Hogwarts

"Fenrir Greyback Killed

Yesterday while attacking a local village in Wiltshire, the savage werewolf known as Fenrir Greyback was killed. A regular ministry patrol detected the attack and called for backup. They reported that werewolves were part of the force and requested additional forces. The force of 22 ministry Aurors were badly outnumbered by a force of 40 death eaters and another 20 werewolves when they engaged.

Shortly after the battle began, Remus Lupin, Regent of House Potter, arrived leading an undisclosed number of werewolves who engaged the dark forces. It seems that Lupin had a grudge to settle with Greyback because the moment he arrived, he went straight for the old werewolf to engage him in a duel. The battle was still undecided until members of The Order of the Snow Leopard arrived, laying waste to the death eater forces.

Once again, the battle was over within minutes of the arrival of this mysterious order and still, nothing is known of their identities or their numbers. They seem to have good intelligence because they rarely miss out on an opportunity to tilt the balance of battle heavily in the ministry's favour.

With the rest of the battle decided, Remus Lupin continued to duel with Greyback, forbidding anyone else to interfere. Wounded, exhausted but determined, he put an end to the terror that was Greyback. (For more details about Fenrir Greyback see page 5.)

When the bodies were counted, 30 of the death eaters and all 20 of their werewolves were among the dead. The Ministry lost 5 aurors and 3 of Lupin's pack gave their lives to stop the attack.

Again the ministry is silent about the identities of the members of this Order of the Snow Leopard who always seem to arrive in the thick of things in the nick of time. The ministry is not ready to comment on their abilities or anything else related to them.

This voluntary offering of assistance of the werewolves to the ministry in dealing with this menace is seen a welcome step my many of the upstanding members of our society. It is being said that it is indicative of how the policies deployed by our General Longbottom with the repeal of the horrendous anti-werewolf legislation from the previous regime are bearing fruit for our society. We thank them for actively helping the ministry in our hour of need against Voldemort and his death eaters."

The students were reading the news which featured on the front page.

After Susan was done reading the newspaper, she raised an eye brow at Harry and said to Harry with false sweetness, "Is there something you want to tell me, dear?"

Harry who was busy demolishing his third plate of bacon and eggs, was oblivious to what her tone really meant and walked into it head first. He replied around a mouthful of toast, "No Susan. Nothing I can think of right now, my love."

She looked around to see Hermione shaking her head and Neville trying to hide his grin behind his cup while Hannah was trying not to snicker. Daphne looked like she was interested to see what was going to happen next.

Realising that he had blundered somehow, he turned to Susan and asked sweetly, "Did I say something wrong, Sue?"

She waved the paper right under his nose and asked, "Were you ever going to tell me about this?"

Now Harry realised what she was talking about. He turned to her and said earnestly, "Sue, you are part of my team but the situation was dire. I had no time to send for everybody and wait. As it was, by the time we arrived, things were already going badly for the Aurors. Remus was engaged in a duel with Greyback and the Aurors were seriously outnumbered."

Hermione spoke before Susan could speak again, "He's right. He had sent for us but by the time we arrived, the battle was already over except for Remus still fighting Greyback. I would never forget how viciously he kept on stabbing Greyback after he was already dead."

Ron nodded, "Never thought the bloke had it in him to be so vicious. Not even to his mortal enemy."

Of course they had no idea what it was like for Remus to face the ridicule and discrimination that was a fact of life for being a werewolf. When he was turned, it had drastically changed everything for him. He never had a normal life from that time on. Likewise, his parents had to face a lot of difficulties due to raising him in secret. They could not begin to understand how much hatred he had for Greyback in his heart that what happened was a just and logical consequence.

Unknown Castle

The loss of Greyback was a setback which would be hard to overcome. In fact most of the werewolves were thinking of bolting from the death eaters. This was not their war either way. They could simply go to the Ministry and turn themselves in or cross the border and move into any of the neighbouring countries and not be bothered with a war.

The inner circle however was more worried for itself. Since Voldemort had left they had lost many of the members of the inner circle. Mulciber Sr. had been killed in the ambush where Bella too had been killed. Rookwood was out of the castle and doing some work on his own. Between all their failed raids, they had lost about 120 death eaters while the ministry's losses totalled maybe 50 Aurors at the most. With the numbers that had arrived from Voldemort's recruitment campaign, they were almost breaking even now. They had gained 200 but lost 120. That only meant a net increase of 80 new members among them. They didn't even know how they were supposed to act to make themselves known.

