He was sick of being Dumbledore's lapdog, and now he had finally acted on it.

He pushed the two-bagger room access open and found something he didn't expect. The whole Holy Order was there, lining the wall. Dumbledore had called a get together, to discuss Harry being back. Snape stopped, his arms crossed and the three following him walked past into the way. Tonks was still quiesce, fading into the crowd, her hair unconsciously turning mute brown. Moody and Minerva walked straight up to the headspring of the table.

"You failed to catch Harry ?"Dumbledore clearly suspected something. He was using the stare that used to pierce Snape to the person, now it just made his eyes itching."What went wrong Severus ?"

"I decided that peachy good could be served by letting him free."Severus stood calm against the angry mutter that rose at that. He found Natalie's optic in the gang,

Why ?

I am tired of leashes.

You aren't finished are you. It wasn't a question.

I am not. I mean Dumbledore to lie with I am no longer ... tame.

Well this should be fun.

Snape couldn't help but smile.

"You think this is fishy Severus !"Dumbledore had stood, his eye flinty and hard.

"Yes."

"How dare you !"

How dare I ? Snape snorted, this was the way things should be. He felt more comfortable with everything against him.

"Snape this sentence you have gone too far."

Oh honorable, 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 vox irritatingly coolheaded"The entirely 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 entrust !"

"No you do not. You trust no one. You never have. Not with any secret worth knowing. You are a closed system of rules, no one is told anything."Snape glanced around the office at the other society phallus, practically everyone was there. Everyone there to witness his abasement, that was what Dumbledore wanted anyway. If Snape had his way it wasn't going to hap like that."None of these mass know anything do they."

"I am speak-"

"You ‘ d think that would bother them."Snape continued."You ‘ d think one of them would vex about you."

"Be still !"

"Each of them thought another had your ear. Minerva thought Lupin, Lupin thought Moody perhaps. I don ‘ t know who Helen Newington Wills thought. But none of them did, none of them know."

"secretiveness !"

"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 hear 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 turtle. spine into your shell."

"And what is my shell ?"Dumbledore growled with uncontained rage and frustration.

"Your past. Your reputation."Snape sniffed."The net war, your glory daylight. 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 earn what you think about-"

"Shut up."Dead silence. Snape folded his arms, grinning faintly. Behaving like Harry was fun."I am talking now and you will listen. You are paralyzed by something. Guilt I would guess. I don ‘ t know of course of instruction, 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, great swirling pools of it. In every stoma of you, in every facet of your mind. It ‘ s been there since the low gear time I ever saw you, I didn ‘ t recognize it then of trend, but it was there. By the time I came to work for you I was old enough to recognize it. Something in your past, in your nowadays too, fills you with a festering remorse. And it just gets speculative and worse, makes you doubt yourself, makes you imagine you are never worthy. Makes you turn down the position of curate for magic. Over and over again. I know what made you like this, you think I would work for you and not investigate your past. You know I am more careful than that. You must have known that I knew. You must have known that I had found out about Kendra."

Dumbledore froze, every sinew tensed. Snape breathed a sigh of alleviation in his mind. He had not known for sure, not until that bit. He still didn't know really, not what had happened in that room. That arcanum would probably be taken to the graves of the men concerned. No matter, Snape could annotate over the details.

"It was there in the first war."Snape continued, his harsh voice the lone sound in the mob foyer."Back then it was ... helpful. It made you careful. It made you weak but ... it made you careful. 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 famous Albus Dumbledore, you are a fractured version of him."

"No."

"Something destroyed you."

"Stop."

"I don ‘ t know what it was."

"Please."

"It must possess been something terrible."Snape smiled slyly, letting his words sink in. Weakening."Whatever could it have been ? You don ‘ t have another sister ..."

"SILENC-"

"Legilimens !"
*


wickedness falling, falling everywhere. My fault, always my fault. I shouldn't have put him there, no right I had no right field. I condemned him, his death. My one charge. Failure. No. Must be done. Hope. Death. Failure. Truth shrouded so deeply. So recondite it hurts. The Truth would damp 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 judgment away, shaking. He fell to his knee joint on the floor, the repulsion, the confusion, filling him. Dumbledore had fallen too, back into his chair. The old mans face twisted in pure suffering. To keep a trueness locked inside for nine old age only to have it roughly ripped from you ? It must hold felt like his gist had been torn out. Snape shook his head, it could not be honest, it couldn't be. But behind the dismal murmuring of Dumbledore's mind, behind the aching remorse the very memories hid. He had pushed them deep, as if trying to forget them but they were there. They were inconceivable to forget. Snape knew he never would. The magnitude of what the old man had done hit him and he doubled over, vomiting onto the cold Harlan Fiske Stone floor.

He felt deal on his shoulders. Natalie. He reached up for one and grasped it, holding on to something genuine as parts of his universe fell apart. He tried to stand up and come up he needed Natalie's assistance to spring up to his fundament. His legs felt like water, his feet like led. He tried to constitute his oral fissure work, things needed to be said. Something needed to be said.

"How daring you ?"Predictable, but Snape could think of nothing better."How could you do that ? To a tyke !"

"It ... was necessary."Dumbledore's voice was barely a murmur, a swoon susurration in the air."It had to be done. It had to be done. It had to be done."Dumbledore mumbled that musical phrase over and over like a prayer.

"necessary ?"Snape found his glossa and used it to rumble."No. No it was not. Not even you believe that."

"We needed-"

"BE SILENT !"Snape snapped, the master cringed back as if struck."I am leaving Dumbledore. I am going to help Harry. To find him and help oneself him, and you will let me. You have no rightfield to take in 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 hush-hush. 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 behemoth. One that has nothing to do with the moon."Snape turned away and hobbled from the room, leaning heavily on the minor 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 unavowed !"

Snape kept walking, not trusting himself to speak. They reached the door and he stiffened, his heart felt like it had a thousand tiny hooks in it, each one attached to a weight.

"Severus ?"Natalie murmured beside him."You need to go home base, I ‘ ll take you-"

"No. Not menage. Hogwarts."Snape shook his head."Hogwarts first."

"Alright."She didn't argue, she knew when his mind was made up. There was a short, sharp bell and the cleaning woman he was leaning on had blond hair and pale white skin. Of course of action, she was supposed to be dead. Trust her to commemorate contingent even at a time like this. They stepped outside the boundary of the wards and apparated, the frigidity and pressing invalidate once more enfold him.

He stepped out himself onto the sess before the gates and allowed himself to be led up the long way to the rook. Corridors passed and Snape realized he was being led to his quarters. Good. The wall are warded so no one will listen. As they reached the door Snape pushed it open and went directly to the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a whisky and drunk it down, wincing at the tan in his throat.

"touch myrtle Henderson."Snape called out softly. Ghosts could always hear their names. A few mo later the shadowy anatomy of Moaning Myrtle sunk out of the ceiling.

"Why did you shout out me ?"She asked impudently."I don ‘ t answer to you."

"I called you because the house elves reputation to Dumbledore as do the other ghosts. I need these words to be private."Snape snapped quickly."I need you to bring prof Michelson down here and I need you to tell 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 ego, waiting patiently.

"You don ‘ t have to differentiate 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 evidence you. If nothing else I need your help to make sensation of it."Snape took a deep breath and began explaining. He could have just given her the store but he didn't want her to get the shock he had. It didn't actually conduct that long to explain, in the end it was so simple. When he was finished she just sat there, staring at him. As if uncoerced him to climb up up and yell ‘ fooled you ! ’, but knowing he would not.

"This ... this changes everything."She said breathlessly.

"It changes nothing."Snape gritted his teeth."We still need to help Harry."

"You ‘ re mightily, 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 silence as the doorway was pushed open. Markus Albert Abraham Michelson strode in, looking around the small way quickly.

"The specter said this was about Harry."He said, still glancing around as if Harry would bounce from a sideboard."Do you recognise where he is ?"

"No, but I have ... I have left the order to seek for him. To help 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 revalue your help."

"well finally !"Michelson threw up his arm."I was beginning to think I was the only one in this place with my head on straight."

"You are not far wrong."Snape shrugged.

"So what does this make up us ?"Natalie smiled."The rescript of the Kneasle ?"

"The Order of the Nundu more like."Albert Michelson cracked his knuckles.

"You know, I think it makes us marauders."Snape smiled faintly."James I Potter must be spinning in his grave."



one-half of my reexamination seem to birth disappeared ... very sad ... : (

You all have to go over twice now to bring in up for it. If you do leave a review then a faggot will visit you while you sleep and sprinkle fairy detritus on you. The queer dust won't do magic or let you fly or anything but it'll be very pretty.


Harry Potter and the Changeling Child : Chapter 5 : The dark market place

Harry travels to find information.




This newsman has some shocking news. News that will shine you, good subscriber, to your very core. Harry Potter has been declared a dangerous vigilante by the ministry. Yes, Harry Potter the-boy-who-lived, is a liquidator. According to ministry official Harry has been responsible for at least six dying and possibly more !

curate Fudge was quoted as saying ‘ Yes, well this is shocking but not entirely unexpected. exactly tone at his activeness during the Triwizard tournament, the boy stole a ship for Merlin's interest. He's always been a loose cannon that boy has.'

This announcement came at the Same time as his official expulsion from Hogwarts school day of witchcraft and wizardry.
*


The marauders looked at each early along the long table in the great manor hall. None of them said 'Is this a laugh ?'or 'No way'or anything naively childish like that. They were past that. They had all known, on some floor, that this was potential. Maybe even inevitable.

'' change naught. '' Fred was the 1st to speak. `` It 's all bollocs so it changes nothing. ``

'' This is crazy ! Do they think we 're stupid ? '' Ron was almost spluttering in angriness. `` No one 's gon na believe any of this ! ``

'' I almost compliments people did. '' Hermione was shaking her head as she peered down at the front page article.

'' What ! You want people to believe Harry 's a- '' Ron rounded on her, about to let liberate, but Ginny held up a manus to bring him up short. He was still fuming though and said, Sir Thomas More reasonably. `` Maybe you should explain that commentary. ``

'' Because no one will believe it Ronald. '' Hermione bit her lip worriedly. `` Or at to the lowest degree many masses wo n't. And citizenry will charge the ministry. People will detest the ministry for attacking their submarine. ``

'' Remember the riots go year ? '' Padma said darkly. `` Imagine that. Except much worse. ``

'' Oh ... '' Ron 's face fell. `` I guess that is bad. ``

'' It changes cypher. '' Malfoy said sharply. `` Not really. We all knew this was a possibility. ``

'' Right, '' Ginny nodded, putting on her drawing card side. `` He 's right. All this does is take in what we 're doing even more urgent. ``

They all nodded, they had been training ever since they had got back to hogwarts a calendar month ago.
*


His description has been given to every ministry law enforcement official and hit ace. His spot on the ministry 's wanted list is only a few places short of the known Death eaters !

According to the ministry Harry 's M.O. is to use toxicant to do his dirty work. A poisonous substance there is no known antidote to.

Harry 's description is known to every adept and beldame alive but you should be cognisant that he may be in disguise.
*


'' This is Dumbledore 's doing. '' Natalie shook her head as she slid the composition over to Snape. Michelson had already flicked his copy closed and was staring at it angrily, as if blaming the paper itself. Snape sighed, he had already read the offending article.

'' Dumbledore undoubtedly had a hand in it. '' Snape tried to stop his ire rising to the open. Keep it under wraps, save it for when it was needed. `` Perhaps he thinks he can dash Harry back to him. ``

'' Then he does n't know Harry. '' Albert Michelson stood and began pacing angrily, obviously he felt no need to keep his ire under wrapper. `` This 'll just make Harry even more sure that everyone 's against him ! ``

'' Undoubtedly. '' Snape flicked through the respite of the newspaper. `` At least there is some serious news ... ''
*


Harry may be dynamic in Leeds. Yesterday the ministry was handed an anon. tip that led them to a theatre there that had been converted to house dark creatures. No death eaters were caught ( perhaps the bodies are hidden elsewhere ! ) but the basement was a nest of lethifolds, swarming in the darkness in numeral never before seen on British people soil. I do not need to tell you, good subscriber, that if they had been unleashed they would ingest caused untold destruction. The lethifolds have been disposed of by the ministry.

There is no proof that Harry was there but a contact in the aurors office said that they were investigating the possibility.

Harry is to be considered as dangerous as any death eater. Perhaps more so.
*


Harry dumped the paper in a trash can. It did n't matter anymore. He coughed roughly, clutching at his abdomen. It did n't matter if the ministry caught him so long as he did what he had to do first. What the underworld did he give care what everybody else thought ? It just meant he had to be more careful.

Harry shoved off the wall and flicked his thug up before walking off down he alleyway. There was still work to do.
*


'' Is it true ? ``

Ginny turned at the sound, the angry and forceful phone. The predator spun with her, almost in synchronicity. Cho Chang stepped back fearfully. In her defense the vulture now numbered eleven, filling the hallway with consistent anger. They had also all drawn their wands at the Lapp time as she spoke, in response to the possible threat.

They must suffer truly looked like an army.

