Harry swore as he dropped to one knee. He hadn't expected to be so damned weak for this long. Whatever his body was doing, it certainly wasn't obeying his commands. He hated not having full control over himself. Clenching both hands into fists, he shakily stood back up, a determined look in his eyes.
"I will not be able to help you when you land. Are you sure you want to do this?" Dumbledore asked.
"I need to see them. They need to see me." Harry said, gritting his teeth. "I need to be there for Order meetings. I need to know what's happening. Tom Riddle has been silent for too long and I don't like what that might mean. There's been no anger, no glee, nothing. He's just been silent. I want to hear what's going on for myself."
"I have told you, not for the first time, that we can handle this. You need to concentrate on recovering." Dumbledore stated.
"And not for the first time, I've told you that I don't like being left in the dark." Harry growled, turning his head to send the headmaster a hate-filled glare. "And don't try to hide the fact that you're withholding information from me, because it's as clear as day that you are."
"Harry, there is nothing--"
"How do you know?!" Hissed Harry. "How do you know there's nothing I can do?! You haven't told me anything regarding the situation in Germany! What little I do know, I pieced together from the vague bit you said along with my own research! I've ascertained that Sergei Wagner is a lich of some sort. And one of some renown, if Voldemort has interest in him in any way! As to what Riddle is doing there and what this Wagner person is doing in retaliation, along with anything our side is doing is completely unknown to me! I've nearly died countless times for you, old man, so I expect to be treated on the same level as everyone else!"
"Harry, you have--" Dumbledore began. But once more, Harry cut him off.
"Finish that sentence and I'll remove Hogwarts from the face of the earth." Harry whispered, his eyes narrowing to slits. "I'm your little weapon and we both know it. And if you don't start treating me as an equal, I'll show you just what kind of force your little weapon can unleash. Let those words sink in well, Albus Dumbledore. Because I'm through taking orders. I'll do what I feel is best from this point on. You'd do well to ensure your goals are in line with my own. Because from this point forward, I'll stop at nothing to rid this planet of Tom Marvolo Riddle. And if that means crossing you, the Order, and the Ministry itself, then so be it."
Silence reigned in Dumbledore's office after that. Harry was the first to break the gaze, leaning over and panting quietly. He had to calm himself. There would be time for proper retribution later, after he had fully recovered and could tap into the Gauntlet's power. But in his time asleep, he had been thinking about his place in the world. And his place seemed to be drifting further and further from the place where Dumbledore seemed content to reside in. The burning hatred of his darker half seemed to be his true feelings, if his current mood was any indication. If things were left up to Dumbledore, they would wait for Voldemort until Doomsday itself rolled around. How many more innocent lives had to be snuffed out due to Albus Dumbledore wanting to play it safe?!
"Come, Harry. The quicker we arrive, the quicker you can rest." Said Dumbledore, his voice soft.
Harry bit back a seething reply. The headmaster must have thought his sudden mood swing was due to the Gauntlet and his recovery. It didn't matter. Grabbing a handful of Floo Powder, Harry stepped into the fireplace and muttered, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place." As he traveled, he closed his eyes. Dumbledore could believe what he wanted. Balthazar and he had been talking and the old ghost had given him the go ahead to tap into his power the moment he was strong enough to. There was one task that he had to get out of the way before any others. He had unfinished business that needed to be resolved. If it wasn't, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on Germany and whatever the hell was going on there.
Eyes snapping open, Harry twisted himself in time to prepare for the landing. He hit the ground and let himself crash got onto his left side. Sucking in a sharp breath, he rolled onto his back and glared up at the ceiling. He had spared his knees injury, but his arm was going to be sore for awhile. Most powerful wizard in the whole of Britain and he couldn't even land from a simple thing like Floo travel.
His eyes flicked to the side as Dumbledore swept out of the flames. Naturally, he would be able to land. Dumbledore always made his entrances well. If it had been up to Harry, he would have just shifted and traveled to Number Twelve that way. As it was, Balthazar had told him it would be at least another twenty-four hours before the Gauntlet had cooled down fully. Only then would his magical reserves begin to refill. The up side, he had said, was that they would refill at a quick rate.
