A/N: This is the longest chapter by far. There are several significant jumps in time, all needed to progress the plot points. I hope you bear with it, and if there's any questions or serious confusion, drop me a message and I'll happily explain. Also point out any major screw-ups or confusion points and I'll do my best to fix it. Enjoy, and thanks a lot for sticking with it so far.
Chapter IX: Growth, Passing of the Torch, and Reason for Living...
Christmas morning came, and Harry awoke early. If nothing else, the events of the last couple days had served as a reminder that he must continue to work to be at his best. Entering the house's well-equipped gym, he placed silencing spells around the room, and blasting hard-rock music, he began to pushing his muscles to new limits.
While lifting weights, Harry mused over the notes Sirius had given him. Sirius and Oliver had been working with Lupin and Tonks on recruiting people for the Guardians of Light. So far they had about thirty wizards committed to the cause. Add that to the twenty-five Hogwarts students and it was a pretty decent force.
The Weasley twins had been hard at work. While running their joke shop during the day, they had been spending several hours a night at the Estate developing weapons. They had a wizarding version of the muggle grenade, which upon impact would fire out several pre-chosen spells in random directions. Harry could see how effective that would be if thrown into a crowd of enemies. Another new development was of a device that, when charged, threw up shield charms when a curse was fired at them. Though it drew from their own magic, it had the same effect as a shield charm from a wand. The benefit was not having to see the curse, taking out the chance of being surprised from behind, and leaving both your arms free.
Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Walking in silently, with only a nod in greeting, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all began their own lighter workouts. It seemed it had finally hit them how real the stakes were, and that the other side wouldn't be pulling any punches. They didn't talk, just focused on what they had to do to better themselves. After forty-five minutes, fatigue was starting to set in for Harry, so he knew the others would be feeling it too. Calling their session to an end, they parted ways to shower and dress for the day.
Gathering again in the kitchen, they were greeted by a massive breakfast Mrs. Weasley had convinced the Dobby and Winky to let her make. It was as fabulous as it had ever been. With breakfast out of the way, they all sat around the Christmas tree to open gifts.
Harry's friends had all been impressed with his gifts. Ron had received a brand new of the latest keeper gloves, with his name embroidered on. Not knowing what to get him, Harry had decided to stick with what Ron liked best, Quidditch. It also helped that his old pair were pretty worn out. Hermione's gift left her speechless. While scouring through the Potter Estate's extensive library Harry had come across one of the first ever copies of Hogwarts, a History. The edition was dated from well over five hundred years ago. Hermione was stunned to own such an ancient and priceless artifact from the past.
Ginny's present required almost no thought. She had been quite taken with a charm bracelet she had seen in a picture of Harry's mother. Noticing her reaction, he decided to get her one of her own. Having been told the name of the place by Sirius, he had gone to the same jewelry store from which his father had gotten the one for his mother. He only started off with one charm on it, a golden snitch(it looked better than a quaffle).
He saved the best present for last. Walking over to Sirius, he handed the man a frame. Contained in this frame was the front page of that very morning's Daily Prophet.
Sirius Black Declared Innocent!...
In a strange turn of events, ex-inmate Sirius Orion Black was pardoned by Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. The pardon came about as a result of the surprise capture of believed-deceased and now proven Death Eater, Peter Pettigrew; the wizard Mr. Black was convicted of murdering in cold blood...
Sirius shed a tear as he finished reading the article. With a whoop he wrapped Harry up into a huge hug.
"Harry my boy, this is amazing. No longer must I hide in the shadows. I can finally be fully a part of your life! I can't tell you how much this means to me!" Dancing around the room, he roped everyone into back-breaking hugs, even little Winky who had come into the room to see if any tea was needed.
As the day continued, the surprises kept coming as Neville and Luna arrived. Harry had invited them both to stay at Potter Estate for the rest of the holidays, to spend time with friends and to continue to have their private lessons from Harry. Giving them time to settle in, the six of them relaxed for the rest of the day and just enjoyed being all together. The Grangers would be returning home the next day, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were staying until the children were back on the Hogwarts Express.
