Disclaimer: Nothing is mine; everything is J K Rowling's.
The aftermath of Azkaban. For those who think that the last chapter felt rushed, which I will assume is to do with Voldemort suddenly getting much closer to victory, I have to disagree (obviously, else I wouldn't have written the chapter ;) ). There are turning points and critical moments in every conflict; this is the most recent, and obvious, courtesy of Harry rather selfishly and carelessly removing the spy that's been keeping the Order, and thus the Ministry on top so far. A sudden change merits a quick response, hence the ritual that Harry had previously discarded as hopefully unnecessary, and that's that.
It's probably worth noting that it's not all that sudden a thing either, the battle at Azkaban would have required a lot of advance planning, but sadly neither Harry not Fleur are privy to Voldemort's nefarious plotting, and couldn't know until it happened.
Chapter 91
There were no cheers, jokes or laughter in the Great Hall at breakfast, there had been none for the welcoming feast, and nor had there been any at King's Cross or on the train.
Everything was subdued.
A fearful silence had seeped into every student, the compartments had been full of whispers, the platform at Hogsmeade had been hushed, the carriage journey quiet enough for Harry to hear the hooves of the thestrals, and the four long tables were full of hollow-faced, red-eyed students, even Slytherin, whose ranks likely held the larger number of supporters of Death Eaters.
Their children would still be grieving, Harry realised, sweeping his eyes along its length.
Nobody was missing from his year, but a few faces had vanished from among the seventh years, both in Slytherin, and among the other houses too.
Those who have died fighting, and those who have fled.
There weren't many places to go now. The other countries, Harry knew from being in France, were being careful to monitor anyone who wished to enter, fearing that the first wave of Voldemort's spies might now seek to slip within their borders, and most were turned away.
His gaze flicked along his own table, to those who had been closer to the Order, and the wizards who had died defending Azkaban.
Ron looked less affected than most, but he had already felt the presence of death amongst those he counted dear, and knew better than the others how to deal with it. He was shovelling eggs, cereal and fruit into his mouth with the fork in one hand, and practicing wand motions with the knife in his other forcing Hermione to keep a wary, if approving, eye on his cutlery.
'Malfoy looks like he hasn't eaten all holiday,' Neville muttered, surreptitiously pointing in the direction of the Slytherin table to where a worried looking Pansy was attempting to slip mushrooms onto Malfoy's plate while soothingly patting him on the arm.
'He's as skinny as I used to be,' Harry agreed, watching the brunette's uncharacteristic show of concern just as bemusedly as the other Slytherins seemed to be.
Evidently the fact that his target is still alive is causing him distress, especially since he is likely one of Voldemort's few sources of insight into the castle, Harry deduced. Not much Pansy can do about that.
At the thought of Malfoy's task his eyes strayed to the staff table, to Dumbledore, who was still dressed in his brightly coloured robes and gloves, and to the empty seat next to him that had once belonged to a nameless wizard now somewhere in Germany.
There was, Harry decided, a distinct edge of tiredness in the lines of Dumbledore's face, and though he appeared physically unaffected by the withering curse Harry knew he still harboured, he was eating slightly more slowly than usual, and not cheerfully assisting the other staff members by providing them with oddly named vegetables as he had often done in the past.
'Not a very cheerful start to term,' Neville said with quiet vehemence. 'Voldemort and his followers have a lot to answer for.'
'And a short space of time to answer for it in,' Harry added, taking a few bites of his own breakfast while a despondent Katie pushed her food around on her plate, practically leaning on his shoulder.
He could hardly blame her. Her father was one of the few hit wizards still out there fighting for the Ministry as Voldemort's followers took control of the wizarding villages one at a time, forcing the Ministry back to London, and her mother was a healer at St Mungo's, somewhere that must be high up on Voldemort's list of targets given how important it was to the Ministry.
'You're planning on going to Gringotts?' Neville asked casually, as if Harry was simply intending to withdraw money.
'Very soon,' Harry nodded, 'provided I can.' He squeezed Katie's shoulder supportively, earning a slight smile, then turned back to Neville, his face grave. 'Care to accompany me again?'
'Do you think I should?' A hint of that former nervousness returned. 'I don't want to get in the way?'
'Last time was a bit of a baptism by fire,' Harry admitted. 'I was expecting only one Death Eater, not him and a horde of inferi he was in middle of creating.'
'And this time it's just Gringotts, and a horde of angry goblins.'
