Mystic Mayhem

The last few days were pure chaos and destruction. The death eaters continued with their tactic of popping up, creating as much chaos as they could and vanishing again. But, something had changed recently.

A group of 3 death eaters who were emboldened from the success of their recent attacks on the muggles had decided to attack outside a muggle restaurant where people were gathered in large numbers. They knew the muggles would be confused, scared and terrified if suddenly people started dropping dead. It would be easy for them to slip away after having killed a handful of them.

One of them pulled out his wand and sent a killing curse into the crowd, sure of having a muggle death to his credit in the next second. Imagine his surprise when a table from the patio leapt into harm's way. The hapless piece of furniture exploded into slivers and dust as the rushing emerald curse struck it.

There was a moment of stunned silence while the diners and death eaters alike took in what had just happened. The settling dust and debris from the explosion settled to reveal a man, dressed in muggle attire, holding a wand, pointed in the general direction of the trouble makers.

The man spoke with an accent and fury in his tone, "I grant you a moment to clear away before I put you all down like the rabid dogs you are."

One of the death eaters who was at the edge of the man's vision tried to take advantage of the situation. As he levelled his wand, a dark cutter took his arm off above the elbow. As the limb fell to the asphalt, still clutching the wand, he sat down hard, trying to stop the bleeding.

While the remaining two death eaters looked on, another man stepped out of the crowd of the muggles holding a wand leveled at them.

The first man growled at the second, "we were told that we can't kill them, idiot."

The second one said indifferently, "He will most likely live. And I got excited. What do you reckon we should do with them?"

By now, the death eaters had managed to get over their initial surprise. They raised their wands to attack the two wizards. The first one didn't even twitch a muscle but a magenta coloured curse left his wand hitting the one of the two remaining death eaters. The second death eater managed to fire off a curse. With a flick of the wrist, the second wizard in muggle attire caught the curse on his wand and flicked it back as a bludgeoner. The impact to the death eater's face crushed his nose and rocked him back. The effect of the magenta spell wasn't immediately apparent, but in the next few moments, it was clear that the death eater could not move. A few moments later, he collapsed to the ground as every muscle in his body spasmed out of control. Compared to this, even the Cruciatus curse of the Dark Lord was nothing.

The one death eater who was still standing as his ruin of a nose began to bleed, futilely cast every curse he knew at his plain-clothed adversary. His reward was to have every one of his curses flicked back at him as a bludgeoner. His adversary was playing with him. His entire body was one continuous bruise. When the wizard grew bored with the one-sided battle, he converted the last curse to a Flippendo. The death eater tumbled end over end and landed in a heap against the front window of the restaurant. Meanwhile, there were another two plain-clothes wizards, working their way through the crowd obliviating the muggles.

"Meru, we should leave", said Himwat.

"But they are still alive", said Meru, "We just started to have fun."

Himwat said sternly, "We were strictly ordered not to kill any of these scum. We are only to protect the muggles. I can overlook one transgression but not another. Let's take them with us and drop them in some uninhabited place after cleaning their memories."

Meru knew he had to follow orders. Taking the three death eaters and the severed arm, they disapparated. The obliviators stayed behind for a while to make sure that no one would remember their encounter with the mystics.

Another time, a death eater had just apparated into a crowd of muggles outside a theatre. He was about to take a shot at the crowd when he felt someone grab his arm. He was startled with the movement. Before he could turn his head or speak, a stunner knocked him senseless.

When he regained consciousness in an alley, A man stood over him that he could only perceive as an outline and the glint of a polished wand against the shadows.

The man growled at him, "Stay away from the muggles or you will die."

The death eater disregarded the warning and fired a bone breaker. The other wizard was so close that there was no way he could miss.

But the other wizard swayed, ever so slightly, and the spell went whizzing into the opposite wall.

Expressing his complete confidence in the outcome, the shadow didn't even bother to disarm the death eater. He just fired what seemed like an endless barrage of bludgeoners. The attack had only lasted about half a minute, but the death eater was nearly senseless again from the pummelling. Every inch of him was bruised, his nose was broken and bleeding and even if he hadn't dropped his wand, he couldn't hit anything with a spell anyway because he was seeing double.

The two images of the shadow-man swam before his blurred vision as the man's menacing voice echoed in his ears, "That is your last warning, Wilhelm. Stay away and you will live. Attack another muggle and you will not. I'll be watching."

Before the death eater could react, the man intoned, "Obliviate.". He had just obliviated the death eater's entire memory of their encounter, leaving only the warning. That warning would echo loudly in his memory if he even thought about attacking a muggle again.

This had been happening all over Britain and Wagner was frustrated. The death eaters were refusing to go on raids for some unknown fear. He even had Lucius crucio them but they still refused to go. He eventually realised that someone was out there who had terrified them. It couldn't be the Aurors or Harold Peverell. The Aurors were already stretched too thin even with the Order of the Phoenix helping them. And it was not possible for Peverell to be in so many places at one time. He eventually decided that sending larger groups for a flash raid would be better. Maybe, it would help him understand more about what exactly was happening.

The bad news wasn't only coming from the death eaters though. The dementors were facing defeat too. Just last week, a few of the dementors had been chased away from Plymouth by patroni so bright that they lit up the cold night. One of the death eaters who by sheer luck just happened to be close enough to witness the incident told them that a group of wizards having no distinct feature from any common muggles had driven away the dementors. They just appeared out of nowhere in the crowd and their patroni started chasing away the fiends. This was also worrying because there weren't a lot of wizards who could cast the patronus spell so perfectly. In fact most of them got exhausted casting it just once. To have a group of just 3 wizards chase away 20 dementors was a marvel indeed. He knew these wizards were not part of the Auror force nor were they common public. A common wizard couldn't cast it with that much power. To his knowledge, no help had arrived for Wizarding Britain from any other countries. This group of wizards hadn't featured in his equation before. For a moment he thought that maybe they were the infamous Order of the Snow Leopard but gave that up quickly. If that were the case, they would have killed the dementors and not merely chased them away. It was imperative for him to know about this new unknown force soon.

The only good thing was that the death eaters were not dying. Wagner knew that by all rights they should have been killed or at least gravely injured. So far, he had seen one severed arm that they had not been able to re-attach because it had been cursed off, lots of bruises and broken noses and a few concussions. It seemed that whoever this unknown force was, they were going out of their way to avoid killing anyone but were brutal in making sure that the death eaters understood that they would be punished if they targeted the muggles.

Perhaps it was time that he met Severus Snape. The man was supposed to be the dark lord's master spy. If he couldn't discover who these people were, then the Dark Lord needed to find a more able spy.

MY HORCRUXES!

Once Voldemort was out of the hidden castle, he found a quiet place to sit and meditate where he would not be disturbed for a while. Of all the wizards and witches in Wizarding Britain, there were only a handful that might hope to challenge him in Occlumancy. He took his time to travel his mind-scape, past the insidious defences of the twisted version of the Hogwarts Castle, into the second floor girl's room. With the hisses that meant "Open", he commanded the portal at the second sink. He carefully disarmed the living mouth trap that would have mulched anyone caught unaware, then slid down the chute. There was a crunch and a large puff of dust as his landing crushed the pile of tiny bones at the bottom. The great basilisk came surging through the dust and bones to see what would be its next meal. As it reared to fix Voldemort with its deadly stare, the dark lord hissed out, "Well met King of the Serpents. I have come for my secret."

Averting it's gaze, the great serpent hissed, "Proceed, Speaker. It lies within."

Even as a very young child, Tom had loved snakes. This one was the most wonderous creature he could have ever hoped to encounter. Why not have it guard his most precious secret. Nobody, no matter how talented or brave could ever hope to defeat this guardian. He reached up to give the great serpent a scratch behind its ear-holes as he passed.

Once within the Chamber of Secrets, He addressed the great statue of himself he had put there in place of the statue of Slytherin and hissed, "Show me the chamber within."

The sound of scraping stone echoed about the chamber as the statue split in two to allow him inside.