The rest of break passed as a blur. Mornings were spent on the private lessons. While Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were curious as to what they were up to, they could tell that Harry wouldn't reveal anything he didn't want to. Deciding they had a right to know considering four of their children were closely working with him, Harry took them both to the side one morning to fill them in.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I feel you should know what we have been up to. At school, Dumbledore's Army is no more. In it's place, we have formed the Guardians of Light. No longer are we an extension of class trying to learn for exams. Now we are doing everything we can to prepare ourselves for war." A muffled gasp came from Mrs. Weasley. "The Order just isn't doing enough, in my opinion. Once trained as well as we can be, the GL will be taking the fight to the Death Eaters. Quickly responding to attacks, launching raids when we have leads, and defending those that so far have been relatively defenseless. I can no longer sit back and let them have their way. And unsurprisingly, I'm not the only one that feels this way."
Mrs. Weasley was silent as a tear rolled down her cheek. She had known all along that with her entire family involved in the fight the odds were against them, but she hadn't realized how involved her two babies were.
Mr. Weasley was thoughtful for a moment.
"Harry, I respect the man it's obvious you've become. I feel that the safest place our children could be is at your side, because I can see that you would do anything in your power to protect them. Do what you must, teach them as best as you can. I have a feeling that they'll need it." With a shake of Harry's hand, he took Molly up to their room to calm her down.
Harry decided to go for a ride. Long rides on his motorcycle really allowed him to clear his head, and he had taken to going for a ride every night, to wind down from the day. Ginny accompanied him on several occasions. With several warming spells applied, they weren't affected by the winter chill, and they enjoyed their time together. They actually found it quite amusing to see the looks from the muggles they passed, as if to say "them fruit loops, got to be freezin their nudgers off".
The time came for them to return to Hogwarts all too quickly, though Harry thought it was time well spent. He had taught the others apparition, which they had all mastered, and they had been could popping in and out around the Estate at will. He had warned them not use it in public though. They were all still too young for their license, while he knew the Ministry really couldn't stop him personally.
The train ride back to school was pleasant enough. Malfoy still seemed to be scared from the last encounter he had with Harry, so didn't feel the need to make his presence known. That was fine with them. As Harry climbed into bed that night, he found himself missing home. What struck him as odd was that for the first time since finding out about Hogwarts, he no longer felt like the school was the only real home he had.
Harry had a busy week. Ron had increased quidditch practice due to the team's recent inactivity, considering they had a game that Saturday. Also, Harry had increased the Guardian of Light meetings to three nights a week.
The Guardians of Light had improved drastically. He felt at the rate they had been learning, the average members of his group could match up against an Auror and hold their own. He was impressed at the dedication they put into the training. The growth of his friends was what truly struck him as remarkable. Harry felt confident that if there was ever cause for his absence, Ron could competently take control of the GL and do just as well a job. Neville also had seemed to develop great leadership skills. Hermione and Luna were focusing on advanced emergency healing, the plan was when time came for battle, the two of them would be the ones best capable of tending to wounded.
Ginny's development was the biggest surprise to Harry. She had proved to be a very fierce fighter in her own right. Out of everyone, Harry considered her second to only him in terms of fighting ability.
It was during this week that Harry decided to begin teaching them training to become animagus. He had grasped it within a week, but Harry knew it would take his friends a little longer having only him for a guide and not four of the greatest wizards and witches to ever live. To begin, he showed them the steps he took to transform, and cycled through several of his forms. Besides the grey wolf everyone had seen, Harry had two other forms. One of them was a beautiful all-black Phoenix, the same as the Guardians of Light crest and of his tattoo. His final form was the most awe-inspiring. Standing in Harry's place was a mythical creature, the Griffin. The magical creature, with the front body of an eagle and hindquarters of a lion, was very rare. While it was almost unheard of for someone to have a magical creature as an animagus from, Harry had two of them.
Harry performed a spell on them, forcing their animal forms to reveal themselves, greatly easing the steps needed to complete the transformation. Ron went first, and his form was to be a bear. It made sense considering his size, and how he was fiercely protective of "his territory". Neville went next. The way his bravery and courage had grown, it was almost no surprise when his form was that of a lion. Ginny adopted the form of a cheetah, small and speedy. matching her rather unique and sometimes goofy nature, Luna was to become a platypus. The most obvious form was Hermione's, who turned out to be an owl.
"And yet she hates flying. Go figure." Ginny said.
Ron had doubled over in laughter as a thought passed through his head. When pressed as to what was so funny, Ron stuttered out.