Dumbledore didn't know it yet, but Harry was going to overtake him. The Order would get nowhere if they depended on Albus Dumbledore. And if they refused to accept him as their new leader, he would have to go it by himself. Or, rather, by himself with his inner circle of friends. He knew there was no escaping them. He wouldn't try even if he wanted to. He wanted them close, where he could personally guard them. There would be no more deaths around him. Not anymore.
Getting to his feet, Harry swiveled his left arm around a bit until the aching had died out. And, without saying another word to Dumbledore, he left the room. Number Twelve was eerily quiet for it being around lunch time. Food didn't even sound good to Harry. Balthazar had told him it probably wasn't going to for a few days. Then he would need to eat twice what he normally did in order to help build his energy back up. It went against everything he had grown to know about recovering after long periods of rest, but he trusted the old ghost.
Slowly climbing the stairs, Harry made his way to his bedroom. Sanctuary. Somewhere away from Dumbledore. Hissing in Parseltongue, the door popped open. Smiling, Harry stepped in and closed the door behind himself, leaning against it. Only now would he let go of the exhaustion he was feeling. It was bad enough that he had to look weak in front of Dumbledore. He didn't want anyone else to see. No one would see him weak ever again. He was going to throw Voldemort into some long-forgotten dimension and he was going to change the wizarding world for the better. The 'dark' races; the vampires, the werewolves, and their ilk... they wouldn't be persecuted anymore. There would be equally, come hell or high water, and he was going to see that nothing stood in his way to reach that goal.
Shambling across the room, Harry collapsed onto the bed, letting out a quiet groan.
"Are you alright?" Came Balthazar's voice, his gemstone pulsing gently as he spoke.
"I've been better. I'm surprised, you know." Harry muttered.
"About what?"
"My plans."
"I have no reason not to believe you, Harry. In my day, people like that were dealt with swiftly in a manner fitting their crime. I realize things have changed since then, but I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to put your own ghosts to rest." Balthazar said.
"And if they try to get in my way afterward? What then?" Asked Harry.
"We will cross that road if we come to it. Remember what we spoke about - try not to think so far ahead. It will only cloud your view of the present." Balthazar said. "Now get into bed properly. We won't quite be back to normal by nightfall, but it should be cooled down enough to be used."
Letting out a quiet sigh, Harry pushed himself back up and into bed. He was at an angle, but it would have to do. Grabbing for a pillow, he lifted his head long enough to tuck it under. With another sigh, he murmured, "I feel like I'm a hundred years old right now."
"Think of how you'll feel when you actually reach one hundred years of age." Balthazar said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I'd rather not." Harry muttered, yawning the sentence out. "Okay, going to sleep now. Feel up for more talk?"
"Of course."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Harry was awakened some time later by the sound of knocking at his door. Groaning, he pushed himself out of bed and crossed the room. Pulling the door open, he saw a good number of his friends loitering out in the hall. Tonks was at the front of the pack, however, and quickly latched hold of Harry's left side as soon as she could.
"Careful, Nym." Harry murmured. "The Gauntlet's..."
"Hot. I know." Tonks said, glancing down at it. "Dumbledore told us."
"He seemed cranky." Malfoy commented. He was leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. "Care to fill us in, Potter?"
"...Oh, very well. Uncle Harry will indulge you in story time. Come on in, children." Harry said, rolling his eyes as he stepped back in. "Where are Hermione and Ginny?"
"Hermione's staying with her parents. Ginny's with the rest of her family." Said Luna.
"It's been pretty quiet with those twins not here." Pansy noted.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Harry gave a recount of the forging process. Once he and the headmaster had gotten to the school, he had been lead up to the man's quarters. A slew of people were there waiting for them. And from there...
"Pain. A lot of pain." Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "Balthazar says I nearly died. I don't remember any of it. I'd say I blacked out from the pain, but apparently I was screaming for a long time."
"He held up amazingly well." Balthazar said, causing everyone to glance down at his gem. "But it was dangerously close for awhile."
"As soon as you get better, I'm punching you." Tonks pouted. "Even knowing you'd probably vanish like that, I was scared..."
"I'm sorry, Nym." Harry said, leaning over to kiss the girl's cheek. "No choice in the matter, though. Dumbledore and his bloody sense of secrecy..."
