Disclaimer: I don't own a thing except the obvious. The rest belongs to J.
K. Rowling.
Authors Notes: Hope you enjoy. The next chapter is the last.
-Chapter Thirteen-
A week passed by without Harry awakening. Everyone were getting more and more worried every day. Ginny, who had returned a day after the fight, had fainted when she had heard the story. Dumbledore and the other Professors seemed to be planning something, not even the paintings knew what.
Draco, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville and Ginny were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. A storm was going on outside. School would start in a few weeks, and the letters had already been sent out to the children.
"Who wants to deal?" Draco asked. They were playing Exploding Snap.
Neville took the cards. None of them talked, all you could hear was the fire in the fireplace and the storm hat went on outside like a mad demon that was trying to get in. Hermione and Ginny had owled Remus and Sirius a few days back, and they had yet to get a reply.
"Now, you are a cheery lot, aren't you?"
They turned towards the voice and found Harry standing there, leaning on the wall. Their mouths dropped open, then they jumped up and nearly ran him down.
"I knew you'd manage, mate! I knew it!" Ron said.
"Is that why you asked which coffin we should choose for him not more than an hour ago?"
Ron glared at Draco. Hermione, Ginny and the others laughed. Everyone could see that Harry was changed. His eyes were harder and he was a bit more quiet, but else he was the same old Harry they knew.
"What do you say about playing Exploding Snap?" Harry asked.
"Sure, why not. And this time, Potter, I'm going to win." Neville threatened in a friendly way.
"Maybe over him, but not over me." Ginny said, smiling evilly.
"I assume that the fight has already been in the papers?" Harry asked in the middle of the game.
"Yup, and something else." Draco gave him the bit about the Azkaban- escape.
"Couldn't have expected else. And, in my opinion, we really need a new Minister." Was all Harry said about the case.
They were interrupted as the door to the common room opened and every Professor, Calloway, Dorimus, Hawkins, Nowels, Remus and a huge black dog came running in.
"There you are, Mr Potter." Calloway sounded relived. "We were afraid something had happened to you."
"What are you doing out of bed?" Madame Pomfrey came forward to examine him, but was stopped by a wall of air. "What in heavens name?"
"Madame Pomfrey, I can assure you that I'm fine." Harry said calmly. "And if I wasn't, this gang here," he mentioned to the group that sat round him, "would have tucked me into bed before I could say Quidditch." Harry released her.
"Why didn't we do that?" Draco asked.
//Because I would have kicked your ass from here to the north pole if you did.//
//Good point.//
The huge black dog came over to Harry, looking pointedly at him. Harry nodded.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment..."
He got up and went to the seventh year boys dorms followed by the dog. The others looked at each other, shrugging.
-------------------------
After he had closed and locked the door behind him, and put a Soundproof charm on the room, Sirius appeared in his human form. He appeared to be trying to hold his anger and relief in check.
"Would you be kind enough to explain a few things to me?" the effort he put in stopping himself from killing Harry was heard easily. "First you start this Order, go on lots of missions that could kill you, and in the end you end up duelling with Voldemort-"
"Sirius calm down-"
"Calm down?! Calm down?! Do you know what me and Moony went through when we got the owl from Hermione and Ginny?! Telling us Krum was a Black Snake- "
"Is a Black Snake, in fact their leader."
"Even worse! You and Malfoy leaving as phoenixes to get help! Your crazy attack at the Black Snakes camp! The Black Snakes being backed up by Voldemort and his Death Eaters! The days you were besieged, and the fights you had trying to break through! Your crazy duel with ol' Snakeface! The Aurors from nearly every country in the world! You being in a coma or something like that for-" Sirius stopped as he got cold water poured on his head. "Thanks, I really needed that."
"My pleasure." Harry replied pocketing his wand. "Did they tell you that we got Pettigrew?"
"I do n- what did you say?"
"We've got Pettigrew here."
"How did you get him?" Sirius had forgotten why he came to yell at Harry, exactly what his godson had wanted.
"He came to me, said he did it to pay me back after I saved his life in my third year."
"But you think it's more than that?" Harry nodded. "Well, if there is one thing I've learned over the years with you as my boss: always to trust your gut-feeling."
"Why mine? And it's one year Sirius."
"Cause it's always right, and it feels like it's been years."
"Lets get back down."
"Harry, I'm not fin-"
"Yeah, I'm hungry too. How about if we get something to eat? I bet the House Elves need some practise before the students return." Harry snapped his fingers and Sirius was back in his dog form. "After you." He said holding the door open. Sirius walked out but gave Harry a look that clearly said that they would talk later.
