I have so much to say for this chapter. This chapter is pretty long and packed

That's all, please enjoy the chapter now. Comments at the end.

Chapter Fourteen: This Is How Wizards Fight

Hermione hadn't been joking when she had told Harry to expect a long lecture from Professor McGonagall for running off. She yelled at him for so long that by the time she was finished, class was over and everyone had missed out on Transfigurations. The other students didn't know what Harry had done but congratulated him anyway. Harry ended up losing fifty points for Gryffindor and receiving a month of Saturday detentions.

He also didn't get the chance to sneak away like he'd been planning to see his friends. The teachers were all making sure he was in class and on time. Harry had stopped off at the bathroom before Charms and was a whole thirty seconds late and Professor Flitwick actually sent two Prefects to find him and bring him directly to class.

Finally classes came to an end and Harry and his friends made their way to the Great Hall. Harry had asked Dobby to keep Heero and the others stocked up with food and the little house elf had been more than happy to comply. After dinner, Harry called Dobby again and asked him to show him the room he'd found.

Hiding under the invisibility cloak, the trio followed Dobby down to the dungeons. They passed a Slytherin second year and Ron couldn't resist tripping the boy and making "scary" noises. The poor second year went pale and ran away screaming.

"Ron, that was cruel," Hermione scolded.

"No Gryffindor second year would be that pansy."

"Come on, guys," Harry urged. "I want to get this done before the teachers start sending Prefects after me again."

"You weren't in class!"

"I was thirty seconds late!" Harry grumbled. "Forgive me for having to pee!"

"Young Masters!" Dobby called. "Is yous coming?"

"Yes, we're here, Dobby. Keep going."

"So hey, why are we hiding them here, anyways?"

"It was the only place Dobby could find."

"What about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Harry and Hermione stopped and turned to the redhead with disbelieving looks. "You want me to hide five guys in an underground shrine devoted to a killer snake that can only be opened by a paraslemouth, namely me or Voldemort, where I was almost killed, and your sister almost died?"

Ron flushed. "It's not a shrine…"

"Close enough."

"Harry's right, that wouldn't work at. They'd have no way out unless we transfigured some sort of stairs and that would take a great deal of advanced magic with how large the stairs would have to be. And not to mention… did anyone ever take care of the Basilisk? Because if it's been rotting down there since our third year then that is not sanitary at all and would be extremely disgusting."

"Okay, okay, I get it. It was just a thought."

They continued on until just past the Slytherin dorms where there was a suit of armor standing alone. Dobby tapped it twice on the chest and the armor moved aside to reveal a hidden door. "Cella Occultus." Dobby squeaked and the door opened on its own.

The room had a thin layer of dust and the fireplace was filled with ash. The layout was the same as what the Room of Requirement currently looked like only this room was slightly smaller and lacked furniture. Harry took off the cloak and looked around.

"It's kinda small," Ron said. "How are five guys going to stay here?"

"There's nothing else, Dobby?" Harry asked. "This is good, it's just so small."

"This most hidden room that not move, Harry Potter. There is more." He walked over to the fireplace and snapped his fingers, putting the fire out. The trio watched as the elf stepped into the ashes and pressed the brick in the exact center of the fireplace. The bricks folded away, much like the wall that lead to Diagon Alley did, to reveal a secret passageway. Dobby stepped to the side and let the kids peer in.

"This how house-elves travel," he told them happily. "It take you right to Gryffindor tower or wherever you need go."

Harry grinned. "Heero will love this." He turned to his friends. "Let's say we try it out."

"Sure." They stood in front of the fireplace and stepped into the tunnel.

"Seventh floor, Portrait of Barnabas the Barmy," Harry stated. A path lit up before them and torches on the wall lit the way. The three followed the lights and, in no time at all, were stepping out of the tunnel into the corridor across from the Room.

Ron looked around and whistled quietly. "We just made it from the dungeons to the seventh floor in less than five minutes. How wicked is this?"

Harry grinned. "Thanks Dobby, I owe you. Again."

Dobby beamed at the praise. "Dobby is glad to serve Master Harry Potter. If yous is needing anything more, please, call on Dobby again!"

"Sure, thanks Dobby." The house-elf disappeared quietly. "Ready to meet my bodyguards?"

"Hell yeah!"

Harry led the way to the Room of Requirement and knocked on the door softly three times, just like Heero had taught him. He waited patiently for five seconds before knocking again and opening the door.

"Secret knocks." Harry shrugged to Ron's confused face.

"That's weird."

"That's secure," Hermione corrected.