There, on a very plain, dusty, rickety, old table, lay a scroll of parchment, sealed with the same black-stoned ring he had stolen from his Gaunt grandfather. He drew his wand, which in his mindscape was the wand of his childhood, and carefully intoned the spell that opened the seal. Attempting to open the scroll in any other way would have ended unpleasantly for anyone foolish enough to try it. What he didn't know was that during his battle with Harry at the ministry, Harry had already read this scroll. No matter how the mindscape was laid out, Voldemort knew the list as well as his own name and Harry was able to read the information there.

With the seal broken, the parchment unfurled to reveal a list of his horcruxes and their locations:

Diary- Given as a reward to Lucius Abraxas Malfoy to be treasured more than his own life

Ravenclaw's diadem- Currently in the Room of Hidden Things at the Hogwarts Castle.

Hufflepuff's cup- Given to Bellatrix Lestrange. Currently in a high security vault at Gringotts Bank.

Peverell's ring- Currently hidden in the shack which used to be the seat of residence of the House of Gaunt.

Slytherin's locket - Currently being kept in the middle of an inferi infested lake near the sea.

Nagini- Currently residing in the forest at the hidden castle.

Voldemort had a double connection with Nagini as both his familiar and his horcrux. He could always feel that she was safe wherever she was. There was no need to check on her.

Hufflepuff's cup was safe in one of the world-famous high safety vaults at Gringotts. Only Bellatrix could access it there… Well, Bella was dead and Voldemort had managed to raid one of the vaults at Gringotts before. Difficult, but not impossible. He would check on that one later.

Slytherin's locket was protected with a diabolical security system which he had devised himself. Anyone attempting to get to it would not survive long enough to regret it and would be trapped there until Voldemort could get there at his own leisure. Anyhow, he had to go there to summon the army of the inferi for the final battle. He would check on it then.

The diary was in the care of Lucius Malfoy and he knew Lucius would have kept it with more care than he would care for his own life. It was a personal gift that the Dark Lord had given and gave to very few of his most trustworthy followers. Lucius would have died rather than give up on it. It would take only moments to loot the man's mind and see if he had been faithful to that command. He would do that when he returned to the hidden castle.

There was not a chance that he could get to the diadem without a massive, bloody battle. Where he had hidden it, looking like a tarnished bit of junk, was quite secure. He would retrieve it after the final battle.

That left only the ring of the Peverells. Dumbledore knew of his connection to the ring and that old shack where the last of the Gaunts lived. If the old fool managed to put two and two together, the ring might be vulnerable. He would check that one first.

When he reached the old shack, he could feel his own magical signature all over the place. The place was infested with snakes who came to pay their respects to him however he had no time for these crawlers. He approached the shack which had become severely dilapidated in the last 50 years. The only reason it hadn't completely returned to the earth were a few simple wards Voldemort had placed there to protect the wood from bugs and moisture. He was satisfied to find the snake still nailed to the door. The snake was the ward stone to every ward that he had set upon the place. He checked the proximity ward, the containment ward, the disabling ward and everything appeared to be intact. Since the wards recognised his magical signature, he didn't need to break them down or deactivate them. He leisurely strolled inside and didn't notice anything amiss until he came to the trip ward which he had set. The ward look like someone had interfered with it. Frowning, he checked it for any other magical signatures but there were none except his own. Very carefully he tripped his own ward confident of the fact that nothing would happen to him.

His confidence was severely misplaced. As the reader may recall, a certain Albus Dumbledore and Aparichit had visited there several months ago and left a nasty surprise for the erstwhile defiler of the summoning stone. As soon as he touched the ward, he was petrified and he felt as if his internal organs began to dissolve and run out onto the floor. He fell to the ground flat on his noseless face and unable to do anything. It felt to his mind that his arms and legs were no longer under his control. They were detached from his body. His spirit seemed to have left his body and he felt nothing but darkness all around him. He had not experienced anything like this since Quirrell had died, ending his possession of that body.

Oh Fu-dge

Thanks to his training with the mystics, Harry was considerably more aware of his surroundings than the average teenager. There had been a number of spies, taking it in turns, to track his movements and listen in on conversations when they could. Some of their efforts were so clumsy that Harry often had to suppress the urge to laugh out loud. Of course, he used the Muffliato charm for brief exchanges that might be revealing. He could just imagine the consternation of the spies as random noise cropped up just at the critical moment in conversations. Harry also took great pleasure in leading the spies up and down the staircases in the castle until he was sure they were exhausted and drenched in sweat from the effort. When he really needed to go somewhere without being followed, he would simply turn a corner and disappear as the Mystics taught him, seemingly vanishing without a trace. Others were being followed too. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Susan, Daphne just to name a few. They even tried putting a tail on Luna but her movements seemed to be completely random when she wasn't in class and she seemed to not talk to many people at all and when she did, it was always about a creature or another. People who were talking to her would understand what she meant but the spies could not. In the end, she was removed off the list.

So far, other than consternation from losing their assignments at random times, the spies had not come to any harm. That was no accident. Everyone in The Order of the Snow Leopard was under strict orders to simply note who was following them and report back. No action was to be taken against them other than to make sure that they were not followed to important meetings or overheard talking about Order business. The spies were permitted to go about their business unmolested.

The house elves were quite active, bringing messages to Harry. It seemed that they were eager and honored to carry intelligence from the trio of Dryden, Jugson and Everly to The Great Harry Potter. Mostly, they either left the notes on his bed or carried the messages to him during the practice sessions in The Chamber of Secrets. Between the reports from his order members and those of his inside Slytherin vassals, the same names kept popping up over and over again. Something would have to be done about these spies. They were nothing but death eaters in the making.

The moment that Harry decided that something had to be done, their fate was sealed. He could report them to the Headmaster who could discipline or even expel them for stalking, something that must surely be against school rules if not the law. But most of them were seventh year students. All that would accomplish is to drive them to Tom to get the dark mark a few months early. If he could, he would make sure that they were punished for their acts but did not get into Tom's servitude. There were all kinds of traps he could devise that were anything from hilarious to deadly, but how would doing that make him any better than the people he was trying to neutralize? He entered the Gryffindor common room, face pensive, muttering to himself. As he approached his favourite chair near the fireplace, Fred and George hastily concealed something they had been talking about.

George asked Harry, "Knut for your thoughts, Mate?"

Harry looked up from his musings to see Fred and George both staring at him curiously, "What's that? Oh… I was just trying to decide what to do about our spy problem."

Fred and George looked at each other quizzically, "Spy problem?" Then they looked at Harry and George asked, "You mean that bunch of snakes that've been following you and your mates around?"

Harry asked, "So, you two noticed?"

George chuckled, "Hard to miss. They're not very good at it, are they?"

Fred added, "We just thought they were the latest additions to your fan-club."

Harry grimaced, "That's not funny. They are no fans of mine. I have a list of them and I think it's time we start to actively discourage them." Then he looked at Fred, "What was that you blokes put away just as I was sitting down? I thought we were partners. Since when have we started to keep secrets?"

Fred looked a bit sheepish as he produced the pouch from a pocket of his robes, "This, Harrikins, is Bulbadox powder."

George continued, "Barnaby has been so foolish as to give us some grief recently."

Fred and George grinned, "We were going to make his nights a bit more interesting by putting a pinch or two of this in his pyjamas on random nights."

Harry cringed momentarily, "That's just plain nasty. He'll get boils in places that no one should ever see." Then he grinned back at them, "That gives me an idea."

The twins eyes' gleamed in excitement, "We always knew you were a true marauder. Go on."

The three of them sat in a huddle while they discussed Harry's cunning plan.

The first one to receive his well-deserved reward for his diligent spy work was Robert Macnair, a nephew of the recently killed infamous death eater. He was following Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis as they went from one class to another.

"Hey Trace", said Fred who was coming from his own class. He pulled his girlfriend close to him and embraced her.

"Get a room", Daphne growled at the pair of them.

Tracy smirked, "Good thinking, Daph. I'll catch up with you later at the meeting. Tall, ginger, silly and I are taking a slight detour before we meet up with the others at the secret location."

Daphne nodded, "Alright but take care that you are not followed."

