A/N: I apologize to Strider and the rest of my readers for the long time they had to wait at my expense. I had really been busy with job interviews and stuff. I have a new job now and finally settled down. Hoping to fortnightly update this fic.
Alright then, here is the next chappie. Hope you like it.
An 'Uneventful' Week
Harry was directly in the way of the killing curse, waiting for it to claim him, to destroy him along with the world.
He had heard people say that during the last few moments, you remember your whole life within a fraction of a second. However, he just felt empty and cold, nothing more.
Fate had other plans. It wasn't his time to leave the world of the living.
***B***
Out of the corner of his eyes, Remus watched in horror as the deadly green bolt raced towards him. His senses had failed him; he had been too tired, his concentration too weak.
And then he appeared right in its path. And with bewildered eyes he saw the curse pass right through him! Or was it that his apparition was not fast enough to block the curse?
Remus didn't get enough time to understand what had happened as he got pushed out of the way. He landed hard on his side, grazing his arm. A cough left him as the wind got knocked out of him.
He turned his head and met the worried eyes of Tonks looking down at him with a small smile on her face.
"You alright?" She asked. Remus could only nod, the near death experience momentarily taking away his ability to speak.
Remus's eyes looked away and noticed him looking in his direction with raging eyes. There was no concern whatsoever.
The two quickly rolled over as curses crashed where they were a few moments ago. It seemed as if the remaining death eaters had recovered from the distraction and were trying to press the advantage. Remus and Tonks were out in the middle and their chances of survival seemed rather bleak. Until the man went berserk.
With a ferocious cry, the red robed man unleashed a maelstrom of disarming bolts. An odd choice of spell when compared with his previous curses which mostly comprised of Stunners or Killing curses.
Death eaters were too surprised, too slow to dodge, their flimsy shields too weak to deal with the powerful disarming spell. In the end, only two of them still had their wands. They did the most sensible and cowardly thing that anyone else in their place could have done; they disapparated.
The man returned his focus to the death eater who had initially attacked Remus.
Remus saw the death eater tremble uncontrollably and almost stumble as he backed away. The death eater's face was dead white and his eyes flickered between the man and his wand lying between them.
The red robed man pulled his fist back as if preparing to punch and apparated right in front of the death eater, powerfully striking his stomach. The death eater went down with a pained cry, clutching his stomach.
The man raised his wand, his arm shaking slightly as he looked down at the death eater with cold angry eyes.
"Avada Kedavra!" The death eater's moans vanished; along with his existence.
The remaining masked men were too horrified and stunned to do much of anything.
And before the thought of doing something even came to them, it was too late.
He walked towards the quivering men, summoning their wands. With each step he snapped a wand with a loud crack; a cold smile gracing his face. It almost felt like a countdown, as if their time would run out when all the wands were broken. The death eaters back-pedaled, stumbling over themselves.
He raised his wand as the death eaters turned around and made a desperate dash for survival. However, a disarming spell interrupted his wrath. The spell got absorbed even before it could reach his body.
The red robed man looked sideways as he noticed Remus had his wand on him. His cold eyes returned to the retreating death eaters who ran right into the clutches of the Order, who had finally arrived on the scene. If anyone had looked closely, the death eaters looked almost relieved when they were rescued by the Order.
"Drop your wand!" Remus ordered with a sharp voice, his wand trained on him, ready to go on the offensive.
The Order members were warily moving in their direction, unnerved by the destruction of the death eaters.
The man turned in his direction as he felt Tonks coming at his side, her wand parallel to his.
His face broke into an unfeeling smile as his brilliant blue eyes pierced them with ferocity. He dropped his wand arm at his side and slowly walked towards them.
Feeling threatened, Remus and Tonks sent powerful blasting hexes in his direction, only to disappear harmlessly into nothingness. He hadn't even raised his wand. The two stepped back, their minds furiously working on a counter against his almost impenetrable shield.
Suddenly, he vanished into thin air. The two whirled around with their backs pressed against each other and scanned their vicinity with readied wands. He had either disillusioned himself or he had escaped.
"You shouldn't have interfered..." His deathly calm voice spoke around them or maybe it spoke from inside their heads. The two gulped as their eyes continued to remain focused around them.
Suddenly, it became much easier to breathe as the dense air around them dissipated. The heavy presence had disappeared. He was finally gone.
***B***
Harry apparated directly to his room and quickly extracted himself from his shield cloak which was sapping him off his magic. The cloak was like a leech which shielded him using Harry's magical reserve as the source, unlike other shield cloaks. It was much stronger but it also drained Harry's magic rather quickly.
The cloak was not perfect though. It had its limits. And Harry was getting a feel of those limits.
Each movement of his body was hurting him as if his body was on fire. His clothes were bloodied and Harry suspected that there might be a few broken bones involved.
Harry knew that any potion or healing charm would not help heal his body since he was already low on his magical reserve.
He would have to use his magic judiciously. Harry walked towards the bathroom and removed his clothes. He studied his damaged body in the mirror, looking for injuries that needed his urgent attention. There were far too many wounds, more than he could count. The extent of his injuries mildly surprised him. His quick reflexes and his strong shield cloak didn't amount to much in the end. Then again, it was impossible to escape the onslaught of a mini-army of death eaters without a scratch. That only happened in the reel life.
Harry winced as he felt the wounds stretch and contract as he moved his muscles. He was a bloody mess alright. A cold shower should sort that out and at least numb the pain. Yeah, it stung like hell.
Luckily, his bones were still in one piece and he just had to heal a major gash across his thigh. The rest would have to just remain as a source of pain for him. Going to Madam Pompfrey, or anyone else for the matter was not an option. There was no explanation that he could give for his injuries.
