Before the Gathering Storm

By: AlbusSeverusGryffindor

Author's Note: Here is the next installment. I own nothing just the plotline. Everything else belongs to JKR. Enjoy.

Chapter 3: Questions and Answers


The world around us won't reveal it's true self,

It just keeps forcing new truths upon us every day.

---------------------------------------------Information- Es Otherwise Opening Song


Ginny Weasley stood outside the Leaky Cauldron and waited for her finance to appear. Harry, who had never enjoyed the fame that had been thrust upon him at an early age and for whom that fame had become a burden since the fall of Voldemort, often chose muggle means for his arrival at the nexus between the two worlds he'd grown up in rather than the standard floo. Ginny stood against the wall of the old pub and scanned the crowd for some sign of Harry, her hands deep in the pockets of her coat to keep them warm on this unseasonable cold day. She looked at her watch and a small frown creased her face. Harry was late. Not by much but he was hardly ever late for one of their rare moments together and he was the one that called for this particular meeting.

She felt fear grip her for a moment as she slipped back into the mindset of a few years previous for a moment before her fear receeded slightly. There was surely nothing for her to worry about. Harry could take care of himself and they had been at peace for two years now. Most of Voldemort's old supporters were either captured or fled after all so there was no one really would be out for Harry's blood anymore. But if that were true then why did she feel so uneasy and out of sorts? Why was her mind slipping back into the mindset of two years ago so readily? Was she perhaps sensing something in the air that maybe others besides Harry had not yet noticed? She scanned the crowd again with no better result than before. She sighed and began to tap her foot in agitation. Where was he anyway and why had he asked her, Ron and Hermione to meet him here of all places? What was going on? Was there some kind of trouble?

Her fear returned but once again she shook it off thinking that she was merely being a silly little girl to jump at shadows that weren't there. Still there was something weighing heavily on Harry's mind and it had something to do with his Auror test a few weeks previous. Once again he was wearing that brooding, hooded expression he'd so often worn during their Hogwarts years when he was dealing with something related to Voldemort. She and the others had seen that expression to often to mistake it for anything else and everyone was wondering what was troubling him now. Quite frankly they were worried about him, thinking that perhaps being an Auror might not have been the best career choice for him under the circumstances. Hermoine was a great supporter of that theory though Ginny felt quite sure Harry was brooding for another, more sinister reason.

"There shouldn't be anything to trouble him now," she mused as she searched the crowd again with still no sign of the one she sought. "We're at peace now. The war is long over and he can finally live his own life. But if that were true then why had he been so withdrawn during the celebratory dinner her, Ron and Hermione had planned for him the night he been made a full Auror. Everyone noticed it, even the members of his squad who had not known him for as long as the others noticed. Did something happen during the test to cause..."

Her musings ended when she spotted Harry through the crowd and she waved at him. She nearly ran to him but held herself steady until he reached her. She smiled a brillant smile up at him and took his hand, her eyes glowing with happiness. All trace of worry or fear was gone from them now. Harry pulled her close and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, a promise of things to come, and twined his hands in her long, red hair.

"Sorry to make you worry. Robards stopped me as I was leaving to congratulate me on my latest case." He grinned sheepishly and ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"That's quite all right, Harry but lets get inside before Ron eats all the food in the place. I'm starved and it's freezing out here." She looked into his eyes and noticed fear and worry in them. Her heart skipped a beat and her fears returned tenfold.

He took her hand again and pushed open the door behind him, a wave of warm air hitting them both as he did so. The room's patrons froze for a moment as they stood framed in the doorway, then they resumed their interupted activities though they watched the two as they passed. How could they not when news of Harry Potter's engagement to Ginny Weasley had been in the papers for weeks now, had been the talk of everyone for months and when the two of them were the most famous couple in the wizarding world at the moment? He was famous for his survival of the Killing Curse and for being the 'Chosen One' who'd brought about Voldemort's demise and she was famous for being the best Chaser the Holyhead Harpies had seen in years despite her youth.

Ginny ignored her fame for the most part but did pause long enough to autograph a few slips of parchment for some young fans of her's with a smile. Harry followed suit, though he was loath to do so because he did not feel he deserved all the attention. He was famous for something anyone else in his position could have done with better results than he'd had and as for stopping Voldemort's first power bid as a mere child of one, that had more to do with his mother's sacrifice than anything he'd done. He felt a pang of guilt for a moment but covered it with a smile of his own.

After a wave to the crowd in general, they both vanished down a long corridor that ended in a private dining room they often used so that they could eat without being interupted by others. Ron and Hermione were already there, kissing as if their very lives depended on it. Ron's hand was tangled in Hermione's bushy brown hair and she was sitting in his lap. Both their eyes were closed and Hermione's hand was resting on Ron's chest. Harry couldn't help the grin that pulled at his mouth at the sight of his two best friends snogging and he looked over at Ginny to see a similar grin on her face.

He felt some of the worry leave him as he watched them a moment, the grin still plastered across his face. Ever since they'd admitted their feelings for one another in the midst of the Battle of Hogwarts Harry and occasional others would find the two of them snogging at every available opprotunity. In fact, Harry had caught them at it just this afternoon in a rarely used elevator at the Ministry. It was almost as if they were trying to make up for years of lost time and maybe they were. He could completely understand how they felt since he'd wasted precious time with Ginny himself.

"Maybe we should leave them to it, " he said softly to her.

Ginny shook her head and her eyes glinted with mischief worthy of her elder brother George. She tiptoed over to where the couple sat oblivious to anyone else in the room. After moving to stand behind them and adopting a very Molly Weasleyish air she said.

"Would you two mind getting a room. Some of us would like to eat."