She had said it just loud enough to be sure that the spy overheard them. Macnair was supposed to be following both of them. It only took him a second to decide that following the couple was the most likely way to discover where Scar-Head's people have been meeting. Thinking himself quite clever, he lagged behind the couple, trying to keep to the shadows, keeping a tapestry or one turning of the corridor between himself and his quarry. Every now and then, Fred would pause to give Tracey a peck on the cheek. While he was at it, he carefully checked to make sure that they hadn't lost their tail.

At the end of many twistings and turnings and more than a few flights of stairs, the couple entered a room at the end of a corridor. They closed the door behind them when they entered.

"Could this be it?", Macnair thought as he crept up on the door. He bent low to look through the keyhole before proceeding. Through the keyhole, he could see nothing but an unused classroom. Putting his ear to the door, he didn't hear anything either. He carefully put one hand to the centre of the door to keep it silent and carefully worked the doorknob to keep it from rattling or clicking as he turned the knob.

On the other side of the door, Fred had his back flat against the wall to keep out of sight. Tracey was on the hinged side of the door with her back to the wall and her wand ready. They both suppressed a snicker as they watched the doorknob turning slowly. The moment the door began to open, they were ready.

As Macnair carefully opened the door just a crack to see what waited for him, he was hit, full in the face, with a jet of water. While he was distracted, he failed to notice the powder that went down the back of his neck and into his clothes.

By the time Macnair managed to blink his eyes clear, Fred and Tracey had made themselves scarce. Adrian Pucey stood there with his girlfriend Elia Runcorn, looking affronted, "This room is for couples only. Singles are dealt with in the harshest manner."

The spy left cursing himself. It was just a place where couples met and may be snogged a bit or maybe shared a butterbeer and the like. It didn't feel to him like the kind of place to have spell practice or hold large clandestine meetings. It was a wasted effort. He was wandering in the general direction of the dungeons when the first inkling of the dirty trick that had been played on him began. It started off with a persistent itch in the middle of his back. Of course, when he tried to scratch it, he only succeeded in rubbing the Bulbadox powder deeper into his skin. Anywhere that there was perspiration on him, anywhere he scratched, it just got worse. In a few more minutes, his entire hide began to erupt in boils and pustules as he scratched like a dog with a bad case of flees and dry skin. To make matters worse, he began to feel fever coming on which caused more sweat which caused more itching.

The seventh year was ready to flay himself alive just to get the itching to stop when he decided to get to the infirmary as quickly as he could. It wasn't easy. The boils on his face were beginning to make his eyes swell shut. The itching was driving him mad. As he stumbled through the infirmary doors, Madame Pomfrey looked up from her work to see him stumbling in. It took her about two seconds to diagnose the young man and determine what to do. First, she put him in a total body bind to stop him from tearing his own hide off. Then she forced a draught down his throat. While McNair spluttered and swallowed, she rapidly applied numbing charms to his skin. Satisfied that she had done the best she could, she asked him, "Exactly what made you use Bulbadox powder in place of talcum powder for sweating?"

Even with the best healing potions she had, this case would take at least three days before he could be seen in public again.

Another spy was following Neville after curfew. Neville had snuck out to go and meet his girl friend. The spy had heard him talking to Hannah earlier that he would sneak out in the night to meet her and they had plans to spend some quality time in the place that only they knew about. What Neville had in mind was the Mermaid's Sanctuary but the spy didn't know that.

Also earlier that day, Neville was moving between classes when he was pelted with a piece of chalk. It was not a very big piece but it stung. Neville turned around to find the culprit and was immediately assaulted with a barrage of chalk pieces courtesy of Peeves who was using an old pipe as a blow-gun and hurling projectiles at him.

Neville roared in anger, "Peeves, you'll pay for that!"

The poltergeist did a somersault in mid-air, blew a raspberry and continued the assault. Neville whipped out his wand and shot a spell at the poltergeist muttering the spell under his breath. The chalk pieces rose into the air and shot at Peeves from every direction. The poltergeist cried out in anguish and soared away, swearing revenge on Longbottom.

When the spy found Neville in the night, he didn't notice that Peeves had also been waiting for Neville. Neville knew that they were following him and that Peeves was looking for a chance to get even. He let them follow him to some distance when Peeves became aware of the spy's presence. Neville had applied a disillusionment charm to himself as he turned the corner and walked in the shadows so he wasn't going to be seen but the spy was flummoxed. This happened a lot with them. They would be following Potter or Longbottom and poof! They would suddenly vanish into nothing. The spy was deciding if he should return to the Slytherin Common Room when he heard the poltergeist cackling overhead, "Oh dear! You boy look so much in trouble!"

The poltergeist started chasing him through the corridors, pelting him with chalk pieces until he ran into a suit of armour headlong and knocked himself senseless. The resounding crash echoed through the halls attracting the attention of the caretaker, Filch.

"O dear!", the old man exclaimed while rubbing his hands together, "A student wandering the halls after curfew. And damaging a valuable suit of armour no less." As he roughly yanked the stunned student to his feet, he said, "I'll have you polishing the floors for a week for all the trouble you caused."

Another time, one Letticus Avery, a cousin twice removed of the infamous Azkaban inmate, had been following Harry who was several paces ahead of him. The one trailing him saw harry descending a staircase but when he arrived at the bottom, he found that Potter had already vanished. He turned back to return to his dorm when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A low blood curdling growl was coming from one of the two rooms down the corridor. He pulled out his wand and foolishly followed the growl to see where it was coming from. This corridor had a couple of rooms which were left unused so there was nothing but dust and grime in them except may be a few very old portraits. Generally the doors were locked but there was one open and that seemed to be where the sound was coming from. There was no light or anything to let him see what was in the room.

Then he saw, about shoulder height, two dimly glowing orbs just a few feet away. While something at the back of his mind said, "Cat. Really big cat! RUN‼!" There was another part of his mind that said, "Cat's don't come that big. Stand still. Maybe it hasn't seen you."

While his mind jabbered at him and he stood paralyzed, the cat that was too big to believe lunged forward. With one leap, the Snow Leopard landed with his forepaws outstretched to the hapless spy's shoulders, knocking him down and pinning him to the ground. Whether it was the impact of the massive paws or the consequence of being knocked to the ground with such force, it didn't matter. The boy had the wind knocked out of him and he wasn't able to draw breath to scream or to beg for his life. But he was rapidly soiling himself. The beast, however, drew a deep breath and with its massive jaws barely inches from the lad's face, roared with all his might.

The next thing the would be spy knew, Professor McGonagall was shaking him awake. Her lips were as thin and straight as the finest ruler. Her face was pale with rage in the dim light cast by her wand, "Mr. Avery, breaking curfew and out of bounds. Explain yourself."

Avery stuttered, "C-c-cat. Re-re-really b-b-big c-c-cat, Professor"

It seemed impossible, but Professor McGonagall's lips grew even thinner, "Mrs. Norris is not that big. You are delusional, Mr. Avery. Report to Madame Pomfrey at once. 50 points from Slytherin and report to my office to start your week's detention at 7:00 tomorrow evening. Perhaps that will help you to remember what parts of the school are out of bounds to students."

The rest of the members of the spy ring had similar mishaps. The one that was tailing Fay Dunbar was loitering outside the girl's bathroom when she went in there to get away from him. Tracking her was creepy but this had crossed the line. When she popped the door open to find him still there, she hit him with a Scalping Hex that instantly removed all his hair. Professor Snape just happened to be walking down the corridor at exactly the right time to see one of his precious Slytherins losing his hair.

He sneered in his typical fashion as he drawled, "Really Miss Dunbar? That'll be 50 points for using magic in the halls to attack another student."

Dean Thomas, the heir of Sayre had been there long enough to know how Fay had been provoked. What's more, he had been learning about certain privileges that an heir can exercise. He intervened on Fay's behalf, "Respectfully, Professor Snape, I believe that there is more to this story. We all know that it is against the rules to use magic in the halls between classes, but do you know how Miss Dunbar was provoked?"

Without waiting for the Dungeon Bat to ask her, Fay volunteered, "That boy has been stalking me. He even had the nerve to loiter outside the girl's room while I was using the facilities. I feel threatened and I just wanted him to go away."

Dean nodded his head affirmatively, "There you have it, Professor. That kind of behaviour is not only creepy but illegal. I insist that you discipline this member of your house, or I shall have to bring it to the attention of my liege Lord, Harold Peverell."

