Ello! One month of procrastination followed by a week of intense writing for lack of anything better to do, followed by another few weeks of on-and-off fact-checking, research, and pre-reading. The product of that time is this chapter, which may either result in cheers or groans of 'my god, is that idiot Bloodhawk still writing?'
A couple of people to thank for this. First up is Caphriel, the Beta-Who-Put-Up-With-More-Stupidity-Than-He-Should-Have-Had-To. There were so many plot holes that he found and fixed, if you consider the entire plot of this delusional day-dream as a plot hole, which I did. He fixed that too, and was also responsible for helping me streamline the thing so that it's much more readable and coherent. Go check out his Continuation of the Dream; it's an excellent fic centering on Saber, so if you're angry I've screwed up her characterization go read it. It's much more sensible.
Next is my friend 0.o ninjaewoks 0.o . He's actually had to deal with me and my crap for at least seven years now, but he hasn't tried to murder me yet! He's also behind some plot changes further down the line, and a guiding force behind a shift in my mentality.
Third is Ryuus2, who so kindly looked through the chapter and fixed some errors. Unfortunately, I ended up mixing up the docs and the DocX, and so his changes may or may not have made it in, but it was great of him to accept my request. Props, dude! Go check out his stuff, too, he's got a few ideas bouncing around.
Now, for chapter notes. This was the easiest chapter of the five I've written so far (including Chapter 5), but also one of the hardest in that I had to wrestle with characterization. Man, it's hard to get into these guys' heads. Still, I'm fairly satisfied with the result, and Krum now has the distinction of being my favorite character to write.
Well then, I hope you enjoy!
Harry blinked; when Krum failed to go away he blinked again, and finally settled on gazing open-mouthed at the Bulgarian's unexpected appearance. Krum tolerated the look for about two seconds, then his scowl deepened and he made an irritated gesture with his wand.
"Are you going to just lie around? Ve do not have time for this. The Dark Lord's minions vill be back and I do not vant to get into another fight vith those lunatics."
The young wizard's mind snapped back to the present, and he pushed himself to his feet. "I've got questions, but they'll have to wait, won't they?" He paused.
"Wait, where's my wand?"
Wordlessly, Krum stooped and rifled through the unconscious wizard's robes, producing Harry's wand and tossing it towards him in a negligent gesture.
"Um...thanks?" Harry managed.
Krum just grunted and touched his wand to the would-be killer's forehead. The tip glowed white briefly, and then he stood up, pocketing his wand and removing a small, polished stick of wood.
"Touch this. It is a Portkey."
"Where are we going?" Harry asked. Krum grunted.
"There is no time to explain. Ve must go now."
"Harry, wait." The knight king strode to his side, fixing their new companion with a distrustful, if not outright hostile look. For his part, Krum returned the not-quite glare with a brief, uninterested glance, then looked away. "This man is unknown to us. He may have hostile intentions-"
"It's alright, Saber." He interrupted. "I know him. He's - well, a friend of a friend. He's a friend of Hermione's."
Saber turned briefly to give him a skeptical look. "The girl who abandoned you on this journey? I do not trust her judgement."
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Krum's fist tighten slightly on his wand.
"Look, we can trust him, okay? He's right that we need to get out of here." Without further ado, Harry grabbed Saber's hand and placed it on the stick, closing her fingers around it. He made sure to grip the Portkey tightly with his other hand.
The effect was much as he remembered. His stomach twisted as the space around him vanished in a kaleidoscope of color, his body hurtling through the air courtesy of the hook jammed solidly in his navel. Wind howled in his ears with the force of a typhoon. Saber's hand was still gripped in his, and he belatedly tightened his hold, hoping that she had a solid grip with her other hand.
The spinning continued for what seemed to be an ungodly amount of time, and just as he began to wonder if the Portkey was malfunctioning, his insides gave a great jerk. The torrent of light and sound vanished immediately, as if it never had been. He felt his feet slam into the ground rather painfully, but managed to keep his footing, even as someone else staggered into him and he reflexively caught them, letting go of the Portkey in the process.
A cough reached his ears, gruff, harsh, and with a hidden tone of amusement. He looked down, only mildly surprised to find Saber ensconced within his arms and even less surprised to find a light blush coloring her cheeks.
"Harry? You may let me go, now. I am able to stand."
"If you're sure." He released his hold on her as Krum moved towards them, ever-present scowl marring his features, and took a moment to assess their surroundings. They had been transported to some kind of wilderness area not much different from the forest he and Saber had been in previously. Trees rose from the ground in haphazard patterns, dotting the ground with columns of green and brown. To complete the picture, a rundown, neglected-looking shack sat in the small clearing, looking somewhat out of place among the greenery.
The Bulgarian jerked a thumb at the building. "This is one of your Order's safe-houses," he grunted. "Ve vill rest here for the time being." Without further rhetoric he stomped methodically towards the shack, eventually opening the door and disappearing into the house.
Harry stared after him for a moment. While Krum had been on very friendly terms with Hermione and his presence at Bill and Fleur's wedding had virtually ensured that he was still in Britain after Voldemort's coup, there was no reason Harry could think of that the Bulgarian Seeker would join the Order of the Phoenix, nor for him to endure an undoubtedly-harrowing journey into the forests of England in order to track down someone who at best was a friendly acquaintance of his. Krum had always struck him as a pragmatic man intolerant of distractions; the impatience he often showed with reporters and the quick, efficient ways he had handled his Triwizard Tasks highlighted that. Why, then, would he go to so much effort to find Harry?
"You are troubled, Harry." The musical tones of Saber's voice chopped through his musing, followed by the clank of her armored feet as she moved to stand beside him, blonde hair flapping gently in a sudden gust of wind.
"No kidding," the wizard grunted. "I don't know why he's here. Oh, we can trust him," he hastened to add as Saber's emerald eyes narrowed, "he's definitely not our enemy, but we're not friends. I don't know why he bothered to track me down."
Saber tilted her head to one side, considering. Harry was abruptly reminded of a fellow student contemplating a particularly difficult problem, if that student wore full plate armor and carried a legendary sword.
"What other connections do you have to this man? It is highly unlikely the reason he sought you has no relation to you." The king of knights folded her arms; Harry didn't remember her putting away Excalibur but apparently she had. "Perhaps he is a friend of your friend, and he has been charged with your safe return?"
Harry barked out a sharp laugh. "Krum's not the knight-in-shining-armor type, I don't think. No, it's something else."
"Perhaps you should ask him yourself." Saber gestured towards the cabin. "We should take him up on his offer of shelter, should we not?"
A sudden yawn welled up from nowhere, threatening to split Harry's jaw. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."
The inside of the ramshackle house turned out to be much more comfortable than its exterior would suggest, as was the norm for wizarding abodes. The room the door opened up into would not have looked out of place as a living room in an upper-class home, and was in fact bigger than the entirety of the building it was disguised as. Prepared for it as he was by his myriad experiences with the wizarding world, Harry was not surprised.