Cho had frozen in spot, ira turned to amazed muteness. 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 fount. `` Is Harry Ok ? ``

'' We do n't know. ``

'' Where is he ? ``

'' We do n't bed. ``

'' Does he take help ? ``

'' We do n't live. We 're trying to help him. '' Ginny said curtly. She was beginning to get tired of Cho 's stupe questions. Ginny turned to leave when Cho broke in,

'' wellspring I want to help too ! '' Ginny felt a little mental groan. That was just what she needed, a complaining pretty-girl in the social status. A perpetual soreness at best, a liability at worst. Cho went on, `` I 'm older than you, and I 'm a Ravenclaw. I must hump luck of piece you do n't get it on yet ! You should let me get together. ``

'' No you do n't you chesty snotty ... '' Ginny clamped her sassing shut and took a oceanic abyss appeasement breath. `` This is n't the bloody gobstones ball club. You ca n't just join on a whim. We 're training to contend, really fight. fighting death eater. ``

'' I know that. '' Cho looked down her nose arrogantly. `` If you can do it then I can too. ``

'' You do n't understand ! You ... '' Ginny gritted her teeth tight together again before turning to the marauders. `` Vote. 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 feelings so abundantly clear. After some embarrassed shuffling Draco stepped forward, eyeing Cho up and down silently. Ginny felt another jet of bile rise in her gut.

'' You accept the fact that you could die ? '' Dragon asked flatly. Cho nodded, her centre wide-eyed. Draco looked into her eyes for a moment, Ginny thought she heard him mutter something under his breather. Draco cocked his head to the incline and asked another question. `` Do you accept the fact that you have to assume orders from Ginny ? ``

YES ! Take that you bitch ! Ginny was shocked at the tier of glee her subconscious threw up at that question. If her subconscious was felicitous with the motion, her entire head grinned when Cho grimaced and nodded.

'' fine. '' Draco shrugged. `` We need more the great unwashed. I vote yes. If she does n't mold out we can always pee-pee her leave of absence. ``

'' We vote yes. '' Fred said, shrugging. His Twin Falls added, `` Sorry Ginny. ``

'' I ... yes. '' Parvati nodded, a little hesitantly.

'' No. '' Padma shook her straits, earning her a shocked glance from her sister. `` We do n't call for her. No intellect to take on another task when we do n't need her. ``

'' Look just put your hand up. '' Ginny said tiredly. `` Hands for no ? ``

Three handwriting rose, herself, Padma and Hermione. Ginny 's stomach dropped, this did n't look good.

'' For yes ? ``

Five handwriting were raised. Ron had followed his older brothers. Ginny turned to silent three remainders.

'' Neville, Anna, Terry ? '' Neville shifted uncomfortably and the Baker twins looked at the floor. `` You need to vote. ``

'' I do n't want to vote. '' Neville said quietly.

'' And we 're new. '' Anna shrugged. `` We 'll let you adjudicate. ``

'' You see ! '' Cho said triumphantly. `` I 'm in ! ``

Ginny turned slowly, it was done. Time to make the best of it.

'' Fine. Meet us here after deterrent example today. ``

'' Today ? But I 've got quidditch drill. ``

I know. Ginny did n't say it, but she so wanted to. `` This is more important than quidditch. We all understand that. You need to. ``

With that she turned and strode away. She hoped Cho would n't sour up tonight. That would really make her day.

Ginny survived herbology with a book of curse word propped up against a plant life pot. She did the same in Defense Department, prof Albert Michelson was being oddly blind to the transgressions of the vulture. After the example were done she slammed her script away and dashed for the threshold. She ran for the meeting place but slowed down before she got there. She would n't descend all covered in exertion and breathing hard. She would n't give Cho the satisfa ...

Cho was n't alone.

Ginny stopped with the marauders a few tempo away from the newcomers. Lucy capital of Jamaica stood by her Ravenclaw friend with her boyfriend, Joshua split, standing on her early side. The two ex-Slytherin Gryffindors, Vanessa and Elizabeth I stood in straw man 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 admit to the marauders herself. stunned Cho.

'' You told them. '' She tried to make her voice come out icily angry, hoping it did n't just vocalise peevish. `` You told all of them. What the infernal region do you think- ''

'' I do n't tell them ! '' Cho interrupted her. `` Everyone in the school day is talking about the news show about Harry, and everybody knows you lot are doing something unavowed. They just ... ''

'' We eavesdropped. '' split interrupted. `` We want to serve Harry too. ``

'' This is getting ridiculous. '' Padma muttered from the depths of the marauders.

'' We heard what you asked Cho. '' split went on. `` And we understand the danger. Lets face it, if you trust him, '' Split jerked his chin towards Malfoy. `` You have to trust us. ``

'' I do n't have to hope any of you. '' Good, that sounded like Harry. `` Listen I do n't care what you say. We 're going to train now. If you can keep up you can stay, we do n't have time to slow down for you. ``

'' Fine with us ... gentlewoman sergeant. '' Split added sarcastically.

'' retard. '' Ginny muttered as she led the amassed hordes off down the corridor.
*


'' Listen. ``

Malfoy stopped and turned towards schism. The older boy had halted them just outside the entering to the marauder bonce, everyone else was already inside.

'' Yes ? '' Malfoy said evenly. `` Can I assist you ? ``

'' I just want you to know we 're here for Harry. '' tear said challengingly. `` We do n't believe you. We do n't forgive you. ``

'' You 're here for the same ground I am then. ``

'' Whatever. '' Split shook his head. `` God knows why she trusts you. Let alone ... well you know. ``

'' I know what ? '' Malfoy looked around in confusion. `` She who ? ``

'' You do n't know ? '' Split almost seemed to smile. `` imbecile. ``

'' She who ? ``

'' I expect she 'll let you know in her own time. ``

'' She who ? ``
*


Harry pushed his way out of the old store he had flued into and a blast of high temperature hit his face. He dragged a encompassing brimmed hat out of his bag and pulled it low over his eye. Ah, that was better. His coat and it 's various enchantments would feature kept his physical structure poise but it would possess looked incredibly conspicuous here. He winced in the harsh light and shucked his bag up on his articulatio humeri before setting off along the dark tarmac street.

Muggles walked past him without a mo persuasion, jabbering to each early in French. The accent was very different from what he was used to but that was only to be expected. Harry had learnt French in Switzerland and only mouth it to the pupil of Beauxbatons. Harry idly wondered if his French had a Swiss people accent or an English one.

No subject, he was in Marrakech, thousands of miles from France or England. He would fend out as a noncitizen whatever he did. No point trying to blend in with the local, much better to just look like another stupid tourer. There were one or two others around. Harry picked up his gait as he crossed the street and into the souk.

Why is it that I always find myself in mazes ? Harry thought to himself chuckling as he skirted around a stall of veggie and slid through the crowd of shoppers. The muggle souk was bad enough, a gigantic warren of streets and alleyways full of shop and market stalls selling everything from spices to electronics. Harry kept on an unerring course through it, it was n't his destination.

Hopefully he knew where his goal was, his entropy was sketchy at best.

Harry came to the stall he wanted, a dark hole in the rampart merchandising decrepit and moth eaten article of clothing. He took a black t-shirt with a headliner on it off the wheel and glanced at the aging shopkeeper. There was a barely detectable nod. Harry stepped behind a screen, a rough changing way, and pulled the curtain shut. He held the shirt up and tapped the star twice. With a sharp groaning the floor began to comminute slowly downwards.

Harry tried not to concern the slope of the stone passage as the opening at the top got further and further away. Ten meters ... twenty .... thirty .... forty- thumping. Harry snapped to attention as the flooring stopped descending. The stone in front of him break up apart slowly, light spilled in, and air. The look ... every scent conceivable, burning, animals, intellectual nourishment of every kind, incense made of spun lightning, every perfume a wizard with no paying attention for the Pentateuch of alchemy could create hung in the air as Harry stepped out of the shadow incoming into the under-souk, the darkness market.

Knockturn alley had nil on this place.

Harry looked up at the ceiling a far above, arial mosaic kaleidoscoped over the lash out surface, changing every moment. There were no wall for as far as Harry could see, just pillars dotted around. In no pattern Harry could see. Every one as astray as an oak, twisted and gouged and splaying up into that wondrous ceiling. Disappearing into it. And down at ground level ? It was indescribable. Every sort of shop, every form of stall. Some sellers just sitting of a mat, array of bottles out in social movement of them. Others had exhibit that looked like insane and un-feasible pop up Scripture, everything spilling out of everything else. The noise was deafening, worse than up above because the noise of sparking spells and fuming potions was added to the cosmopolitan noise of people, and there was the occasional screech 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 sedately forwards. Many stalling had tall flagpole to identify them from far away, he was looking for ... ah. Harry spotted the flag he was looking for and headed for it, surreptitiously checking his camouflage as he did so. Harry flicked a black robe out of his bag and threw it over his shoulders. Like this he looked like about XXX, maybe more, with long pitch-dark hair and a late scar on his cheek. Threatening, but not obvious.

Harry smelt his destination before he got there. The olfactory modality of brute and animal droppings beating out the other odors more and more the closer he got. He came to an open place in the market, a place where the kiosk had been pushed aside to take room for social status upon rank of cages. Harry recognized some of the creatures in them, others were a mystery, all he gave a wide of the mark birth. The John Cage seemed almost stupidly sturdy, surely they used unbreakable magic spell. Surely they did ...

Harry felt himself edging away and forced himself to calm down. He looked into one of the cages, a monstrosity made of whole I-beams, and saw the eye of a Draco staring back at him. Somehow they must have stopped it flaming, they must have. Harry stepped calmly up the raspy desk at the end of the cages. It was surrounded by bags of what looked like some form of provender. An ordinary bicycle raspberry cage sat on the turning point with a small golden bird fluffing its feathers. The heavily bearded and mustachioed man sat behind it looked up as he approached.

'' Yes ? '' He asked in prosperous English language. `` Are you look for something ? ``

'' My name is diddlysquat Caiman. I have come for you to tell me the progress 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 nothing to fear. '' Harry said airily. `` Not while you do the dark lord 's work. ``

'' Why you come here ? '' The man 's eyes were still shifting nervously. `` All on schedule. ``

'' There have been some problems 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 course not. '' Harry smiled in an uncomforting way. `` You mistake me. I merely meant that we have understanding to need to make sure this obstetrical delivery goes smoothly. There can be no mistakes. You understand. ``

'' Of course, of class. '' The man nodded rapidly. `` Do not worry. You can severalise your master key not to worry. Everything is OK. ``

'' Where are the wight now ? ``

'' They are on ship. '' The man shuffled back to his desk and sat down. `` Loaded on two sidereal day ago. ``

Damnit, Harry cursed inwardly. It would have been so much easier if they were still on dry land.

'' separate me their trend. '' Harry leant down threateningly. `` My professional is thinking of sending some people to ensure there are no ... error. ``

'' No mistake. '' The man nodded again, dragging a map out of a draftsman in his desk. `` No fault. ``

Harry smiled, people were so stupid when they thought you were going to kill them.
*


Harry dropped back onto British grunge and immediately flued again to stave off any following. He walked the last long paseo to the abandoned house he was staying in and pushed the door exposed. It was dark inside, the windows covered by anti-vandal plates put up by the constabulary. It was empty, not even a president when he had first arrived. But it was fresh 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 squelch into his oral fissure. This was his second window pane today. It was growing surd to keep going ... the sickness ...

Harry shook his caput, no use dwelling on it. dorsum to employment. He spread the maps out in front line of him on the level and roughly arranged them out into a rough match to the seashore of Africa and Europe. The single-valued function were seriously old, like everything else superstar had, and some of the area had the wrong name. One of them had a big 'here be firedrake'warning written in the middle of the Atlantic. Knowing that it was a ace 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 drawing off of it. It resembled zip Thomas More than a giant wooden brick with low sails that surely could never move it too fast. Of course of instruction it would be propelled by magic, if not it would just be dazed, but it would still get hold of almost a month to come up from Africa. Could be take it in the center of the ocean ? Harry shuddered at the intellection. Besides the coursing fear at the very thought it was impractical to boot. How would he even get on instrument panel the ship ? How would he even find it on the blank featureless sea ?

Harry trawled over the function again, was there any lieu where it came close to res publica ? Was there any ... lying in wait point ?

Oh of row ! 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 overtake seals.

Harry sat back tiredly, this was going to be harder than he thought. His eyelid felt so heavy ... sleep ...

Harry glanced around, he was in a home. A flack crackled warmly on the fireplace, throwing faint shadows on the clean blue walls. The word picture on the rampart, a redheaded char, a man with a familiar 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 house and into the bang-up garden. He glanced back, the cottage was as it always was. The cottage at Godrics Hollow. Harry shuddered, every meter his dreams put him in this place he had an undeniable impulse to forget. It was like putting your hand in a bucket of wriggling worms, a crawling aesthesis over his entire skin. And yet his dreams brought his backbone here again and again and again.

Harry hugged his arms to his dresser. Maybe this would be one of the respectable nights, the nighttime when he managed to escape. There was a forest out there somewhere, a timberland of orchard apple tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, their blossoms filling the air. When he could find 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 house kept drawing him back. He didn't even want to think about what had happened once, when the river had come for him.

Harry pulled himself together with a force of will. Those Malus pumila trees weren't going to receive themselves. He was about to set off when a fluttering strait reached his ear. Harry spent a endorsement wondering if it was some new unpleasantness the dream was throwing at him before he realized it was coming from outside.

Harry woke with a kickoff and was on his feet in a moment, scepter in hand. He relaxed when he saw that the sound was coming from a diminished white raspberry trying to squeeze in through the fundament of the window. The bird twittered then flickered back outside. It took Harry a moment to realize it had left something behind, a small close up piece of paper.

Interesting. Especially considering no one should be able to contact me here.

Harry stood and hesitantly poked the theme with his wand. It did nothing. He prodded it again. Still nothing. He flicked it on the floor and folded it open with the end of a ramification. He bent down and read it without touching it.

Harry

I once told you to fall out your own path if you thought it was right. You seem to have taken that advice to heart. I can not and will not say that your alternative is wrong, it may be, it may not be, I do not know. But you can not ruin yourself for the rice beer of this struggle. Do not. Your friends worry about you. They are as I write this workings to avail you. Training as hard as you ever did. You are not alone no matter how much you fight to gain it so. There are people that will meet if you die, even if you take Voldemort with you.

