General disclaimer: I claim no ownership of the characters used in this story, and I claim no ownership of the Harry Potter franchise in general.

First uploaded 20/05/2016

Second chapter is in, bit of explaining, bit of flashback, bit of humour, then it gets quite bloody near the end. Fair warning, the violence described probably warrants an M rating, definitely a T. Kinda shows the type of man Harry is, or at least I hope it does after all its my aim to get across my image of a Harry trained for years and after years of a brutal war.

On with the second chapter!

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The group had situated themselves around Harry's living room in his quarters inside the North Tower off the Barracks. The young witches and wizards, along with Shacklebolt, McGonagall, Sprout, Remus, Mad-Eye, and Flitwick quietly spoke amongst themselves while the room's single permanent resident changed his robes, the topic of conversation mostly revolving around the young Lord.

The North Tower had been built specifically for high ranking officers to reside in. Harry had been given the largest apartment on top of the tower, the entire top floor was his to do with as he pleased, and with complex expansion charms making the rooms even larger, his Quarters were a veritable mansion. The young Lord was just that, a Lord. He was also the youngest Sorcerer the Light had, so he was highly favoured by his peers, and such a prestigious title deserved an equally prestigious set of living arrangements.

A group of expectant faces greeted Harry as he exited his room after changing robes. His shoulders relaxed from their tensed state as he dug a Butterbeer out of a cold cupboard, and flopped into a comfy chair in full view of every other member of his small audience. A quick rub of his tired eyes helped him gather his wits while he steeled himself for the coming conversation.

Harry flicked his empty and now non-metal-clad right hand about and whispered Latin-esque words to silence the room to any eavesdroppers. He fiddled with a short chain around his neck to pull out his mother's ring to show to the room while he tried to find words to explain what was after happening, and how it affected the plans the Light would make in the future.

"Right." Harry began tiredly. "Okay. This ring is my mother's wedding ring." He began, holding up the ring for inspection. He thought it was a good place to start, telling them about what it was so they would realise the significance of the object. A quick glance showed him a plethora of either amused, confused, or irritated faces. Obviously the group didn't see how this was important.

"It was what Dumbledore thought the wards my mother's sacrifice erected were tied to. He wasn't wrong, but he wasn't fully correct. Albus assumed that my mother's sacrifice was Old Magick; he thought she used a spell or ritual that allowed a mother to protect her child using blood Magick. He was right about my mother using Old Magick, but he never knew exactly what she had done." Harry told them with a half-smirk. He was very proud that not even Albus Dumbledore could figure out what his mother had accomplished.

"Mum had been studying Old Magicks to try out-wit Voldemort for a year or two. She had very little success along those lines; however she did discover something very, very special, and very, very powerful."

Everyone was curious now. Even Ron, lost as he was as to why his best mate was harping on about his dead Mum, was interested. Minerva, Mad-Eye, and Flitwick already knew about Lily Potter dabbling in questionable studies to try and defeat Voldemort. Harry stopped looking at the band of gold to meet the eyes of everyone in the room with pride-filled eyes.

"Mum had found the beginnings to an old ritual. Ancient is a better word, I suppose. It even predated the four founders by a few dozen decades, maybe even a few centuries. She didn't have the full ritual, nor did she know exactly what it did, other than that it was incredibly powerful. She started experimenting, and prepared her wedding band for use as a proper vessel for this ritual. The items used weren't particularly rare or hard to find, nor was it long or Dark in nature, up until the final necessary part of the ritual." Harry explained. He had found his mothers diaries and journals in the Potter vault. She regularly updated the entries in the case of her death. He knew that she never understood what was truly necessary for the ritual to succeed, but she had done the final part of the ritual anyway, whether by accident or in a last desperate attempt of success.

"Mum unknowingly used a type of Soul Magick to create this ring's effects." Harry said to them. Many of them paled considerably, they knew exactly how Dark Soul Magicks could get, especially since they knew what Voldemort had done to escape death the first time. "It was rather 'Grey' in nature; however this ring could be incredibly 'Dark' if my mother wasn't so loyal to her loved ones. I know this is confusing, but what Mum did must remain secret, so I won't explain what exactly she did, but let's just say that if she wasn't one hundred percent committed to protecting me, no matter the cost, I can safely say that this ring would not be the godsend that it is."

The others in the room were looking at the ring with suspicion, all bar Luna, who was looking at the ring in awe. Harry knew the best way to describe the ring would be by referencing the old tale which talked of three mythical items. "The three Peverell brothers, the receivers of the three Deathly Hallows. The story didn't tell of three brothers receiving gifts from death, it told of three brothers receiving gifts because of death. The ritual called for the self-sacrifice of the human who performed the ritual. This is how the Hallows were made, through this same ritual, centuries and centuries ago. The cloak's purpose is to hide from death, the ring's is to defy death by communing with souls, and the wand's purpose was to spread death, and dominate others. All of these are linked together; they are what each brother wanted the most in the world. Their father or mother was likely the one who made them for the brothers on their deathbed, what parent wouldn't try to give their son a way to hide from death, or win any duel, or bring back loved ones? My mother died for me, and to power this ring. Lily Potter created the first Hallow in over a millennium, all to protect me and to defeat Voldemort." Harry fell silent while others in the room looked on gobsmacked, joining Luna in her looks of awe towards the ring.

A flash of red streaked across the room towards the expectant Harry, who had seen Moody draw his wand and flick it towards him. Harry saw more than felt his body flying across the room and stop suddenly against the far wall. He landed on his feet, stumbled forward a bit before catching his balance, and looking up at the room again. Harry saw the others staring at him now, some, like Ron, were waiting for him to pass out from pain, while the others gained far more hopeful, excited looks. Moody and Shacklebolt looked downright evil with the twisted smirks on their faces and surreptitious glances passing between the two. They had obviously thought of ways to make Harry do even more work now that he was invulnerable. Harry's mood dropped a bit at that thought.

"I can't use it though." Everyone looked incredulous at that. Harry had just told them that he had a ring that could basically make him Superman, yet he refused to use it. "Why the bloody hell n-"Ron had shouted, red-faced, before Harry had interrupted him firmly with "It must be used as a trump card. If I use it all of the time, I'll never face Voldemort again. He has been like a ghost for the past year, and if he hears that I've found a way to stop people from harming me, we will never face him again except from the sidelines. This needs to be used as a secret weapon to end it all. This secret can never leave this room." Harry finished solemnly.

Most of the room could see the reasons behind this, others, mainly Ron, were clearly unhappy that Harry was deciding not to use the ring to win more battles. Harry knew what he was doing, more would die on their side this way, but Voldemort would be killed. Harry is not a cruel man; however neither was he as kind-hearted as Dumbledore. He knew that men would have to die for him, but he would always respect the witches and wizards who gave their life for the war, performing the ultimate sacrifice. He himself may just need to follow in their footsteps to end Voldemort.

