"What do you mean what did I do?" Harry snapped, rolling up the map of Hogsmeade and putting back in its slot.
"Mahari can't speak to me without crying! She's crying all the time. What did you do to her?" Tedros asked sternly, looking entirely like his father.
"I did nothing."
"But she did." It wasn't a question, and Harry regarded him for a moment.
"It happened on our trip. I met her friends and Julius was there." Tedros' eyes opened wide and he swore.
"I'm sure you know that he's her ex, and a really good friend of mine, but he can be a real dick sometimes."
"Yeah, I think I found that out. He kept making comments and passes towards your sister, and she seemed to forget that she is my wife."
"Ah. Did she do anything?"
"What do you mean?"
"Kiss… have sex…" Harry looked appalled.
"No!"
"Er… right… so what's the problem, besides your hurt feelings?" Harry glared at him, unable to answer.
"You're taking her side." Tedros shook his head emphatically.
"No, I'm just remembering that you don't know Mahari as well as I do. She likes attention, and a lot of it. Julius gave her that. When they were together he doted on her so hard he bought her a car, but Dad made her give it back. What I'm saying is that while she should have acted accordingly, you have to understand that to Mahari, you're largely ignoring her."
"I'm sorry if I have a lot on my plate." Harry said coldly. Tedros shook his head sadly.
"I'm not the enemy Harry, and I am just trying to give you some insight. Where are you sleeping? I know it's not with her, she told me."
"When I do sleep it's usually on the couch, and I am gone before she wakes up. Not talking became easier and easier… and not seeing her was even easier… at least I don't hurt as much."
"Talk to her Harry. She's still your wife and mother of your children."
"I know."
"Good."
>
"Remus?"
"Hello Harry. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. Kind of surprised to see you." He said, walking back to the gargoyle that signaled the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Lupin smiled and shrugged, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"I had to see Dumbledore, you know, Order business." Harry nodded his head. "But I was going to come by and see the children and you of course, before I left. How is everything?"
"I wanted to know if I could talk to you… about my parents."
"Of course, come on, we'll take a walk.
>
"Yes… well, I could see where you would feel betrayed." Remus said, nodding slowly. They were in the courtyard, the weather nice and pleasant enough for Harry to take off his cloak and vest.
"Did my parents ever fight?" He asked as they stopped to lean against the wall. Lupin laughed.
"Oh yes. They fought as well as they loved each other. James was always a flirt. He couldn't help it; it was how he spoke to women. Lily hated that about him with a passion, and it didn't help that he loved to get her riled up…" He broke off with a smile, shaking his head. "They never fought in public, ever. I think it was a rule… and James could never allow people to see that the two of them were divided. Why do you ask?"
"Because I'm having a fight with Mahari, and I guess it's not really a fight, because we're not talking to each other, and we don't see each other."
"Sounds like you're doing some serious work to avoid her… Hogwarts is large, but it's a small world." Remus smiled slightly, looking at Harry fidget. "What was the fight about?"
"We saw some of her old friends when we went to Xantha's house… and her ex boyfriend was there… and she was acting as if we weren't married."
"Did she tell her friends that she was married?"
"No…"
"Why not?"
"She said they wouldn't have been able to take it." He shrugged. "But I ended up giving it away when I told Julius off. That's her ex."
"I see… did it make everything better after you "told him off"?"
"No. Worse."
"And the two of you haven't spoken since?"
"We did, but it… it just started falling apart." Remus sighed and straightened; a faraway look in his eye.
"You sound like James when he explained to me that maybe married life wasn't for him. This was right before they found out that Lily was pregnant. It was autumn, and the cold weather would make your father reckless, probably because he enjoyed it so. They had been fighting for almost two months, and it was killing James, and hurting Lily. They both had come to me complaining about the other. I had to tell them to talk it out, because both were talking about how it wasn't working."
"And what happened?"
"They worked it out. The love and respect they had for each other was more than the disagreement that they experienced. Someone just had to remind them of that." Remus looked over at Harry and frowned. "Do you want to try again? I don't want to put my nose where it doesn't belong and suggest that the two of you sit down with me… but perhaps you should find someone who can mediate for the both of you before it's too late."
"Too late…" He trailed off, thinking of what that could entail… Harry thought for a moment then nodded. "Thank you Remus."
"I hope that I've been more of a help than a hindrance."
"Yes, you have."
> > > > >
"Again!" Harry leaned over the stands and looked down at the Quidditch pitch. Two squads were on the sand, with ten targets about twenty meters away. A row of DA members took aim, and let the arrows fly. Almost half made it to the target, and out of those, only three made it on the actual target. This was the fourth practice with the Evacuation and Demolition squads, Tedros adamant that each squad learn either archery or sword fighting from Mahari, so they wouldn't rely so on their wands and magic.
"Why aren't we getting better?" Terry asked, almost throwing down the bow in his hand.
"You are getting better. Remember, you weren't even able to make it to the target before. Just have patience. Next row, line up for your shot, and when everyone has had a chance, I'll show you what you need to do to work on, and we'll meet again tomorrow." Harry turned around and smiled as Ron came to sit beside him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Strategy and Healing are up next, and since Mahari is using the Room of Requirement for her class right now, I thought I would come and watch Tedros." He said as he pulled out a sandwich that had been wrapped hastily.
"Where'd you get that?" Harry asked, stomach growling all of a sudden.
"Mahari made quite a few… left you two on the kitchen counter. She said you would see them when you came in." He looked over at him and pulled another sandwich out of his pocket and handed it over to his best mate.
"Thanks."
"No problem." Ron opened his and bit it in half, figuring out how to breathe and chew around the large piece of food in his mouth. "They're getting better quickly. With the way we've figured out to enchant the arrows, they are going to come in handy."
"Yes. I was watching Dean and Ernie's squads, and they're picking up the fencing pretty well."
"Mahari's a great teacher. I'm finally able to hold the bloody thing without my hand shaking. It's supposed to have weight, she says, so it's easier to swing. 'Mione almost cut Morag on the leg trying to lift hers for the first time." Harry laughed at the image, quickly finishing the sandwich gratefully. "How are things?"
"They're coming together. I've been working with Parvati, and we've been gathering maps."
"I saw they've increased… it really helps Strategy. I wondered what you thought if we ran a battle scenario here on the pitch… something fun but educational."
"Sounds good to me."
"Great. I'll get the AA, and we'll put it together. We need to make sure that everyone retained what they've learned." Down on the sand, the session was breaking up, and Ron looked down at this watch. "The meeting is about to start."
"Yeah, let's get going. Today won't be long. I know everyone wants to enjoy their Saturday."
"Yes, but the weekend is the only time that we can get the physical training in… unless someone wants to give up their lunch break." Ron looked sour at that thought, and Harry laughed, both of them standing up and moving down the stairs to the ground below.