He gently laid down his sore body on the bed and sighed. He will just have to let time do the healing for the moment.
His whole body flinched in mental pain as Harry found himself failing to suppress the memories of the past hour.
He had killed; again. And in cold blood this time. The enemy was at his mercy but he had killed him without remorse. He flinched again as he remembered those dead eyes.
However, something was different this time. Harry only felt regret for his actions. The tormenting thoughts that were raking at his mind felt numb; less painful. It was as if he was starting to accept that he was a killer. One less wouldn't have changed the fact that he was still a murderer. Or at least that was what he was trying to say to himself.
Without realizing it, Harry was slowly turning into a monster. However, no one could find fault with that. After all, no matter how strong, for a human to fight a monster one had to submerge his humanity and transform into a monster himself.
***B***
The death eaters lifted the two dead bodies and removed them from the hall. Failure had a heavy penalty when one worked for the Dark Lord. And worthless cowards had no place in his army of death eaters.
"I want to know who he is. And I want him dead." Voldemort eyed the death eaters standing before him, waiting for a volunteer to serve his command. He felt the rage build up inside him as he noticed the death eaters looking at each other as if waiting for someone else to undertake this task. It seemed as if they feared their enemy more than him; the most powerful Dark Lord of all time. Such a thought was unforgivable. They would surely be punished for their disrespect.
"Please grace me with this task, my Lord."
Voldemort eyed the death eater whose face was hidden behind the mask. "You surely took your time, Severus." He hissed, deep rage emanating from his every word.
"I am sorry if I have offended you." Snape said calmly while the others distanced away from him, expecting him to be punished. "I was just waiting to give someone else the chance at this prestigious assignment. Alas! It was not to be." Snape said with a smirk thrown at the other death eaters around him. If it wasn't for the presence of the Dark Lord, the others would have certainly skinned him alive.
With glowering red eyes, Voldemort said. "I will not accept failure, especially from you."
"Yes my lord." Snape replied promptly. "I would rather die than disappoint you."
"That you would." Voldemort warned, turning to the rest of the death eaters. Only his sharp gaze was enough to cause most of them to back away while the remaining tried to hide behind others. Voldemort almost smirked, noticing the fear in their eyes. He really relished that feeling he produced in his followers. Oh! He was going to enjoy this.
"What should I do with the rest of you?"
The Dark Lord had a lot of fun that night. Fun in the most morbid sense that anyone could have imagined.
***B***
"I don't know what to make of him." Remus concluded his briefing to the rest of the Order members.
There was a moment of silence as everyone pondered over the report.
"Can we suppress his purported identity from the newspapers?" One of the members questioned. "It would not do well for us if people started to draw their conclusions."
"Not possible." Kingsley informed. "There were too many people who witnessed the battle. People will talk which we cannot stop."
"Umm... Are we certain he is not related in any way to Albus?" Charlie asked as he looked around at the other members.
"Yes" The Headmistress of Hogwarts said. "Neither of the brothers had married and there is no other relative alive." Charlie still seemed unconvinced. "I hope you are not doubting my memory."
"No! Of course not." Charlie shook his head with wide eyes. "It is just that the resemblance is too uncanny to be just a coincidence. And his skill..." He paused, as if searching for the perfect word to describe his thoughts. "... seems to be from a totally different world. I have never seen anyone duel like that. He just looked so... invincible..." No one disagreed with him. After all they had seen the truth with their very own eyes. Moody however, scoffed with disapproval but didn't say anything.
"I still don't understand why he tried to save Remus?" Tonks quipped with a confused look on her face as she looked at her fiancé, the ring shining in its everlasting brilliance. "It almost looked as if he was going to sacrifice himself..." She trailed off and looked around the meeting room.
"Unless... the killing curse has no effect on him..."
"No one can escape the killing curse." Moody said hotly. "Neither can Voldemort, nor could Dumbledore." Everyone looked at each other's faces and returned their gaze to Moody. "However, that being said, I don't have any explanation for his actions either." He conceded.
"There's something more which has been left out of the report." Kingsley said meeting everyone's mildly surprised eyes. "None of the death eaters actually died from the vigilante's killing curse." No one reacted much to that since they already knew it. "... bar one."
"Who?" Bill enquired.
"The death eater who had tried to take out Remus." Kingsley turned to the werewolf and met his perplexed gaze.
"Why?" Remus asked out aloud. There was no answer though.
***B***
Lance's face held a neutral expression as he observed Harry, who in turn was doing his best to avoid eye contact.
"You let your emotions get the better of you; again." Harry cringed at the unmistakable tone of disappointment in his trainer's voice. "A mistake done again and again is no longer considered a mistake." Lance paused and softened his voice. "I know it is difficult and a lot is being asked from you here but there are some lines no one should cross. You are walking a fine line here and you cannot afford any more blunders. I don't need to impress the reasons behind my warning." He said, sending a knowing look towards Harry.
Harry remained silent, a guilty ridden expression creasing his face. He didn't have anything to say in his defense. Neither did he want to agree to the crime he had committed. Accepting it would only make him acknowledge the darkness that was slowly spreading, spinning its intricate web around him. He was supposed to be the leader of the light dammit!
"However, if we exclude that unfortunate incident, I think you did really well. Taking out thirty two death eaters is by no means an easy feat." Lance resumed with a proud smile on his face. Harry could only fake a smile. He was feeling neither proud nor happy. Actually, he felt nothing. It was an odd sensation, Harry mused. His mind wandered off for a moment, lost in the nothingness that he felt; or didn't. "... thank the twins... Harry? Harry?"
