Apparently, tomorrow might be difficult to upload new chapters, if it is possible at all. So here's another one. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Chapter 25: It will fly again…
Harry awoke to the sound of a sweet melody. He stirred lightly on his four poster bed and fumbled around for his spectacles. He put them on and opened his eyes, expecting to be greeted by warm sunlight. He was shocked to see that it was still quite dark outside and there was nothing, as far as he could see, that could be making such a lovely sound. He opened one of his curtains and walked towards the nearest window.
There was still nothing.
"Strange…" he muttered softly, opening the window in order to get a better view of the Hogwarts grounds.
He could see Hagrid's hut. It looked quiet and undisturbed. He turned to take a good look at the lake. It, too, looked calm. He was about to shut his window when suddenly, he spotted something flying at amazing speed straight towards him.
"What the…"
He could tell almost at once what it was. It was Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's Phoenix. He had thought that after its lament on the day of Dumbledore's funeral it would never return to Hogwarts. And yet there it was, in all its magnificence. It perched on Harry's pillow and looked at him expectantly.
"Fawkes? What are you doing here?"
The bird gave him a look of amusement. Harry found himself smiling as well. He was being quite silly if he really thought the bird would actually answer. Fawkes did, however, begin to utter the rich, wonderful sound that had awakened him. The door to his dormitory opened and the bird immediately flew to the corridor. Harry didn't even have time to put on shoes. He knew what he had to do. He ran after the bird quickly.
Fawkes seemed to know exactly what to do. He continued to sing and guide Harry out of Gryffindor Tower, into the dark corridors and finally stopping in front of the Gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. Harry looked at the magical creature and sighed.
"I do not know the password, Fawkes," he said softly.
Apparently, he didn't need one. The Gargoyle sprung to life at the sound of his voice and the revolving stairs were clearly visible. He ran up them quickly, eager to speak to Dumbledore's painting again. Once he found himself standing in front of the door, he hesitated. What must he do? Knock on it? Simply open it?
"Enter," said a soft voice from within the room.
Harry turned the knob, allowing Fawkes to enter before him and closing the door neatly after he had entered the room.
"It is most pleasant to see you again, Harry!" said Dumbledore's portrait amicably.
"Oh," muttered Harry softly.
The truth was, after seeing Fawkes he had harbored the tiniest hope that maybe, somehow, Dumbledore had returned from the dead or something of the sort. It was kind of disappointing to see that Dumbledore was speaking to him from his spot on the… wall.
"Do you remember what I told you back in your First Year at Hogwarts?" he asked solemnly, sensing what was troubling Harry.
"You said so many things…"
"About death," he clarified, giving Harry one of his knowing looks.
"Uh, well, you said that… well… that to someone who had lived a full life or something death was the next great adventure…" he said, marveling at being able to remember something he had been told so long ago.
"Good! I am glad you remember, Harry! I stand by those words! I lived a rather accomplished life, if you will. I learned a lot, I taught a lot and I fought a lot. It was my time to leave and your time to take your place! You cannot rise to the extent of your power if you continue to lean on me," he gave Harry a small wink.
Harry began to pace around the room.
"I am still a bit confused, Professor, especially when it comes to my friends and their role in all of this. And… well… something happened," he said carefully.
Dumbledore's portrait waited patiently.
"Draco Malfoy joined us, as you already know, and Hermione kind of… revealed to him everything about Horcruxes," he said quickly.
"Did she now?" he asked.
"Yes! You told me not to tell anyone but them and she just blurted everything out to him! And due to that we were forced to tell Neville, Luna and Krum!"
"What did you do afterwards?"
"We vowed them all to secrecy!"
"Hmm… I trust your judgment Harry, and maybe it was as well that the rest found out. If they are to help you they need to know what they are helping you with!"
"I thought as much. But you were so firm in me not telling anyone else!"
"I know you have not told Professor McGonagall, which makes me extremely proud!"
Harry looked quite shocked.
"Why?"
"If I would have wanted the Order of the Phoenix to know about Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes I would have told them myself when I was alive. No. They have enough on their plates. They need to battle Voldemort's forces on their own accord. You… and the group of people with you, however, will battle Voldemort directly!"
"Will they go with me?" asked Harry, half horrified.
"You will decide. But let me warn you, your group is a faithful one; each and every one of them is. You need to realize and accept that; just as you decide what to do with your life, and you make your own path, they have a choice as well. They can either follow you until the very end, or leave. Whatever they choose, do not shun them… do not judge them," said Dumbledore's portrait solemnly.
"I don't want any of them to die for me," Harry said humbly, looking down.
"That is a choice they can make, and if they do, you must not discourage them. For them, too, know how to love!"