> > > > >
"Come on people, we don't want to be here forever." Hermione said, at the front of the room. The senior AA was sitting beside her, and the junior AA was lined up against the wall behind them, and everyone was wearing their casual clothes. It was a casual meeting, just to make sure everything was okay, and everyone on the same page. "Alright, we haven't had any tutoring in potions in almost a week now, and I know that Snape is holding a pop quiz in at least four classes on Monday, so how about we knock that out today?" Murmuring rose in the room, and Daphne stood, and the noise instantly abated. She smiled at Hermione, who smiled back and turned to the general DA.
"Remember people, you agreed that we'd all give community service, meaning that we all help each other out. If there are any injuries, come see me before you approach anyone from the Healing squad, because I want to make sure we don't have to send you to Pomfrey, and if you must go to Pomfrey, I have the list of approved excuses, and remember people, they change daily, so make sure you're updated!" Ginny smiled, glad that she only had to tell people to get more rest, instead of benching them totally.
Various groans went around the room, but they were good natured. Harry found himself smiling, and he glanced over at Mahari, sitting beside him, dressed in her training outfit. It was a concert tee that said Dishwalla, and a pair of leather pants. Her sword was still in her hands, and she twirled it absently as she leaned back in her chair, face impassive, and still very beautiful in his eyes.
It was an unspoken rule, only their closest friends would know if something was wrong in their marriage. In public they presented a united front at all times… but as of late, most people would be hard pressed to find Mahari, the twins, and Harry in the same room at the same time for more than a few minutes… and usually it was to hand off the children as either Harry had a training session or meeting to attend, and Mahari had fencing to teach or a tribunal meeting in Harry's stead.
"With that being said, I don't think that there is anything left to add… except that I have to remind you that the DA star is not to be flaunted, and if possible, hidden. The only stars that need to be seen are ours, and by now everyone knows their squad commanders and lieutenants, so there is no excuse. Anything to add Daphne?" Hermione asked, looking back at the Tribunal Commander next to her. Greengrass smiled and stood.
"Alright, I'm going to say this one more time. Anyone who is unhappy with their squad placement, you petition your commander first, and they come to the Tribunal. I am going to stop talking to random members unless it's an offense has been committed, and I don't want to hear you want to transfer because your boyfriend/girlfriend is on such and such squad. Got it? Also, the person or persons responsible for the bit of vandalism on Mr. Filch, you will be caught."
"How do you know one of us did it?" Terry Boot asked, curious. Daphne sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Because someone burned a star into his right buttock and on Mrs. Norris." Terry closed his mouth and had the decency to look a bit embarrassed. "Just so everyone knows; we have wonderful ways of torture that have been sanctioned by the Tribunal, which include but are not restricted to No Hogsmeade weekends. And trust me, we'll enforce it. That will be all." The peevish mood swelled within the ranks, and Harry frowned. They were kind of vocal this afternoon.
He watched everyone file out, the AA talking amongst themselves as they traded notes and schedules, leaving himself, Mahari and Tedros. "Well, Mahari, are you up to our training session today?" He asked neutrally.
Mahari nodded. "Sure." Tedros looked at the two of them in mild disgust.
"Oh come on! What is it going to take before the two of you snap out of this funk that you're in?" He asked exasperatedly.
"I don't know what you're taking about." Mahari frowned and stood, and her brother reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Look, sister of mine… you're hardheadedness and lack of humility is going to do your marriage in. For your sake, how about you approach everything with a healthy dose of real honesty." Tedros smiled, and Mahari looked down at where he held her wrist. It was getting very warm under the palm of his hand, and she pulled back, yanking her arm from his grasp.
"Ouch… what in the hell did you just do?" She asked, rubbing her wrist where a handprint was fading quickly.
"Nothing that didn't need to be done." He stood up and offered his hand to Harry. "Let's shake before I go."
"Why?" Harry asked suspiciously. The older teen smiled and grabbed his shoulder, and he could feel the heat through the shirt and windbreaker he wore.
"Harry, you're going to have to listen, and make sure that she knows how you feel. You have this thing about keeping your emotions bottled up inside, and it's not good for you, Mahari, or Mera and Max… and we both know they're the most important things in our lives. Got it?"
"Yeah!" He tore himself out of Tedros' grip, frowning and rubbing his shoulder, watching as he crossed the room and left them alone. "What was that all about?"
"I don't know." Mahari shrugged, tossing him his practice sword. "Do you remember what I showed you?"
"No." Harry blinked and closed his mouth. Why did he say that?"
"You don't?"
"No, not really." Mahari frowned and shrugged.
"Alright, we'll start from the last lesson. Footwork. You must always remember that your feet plant you, and if you're shaky in any way possible, you're going to be defeated. Always feel as if you could be pushed hard, and still stand up. Sometimes a great pass is made when you're on one foot bent over almost backwards… but that's mostly the movies. Show me your stance."
Harry planted his feet and raised the sword level with his body. Mahari smiled, and his throat caught. "Why did you leave me?"
"What?" What in bloody hell was going on with him right now? He couldn't think something without it coming out of his mouth!
"Why did you leave me?" Harry asked again.
"I didn't. I don't want to talk about this now." Mahari seemed shaken, and she unsheathed her sword and stood in front of him, blade up. "Remember, we're only going for the yield, not the defeat. Advance." Harry stepped forward, swiping the blade in a wide arc, the sound of metal against metal ringing out in the air, and the room didn't feel as empty as it looked.
Mahari blocked and knocked his sword upwards, watching it leave Harry's hands and landing in her own. "Bloody hell, you always get me like that." He swore, shaking out his hand and reaching for the sword again. Mahari obliged him and gave it back without a snappy comeback, resetting her stance.
"Again." Harry felt the anger bubble up inside of him, watching as if what he said had no impact on her. Angry, he broke from the footwork exercise and windmilled the blade, catching Mahari on the arm. She wasn't prepared, and the rip of her tee shirt slid through the air, and the yelp of pain that was on her lips was bitten back before it left. "Harry! What in the hell are you doing?"
"Trying to hurt you like you hurt me."
"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Mahari glared at him and with her sword reached out and nicked his arm, a thin slice down his forearm. "You ignored me! I thought you lost interest in me."
"Lose interest? To lose interest you have to know so much about someone that they become boring! I don't even know you!" Harry yelled back, heart hurting. She looked at him with wide eyes, and looked away.
"You do know me. You're in my head all the time!" He shook his head.
"I found a totally different side of you when we went to New York. Some… some aristocrat who has no real responsibilities… that's not what I'm about!" Harry blinked as Mahari growled and threw her sword to the ground.
"Do you want to fight me?"
"What? Yes!" He said before he thought about it.
"Then let's do it!"
"I'm not going to fight you Mahari. You… you…" Harry threw down his sword and glared. "You just jumped every time the git said a word!"
"Julius? He means nothing to me!"