The boys were lounging around, deceivingly calm. Harry could tell they were wary of his friends and hoped to put them at ease as quickly as possible. Duo jumped to his feet and grinned widely as the others slowly stood as well.

"Who're they, huh?"

Harry smiled. "My friends." Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. "Friends, meet bodyguards, bodyguards, meet friends."

"That's so helpful of you, Harry." Hermione frowned. She turned to the boys. "I'm Hermione Granger, this is Ronald Weasley."

"Ron. Not Ronald, Ron." Hermione just rolled her eyes.

Duo introduced the group quickly, staring the two up and down as he absently gave out everyone's name. He nodded in approval, liking the look of Harry's friends. They didn't look particularly strong or useful but Duo could tell by how casual Harry was with them and how the three teased each other that they were all good friends.

"We have good news," Harry said after introductions. "We found a room for you guys to stay in. And Dobby showed us how house-elves get around the school quickly and without being seen."

"Yeah, we got all the way up here from the dungeons in five minutes!" Ron exclaimed. "No wonder them little buggers are so efficient!"

"Ronald!" Hermione screeched. Harry and Ron flinched both knowing with a sense of dread what was coming. Harry was lucky enough to escape by slipping behind Trowa, who was farthest away from Hermione. Ron however, was caught in her sights.

"How insensitive can you be! And how dare you call them 'little buggers!' They are people with feelings and rights just the same as us! Treating them like slaves and using them to do our housework and chores because wizards are too lazy to do it themselves –even with magic— is inexcusable—"

"Hermione!" Ron and Harry yelled together. She stopped, her eyes glaring.

"What?"

"Can we talk S.P.E.W. later?" Harry requested peeking his head out from behind Trowa. "We have other things to discuss." The girl huffed angrily but nodded anyway. She would make sure Ron got an earful later though, you could count on that! Ron and Harry sighed in relief.

"What's spew?" Duo asked.

"Nothing!" Ron and Harry shouted quickly. Hermione glared and rolled her eyes.

Harry smiled. "I'll tell ya later, Duo."

"Whatever. So, new room?"

"Yeah, I figured you would want to check it out and if you liked it, we'd clean it up and then move you there. How's that sound?"

Quatre glanced at his comrades. "That sounds perfect. Shall we go now or are you expected somewhere?"

"Nope, we're free for the night."

"Uh, no we're not," Ron interrupted. Hermione nodded in agreement.

Harry was confused. "Why? What do we have planned?"

"Harry, we have a D.A. meeting in an hour," Hermione reminded him. "It's Thursday."

"It's Wednesday."

"It's Thursday, mate."

Harry frowned and began counting days off in his head. He realized he'd been in the Hospital Wing or running away most of the week and lost track of days. He shook his head angrily. "Well how am I supposed to keep track of the days with everything that's happened? I can't be expected to keep track of time…"

"Yeah, it's gotta be hard, being tortured, unconscious, and sick most of the week."

"Gee, thanks Ron, and here I was trying to forget."

"Tortured and unconscious?" Heero said his deep blue eyes pinning Harry with a cold stare.

Harry bit his lip and looked up guilty. "Uh… I was going to mention it when you got settled?"

Duo smacked him over the head.

"Owe…"

"You deserved it," Hermione snapped. "Honestly, you and your hero complex. Is it just you or do all boys have one?"

"Don't drag me into this!" Ron exclaimed.

"Well Ron was the one who said it was too dangerous for girls to play Quidditch."

"What?" Hermione screeched.

"Did not!"

"And he admitted he wanted a house elf too. Makes life easier," Harry said.

"I told you that in confidence!"

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione yelled. "How dare you even consider the idea of owning a house elf! Has S.P.E.W. taught you nothing?!"

"I'll smoother you in your sleep for this, Harry." Ron hissed just as Hermione latched onto his ear.

"The only person being smothered in his sleep will be you, Ronald Weasley, when the house elves come to their senses and revolt." She began dragging him away. "And really, a girl can't play Quidditch! Your sister is on the house team! You put her there!"

"Bye Ron, bye Hermione." Harry waved faking a sad face. Ron glared at him the best he could while being dragged away by his ear. If looks could kill… The door opened and slammed, cutting Hermione's nagging off with a snap. Harry burst out laughing.

"Harry, that was rather childish," Quatre scolded.

Harry turned to him, smiling brightly. "When it comes to Hermione you have two choices, deflect the lecture to someone else or die."

"That's rather dramatic."

Harry shrugged. "You've never been lectured by Hermione before."

"Tortured and unconscious." Heero repeated his icy stare unwavering from Harry.