"She's an owl...we can call her Hooters!"
"RONALD WEASLEY! Will you grow up!" Hermione chided him for his immaturity, but was taken aback by the laughter coming from everyone else. It seemed that to her misfortune, the name was stuck.
Now knowing what their forms were to be, they could work on easing into the transformation steps at a time. Harry let them work on it at their own pace. There was nothing more he could do, with the rest of the process focused internally.
That Saturday was the quidditch match against Ravenclaw. The match had gone well, Gryffindor squashing their opponents 240-30, with Harry once again pulling off a spectacular catch of the snitch. Cho had been trying her best to distract Harry by flirting with him. That plan backfired when Ginny snatched a Beater's bat out of a surprised Claudio's hand, and with an unerring accuracy directed a bludger at the Ravenclaw seeker, practically knocking her off of her broom.
The highlight of the match was that Sirius had come up and seen them. He had been able to actually enjoy a match for the first time out of his dog form. Harry walked with him after the match.
"Harry, that was incredible. Your father would be so proud." his godfather said.
"I know. I'm just glad that you could be here to watch. I know we were together before, but it finally feels like I'm officially allowed to have a family again." Harry responded.
"I know what you mean. Always having to hide, not allowing myself to be seen in public. I was starting to feel less like a human and more like a shadow. "
"I'm just glad we've sorted that out."
"Me too, slick. Well, time to stop sulking. You get up to the Tower and tear up a victory party never seen before. I'll see you soon." With a backslapping hug, the two men parted ways.
Spring had arrived, and with it came another Hogsmeade weekend. The gang had decided to skip it. Ginny and Luna had began their OWL preparations, while the others just wanted to have a quiet day. the two fifth-years brought their study materials with them, and the six planned on spending the day relaxing by the lake. Enjoying the peace, Harry laid out and took a nap sitting against a tree, Ginny leaning against him with her head buried in her book.
His slumber was interrupted by the sound of screams. Several third-years were running through the gate and back up to the school, followed by several more students, all at a full-on sprint.
"Oi, you! What's going on?" Ron shouted at the nearest boy.
"Bad men attacking Hogsmeade!" sputtered the fourth-year as he continued retreating to the safety of the school.
Harry was instantly on his feet.
"Hermione and Luna, head up to the castle. Alert Dumbledore and have Madam Pomfrey prepare for possible injuries. Ginny, meet us there. Ron, Neville. Climb on." Harry ordered before changing into his fearsome Griffin. Ginny, having mastered her form quite quickly, changed into her cheetah and took off for the village. Ron and Neville barely made it onto his back as Harry took off.
Landing on the outskirts of the village, Harry quickly reverted back to human as soon as the two riders were free. Adopting a triangle formation, they headed down the main lane into the center of Hogsmeade.
A large mass of Death Eaters were sending people running, setting buildings on fire and torturing those not fortunate to get out of the way in time. There had to be at least forty of them.
"EXPULSO!"
Three explosion hexes took out three different Death Eaters as Harry, Ron, and Neville came within range. They were taken off guard, not expecting resistance from the villagers and visiting students. Five more were quickly dropped and three sent flying.
A blur of red tackled Harry out of the way as a curse passed through the space his head was last occupying. Ginny rolled to her feet and fired a Reductor in return. The force behind it was so intense it nearly bisected the assailant cleanly in half. Either way, he was dead before he hit the ground.
Ron and Neville had managed to place themselves between several of the attackers and a group of trapped students, and were keeping the Death Eaters from advancing onto the terrified children.
Harry had enough. Seeing red, he began to unleash the full might of his power. Ginny could only watch as he waded directly into the Death Eater ranks. Wandlessly casting shields with his left hand, his wand was a blur, non-stop firing curses and hexes point blank into the masked attackers. Death Eaters were collapsing, or sent flying back, usually with limbs blown off or left behind. A bludgeoning curse flattened one's face while simultaneously a "DIFINDO" from Harry severed a wand arm at the elbow.
Losing track of time, Harry didn't know how long he had kept up his assault until a wave of stunners passed him, striking the few remaining Death Eaters left standing. It seemed the Hogwarts teachers had grouped and finally arrived, led by Albus Dumbledore.
