Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter and the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers. I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be J) and I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it and let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

Note: This is the sequel to Harry Potter & The Power Of Hogwarts. Please read it before moving on with this story.

HARRY POTTER & THE NEW DAWN

Chapter 7 – A Decision

"Lord Voldemort…" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs with his arms spread out. "…the Power of Hogwarts will be resurrected again!"

&&&&

"I have to revive it" Harry thought for what must have been the millionth time as he kept thinking of the Power of Hogwarts. He had finally been able to piece together a lot of the information which he had gathered over the past few weeks. Most of this information had come his way unwittingly...like the chat he had had with Nearly Headless Nick. However, the key to the puzzle lay in what he had read in the book in Dumbledore's office.

In the past Harry would have guessed that Dumbledore had purposely left the book there for him to have a peek. However, since he was quite familiar with Dumbledore's ways, he knew for a certainty that Dumbledore had done it on purpose. It was almost as if Dumbledore had immaculately made moves on a chess board and Harry had been check mated. However, in this case Harry was very happy to have fallen for Dumbledore's trick...not as if he could have avoided it. And he knew that Dumbledore had taken quite a risk with his tricky behavior. After all, the happenings of the Department of Mysteries had not been forgotten by anyone. Dumbledore knew that tricking Harry into seeing something might have resulted in a violent reaction from Harry. But now, Harry mentally thanked Dumbledore for taking the risk. It seemed Dumbledore had finally learned to appreciate what Harry really wanted in his life and was trying his best to help him out.

Harry's mind was torn away from the thoughts of gratitude towards Dumbledore as he started thinking of what he had read in the book. As he mentally recited every verse he had read, he tried to somehow make the consequences seem improbable. Try as he might, he couldn't see an change in the outcome if he followed a series of steps. Harry desperately wanted to believe that the outcome would be different...it was just too painful for him to think of it in that way. What if it didn't happen? What if he ended up paying too high a price to achieve his goal? What if the price he paid might cost the wizarding world dearly? His mind entangled in these thoughts, Harry sat down on his bed next to a pile of books and opened the largest of them all. If he had to do something about all the things he was planning, he had to get ready for something big...maybe the biggest thing since the rebirth of Lord Voldemort.

&&&&

St. Mungo's Attacked

Our special correspondent reports that St. Mungo's was attacked by over a hundred death eaters in the late hours of yesterday. However, it is still unclear as to what had exactly happened there.

"I saw a big group of hooded figures entering the building and I ran away like hell" said John Abraham who was going to the hospital for some first aid.

"Everyone is still alive?" asked a witch who did not want to be named. "We saw flashes coming out from all sides of the third floor for over 10 minutes. How could the patients fight so many death eaters?"

Everyone is astonished and shocked at what has happened at the hospital yesterday. Early investigation by our correspondent revealed that a number of aurors were present there for guarding the patients. Apparently their presence saved a lot of lives yesterday.

For those who don't know, St. Mungo's is the home of many renowned people who had fought against the dark forces in the period which is now known as the "First War". Many of the patients there are recovering from both physical and mental injuries suffered during that period. Many renowned people in the wizarding world have relatives recuperating from such injuries. If some rumors of the past are to be believed, then a previous muggle prime minister was also admitted to this hospital after he was caught in a fight between the light and the dark forces in the early nineties.

Our correspondent reports that the ministry had been anticipating such an attack and hence had posted the aurors there. This information came from an unnamed ministry official after Minister Fudge refused to comment on the attack. However, the fate of the patients inside is still unknown to many. Rumors have it that Albus Dumbledore had moved the patients to an unnamed location only a few days ago. We would not put such an action past the man who is the only wizard whom He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is said to be still afraid of. If this is not the case, then it is a cause of grave concern for the wizarding world.

"I came to meet my aunt" a wizard in his early twenties said. "Now I don't know what to do. They won't give me any information about her. They won't even tell me if she is dead or not".

Such is the behavior of the arrogant and high-handed ministry aurors that the common man is the worst sufferer. We have seen such high handedness in the past too but since the return of many old aurors, the bar seems to have gone up a notch.

"I don't have time for you lot" Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody replied when asked to comment on the issue at hand. It is quite obvious that Mad-Eye has become mentally retarded after so many fights with the dark forces and is not fit to serve the auror team. Still, people like him are being given the roles of team leaders of aurors. We really don't know what Cornelius Fudge is thinking.

After yet another crippling attack, the million galleon question is now which will be the next target. There are not too many high profile targets left, none bigger than Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Will it be the next one?

Page 3 - Where really happened? An insider's report.

Page 4 - Has Dumbledore really shifted everyone from St. Mungo's?

Page 5 - Should people like Mad-Eye be trusted to keep us safe?

&&&&

"I think we should talk to Dumbledore" Ron said.

"It won't help" Hermione said with a shake of her head. "We all know he has a weak spot for Harry"

"That's why I am saying we should talk to him" Ron said indignantly. "He is the only one who can stop Harry from throwing away his life because he cares about him a lot"

"But what can Dumbledore do?" Neville, the last of the group, asked. They had been arguing for the past half an hour as to how they could get Harry back to his normal life...or as close to normal as his life had been once upon a time.

"Nothing" Hermione said. Ron, frustrated at Hermione's stubbornness, rolled his eyes at this.

"For starters..." Ron argued. "...Dumbledore could talk to Remus and they could figure something out"

"Remus also lost a loved one if I am not wrong" Hermione pointed out. "If I am right then the three of them had been like family until..." Hermione gave an involuntary shudder as she remembered all those horrible rumors of Tonks dieing a very painful death.

"But she wouldn't have wanted him to be like this, would she?" Ron snapped back. Neville was the only one who had not committed himself to any side till now.

"We..." Hermione hissed angrily as she looked around the empty classroom they were in. In a lower voice she continued. "...we are just assuming they were a couple. It's not for sure"

"Maybe not for you!" Ron kicked hard at the bench opposite to him. "Did you see his face when we came back? He looked like he was..." Ron seemed to be having an internal tussle with himself. "...dying" he finally managed to say with great difficulty.

"Don't talk about Harry like that" Hermione snapped at Ron even as her voice became quite emotional. She couldn't think of Harry dying!

"Hermione..." Ron looked at his girlfriend with pleading eyes. "...I have watched from the sidelines for too long. If he doesn't do anything then I will have to break the barrier he has created"

"It will be almost impossible" Neville said very thoughtfully. Ron and Hermione both gave him questioning glances. Seeing their expressions, Neville explained. "Somewhere something has changed the very core of Harry's thinking. He thinks he is a danger to all of us and he has almost brainwashed himself". Neville looked down at his palms as he said this. "And if my assumption is true then it will be very hard to change his thoughts...almost impossible until this war is over"

"It's only an assumption" Ron said after a long moment's silence. He had to admit that Neville's logic was very convincing but he didn't want to be convinced. He still wanted to think of Harry as the person he had known even a few months back. Hermione did not say anything and kept grasping and un-grasping her hands. It was quite obvious that her mind was trying to somehow prove that Neville's assumption was the most illogical thing she had ever heard but she just couldn't find any answer to it.