They also were worried about the werewolves. Their loyalty was fickle at best. Without Greyback to keep them in line, there was no telling what they would do next. Macnair was currently negotiating with them and trying to make them stay. So far it looked like it was not working.

Macnair was surrounded by werewolves who were baring their teeth at him, "We want to leave, Macnair. You lot have no clue how to conduct a war."

Macnair said desperately, "But the Dark Lord wants you to stay here. He will reward you all beyond your wildest dreams for your services."

The werewolf looked around then growled, "Well, he isn't here, is he? The Dark Lord is missing and we don't even know if he is alive anymore."

"Is there a problem, Mr. Macnair?", asked someone with a very thick accent and Macnair turned to see Emmett Wagner, a German mercenary approaching him.

Macnair said offhandedly, "They are refusing to serve the Dark Lord. They say that we should let them leave."

Wagner turned to the werewolves with a voice full of loathing, "None of you can leave unless your Dark Lord says so."

The werewolf said aggressively, "And what makes you think so?"

Emmett Wagner calmly pulled out his wand and levelling it at the werewolf, he intoned, "Crucio."

The werewolf bent double in pain, withering under the effect of the curse, his teeth chattering. His howls shook the hearts of even the most hardened ones. A few of the werewolf's companions tried to help their comrade but they were given a similar treatment by a group of Germans who seemed to appear at that moment. The torture went on for about 5 minutes. The werewolf started convulsing when he ended the spell.

Putting his wand to his throat, he said in highly magnified voice, "Is there anyone else who wants to leave?"

After seeing what had been done to one of them, the other werewolves quickly retreated, the thoughts of deserting long forgotten. To add to their woes and dispel the thought of fleeing from their minds, the Germans had taken over the security of the castle with them guarding every entrance and exit out of the castle.

Macnair gave a curt bow to Wagner who looked smug. Then he made his way to the chamber where the inner circle held its meetings. The remaining members of the inner circle were there, looking anxiously at him. He answered the unasked question, "The Germans have it under control. The werewolves won't desert, even without Greyback."

Before they could resume however, they were disturbed by the entrance of a handful of Germans with Emmett Wagner at their head. Malfoy stood to address them, "We thank you for your timely help, Mr. Emmett Wagner. Do you require anything?"

Emmett Wagner grunted, "You are all pathetic. Half of you cannot lead a campaign and your dark lord trusts you all to lead his militia?"

Dolohov snapped, "What do you mean?"

Emmett Wagner continued in the same vein, "You are idiots. You may be able fighters but certainly not leaders. You need your dark lord with you all the time to lead you."

Rudolphus grumbled, "You dare barge in here and insult us? Are you that eager to die?"

Emmett Wagner smirked evilly, "Mr. Lestrange, do not be ridiculous. You cannot hope to engage myself and my men and live to tell the tale. I have studied your last so called war. Your people got their way by bullying and threatening. Our people, on the other hand, are a disciplined fighting force. From the talk we have heard since we arrived, you cannot even carry out the simplest plan." He stopped to look around the room. Some people looked furious, but none of them refuted his words.

"Enough! You have insulted us enough", said Severus Snape who had just entered the room. Albus had sent him to find what the inner circle was doing since they always tried to strike back when the ministry gave them a vicious blow.

Emmett Wagner turned to him, "Ah! Mr. Snape. You are the only one I find sensible among these. These idiots would end up getting all their men killed in attempted ambushes and stand to gain nothing. How do you expect to launch a campaign on your ministry if all of your soldiers are dead? Half of them can't stand against a competent fighter for more than a minute while the other half is so predictable that they would be slaughtered easily by the ministry forces."

Dolohov asked him, "What do you suggest?"

Emmett Wagner said evasively, "There are things that we can teach you. But before we get to that, I need all of you to give your word that you will stay inside. Send no one on any ambush or intimidation unless I say so."

They all agreed instantly. Severus attended the meeting while keeping an eye on the German. He knew the German would be trouble.

Hogwarts

Valentine's Day was just 2 days away. Harry was still sweating over what to do for it. He was sure that he wanted to dazzle Susan but how? He had to do something that would make people jealous of their relationship.

He decided to turn to the one person he had heard was always the ladies man. Taking out his mirror, he called, "Padfoot".

Padfoot when he appeared in the mirror was in the Rosier Estate where Remus was confined to a bed with his wounds dressed. They both grinned at him. Harry asked Remus, "How are you doing?"

Remus looked down at his bandages, then looked up at Harry and smiled warmly, "I'm a werewolf, Cub. These scratches could have killed a normal man, but I'll be good as new by this time tomorrow. For the rest of it, I'm better than ever! I feel like I've exorcised all my demons. My heart is lighter than I can ever remember it being."