Harry's smile slid from his face. He fidgeted nervously with his shirt. "Yeah… um, it's a long story." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "After I was taken from you guys, I spent a week in the Ministry. They… I don't know how to explain it. They just did a bunch of tests and what not with my connection to Voldemort."

"To what end?"

"They wanted to create a potion that would force the connection to activate so that I could get inside his head and find out what he's planning."

"They're trying to force you into your enemy's head?" Duo demanded incredulously.

Harry shrugged. "They did. That's why I was in the Hospital Wing for so long."

"Explain how this connection works," Heero ordered.

"I can't. I don't know how it works. No one does. It's never happened before in all of wizarding history. You see, the connection was created the night Voldemort failed to kill me with the killing curse. No one has ever survived Avada Kedavra before. I'm the first and only one. That's why no one understands this connection or scar. It's never happened before."

"They must have some idea about how it works, if they are forcing it to become active."

Harry shrugged. "If they do, they're not sharing the information with me."

"It is your mind," Wufei frowned.

"Maybe. But according to the law, they own it." He shook his head. "We can talk about it later. Right now, you guys have to move before the D.A. students start showing up."

"What's D.A.?" Duo asked.

"It's a defense group me and my friends started last year." Harry explained a note of pride slipping into his voice. "Our defense teacher was pure crap so we started a group in secret and have been teaching kids defensive and offensive battle spells. We've grown a lot since last year. There's about fifty kids total now."

"You teach other students how to fight?"

Harry nodded. "Nothing fancy. Just the basics. Hermione and Ron kept things going while I was gone and have taught them a bunch of spells. But now that I'm back we've all decided it's best to get back on track. Tonight we plan on teaching the Reductor Curse and reviewing the disarming charm and stunning spell." Harry began pacing without realizing it as he spoke and the five couldn't help but be amused. "The original thirty-two students from last year know Expelliarmus and Stupefy but it's probably been a while since they've actually used it. And the younger kids haven't reached this far in their classes so we're defiantly going to have to help them out and keep a close eye on things. Reducto will most likely be new for everyone seeing as how it's not a spell that's ever covered in the standard curriculum. But even so, it's a very good one to learn."

Harry continued speaking, listing off students he thought would be good and others who would probably need more help. Duo watched him and rested an arm around Quatre's shoulder.

"Think we should interrupt him?"

"He really seems to be enjoying himself. I'd hate to interrupt."

"He's having a conversation with himself," Wufei butted in. "I don't think it will be a problem."

"Wuffers is right." Duo sighed. "And we need to get out of here before kids start appearing."

Duo casually strolled forward and had Harry in a headlock with a hand over his mouth before the younger teen could blink. Harry frowned and licked Duo's hand, making the older boy let go with a whine.

"Gross…"

"Don't do that. If you wanted me to shut up, you could have just said so."

"But you were so into your conversation with yourself you wouldn't have heard me."

Harry flushed, fighting a pout. "I'll show you guys to the room we found and you can decide if you like it." Harry turned to leave but Heero stopped him.

"What is Reducto, Expelliarmus, and Stupefy?"

"Oh, um, Reducto is a battle spell that lets you tear through objects, Expelliarmusis a disarming spell, and Stupefy knocks out your opponent."

Heero frowned deeply. "You will not participate."

"What?"

"Potential for harm is at unacceptable percentages. Our ability to protect is greatly limited and therefore we must decrease the number of harmful situation our charge will be in by as much as possible."

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "It's a bunch of students who are the same age and younger than me. Somehow, I think I'll be okay."

Heero stared him down. "Age is irrelevant."

"Heero, it's just a class. I'm the teacher. It'll be fine, I promise."

"No."

Harry scowled. "Well I can't just back out. I'm one who started this club last year and everyone expects me to be here tonight. I can't just not show up."

"Yes, you can."

Harry blew out a puff of air. He had forgotten how much he hated Heero's stubbornness. There was no way Harry would be allowed to stay and teach the D.A. if Heero said no.

"How about a compromise then?" Harry suggested. "You can stay here and watch and if things get out of control, I'll leave."

Heero lifted an eyebrow. "Stay where?"

Harry gestured for everyone to follow him outside. The hallways were clear of students and the teens waited as Harry paced in front of the room again. When a new door appeared, Harry led the way back inside and looked around. The room was exactly as it should be for D.A. meetings with a little change; one of the bookcases was fake. When standing in front of it, it looked like just another bookcase; but when behind it, it was see through. Harry turned back to Heero.

"Will this do?"

Heero survived the hiding place, finding it inadequate and unnecessarily risky but it would be sufficient for now. It would draw less attention if Harry was allowed to fulfill his obligations towards this group. Next time, Heero would be sure to come up with a more satisfactory solution. He turned to Harry.