I can not volunteer you any information about Voldemort 's plan or whereabouts. I am constrained by the rules of my lodge. I would break them for you but it would do no good. I would be found out long before I could divine anything for you.

The only service I can fall in you I have already given. I wish I could do More Harry, you must trust that.

Remember to bust the pendent.

DO NOT DIE.

Pythea.

Harry picked the minor piece of lambskin up carefully and slipped it into his breast pocket. His script stayed there a moment longer, pressing it into his bureau, before he took a deep breath and let it out.

Do not die.

He did not intend to, but it had always been a possibleness. And no matter how much citizenry would suffer if he died they would suffer Thomas More if Voldemort was left awake. Harry had a unassailable urge to take the letter back out and learn it once again, or maybe twice or three times. But no, he had piece of work to do. Wait ... something in the letter tugged at his intellect. Maybe there was a way.
*


Malfoy snorted as Cho was sent flying across the way. The new recruit were trying to keep up, they were just failing. He turned away, they were useless, just a waste of clock time for the rest of them. The vulture themselves ? Draco managed a small smile for that, they were progressing nicely. They could agitate. They could fight as a squad. They could fight on their own. They could defend like kneazles in a sacque if they needed to. And they would need to.

He moved over to a batch of evanesce box and ran his finger over a yearn, dilute, grey cloak inside. The Weasley twins claimed they could turn them into temporary invisibleness cloaks with some Thomas More practice. genus Draco did n't doubt it. The charms would n't last for more than a day or two but that was all they needed. They could just respell them afterwards. Shield magic spell graced the shadow grey jacket in the next box, plenty to deter minor jinx. In the beginning it had just been a way to carry the charms, the Lapp as an amulet or a anchor ring. Rings of invisibility were common enough even though they were hideously hard to crap and protective amulets were ten a penny. But the clothes were easier for the Weasleys to puzzle out, and the dark grayness made them inconspicuous at night. That had been the start, but now it almost seemed more ... Like they were becoming an US Army in truth, they had uniforms. Parvati had wanted to stitch little Ms onto the vesture as a symbolization of the marauder but Ginny had n't let her. waste product of time, too conspicuous too. Dragon smiled again, it did n't matter if the clothes were plain grey or rap with short snitches. Either way by the end they would have an group of unseeable, shielded, deadly fighters.

Invincible cutthroat shit. predator to the core. Harry would have been lofty. At least, Draco hoped he would be.

'' genus Draco ! '' Ron yelled. `` Break time 's up get back here. ``

'' I 'm coming Weasley stop yelling. '' Draco gritted his teeth, all of his sinew hurt. Never mind. `` Back to make. ``

'' Stop. I need to peach to you. ``

The representative came out of nowhere. The marauder 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 VI let out a jest. `` Harry this is your army. ``

'' Good, I should get a rebate. ``

The predator broke and all began talking at once, it was a well-chosen storm of sound with Harry laughing in the center. Draco stayed silent, he glanced over at Ginny, also staying back. She nodded to him, her mouth a hard seam. She had realized too. Harry had n't come back for a happy reunion. He would n't let. He had come because he needed them. This would be the get-go job of the army.

'' Harry ... '' Draco cleared his throat. The green eyes of the boy who lived fell on him. `` What is it you want the US Army for ? ``

'' Oh ... that. '' Harry reached into his bag. `` Do you deliver a tabular array ? ``

Draco pointed the way and Harry pulled a Brobdingnagian sheet of parchment out of his bag. Harry laid them down on the rough airfoil of the death surviving table in the loft. It looked like a giant transcript of a map.

'' There 's a ship. '' Harry traced it 's track along a hanker line of business on the map. `` It 's stuffed to the gill with shadow animate being. Direct to the darkness Almighty. Hundreds, including a lot that we really do n't want him getting his paw on. It 's not going to construct interface before United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it 's going to be far out to sea. No portkeys, no fluke, only way there is to fly. ``

'' That 's why you need us. '' Padma said thoughtfully.

'' Yeah, kind of. '' Harry hung his head. `` I can just about manage to fly in a straight line. Slowly. But out over piss ? With the wind and maybe violent storm and ... and over piss. And when I might suffer to make a quickly 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 experience that. ``

'' I ... right. ``

'' Right. '' Ginny nodded sharply. genus Draco half expected Ron to salute. Ginny turned back to Harry. `` What kind of dark tool are we talking about ? ``

'' Various sort of tight. '' Harry was looking between Ginny and Ron curiously. `` batch of creatures. ``

'' Manticores ? '' Hermione added.

'' Yes ... '' Harry looked at a tilt jotted at the bottom of the map. `` Six of them. ``

Dragon glanced at the lean and let out a startled curse word. They could not let this ship scope land. Even if they had to recede half the army to do it. The hellhound had to be juvenile person at least, no one could gormandize six full grown one into a ship. Unless it had been magically expanded. Which it almost certainly had. They could not let that ship reach land.

'' We need to get on that ship. '' He heard himself saying, his voice a little breathless. `` We could fly on, or ... or ... ''

'' Go onto it ? '' Harry let out a harsh laugh. `` That would be pretty grievous. ``

'' Because of the creatures ? ``

'' Because I 'm going to sink it. ``



This is the last chapter of frame-up, I promise. From now to the end of the book is stark adrenalin-fueled plot.


I do n't own Harry Potter. I do however own some cheese. Which is just as good.



'' Sink it ? '' Hermione 's vocalization was a shrill, disbelieving whine.

Ginny felt like slamming her hand up to her forehead. Of course of study Harry would want to sink the ship, it was the dim-witted, easiest, solution if you did n't care about the consequences.

'' But ... but ... `` Terry baker raised his hired man slowly as if he were in class.

'' Yes unexpected-addition-1. '' Harry nodded pleasantly.

'' Are n't there people on the ship ? ``

'' Yes, but they 'll be wizards, they can just apparate to shore. They wo n't be killed. ``

'' How about the creatures ? '' Ron asked, scratching his head. `` Wo n't they just swim to shore ? ``

'' Damnit ! '' Harry clicked his finger's breadth. `` Foiled again ! If only somebody had stuffed them in big alloy cages for transport. Then they 'd fall off straight to the fanny. ``

'' How are you planning to fall off it anyway ? '' Fred asked, eagerness clearly seeable in his eyes.

'' Well, I plan to fellate a big pickle in it underneath the water strain. Then I 'm going to put another big jam in it underneath the water line. And if that does n't work I 'm going to put a third- ''

'' This is a virtuoso sauceboat I assume Harry. '' Draco interrupted. `` Putting a kettle of fish in it may not be as easy as you think. It 'll have all sorts of charm and trade protection. ``

'' I can bypass them. ``

'' Without the masses on the ship realizing ? ``

'' Yes. ``

'' Really ? ``

'' Yes. '' Harry folded his sleeve. `` I have thought about this Draco. I have planned this. ``

The attic became still again. Ginny could feel the sprocket moving in people 's heads. They were all thinking how far they were willing to go. The marauders ... well they were probably in. The others ? They had signed up to agitate dying eaters not commit routine of act of terrorism. How did she endure on this ? On equalizer ... with Harry. Those creatures could not be allowed to reach shore.

'' We ca n't do this. '' Padma was shaking her head. `` We ca n't sink it. ``

'' You running away ? '' Harry was looking at her in horror. `` You want to just let them loose that kind of- ''

'' No of course not ! '' Padma interrupted him. `` But you have n'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 people 's oculus. `` If we do this they 'll be this colossus wreck with triad headed skeletons and they could float to the surface or get into the gulf flow or frogman could obtain them. Not to mention that person 's going to acknowledge a giant exploding ship off the coast. Even if we tell the ministry afterwards they ca n't manage this sort of cleanup, not on this weighing machine. No one can. It 'll be unfit than Roswell. Keeping trick secret from muggles, the statute of secrecy, is the one thing both English of this war agree on. If we break it then they 're going to set out breaking it and then we 're going to be really screwed. ``

Harry leant back, rocking back on the Ball of his animal foot. He bit his lip. Thinking. The marauders held their breath.

'' Ok. '' Harry spun the map to face Padma. `` Give me another option. ``

'' We table the ship. Incapacitate the crew. Kill the tool. '' Padma said definitively. `` If I 'm reading this right the ship only a dozen people on it. No decease eater. virtually of them are just there to prevent the fauna in halt. Should n't be too firmly to stun them. ``

'' And the beast ? '' Harry asked quizzically. `` Some of them are n't easy to pour down. ``

'' The cleanup jinx. '' Gasps rose from the army. `` It 'll stamp out everything on this list. ``

'' Is n't it an instant life-time sentence ? '' Cho choked out.

'' Only when used against humanity. '' Padma replied calmly at the same time as Harry said,

'' Only if somebody finds out. But would n't any minor trick be detected."

"Not in outside waters."

'' And the ship ? '' Harry asked. `` If we just leave it drifting wo n't that be against the statute of privateness ? ``

'' We leave the crew on it. They can get it so a rubber wizard harbor. ``

'' Hmm ... '' Harry folded his arms and looked at Padma appraisingly. `` That ... could ... work. It would be more difficult, more risky ... more fun ... but it could forge. ``

Ginny felt a grin. This was the almost like the old Harry back again. Sure they were planning an act of massive plagiarisation rather than a prank but it was Harry back again.

'' We can split up. '' Harry continued. `` Send a mates of mass down to the water to wait. The rest of us go in. If we can take the bunch out and kill the animate being we do. If not ? We default back to my plan and the mass in the water supply bungle it to smithereens. We worry about the radioactive dust later. ``

Ginny took a deep breathing spell and halfway through realized that most 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-at-law or something.

'' Who can swim ? '' It was literally the first matter that popped into her headland. `` Who can drown really well ? ``

Parvati 's hand shot up instantly smiling, the two Baker tike volunteered slower maybe still a little hesitant, finally snag shrugged and lacklusterly raised his arm.

'' Four people. '' Ginny looked down at the map, at the picayune sketch of the ship. `` We can put ... two each in the water near the front and back. ``

'' Prow and severe. '' genus Draco murmured. She glared at him.

'' Near the front and back. '' Ginny continued. `` Everybody else commonwealth on the front. ``

'' On the rear. '' Harry disagreed. `` Here, in the steering bit with the wheel. ``

'' Bridge. ``

'' Shut up. We land on the steery bit and engage everybody out quickly. '' Harry pointed at Draco. `` You stay there and restrain the ship on course. You can do that ? You know the right figure for the steery roulette wheel and the buttons and stuff and nonsense. Yes. serious. You stay there, the rest of us go down to the cabins and stun everybody, pop the beast. Leave. We keep the heather handy so that if something goes wrong we miko the swimmers and fly out of there. ``

'' Sounds like a plan. '' Ginny nodded.

'' right field. '' Harry reached over and drew a big hybridizing on the map over a beacon light, right down on the south glide of Cornwall."I will meet you here."

"Meet 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 solid metre. Dumbledore ‘ s out for the day but I think he ‘ ll bill if I start appearing on his piffling map."

"I thought-"

"You thought I was back."Harry finished for him."well I ‘ m not. There ‘ s still Death eater ‘ s out there. Still work to be done. Train up, be ready, and I ‘ ll meet you there. keep the map, I ‘ ve got copies. But don ‘ t let anyone see it. Goes without saying. And bet up how to fight all these things."Harry turned towards the door. He disillusioned himself with a movie of the carpus, and a bit later he was gone.

"Well,"Malfoy said dryly."I guess we have work to do."
*


"Can you believe he came back ?"Ron drew his knees up to his chest. He and Hermione were in the library, the actual library, not the noodle. They were on research tariff and had about eight billion Book out in movement of them on every variety of magical brute, trawling through them for the utilitarian ones. There weren't many. The Hogwarts library for some reason didn't have books on how to mow down caged animals. Ron thought it was useless, they had already decided to use the putting to death whammy, but apparently Harry wanted to be prepared so ...

"Hmm ?"Hermione hadn't looked up from the huge book in front of her.

"Can you believe he came back ?"Ron repeated."Harry."

"Shush !"Hermione put a finger to her lip."We ‘ re not supposed to speak about him where mass could find out !"

"No one ‘ s listening."Ron rolled his optic."We're sitting on the storey in the restricted segment of the depository 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 ages since you studied anything."

"Yes ..."Hermione bit her lip."And the bird of Minerva are later this yr ..."

"What we ‘ re doing now is more important."

"Yes. Yes I know."Hermione shrugged noncommittally."It ‘ s just ... well there ‘ s the relief of our life sentence to think about. What about after the war ends ? What then ?"

"feeling at it this way. If Voldemort destroys the ministry he'll probably destroy the Wizarding testing authority too."

"That doesn ‘ t help."Hermione stared at him angrily. Ron felt his dander rising, another fight brewing. But they couldn't fight, not here.

"You ‘ re here because if you weren ‘ t here you ‘ d tactile property 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 matter that you were there because you wouldn ‘ t be able to concentrate because you ‘ d be thinking about here and him and Voldemort will kill everyone. Even forged you ‘ d get bad grades because you ‘ d be feeling guilty."Ron ran out of breath.

Hermione's mouth hung surface, mid outcry. She opened and shut it a few prison term before coming out with,

"Shush. People will try you."

I won. Ron smiled as he flicked a random Quran open.
*


"I am disorder Severus."

Snape stayed silent. He could not intend of a rubber response.

"I should be winning this war."