"Magecraft," Saber stated, looking around in mild surprise.
"Yeah," Harry shrugged, "but it's nothing special from what I've been told. Just a couple of Illusion Charms to make the outside look different. The real house looks nothing like this one."
Saber made no response but inclined her head, a gesture of acknowledgement.
The living room was sparsely furnished, but tastefully for all that. A finely-carved wooden table sat between the walls of brick and mortar, accompanied by equally finely-carved wooden chairs. There was a fireplace set into the west wall, currently nothing but crumbling logs and ash.
"Nice house." Harry commented.
"There are worse places to take repast." Saber agreed.
The door set into the east wall opened, and Krum peeked out from behind it. "In here," he grunted, and shut the door again.
Saber favored Harry with a deliberate look. The wizard shook his head in exasperation. "Don't give me that look. Sure, he isn't all that pleasant but he's not out to get us."
The king of knights did not answer. Harry sighed and pushed the door open, walking into what was apparently the shack's kitchen. Though much smaller than the living room and taken up with cabinets and sinks, it possessed a homely feel that reminded him of the kitchen at the Burrow.
Krum was seated at the kitchen table, elbows resting on the wood in blatant defiance of the sacred kitchen rule. He looked haggard, worn, and surly - though the last was no different from how he usually looked- and was currently eating an apple, methodically working his way around its surface.
Harry took the chair across from him, slumping into the cushioned back with some relief. Saber moved to his right, standing erect and upright beside him, hands empty at her sides but eyes regarding Krum with suspicion.
Exactly like a knight guarding her king. Harry sighed, covered a hand with his eyes. I don't need this right now; whatever Krum has to say, it's going to give me indigestion. Might as well get this out of the way first.
"Saber," He noticed Krum sit up a little at the unusual name, "sit down." Predictably, she stiffened, shooting him a reproachful glare. He twitched his left hand in what he hoped was a suitably subtle warning and raised one eyebrow.
I will use it, so help me god. There'll still be two left.
Saber's own eyebrows jerked almost comically, and the redoubled glare she sent at him would have spurred Snape to take notes. Harry held her stare as calmly as he could, forcing himself to blink normally. Across the table, Krum's own eyebrows joined the club as they nearly reached his hairline.
When Harry felt certain his eyes would implode, Saber huffed and pulled out the closest seat between him and Krum, pushing it out so that it was in her former position, and sat down, crossing her arms. Harry shrugged; that was the best he was going to get.
"So," he began, staring at Krum, "I'm glad you found me, since I was about to die and everything, but why aren't you back in Bulgaria and how the hell do you know where Order safehouses are?"
The Durmstrang student shrugged. "I did not haff enough time to go home after Fleur's wedding. You-Know-Who's dogs vere everywhere, hunting down all who vould oppose him. The Order helped me escape, but asked that I help them in their operations." He shrugged again. "One of those operations vas the ascertainment of your whereabouts and your subsequent retrieval."
Harry had not pegged him for the kind of person to pay back debts in this kind of manner, but he had never really known Krum well. It would do him a disservice to treat him like that when at the most they had only exchanged a few words.
"How'd you find me?"
"A Location Charm," Krum replied. "fueled by one of your hairs that the Order had kept for this purpose. However, it vos a difficult journey, and more than once I had to avoid squads of Death Eater and Ministry officials also looking for you. It did not help that you seemed to be moving vildly and at random."
Harry chuckled nervously. "Yeah...that was Hermione's idea. She thought it would throw off pursuers."
Krum abruptly leaned forward, a strange light kindling in his eyes. "Where is Her-my-ow-ninny?" The words came out not in his normal flat monotone, but with an almost desperate quality to them. "She vos vith you, vas she not?"
So that's his reason. I shouldn't be surprised. What was Saber saying about a friend of a friend? I should have guessed; out of the three of us Hermione was the only one Krum knew well enough to come after.
He knew his thoughts were cynical, and really could not bring himself to care. Krum was a student of Durmstrang, which was renowned as a school that, while not necessarily Dark, certainly taught its students more pragmatism and cunning than most other people were comfortable with. Of course Krum could care less about the well-being of Britain; from his point of view Voldemort was not his problem. His only concern was the girl that he might have developed feelings for.
"We had a disagreement," he drawled lazily, watching mild surprise flicker across the Bulgarian's face, "and she ran off with her new boyfriend. Sorry to disappoint you, but she's taken now."
Krum's reaction was interesting; his mouth tightened and thin eyebrows narrowed over his brow line, but otherwise he still looked completely uninterested. That created an intriguing contrast with the heat in his tone when he spoke again.
"She vould not do something like that. She is loyal to her friends."
The laugh that came out of Harry's mouth could barely be recognized as such; it sounded so harsh and cold that it was more of a bitter cackle.
"That's what I thought too, but faced between helping bring down the Dark Lord and snogging a git with half a brain, guess what she chose?" He spread his arms and leaned back in his chair, feeling a vindictive satisfaction as Krum's mouth turned downward into a true scowl.
"I do not believe you-"
"She's not here, is she?" Harry made a show of looking around, a mocking smile on his lips. "I don't see her, do you?"
Krum said nothing, but his dark eyes bored into Harry's green ones with an intensity he had never displayed before. Harry met it calmly, smirking as he watched Krum's facial muscles tighten and contort subtly.
Go on, try something. I'd welcome it right now-
A soft hand laid itself on his arm, but the grip it exerted was one of steel.
"Harry." Saber's voice was cold and unyielding. "Stop. Bickering will only feed your anger and solve nothing."
The wizard whirled out of his seat, attempting to shake the king of knights' grip, but the hand remained locked around his arm. "No, but it'll make me feel better-"
"And should I take the flat of my sword to your head you will feel quite a lot worse." Despite being nearly a head shorter than him, and still seated besides, Saber's emerald eyes were no less intimidating. "You think I jest? I do not."
Harry threw one last impotent glare at her, then took a deep breath and sat back down, already feeling like the world's biggest jerk. He drew a hand across his eyes, closing them for one brief second, then opened them again, focusing on Krum's surly face.
"Look, I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Forget about it – no, on second thought remember it so you can tell me next time I'm being a git."
Surprise flashed across Krum's features, followed by a curt nod.
"I vos out of line as vell. I offer my own apologies."
It was Harry's turn to blink. Huh. That's...unexpected.
"I vos assigned by Shacklebolt to find you," The Bulgarian continued, as if nothing had happened, "and bring you to the nearest safehouse. I haff already contacted him; he will come here tomorrow to talk vith you."
"Is that safe?" Harry wondered. "He's high-profile in the Ministry, won't he be missed?"
Krum waved away the concern. "He is one of the most skilled Aurors in the Ministry. He vill haff no problem slipping away under the noses of the fools who are now in charge."