"Let's talk to Professor McGonagall" Hermione said at last. She knew they had to talk to someone at the very least...someone whose words Harry would listen to. Apart from Dumbledore, only Professor McGonagall had the sort of personality to command unparralled respect from both teachers and students alike. And if Harry didn't listen to her then he would listen to no one.

"Something's better than nothing" Ron said with a shrug as he jumped to his feet. Hermione and Neville followed suit and started the long walk to McGonagall's office.

"Do you really think they were together?" Hermione asked as they turned the last corridor leading to McGonagall's office. The three of them had walked on for 10 minutes in complete silence till then.

"I hope not" Ron replied. "If it is true then..." Ron sighed thinking about the dreadful feeling he had had when he had seen Hermione trying to save him in the battle with the giants and death eaters. He remembered how his heart had almost stopped beating and the relief afterwards to find Hermione safe. "I remember him telling me once that they were very close friends"

"Even that is very tough" Hermione blinked hard to fight the moistness in her eyes. The three of them walked the last few steps in complete silence. Hermione paused slightly in front of McGonagall's office, took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in" came the tired voice of Professor McGonagall. Upon entering her office, it was very clear to everyone present that McGonagall had been working non-stop for well over 2-3 days and seemed deprived of sleep.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom...what can I do for you?" McGonagall queried in her usual quite manner. Ron couldn't help but appreciate the character of this lady who was under so much stress but could still maintain her composure. He could understand slightly why Hermione had chosen Professor McGonagall as her role model.

"It's Harry" Hermione burst out. The emotions which had been building up in her for the past few days seemed to be too great to bear anymore. "You have to help him somehow". Hearing this, Professor McGonagall stood up in a flash.

"Has something happened to Mr. Potter?" McGonagall leaned forward on her desk with a very concerned look on her face.

"NO!" Hermione couldn't stop herself from shouting. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause Professor McGonagall undue stress by giving the impression that Harry had got into some kind of trouble with death eaters or Voldemort for that matter. After all, Harry had never got into a minor fracas till now unless one counted the silly confrontations with Malfoy.

"Then?" Professor McGonagall seemed to relax slightly at this but she still looked very concerned. For a second Hermione felt slightly jealous that maybe...just maybe McGonagall was more concerned about Harry then she had ever been for her but she quickly overcame those feelings. After all, Harry Potter meant a lot to almost everyone in the wizarding world.

"Ma'am...he is..." Hermione struggled to put her feelings in words. "...he has become very strange nowadays" she finally said. "He is...not the Harry we knew". Hermione looked at McGonagall and could see the feelings on her face quite clearly. It was all too apparent to her that Professor McGonagall shared her opinion.

"Ms. Granger..." Professor McGonagall said with a strange expression on her face. "...sometimes people change because they have to change. We cannot dictate the way a person moulds himself"

"You are right professor" Hermione couldn't help but agree. "And we..." she pointed to herself and Ron and Neville. "...had similar thoughts till now but..."

"But what?" McGonagall asked in a neutral tone. She knew Harry's friend's missed him a lot but the truth was none of the professors could do anything. If Dumbledore didn't try to question Harry's decisions then it was only wise that others didn't do so unless they really felt the need for it.

"Let me speak" Ron stepped forward after seeing that Hermione was having trouble expressing her feelings. McGonagall shifted her gaze towards him.

"Professor..." Ron paused and took a deep breath as if to calm himself. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them and started to speak. "I have known Harry for a long time. He has gone through a lot of things these past six and a half years. The main thing about him which struck me was that he came out of each problem as a stronger person...as a more understanding person...someone on whom we could rely with our lives if required". Professor McGonagall nodded her head slightly as Ron paused. She knew that Ron was having trouble keeping his emotions under control as he was mentally reliving many of the precious happy moments he had shared with Harry.

"However..." Ron choked slightly but quickly cleared his throat. "...since the beginning...rather from the start of the summer holidays, he had become very different. You know it as well as we do". McGonagall did not say anything and remained non-committal. "On my part..." Ron continued. "...I gave Harry as much space as anyone could need. I didn't meddle in his affairs and let him sort out things for himself. After all, we are now old enough to understand a few things ourselves". Both Neville and Hermione, whose eyes were fixed on the floor, nodded at this.

"But when I came back from the Christmas holidays..." Ron's voice quavered slightly at this point. "...Harry seemed to have changed a lot. He seemed like a ghost of what he had been even ten days back. A lot of things had happened in those few days...lot of regrettable things..." Ron's voice started shaking with anger as his thoughts wandered to those about Ginny. He stood silent for a few seconds and was brought back to reality only when the reassuring hand of Neville rested on his shoulders.

"Ma'am..." Ron spoke up again. "...the thing is that Harry has gone from bad to worse and we can take it no longer. He had become independent which is a very good thing but right now, we don't think he is emotionally stable. I mean, I am also having trouble coping with the things which have happened recently but I have my family, Her...er...my friends..." Ron stammered slightly and blushed a bit as Hermione's name almost slipped through. Hermione, on the other hand, smiled inwardly as she could feel just how valuable she was to Ron.

"But does Harry have anyone? The answer is no!" Ron said emphatically. "And we think either Professor Dumbledore or you can make him see the reality...make him feel that he needs some kind of support from us. No one can live alone in this world". With this, Ron finished his statement.

Professor McGonagall pondered for quite a while on what Ron had just said to her. Her eyes were shut tight as she seemed to contemplate on her actions and their consequences. There was no denying that what Ron had said was the truth but there was also no denying that controlling Harry or trying to influence him might have grave consequences. After a couple of minutes of pin drop silence, Professor McGonagall stood up from her seat once again.

"Mr. Weasley..." she looked straight into Ron's eyes. "You have said words of such wisdom that would do your parents proud. To tell the truth, I had thought I would not be able to hear you speak like this until a couple of more years had passed by". McGonagall smiled slightly at this. Both Neville and Hermione beamed at Ron on hearing such high praise from McGonagall. However, Ron's expression remained as grim as it had been for the past hour or so.

"I fully understand your concerns regarding Mr. Potter" McGonagall continued. "He is going through a lot of mental stress and does need someone beside him even though he might not think so. As far as we know Mr. Lupin is trying to help him overcome his problems"

"But that is not enough" Ron replied, his eyes wide in surprise. How could someone expect Remus to do his work for the Order as well as have werewolf transformations and still support Harry? "He needs you or the headmaster to knock some sense into his brain. Then only can he see that he needs some other people too...even if it means only sitting around the fireplace in complete silence"

"I understand your reasoning Mr. Weasley" Professor McGonagall could feel that Ron was almost at his snapping point. "However, I will not do anything which might cause Mr. Potter more concerns. However, I can talk to Mr. Lupin if you want that"

"We would like that but..." Hermione had just begun to speak when Ron spoke again.

