Chapter 17: Fixing Things

I am happy, Harry thought furiously as he glared at the white mist in front of him. I am HAPPY! But it was no use. Finally, he dropped the spell, and the formless haze quickly dissipated.

Breathing heavily, Harry wiped a hand across his forehead, and was unsurprised to find small beads of sweat had gathered on his brow. He had been working on this for the better part of an hour, but he still hadn't made any progress, a fact that was both maddening and discouraging to the dark-haired teenager.

While Harry had managed to successfully cast most spells he tried, even some that were traditionally taught several years above his age-level, the patronus charm continued to elude him. From what he had read, not only was the charm very demanding in terms of magic, it also included an emotional component that made it even more difficult to cast. Supposedly, to cast it successfully, a person needed to be thinking about a happy memory. The books he had read didn't explain this very well, however, which made things even more difficult considering the fact that, at this point in time, 'happy' wasn't an emotion that Harry had in great supply.

The door opened, and Hermione entered the classroom, a slightly hesitant look on her face.

Harry sighed. After their confrontation the other day, he'd had some time to think about things, and had realized that Neville had been correct. While Hermione had certainly overstepped her bounds, his reaction had been excessive. All the anger and frustration he'd been feeling had finally boiled over, and he'd unleashed it all on the target in front of him. And even though it had felt good to finally let that rage out, since then he'd felt guilty. It was clear that his friend had been deeply hurt by what he had said.

He'd thought about it for quite some time last night, and realized that if their friendship was to continue, he and Hermione needed to clear the air. Of course, it was easy to decide that on his own. Now that he was actually here with her, struggling to figure out how to start, it was a bit more difficult.

"We need to talk," he finally began. He could see the confusion in her eyes, but he pressed on nonetheless. "I'm still a little bit frustrated with you making the decision to curse the list of people for the defense group, but I realize that you thought what you were doing was right, and I am sorry that I lost my temper with you. You didn't deserve to be yelled at like that," he finished, taking a deep breath to help calm his nerves.

Hermione frowned, clearly surprised by his admission, but she responded eventually. "And I apologize for making a decision like that without consulting you," she finally said, her voice soft. "But I still think that it was the right decision. We needed to a way to keep it secret from Umbridge," she added firmly.

"Then you should have said that when we were first discussing the idea," Harry countered, doing his best to stay calm.

"I couldn't be sure that you would take me seriously, given that you tend to be reckless," Hermione argued.

Harry paused, completely taken aback. "Reckless?" he echoed, genuinely confused. "When have I ever been reckless?"

Hermione looked at him as though he had just claimed the sky was bright green. "Harry, you were talking about running away after first year. Second year, you kept playing a meaningless game even after it was clear that one of the bludgers was specifically targeting you, then you challenged Lockhart to a duel long before anyone knew the truth about him. Just this past summer you practically declared war against the Ministry, which is probably the reason that Umbridge is here in the first place."

Harry bit back an angry retort, taking a moment to calm himself and think about Hermione's words before responding. "I can see why you might consider some of those decisions as being reckless," he grudgingly conceded. "But I still think that in most, if not all of those examples, my decisions were perfectly justified. Yes, there might have been some element of risk, but at the same time, there were also potential rewards that made the risk worth it."

"But if you had thought things through, you could have found a better way to achieve that potential reward without the risk," his friend replied.

"Maybe, but not always," Harry said, "and anyways, that's beside the point. They were my decisions to make, not yours. If you think that I am making a poor decision, you may suggest an alternative, but at the end of the day, I choose. You don't get to go behind my back like that."

"I'm not trying to go behind your back, Harry," Hermione argued. "But I'm not just going to do nothing when one of my friends is making a big mistake."

"Hermione, this isn't like tackling me out of the way of an oncoming curse that I don't see," Harry said, his frustration growing. "There was plenty of time for you to voice your concerns and we could have discussed it. You need to accept that my decisions are my own, whether you agree with them or not. And if my choices turn out to be a big mistake, then you can take pleasure in saying 'I told you so'"

"I don't want to say 'I told you so', I want my friend to be safe," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.