In the common room people were reading, talking, playing chess or Exploding Snap. Harry looked round the room then his gaze fell on Fred and George. The twins were reading books upside down in a corner.
"So, whose idea was it to listen at the door?" Harry asked them as he came over.
"Both of us. You where in the fifth years dorm?" George asked.
"No, the seventh years."
"Damn!" Draco gave Ron ten galleons. "Can't believe I'm loosing to a Weasley."
"They did a bet on in which years dorm you were." Neville said before Harry could even open his mouth.
"Draco, how many times have I told you to stop gambling?"
"Very many. But you've got to admit that taking dares is fun."
"Like you do with the girls? I wonder what your four girlfriends would say if they knew about each other."
"We've been through this before Potter, and I know you wouldn't dare to do that."
"Wanna bet, Malfoy?"
Everyone began to laugh. Even Draco after a while.
"Mr. Potter, are you sure you don't want to join the Aurors?" Nowels asked. "I've never met another player of your quality in the Big Game."
-------------------------
Harry had just sent Hedwig to one of his agents in the American Ministry of Magic. He, and the rest of the Red Dragons group, had had much to do when they finally had returned from Hogwarts a few days ago.
As he entered his office again, he saw that a letter was waiting for him on his desk. Harry walked over and picked it up. It had the Hogwarts coat of arms. He opened it.
'Dear Mr Potter,
We at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry would invite you, and your friends to a feast at Hogwarts, to celebrate the capturing of the Death Eaters and Black Snakes and to the fact that we are opening the school again. The feast starts at six p.m. on the fourth of August. We hope dearly that you will come as we have planned this to be a special evening.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall.'
Harry had just finished reading when Draco, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, the Weasley twins, Remus and Sirius came in.
"Harry guess what! We've-" Neville began then spotted the letter in Harry's hand. "Oh, so you know it then! Can we go?"
Harry just looked back to the letter.
"Don't tell me, you think they're up to something?" Draco asked sarcastically. "Why do you think that?"
"The 'Deputy Headmistress' part is missing. And we all now that McGonagall would rather be killed, cremated and buried six feet underground before she would leave that out."
"How does he do that?" Sirius asked none in particular.
"But can we go?" Ginny and Hermione asked at the same time. "Please?" they put on puppy-faces. The twins doing the same.
Harry raised an eyebrow at them.
"I can't see why we shouldn't, and did anyone ever tell you that you're horrible at puppy-faces?" the last bit was directed at Fred and George.
-------------------------
Harry was wearing the Red Dragons uniform for finer occasions: black, shining army-boots, black jeans, the black belt with a buckle shaped as a dragon and had a wand-holster, he had gotten it from Ron. A black button-up shirt with baggy sleeves, the necklace with the winged lion he had gotten from Hermione when she had been to Greece, black sunglasses and the cloak with the golden fastenings. He had also gotten a new haircut. His hear was short and spiky.
Harry met up with the others in the corridor. Draco was wearing the same as him, but his cloak had silver fastenings. Herminoe looked them up and down.
"Who are you supposed to be? Men in Black or Zorro?" she asked.
She herself was wearing a knee-long silver dress and had her hair in a beautiful bun. Ginny was wearing a golden dress-robe and had let her hair down her back. Ron, Fred, George and Neville all were wearing red robes with the Gryffindor lion on the front and back. Sirius, who was coming as a human, had a black dress-robe with gold and silver patterns. And Remus had a black dress-robe too, but with a wolf-head in silver on the front and back.
"I think we're ready." Harry said.
"Really? I didn't know. How did you find that out?" Draco asked, if you could bath and touch sarcasm they would have drowned by now.
Harry just rolled his eyes then snapped his fingers. A second later they were all standing outside the Hogwarts main-gates.
"Wow."
"Harry, how did you do that?"
"I have no idea. I just had this urge to snap my fingers."
"Oh great, now he's going mad!" for that statement Draco got whacked on the head by Ginny who had landed next to him. "Hey! No need to get violent here. Where's your sense of humour?"
They walked up to the castle, Ginny and Draco fighting all the way. In the end Harry glared them both into silence. As they reached the entrance to the castle the door opened on their own. The group looked at Harry but he just shook his head, this time it wasn't him. They walked inside and into the Great Hall. The house-tables were put together and the house-banners hung over them. They where met by Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and every other Professor in the school.
"Ah, Harry, Draco, Ron and the rest of you, how nice of you to come." Dumbledore said.
"Wouldn't miss it for all the jewels in the crown, Professor." Harry replied.
"Potter, isn't it supposed to be 'for anything in the world'?" Draco asked.