Harry smiled brightly, "That is good to know. I have a problem to deal with and I need the advice of wisdom beyond my years."

Remus was all ears about it, "What is the problem, Harry?"

Harry groaned, "Valentine's Day is in two days. Susan wants me to surprise her with something. I have thought of several ideas, but can think of nothing which would fit the bill."

Remus grinned, "And you want me to find a way out for you?"

Harry nodded fervently, "Yes! I want your help. Help me."

Remus smiled, "It is not me you want to help you, cub. I have never dated anyone nor did I express my love for them in a profound manner ever in my life. I mean I was forced to express my love for Dora only under the threat of death and at wand-point. It is Sirius you want. The old dog is real smooth with the ladies."

"Who are you calling an old dog, wolf? You haven't yet recovered of the wounds Greyback gave you and you have the audacity to call me old?", grumbled Sirius from out of the range of Harry's vision on Remus's side.

A moment later, Sirius's face came into view, "Pup, you want some expert advice?"

Harry nodded, "Yes. And I am desperate for it."

Sirius said thoughtfully, "Have you asked your friends for ideas?"

Harry nodded, "I did and they have no idea about it. I mean Neville is not even worrying about it, Ron apparently has some kind of cunning plan, Ernie is seriously thinking of showing the seriousness of his intent towards Lilith, Justin has something figured out. I am the only one left without ideas."

Sirius guffawed, "Oh, how the mighty has fallen!". After a moment, he continued, "Tell you what, pup. You do the simplest thing in the most magnificent manner."

Harry frowned, "And what is the simplest thing?"

Sirius smirked, "Why! Tell her that you love her. There is nothing simple as that."

Remus's face came into view again, "Provided you do love her. Do you not?"

Remus's question got him thinking. Did he really love Susan? They had started going out together and were considered a couple by even them who knew nothing about the existence of the contract. They had come so close in the little time that they had known each other but did he really love her?

He turned to Sirius, "I don't know what it feels like. I mean I haven't been in love before."

Sirius guffawed again, "It won't dance in your face and tell you that it is love. You will have to find it for yourself. To help you a little I would ask you to do some introspection. Think of your feelings for her. Do you care about her more than anyone else? Do you often strive to have her approval for your actions? Do you unconsciously try to always please her? Try to get one of those smiles from her that would light up your day?"

Harry asked him in turn, "Do you feel all that with Emmeline?"

Sirius scowled, "It is not about me Mister. It is about you and Susie. There is your answer."

Harry nodded, "Say I am affirmative about all your questions. What then?"

Sirius gave that half smile, "In that case, do some showmanship. You know a great many things which others do not. Do something spectacular for her which would be remembered in legends and profess your love for her in such a way that it would be remembered for ages. Remember you are a Marauder and a Marauder doesn't do things in half measures."

With that Sirius closed the connection without waiting for him to reply.

Greece

Tom Riddle was sitting before his master who had seated himself on a sort of throne like chair while Tom sat on the ground, his head bowed. This was the way that Abbadon treated his apprentices. Before him, they were all pieces of trash, nothing more. For the last two days, Abbadon had him do all the menial chores which were otherwise done by a house-elf and what was more, he didn't allow Voldemort to use any magic for it. What Voldemort had not realized was that in the days of mundane, back-breaking, repetitive, menial labour, he had fully regained both his physical strength and his coordination. He was able to stand up straight and pain-free.

"Why do you think you have failed again and again, boy?", Abbadon asked.

"I don't know master. I have tried to find this answer again and again. I think the prophecy may hold some answers for me."

Abbadon snapped, "The prophecy is irrelevant. What is important is that the boy is your enemy and you have to kill him at any cost. Without killing him, you won't stand to gain anything."

Voldemort nodded, "I understand master but his powers have increased and he is on an equal footing with me now if not worse. In fact he made me dread him once or twice."

"And what made you dread him?", asked Abbadon speculatively.

"I duelled with the boy the night I regained a body. That night he appeared to be a mediocre boy as you would expect a boy of 14 to be however there was fire in his eyes and defiance in his attitude. The fire in those eyes scared me a little. Then he resisted my Imperious curse and survived my killing curse for the second time. Six months later I clashed with him when I walked into an ambush set up by him and the ministry forces. He thoroughly beat me that time and I lost 70 of my followers. He had improved immensely and he fought like he had no equal in the world. The way he sidestepped my spells, the spells he used were all foreign to me. Then he defeated me in a battle of wills and tortured me when I tried to engage him in mental combat."