"You didn't make it seem that way! You dressed like a harlot! I swear, if you had breathed too hard, you would have fallen out of your corset!" Harry laughed at the look on Mahari's face. "Yes, I wanted to tell you to go put something else on, but damn it if I didn't think you looked beautiful! And it hurt that you were dressing that way for some other man!"
"I was dressing like that because I wanted to jumpstart some sort of reaction in you! We used to be happy, in public! Now, you don't touch me if there is anyone else in the room!" She screamed, almost distraught. Mahari was confused; she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She didn't want to say half of what was coming out of her mouth, but it kept pouring forth as she stood in front of her husband. "I wanted my friends to see the Harry that I had fallen in love with!"
"Rubbish! You couldn't have possibly, because you didn't even tell them that we were dating!"
"Because I told you, they wouldn't have understood!"
"But you just keep using that as an excuse!"
"You know what, instead of being hurt that my world wouldn't have accepted the situation that we're in, you should be happy that your world has accepted us! I wish that I could tell everyone back home that I'm married, two beautiful children, and I'm happy… but that's not social acceptable!"
"So our marriage is a situation!" Harry screamed back, angry beyond all reason. "I loved you Mahari, more than life itself. This is all for you! All the meetings, all the training, all the AA is for you! I want to make sure that I can make you happy for the rest of your life, or the rest of mine. I don't want to die anymore, and I have you to thank for that!"
"Bullshit!" Harry stepped forward and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her closer.
"I want you to hear me. I was so depressed after the closest tie to my parents died by my hand. Because of me! I just wanted to curl up and expire, and to be left alone in my pain. I almost went insane with the weight of it! And you came along, and just being yourself or what I thought was yourself, I felt that perhaps I could have something to love, someone to love me back. A goal and a purpose besides kill or be killed."
Mahari looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "I know I hurt you, and I don't know how to fix it." She said quietly.
"I don't know how to either, but screaming at each other and ignoring each other isn't working. I hurt because you're not here. I feel as if I'm about to explode because I don't have you to talk to at night, or to wake up next to when I have a nightmare." A tear slipped down her cheek, and Harry loosened his grip.
"I'm sorry. I know I disrespected you, and I didn't appreciate that until now."
"Mahari, I won't let you hurt me like that again… I can't be held responsible for what I'll do… you don't know how much I hurt inside right now, like a piece of my soul will never return."
"I'm right here Harry, I promise you, I'm here!"
"Do you want a divorce?" He asked quietly, and as he asked, he let her go, and she fell to the floor in shock, unable to breathe. "Do you?" She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Harry…"
"No Mahari, I can't… I can't… I don't want to!" He yelled back at her. "I trusted you!"
Oh no… this wasn't happening… "What… please… no… I don't want a divorce."
"I'm sure Julius would take you back, but you won't be taking my children with you." She looked up at him, crying freely now.
"I don't want to go anywhere! The children and I will stay here!"
"I could have you gone by tonight." Mahari closed her eyes, and it felt as if she were hit by a car. So this was what the physical feeling of heartbreak was… It was hell squared… "And I won't have to deal with this anymore."
"Please, you're not listening…" She gasped, trying to take in enough air.
"This is how it feels Mahari, every day, every second since you decided you didn't want to love me anymore."
"Harry…" The words came weakly now, and all she wanted to do was to curl up and die. "Please…"
"Please what? Please spare you? I wished you had spared me! Then I would have to go around with a hole inside of me so large I'm afraid that I will suck someone into me, and they will be as poisoned as I am." Harry hardened his heart and stepped back. "My hate for you is so much right now… and the only thing that's bigger than that is the love I still have for you. You're ripping me apart."
Mahari's cheek found the cool stone floor, and her tears caused her eyes to lose focus. Turning over, she looked at the ceiling, almost choking on her own sobs. "I… I…" And then it hit her. If he didn't accept her back, then it was her own fault. It wasn't about her, it was about the forgiveness that only he could give her… her own feelings were nothing right now, she wasn't the one hurt.
Struggling to her knees, she knelt in front of him and bowed her head and started to take off her jewelry, her bracelets, necklaces, earrings… everything… She had to be unadorned for this to be done properly. Mahari took a deep breath and pulled her hair sticks out of her hair, allowing it cascade like a heavy cloak down her back. "I ask your forgiveness."
"What?"
"I ask that you accept me with all my flaws, and all my strengths. And in being your wife, I am made better than what I was. I will never hurt you the way that I have hurt you, and I wish to have the chance to prove myself again."
"You think it's just that easy?" Harry asked, a tad embarrassed and a little unsettled.
"No. I can only ask for your mercy." Mahari didn't look up, staring at her wedding ring on her finger. She couldn't bear to take it off.
"Get up! I don't want you kneeling like that! It makes me feel odd." He said, shaking his head. Mahari shook her head, eyes still cast downward.
"I cannot rise until you give me forgiveness."
"I… Mahari…" Harry trailed off, sick of everything. "I… don't know if I have it in me."
"You must do what you feel is right." The tears came harder now, and she couldn't keep the sound of her sobbing silent. He closed his eyes, falling to his knees in front of her.
"You have my heart Mahari, you've had my children. I am still learning how to be a husband, and you're going to have to admit that you're going to have to learn to be a wife. We've never done this before, and we're going to make mistakes… but some are unforgivable." She started crying harder at the end of his words.
"I'm lost without you." Mahari whispered, closing her eyes as she felt his hand on her cheek. He tilted her head up towards his, and the innocent gesture of wetting her bottom lip arrested all of his attention, and Harry realized one of the things he missed most was the intimacy… that feeling of coming home and knowing there was someone there to greet him.
He didn't want to be angry anymore. Sliding his hands into her hair, Harry leaned in closer and looked into her eyes, a glint of steel in the depths of sorrow; they were the color of dirty ice. "I love you Mahari Potter."
"I love you too Harry Potter." Before she could even smile Harry devoured her lips, pushing her back onto the floor with voracity. Ripping the tear in her shirt further, he tore it from Mahari's body, revealing the smooth skin underneath. Her gasps were music to his ears, and he pushed her harder into the stone until she flipped him over and straddled him, forcing his windbreaker and tee shirt off. As skin to skin contact was achieved, Harry felt as if the world returned to its normal insanity, and Mahari smiled at him, kissing his scar gently. She was the only one who touched it, and it comforted him in ways he didn't understand.
"Don't leave me again Mahari, please." She opened her mouth to say something contrary, but her mouth closed and she smiled.
"I'm sorry baby, I won't." Pants disappeared, and shoes flung to the far corners of the room as man and wife reacquainted themselves with each others bodies. Harry groaned into the hollow of Mahari's throat, a primal urge shoving him along until they were joined as one. She cried out in breathless happiness, tears flowing into her hair as she looked up at Harry. "Oh god Harry…" She gasped, and he thrust his hips forward, enjoying her heavy moans that reverberated from her throat.
