Greetings friends. How are we all today? I'm now panicking about my uni application, but there we go…hopefully it'll be in by the end of the week.

People who's reviews took my mind of the panic, and so are forever loved, were Isis the Sphinx, ballerinadoll9, NamelessHeretic, Mei1105, Nessa19, lemonwedges4, Broken Fire Hydrant, Emmy-loo, GinnyP0tter, Joeyperson, FalseReflections, PHEONIX39, dingohart, LimeJuiceTub and TheRedBandit.

Ok, bit of shameless self-advertising here: I've got a new oneshot up, called "A Week by the Sea", taking a peek at Harry one year after the end of the Wizarding war. If anyone wants to take a look, clickage upon my author name and scroll downwards!

Annnnd…winner of this weeks HTCHB competition is Olaf Erikson with HarryTradesCardsHowBoring (Sorry Tash!)


The room was crowded, full of students all eagerly watching a lone teenager.

"Well?" asked one, when it became apparent the teen was not about to speak.

Harry looked about at the eager faces arrayed before him. Despite his reservations about what he was about to do, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at the sight of them all, ready and determined despite the fact that they weren't entirely sure what was going on. Almost the entire of the DA still at Hogwarts were there, missing only Marietta and Zechariahs Smith.

"We need help." said Harry bluntly, figuring the quicker he got this out, the fewer arguments and interruptions there would be. "We think we've worked out what's been going on with the attacks the past year."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly; many of those present had devoted a few evenings of their time to the project in the Room of Requirement, and Harry could almost feel the mood of the silence as people sat up straighter in their seats.

"The Death Eaters are killing one person from every year to have ever gone through Hogwarts. The Weasley twins were meant to have been the latest target."

A hubbub of voices broke out, some panicked, some confused, some questioning.

"How'd you know?"

"What d'you mean?"

And, above it all, the horrified voice of Cho Chang.

"Oh. My. GOD!"

Harry took advantage of the distraction her raised voice caused by drawing the attention back to him.

"Yeah. We figured it out, every fatal attack has included the death of someone from each Hogwarts year, going forwards from about seventy years ago."

"But that means…" Katie's voice again, and Harry could tell that she had already worked it out, perhaps not why they were all there but at least what he was trying to tell them.

"Means what?" called out Colin Creevy, looking from Katie to Harry.

"If we're right,"

"And we are." threw in Hermione.

"Then the next target would be one of the current seventh years."

For the first time, a true silence fell over the assembled pupils. Faces paled, eyes widened, utter stillness, even their breathing muffled.

"What are we gonna do then?" asked Lavender Brown, sounding unnaturally serious and quiet for one usually to be heard giggling.

"Next Hogsmeade weekend, we need all of you who are willing to help us keep guard. Not obviously, but keep an eye on the seventh years."

"You think that's when they're going to come?" even Ernie's ever-pompous tone had dimmed.

"Yes."

Never had Harry seen a single syllable cause such silence. A few people sent sideways glances towards Katie Bell, who was the colour of parchment, while others kept looking from Harry to Ron to Hermione and back again, as though begging them to click their fingers and make it all untrue.

"This is what we formed for." began Hermione, taking over. "Well, sort of. Getting rid of Umbridge, of course, but protecting people as well. Ourselves, originally, but other people too. Dumbledore says he can't cancel the trip, so someone needs to make sure everyone comes back ok."

"If anyone feels they can't, or doesn't want to for any reason, you can leave." said Ron grimly. "We won't hold it against you, this isn't a game. People could get hurt."

A few people shifted uncomfortably, but no one made a move to leave. Harry looked slowly round the room, staring into each face carefully, determined to hunt out even an inch of indecision.

There was none.

"Thank you," he said softly, nodding at them all. "Ok then. Here's the plan."

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

It was simple. It was easy. It was dangerous. It was the only plan they had.

The members of the DA were to spend the day in Hogsmeade as per normal, sticking to usual friendship groups wherever possible as so not to arouse suspicion. Each group was allocated a small number of seventh years known to be likely to go together; Katie and Cho drew up the lists of seventh-year friendship groups, highlighting those more likely to wander off the beaten path, and those likely to stay behind.

The moment anyone spotted anything unusual, anything slightly out of the ordinary, they were to activate the coins, alert anyone nearby and get out of the way.

"We don't want anyone hurt." explained Harry gravely, "These are Death Eaters we're dealing with. They won't hesitate just 'cause we're young, or not their intended target. You alert the rest of us, and we'll come, bringing as many teachers with us as possible. No one is to try anything on their own. Hopefully, we're over reacting. If not…"

He let the sentence trail off, and the meeting ended.