"Huh?" Harry responded his eyes focusing on Lance as if just noticing him. "I... sorry. I kind of spaced out."
"And I have been talking to walls for the last five minutes, is that what you are trying to say?" Lance said raising an eyebrow. Harry could only give him an apologetic shrug. "So what do you want to do today?"
Harry held his gaze for a moment and noticed Lance take on a guarded expression as he extracted Dumbledore's wand and placed on the table. "I want to know what is so special about this wand."
"What makes you think it's special?" Lance responded with a perfect neutral voice.
"Don't act as if you don't know anything about it." Harry retorted with a hint of accusation in his tone. "Since you know so much about me, you should have also realized that I hate it when people keep secrets from me." Harry paused, studying his trainer closely. "My spells are much stronger when cast from this wand when compared to the results of my own. Yesterday, the stunners I had cast were extremely powerful, cutting through the shields of the death eaters like they didn't even exist. It is clear that this is no ordinary wand. There must be a reason behind Dumbledore's actions and the huge steps he had taken to give me his wand. Giving me useful apparition skills couldn't have been the sole reason. I am certain you know something about this." Harry stopped and eyed Lance with an expectant gaze.
Lance broke eye contact and looked away for a moment. Without looking at Harry, Lance spoke. "Yes it is true. That wand is special; very special." He turned around to look back at Harry. "It is called the Elder Wand… the most powerful wand ever made."
"Stronger than the Amber Wand?" Harry asked with a dubious look on his face.
"Much stronger" Lance said with a smile. "A wand with the hair of a thestral is impossible to make and the Elder wand is that impossible creation."
"How old is this wand?" Harry said as he picked up the wand, studying its flawless shiny wood.
"I am not sure about that but I know it's old. It has had far too many owners. Wizards fought over it, many of them ending up dead, including the owners. And with the wand came the ownership of the rare phoenix. The prize was too good to resist."
"Okay, so I am in more danger than I realized. Imagine that." Harry chuckled dryly. "Umm... if this wand is so powerful, why did the owners lose?"
"Power alone is not enough. Skill also plays an important role; even luck." Lance said with a look. "Also when I say powerful, the wand in itself isn't strong. Like the Amber wand, it enables the owner to draw more magic out and hence amplifying the power behind each of their spells."
"Which also means that my magical reserve will deplete faster than normal?" Lance nodded. "So was this why Dumbledore was killed? For his wand?"
"Yes, that was one of the reasons." Lance agreed. "The wand was originally owned by Grindelwald and its possession transferred to Albus after he was defeated."
"Which means that the headmaster had foreseen what Voldemort would do to get his hands on this wand and had taken necessary steps to transfer its ownership." Harry had a pensive look on his face. "What I don't understand is, if he had planned so far ahead, why couldn't he stop his own death from happening?"
Lance gave him a sad smile. "Dumbledore was sick. He was going to die soon anyway. I suspect he wasn't prepared for such an early exit from the world of the living."
Harry nodded. However, there was something that was still bugging him; something which wasn't fitting in well with the whole picture. Harry just couldn't see it yet. I guess I would have to look harder, he thought.
***B***
A riot; that's what it was.
The Great hall almost exploded when the owls dropped the Daily Prophet before the students. Almost everyone had purchased a subscription it seemed, if the huge flock of owls was anything go by.
Harry had expected as much. He sat back in his seat, busying himself with his breakfast.
"Harry!" Ron bellowed right into Harry's ear causing him to cringe. "Check this out!"
Harry rubbed his ear as he found Ron and Hermione pouring over the newspaper. His female friend was too busy drinking in the details to look around.
"The Marauder is at it again." Ron remarked as he found Harry's attention.
Harry quirked his eyebrow. "The Marauder?"
Ron had to literally struggle with Hermione to pull the paper in front of him so that all three of them could read from it.
Harry scooted over and read the flashing headlines. 'The Marauder: Our New Hero!' which was followed by his alter ego's picture, his face clearly visible this time.
"Doesn't he look a lot like Dumbledore?" Ron thought aloud. "I wonder whether he is his son or maybe his grandson."
Harry didn't comment and returned his eyes to his breakfast. "I am not reading that trash. It might just all be a lie."
"No it's not." Hermione spoke up, as she raised her head to look at Harry. "You might be surprised by the fact that this article is written by none other than Katie; Katie Bell." She said, pointing to the name at the end of the page. "Everything I have read seems legit, unlike the stuff Skeeter writes."
"Katie is into journalism? I thought she would have pursued a career in Quidditch." Harry mused.
"Never mind that. This article must have given her the required limelight to springboard her career in this field." Hermione informed.
Harry surveyed the crowds of students who were still buried in the newspapers. "Everyone seems to be rather taken in by this Marauder."
"You shouldn't be so surprised by this hero worship." Hermione said pointedly while Harry scoffed. "Everyone just loves a hero."
Harry glanced towards the paper before looking back at his plate. "So what does it say?" He knew that if he didn't sound interested, it might make Hermione suspicious.
"Why don't you read it yourself? Katie has done an excellent job in reporting the facts accurately."
"I am just too lazy." Harry said through a mouthful of food, only to irritate Hermione. She just huffed and looked back at the paper.
"The Marauder, that's what the paper is calling him, had defended the Gringotts bank and single-handedly taken out around thirty death eaters."
"Is that even possible?" Harry raised his eyebrows with doubt.
Hermione didn't say anything and continued. "Katie, it seemed was on the scene when all this happened. And luckily, she had a camera with her." Hermione turned the page and the next two pages were filled with snaps of the Marauder in action. Ron whistled as Harry's alter ego was portrayed cutting through the lines of the death eaters.