Harry raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Kingsley's great, yeah, but what about V-"
"Do not speak his name." Krum cut him off calmly. "There is a Taboo on the words. They vill find you if you speak his name. It vos clever of them, really. The only ones who vould ever say his name vere the only ones who opposed him."
"Wait." Harry blinked again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "You're saying they put a curse on his name?"
"Not a curse." Krum examined one hand idly. "Simply a tracking spell, to tell them of the location of whoever has spoken the name. You did not know this, so I assume your run in with the Death Eaters vos a result of speaking his name idly. I vould advise you kick the habit. This cottage has wards and spells for defense, but the Taboo would bypass them even so. It is a powerful piece of magic. You-Know-Who must haff performed it himself."
So that's why...How many times had he spoken Voldemort's name out loud, unaware of the spell on it? No wonder the Death Eaters had tracked him down so quickly; he had named the Dark Lord at least twice to Saber.
In one way, that was a relief; at least they had not managed to place a tracking spell on him.
Krum checked the watch on his wrist. "It is late. Ve should rest." With that, the Bulgarian wizard rose to his feet in a swish of robes and exited through the north door, calling over his shoulder.
"The bedrooms are through this door. There are only two, unfortunately, so you and I vill haff to share one, vhile your friend receives the other."
"That is unacceptable." The blond fixed Krum with a steady stare. "I will be sharing a room with Harry. You may have the other one to yourself."
Krum returned the look for a few moments, then shrugged. "As you vish." He left, robes swirling around him as the door shut.
Saber rose from her chair, dress fluttering around her. "He is right. We should get some sleep."
"Yeah, uh, right." The British wizard pulled himself to his feet, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Look, Saber, about earlier...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that...I guess I'm still a little sore about the whole thing."
She gave him a level look. "It is understandable, but you should not dwell on it. Anger will fester if hidden and nurtured for too long. It corrupts as surely as power does." The mask of the knight softened suddenly, and a sympathetic glint appeared in green eyes. "You have been through much, Harry. It was probably for the best that you released it now, no matter how undeserving this Krum may have been of it."
Harry shook his head slowly. "People already get enough crap they deserve, let alone the stuff they don't. Krum's already dealing with a lot of crap right now - he fell for Hermione pretty good – so he doesn't need me spitting hate at him for something that's not his fault. Even," he sheepishly rubbed his head, "if it felt good at the time."
The warmth in Saber's eyes expanded, and her mouth curved into a full, genuine smile – the largest he had seen from her yet. "You are a good person, Harry." Harry felt his own mouth twitch.
"However," here the smile did not change, but something in her eyes shifted, "your threat to use a Command Spell in order to force me to sit does not become a good person. I believe we should discuss this."
Harry sighed, pulling a hand over his face. "Uh, can we talk about this later?"
"No." The king of knights continued to smile, but now it was considerably chillier than it had been before. "What could possibly possess you to waste one of your most powerful tools? Perhaps I was not clear."
Saber's speech had all the characteristics of a rant, or at least a coming-on one; long accustomed to History of Magic lectures and S.P.E.W. sermons, Harry knew what to do.
"The Command Spell can compel a Servant to do anything. It can even warp the laws of physics if the command is within reason-"
I wonder how Fred and George are doing with the shop? They probably won't be in real trouble, but you never know with those Death Eaters.
"-my Master once used it to summon me immediately to his side over a distance of some kilometers-"
Speaking of Weasleys, I hope Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are alright. They're probably worried sick about Ron and Hermione and I...'course there's nothing to be worried about regarding Ron and Hermione...they're probably back at home already eating Mrs. Weasley's cooking...
Unbeknownst to him, his eyes glazed over, and his mouth began to water.
"-it can make a single blow more powerful than it would be otherwise and - Harry, are you listening to me?"
"Huh-?" Harry's daydream of eating a bowl of onion soup imploded, and he was brought back to the present. "Oh, right, yeah."
A vein twitched in Saber's temple. "Harry, your behavior is inexcusable-"
Harry suppressed a sigh and resisted the urge to close his eyes. My god, this is almost as bad as Binns-
Thwack.
Something thumped him on the head, and he leaped to his feet. "Ow! What was that for!" Saber drew back her fist.
"Pay attention!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Thwack.
Kingsley came several hours later, long after the sun had dipped below the distant hills and night had fallen over the wooded clearing.
Harry had just managed to convince Saber that he had been paying attention through each of the lectures she had delivered and yes, he now knew exactly how important a Command Spell was to his well-being, when the door opened.
Krum was standing in the hallway when Saber opened the door, his lips pressed together tightly and his eyebrows angled like thunderbolts over his dark eyes.
"Shacklebolt is in the living room. He is not alone." With that, the Bulgarian wizard swept away, nondescript brown robes billowing in his wake, and leaving Harry to ponder his words.
"It can't be good if he looks like somebody rammed something up his arse." He commented idly. At his side, Saber nodded silently and rose. Her body shimmered, armor forming over her dress into the gauntlets, breastplate, and skirt-plates. Wind began to blow in the chamber, causing clothes and hair to ripple. While Excalibur was still sheathed in its guard of air, the source of the wind was clearly Saber's hand.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Saber." Harry regarded the invisible sword with some trepidation. "They're going to think you don't like them."
"Your tale gives me no reason to do so." The Servant replied stiffly. Harry sighed.
We're not going to get anywhere. Shouldn't keep them waiting, anyway. I dunno if Ron and Hermione really are there, but Kingsley hasn't done anything to me, and he's pretty much the leader of the Order now. I should be respectful.
"Look, at least put it away." Harry made one last attempt to control the situation. "If they so much as sneeze, you can have it in your hand before they finish."
Saber gave him a narrow stare, then nodded slightly. The wind died down as Saber's hand opened. As Harry felt his hair return to its (admittedly wild) normal state, she crossed her arms. "Will that suffice?"
"Yeah, thanks." The Chosen One sighed, then took a deep breath and straightened out his robes. "Come on, then. Shouldn't keep the leader of free Britain waiting."
Krum was right. Kingsley was in the living room, sitting in one of the chairs, and he was not alone. The people he had brought were also seated, ringed around the table, but as he walked in everyone turned, allowing him to see their reactions.
Remus Lupin was just as gaunt as Harry had seen him last, and his face was even more lined with care and worry. Silver and gray hairs mingled quite noticeably with brown, giving him the general look of a homeless bum getting on in years, yet there was a peace about him, a calm air that was new. Relief played across his face as Harry walked in, followed by mild surprise as he laid eyes on the diminutive armor-clad girl that trailed his former student into the room.
Nymphadora Tonks Lupin sat next to her husband, hand twined tightly with his. Her hair was back to its vivid, shocking pink; her eyes were bright and happy. Harry felt a strange mixture of guilt and satisfaction: his parting accusations had apparently had some kind of effect, but he could not forget their bitterness, nor the tortured look on Remus' face as he strode away from Grimmauld Place.
No, he thought grimly, I'm not a good person.