Abbadon nodded, "Your folly is showing in you losing to the boy again and again Voldemort. The boy possesses an unsullied soul which is whole and unblemished while yours is broken into wounded fragments. With each piece that you tore off, you ended up injuring yourself all the more. As to his increase in magical prowess, he has been trained by our mortal enemies."

"Our mortal enemies?", Voldemort asked.

Abbadon nodded, "Yes. The boy as you say is powerful and he has been trained by our enemies, the same ones who had you at their mercy in Romania. They have made him their champion. With them being on the other side, you can't hope to stand against him and win in your present state. You would need all your power with you. Tell me boy, are all your soul pieces safe?"

Voldemort frowned for a moment before he replied, "Yes master. Those soul pieces are safe. I hid them with adequate protections where no one could possibly find them."

Abbadon growled, "You seem very sure of yourself, Boy. When was the last time you checked on them?"

"I haven't been to check them, master, not since before I was defeated the first time", he replied. "But the places where I hid them are extremely secret. Even if someone did manage to stumble across them, they would not know what they had unless they knew about horcruxes."

Abbadon slapped him hard across the face, "Idiot! Foolish boy! Do you think you are better than everyone? Your hubris knows no bounds. There is no place impregnable enough and no enchantment strong enough that it can't be broken."

Voldemort was indeed angry and this showed in his countenance but the old wizard laughed at him, "What are you glaring at, boy? You can't harm me in the slightest. Besides you need me. Now lower your eyes unless you want me to punish you for your impudence."

Abbadon closed his eyes and thought for a few minutes before he started speaking, "your foe isn't an ordinary wizard. Having survived the killing curse twice is something that I could not have foreseen nor anticipated. What I am wondering about is, what would happen if you hit him with it for the third time. Tell me about what happened that night, boy?"

Voldemort closed his eyes and concentrated for the first time upon that night when he had lost his body. After about 5 minutes, he began to speak, "Master that night, I had been told the Fidelius secret of the Potters' hiding place. From what I knew of the prophecy, I knew that their son would have the power to vanquish me and I wanted to nip the threat in the bud. I killed the father easily but the mother tried to stop me. She pathetically begged me to spare her son. She wanted to die in his place and wailed those words over and over. I tried to reason with her and asked her to step aside but she kept asking me to spare the brat and kill her instead. I really tried to spare her life but she was not going to budge. So, I killed her and then turned my wand on the boy who was in his crib and crying. He didn't even know what was happening but I supposed that he was frightened. I cast the Killing Curse but it didn't kill him. Some sort of invisible shield appeared between the boy and me causing my curse to rebound upon me."

Abbadon was thoughtful for a few minutes before he started speaking again, "Thy folly lies in the fact that you acted without thinking, boy. You didn't even stop to think about the repercussions of your act. Why did you think of sparing her? Got some kind of weakness in you, boy?"

"A loyal follower of mine who brought me the news of the prophecy asked of me a boon to spare her life. He has been one of my most loyal and steadfast followers so I granted this boon to him. I promised him that I would spare the woman and kill the child. When she was not ready to step aside, I had to kill her."

Abbadon frowned, "That is why you failed, fool. I had told you that love is a magic which is largely incomprehensible for people, especially for people like us who have never known love or cannot love. It seems to me that she had invoked an ancient ritual which provided for unfailing protection to the child in return for her own life, that is, sacrifice of one life for another. It is no secret that there is no sacrifice bigger than self sacrifice. From the moment you killed her, the boy got a protection which is almost unheard of."

Voldemort folded his hands in a respectful gesture, "What shall I do then, my master?"

Abbadon continued to frown, "It looks like you are in deep trouble where the boy is concerned. You can touch him again because you used his blood in the ritual you performed to return to a body. Yet he is almost invincible. My enemies have trained the boy well. To win over him you will need all of your strength and magic. This seems impossible since you have shredded your soul into pieces. With each fragment that is destroyed you will lose more of your power. The boy will remain more powerful than you."

Voldemort beseeched him, "Is there no way, master?"

"There is one way but it is dangerous to your followers."

Voldemort stated plainly, "My followers have pledged their lives to my cause.". Then asked curiously, "What is that way, master?"

"The Parasite spell", Abbadon said simply.

"The Parasite spell?", Voldemort asked.

Abbadon nodded, "A simple spell which will allow you to claim the magical powers possessed by all of your followers. With so much power at your disposal you will be infinitesimally more powerful than the brat. But be warned that if you try this spell your followers would be augmenting your strength with theirs. In turn, they would be prone to harm."

Voldemort waved the last concern off, "My followers can die for me, master."