"We didn't come to you so that you could talk to Mr. Lupin Professor" Ron said in a sarcastic voice. Professor McGonagall, knowing fully well how much Ron was concerned about Harry, decided to overlook the sarcasm. "I want you to talk to Harry"

"I am sorry but I can't keep your request" McGonagall replied as briefly as possible.

"Sorry for wasting your time Professor". With that, Ron stormed out of the office of their transfiguration teacher.

&&&&

"How could she give up so easily?" Ron asked out of sheer frustration. Hermione and Neville had been quick to join him on the way back as they had nothing else to say to McGonagall and Ron had effectively closed the subject for discussion.

"She explained her reasons" Hermione replied though the disappointment in her voice was pretty much evident.

"Human life is not always governed by reasons" Neville said in a somber voice. "Sometimes we need to try even when all reasoning fails"

"Then why don't you guys try yourselves?" Hermione said sarcastically. "Why are we running around after the teachers? You are his room mates…sort out the stuff yourself"

"So we can't even criticize your dear professor anymore?" Ron replied in a venomous voice. "More valuable to you than Harry, isn't she?"

"No!" Hermione stopped walking for a split second. Ron, however, didn't stop. From the tone of Hermione's voice, he knew he had touched a raw nerve and most probably she had tears in her eyes. If Hermione hated anything, that was becoming too emotional. If she hated anything more, that was anyone seeing her crying, even Ron. Hence Ron decided to walk on knowing that Hermione would soon be with them…if she was not too mad at him, that is.

"How could you say something like that?" Hermione hissed at Ron when she had rejoined them. She had been a second late to regain her composure.

"I said what I felt" Ron replied bluntly, knowing fully well that Hermione would be hurt at this. However, he just couldn't help it. He cared too much for Harry and didn't like the manner in which the professors seemed to have given up on him.

"And you know you are wrong, don't you?" Hermione spat at him. Neville, seeing a storm brewing up, quickened his pace and moved ahead of the couple.

"You know what…" Ron stopped and turned round to face Hermione. "…this time around, you and all your professors might be the wrong ones". Hermione could see that Ron had become very angry but she wouldn't back away either. "At least…" Ron continued "…I will not give up on Harry by saying he is living his choices anymore because I know he is not"

"And how would you know about his choices?" Hermione couldn't help keeping her sarcastic voice down. "You of all people!" she added before she could even stop herself.

Ron looked furiously at Hermione for a second before his face softened. But to Hermione's surprise, his anger seemed to make way for a look of complete amusement.

"After all these years you ask me how I know about him?" Ron asked, his voice sounding slightly disappointed as well as amused. "You people are so naïve"

"We are naïve?" Hermione had thought she couldn't get angrier but she had been proved wrong. Her anger seemed to have gone up a hundred notches and her eyes seemed like they were on fire. "You are the naïve one Ronald Weasley…always the naïve one". Ron just looked at her for a few moments and shook his head in apparent disappointment.

"Maybe…" Ron said finally and started to walk away on his own without seeing whether Hermione was following him or not. "…Maybe not". Hermione stood alone in the corridor and watched the back of Ron disappear round the corner. She couldn't help stop the only thought coming to her mind at that moment.

"Was Ron right this time around?"

&&&&

"Can we come in?"

"Hi Angelina" Cho said with a smile as she saw the figure of Angelina Johnson standing in the doorway of the Room of Requirements. The D.A. had been meeting there for the past 30 minutes and discussing the happenings of the war when Angelina had entered. "You know you can always come in here" Cho added.

"Well…yeah" Angelina said a bit warily as she entered. Another figure entered right after her, Alicia.

"Hi Alicia" Cho and Neville chorused coincidentally. Alicia gave an acknowledging nod to them and turned to wave at many others who had greeted her. After all, no one could so easily forget one of the best chasers Gryffindor and Hogwarts had seen in a long, long time.

"We need to talk about something" Angelina said in a distressed voice. Alicia nodded at this. Seeing the expression on the faces of these girls, the whole of the D.A. became very attentive knowing something important had happened.

"Please go on" Cho said, the friendly voice replaced by a serious tone. Angelina and Alicia quickly exchanged a glance as if to confirm that they were doing the right thing. Angelina gave a slight nod to Alicia who gave a sigh.

"We can't find Katie" Alicia said as bluntly as possible.

"What?" Hermione shot up from her seat. "What do you mean you can't find Katie? She's at your tent all the time since you came here"

"Yes" Angelina replied in a meek voice. She didn't know why she was being afraid but for some reason she felt guilty about everything that had happened. Understanding the feelings of her friend, Alicia took a step forward and started explaining.

"She was with us till yesterday afternoon" Alicia stated. "Then she told us she had to leave for a couple of hours to meet her grandfather. She never came back"

"She can't leave the castle like that" Hermione said in a bewildered voice. "Every student must take Dumbledore's permission..."

"She had his permission" Alicia said. "I saw the permission slip myself"

"Did you try to contact her grandfather?" Anthony Goldstein asked from one of the back rows.

"That's the main problem" Alicia said in a gloomy voice. "We talked to the headmaster today and he said her grandfather had been admitted to St. Mungo's. Apparently she had gone to visit him there"

"St. Mungo's!" Cho exclaimed. "Yesterday?". Alicia nodded slightly at this. The whole of the D.A. was thunderstruck at this. After all, yesterday had been the day that St. Mungo's had been attacked.

An uneasy silence fell in the whole Room of Requirements. The senior members of the D.A. seemed to be lost in their own thoughts while the junior members exchanged concerned glances. A few people of the D.A., mainly the first years, didn't know Angelina or Alicia but by the way they had been greeted by the others, they could see that these were a couple of much respected members of Hogwarts. Hence even they were feeling sympathetic and concerned about the feelings of the two girls in front of them.

"What do we do?" Cho asked after a couple of minutes of silence. Her question seemed to be posed to the senior members of the D.A.

"What did Dumbledore say?" Neville asked Alicia.

"He said he would get a couple of aurors to look into the matter" Angelina was the one who replied. "Also said that her grandfather was fine"

"And he asked us to talk to you people" Alicia added. "He said that if Katie was somewhere around Hogwarts...maybe in Hogsmead or somewhere...then the D.A. would be better placed to find them"

"Why would Katie be in Hogwarts and not contacting anyone?" Soha asked in a surprised tone.

"Maybe because she could have been kidnapped?" the voice of Ron Weasley could be clearly heard from the back of the room. At hearing this, another bout of silence gripped the room.

"Well..." Neville said after what seemed to be like an eternity. "If we have to search for Katie then I think we should make a plan as to how to conduct the search". Everyone around him nodded at hearing this.

"Let's get going" Cho said in a grim but determined voice. She knew they had to find Katie at all costs. Whether she had been hurt in the castle or had been kidnapped outside Hogwarts or had been somehow captured during the fight at St. Mungo's was up to anyone's imagination. Even though they couldn't rule out any of the options, it was better to hope for the best. Whatever might have happened to Katie, they just had to find her. The D.A. couldn't let students go missing just like that. With the prospect of a couple of days of thorough search operations in front of them, the senior members of the D.A. started to plan the best way to proceed on the situation at hand.

