A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed and/or favorited.

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Chapter 13

"Here's your cloak," said Dante, handing the packet to Harry. "If I were you, I'd keep it at the bottom of my trunk. Umbridge's been nosing about enough even before Uncle Albus left."

The bespectacled boy crouched beside his bed to stow away the packet.

"I'd bet anything Umbridge's passing a Decree declaring she's the Headmistress," Ron said sulkily.

"Yeah," Harry sounded vicious, "We'll see how long she lasts."

"Maybe the rest of the year," said Dante. "The DADA jinx should come out to play soon."

"Far too long, that," chimed in Neville. "What's that, Harry?"

He was gazing at a badly wrapped package sitting on Harry's bed, along with some other belongings that he had pulled out of the trunk to reach the bottom. Dante reached over to pick it up; it was the size of a book, but didn't feel like one.

"Christmas present," said Harry, snatching it from Dante's hands and ignoring his questioning look.

"Yeah?" said Ron, frowning. "How come you haven't opened it yet? Can't be worse than Hermione's lesson planner!"

"Padfoot said to use it if I need him," said Harry. "But I'm not going to use it."

"Good plan of action," Dante nodded. "He's about as reckless as me - and he can't afford to be."

"And you can?" Harry's tone was indignant, confrontational. "Just landed yourself in three months' worth of detention, didn't you?"

It was Dante's turn to frown. "So?" he said. "It doesn't have much of an effect on me, anyway."

"I give it two weeks before you start sleeping in Snape's class again," said Harry.

Dante flushed slightly. "That was once!" he protested. "Besides, detention's the worst thing Umbridge can do when it comes to me, and now that she's done it - well... leaves me free to do anything I want."

"I wish you'd just slice off her head and be done with it," said Dean from behind his curtains.

"Yeah, we'll help you hide the body," Ron grinned. "Toss it to some Blast-Ended Skrewts."

Dante laughed in response. "Makes me wish she'd turn into a demon or something," he said. "That's one human-turned-demon I wouldn't mind finishing off."

"One can hope," said Dean, wistfully.

By morning, pretty much everyone knew about the fact that Dumbledore had left the school after taking on and defeating four Ministry workers, including Umbridge. The latter had wasted no time in making herself Headmistress, but according to Ernie MacMillan, couldn't even get into the Head's office.

As they walked back from Herbology, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle came up to them and proceeded to flaunt their new status as members of the 'Inquisitorial Squad'.

"The what?" said Hermione.

"A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge," Malfoy drawled. "Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad have the power to dock points . . . so, Sparda, five points off for being a half-breed. Another five because I don't like you, Potter. Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so five for that, and oh, I forgot, you're a Mud-"

Malfoy yelped as a wand was suddenly pointed between his eyes. "Trust me," said Dante, "You do not want to finish that word."

"Put that away, Sparda," said Malfoy, taking a step back and pulling out his own wand. "Do you want me to dock you another fifty points?"

"I'd like to see you try," said Dante, ignoring Hermione as she tried to push his arm down. "I've been kind of in a bad mood since last night, Draco. I'd love the opportunity to take it out on someone."

Crabbe and Goyle raised their wands. Simultaneously, Harry, Ron and Ernie drew their own.

"Don't get involved," said Dante, without taking his eyes off Malfoy.

"Wise move," said Malfoy, smirking. "Attacking members of the Inquisitorial Squad can get you expelled, you know. But I'm feeling generous, so all I'll do is take a hundred po-"

There was a loud bang, and Malfoy was replaced by a small, white ferret. Before Crabbe and Goyle could retaliate, they toppled over, courtesy of spells from Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ernie.

Dante knelt and picked up the ferret, dangling him in front of his face. "Well, isn't he cute? I can just 'eat' him! Or maybe Fang can."

"Oh my," breathed Hermione. "You shouldn't have, Tony, you really shouldn't have!"

"I'm past caring," said Dante. "Listen, Draco. Run off and tell Umbridge, and this furry little problem might just be the least of your worries."

He set the ferret down on the floor and flicked his wand, turning him back to normal.

"I'll kill you," snarled Malfoy, his face beet red with humiliation. "I swear, Sparda! You'll be dead before the year's over!"

