AN: New chapter anf finally some action again.
Please let me know what you thinka nd share your feedback.
Enjoy!
Chapter 58
October 5th, 1995
Harry grinned: "Well, this is your chance... Let's go."
He cast a look around, none seemed to be paying him any attention. With a flick of his wand, he cast a disillusionment charm on himself and watched as Fleur copied him within a second. Together, they started following the golden Gryffindor trio.
They walked down the main street past Zonko's Joke Shop, past the post office, from which owls issued at regular intervals, and turned up a side street at the top of which stood a small inn.
A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture upon it of a wild boar's severed head leaking blood onto the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. The three Gryffindors hesitated outside the door before entering
Harry cast a quick charm so the door would remain open long enough for Fleur and him to slip through it, right after the trio. It was not at all like the Three Broomsticks in here, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness.
The Hog's Head bar comprised one small, dingy, and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables.
The floor seemed at first glance to be earthy, though as Harry stepped onto it he realized that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of centuries.
Granger still had a lot to learn. If she truly wanted no one to overhear their little meeting, she should have facilitated it in the Three Broomsticks. In there, no one would be paying attention to a slightly larger gathering. Instead, they looked incredibly suspicious as students entering a pub like this.
There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty gray bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth. Two figures shrouded in hoods sat at a table in one of the corners. In a shadowy corner beside the fireplace sat a witch with a thick, black veil that fell to her toes. They could just see the tip of her nose because it caused the veil to protrude slightly.
Fleur and Harry just waited as the trio cast suspicious looks around. Something was bothering Weasley about the woman, but Granger seemed to convince him that it was safe enough. The barman sidled toward them out of a back room.
He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long gray hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar to Harry. In fact, he not only looked familiar, his magic felt familiar as well. When the man looked up to take the trio's order, Harry got a glance at piercing blue eyes, which have been robbed of any twinkle.
Dumbledore... Harry frowned. This was Dumbledore's younger brother, Aberforth. He found Fleur's hand and let her towards a table close to the trio, so they could listen in on the conversation.
"So who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?" Longbottom asked,
wrenching open the rusty top of his butterbeer and taking a swig.
"Just a couple of people," Granger says, checking her watch and then looking anxiously toward the door. "I told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it is — oh look, this
might be them now —"
The door of the pub had opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight
split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people.
First came Dean Thomas and Lavender Brown, the two Gryfindor Prefects, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil, with Cho Chang and one of her usually giggling girlfriends, then (on her own and looking so dreamy that she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood;
Then, half the Gryffindor Quidditch team, followed by Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch- Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones.
Three Ravenclaws, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Terry Boot were tagged along by Ginny Weasley, followed by Zacharias Smith. Finally, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise arrived.
They all ordered something to drink at the bar, causing the perplexed Batman, who probably never had that many customers to glare at them in annoyance. Then, they all turned to Granger, apparently expecting some sort of speech.
"Er," said Granger, her voice slightly higher than usual. "Well — er — hi."
Everyone simply kept staring at her...
"Well . . . erm . . . well, you know why you're here. Erm . . . well, we all together here had the idea — I mean" — Weasley and Longbottom had thrown her a sharp lool.
"I had the idea — that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts — and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us, because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts"
"Hear, hear," said Anthony Goldstein, and Hermione looked heartened. Indeed, Umbridge was still not teaching them. There had been an uproar as many students send letters home to their parents, sharing the information about the woman's OWL results and the fact that she did not have a NEWT in DADA.
The Ministry's response was a formal statement listing all sorts of random qualifications and made-up diplomas aimed to satisfy the public. Nevertheless, Fudge's and Umbridge's reputation had taken a huge blow. They were less popular than ever.
"Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands." Granger continued.
Harry repressed a chuckle. What does she want to do? Does she truly think Umbridge will allow them to form a little Defense Club and practice spells right under her nose?
She paused, looked sideways at her two companions, and went on, "And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells —"
"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too though, I bet?" said Michael Corner.
"Of course I do," said Granger at once. "But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defense because... You-Know-Who is back."
The reaction was immediate and predictable. Most people stared at her in confusion or fear. A few took it as a joke and even sniggered.
"Well . . . that's the plan anyway," said Granger. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to —"
"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said Smith in a rather aggressive voice.
"Well, Dumbledore believes it —" Hermione began.
"You mean, Dumbledore believes Harry Potter."
"Well... yes... Professor Dumbledore does believe him." Granger admitted reluctantly and Harry knew it had cost her a lot to admit that.