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The elder visitors along with Neville, Susan, Hannah, Luna, and the two Weasleys filed out of the room, telling Harry and the remaining two females that they would see them at dinner. Shacklebolt had told Harry that he could spend a month recuperating due to his high risk, high reward trek, but the large black wizard gave Harry a friendly slap on the back before leaving while telling him not to be late for the meeting. Harry simply groaned in response.

Hermione had stayed behind for now, as well as Daphne, both wished to speak with Harry for longer. Hermione obviously wanted to talk about the Apparition and also stayed for a higher detail report on what he encountered on his two week walk. Daphne wanted something similar, but Harry knew she wanted to arrange extra tutoring with her old teacher as well. Harry rose from his seat to get three more ButterBeers. Hermione and Daphne had migrated closer together to chat while Harry got them drinks. His trip to his kitchen had him smirking while remembering his first encounters with the blonde Slytherin Princess that was Daphne Greengrass, and how they became close friends during the war.

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After the end of Harry's first year at Hogwarts it became quickly apparent that the young Lord Potter was moving up in the world. Harry accompanied Neville to all major functions, always well-dressed but never extravagantly so, exceptionally polite to all party-goers whether they were Pureblood, Halfblood, Muggleborn, rich, poor, friend or foe, and still very well protected.

Many of these events were mainly neutral ground for wizards, discrimination was still present in the form of snubbing and snarky comments spoken quietly, however there was never violence. Some witches or wizards have been assassinated arriving or leaving, but never during an event. The ramifications of either being caught attempting violence, or succeeding, would result in an immediate besmirching to the family name and all friendly families. It was guaranteed social suicide attempting anything more suspicious than sneezing at these events. Families have been killed for trying to further themselves through murder at some of these parties.

Needless to say, this meant that Harry was safe enough to be left to his own devices during these parties, protected by mutual fear of breaking over 800 years of tradition and etiquette.

Dumbledore thought it would be best if Harry began mixing with the politicians and other high-brass of wizarding society early, to prepare him for later life in a more casual environment. Neville would be his main companion, sometimes Ron if he could make it, to all of these events. Harry interacted very well with the adults at these functions over the Summer and Christmas breaks. Only some of the night was spent conversing with adults, the rest was spent talking with the younger witches and wizards in attendance.

Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott became fast friends with Harry after seeing how close and friendly he was with Neville. A few others like Lisa Turpin and Ernie Macmillan would be regular conversationalists, while other 'Dark' family children would be avoided, not that those children had much to say to Harry and Neville anyway.

Daphne was first met at one of these functions in the summer between first and second year. She was pleasant enough company along with Tracy Davis, even if both were wary of the young Lord Potter. Similar meetings over that summer and other events throughout the following years built a small camaraderie between the four. They had the type of friendship consisting of nodding and smiling while passing in the corridors, and quiet words and jests spoken out of sight of Daphne's more violent housemates.

This had eventually led to casual conversation between the two leading up to Christmas in Fifth year, with Daphne hesitantly asking for tutoring from Harry while Tracy did similar with Neville. Both girls wished for DADA tutoring before the O.W.L.s, and knew both boys were top of the class. Neville and Tracy began dating secretly after the tutoring began, and the two continued dating into Seventh year for a while until they parted on good terms before the war. Harry later learned that Daphne originally asked Harry for tutoring to help Tracy get together with Neville, but had enjoyed Harry's tutoring style and company so much that she decided to ask for similar help with DADA in N.E.W.T year. Their friendship had only blossomed from there.

After the war began and the Greengrasses allied with the Light, Daphne began training in earnest. She saw what Harry could do first hand after a simple scouting mission gone wrong, and while she knew that Harry had been trained by Dumbledore for a few years, she wanted to be on his level. She had been in awe of his prowess in battle for a time, enamoured by his fluid movements and lethal execution of spell-work, until she began to see rapid improvement in her own abilities with fire based Magicks. She entered herself into the Light's recruitment for more specialist soldiers and was quickly seen to be above average in fire Magicks and other combat Magicks. Her potential was quickly put to use as she was immediately classified as a High-Witch in training, skipping the entire rank of Battle-witch. Her tutelage to improve her control over fire eventually led her to her being directly taught by Harry again, who helped her gain Battlemage status due to assisting in teaching her control over FiendFyre.

Status and rank was decided based on feats of magic, due to the extreme effects the new magical radiation had on witches and wizards. It was no small feat to control FiendFyre like she did, and the only person close to having as much, or possibly more, control over their element was Hermione. Hermione's natural affinity for lightning based Magick was astounding; sometimes she even unknowingly generated visible lightning Magick while stressed or angry. This was also the reason her hair was so bushy and wild during her youth, magical static that had caused her hair to stand on end was generated by her body even before the war. Hermione was never the most violent person, and had yet to do anything particularly extravagant or destructive with any Magick, so she remained a High-witch; however everyone knew you didn't disobey her. She was one of the leading three people for the Light in Research and Development of new Magicks, whether it was wards, charms, curses, transfiguration, or even ritual Magicks sometimes.

Daphne had been getting closer to Hermione recently due to how often the two would run into each other around Harry. This simple fact made him happy since he wanted both girls to bond more. Daphne and Hermione were both friends already with Hannah and Susan, and both were very good friends with Luna, but only really started interacting with each other around Harry recently. Now that both girls were warming up to each other, the whole group of Harry's friends were tied together quite comfortably, with very little argument from anybody, bar Ron not wanting to talk to 'snakes' whenever he got upset.

Hermione was moving herself into the frontlines more recently, and had Harry helping her train up on combat Magick to make her improve. She was 'restless' sitting at a table day after day when she could be making a difference out fighting Death Eaters. Daphne would still ask Harry for some training every once in a while, and Hermione was now almost his protégé with how much training she had recently been receiving, so the two young women had been becoming close friends, much like both witches were with Luna already.

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Daphne and Hermione were still chatting to each other animatedly on the couch when Harry re-entered the room after his recollections. The blonde bombshell was smirking and waving her cupped hands in front of Hermione while the brunette was trying to hide her obvious mirth behind her small hand while nodding rapidly, both girls comfortably spread on a couch. Harry raised an eyebrow at the two when they quickly stopped whispering when he got too close and looked at him with mischief-filled eyes at his confused look. He was the butt-end of the joke apparently, but he didn't want to pry into their amusement at the moment. He might corner Daphne later about it; she was always looser of tongue than Hermione about secrets.

Harry handed the women their beverages before looking at the two expectantly from the couch opposite theirs. He knew they had more questions for him; he was willing to answer them.

"Harry, where did you go? You said it was a day or two into England and that you would be back in a week. None of that was true, so where was it you went exactly and how did you know what you were looking for?" Daphne asked of him. She had saved Hermione the trouble of asking; she was there to hear the same thing. He took a small sip of Butterbeer to wet his throat before his speech.

"I went to my old place. The Dursley's old house. Dumbledore was under the impression that I needed to be near the ring and my aunt for the protections to work, so he put the ring in the house with me the night he dropped me off after Mum and Dad were killed. It was buried under the concrete in the space under the stairs. I needed to trek across England to get to there. Two weeks was making good time really; it could have taken much longer if there weren't so many abandoned houses to hide out in."