&&&&

"I feel so terrible" Angelina said to Alicia once they were back in her tent. Her parents had tried to convince her that it was not her fault but had not been able to do so. At last they had left her with Alicia hoping that she would be able to convince Angelina in some way or the other.

"It's not your fault Angie" Alicia said in a soothing voice.

"It's my fault alright" Angelina said in an aggressive voice. "I told her to visit her grandfather as soon as possible so that we could all hang out at Hogsmead for the weekend. Only if I had not pressured her to go there before she had planned it..."

"No...no..." Alicia patted her friends head softly as Angelina broke into tears. "It's not your fault Angie. It was a coincidence"

"It's my fault" Angelina said in between her sniff while Alicia kept saying it was not. A few moments of silence passed as both the girls were lost in their own thoughts.

"Ali?"

"Yes Angie?"

"What if we don't find Katie?" Angelina looked fearfully at her friend as she said this. "What if she is lost forever?"

"She is not lost forever" Alicia said in an angry voice as her eyes seemed to fill up with tears too. "And don't you dare ever say a thing like that"

"Sorry" Angelina replied meekly.

"Good" Alicia said in return as both the girls fell silent again.

&&&&

"Hello Mr. Potter"

"Hello Mr. Tevrid" Harry said as he shook hands with the goblin. "And like I had said in our previous meeting, please call me Harry"

"Yes…yes…" Tevrid said with what seemed like a mischievous smile. "I keep forgetting that part". Harry smiled at this. It was quite obvious that Tevrid had not forgotten it. Rather, he must have thought that maybe Harry had forgotten that he had asked Tevrid to call him by his first name. For that reason, he had maintained the formality. However, he seemed very pleased now to see that Harry had actually remembered their last meeting.

"So…" Harry broke the silence between them. "Today is the day for the big press release of your prototype wallet, is it?"

"Yes" Tevrid replied. "We have had a great response from you. Also, it has prospect of being the top seller for Gringotts. After all, no one seems to want to come here anymore"

"Times are tough" Harry said in understanding.

"Yes" Tevrid agreed. "That's why we want to launch it now so we can get the maximum benefit. Not to mention the fact that this will generate quite a lot of revenue for you too"

"I don't know what to do with so much money" Harry said in a wary voice.

"Better keep it for your future" Tevrid said is a very serious voice. "You will need it". After a slight pause, he added "Everyone will need their savings for the rebuilding after everything is over"

"Why don't you join Dumbledore?" Harry asked in a very blunt manner. Tevrid seemed slightly taken aback at the direct reference to the topic they had been discussing.

"It's not my decision to make" Tevrid replied after a few seconds of silence. If anyone other than Harry Potter had made such a suggestion, then any goblin would have thought that he was trying to undermine the goblins by asking them to join the wizards. Rather, if the wizards needed their help then they should come to the goblins. However Tevrid knew that Harry had not meant it in that way.

"We need to be united in this time of distress" Harry said in a low voice. "And nothing will be more valuable to the wizarding community than to have the co-operation of your respected goblin community"

Tevrid smiled at hearing these words from Harry. This young wizard was both humble and also knew that every community should be respected. It was very uncommon in wizards, even rarer in the newer generation. Somehow, maybe due to the influence of Dumbledore or maybe due to his own thinking patterns, Harry seemed to be an exception.

"We understand your concerns Harry" Tevrid said. "However there are certain things which have happened in the past of which you have no knowledge…things which have had terrible consequences". Tevrid paused at this before continuing. "I, personally, wouldn't be able to forget what had happened"

"Sometimes we have to forget the past to hold on to the present and build the future" Harry said. "However, you are much senior to me and hence are much wiser. I shouldn't be speaking in these matters"

"We know you are an important person in this war Harry Potter" Tevrid used Harry's full name to signify his importance. "And we will keep your offer in mind. It has been a long time since anyone other than Albus Dumbledore has spoken to us like this"

"Thank you" Harry said. Just by saying that the goblins would keep his request in mind was a great compliment in itself.

"Now we should go down to the press conference" Tevrid said as he looked at the watch in his chamber. Harry nodded and followed the goblin to the press conference.

The press conference went off very well in Harry's opinion. Initially no one in the press knew that Harry Potter was going to personally endorse the product and had been pleasantly surprised at his entrance. Word spread fast and, before the end of the press conference, many more reporters had come in to cover the event.

Everyone seemed to be very excited about the prospects of the new product launched by Gringotts. Some of the more well off reporters even placed an order for themselves before leaving. However, towards the end of the press conference, the questions posed at Harry shifted from his association with Gringotts to that related to death eaters. He responded with a "No comments" to all those questions and said that at that moment he was concerned with promoting Gringotts's products only and would talk about other matters at a different time and place. It was no wonder that all the goblins present at that time took very kindly to such a professional approach from Harry.

"Thank god it is over" Harry said once he was back in Mr. Tevrid's chamber once again.

"You handled it very well" Tevrid said with a smile. "Have you thought of becoming a permanent "face" of all of Gringotts products?"

"I had explained the last time also that I was neither interested in any money and didn't want more publicity" Harry replied in a firm tone. "I am doing this because this product has really been helpful to me in these past few months"

"But you are a shareholder of the profits Gringotts will make from the wallet sales" Tevrid reasoned. "You bargained on that"

"It was business" Harry replied with a smile. "I couldn't let Gringotts get away with all the money they would be generating from the wallet sales just because I got a 275 galleon rebate, could I? But I really don't need any further amounts of money coming in"

"As you wish Harry" Tevrid knew he couldn't make Harry change his opinion. "If only you could sign these papers then we would be done for the day"

Harry went on to sign a few documents and soon found himself outside Mr. Tevrid's office. Wishing Mr. Tevrid well, Harry went on to find the other goblin he had come to meet today.

"Come in please" the goblin sitting in his cabin said when he heard a knock on the door. As Harry entered, the goblin rose from his chair with a smile on his face.

"Hello Mr. Potter"

"Hello Mr. Larynth" Harry reiterated with a smile on his face. "How are you doing?". Larynth was the same goblin who was in charge of all legal matters related to Gringotts and whom Harry had met about seven to eight months back.

"Oh…I am fine…thank you" Larynth seemed slightly taken aback at being asked such a question. Usually people only talked about legal matters only without going out of the way to be polite. "So, what can I do for you Mr. Potter?"

"I have come here today to complete the formalities". Harry said. Larynth invited him to have a seat and started talking only after Harry was comfortably seated.

"Are you sure you want to do this Mr. Potter?" Larynth said in a concerned voice. "I had thought you had forgotten about our discussion"

"I don't forget things so easily nowadays" Harry replied back with a smile which was polite yet firm. "And I am sure I want to do this"

"Then I don't think I have anything else to do but go ahead" Larynth didn't sound like himself at all. "Do you have the details worked out?"