"Well, what proof is there?" Smith asked challengingly: "All Dumbledore told us last year, is that Potter was somehow captured but at the same time he killed two people that night..."
A few people nodded all around him.
"Look guys" Weasley spoke up: "Even if You-Know-Who is not back, there is nothing wrong with learning how to defend yourself, is there?"
No one could really argue against that.
"So who is going to teach us?" Chang asked.
"Well, I was hoping we could all teach each other." Granger started: "I mean, I pretty good in magic myself. I am sure I could teach at least the students in my year..."
Terry snorted: "The only person anyone here could actually learn something from his Harry Potter. But he is not here and he will not teach you..."
Murmurs of agreement went through the gathering of students. Harry felt movement from Fleur beside him and knew she must be amused at the thought of him teaching other students.
"I have heard that in his first year he saved the Philosophers stone." Padma Patil shared with the others. Harry groaned silently... were they really about to do this? Granger looked like she did not enjoy where this conversation was heading.
"And he also killed a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office!" Said Michael Corner. "That's what one of the portraits on the
wall told me when I was in there last year. . . ."
"And then, in third year, he saved his Godfather, even though everyone thought he was a murderer, with that incredible spell of his... remember?" Dean Thomas spoke in awe.
"Apparently he used it again this summer." Susan Bones told the others. "My auntie said that he was attacked by Dementors and killed two more of them."
By now, people were staring in fascination. Fleur's hand was still on top of his, gently stroking the back.
"Remember the way he battled his dragon and completed the other tasks in the Tournament last year?" Lee Jordan added: "None of the other champions even stood a chance against him."
At this, Fleur's fingernails dig into the skin on the back of his hand quite painfully. Harry grinned and gave her an assuring pad.
"He is also the under 18 European dueling champion... and he won it when he was only 14." Hannah Abbot said quietly.
Granger had grown very quiet while the students all around were sharing his greatest accomplishments. Finally, she had enough: "Okay! We get it! Harry Potter is great and you would love to be taught by him."
Everyone turned back to her.
"The only thing you are forgetting is that he is already on his way to be a Dark Wizard. He killed the first time when he was 11, in our first year. Since then, he has killed over seven people and he is only 15."
"Weren't all of them Death Eater?" Michal Corner asked.
"Victor was not a Death Eater!" Granger spat.
"Well, he tried to rape Potter's girlfriend... you can't really expect a bloke to just forget that, you know." Lee Jordan chimed in.
Many of the boys around him nodded their agreement, while the girls rolled their eyes. Granger seemed about ready to retort, but Weasley placed a hand on her arm just as Terry interfered:
"Have none of you seen how in love Harry and Fleur Delacour were with each other all-around last year or even this morning on their way to Hogsmeade?" Terry snorted: "Arent Dark Lords supposed to be inhuman and unable to love?"
"Maybe he is still ensnarled by her Veela abilities." Ginny Weasley suggested with a look of jealousy. Many of the girls around her nodded. Harry felt Fleur's hot breath creeping up from his neck to his ear:
"The little Ginger thinks she has a chance at stealing you from me..." She whispered amusingly.
"I have never seen Harry drool in her presence... I think he is immune to it..." Fred mused loudly.
"Couldn't we at least try to ask Potter to teach us?" Ernie McMillan suggests: "You all have listed his accomplishments already and he has consistently been the best student in our year."
People were nodding their heads, while Granger angrily hissed at Weasley for stopping her from lashing out.
"He is not going to teach any of you..." Terry snorted. "80% of you were wearing a Support-Cedric-Diggory-Badge a year ago. Why would he just forgive you for that."
Admittedly some of them looked ashamed now. McMillan tried to defend himself: "Well, to be fair... it did look like he only did it for the attention... We all know that he is one of the smartest students Hogwarts has ever seen. I am sure you could have actually found a way to enter himself if he wanted to."
"And still you hated him, even though he was our school's best bet at winning the tournament. No offense against any of you Puffs, but Diggory never stood a chance in this Tournament. Harry had been in the lead from the very beginning." Terry replied with a chuckle.
"We don't need Potter," Granger stated firmly. "Let's get back to the topic at hand. So, do you guys agree to just study practical spells together and learn from each other?"
There was a murmur of general agreement. Next, they argued about the lessons better not cutting into their respective Quidditch training.
"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," said Granger,
slightly impatiently, "but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against You-Know-Who's Death Eaters —"
"Well said!" barked Ernie Macmillan. "Personally I think this is really im- important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!"
"I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells —"
"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione, "is that she's got some . . . some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilize us against the Ministry."