It was exquisite torture, the feeling indescribable as he felt himself becoming lost within the sensations… the feel of Mahari's fingernails as they raked down his arms, the sight of her head thrown back in bliss as her back arched involuntarily as Harry nibbled every bit of flesh he could get his lips on…. And the edge was so wonderfully close.
>
Mahari raised herself up on her elbows and blinked, staring at what remained of her tee shirt. "Oh my…" She looked over at Harry, who was staring at the ceiling without his glasses on, a contented smile on his face. "You ruined my tee shirt."
"You have a million of them." He joked, pulling her back down to where she rested seconds before, in the crook of his arm. She snuggled closer, laying her head on his chest.
"But that was the tee shirt I got at the Dishwalla concert in L.A. Oh well…" Harry smiled and kissed her on top of the forehead.
"We'll try and find you another."
"It's not a problem. I assure you, I would rip up all of my tee shirts if it would lead to this…" Mahari laughed and stretched, and Harry had half a mind to start all over again. Nibbling on her ear, he smiled against her skin, glad to have his soul back once more. "You're cheating Mr. Potter. We have to retrieve our children from Professor McGonagall… she only agreed to watch them until our training session was over."
"But she doesn't know that we're done… maybe we're not."
"We can finish this tonight. I'll ask Hermione or Ginny if they can take the twins for the evening, and we'll have a quiet night in." Harry nodded and kissed her gently on the shoulder, just above the cut he gave her.
"I'm sorry." He said, feeling horrible for the wound. She smiled ruefully.
"I'm pretty sure I deserved it."
"No, Mahari, I won't ever touch you like that again. If I lose my mind one more time, you can feel free to almost kill me to get me back to my senses, alright?" Mahari had a joke on her lips until she saw how serious Harry was.
"Alright sweetie."
> > > > >
"Ow!" Tedros grimaced and rubbed his head. "What was that for?"
"What was that for? Bullshit doesn't become you brother dearest." Mahari glared playfully, hefting an ivory book and setting it on the table. Harry stumbled in and yawned.
"Bloody hell, it's too early." He said, kissing Mahari and taking her coffee out of her hands and gulping it down.
"It really is." Tedros looked at his sister. "What!"
"Don't change the subject! I figured you out. You have the Hand of Truth!"
"The hand of what?" He frowned, pulling the book closer so he could read it. Mahari pointed to the page that described his gift.
"Your hand of Power is called the Hand of Truth! It's right here in the book that Grandma lent us. It says that it's really rare and extremely powerful… and only those who are always honest with themselves manifest it."
"See, it says I'm not full of bullshit." Tedros smiled and wiggled his eyebrows as his sister rolled her eyes.
"Oh please, spare me. Did you know what you were doing yesterday?"
"No."
"Good, because I think I would have been mad at you if you did." Harry said, smiling slightly. Tedros turned thoughtful, looking down at his own coffee.
"It was weird, like a compulsion. I had to do what I did, and I knew that if I touched you, you would talk. Did you?"
"Oh, you could say that." Mahari said mildly as Harry pulled her into his arms. He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Tedros smiled and looked at his sister.
"I'm glad."
"I'm sure you're not the only one. But we have a full day, I booked three training sessions, and Ginny volunteered to watch the children until her meeting, and Parvati is watching them after hers."
"Where are they now?" Harry asked, not opening his eyes.
"With Hermione."
"Some parents we are, I don't ask where my children are until the morning." He felt unsettled, and straightened. "That's not good."
"Harry, don't read more into that than there is. You know that a friend has them, and that's all that matters, because you trust your friends." She said, kissing him on the cheek and patting his hand, which was on her stomach. "Now I really have to go, and Tedros, so do you."
"Why? I'm not done eating, and my training session isn't for another two hours."
"Actually, I pushed it up to fifteen minutes from now, because Grandma had some training for us as well. And you know that Dad is coming tomorrow, we have a lot of cleaning to do."
"You can't change the schedule to fit you Mahari." Tedros grumbled, but stood up and emptied the rest of the granola into his mouth. She wrinkled her nose and cocked her head to the side.
"I wasn't aware."
"I'm sure. Talk to you guys later."
"See you Tedros." Harry waved as he sat down at the table, Mahari putting a bowl of granola in front of him and a glass of orange juice. "Thanks."
"No problem. There is lunch in the refrigerator in case my day runs differently than I expected. Your planner is on the desk in the bedroom, and I laid out some clothes for you, since I saw what you were going to wear."
"What was wrong with what I picked out?"
"Nothing. Bye sweetie." Mahari kissed him briefly and ran out of the room, laughing.
"Women."
> > > > >
"I'm tired!" Seamus groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Doesn't anyone else think we're doing too much work? It's not like we're going to go out and fight Voldermort, is it?" He half laughed, looking around the round table. The meeting today consisted of the Senior AA and the Junior AA, which comprised of every squad's lieutenants.
The uniforms had changed subtly to reflect rank and squad, by two bands on left forearm. The first band denoted rank, as the Senior AA's were all silver and the Junior AA's were all gold. The second band denoted squad, and they were all different colors. Healing was blood red, Tribunal was hunter green, and Apprehension was navy blue while Detention was sky blue. Strategy was royal purple, Intelligence was pumpkin orange, and Evacuation was earthen brown. First Strike was sunshine yellow; Demolition was pure white, and Covert Operations was storm cloud gray.
Harry looked up from the parchment he was reading and his eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" Daphne asked, quill still on the parchment she was reading.
"I mean, are we going to go out and yell, Oi! Voldermort! We've come for your balls and your head on a pike!' are we?" He asked. Everyone looked at Seamus, and then looked at Harry.
"Uh… no." Harry shook his head emphatically. "That's not your job, and I wouldn't ask that from any of you. Voldermort is my problem." Ron slammed his hand on the table.
"Rubbish! He's all our problem, and if you think that you're going to be alone when you do Voldermort in, you're mistaken." He said hotly.
"He's right. I will be there too!" Hermione raised her hand to Ron's mouth, silencing his objections. "No Ron. I have the right and the responsibility to be there."
"If you feel that way then so do I I did the training!" Ernie exclaimed, and Daphne stood.
"I'm coming too!"
"As am I." Parvati and Padma said in unison. Anthony spoke up, looking around the room.
"Yeah, I don't think that any of us have any plans to let you do this alone. It's not right. Are you trying to hog all the glory Potter?" Harry broke into a grin, and the mood changed back to its previously light mood, all except for one person. Behind his smile the relief didn't stay… it shrank away from the horror of the reoccurring nightmare of the grounds of Hogwarts, littered with bodies of the people he knew and loved… and the castle decimated…
Harry shook his head and smiled at a joke that Neville tentatively cracked about someone in his squad, talking to Tedros about the correct way to fire bows long distances. Padma was talking to Ron, discussing the feasibility of a test run of the DA, with the help of the teachers… Ginny and Colin were reading up on advanced spells and potions for quick healing… and Luna walked over to him and put down her progress report.