"Yes" Harry said and held forward a piece of parchment. "Here it is". The goblin went through the list quickly and nodded his head.

"It is very clear" he replied finally and looked back at Harry.

"That's all then" Harry said as he rose from his chair. "And I hope you remember my request from the last time"

"Yes" Larynth replied. "This will remain between us only"

&&&&

Harry came back to Hogwarts Ogwartfrom the meeting with the goblins in a relatively happier frame of mind. He had finished a couple of long awaited tasks and he knew he didn't have to worry about any publicity campaign for another month or so. Needless to say, he hated everything in which he might have to deal with the press and being free for a month or two was very good news for him.

As Harry made the way to his dormitory, a number of swishing noises filled up the air around him. Looking around, he saw hundreds of owls sweeping down into the Great Hall. One of the owls spotted him and landed on his shoulder and held out one of her legs which had a newspaper tied to it. He quickly paid the owl the 5 knuts it wanted and started unfolding the newspaper which he had taken from her.

The Daily Prophet – Special Edition

Giants Appear At The Ministry

Today, at exactly 11 am in the morning, the ministry building was attacked by a couple of giants. Apparently the ministry aurors had gone out on some urgent work and most of the building was unprotected when the attack occurred.

Eyewitnesses say that a huge hole opened up in the sky near the ministry building and the giants are said to have stepped through it. The observations suggest the opening of a teleportation passage which, if confirmed, will be the first case of giant teleportation in more than a century.

The giants destroyed a couple of towers of the ministry building before they went back through the passage which closed automatically as reported by eyewitnesses. Few of the ministry officials were said to have put up a brave fight in front of the giants but to no avail. However, no causalities have been reported though an unnamed source revealed that a couple of ministry officials were being treated for minor injuries sustained during the fight.

Giant teleportation is yet another development which has started to worry the senior members of the Wizengamot. Many of them see this incident as an experiment whereby the dark forces tried to see whether giant teleportation was possible or not. If that is the case, then they have succeeded in it and that is a cause of grave concern for the entire wizarding world.

We have seen attacks by death eaters and werewolves in the past. This attack by the giants seems to be a show of strength of the dark forces who seem to have garnered the support of all the species whom the ministry has neglected for years. In the hindsight we are forced to think as to whether we did the right thing by shunning these species. The whole prospect of fighting death eaters supported by giants and werewolves seems to be a task too great for all the ministries aurors.

"Was it all worth it?" was the sentiment echoed by a few senior aurors of the ministry who had opposed the movement against the giants and werewolves. It seems now that they will be the ones to pay first for the blunders our ministry has committed…yet again.

Page 3Cornelius Fudge says "No Comments" to all queries.

Page 4Can even Dumbledore take out one giant on his own?

Page 5 & 6Giants: A guide to beating them in their own game.

&&&&

"Hi Harry" Fred said as Harry entered the empty shop of "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes". Upon seeing the dark shadow playing on his face, he quickly said "Seems like you heard about it too"

"Yeah" Harry replied as he thought of the article he had read just a couple of minutes ago. Without thinking more, he had portkeyed right into Diagon Alley to get as much information on the incident as possible. And who else would be better to go than the twins. "Do you guys know what happened?"

"Nothing in particular" George replied from one of the rooms in back. "Just tit-bits we are hearing from our customers"

"Anything of importance?" Harry seemed quite quirky. "The prophet mentioned giants"

"Yes" Fred replied. "We feet their arrival…through the shaking of the ground, that is. But it were the smaller ones only"

"Smaller ones?" Harry looked confused for a second before saying. "Oh…you mean small giants?"

"Yes" Fred replied. George wasn't making too many comments and Harry guessed he must be very busy. "Some death eaters attacked a couple of shops at the far end of Diagon Alley"

"And the ministry asked it's aurors to move in to save them" George said from inside. He wasn't so busy after all.

"And after a few minutes of fight everybody heard a huge thumping noise" Fred continued from where George had let go.

"We rushed out to see the aurors in a state of confusion" George said. "And then some auror heard something over their communication system and he shouted 'Giants'"

"The prophet never mentioned an attack on any of the Diagon Alley shops" Harry said thoughtfully.

"Maybe they didn't have enough space on their front page" George shouted from inside, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You seemed more worried than usual mate" Fred said in a concerned voice.

"And that is saying a lot" George commented from inside. Harry heard a huge bang and a smiling George emerged from their experiment room. "I finally managed to enlarge the bottom of a cauldron to the extent of the whole room. It bursts only if it's four sides hit the walls…otherwise it continues expanding"

"Great to hear that" Harry didn't shared George's enthusiasm who didn't seem to mind at all. He knew Harry had much larger things on his mind that Ever Expanding Cauldrons.

"Giants being teleported is a very serious matter" Harry contemplated loudly.

"Yes" George said in a serious tone. "I bet it was an insider job"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked in alarm.

"You can't create a teleportation path from one side" Fred said. "One person has to be present at the source and the other at the destination"

"And both have to open up the teleportation portal at the same time" George continued. "Once the connection is opened, then the wizards can leave but they have to be there till the connection is fully opened"

"So…" Harry said. "You mean to say that someone was…"

"Near the ministry and cast a teleportation spell…yes" Fred finished the sentence.

"But why did you say it is an insider job?" Harry asked curiously. "They attacked a Diagon Alley shop to distract the aurors…so why would they need an insider?"

"Mate…" George said. "Security at the ministry is so high now that anyone with the dark mark on his arm will trigger off a load of alarms"

"So either someone cast a strong confundus spell…" Fred said

"Or they cast a spell to switch off the complete magical security system" George continued. Looking at Harry's disbelieving look, Fred said "It's not a powerful object like the Goblet of Fire which stops burning by itself after the tournament is over. It's almost like a muggle system which can be shut off"

"How do you think the death eaters got into the Department of Mysteries without anyone knowing?" George asked. "Our ministry is not that inefficient either"

"Like we had found in our fifth year when we had tried to apparate to our father's office" Fred had a faraway look on his face.

"And ended up in the ministry prison for a couple of hours before dad came" George said with the same look on his face.

"The shame…"

"…of failing"

"Understood" Harry said loudly so as to cut the flow of unnecessary information coming from the twins at the moment. It made sense after all.

"So someone had switched off the alarms at the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked to confirm. The twins nodded in unison.

"There are spies everywhere" Fred said.

"And it will be impossible to get rid of them" George added.

"Unless the ministry uses our Spy Wry Potion" Fred smiled.

"Which makes all the spies thirsty" George continued.

"And the thirst goes away only when they drink…" Fred gave a knowing look to his brother who smiled back mischievously.

"Drink what?" Harry asked curiously. In the midst of all the ramblings, the twins always packed some credible information.

"Veritaserum" the twins said in a loud cheerful voice. It was very obvious that they were very proud of their product and since Harry had not heard about it on his previous meetings with the twins, he guessed it was a relatively new development.

"That's an interesting potion" Harry said with genuine appreciation. "Anyway, thanks for all the information. You aren't missing anything, are you? Do you guys have any idea why I didn't pick up anything on the spying devices?"