Still no good 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 window. They were in another nondescript and abandoned building. Snape felt his hide creep, he had been summoned alone. That was worrying.

"The ministry grows debile every day."Snape volunteered.

"It grows more fearsome each day."Voldemort tapped his digit on the looking glass."fear can be my weapon, but it can also lick against me. They retreat, they place more guards, they make it more difficult for me to get to what I seek. Do the parliamentary law still keep a guard on the department of mysteries Severus ?"

"Yes my lord."For all I know they could have got stopped, not belike though.

"At this breaker point the prosperous way to gain memory access to it may simply be to squeeze the ministry entirely."He was still staring out the window. If Snape didn't know beneficial he would cogitate the dark lord was worried.

"If you wish to crush the ministry perhaps we could use the imperious curse-"

"No !"The dark lord snapped."No Severus, no more sly maneuvering in the darkness. No more subversive activity. I tire of it. I tire of it ‘ s inadequacy. I should not have to work from the trace. Do you not think so ?"

"I always work in the trace Lord."

"Yes ... yes you do."The dark lord narrowed his middle."The Potter boy is a problem."

Snape gritted his teeth. He had to recollect fast to celebrate up with these lightning fast change of pace.

"The ceramist boy has always been a problem."Snape said diffidently."But he is just one person."

"He has caused me a great quite a little of trouble for one soul. I would once again parliamentary procedure his death but ... I fear it would do no good."

"He wants to kill you."Snape said, letting his mouth move as his mind worked."We could set some kind of trap."

"With your lord as bait ?"The dark overlord's vocalization was not angry, he knew that that was not what Snape meant. This was actually what passed for banter.

"Of row not my Lord. I apologize."That had been what the dark Divine expected to hear.

"Is there any progress with the toxin Severus ? The one that has been killing so many of our friends ?"

"Not a smashing deal my lord."Severus bowed his head teacher. He had no fuss feigning shame at not being able to discover the enigma of the cryptical toxin."It is very strange. I can not separate a exclusive ingredient out. It is almost as if the toxicant was not brewed at all."

"Explain."

"As if it came directly from a creature."Though that was of line impossible. No screw fauna carried a toxin like this."All I can think of is that perhaps somebody has been breaking the edict against experimental breeding."

"You do not think it was thrower ?"

"It may have been."wagerer to observe the wickedness overlord guessing."If he did not then we have two vigilance man against us."

"Against us ..."The dark lord seemed to roll the word on his rim."Against us ... people who are against me die. I have let this continue for too long. We have been forced back too much. It will discontinue now. I have decided. We will crush the ministry. We will obliterate them utterly. No subversion, no shadows, I will kill them."

"Yes my lord."Snape tried to work out how many decease eaters were left. Surprisingly few. Harry had seriously cut into their number. Did they even have plenty people for an rape on the ministry ? Probably ... they probably had enough. If the order of magnitude helped though ... if Dumbledore helped ...

"We will wait for the consignment to arrive."The dark lord said, almost to himself."Then we will ingest the forces necessary."

The shipment. The phantom dispatch. None of the demise eaters knew when it would be arriving. It was apparently too important.

"Yes my lord."Snape bowed deeply."We will need everyone for this to follow. If I might ask where Barty Crouch is perhaps-"

"No !"The dark lord looked at Snape over his shoulder. The icy stare could have nailed oxen to the wall."Crouch is doing what he has been told to. He will bring home the bacon, 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 Calluna vulgaris ahead of her but the lighthouse was already visible far below, sending out it ‘ s pulsing beacon across the night-time sea. The wind was hideously common cold on her face and the dreary dozens of rain kept spraying in through her exhaust hood. There couldn't have been a bad day to infest a ship full moon of monsters.

The undercoat came up and she managed to down without falling. All around her she heard the eternal rest of the United States Army touch down. Well ... nearly of the eternal rest of the ground forces ... Of the new recruits only tear was there, lounging over his broom handle in his usual State of mild tedium. The others had been left behind, Ginny had decided they weren't gear up, weren ‘ t trained yet. Not that Split was properly ready 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 marauder."Lets get on with this."Harry kept glancing at the crashing moving ridge nervously. He drew a large bottle out of his coat and took a deep gulp from it before shoving it back. `` Pep up potion, did n't sleep well terminal night. '' Harry explained. Hermione tried to ignore the twin facts, one : that the feeding bottle had been almost hollow and two : that as Harry shoved it back in his pocket there had been the patent click of advance bottles.

"Take these."George II broke the silence and stepped forward with a little M shaped pin and a belittled pair of gloomy tinted glasses.

"What the hell are these ?"Harry squinted through the lenses."Everything looks weird."

"The tholepin are tags."Saint George explained."The glasses can see the shred even under invisibleness cloaks. This way we can keep track of each other."

"Ah ... nice."Harry pinned the tag on his wickedness coat and dropped the glasses in a pocket."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."genus 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 marauders."Lets get this done before we get too wet."

Draco's broom blastoff into the air and Hermione reluctantly followed. Out over the water the wind was even worse if that was possible, she kept being buffeted one way then the other. The sea underneath a groaning Second Earl Grey sheet, a softened expression of the sky. They were getting far and further from land. The casual light of the beacon light got more and more faint. She couldn't see the circular around her ! She panicked for a import until she realized how pudding head she was being and slipped her blue lenses over her eyes. The minuscule burn glint of the tags sprung into purview, each one illuminating a niggling glowing blue ghost of a individual. Like an schema in the iniquity. Flying close, she was near the social movement. How did Harry expect to ascertain the ship in this ?

"ANGLE LEFT !"Was that Harry ? The glowing phantom of Harry and Malfoy started to turn left. She turned to match them. What was he following ? intuition ? conjuring trick ? Something he hadn't told them about.

"I DON ‘ T SEE ANYTHING !"She heard genus Draco's vocalism on the wind.

"IT ‘ S THERE."Harry was hunched over on the broom, peering out over genus Draco's shoulder."WE'RE CLOSE ! DROP DOWN !"

Hermione descended with the sleep of them and shrieked with veneration as the spray from the sea hit her pegleg. Surely they didn't need to be this low ? Suddenly, as if they had crossed an invisible contrast, the ship blinked into existence. A low slung goliath, waves making it roll and pitching sickeningly. It looked antediluvian, all the wood was inkiness with age and weather. A huge rectangular cylinder block, slowly crawling across the water.

She felt person notch her and saw shapes flying off towards the prow and stern, keeping close to the piddle. Even with the lights on the ship they were still only glowing outlines. The cloaks ! She pulled hers around herself and flicked the bonnet up over her nerve. She should receive done that before. The sleep of them followed until they were decent up against the side of the Cordell Hull. Harry leant off his broom to lean against the lurch forest. Removing the protective charms, Hermione forced herself to calm down as they hovered there just above the dark water. Suddenly there was a little pop and a small creak ... the Mary Augusta Arnold Ward were down. Hermione picked out the raised back section, the ‘ steery bit ’. Where the rest of them were going. The Calluna vulgaris slowed to a crawl as they raised up the English. right-down secrecy as they floated up onto the deck on the levy end section. No one was on deck of cards, there weren't even any lights.

Harry raised his arm and pointed to a small hatching. He moved over to it, whispered a silencing charm, then pulled it undecided and climbed inside. Draco went succeeding, moving just as silently. They had worked this out too, The Weasley twin would go stopping point to look out their departure. Hermione realized it was her turn snuck over to the hatch as quietly as she could. The stairs flattened out to a short hall with the door to the bridge, then kept going down into the body of the ship.

The predator were clustered around the room access. Harry was crouched down looking at the ringlet, a look of denseness on his nerve. Hermione looked past him, down into the vast grasp of the ship. most of it was shrouded in darkness but she could just see the rowing upon words of John Milton Cage Jr. down the slope of the ship. The bars were rusted and ancient, reinforced with magic. But they looked like they were master copy to the ship ... like they were built in. Which was ridiculous of course, unless ...

Unless this used to be a buckle down 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 schooling long enough. There was no full stop telling them, no reason to pee-pee this any creepyer than it already was.

The shadow that was Harry stood suddenly and put his handwriting on the door handle. What was he doing ? This wasn ‘ t role of the plan ! They were going to use gas under the door. What was going on ? Hermione raised her wand, they had to stun everyone inside in a minute. Harry threw the doorway open unhurriedly. The sharp sea tangle of blood filled the air. No one hurl any charm. No one radius. Harry slowly stepped into the bridge.

"Of course."He said dryly, the first word of honor spoken since they'd landed, spoken dispassionately while looking out over a room full of ravaged clay."Of course they're loose. We ‘ re on a flighty ship at Nox full of man-eating devilishly animals. Of path the animals are loose. 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. dip it now."

"We can ‘ t."Harry said angrily as he stepped over a body and stood in front of the independent wheel."At to the lowest degree not yet."

"Why ?"Parvati was glancing around fearfully."Why not ?"

"Two reasons."Harry leant against the wheel tiredly."One ; the totally tip was that the beast would sink in their cages, now they could swim to shore. Two ; there are still three crew phallus alive, barricaded down in the keep where they ca n't apparate out."

"How do you sleep with ?"Draco snapped suddenly.

"I know !"Harry snapped back."We need a new programme. The creatures are mostly still in their cage, seems like it ‘ s just the mantiger that got loose."

"How do you-"

"I just know !"Harry rubbed his os frontale tiredly, his eyes were closed."There are compartment doors down below. If we can pin the wildcat inside the hold, sort it off and ward it up secure it ‘ ll be the same as a cage. piss gets in, animals do n't get out. Just one problem ..."

"What ?"Ginny was eyeing the doors carefully, looking for anything trying to sneak up on them.

"The work party are down in that hold."Harry took a late breath and turned back towards the marauder."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 survivor, get out. The ease of you split up and watch the stem and aft doors. You lock them good the minute we give the signal."

"Four ‘ s not enough."Draco said immediately.

"I don ‘ t have time to argue !"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 unspoilt. Your four best. Now."

No one spoke, Hermione felt like kicking herself. Of course it wasn't like old metre. Of class 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 rich breath."Ron, Fred, George I, you fly over and man the early door. Everyone else look out this one. The point is-"

"Me yelling to shut the bloody doors."Harry interrupted."No point being stealthy at that point."

Harry moved slowly out of the bridge. Hermione steeled herself them followed. They stepped down the stairs slowly, the huge postponement opened up in front of them. Surely it had been expanded.

"This way."Harry whispered, pointing along a raised paseo."Dragon, learn our back."Harry stalked forward, his wand out ahead of him. Hermione followed him. They passed a morose cage, inside it a gigantic lightlessness lump shifted near the back. Hermione tried to ignore it, the 1 in the cages were the good ones, it was the ones outside they had to take in out for. The cage ended and was replaced by another, six red heart looked out from behind the bars. The three dog read/write head were pressed right up to the edge, watching them. come up to think of it the caged animals probably hadn't been fed in a spell. Suddenly the pitching and rolling of the ship seemed speculative. If she fell into one of the John Cage ...

She spread her infantry further apart, trying to get more stable. This was awful, this was hell, and they were going in to save some pudding head runner. Bad people ! Hermione didn't smell good for thinking like that. Not in force at all. Harry suddenly raised a hand 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 unseeable. But how had Harry seen it ? Hermione watched as Harry aimed his sceptre down the drear gangboard, waited a farseeing moment ... and flicked it forward, muttering under his breath. The flashing of commons light was expected but still horrifying, flying into the darkness. For a moment it illuminated a approximative social lion mane and two shining heart glowing green in the light. Then it snapped out and there was a dull thump like a body hitting the floor.

"One out of six."Harry murmured, then shuddered."So that was the killing curse. Felt like drinking nightmares."

"Harry ..."Padma began but Harry silenced her with a wave.

"It 's just a tool."Harry shook himself."Just a dick. Just a tool. Come on, lets keep going."Harry stepped forward, into the darkness.

Harry brought them to another staircase and quietly slinked down, his cover pressed up to the wooden wall. As they crept down Harry held up a hand to stop again and dropped down to his knees.

"The other five are sleeping in there."Harry pointed down the stairs."Round the corner, right in strawman of the storage elbow room where the work party are barricaded."

Hermione didn't bother to ask how he knew.

"Now the dorm opens up just round the corner."Harry sketched the curved shape of it with his script."We can hit them all before they even wake up. Draco, you kill the one up by the far odd,"Harry pointed straight into the wall. `` Ginny, near the left wing wall. Hermione get the one right next to it, closer to us. Padma you get the one right in the middle, I 'll get the one closest to the steps. Got it ? Everyone make ? ``

Hermione was gripping her verge hard, her medallion wet with elbow grease. She did n't sense make but she nodded anyway. They shifted closer towards the corner. Harry held his hand up, three fingers. Two finger. One ...

Harry swung out around the bound, his sceptre coming up, at the Lapplander time his stifle bent down. giving the quietus of them a amend shot. Hermione jumped out as fast as she could, the room was pitch black ! How was she supposed to-

'' Avada Kedavra ! '' A blast of green light flew from Harry 's wand, striking a colored shape on the ground and throwing the rest of the way into shrill apparition. Four sets of shining eyes perked up in the iniquity. 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 deep into her chest, like terror. Then it was gone a here and now later as the burning unripened Christ Within flew away, striking the mantichora as it rose from the solid ground, throwing it back into the priming coat. At the same time she felt three Thomas More blasts of fart and instant of glowering magic fly out from beside her. A shattering smash of wooden splinters sounded and there was an angry inhuman roar. A shape unfurled like a bound and flew across the way towards them. Hermione felt her arm shooting up, too slowly ! Too slow !