Skimming it quickly, his eyebrow raised at the last paragraph of her report, and he looked over the table at her, a question in his eyes. She smiled and nodded, and he smiled back… Luna was brilliant when she put her mind to it. "Everyone, Luna has a suggestion for us. Luna?"
She stood and smiled. "I've been thinking, with making ourselves battle ready for the upcoming skirmish that is almost guaranteed to occur, we should be versed in apparation." Luna nodded once and sat down again, the room totally quiet.
"What's apparition?" Tedros asked, frowning.
"Not Apparition, Apparation. It's like wizard teleportation." Hermione corrected gently, Lavender smiling next to her.
"Ah… sounds good." He looked around the rest of the room, and the air was thick with thoughts that swirled around. "Or maybe it doesn't."
"Because there are a million reasons why that won't work. Besides the fact that we're underage…" Parvati reminded everyone needlessly.
"But it would be bloody brilliant if we could…" Ron said breathlessly, thoughts already turning.
"But we would need someone to teach us… and I don't think we can go up to any of the teachers and say, "Hullo, I need to learn how to apparate, but no, I'm not going to get my license just yet… and no, I can't tell you why I need to know…". It just doesn't seem as if it will work." Cho said blandly.
"You're right… who would teach us, without ratting us out?" Hannah asked, thinking of all the older people she knew.
"I have just the people." Ron said, smiling with a faraway look on his face. The door to the room opened and Mahari came in, with the twins in their floating pram, and a large basket in the other hand.
"I know I'm late, but Meredith didn't want to get dressed this afternoon, and I thought since everyone was skipping lunch today, that I would bring some food." Harry smiled at her over the mob of people that lunged for the basket, and she smiled back hesitantly, pushing her hair out of her face. Pulling the stroller around the table and the crowd of hungry people, she sat down beside Harry and kissed him on the cheek. "Hi."
"Hullo." He smiled, standing up and looking down at his children, who were playing with each other. "And how are you guys?" Harry blinked when they turned to him and smiled. "Uh… did they just…"
"Yes. They can't talk, but they just answered you." Mahari shrugged and laughed.
"Merlin… hey, I think I should go and get some food before it's all gone."
"Don't bother. I'm sure it's gone now, and besides, I put yours aside. Look underneath the stroller. It's in the compartment." Harry pulled out the Tupperware that he found and smiled.
"Thanks. I don't know what I would do without you." She shrugged again and looked down, and he sat down beside her, watching her pretend to be shy. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you acting like that?" He asked quietly, watching everyone return to their seats as they had their plates of food piled up.
"I… I just don't want to mess anything up. I feel like we're on the road to getting better, and I don't want to ruin that." Harry sighed and put down his fork, turning to her gravely.
"The only way we're going to mess up is if we don't continue to be real with each other. I'm me and you're you, and that's all that we're going to be able to be."
"True. When did you get all philosophical?"
"When I got my soul back." Mahari looked at him until embarrassment made her turn away. When she looked back Harry had resumed eating, and she busied herself with fussing over the twins.
"So, where were we?" She asked, leaning back in the chair and smiling at everyone.
"We were talking about the conceivability of going after Voldermort." Luna said calmly, and Mahari's eyes opened wide.
"Wow."
"Yeah." Harry said unpleasantly. "I'm telling you guys, we're not going to do that. The whole purpose of the DA is to get everyone to the point where they can defend themselves. Defend other people. But not to go out and look for trouble!"
"Harry, we're not going out to look for trouble, and we're not going to go after Voldermort. We have end of the year exams coming up, and we all need to study to do a good job." Hermione reminded everyone and they groaned, all but Ron, who had taken his fork out of his mouth and placed it on the rim of his plate, contemplating thoughtfully. "What's wrong Ron?"
"Nothing... just thinking about something. I want to see Daphne, Neville and Parvati afterwards, before our next classes… I have something to go over with you. What squad is training tonight?" He asked, eyes containing a faraway look.
"Apprehension and Covert Ops seems to have a joint session booked." Mahari looked down at her master planner, the one where everyone's schedules were written down on a calendar, as well as half formed ideas, and the names of people who ask to join the DA. "That reminds me; someone wanted to join the D.A."
"Who?"
"A seventh year, Marietta Edgecombe." The silence her words were brought with caused her to look up in confusion. "What?"
"No." Harry said sourly, putting his fork down.
"What? Harry, we don't turn anyone down." Mahari scoffed, stopped as she saw her husband's glare.
"I know that, but she cannot come back in."
"Back? She didn't tell me she was a member before."
"She wouldn't." Cho said quietly and stood. "I have my next class with her, so I'll ask her what her deal is. But the answer is still no, correct?"
"Absolutely. What type of speaking terms are the two of you on?" The pretty Asian girl smiled tightly.
"Not that well of speaking terms. Marietta is a little miffed that I'm still a member. She expected me to quit with her."
"She could have quitted and we would have let her back in. She turned traitor, and we don't have time for traitors." Ron said severely, and Cho swallowed, and nodded.
"I'll be sure to tell her."
"You do that."
> > > > >
"I feel as if my brain is going ooze out of my ears." Harry whispered as he loosened his tie and looked down at the twins, who were sleeping peacefully, back to back. "It was such a long day."
"I know. You have a free night. Professor Shacklebolt said he has to cancel your training session tonight." Mahari said, taking off his robe and taking his tie. Harry smiled happily and flopped backward on the bed. "So that means you can have a full quidditch practice."
"Yes… and boy, do we need it." He rolled off of the bed and stumbled to his feet. "Point me to the shower." She laughed and pushed him around until he was facing the door.
"Please, relieve us of your stink."
"But you love my stink."
"I don't know who told you that, but I don't." Mahari smiled and picked up her planner, filling in details on some upcoming dates. "Hey, you remember that girl I told you about, Marietta Edgecombe?"
"Yes." She looked up at the bathroom door and frowned as he came back out.
"What did she do that she can't come back in?"
"She was a traitor… Ron said it in the meeting yesterday."
"But what did she do? How could she betray the DA?"
"She ratted us out to a teacher."
"The teachers know we exist." Harry shook his head.
"It was very different last year. We had a horrible teacher who wanted to be headmaster… and she was for a moment… sort of. But she didn't want anyone to do anything… especially if they didn't like her. Slytherin of course got away with bloody murder."
"And she ratted you out to her? What was her name?"
"Umbridge. Delores Umbridge." Harry rubbed his hand unconsciously. "I hated that woman."
"Hate is a strong word."
"It definitely is." He said as he walked back into the bathroom. Mahari mulled it over for a moment, and sighed. "I can hear you sigh from here, what is it?" Harry asked without opening the door again.