'I suspect there is more than goblins down in the depths of that place,' Harry grinned. 'Room of Requirement after Defence,' he decided, 'you too, Katie,' he said softly, 'but only if you want to come.'
'We're not going today are we?' Neville paled. 'I mean,' his mouth opened and closed a few times, 'I will if I have to, we need to do whatever we can to stop the Death Eaters, but wouldn't it be better to plan…' He trailed off at Harry's smile. 'It's just planning isn't it,' he realised.
'I'll bring Fleur,' Harry told them both quietly.
'Here?' Katie's head swivelled. 'How?'
'I have my ways,' he smirked. 'I'll be very careful though, for some reason the news about the two of us hasn't really spread.'
'People have had other things to talk about,' Katie said sadly, taking another small bite out of her toast.
'We'll put an end to it,' Neville told her fervently. 'There are only three, and once we've destroyed them, and Harry's killed him, everyone will be safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters.'
'It won't be that simple,' Katie warned quietly, and Harry had to agree. 'There are many Death Eaters, and they won't stop even if Voldemort is dead. They're winning, they'll choose another leader, and everything will carry on.'
'We won't leave any Death Eaters to carry on fighting,' Neville pressed, eyes alight, 'they don't deserve a second chance, not after what they've done.'
'So you'd have Harry destroy the horcruxes, kill Voldemort, and all of his followers,' Katie replied indignantly, voice rising, and Harry hurriedly cast a silencing ward that, thanks to his altered magic, was strong enough to almost be visible.
'Someone has to,' Neville answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'I'm not going to leave him to do it alone. We should all be prepared to do what we must to stop the Death Eaters, and Voldemort.'
Katie did not look convinced, and chewed her lip briefly before falling silent and glancing between the two of them with a frown.
Harry had seen that look before; it was the one she wore when she had spotted a problem nobody else had yet considered, but wasn't sure whether to voice her concerns. He normally saw it at quidditch practice back when he'd played and they'd all been discussing chaser strategy.
'Defence,' he reminded Neville, before his friend could retort. 'I want to see who's teaching it.'
'At this rate it will be Voldemort, because everyone else will be terrified of the curse.'
'Again,' Harry said dryly, 'it will be Voldemort again.'
'He taught here before?' Katie gasped. 'Who let him?'
'Dumbledore,' Harry grinned. 'Although he didn't apply in the conventional method, spent most of his time sticking out the back of the head of our favourite stuttering idiot.'
'You mean,' Katie paled dramatically, a hint of her usual humour returning. 'Surely not!'
'I'm afraid so,' Harry smirked, guessing where she was going.
'But he seemed so harmless,' she continued innocently. 'He was such a cute wizard, all shy, and stuttering, quite chubby though, and terribly forgetful.'
'Hey,' Neville objected, finally realising that Katie wasn't talking about Quirrell. 'There's nothing sticking out the back of my head, thank you.'
'More than can be said for you, Harry,' Katie agreed, cheerful again.
'Shush you,' he smiled, patting futilely at his hair. 'We need to go to Defence, Nev,' he added, glancing up to find the rest of the seats at the staff table as empty as Snape's.
'Is it a single period?' Katie asked.
'Yes,' Neville replied, when Harry shrugged to say he didn't actually know. 'We'll see you upstairs afterwards.'
'I'll be there,' she beamed. 'I want to know how you intend to sneak Fleur in.' Katie swung herself out of the bench, stretching her arms in front of Harry, who looked pointedly away. 'Until then I'm going to go flying,' she decided. 'Later!'
'You're not going to tell her, are you,' Neville grinned.
'Not until at least after the first few guesses,' Harry replied, smirking, 'she'll come up with an entertaining story all on her own.'
'So,' Neville picked up his bag, and finished his last piece of toast in two bites. 'Any idea who is teaching us?' He asked, after swallowing several times.
'No idea,' Harry admitted. 'Why did you think I would?'
'You know stuff,' Neville answered honestly. 'I'm fairly sure you know more magic than the rest of the students, and probably most of the staff too.'
'Only a few specific areas,' Harry shrugged. 'I wouldn't want to challenge any of the professors in their own subject, there's a reason they're here.'
'What about the Defence teacher?' Neville grinned, as they traipsed in the direction of their class. 'Could be another Lockhart.'
'I still wouldn't challenge them,' Harry dismissed, 'there'd be no point. If it really is Voldemort, then I'll consider it,' he tilted his head thoughtfully, 'but I'd probably just fill any essays he had to mark with snide remarks. Doodle little drawings of cups, lockets, snakes, rings, and tiaras around the edges and wait for him to explode in fury.'