The girls had grown pallid once they heard of the true length of his journey. They had believed he had simple moved to an old safe house where the ring had been kept safe near Oxford or South Hampton, but he had actually trekked past, or even through, several high traffic areas for Death Eater patrols for a whole two weeks, right past old Central London.

"I kept myself under the cloak ninety-five percent of the time, even while sleeping. I only took it off once or twice for cleaning charms. Even then I hid myself and my signature from patrols. I stayed in a few ransacked Muggleborn homes when I could..." He grew quieter when he thought of the dead families he had seen, and the nursery he couldn't will himself to look into.

"The ring is exceptionally powerful. I found it in Privet Drive, which had been completely shielded from the explosions. The street was rubble, but the house was preserved perfectly, the grass wasn't even overgrown. I had to dismantle everything before I left. Then I walked south for two miles then Apparated back to the foothills south of here. That's it really."

The girls were shocked and frustrated respectively. Hermione wanted to press him for details on the Apparition this time and if it was different, but Daphne beat her to it.

"How do you do it? Is it a different type of travel, or maybe its elemental, like Phoenix-travel?" Asked Daphne quickly, throwing some ideas at him. Hermione grew more frustrated as she already knew his answer.

"I just use normal Apparition but before using my magic I just gather as much magic as I can and push while Dissaparating normally." Harry explained lamely. He scratched his head and avoided the eyes of the two annoyed females in the room. "Albus knew of this ability, and we spent a long time perfecting it. I first received training for it after Fourth year, but we really intensified training it in Sixth year. By Seventh Year I could do it several times per day for small spells, but nowadays I can do it an almost a limitless amount of times if I stick to low-level spells."

"And when you do this magic-pushing thing, what exactly happens?" Asked a very confused and sceptical Daphne. This was the first time she had heard of anything like this. Hermione had known for a while now, ever since she found out about his trip into the lake and Harry's subsequent admission. Hermione was happy to sit back and let Harry explain it to her, Daphne was a trustworthy woman.

"Well, to put it simply, it overloads the spell with magic and results in a very powerful version of the spell. Reductors become Siege-level spells, Stunning spells turn lethal, Aguamenti results in a tidal wave of water, and Incendio turns from gouts of flames into a tornado of white-hot fire. Apparition becomes less accurate but easier to do over very large distances. It really is dangerous in battle though, if I push at a new spell in a fight I don't know what it may do, or if I can even control the spell after I cast it. It requires constant training to keep it useful; however it has saved me a few times." Harry explained, relaxing on the couch with his Butterbeer in hand.

"But even I can feel myself push more magic into spells when I'm angry or even just excited, how is it any different?" The blonde witch pressed on.

"Well, first off, I'm not really forcing more magic into the spell. It feels very different to forcing more magic into the wand to overload a spell, and even Albus couldn't do what I do when I push a spell without exhausting himself. It kind of feels like I'm gathering huge amounts of magic at once then just... Guiding it I guess. I really just push the magic gently in the right direction, and the magic rushes through me, making me feel like I'm pushing magic through myself in huge amounts." He finished lamely yet again.

"We tried to teach others to do it, but most people just ended up frustrated or confused when we tried. Even Albus couldn't do it, and he tried for over two years. He theorised that this may be a power only I have that no one knows about, either by genetics or accident we don't know" Harry explained.

Daphne looked at him in awe and disheartened at the same time. She had always looked up to Harry and his strength, now she found out that she could never equal him; it was slightly upsetting to her. She gathered her resolve; she wouldn't let this stop her becoming the youngest Sorceress ever. Finding out about this power of Harry's gave her even more hope for their side of the war, and more reason to grow strong so she could stand beside him during the final battles.

Hermione hadn't been in the same state when she found out. She always knew Harry was different, and that he was the strongest wizard of their generation, and now he had grown into the strongest wizard in the world. She trusted Harry implicitly, yet she still hated his recklessness. She always scolded him for any dangerous stunts he would pull either during training or a fight. She couldn't bear to lose him, or even to see him harmed at all. He was her best friend, and her first crush. She had been trying extra hard recently in their training sessions, showing him how much she wanted to fight for the Light, to fight by his side in the coming battles. She had finally perfected what she wanted to show him, the spell she had crafted months ago was finally ready to be revealed to him, and she hoped it would impress not just him, but the judges for her Battle-mage application.

"What on Earth made you Apparate so far Harry? Last time it nearly killed you! When will you stop trying to kill yourself?" Asked an exasperated Hermione. Harry grew a small bit uneasy at having to tell Hermione about how often he trained with the long-range Apparition, but he figured if he was in for a penny, he was in for a pound.

"This isn't exactly a recent decision to try to kill myself using un-tested methods of travel." Harry admitted. "I've been slowly getting used to using it by Apparating a hundred miles or so every week or two. I slowly started increasing the distances last year. I knew I could Apparate upwards of two hundred miles, and I just figured that if I could get within two meters of where I want after two hundred miles then five hundred would be safe too. I was wrong, but not dangerously wrong. I've been Apparating to all the border fights for the past six months too, that's why people have been reporting less deaths and more captures. I've been there at most of the fights under the cloak." Harry explained.

The girls didn't know what to think. Harry was an enigma at times like these. He seemed so reckless, but he was also never wrong in his capabilities. Harry never boasted, if he said he could level the castle with ten spells, chances are he could do it in six, but didn't want to appear too powerful. Hermione and Daphne both knew that he was great at omitting the truth, a trait he picked up from the late Albus Dumbledore, but he never lied to their faces. Harry apparently thought himself capable of handling the long-range Apparating on a regular basis; they couldn't really dissuade him from doing it now that he knew it was safe. He was far too stubborn to be swayed now that he knew he could be at any fight anywhere in the country, as long as he knew of its location.

Harry watched as the girls looks shifted from glares of either frustration or exasperation to looks of acceptance and fondness. He knew they weren't very happy with him, but they knew he was saving lives. They couldn't be angry, they were far more sensible than that. Harry dragged himself from his chair to retrieve another set of beverages from his kitchen, and all the while he was very aware of the looks the two women were giving a certain part of his anatomy. He first became aware of these looks when he noticed that both Daphne and Hermione preferred to jog behind him on their runs about the lake. He smirked as he added another point to his imaginary chalkboard on 'times-the-girls-stared-at-my-ass' scoreboard.

Harry returned to see an almost unnoticeable light dusting of pink adorning the two women's cheeks, reflecting his own flush of pride on his own cheeks. Harry was no slouch with physical training, and he liked to have the results noticed. He handed the Butterbeers to the women and seated himself in his previous seat. He knew both of them wanted to talk training schedules, so he left them to speak first. He had a month off; he simply needed to hear what arrangements the two had obviously come up with during his absence. He smirked knowing that the two had likely spoken at length at how they would divide up his time, and now would play it off as asking him for help he owed to them since he had worried them. The two girls glanced at each other before Hermione cleared her throat to attract his attention. His smirk grew. 'This may be fun' Harry thought amused, already beginning to channel his late Godfather.