"I just think we could give her another chance, that's all. She leaves in a few months anyway."
"No."
"Harry-"
"Mahari, no."
"Fine."
"Good."
"Great."
"Stop."
"Okay." She crossed her arms and sulked.
"And stop sulking!" Mahari rolled her eyes and picked up her planner, going into the kitchen to make dinner.
>
"And he's only staying for a few hours?"
"Yes. He was on his way through before going to New York. Stop fidgeting."
"I can't help it. Your father makes me nervous." Mahari looked at him and smiled.
"You've made him a grandfather… he doesn't hate you so much… anymore." She put the last finishing touches on her hair and stood, straightening her dress. "The twins are due back any second, right?"
"Ernie took them to his meeting, and that's done, so yes, they should be here any moment." Harry looked up as a knock sounded on the door. "That's probably him now." He opened the door to the bedroom and crossed the room to the outer door. "Hello Mr. Wolfe."
"Adam, Harry. I tell you to call me Adam every time I come." The older man smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Now where is my daughter?"
"Daddy!" Mahari squealed and leaped into her father's arms, laughing as he twirled her around.
"Sweetheart, you look beautiful… just like your mother. She often wore her hair like that before she cut it." It was in a complicated knot with two decorative combs on either side, studded with moonstones and diamonds. Mahari smiled and took his hand, bringing him in.
"I'm sure you're tired, but I'm so glad to have a whole day with you!" Adam looked abashed as Tedros walked in, looking around.
"Hey Dad! How are you?"
"Son!" They hugged briefly, and Tedros smiled. "So how is everything? Enjoying yourself, the place making you feel welcome?"
"Of course. I'm welcome wherever I am." He said, adjusting his bow on his shoulder. "I have to go though, I have a meeting. I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" Tedros smiled as he backed out of the room.
"Son… you might want to-" The door slammed shut. "Wait…"
"You're not staying for that long are you?" Mahari accused, crossing her arms. Harry stood up and looked around nervously.
"Who's thirsty? I'm going to get some drinks for everyone." He nodded, walking out of the room.
"Honey, I would love to, but my time got cut short, and I have to be in London before my plane takes off. I have to be on that plane." She nodded, sighing.
"Of course… but I haven't seen you since right after the twins were born."
"Well, you should come visit me in Ireland."
"I can't travel alone with twins, and Harry can't come with me until after the school year is over… in about a month."
"Well, you and Tedros come along. And speaking of which, where are my grandchildren?" As the words cleared his lips, the front door opened and Ernie came in, pushing the floating baby carriage.
"Sorry I was late, but I wanted to stop by the Great Hall and grab a book from Terry. I have the progress report for Harry from Dean, Parvati, and Hermione… tell him that I'll get him mine before the day is done." Ernie stuck his tongue out at Meredith who screamed back in glee. He didn't look up as he bent down and dug around in the compartment below. "They're around here somewhere…."
"Ernie."
"I'll find them." He said, bouncing the carriage.
"Ernie!"
"What!" Looking up in slight irritation, he blanched and paled as he spotted Mr. Wolfe. "Oh… er… right…"
"Yes. Harry's in the kitchen. Why don't you get something to drink before you head off?" Mahari said, jerking her head towards the other door.
"Sounds like a right good plan." He said nervously, pulling out the rolls of parchment and smiling tightly, almost running into the kitchen. Mahari watched the door swing and turned back to her father.
"Now, about you." Adam raised his hands and shook his head.
"No, let's not. I have to go and any amount of guilt isn't going to change that. So let's just visit, and let me play with my grandchildren and we'll have a nice time until I come back in a month, ok?"
"Fine." She said, and sighed, watching her father play with Max.
> > > > >
Severus considered himself an observant man. He watched people as a hobby and as a necessity. Walking into his House' common room, he stopped at the bulletin board and blinked to make sure he was reading correctly. Morag McDougal had a notice up for anyone who needed Charms tutoring, to meet her on in the Great Hall on Saturday…. Morag was a Ravenclaw… and there were names signed up… all from his house…
Disoriented, and in a bad mood, he thought back on the grades lately in Potions. People who had no business passing his class were doing so, confident and no longer afraid of him. They were all infected with the Gryffindor bravery, and Ravenclaw intellect… it was sickening.
The Hufflepuffs, who Severus thought were really not worth his time, as bland vanilla students, neither horrible nor remarkable, he found them excelling, as well as answering questions in classes… A tap on his shoulder caused his to whirl around and growl, to find himself face to face with Morag and Daphne. "Excuse me Professor." Greengrass said, smiling and reaching around him to take the sign up sheet off of the board.
"Is this yours Ms. McDougal?" He asked harshly, recovering. The Ravenclaw smiled and nodded, taking the paper from Daphne and handing her three others. They were for Potions, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures. Snape swallowed and walked away, robes billowing.
>
"What exactly are you complaining about?" Minerva asked, taking a glance at Albus, who was smiling softly from behind his desk.
"I think they're cheating."
"They're not cheating!" She scoffed, standing. "I see them in the Great Hall, on the grounds, they're all studying together. They find the best in each subject, and they all study together. What's wrong with that?"
"It's unnatural." Snape groused, rubbing his neck. "Don't you feel as if we don't control the school anymore?" He looked to Dumbledore, whose face was a mask of twinkling eyes and white beard. "Surely I'm not the only one who feels that way."
"I have noticed a new level of attentiveness in my classes… and as for that unfortunate incident we haven't found anyone who was able to tell us anything more on the Filch fiasco." McGonagall thought the same, but wasn't about to agree with Snape with witnesses about.
"I believe we have Mr. Potter's club to thank for this." Albus smiled hugely, his eyes on a silver object on the corner of his desk.
"Club? It's not a club."
"It's a defense association, yes, I know."
"You don't think it's odd that Potter hands his children off to any tom, dick and… so forth in their little club? They're his babysitters."
"No, it's not just everyone Severus… lighten up. They're doing a marvelous job considering that they're sixteen with two children already."
"If the two of you continue to coddle Potter, we might have to declare him King."
"Enough Severus. There is nothing wrong with his fellow classmates willingly volunteering their time and energy to help him. I see that you're more so distressed over the current level of inter-house cooperation than anything else." Dumbledore mused gently, much to Snape's chagrin.
"Fine, but remember, things were most idyllic before something catastrophic happened." He stalked from the room, leaving the Deputy Headmistress and Headmaster in quiet contemplation.
> > > > >
Ron looked over at Harry, who was resting with his chin in his hands, propping himself up as he teetered on the edge of balance and knocking his head against the desk loudly. The prefect watched him idly, the drone of Professor Binns' voice fueling his apathy.
Hermione nudged him in the ribs and he roused himself, pulling the textbook in front of him closer and attempting to clear the fog from his head. She smiled and Ron rolled his eyes, stifling a yawn. A boring class was hard enough, but when you had a training session before Quidditch practice, then an early meeting, it was almost unbearable.