"It will suffice. This time."

Harry beamed. "Kids will start arriving in half an hour. I'm gonna go track down Ron and Hermione so we can get started setting up. See ya in a minute." Harry was gone through the door, Snowball running at his heels.

"Well he's a happy little boy today," Duo commented. "You notice he seems much more cheerful than the last couple days?"

"It's because of us," Quatre said. "He's just that excited for us to be here."

The five fell into an awkward silence, not sure what to say to that. It didn't take long before Harry was back with his friends. Ron was sporting a very red ear and glaring at Harry while Hermione wore a very satisfied face. They greeted everyone before Harry had them working to get everything prepared.

At exactly seven o'clock, the first students arrived. Heero and the others took up their hiding spot to watch as the room slowly filled. They waited ten minutes before everyone had arrived and Ron and Hermione began calling for silence. Harry stood on a dueling platform the room had created and everyone sat back to listen.

"Okay, what we're doing today is studying three basic battle curses that are very helpful to know." Harry said and a murmur of excitement went through the room. "Stupefy, Reducto, and Expelliarmus. Now last year we studied stunning and disarming, so everyone who was here then, I want you to practice and help out the new people. But before we begin, Hermione's gonna give a mini lecture." The Gryffindors present groaned loudly and Hermione scowled. Harry laughed. "Don't worry, she promised to keep it short."

"Her idea of short isn't the same as the rest of us," a student mumbled from the group. Everyone laughed as Hermione took the stage.

"Now," she began firmly and everyone reluctantly fell silent, "The reason we are studying these spells are because they are some of the most commonly used battle spells amongst not only amateur fighters but professionally trained ones as well."

She spoke for another fifteen minutes but no one complained, finding her descriptions of fighting and the spells used in fights to be interesting. She even threw in a couple of examples of when she, Harry, and Ron had used the spells in real battles. As she was talking, Harry and Ron had jumped onto the platform and removed their outer robes. As she finished, they each took separate sides and Hermione gestured to them.

"Now, Harry and Ron are going to demonstrate everything I've just discussed in a proper wizard dual." Cheers of excitement echoed through the room. "Also, we're going to be putting you to the test at the same time. Neither Harry nor Ron are going to be controlling their spells or paying attention to where they go. In other words, spells are going to be flying around everywhere and, if you want to avoid getting hit, you will have to be alert and remember all of the shield charms we have taught you this year." The excitement level rose as students began drawing their wands and stood up. Hermione nodded and jumped from the platform. "First one to three points wins!" she called. "Begin!"

The students pressed forward eagerly as Ron and Harry bowed to each other. Both lifted their wands but Harry was the fastest and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" disarming Ron instantly and catching his friend's wand.

"Point, Harry!" Hermione called. The students booed in disappointment and Harry took center stage.

"The best way to win a fight is to never let it escalate in the first place." He explained patiently. "By disarming Ron quickly, I assured not only my own victory, but that no one would be hurt. Always try to disarm before fighting. A Death Eater is going to know a lot more curses and spells than you and they're not going to hold back. The Cruciatus Curse hurts."

Harry tossed Ron's wand back to him and they retook positions. Hermione called out, "Round two. Begin!"

This time, Harry didn't try and disarm Ron right away. He had made his point and now it was time to move on to an actual fight. Ron, Harry was pleased to see, was taking this very seriously. His face was a mask of concentration as he mentally processed Harry's moves and tried to predict what his friend would do next. One the flip side, he didn't over think his moves and let his instincts guide him. He cast spells that were simple yet disabling.

The two friends danced around each other with Ron shooting off the majority of spells. He didn't have Harry's speed and agility and tended to try to overwhelm his opponent. Harry continued to dodge, firing Reducto and stunners when he had an opening. They played for a few minutes before Harry glanced off to the side and nodded at Hermione. The blonde girl ran around the platform, unnoticed by the enthralled students. Hermione came up behind Harry and waited a heartbeat before jumping onto the stage and firing a stunner at Harry's back, knocking him out cold. The students booed loudly, especially the Gryffindors, and luckily missed the angry dark haired teen that appeared from behind a bookcase only to be pulled back a pair of hands.

Hermione calmly revived Harry and helped him to his feet calling out, "Point, Ron."

"What? That's not fair! You cheated!"

"Yeah, you're not even in the fight! Weasley needs to take out Potter on his own for it to be a point."

Harry smiled and Ron was the one who stepped forward to deliver the next lesson, his face serious. "In a real fight, there are no such things as fairness or points. Death Eaters are not above attacking from behind. You can't get so focused on a single opponent that you forget your surroundings and leave your back uncovered. You've gotta be aware at all times."