"Harry, I've been working on a spell id like you to see. If it goes well, id like some training to master it. I'll be showing this to the Council judges, so I need it to be perfect. They should be suitably impressed with what I have now, but I want to blow them away. I want to be put in the running for Sorceress title with my presentation. Do you mind helping me say... most mornings for your month off? It's not like you have anything planned, and you do owe me. I thought you might have been captured or even killed for the last few days and-" Hermione was interrupted by a raised hand from a smirking Harry.

"It's alright Hermione; you have me interested in your spell enough to help out more than usual. We had training most weekdays anyway, this won't change much in our schedule for now. And I suppose you want me after dinner, do you Daphne?" He asked, still smirking. Daphne opened her mouth to object, but closed it once their plan had obviously been uncovered, if the smirking Harry was any indication. She nodded silently, a blush covering her face at the embarrassment of being caught trying to book time with Harry before he was even back a few hours.

"Well I'm sorry, can't do evenings, not anymore." Harry clarified. Daphne's face dropped at this, disappointment evident in her eyes. "So I'll just have to have you both at once!" Harry said cheerily. Both women's reddening ears and cheeks showed how they interpreted his words. Another internal mark went on a different imaginary chalkboard labelled 'Use-innuendo-to-make-the-girls-blush'. "Of course, that's if you don't mind sharing, Hermione?" Harry asked the now mortified brunette, too shocked to respond. Another tally-mark went on the chalkboard. "Of course, you would be free for shared morning training too, wouldn't you Daphne? You still have a few weeks downtime left, don't you?" Harry had dropped the innuendo for now; there was a time and a place for the innocent double-entendres. The girls swiftly recovered, however both noticed a very Dumbledore-esque twinkle in Harry's eyes for a split second accompanying a Sirius-esque grin. A recovered but still lightly blushing Hermione responded that she didn't mind sharing her time-slot with Daphne, while Daphne confirmed she had the mornings free to train with Hermione and him.

"Why can't you train in the evenings anymore Harry?" Asked a curious Hermione. She wouldn't have thought that Harry had made any plans for the coming month before he left, but apparently he had.

"It was part of the bargain that let me go on my little trek across Britain. I have to spend more time with the Council, helping them decide and also fulfilling some more of my responsibilities. They say that they have been lenient so far, due to how much my fighting contributes to the war effort, but they said that I must show that I understand my duties as a Sorcerer and a Lord more from now on. That includes nightly meetings with the Council and also maybe teach a class or two sometimes, not just the exceptional students." Harry explained, smirking while eyeing the again blushing duo at the last part.

"So, boring evenings from now on then?" Asked Daphne, now recovered from her second bout of blushing.

"Not really." Responded Harry. "The meetings aren't longer than 40 minutes, usually immediately after dinner, but with the shortening nights there would be no point in training in such a short space of time. Besides, now I get to see both of you in the early morning!" Harry happily exclaimed the last part, knowing that only one of them was an early riser. Daphne looked disgruntled at his jab at her tardiness for getting out of bed, but she slid an unseen smirk at Hermione, who responded challengingly to her rival and comrade. 'More jogging!' was the unspoken excited message. This last interaction slipped beneath Harry's radar, he was tired from his journey still, since he had not had a proper night's sleep in two weeks.

When Harry stifled a yawn, both women knew they should give him some rest. It wasn't even time for dinner, yet Harry looked ready for bed. They both rose and wished him farewell, hoping to see him at dinner in an hour. Harry gave the two a sleepy nod, before giving them a half-wave in farewell. The door shut behind the two, and Harry decided a warm shower would keep him awake long enough to eat before heading to bed. Harry started his magical shower before stripping off to hop in. It took twenty minutes for him to feel suitably relaxed before getting out again. His normal ablutions finished, Harry dressed in his usual Sorcerer's black robes along with yellow sash before heading to the Mess Hall.

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Harry's entrance to the Mess Hall was met with a small applause, many awed looks, many smirks from a lot of the older recruits who had heard of the encounter in the Entrance Hall with Hermione, and some confused glances at his cheek by the same people. A small, embarrassed wave from the Lord Sorcerer calmed the applause but not the looks from the crowd. Most went back to their food and discussion, however due to some of those conversations being about him, not all attention was diverted from him during his walk towards the top table towards his group of friends.

Harry plopped down between Luna and Seamus Finnegan, both already in animated conversation with Daphne and Ron respectively, however attention quickly shifted to him as soon as he sat down.

"Ah! Here's the man o'the hour!" Seamus exclaimed slowly. "So Harry, what d'ye think of them refusin' to put ye on the wall?" Seamus asked in his Irish drawl. Harry's confused look led to Seamus explaining while Ron refocused on his meal, glancing back up at intervals to look strangely at the two. "The lads are sayin' that since ye didn't use the safe houses ye don't get put on the wall Harry." Harry's confusion was resolved as Ron snorted derisively. A quirked eyebrow led to Ron explaining himself too.

"Finch-Fletchley won't shut up about it and now he has a troop of people saying that you can't be put on the wall for least Apparitions on the safe house run. They say you need to actually use the safe houses, not just Apparate twice that entire distance in one Apparition." Ron finished with a scowl and a dark look at Harry. Ron had been like this for a while. Harry really did like Ron, he was his first male friend, but he really could be a sulky prat at times.

Any time Harry showed a glimpse of how powerful he was, Ron would get jealous, either because he hadn't told Ron he could do it, or because Ron couldn't do it. Ron would then immediately spill the beans on Harry's abilities to the population of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Ron was by no means weak, but he would never ascend past High-Wizard status. He was already a respected tactician for the Light, however he wasn't magically strong. It had begun two years ago when it became apparent that Ron wouldn't gain a large amount of potential from the new magical environment of Britain. Harry was always strong, something Ron was never happy about, but had kept quiet because that sort of thing didn't really matter, blood and status mattered more. Now though, with magical strength meaning more respect, Ron was almost constantly jealous. It was his main flaw, noticing his own weaknesses far too often.

Harry immediately felt guilty and not guilty at the same time. He knew that if he told Ron about any of his capabilities, the rest of the castle and Hogsmeade would know by morning, so Harry was completely justified for not telling Ron anything. At the same time, he felt guilty that he couldn't tell his first male friend about himself. Ron had changed drastically as a friend. He was Harry's greatest fan when he used his strength to bring one of his relatives back unharmed, but would immediately resort to snide comments or dark looks whenever Harry's strength got him public attention.

Harry felt sad as he realised that Ron really wasn't a friend anymore. Ron had turned into just another critic in the castle. This wasn't the first time the thought had crossed his mind, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Ron was a friendly critic, but a fickle one also. Harry could reflect on that later, for now he had to diffuse the bit of tension Ron had raised.