Time shifted by in infinitesimal increments and Harry's carefully balanced head came crashing down to the desk with a horridly loud smack. Ron stifled his laughter as he watched his best mate jerk awake, looking around wildly and reaching for his wand before he realized where he was. Blinking, he looked around at the students who were looking at him with hidden smiles, the ghost droning on and on as if nothing had happened.
Blushing furiously, Harry relaxed, and turned to glare at Ron before the room was rocked with a shudder. "Bloody hell! What was that!" Ron stood up, looking around wildly. Harry and Hermione did the same, and the rest of the class watched as they ran out to the hallway, where many other students were crowded, trying to figure out the source of what felt like an earth quake.
"It was in the Slytherin Wing." A voice whispered in the redhead's ear, and he turned to see Luna standing there, silent and calm.
"What do you mean?"
"The explosion."
"Was it a potion?"
"No, it seems we've found our lost items… or at least someone else has recovered them." She said seriously.
"What! The hex balls?" Harry asked, stomach sinking.
"Stay in your classrooms! That means everyone, including you Potter!" Mr. Filch came down the hall, pushing students away from the ledge, to keep them from looking down. Harry glared at the man and turned to go back into class before he stopped.
"Mahari… the children…" A fear gripped him so tightly that he could barely breathe, and between one heartbeat and the next, he stepped through the light and disappeared.
"Come on, what are we waiting for?" Hermione asked, running down the stairs. The senior AA members ran after them, the junior AA rounding up the students and herding them back into their classrooms.
>
Harry stopped, and fell to his knees. The ceiling had caved in at one part, and the debris was still throwing up dust as it settled. It reminded him of Diagon Alley, and it hurt to realize that something the DA made caused this. His brain shut down at that point, and he started pushing small pieces of stone out of the way, ignoring the steps he heard behind him until someone put a hand on his shoulder. It was Parvati. "She was in there… I don't know…"
"It's okay Harry. We're going to get them out, together. We're all here to help you." She rubbed his shoulder and motioned towards the senior AA. "We're going to get this done quickly, and Tedros is on his way." In a few scant seconds a plan was formed, and large stones were levitated as small pieces of mortar and stone were carried manually.
Professor Dumbledore swept into the wing, looking around. "What has happened here? Harry? What are you doing, we have to wait for construct wizards to arrive before we move anything. You could cause a collapse, and this whole wing could crumble."
"Professor, I have to get them out! There could be Slytherin trapped in their common room, and Mahari was down here!" Harry looked up as Tedros flew around the corner and landed in front of him.
"What's going on? Where is Mahari?" He asked, looking around at the small piles of bricks that had already been moved.
"I think she's in there, help us!" Tedros closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'll panic later… move." Lifting a particularly large piece of stone, he hefted it into the air, and it sailed over everyone's head, before landing on the opposite wall with a sickening crunch. "You guys clear the small stuff, and I'll move the really heavy stuff."
Two hours later the teachers had corralled all of the students into the Great Hall until further notice, and the AA was still at work, a chain carrying away the stones quicker. Harry turned and ducked as Dumbledore levitated a pile of masonry out of the corner, revealing a hand. Tedros lifted more rubble from on top of the body, and Hermione clutched his hand as his breath caught in his throat.
Ginny rushed over and pulled the body out from under the pile of crushed rocks, and turned it over. It was a blond third year, Malcolm Braddock. "He's… dead." Tedros growled, crushing the chunk of wall in his hands, showering Ginny in a spray of pebbles.
Knocking the ruined stonework out of the way in anguish, he scrabbled until he hit something that felt oddly cool. Wiping away the dust, he backed away as he saw his own reflection staring back at him. Sliding down the pile, he turned to Harry and Professor Dumbledore. "I need a mirror."
>
Xantha looked at the silver dome in wonder, gripping her sword tightly out of habit. She didn't like it when she was confronted with things she didn't know or understand. Tedros was on one side of her, and Harry on the other. The debris field had been cleared, leaving an unobstructed view of the metal dome.
"I hit it with everything I got… and all that happened was I hurt my hand. What is that?" Tedros asked, rubbing his wrist still.
"I have a feeling I know, but I won't be sure until I get in there." Unsheathing her sword, Harry looked at the lethal looking cutting edge and stepped back, nerves on edge.
"DUCK!" He yelled; looking up at the blade as it arced through the space where his head just occupied. It landed in the wall, and sank through it as if it were butter. Harry looked at Xantha, who was looking at the hilt of her sword, staring at it in confusion. Turning back to the dome, she dropped the handle and reared back, shoving her hand through the metal with a hollow ringing.
Grabbing her arm, she pulled, planting one slippered foot on the dome and pulling. A screeching sound filled the air, and she fell away, holding a piece of it. It melted in her hand, and Xantha stood up, straightening her moss green gown. "Alright Tedros, you'll be able to break through now."
Everyone stared at her as she shook her hand, the rapidly melting liquid slipping to the floor. Tedros stepped up again, and grabbed the whole his grandmother had made, and shoved with all his might. With a surprised yelped, he pushed through, falling into the darkness inside. Harry ran in after him, wand drawn.
"Lumos!" Looking around, he stepped over Tedros and ran down the corridor, turning the slight curve and running into yet another dome. "Not again… Mahari? Mahari! Can you hear me? Answer me! Are you hurt!" He pressed his ear to the metal, and pulled it away quickly, swearing under his breath. It was bloody hot!
"What's going on? Another? She is thorough…" Xantha pressed her hand and nodded. "Stand back." With a yell she slammed both fists into the metal and pulled back, and Harry didn't know what hit him.
> > > > >
Moody rubbed his eyes and sighed. It was slow going, and the place was crawling with Aurors and as risky as it was, Order members. The wards that protected the thousand year old castle were wiped out in the course of a few minutes. He knew it was a mistake to bring the new Mrs. Potter and her brother to the school. His gut was always correct, his instincts impeccable. And looking around, he wasn't insistent enough to Dumbledore about the issue.
And Hogwarts was now a liability. Anywhere that Potter was staying; outside of the Dursley's, was potentially a site for massacre. The Slytherin common room was preserved, as was some of the dormitories, but others were crushed between the falling stone and the metal dome that was still being excavated.
The hospital wing held people with mild to serious injuries, and the school was in a state of recovery. Aurors were crawling the campus, doing what the wards used to do, make sure no one could slip through. Alastor found himself scanning the student population, searching for the source of the explosion. Just now had they banished enough rubble to actually see the gouged metallic domes.
It was rare that he encountered something he had never seen before, but he was stumped. Potter lay in the Hospital wing, unconscious but unhurt, and Mrs. Potter lay beside him… encased in the same unidentifiable metal that created the domes. There was nothing that could be done, and with the apparent lack of air holes, they could only surmise that she was dead.