Snape sneered at Dean and drawled, "I ought to place you in detention for your impertinence, but, since you have amused me, I spare you". He then turned to the offender, "That'll be 50 points and two weeks detention for stalking, young man. You will be pickling slugs and cleaning bed-pans for the next two weeks. Protective gear will not be required."

Snape had only needed an excuse to punish the spy. He had more reason to hate the death eaters than most. Perhaps some none too gentle correction would help this boy not to become one.

The Tale of Grawp

One morning, Harry was on the parapets with Seamus, practicing with the catapults. They had been inactive all winter long but were getting a good work-out now. This morning, only Harry and Seamus were there so that Harry could test how long it took to adjust them to fire in any direction. Being made of Goblin silver, the winter conditions and the constant working which would have destroyed any other material only made the weapons stronger.

Seamus had been picking targets at random. Suddenly, he whooped for joy. Harry knew of very few things that would make Seamus react like that. He quickly followed the other youth's line of sight to see what had attracted his attention. He asked, "Mate, is everything alright?"

Seamus excitedly said, "Harry, there's a giant in the forest!"

Harry was shocked, "A giant? Seamus, idiot, if there's a giant in the forest it's a cause for concern, not joy."

Seamus who was still looking towards the forest was frowning, "But this one seems to be tied with ropes or something and he is very small. You had told us that Giants are generally 25 feet tall but this one looks to be under 20. And look there's Hagrid and the centaurs. Blimey! They look angry."

Harry too had seen what was happening. He quickly decided to intervene but before he did, he thought to bring Dumbledore with him. The Headmaster was one of the few people who could reason with the centaurs and if they were angry with Hagrid, Dumbledore was likely the only person that could avoid bloodshed. Quick as the thought itself, Harry was on his broom, flying down from the ramparts. As he picked up speed, he yelled over his shoulder, "If the giant starts attacking everyone, take him out. But until then, hold your fire."

As soon as he landed, he disappeared to appear in Dumbledore's office, who was startled, "My boy! Don't ever do this to me."

Harry quickly told him, "Headmaster, there is a giant in the forest. It appears to be tied up and there's some kind of confrontation going on between Hagrid and the centaurs. I came to get you to stop it before someone gets hurt."

Without a single word, he whistled for Fawkes. The phoenix swooped in. With one hand, he took Harry's sleeve, with the other, he grabbed Fawkes' tail-feathers and they were gone.

They reappeared in the clearing where the confrontation was taking place. Hagrid stood between the centaurs and the giant. They were all angry and shouting. It looked like Hagrid was about to take them all on.

Dumbledore addressed the half-giant, "Hagrid, calm down. Tell me what is going on here?"

"Professor, they're trying to tell me that Grawpy can't stay here. They think they own this forest and get to decide who stays and who goes. He's mostly harmless, but they don't want 'im 'round 'ere."

Harry snorted mentally. For Hagrid to admit that a creature was "mostly" harmless must mean that it is hugely destructive but hasn't killed anyone… yet. For Hagrid to befriend insanely dangerous monsters was not unusual. A murderous gigantic spider and a fire-breathing dragon being two examples of Harry's acquaintance. Still, Harry had to wonder why he seemed particularly protective of this one.

Dumbledore talked to the leader of the centaurs, "Bane, I understand that he has made a bit of a mess here, but he is docile most of the time. Has he harmed any of your people?"

The centaur snorted, "Docile?" He gestured to the splintered trees, exposed root bowls and other mayhem around him, "A bit of a mess?" He turned to Dumbledore, "We are the guardians of this forest. That is part of your treaty with us. This creature," he pointed at the giant that was nearly twice the height of Hagrid, "has destroyed everything he can reach, displacing or killing countless forest creatures. If he is allowed to continue there will be nothing but a ruined plane where this forest once stood. The only reason he hasn't killed us all is that we stay out of reach and we can outrun him. He can't stay here."

Dumbledore said with a little steel in his voice, "The forbidden forest belongs to every magical creature, Bane. You never complained about the acromantula colony in this forest and they are just as deadly. What makes him any different from any of the other magical creatures that share your home?"

Bane shook his head vehemently, "He is a giant! No other creature in this forest has ever caused so much destruction. Besides, when You-Know-Who attacks with his giants, what is to stop this one from joining them?"

Grop was never going to be the brightest creature in the forest, but he understood enough of what Bane had said to be offended. He shook his mighty fist and roared, "Ki Vody!"

Hagrid looked up at the stout rope, hanging from Grawp's arm snapped as if it were no more than a strand of thread and said, "Now ya've gone an' hurt 'is feelins. "E'd no sooner join You-Know-Who than Dumbledore would." At this, Grawp seemed to look pleased with himself. His boulder-like head split into a gruesome grin that showed teeth the size of bricks.

Dumbledore nodded with grim satisfaction, "There you have it. When the time comes, he'll fight alright, but for the light. You may not banish him. He's one of us. If it makes you feel any better, I'll have Hagrid relocate him to that cave, up the side of the mountain at the edge of the forest. He shouldn't bother you there." Bane reluctantly nodded and the centaur herd retreated.

Dumbledore turned to Hagrid, "You know the place, Hagrid. There are lots of trees and a natural spring. He should have all that he needs there. Besides, if he's a good example of his race, he'll be able to work the stone and make the cave even better, making himself right at home there."

Grawp gazed off at the nearby mountain and uttered, "Ho."

Hagrid began to look more like himself. His easy smile returned to his bruised visage, "I think 'E likes the idear. I'll get 'im set up there." With that, Hagrid went to work starting to untie the ropes that were supposed to keep Grop from wandering off.

Dumbledore whistled for Fawkes and took hold of Harry's arm again. The next moment, he reached up as the phoenix came swooping in. In a flash of flame, Harry found himself with the Headmaster in the Headmaster's office. As Dumbledore made his way around his desk to his own chair, he offered, "Won't you have a seat, Harry? I imagine that you may have a question or two for me."

Harry nodded, "What was that all about? Who is the giant? Where did he come from? Why is Hagrid so protective of him?"

The corners of Dumbledore's beard twitched upwards, "That should about cover it, my boy. Very well, I shall answer." He leaned back in his chinrz chair and steepled his fingers together, "First, what was that about. Hagrid brought that giant to the Forbidden forest. The centaurs were against it from the start. As the giant broke loose more than once and the swath of destruction spread, they became more insistent about it. You saw the rest."

Harry nodded, "Please do continue."

Dumbledore sat up a bit straighter, "I'll answer your third question next. He came from the Ural Mountains in Russia. There was a world-wide council more than five decades ago. We, the ICW, banished the remaining giants in a reserve there because they were proving too dangerous for the wizarding world and our clashes only resulted in loss, death and destruction. We had hoped that far away from the civilization of men and wizards, that they would be content there. Sadly, giants don't get along well even with their own kind. Their numbers have been dwindling ever since they were placed there. Too many giants in too small a range."

Something deep inside of Harry railed at this. It was the same story, the same plight for the centaurs. Someone, not of their people, decided for them that their range should be restricted. They were handed a raw deal in which they had no say and were expected to be content with it. Harry shook his head, "That's not right. I don't care if they're practically brainless brutes. They're still intelligent creatures. Don't they have as much right to live as any of us?".

Dumbledore nodded firmly, "Harry, your feelings do you credit. I would love to debate with you about half-century-old decisions, but not at this time."

Harry was about to snap back, but he realized that Dumbledore was looking tired. If he were to get his answers tonight, he'd best show some respect, "Of course, Headmaster. Please continue."

Twinkles appeared in the bright-blue eyes above the half-moon spectacles, "The answers to your second and fourth questions are, in fact, one answer. This was not my story to tell, but Hagrid asked me to tell you when I felt that the time was right. That time has come. Grawp is Hagrid's half-brother."

Harry startled, "Brother? Hagrid never said anything about…"

Dumbledore nodded slowly, "Until last summer, he didn't know himself. Once I knew that Tom was back, I reconvened The Order of the Phoenix. I gave them all some very important assignments to prepare us for what must certainly come. Hagrid was sent to the giants. His task was to recruit as many of them as he could in the hopes that he could at least persuade them not to fight on the side of Dark again. While there, he discovered that his mother, Fridwulfa who had left his father had lived on the reserve with the other giants. Giants do not mate for life. She found another mate there and she had died in one of the giant skirmishes not too long ago, leaving a son behind, not quite yet fully grown. He was an outcast among his own people and treated terribly because he was so small."