"Get in line," Dante said, shrugging. "Pretty long queue, though, gotta warn you. Full of pretty important people, too, like Mundus, and my brother, and Voldemort..."

Malfoy flinched. "You think you're so tough, Sparda," he hissed when he got his voice back. "But you're nothing. Dumbledore's gone, how long do you think you're going to last? The Ministry's not too keen on part-humans, you know - I give you ten days before you get kicked out."

The blonde turned to Crabbe and Goyle and muttered the counter-spells. The three of them hurried up the stairs.

"Doesn't know much, does he?" Dante said to Ron, who grinned.

"They're going to tell Umbridge," said Hermione, her face pale. "Oh, we'll be in so much trouble!"

"Draco's going to be too furious with me to remember that you knocked out his goons," said Dante. "And there's no more ways for Umbridge to discipline me."

It seemed Dante wasn't the only one who didn't care about getting into trouble; Fred and George were finally unleashing their ingenious products on the school. In the afternoon, they set off an enormous crate of fireworks, which flew all over Hogwarts, disrupting classes, destroying school property and creating chaos in general. As a result, Dante's first detention was canceled, and he decided to take a leisurely stroll to Hagrid's hut after dinner.

He was halfway through the Entrance Hall when he heard a rattling noise behind him. Whirling around, he found himself staring at a cabinet nestled in the crook between the left side of the staircase and the wall.

"What the...?" He could've sworn it hadn't been there when he'd come out of the Great Hall.

The cabinet shook again, and Dante raised his wand. "Alohomora."

The doors were flung open, and out stepped something Dante recognized immediately - it was his demon form.

"A Doppelganger?" Dante felt amused. "Where'd you come from?"

In response, the thing raised its hand, displaying an object it was holding. All rational thought fled his brain.

The object was a severed head. Bushy hair matted with blood hung off it, framing a face that he knew too well. Brown eyes were hidden behind closed eyelids, scrunched as if she had been in terrible pain when she-

No! She couldn't be...!

Dante closed his eyes, shaking his head once, sure this had to be some sort of nightmare. But when he opened them, the demon was still there, grinning at him, the head held in its palm.

"No..." He hardly recognized the feeble voice that emerged.

"It's no use denying it," said the demon, in what he recognized to be his own voice in his triggered form. "This is us. This is who we will be."

Dante raised his eyes slowly from the head to the one holding it. His fists clenched at his sides.

"If this is my future..." he murmured. Then his voice raised, until it was nearly a shout, "Then I'll make sure I have none!"

In a flash, Rebellion was in his hand. Another flash, and both the demon and the heads vanished in a puff of smoke.

Dante sank to his knees, his hands rising to cover his face. He had to go to the Gryffindor common room, had to check - but he felt too afraid to. What if...?

A hand touched his shoulder, and he looked up. It was Harry.

But something was wrong.

Harry's face was twisted into a grimace of pain. Dante stood up, staring wordlessly at the sword sticking through the other boy's chest - Rebellion.

"Dante..." Harry gasped. "Why?"

Through the overwhelming horror that was consuming him, a tiny voice in his head spoke up. He was definitely missing something here, it said. But what?

The sword, Dante realized with a jolt. Rebellion was still with him - he had just used it to get rid of his demon form holding Hermione's head. It had gone, and this one had taken its place... yet another of his friends seemingly dead by his hands, yet another manifestation of his worst fear. Then that meant this thing in front of him was...

"Riddikulus!" he said, pointing his wand at it, which shook so badly he was barely able to hold onto it.

Crack.

Ron took Harry's place, agonized blue eyes staring at him accusingly.

With a snarl, Dante waved his wand wordlessly, casting the Vanishing Spell. Ron disappeared immediately, but Dante didn't lower his guard. He turned in a circle, wand raised, ready for more of these visions embodying his worst nightmares...

When he found Hermione, Harry and Ron standing near the entrance, he automatically braced himself. However, moments passed and they still remained whole and unharmed. Hermione stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's alright, Tony," she said quietly. "It was just a boggart."

Dante nodded once, not trusting himself to speak just yet: content to drink in the sight of her alive and well. When her face blurred and his eyesight grew hazy, Dante looked away, heat blossoming in his cheeks.

"Talk about having skeletons in your closet," he mumbled.