The two jumped apart as if burned and their faces turned red. They looked so ruffled and guilty that Harry had to burst out laughing at the looks on their faces. After glaring at him a moment, first Hermione and then Ron began to laugh too. Ginny smirked but after a moment she joined in the laughter. After several minutes, during which Ron somehow managed to topple of his chair knocking both himself and Hermione to the floor and renewing their now silent laughter, they calmed down enough to eat. Harry had a stitch in his side from laughing so much and felt relaxed as he had not done upon entering the room. Somehow all the laughter had released the tension he was feeling and he felt good about telling them what had happened during his test.

Ron gave his sister a mock angry glare. "Why'd you go and do that for anyway. A simple 'oi' would have sufficed you know or perhaps a knock."

"I was going for effect. Besides the look on both your faces when you thought it was Mum was priceless."

Ron muttered something about interfering siblings and Hermione shushed him while she dished out food for them both. Harry began to eat his own dinner but his mind was clearly elsewhere again. Once or twice during the course of the meal Ginny tried to draw him into their conversation but to no avail. The three looked at each other then at him and shrugged, leaving him to his own devices. They knew him well enough to know that he would eventually get around to telling them why he'd asked them all to meet him here.

Harry, for his part, watch the others closely, fingering a piece of parchment in his robe pocket as he did so. He'd received this letter from Hogwarts three days ago by owl but had not told anyone about it though he had dash off a reply to McGongall's request at once. In light of what he was about to tell them, he thought he letter might interest them. Before he let them see the letter though he was going to have to tell them what had happened and he was going to have to tell them all that he already suspected concerning this new threat. After tea and dessert had been brought to them all of them looked expectantly at him and he knew it was time.

"So what's all this about, Harry. Out of the blue you owl us three days ago asking to clear our calander and meet you here." Hermione's voice was steady but there was something in her eyes he hadn't seen since the Horcrux hunt.

"Yeah, what's up, mate?"

Harry took Ginny's hand and studied the cracked and pitted tabletop for a long moment before sighing a little in resignation and looking up at them again. His eyes were unreadable and his face was a bit paler than it had been before.The others noticed and gave Harry their full and undivided attention though Ron did take Hermione's hand in his own.

"I got a letter from Hogwarts a few days ago," he said softly. The others relaxed somewhat at his pronouncement but his serious air did not vanish with his words.

"Is something wrong at Hogwarts?" Ginny's voice was tense.

Harry shook his head and continued. "Everything is fine at Hogwarts but I thought you would be interested in the letter."

He set the parchment on the table in front of them and Hermione predictably was the one who took it.

"Before you read it though I need to tell you exactly what happened on the day of my final Auror test. I'm sorry to have kept it from you until now but I felt I needed more information than I had at the time. I don't think everything was finished when Voldemort fell. I think this is merely the calm before another storm. It looks like someone has taken his place and that I'm likely to be the first target for this new Dark Wizard."

He quickly told them about what he was thinking of as the Second Prophecy and everything he remember about what had happened during his test. He also told them about everything he'd heard about a mysterious set of unexplained deaths at the hands of person or persons unknown. The Daily Prophet had not reported them yet because of the fear they would cause so only those in the Auror Department and at the Prophet even knew about them. There were also whispers of strange doings near places where there were wizards or witches dwelling either in seclusion or among muggles. To their credit his three closest friends had not interupted him once as he spoke but once he was finished choas insued.

"Another Dark Wizard has made you his target? Oh, Harry how can you be so sure."

"It's like Voldemort all over again. We need to do something."

"Why does this always happen to you, mate? But Ginny's right maybe we should call in the Order or DA on this. "

"I don't know why this is happening but it makes perfect sense that I would be their target." He got up from his chair and started pacing the room. "I defeated Voldemort and he was the most powerful and dangerous Dark Wizard alive. Whoever this new Dark Lord is would know this and would therefore see me as a threat. He or she would want to deal with me first of all because without me everyone would lose hope."

They looked up at him sharply and he returned their stares with one of his own. He knew he was right though.

"You know it's true! Just look at the way everyone reacted to my 'death' before. There's no point in denying it maybe there was never a point for me to do so. I'm still a symbol of hope to everyone, as much as I hate to admit it, and if I were to die or be captured..."

He let the sentence hang there for a long moment before motioning to the letter that was still clenched and forgotten in Hermione's hand. Hermione stopped whatever she was about to say at the movement and stared in surprise at the parchment in her hand before unrolling it and beginning to read it aloud to the others.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am very pleased to hear of your recent graduation from Auror Training. Mr. Robards assures me that you have maintained nothing but the highest scores during you training and have graduated with the highest honors ever given by the Auror Department. Let me assure I expected nothing less than the best from one of my former Gryffindors especially one of you powers and talents. I am happy for the part I played in guaranteeing you would reach you goal. Hogwarts extends it congratulations to you.

This is not the only reason I have written you however. An old and very dear mentor of yours wishes to speak to you about something that may have just recently come to attention. He wishes you to return to Hogwarts so that he might speak to you at length about this recent developement and to offer you his advice on the matter if you would be so kind to accept it. He has asked me to inform the staff and students of you arrival and that your cover is that you have been invited to speak to the D.A.D.A. classes so you have a reason to visit.

Please send you answer by this owl.

Yours Sincerly,

Minerva McGongall

Headmistress- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardery.

Hermione stopped reading and looked at Harry, while the other two looked on in silence.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts to see what Dumbledore knows. Maybe he can help me figure this out. I may not understand what is going on or why but I don't intend to allow whoever this is to destroy everything so many sacrificed their lives for. I intend to fight."