'Really?'
'Be serious, Nev,' Harry smiled, 'if it was actually him, then I'd curse him the moment his back was turned and nobody was looking not bait him into killing half the school.'
'Oh,' Neville looked slightly relieved, and a little put out by Harry's choice of tactics. 'Probably for the best.'
'Certainly a better idea than us having a pitched battle in the middle of a school,' Harry remarked, 'can you imagine how many children might be hurt, or killed just from being nearby the two of us, let alone an actual army.'
'We'd have to find a way of protecting them,' Neville responded, nodding to himself. 'We could send them to the kitchens, or the Room of Requirement.'
'They'd all be in one place,' Harry agreed, 'safe right up until they're found, then swiftly slaughtered. Best not to fight here if it can be avoided,' he said grimly, 'and besides, think how cross Filch would be with all the mess.'
'He might finally retire,' Neville grinned, 'though he's been much more pleasant this year, since Umbridge vanished actually.'
I wonder why, Harry thought victoriously to himself.
It was almost as if Snape had never left, the curtains still hung alongside the windows, shrouding the room in its perpetual gloom, and Harry was sure he could still smell aconite.
Although, he remembered, frowning, I did forget to check my food again.
The short stay in France had left him a little complacent.
The Slytherins had already monopolised one side of the classroom, and Harry and Neville were forced to join Hermione, who seemed to be suffering from some sort of identity crisis given she had taken a seat at the back of the classroom rather than the front.
'It's very dark in here,' a wizened voice commented. 'How did Severus ever manage to see anything in this?'
Surely not, Harry sighed.
A sharp movement in the doorway caught his eye, and the curtains swept back to flow the room with light.
'That's better,' Dumbledore beamed cheerfully, tucking his wand away in his sleeve. 'Can't teach much in the dark.'
The headmaster strolled gently along between the desks, surveying the students casually, and no doubt making a careful note of what he could deduce from their appearance, and likely from a touch of legilimency too.
'Since Professor Snape suffered a unfortunate demise,' Dumbledore continued gravely, the previous cheer evaporating, 'I am forced to cover these classes myself, but I daresay I have picked up enough over the years to still have a thing or two to teach you.'
There were a few, barely veiled murmurs about treachery from the green and silver lined side of the room, and while Dumbledore seemed not to notice them Harry was sure he caught the old wizard's eyes flick across the faces of the culprits, pausing just long enough to take note of their identities.
'We shall start,' he decided, 'with the Shield Charm. You all learnt this last year, and some of you have displayed it quite admirably since, but in NEWT year we must learn to cast such spells non-verbally.'
He flourished his wand, and a soft, pulse of silver light surrounded him briefly.
Harry took the opportunity to study his wand, he knew, from both Dumbledore's and Ollivander's reaction to his own wand, that you could learn something about a wizard from their wand, and Dumbledore's was no simple stick of oak.
For the first time he had ample chance to see it for longer than a few moments, and made careful note of the carvings, which he realised now were clusters of berries, and he did his best to hold in his head the exact shade and grain of the wood, though he did not recognise it from what he could recollect of the ones Ollivander had offered him. It was a strange wand, but nothing obvious about Dumbledore could be surmised from its appearance, and Harry was hardly surprised. Albus Dumbledore was not a wizard who gave up his secrets lightly.
'I find that thinking on your feet, and having a suitable incentive makes the best way of learning,' the headmaster said, dispelling his shield. 'So, to create such a situation I will pair you up, and one of you will attempt to non-verbally jinx the other while they shield themselves in the same fashion.'
Dumbledore strolled through he benches once more, selecting pairs seemingly at random. Harry wasn't sure why he thought that Neville and Malfoy would make a good pair, but watching the blond Slytherin try and penetrate Neville's shield would be almost as amusing as seeing him get repeatedly jinxed. The rest of the class seemed to agree, as, minus a fretting Pansy, they were smirking unanimously.
'And that just leaves the two of you,' Dumbledore nodded, gesturing at the back bench, upon which only Harry and Hermione now sat. 'If I may,' he added, running his gloved fingers through his beard, 'I might suggest the body-bind jinx as your jinx of choice, it will be easy for me to judge it's effectiveness, and is not overly dangerous.'
'Do you want to shield first?' Hermione inquired, smoothly pulling her wand from her waist.