Harry spun around, looking for a target. None were left in any condition to continue to fight. It seemed he had single-handedly taken out three-fourths of the Death Eaters, but at a cost. He stumbled over to where his three friends were scouting for hidden students to send back up to the school.
"Harry!" Ginny screamed when she saw him. Numerous bruises and gashes, clearly seen beneath his torn robes, covered his body from curses he had failed to deflect. The right side of his face was coated with blood from a viscous cut two inches above his eye. It was incredible to say that not once had he faltered in his defense of the students.
"Itsharight Gin, theys all gone." Harry managed to slur out as he collapsed to the ground.
Harry came to in very familiar surroundings. He was in the Hogwarts hospital wing. Groping around for his glasses, he felt them being passed to him, and he graciously accepted them from his guest. What surprised him was the identity of his visitor. Expecting Ginny or Hermione, he was surprised to see the face of Dumbledore.
"Professor." Harry thanked with a nod as he straightened up.
"Harry. It saddens me to say that it took this dreadful attack to see what both Sirius and yourself tried to impress upon me. However, it brightens me to know that that all reports indicate that thanks mostly in part to the efforts of you and your friends, no innocent deaths were caused today. All those injured have already been released, with you shortly completing you're return to full health." The headmaster paused for a moment, before finishing his thought. "It seems that the Guardians of Light could not have a better leadership team."
"Ah. I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure out what we were up to."
Harry said.
"Not a lot goes on in this school without my being aware of it. I decided early on that I would give you the freedom to do what you needed to do. My involvements from the past have never seemed to serve you well. And I must say, I don't think I could be any more impressed with what you have accomplished with your group of students."
Harry smirked in his head when Dumbledore said, thinking that Albus didn't know about the Guardian of Light activities outside of school. That thought was soon shot down. Leaning back into his chair, Dumbledore continued.
"I formed The Order of the Phoenix during Voldemort's first rise to power as I felt that no one else was doing enough to combat him. It seems that in these troubled times we have grown lax with out purpose, and you've risen beautifully to fill in for my negligence. The Guardians of Light, both in and out of Hogwarts, will be a force to be reckoned with surely. Which brings me to my request." The Headmaster took a deep breath.
"I have always imagined passing on the reigns of leadership of the Order to someone more capable, someone with the capacity to lead where I could not. I do believe that I'm looking at that person. What I'm asking, is for my Order of the Phoenix to join your Guardians of Light."
"I'm shocked." Harry simply stated. "is everyone ok with this?"
"At our last meeting, I had the subject brought up. While met with some resistance, the overall feeling was acceptance. Shortly after the attack on Hogsmeade and the news had broken, I was contacted by every single member of the Order wanting in. I assure you, we would not be joining you with the aim of undermining your own group. I feel it is time for a change, and you are the beacon of hope the Wizarding World so desperately needs."
"I still don't know what to say. I was never expecting this. If the Order is serious about this, they need to be able to accept orders not just from me, but also by my fellow leaders, Sirius Black, Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom. There cannot be any second guessing of anything I may direct." Harry said.
Harry and Dumbledore just sat there quietly for several moments.
"Professor, are you still going to be a part of the Order, or should I say will you also be joining the Guardians of Light?"
"Yes, Harry. While I may be passing over leadership to you, I can not just sit back and watch as the fight carries on. I will not be a spectator, and I shall do everything within my power to help you accomplish what no one else has managed to do, defeat Voldemort."
"When can I get out of here?"
"Madam Pomfrey shall be along shortly. I had to send your friends out of here so you and I could have this conversation. They should be waiting for you in Gryffindor Tower."
"Can I ask a favor?"
"Of course." answered Dumbledore.
"I need you to call for a meeting of the entire Order. Have them come to Hogwarts. I will be calling in the outside members of the GL, and with the current Guardian students, we shall all have a meeting together. They need to know who they'll be fighting with."
"That is a very wise decision. Tuesday night, 7:00. Now, here comes Madam Pomfrey , so I will leave you to her care. Until Tuesday." And with a swirl of his cloak the Headmaster left the Hospital Wing with a renewed spring in his step, as if finally relieving a giant burden that had been weighing him down.
Several months had passed, and another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been completed. The last couple of months had been eventful, both in a positive and negative way. The Order had successfully integrated with Harry's Guardian's of Light, and now combined they had a force of close to a hundred very capable members.