Abbadon smirked, "You think? Your followers will be the first to desert you if given the chance and sufficient motivation."

Voldemort decided not to reply to that. He turned to his master again, "Please teach me the parasite spell, master."

Abbadon laughed evilly, "May be tomorrow. It is time for you to cook supper. Remember not to burn it."

Voldemort sighed in frustration and retired from his presence. Abbadon was absent-mindedly rubbing a scar on the inner side of his left bicep muttering, "Harsh, we have a long overdue score to settle and by Merlin, I will avenge myself."

Hogwarts

A day before Valentine's, Vikram met Harry in the chamber of Secrets where Harry was busy destroying a horde of dummies. He waited patiently as Harry worked his way through the last of the dummies and turned it to dust. He then realised that Vikram was there and asked him, "Professor, is everything alright?"

Vikram nodded, "Yes everything is alright Harry. I just needed to tell you that for the moment all the mystics in Wizarding Britain including me are being called to Germany to help with some problem that has occurred there. It will take me a day or two before I can return. You will have to stay alert about anything that may happen."

Harry nodded, "Yes, Professor. I will keep my eyes open and eagerly await your return."

Valentine's Day at Hogwarts

Susan Bones woke up with eager anticipation on Valentine's Day morning. With some appreciation from her (read an intense snogging session), her boyfriend had decided to let the students have fun for today. He also had been behaving absent-mindedly for the last couple of days and Susan assumed it had been due to the war. Since Fenrir was killed, Harry was being very alert and paid attention to everything that was being said. If the werewolves rose in retaliation for the death of their alpha, things would get ugly. Today however she was determined to make him enjoy the day. Today was not a day to worry about.

When she woke up, the first thing she noticed was the fragrance of fresh roses. While plants and their fragrances were no big deal in the common room or the dorms, roses certainly weren't among the usual plants which graced the common room or the dorms. It was then she noticed an extremely large bouquet of freshly cut roses on her bedside table with a card in it. Smiling to herself and complimenting her loving boyfriend, she picked out the card.

The card was enchanted to sing. When she touched it, it rose into the air and started singing a dulcet melody,

"The girl who is my love

The girl who stole my heart

The girl who brightened my life

The girl who smiles with radiance

The girl who accepts me for what I am

The girl who has always been at my side

You my love, you are the queen

Happy Valentine's Day, Sue. Come up to the Great Hall as soon as you can manage. It is a Hogsmeade Weekend and there are things that must be done."

She heard the message and grinning goofily the way a person in love does, she got up to go to the bathroom. She noticed Hannah staring at the bouquet curiously.

She asked her, "What is the matter, Abbott?"

Hannah asked her, "Who sent this to you?"

She rolled her eyes, "Of course Harry did, why do you ask?"

Hannah grumbled, "I helped Neville put this together yesterday evening. I had assumed that he was going to gift it to me."

With that Susan walked off to get her toiletries and to get ready for the day ahead.

After 20 minutes, Susan was ready to go to the Great Hall. As she was putting on her cloak, Kitty appeared before her holding a small packet in her hands. The elf presented it to her, "Master has sent it for you, mistress."

"Thank you Kitty", she told the elf politely. She took the packet and opened it. It contained a silver chain with a ruby dangling in the middle of it. She put the chain around her neck and exited the common room to find that Harry was not there to escort her to the Great Hall.

"Now this is strange", she thought. She had thought that Harry would be there to greet her then escort her to the Great Hall and maybe, if they could get a moment or two, they would have kissed some. But her boyfriend was not here and apparently waited for her to come to him.

Shrugging her shoulders, she started towards the Great Hall when the ceiling started to rain flower petals on her. A few girls were following her at a distance and apparently were jealous of the way she was being greeted. She understood it was Harry's doing. She walked forward. About half-way, she encountered tiny snow-flakes which lodged themselves in her hair that she had tied in an elaborate braid for today. She did not care to bursh them off as she had not cared to brush away the flower petals.

Hannah who was walking beside her grumbled, "That is so romantic. I wonder if my boyfriend has gotten lost."

Susan shrugged, "Well I can't complain about mine."

As they were nearing the Great Hall, a flock of white doves started flying around her and showering her with more flowers. Then two little fairies (She was sure they had been conjured) set a silver tiny circlet on her head and she seemed to glow. She understood the circlet was charmed that way. As she entered the Great Hall, there was a loud bang and there were miniature wizards zooming around on tiny little brooms around her, escorting her towards the Gryffindor table where Harry was sitting with his friends. Before she could reach him however, there was a muffled sound of something bursting apart and the enchanted ceiling was replaced by a giant heart which burst open. These words were visible in the air, "SUSAN BONES, YOU HAVE BEEN MERLIN-SENT TO ME. YOU HAVE FILLED MY LIFE WITH HAPPINESS AND EVERY MOMENT THAT I SPENT WITH YOU HAS BEEN A MOMENT IN PARADISE. I LOVE YOU. DO YOU LOVE ME?"