"Well, your friend has the right to make his own choices, even ones that you disagree with. Can you accept that?"

An expression of anger flashed across Hermione's face, then disappeared as she sighed. "Fine. But I will speak up if there is something foolish that you are doing."

"Thank you," Harry said, as graciously as he could. "Now, let's start practicing, since that's what we're here for. The most fundamental skill for defense is being able to cast quickly and accurately. It doesn't matter how many spells you know, if you can't hit your target, you're going to lose. So, we'll start by practicing our accuracy using stinging hexes." He pointed to two lines he had drawn on the floor. "We each stay behind our line, but we can move as much as we want to dodge the other person's attacks. Keep in mind that while you do want to dodge the attack completely, the less you move the better. If you dive out of the way of each spell, it's going to take longer to recover and cast a spell of your own."

Harry walked across the room until he was beyond the line, then turned to look at his friend. "Any questions?"

Hermione shook her head, bringing her wand up to a ready position, the tip pointing not quite at him, but certainly close enough for some rapid spellwork.

Harry smiled. "Begin."

Harry and Hermione practiced for an hour, after which Harry repeated the exercise with Neville, then with Fred. Or, at least, he thought it was Fred. He still couldn't tell the twins apart, and he wouldn't put it past them to deliberately fake some small personality differences that they altered in order to keep people confused. But, this one seemed to be the slightly more aggressive twin, which he thought was Fred.

And then it was lunch time. Harry suppressed a yawn as he entered the Great Hall. He'd been up late thinking, then had woken early to get some practice of his own in before he met with Hermione. Now, a little afternoon nap was sounding absolutely heavenly. First, however, he had one more person he needed to meet with.

As he made his way to the Ravenclaw table to talk to Luna, Harry frowned as he noticed the blonde girl sitting by herself. She wasn't seated at either end, but there was still a definite and obviously deliberate gap between her and her housemates on either side.

The sight tugged at his heartstrings just a bit. Harry could remember all too well how it felt to be alone. Before Harry had come to Hogwarts, Dudley had done a very good job of chasing away anybody who tried to befriend the bespectacled boy.

His feet were already moving before he had made a conscious decision. Fortunately, it didn't take long for his mind to catch up.

"Hello, Luna," he said brightly as he sat down next to her and began to dish some potato salad onto the plate in front of him.

"Hello, Harry Potter," she replied, seeming to perk up just a bit.

"You know, you can just call me Harry," the boy said.

"But you're really not all that hairy," Luna replied, her expression innocent. "At least, I don't think you are. Do you have a lot of chest hair? Or hair on other places?" She tilted her head to one side, gazing at him curiously.

"I… no." Harry was caught off guard but rallied quickly, frowning as he looked at her with mock suspicion. "Are you pranking me?"

"Would I do something like that?" Luna responded, her face serene though her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"Apparently you would," Harry said as he pretended to glare at her. "So, how are things going for you this year?" he asked.

"Pretty well," his friend replied, a small frown crossing her face. "Did I tell you about the expedition to Sweden to find the Crumple-horned Snorcack?"

"I think you mentioned something about that when your dad interviewed me over the summer," Harry replied uncertainly, face contorting as he tried to remember.

"Well, we did go, but we didn't find anything. That's a little disappointing, but it was still a fun experience. We had some amusing adventures, as always. I don't know if you noticed this, but Daddy can be just a little absentminded at times, which can lead to some strange experiences, but we made it back safe and sound, and that's what counts."

"That's a good attitude to take," Harry said. "But, still, I imagine it's a bit disappointing that you didn't find what you were looking for."

Luna shrugged. "Maybe we'll have better luck next year. Of course, with the Quidditch World Cup being held here next summer, I'm not sure if we'll be able to go on one of our normal trips, but I hope so."