"Told you all we thought was important" Fred replied.

"And everything which we can remember" George added. "As for the spying devices, must be that the death eaters behind this were not wearing anything which was bugged"

"Thanks…I also had a similar thought". With that, a thoughtful Harry walked out of the shop thinking about the information he had gathered from the twins. According to Harry's reasoning, something did not fit in the whole thing. Voldemort was not the type of person who would be "experimenting" with giant teleportation near the ministry building. Taking into the account that there had been an attack at one of the shops near the end of Diagon Alley, Harry knew something was wrong somewhere in this whole thing. As to what was wrong…to that he had no answer at the moment.

&&&&

"How can you expect us not to panic?" one of the refugees shouted from the back of the Great Hall. All the refugees had come over to meet Albus Dumbledore after reading the special edition of The Daily Prophet.

"What if the giants turn up here next?" another woman asked. "And where is Professor Dumbledore?"

"He is right now at the ministry" Professor McGonagall replied calmly. "And like I said before, you are not under any kind of threat from giants being teleported"

"I saw some giants in the forest" one man shouted above the rest.

"WHAT!" a woman asked in a shrill voice and pulled her kids as close to herself as possible. A lot of people looked shocked at the statement and were about to voice their concerns when McGonagall spoke again.

"Yes…" Professor McGonagall said. "There are giants in the forbidden forest but they are on our side. And if you all are wondering, they have been here before you all turned up". Some of the people looked at each other curiously as they were consumed in their thoughts. Having giants on their side was slightly comforting in the face of all the bad news which they had been getting lately.

"What if more giants turned up in the forest and they are against us?" one woman asked.

"No giant can come here by themselves" Professor Flitwick explained. The whole of Hogwarts seemed to be packed into the Great Hall at the moment. "We guided these giants to the forests…otherwise they would never have been there"

"And…" Professor McGonagall said sternly. "…for all those who go on little adventures in the forest, please remember it is named the Forbidden Forest for a purpose". A few people squirmed under the gaze of their partners. "There are all sorts of animals in there including spiders as big as Hogwarts itself". Hermione's head snapped towards her mentor at this. She knew that this was a blatant lie but then saw a slight smirk on McGonagall's face if that was possible. Looking at the reaction of the refugees, she could understand the motive of McGonagall's lie. Everyone was looking at McGonagall with their eyes wide open in absolute horror.

"WHAT?" the guy who had said he had seen giants in the forest looked as if he had just heard the worst horror story of his life.

"You mean…spiders…Hogwarts…eeeeeeeeeek" one woman collapsed as the meaning of McGonagall's words sunk in. Though she was instantly enervated by her friend, her face seemed to be drained of all color.

"You are literally playing with your lives when you are entering the forest" McGonagall said after a couple of minutes of silence for effect. "It seems that you are doing more to harm yourselves than the death eaters at the moment"

"We did not know" one woman said in a hoarse voice. "No one will ever go there". A murmur of consent went through the crowd. Professor McGonagall couldn't help but feel slightly satisfied with herself. She knew that only three of the students knew the truth behind the spiders but she couldn't care less about the topic at the moment.

"Still…" another woman said in a choked voice. "We don't feel safe at all. We know we are at Hogwarts and everything but please do something. We beg you…I beg you". The emotion in her voice seemed to touch every person present in the room as she fell to her knees flanked by two kids aged around three. This made the sight even more sentimental.

"Please remain calm" McGonagall said in a composed manner. "Please let us discuss the options for a moment and we will let you know". With this, all the professors moved to the room next to the great hall to hold an emergency meeting. After a couple minutes had passed, Fleur came out and asked Cho and Neville to accompany her inside. The students looked slightly bewildered but followed nevertheless. Soon after, everyone emerged from the meeting and Cho and Neville went back to their respective groups.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention and said "We have come to the conclusion of holding round the clock flying patrols around Hogwarts and its surrounding areas". Instantly, enthusiastic claps could be heard all around. These died down as soon as McGonagall cleared her throat for a second time.

"However…" McGonagall continued. "…we will need your co-operation. We will be forming a group of students who will patrol the area and will alert us if anything suspicious is noted. I assure you that these students are well equipped for the duty we will trust them with". This sentence effectively ended any chance of anyone objecting to 'students' patrolling 'elders'.

"During nighttime, some of you may be needed to patrol the areas since the students will be in their beds". McGonagall paused for a second to see how everyone was taking the news before she continued. "We will need some volunteers"

"I am ready" one boy in his mid-teens raised his arm. Several more arms went up, a few a bit hesitant initially but gaining in confidence later. Soon almost everyone who could fly well was ready to volunteer.

"Please give your names to Professor Flitwick present here and he will arrange the schedule and contact you". With that, McGonagall left the Great Hall which was soon filled with great activity.

&&&&

"Hi"

"Oh…hello Rowena" Harry said as he saw the face of Rowena over the top of the book he was reading in the library. "What brings you here?"

"Well…" Rowena looked around in discomfort. Harry knew it was always hard for a kid so young to take so much pressure from her house mates but sometimes some people come out stronger because of that.

"Want to go somewhere else?" Harry suggested. Rowena instantly nodded her head in agreement. Harry quietly replaced the book at its right place and asked Rowena to meet him in the room. Rowena nodded her head again and vanished from Harry's sight very quickly.

"So, what is it?" Harry asked once he had also entered the Room of Requirements and found Rowena sitting on a chair, awaiting his arrival.

"Can you come to my home sometime?" Rowena asked innocently, her face loosing some of the steely appearance which everyone had come to associate with her.

"Your home?" Harry asked in a puzzled manner. The question had come out of the blue. "I…don't know"

"Oh" Rowena said with a downfallen look on her face which was quickly replaced by the steely expression. Harry saw that the girl was feeling very down and hence decided to do something about it.

"I have to ask the headmaster" Harry said. At this Rowena looked up at him again with a hint of expectation in her eyes. "But he will ask me as to the reason of my visit. Why do you want me to visit your home?"

"Actually my father wanted to meet you" Rowena replied.

"Your father wants to meet me?" Harry looked even more perplexed. "Why? I mean…I don't want to sound rude but I am getting a bit afraid. Maybe he wants to beat up a Gryffindor" Harry finished the sentence in a much lighter tone. It helped because he saw Rowena smile at his comments.

"No…it is not that" Rowena replied, the smile still lingering on her face. "He just wants to meet you"

"C'mon" Harry said in mock exasperation. "Please tell me the reason"

"He wants to thank you" Rowena replied after a couple of minutes of contemplation. Seeing the look on Harry's face, she continued. "For saving my life"

"Saving your…oh" Suddenly Harry remembered how he had saved her life during the battle at Hogwarts. "But that was a long time ago and anyone in my place would have done the same"

"No…not everyone would do the same" Rowena said in a slightly fierce voice. "And my father had been away for quite a few months that's why he had not been able to ask you to come over"

"I see" Harry looked slightly thoughtful. The gesture by Rowena's father was really appreciable and he did not think turning it down would be a good idea. Also, not every Slytherin's parent invited a Gryffindor to their home, least of all Harry Potter.