"You're a piece of work," came Ron's voice, sounding awed. "That was your sword, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," said Dante, looking back at the redhead.

Ron shook his head in something akin to amazement. "Blimey... Only you would be scared of, well, you. Well, not you - you know what I mean, don't you?"

Dante laughed a little shakily. "Yeah."

"Who put that thing here?" Harry said in a low voice.

"Malfoy," said Ron. "Must be. He'd think it was a laugh..."

Hermione shared a meaningful look with Dante. The latter stretched his senses, searching. He didn't have to search long; he could hear three sets of breathing behind a suit of armor.

"You," he said, his voice trembling in suppressed rage, "have ten seconds to run."

They didn't have to be told twice. Malfoy scampered off, on his heels Crabbe and Goyle. Dante watched them until they disappeared down the stairs to the dungeons.

"Eight seconds," he said.

"You shouldn't have let them get away," said Harry, staring after the Slytherin trio.

"I didn't trust myself not to do some serious damage," said Dante, coldly. "Anyway, I was just going to visit Hagrid. Want to come?"

"Sure," said Harry.

"I'm not sure all four of us will fit under the Cloak," Hermione said anxiously.

"I don't want it," Dante told her. "Let Umbridge see me. I don't give a damn."

The first time Dante had seen Hagrid, the half-giant had come to him to deliver his Hogwarts letter. At that time, he had been working as the Keeper of Keys and Grounds. During Dante's absence, Hagrid had become the Professor of Care of Magical Creatures. The man had an almost unhealthy obsession with dangerous animals when Dante had been in his first year, and from what he had seen since he had come back, the enthusiasm still remained. Or at least, that was the only explanation he could conjure for the fact that Hagrid kept showing up to classes with injuries.

So it did not come as a surprise that Hagrid was sporting ugly bruises and a huge black eye when he opened the door.

"Tony!" he said, and he sounded so relieved that it took Dante aback. "Yer righ' on time. Was just wonderin' how ter get yeh down here. None of yer friends 'round?"

"Why?" Dante said suspiciously. He heard three sets of feet shuffling behind him.

"No matter, no matter..." Hagrid didn't seem to be listening to him as he looked around. "Yeh wouldn't mind takin' a trip ter the Forest, Tony?"

Dante grinned. "Nope. Could use the exercise."

Hagrid beamed - or at least as much as he could when he looked so exhausted. There were more lines on his forehead, heavy bags under his eyes. "Lemme just settle Fang. Be righ' with yeh."

He disappeared inside.

"No tea?" Dante shook his head once. "Would've thought his manners would improve after becoming a professor. You guys still there?"

"What d'you think he's keeping there this time?" said Ron, from right behind him. "A demon?"

"Oh, Hagrid can't be that unreasonable!" said Hermione. "Still, I think we ought to show ourselves to him - if he doesn't want us to go, we probably shouldn't."

"Yeah," said Ron, fervently. "I'd hate to see what type of things he thinks are too dangerous for us..."

"Maybe it's what's been causing him all those injuries," Harry said suddenly. "I've seen him walking out of the Forest in the morning-"

Hagrid exited his hut at that moment, and Harry fell silent.

"Yeh three here?" said the half-giant, peering into the darkness. "I heard voices."

"Yes," said Hermione, as the top of her head emerged from beneath the cloak.

Hagrid waved his hands anxiously. "No, no!" he said. "Don' come out, now... stay under tha'. Anyone could be watchin'..."

Hermione's head vanished.

"Glad yer all here," said Hagrid. "He should know yeh... all o' yeh... in case summat happens ter me... Dumbledore's gone... no tellin' when I'll have ter go, too..."

He led the way through the forest. The other four followed silently, for what seemed like hours of walking through the trees. As they went deeper, the number of animals seemed to dwindle, until the forest became eerily quiet.

Then they came to a clearing, where a giant was sleeping on the ground.

Dante eyed him curiously. "How'd you get him?"

Hagrid looked heartened at Dante's acceptance of the situation. Clearly, he couldn't hear Hermione hyperventilating. Nor, apparently, Ron's mutterings of 'mental... absolutely mental...'

"Found 'im in the giant colony," said Hagrid. "They were all bullying 'im, Tony... he's jus' sixteen foot..."