"Small?", Harry thought, "Yes, small for one of his race."

Dumbledore continued, "Now, Hagrid's orders were to recruit and bring back all the giants he could. Sadly, his mission failed. But when he left the giant camp for the last time, he brought Grawp back with him. It took a lot of persuading, but eventually Hagrid succeeded. It hasn't been easy for Grawp at any time. He's still growing, he's hungry all the time and he keeps getting homesick. Every now and then, he tries to break loose and head back to the Urals. But there's nothing for him there because although Hagrid failed in his mission, the death eaters did not. If he goes back there, his own people will kill him. I hope that he will do better in the cave. It's more like the place where he used to live."

Harry took in everything that Dumbledore was saying and nodded, "I am indeed thankful that Seamus just didn't shoot him down when we saw him. I can't even think what Hagrid would have done to us if we did that. But Professor, won't he be in the way when Voldemort's giants attack?"

Dumbledore smiled, "No, you saw the way he reacted when the centaurs mentioned Tom. We will put him near the lake in garb to set him apart from the other giants. Just he alone would be able to stop any attack from the water."

Harry grinned, "The death eaters won't know what hit them."

Badgers Vs. Serpents

In the last 4 days, the tension in the castle had mounted. No, it wasn't about the death eaters or anything like that. The death eaters were being handed their collective butts outside. This was about the serious business of Quidditch. In the castle, the time had arrived for the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff match. Easter holidays were looming too. The Slytherin team had been practicing diligently and hoped to scoop a victory against the badgers at least. The first match of the season had seen their seeker, Malfoy, completely outclassed by Harry in every conceivable way. Now things were different. Malfoy was now a chaser. Harper had become the new seeker. Harper was by no means in the same league as Malfoy but the team had been desperate for a decent chaser with their previous chaser having been expelled. Today was the day of the match and it was time to see if the snakes would get some respect or they would have to return empty handed.

For Hufflepuff, this was the last chance too. They had a solid team which performed splendidly but they had lost the last match due to their seeker. He was not as talented as Cho Chang. She had outplayed him. Today's match was the only one where they stood to win because the next match would see them pitted against Gryffindor. They knew that they stood no chance to win against Gryffindor. The lions were the best team at the moment with the twins being the beaters. It was often said they were like human Bludgers themselves. With them on the team, it was more like having to dodge four Bludgers all the time. Then there were the three chasers who were on the team ever since their second year. Oliver Wood had forged them into a formidable war machine. Their seeker, well, who could beat a legend? The one and only time he ever missed a Snitch was when he passed out because dementors had taken the field and he passed out from the exposure. Nobody that had seen him in action since the school year started could even think that would ever happen again. No one could actually beat Harry Potter in a fair game. The only person on the team that might even be considered a weak link was the Keeper. Ron was unstoppable when he was on form, but everyone knew that he had a confidence problem. If he got rattled, he couldn't stop anything. Still, that didn't matter much when the seeker could end the game any time he liked. Harry had pulled some very impressive feats on the quidditch field and the only feat that remained for him was to fly without a broom and catch the snitch. (Of course, everyone knows that's impossible… or is it?) The real driving force behind the team was their new captain. Being appointed in her Seventh year, Angelina knew that she had one and only one chance to show the difference her leadership can make. She had a mean streak a mile wide. Everyone knew better than to mess with her. When she had try-outs, she had picked a reserve team too. They didn't just sit around. They mixed and matched with the starting team. When the other teams had looked in on their practices, they were amazed to find out that the alternates were every bit as talented as the first team.

One of them, Ginevra Weasley, was from the red-head clan. She was equally at home playing Chaser or Seeker. She was very impressive when she flew that Nimbus 2001. Then there was Demelza Robins. Others hadn't seen her play much but she was good. She could be a great chaser in case she had to fill in for any of the three regulars even if she wasn't up to their mark. Then there were Fay and Jack Sloper. Jack appeared to be a thin, chit of a lad but he would hit the Bludger so hard that it would soar away as fast as it had come. Fay was a very mean Beater who hit the bludgers with such force that her victims sometimes even sported bruised ribs. In other words, the Gryffindor team was invincible at the moment and no one hoped to defeat them. The rest of the teams would have to settle for a race for second place.

This morning, Harry met Susan who gave him a Hufflepuff flag and said sweetly, "I hope you know who you are supporting sweetie."

He replied with equal sweetness, "Of course dear. I am rooting for the badgers today so I won't feel bad when they lose to me next match."

This time, when Harry looked over the stands, he was mildly surprised to see equal numbers of the two team's colours distributed through the crowd. Very much unlike years past where there was a definite concentration of the Snakes' colours in exactly one-quarter section of the stadium and everybody else supporting the other team, whoever it may be, this time, he was pleased to see them mixing and supporting both teams equally. A tear came to his eye as he realized that there just might be a better future for the Wizarding World after-all. It just might have something to do with Conrad being on the team or Margaret Thickett making the cut as a beater or the Order of the Snow Leopard. Whatever the cause, it was clear that Slytherin had more supporters than just the silver and green clad students.

Harry sat in the Gryffindor stands with his friends. Even there, supporters for both teams were divided among the two houses. The quidditch team however was still rooting for the badgers. Some things were slower to change no matter what you do.

Lee Jordon was on the mike, "Welcome to the third match of the Quidditch house competition. Today's match is Hufflepuff versus Slytherin. Due to certain unfortunate events earlier in the term, The Slytherins had to replace three members of their team. According to the program, their Seeker, Draco Malfoy has also moved over to become a Chaser. This is practically a new team. I just hope that their captain, Montague has managed to put together one formidable team. Everybody give a big hiss for the Serpents!"

"Jordon!", snapped Professor McGonagall. Some of the crowd got into the spirit of it and hissed for the Slytherin team while others cheered, clapped and stomped as loudly as they could to drown them out.

Madam Hooch was standing at centre field with the crate of balls and her broom at the ready when the Slytherin team came flying from their dressing room in formation. Malfoy, Montague and Pucey in front, Margaret Thickett in the centre with DuVant, Bletchley and Harper taking up the rear.

Lee narrated, "Here they come! Malfoy, Montague , Pucey, Margaret Thickett, DuVant, Bletchley and Harper !"

The crowd roared as the team took a lap in perfect formation, coming to rest next to Madame Hooch.

"Well," Harry thought, "if they spent as much time practicing Quidditch as they've wasted on formation flying, they ought to do alright."

Lee picked up the narrative again, "The Hufflepuffs have been practicing really hard for the last month and they're hungry. They want this. And they're tough. Here they come! Everybody give a mighty growl for the honey badgers of Hogwarts, The Hufflepuffs!"

The crowd went wild as the Hufflepuff team came screaming from the changeroom in arrow formation and slammed to the ground at centre field as if they had been launched from a ballista. This team meant business. In the few seconds that they were in the air, Lee announced their names, "I give you Macmillan, Whitby, McManus, Cadwallader, Summerby, Smith and Rickett. Do your stuff, Hufflepuff."

As the teams dismounted, Madam Hooch started speaking, "I want a fair match out there. No rule breaking and no cheating. And remember that those bats are for Bludgers. If I catch you using them on anything else, a game misconduct will be the best you can hope for. Now mount your brooms!"

With that, she gave two short blasts on the whistle and both teams rose into the air. The moment that everyone was in position, she kicked open the crate, releasing the Bludgers and the Snitch. Once the three balls were airborne, she gave a mighty single blast on her whistle and threw the Quaffle into the air.

Malfoy didn't waste so much as the blink of an eye. With a Seeker's practiced instant calculation, he intercepted the Quaffle and made for the goal posts.

Lee commented, "Malfoy dives for the Quaffle and barely dodges Smith. Montague comes out of nowhere and takes the pass from Malfoy. Flying towards the Hufflepuff Keeper flanked by DuVant and Thickett. Thickett sends back the bludger at the Hufflepuff beater McManus who fails to see it coming and takes one in the ribs. Montague passes the Quaffle to Pucey who is behind him and Pucey throws it cleanly through the left hoop. Its 10-0 for Slytherin."