"I know it's a hard thing to do," Harry said. "But you've gotta at least try. In a real fight, you get one point and that point is your life."

The students looked properly cowed and Harry smiled reassuringly at them all. "Don't worry, if you're ever in a fight, you'll have someone backing you up, I'm sure. The three of us are always available."

The kids laughed and Hermione leapt from the platform again. She raised her hand, "Begin!"

This time, Harry and Ron didn't focus so much on beating each other as just throwing as many wild spells as they could. They made sure to point at the students and Hermione took notes on who had the fastest reflects and who failed to put up shields at all. It wasn't long before everyone had placed a shield around themselves.

"Reducto!" Harry shouted. The spell caught Ron's shoulder and Harry was covering him with his wand a moment later. Hermione called a point for Harry and the students cheered as Hermione revived her friend.

"Now," Harry spoke loudly to get everyone's attention, "This was just a play fight. Me and Ron have been practicing like this for awhile so we know what the other can handle. In a real fight, things are a lot messier and way harder." At the students nods Harry grinned. "Okay, everyone pair off. We have an hour left and I want you to practice disarming and stunning. We'll start with Reducto next time."

The class went smoothly after that. Everyone focused on their tasks and didn't slack off. Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked around offering advice and demonstrating when necessary. When Hermione blew the whistle and called for everyone to stop, groans of disappointment met her ears.

"Okay everyone," Harry shouted as they finished cleaning up, "Remember to get lots of sleep next week and be prepared! Reductor is going to bruise you! We'll have some potions and creams standing by to help but it's gonna be a painful lesson!"

After everyone left, Harry allowed himself to collapse back onto a beanbag chair the room provided for him. "That was exhausting."

"But so great!" Hermione exclaimed. "Did you see them when you two were dueling? Everyone was so into it. And they did great with their shield charms. This is was by far the best class we've had all year!"

"All thanks to you, mate." Ron grinned and lifted his arm to pat Harry's shoulder. He flinched in pain and rubbed shoulder. "Ouch, didn't hold back with your curses, did you?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The five bodyguards chose that moment to step out from their hiding place and join the younger teens in the center of the room. Harry turned to grin at the guys. "So what'd ya think?"

"It was definitely very informative," Quatre answered. "But you really should have told us you were planning that fight."

Harry blinked. "Oh… um, sorry. I guess I didn't think about it. We've been planning this for a while."

Heero was glaring coldly at everyone and Harry shifted uncomfortably. Heero hadn't even wanted him in the same as students learning battle spells; he must be flipping mad that Harry hadn't told him about the duel. Heero never would have allowed him to go through with it if he'd known ahead of time.

"How convenient," Duo muttered and plopped down on the beanbag next to Harry, surprised when the cushion expanded to fit them both comfortably. "So you three seem to have a pretty good idea about fighting."

Hermione and Ron looked sheepishly proud but Harry just offered a sad little smile. "We should get going if you're going to check out that room. Our curfew's in half an hour."

"All right." Duo agreed jumping back up. "Let's go!"

Ron and Hermione led the way out, checking to make sure no was in the corridors, before showing them where the passageway was hidden. Heero tapped Harry on the arm, holding him back for a moment. Harry stared curiously up at him.

"You will not do that again."

Harry was taken back for a moment before he smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes, Heero," he agreed easily offering a tiny teasing smirk. Heero glared at him. "I was actually thinking during class, about the five of you." Harry glanced at him. "Since you're going to be staying, I thought maybe we could teach you as well."

Heero lifted an eyebrow. "You are going to teach us how to fight?"

Harry laughed. "No way! You'd beat the living crap outta me. What I mean is, teach you about magical fighting. We give the D.A. a kinda censored version of everything, but we wouldn't do that with you. And wouldn't it help, knowing what you're up against?"

Heero nodded. "Did you make this offer once before?"

Harry shook his head. "No. When I was with you, I couldn't use magic. It could be detected."

"Hn." Heero was silent for a long moment. "Learning the fighting style of this world would be very beneficial." He nodded. "We will prepare a lesson that is suited to all five of our skills."

"Sure, Heero." Harry smiled. "I'll get some books from the library and we'll start from there."

Happily, Harry led the way to the passageway that the others had already entered. He showed Heero how to access it and spoke where he wanted to go. As they walked, Harry informed Heero of all the places he usually was, like Gryffindor tower, the Great Hall, the Owlry, and promised to write his schedule down. Heero silently approved, liking the attention to detail Harry was careful to put in. They arrived in the dungeons to find everyone milling about the room.