"Of course Malfoy," Ginny replied. "But doing what we do, that kinda doesn't fit in the big picture."
Harry looked thoughtfully at the two of them, in the process missing the look Dumbledore gave him. They all sat down at the long table and food popped up. Harry was carefully studying every face at the table, searching for clues on what they were hiding. The Professors were chatting happily with their former students. Nothing they did disclosed that something was going on. Suddenly Dumbledore stood up.
"Now that we all are fed and watered, I would like to say a few words. First of all I would like to thank the whole staff, and our guests, for not giving up in the darkest hour. Second I would like to thank the Red Dragons for their work that led up to the reopening of Hogwarts. Now, I have four special thanks to four of our guests: to Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley for defending the castle against too many enemies to count." Two House Elves popped up, each of them giving a neatly folded something to Ron and Neville. The 'something' turned out to be a red long cloak, its edges trimmed with white fur and a huge Gryffindor lion in gold at the middle of it. "To Draco Malfoy for all his tributes to the light side. Even thought he was in Slytherin, he has a heart of a lion." Another elf popped up. The cloak it gave Draco was long and green, its edges also trimmed with fur and a huge Slytherin snake in silver at the middle of it. "And to Harry Potter for saving the school and the world in more occasions that we can even count." Harry got the same cloak as Ron and Neville.
Suddenly Neville, Ron and Draco began to glow silver. Everyone stared at them, not understanding what was going on. Harry looked at the Professors but, if you could judge by their faces, they had no idea of what was going on, not even Dumbledore. The house-banners began to glow too. Brighter and brighter. Flapping here and there, it was as thought something wanted to come out.
In the end it did come out. One thick, golden beam shoot out from the animal crests of each house. They came straight towards Harry, who didn't have time to react at all before he was hit. The light swallowed him and they couldn't see him anymore. Suddenly three beams shoot out from the light round Harry, one hitting Draco, the other Ron and the last Neville. The light seemed to follow Harry's breathing. In the end it melted into Harry.
The Professors and the little Red Dragons group ran to each of the four boys, Draco, Ron and Neville had been sitting beside Harry, and found them on the ground unconscious.
-------------------------
Well, that's that. Hope you like it, and please review.
I want to thank Polaris, Lily Evans, Pampered Tigeress, mcnugget, Jimbo and Nibowin Black for reviewing.
Authors Notes: Hope you enjoy. The next chapter is the last.
-Chapter Thirteen-
A week passed by without Harry awakening. Everyone were getting more and more worried every day. Ginny, who had returned a day after the fight, had fainted when she had heard the story. Dumbledore and the other Professors seemed to be planning something, not even the paintings knew what.
Draco, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville and Ginny were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. A storm was going on outside. School would start in a few weeks, and the letters had already been sent out to the children.
"Who wants to deal?" Draco asked. They were playing Exploding Snap.
Neville took the cards. None of them talked, all you could hear was the fire in the fireplace and the storm hat went on outside like a mad demon that was trying to get in. Hermione and Ginny had owled Remus and Sirius a few days back, and they had yet to get a reply.
"Now, you are a cheery lot, aren't you?"
They turned towards the voice and found Harry standing there, leaning on the wall. Their mouths dropped open, then they jumped up and nearly ran him down.
"I knew you'd manage, mate! I knew it!" Ron said.
"Is that why you asked which coffin we should choose for him not more than an hour ago?"
Ron glared at Draco. Hermione, Ginny and the others laughed. Everyone could see that Harry was changed. His eyes were harder and he was a bit more quiet, but else he was the same old Harry they knew.
"What do you say about playing Exploding Snap?" Harry asked.
"Sure, why not. And this time, Potter, I'm going to win." Neville threatened in a friendly way.
"Maybe over him, but not over me." Ginny said, smiling evilly.
"I assume that the fight has already been in the papers?" Harry asked in the middle of the game.
"Yup, and something else." Draco gave him the bit about the Azkaban- escape.
"Couldn't have expected else. And, in my opinion, we really need a new Minister." Was all Harry said about the case.
They were interrupted as the door to the common room opened and every Professor, Calloway, Dorimus, Hawkins, Nowels, Remus and a huge black dog came running in.
"There you are, Mr Potter." Calloway sounded relived. "We were afraid something had happened to you."
"What are you doing out of bed?" Madame Pomfrey came forward to examine him, but was stopped by a wall of air. "What in heavens name?"
"Madame Pomfrey, I can assure you that I'm fine." Harry said calmly. "And if I wasn't, this gang here," he mentioned to the group that sat round him, "would have tucked me into bed before I could say Quidditch." Harry released her.