'' Excalabus ! ``

A shining white visible light flashed across the woodwind instrument and there was a shrieking like a saw across glass. She felt a nebuliser of dark blood cover version her and a heavy shape flew past her, impacting with a cloggy clunk against the back wall. She turned to it, not breathing. It was a manitcore, or one-half of one. It was sliced in two, the wound leaking a sea of rakehell into the floor. She turned back. Harry was standing over the other half, his wand surrounded by a glow white nimbus, extending out like a flare. Like a steel. He flicked it off and the elbow room became obscure again.

'' Who missed ? '' Harry 's voice was low and hard.

'' I did Harry. '' Dragon shook his head. `` It was too far away, too fiddling dismount. I saw the eyes, I- ''

'' Practice. '' Harry cut him off and turned away from them. `` Practice hard. '' As he walked away one of the hellhounds in a cage began barking and biting at the bars. It could smell the blood. Hermione tried to brush off it, tried to recall that the bar were reinforced. But it was hard. The dog on the other side of meat woke up at the noise and rammed the legal community with its articulatio humeri. There was a screech of metal and the dog fell back.

Harry ignored the gigantic hellhound and walked calmly through the dark room to get to the small door at the end. He thumped it with his fist.

'' Hey ! '' Harry yelled. `` humankind in there get out. We 've come to deliver you, except we do n't need to see any wand and you 'd meliorate have your men up ! '' There was a scraping sound as if huge crates were being moved. The dogs kept scraping against the bars, biting at the Ellen Price Wood. Hermione tried to keep calm ... tried to ...

Oh no. No no no no no !

'' Harry ! ``

'' What ? '' Harry pushed the door undecided, revealing three dishevel and ragged men. `` What is it ? ``

'' Harry we need to go now ! ``

'' Ok, ok. We got what we came for. ``

'' NO ! Harry the John Milton Cage Jr. are built into the ship ! ``

'' So ? ``

'' You released the protective appealingness on the ship ! ``

Harry 's facial expression fell like a protrude balloon. His centre shot wide.

'' So those bars are just ... ''

'' Heavily corroded iron. ``

'' God hates us. '' Harry whispered. `` God hates us ... RUN ! ``

At the moment Harry yelled the left hellhound took a consort pounce and shattered through the bars straight a him.

'' Avada Kedavra ! '' Harry 's wand had flicked up the minute it moved and the green light struck the massive muscled shape in the air. But it kept moving and fell like a Harlan Fiske Stone onto Harry, like a heap of black tomentum and sweating flesh. At the end moment he threw himself to the side and slid out from under it as it fell to the trading floor in a splinter detonation of wooden shrapnel.

'' Well do n't stand there run ! '' Harry yelled, pushing himself to his feet and waving them towards the door. He turned to the crewmen. `` You too ! ``

The other hellhound had a bar in each sass and was grinding them apart.

'' Avada Kedavra ! '' Harry shot at it. The spell smashed one of the bar into rusty sherd. `` Screw that ! Just run ! ``

Hermione spun and dashed up the stairs. Behind her she could hear more running feet and the hideous gnashing of whale jaws. somebody pushed her to the side and she saw one of the scrawny crew members making a break up the stairs. She picked herself up and cast off herself forward as fast as possible. She glanced behind her, all the marauders were cannoning along behind her. Harry was bringing up the rear, sending impulse of green nightmares behind him.

They reached the passage. She could see the door ! The wall exploded in splinter and four muscled arms reached out to snap up 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 well-off, it made her numb. She felt someone jostle her forward and realized she had been standing still. She dashed towards the doorway, trying to keep away from the buckling bars of the cage all around her. They could smell the blood.

'' Hermione what the hell is going on ! '' Parvati yelled from the slope of the room access as she hurtled through.

'' Just come together it ! '' Her throat felt raw. `` Close it ! ``

Hermione scrambled away down the corridor before turning and looking back. The raged sailor were already huddling on this side of meat of the door just as Ginny and Padma hurtled through with Draco right hand of their heels. Behind them the custody was a diabolic nightmare of churning form, every night phantom seemed to take a crawling wolf. Harry was still in the corridor, retreating slowly as he threw spell after spell at the roaring mass.

'' Harry just leave it ! '' genus Draco yelled. `` Get back here ! ``

Harry spun and dashed for the threshold, the darkness following like a wave. Suddenly the batting cage in battlefront of him exploded outwards, wickedness fuzz and scarred anatomy coming between the vulture and Harry. Wooden sides of the cage buckled and broke, the roof came with it, filling the air with splinters and the passage with gravid wooden spars. It was blocked.

'' come together it ! '' Harry 's vocalisation shook the ship, amplified by thaumaturgy. `` I 'll get out the other way. ``

Hermione froze. No, they could n't. She saw Ginny coup d'oeil down the corridor, then up at genus Draco. They both nodded.

'' Close it. '' Ginny ordered, her articulation raw.

'' But ... ''

'' last IT ! '' Ginny suited her Christian Bible and flicked her wand at the labored hatching, slamming it shut. `` Hermione Montgomery Ward it ! ``

Hermione shook as she raised her wand. It took her three endeavor to properly seal the door up.

'' right, now get on the brooms. '' Ginny grabbed hers off her backrest. `` We get to the former side of the ship and go in after Harry. ``

Of course ! Hermione threw herself onto her heather. They could still go in and avail him !

'' You three with them ! '' Dragon bellowed at the bunch penis, pointing at the bread maker Twins and Neville. `` And quell tranquil. ``

Hermione lifted off the floor and aimed up the hatching to the outside. The rain and wind hit her but she ignored them, they had to go help Harry ! Suddenly the air was filled with a buffeting wall of sound. The night air was lit up with two duplicate eruptions of attack. 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 strait of gushing water.

'' Why did you blow it ! '' Someone yelled behind her. Hermione turned to see Ginny leant off her broom and grabbing stock split by the front of his robe.

'' I got the signal. '' The surprised boy shook his foreland. `` I assumed it was you. ``

'' What 's going on ? '' Fred yelled as he, George II 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 John Cage as it disappeared under the gushing weewee and grabbed the beam above him, swinging up onto it with all his specialty. Something below him roared but he ignored it and dashed along the lean and shaking length of wood.

This was nether region. This was his own personal hell. The piss was coming in everywhere, gushing up through a thousand holes in the grip. And the fauna ... Harry had had to order the clutches sealed. If he hadn't they would give birth broken exempt. They were everywhere down here, he was sure that if they weren't trying to belt down each former as severe as they were trying to eat him he would already be idle. In the water beneath him the darkness head of a hellhound surfaced and gulped a barking breathing space before a crab like beast leapt from the shadows and slashed out it's eye. They both disappeared back under the smuggled weewee, stained with profligate, in a foaming maelstrom.

He had to get out of here. Harry's centre frantically searched for some way ... any way ... out. The body of water was everywhere ! The terror rose in Harry's pharynx. He couldn't think ! Couldn't breath ! NO ! NO ! Stay focused !

Harry leapt onto the top of another shifting Cage, ignoring the floating remains in the body of water nearby. There had to be some way ! His middle searched frantically but all there was was crashing body of water and writhing chassis. Harry was struck in the rear by a flush of water, knocking him down to the alloy taproom below. He spun around and the waterfall struck him in the face, terror blindsided him again but he threw it down again. The gushing piss was coming from a ... pipe ? A hole ? A ... feeding hole ! Harry threw himself to the wall and clambered up a heaving beam, the ceiling right above him, he flicked his wand out,

"Hammus missis !"The spinning conjured range lashed out and stabbed into the pipe. Harry grabbed to and implore that Hollywood got some things right. He let go of the wall. He swung out into the spray of gushing water and screamed as it splattered over his head word. He was thrown out the other side but he came back just as fast."This is ludicrous ! Arefacio !"The waterfall dried up and he was able to climb a few feet up before it began gushing again.

A squawking little terror exploded from the darkness to Harry 's left. His wand was occupied but Harry clawed a gun from his pocket and fired wildly at the feather creature. He did n't stop shooting until it disappeared into the body of water below. Harry stuck the gun in his waistband and cast the Arfacio again. He was able-bodied to pull himself up another few infantry before the piddle came again.

By the painfully dumb stopping and starting he was able ( just ) to reach the pipe. He cast one more drought appealingness and reached as high as he could in the darkness, his finger's breadth reached the edge. Harry dropped off the chain and pulled himself up with all his effectiveness. The water struck his head 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, gamey, portion left. Sinking fast. Where were the piranha ? There ! Up high school !

"HEY !"Harry magically amplified his voice and shouted out over the water."I ‘ M here !"

The heather dropped like stones, shooting right at him. Draco braked to a block right in presence of his face.

"You idiot !"He yelled, reaching out and pulling Harry onto his Scots heather."You complete moron !"

"Shut up and fly !"
*


The luminosity of sunrise was just creeping over the horizon when they finally touched down back on state, a raspy stony beach. Harry staggered onto self-colored background 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 care where you go. I risked my arse for you but it doesn ‘ t make you any LE scum. Bare in judgement that by failing to protect your ship you failed lord Voldemort, he ‘ s not going to be happy with you so if I were you I ‘ d go far far away. Right now."

The three men broke and ran like scare cony. God knows where they ended up. Harry breathed out and turned back to the marauders.

"commodity. That went well."

"well !"Padma let out a smothered cry."Everything that could possibly have gone wrong did go wrong !"

"And despite all that we stopped the loading and made it out alive."Harry sat down on the difficult ground and pushed the hair out of his centre. God he was tired."We have to strike that the betting odds will be stacked against us. We have to always bear that in mind, tonight was a undecomposed example. We have to be prepared for the defective case scenario, we met that tonight. And we did well tonight. We did, we really did. I ‘ m proud of all of you."

The marauders all bowed their capitulum, they looked as tired 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 tent out of it. It raised itself with a tap of his baton and would fit half a sign inside."Get inside and get some nap. We need to be cook in five hours."

"cinque time of day ?"Ginny asked pointedly."What happens in five hour ?"

"phase two of the plan. In six 60 minutes will be when the ship was meant to amount into port."Harry grinned evilly."There will be a grouping of death eaters, five of them, waiting to welcome them in a secret porthole site. Hidden ... rocky ... enclosed ... good billet for an ambush."

"We ‘ re ambushing them ?"Dragon asked disbelievingly."Today ?"

"Yes."Harry pushed himself from the floor."Today. I mean Voldemort to find the twofold hex of the release of his creatures and his death eater all in one fell swoop. I mean to put to put the rut on him, really turn up the threat level you know ... The animal were the principal thing, couldn ‘ t let them reach land. The death feeder are just the icing on the cake."

"Harry ... are you for sure ?"Hermione stepped forward."We ‘ re all banal already ... we don ‘ t want any mistakes. 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 subject. Now get on into the tent, you ‘ re wasting valuable resting clip. I ‘ ll film the initiative watch. Go on, there are bottom for everyone. Huge I, this a really good tent."

Harry settled back down on his rock 'n' roll as the piranha trouped inside the tent. Harry sighed, if they didn't like form two they definitely wouldn't like phase three.



Review or a monster prehistoric mosquito hawk will choose you to be the host for it 's leechlike larva.


The future chapter 's a big one so span yourselves.


Please execute these canonic prophylactic tick before reading this chapter
1 ) brand sure your president is secure and regular so that if you faint you will not fall to the flooring and risk head trauma.
2 ) Make for certain you are not in earshot of any children so when you let unloose with a strand of curse word it does not reach their diminutive ears.
3 ) Check your bloodline air pressure. If it is significantly higher up average you may require to read this chapter in quick dashing distance of a defibrillator.
4 ) whorl away all small objects you could throw at your computer screen.
5 ) Pray.

This, boys and girls, is the big one ...



Snape felt his score burn in the centre of a potions deterrent example. That was worrying, Voldemort had always been careful of maintaining his concealment. The mark burnt harder and Snape had to grit his teeth as the painfulness shot up his arm. This was very worrying.

"Are you alright Sir ?"A Slytherin first-class honours degree year. No one but a Slytherin would feature dared ask him. Snape lurched to his feet.

"Pack up your things. The lesson is over."He could not result them unsupervised with potions constituent. Snape hurried out the door, sending a hasten patronus to McGonagall saying that he had been called away suddenly. She would get laid what that meant. He felt compelled to at least sustain the parliamentary procedure informed, but he could not lend himself to get hold of Dumbledore directly. He sent a second patronus to Natalie and a third to Michelson for upright measure.

He reached the master logic gate and stepped beyond the Hogwarts Montgomery Ward 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 coloured place. A warehouse by the expression of it, dust covered the wooden loge stacked to the high up ceiling. The sleep of the decease eater were already there, standing in a rasping circle. Only Bellatrix had kept her masquerade off, she usually did. Vanity no doubt. self-love and a indigence to be seen. Snape stepped into his shoes in the circle and waited. He did not mask himself, he did not do it why. Perhaps a whim.

But were they all there ? Snape glanced back around the circle, only eight public figure stood sentinel in there midnight robes. At the live meeting there had been fifteen. Snape had grown to the power point where he could recognize each of the demise eaters by shape alone beneath their masks. Who was missing ? Dolohov, Corvidae, Avery Sr, Mulciber, the Carrows and Forneus. All expiry feeder that Voldemort could be said to trust, 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 voice of Voldemort came from the air between two stacks of crates. A here and now later he himself strode out, his red eyes flashing first to one of them, then to another. `` Your blood brother will bring together us soon. And with them they will bring sword lily word. time lag my protagonist, wait with solitaire. ``

Snape shifted his stance. The shipment was here, that could be the only news that would put Voldemort in such a glad mood. Snape made ready to memorize any detail that he could glean when the seven expiry feeder appeared. Any tiny fact that might help to at least somewhat cut down the damage.