"There you two are," Duo grinned. "I was starting to get jealous."

The long remembered image of when Harry had accidentally walked in on Duo and Heero popped into Harry's mind and the boy blushed brightly, much to the confusion of his friends. Quatre stifled a laugh, taking a guess as to why he was embarrassed.

"Yeah, right…" Harry tried to laugh off his red face. "So what do you guys think? Dobby can clean it up and get you anything you need."

They waited as Heero scoped out the room carefully, running his hands over walls and turning the sink on and off. He stepped away and nodded once. "Did you find anything potentially harmful?" he asked the others. They all shook their heads negative.

"Everything looks okay to me," Duo assured. "Clean it up a little, gather a few essentials, and we'll call it good."

Heero glanced around once more and nodded. "It will suffice."

Harry grinned. "Brilliant. This weekend we'll have time to clean up, it'll be okay to stay in the Room of Requirement till then."

Harry stayed up until three in the morning that night writing down his schedule with all the detail he could. He also gave a brief overview of his teachers and the kids he usually spent time with so that Heero would know who was who. Once that was done, Harry began the long task of identifying the kids of known Death Eaters and the ones of suspected ones. It was a depressing task, writing down all the names of students Harry knew he would probably one day have to fight. Even if most were Slytherins, it didn't change the fact they went to school together. The thought of having to fight them one day made Harry feel sick to his stomach.

The next day Harry stopped by the Room of Requirement before classes and dropped the list off to Heero. Hermione also gave them some of her books and promised to scour the library for more. They left the Marauder's Map with the five and promised to check in during their breaks. Heero didn't like the idea of letting Harry run around unsupervised but until they figured out a way to follow him without being seen, he had no choice.

Classes went by boringly for Harry, who still hadn't caught up on the material and was still pretty clueless. They checked in with his bodyguards before running down to lunch. Everyone left them alone, though people were still whispering about Harry's continuing disappearing acts. Hermione had them sat at the far end of the table, away from all the teachers and leaned in close.

"So what are we going to do about this Sunday?" she asked.

Harry had almost forgotten about the Minster's weekly visit. He put his fork down and pushed his food away, suddenly not hungry anymore.

"Well we can't hide him," Ron mused. "Because of the tracking stars. It's too bad Fred and George dropped out last year, they were masters at getting out of stuff like this."

"What about confronting the Minister directly? He has to be a reasonable person, right?"

"He didn't even bat an eye, 'Mione," Harry deadpanned. "I know you want to believe he's good, but he's not. Sorry."

"Well maybe we can confront him and tell him to shove his potion down his own throat because you're not doing it anymore," Ron suggested gleefully.

"And if he calls in Aurors to help him?"

"We'll fight them, of course! We've taken on Death Eaters, werewolves, giant snakes and spiders, and a whole load of other bad stuff. We can handle ourselves against a couple Aurors."

"And get thrown in Azkaban for our troubles?" Harry asked skeptically. "Us fighting won't work."

"What about your bodyguards then? Maybe they can do something."

"No way!" Harry yelled. He lowered his voice as a few kids looked their way. "No way. They already had their minds erased by the Minister, there's no telling what would happen to them if he saw them again. No, we're leaving them out of this."

"Isn't the entire point of a bodyguard—"

"We're leaving them out of this," Harry ground out. Ron stopped talking. "Now, short of fighting, anything else we can think of?"

"Maybe Dumbledore can help?" Hermione suggested

"If Dumbledore could have stopped this, he would have by now."

"So we're on our own then?"

"Yes. And you know what? You gave me an idea with Fred and George."

Two days later, Dobby had finished cleaning the room and it was ready for the five to move in. Harry was on his way to tell them when Hedwig found him in the hallways. She dropped a large package into his arms and settled onto his shoulder.

"Thanks girl." Harry petted her once before looking at the box. It was from Fred and George and he couldn't help but smile. He knew the twins would come through for him; they'd never let him down before. Harry turned and ran back to the tower, completely forgetting what he was doing.

Ron and Hermione were sitting near the window, secluded from the few kids up so early in the morning. Ron was poking at a chess set while Hermione read. Harry hurried straight to them and put the package on the table.

"Fred and George came through. With this I have a plan to get out of taking that potion."

"How?"

Harry opened the box and revealed some of Fred and George's most destructive and noisy pranks. He began pulling them out and handing them to his friends as he explained his plan.

"When the Minister gets here, you guys will start setting these off in front of Dumbledore's office. Start with the noisy pranks first and when someone comes out to investigate, get destructive."

"How's this going to stop them? It seems more like a distraction."