"These does seem legitimate enough." Ron said glancing at Harry before returning his eyes to the paper. "This Marauder guy is really strong from the looks of it. Say Hermione, how do you explain his resemblance with Dumbledore?"
Hermione was quite for a moment. "I know for a fact that both the Dumbledore brothers never married. I am not so sure about their sister... I think she died when she was quite young."
"In short, you don't have a clue." Ron teased her, earning him a glare.
"It says over here that Professor Lupin and Auror Tonks were also on the scene when this happened." Hermione said, reading from the newspaper.
"We might be able to get a better version from them if we get a chance to speak with them." Ron suggested with a frown.
Hermione moved her eyes to Harry. "What do you think Harry? Will he stand up against Voldemort? He might even be his match in strength."
There was something in her eyes that was making him uneasy. "I don't know. We will just have to wait and see." Harry said, breaking eye contact.
Hermione turned the page and almost shouted in disgust. "I can't believe this!" Ron quickly followed it by his own exclamation. "The nerve of that woman!" He almost spat the last word.
"What now?" Harry stretched himself to see where Hermione was pointing at.
'The Marauder; Or Dumbledore's Lovechild?' by Rita Skeeter, it read.
Harry couldn't stop himself. He burst out into loud fits of laughter.
***B***
They were living a dream, their eyes feasting upon what their hearts desired the most; 'Harry' in action.
The twins watched in amazement, simultaneously trying to comprehend the unbelievable action before them as they found themselves lucky enough to get front row seats to this extravagant spectacle.
They watched as 'Harry' made his entrance with a rain of fire pellets charmed with a fake fire charm. They felt the release of the powder bomb which exploded, releasing a mixture of oxygen diffusing agent and petrification vapour. That bomb was one of their most difficult invention but it worked without a hitch.
The voice resounding runes really worked like a charm. The effect was so real and convincing that they couldn't stop the shiver of excitement.
Even though they knew nothing was real and it was all just a trick, an illusion to deceive the enemies, there was no doubt that 'Harry' was extremely powerful. Such was his strength and power that he crushed the death eaters without breaking a sweat.
However, there was something gnawing at the back of their minds. They couldn't agree with his utter disregard of life as they watched him kill some of the death eaters. The lack of remorse on his face was making them feel worse. They felt as if they were working for a criminal; a murderer.
This fact about him was really disturbing them. They resolved to confront him about it. And that they did.
'Harry' had come to collect the package when they put forth their question. Those blue eyes looked up, a certain coldness returning to them as he worked on a response.
'Harry's face broke into a sly smile as he raised his wand in one of the twins' face. "Avada Kedavra!"
The twins were too shocked to move. Fred watched in horror as the green death bolt hit George right in his chest. His eyes rolled back and his body dropped to the floor with an ominous thud.
Fred kept on staring at George hoping, wishing for any sign of movement which could prove his existence. His heart almost stopped beating as the reality of the situation hit him in the face. He slowly raised his eyes at 'Harry' and noticed that his wand was still trained on George and his face held an amused look. Rage filled his body and he reached for his wand.
However, before he could do anything, 'Harry' said "Ennervate!"
Fred looked back down at George and saw him flinch. All the energy left him as Fred dropped right next to George and turned him around to look at his face.
George opened his eyes and blinked rapidly. He opened his mouth, slurring his words slightly. "Am... I in... heaven?" His eyes focused on Fred who was looking down at him with disbelief. "Hell it is then... you could never... be in heaven."
Fred didn't comment as his eyes took in the moving features of his twin. "You are alive..."
"Am I?" George said with a blank look. "Maybe we both are dead. You just haven't realized it yet."
'Harry' chuckled causing them to look in his direction. "You guys have a thing for each other."
The twins looked at each other and jumped back in an instant, drawing out their wands and pointing in 'Harry's direction.
"Why am I alive?" "Why isn't he dead?" The twins chorused.
"I don't think it was a killing curse." George surmised with a lot thoughtful look. "It didn't feel like the real thing."
"And when was the last time you felt it?" Fred inquired with a curious look.
George paused for a moment before he said. "Point taken."
'Harry' gave them a wide smile which disappeared before the twins could comment on it. "George is right. That green light was just a firework spell closely followed by the stunner."
"I didn't see a stunner." Fred pointed out.
"You would have if you had looked closer. You couldn't since your attention was completely captured by the killing curse." 'Harry' explained.
"But still... That was a sick joke to play on us. For a moment I thought I lost my brother." Fred complained with a sharp look.
'Harry' looked at them with a neutral expression, his eyes unapologetic. "That was the best and the easiest way to explain to you my innocence." The twins scoffed in unison. "Ok. Maybe I am not. But you know, to fight a monster, you would need to become a monster yourself."
The twins seemed to disagree but they didn't voice it. They were still too innocent to understand. They hadn't felt the dark side yet.
'Harry' picked up the pouch from the table and looked up again. "See you soon" And he vanished, just like that.
The twins' eyes quickly moved to a small spherical device with a marble like ball spinning inside.
"The detector has gone off." Fred noted.
"So that was an apparition indeed." George said with a nod. "How does he bypass our anti-apparition wards though?"
Neither had an answer.
***B***
"I told you this was going to happen." Hermione said but the usual I-told-you-so tone was missing. Harry and Ron were just staring at the other students as they talked excitedly about tomorrow's matchups. "Including Neville, the four of us didn't lose a single match in our house. The duels between us was unavoidable." Hermione looked at Ron for a moment before she said. "It's good that I am not going against you, Ron."
"Yeah" Ron said with a smile. "I could never raise a wand against you." Hermione smiled pleasantly while Harry chuckled in the background.