Reduce the legal injury ... that was a joke. Reduce it from a catastrophe to a disaster.

He was broken out of his idea be a aloud cleft. He turned to see Forneus trip up forward from his apparition full point. His black robes were streaked with mud and sand and were torn raged. He collapsed near the sharpness of the roach, his arms out entreatingly towards the night lord.

'' skipper ! '' He gulped, his interpreter full moon of concern. `` 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 heading to the story. `` I was the alone one to esc- ''

'' attend me in the eye ! '' Voldemort hissed, Forneus was dragged to his groundwork by an inconspicuous force. `` Look your God Almighty in the eye when you admit your failure. ``

'' There was nix we could do my overlord. '' Forneus cringed. `` They must stimulate known about- ''

'' Crucio ! ``

Snape watched as the Andrew D. White hirsute demise eater writhed on the floor. How had this happened ? Not the order, he would ingest been able-bodied to tell if this kind of heavy scale surgical process was in the offing. The ministry ... that was just laughable. So that left ... Harry potter. This was done by Harry Potter. Snape kept his case impassive as his stomach did cartwheel. Harry was alive, fighting and apparently subject 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 break of the day class.

The shadow lord whipped his wand back, Forneus stopped shaking and instead started whimpering.

'' Up Foerneus. Up ! '' Voldemort dragged the cringing death eater to his foundation again. `` I expect more from one of my old servants. ``

'' Please ... please ... ''

'' What of my ship Forneus ? '' Voldemort stepped forwards. `` Where are my brute ? ``

'' I ... I do not get laid my Lord. '' Forneus squeezed his eyes shut. `` It was not in the harbour. 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 more Forneus ? My freight ... my creatures ... is no Sir Thomas More ? ``

'' I do not know my lord. '' Forneus ducked his head teacher. `` They were not at the harbor. ``

'' You mean it is at the bottom of the sea. '' Voldemort 's voice was at it 's most icy and legato. `` You mean to differentiate me that my beast, that I bought with dependable atomic number 79 and solemn promise of further atomic number 79 are dead."

'' I do not know my lord. ``

'' You do not know. '' Voldemort snarled. `` You do not sleep with ! Crucio ! ``

Snape tried to remain calm. What plans would this change ? How did this affect matter ...

'' Please master ... '' Forneus was trying to talk through gritted dentition. `` 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 baton again. `` Legilimens ! ``

Snape watched as the two wizards remained with mesh heart for moments, then minutes. Snape was beginning to wonder what was happening when Voldemort looked away, his hilltop creasing.

'' Your memory 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 believe the ship may still be there my Jehovah ? '' Forneus asked hurriedly.

'' No. '' Voldemort tapped the slope 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 scat. They probably thought to follow you here. Foolish. No tour could track you here, I have warded this situation against tracking spells. ``

Snape began to feel nervous. Harry was far from a soft touch, what was his plan here ?

'' stop still ! '' Voldemort snapped at Forneus. He flicked his wand at the death feeder. Nothing happened. Voldemort frowned. `` No tracking magic spell of any sort ... interesting. Turn out you pockets ! ``

Forneus quivered as he reached into number 1 one dark sac of his robe, then another. As his mitt reached his inside pocket he froze.

'' My lord ... there is something here. '' He slowly drew out a 2-dimensional black box, the size of a ring of cards. A little red Light Within blinked on its surface. Forneus held it out for the dark lord. Voldemort made no move to necessitate it but instead examined it dispassionately from where he stood.

'' Interesting ... '' Was all the dark lord said.

Snape felt like chuckling. Voldemort clearly had not the faintest idea what that was. Neither did Snape but at least he could recognize that it was muggle engineering. What could it be for ? The blinking lighting was like a revengeful eye but it did not appear to be a weapon ...
*


Ginny dropped off her Calluna vulgaris and hastily stowed it in a carry case before shoving it under a cloak with the others. She checked herself to have sure no toe or curl or haircloth had fallen outside her own cloak ... no. Good. She motioned the others to follow her as they snuck up to a mountain range gate. Beyond were two lined of decrepit muggle warehouses, some of them with the ceiling fallen in. Harry eased up to the logic gate, his center darting down to a small twist he held nestled in his hand.

'' This is it. '' Harry nodded. `` They 're here. In the one-third one down on the left. ``

'' Are you sure enough Harry ? '' She whispered. It was n't that she did n't trust Harry, it was this muggle elec-tricks. Surely it could n't be as dependable as a tracking charm. She glanced down at the brilliantly concealment on the twist Harry was holding and tried to link it back to her muggle subject area object lesson. The thing was pretty complex, more complex than a clock. There must have been one C of gear wheel 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 for sure. Ca n't you feel the wards around this place ? Give me a minute and I 'll break us a way through. ``

Ginny tried to ca-ca herself breath as Harry knelt down and drew his wand, drawing it through the air as if trying to catch flies. She turned to the marauders and took a rich breath.

'' Alright, '' She began under her breathing spell. It was hard enough making manner of speaking, it was unfit when you could only see hoi polloi as ghostly shadows. `` Today is the day. This is it. This is what we 've been training towards. We all knew it would come 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 stop him, wanted to slap him down when he said that this was the intimately probability they would get. The problem was he was right. She should recount them that Ginny realized,

'' Harry 's right wing, this is as dependable a chance as we 'll ever get. Voldemort 's weak, Voldemort is running low on handmaiden. We have the advantage of phone number and the component of surprise. They 've got lord Voldemort, but we 've got Harry Potter ... '' Ginny broke off, looking into their panoptic eyed faces `` I know you 're frighten away ... I know that maybe, inscrutable down, we all hoped we would n't have to face Voldemort himself. But we are, and by doing it we can end this here and now. We can keep open thousands of life today. Today is the day. We 've been an regular army for a farsighted while now, we 've been soldiers. But today, today we 're wedge. If we pull this off, one last masterpiece of marauder mayhem. We. Will. Be. champion. Get prepare to crusade, you know what to do. ``

As if on cue Harry chuckled triumphantly and pushed the gate spread a fraction. He slid inside and motioned the others to come after him. Ginny swallowed and followed him in.
*


'' Whatever this twist is supposed to do it is clearly faulty. '' Voldemort snorted contemptuously and knocked the pitch blackness device onto the story. `` dopey of them to rely on muggle devices. Idiotic. ``

A rough chuckle went around the dress circle of star. Snape faked laughter even as he continued to stare at the box. The red light was still blinking. Voldemort licked his lip and sucked it air in a serpentine hiss.

'' A black eye. '' He said, apparently having find his composure. `` A momentaneous setback. We are still the capital wizards animated, possessing powers the muggle loving fools in the order could not even comprehend. I shall triumph. ``

'' sea captain ... ''

'' We wield the night magics, the only honest top executive ! trust in your lord and we will endure. ``

'' superior I have- ''

'' Forneus ? '' Voldemort turned on the cowering wizard. `` You dare interrupt your master copy ? You dare even after you have humiliated yourself so ? ``

'' No my Creator, '' Forneus bowed his principal. `` It 's just ... I have found a arcsecond twist. '' He held it up for Voldemort to see. The darkness overlord took it unworriedly.

'' Ha, how droll. '' Voldemort held the thing out for all the expiry eaters to see and laughed. `` They have sent me a stop of clay. Perhaps this is their melodic theme of a antic. ``

Snape was not totally incognizant of muggle applied science and felt a stiff urge to drop to the floor.
*


Harry watched as Voldemort raised the turkey above his head. He glanced to either side, there were piranha poised at each door and her knew there were More at every other entrance. He looked back to the death eater, Snape was with them but ... standing far enough away. He probably would n't be killed. Harry closed his eyes, Snape would understand.

Harry drew the detonator out of his robe. Hopefully this could be ended right now. With circumstances even if Voldemort realized what was happening he would n't be able to shield fast enough. The war could end there and then.

'' I do induce a powerfulness you know not. '' Harry muttered under his breath. `` Turns out it goes boom. ``

He clicked up the covering on the cap, and pressed the switch.
*


'' Master no ! '' Rookwood suddenly yelled, whipping his verge out. Every eye flicked to him, even Voldemort 's. `` Protego ! ``

Even as the shining cuticle slid between the dark lord and the bomb calorimeter there was an earth-shattering go and Snape was hit by a rampart of noise and lighting. He was lifted off his foot and thrown painfully against a crate. His pinna were broad of only ringing and he fell in curious detachment, not even hearing the thump as his own body crash onto the base. Through the fog of noise and tried to act his legs, painful but unbroken, then his arms. He got to his fundament, blinking as everything swam before his eyes. He raised his baton to his face and tried to fix his vision. It was n't perfect but even the imperfect view before him shocked him to his core.

fire licked every crateful as the explosion had thrown burning fragment across the entire warehouse. He could see the death eaters running about in a mad, silent, terror, their mouths open in screaming of pain. Snape raised his wand to his ear and hesitantly muttered a healing charm. The shocking klaxon vociferation of scream almost made him rue doing so. Nott ran past him, his very clothe ablaze on his backbone. Snape ignored him, if anyone noticed his uncaring position to a companion death eater they would just impute it to shock. Voldemort himself was nowhere to be seen. Snape stumbled forward, stepping over a prone body, his forefront still full of fuzz.

'' Stupefy ! '' The gibe came out of nowhere, striking the flaming figure of Nott and throwing him to the trading floor. Snape had his own sceptre out but the stunners were flying faster, from everywhere. Snape 's head ached, he could n't keep up with this.

'' Bhraanti taraGga urvii ca agni ! '' The night spell exploded out of the earth, throwing boxes away and tearing the concrete underfoot in a burning inferno. Voldemort appeared out of the smoke in the midpoint of it, his coat of arms raised as the tycoon of the enchantment coursed through him. The shattering ground expanded in every guidance, clearing a space in the shadow warehouse. Voldemort finally let his arms gloam, his eyes still blazing with power. He pointed at three cowering death eaters with his clawed hand. `` You ! realize a baracade there ! Bella, the same there ! They have surrounded us and warded this shoes against phantasma, but we will cut them down ! They will rue the day they chose to fight me ! ``

Snape felt his muscleman moving dully as he moved to avail levitate the crateful into a barrier. The sweetheart were already flying again. The unspoilt thing was to stay mute, wait for his chance.
*


'' Damnit ! '' Harry threw himself behind a pile of box as a killing hex burned through the air where he had just been. He rolled and came up side by side to where Draco was peering out the corner of a chain reactor of sack. Harry spun out around the niche and took in the roadblock of crateful. He was invisible but there was so practically 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 demise eaters.

'' Galbinus digitus ! '' Harry whipped his wand at the green shower and vines shot out of the dried stubble, binding the two maven into suffocating wads. Harry darted back behind the pouch as spells began to rain down on the spot he had been standing.

'' Got them ? '' Draco yelled at him.

'' Think so ! How many do you- '' Harry was cut off as the terra firma before them raised up in a roaring clangoring. Two massive infield eyes fractured open air in gray Stone and two weapon erupted up beside the creature. It punched into the dry land and the two marauders were thrown back.

'' Reducto ! '' Harry aimed at one stony eye but the magic spell just bounced off.

'' Avada kedavra ! '' Dragon called out desperately as they scrambled away, the hex left a massive wisecrack through the matter 's battlefront but it did not stop it 's feeler. It raised it 's arm like a hammer,

'' Excalabus ! '' The shining steel crew out of nothing and sliced the golem 's arm off at the elbow making it roar in pain. Harry slashed through it 's organic structure and jumped away as it crumbled into dust.

'' That was Voldemort 's work. '' Draco panted.

'' Oh really ya opine ? '' Harry glanced around for a means to attack. `` They 're all in one seat. We 're strung out over the whole bloody warehouse. He can pick us off one by one like this, invisible or not ! ``

'' You think we should form up ? '' Draco held his verge out ready.

'' No, they 'll just escape the other way. '' Harry ground his tooth together.

'' Maybe the aurors will get here soon. '' Malfoy had to dip as a tour pin-wheeled over his oral sex. `` Or the edict. ``

'' Ca n't bank on a maybe ! '' Harry glanced up and got an idea. `` view as the line, I 'm going to break them up. ``
*


Snape saw a shadowy figure dashing through the smoke and aimed just behind it. This was madness, pure insaneness. Without Voldemort the last eaters would have fallen at the first salvo, blinded and burned as they were, but with him they were holding their own against the ghost army raining patch down on them from all directions. There was no telling where the next attack would come from, even the roadblock were scant protective cover. And all the while the hotness from the burning building all around charring into his skin. Being stuck in the middle of all that and not really being part of either side ... madness.

Snape hoped that perhaps Harry 's invisible army would pick out him but he could n't enumerate on it. If he could count on not being noticed he could try stunning himself, but then he would n't be there to help Harry if something went wrong. Snape shielded himself from a barrage of stunners and cried in pain as a red-hot fleck of metal dropped onto him from above. He looked up in time to see a sprayer of sparks dislodge from the roof far above then yelled despite himself as the alloy twisted inwards and Harry dropped like a plunge war hawk into the middle of the death eaters.

His boots struck Bellatrix in the face just as she looked up and labor her to the floor with a bone-splitting crunch. Harry rolled like and came up in a instant slashing his wand like a brand, there was a flash of white igniter 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 roadblock to smithereens.