Harry pointed at a frizz-bee shaped prank. "When the gargoyle opens, one of you is going to send this up the stairs. During the confusion of trying to catch it, I'm going to 'accidentally' knock the potion over and break it."

"You can't be forced to drink a spilled potion." Ron grinned. "Brilliant."

"When does the Minister arrive?"

"Eleven o'clock and he's never late. So start the dramatics at 11:02. Be sure to take my cloak so you aren't seen."

The portrait hole opened and the students awake enough to care looked up in surprise as Professor McGonagall came in, frowning deeply in disapproval. She spotted the trio and briskly walked over. Ron and Hermione hurried to hide the pranks but Harry stopped them.

"Professor." He stared into her eyes, daring her to stop his plan. McGonagall glanced at the pranks on the table and smiled briefly before ignoring them.

"Mr. Potter, it is time for your appointment."

"Yes ma'am." Harry leaned close to his friends. "The cloak's hiding under my pillow. If anything goes wrong, run for it."

They nodded and dashed upstairs as Harry left with the Professor. He glanced at her as they walked. "I'm not going to take it anymore."

McGonagall merely nodded. "I assumed so, Mr. Potter. But if any of those pranks are left over, I will confiscate them."

They didn't say anything more until they arrived at Dumbledore's office and spoke the password. Just as the gargoyle opened, Harry felt a tug at his shirt. He looked over his shoulder but no one was there. With a large grin, Harry followed the Professor up the stairs.

Dumbledore was speaking with the paintings when they entered. He turned and greeted them and Harry noticed the lack of twinkle in his blue eyes. The boy smiled; that would change soon enough.

They waited for the Minster in silence and Harry could feel the nerves growing in his chest. He half-wished Wufei was with him to support him but knew that wasn't an option. It was too risky to let any of his bodyguards be seen. Harry had actually gotten lucky as Wufei hadn't had a chance to corner him and ask for details about why the two slept in the same bed. He still wasn't sure about how to explain that situation.

Harry fidgeted with his teacup, bringing it to his lips before putting it down without taking a sip. At eleven o'clock exactly the fireplace burst into flame and the Minister appeared with his two cohorts, Gawain Robards, Head of the Auror Department and Pius Thincknesse, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Harry took a deep breath and prepared himself.

"Prompt today, Mr. Potter," Scrimgeore said as way of greeting. "I see you're finally maturing."

Harry stared at him.

"Perhaps now you see the importance of what we're doing here."

Harry continued to stare.

"I know it's unpleasant—"

"Do you? Do you really?"

The Minister frowned. "Mr. Potter, you will come to understand in time that this will all be worth it when we bring You-know-who down. Now, let's begin."

Just as he finished speaking a loud shrieking sound penetrated the walls. The portraits covered their ears and grumbled in complaint. Harry allowed himself a quick smile before putting on a confused face and looking around.

"What is the meaning of this?" Scrimgeore yelled over the noise. The shrieking was soon joined by loud banging and small explosions. Harry had to cover his ears.

"It sounds like joke items from the new Weasley Wizard Wheezes," Dumbledore yelled pleasantly. "I'm afraid students manage to sneak such things in despite our rules against them." The twinkle was back in his eyes and he winked at Harry.

"Thincknesse, go down there and stop whoever or whatever is making all this racket!"

"Professor McGonagall, if you would be so kind as to accompany him?"

"Of course, Headmaster." She turned on her heel and swept from the office, leaving Thincknesse to scurry after her.

Harry braced himself as the gargoyle opened, ready to move. The noise increased as the door opened and it was only seconds before a prank was flying into the office, wrecking havoc. Two more followed shortly after. Harry grinned and ducked to the ground as the flying pranks swooped over their heads. He drew his fake wand as the Minster roared in anger and started casting spells at the annoying pranks. He still held the potion in his hand and Harry waited until his back was turned before firing off a spell.

Heero finished his set of pushups and stood, wiping sweat from his brow. The Room of Requirement provided him with a towel and Heero frowned as he grasped it. Things did not appear out of nowhere like this. He would be glad to get out of this room that tried to cater to his every need as though he were an invalid who could not take care of himself.

As was his routine, Heero walked over to the table where Potter's map was laid out. It was Sunday so he should either be in his common room, eating in the Great Hall, or en-route to either place. As Heero lifted the map, a shrieking suddenly echoed from far down the hall. The other four looked up from their various activities, confused.

"What is that?" Duo asked curiously.

Heero turned his eyes back to the map. It took a moment for him to find Harry's dot and he frowned deeply when he did. He folded the map and began for the door.