Nearly everybody looked stunned at this news; everybody except for Luna Lovegood. Harry liked the girl for her loyalty, but she did have some ridiculous conspiracy theories swirling through that blonde head of hers.
After almost a minute of arguing, they finally returned to the topic at hand. And started discussing possible locations.
Granger rummaged in her bag and produced parchment and a quill, then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to say something: "I-I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think, that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge — or anybody else — what we're up to."
Many people signed without complaints, only so,e of the other Prefects seemed hesitant at putting their name under. Harry wondered what kind of spells Granger had put on the parchments. It was not just an ordinary list at this point. Probably some sort of contract.
Harry pulled Fleur's hand hinting to leave the pub. They put some distance between themselves and the Hogshead before undoing their disillusionment charms.
Fleur had an exciting grin on her face: "A secret defense club at Hogwarts and Harry Potter is caught in the middle of it. What are you going to do, my love? Are you going to teach your poor peers?" Her voice was dripping in sarcasm.
"I don't think so..." Harry laughed. "But knowing about this club might be to my advantage. It would act as a great distraction to blow their cover, in case I needed to draw attention away from myself at some point."
Fleur nodded: "Well, that was enough to clench my thirst for a "Harry Potter adventure" for one day. However... I have further desires that need to be satisfied." She gave him a suggestive smirk.
"I like that idea... But I think we need to move Salazar Portrait first... When I said that I don't want to share you, it included any voyeurs."
"I don't know what you are talking about, Mr. Potter. But I was referring to my empty chocolate inventory, which needs a restocking..." Fleur grinned as she pulled Harry towards the Honeydukes. Well... chocolate did not sound so bad either...
October 7th, 1995
Harry watched as the golden trio was approached by multiple members of their new little defense club. Let's see how they would react to the latest development...
This morning, a new Education Decree had been published, banning all student organizations of three or more people. Each club needed permission from the High Inquisitor herself before they could reform.
The golden trio and the Gryffindor chasers exchanged hectic whispers at the Gryffindor table, just as some of the Puffs and even Ravenclaws got up to walk over to them. Where they really that stupid?
Apparently, Granger noticed their mistake, as she quickly sent the Weaslette to intercept her boyfriend and his friends from coming any closer, while gesturing for the Puffs to remain at their table. Harry chuckled as he returned to his breakfast. A week of preparations lay ahead of him.
Fleur had spent the night after their date with him down in the Salazar's quarters (they did remove the Founder's Portrait). They had agreed upon their next target: Walden MacNair.
October 12th, 1995
"Are you ready?" Harry asked his girlfriend after she had finished putting her blonde hair up in a tight bun. She looked really cute in her black spy outfit, but now was not the time for it.
Fleur nodded with determination. Harry shot her a thankful look. His past self was currently sitting in another detention with Umbridge. He had purposefully antagonized her in a DADA lesson yesterday on Friday and asked her if she would mind a practice duel to prove her long list of qualifications.
He had been writing lines for the past four hours. Afterward, he had used the time turner and mirror called Fleur, to let her know that he was ready. Being in the presence of Dolores Umbridge while some more purebloods were killed this night, should be the perfect decoy.
"Good." Harry said: "This will not be as easy as with Avery. The MacNairs barely leave their house and let their house-elves to most of the errands. We will breach their home, find Walden Macnair, and kill him, understood?"
Fleur nodded once more. "What about his son and wife?"
The man currently lived with his twenty-two-year-old son, Robin MacNair, and his wife. By sheer luck, Harry was told the location by the Portrait of Arcturus Black, whose Aunt had been married off to a MacNair. Harry decided not to tell the portrait what he intend to do. The line of MacNair might very well end this night.
"Depending on how lethal their reactions are, we either stun them or kill them. His son might already be on his way to join his father in the ranks of the Death Eaters. We will assume the worst and go from there."
Fleur agreed in silence and checked her outfit one last time.
"Let's go then." He gave her one last kiss and held out his hand while grabbing a golden coin from the nearby table.
"MacNair Manor!" Harry spoke the phrase and held Fleur tightly as they vanished from Salazar's quarters.
They reappeared at the edge of a forest. On a large hill, a few hundred meters ahead of them, stood a tall manor, similar to Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton, but surrounded by a thick hedge.
Harry held out his hand and silently apparated them to the edge of the hedge. Fleur flicked her rosewood wand into her palm and started analyzing the ward scheme, chanting in what seems to be an old nordic language.
"The wards are centuries old, strong, and very powerful. However there is a weakness, once we are inside, they will no longer be a problem. They only stop people from entering but don't become hostile once you have been allowed inside." Fleur explained after a minute has passed.