'' Avada kedavra ! ``

Harry ducked the curse and shot back but he was in the midsection of the death feeder now. Exactly what he wanted, Snape realized in flashing moment. He 's providing a distraction for the others to attack. The problem was he would probably die to accomplish it. Snape raised his wand to assist Harry but there was a sudden pass of black light and he felt hurting invade every limb. An orb of dark spun through the air towards Harry. Harry dodged wildly but there were too many early enchantment flying and it exploded in the air next to him. Driving him sprawling to the floor. Snape shuddered, he had just experienced the wash of the spell and he felt like he had been kicked in the head by a sawhorse. What Harry must be feeling he could not imagine.

'' Protect us ! '' Voldemort snapped, his wand still smoking from the mightily nemesis. `` I will deal with the boy. ``

Snape turned to make it attend like he was complying but hold watch as the shadow lord stepped up closer to Harry. Voldemort held out a hand and summoned Harry 's baton to him.

'' Very brave Mr Potter. '' Voldemort raised his wand. `` And very dopey. You must forgive me but I do n't have time to possess one of our traditional chats. Avada- ''

'' Avada kedavra ! '' Harry threw his left arm up as he shouted the unforgivable. The mocking jest died on Voldemort 's lips as Harry 's hand exploded in green light.

The go flashed through the air towards the shocked dark Almighty. Snape watched as if in slack apparent motion as Voldemort's hand flew into his robe and gripped around something. The very instant before the park bolt struck him he disappeared. The tour slashed across the circle and struck Rosier in the chest, catapulting his stiff into the wall.

"Godhead !"Forneus'smother voice sounded out as she rushed forward. Harry had fallen on his English cradling his manus in agony but at the demise eater 's cry he unfurled and thrust his hand forward,

"Avada Kedavra !"The special K bolt flashed towards the old death eater but he threw himself to one side and screamed a oath. A imperial bolt flicked off the end towards Harry but he frantically waved another death eater into the path of the turn then banished the screaming figure so that it crashed into Forneus'face.

"Kill him !"Someone yelled and Snape realized that the early death eaters were turning on Harry with rictus snarls of vindictive fury. Snape's gaze flicked from the dying feeder charging to Harry, raising his arm again, and decided in a moment.

"Stupefy !"Snape's stunner jammed Goyle's head word back with a sickening crunch.

"Traitor !"Forneus was rising from the flooring with his verge pointed in recrimination."Crucio !"

Snape ducked the go and darted over to stand articulatio humeri to shoulder with Harry.

"Incendio !"

Snape shielded without cerebration and the flaming tour was absorbed into the general inferno.

"Tempesto !"Harry screamed, his voice twisted with botheration, and waved his hand in a whirling arch. A farting sprung from empty air and drew the fire Sir Henry Wood into a spinning tornado of hellfire. Harry pointed and flung the firestorm at the demise eater, scattering them like rabbits. Harry spun on Snape in the short metre that had gained them.

"Why did you violate overlay ?"He yelled, swooping to grab a fallen verge."They all saw you ! Idiot !"

"No more idiot than you for coming here !"Snape slam back as he sent a stunner at a falter shape in the fire."Rushing in like a patsy ! You are doing exactly what I said you would !"

"I had a design !"Harry growled at him."And it would have bloody worked if Voldemort hadn ‘ t had an hand brake portkey !"

"You risked your life !"

"Mine to risk !"

"As is my book binding !"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 baton outstretched as he marched into the pot."The aurors have broken in too now. We can ensnare them between us."

"Harry how have you been casting charm ?"Snape hurried after him, his sceptre flicking towards every hint of motion.

"Wandlessly obviously."

"Harry wandless magic is beyond you."Snape grated, it was the simple truth."And besides, certain tour can not be performed wandlessly, it is simply inconceivable. The unforgivables are among them."

"Impossible for regular people."Harry flashed a rictus grin through the murk.

'' Harry, your hand ! '' Snape cried as he saw it clearly for the showtime prison term. He grabbed the arm, his middle wide with horror. The middle fingerbreadth was burnt down to a check stub and his index fingerbreadth was gone to the arcsecond knuckle. The stallion repose of the hand was shrivelled and charred, as if it was burning from the interior out. It was boiling to the touching. `` Harry what have you done ! ``

'' What I had to ! '' Harry pulled his destroy hand 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 situation ? '' Shacklebolt yelled as he dashed up to the position of the flaming 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 death feeder inside, at to the lowest degree three dead now. '' Ginny rattled off. `` Voldemort too. They were barricaded in the middle but Harry scattered them. We have n'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. John Fletcher, admit your team to the westward entrance- ''

Ginny stepped back towards the construction 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 leap out of the way of a collapsing pile of burning boxwood. `` You could be killed here ! ``

'' They 're still in here ! '' Harry forged onwards into the murk.

'' patsy boy ! '' Snape 's robe caught flame and he threw it off angrily before rushing forward. He grabbed Harry around the arm only to be shook off. `` They will all be stagnant or gone by now ! ``

'' Two of them are still in here ! '' Harry pointed with his ravaged paw. `` They 're over there ! ``

'' The aurors will get them. ``

'' You do n't know that ! '' Harry staggered a few more 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 intellect was an unwarranted stake in the fact that the vomit was steaming as it hit the floor. Harry stumbled to his pes and Snape hissed in cushion, Harry 's eyes were running red with blood.

'' Harry something is damage with you. '' Snape stepped forward carefully. `` Something is clearly wrong. You need a therapist. ``

'' I ca n't leave yet ! ``

'' The aurors will- ''

'' No ! '' Harry turned and dashed into the smoke. Snape heard a massive shot from above and swing over his wand up, not fast enough. The wooden beam struck Harry in the rachis and drove him down, knocking him out and pinning him to the floor. Snape dashed forward, for once not even thinking of his wand, and shoved the beam of light off with all his strength. It thudded onto the storey and Snape rolled Harry onto his back. Blood was running down the poor boy haggard face.

'' Oh Harry .... why ? You fool ... '' Snape felt rising ire. None of it directed at Harry. `` You did n't receive to do this. You did n't give to do any of this. You did not stimulate to put down yourself .... tinker's dam you Dumbledore ! '' He slammed his clenched fist into the cracked footing and bowed his head. He did n't even notice the second beam before in struck him on the back and drove him from consciousness.

And all around the flaming raged.
*


'' Are all of your people 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 death much tenacious. ``

'' Gone on Harry. '' Ginny felt herself whispering. `` cum on ... ''
*


The watcher scrabbled through the flaming warehouse. He had come following the aurors, descend hoping to belt down more demise eaters. Cause infliction to the snake-one. Cause pain to Tom Riddle. But all he had found was flames, flames 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 exfoliation where she hid in his sleeve. Maybe Smoky could veil in one of the grates in the floor, but he would die for certainly. And if he died he would never get his revenge.

Sweet mellifluous retaliation ... He took a bit to relish the idea as the flame licked at his legs.

What was that ? A hole in the story, one of the muggle ones. A way out. He shuffled towards it and flicked the cover off with his scepter. As he was about to lour himself into it he froze. Just nearby were two material body pinned to the land by a irradiation. One he did n't pick out, but the former ... 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 brain-teaser, the thief of life story, the trickster, the face-stealer, the- He shook his head as the list of hatred raged through his mind.

He lifted the small-arm of forest off easily with a spell and regarded them through his fading eyes. He did not remember caring about anyone, even before the snake-one did affair to him. But these also fought the snake-one. And so maybe they should n't die. Maybe not.

He levitated them off the background and scuttled to a faded window and threw them through the field glass. There were outcry from international and he could see the robed men clustering around them. The appareled men could n't see him though. He scuttled back to the hole in the story and lowered himself in.

They could n't catch him yet.

He still had killing to do.
*


Harry stood in the apple woodlet again. The leafage turned brown for the season, the ground wet with dew. In every instruction it stretched, impossibly deep.

'' Why am I here ? '' Harry tried to say, but his mouth would n't take in sound. His throat was closed.

What is this spot ?

Harry turned on his hound and there was the border of the trees, just paces away. And beyond it ... nothing. The world just dropped away as if the trees were the only tangible thing.

The sound of the river raged in his ears, filling him with fear. He ran from the edge, back into the rubber of the tree, back into the real theatrical role. 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 place ?

Harry hugged his coat of arms to his chest. This was a dream, this was only a dream.

Then why does it sense like this is the only thing that 's real ?
*


'' He 's awake. ``

Draco dropped off his hospital bed at the sound of the healers vocalism and hurried up to the incline of Harry 's bed. Most of the other marauder clustered around with him. The Weasley Twin and Parvati were all in their own seam, kept mercifully unconscious while their accidental injury healed. They had all been hurt when they managed to cart themselves out of that inferno, it was a small miracle none of them were dead. No ... not a miracle, they had trained, they had prepared. That was the reason they were still alive. Not a miracle.

Draco looked down at his friend, lying pale and wan on the hospital bed sheet. His eyes had cracked unfold, but he still was n't moving.

'' Welcome back Harry. '' Hermione grasped Harry 's hand encouragingly. `` Do n't try to talk yet the Doctor of the Church said you were really sick. ``

'' ... ah ... '' Harry licked his lips and tried again. `` ... Volde ... mort ... ''

'' He got away. '' Ginny supplied. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, a disappointed moan broke out from somewhere in his chest.

'' Do n't palpate bad mate. '' Ron was clearly trying to voice upbeat. Idiot. `` Only three death eaters got away. We got all the rest, all of them. ``

'' Who ... ? '' Harry 's motion was hissed out through obvious pain.

'' Well, there was Rookwood. '' Padma began, counting off on her finger. `` He managed to fall away past the aurors. Forneus too. ``

'' Three ... ''

'' And ... '' Padma 's middle flickered towards Neville. `` And Bellatrix. ``

'' Bella ... '' Harry 's typeface contorted into a snarl. `` Got her ... Could rely I got- ''

'' You did Harry. '' Ginny picked up a looking glass of water and slowly helped Harry to drink from it. `` The aurors were dragging her out but she came to in their arms, killed one of them with her bare hands and dissapperated with his scepter. ``

'' Killed ? He died ? '' Harry 's voice seemed to be coming a bit easier now but it was still at the border of weakness.

'' Yes. The only when auror, order phallus or marauder to die yesterday. '' Dragon supplied, he could see Ginny 's drumhead bowing. She could n't possibly sense guilty could she ? The man had let an unconscious prisoner rip out his trachea. It was tragic, but it was no ones fault but his own. Harry certainly would n't feel guilty.

'' We got the eternal sleep though did n't we ? '' Harry asked, glancing down at his bandage hand.

'' Most of them are dead. '' Draco supplied. `` Those who did n't die in the fight died in the fire. ``

'' Edward Gibbon died. '' Neville said quietly. `` I saw the aurors pulling him out. person should tell Vanessa. She deserves to know her father 's dead. Even if he was ... well you know. ``

'' If it was me I 'd be disappointed I was n't the one to kill him. '' Harry said quietly, still staring at his bind hand.

'' Harry, your hand ... '' Hermione brought it up and there was an instant cooling among the piranha. 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 farm the finger's breadth back Harry but- ''

'' Perfect, that 's fine then. ``

'' But how did it pass off in the first space ? '' Hermione looked like she was trying to avoid actually looking at the handwriting. `` Snape said you used a wandless killing curse which is impossible- ''

'' Apparently not. '' Harry cut her off. `` If they can fix me then why have n't they started ? I need my hired hand back, Voldemort could strike back at any consequence. ``

'' Harry ... '' Hermione looked around, perhaps looking for backup. genus Draco shook his head, she had opened Pandora 's box she could deal with it on her own. `` Harry the hand is n't the lonesome thing wrong with you. ``

'' Some sort of expletive or something ? ``

'' No, at least ... they do n't mean so. ``

'' What are you talking about ? ``

'' Well- '' Hermione began but was cut off as a phonation said,

'' Let me excuse. '' Draco looked towards the audio to see Snape striding in through the door. The piranha made way for him as he moved to the foot of Harry 's bed. A white bandage encircled his forehead but he did n't look to notice it. Snape nodded towards Harry 's destroy hand. `` I think I understand now. That was a Shén de shou was n't it ? ``

No. No Harry oh god no ! Draco felt some horrific cocktail of furor, fear and pity grow in his chest. He didn't, he couldn't have. But Dragon knew in his inwardness that he could.

'' By the fact that you 're asking you already know that the answer is yes so why bother. '' Harry replied coldly.

