"Hurry up Ron, we need to get our compartment." Hermione smiled with only modest exasperation. The Weasleys were actually on time today. They had arrived at the station eleven minutes before the train was scheduled to leave. Molly and Arthur were even now making small talk with her parents as their children had accepted one last hug and kiss before boarding the train together. Ron looked sharp in his brand new robes that actually fit him well. Harry had decided that Ron deserved half of the contract from the Goblins. Ron had vehemently disagreed. After a fairly ugly yelling match that ended when Ginny told her brother to not be a prat and to take some of the money that Harry was offering him for coming down a dark hole into a dangerous unknown. 5,000 Galleons was more than he had ever expected to see at once and in his hand in his life. Ginny then had both Harry and Ron turn on her argument as Harry insisted that she also take the same amount of money that Ron received. Ron had since gone shopping for new clothes, a new wand, and a new keeper's broom with his share of the basilisk money while Ginny picked up a chaser's broom and new clothes last week. Both of the Weasley children had given their parents a full sack of coins. The rest of the money was now in a low security Gringotts' vault.
As Hermione was about to slide open a door, she was forced forward and pressed against the glass for a moment. Before she could react, a deeper voice than she was used to muttered an apology.
"Sorry there, I was distracted, my little sister was waving hard." He was a seventh year Hufflepuff that she had occasionally seen in the library and a few of the girls in the Runes study group might had mentioned his name once or twice. He paused and caught himself before he spoke again. "Hermione, right?" She nodded and smiled at the accident; no need to be too harsh to someone making their little pre-Hogwarts sister happy. "You're looking good, hope you had a good summer and recovered from whatever happened at the Ministry. I hope to see you around."
He started to walk down the hall and Hermione's brain took a moment to catch up to her mouth.
"See you around, but I didn't catch your name…"
He stopped. He smiled. His teeth were straight and white enough to impress her parents.
"Dave, Dave Mathison"
And then he continued walking to another carriage as Hermione opened the cabin door. If she had looked back, he would have been caught taking a glance at her hips and legs. A moment later, the boys as well as Neville, Ginny and Luna piled into the cabin. Half a dozen locking, and privacy charms were soon muttered including some that Kingsley and Tonks had taught them. A determined attacker would eventually get through, but it would take time and be noticeable.
"How is everyone?"
"I'm here, you're here, we're here. So we're here and well enough to be here" Luna was unusually direct for herself even as she closed the distance to give her friend a hug. Almost dying in a plausible futile gesture of comradeship and duty effected people in different ways. Hermione accepted the blonde girl's arms around her body before she squeezed back.
"Gran let me go to Tuilleries for a few days and then we went shopping throughout the Ile de Seine for plants last week. She's been acting odd, like she is proud of me." Neville looked different. He had put on another two inches and fifteen pounds over the summer. Hermione was impressed. He was quickly losing the baby fat that had rounded out his face for the first half of his time at Hogwarts. A few small scars marred his hands, neck and forehead, the remnants of curses and debris from the Ministry as well as the occupational hazards of being around plants that he, and Professor Sprout, found interesting.
"How about you, Hermione?" Neville leaned forward, curious about what his friends had done. He had been mostly out of touch with them, a few owls had sent notes and there was a clutch of presents on his birthday from.
Hermione paused. She looked at Ron. She looked at Harry. They did nothing but she knew that they would want the rest of the Ministry team brought into their planning. She checked the lock one more time and then cast a series of revelation and monitoring charms to insure that there were no animagi or snoops listening in. Neville patiently waited.
"Well, I spent almost the entire summer with my parents besides a week at the Weasleys. They came over for a few days and I think my Dad and Arthur are now BFFs. Neither of them has a clue what the other is asking but they keep on talking."
"Oh, that sounds like fun… go anywhere good?"
"Mum and I did a drive around the entire country for the summer. I made it to Holyhead for the first time. I can see why Ginny wants to play for them. Their stadium is amazing. And it is integrated with a set of Muggle repelling charms and disillusionments so that it is only a few hundred yards from a golf course and a national park. It was so impressive. Mum loved it. She wants to buy a house there once I'm out of school, so that she can see me in both of our worlds."
"You are where you belong, Hermione and you always will be where you are." Luna smiled as she listened to her friends talk about their summers.
"But we got something we need to bring you all in. Right now this is just information, no action, but I, well, we, think you should know. Do you want to know, Luna? Neville? Ginny, I assume you've figured it out already as Ron is about as subtle as Percy is relaxed." Both Luna and Neville nodded.
"War is coming"
"Yes, Mars is bright and water is wet. I'm in pain every morning from a curse that barely clipped me… so what is to be done, Hermione?" Luna stared intently at her friend. Hermione was slightly unnerved as she was reminded that she was not the only student who was in and out of St. Mungo's for rehabilitation and follow-up visits over the summer.