"Why didn't we do that?" Draco asked.
//Because I would have kicked your ass from here to the north pole if you did.//
//Good point.//
The huge black dog came over to Harry, looking pointedly at him. Harry nodded.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment..."
He got up and went to the seventh year boys dorms followed by the dog. The others looked at each other, shrugging.
-------------------------
After he had closed and locked the door behind him, and put a Soundproof charm on the room, Sirius appeared in his human form. He appeared to be trying to hold his anger and relief in check.
"Would you be kind enough to explain a few things to me?" the effort he put in stopping himself from killing Harry was heard easily. "First you start this Order, go on lots of missions that could kill you, and in the end you end up duelling with Voldemort-"
"Sirius calm down-"
"Calm down?! Calm down?! Do you know what me and Moony went through when we got the owl from Hermione and Ginny?! Telling us Krum was a Black Snake- "
"Is a Black Snake, in fact their leader."
"Even worse! You and Malfoy leaving as phoenixes to get help! Your crazy attack at the Black Snakes camp! The Black Snakes being backed up by Voldemort and his Death Eaters! The days you were besieged, and the fights you had trying to break through! Your crazy duel with ol' Snakeface! The Aurors from nearly every country in the world! You being in a coma or something like that for-" Sirius stopped as he got cold water poured on his head. "Thanks, I really needed that."
"My pleasure." Harry replied pocketing his wand. "Did they tell you that we got Pettigrew?"
"I do n- what did you say?"
"We've got Pettigrew here."
"How did you get him?" Sirius had forgotten why he came to yell at Harry, exactly what his godson had wanted.
"He came to me, said he did it to pay me back after I saved his life in my third year."
"But you think it's more than that?" Harry nodded. "Well, if there is one thing I've learned over the years with you as my boss: always to trust your gut-feeling."
"Why mine? And it's one year Sirius."
"Cause it's always right, and it feels like it's been years."
"Lets get back down."
"Harry, I'm not fin-"
"Yeah, I'm hungry too. How about if we get something to eat? I bet the House Elves need some practise before the students return." Harry snapped his fingers and Sirius was back in his dog form. "After you." He said holding the door open. Sirius walked out but gave Harry a look that clearly said that they would talk later.
In the common room people were reading, talking, playing chess or Exploding Snap. Harry looked round the room then his gaze fell on Fred and George. The twins were reading books upside down in a corner.
"So, whose idea was it to listen at the door?" Harry asked them as he came over.
"Both of us. You where in the fifth years dorm?" George asked.
"No, the seventh years."
"Damn!" Draco gave Ron ten galleons. "Can't believe I'm loosing to a Weasley."
"They did a bet on in which years dorm you were." Neville said before Harry could even open his mouth.
"Draco, how many times have I told you to stop gambling?"
"Very many. But you've got to admit that taking dares is fun."
"Like you do with the girls? I wonder what your four girlfriends would say if they knew about each other."
"We've been through this before Potter, and I know you wouldn't dare to do that."
"Wanna bet, Malfoy?"
Everyone began to laugh. Even Draco after a while.
"Mr. Potter, are you sure you don't want to join the Aurors?" Nowels asked. "I've never met another player of your quality in the Big Game."
-------------------------
Harry had just sent Hedwig to one of his agents in the American Ministry of Magic. He, and the rest of the Red Dragons group, had had much to do when they finally had returned from Hogwarts a few days ago.
As he entered his office again, he saw that a letter was waiting for him on his desk. Harry walked over and picked it up. It had the Hogwarts coat of arms. He opened it.
'Dear Mr Potter,
We at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry would invite you, and your friends to a feast at Hogwarts, to celebrate the capturing of the Death Eaters and Black Snakes and to the fact that we are opening the school again. The feast starts at six p.m. on the fourth of August. We hope dearly that you will come as we have planned this to be a special evening.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall.'
Harry had just finished reading when Draco, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, the Weasley twins, Remus and Sirius came in.
"Harry guess what! We've-" Neville began then spotted the letter in Harry's hand. "Oh, so you know it then! Can we go?"
Harry just looked back to the letter.
"Don't tell me, you think they're up to something?" Draco asked sarcastically. "Why do you think that?"
"The 'Deputy Headmistress' part is missing. And we all now that McGonagall would rather be killed, cremated and buried six feet underground before she would leave that out."
"How does he do that?" Sirius asked none in particular.
"But can we go?" Ginny and Hermione asked at the same time. "Please?" they put on puppy-faces. The twins doing the same.
Harry raised an eyebrow at them.