Personality-wise, Tonks had not changed; she sprang up as he entered the room and entrapped him in a bear hug. Harry grunted as her arms closed around his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Saber tense, but shook his head minutely and returned the embrace. Something pressed into him, and he belatedly noticed his arms were not as far around Tonks as they should have been. He looked down, and with a start he realized the Auror's belly was slightly distended.
"Wotcher, Harry." Tonks grinned when they broke the hug. She studied him, looking his body up and down. "You don't look half bad for someone stuck in the wild."
"It wasn't that long." Harry replied. "I cheated, anyway. Left the forest, found a little town, got chased by Death Eaters, then found by Krum and taken here."
"So I heard," Tonks looked away from him, focusing on the lithe blonde standing in his shadow. "Who's your friend?" She nodded politely to Saber, who responded with a curt nod back. The Auror leaned in close to Harry, stage-whispering into his ear. "She doesn't seem to like me."
"Eh...it's a really long story, on both counts. Mind waiting until Kingsley asks?"
"Sure." Tonks breezed. "Sounds interesting."
"Oh, you have no idea." Harry chuckled ruefully. "It's good to see you again, Tonks. How're things going with Remus?"
Tonks managed a blush, a giggle, and a grin all at the same time, which was answer enough. Harry nodded at her belly, eliciting another blush, and gave her a smile. "I'm happy for you." The pink-haired Auror promptly treated him to a one-armed hug, then walked somewhat more sedately back off to her seat.
The last two members of Kingsley's party stood up together, and Harry felt his mouth twitch into an unconscious frown. He also noticed Krum, until now standing silently near the wall, look up and move slightly forward, his face conspicuously blank. Since his default expression was a scowl, it spoke volumes of his feelings on the current situation.
Ronald Weasley did not attempt to hide his feelings, scowling at both Krum and Harry in equal measure. His hands were at his sides, twitching occasionally as if he wanted to wrap them around the other two teenagers' throats.
By his side, Hermione Granger smiled uncertainly at them, hands clasped together nervously. Harry chanced a look at Krum's face in time to see him briefly clench his teeth. Hermione's smile faltered at that, while Ron's mouth curled. Saber prowled up to his side, staring impassively at the duo.
The impromptu staring contest was broken when Kingsley cleared his throat.
"I believe we have some business to take care of." His baritone was exactly as Harry remembered: low, deep, and reassuring. "But first, Harry, how are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks." Harry nodded. "A little tired, since we only got here a couple hours ago, but otherwise I'm fine. Thanks for sending Krum to look for me, by the way: he got me out of a tight spot." Reminded abruptly, he turned to the Bulgarian Seeker who was still staring blank-faced at Hermione and Ron. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life, so...thanks."
Krum swiveled his head to look back at him, then inclined it slightly. "You do not need to thank me. I vould not haff let them kill you in any case." He returned to staring at the other two teenagers, but his posture was slightly more relaxed than before.
Huh. Harry pondered that for a moment, then mentally shrugged and returned to look at Kingsley. The ebony-skinned Auror let a slight smile grace his lips, before returning to business.
"In any case, you appear to have picked up a new friend." He nodded at Saber, who returned the nod just as curtly as she had Tonks'. "Would you mind introducing us?"
Harry watched as the other wizards turned their full attention to Saber for the first time. Remus studied the girl knight curiously, eyes lingering on her armor. Tonks smiled at her. Hermione seemed to share Remus' curiosity, forgetting to look nervous as she stared intently.
Ron's reaction was the most dramatic, and the most surprising. His eyes flickered to Saber as if he had just noticed her, narrowed, then turned to Hermione, as if reassuring himself she was still there. Harry felt his own eyes narrow slightly in thought.
Interesting reaction.
"Right, sure. You're...not going to believe this." He scratched the back of his head. "I still don't."
"Be that as it may, we have no choice but to believe almost anything you say." Remus offered a rueful grin. "Please. We're all ears."
Krum stirred, fixing his dark eyes on Harry's. "I vould be quite interested to hear this as well." He turned, addressing the room at large. "Vhen I arrived at the town Potter vos in, he vos under attack by a group of Death Eaters, but most of them had already been killed."
The statement had a palpable reaction; Kingsley turned a piercing stare on Harry, who shrank under its weight. Tonks was demanding to know if he had lost his mind and Remus' face took on a guilty cast. Hermione had gone pale, while a small smirk was present on Ron's lips.
"No." Krum's rebuke was delivered quietly, but it silenced the room as quickly as his previous words had incited it. "Potter vould not do such a thing, and in any case, the vounds vere not those of spells. The vounds vere clean, but not as clean as you vould expect a simple Cutting Charm to be, nor as ragged as say, a Severing Curse."
Harry was not as surprised by Krum's declaration of the deaths as he was by the Bulgarian's assertion that he would not be the cause of them, or anything like them. He doesn't know me very well...where's he going with this?
All eyes were now on him, and the blond knight at his side. He sighed.
"Okay. Right after Hermione, Ron, and I...parted ways, a bunch of Death Eaters found me, probably because of the Taboo, and I ended up in an abandoned temple-type building..."
Predictably enough, the room was as quiet as a tomb once he had finished his story. Kingsley stared thoughtfully at the wall, while Remus contemplated the hand currently enclosed in his wife's. Tonks, Hermione, and Ron continued to study Saber, who endured the continuing scrutiny stoically.
Krum had, sometime during the story, procured a seat near Tonks, across and turned away from Hermione and Ron. He had not seemed surprised at any point during the tale, merely nodding even at the recounting of Saber's appearance. Harry had carefully omitted any mention of Saber's true identity, only saying that she was apparently some kind of familiar he had inadvertently summoned. He thought he saw a slight twitch in her posture when he had said that, but she kept her peace.
"And then we came here." Harry concluded. His throat was parched, and he felt as if he was going to fall over. He wondered if they had water.
Krum got up from his seat and disappeared into the kitchen, returning momentarily with a glass. He pointed his wand at the cup and murmured, "Aguamenti." The cup filled with water, and he handed it to Harry.
"Thanks." He took a sip; the water was ice-cold and soothed his throat. Krum grunted and returned to his seat. An uncomfortable silence fell again, interrupted by Ron's cough.
"So you're saying she's immune to magic?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Every spell used on her just doesn't work. Somebody tried to Imperius her; that ended pretty badly for him."
"This could be the break we were waiting for." Remus looked up from his hands. "Even You-Know-Who will have a hard time killing her, no matter what kind of magic he can use. Once we pinpoint his location, we can hit him with everything we have. The war could be over."
"Hang on," Tonks cut in, "aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves? The prophecy says Harry's part of this. I think we're gonna need him for any kind of operation."
Ron snorted."Why? Magic doesn't work on her, right? She can just bulldoze through the Death Eaters and cut off You-Know-Who's head. Then we're done."