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

"You realise, Harry, that there aren't enough people in the DA to have more than one or two watching each seventh year?" Hermione pointed out the next evening. She had been drawing up lists of the DA against the entire of the seventh year, matching them up in preparation for the Hogsmeade trip. It would not do, after all, to have the entire DA following the same seventh year.

Harry sighed. "I know. Our only hope is the seventh years decide to spend the day in large groups; Katie and Cho were going to suggest that to their friends at any rate."

"But even so…half the DA's below fifth year. I mean, Dennis Creevy's only just about allowed into Hogsmeade anyway! And Katie and Cho can't really guard themselves, they're some of the ones in danger."

"What do you suggest we do then?" snapped Harry. "Call it off?"

"Of course not." said Hermione coolly, unperturbed. "I think we should write to Fred and George. And anyone else from the DA who's left Hogwarts. Ask them to come, if they can."

To the surprise of the three assembled teenagers, Harry did not instantly shoot down this idea with a declaration of keeping as many people safe as possible. Instead, after a moments thought, he nodded.

"Yeah. Ok."

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

The replies came thick and fast. Some, Fred and George included, had been in the process of writing to ask why their coins had changed when they received a copy of the note Ginny had painstakingly written out many times over. All agreed to the plan.

The only people within the group of friends not told of the plan were Izzy, Charlie and Jane. Harry saw no point in informing them; they would undoubtedly spend the day worrying, and he wouldn't put it past them to try and sneak into Hogwarts and "help". Plus, he had a fairly strong suspicion that Jane would tell his parents if she found out, and as he was yet to actually disobey a direct command from them, Harry didn't want to bring about the situation where he would have to.

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

The weeks rolled by, and the last weekend of June fast approached. Ginny started and finished her OWLs, leaving her little time to spend with Harry, much to the displeasure of both halves of the pair. Jane, Charlie and Izzy sat their end of year exams; never had Harry seen them work so hard.

Which was fortunate, in a way; had they been less intent on passing the year and more interested into the goings on around them Harry, Ron and Hermione would have struggled to keep their campaign from being found out. Every detail was being planned out meticulously – who was to follow who, which teachers they could expect to find down there and where, possible plans the Death Eaters could be concocting, anything.

The biggest hole in their scheme, of course, was the fact that no one could predict where the seventh years would go, and what they would be doing. It would be very hard, for example, to think of a reasonable excuse to be following someone out of the village and into the woods.

"But in the end," Hermione had declared one night after several hours of brainstorming, "it doesn't really matter. Bottom line is we need to keep them safe. Even if they do all then leave thinking they went to school with a bunch of loonies."

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

The day dawned bright and sunny. Cloudless skies, a gentle breeze, a perfect summers day. At breakfast, Harry saw most of the DA, looking grim and determined, their eyes already fixed upon their various assignees. Ron and Hermione nodded at Katie, whom they were watching, and Ginny was scanning the hall for Lucy Simons, a Hufflepuff she and Harry would be trailing. There was such a tenseness in the air that Harry wondered how anyone could not be feeling it, and yet, there were Izzy and Charlie and Jane, chatting and giggling like always.

Up on the teacher's table, however, it was a different story. Harry could feel the headmaster's eyes on him, and he knew the old man was wondering what he was planning and doing.

And then Lucy Simons clambered to her feet, gathering her small band of friends, and headed out the Hall. Ginny and Harry followed, as subtly as they could, a few moments later.

It was going to be a long day.

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

Around lunchtime, Harry began to relax. So far, nothing more suspicious than the sight of Fred and George Weasley walking straight past Zonkos without stopping had happened; Hermione had thought it a brilliant idea to assign them to Heather Mills, a very studious Ravenclaw.

Lucy was proving easy to follow; she moved from Honeydukes to Zonkos to the Three Broomsticks, all haunts of most Hogwarts students, and so easy to pass through unnoticed. They had seen several old friends; Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Lee Jordan, but if anyone noticed the increase in ex-pupils about that day, no one commented on it.

But, as afternoon turned to evening and people began to head back to the school, the world exploded.

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

A cry, in pain, for help? Spinning round, looking for the source, but suddenly everything is slow…pain, infinite pain, stopping just as quickly as it came…people are shouting, someone is crying…thumps and scuffles from somewhere indicate a fight, but the pain is back, and seeing is impossible…

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

The coin in Harrys pocket suddenly began to burn, furiously heating the skin on his legs. Harry yelped, then, realising what it was, grabbed Ginny's arm and pulled her to the side of the street. They were in the high street, somewhere between the Three Broomsticks and the alley where the Hogs Head stood, but Harry's mind was roving around the faces of the DA. Who was in trouble, which of them was right at this moment in danger? Selfishly grateful that Ginny was with him, all the while panicking for Hermione and Ron and the others, he scrabbled in his pocket and withdrew the coin.