"Ok then…" Harry replied at last. "…Lets go to your home the next weekend". Rowena seemed very happy at this. "But I have to ask the headmaster first"

"I have already talked to him" Rowena said enthusiastically. "He said he had no problems with this arrangement"

"That's good then" Harry replied. "But still it is my duty to ask him personally"

"Of course" Rowena replied and got up from her seat. "I will tell my father about your decision then"

"As you wish Rowena" Harry replied as a smiling Rowena left the room.

&&&&

"Where does Neville keep going every morning?" Hermione said this a bit more loudly than she would have liked to. Ron, who was sitting opposite to Hermione, just looked at Neville walking out of the portrait hole before returning back to Quidditch through the ages. She and Ron were still not on full fledged talking terms but they managed to get along for the time being. They had been having the minimum possible conversation ever since their fight over the "Harry-McGonagall issue".

"I am going to see where he is going" Hermione said as she cast a glance at Ron. Ron didn't say anything and kept on reading. "You can come if you want to" Hermione said in an expectant voice as she stood up and started walking towards the portrait hole. To her dismay, Ron didn't make a move to get up from his place near the fire. With a sigh, Hermione walked out of the portrait hole and into the corridor just in time to see Neville's back vanishing around the corner. As she started hurrying after him, she heard footsteps behind her. Looking back, she saw Ron trying to catch up with her. Smiling inwardly, she turned the corner to see Neville walking towards the Great Hall.

Ron soon joined Hermione and fell in step with her. They crossed the Great Hall in silence and followed Neville. Even though they didn't say a word to each other, both knew that the other was curious as to where Neville would vanish to every day. After all, old habits die hard. Soon they found themselves outside the Herbology classroom. Exchanging a quick glance, they sneaked inside.

"Thank god you are here" the heard Madam Sprout saying. Peeking over the top of a few plants, they saw Neville putting on ear-muffs.

"Mandrakes" Hermione quickly came to a conclusion and conjured up a couple of ear-muffs. She handed one of them to Ron who put it on quickly. No sooner had they put on their ear-muffs that the deadly shrieking of Mandrakes could be heard all around the place. It was a few minutes before Neville spoke.

"Professor Sprout…Do you think these Mandrakes will be worthwhile if the death eaters attack Hogwarts?" Neville asked.

"Yes dear" Madam Sprout replied. It was no secret that she was very found of Neville. "I hope we don't have to face a situation where we might need to use them"

"Me too" Neville replied in a grim voice before going back to work. Ron and Hermione knew they had gathered enough evidence as to what Neville was up to and they left the classroom quietly.

"So Madam Sprout is growing Mandrakes to fight the dark forces" Ron said thoughtfully as they walked across the grounds of Hogwarts. In the face of the new information, he seemed to forget he had had an argument with Hermione.

"Not only Mandrakes…" Hermione said. "…lots of other plants are being grown there which are categorized as dangerous by the ministry"

"I never thought that these could be used as weapons against death eaters" Ron said in an awe filled voice. "It was always before my eyes and yet…"

"It's a very novel idea" Hermione agreed. "And I bet it was Neville who came up with this. He really has a thing for Herbology"

"He sure does" Ron agreed. "The classroom is full of plants and god knows what. Do you think there are fatal plants there?"

"If you count the Mandrakes and the Acid Spitters and the Hallucinatory Gas Emitting Plants section in the extreme end of the classroom, then there are some pretty fight worthy plants in there" Hermione replied. "Of course, these have to be used as projectiles or something so that we can land them in the middle of death eaters if an attack occurs here"

"They will attack Hogwarts sooner or later" Ron said grimly. "They will be satisfied only when both Dumbledore and Harry are dead"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Hermione shrieked at Ron. "Why do you keep speaking of death?"

"So that I can remember that I have to be there for him when he needs me" Ron replied with a sad but non-repentant expression on his face. He didn't want to hurt Hermione but he had to make her realize that they had to do something to bring Harry into their midst. Now that so many attacks were taking place everywhere, someone needed to be with Harry…or at least remain in contact with him. At the moment, no one knew where Harry was.

"He matters to all of us" Hermione said as tears streaked down her face. She didn't care about Ron seeing her crying anymore. All she wanted was for him to stop speaking as if Harry was going to die the very next day. "He matters to us just as much he does to you" she said in between her sniffs.

"Then it would be better for all of us if we started acting that way and did something" Ron said and started walking back to the castle. If no one did anything, then he would surely do something.

&&&&

"Hello sir"

"Winky!" Harry was surprised when the tiny elf popped with a crack right beside him as he was returning from the library.

"You is remembering bad Winky" Winky seemed slightly surprised and ashamed at the same time. As Harry looked at Winky, he noticed that she seemed much cleaner now. He guessed she had most probably given up her drinking habits.

"What can I do to help you Winky?" Harry asked politely. Winky looked absolutely scandalized at this. A human, more so Harry Potter, was asking her how he could help her. She decided that if she had to escape more torture then she would have to finish her work here quickly.

"Is Sir wanting Winky to come and work for Sir?" Winky asked hastily. "Winky know Sir doing work himself". It was then that Harry understood the purpose of Winky appearing in the middle of a corridor and talking to him. He looked carefully at Winky for a moment and contemplated the offer. He didn't need an elf working for him, at least not now when all he had to do was just cook his food. Apart from that, he couldn't bear the thought of another elf taking up the position of Dobby. No, he definitely didn't need an elf.

What amused Harry slightly was the timing of this offer from Winky. Every elf was sure to have known about what happened to Dobby. A couple of months had gone by before Winky came today and made this offer. Everything would have been fine unless this offer had come only a few days after Harry had read the history behind the Power of Hogwarts. He smiled inwardly as he came to the conclusion that Dumbledore had asked Winky to come to Harry. He doubted that Dumbledore would want to spy on him but he didn't rule it out altogether. Maybe Dumbledore just wanted an elf to be near Harry. After all, elf magic had saved the Delacours from certain death.

"No Winky…" Harry replied. "…I don't need any help". Winky seemed very disappointed at hearing this to say the least. However, from the look on Harry's face, she knew that it was a final decision.

"But…" this word from Harry raised Winky's hopes slightly and she looked up again. "If I need any help, will you help me?" Harry asked. He didn't want to close all options just yet.

"Yes Sir…" Winky said brightly. "Winky will always be happy to work for Sir. All Sir is doing is calling for Winky"

"Thank you" Harry said before adding "And please let Headmaster Dumbledore know about my request, will you?" With that, Harry turned around and started walking back to the Gryffindor tower as he vaguely imagined Dumbledore chuckling at receiving the message.

&&&&

Ron was seated near the fire when he heard the sound of familiar footsteps. Looking around, he saw Harry climbing up the staircase to the boys dormitory.