"I agree too." Harry said with a mischievous grin on his face. "If you two had been paired up I am not sure if it would have been called a duel of wands. More like snog-fest or the battle of tong-."
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed in shock while Ron just looked around in embarrassment, hoping no one heard their loony friend.
Harry laughed heartily drawing a few stares. His two friends couldn't stop their smiles at his antics. Sometimes he seemed so... normal; like the Harry they remembered from before.
"Hermione, if you think I am going to go easy on you then you must be dreaming. I fight to win." Harry said without a smile.
"So do I" Hermione shot back, matching Harry's expressions.
Harry turned to Ron with a sharp look. "Whose side are you on?"
"It is time... to choose." Hermione had a hard look on her face, eyeing Ron with a questioning gaze.
Ron swivelled his head between his friends, unable to understand the sudden rift between them. Not mentioning the fact that he was put in a spot, to choose between them. "I... can't... you know..." Ron's eyes noticed a flicker of a smile on Hermione's face and he suddenly realized that he was being played at. Without missing a beat he said. "A difficult choice indeed. However, I have made my decision." He stood up and moved next to Hermione. "Hermione, you have my undivided support." She gave him a pleasant smile and nudged him in the shoulder.
"No!" Harry exclaimed in shock, placing his palms on his chest and wincing as if in pain. "I have been betrayed by my only friend. I cannot bear the agony! Ahhh...!" Harry ended with a comical groan.
And the three burst out laughing, uncaring of the other occupants of the common room.
Harry was laughing but his mind was somewhere else. He had just hit upon a brilliant idea.
I guess that will have to do. But will he agree?
***B***
He had only two days before his match with Hermione; too few for his plan to work but it will have to do for now.
He looked at the serious faces of the six students who had gathered in the Room of Requirement which was once again made into a conference room; the sixth student being Susan Bones. She was a surprise addition and Harry had drawn a lot of flak and teasing when he had told the rest about his decision. He had insisted that having both head boy and head girl in the mix was going to make them look more official and give their proposal more weight. They didn't seem convinced, especially Hermione. Ginny was also giving him a strange look.
"Right, so in your hand is the list of probable candidates that we need to approach and explain what we are planning. I am sure you have gone through the outline that Hermione has created which perfectly touches on the points that we are going to tell our candidates." Harry advised, giving Hermione a nod. "Having Susan with us would help us quickly get through all of them. Completing the recruitment within two days would be most beneficial for our goal."
"Umm… Harry, there are around hundred and fifty candidates here on the list, not counting the ones from Slytherin. How are we going to speak to them all in just two days?" Neville asked with an uncertain look on his face.
Hermione answered for Harry. "Since we are going to divide them among us, it would be only around twenty five students per head. It should be manageable in two days I think." She turned to Harry and questioned him with a curious look in her eyes. "Why the hurry though?"
"We are following a strict schedule here if you haven't forgotten." Harry said, indicating towards the chart. "We need to move fast and get as many people on board as we can. We may never know what might happen in the distant future. We need to be prepared." Hermione didn't seem convinced but didn't voice it.
"I am not so certain about the response that we are going to receive with our proposals." Ginny thought out aloud.
"What do you mean?" Susan asked.
Ginny acted as if she hadn't heard her. "I don't think everyone will jump to our side so easily. They will have their reservations to join us even if we are formally acknowledged by the Headmistress."
"You mean the cowards." Ron said with frown. "We don't need such people."
"Ron, you must realize that joining us will not only put them in danger but will also put a mark their family and relatives. It is not an easy decision you know. However, I am certain that the response would be good." Harry said with a nod. "You need to ensure that you don't ask them to make a decision right away. Give each of them ten days; that is till the end of this month to make their decision. This would give them enough time to think about what they want to do. I hope you are all clear with that?" Everyone nodded in response. "I will deal with the Slytherins separately."
"You won't be helping us?" Susan enquired. As soon as she spoke, she realized how foolish her question was.
Harry gave her a sad smile. "Unfortunately, no. I am sure no one would even listen to what I have to say. However, if you all need any help, come up to me and let me see what I can do. The Headmistress has been rather helpful till now. I am sure she would relent a bit further. At least I am hoping she would." He gave a chuckle to try lighten up the mood. "Alright then. Let us start on with this. Do you have any questions?" He looked around but no one said anything so he moved on. "Okay, Let the recruitment begin!"
***B***
Harry knew his friends were hiding something. The worried expressions on their faces were proof enough. Whenever they were with him, they tried to put up a mask to indicate everything was fine but Harry could see right through them. He had an idea what could be troubling them but didn't comment and acted as if he didn't notice them.
It was Friday night when the trio were sitting in the Prefect meeting room. Susan happened to be there and joined them as well.
They looked at Harry and he looked back at them. "Didn't you have anything to say to me?"
"Well you see…" Ron looked at Hermione for help who just rolled her eyes.
"Actually, we have managed to reach out to all of the candidates we had decided upon…" Hermione began.
"And?" Harry egged her on.
"The response was rather disappointing actually. We tried our best but I am not sure how many would join us." Hermione continued with frustration.
"Yeah" Susan agreed with downcast eyes. "Most of them didn't seem that interested. Some were pretty afraid too."
"Is that the truth?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows. He looked at Ron whose mask of innocence was fast crumbling under his stare. "You don't need to hide anything from me. I knew this would happen. If I figured the situation correctly, everyone must have asked whether I was a part of the Army as well, right?" The three grudgingly nodded. "Just as I feared. And when you gave them a positive answer, they didn't seem interested anymore, right?" They nodded again. He gave a dry chuckle. "People are so predictable." He bowed his head in thought for a moment before saying, "I guess we can't do much at the moment. We will just have to wait till the end of the month and hope for a miracle to happen which will change their minds." The other three weren't as optimistic as him but they didn't voice their doubts. Nothing much was left to be said and they left saying their goodbyes.