Harry began to shiver. He was becoming quite aware of what was he had to do. Everything was beginning to clear up, and the prospect of it scared him.
"It is alright to be scared, Harry. In fact, you would not be human and you would not love if you didn't fear for those you hold close to your heart!"
"It doesn't make me weak?"
"What do you think, Harry?" asked Dumbledore's portrait, smiling mischievously.
"I think… that it might actually make me stronger!"
"Good, Harry! Very good! And please remember, I might not be with you corporally, but Fawkes will always sense you and come to your aid… for I will never truly be gone, as long as there are people who continue to be loyal to me".
"I won't forget," said Harry softly, studying the expression of his old Headmaster with fondness.
"Now, off you go," said Dumbledore's portrait, smiling serenely at him.
"Harry! What are you doing?" asked Ginny, yawning drowsily.
Harry had stayed up the rest of the night working on some papers. He was sitting down in the middle of the Common Room completely surrounded by pieces and pieces of parchment. He looked tired, but deliriously happy. He stood up, walked to her and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I spoke to Professor Dumbledore last night!"
Ginny's bright blue eyes opened wide. She looked around to make sure they were completely alone before speaking again.
"What? How? What did he say?"
He smiled again, took her hand in his and guided her to the middle of the Common Room, where he had been sitting.
"He told me I had done well in telling everyone else about the Horcruxes. He told me he trusted my judgment. He told me that I knew what I had to do and I do, Gin! I really do!"
"What is it, then?" she asked urgently, her heart beating faster with what she knew was slight fear. She really didn't want to lose him.
Harry didn't answer right away. He bent down and grabbed the piece of parchment Anna Sophia had given him weeks ago.
"This is the address to the lady who had Helga Hufflepuff's cup. When Dumbledore went to get back Marvolo's ring, he found that it had been hidden on the same place he had taken it from. I believe that Voldemort not only collects trophies, but he displays them on the place he committed his most evil deeds. Which is probably why he wanted to kill me and destroy my parent's house," he explained rather quickly.
"Harry…" said Hermione, running down the stairs.
Ginny blushed slightly and so did Harry. It seemed that Hermione had been on top of the stairs listening on their conversation since the very beginning.
"What if there aren't seven Horcruxes?" she asked.
"It would be impossible… Dumbledore said there had to be seven!" replied Harry quickly.
"No. He said he thought there would be seven, as it is such a powerful number! But the Horcrux he would have made that night at your house was not completed. In fact, it was destroyed!" Hermione explained triumphantly.
"How?" asked Ginny, completely confused.
Harry, however, was beginning to see what Hermione was saying. And if she was right, it would mean they only had two Horcruxes left to destroy!
"The Avada Kedavracurse bounced off of you and hit him. Therefore, had he been a normal human being, he would have died instantly. However, he simply vanished for a very long time, wandering around without a body. He didn't disappear; his soul lingered, because of the other Horcruxes! Harry, don't you see? The one that inhabited Voldemort's body that night was destroyed! There can only be six left! There has to be!" Hermione shouted, her cheeks reddening.
Almost at once, they heard the scraping of feet on the floor and the doors opening. Soon, the rest of the group had made their way downstairs and were looking at the other three with unbridled curiosity.
"Everyone, sit down!" instructed Harry quickly. "We have a lot to talk about!"
Without uttering a single word, except for an occasional colossal yawn from either Ron or Neville, they all found seats and looked at Harry expectantly. Soon, both Harry and Hermione began to explain what they had been talking about prior to their entrance and Harry quickly told them part of his conversation with Dumbledore's portrait.
"It makes sense…" said Viktor, looking thoughtful. "Hermy-own-ninny's" he struggled hard to pronounce her name, "theory!"
"It does, mate! And if it's true, then all we have to do is destroy one more Horcrux before finally facing You-Know-Who!" said Ron, smiling.
"Like that makes things any easier!" drawled Draco, rubbing his grey eyes.
"He's right! It is not any easier now than it was before. Voldemort is still as dangerous and he must be feeling somehow that some of his precious Horcruxes are destroyed. We need to continue training. We must make it seem like… like…" Harry stopped briefly, at a lack for words.
"Like Dumbledore's death affected our plan!" said Ron finally.
"Yes! Draco…" said Hermione softly, turning towards the handsome Slytherin.
Draco's eyes narrowed with mild surprise. He looked at everyone around him, as if he expected Hermione to be addressing some other 'Draco' in the room, and finally looked straight at Hermione.
"I believe Harry overlooked something, but I did not…" she drew out her wand. "Ginny… you do the honors…"
Ginny shivered slightly under her night gown and kneeled in front of Draco. Understanding dawned on him as he found himself kneeling as well. She grabbed his hand firmly in hers, entwining their fingers.