"Hermione!" cried Ginny, reading her own. "The Shrieking Shack. Why on earth did they go up there?!"

Harry shook his head; no time for thought, no time for questions. His feet were already moving, propelling him forwards towards the path that led to the top of the village. Ginny was hot on his heals, and, in the corner of his eyes, he could see others too racing out of the village, all heading for the same place. Fred and George were fast catching up with Harry and Ginny, and behind them came Luna and Neville, followed closely by the Creevy brothers.

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

And then all is calm. Peaceful, floating on a cloud…a voice in her head, telling her exactly what to do. Tie them up, gag them…hurt them, make them suffer like you just did. Kill them.

No.

Kill them.

They are friends.

They don't care. Kill them.

No.

And then there is a noise, a shout, the sound of running feet, breaking through the peace and quiet of this strange state of mind. Panic in the voices around her, now; so close, can't muck it up…Suddenly, she is on the floor, and her head is hurting. Blood in her eyes, blood in her hair…cut on her head…

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

The shack came into view, and as one the group slowed. There was no sound, no cries, no shouts. It was unerringly quiet. Harry didn't want to think about what might be waiting round the corner. Heart in his mouth and a sick feeling in his chest, Harry walked slowly round the side of the building.

Two figures stood, tied together back to back with thick, cruel rope. There was a piece of sacking over their heads, but Harry recognised the robes of the figure facing him – it was Hermione. Relief soared through him as he pictured Ron tied behind her, unconscious perhaps, but the pair of them miraculously alive and breathing.

And then his eyes fell on the third figure.

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

The grass is cool beneath her, and the sun is warm above. It is a nice day to die. If she had time, she would think of friends, of loves, of evenings in the common room and days by the lake. Of feasts, of winning, of laughs gone by. Of family, of parents, of life. But she sees the sky, and she smiles, somehow, because in the sky she is free.

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She lay, half concealed by an over grown bush, on the soft summer grass. Hair falling free around her head, eyes gazing unseeingly up at the forever blue sky where she had spent so many happy hours.

Katie Bell, just eighteen, Gryffindor, quidditch player, true and loyal friend. Dead.

HarryTradesCardsHowBoring

Harry felt like he was about to throw up. Blood still seeped from a wound along her hairline, but other than that she appeared unharmed.

A muffled gasp from Ginny reminded him he was not alone. Shaking himself out of his horror, at least for now, he turned round, concealing Katie as best he could.

"Katie's dead." he said shortly to the few who had followed him round. Fred swore, George looked as though he had been hit by a bludger, Neville turned the colour of parchment and Luna looked unerringly shocked. Not allowing them time to digest the information and begin to panic, cry or worse, Harry continued quickly.

"Luna, go find a teacher. Preferably McGonagall, best of all Dumbledore, but anyone will do. Fred, George, stop the others coming round here. They don't need to see this. Neville, see what you can do about freeing Hermione and Ron, and check they're not to badly hurt."

Silently, each hurried off the complete their designated task, leaving Harry and Ginny alone, standing watch over their fallen friend.

"I can't believe it…" began Ginny in a hoarse whisper, but Harry cut her off.

"Don't think about it. Not yet." he said harshly. "This isn't the end. We need our wits now more than anything."

Ginny opened her mouth, but whether it was to reprimand him for his cold words or question his last statement, Harry never found out. At that moment, Neville, who had just removed the sack from the heads of the two figures, let out a cry of shock.

Harry and Ginny span round, seeing for the first time Hermione's face. She was gagged, and there was a spectacular bruise blossoming on her face, but that wasn't what had made Neville cry out.

It was the fact that the figure tied behind her was brown haired and female; another Gryffindor seventh year, a friend of Katie's. Most definitely not Ron.

Harry stalked over and pulled the gag roughly away from Hermione's mouth. She gasped in the fresh air, almost choking in her desire to breathe.

"Ron?" demanded Harry brusquely, seemingly unaware of his friends suffering. "Where is he?"

Almost desperately, the teenager began to scan the surrounding area, skipping over Katie's body, looking for any trace of his friend, half expecting him to emerge from the nearby woods, pale and shaking but safe and alive.

The guttural cry from Hermione dashed his hopes.

"Gone." she moaned softly. "They took him. He's gone."

And Harry didn't need to look round again to know she spoke the truth.

Ron Weasley had vanished.


Mwahaha. Gotta love a cliffie. Hope you think I gave Katie an ok ending, for want of a better word. See you all next week, when the fate of our missing Weasley will (perhaps) be resolved…