While things were looking up in that regard, the Wizarding World was still being held in the grips of darkness. Dementor sightings had been increasing, while Remus had reported that the Werewolves were starting to become more brazen with their attacks. Another breakout from Azkaban had been hushed up by the Ministry, one of Fudge's final acts before being kicked out of office. Voldemort's numbers kept swelling, along with rumors dark wizards from the continent had come to join his side. Harry was starting to feel frustration set in.
The night before the train was would be taking the students home, Ginny found Harry atop the Astronomy Tower, staring out on the twilight in thoughtful silence. Linking her arm through his, she stared up into his face.
"What's going in that head of yours, Harry Potter?" She asked.
"Too much. It's all so overwhelming at times." Harry answered.
"Do you mean with the GL?"
"That, and just with everything in general. I hate responding to attack reports, just to find out we're too late. I hate knowing that so far the only thing we've been able to do successfully is take care of the victims. He's out there, Ginny, and he'll continue to be until I can finally do something about it." he told her as he turned to look into her eyes.
Without thinking, Ginny reached up, grasped his chin, and crashed her lips into his. This was the last thing Harry was expecting, so it took a minute for what was going on to sink in. Once it hit him that she was kissing him, he pulled his head back.
"I'm sorry Ginny, I can't."
"Why, Harry? Why not."
"I can't be selfish, and I can't give you false hope. The Wizarding World is depending on the Boy-Who-Lived. Right now, I can't focus on anything besides that. Until all of this is resolved, I can't allow myself to be distracted from my task.." He said before turning away to continue to stare into the night sky.
"Harry James Potter. You are going to listen to me. If anyone deserves to be happy, its you. You've done nothing but sacrifice yourself for those you care about, and even those you don't even know. That is why I love you. Not because of some silly Boy-Who-Lived bollocks. Its true, I had the biggest crush on you without knowing you. Since then I've gotten to know you, the real Harry Potter, not some silly girl's fantasy. Never once have you faltered from what you believe to be right. Inside you, there's an inner strength that no one on this planet can match. You at least deserve to know that there is actually someone who is love with you for you."
"Ginny, I can't tell you how much I really needed to hear that. I have to confess to you. This past year I really noticed you for you. Not as Ron's sister, but as Ginevra Weasley, and I like what I saw. We have grown closer, and I can honestly say that I'm falling in love with you. As I've sunk into my brooding moods throughout the year, you're the one that slaps me out of. When I've needed someone to talk to, you've been there for me. The thought of what you and I might have is, I have to selfishly admit, is one of the main driving forces pushing me."
"I can't lead you on. To be honest, I can't guarantee that I'll see the end of this war."
Don't say that. You'll do it, Harry." Ginny interrupted.
"We have to be realistic. The prophecy says only one of us may live. That means the other will die. There's the fifty-fifty chance right off the bat that it'll be my number called. I can't get into a relationship with you knowing there's such a great chance I won't be returning from the Final Battle. The way things are going right now, the odds are more in his favor than mine."
Ginny was crying, but kept quiet.
"Something needs to be done. I'm not leaving on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. Sirius and I are leaving. Ron will be taking over leadership of the Guardians. The odds need to be balanced, and that's what we must do."
"Take me with you." Ginny started.
"NO!'' Harry snapped, before she continued. "I can't endanger you like that. I don't know how long we'll be gone, as long as it takes I imagine. You're one of the best fighters the guardians have. Losing Sirius and I, they'll need all they can get. Also, as long as you're here, I have a reason to return." Tilting her head up towards him, he looked into her eyes.
"One of my biggest fears right now is that if this were to end in my favor, I'd no longer have a purpose. Ever since I learned I was a wizard, hell, ever since I was a child, I've done nothing but prepare for that final showdown. I love you, Gin. You give me that reason to see this through to the end. I really do want there to be an us. I want to have you. But I just can't. Not until this is over." Not being able to look at her anymore without wanting to breakdown, Harry started to walk inside to prepare for his departure. He paused in the doorway.
"Wait for me, Ginny." Harry pleaded.
"I always have been." was her reply. As he disappeared from her view, she couldn't help but murmur to herself.
"Congratulations, Dumbledore. You have your weapon."
A/N : I apologize. I'm not good at writing sappy stuff.