Susan's eyes were tearing up and there was Harry standing at his place at the Gryffindor table, grinning goofily. She walked up to him at a brisk pace amid cat-calls and hoots from the students who were in the room, watching everything with interest. She noticed that Hermione looked like she was ecstatic with the display being put on. Many witches looked jealous. The boys looked as if they were re-thinking the surprises they had planned for the day and how their attempts were rather pedestrian in comparison to this.

Harry had his arms open and that lop-sided grin which always made Susan go weak in the knees. Without wasting a moment, she covered the distance running and threw herself into his arms, almost bowling him over. If he were still the same puny little runty Harry Potter he used to be, they would have fallen over but he held her firm and hugged her hard.

Susan didn't know how much time had passed. It may as well have been an hour or merely a minute but what mattered was that Harry had finally proclaimed his love for her. Auntie had been right- Harry was in love with her and he just didn't know it yet. (See Chapter 35 of the last story for this reference).

"Ah, young love. How blessed it is to be so carefree and in love", said Dumbledore from the staff table while he wiped a tear from his eye. The usually stoic looking McGonagall was trying to maintain her composure while everyone could see the dents in her hard exterior. Snape, well Snape for once had abandoned all pretence and looked like he was lost somewhere very far-far away while his eyes had acquired a dreamy look, like Luna often sported.

Finally Harry gently extricated himself from her embrace and whispered in her ear, "If you please, Miss Bones. I am still waiting for the answer to my question."

She smacked him on the arm and said hoarsely, "Idiot, I have been in love with you since I don't know when."

Seeing that order was not going to restore itself in the great Hall, McGonagall said a bit loudly, "Now if you all will please return to your seats. We still have the breakfast hour to pass."

Harry and Susan sat side by side where their friends joined them. The first to find his voice was Ron, "Bloody brilliant, mate. That was some show. My surprise seems tame in comparison."

Hermione huffed, "Let me be the judge of that Ron."

Ron murmured to himself, "I had planned to find a secluded spot to say this but after this I won't stay behind him by far at least in courage." He waved his wand in an intricate motion and produced a bouquet which contained tulips, carnations, red roses and orchids. There was a card in between the bouquet which Hermione picked up to read for herself. It read-

"I may try to proclaim my love to you in the grandest way possible but there is nothing more magnificent for me than my love for you. I can try to use some of my brain and write some pretty words for you but there is nothing prettier in the entire world than you. I can try to define what my love means for you but there are no words in the dictionary which can say it aloud the way my actions do. I love you Hermione Granger."

Hermione's eyes watered and she pulled him into her embrace murmuring, "I love you too, Ron."

When she let go of him, he looked dazed as if thinking, "Huh, that went all right."

Harry was talking to Ron, "go on and kiss her, Ron. I know you want to."

Luna who had drifted to their table at that moment said in her dreamy voice, "They do that all the time in the broom closet on the fifth floor."

When Ron and Hermione lowered their heads groaning in embarrassment, Luna turned to Harry, "Meet me this evening outside the Ravenclaw tower, Harry. I just hope that it has not become too late by then."

With that cryptic message, she skipped away leaving Harry mystified.

Justin had decided to keep things simple. He simply produced a long stemmed red rose for Isobel and presented it to her, "I love you, Isobel McDougall."

Shyly, she took the rose from his hand while gently nudging his fingers with her lips.

As the Gryffindors had set the example and a Hufflepuff had followed it, Ernie Mcmillan gathered his courage and decided to do his bit. He went down on one knee and pulled out a ring which looked magnificent. It was made of a silver band with an emerald atop it being surrounded by little diamonds. He took one of Lilith's hands and slipped it onto her finger saying, "I have loved you since I have started to know you and I know that there is no one else in the world that I want to be with. I wish to marry you. This ring is the symbol of the word of a McMillan that I will fulfil my promise at the appropriate moment."

Lilith, overwhelmed with the gesture took his hand and dragged him away out of the Great hall. With these things happening, many witches were wistfully looking at their boy-friends to surpass or at least equal the three boys in their gestures. Needless to say, there were many grumbling boys in the Great Hall who felt their surprises fell very short of the mark set by Harold Peverell and co.