Harry looked at her quizzically. "So, do you always go on trips to look for new animals?"

"Not just animals," Luna replied quickly. "There's all sorts of new things waiting to be discovered, or old things that have been forgotten and are now waiting to be found. For example, have you ever heard of the Gate of Avalon?" she asked enthusiastically.

Harry shook his head.

"It was a fortress guarding the only entrance to Avalon, but it was conquered by attackers using armored dragons," Luna recounted, her voice whispery and mysterious. "We know that it existed from numerous records, but no one has ever found it. Based on one of the accounts, Dad came up with the theory that it was actually underground. We spent the summer before I started Hogwarts exploring many old caves throughout the country looking for it, and though we didn't actually find the fortress itself, we did find some clues that show we're on the right track."

"Wow," Harry said after a moment. "That sounds really cool. I have to admit that looking for new animals doesn't seem that exciting, but trying to find an old castle would be lots of fun." He wasn't exaggerating, either. That really would be interesting. Maybe I'll see if I can go with them some time in the future.

"So, tell me more about some of your travels," Harry requested as he helped himself to a chicken sandwich.

Luna was happy to oblige.

Lunch passed quickly, with Luna doing most of the talking and Harry just adding a bit of commentary here and there, and soon they were both finished.

"So, Luna, since we can't meet as a group to learn defense anymore, we figured things out so that we meet in partnerships to practice the skills. I'm teaching Hermione, Neville and Fred Weasley, then they teach other people, and those people teach other people, and so on. But I was hoping to work with you personally. Do you want to learn DADA from me?"

Luna frowned. "Would that mean that I would have to teach someone else?" she inquired.

"You can if you want to, but you don't have to," Harry responded.

Luna sighed, then nodded. "Then I would like to learn from you, but it's probably best that I don't teach others. Most people don't seem to take me seriously. They sometimes call me Loony, so I doubt that they would be interested in learning from me."

One of the things Harry had realized early on was that Luna had a tendency to be shockingly blunt about many things that most people would be hesitant to speak of, which often left him feeling a bit awkward as he tried to find some way to respond.

"Well, they're not going to call you that when I'm around," he promised. "I don't let people insult my friends."

He pretended not to see the way Luna smiled shyly, or mouthed the word 'friends'.

"So, how about if we meet each Saturday right after lunch?" he suggested. "We can start today."

Luna beamed at him. "That sounds great."

The pair exited the Great Hall and began to walk toward the classroom Harry had commandeered. As they approached the main staircase, Harry took the opportunity to glance down the hall toward the picture of Humprey the Huguenot, and was dismayed to see that the halberd was still turned so that the spike pointed toward the main staircase.

Does that mean that my informant still hasn't seen my message? His Slytherin correspondent had previously turned the halberd back to its normal position to show that the message had been received. But if the message was still waiting to be read, he might need to tell Fred and George to cancel the prank for tomorrow. After all, the whole point was to prove to his secretive partner that Harry had things to contribute. Slytherins were, after all, ambitious, so it was unlikely that his informant was taking the risk of warning Harry about Malfoy and Umbridge's plans purely out of the good of his or her heart. Warning about a prank was a good way to pay for the information Harry had received. Or, at least, it would be so long as his mysterious new friend actually got the warning.

Suppressing the urge to growl in frustration that his plan, which had seemed so clever yesterday when he came up with it, was now falling apart, he turned his attention back to Luna, asking more about the foreign countries she had visited.

After his lesson with Luna was finished, Harry returned to the Gryffindor dorms for a quick nap. He awoke feeling refreshed, and took a few more minutes to just relax and appreciate the silence, which was quite rare in a dorm with five boys. The sunlight streaming in from the window was already beginning to fade as the sun set, giving the room a soft glow, the beds casting deep shadows across the walls.