'I don't mind,' Harry shrugged, flicking his own wand into his palm. Hermione's eyes flashed to the eleven and a third inches of ebony twirling between his fingertips, and her eyes narrowed.
Her wand darted up, completing the wand motion quickly and perfectly, and had Harry needed to cast the Shield Charm using the wand motion, he would not have had time to block it.
As it was, her spell fizzled harmlessly out against a wall of blindingly bright, silver light.
'Excellent, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore announced from the front, shimmying between pairs, and stepping past jinxes with only millimetres to spare. 'First time?'
'I've been practicing, professor,' Hermione admitted reluctantly.
'Nothing to be ashamed of, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore said approvingly, 'I did not get where I am without a little practice.'
Oh, compliment her, he thought irritatedly, as if my non-verbal shield charm wouldn't have stopped anything short of an Unforgivable, and hadn't been cast in an instant.
'My turn?' Harry asked the smiling girl, still annoyed that the headmaster had ignored his ability to cast a shield that he himself would have been proud of.
'Yes,' her smile faded, and she raised her wand.
Harry flicked the tip of his ebony wand in her direction with no small amount of vexation; he didn't need the wand motion, or the incantation for a spell like this.
Hermione's shield charm was cast a second before his spell hit her, the sizzling, crackling bolt of magic burst in an explosion of white sparks against her shield, that was at least as strong as Neville's normally was, and Harry frowned, turning away. He had expected his spell to break through, even if she did manage to block it, simply because of what he had done to his magic with the last ritual, and the appearance of the spell, which was far from what it should have been, had lent him confidence.
What went wrong? He wondered, twirling his wand idly.
'Harry, stop it,' Hermione's voice was panicked, and he swivelled instantly on the spot.
Her shield, which had previously been a wall of white light, was coated in a thick, dripping layer of hoarfrost. Spines of ice stretched sharp from its surface, growing all the while he watched, and behind the ice Hermione's breath misted and froze only a foot from her face.
The rest of the class fell still to watch in horrified fascination as Hermione was slowly enclosed in a prison of icy spears. Malfoy was looking even paler than usual, and Pansy was holding his arm so tightly her fingers had gone bone white.
'Harry,' Dumbledore frowned, 'I said to use the Full-Body-Bind.'
'I did,' he answered absently, watching curiously as the floor beneath her toes froze, the ice swelling and cracking to encase her feet, and calves in a thin, but sturdy layer.
'Can you end the magic?' The headmaster demanded, sweeping closer, but seemingly believing Harry's answer.
'I'm not casting anything anymore,' Harry shook his head, 'it's not under my control.'
'Reducto,' Hermione shouted ineffectively from within, her voice muffled by the ice, and Harry could see that it had crept up to her waist now, despite her struggles to move.
It's rendering her immobile, he realised, relieved.
No serious would harm would come to her by his hand, even is she would be a little rattled, and hopefully the imprecise nature of non-verbal spells would be blamed for his loos of control over his magic.
My irritation with Dumbledore, he realised, fingers curling into a fist in frustration.
He'd been annoyed, but not overly so, and his volatile magic had warped his spell to an incredible extent because of that tiny flare of emotion.
'Reducto,' Hermione cried again. The red flash heralded a spider's web of cracks across the dome, but they quickly began to disappear, re-freezing.
'Incendio,' Dumbledore murmured, drawing a thin ring of fire around the dome of ice. 'Stay still, Miss Granger,' he warned gently, 'the ice seems to be attempting to fulfil the purpose of the body-binding spell, and will likely not harm you.'
'Get if off me,' Hermione hissed angrily. She could no longer mover her wand arm, the ice had surrounded her from her feet to her neck.'
'In just a moment, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore replied patiently. He cast a second spell, one Harry didn't recognise, and the ring of fire suddenly spread into a thin sheet that, for an instant, covered the spiny surface of the dome of ice, then exploded into a cloud of steam, leaving a dripping wet, furious looking Hermione tightly clutching her wand.
The Slytherins were sniggering, and most of Harry's housemates looked a little amused now there was no danger, but Malfoy and Pansy seemed just as worried as before, though Harry suspected it had more to do with his puissance, than any concern for Hermione's wellbeing.
'What the hell was that, Harry?' Hermione demanded in shrill voice.
'My spell did not come out as I intended,' he answered, sounding suitably apologetic.
'Indeed not,' Dumbledore agreed. 'An honest mistake, I believe, Miss Granger, so I'm sure an apology will suffice.'