"Our charge needs to be checked on."

The other four followed him unquestioningly.

Hermione and Ron barely managed to keep quiet as they watched the Ministry wizard trying to catch all the jokes they had let off. Professor McGonagall was casually waving her wand at the joke items and shrugging when the Thincknesse glared at her lack of success. When he did manage to take one joke down, Hermione would set off another flying prank or some fireworks. Ron was in charge of making sure the pranks made it up the stairs to the Headmaster's office. It was tricky to stay covered by the cloak, but the few times it did slip, the Ministry wizard was too busy to notice and McGonagall wasn't facing in their direction.

"Do you think he's had long enough?" Ron called over the noise confident that no one would hear him but Hermione.

"Let's send one more upstairs just to be safe."

Ron nodded and prepared to aim some fireworks up the staircase. Just as he did, a stray prank shot past and blew part of the invisibility cloak from their shoulders. Hermione hurried to recover it but before she could manage, someone snatched the cloak from her hands. She and Ron gasped, wiping around with their wands drawn.

"Heero!" Hermione exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Hide!" She quickly tried to cover all three of him with the cloak but the other four appeared around the corner, ducking from the flying pranks and staring at them curiously. Hermione turned to the Ministry official and was shocked to see him stunned on the floor. Professor McGonagall was calmly putting her wand away as she stepped up to them.

"One of the pranks hit him from behind," she said coolly before turning to Heero. "So the Headmaster was right after all."

"Where is Potter?"

Before they could answer a loud scream pierced the hall and this time, it wasn't from the pranks. Hermione and Ron whipped around, both screaming, "Harry!" at the same time.

Heero was up the stairs with the other four following before anyone else had a chance to move. He kicked open the office door, gun drawn, and found Harry on the floor, clutching his arm that was drenched in blood. Dumbledore was standing over the teen protectively while Scrimgeore and Robards stood back, glaring.

"…let us see," the Minister was saying, "That potion was never meant to come in direct contact with human skin!"

"You have done enough, Scrimgeore!" Dumbledore boomed and the Minister was shocked by the lack of formality. Never, no matter the situation, had he ever failed to hear Dumbledore address someone with due respect.

Heero joined Dumbledore, pointing his weapon at the Minister as well. Duo and Quatre knelt beside Harry while Wufei and Trowa faded into the room, covering all sides. To Dumbledore's credit, he showed no surprise that the teens had appeared.

"What's this?" Scrimgeore demanded. "Who are these boys?" he stared closer. "Wait… are these the muggles you hired to hide Potter?"

"They are here with my permission," Dumbledore stated clearly. From behind him, Harry moaned in pain. "You have far overstayed your welcome, Minster. I must ask you to leave. Now."

Scrimgeore seemed to know when he was defeated. He threw his cloak around his shoulders just as McGonagall entered the office with Thincknesse. The three officials left without another word. As soon as they were gone, Ron and Hermione tossed off the invisibility cloak and hurried to Harry's side.

"What happened?" Ron exclaimed. "Didn't it work?"

"You planned this?" Duo demanded.

Harry had his eyes closed tightly and his face shoved into Quatre's stomach as he tried hard not cry. He clutched his right arm to his chest and blood was spilled everywhere. Duo was carefully trying to pry Harry's hand from the wound so he could inspect it.

"He was going to use the distraction we made to break the potion!" Hermione said. "How did he get hurt?"

"The potion vial broke and it spilled on Mr. Potter's arm," Dumbledore informed them gravely. "Mr. Maxwell, if you could please pick Mr. Potter up, we must get him to the Hospital Wing immediately."

Duo managed to get a look at Harry's arm and hissed in sympathy. The skin and muscle had been burned away straight to the bone. Tears were falling from Harry's eyes and the teen had bit his lip so hard in an effort not to cry it was bleeding too. Carefully, Duo placed Harry's arm on his chest and lifted him into his arms.

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered. "I just… I just wanted it to stop."

"Shh. It's okay, Harry." Hermione whispered playing with her friend's hair. "I think we got our point across."

"It's going to be fine, mate."

Duo gently pushed past the two hurried to the Hospital Wing just as Harry passed out from blood loss and pain.

A/N: Well the Ministry didn't quite get their asses kicked but they have been stopped rather effectively. It'll be a while before they appear again. I loved the scene with the D.A. and Ron and Harry's mock fight. Did anyone notice a very angry Heero try to come out of hiding to stop it only to be pulled back by his friends? I giggled when I wrote that part. And also those of you waiting for some Harry/Wufei pairing, it won't be much longer now. I think I'll leave the comments at this.

Thanks for reading and please review!