Finally, Harry sat up with a sigh. A glance at his watch revealed that supper would be starting soon. As he got dressed, Harry glanced over at the journal lying on the nightstand next to his bed. To his surprise, he had found that he enjoyed keeping a record of what was happening in his life. It was a good way for him to vent his frustrations without worrying about losing face in front of his fellow students, or even worse, looking like an angry little boy in front of his employees.

Now, however, his attention was drawn to the small black diamond on the spine. Normally, that symbol was just an outline. Now, however, the shape was solid, indicating a new message from Peter.

With a frown, Harry grabbed the book and flipped it open to page seven.

Connor and Chad made something for you.

Can you meet in the usual place in Hogsmeade

tomorrow morning at six?

Harry frowned in confusion, trying to think about what the two resident mad geniuses might have made. Nothing came to mind, so he would just have to wait until the next morning to find out.

I'll be there, he scrawled in the journal, then pressed the icon to send the message. Quickly reactivating the privacy measures so that the page would seem to others like a non-descript diary entry, he placed the journal back on the nightstand and began to make his way to the Great Hall.

Dinner was in full swing by the time he arrived, but he quickly sat down and began to fill his plate with the delicious-looking food.

"You're looking much more awake, Harry," Neville commented.

"Yeah, it's amazing what a good nap will do for you," Harry responded with a grin. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing much. Just a big argument between Percy and the other Weasleys," Hermione said drily.

Harry scoffed. "Still fighting, huh? What was it about this time?"

"Same old, same old," Neville said. "Apparently, the Inquisitorial Squad took a trip to the ministry today to meet some of the movers and shakers in the political world. When he got back, Percy made some comments about how it was nice to have the opportunity to break away from his father's reputation and show people that not all Weasleys were like him."

Harry took a quick breath, cringing. "That's harsh. I can't imagine his siblings liked hearing that." Mister Weasley may not have been Harry's favorite person, being too much of a supporter of Dumbledore for Harry's liking, but he was still a nice man, and one who was (as far as Harry had seen) always kind and loving towards his children. He certainly wasn't deserving of such criticism from Percy.

"They did not like hearing that at all," Hermione concurred emphatically. "I have a feeling the twins are going to make him regret saying that over the next few weeks."

"Or the next few months. Or years," Neville added in a soft voice.

Harry frowned as a thought came to mind. He glanced over at the Slytherin table, where Draco was seated, a proud smirk on his face. But it wasn't Draco that Harry was interested in this time. His gaze wandered up and down the table, wondering how many of them had gone on that trip.

When dinner finished, Harry excused himself and quickly made his way to the library, taking a slight detour that led past Humphrey the Huguenot, where he was pleased to see that the halberd had been turned once more. When he got to the library, he casually strolled down the aisle where he had left the message, checking just to ensure that it had been received.

Suppressing the smile that threatened to appear on his face, Harry continued on the DADA section, selecting one of the books and took it to a nearby chair. His thoughts were on something else entirely, however.

So, my informant is on the Inquisitorial Squad. That's interesting.

Harry woke early, glancing over to ensure that none of the other occupants in his dorm were up yet. On a Sunday morning there wasn't much risk of that, but better to be safe than sorry.

Climbing under his invisibility cloak, Harry crept out of the room and down the stairs, then out of the common room. It technically wasn't against the rules for him to leave the dorms this early, but he would like to avoid the faculty if possible.

He exited the massive castle and began to jog toward Hogsmeade, grateful that he had resumed exercising with Neville in the mornings on school days. Of course, if he still had his trusty Nimbus it would have made things even easier, but the latest attempt on his life had put paid to that. And though he could have simply grabbed one of the brooms from Timeland, that was one risk that Harry didn't want to take. If he was seen with a broom, people like Dumbledore would start asking questions Harry would prefer not to answer.

Of course, he would need to get a new broom soon, assuming that the Gryffindor team ever received permission to reform. He frowned as that thought crossed his mind. According to Ron, the Nimbus 2001 did have several key improvements over the 2000 model that he had owned. But, that would mean riding the same kind of broom as Malfoy, and that just wasn't something Harry could accept.