'My apologies, Hermione,' Harry offered, genuinely sincere. He had not intended to scare or hurt her.
I need to remember to keep my emotions under control, he decided firmly, else they will twist every spell into something unexpected.
Hermione huffed, and turned away.
And it seems I have lost my partner.
'Perhaps you should try once more,' Dumbledore suggested when Harry went to put his wand away.
'Mr Malfoy,' he instructed, taking a gentle but firm grip on the Slytherin's arm, and ushering him from Pansy's petrified clutches into the spot Hermione had just vacated. 'You non-verbal Shield Charm,' he prompted.
Harry's wand flicked up, and Malfoy flinched slightly.
'Protego,' he shouted, casting quite a strong looking shield.
'Non-verbal, Mr Malfoy,' Dumbledore remonstrated over the top of his glasses while the class tittered slightly. 'Harry, if you will.'
He flourished his slender length of ebony once more, making sure he was in control of his emotions, even if he was not calm, and employing the more basic occlumency exercise just in case they would help.
There was a bright, white flash, and Malfoy keeled over, his shield charm shattered.
'Excellent, Harry,' he headmaster enthused, 'I haven't seen such effective casting in almost fifty years.'
'Thank you, sir,' Harry replied warily.
'Ten points to Gryffindor, I think,' Dumbledore decided, 'and five to Slytherin too, that was a well cast Shield Charm, Mr Malfoy, despite it's fate.'
Malfoy stalked back over to the green and silver side of the room, looking weary, and obviously not at all caring about the points that Dumbledore had awarded him.
Hermione looked scandalised.
No doubt she thinks I should have lost points for the mishap with my first spell, Harry mused, rolling his eyes.
'Well,' the headmaster said cheerfully, 'after all that drama we seem to have reached the end of the lesson. If you could stay behind for a moment, Harry, just to discuss what might have gone wrong with you first spell.'
'Of course, sir,' Harry said evenly.
Will I ever leave a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson on time, he wondered irritatedly.
It was cutting into his time with Fleur, even if they would be spending it planning to break into one of the most secure buildings in Britain.
'Harry,' Dumbledore took a seat on one of the edges of the benches with visible relief. 'I haven't seen such potent, powerful spell casting in some time, but I must apologise for deceiving you.'
There's a first time for everything, Harry thought wryly.
'I actually wanted to ask if you were willing to join me in my office in a few days time for another of our increasingly important meetings. As you know things are not going as well as I had hoped, so we must hurry if we are to stop Tom before he does anymore damage to peoples' lives.'
'I'll be there, professor,' Harry answered, a little annoyed. He had better things to do now. Dumbledore seemed to have fallen behind him in his hunt for horcruxes, and, as the old wizard was clearly aware, there was little time to waste.
'Please try to keep you magic under control, Harry,' Dumbledore told him softly as he made to leave. 'You have been gifted with great power, but it is up to you to ensure that you do not inflict it upon others as Tom has.'
Harry pretended he hadn't heard that, and continued swiftly out the door and towards the bathroom on the second floor, disillusioning himself as he did so.
Now that Myrtle was gone, and that a new year, who had not been warned about the bathroom had joined, girls had actually started to use it again, which made getting to it a lot harder than before, so Harry was forced to choose his moment carefully.
He slipped in through the entrance when a young Ravenclaw girl came out looking quite distraught and fleeing in the direction of their tower with red stained fingertips.
Ignorance is bliss, he decided.
One of the stalls was occupied, so he cast a quick silencing ward over the area, and a sticking charm on the door itself while he opened the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, then released them just as the doorway ground shut.
I never thought I would miss Myrtle, he sighed, but I do now.
He dispelled his concealment, apparating straight from the top step to the Meadow, and Fleur, who was happily piling sugar into her hot chocolate by sink gave out a little gasp when he appeared next to her, then looked very guilty and attempted to hide the bag of sugar innocently behind her back.
'Nice try,' Harry grinned, 'but I think that proves who's the worst between you and Gabby.'
'Hogwarts?' She asked, pouting every bit as cutely as her sister, but in a far more devastating manner.
'It's planning time,' Harry explained.
'And we both know that your plans are vague and overly complicated at best,' Fleur said absently.
'They work,' he defended, taking her proffered arm.'
'Only because they are so vague it's hard for them to fail,' she retorted gently as they appeared back in the chamber with a soft snap. Fleur was still holding her hot chocolate in her left hand.