"There are still four Horcruxes left." Harry said wearily. "The locket, the cup, something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's, and the snake. If Saber kills Vol – sorry, You-Know-Who before the Horcruxes are gone, he won't die."
"Still!" Ron was not to be dissuaded. "Even if he turns into some kind of shriveled husk thing, he'll be powerless! We can just lock him up somewhere."
"And risk him getting stronger with each year?" Harry countered. "He's one of the best wizards ever. Ever, Ron. If we throw him in a jail and forget about him, he'll eventually bust out or somebody will do it for him because he won't have the decency to just pass away and it'll be violence and murder all over again. He'll never lose his power base, because there'll always be pure-bloods wanting to get rid of the Muggle-borns. He has to die."
"I agree." Kingsley leaned back in his chair. "You-Know-Who deserves to die, and according to the prophecy, Harry can't live while You-Know-Who is still alive."
Harry drew in a breath. He had not thought Dumbledore would have told anyone else about the prophecy.
"Yeah, I'd like to continue living if it's not too much trouble." He remarked dryly. Kingsley, Tonks, and Lupin laughed. Krum chuckled. Even Hermione managed a smile. Only Ron remained stone-faced. Harry still had not figured out why Ron was so hostile. He, Harry had been wronged, not Ron, and so why the Weasley insisted on being so antagonistic still escaped him. The only thing he could think of was that it had something to do with Hermione.
"How's Hogwarts, by the way?" he asked, hoping to hear something about Ginny. "Is everyone still alright?"
"Yes," Hermione answered, to Harry's mild surprise. "Ron and I haven't gone back, but we've gotten news. Ginny, Neville, and Luna are doing all they can to muck up Snape's tenure as Headmaster, and they're driving the Carrows mad, by all reports." She smiled. "And yes, she's all right."
A weight lifted from Harry's shoulders as he heard those words. Ginny was alright and still fighting. Neville and Luna too; the Longbottom had grown on him through their six years as students together, and the Ravenclaw's strange perspective was refreshing and amusing.
"That's great." He smiled. "Anything else I should know?"
Kingsley nodded. "A lot has changed since the wedding." He cast a significant glance at Harry. "You-Know-Who has solidified his power base; he's got his puppet Pius Thicknesse as Minister of Magic. The Death Eaters are in charge now and they've started rounding up halfbloods and Muggle-borns to check if they've 'stolen' their magic." He snorted in disgust. "Everything's gone to hell in a handbasket. Everyone who can't provide some connection to a pure-blood family is being taken in for questioning. It's considered sport to torture and kill Muggles now, and the Ministry isn't doing anything about it. You're still Public Enemy Number One, though; that hasn't changed. The Death Eaters are still looking for you, and so are the Aurors. The former are more honest about their intentions."
Having concluded this sobering speech, he looked around, meeting every person's gaze. "What we really need to decide is, where do we go from here? What's our game plan?"
"You don't already have one?" Harry raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore had always had plans, had always mapped out their next course of action. The old Headmaster was never without some kind of contingency, and would have made an excellent chess player, or even a politician.
"I'm not Dumbledore." The African Auror said sadly. "I don't have the benefit of his mind or all the years of his experience, and he didn't see fit to leave any information concerning whatever plans he may have had. As far as I can tell, our goal is to destroy these Horcruxes – which I don't know much about, only that they need to be gone - then move on You-Know-Who once he's vulnerable."
He took a deep breath, then continued. "But also because I'm not Dumbledore, I'm not going to make this your battle as well. You're still young, you four. You, Ron and Hermione should be finishing up your last year at Hogwarts, and Viktor, you should be winning games for the Bulgarian team. I respected Dumbledore, but no one was off-limits to him. He would do whatever he could to stop You-Know-Who without sinking to his level, and if that required using underage wizards to foil his plans, well, he considered it a good deal."
"I'm not backing out, if that's what you're asking." Ron said fiercely. "I'm already caught up in this, and so's my family. I'll fight."
"So will I." Hermione's response was quieter than Ron's, but no less steadfast. "We owe it to Professor Dumbledore to finish what he started."
When Kingsley's gaze shifted to Krum, the Bulgarian paused for a moment, then nodded his head. "You-Know-Who vill not stop vith Britain. He vill not stop until he has the vorld in his grasp. I vill help as best I can."
Harry felt a stab of guilt as Krum finished. He had assumed Krum had joined the Order just to woo Hermione, but now, with any attempt at winning her heart gone, he was continuing to risk his life far from home, surrounded by strangers.
I misjudged him. He thought miserably. I'm doing that a lot lately.
"Harry? What about you?"
Kingsley's question jarred him from his stupor. He looked up, blinking stupidly. "Sorry, what?"
"Are you going to continue the fight? It's you I'm the most worried about. You're the one with a sword hanging over your head, but it's your life. I'm not going to force you to continue, but you should know that without you, we're probably not going to win. Prophecies are tricky and treacherous, but also usually right-"
"I'll fight." Harry interrupted the Auror. "You-Know-Who's a monster. He's killed so many people and ruined so many lives. I owe it to all of them: my parents, Professor Dumbledore, Cedric, everyone...if I'm the only one who can kill him, it would be irresponsible and selfish to try to escape from this when I'm an integral part of this situation."
Kingsley exhaled in relief. "Good...I didn't really think you'd leave, but I had to be sure. So now, where do we go from here?"
Saber's soft voice sounded from Harry's side; he looked at her in surprise, almost having forgotten that she was there. "If Harry is to defeat this Dark Lord, he must get stronger than he is currently. He tells me the Dark Lord and his servants are very skilled in magecraft, so he must increase his own knowledge and skill to match theirs."
"That might be a bit of a problem." Remus' tone was gentle and respectful, despite Saber's statement being patently ridiculous. "You-Know-Who has many years on Harry, and he's learned magic none of us can, or even are willing to, teach. Harry's one of the most gifted students I have ever had the honor to teach, but the only one who could ever match the Dark Lord in a duel was Albus Dumbledore."
Saber was not dissuaded. "Then he must gain an ability that they do not."
Kingsley smiled slightly. "What do you have in mind?"
"I will teach him to use a sword."
Ron barked out a laugh. "Harry Potter, the Wizard Knight? I have to see this. You do know the 'Chosen One' doesn't know the first thing about a sword, right?"
Saber turned to look him in the eye for the first time, sending him a withering glance. "Unless you have something meaningful to contribute, I would suggest being silent."
Ron subsided, muttering. Saber returned to regard Kingsley and Remus, subjecting the two Order members to her intense gaze.
"As I said, I will teach him how to fight. However, I do not have enough time to make a true knight of him, and I cannot teach him your magecraft. It is an imperfect solution at best."
"That's true," Remus mused, "but if you did have the time, I'd say that wasn't a half-bad idea. The Death Eaters are a pretty proud lot, and arrogant too. They wouldn't think a wizard crazy enough to use a sword against spell-flinging opponents would pose much of a threat. Apparition would let him stick a sword in their backs pretty easily, once he'd gotten their guard down."