Harry went back to his pastime; staring into the fire.
Miracles didn't happen by themselves. One needs to make them happen. And that's what he was going to do.
***B***
The cheers were loud enough to shatter his ear drums; if they had been made of glass that is. It was no mystery that the crowd was supporting his opponent; namely Hermione Granger. Arguably the brightest witch Hogwarts had ever had. It was to be seen how she would fare in a duel where brain alone wasn't enough.
At this very moment, they were standing opposite each other with neutral expressions. It was uncomfortable for either of them to fight amongst them but there wasn't any way around it. Their eyes met and a small smile on both their faces indicated that they were ready to go without holding back.
Harry knew he had to be careful. Hermione was no ordinary opponent. Her strategic mind and the vast knowledge of spells was an advantage over him. However, he was certain that he could win this. After all, he had single-handedly taken out more than thirty death eaters. One intelligent witch shouldn't be a problem. He had experience, superior skill, fast reflexes and much more on his side. Losing didn't seem conceivable.
His smile broke into a smirk as he raised his head from the bow. Hermione's smile faltered slightly and raised her eyebrows at the sudden change in her opponent.
As together they raised their wands, waiting for the signal from the referee, Professor Hart.
As soon as the signal reached Harry's ears, Harry launched into a violent offensive, his spellwork laced with powerful cutting and blasting hexes. The crowd nearly went berserk as the wide eyed Hermione hastily shielded herself and dodged when she was getting overwhelmed.
Harry wasn't giving her an inch; or he only made it look that way. Harry was intentionally trying to aim a bit wayward with his more damaging spells, making it easy for Hermione to avoid them. From the outside, it was too painful to watch the deadly assault on the harmless girl. He also had a cruel mask on his face to accompany his attacks for effect. Acting was soon becoming his second nature.
Hermione was doing worse than expected, Harry realized. An automatic frown came to his face when she just played simple defense without employing any strategies. Something was amiss.
Harry decided to push her to a side just like how he did with Ginny and win the duel quickly. It didn't go as he expected though.
Hermione suddenly started using reflective shields, backfiring most of Harry's spells towards him which he easily sidestepped. If this was her strategy, then she was surely going to lose, Harry concluded. Reflective shields were exhausting and repeated use could deplete ones magical reserve rather quickly.
Harry was in for a surprise though. Hermione had managed to cast a reflective shield right in front of him. Distant Magic! When did she learn to do that?
Harry's blasting hex was too close for him to dodge and smacked him right in his stomach. He was thrown off balance, landing painfully on his back. "Ow!" It hurt. Both to his body and his ego. The crowd cheered as they witnessed the sudden change in the tide of the battle.
Harry scrambled up to his feet and the next thing he felt was a sharp jagged pain in his head. Hermione was using Legilimency on him! Wasn't she full of surprises? Harry barely managed to bring up his mental shield in time but his moment of distraction was going to cost him dearly.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a strange yellow curse coming towards him. Luckily the aim was slightly off and he managed to dodge it easily.
He looked in Hermione's direction and prepared himself for the next volley; a bluish spell which he had never seen before. Being cast non-verbally didn't help matters.
Before Harry could even ponder over it, something struck his back and his legs suddenly felt very heavy. He tried to move but his legs seemed to be stuck to the ground. The bluish curse raced towards him and Harry's vain attempt to move out of the way failed.
The spell struck his wand arm and Harry gritted his teeth to ready himself for the accompanying pain. He felt no such thing though. His arm however, was feeling strangely numb. He could still feel his fingers and move them but something was wrong.
His confused eyes met Hermione's tired but triumphant gaze as she watched him struggle. "Expelliarmus!"
Harry knew he couldn't dodge so he brought up his shield; only problem was that the shield was non-existent. The spell didn't work! What did that previous spell do to him? Harry managed to contort his body painfully and somehow managed to evade the disarming spell which just grazed his shoulders. The crowd reacted with lots of Oohs and Ahs. They were witnessing a battle no one had ever seen before.
Harry righted himself, with one arm clutching his sides which was hurting due to his rather poorly done evasive manoeuvre.
"Admit defeat Harry. You have lost the match." Hermione called out as she pointed her wand in his direction. She looked extremely exhausted, only the smell of victory was keeping her on her two feet. "You cannot move anymore and the Drain curse is drawing away your magic as we speak. You can't duel anymore."
Harry swallowed as his brain desperately searched for a way out. This was not happening. He would not lose to Hermione. He was suddenly taken over by this unexplained urge to win; his desire to defeat his opponent.
Suddenly, Harry smiled; a dark one at that. Hermione's relaxed expression suddenly stiffened. She knew that she had to end it quickly. She sent two well-placed stunners at Harry and watched her spells race towards her victory.
She was in for a shock. Harry's wand switched hands and a solid shield appeared before him. His magic was still alive, if only for a little while. The curse still hadn't reached his left arm.
Without wasting anytime, he casted the cancelling charm on his legs and his right arm. It didn't work though. He realized that there was nothing much he could do about his current handicap.
The duel suddenly became a race against time. Hermione was struggling with the last strands of her magical reserve while Harry was fighting against his draining magic.
Harry knew that he was at a disadvantage here and he would have to take the onus to end this fight. He launched his barrage of unusual curses which were a combination of weak but effective spells.