"Which brings us back to Draco's question - what'd you do to piss the old man off, Harry?" Asked Pansy.
"I told him, in no uncertain terms, that if he didn't get off his butt and start bringing the fight to Voldemort, I'd leave him behind and go it alone." Harry said. "I'm sick and tired of waiting. If it were up to Dumbledore, we'd wait forever while Voldemort built up another army to jump us with. Something's going on in Germany and dammit all, I want to know what. I'll be crashing the first Order meeting I catch wind of. I want you all to be there. I'm the weapon that's going to bring this bloody war to and end and I want all of you there with me. It's time I stopped blindly listening to him. It's long become clear that he isn't fit to lead anyone, much less a group dedicated to wiping Voldemort out. If you ask me, he isn't doing a very good job so far."
"You're going to abandon Hogwarts?" Luna asked.
"Not Hogwarts. Merely Dumbledore. Something hasn't been sitting right with me for awhile in regards to that man." Harry said, shaking his head slowly. "It arose quite a bit last year, after I went to meet Scrimgeour for the first time. My feelings haven't changed. But I can be a very convincing actor if the need arises. Dumbledore needs to step aside and let me take the helm. If I'm going to do anything, I need to know everything that's going on. If Voldemort takes a piss in the bloody woods, I want to know about it. I can't be continually left in the dark and expect to function when and how he wishes! I'm through being a pawn. The white king out there is going to submit or I might just up and vanish on him one day. I'll carve my own way to victory from now on. Now that I have the power..."
Harry held up his right arm, flexing his fingers slowly. "...Now that I have this, I have no reason to put up with Albus Dumbledore."
"You're sexy when you're rebellious." Commented Pansy.
"Oi oi..." Harry said, giving the girl the evil eye.
Tonks bit back a giggle suddenly.
Harry gave a quick glance to Luna, who was biting back a laugh. He then looked to Malfoy, who looked vaguely disgusted. "...Good. Nice to know the two of you aren't going to spontaneously fawn over my apparent sexiness as well." He muttered dryly.
"The day I fawn over anyone, let alone you, is the day I loose the Killing Curse on myself." Malfoy stated.
Clearing his throat, Harry got back up and began to pace. "The trouble... is that everyone trusts Dumbledore quite a lot. Unfortunately, their trust is misplaced. I doubt I'll be able to show them the error of their ways at this point. However..." He paused then, eyes narrowing. "...No television, but... I know there's a wizarding radio station. How many families in the wizarding world do you think have radios?"
"Quite a lot." Tonks said, tilting her head. "I mean, those of us who still don't like to mingle with Muggle technology don't have a whole lot else to listen to, you know?"
"What the hell are you planning?" Asked Malfoy, smirking.
"I plan to make everyone see things my way." Harry said, returning the smirk. "After all... what choice do they have? I literally hold their salvation in my right hand. They can do as I say or they can fall victim."
"Are you sure that thing's power hasn't gone to your head?" Pansy asked. "You sound different."
"If I do, it's due to simply being able to gather my thoughts after a year of having them split apart. I owe the wizarding world nothing, Pansy. Not a damn thing. And yet I'm still expected to save them from Voldemort. When I kill him, it'll be for my own reasons. Not because of them. I'll avenge those killed and I'll show the wizarding world the error of their ways. I won't let something like Lord Voldemort happen again. I've become a living weapon to stop him. I'll do whatever it takes, no matter the cost. But I won't let the wizarding world think I did it for them." Harry explained. "Nym found me. She saved me from hell. Dumbledore sent me to it. I think I've followed his commands for the last time."
"Wherever you go, we'll follow." Luna said, smiling faintly.
"And for that, I'm grateful." Harry said, inclining his head. "I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself right now, though. There are a few things I need to get done before I steal command of our side out from under Dumbledore."
"Like what?" Asked Tonks.
"Wrapping up loose ends." Harry said. "You'll see, in time. For now, since I'm good and awake and all... what say we head downstairs? I could use some food. I'm surprised that tottering old wench isn't around. Why are the Weasleys at home? Hermione I can understand, as her parents don't take well to magical travel. But them?"