Dante suppressed a laugh. "Pretty small," he said, grinning. "Well, it was nice of you, but what made you think he'd want to leave his clan? Doesn't seem as if he likes you, either, seeing as how much he likes to beat you up-"

"I had no choice, Tony!" Hagrid wrung his hands agitatedly. "See, he's my brother!"

"Ah." Dante snapped his mouth shut. After a moment, he said, "Huh. Brother, huh? That explains the hitting. So typical..."

"Brothers don't roughhouse that much!" Ron said faintly.

Dante waved him off. "You won't understand, you and your ridiculously amiable siblings... wait," he looked up at Hagrid. "How come you don't rough him up?"

"I wouldn't hurt 'im!" Hagrid looked shocked. "He don' know his strength, tha's all-"

"Really? You don't sound like a big brother at all," Dante mused. "You are older than him, right?"

Hagrid nodded. "Half-brother," he added, after a pause. "My ma was a giant, see - after she left dad an' me she took up with another giant an' had Grawp."

"Huh." Dante didn't know who Hagrid's mother was, but she definitely didn't sound like someone one would like to have as a mother. "So," he nodded towards the sleeping giant. "How do we wake him?"

"Wake him?" Hermione said shrilly. "Why - why on earth would we...?"

But Hagrid was already walking towards Grawp. "Take off the cloak, yeh three," he said. "I'll jus' introduce yeh... be careful, though, he was in a bad mood tonigh' when I left 'im-"

There was a shaky exhale to the left of Dante, and then the cloak was thrown off and Harry first, followed by Ron and Hermione, came into view, pale as the moonlight.

"Good," said Hagrid, and he gave them a reassuring smile. Picking a bough off the ground, he proceeded to give Grawp a hard poke in the middle of his back.

The giant roared as he rose to his feet. Dante waved at him. "Hey!" he called. "Hey, big guy! How's it going?"

Grawp turned his head slightly, disinterestedly. Encouraged, Hagrid hurried over to Dante. "This is a friend, Grawpy! His name is Tony. He migh' come to visit yeh if I 'ave ter go away, understand? An'-" he turned to Hermione, Harry and Ron, introducing them one by one. To Hermione, he said, "Yeh wouldn' mind if he called yeh Hermy, Hermione?"

"No," squeaked Hermione. "Of course not."

When these introductions were taking place, Dante had advanced towards Grawp until he was only about six feet from the creature. It was at this point when the giant finally took full notice of him; his great head lowered, and he squinted his eyes to see Dante better. The boy took another step forward.

"Hey, see me?" he said, waving again.

"Now, don' get so close!" Hagrid called. "He don' know 'is strength..."

"Sounds like you don't know mine," said Dante, chuckling. "If-"

His words trailed off sharply. Grawp had just taken a swing at him, and he jumped up, landing on the palm. The giant's fist closed, and Dante was forced to shift to his forearm. It was more than half a foot wide; good enough to stand comfortably.

Grawp lifted him up to his face, watching him curiously.

"Put 'im down, Grawpy!" Hagrid yelled, sounding alarmed.

"Lay off, will you? We're getting acquainted!" Dante shouted back. "Caught my name?" he said to Grawp, waving. His face was only about a foot from the eyes. "It's Tony," he pointed at himself with a thumb, and then reversed it back towards Grawp. "What's yours?"

"Tony!" Hagrid yelled. "Don' poin' ter his eyes, he'll think yer gonna-"

With a roar, Grawp batted at Dante with his other hand. Dante back-flipped, landing in a crouch on the ground. "Rude," he said. "Hagrid, didn't you teach him manners?"

Hagrid flushed. "Sorry," he said. "Giants aren' very friendly, yeh see."

Dante laughed, clapping him on the arm. "Kidding!" he said. "He's fine. Hey, fathead!" He advanced towards Grawp again. "C'mon, don't be shy!"

But it seemed Grawp's mood had worsened. He turned to a pine tree beside him, and with one great tug, pulled it up by the roots. Scrutinizing it for a moment, he grabbed it with both hands and brought it down towards the ground, right where Dante was standing.

Hermione screamed, and Harry whipped out his wand, but the tree stopped before it reached the half-demon's head. Growling deep in his throat, Grawp peered down at Dante, who had raised his arms to grip the tree trunk and stop its descent.