Hermione was forced to dodge or bring up a shield; something she couldn't afford to do any longer. She was at her limit; both physically and magically. She was slightly surprised by the length Harry was going to win this duel. It was as if his life depended on it.
She had to win this and show everyone that she was not just another bookworm; not just a tag-along member of the trio; not just a brilliant witch. She was something more. She was Hermione Granger.
Straining her magic, she returned fire with the disarming spells and stunners hoping to end this here and now.
At that moment Harry was feeling the strain as well as he brought up his shield after letting lose a volley of tripping hexes. His hands vibrated as the spells began striking his shield and the drain of magic suddenly caught up with him. The shield flickered and then vanished entirely, leaving him open to the oncoming curses. The stunner missed him but the disarming spells did not.
Harry clutched his wand with both his hands as the disarming spell fought to remove the wand from his hand. Harry struggled valiantly and overcame the first one only to be struck by the second one. This time, he lost the wand; and the match.
Harry suddenly felt empty. It was as if a vacuum had taken the place of his heart. He had lost to Hermione. He heard the wand clatter unceremoniously to the floor, as if ridiculing him.
He was a loser. He couldn't even defeat a girl. How was he going to kill Voldemort? The reality struck him with full force as he staggered, his feet suddenly becoming mobile. His eyes were staring at the floor, ashamed and defeated. He had been overconfident, blinded by his previous victories. He should have realized that it was only due to his luck and his unique apparition skills. If you take that away from him he was just another teenage wizard.
There was something odd though. The crowd had gone silent. Shouldn't they have been rejoicing over the defeat of their new number one enemy?
"Winner of the match, Harry Potter!" Harry heard the Professor announce. What in the world...?
Harry looked up for the first time, rising from his depression. Hermione was lying on the floor, unmoving. But how? What happened? Did he cause this?
He saw Ron racing to Hermione's prone form, ahead of the approaching healers and kneeled next to her. Harry moved as well, the feeling of victory overcome by the worry for his friend.
As he neared her, Ron looked up and Harry had to blink twice just to ensure he was seeing right. The look of anger and betrayal caused him to freeze in his steps and frown at Ron. "Stay away!" Ron said loud enough for people in the first few rows to hear him.
If Harry was surprised, then it was an understatement. What did he do for his best friend to react in such a manner? For a moment, he stood his ground hoping that Ron would relent. No such thing happened. With a last look at his best friends he walked away from them after picking up his wand. He felt as if he was in a trance, blind and deaf to the ridicule the other students were throwing his way. He realized something; there was no such thing as sweet victory. He took his place and stared at the arena, ignoring the eyes of hatred which were trying to pierce him.
"You alright, Harry?"
Harry's eyes turned to Ginny who was looking at him with concern. She was sitting two rows below him slightly towards the left. Dean who was sitting next to her was eyeing him dangerously.
Harry gave her a nod and a fake smile to show he was okay. Ginny saw right through him though. She made to get up but Dean held her down. They exchanged a few words and Ginny turned in Harry's direction with an apologetic look. This time he gave her a genuine smile and turned away.
Hermione, now revived, seemed alright as she was checked by the healers in the corner. Ron didn't return to his seat since his match was the next and the last one scheduled for today.
The match had begun and the whole of Hogwarts realized Ron's power and skill. They also realized that Neville was no muck either. The match lasting for more than five minutes was proof enough for the quality of duel taking place in the arena. The crowd cheered for both of them, unable to make up their minds whom to support.
Ron triumphed in the end as expected but he was made to work hard for his victory. Ron didn't return to his seat which was next to Harry and instead went to where Hermione was.
Harry couldn't bear this unexpected fissure between him and his friends and disappeared in the crowd which was heading for the exit.
***B***
Hermione didn't understand what was going on. Now that was saying something. Why was Harry avoiding them and why was Ron stonewalling all her questions?
"Ron just stop!" She said sharply, looking up from her dinner. The last few hours had been torture for her. She was missing Harry and all this nonsense was really driving her crazy.
Ron looked up quizzically with his mouth full. "Waa...?"
"You know well what I'm talking about. What happened between you and Harry?' She repeated the question for the umpteenth time hoping for an answer this time around. She had tried the other students but no one was forthcoming. Where were Ginny, Luna and Neville when she needed some answers? They would have certainly given some plausible explanation.
A dark look came on Ron's face as his eyes returned to his plate without saying anything.
"Why are you doing this to Harry?" Hermione asked, a pleading tone entering her voice. "You know well enough that he is going through a rather bad patch this year and he needs our support. You giving him a cold shoulder might just push him to the edge."
"It would serve him right. This is his own fault." Ron raged silently. The students sitting nearby were intently listening on to this particular conversation.
Hermione gave them a cold look before returning to Ron who still hadn't looked up. At least he had responded. She decided to push on. "How can you say this? He is your best friend!"
"Was my best friend." Ron corrected her, stressing on the first word. He finally looked up. "Up until now I have been blinded by this friendship. I had overlooked his recent change. He is not our Harry anymore. He has changed... for the worse..."
"What are you saying?" Hermione said frantically, as the other students around them nodded in agreement.
"Don't you see it?" Ron said, slightly raising his voice. "He has become cold and heartless. Haven't you noticed how he behaves with others? And did you forget your duel with him?"
"What of it?" She still didn't have the details but she suspected that it was the reason for this change.
"He tried to hurt you again and again. Did you forget his violent attacks at you? No friend could do such a thing. I will never forgive him for that."
"It was a duel, for Merlin's sake Ron. Those spells can be used. It's not like I would have had any lasting damage." Hermione replied but her voice was not convincing. She was surprised as well by the hostility that Harry showed.