Saber tilted her head. "Apparition?"
"It's essentially teleportation," Remus explained, "where a wizard can move from one place to another instantaneously. More experienced wizards can use it to travel moderate distances, but it's also used in duels to dodge spells that can't be blocked or otherwise avoided. However, too much use strains the body and can result in limbs or body parts being removed or misplaced." The former professor looked inquisitively at Harry. "You can Apparate now, can't you? I'd advise you to keep it in mind, but remember the danger of Splinching."
Harry winced; he'd seen Splinching before. "Yeah...definitely want to avoid that."
Kingsley looked up from where he'd been pensively staring at the floor. "I may have a solution to the problem of time...but let's say that I do, and Saber, how much time would you need to train him adequately?"
Saber considered. "It takes many years to make an adequate warrior. A boy would be trained from a young age, around ten or eleven, until they were approximately eighteen-to-twenty-one."
Harry winced. "Somehow, I'm not sure we have that much time."
"Indeed. However, if we focused purely on swordsmanship...I would assume a few years at the very least to make him proficient. However, he will not be required to fight any duels, so half a year would suffice." She paused. "A knife would be better-suited for this style of fighting, if one can be procured, but the drills used to teach swordsmanship would be useful exercise to elevate him to an acceptable level of fitness."
Remus was nodding in agreement. "Harry suffered from malnutrition and lack of exercise for the first eleven years of his life. If-" he shared a significant glance with Kingsley, "Kingsley is suggesting what I think he is, you should have enough time to whip him into shape; physically, anyway."
Harry looked back and forth between them, confused. Exactly what Kingsley had in mind to alleviate the problem of time escaped him. As far as he could tell, they could not train him sufficiently in time to defeat Voldemort, no matter how long or how hard they worked him.
Hermione seemed to share his confusion. "I'm not sure I understand-"
"Remember what Minerva gave you in your third-year?" Remus interrupted. "The special tool meant purely for your own studies and never to be shown to anyone else?"
The bibliophile looked puzzled for a moment, then her eyes widened in realization and her hand flew to her mouth.
"But h-how did you know, Remus?"
"You didn't think Minerva would keep such a secret all to herself, did you?" Remus laughed.
"I thought the Ministry's supply was destroyed, though?"
"Yes, thanks to you." Kingsley's smile took the sting out of the words. "But something that's not well-known is that high-ranking Aurors have their own supply. The average wizard doesn't really know that in addition to being law enforcers, we're also detectives. Magic, though, makes it harder to track down criminals, especially if they're smart. If they think everything through, they can wipe away all the traces of their ," he shrugged, "sometimes the only thing we can do is turn back the clock."
Then, Harry finally got it. "You're talking about a Time-Turner."
"That vould make sense." Krum grunted. "It is the only reliable time-traveling device known to vizardkind." He paused in thought. "Yes, that vould suit our purpose. Potter can double or triple the time he spends training, if he is careful."
Kingsley nodded. "Used sparingly, the Time-Turner can make two days out of one. Harry can complete a day of training and then rewind the day to do it all over again. Since the Time-Turner takes people back in time, your body will continue to reap the benefits of the training. Excuse me." The Auror coughed. "However, the Time-Turner isn't that robust. You should only use it once per day to rewind the day, and then wait until the end of the next day to use it again."
"Why doesn't he just rewind every month?" Ron asked.
"The Time-Turner can only reliably rewind a full day." Hermione responded, wearing the expression Harry had come to call her 'Lecture Face'. "It wasn't designed to go any farther. If you wound the hands back past two full rotations, there's no telling what would happen. I think there's a record of one wizard winding back the hand eight times and reappearing a minute before he traveled back. Fortunately he knew he was time traveling, so a paradox was avoided."
"In which case there shouldn't be an obstacle to using the thing, since your past selves should be fully aware of the Time-Turner." Kingsley replied.
"We are agreed, then." Saber murmured.
"There's still the matter of your magic." Remus raised a finger. "You'll need to firm up your grasp on spells. You've got a great practical command of Defense Against The Dark Arts, but you don't know much more than the standard spells taught to students. You can focus mostly on that, but you'll need at least some basic Mediwizard spells and I've always found Transfiguration to be useful."
"I can help vith that." Krum reclined in his chair. "I haff alvays had some skill in Transfiguration, and Durmstrang, vell..." he hesitated, seeming to struggle with himself, "...you know that they teach us how to use the Dark Arts." He cast a significant glance at Harry, who understood immediately what he was talking about. "If you are villing."
Kingsley nodded grimly. "That seems to be a wise course of action." A look of unhappiness flitted across Remus' face, but he nodded as well. "Better to have it done now so you can get used to it when it happens later." Tonks squeezed her husband's hand, and he smiled briefly at her.
Hermione's reaction was not so understanding. Her face paled, and she stood up slowly.
"You're going to curse Harry? With Dark Arts?" Her voice shook. Krum nodded wordlessly, and she pointed a trembling finger at him.
"Do you know...what could happen to him? Dark spells only work if you really want them to! You have to enjoy hurting people if you want to curse them! Are you telling me Durmstrang taught you how to do that?"
Krum simply nodded. "Yes," he replied, "I vos taught to do those things. However," his eyes hardened,"I vos also taught a vide variety of Mediwizard spells and counter-curses. I can repair broken bones, brew painkilling potions, and counter the vast majority of curses."
"That's not the point!" Blood was rushing to Hermione's face, turning her cheeks red. "Don't you understand the effects of using Dark Magic! That kind of spell requires you to really feel what you're doing! Too much of that and you'll be a Dark Wizard in no time!"
Where did that come from? Harry wondered belatedly, his thoughts moving sluggishly. Hermione was usually thoughtful or exasperated; true anger was uncommon for her, and anger at Krum even less: she usually defended him from Ron's jealous remarks. Is she worried about me?
The Bulgarian Seeker looked as if he had been punched in the stomach. His mouth tightened even more, eyes narrowing to slits, and at his sides his hands clenched into fists. When he spoke, Harry had to lean forward to hear his words, and the pain within them.
"I know full vell vhat I am getting into." The words came out in a hiss. "A Dark Lord killed my grandfather. I hate the Dark Arts. I despise them. Vhen the professor announced he was going to be teaching us the Dark Arts, I almost hexed him. Every time I use them, I feel like I am going to vomit. The only reason I learned them vos so I could ensure I vould know my enemy and never again lose anything I cared about to them. The only reason I was even able to use them was because those I imagined inflicting pain and suffering on vere those who practiced them. I swore to myself during my lessons that I vould never use the Dark Arts outside Durmstrang, but your false professor forced me to break that vow. And now, with an unstoppable madman and his army of lunatics on the loose, I thought I vould use this knowledge to help the only person who can stop him. I thought that you, of all people, vould understand that knowledge is power. I thought that you, of all people, vould trust in me, vould believe that I know vhat I am doing. Obviously, I thought wrong."