'Here,' he passed her the cloak, trading it for the hot chocolate after a pause in which Fleur genuinely seemed to be considering if one of the Deathly Hallows was worth the temporary loss of her treat. 'It's only until the room,' he said.
'Good,' Fleur nodded, 'this smells. Do you ever wash it?'
'No,' Harry stopped misstep to disillusion himself, 'it never occurred to me.'
'I am going to have to wash my hair,' Fleur groused as they exited the chamber.
'I don't think it's been washed in centuries,' Harry whispered gleefully, opening the door.
Somehow Fleur managed to stamp playfully on his foot, despite his invisibility, and hers.
'Let's go,' he grinned taking her hand, and leading her along the corridor while the coast was clear.
Once he was near the stairs he abandoned his invisibility, which was no longer necessary now that he was outside of the girls' bathroom, and guided Fleur up the stairs, past the trick step, which he nearly gave in to the temptation to lead her into, and to where Neville and Katie were waiting.
'Harry,' the blunt greeting did not belong to either Neville or Katie, and caught him by surprise.
'Ron,' he dipped his head neutrally.
'Hermione's not at all happy with you,' the red-head told him, smiling slightly. 'I think she believes you did that on purpose.'
'I didn't,' Harry shrugged, 'but whatever keeps her happy.'
'Is that hot chocolate?' Ron asked curiously, peering at the mug. 'I didn't realise you went in for hot drinks.'
'Yes,' Harry grinned, 'quite tasty actually,' he took a long slow sip, doing his best not to wince at the tightening of Fleur's fingers around his wrist.
It was thick, and very sweet. Harry imagined it would be an awful lot like drinking molten sugar that someone had carelessly left near some cocoa powder for a few seconds.s
'If you take one more sip,' Fleur whispered. 'I'm going to keep this cloak.'
'Did you hear something?' Ron asked, looking around confusedly.
'No,' Harry smirked, raising the mug to his lips again, 'not a whisper.'
'Ok,' Ron nodded, 'I have to go to class, see you around, Harry.'
The moment he was out of earshot Fleur's heel came down on his instep like the wrath of God. Harry hissed in pain, nearly spilling the hot chocolate.
'It was a tiny bit,' he protested, clutching his injured limb, 'and you nearly made me spill it all.'
'Mine,' Fleur said grumpily, and invisible fingers stole the mug away. 'It's bad enough I have to wear this. Deathly Hallow,' she muttered, 'it's still a cloak, who doesn't wash something for so long, especially something you put on your face.'
'You are genuinely not happy about that are you?' Harry realised.
'It smells,' Fleur replied tartly, and Harry could hear the tilt of her chin in her words, and squeezed her fingers affectionately.
He opened the small wooden door opposite Hogwarts' worst tapestry, and led Fleur inside to join Neville and Katie, both of whom were sitting quietly around a fire on sofas that looked an awful lot like the ones in the common room must have done before a few centuries of use.
'You may as well take it off,' Harry told her quietly. 'I don't think the castle wards cover this room, or Salazar would have been able to find it when he was searching for it.'
'Heist planning time,' Katie beamed, seeing the two of them arrive. Fleur shot Harry a sceptical look, clearly not convinced that Katie was taking this seriously enough.
'Well,' Harry began, 'I suppose the first thing we should do is decide who is coming. Are there any reasons why you might not want to help me break into what is arguably the most well-protected place in Britain?'
'No,' Fleur smirked, taking a seat next to him, and opposite Katie.
'I don't want to be in your way,' Neville said tentatively, 'last time I was just useless.'
'Well you don't have a choice,' Harry grinned, 'because at the moment the only way I can think of involves polyjuice potion, and that isn't meant to be used for gender-switching.'
'So you and Neville will have to go,' Fleur deduced, pulling her eyebrows into a delicate vee.
'There are only two Lestranges,' Harry apologised.
'Why am I here?' Katie demanded, swinging her feet around and dropping them dangerously close to Harry's lap. He half suspected that she had intended to do just that again, only to realise Fleur might not approve and change her destination at the last minute.
'Well someone has to be around to cover for us while we're gone,' Harry grinned.
'She's getting better at Occlumency,' Neville said, 'everything you taught me, Katie seems to understand.'
'That will help,' Harry warned, 'but only as long as nobody has a reason to really look around in your head.'
'I won't give them one, then,' Katie stated.
'That's broadly the idea,' Harry grinned. 'Right,' he closed his eyes to concentrate, and then a small, wooden model of Gringotts as far as he knew it rose out of the floor between them. 'If Neville and I are going as the Lestrange brothers, then we're going to need hair or something from them.'