"Sorry Ron, didn't really think you needed to know I could Apparate a few hundred miles, wouldn't really help you as a tactician, would it?" Harry started jovially, and finished firmly along with a hard look. Ron looked a bit startled but quickly looked back down to his meal with a mutter and a frown after he had been reprimanded. Seamus gave a weak smile and got up to leave while Harry turned towards Luna and Daphne's conversation which seemed to be about helping each other out with some duelling during the following week or two in the evenings. Daphne really seemed to be trying to improve herself, and Luna only looked too happy to oblige.

"Do either of you two know where Hermione is? I might need a bit of help finding her after dinner if she has decided to get some work done before turning in for the evening." Harry asked sheepishly. Hermione was known for being hard to find if she was working, even if her work was Research and Development of new Magicks. This work however seemed to take her all over the castle asking opinions on runes, special laws of transfiguration, charm combinations or even potion brewing advice. The only person who seemed to know where she would be is Luna, or recently Daphne, due to the two girls budding friendship.

"No problem Harry, she's with Professor Flitwick right now but should be back in her room by the time you finish eating. We can all go!" Luna told Harry. Daphne smirked at her eccentric friend's acts, knowing she wanted some time with Harry before the day ended. She knew she would be tagging along, apparently Luna had decided one day that Daphne and her needed to go with Harry together whenever Luna wanted to spend time with him, even though she was perfectly capable of doing it by herself. Whenever she brought this topic up with Luna, she would get a small smirk in reply, followed by Luna getting a distant look in her eyes and a quiet 'It's a secret!' as the answer.

Dear beautiful, odd, amazing Luna. Daphne had met Luna during Luna's Third Year, during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Daphne had no time for the violent spectacles in the Tournament; she rarely took an interest in Quidditch, why would such barbaric challenges hold her attention any more than the dumb sport? Daphne had seen dragons before, Mer-people were a common sight if you took a boat to the middle of the Black Lake, and many of the beasts in the Maze had been horrific looking, not interesting at all. Luna was just against violence to magical beings and creatures and released a surprisingly serious segment in the Quibbler calling for a boycott on the whole Tournament. The two girls found each other often in the library while everyone else familiarised themselves with the foreign students.

Luna's fixation on Harry was nothing new, as Harry really had been Luna's knight in shining armour so to speak, just like Hermione. Daphne knew the story as it had been retold to her countless times to her by Luna in private, each time getting more and more embellished. Daphne was sure Hermione got the same stories from Luna whenever she went into one of her rants about Harry every once in a while. One day, Daphne had simply asked Harry how he had met Luna, and how they became such good friends. It had been during Harry and Daphne's Fifth Year at Hogwarts, and the question surprised Harry before he blushed and gave an embarrassed smile. He had then gone on to tell her the tale in a rather simple fashion, but the true events were revealed by piecing together both Luna and Harry's stories.

#####

Harry had been returning from visiting the loo on the Hogwarts Express when a certain compartment caught his eye. A small blonde Ravenclaw Third year girl was sitting quietly across from some much older Ravenclaw girls returning to Hogwarts after Christmas. Normally, Harry would pass this off as a set of siblings or just a diverse group of friends, but the smirks the older girls had didn't sit well with the young Lord. Harry decided to hide himself from view and attempt to listen in as best he could. His father's cloak helped with this; along with Harry edging the door ajar with an invisible hand.

"So Loony, how was Yule at the asylum?" The oldest girl asked wickedly, smirking. "On second thought, don't bother answering, I don't want to even guess what you and your weirdo father have been doing for the past few weeks." the girl continued imperiously, getting snickers from her two compatriots. Harry recognised the oriental girl as Cho Chang, a year ahead of him and often seen hanging off Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory's arm at any time of the day. Cho's friend Marietta Edgecombe sat beside her, she seemed to be getting much more enjoyment out of tormenting the poor girl. The final tormentor was the most surprising, Seventh year Ravenclaw prefect Annabelle Meakin. Out of all the people in Ravenclaw to pick on younger students, a Muggleborn prefect, the scandal would be huge if this got out.

Harry had seen Luna before, normally at a distance, around either Black Lake, the edge of the Forbidden Forest, or chatting with ghosts or portraits in Hogwarts. The non-living residents of the castle always seemed to be very kind to her, and Harry never really saw her interact with any peers before today. Needless to say, Lord Potter was not impressed at all with what he was witnessing. A small plan popped into his head, and a grin formed on his face. 'This will be fun...' was what the young Lord thought before readying himself.

"I can imagine you had such fun with your Humdingers and Wifflewobblers and Skretkilters and all sort of other imaginary nonsense. When will you ever grow-up Loony?" Marietta had asked when Annabelle stopped, teasing the girl further and leading to more laughter from the other two. Luna, to her credit, didn't move in the slightest; her half-smile didn't falter, her neck was still perfectly straight, but the small light still in her eyes dimmed. The small blonde threw a small, confused glance at the invisible Harry, before refocusing on a point past the three girl's shoulders.

"Look, even now she's away with the fai-"Cho continued, before Harry's planned interruption. A quick shove to the door and a completely visible Harry strode inside to the shock of all four occupants.

"Luna! Thank Merlin I found you finally, I've been searching everywhere! Would you mind joining...?"At this point Harry threw a confused glance at the other three girls in the compartment. " Oh! I'm terribly sorry, hello girls I didn't see you there my name is Harry." A smiling Harry the stuck out his hand toward the three older witches who, still shocked at Lord Potter's interactions with their victim, took his hand slowly and shook it carefully, each girl slowly feeling a little more dread as the green-eyed young Lord and now recent Dragonslayer seemed to stare through them like they weren't even there.

"I'm sorry Luna; I didn't know you were here with friends. Perhaps you would like to join myself, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Hannah and Susan in a bit? I've told them all about you and they're very eager to meet you! Unless of course, you three ladies wouldn't mind me stealing Luna for a while would you?" Harry asked cheerily, a genuine looking smile still attached to his face. This did nothing to reassure the girls, as his eyes only seemed to grow colder as he continued to speak. The three shook their heads rapidly, not trusting their mouths. Annabelle in particular looked rather pallid at the thought of Lord Potter and Lord Longbottom holding a grudge against her for bullying their friend.

Luna, to put it bluntly, looked like someone had petrified her with her mouth open. She quickly came around when Harry turned back to her with a warm smile and stretched out his hand to her.

"Come on Luna, I'll show you where we are sitting, your friends..."with this Harry cast an angry glare in said girls direction "...don't seem to mind too much."

"O-Okay Ha-Lor-Oh..!" Was all the small Ravenclaw could get out before Harry grasped her hand and gently but firmly pulled her from the compartment. Harry carefully slammed the door shut behind Luna, wanting to scare the three one last time, and was rewarded with a jump from them.

Harry's soft tone of voice interrupted whatever Luna was thinking, forcing her to look into his smiling visage.

"Come along Luna, I'd very much like to introduce you to some people." He then proceeded to lead her gently by the hand down two carriages and into an almost-full compartment filled with curious faces.