"Mrs. Weasley is stubborn." Tonks said. As Harry started to leave the room, she and the others followed. "She thinks the war is finally going to explode and she wants to have 'one last nice summer together as a family' or something."
"Fool." Harry breathed. "Separating yourself from the pack makes you an easy target."
"And yet that's exactly what you plan to do." Malfoy commented.
"Yes, but I have the power to pick off anyone who gets in my way. She, on the other hand, would be hardpressed to kill a gnome." Harry stated. "...Hm. Balthazar, what's going on? I'm feeling a bit more... normal. When did the dizziness wear off and why didn't I notice?"
"When you were resting. I finally managed to patch up a troublesome area. It was the last one, as well. The Gauntlet's cooldown will accelerate now, Harry. It should be good to use by tomorrow morning at the latest. Possibly tonight if you don't get worked up. The less stress you put on yourself at the moment, the faster things will go. So if something starts to get under your skin, try to block it out. Understand?" Balthazar said.
"Understood." Harry said. "My emotions can stay on lockdown like they used to until this is over. That doesn't take much doing. Let me know when I can let it go, though."
"Understood." Echoed Balthazar.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
During dinner that night, Harry suddenly let out a sharp hiss of pain.
"What's wrong?" Tonks asked.
"Gauntlet." Harry growled. "Balthazar, what the hell's going on?"
"Cooldown is finishing." Balthazar said. "Bear through the pain. What remains of your skin is being integrated and the Philosopher's Stone has finally begun to interact with your blood directly. It will be over in five minutes, but you may feel pain spikes."
"Fantastic." Muttered Harry, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "At least I'll be able to use it now."
"Indeed." Said Balthazar. "We can start training whenever you'd like, Harry. Would you care to go through with your plans tonight?"
"This weekend." Harry murmured. "I want there to be a full house. If all goes well, I'll have one less thing to have to think about."
"Would either of you care to make a bit of sense?" Asked Lupin, who was sitting toward the far end of the table. "What training did you have in mind, Harry?"
"I was able to get my magical skills back up to basic levels at the end of last year. Balthazar and the Gauntlet should have regulated everything else back into place by now. If you hear any explosions coming from my room, don't worry too much. Unless I blow a hole in the floor or something." Harry explained. Mentally, he began to quickly shackle the truth behind his plans up. Dumbledore was present and the last thing he needed was to make an enemy of the headmaster before he could execute all of his plans. "Balthazar's told me that things should be under full control, but just to be safe..."
"Energy been doing alright?" Lupin asked. "It's been awhile since I had a chance to ask."
"I've been fine, considering. I have bouts of weakness here and there," Harry said, glancing over. "But on the whole, I'm doing alrig--OW! Shit!"
"Language." Commented Dumbledore, dryly.
"Lesse you mind your language when it feels like fifty red-hot needles are driving their way through your fingers!" Harry snapped, glaring up at the headmaster.
Tonks and Malfoy, who were sitting nearest Harry, frowned. The corners of his eyes had seemed to turn a different color for a brief moment. The two glanced at one another. Malfoy shook his head slightly before motioning with his eyes back at Harry. Tonks gave a little nod. She would ask Harry about this later and fill everyone else in. Something was definitely happening to Harry. He had been a bit colder ever since merging with his other half, but he was getting random spats of anger now that had rarely been there before.
"I can contact Severus or Poppy if you would like something to help deaden the pain, Harry." Said Dumbledore, ignoring the boy's outburst.
"I've survived worse pain than this." Harry responded, venom still in his eyes. Mentally, he had raised every barrier he could. And it was a good thing, as he was staring straight at the headmaster, daring Dumbledore to try and read him. Sure enough, he felt a faint intrusion not long after. He repelled it with every ounce of force he could throw behind it. To his credit, Dumbledore looked surprised for a split second. Harry merely smiled at him, his glare fading away. "I'll survive worse in the future."
"Very well." Said Dumbledore, returning the smile as he turned back to his meal. "But if you change your mind, I am always here if you need something."
'Yes,' Harry thought, picking his fork back up and stabbing a piece of broccoli with it. 'Which is why I'M having to tie up the loose ends. We'll see how you like being outmaneuvered, old man. You can't break into my mind anymore and you can't stop me from what I plan to do. On that note...'