"I can't see why we shouldn't, and did anyone ever tell you that you're horrible at puppy-faces?" the last bit was directed at Fred and George.
-------------------------
Harry was wearing the Red Dragons uniform for finer occasions: black, shining army-boots, black jeans, the black belt with a buckle shaped as a dragon and had a wand-holster, he had gotten it from Ron. A black button-up shirt with baggy sleeves, the necklace with the winged lion he had gotten from Hermione when she had been to Greece, black sunglasses and the cloak with the golden fastenings. He had also gotten a new haircut. His hear was short and spiky.
Harry met up with the others in the corridor. Draco was wearing the same as him, but his cloak had silver fastenings. Herminoe looked them up and down.
"Who are you supposed to be? Men in Black or Zorro?" she asked.
She herself was wearing a knee-long silver dress and had her hair in a beautiful bun. Ginny was wearing a golden dress-robe and had let her hair down her back. Ron, Fred, George and Neville all were wearing red robes with the Gryffindor lion on the front and back. Sirius, who was coming as a human, had a black dress-robe with gold and silver patterns. And Remus had a black dress-robe too, but with a wolf-head in silver on the front and back.
"I think we're ready." Harry said.
"Really? I didn't know. How did you find that out?" Draco asked, if you could bath and touch sarcasm they would have drowned by now.
Harry just rolled his eyes then snapped his fingers. A second later they were all standing outside the Hogwarts main-gates.
"Wow."
"Harry, how did you do that?"
"I have no idea. I just had this urge to snap my fingers."
"Oh great, now he's going mad!" for that statement Draco got whacked on the head by Ginny who had landed next to him. "Hey! No need to get violent here. Where's your sense of humour?"
They walked up to the castle, Ginny and Draco fighting all the way. In the end Harry glared them both into silence. As they reached the entrance to the castle the door opened on their own. The group looked at Harry but he just shook his head, this time it wasn't him. They walked inside and into the Great Hall. The house-tables were put together and the house-banners hung over them. They where met by Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and every other Professor in the school.
"Ah, Harry, Draco, Ron and the rest of you, how nice of you to come." Dumbledore said.
"Wouldn't miss it for all the jewels in the crown, Professor." Harry replied.
"Potter, isn't it supposed to be 'for anything in the world'?" Draco asked.
"Of course Malfoy," Ginny replied. "But doing what we do, that kinda doesn't fit in the big picture."
Harry looked thoughtfully at the two of them, in the process missing the look Dumbledore gave him. They all sat down at the long table and food popped up. Harry was carefully studying every face at the table, searching for clues on what they were hiding. The Professors were chatting happily with their former students. Nothing they did disclosed that something was going on. Suddenly Dumbledore stood up.
"Now that we all are fed and watered, I would like to say a few words. First of all I would like to thank the whole staff, and our guests, for not giving up in the darkest hour. Second I would like to thank the Red Dragons for their work that led up to the reopening of Hogwarts. Now, I have four special thanks to four of our guests: to Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley for defending the castle against too many enemies to count." Two House Elves popped up, each of them giving a neatly folded something to Ron and Neville. The 'something' turned out to be a red long cloak, its edges trimmed with white fur and a huge Gryffindor lion in gold at the middle of it. "To Draco Malfoy for all his tributes to the light side. Even thought he was in Slytherin, he has a heart of a lion." Another elf popped up. The cloak it gave Draco was long and green, its edges also trimmed with fur and a huge Slytherin snake in silver at the middle of it. "And to Harry Potter for saving the school and the world in more occasions that we can even count." Harry got the same cloak as Ron and Neville.
Suddenly Neville, Ron and Draco began to glow silver. Everyone stared at them, not understanding what was going on. Harry looked at the Professors but, if you could judge by their faces, they had no idea of what was going on, not even Dumbledore. The house-banners began to glow too. Brighter and brighter. Flapping here and there, it was as thought something wanted to come out.
In the end it did come out. One thick, golden beam shoot out from the animal crests of each house. They came straight towards Harry, who didn't have time to react at all before he was hit. The light swallowed him and they couldn't see him anymore. Suddenly three beams shoot out from the light round Harry, one hitting Draco, the other Ron and the last Neville. The light seemed to follow Harry's breathing. In the end it melted into Harry.
The Professors and the little Red Dragons group ran to each of the four boys, Draco, Ron and Neville had been sitting beside Harry, and found them on the ground unconscious.
-------------------------
Well, that's that. Hope you like it, and please review.
I want to thank Polaris, Lily Evans, Pampered Tigeress, mcnugget, Jimbo and Nibowin Black for reviewing.