There was that new broom company that had made such a stir over the summer, he realized. He'd have to give it some more thought, but maybe a Firebolt would be a good replacement for his dearly departed Nimbus.

By the time he arrived, Harry was breathing heavily, and his forehead was wet with sweat despite the cold November morning. His watch showed that he was about ten minutes early, but to his surprise, Peter appeared just a few minutes after he arrived.

"So, what's this mysterious present?" Harry asked.

Peter held out a wooden cube, a little larger than a foot on each edge with what looked like a door on one side. Harry accepted the object, turning it over in his hands as he studied it closely, even opening the door to see that it was empty inside.

"Alright, I give up. What is it?" the boy finally asked.

Peter grinned. "You are holding the very first Vanishing Cabinet produced by our organization. We've got its mate back at the office," he said proudly. "We can use them to pass papers back and forth so that you can have an easier time keeping up to date with what we're doing."

To say that Harry was astounded would be an understatement. "They can make matching Vanishing Cabinets?" The shock in his voice was clear.

"The theory behind vanishing cabinets actually isn't that complicated," Peter replied with a nod. "The difficulty is in getting them to match up. The way it's done is by using what's called a linking plate, where two pieces of wood are carved with identical rune sequences so they have the same magical signature. The sequences are very complicated, so even a master rune-carver can require hundreds or even thousands of tries before they finally get a match. Chad and Connor found a way to carve those linking plates with computer-controlled machinery, making it much easier to get a match."

"So, they can make them match every time?" Harry asked.

"No," Peter answered. "It took about two dozen tries to get a match, and the plates that finally did form a pair had some small differences, such that some of the other plates should have been a closer match. Clearly, there's something else going on that they don't understand yet, but given the greater chance of forming a pair and the greater ease of producing the plates, this is a big step forward. They're going to continue working on it, but just this one development is incredible."

"Yeah, I'll say," Harry muttered, still amazed. "I've been meaning to find a time to retrieve that cabinet we left down in the Chamber of Secrets, but if we can just make our own…"

"Eventually we should see about forming a company to sell products like this," Peter suggested. "There would be a good market for it, and if people learn that we can use non-magical technology to help make complex magical goods, that might help to combat some of the prejudice that plagues the magical world."

Harry nodded. "Good idea. We'll hold off for now, but after things finish up with the foundation, I think something like that could be very beneficial."

"I agree," Peter said. "This week I'll send you copies of the reports everyone has made. Michelle, in particular, has some stuff that you should read. More of Riddle's history, Dumbledore's history, information about that muggleborn advocacy group, Equitas, lots of good stuff. I think you'll find it… illuminating."

"I look forward to it," Harry responded. "Anything else to report?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully over the Christmas break you can to the office and see some of the things we've been working on in person, but, for now, everything is going fine," Peter said.

"Then I'll head back to the castle," Harry replied, then gestured down to the box in his arms. "And thanks for this. It'll make things a lot easier."

A few hours later, Harry couldn't help but smile as indignant shrieks from the Slytherins filled the Great Hall. Students in the house of serpents might be proud of their affiliation, but they weren't nearly as enthusiastic about the green skin, silver hair and forked tongues Fred and George had given them.

By curious coincidence, however, many of the girls from the younger years were a little late to breakfast that morning, and thus escaped the prank.

Harry was unsurprised to see the signal indicating a new message later that afternoon. There were few enough people in the library when he entered that he hardly bothered with secrecy. Grabbing the letter from its hiding place as he also selected a history book to cover his trip down that aisle, he made himself comfortable in one of the padded wingback chairs and read the note.

Potter,

Thank you for the warning about the prank. I'm pleased to see this partnership is working out. And now I would like to offer you a warning in return. Malfoy was not pleased with the latest edition of The Quibbler. Keep an eye on Lovegood. I think he intends her some harm.