The ex-Auror shook his head and continued to watch the students. There would be hell to pay when Harry woke up and found his wife dead. His children were being taken care of by Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, and neither of them allowed anyone near them, except for a select few that all bore a curious looking star somewhere on their person.
Two days of watching the solemn faces and the slightly deflated spirit of the grounds, Hestia Jones came up to him, her face dismayed. "What's wrong girl?" Alastor asked, surprised to see the witch perturbed.
"It's Potter. He's awake."
>
Harry gulped down the goblet of water that was handed to him, bracing himself with his hands on his knees as soon as he pushed the glass into Madam Pomfrey's hands. For some reason he felt as if he had just ran a marathon, and was exhausted yet tightly wound.
"This isn't going to help anything!" An angry voice came from the door to the wing, and Madam Pomfrey frowned and walked over to the disturbance. Suddenly the room was flooded with people, most of whom he didn't want to talk to. Taking off his glasses, he wiped the sweat out of his eyes and pushed them back on, blinking at the faces staring at him.
"Hullo…" He said shakily, giving Ron a quick look. He nodded and moved further behind the group, consisting of Mad Eye Moody, Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Snape, as well as the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge… all whom Harry particularly didn't want to see at this time.
"Harry, we need to know what happened." Dumbledore said gently, and Fudge stepped forward.
"My boy, I know that indulgences in your usually rash behavior abound here, but I must insist that you send your brother in law and your wife's body-"
"My what!" Harry jumped up and swayed, falling back to the bed unsteadily. The world turned upside down for a brief moment until it righted itself, and he permitted himself to open his eyes again without fear of emptying his stomach. "My what?" He asked again, quietly.
"Harry, the Minister has jumped the gun in your current state, but yes, we believe she's dead." Pomfrey said gently, wishing this could have been done at a better time. He stood and looked around her, to the bed on the far side of the room, with a curtain pulled around it. The shadows moving around behind it let him know that Hermione was sitting next to her, as well as Daphne.
"I'm sorry Harry." McGonagall said gravely, and even Snape looked at the Minister in distaste at his hastily given, horrid news.
Pushing past the adults, he reached out and grabbed Ron's arm, who was there to help him walk over, still not trusting his legs. Pulling back the curtain, he dropped his hand in confusion. His wife looked to be cast in a perfect likeness, in the same silver like metal that they had to break through.
Her body was in a protective crouch, probably shielding the children from the blast, and had become covered in the same metal. What did it come from? Touching it, the heat reminded him of touching skin, and he fell to his knees beside the bed. "Mahari?" Harry whispered, moving to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen out of her bun, before pulling his hand back, the hair was metal. It couldn't be… he couldn't have lost her again; after all they had been through….
"We don't know what's going on Potter, or how to reverse it. We cannot discern any holes for her to breathe, and you've been unconscious for almost four days. We have to assume she's dead." Harry heard all of this in a haze, and he looked up at Pomfrey in unfocused confusion.
"Did you try and break her out?"
"We did, using any means to safely break the shell… but we haven't been able to get through."
"You didn't try hard enough…" He whispered, and Hermione wiped the tears out of her eyes angrily. It was not fair.
"Harry, they won't let Tedros in here, and Queen Xantha was asked to leave the grounds!" She hissed, throwing an accusing stare at Fudge. Harry caught her gaze and stood up slowly.
"She might know how to reverse this! They're not totally human!" He yelled, looking around the room wildly.
"We had to remove the threat. They overloaded the wards, and exposed over a thousand students to harm. We can't have that! I can't sit idly by and let you endanger the school!" Cornelius said huffily.
"I haven't done anything!" Harry retorted, still looking around the room.
"Do you know what caused the explosion?" He hesitated, and looked back at Fudge, glancing at Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"Harry, as your legal council, I cannot allow you to answer that." Daphne used her Tribunal voice, and it snapped Harry out of the fog he was in.
"I don't know what happened." He replied in a calmer fashion, as everyone was staring at the Slytherin girl who looked back at all of them with an unwavering stare.
"What do you mean, as his legal council?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Strategy cannot allow you to answer that." Ron said shortly, and everyone turned to look at him. He paled slightly, but stood his ground.
"What's going on here?" Mad Eye asked, looking at the students, his magical eye roving and probing as he glared with the other. "Something is going on, and you're not being level with us."
"I don't know what you're talking about Professor." Harry said coolly. "I don't think I'm hiding anything that is of any importance to finding the people who did this."
"Who knows, your wife could have done it!" Fudge roared, and Dumbledore grabbed the man's arm and yanked him back.
"You will not come into my school and purposefully manipulate and anger a student, to goad them into telling you something that they obviously don't know. You can question Harry; we all can question Harry after we've allowed him to come to grips with the horrible tragedy that has befallen his family. Are we clear?" He asked quietly, not once raising the tone of his voice. The Minister looked him in the eye, and Albus recognized the look. The look of someone drunk on his own power and self importance.
"Listen here Headmaster. I am Minister of Magic here. When people hear that his wife and brother in law are not completely human, with magic that clashes with the magical make up of Hogwarts, thus putting their children in danger from Voldermort… how long do you think you'll keep your job?"
"Long enough to make sure that you are ousted from office, Cornelius… trust me on that one."
"Please, not here in front of the children." McGonagall spat, glaring at the two men. A cloud of dark smoke billowed up from the floor, and Xantha appeared, dressed in black from head to toe, the only things that relieved her visage was the crown on her head and the sword at her hip.
"Humans, so petty in times of need. If you had let me enter earlier, I would have been able to free my granddaughter before now. I hope for your sake it is not too late." The Queen said, walking towards the bed. Moody raised his wand and Dumbledore pushed his arm down.
"Alastor, don't. You cannot imagine what she can do. That wouldn't be wise." He said gravely, keeping his eyes on the irate Queen Xantha.
"You're smarter than I give you credit for." She said, and smiled at Hermione. "How are you doing child?"
"I'm fine, the children are fine. Ginny, Seamus and Parvati are taking care of them right now."
"I know. I asked how were you doing?"
"I'll be okay if you tell me that Mahari will be okay."
"She will."
"She will?" Xantha turned to Harry with a grin.
"Yes, so stop beating yourself up about it. It was meant to happen. Some things have to happen so that others may find themselves where they need to be to greet destiny." Her face lost its momentary happiness as she said that, and she reached out to touch her granddaughter. "Interesting…."
"You've seen this before?" Pomfrey asked, half demanding the answer. Xantha looked at her briefly before turning her eyes back to Mahari.
"Yes, but not quite in this form. It's new, but familiar." The queen leaned over and touched Mahari on the forehead. "Honey, its okay, come out."
"Madam, you truly insult us. You actually think that we wouldn't have…" Fudge trailed off as the metal started cracking away from Xantha's hand, light showing through the cracks.
"Stand back everyone."