'Easy,' Neville said darkly. 'They left plenty of blood behind at my parents' house; it's still there on the walls.'
'You're sure it is theirs?' Fleur asked gently.
'I know the story of what happened well enough to know where the people were,' Neville explained distantly, 'so I know whose blood is whose.'
'Well that makes things easier,' Harry sighed, 'the other option was for me to transfigure us into them, but it would be very complicated and tricky.'
'If you provide me with the blood, Neville, I can make the polyjuice potion,' Fleur offered gently.
'I'll owl Gran,' he decided.
'And she won't be concerned with what you're doing asking for the blood off the walls of your parents house?' Katie asked sceptically.
'Probably,' Neville nodded, 'but she won't tell anyone, and what other choice do we have?'
'We could go there,' Fleur suggested, 'I can apparate you, Neville, and we can get the blood.'
'It won't work,' Harry frowned, 'you can only apparate him from Hogsmeade, and we don't have time to wait until the next weekend.'
'Gran it is, then,' Neville decided. 'It will be fine, if I tell her it's important, and for stopping Voldemort she won't even ask. She trusts me, and my judgement.'
'Fine,' Fleur sighed.
Harry pushed his aside his own unease. He didn't like relying on someone he couldn't fully trust, someone other than the three outside these walls, and Fleur's family, who he refused to drag any further into this.
'So we polyjuice, request to go to the vault,' Harry shot a pointed look at Fleur, 'then what.'
'Once you convinced the teller to take you to the vault you will have to cross the protections that Gringotts employs.' Fleur tugged gently at her little finger. 'Most of these won't trouble you since you're being taken to the vault by one of their tellers, but the polyjuice will only last until you cross the waterfall.'
'The waterfall?'
'It undoes the effects of most magic,' Fleur told him enthusiastically. 'It's one of the goblins' finest pieces of enchanting. The water is imbued with water magic they use, and cycled round.'
'Does nobody ever complain about getting wet?' Harry asked.
'It only needs to be near you,' Fleur said, 'it passes either side of the path, but the touch of the spray is enough.'
'What will we meet after that point?' Neville looked unwilling to give up this small piece of vengeance over an enchanted waterfall, no matter how brilliant a piece of magic it was.
'Nothing,' Fleur's face darkened. 'The teller will likely need persuading again, but he will still take you to the vault, and grant you access. The cup can be destroyed and the object achieved.'
'Getting out will be tricky,' Harry realised.
'Exactly.' Fleur's tugging at her finger are more agitated and Harry, afraid she might hurt herself, put his hand over hers. 'As soon as the waterfall is triggered they'll put up the wards and alert all the defences. Getting out will be all but impossible.'
'What choice do we have?' Harry echoed.
'None, I suppose,' Fleur gritted, and Katie pulled a disconsolate face.
'It's not much of a plan,' Neville murmured.
'Harry's plans never are,' Fleur said sharply, 'he likes to improvise.'
Uh oh, he winced.
Fleur was really not happy with this plan, though there was little either of them could do about it for now, and Katie, whose temper could be equally destructive, was looking, if anything, even less pleased than Fleur.
'I will cast the protean charm on Gringotts visitors records and schedule,' Fleur decided. 'It's about time I bought back half of our home, and when I meet with the goblins to organise it I'll take the opportunity to create a linked copy, just in case anyone interesting decides to visit Gringotts.'
'You think the locket might be there too?' Harry inquired.
'If he has entrusted it to one of his followers to keep safe it makes sense that they would put it somewhere they believed to be unreachable by anyone but them.'
'It's a good idea,' Harry smiled, 'but be careful, please, and be quick.'
'I will spend as little time in Diagon Alley as possible,' Fleur assured him. 'It will no doubt be cold, or worse, raining, so I have no reason to linger.'
'How good are you at duelling, Nev?' He asked, turning to his friend.
'I'm not sure,' Neville admitted, 'nowhere near as good as you or Fleur, but ok, maybe, you can come to the DA and find out, we need someone to show us duelling tactics.'
'Perhaps,' Harry mused. He had no enemies in the DA, if anything they were likely to be allies, so helping them wouldn't hinder him, and he needed Neville to be proficient enough to guard his back.
'I'll come,' he decided.
'Good,' Neville grinned. 'The next meeting is in a few days time, check the badge.'