"Harry…" Ron shouted as he got up from his chair. "…Wait for me in the room". Harry nodded his head and saw Ron quickly arranging some parchments before following him up the staircase. Hermione and Neville looked on warily as Ron vanished inside the dormitory.

"What is it?" Harry asked once both were in their room. Ron sat down on the bed opposite to Harry's. Harry, taking this as an indication that Ron had something important to discuss, sat down on the end of his bed.

"Hmmm…" Ron seemed to be having slight trouble as to where to begin from. "I have been thinking about some things these past few days". Harry gave an acknowledging nod and waited for Ron to continue.

"I think you should do something about the situation you have created" Ron said as frankly as he possibly could. Harry frowned on hearing these words and remained silent since he could make neither head nor tail of what "situation" Ron was talking about.

"The situation…" Ron clarified. "…is that you have isolated yourself from all of us…maybe you think you are a threat to us or whatever…". Harry's frowned even more at this but then tried to make his expression as neutral as possible since he now knew what "situation" Ron was talking about.

"Anyway…" Ron continued. "…I don't care what you have thought in the past or what has happened or what you…whatever…it is very confusing for me". Harry almost smiled at this comment. "What I want is that you return back to the old Harry everyone of us knew. We want our Harry back". Harry felt very guilty at hearing these words and knew that these words had come after months of suffering of his friends. He knew he was the cause of the pain but he couldn't help it, could he? How could he live if someone else was killed because of him?

"And I want our relation back" Ron finished in a low tone. "I don't care what you think of me…maybe you are sick of me or something else…maybe you don't want me to be near you but…" Ron paused for breath before continuing. "…but just tell me what it is and I will go away forever. However, if you can't tell me that you hate me, then I want our old friendship back"

This time Harry really smiled, one of great gratitude. He did not have words to express just how much he had been touched…just what it meant to hear all this from Ron…just how much it was so like Ron to say things like these. Taking a deep breath, and nodding to himself as if he was coming to a conclusion himself, Harry spoke.

"I will try" was all Harry said in return. Harry had been thinking on a similar thing for the past few days himself and now he knew that his friends also missed him a lot. Harry knew he needed some help in resurrecting the Power of Hogwarts and now that he was all alone, he needed his friends. Even though he hated to admit it, he needed their help. The emotional part would never be back to normal but in the present time, co-operation was needed between himself and the others. He knew he would have to make a decision soon enough.

Ron looked slightly disappointed at this reply but was satisfied that at least Harry had said he would try. And if Harry said he would try then he would definitely try. Ron watched as Harry opened the top of the trunk and started to climb inside. As he was climbing down, Harry stopped for a moment and turned around to face Ron.

"I don't think our friendship ever went anywhere" Harry smiled slightly as he said this and climbed inside the trunk and closed the cover. A smiling Ron remained seated in his spot until it was dinner time.

&&&&

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione asked Neville in an edgy voice. All of the D.A. seemed to have gathered and mounting fear could be detected even in many of the fifth year students, leave alone the younger ones.

"I don't know" Neville said in a helpless tone. "They seem to be getting more frightened by the day"

"Who wouldn't be if they read the gruesome details of the killings" Cho said in a disgusted voice. "The way they wrote about the McNealy family being torn apart by werewolves…god". She put her hand on her mouth in disgust as she remembered what she had read. It had really been like reading the details of a horror movie; the only difference was that it was the reality.

"But it is not happening here" Neville said. "I don't get it as to why they are getting so fearful"

"It is not happening here but…" Hermione paused slightly. "…here is not where everyone's family is. And there is also the possibility of the Slytherins telling the death eaters the names of those who are in the D.A. In that case their families might be endangered". Hermione seemed slightly frightened herself and Neville guessed she was thinking of her own family at the moment.

"Well…yeah…you got a point" Neville said. "But what can be done?"

"We have to decide on that Neville" Cho said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "We have to instill confidence in them"

"It's not so easy" Neville said. "I don't feel so confident myself after the attack on St. Mungo's". Cho looked slightly curious but didn't ask as to why Neville was so concerned regarding St. Mungo's. She also noticed that Hermione's face had a sympathetic look on it but thought it was better not to ask anything.

"But it has to be done, isn't it?" Cho said. "I mean, look at them". Indeed, as Neville looked at the D.A. members, they seemed to be fully concentrated on the trio. It was almost as if they expected someone to come forward and convince them that their families were indeed safe and they could help others without fearing that their names might end up on some death eaters hit list.

"Yes" Neville said as his face set in a grim determination. Quietly he stepped forward and looked at the occupants. Some of the senior members, including Ron, were seated in the back of the room while the juniors were in the front. Even as Neville was about to address them, a few of the occupants started asking questions.

"Some Slytherins stopped me today on the way here" one second year boy said. "I don't know if I should be here or not"

"Me too" a third year said in a tentative voice. "My dad's a muggle"

"My mom's a muggle too" another third year said. "That doesn't mean You-Know-Who will go after them. And even if they are attacked, my dad will protect her". This show of determination gave Neville some hope but the negative opinions far outweighed the positive ones.

"My mom and dad are not good wizards" one Hufflepuff girl said in an emotional voice. "If someone attacks them then they wouldn't…wouldn't…". She broke down completely as her voice seemed to desert her. Hermione rushed over and started comforting her.

"And my dad was at St. Mungo's" a fourth year boy said, biting his lip to avoid crying. "I haven't heard from him ever since"

"I am very afraid Mr. Longbottom sir" a tiny first year old said from her seat. If it had not been such a tense situation, then Neville would have laughed at being addressed as 'Mr. Longbottom sir'. However, things seemed to be going from bad to worse in the Room of Requirements at the moment.

"Me too" a similar aged boy said. "I don't know what to do. We couldn't even find Ms. Katie. What if someone takes us too?". Neville looked at the seniors for some support but he could see that many were quite afraid themselves. It seemed like weeks of bad news was finally starting to take its toll on the members of the D.A.

"We don't have to fear anyone". Neville looked around in surprise as a single voice spoke out. He wasn't able to detect the source of the voice at first but then decided to follow Ron's gaze. Ron was staring straight at a dark corner of the room behind himself.

"Your families are safe…don't worry about it". As everyone looked around, a figure stepped out of the shadows. The look of fear slowly seemed to vanish from the faces of everyone looking on, slowly to be replaced by one of complete awe.

"We have all tolerated enough. From now on, it's payback time". The look of awe on everyone's face slowly turned into a confident smile. Yes, there was hope for everyone yet.

Harry Potter was back to lead the D.A.

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A/N: Seventh chapter here guys.

This had initially become a 14k words chapter as I did not have MS-Word on my Vaio. I kept typing in wordpad and when I finally installed MS-Word, I was like "What the hell!". I moved a couple of scenes to chapter 8 to bring this down to 12k+ words. Seems like if I keep typing in wordpad I will be able to give you guys longer chapters to read.

Anyway, thanks for all those reviews. Every review which you people made is much appreciated. And to everyone who didn't review, thanks for taking time to read up to here at least.

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