"How long will it take you to dismantle them?" Harry asked, holding his hands in front of him and analyzing the ward scheme himself. Possibly he would find further weaknesses.
"Perhaps an hour." Fleur mused loudly. "After that, we could presumably overpower them with combined efforts."
"We don't have that much time," Harry shook his head: "We will both go in under the cloak."
Fleur agreed after a few seconds of pondering about it. The concept of a cloak hiding her very soul and allowing her to pass any ward line was still very foreign to her, but it was their best bet.
Harry quickly pulled the Cloak out from underneath his robes and in one fluent motion covered himself and Fleur. When tightly pressed against each other, the Cloak barely covered them from head to toe. They slowly approached the ward line. It was only a few steps now.
They crossed the gap in between the hedges that led to the entrance to the mansion. Both teenagers were holding their breaths as they finally stepped over the threshold... Nothing happened.
"It worked." Fleur gasped beside him. They walked the narrow path up to the gate, which acted as a final obstacle between them and the grounds around the manor. Harry held up his hand: The gate was heavily warded. If anyone besides the owner of the manor tried to open, physically or magically, the residents inside the mansion would know instantly.
Harry grinned as he held out his hand for Fleur: "Wanna see something cool?"
Fleur gave him a perplexed frown but took the offered hand. Harry focused on the tips of the blades of grass and took a step forward. A split second later, he and Fleur appeared on the other side of the gate and dropped the remaining inch to the ground.
Fleur was staring at him wide-eyed: "You just apparated through Anti-apparition charms without breaking or overpowering them:"
"I'll explain later," Harry quickly said, as they sneaked further to the entrance of the Manor. The main door opened for them after a flick of Harry's wand.
The inside looked just as one might imagine a pureblood villa to look like. Large portraits hung from the walls with the occasional historic relics or suits of armor in between the gaps. The floor was made of rich dark wood, with different colored carpets leading to several sections of the manor.
A Homenum Revelio revealed three human souls, meaning the entire family was present. Harry and Fleur sneaked across the main hallway to where Harry was hoping the sitting or living room would be. As they passed another corner, Harry could make out some faint voices from the room ahead of them. He gestured Fleur to slowly follow him:
"What about your next mission? Will I finally be allowed to join you?" Harry heard the voice of a young man.
"You are too young, Robin," A woman spoke up. "There is no need for you to join him now already."
"Father's mission has been a success. He managed to persuade some of the giants. The Dark Lord favors us right, mother. We shall use this opportunity to rise even further in his ranks."
"Your mother is right, son." An older voice spoke. "Now is not the time. We will wait for the Dark Lord to reveal himself to the public. Then you shall ask him to grant you the honor of wearing his mark."
"Have I not proven myself already, father?" The young man retorted angrily.
"You haven't done shit, boy." The man growled. "You think torturing and playing around with some muggle girls will be seen as an actual experience by the Dark Lord? You will soon get an opportunity to prove yourself. The Dark Lord will make sure of it."
"What are his plans then? How can I prepare?" The eagerness in the younger man's voice was obvious.
"We will talk about his plans no further." There was some finality to his tone and the younger man and woman both stayed quiet after.
Fleur cast him a questioning look and held up three fingers. Harry sighed but nodded. All three would die tonight. It sounded like the son was eager to join in his father's footsteps and the woman was clearly supporting the cause.
Harry disillusioned himself and cast a look around the corner. The three residents of the manor were sitting at a long table with a variety of food placed in front of them. Apparently, they were about to finish dinner. Two house-elves were running around the table, refilling their cups or adding new dishes. Those would have to be taken out first.
Harry slowly retreated back to Fleur and whispered in her ear. "Two elves... stunners right when we enter. Then, we fight all three of them. No mercy."
Fleur gave him a determined nod and readied herself. Harry cast one last look at her, then turned his attention back to the family in the room ahead of him.
In silent agreement, they both stepped around the corner. Drawing the attention of all occupants of the room on themselves. In an instant, two red beams of light stunned the elves, which dropped any dishes they had been carrying.
"What the f..." Robin MacNair yelled, as he jumped out of his chair. He pulled his wand and returned fire. Both his parents followed a split second later. Harry took on Walden and his son while Fleur was now dueling with the matriarch of the MacNair family.
Harry was forced to shield from a bone breaker, while the older Macnair levitated the knives at the table and fired them at Harry, one by one. A flick of his wand stopped each knife in the air and he shot them back at his opponents.