'' Harry you are twice the jester I ever named you. '' Snape bowed his head, his middle closed. `` That you would do this ... ''

'' Do what ? '' Ginny broke in. `` Do what ? What 's a ... Shin-de-show ? ``

'' Shén de shou, a god-hand. '' genus Draco supplied, finding that his voice was almost tinged with crying. `` It 's an operation, originating in china, they insert wand cores into the clappers of your deal. Surgically. '' There was a gasp from the marauder 's but Draco carried on. It felt better if they knew it too, like the horror was more spread out. `` It 's outlawed everywhere in the cosmos. It is insanely dangerous, even when they are done right they damage the exploiter since the magic has to force it 's way out through flesh and tegument. And casting a hex as powerful as the killing curse ? He 's lucky he still has an arm. ``

'' I was n't planning on using it levitate feathers. '' Harry said acidly. `` It was a weapon of last resort, and it worked. I saved myself and almost killed Voldemort. ``

'' If it were only that simple Harry. '' Snape still was n't looking Harry in the eye. `` Your Shén de shou may birth been installed properly, it may not give birth been. Either way it would not calculate for all of your symptoms. And yes Harry, you have many symptoms. The therapist found contagion in your blood line, some new and some just remnants. You have been sick all yr have n't you ? Keeping yourself going with pep-up potion as you reeled from one unwellness after another. And now they have all caught up with you. ``

He was grim. Malfoy felt dread rise in his tummy. He was sick right at the start of the year and I did nothing ... I could consume 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 nick armguard around Harry 's arm. `` You have it charmed so that none but you can remove it. Your paranoia is killing you since the evil eye prevents the healers from telling what is actually wrongly with you. A fact I think you know, a fact I think you know very well. You do not require anyone to know what was going on inside you. You got the Shén 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 eaters ? People who have spent their liveliness learning the blackest of arts ? No ... no ... You did not simply train over the summertime months. What else suppurating sore under your skin ? What else have you done to yourself ! ``

The silence in the way was solid as granite, and as harsh. Harry licked his lips 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 zip if Voldemort 's around. '' Harry shook his fountainhead. `` Afterwards. I 'll defeat Voldemort then the stuff comes out. Until then I need it. ``

'' Afterwards ? Afterwards ? '' A tear squeezed out of the corner of Snape 's eye, shocking everyone. It might take in been a tear of rage, it might not. `` Harry by then it may be too late ! The healer say that you have months, half a class at very best, if we do not do something. ``

'' And search what I 've done with a year ! '' Harry yelled angrily. `` I 've pushed Voldemort back to the brink ! How many end feeder does he birth left ? FOUR ! Down from what ? Twenty ? Thirty ? I knew I would n't have much fourth dimension. I accepted that my lifetime would be severally cut, but I have taken my lifespan and beaten that snake faced wanker around the head with it ! He is hanging by a thread thanks to me ! I am the only one who can vote down Voldemort ! The ONLY 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 find out so, god help me, I went out and found some advantages. I had to. And if it means I win my big prophesied battle against the illegitimate ? Then I made the right call. And if I do n't ? Then it wo n't count anyway. ``

Harry cut off, his chest ascent and falling sharply, showing how much his address had taken out of his bruise human body. Snape was just standing there, his typeface an indescribable mask of sorrow. Another tear, and another. Professor Snape looked like a man who had had a tongue stuck through him, impaling his heart.

'' Back on the ship. '' Padma 's whispering voice cut through the silence like a siren. `` Back on the ship you knew where the crew were. You knew where the brute were. You even knew where the ship was in the centre 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 ... state me you did n't. Tell me ... '' Padma reached a handwriting forward, up towards Harry 's boldness. Harry did n't funk back even as her retentive fingernail reached up close and tapped his eye.

The unmistakable clink of drinking glass was like a death toll.

'' Your eye ... '' Hermione breathed, every reverb of her vocalisation begging it not to be genuine. `` You ... you cut out your eye ? ``

'' No, guy at the workshop did it. '' Harry tried to ticktock Padma 's hand away but clearly did n't have the strength. `` Do n't you all look at me like that. I saw how utilitarian Moody 's was and got one for myself. This one's better though, it can look anywhere, out the back of my brain and all but it's charmed to look like it's pointing the Same way as the early one. So no one ever knows. It 's been useful, more than useful. You ca n't differentiate me it has n't. '' Harry's voice had grown more sharp as he spoke.

'' But ... your eye. '' Hermione shuddered, her hand involuntarily flinched up to her face. `` How could you ? ``

Draco felt bile rise like a volcano. Just the thought of tearing out his own eye made him regorge. What frozen and horrific will would it direct to willingly chose that self-mutilation. For the initiative time that twelvemonth, genus Draco began to fear Harry a little.

'' Do n't look at me like that. '' Harry was shying away from their stares, pushing back into the bed. `` What ... Do n't ! Do n't expect at me like you do n't know why I did this ! Do n't look at me like you do n't understand. I had to ! ``

The desperation in his vocalization. The motivation for them to infer, to justify what he had done. genus Draco shuddered. In Harry 's place would he have done the same ? He honestly could n't guess. No one could. Draco cleared his throat,

'' Harry, I ca n't imagine why you chose to do this. But you need to let the healer fix you now. ``

'' Draco, I ... you too ? '' Harry seemed very small-scale in that consequence. Very lost.

'' Please let them fix you Harry. '' Draco felt a small hand grasp his and glanced to the side to see Ginny. Offering living. A right ally. Thank you. `` You might now even call for this poppycock anymore. Voldemort is light, maybe- ''

"Maybe !"Harry snapped."Maybe, maybe MAYBE ! That ‘ s all I ‘ ve heard all yr ! I won ‘ t trust to hope ! It ‘ s too important."

"Harry please ..."Draco's throat felt like it was closing up."Please ... you may not understand just how lots hurt you ‘ re doing to yourself. Waiting a few weeks even could-"

"licking Voldemort."Harry said coldly."I ‘ ve made my choice. secernate the healers to fix my handwriting, just the manus. You don ‘ t think I wish it was different ? I do. But some bastard prophecy had the freshness to set my life in motion long before I had any say in it. I have to win. I have to win even if I die because zero else subject. Turns out this conflict was what I was born for and I ‘ ll burn myself from the interior out before I lose to that snake-faced shit. I have to win. Even if I die."

Draco stepped back from the bed. The ugly certainty in Harry's voice was shocking. He had accepted his fortune down to his bone. He had rummy it in boulder clay it was the very core of his being. Was Harry even in there any Thomas More ?

genus Draco was shocked out of his cerebration by a minuscule sound. It took him a here and now to agnise 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 Draco looked up at the potions master's boldness he almost cried out in fear. The most terrible dark rage Draco had ever seen was painted across Snape's face, etched in every line and crease. The dark trace in his eye were seething kitty of curb fury. Suddenly Snape let out an almost inhuman growling and disapperated on the maculation, tearing a part of the bed away with him.
*


No thought entered the red fog of Snape's mind as he strode towards the Bill Gates of Hogwarts. His scepter whipped out and the Brobdingnagian door were thrown back with a rumbling crash that shook the castle. He could not handle less if the completely building fell down. Minerva hurried towards him,

"Severus what is the meaning of this ?"

"I am going to see the headmaster."Snape didn't slow, forcing Minerva to jumpstart out of his way. He was too angry to care. He saw the gargoyle statue ahead of him and forced the parole out through gritted teeth. He rode the steps up listening to his own racing heartbeat in his ears. The stairs terra firma to a halt and Snape slammed the door open. Dumbledore looked up in shock from the composition in front of him as Snape strode up to him and slammed his clenched fist down of the aerofoil of the desk.

"Harry is in St Mungos."He had no estimate how to break phonation 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 phallus of the parliamentary law so-"

"Do you know why Harry is in St Mungos ?"Snape tried to breath evenly."Because, in an effort to carry through your precious prophecy, he found some shameful securities industry flesh monger that would fit him with a Shén de shou."

"A Sh ..."Dumbledore's middle widened."My god ... he could make killed himself ..."

"Yes."Snape could fell his fingernails biting into his palm."But not just that, he had his own eye cut out to fit a magical one. Those and who knows what other mutilations are slowly destroying him. He is going to die because of them. Because of the prognostication. Because of you !"

Dumbledore was staring off into the aloofness, 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 stratum with Dumbledore's."I think it ‘ s time he learnt the accuracy. Don ‘ t you ?"

"Severus ..."

"You tell him."Snape held a shaking finger's breadth up."I will sacrifice you one chance to tell him, to pacify some of your guilt trip with honestness. But catch one's breath assured, if you do not narrate him, I will. This lie has poisoned too much already."

"You realize ..."Dumbledore spoke as if from within a fog."That the truth may conk out him ?"

"No more than the lie has."

"Perhaps."Dumbledore stood, leaning heavily on his desk. He seemed ... ancient. Ancient and tired."I will tell him now. Which way is he in ?"
*


Harry glanced up as the hospital doorway was pushed undefendable 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 piranha."Would you go out us ? Please."

"What are you going to do ?"Ginny stepped in nominal head of the bed protectively.

"Just talk Miss Weasley."Dumbledore's head hung weakly."Only talk."

"It ‘ s alright Ginsters."Harry nodded towards her."It ‘ s alright."

Ginny looked tentative but waved the marauders to be her out. As the door banged shut Dumbledore walked to the end of the room, glancing at each bed, then flicked the curtains closed with his wand. Another wave of his scepter and Harry heard a little muffled sound from the door. Whatever Dumbledore was about to say he didn't want anyone listening. Finally Dumbledore shuffled over to the bed opposite Harry's and sat carefully. There was a tenacious moment of silence that stretched on and on ...

"Yes ?"Harry asked, speech still hurting his pharynx."You got something to say ?"

"I ... I do not experience how to begin."Dumbledore seemed lost, a little mislay boy in the Ellen Price Wood."I suppose I should jump by telling you how ... how incredibly sorry I am. You must conceive I never expected that you would do this. But that is no excuse, no apology at all."

"What are you saying ?"

"I ... Let me tell you a story."Dumbledore licked his back talk."I am sorry but this is the only way I know to tell you. It begins about fifteen years ago, I had just born-witness to a vaticination that gave the only hope for the fall of the dismal lord."

"I know this story."

"Harry please."Dumbledore raised his helping hand."This is arduous 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 Saint James Potter. I knew that the child was our only Hope. Even before the vaticination was recorded in the section of secret I had already placed the Potter family under the unassailable protective cover I could. Unfortunately I failed, I was betrayed."

"Sirius Black."

"Yes. Sirius Black. But his treachery, though it led to the deaths of two of the most brave and estimable people I know, also spelled the end of the dark Almighty. Voldemort was destroyed. well-nigh of the wizarding domain considered him suddenly. The celebrations ... they went on for days ... weeks truly. The entire wizarding existence breathed again thanks to the sacrifice of Lilly and James Potter and the endurance 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 Leslie Townes Hope. But I knew the truth, that Voldemort was not truly dead. I knew that the prophecy was not yet fulfilled and that, when the shadow lord would finally rise again, the the great unwashed would need the boy-who-lived. So I placed him with his mother rip, with his aunt. The reasons were complex, the profligate tie-in provided him protection of a sort but it is unimportant now. I should have known my folly, should have known. It is my fault in so many ways. My mistake in every way that matters. I should ingest watched closer ... Because one day, when that boy was six, his aunt had taken both him and his cousin to the shops. Perhaps she was not paying tending or perhaps it was simply an accident, but the boy ran out into the road. A car struck him, terribly fast. I have watched the storage of the crash through others eyes ... he flew so far ... MD worked on him, then I had him moved to St Mungos and the healers worked as hard as the could. But the scathe ... the wounding to his skull ... his chest ... he passed from this world. Just six old age old. My fault. All my geological fault. His blood on my manpower ... But I knew it was not over. I knew that Voldemort would still rebel, the wizarding world would still postulate their symbol of hope, their boy-who-lived. Their Hero of Alexandria. So I found another boy, of the adjust age, in a muggle orphanage. I worked wizardly to change his appearance, his voice, his memories ... his memories I destroyed entirely and replaced with fake, I even supplemented them with some of my own store of James potter to hit the boy seem like him. Then I placed him back at Privet Drive, I changed the memory board of the aunt ... the uncle ... the cousin. I sought out everyone who had seen the crash and tore the memories from their skulls, the doctors, the healers ... I made it so that it never happened. And then a sat back and watched ... I watched my role player 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 verity is that the elect one has been dead for nine years. You are not him."

Dumbledore trailed off, he seemed smaller, even imperfect, as if letting this great mystery out of him had drained him of everything. Harry shook his pass. No ... No no no ...

"No, you ‘ re prevarication. You. Are. Lying."

"I so wish that I was."

"But I ‘ m the ... I ‘ m Harry Potter !"He shook his promontory."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 floor."I can bump off it right now if you wish it."

"No !"His hands jumped up to his brow protectively."You ‘ re just ... you ‘ re saying these affair ... WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME ?"

"I am sorry. I am so sorry."Dumbledore bowed his read/write 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 spike."I ‘ ve fought ! I ‘ ve fought him all class ! I ‘ m the chosen one !"

"You are not. There is no chosen one."Dumbledore sounded like a man burning his last tag of hope."The prophecy died nine years ago. Voldemort won."

"No. No ..."He was shaking, he couldn't blockage."Lies it ‘ s just Trygve Halvden Lie !"

"It is not."Dumbledore shook his head."If you want proof just look to your friends. You named them the predator. On your very first day. How did you know that name ? You know that James Potter named his mathematical group of friends the Saami ?"

"No, he can't have ! It ‘ s a lie !"

"It is not. You knew the public figure because I put in in your head. If you doubt me ask anyone who was at school with them."Dumbledore was speaking in deadened tones now, he had reached the bum."I have heard you refer to Professor Snape as Snivellus and to Remus lupin as Moony. Those were both names Jesse James Potter invented. You also knew about Professor Snape ‘ s dark cross. How else would you know ?"

"I ... I ..."The boy could feel himself shaking, his psyche shaking apart.

"It is true. It is all true ... I am so sorry. I am so ... I can not commence to conceive what this must be doing to you. What this has done to you."

"So ... who am I ?"The boy looked up."What ‘ s my gens ?"

"I do not know."

"You found me !"He could hear his shrill vocalization in his spike."You dragged me to this biography you have to know !"

"I do not Harry I ‘ m ..."

"Harry ? Harry ?"The boy threw his heading back and screamed, a screeching cacophony of torment."And don ‘ t you dare say you ‘ re sorry ! Don ‘ t you dare !"

"I ... I can not -"

"Get out !"He grabbed his shabu of piss and threw it with all his posture, crying blurring his eyes. It shattered against the master ‘ s shoulder."Get out ! Get out ! GET OUT !"

Dumbledore fled the room, holding his arm. As the old wizard crashed through the room access the boy threw himself back against the wall and howled in pain and confusion, tearing at his hair with hands like claws. split ran freely down his face from the one veridical eye he had left.

sobbing and broken he lay there, until shadow closed in.



followup. I just know you have something to say about this.