"Nym, did Hedwig ever return with a reply?" He asked, glancing over at Tonks.
"Hm? Oh! Yeah, she did. I was gonna tell ya after dinner, though. Figured you might wanna talk about it in private." Tonks said.
"Reply?" Asked Dumbledore.
'Gotcha.' Harry thought, mentally laughing. "Yeah, I decided to give an interview to WWN. I figured it'd be good for someone like me, who people seem to see as helping lead the charge against Voldemort, to let everyone know my feelings on things."
"Are you sure that is a wise idea? It is a very dangerous time to be doing things like that, Harry." Said Dumbledore.
'In other words, you don't want to lose your vice-like grip on me.' Harry thought. Shrugging, he replied, "Maybe. But hiding will get me nowhere. I won't be seen as some emotionless weapon merely being used as a means to an end. I've thought about what I want to say and I've told them as much. Nym, did you read it yet, or not?"
"Yeah, I glanced at it, just to see what they had to say." Tonks said. "We're good for this weekend if we can find someone to take us there."
"I can take you." Andromeda chimed in. She was sitting next to Lupin, of course. "Remus and I were going to head into London on Saturday anyway. I've decided to finally make him get some more presentable robes."
"My robes are fine." Mumbled Lupin.
"Sirius would swat me if he saw you still dressed like this after all this time." Stated Andromeda, fixing Lupin with a look. "And you're getting your hair turned into something a bit less shaggy."
"Yes, mother." Lupin said, raising an eyebrow. He was promptly smacked on the arm. "Ouch!"
"Walked into that one, Moony." Harry said, grinning.
"Yes, I suppose I did." Lupin said, rubbing his sore arm. Looking at Tonks, he asked, "Does she hit as hard as Andi?"
"Harder, probably. Let's never have a contest to find the answer to this question." Harry said.
"Sounds good to me." Lupin agreed, nodding sagely.
Clearing his throat, Dumbledore asked, "Are you certain this is a good idea?"
"Positive. If I went to the Prophet, they'd twist my words. I know most wizarding households have a radio. I'm just hoping enough are listening this weekend. I want to get a few things out in the open; a few things I need to clear up." Harry said. He then jumped as another series of stabbing pains flew up his lower arm. "Ffff..."
"That should be all." Commented Balthazar. "Look."
Harry scooted back in his chair and lifted the Gauntlet up. The burning red color was starting to fade into a beautiful gold. He gave it a minute, then carefully touched his goblet. When it didn't spontaneously burst into flames or begin melting, he tried to grab hold of it normally. It felt weird trying to move his fingers. The merging of flesh and metal left it feeling almost as though it wasn't really his own arm he was controlling. The biggest problem he had, and one that Balthazar had told him would eventually pass, was the fact that he had no sense of touch with the Gauntlet on. Balthazar had said that it wouldn't take long after the cooldown had finished before it returned, though. So Harry tried not to worry about it too much.
Applying what he thought was enough pressure, he went to pick the goblet up. It began to slip, however, so he put a bit more force into it. It went still in his hands and he smiled faintly. This was... odd. Not impossible to work out, just very odd. Very slowly, he brought the goblet up to his mouth and got a drink. After setting it down, he commented, "New hand. That's weird."
"How does it feel?" Asked Luna.
"Alien." Harry replied. "I don't have any feeling in it yet."
"It will most likely return by the end of the weekend." Balthazar said.
"Looks like this weekend's going to be a big turning point, then." Harry commented, biting back a vicious smirk. "Always nice to actually looking forward to something in the future rather than dreading it."
"Just gotta be careful when you use the toilet until then." Pansy said, her voice dry.
Malfoy let out a highly undignified snort at that, quickly turning his head to excuse himself.
"Oi oi." Harry said, looking over at the Slytherins.
"Too easy a shot to take, Harry." Smiled Pansy.
"Quiet, you." Harry said.
Pansy snickered, causing Harry to let out an exasperated sigh. "ANYWAY," He continued, "If we have a few radios in the house, I want everyone present to be listening. Oughta be fun. Anything you lot want me to pass on?"
"Merely that we are doing everything we can to bring Voldemort's reign to another end. Hopefully one a bit more final than the last." Dumbledore said.