Robin MacNair showed remarkable skill, as he quickly placed the wooden chair in between him and the incoming knives, saving himself from the sharp deadly metal.
Meanwhile, Fleur was unleashing on her opponent. The two witches were not even close to being evenly matched in skill. The Veela was dancing gracefully between the incoming spells and returned fire with deadly accuracy. Her piecing hex had already connected with the woman's shoulder, making her shriek in pain and drawing first blood in the deadly encounter.
"You bitch!" The woman screamed and unleashed a volley of darker spells, powered by her rage and desperation. Fleur, however, kept her cool and dodged the majority of incoming spells, shielding from the ones that came very close.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry's heart almost stopped as he heard the woman send a killing curse towards his girlfriend. But even when faced with imminent death, Fleur performed exceptionally and flicked her wand once. Her spell manipulated the wax of a single candle, which formed a shield and intercepted the deadly green light.
Knowing that the French Veela was more than cable of handling herself, Harry turned his full attention back to the father-son combination he was currently dueling.
"You dare break into this house?" the older MacNair roared: "Crucio!"
Harry's defense against the Unforgivable was battled-tested and had never disappointed him so far. He barely moved his wand, but the words were spoken in his mind and his intentions were clear. The familiar dark dragonflies broke from the tip and formed a semi-transparent shield in front of him. A single one of them intercepted the torture curse.
As soon as their purpose was fulfilled the entire swarm vanished, leaving two speechless opponents. Conjuring a powerful shield in front of him, he cast a quick glance to see how Fleur was doing. he was not disappointed by what he saw:
The Veela's opponent was bleeding from several wounds, her wand work became slow and sloppy. Fleur was close to finishing her off. With a flick of her wand, the curtains along the wall wrapped themselves around the woman's legs.
Harry grimaced... This was the end. Indeed, his girlfriend's dark purple cutting curse connected with the woman's neck. She instantly dropped to the floor. The blood loss would be fatal in less than a minute.
"Mother!" Robin MacNair roared. But when he turned his attention to Fleur, to satisfy his thirst for revenge, Harry's bone breaker connected with his wand arm. He yelped in pain and turned to his father with a look of desperation:
"Call him, father! Call him or we will die!"
Harry could not let this happen. He watched as the elder MacNair waited over the pros and cons. Their situation was desperate and he must know that he and his son would likely not make it out alive. At the same time, his Master's ire was not to be messed with at the moment. Calling him, simply because someone broke into his house, might mean certain death by his hand.
In the end, his Slytherin self-preservation seemed to take the lead, as he pulled up the sleeves of his robes and revealed the Dark Mark deeply embedded into the skin on his forearm.
"No!" Harry yelled and released a powerful cutting curse from the depths of the Black Library. The spell tore through the son's shields as if it were nothing but butter. It also connected with the torso of the younger man before it finally reached its target.
Harry and Fleur both watched wide-eyed as the entire arm was severed right above the elbow, just as the Death Eater's outstretched finger connected with the Dark Mark.
A hot searing pain shot through Harry's scar. The severed arm dropped to the wooden floor as blood spilled out of the remaining limb still attached to the man. Harry's eyes, however, were still on the tattoo which now turned the blackest of black.
It had been too late... Harry knew it as soon as he felt the pain in his scar. They needed to get out of here. Fleur needed to get out of here, now!
"Fleur!" Harry yelled, ignoring the man's screams over his severed arm and the son's incoming spell fire:
"Fleur! He is coming!"
"Potter?!" Walden MacNair's eyes widened in realization and he momentarily stopped sobbing and clutching his limp.
The pain in his scar grew exceptionally. Fleur acted in a split second. She jumped over a half-destroyed chair, which blocked her path to Harry. Mid-air, she directed her wand at the younger MacNair.
The pain in his scar was too strong for Harry to hear the words, but he recognized the movement of her lips. A bright green flash erupted from the tip of the Veela's rosewood wand and connected with the Robin Macnair's chest. The young man dropped dead instantly.
Meanwhile, Harry could barely keep himself upright. Luckily, their last opponent was in no condition to return fire. But they could not risk leaving him alive. Not now, that their identity had been discovered...
The tip of Fleur's wand glowed a bright green once more. The last MacNair left the world of the living, just as Harry felt a new magical presence appear out of nowhere in the room. A magical presence he was very familiar with...
With every fiber in his brain, Harry willed himself out of the mansion. To bypass the still intact anti apparition wards, he imagined landing on a thin layer of snow. Just in time, Fleur's hand found him and he took a step forwards. The last thing he saw, was a pair of crimson-red eyes entering the room.