"Do you, Draco Malfoy, swear not to reveal any information regarding Horcruxes, any plans made to destroy them or any information that may prove to be valuable to…Lord Voldemort?"
Draco's face contorted in pure shock. He looked into Ginny's blue eyes and then at Hermione's warm brown ones. They had actually figured out that Harry had forgotten to make him swear not to tell Lord Voldemort himself of their plans. He hesitated for a few seconds.
"I swear," he said firmly, pursing his lips as the last word left his mouth.
Hermione tapped their hands with her wands three times until the circle of light surrounded them completely and finally vanished. Draco let go off Ginny's hand and stood, facing Hermione.
"I certainly hope this is enough to prove my alliance. There is no person that can actually stand to be doubted every minute of the day without cracking in the end. Remember that!" he said, turning on his heel and running up the stairs to the boy's dormitories.
"No, no! You are doing it wrong!" shrieked Hermione angrily, grabbing Harry's hand.
"What am I doing wrong, Hermione?" he asked patiently.
"You are whispering the spell! The point of non-verbal spells is for them to be non-verbal! You won't have any advantage if you whisper the spell!"
Harry sighed and shook his head fast. Professor McGonagall had given them a list of useful spells against Dark Arts and now they were practicing in one of the school's empty classrooms. Ron and Draco were dueling, if you could call Ron being beaten every five seconds a "duel", while Hermione was trying to help Harry on his non-verbal skills. Apparently, he had none.
"Hermy-own-ninny, maybe you should go help Ron instead. I will stay with Harry," said Viktor softly, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Hermione blushed and nodded, turning to Ron and Draco at once. Viktor faced Harry and took out his wand.
"Do not let me in," he whispered.
"Wait…" said Harry suddenly, lowering his wand.
"Legimens!"
Even though this time he was definitely unprepared, Harry was able to detect the feeling of content the spell gave him and hate it for all it was worth. He focused on how he didn't want to be reminded of the most painful aspects of his life. He focused on how tired he was of being scared that someone might creep into his head and ultimately find out his most intimate secrets. He focused…
"Good…" said Draco suddenly.
Harry blinked and found Viktor Krum sitting down on the floor, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. He hurried to him and helped him to his feet.
"I thought you said he was doing poorly!" said Viktor, still rubbing his head.
"I thought he did. Last time it took him a lot longer to push me out of his head. And he didn't do it with such force either," commented Draco, walking to their side.
"Hey! I thought we agreed to practice non-verbal spells and dueling! I had no idea you would just go ahead and try Legilimency on Harry!" said Hermione angrily.
"It's ok, Hermione, I needed practice anyway!" said Harry softly, feeling happy and thankful and… even hopeful. "Do come here, and let's continue with the non-verbal stuff now, shall we?"
Winter was rapidly approaching. Harry had taken training very seriously. He hadn't felt prepared before, but every day that passed, every lesson they received, gave him new hope that he would be able to pull through with his task. Every member of the group was getting better in their area of expertise.
Neville was now quite proficient at growing plants at a quicker rate than usual. He could also identify almost any kind of plants from those that had more magical qualities than others and even which were better for food. Luna had been learning how to read the stars and her ability to read daily signals had improved greatly as well. Ginny had managed to learn tons of new spells and hexes which she practiced daily on Draco and Anna Sophia, whenever they had their guard down.
Draco's ability to make potions and his Defense Against the Dark Arts were definitely outstanding. Ron was not exactly proficient at anything in particular but he managed to improve in being calmer, more thoughtful about things and, like Luna, to read signs in unseeingly places. He had also improved dramatically on his dueling skills, using that same calmness he had managed to acquire to his advantage. He was still the same Ron Harry and Hermione knew and loved, but he had changed somehow.
Hermione had just polished her extensive knowledge, as had Viktor. Anna Sophia was now able to lift everything and everyone in her immediate perimeter without having to neither make eye-contact nor wave her hands. This had proven to be most useful when she felt Ginny was nearby, looking for someone to hex for practice.
"It's snowing," she said softly, approaching the window.
Ginny, Hermione and Luna walked to her.
"It looks beautiful, doesn't it?" asked Ginny breathlessly, pleasantly surprised that they had been lucky enough to witness a white winter once more.
Anna Sophia nodded.
"It has been so long since I have actually stopped to look at a snowfall from inside a warm house that I had forgotten what it looked like…" she murmured.
"You shouldn't forget that sort of thing," said Luna wisely, "It is details like these that keep you human!"
Hermione smiled inwardly. Luna was definitely making more sense to them all. They just weren't sure if it was because she had changed or because they had somehow copied her ways and were now able to understand her better.