'Except you aren't doing anything.' Harry thought, nodding at Dumbledore. "Yeah, that'll be my general overview of the situation. I'm hoping the hosts don't go into anything personal. I'd rather keep this as business-oriented as possible."
"I'll make sure everyone's listening." Tonks said. "I'll also make sure to send a letter to Ginny so she can make her family flip the radio on."
"Think Hermione's the type to have a radio to pick up WWN?" Harry asked.
"Entirely possible. I can write her, too, just in case. I'm sure if she doesn't have one yet, she will by this weekend." Tonks said.
"Sounds about right. Okay, folks. I've been waiting for this thing to cool down so I can get started re-learning things. Think I'm gonna go get started on that." Harry said, getting up. "Plus I need to go over any potentially dangerous or embarrassing questions I might get asked on Saturday..."
"Want an audience?" Asked Tonks.
"Probably better not. At least not right away." Harry said. "Just in case I do blow something up, I don't want to risk anyone getting hit with debris. I'll come back out when I'm done, don't worry."
"It's you. The times I am worrying outnumber the times I'm not." Tonks said, rolling her eyes.
"Yes yes, I'm a terrible boyfriend, I know." Harry said, ruffling Tonks' hair as he passed by, causing the girl to let out a squawk.
"Oi!" She cried, batting Harry's hand away. "Stoppit!"
"It's a good thing Fred and George aren't around tonight." Harry commented, pausing near the door. "I have a feeling they'd try anything to watch me test this thing out for the first time. Now there's a scary thought..."
Malfoy raised his goblet and, tonelessly, said, "Then let us all raise our glasses to the hope that they never try marketing lookalike Gauntlets that do stupid things."
"I'll drink to that." Lupin commented, making a face at the mere prospect.
Harry smirked as most around the table raised their glasses. Slipping out, he let out a quiet sigh. Dumbledore had tried a few more times to get into his mind when he assumed Harry wasn't paying attention. The headmaster, and everyone else listening to the Wizaring Wireless Network that weekend were going to be in for a surprise. Their precious little golden boy, who had fought so hard against the oppressive attitudes of a formerly-inept Ministry and a dark wizard out for his blood was going to rebel against the one man most saw as his savior.
Albus Dumbledore was no one's savior. Where had he been all those years when Harry was getting beaten by Vernon Dursley? Where had he been when Harry had to fight Quirrell, or the basilisk, or Voldemort himself in that graveyard? Dumbledore giving people second chances had been what led to the Dark Lord's revival and he would probably never admit it! If Moody had never been allowed at the school - if Dumbledore had been able to see that his 'old friend' was really a spy - Voldemort might have never been raised. Instead, Dumbledore had blindly put trust into yet another person that he shouldn't have. And he had learned nothing from it.
Climbing the stairs, Harry murmured, "Sunday night, we attack."
"Do you think we will be able to get to the level we need to be by then?" Asked Balthazar. "It will be quite a strain on you at this point."
"I'll manage." Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "Someone has to teach that son of a bitch a lesson. It was a mistake to ever cause me harm."
"Very well. But if things get unstable, I'll shut the test down." Balthazar said. "We'll just have to try again at a later date."
"We'll get it done." Harry said. "From everything you've told me, it really won't be too hard to maintain it. It's just the initial bit that could give us trouble."
"Indeed. Very well. We will aim for Sunday night. Are you planning to reveal what we've done later in the week?" Asked Balthazar.
"If it's brought up. I'm going to wait to see Dumbledore's reaction to it before saying anything. If he doesn't say anything, it's just one more thing he's hiding from me. And after Saturday, everyone will know he's done that alot anyway. Catching him doing it after the interview will be hilarious." Harry said, opening the door to his room and slipping in. "Well then... shall we?"
"Let's."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: Ah, a bit more manageable a size this time! I hope everyone's enjoying book 7 so far! It's going to be a pretty wild ride from here to the end. As you can see, Harry's attitude has finally started to level out. It began at the end of Citadel and is continuing strong here.
Anyone care to guess what's being planned for next chapter?
I've wanted to write it for ages now. Gonna feel good to finally get it out of my system! It's gonna be a fun one, kids. I'll seeya then!