Hermione's face had been losing its color during the speech, and when Krum finished, she looked as if he had slapped her. "Viktor...I-I'm sorry, I didn't know-"
Krum said nothing.
Kingsley cleared his throat uncomfortably. "You two can settle that between yourselves later. I don't want to stay out too long and risk Ministry suspicion, so let's wrap this up. We agree that to beat You-Know-Who, Harry needs to undergo intensive magical training and physical conditioning. We need to find a place that You-Know-Who won't think to look for him – not here, it might have been compromised - and I have a few ideas; I'll leave you a list, but it's best that you don't tell me so I can't give you up if I'm compromised. Right, the only thing left is to decide who's going with him." Remus opened his mouth, but the Auror cut him off. "I'm sorry, Remus, but you're not one of the options. We need you here, both because you're one of the best fighters we have and your...condition. There's a full moon coming up."
The former professor looked dismayed. "But it's because of that I should go with them! I can provide protection in case they're attacked-"
"You need not worry on that count," Saber interrupted. "I swore on my sword that I would keep Harry safe, and that would extend to any companions he trusts to accompany him."
Kingsley clapped his hands, beginning to look annoyed. "As much as I'd like to discuss this more with you all, we're really running out of time. Obviously Saber will be going with him, and Viktor-"
"I vill go. I can teach him quite a few spells, though I vill need books-"
"I have you covered." Remus gestured back towards the kitchen. "I thought we'd be doing something like this, so I brought quite a few. Take care of them, will you? They cost me a pretty Galleon."
Krum nodded and continued, "There are also a few tricks I picked up to help me learn spells and magic faster. I can show him those as vell. And..." he hesitated, looking towards Harry again.
"Yeah." Harry was not particularly thrilled with the idea of being subjected to Dark spells, but it had been done to him before, and as a result he had discovered he was essentially immune to the Imperious Curse...when he was ready for it. "You think that'll help?"
The older Seeker looked down. "That vos how it vos taught to us."
"Right, anyone else?" Kingsley looked around. "Hermione, Ron?"
"Of course I'll-"
"Kingsley, can Hermione and I talk?" Harry interjected, before the bookish witch could finish. The Auror raised an eyebrow, but nodded.
"Don't take too long. I really need to be going."
"Right." He looked at Hermione. "Here, let's-"
"Hold on!" Ron stood up. "Whatever you've got to say, you can say it to me too."
"Perhaps Potter has something private to say to Hermy-own-ninny," Krum suggested laconically, not looking up from his feet. "It vould not become you to pry."
Ron whirled on him. "Listen here, you-"
"It's okay." Suddenly, Harry just wanted this all to be over. "Over here."
He ushered them into the kitchen, keenly aware of Saber's cold stare following them across the room, and closed the door behind them. Turning, he then leaned against the counter, observing his – former? – friends' expressions. Hermione looked, as she always had, worried. Ron simply looked angry, eyes flicking back and forth between the other two in the room.
"Hermione," Harry began, "I don't want you to come with me." He mentally slapped himself as soon as he had finished speaking.
That sounded cold.
Hermione's eyes widened, confusion and pain evident in those chestnut orbs, and he promptly felt like the world's biggest git. Ron's expression tightened, his posture tensing. He looked as if he was about to attack.
Lovely, Harry sighed in his head, what a mess I'm making of things.
"Of course," the self-loathing in those two words was palpable, and guilt squeezed his heart, "it's about that. I really can't blame you, Harry. I left you when you needed help the most."
"Hermione-" Harry began again, at the same time Ron shouted, "It wasn't a mistake-"
"Ron," Hermione didn't raise her voice, but it was surprisingly firm, displaying none of the hesitancy present earlier. "Give us a minute."
The second-youngest Weasley stared at her, looking like he wanted to gnash his teeth. Just as Harry thought he would refuse, he turned abruptly and stormed away, muttering under his breath. The door thumped against its frame twice.
"He feels bad about it, you know." Hermione murmured. "He wanted to go back right after we left, but he didn't..." She looked up to meet his gaze. "It's my fault."
His heart leaped into his throat. "Hermione..."
"He's jealous of you, Harry. He always has been. You're the Boy-Who-Lived. The Chosen One. You're the only person to ever stop You-Know-Who besides Dumbledore, and you're still only in your teens. He's been in your shadow from the day we first met."
He nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. The witch continued, her eyes beginning to glisten.
"And then, well...puberty happened, I guess, and it got worse. You know how Ron and I couldn't seem to talk without arguing, those days? I think he was jealous of how easy it seemed to be for you and I."
"We argued too, though." He pointed out. She laughed.
"Of course. Nobody's perfect. But as a rule, it must have seemed to Ron that you and I were closer than he and I. Can you imagine how grating that would be, that your two best friends were closer to each other than to you-" She stopped suddenly, flushing red on both cheeks. "Harry, I'm sorry-"
"Forget about it," he waved away her apology, thinking about what Saber had said. Anger will fester if hidden and nurtured for too long. It corrupts as absolutely as power does.
Voldemort had been consumed by his mad desire for power. Had something similar happened to his best friend? Was there anything he could do about it? He tried to think of something, anything that would help even in the slightest, but the sluggishness that had taken root in his mind grew, and all he wanted to do now was sleep and forget his problems for the time being.
"I think you're right, Harry." Hermione's soft words brought him back to the conversation, as if he was surfacing from the depths of a pool. "It would do Ron good to be away from you for a while. I don't like it, but I understand...and I'll have to be there, to make him feel that there's nothing to be jealous about." She offered a tentative smile. "I'm sorry, Harry."
"Don't be." The words came automatically, without much inflection. "Are you two officially a couple yet?"
"No...not yet, but after all this, what else could we be?" Her smile turned bitter. "It's circumstance as much as anything, but...I do like him, and I feel we could be happy together. I just...didn't want it to turn out like this."
Silence fell between them for a long moment. "No," he finally replied, the word falling from his lips almost unconsciously, "none of us did." He looked up, realizing his gaze had fallen to her feet. "Congratulations." He dredged up enough strength to make the word carry warmth, and was rewarded by a sad smile.
"Thanks, Harry. It means a lot." She studied him seriously. "Do you think you'll be alright?"
"I'll be safer than we were when we went Horcrux hunting. This time I'll be in a safehouse warded and protected by better wizards than us, training intensely with the advantage of a Time-Turner." He tried to grin, and found that there was some emotion in the expression.
"I'll also be accompanied by an unstoppable warrior in the body of a teenager and the youngest Seeker to ever play Quidditch. I'll be fine."
Hermione's face, which had begun to lighten up, fell suddenly at the mention of Krum. "I really messed up back in there, didn't I? I was so torn up about leaving you to fend for yourself, and then one of my best friends offers to torture you with Dark Spells? I – I just lost it. I really hurt him."