Harry had heard the rumours of 'Loony' Lovegood and about how she spoke to imaginary friends and talked of make-believe creatures she apparently hunted with her father. Harry put little regard as to whether or not that was true, but whether it was true or not didn't matter, he saw a poor girl getting excluded and bullied and he was having none of it.

Harry then pointed out everyone and introduced them by name, and each person either shook her hand or waved with a smile. Luna, still in shock, casually reached up to brush the shoulder of Harry's robes to most of the compartments intrigue. A small blush accompanied Luna's hesitant answer.

"L-Lord Potter had Wrackspurts on his shoulder... I was just getting rid of them." She finished quietly, almost a whisper. Mixed reactions were had by the group, but a short glare from both Lords quelled any questions. A comforting hand appeared on Luna's shoulder before Harry spoke to her again.

"Thanks Luna. Please, call me Harry. And by the way, make sure if you see any more Rackedspirts around, do tell us so we can be rid of them, won't you?" asked Harry kindly. A look of shock and tears greeted him when he looked into her face. Who was this boy, Lord or not, that he would so quickly accept her as a friend, even though he couldn't see what she did? Why did her eccentricities not matter to him, or apparently, to the smiling compartment? Was this a trap, to get her to open up to them only for them to mock her in turn? A quick look into emerald eyes quickly disproved her of that particular notion.

"It's... It's actually p-pronounced Wrackspurts" She began and finished her correction with a loud sniffle and using her sleeve to dry her overflowing eyes. A smaller pair of feminine arms pulled her into a rib-crushing hug and suddenly her face was buried in bushy hair and a small shoulder. A large, warm third hand rubbed her back gently as she sobbed quietly into the shushing brunette's shoulder. Luna could not have felt any better, if she was to go back seven or eight years she could remember this almost exact situation but with her mother and father comforting her. From that day forwards, Luna would forever stick by Harry and Hermione, no matter the consequences.

At this point, Luna would have no more to say other than that she eventually stopped her tears and then had a lovely ride to Hogsmeade talking to a new group of friends who accepted her almost instantly. Harry's tale would go on to explain that he had cast Muffliato around the female duo so that Luna's sobs could not be heard and she would have more privacy. He had told Daphne that he explained how he found Luna and that she was a little eccentric. Harry said that he told the group that Luna truly saw these creatures, or at least believed she did, and not to mock her for it. The group understood, none of them liked bullies, and so were quick to accept Luna into their group of friends.

Later in life, as Luna grew older, and then the war began, these 'creatures' would be explained as partial visions of different futures. Luna was a weak Seer when she was young, but grew to be an exceptionally strong one after the war began. Luna's visions stopped almost completely in her late Fourth year, no more Wrackspurts or Nargles, just the odd vivid dream of either the past or future. When the war started, Luna became an incredibly valuable asset. Luna could almost subconsciously See the future a few seconds ahead, which lead to a few funny 'Bless you!' followed by an 'Achoo!' moments, but also lead to her huge advantage in duelling.

While Luna was never a fighter; her core was never going to be anything more than normal, however her ability to See what was being cast and where it would be going led to her winning almost any duel against even strong opponents. Luna very rarely fought, as she would be completely helpless if she experienced a vision while fighting. These visions had started happening after the war began. They were very often helpful, locations to defend or attack, where to send spies, where to send reinforcements and other such information. She was now recognised and respected as much as either Daphne or Hermione was; due to her saving lives and helping the Light slowly win the war.

#####

True to her word, when Luna dragged both Daphne and Harry up to the visiting staff quarters to Hermione's room, Hermione was indeed just back from speaking with Filius. Harry and Daphne disregarded the fact that Hermione didn't actually tell Luna where she was going. They didn't bother questioning where Luna's knowledge came from anymore; they could guess that she could See where they are whenever she wanted to, but the only real answer Luna would ever give them was a dreamy smile.

Hermione smiled at her three guests while she tidied whatever notes she had been holding when they came in.

"Sit down for a bit, I'll put these notes on mine and Filius' latest experiment away." She said while waving them towards her small set of furniture by the fire, decorated with bright Gryffindor red.

"Oh! Did you manage to use some variant of Gamp's Law to accommodate the massive temperature changes, or did you decide on trying one of the Old Universal Transfiguration Laws for the separating of different temperature items?" Luna inquired excitedly.

Hermione and Luna were quickly bouncing different ideas back and forth as Hermione told her the results of the small experiments she and Flitwick performed or theorised already. Harry and Daphne were quickly left in the dust, while both were good students neither had the level of enthusiasm or knowledge needed to converse with them at such speed. They contented themselves with waiting for the two to realise they had excluded them from their conversation, it was nice to see Luna so lively and focused.

Luna, even after the start of the war, rarely had moments of total clarity. Deciphering what she Saw at any time of the day often left her in a dreamy state if she was alone. The only time visions truly left her was when she was in deep concentration or she thought about a topic or current conversation. She would smile brighter and laugh beautifully if she was concentrating or simply distracted from her visions, however this led to Luna's desire for conversation or work to escape any of her visions, whether they be of death or torture, or simply a man stubbing his toe.

The happiness Harry and Daphne felt when they could again see Luna acting her own age was immense. Hermione obviously realised how focused Luna was, and so kept the bantering high, but eventually Harry asked what he originally came for.

"When do you want to show this spell of yours to the Council 'Mione? I never asked earlier, but I'm meeting with them in the next half hour, will I bring it up for you?" Harry asked kindly. He really didn't want to go in front of his peers with nothing to show for his two week absence, hence finding Hermione to offer his assistance.

"No it's fine Harry, I want to practice it a bit more before mentioning it to the Council, I really want to blow them away!" Hermione's need to please authoritative figures had diminished slightly since the start of the war, but it had not disappeared. She still wanted to impress her superiors, even though she was often working closely with many Sorcerers going into battle, who would often take her advice almost like an order. Being seen scolding the strongest warrior of the Light had made many think her above the rest, never mind her prowess with a wand in recent months.

"Okay..." Harry huffed out in a sigh. He hung his head and slumped his shoulders thinking of the things he will need to do to please the Council after his two week 'vacation' as they are sure to see it. The three others wore amused and vindictive smirks, Harry would be getting his comeuppance after worrying them all week. He pulled himself out of his cycle of self pity and straightened his back.

"I'm off then. Council meeting is pretty soon, don't want to be late... Again." He strode out of the room with a grin on his face, ready to deal with the Council.

The three left behind watched after him with mixed feelings; both amused and exasperated. They knew he was able to look after himself, but they also knew that grin. A certain Dogfather would be proud to see how his godson had turned out, that grin Harry was wearing could only mean trouble for the Council. Trouble was his heritage after all, son of a Marauder, Godson to another, adopted nephew of a third, and killer of the fourth and last.

"Can I join in tomorrow? It sounds ever so fun!" Came the sudden question from Luna. The other girls were not often surprised by Luna anymore, but this was one of the rare instances.

"Why would you say that; what's happening tomorrow?" asked a confused Hermione. She really didn't know what Luna could mean, unless of course she meant...