Each pair of beaters volleyed the Bludgers between them while Madame Hooch retrieved the Quaffle and everyone else got back into position. With a blast of the whistle, she threw out the red ball and the game was on again.

"Madam Hooch retrieves the Quaffle and the game resumes. Malfoy comes up with the Quaffle again! He's heading for the Puff's end and … Ouch! Malfoy takes a Bludger to the ribs! Where are his beaters?"

Harry said to Neville, "the ferret was better off as a Seeker. At least he never got pummeled with Bludgers then."

Neville snorted, "Let's just watch them hand him his butt."

Lee continued, "Pucey flicks the Quaffle towards the Hufflepuff post and a Bludger flies straight at him. Thickett comes out of nowhere and sends the bludger back. What a shot! That Bludger nearly knocked Whitby right off his broom. Pucey takes a rebound shot and McManus saves it. Now it's Smith with the Quaffle flying straight to the Slytherin end. Nice Bludger block from Macmillan, fired it at DuVant. DuVant bats it at Whitby. Whitby smashes it toward Malfoy. Nice Barrel-roll from Malfoy for the dodge. Smith dodges the two beaters, two Bludgers and feints to the right hoop. Bletchley falls for it! Smith goes for centre hoop and its tied at 10-10."

Harry nodded firmly, "Looks like Malfoy is no quitter."

The Hufflepuff crowd went wild when Smith scored. The game got nastier from there.

"It's Malfoy with the Quaffle, flies toward the Hufflepuff hoops and the badgers are trying Parkin's pincer on him closing the trap from three sides. Malfoy passes to Montague. Pass to Pucey. Pass back to Malfoy in the Hufflepuff end. Foul!"

The Slytherin beater DuVant hit a Bludger at McManus when they were in the end zone which is a foul. Here's the whistle."

"Penalty for Hufflepuff taken by Smith. He feints to the centre, shoots right. And Bletchley saves! He didn't fall for that one again. He passes to Montague and it's on again!"

The game had already been going for 30 minutes. It was like watching a pinball machine. The action didn't let up for a second. So far, though, nobody had yet spotted the Snitch. Suddenly Summerby Sped toward the Hufflepuff end laying flat against his broom, urging it to greater speed.

Lee spotted the change, "Looks like Summerby has spotted the Snitch! This could be all over! Harper is hot on his tail! Can he catch up? They're almost nose to tail! Summerby is diving! I still don't see the Snitch. He pulls up and oh! That's gotta hurt! Harper gets ploughed! And there's the whistle."

Montague called a time out while he inspected his seeker for damage. Unknown to anyone else in the school, Dumbledore had taken precautions to make sure that such an incident didn't do any permanent damage some time ago. Harper was a bit shaken up, but he rose to his feet and shook his fist at Summerby while the other seeker laughed uproariously. Madame Hooch declared, "No foul!", over Montague's protests, but when she asked him if he had a back-up chaser handy, he shut up and got back on his broom.

Jordan picked up the commentary, "He's OK everyone!"

The crowd all gave Harper a massive cheer as he flew back up on his broom. Madame Hooch gave the signal and the game resumed.

"It's Malfoy with the Quaffle making his move, flanked by the beaters and wham! That'll leave a mark. Macmillan comes out of nowhere and collides with Malfoy."

There was a double blast on the whistle.

"Here's the call. Penalty shot awarded to Slytherin for cobbing. Looks like Malfoy is going to need a few minutes, so Pucey is going to take the shot. Pucey moving in fast, jigs right… Score‼ Pucey fakes McManus right out of his socks. You can't block a shot to the left when you're over at the right hoop. That's 20 to 10 for Slytherin."

Malfoy gave Pucey a high five. It looked like the new Slytherin team was working.

When the play resumed, Malfoy came up with the Quaffle again. Smith, who hadn't managed to come up with the ball yet tried to knock Malfoy off his broom as he passed.

Jordan couldn't believe his eyes as Madame Hooch blasted the whistle again, "Foul! Penalty shot to Slytherin. Malfoy is going to take the shot this time."

Before he started moving, Malfoy glared straight at Smith and mouthed, "Eat this!"

In a movement that was almost too quick to follow, The Quaffle streaked through the left hoop.

This time, Montague gave Malfoy the high five.

Jordan announced, "Malfoy scores! That was some shot! That's 30 – 10 for Slytherin."

As they flew back to position for the next tip-off, Malfoy said a few words to his beaters. Their eyes went a bit wide at what he said, but they nodded their acknowledgement.

When Madame Hooch threw the ball out, Malfoy appeared to be caught napping and Smith came up with the ball. Malfoy made what looked like a half-hearted attempt to pull around and chase Smith down the pitch.

Lee said, "Smith is flying to the Slytherin end with no one in sight to stop him from scoring and ouch! The beaters just nailed him with a double Bludger defence! It'll be a while before he shakes that one off. Malfoy picks up the Quaffle. Pass to Pucey. Pass to Montague. Back to Malfoy. McManus seems to be all alone out there. Can he save it? Malfoy shoots left. No, that was a faint. McManus buys it and… It's a goal through the centre hoop! That's 40 to 10 for Slytherin. It seems that Malfoy's working really hard to stay in possession of the Quaffle as much as possible. It makes us wonder what our favourite ferret is up to?"

McGonagal growled, "Jordan!"

He continued, "Sorry Professor."

After that, Malfoy scored again. Hufflepuff was having trouble trying to even the score. Smith was their best Chaser and it looked like that double Bludger hit he took earlier had messed him up badly. The Hufflepuff came together as a team and effectively shut down the Slytherin offence while Summerby prowled the skies for any sign of the elusive Snitch. A glint of gold behind Harper caught his eye.

Lee picked up on the change immediately, "Summerby rushes Harper. Has he spotted the Snitch? Harper seems to just be trying to get out of his way. Harper sees it too! The chase is on! The Snitch goes into a dive! Summerby is after it. Did you see that?! Harper pulls a starfish and the stick but he misses the grab! Summerby comes up with the Snitch and it's all over folks! Hufflepuff takes the game 160 to 50! Thanks to a brilliant play by Summerby!"

Summerby held the captured Snitch high, exaulting in his first victory as Seeker. His team-mates swarmed him. The stands emptied and the Hufflepuff supporters lifted the team on their shoulders as they landed.

Let's See You Duel

The sessions in the chamber of secrets were going well. The students had learnt how to duel in pairs and they were starting to learn what went into it. It had been hard but now they failed only 4 out of 10 times. There was room for improvement but that would happen gradually. What Harry knew was that the final battle would come way before that.

This evening, he had set them up in pairs. His plan was to test the pairs by approaching them as they stood together. When everyone was assembled, he started addressing them, "Today, I am going to put you to the test. I am going to see how many of you can perform well in pairs. For this purpose, we will have a pair stand in the middle of the chamber while four of you will attack them from all sides. This is strictly a non-lethal duel. Using anything more lethal than a bludgeoning hex will mean that you will cease to be a part of the Order of The Snow Leopard. If any partner of a pair is down then it means that the pair have to step aside to let another pair try their luck. Is that clear?"

As they agreed, he added another condition, "As a rule, I am not going to participate in it, neither will Neville or Susan. The rest of you can form your pairs as you wish."

The students paired off quickly. They had been practicing together for months now and they all knew who they worked best with. Of course, Fred and George didn't even have to move as they were already side-by-side. They went first. Although the twins tended to be silly with their spell choices, they clearly demonstrated how effective two could be against many when they were well coordinated. Every spell was non-verbal, giving the attackers no warning as to what was coming back at them. The two switched roles randomly and frequently without any verbal signals and as fluently as if they had choreographed the fight for months. After about 10 minutes, most of the students were sporting horns, hooves, novel complexions and neon coloured clothing, but the twins were completely untouched. In every instance, they seemed to know whether dodging, shielding or blocking was the best tactic. Harry had not yet shared the trick of catching incoming spells on their wands, but Harry thought they were about ready for it.