Harry nodded silently, recalling one of the rare instances Krum had shown such blatant emotion. "He fell for you pretty well, too." He carefully did not mention the bitter argument that had taken place just hours before, between himself and the Bulgarian Seeker. "I'm not sure exactly why he's risking everything for us, but I think we can trust him."
"I know we can trust him," she said. "He's very loyal. If he went to Hogwarts, he probably would have been in Gryffindor."
"Krum as a housemate?" He laughed. "Malfoy would have been green with envy."
She laughed with him. "He would probably be envious of you now. The Chosen One and the youngest-ever Seeker together for months on end? Viktor's fangirls would kill to be in your place."
The laughter that followed was cathartic, and the weight on his eyelids seemed to fall away a little, until there was a quiet knock on the door and Kingsley stepped in.
"Have you decided yet, Harry? Ron and Hermione need to go back to the Burrow so Molly and Arthur don't kill themselves with worry." He hesitated. "I'll have to tell them the truth, Hermione. About what happened."
"If you don't mind, Ron and I will." Hermione's voice was soft but firm. "We made a mistake; it's our responsibility to confess it." She glanced at Harry. "We'll be sure to talk to Ginny for you."
The lump in his throat was back. "Thanks, Hermione. For everything."
She nodded, then without warning lunged forward and wrapped him in a bone-jarring hug. He rocked back on his feet for a second, then found his feet and returned the embrace just as fiercely. He heard footsteps as Kingsley retreated to give them privacy.
"Take care of Ron." He whispered near her ear.
"Take care of yourself." She returned.
The party assembled once again in the living room. Remus had been true to his word; piles of books were stacked up on the table, which Krum and Hermione were systematically chucking into one of the Charmed bags. Remus himself watched, a look of mild amusement on his face. Tonks sat nearby, hand resting innocently on her belly. Ron leaned against a wall, face strangely blank as he observed every move Krum and Hermione made. Saber stood stiffly and proudly at the opposite wall, watching Ron with just as much intensity.
Kingsley was sitting in the chair at the head of the table, turning something over in his hand. As Harry approached, he looked up, then got out of his chair and held out his hand. In the olive-browned palm was a familiar golden pocket watch, the long chain dangling out of the Auror's fingers.
"You remember how to use this, I assume?" He gestured at the dials. "Viktor can refresh your memory if you don't."
Harry took the Time-Turner from Kingsley's hand, conscious of the risk the Auror was taking by giving him this. "Thanks, Kingsley. I'll try to take care of it."
"I'd appreciate it if you did." The African wizard fished around in his robes. "One last thing," he pulled a worn piece of parchment out of his pocket, "this is a map of all the Order safehouses. It's a copy of the originaI; Dumbledore left them both to me."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it risky to have a map of all the safehouses? What if it fell into You-Know-Who's hands?"
Kingsley chuckled. "Dumbledore probably memorized the entire thing, but then again he was the only wizard who could fight off You-Know-Who, so it would have been unlikely for him to be captured. The maps were kept at Hogwarts as a backup; he probably didn't expect us to need them. Most of us have memorized the map now, but you're obviously going to need it. I suggest you burn it once you're done, since we probably won't need it by then." He pressed the parchment into Harry's hand.
The teenager slipped both Time-Turner and map into his pockets and nodded. "I understand."
"Right, then," Kingsley patted a hand down his robes, then nodded sharply. "We'll be going." He grasped Harry's hand in a firm handshake. "Good luck, Harry. Hopefully we'll see you again after you've finished your training. "
Harry could only nod in reply, conscious of how long a shot this entire enterprise was, and what would happen if they failed.
The weight of the world is on my shoulders...for what, the seventh time? I don't even know anymore. They think being the Boy-Who-Lived is so hot? They should try being chased by a megalomaniac who can't die.
The goodbyes were brief. Handshakes were exchanged all around, last sentiments were whispered, and hugs given until Kingsley insisted it was time and his party left via Portkey.
Harry watched the five figures vanish into the night, and kept staring long after he could no longer see them. It felt like part of him went with them, because there were so many unresolved things that would have to remain unresolved until either Voldemort was dead or they were.
Not for the first time, he cursed the slit-nosed bastard for everything he had done and everything he would do if he wasn't stopped. Unlike the more literal curses, it did not have any perceivable effect, but it did make him feel a lot better once he was done.
Footsteps sounded behind him, as his two companions-turned-teachers walked to his sides. Their shadows formed in the light emanating softly from the inside of the shack, one tall and cadaverous, the other short and slender.
Krum examined the map. "I did not know there vere so many Order bases. The Order itself does not seem to haff many members, so vhy vould there be so many locations?"
Harry shrugged wordlessly. "They're all the same to me; pick one and we'll go tomorrow."
Krum gave him an exasperated look. "This is important, Potter. Ve cannot just make half-assed decisions; that vill be a quick vay to end up dead."
Saber's soft voice chimed in support. "He is right, Harry. This is a serious matter."
Harry sighed, rubbing his forehead. "All right, fine." He looked down at the map, but the words and illustrations seemed to blur before his eyes. One hand removed his glasses so that the other could swipe irritably at the offending organs. Once his glasses were replaced, he continued to stare at the parchment. Five minutes passed in this manner, until Krum let out a breath and planted one finger solidly in the middle of the map.
"Vhat about here?"
"...It's in the mountains."
"No one vill look for you there."
"Don't giants live in the mountains?"
"Training opportunities."
Harry must have looked horrified, because Krum snickered. "Joking. But no, I do not think giants live in these mountains. There is an Order base there for a reason." He arched an eyebrow. "Do you haff any other preferences?"
Saber leaned in before Harry could reply, scanning the map with an expert eye. "No, of these bastions the one in the mountains is most preferable. It is isolated and should provide a reasonable defensive position if we are attacked." One slender finger traced a line from the picture of the house, pausing at the only land route that led up to it. "If this is accurate, we are adequately defended from conventional assault, and should have enough time to retreat if the situation is untenable."
"I'm less concerned about a land attack then I am of an air one." Harry muttered, but Saber did bring up some good points. It would be hard to find them, especially since the cabin was undoubtedly protected by concealment and defensive spells that would make it practically invisible. Even if they were found, they would probably have ample warning and be able to effect an escape without problems.
"Sounds good. Tomorrow, then?"
The older wizard nodded. "Tomorrow."
"Saber, mind keeping watch for us?"
A nod was the king of knight's only response. Harry suppressed a yawn threatening to burst out from his lips and opened the door, holding it just long enough for Krum to slip in behind him. The last thing he saw before it closed was Saber's still form facing outward, standing like a sentinel between the dangers of the night and the haven of the cabin.
Heh. Sentinel. I guess that's all she's been up until now, huh?
And, comforted by that thought, Harry went to bed. It was the best sleep he had gotten in a long time, discounting those occasions where he had been forcibly relieved of his consciousness.
There were no visions tonight.