"Jogging! I know it used to be just you two separately and Harry but now it can be all of us together! Wouldn't that be fun?" asked a nonchalant Luna. Both girls were surprised Luna wanted to be included, but her last question confirmed it for them. There was a tiny bit of doubt in Luna's voice as she asked the last question, she doubted whether the other two wanted her there for the group activity, and neither wanted anything more than Luna's happiness right now.

"Of course Luna, but... W-Well..." asked an embarrassed Daphne, with Hermione nodding along with her. There was a faint blush of embarrassment of Daphne's cheeks. Luna just tilted her head and looked slightly confused, along with a slight narrow of the eyes.

"Well... Hermione and I have been jogging since we were recruited. Are you sure you will be okay for a forty minute jog?" Asked Daphne, knowing Luna hadn't gone through the same process of recruitment as any of the other soldiers of the Light. She was a Seer and was often needed back at Hogwarts more than on the battlefield, however whenever she requested to leave on a mission she was often granted permission. The Council learned that Luna sometimes subconsciously knew she needed to be in a particular place to ensure something happens, but sometimes not even Luna knew what those things were.

A smile was all the response the two girls got from Luna. She giggled slightly and spun gently in place until she faced the door, then left without a backward glance. This left Daphne and Hermione in confusion, but obviously Luna didn't see a problem with a forty minute jog followed by a hour or more of duelling and spell training.

"Alright then Hermione, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at eight?" Asked Daphne already slightly depressed. She really hated early mornings.

"Okay Daphne, I'll see you bright and early." said Hermione with a slightly mischievous glint in her eye as she followed the Greengrass princess to the door of her quarters. A groan followed by the door closing was the last Hermione heard before turning in for the night. She could hardly wait to show Harry her creation.

#####

A soft pop went unheard in the already silent corridor on the seventh floor of Hogwarts School and castle. A large, ornate set of double doors were already visible to Harry that would not have normally been seen by any passerby. The Room of Requirement had been repurposed into a large council chamber for The Council of Sorcerers. He still had a slight smirk affixed to his face which he quickly adjusted to a more appropriate smile, yet he still had a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

About fifty-five to sixty faces greeted him upon entering the terraced chamber, some grinning maliciously at what was to come, some had friendly smiles, some respectful, others were indifferent to him. In the centre of the chamber, higher than any of the others, were five seats, four of which were occupied, and there sat Moody, Shacklebolt, Amos Diggory, and Rufus Scrimgeour, with the seat for him empty as usual. He bowed slightly at the waist in respect to the Council, many bent their heads back at him in response.

"Sorcerer Potter, you seem well rested after your vacation." growled Scrimgeour. He was always a grouch, but he could not deny how valuable Harry had been to the war effort. He rarely led battles anymore, but he was good at organising the men, and was a terrible foe when angered, as proven by his Sorcerer status. He was a pickle for formalities after spending decades commanding Aurors before the war.

"Hello Rufus, nice to see you too." Harry replied sarcastically. His smirk returned, but only internally. If the Council wanted to make his life a small bit harder, he would happily return the favour.

"Please Sorcerer Potter, this is a formal Council meeting, refer to others by their titles, if you must be informal at least gain permission first." Amos reprimanded Harry lightly. It didn't help that he had a small smile on his face as he did it. Scrimgeour grimaced at the lack of respect on Harry's part, but he was used to it at this point. Harry was known to be informal with everyone he met, whether they were his rank or under him.

"I'll try to Amos." Harry chuckled. Amos' smile didn't falter but grew at Harry's insubordination. Most others were indifferent at this point to Harry's antics.

"Potter." Moody gruffly addressed Harry. "I have already told the Council that your trip was fruitful and explained the need for secrecy, many doubt me. You will still be punished for your tardiness." Moody was abrupt and brief, but was smirking by the end of his statement. Shacklebolt was content saying nothing, but smirked along with his old friend. Harry was expecting as much.

"Sorcerer Potter, this council has had enough of your absence. You are required to attend all further Council meetings, and take up the rest of your responsibilities as a Sorcerer. The rest of this Council have no problems with teaching new recruits along with the rest of the High-witch and wizard tutors. You shall be doing the same from now on." Scrimgeour announced firmly.

"Of course." Harry smirked wider.

Scrimgeour looked like he had been ready to argue but deflated when he heard Harry's agreement. Many around the chamber sat up now, seeing their most powerful agree to teach some classes. He had been given a pass for it up until now due to his astronomical efforts during any of the missions he would be placed on, but now it was time for him to step up to the plate, so to speak.

"I think it's reasonable to give me some time to choose what classes. I am more than qualified to teach most of them." pondered Harry seriously. He already had a plan in place, but the Council couldn't know that yet. He needed some more time to arrange for his prank. Class. Not a prank, a class. Harry's internal smirk was at full force now.

"Good. Another matter has been brought up, Potter." Moody growled out. Harry's internal smirk dimmed.

"Yes, what truth is there to the rumours of your un-aided five hundred mile Apparition?" Scrimgeour asked. This brought more people's attention on him, along with many widened eyes. They may doubt how responsible he is, but they never doubted his power. Many of them could Apparate many tens of miles in a pinch, not many of Harry's friends understood exactly how powerful many of the Sorcerers of the Light truly were, it was much easier for these people to grasp a huge Apparition than his friends who thought forty to fifty mile Apparitions were almost impossible. Needless to say, all attention was on him.

"Yes, that is true. From a place thirty or so miles south of the Ministry building to twenty miles south of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. I've been practising hundred mile Apparitions most days of the week for a few months now. I can accurately Apparate about two hundred miles multiple times per day." Harry responded. Complete silence greeted this statement, with many faces paling at the thought of Apparating more than a hundred miles once in twenty four hours. Not many doubted his claim however. These were the extreme end of the scale in magical power. Some of these people could cast spells powerful enough to kill a hundred men in seconds, and some had. Harry's prodigious talent at Apparating, whether it was skill or power than enabled him to do so, was improbable but not unbelievable.

"Impressive, Lord Sorcerer. You have been experimenting with this safely, I presume?" Amos questioned Harry amused by the young man's hesitance. Harry felt bending the truth would beneficial for all.

"I can assure you; my experimenting had nothing but safety in mind all throughout." Harry said seriously. His statement was true. He had the safety of the Light's soldiers in mind all throughout, he never mentioned his own... Amos chuckled slightly at Harry's answer.

"Thank you, Sorcerer Potter, that will be all. Please, join us up here and take your seat." Shacklebolt joined in, finally. Harry ascended to their higher seats. These five Sorcerers were seen as the five most vital to the war, and presided over these meetings. Moody, an esteemed Senior Auror, and an excellent warrior and teacher. Shacklebolt, a deadly dueller and perfect for most of the important and less 'quiet' missions. Scrimgeour, a master at managing soldiers and deciding command of missions. Amos Diggory, an old Lord of the Wizengamot, turned powerhouse after the war began and an excellent figurehead for the soldiers to look up to. Lord Sorcerer Harry Potter, protégé of Albus Dumbledore, The-Boy-Who-Lived, Slayer of Dragons, Butcher of Demons, Bane of Dementors, the list went on, and on, and on... Too long in Harry's opinion. Both sides of this war knew Harry as the most powerful warrior the Light had.