Harry called a halt, "That's enough. Now, when I'm talking about teamwork, that's what I mean! Fred, George, you two can step aside for now. When the evening is over, we'll have you face off against the best that come out of this exercise. Daphne, Tracey you two are up next."

The two life-long friends took their place in the middle of the floor and the others attacked them two pairs at a time. The girls stayed back to back, waiting for the attackers to come to them. Each defence was minimal and perfectly timed. Their reposts managed to take out a few attackers with a minimum of effort. Harry realized that using tactics like that, they could hold out for hours against superior numbers without getting exhausted. It worked great until one pair of attackers got smart. One used a flash spell to distract and dazzle Tracey's sight while the other one fired a bludgeoner at her. Tracey misjudged the incoming spell and took one to the gut. With the wind knocked out of her, Harry called in the next pair.

Other pairs followed. A few of them managed to stand for seven to eight minutes before they were defeated. Most were eliminated in five minutes or less. After he had seen everyone, he pitted Daphne and Tracey against Fred and George. It seemed that the first two up were the toughest. The contest wasn't quite as uneven as one might imagine. While Daphne and Tracey had carefully managed their strength, Fred and George had been quite flamboyant in their first match. The girls were able to use shields while Fred and George had to rely on their wits and tried to dodge everything. In the end, George managed to chain a shield breaker and a stunner together to knock Daphne down, but Fred chided him, "That was unsporting, chap."

George retorted, "It was them or us, mate."

Harry had them all line up. He said, "That wasn't bad."

He paused for a moment then continued, "But it wasn't very good either. With the exception of Fred and George here, you're all dead. While none of you did anything really stupid, I think we're all past that, you do need more practice at coordinating your defence to compliment your attacks. Save energy, bide your time, wait for that opening while giving your opponents none. Time is running short. The other side is getting restless. Practice your tactics and coordination every chance you get. Play out battles in your head. Work on ways to overcome difficult situations. Make sure your head is in the game every time you pick up your wands. Voldemort and his followers are completely unpredictable. They may decide to damn the consequences and attack tomorrow. They may have an overabundance of caution and not attack for months. We have no way to tell. Our only option is to be ready for them now, tomorrow and every day after that."

He paused a few moments to make sure that what he said had sunk in. He looked over the members of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor teams who were present and said, "There will be no practice sessions down here until after the Easter Holidays. That's because the day after tomorrow is Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Then we have the Easter weekend", He bounced up on his toes, "Quidditch waits for no one. Of course, we all know who's going to win tomorrow…", he grinned briefly, "But don't let that stop everyone from playing their very best. I want this one to be unforgettable!"

A cheer went up from all the students before he dismissed them, "Good day, everyone."

Roar of the Lion

The morning of the match dawned sunny and bright. The claws were nervous and the lions were restless. There really was no match between them talent wise. Most of the claws were just hoping they wouldn't be handed too humiliating of a defeat while the lions were hungry for another win and then they would head home. Easter was in two days and they were set to leave for London the next day. This time however, the holidays were very short. Unlike the previous years, this year they had only 5 days holiday.

Harry had sent Dobby and Kitty to look to the comforts of the lodge. They were to clean it, open it up and stock it for a four day stay. Sadly, Harry knew that he could not spend more than 2 days at the lodge. There were a lot of things that demanded his attention during that time. For one, he received game passes from Puddlemere's Manager, Jeremiah Wright who had told him that one of the reserved boxes was kept for Harry and his friends should they wish to come. The game was to be held on 11th April, a day before their holidays ended and Harry was looking forward to it. Seeing Viktor Krum in action was going to be a thrilling experience. However, Viktor wouldn't be the only foreigner on the field. The Arrows had hired a chaser from Brazil who was said to be one of the best in the game at the moment. This would be a real test for Oliver Wood, the Puddlemere Keeper. The agenda for today however, was to enjoy the game as much as he could and thrash the claws into the deal.

When they all came down to breakfast, the teams arrived in the Great Hall amid great fanfare and hoots and whistles. This time, there was divided support as was always the case between the Lions and the Eagles. Harry could see that even his friends had taken sides. For instance, Luna was dressed in Ravenclaws colours and wore her famous Eagle hat, clearly rooting for her house. Susan had brought out the Gryffindor Quidditch robe again which she had worn for the Lions' match against the serpents. Similarly everyone was divided among them. Daphne however was doing something which confused him. She wore a Ravenclaw scarf around her neck but she had a Gryffindor flag in her hand. He asked her, "Who are you supporting?"

She grinned, "Well, the midget (Tori) wanted me to support her house so I wear the scarf. I wanted to support the lions, so I have your flag."

Harry chuckled, "Well, arguing with Tory never ends well, Daph. Good call."

She grinned, "That's right. Have you noticed that Macmillan has been trying to pick himself together? I mean he is trying to get his life back on track."

He nodded, "Do you mean that Tory?"

She nodded.

Then Harry was impressed, "I see your point."

The teams walked toward the lockers as Harry walked among them. Except for Angelina, every one of them was laughing and joking. They really had no reason to be worried about this match. Even Ron walked with a spring in his step. When they were all in their Quidditch robes, ready to fly out to the pitch, Their team captain addressed them, "Every single one of us has worked hard to be the best we can be. You all seem full of confidence and you have a right to be. But leave the silliness in the locker-room. Overconfidence is a killer! I want you to play as if you were in the World Cup! I want you to play so far over Ravenclaw's head that it makes their noses bleed! Show no mercy! Take no prisoners! Even though we have the best seeker in the school, I want you to score so many times that it doesn't even matter! Am I clear?!"

They all growled in acknowledgement.

Then she said, "The Slytherins did a bit of show-boating at the beginning of the last game, here's what we're going to do…"

The crowd was settled in the stadium, talking loudly among themselves. Lee was on the mike and began the commentary, "Welcome to Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. This is the fourth match of the season. This promises to be a good match with the teams scrapping it out for every point."

The Ravenclaws flew from their changeroom with their Chasers out front, their keeper flanked by the beaters next and their Seeker behind, smiling and blowing kisses to the crowd, "here come the Ravenclaws! I give you Chambers, Summers, Davies, Corner, Bradley, Page and Cho Chang. Give it up for the soaring eagles!"

The crowd went wild as the blue and bronze clad team made their way to their end of the pitch.

Lee continued, "This is the same team we saw go down in defeat last time these teams met. While they should have an advantage of long familiarity working together, and one amazing Chaser in their Team captain, Davies, one person does not a team make. We have to wonder if they may have been better off to shake the team up a bit."

Lee paused while the Claws settled on the pitch near the referee. Then Lee started speaking again, lowering his voice to add some impact, "Now, the moment you've all been waiting for, Team Gryffindor‼!"

They emerged from the change room and took up their formation. Flying in circles above were the chasers, flying slowly in the middle was Harry and flying in circles below were Ron and the Beaters. Nobody had ever seen a formation quite like that and the crowd loved it.

Lee waited for the roar of the audience to subside a bit, "The Weasleys: Fred, George and Ron! The Seeker: Harold Peverell. The Chasers: Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and their gorgeous new captain, Angelina Johnson!"

The crowd went wild Whooping, shouting and clapping. After a minute or so, they all fell into a rhythm while McGonagall chastised Lee again.

Lee speculated, "The Lions are favoured to win the cup this year. With a win today, they could clinch the Quidditch cup whether they win the last game of the season or not. They have a Seeker who has never been beaten, Beaters who are bullet-proof, a Keeper that's really tough to fake out and chasers that not only have the moves but are also beautiful to boot!"

McGonagall growled, "Jordan."

Lee didn't apologize, "Just calling them the way I see them, Professor."

When the Lions settled on the field, Lee picked up the narration, "There will be a brief pause while Madame Hooch reads the players the Riot Act."

"Jordon!", McGonagall stopped him again.

Lee said without any conviction, "Sorry Professor. The players are in position. The balls are away."

Harry took careful note of where the Snitch was heading using only his peripheral vision. He didn't want to end the game too quickly, but neither did he want to give away the position of the tiny winged golden ball.

"There's the whistle and they're off!"