"Well, we're going to be ready for it. We were lucky last year. We've been lucky since our first year. We should have all died at the Ministry. Harry should have died what, at least four times."
"From magic or in general? If just in the magical world - at least seven if I'm counting right; Quirrell, Quirrell, Dobby, Professor Lupin, Voldemort, Bellatrix, and then Voldemort again…" Harry paused as he ticked off each person who had an excellent chance to have killed him. His brow was furrowed as he tried to remember if there was an eighth finger that he needed to raise. His index finger tapped his middle finger as he exclaimed: "No eight, may ten, depending on how you want to count the Dementors? And then there are a few other time..." His voice faded. Hermione knew and Ron strongly suspected that Harry had been beaten by his aunt and uncle and they both knew that he had been abused since he was a toddler. But she said nothing on this matter; she knew that her mother had strongly suspected abuse even before they had a long conversation at the beach over the summer.
"So Harry should be dead ten times over; me and Ron should be dead four or five times, while Ginny has been targeted several times and you two were lucky in the Ministry too… We can't count on being lucky. And we can barely count on the teachers to protect us as they almost never have been there. We got to be organized."
"Hermione; what are we to do?" Ginny asked. She had seen her brother and his friends huddle together in the orchard talking at all hours during the last week of summer. She knew that Hermione had a plan that was larger than just selling the basilisk. She knew that there had been a flurry of owls and floos going in and out of the Burrow. She knew that Ron had all of a sudden taken to studying as if his life and his next meal depended on it. She knew that there was a plan.
"We prepare. Wars are won by training and intelligence and logistics. We're going to keep the Defense Association, not Dumbledore's Army, but the Defense Association mobilized. Anyone that three or more members will vouch for will get basic training to shield, and run. We're also going to observe any oddities and likely recruits…"
Harry interrupted: "Malfoy and his goons she means."
"I know" Ginny responded, "Go on"
Hermione took a deep breath. "And then we're making plans in case the Ministry falls and we need to get people, including ourselves, out fast and on the run. My parents have helped us this summer. We have several caches and rally points set up. We're looking into setting up somewhat more secure communications than protean charmed coins, owl letters and the floo. Harry set up an arrangement to sell the basilisk to the Goblins, and we're planning to use some of those galleons and others to get ready. Hopefully, we're just wasting time and the Order can win, but we can't count on them getting lucky. We just can't."
"Why not?" Neville asked with quiet concentration on his brow.
"It's what Voldemort wanted at the Ministry… that is why." Harry spoke up. He looked at Hermione and Ron. They both nodded ever so slightly. Their circle of trust had to be bigger. And who else could they trust more than the three who had fought shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip against overwhelming odds?
" The prophecy orb that Voldemort wanted in the Department of Mysteries was just a copy. The Headmaster was present when the prophecy was made. And it determines everything." All six of them leaned in. Ron clutched Hermione's hand while Ginny grabbed both Luna and Neville's hands. Harry cleared his throat and then recited from memory:
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...
born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...
and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...
and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...
the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...
"As you can see, I'm the only one who has a chance to truly end Voldemort. Everyone else can, at best only delay him… so we can't count on the Order to win. We can only count on them to not lose."
"Sometimes not losing is enough, but in this case, I don't think it is sufficienct" Luna chimed. Neville was processing the looping words and crossing meanings. His eyes closed and his thoughts formed in his mouth.
"It could be me, it could have been me." He exclaimed. Harry put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"No, it is not you. It could have been, but Voldemort marked me; you were a possible subject to the prophecy, but it is not you." Harry squeezed before releasing Neville's shoulder. His hand went to his messy hair and pushed it out of the way to show the scar that had defined his life. "I am the one who can end this war. "
"So what are we to do? Are we just meat armor?" Ginny's voice broke.
"No, we're here to strip Voldemort of his support and to frustrate his plans while keeping ourselves and our family and our friends alive and well." Ron responded to his sister with a hug. The two Weasleys stayed there for a moment as they thought of their uncles who they had never met but whose memories still made their mother cry when she thought her children were not looking.
"Before we plan for war, we should plan for tea, as the trolley should be here in a minute and I am quite violent when I miss my chocolate frogs." Luna smiled a predatory smile.
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Ellen walked down the street. Grant had driven back to the office. They were on short term contracts at their former business to fill shifts, and he had a trio of root canals in the afternoon. She had spent the past two hours drinking tea and sharing gossip with half a dozen mothers whose children were on the Express returning to a world that they barely understood. Some knew that war was coming. Some thought they could ignore the violence and count on the Aurors and the Ministry to maintain the wall between Magical and Mundane. A few were barely aware. At least they all had an e-mail group now. IT was not much, but it was something more than she had that morning.