"Newsflash, fathead," he said, smiling. "I'm tougher than I look."

"BAD BOY!" yelled Hagrid. "BAD GRAWPY! YEH DON'-"

He was interrupted when Grawp tried to backhand Hagrid across the face; Dante stopped the giant by grabbing at his wrist, bringing the limb's swing to an abrupt halt.

Hagrid stared at Dante, his jaw hanging open, as Grawp tried to tug himself free with all his strength and still failed. "Er..." he said, "Yeh can let 'im go now..."

Dante shrugged one shoulder. "Alright," he allowed. "But you might wanna take a step back."

When he let go this time, Grawp didn't attack; he merely stared at Dante with eyes noticeably wider than they had been before.

Again, Dante jabbed a thumb towards his own chest. "My name's Tony. Toh-nee." He pointed towards Grawp's chest. "What's yours? Is it Grawp?"

The giant looked down at the finger and followed its direction to his chest; then he threw his head back and roared, "Grawwwwff!"

"Well done!" cried Hagrid, looking so happy it seemed as though he might burst into tears. "Well done, Grawpy! Well, I think tha's enough fer tonigh'."

"That," said Ron, "Was bloody brilliant."

Settling into the armchair closest to the fireplace, Dante grinned smugly. The common room was empty except for the four of them - it was quite late.

"I knew you were fast," said Harry. "But the strength didn't really show when you were fighting Vergil."

"That's because they're even. Sparda's strength and speed were legendary," Hermione said promptly. She shook her head. "I can't believe Hagrid! What made him think that - giants in the forest! This close to a school! And now he wants us to -"

"Teach him English, yeah," said Harry.

"If it comes down to that," Dante stifled a yawn, "We can give it a shot. But who says Hagrid will have to go?"

"Of course he'll have to go!" Hermione snapped. "I mean - the way he acts - after what we've seen - "

"But Umbridge doesn't know about that," Ron reminded her. "By the way, Tony, what about your demon friend? Seemed to me you brought him to Hogwarts pretty fast - he doesn't live in the forest too, does he?"

"No," said Harry. "He lives in the castle."

Hermione and Dante exchanged surprised glances. "How do you figure?" said Dante.

"I knew, soon as I saw that Patronus," said Harry. "Every animagus I've seen have their animal forms as Patronus. It wasn't hard."

"Wait, what?" Ron stared at Dante. "You were the demon? The one that shoots lightning? Blimey... what's stopping you from just finishing off You-Know-Who?"

"The horcruxes," said Hermione.

"Right," said Harry. "There's only two left, though."

"Well..." Dante said slowly. "I kinda destroyed one over the holidays." At seeing his friends' flabbergasted and indignant expressions, he hurriedly explained to them how he had done it.

"Trish's looking for the last one," he said when he had finished. "I guess so is Uncle Albus."

"Has he given you a way to contact him?" Hermione asked.

"Sort of... nothing as concrete as what Sirius gave Harry."

Harry shot Dante a very dirty look.

"He gave me something before I came to school, but I haven't checked yet," he said to Hermione.

"Then let's do it now!" Hermione said at once.

Harry trudged off to the dormitory, looking very annoyed. They all waited in silence until he brought it back, the package already unwrapped. In sharp contrast to his previous reluctance, his face was almost glowing in eagerness.

"It's a mirror," he said. "I reckon if I call Sirius, he'll answer... it's like a phone, you don't only use it when you need it, unlike what I thought..."

He held up the mirror and said, clearly, "Sirius Black!"

They all waited. Harry seemed to be holding in his breath.

Then a very familiar face appeared in the mirror, eyes wide in alarm. "Harry?" said Sirius. "What is it?"

"I was just checking it," Harry seemed flustered now, evidently regretting his decision to call his godfather at midnight for no good reason. "It's alright, nothing's wrong, you can go back to sleep."

"It's fine," said Sirius. "How are you?"

After a brief pause, Harry started on a rant, telling Sirius all about Dumbledore's Army disbanding and Marietta's betrayal. Dante almost fell asleep halfway, so he excused himself to go up to the dormitory.

He drifted off thinking about all the people he could communicate with if he could make two mirrors like that himself. Well, even if he couldn't, he was nearly positive that Hermione could.

So... thoughts?