Hannah who was yet to see her boyfriend, asked Harry, "Where is Neville?"

Harry grinned, "He refused to tell me anything more than he will wait for you in Paradise. Now I didn't know that Paradise is on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Apparently, he thought that you'd understand the allusion well enough."

Hannah blushed as she turned to Susan and spoke in her squeaky voice, "I will see you later, Susie."

Susan beamed at her, "Go Hannah! Win over Longbottom."

As Hannah left the Great Hall, McGonagall at the staff table said to herself, "How soon these kids grow up."

Paradise

Leaving Harry and co. in the Great Hall, let us follow Hannah Abbott to Paradise. Where Paradise is, we know not but apparently Hannah did. She walked toward the Greenhouses. When she reached them, she walked past them to a plot of land further up. This plot of land had been unutilised for years now. It was where Neville had started gardening after Professor Sprout had banned him from the Greenhouses except during class hours. Readers may remember that he sent Hannah a dungbomb wrapped in a gift paper. She had almost laid waste to the Greenhouse in rage.

Neville had dubbed this plot of land 'Paradise' and Neville grew mundane plants here. The garden was surrounded by a little wall to keep animals away from it. Today it was shrouded in mist. When she stepped on the threshold, the mist dissipated around her and then covered her again as she was in. A few steps inside, she was treated to the fragrance from a multitude of flowers. Garlands of flowers hung in the air unsupported, spreading their sweet fragrance. She could recognise Red Rose, Carnation, Tulip, Orchid, Sunflower, Chrysanthemum, Violet and Zinnia among others. In fact the decorations were so tasteful that it becomes hard for the author to describe them here. Just think to what lengths a gardener adept at magic can go to when he is decorating his garden. I hope you got your answer.

There were conjured birds flying around the plot of land singing melodies of love for her. In the middle was laid a harp and when out of curiosity, she touched its strings it started to sing a tune so melodious that Hannah wanted to cry in ecstasy and joy.

Finally Neville became visible, dressed in his finest robe, his hair combed back and a grin at the corners of his lips. Waving his wand, he conjured a loveseat. Taking her gently by her arm, he guided her to sit on it.

Then the moment came when he sat on his haunches and said earnestly, "Hannah Abbott, you have made me feel alive since I have started to know you. You have shown me how beautiful life can be with love. I fell in love with you since I don't know when but I realised I had never said it. I love you with all my heart."

While Neville proclaimed his love for her, he had been projecting a little of his magic outwards and she swooned under its influence. She pulled him up by his shoulders and kissed him deeply. After the kiss lasted for more than a minute, she broke off and asked him, "What is the plan for today?"

Neville grinned, "The plan is for us to spend the day here away from everyone. I have even asked Slinky not to disturb us. This place is protected by the strongest wards that this apprentice of Dumbledore can construct."

Hannah grinned, "Looks like you have planned everything. What are you waiting for then?"

Grinning Neville joined her on the loveseat, pulled her into his embrace and kissed her passionately.

Let's leave the happy couple in Paradise and follow others to Hogsmeade to see what they have planned for their day.

Those going to the village had formed a single line from the Great Hall to the gates of the school where the Aurors and Filch were checking everyone before they let them through. Carriages stood ready to take the students to the village. They alighted in as per their preference. Since it was not raining, the tops of the carriages were down for the day. They enjoyed the chill of the morning.

Harry and Susan were at the back of the line with their friends. It was then that Harry noticed Daphne with Astoria. Wondering why he had not seen her today, he called out to her, "Daphne, come and join us."

Daphne left Astoria and joined them smiling, "How is it going?"

Harry did not notice it but Susan did. Daphne was wearing a thick layer of makeup to hide her puffy eyes. It was clear that she had been crying. Coupled with her absence at the Gryffindor table, she understood the reason. She warmly pulled her into a hug whispering in her ear, "I am sorry, Daph. If I had known I would have asked him not to bother with all of the fuss."

Daphne smiled ruefully, "And you would be an idiot if you did that, Bones. I am happy if you are. We are best friends, remember?"

Susan smiled brightly, "of course. So, will you join us in the village today?".

She asked uncertainly, "Are you sure that I would not be an inconvenience to you?"

Harry waved her off, "Nonsense Daph. You are welcome to join us at least until we go to the inn."

Susan eyed him, "What exactly do you have planned?"

Harry grinned, "That would be telling, Sue."