"Do you really believe what you are saying?" Ron retorted. "Didn't you see the look on his face, the malevolent eyes that were eyeing his prey, which happened to be you? No one looks like that at a friend. Believe me Hermione, he has changed. And I am no longer his friend." He said with such finality that it broke her heart. No matter how Harry behaved, she could never imagine him not being at her side. He was like her brother; didn't he say that to her? He would never go dark, she was certain of it. After six years of friendship, she could read him like a book. There was something else going on here which she wasn't aware of and she resolved to find out.
She got up leaving behind her unfinished plate. "I don't believe it. I will speak to Harry myself." Ron protested and tried to stop her but she had already left the hall.
***B***
"Harry!" Harry didn't respond as he laid on his bed, fully clothed, staring at the ceiling. "Harry! Please come down. I need to speak with you." Harry sighed but still didn't move. There was something which was holding him back; fear of rejection. "If you don't come down, I will stay here until you do. So better hurry up and save me the trouble."
Harry sighed again but this time a small smile lit his face. He slowly got up from his bed and walked down the stairs. He opened the door before Hermione decided to break it down. He eyed her with a blank look on his face.
"Hiding from me? Am I so scary?" Hermione began with a smile. Harry couldn't stop the grin from his face. His fears were unfounded. He still had her in his corner. "I am sorry about what happened. Ron seems to have jumped to the wrong conclusion. You know how he is. He acts before he thinks. I am sure he will come around in a few days."
Harry looked in her eyes and knew that it was not the case. It was apparent that she didn't believe it either. "I am not so sure this time around."
Hermione walked right in front of Harry and looked him in the eyes. "You have been acting very strange this year." Harry opened his mouth but she beat him to it. "You are. If I didn't know better, it almost seemed like you were trying to be a villain; trying to become the most hated student. And don't tell me that you were just unlucky or some other crap because I know it isn't. You have been acting with a purpose, as if you have set yourself a predefined goal. I am not sure where you are going with all this though. It all seems meaningless to me. Unless you tell me what it is you are doing."
Harry looked away from her. "You are just imagining things."
"I am not. I have known you since a very long time and I have a good idea what goes on in your head."
"You are only guessing. Your Legilimency doesn't work on me." Harry turned around and looked into her guarded eyes. "You did manage to surprise me during our duel. I did have my suspicions and now it is proven to be the truth."
"You knew?" Hermione looked shocked.
"I am not as blind as you think." He said, giving her a mysterious smile. "I am sure you must have mastered Occlumency already. Nothing less can be expected from a brilliant mind such as yours." Hermione reddened slightly under Harry's compliment. "I must say though, that you are more than just intelligent. You surely had me in a spot in our duel today. I thought I had lost it."
"I just got lucky that the Gravity charm struck you accurately after bouncing from the reflective shield."
"Ah! So that was it. That sure was some deep strategy compared to my hit and run technique. I was lucky to hit you with my tripping charm and knock you out to win the duel. Otherwise you would have surely won." Harry said with a chuckle. Hermione was finding it difficult to cope up with his praises. "I am still exhausted and suffering from the after effects of our match. Nothing a good sleep won't heal. I already had something to eat so you don't have to worry about me. Alright?" Hermione nodded. "See you tomorrow then. Goodnight"
Hermione watched him disappear behind the door. It was only after a minute that she realized that Harry had managed to deftly side step her questions and twisted the conversation in another direction. She sighed in defeat. Well, there was always tomorrow.
***B***
Instead of being in his bed, under the bed covers and dreaming, Harry was looking for death eaters. A proper sleep was not in his destiny it seemed. His droopy eyes scanned the darkness but nothing seemed amiss.
The portkey had triggered at the worst time. He was already tired from today's duel and the injuries which he suffered four days ago still hadn't healed completely. Sleep deprived, Harry was really in a bad mood tonight. Merlin help those death eaters who were going to feel his wrath.
The area was deserted and only stray dogs walked the streets. Everyone was peacefully sleeping in their beds and here he was, hunting for black cloaked men with masks. He rounded a corner and spotted his quarry. He couldn't fathom why they were walking when they could have easily apparated to their destination. Throwing caution to wind he launched himself in their midst and attacked without wasting a breath. Didn't the death eaters realize that he was in a hurry?
To his surprise, the death eaters didn't seem surprised by his sneak attack. It looked as if they were expecting him. However, they seemed inept to take advantage of their numbers and Harry was quickly putting them down, rather ruthlessly at that. He also managed to give them a few scares with his fake Killing curse.
Disturbingly, he noticed that one of the death eater just stayed rooted to his place, blocking any spells coming his way but not taking part in the attack. It seemed as if he was studying Harry and his fighting technique. Within a minute, only two people were left standing.
Harry threw a few stunners but he blocked them easily. He tried to apparate around him but it was as if the death eater knew where he was going to attack from. Tired of this game, Harry sent the green firework spell followed by a barrage of stunners. It was a trap and Harry expected it to work. But it didn't.
The death eater remained unmoving as the green bolt harmlessly collided with his body. The death eater gave an extremely familiar dry chuckle. Very familiar indeed. Enough to wake Harry from his stupor and instill an uncontrolled rage in his body. "How noble of you. Or are you just one of those cowards who fear from taking a life?" Harry heard the familiar drawl as it cut through the air. His fists were clenched so tightly that he feared that his wand might break. It was with the great effort that he somehow managed to bite back a retort and stayed silent. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue? Or are you too afraid to speak?"
Harry maintained his silence, his wand ready to strike down his enemy number two. He was going to kill him. That was the only way in which he could sate his hatred.
The death eater removed his mask to reveal his identity. No surprises there. Severus Snape!