Much of the rest of the meeting was boring and trivial, bar the last piece of information mentioned. A passing mention was made that a scouting mission reported a small amount of Death Eater activity near their borders far to the south, but they hadn't reported again in some time. Another mission was scheduled including some of the more dangerous Sorcerers and High witches and wizards, either to rescue them, or retrieve the corpses. With that, the congregation split, and Harry quickly made his way back to his alcove. A small pop, missed by all, was the only trace of Harry's Dissapparition.

#####

A sharp crack like that of a whip signified Harry's arrival to the general area of battle. The dark, foreboding forested area was lit only by a multitude of multi-coloured flames. The twisted, battered, unnatural trees blocked Harry's view of any living assailants or defenders but the shades of black and green robes lit by the flames showed the remaining bodies, or in some cases the pieces left. A quick glance about ensured all the unmoving bodies were not getting back up to curse him in the back.

The forest wasn't a normal run-of-the-mills wooded area. The trees looked menacing at the best of times. They were magically grown, either a result of the magical radiation, or a Dark spell to encourage growth. Many of the trees had scorches or chunks taken out, if they weren't already on fire that is. They were thick and closely spaced but the fire didn't look to be spreading however.

Ahead Crimson, purple, verdant green, an eerie black, some bright blue, many yellow or orange, and a few white flames lit the forest into a stark contrast of behind him, giving the forest a dream-like quality. More bodies lay here too. There were stray flashes of light ahead with shouts and not a small amount of noise from spells. Harry donned the Cloak as he sprinted ahead.

The sight that greeted him was a grim one. Two of the ten men, five scouting, five reinforcing, were left. They were pinned behind a particularly wide and tall tree that was already almost useless as cover. He spotted a heavily wounded Dean Thomas holding a profusely bleeding wound to the left kidney. The High witch with him wasn't much better, but she was admirably holding back the seven remaining Death Eaters. They looked to be having too much fun taunting their prey to call for more men to secure the area. They hadn't even noticed Harry shattering the Anti-apparition wards they had set up to prevent the others leaving upon his arrival, and subsequently setting up his own.

A quick sprint put harry directly into the line of fire of the Death Eaters, two open hands in front of him erected a shining translucent yellow Protego that deflected the entirety of the Death Eater's barrage of spell fire. Most stopped in shock before they remembered some rare reports from wounded survivors of a single man or woman reinforcing almost defeated Light soldiers in recent months and completely decimating the Death Eaters, sometimes twenty to one. Two tried to turn in place to Disapparate away. Their faces collectively paled.

"Diffindo." Harry cast calmly. A red bar of energy ripped through his own shield, showing the Death Eaters exactly how powerful he is, before hurtling at a significant speed towards the closely grouped enemies. Six of them had the intelligence to duck; the remaining Death Eater was in shock as the energy passed through him above the waist. He watched in horror as his hands, one clutching his wand, fell from his stumps towards the ground. The top half of him followed quickly after, a wet slop of guts and blood hitting the ground the only sound bar the crackling of the nearby fires.

The remaining six watched in stunned silence as their comrade was cleanly bisected. A quick glance in the previous direction of the shield showed nothing. No tall, dark, intimidating figure, just empty space and silence. The lack of an enemy they could see frightened them more.

"S-Specialis Revelio! Aparecium!" a particularly experienced witch cast, trying to find their assailant. The results, or lack thereof, scared them even more, causing the group to shuffle closer, forgetting about their original prey for now and glance all around them for movement.

A silent yellow curse impacted the head of another witch, causing her head to compress and her neck to bulge with the blood displaced by the force, before the pressure from the spell ended and she toppled over and the blood ran out of the remains of her cranium. At this point the loudly breathing group of five were frantic.

"Show yourself! Coward! F-Fight us, show us your f-face!" shouted one of the braver wizards. The others broke ranks and ran when he fell to the ground holding his collapsed rib-cage. Two more went down to severing charms to the knee or ankle. The last two sprinted a reasonable distance before breaking into a clearing and slowing to a stop. They had heard the screams of their teammates ending quickly behind them. The remaining two wizards stood back to back with their wands raised, waiting for their foe to show itself. The younger wizard was leaning quiet heavily on his compatriot, and that only made the fall worse when his partner was violently beheaded with an unseen spell. He tumbled backwards with a scream of surprise over the headless body that was no longer supporting him. His last glance upwards saw the tip of a gnarled wand poking out of mid air, before a hammer blow of compressed wind destroyed his head.

After the brutal encounter and chase, Harry quickly scanned for more Death Eaters with a spell, and then made his way quickly back to the heavily injured pair. He was good at bruises and small nicks, but nothing like this. He would need to Apparate them back to Hogwarts. He threw off the cloak as he approached.

"Friendly. Enemies dead. It's clear." Called Harry loudly. The two hiding behind the tree were on their last legs. They both looked equal parts shocked and relieved to see him.

"H-Harry... Any others... with you?" came Dean's pain-filled voice. Even with his dark complexion his face looked pale. The witch was breathing but slipping into unconsciousness. They needed to get home now, they had been running on adrenaline up until he arrived and were now in serious danger.

"No Dean, just me. I'll get you home, but this won't feel pleasant in your state." Harry quickly grabbed hold of his friend's right shoulder and the witch's un-injured arm. A soft pop and both were gone.

Left behind was a blood soaked battlefield, burning trees and corpses, limbs discarded after spells and death, miscellaneous gore and organs littered some of the tree roots. In the morning the corpses would be gone. Friendly and enemy corpses would be taken, no trace left behind except for blood stains. The team sent to retrieve the bodies for burial would return frustrated and empty-handed. The report of the taken bodies would be filed, but never given any special notice. It was assumed to be a scare tactic on the Death Eaters part, a tactic that wasn't working on the general populace. Harry was simply glad to have gotten his friend home, and explained the rescue as pure luck. Only the Council members awake at the late hour of his return would truly know what Harry had done, that is before tomorrow, when the castle would realise their returned Lord Sorcerer somehow managed to get almost two hundred miles south and back in the space of time between the Council meeting finishing and then arriving twenty minutes later to the infirmary with two soldiers who were meant to be on border patrol. His title might just grow, if he was unlucky.

#####

And that's a wrap. It gets very gruesome and bloody near the end, this is how I imagine a Harry five years into a seemingly un-ending war would act. I dont really show you how he feels internally, I want just the actions described for the moment, how it all effects Harry will come a bit later, along with any other perspective of how people feel about killing or using horrible spells on people. If you like the graphic descriptions please tell me, I often feel a good gruesome description of wounds or death leaves me feeling more immersed in the story.

Word Count: 12,000+

ETA on next chapter - 30-40 days(I start work soon, writing will depend on my free time.)

Now then, please Review/Fave/Follow/Whatever so that I feel accomplished!

Till next time. - TheMason