Before she could say anything more, Daphne poked her shoulder hard and pointed in one direction. Following the direction of her finger, they found the strangest sight. Millicent Bulstrode and Draco Malfoy had joined the line and they were holding hands happily. Millicent would steal a glance at him and then blush hard. Her lipstick was ruined and that gave the others a lot to talk about. What fuelled the most speculation was the ring with the opal on Millicent's finger.

Hermione said, "They look happy together."

Ron nodded, "Well Malfoy looks happy enough with her. He actually made a good decision, giving that ring to her."

-Flashback-

Unknown to the rest of his friends, Malfoy had met Harry in the corridors one day. Bowing his head, he said respectfully, "Lord Black, I need a favour of you."

Harry quickly checked to make sure that there was no one else around. He turned to him, "Go ahead Draco. I am listening."

Draco fretted, "I... uh... I wanted... permission."

"Permission? Permission for what?"

Draco had gather what little courage he had by then, "I want your permission to court Millicent Bulstrode. I want to give her a ring to signify my sincerity and commitment to our relationship."

Harry asked him warily, "What's the catch, Draco?"

Draco shook his head, "There really is none. I am genuinely interested in courting her."

Harry smiled, "If you are in earnest, then as Lord Black, I give you my blessings to court her."

-Flashback ends-

The line had moved forward a little when Tracy joined them with Fred at her side. She was out of breath and when she saw Daphne, she hugged her giddily.

Daphne asked her, "What happened, Trace?"

Tracy refused to say anything.

Harry turned to Fred, "Alright you old smoothie, tell us what you did?"

Fred shook his head, "Not a secret for your young years, Harrikins."

Since Fred refused to speak of the secret, the author is afraid that we would not know of it.

On the way to the village, Harry found out that there were only about ten Aurors on duty in the village. There were twenty five the last time. Apparently, some were called away to fend off some attack in the distant east so the number of guards had been reduced.

When they reached the inn, Harry turned to Daphne, "If you would excuse us Daph, we're off to London."

Susan turned to him, "Where in London?"

Harry grinned, "Hestia's hearth. Mr. O'Neil has a parlour ready for us."

Susan turned to Daphne, "Why don't you join us?"

Daphne scowled, "Get on with it, Bones. I don't want to be the third wheel. Go and enjoy."

In Hestia's hearth, Mr. O'Neil led them to the grandest of his parlours which he had reserved for them. He left them with an army of servers and a small mountain of appetisers.

They made some small talk while they perused the menu with the special dishes which were being prepared for the day as the servers stood on alert, ready to take their orders.

Suddenly the door of the parlour flew open and Mr. O'Neil came in running, shouting at the top of his voice, "DEATH EATER ATTACK AT HOGSMEADE".


A/N- hey guys, please leave me some reviews? I put in a lot of thoughts for this one. And the next one will be exciting, I promise. Here is a sneak-peek-

As he finished speaking, the wards exploded with a bang again and a great shadow came upon the battle field. The shadow of a giant bird with a wingspan of about 20 feets. The bird went into a nose dive and levelled about 5 feet off the ground and the students realised it was Blackstorm. Neville Longbottom jumped down and immediately sent a blasting hex at one of the death eaters who was levelling his wand at him. The man didn't realise before his head was blown away.

Wagnerscoffed, "A child! They have sent a child against us? Is that it?"

A cold voice which could freeze the blood in veins growled, "He is not alone."

There was Albus Dumbledore, the victor of Bavaria with his wand in one hand, Fawkes the phoenix on his shoulder and cold fire in the abyss of his eyes. Wagneractually shuddered when he saw Albus Dumbledore but he was here to do a job. Without any warning, he sent a curse at Dumbledore who conjured a flock of canaries in its way while he shouted, "Get the students to safety."

He saw that Justin had taken a hit and fell down and also saw Ron's attempts to save the students while dragging Hermione away who looked reluctant to leave. He saw the volley of curses and did what came to his mind at first. The Nagas had taught him to will the earth to obey his commands. It was a power which took a lot out of a wizard so it was not advisable to try to often and certainly not for something massive and humongous but the occasion was desparate and he screamed in parsel tongue while he stomped his feet and the earthen wall had rose to the challenge.

Harry and Neville had divided territory among them and while Neville liberally used his choice spells against the death eaters, Harry started the charge with the lightning bolts which seared a few of the death eaters before they decided that they would stand a chance if they attacked him together. Harry rushed into them while casting with his hand and wand. His movements were so fast and fluid that others could not make it out but death eaters were dying left and right. One fell missing most of his face; one fell with a spike through his heart, another fell missing most of the right side of his body. By the time that Harry slowed down he had killed 5 more. It was then that he heard the heart rending cry, "Harry, SUSAN IS DOWN!"