"I think I'll go visit Hagrid," said Harry, putting on a coat and walking towards the entrance of Gryffindor Tower. "Ron, Hermione, are you coming?"
Ron already had his coat on and had joined him near the entrance. Hermione ran upstairs, changed into her winter things and ran downstairs again.
"Ginny?"
Ginny smiled and wrapped her scarf around her neck.
"I thought you had forgotten about me!"
Harry smiled at his young girlfriend and placed his arm on her shoulders, pulling her in a close embrace.
"Anyone else wants to come along?" he asked.
Anna Sophia was now lying down on the couch, fast asleep. Viktor had left to review some books in the library. Neville and Luna had wrapped their own scarves around their necks to join them. Only Draco was left, and he seemed to be having a bit of trouble deciding.
Hermione smiled a bit.
"Why don't you come along, Draco? You'd be left here all alone with Sophie… and she's fast asleep," she pointed out.
Draco looked at the sleeping girl and let out a dry laugh.
"Yeah, well, I don't think I'd be welcome there. Besides, I don't think I want to go there. I mean… really… a hut?" he frowned.
"Some things never change!" muttered Ron impatiently.
"And don't ever expect them to, Weasley. Go on!" he shooed them with his hands. "Go!"
Draco does have feelings, but he is not too mushy either… LOL! So here you have it! I hope you REVIEW!
Real Author's Notes:
When I logged on this morning I was so surprised to see I had 15 reviews for Chapter 24 that I got busy making the final changes on Chapter 25 (during my lunch hour, of course!). I really hope you all like it, and though this story has a long way to go, we are rapidly approaching moments we are all waiting for… I hope you are all enjoying every step of the way!
Hmm… Vicky… LMAO! LuciousLadyLucius, I somehow don't see Anna Sophia calling Krum "Vicky" though it would be hilarious! LOL! Thanks for reviewing! Hugs for you!
Thank you, aperfectattitude, I am very glad to learn you are enjoying my story! I hope you enjoy it until the very end! Thanks for reviewing!
When I wrote the scene of Hermione/Draco passing notes I was reminiscing about my High School days when I used to do that with my best friend, Giselle! LOL! I hoped you would all find it interesting! Thank you for reviewing and for always being around!
You know, Yolanda, I understand exactly what you are saying. A kiss is intense, but when you hug someone you love it is such a great feeling… I will make them hug in the near future! It is a bit hard to keep everyone in character, seeing as I am not their creator, but I like the way they are and I really didn't want to mess around with them much. Thank you VERY much for your review and for always being around, it means SO much to me!
Thank you, BexyLou! I am glad you like Hermione/Draco in my story! Hope to see you around more often!
Thank you, pinkicing101, I am trying to take full advantage of school break to write every night in order to be able to update almost daily! I am glad you like it!
Cool, marauderbabe289! When I began to write this story I had one thing in my mind… I wanted it to be different from anything out there. I am honored that you think I have succeeded in that sense to some extend! Thank you VERY much for reviewing!
LOL, Amy (inappropriate name)! I wish I were JK! Then I wouldn't have to worry about money! LMAO! Still, that is an awesome compliment and I can't thank you enough for it! As for Luna and Ron… wouldn't they just be the CUTEST? LOL! Thanks again! I miss you when you don't review!
Thanks, iHEARTxDRACO! Yeah, Anna Sophia does seem a bit like Lara Croft, though I didn't model it after her. LOL! I am glad you like my story! Thank you for reviewing!
CANDY! Can I have some! LOL! Thanks Loca4Anime! You totally rock as well! I can't answer your questions just yet because I would give away the rest of the story, but I promise all will be answered accordingly! Did you really print out the whole story? Wow! With Chapter 25 it comes up to 104 pages! THANK YOU very much for your enthusiasm! It means A LOT! I hope to see you around here more often!
Thank you, reader101, and it's great to read from you again! It's not over yet, don't worry! Long way to go…
I am updating fast now, aznqudditchchick! LOL! I hope you are having a great day as well! Thank you for writing!
The scenes at Godric's Hollow made you cry, soccerbabe? Wow! Thank you SO much for saying that! It means SO much! Tons of hugs to you and I hope to see more of you around here!
Thank you, dcscprincess, I am very honored that you thought of me for this project of yours. I will look into it, though I am very busy right now. I'll contact you soon! Thanks again!
I am glad you like it, Caitie! There are even more surprises in store! Just stick around! Thank you VERY much for all your reviews! I loved them!
I know some people reviewed other chapters of the story, but I can't go back chapter by chapter to check. I apologize to those that are not mentioned but please keep in mind that I read every review and I am extremely honored that you take time to read and review this! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
Happy New Years!
Love,
Kendal