"Davies dives in and comes up with the Quaffle. It looks like he caught Katie napping. And ouch! A Bludger to the side of the head! While Davies is shaking that one off, Angelina picks up the Quaffle. It's the Arrowhead formation and they're heading for the Ravenclaw goal. There's Corner with a Bludger. Angela passes to Alicia and dodges with a Sloth-grip roll. Pass to Katie. Back to Alicia and there's Corner with another Bludger. Oh! Alicia didn't see that one coming!"

The impact to the ribs nearly knocked Alicia off her broom. Angelina gave up the offensive play to see to her Team-mate. Harry looked on in concern but quickly realized that the Chaser was okay when all three of them set off after Davies.

Lee commenting, "Davies comes up with the Quaffle. It looks like Alicia is okay!"

The Gryffindors cheered when they saw the Chasers re-join the chase.

Lee announced, "Pass to Chambers. He dodges a Bludger and a Weasley. Did you see that! Angelina just slammed into him!"

Angelina's arm seemed to be bent at a strange angle as she frantically called for a time-out. Madame Hooch blew the whistle, calling a stop to the play. She inspected the Gryffindor team captain and with her long experience with Quidditch injuries, declared a broken collar-bone and called for a stretcher.

Lee announced, "It's official folks, Angelina Johnson is out of the game. That'll bring up the first alternate, yet another Weasley, welcome Ginny to the field!"

The crowd cheered as the nimbus of red hair came hurtling onto the pitch aboard her nimbus 2001. It was the same broom that all the Slytherins used, but she made it look a lot more nimble.

Lee continued, "No penalty on that play. There's the tip-off and it's Ginny with the Quaffle! Can you believe that speed! She's past the chasers, dodges the beaters It's a break-away! She's in a corkscrew! Page has no clue where to defend and SCORE! With a shot through the centre hoop, it's 10 – 0 for Gryffindor!"

Harry had seen that grin on Ginny before. It didn't bode well for Ravenclaw. They might have been better off if they hadn't injured the team captain. Alicia was calling the plays in Angelina's place and she hadn't missed a beat.

Then right after the whistle to resume play, Cho leaned down on her Comet 360 and headed for the Gryffindor goal at maximum speed. Harry knew where the Snitch really was, so he didn't fall for this ruse for even one split-second, but he thought it might be fun to play along.

Lee, however, got excited, "There goes the Ravenclaw Seeker! Has Cho spotted the snitch? Harry is on the job, but it looks like he's going to be beat for the first time!"

Seeing that Harry was falling for it and moving a lot faster than she was, Cho pushed her broom into a dive. She thought it would be great sport to see The Great Harry Potter get ploughed. It was a dirty trick, worthy of Malfoy.

Lee continued, "She's diving for it! I still don't see it. There goes Harry! He's looping around her! Is he going to…?"

Harry looped in front of Cho, almost colliding with her forcing her to pull out of the dive and saved her from hitting the ground. He gave her a wink as he pulled away.

Lee breathed a sigh of relief, "It was a feint. Now there's a true gentleman! Harry saves Cho from almost certain doom. It's Davies in possession. He's cornered in the arrowhead formation. Pass to Summers. Summers in the Gryffindor end! Ron gets a piece of it, but it's through the right hoop for a goal! It's tied up at 10 all."

Harry decided to have some fun. He knew the Snitch was in the Gryffindor end, but, leaning down against his broom-handle, he shot past Cho so fast that it nearly blew her right off of her broom. Without a moment's hesitation, she flipped her broom around to follow the Gryffindor seeker. Harry did his best to make sure that she never got a look at what was in front of him.

"There goes Harry! Cho is hot on his heels! Could this be it? Harry waited until Cho was getting everything she could out of her Comet, then he pulled a buttonhook with so much force that his broom creaked under the strain of the manoeuvre. In that instant between when Cho realized that she'd been had and Harry flew past her in the opposite direction, she saw Harry laughing uproariously.

Lee picked it up, "No. Just another feint. Katie Bell in possession and she dodges the beaters and a Bludger and does a reverse pass to Alicia. Chambers, Summers and Corner are trying Parkin's pincer on her. Harold Peverell arrives out of nowhere to break up that play. And there goes Cho Chang! She's flying toward the stands Is she on the trail of the Snitch finally?"

Harry knew exactly where the Snitch was. This game of feint and laugh was getting old. It was pretty clear that Cho had no idea where the Snitch was. Just for some sport of his own, he made a dive on the stands to the opposite side of the pitch.

Lee dismissed the whole show, "It's another feint. It's Ginny with the Quaffle! Alicia and Katie are in tight formation. Bludger incoming! And Weasley bats it away. Pass to Katy. Across to Alicia. Back to Ginny and the shot… Nice save! Pass back out to Corner and Ouch! That's got to hurt! It's the double Bludger attack by Weasley and Weasley! Ginny picks up the Quaffle. The shot and… It's clean through the centre hoop! 20 – 10 for Gryffindor!

And that's the way it went for another hour. Both teams were not giving an inch. Ginny showed that she was every inch a Weasley and every inch as good a Chaser as the team had ever seen. As the game pressed on and defences and attacks got more aggressive, tempers began to fray. As the fouls piled up, so did the score. Ron was on form. After missing that first save, he only missed twice and that was because he had been outwitted on the first fail. He stopped seven out of ten shots on goal but the Ravenclaw Keeper, Page, was not quite so fortunate. The relentless attacks, mostly led by Ginny added up to 15 in total. He only managed to stop eight of them. For Cho's part, she finally decided to quit trying to flirt with or fake out Harry and got down to the serious business of trying to find the Golden Snitch. If she didn't come up with it soon, it wouldn't matter who caught it because Gryffindor would win anyway. The Gryffindors weren't completely innocent either. There was plenty of blatching, cobbing, bumphing and other fouls on both sides. Out of all the penalty shots awarded, Ron stopped all that came at him. Page was only able to stop 3 out of 5.

Harry was still following the progress of the little winged ball around the pitch. When he saw it coming right up behind the Ravenclaw Seeker, he thought that he'd better go catch it before she spotted it. Laying down flat against his broom handle, he pushed for all the speed it would give him. For a Firebolt, that's saying a lot. With his eye fixed on the tiny golden ball, the wind ripping through his hair, he set course to come up behind the hapless Cho Chang.

Lee remarked, "There goes Harry again. Has he really spotted the Snitch or is he going to steal a kiss from the other Seeker?"

McGonagall snapped, "Jordan, that's the last…", She stood up, "He's spotted it!".

Cho being warned looked around for her opposite number. She was terrified to see a madly grinning maniac on a Firebolt heading straight for her. As she made a hard turn to dodge the incoming juggernaut, she spotted the Snitch winging around her feet. In the spirit of a true Seeker, she jumped from her broom, making a grab for the difference between victory and defeat, but too late. Her hand brushed over the closed fist that already contained the Snitch. Harry had already ended the game.

More than 100 feet up, with no broom and no snitch, Cho's immediate future didn't look very promising.

Lee's commentary, "Yes folks, he's spotted the Snitch! Have you ever seen a broom go that fast! Cho's spotted it too! She makes a dive for it! Gutsy move! But, Harold Peverell makes the catch! Someone help Cho!"

Harry was so focused on the Snitch that it took Lee's alarm for him to realize that Cho wasn't on her broom anymore. He had his hands full with the Snitch and his broom, but he flipped his broom over into a dive and tried to get under his erstwhile rival. As quick as his reactions were, they proved unnecessary. Madame Hooch already hit her with Arresto Momentum while her Team-mate, Corner, retrieved her broom. Brown and Davies caught her before she reached the ground. Once Harry saw that she was in no danger, he pulled out of his dive and flew over to join his team-mates.

Lee announced, "She's going to be OK, folks. Our fast-thinking referee is on the job. In other news, Gryffindor wins‼ The final score, Gryffindor 250 and Ravenclaw 30. That's it for today!"

There was a big collision in mid-air as four red-heads plus Katie, Alicia and Harry all met for a giant fist-bump.

The Ravenclaws flew out to congratulate the winners. They may have lost, but they were happy that their Seeker was unharmed.

As for the Lions… There was a massive party that night and more than a few students feeling fuzzy in the head as they boarded the train the next morning to go home for the long weekend.