Harry glanced over at Fleur, who was whispering something to a still quiet Katie, and Neville, who had until this moment been completely oblivious to Katie's affection for him suddenly seemed to realise something, and levelled an incredulous stare at Harry.
He nodded regretfully, and shrugged to show there wasn't much he could do. Neville seemed to accept that, and they both strained their ears to listen.
'He'll be fine,' Fleur was murmuring, 'if he doesn't come back to us in one piece I promise to let you hex him, but only after I'm done with him.'
'I suppose you should go first,' Katie sighed, 'all things considered.'
'I'm glad we agree,' Fleur nodded, giving the girl a gentle pat on the shoulder. 'His plans always seem to work out, though,' she finished absently, 'so I'm sure we're worrying over nothing.'
'I don't think I could keep doing this,' Katie confessed. 'I wouldn't be able to endure waiting like you have, and I'm not powerful or skilled enough to go with him.'
'Then it's probably a good thing that you don't have to,' Fleur remarked, but not unkindly.
'It doesn't feel like it,' Katie said miserably. 'It feels like I'm falling apart from the inside.'
Neville quietly slipped out of the room, abandoning Harry with the two girls.
Thanks, Nev, he thought acidly.
'I understand,' Fleur told her former rival gently as Harry did his best to pretend he wasn't there while simultaneously listening and hoping they wouldn't notice him.
'Do you?' Katie's tone turned bitter. 'How could you?'
'Not too long ago I watched Harry turn from me at the side of the lake he risked so much in to save my little sister. I am sure that he hated me then, and there was nothing I could do but watch him walk away, and watch you follow him. I was certain in that moment that you would catch him, and I had lost.'
'I should have walked faster,' Katie said hollowly.
'It's probably best not to think about it,' Fleur said softly. 'Things are what they are.'
'Sorry,' Katie apologised, looking past the silver curtain of Fleur's hair to Harry, who was doing his best to wish himself away. 'That must have been awkward for you,' she giggled weakly.
'A little,' he agreed, 'but I'm glad I heard it.' He shared a soft, grateful look with Fleur, thankful that she had been so kind to Katie when it might have been easier for her to push the girl away from him.
'I should go,' Katie hurriedly excused herself.
'Thank you,' Harry said gently in the quiet after the door shut.
'I could not be cruel to her when I might have ended up in her shoes,' Fleur admitted. 'I think I understand now why you spared Snape.'
'Katie's a nice girl,' Harry said carefully, 'cute too,' Fleur's eyes narrowed, and he grinned playfully, 'but she's not you.'
'Nobody else is me,' Fleur tilted her chin into the air dramatically. 'I am Fleur Delacour.'
'Doesn't say it on the Triwizard Trophy though, does it?' Harry laughed.
'You cheated,' she insisted sliding across the sofa to lean against him. 'Voldemort was helping you to the final.'
'Not very well,' Harry denied. 'I should complain next time I see him,' he grinned. 'I wonder what he'd say?'
'Avada kedavra,' Fleur replied dryly, flipping her hair over the shoulder away from Harry so she could kiss him.
'You're probably right,' he smiled against her lips, 'apparently it happens every now and again.'
'More frequently than you admit,' Fleur agreed. 'Gabrielle will outdo me this year, I think,' she said fondly. 'She has more reason to spend all her time studying than I did, and she is just as talented as I am.'
'Not as wasteful with sugar though,' Harry commented.
'If I am eating it, it is not a waste.'
There was a short silence as Fleur remembered her hot chocolate, and hurriedly drank it before it cooled any further.
'Have you found anything else about the Hallow?' Harry asked quietly, unable to help himself.
'Sorry,' she said softly, shaking her head. 'I've traced all the family trees I can find, but there has been no mention of it, or anything that might be it, in any of the wills, and all the family lines are now ended save for yours.'
'Damn,' Harry muttered.
'We will find it,' Fleur promised him. 'It is real, like your cloak, so it's out there somewhere, and if something is possible, then together we can do it.'
Harry nodded, pulling her back into him again; it was nice to spend a little time with her, even as the time they could afford to spend was running out.
He folded the cloak gently across his lap.
'No,' Fleur wrinkled her nose.
'No?' Harry frowned. 'If you do not wear it you will show up on the castle wards straight away.'
'I meant don't fold it up and put it back in the chamber,' Fleur explained. 'I'm taking it back to the Meadow briefly, and then I'm washing it… Repeatedly.'
AN: Please read and review, thanks to everyone who does!
