Harry Potter & the Dark Lord

Harry Potter & the Dark Lord – Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I hereby solemnly swear to do my best to uphold the honor and integrity of the wonderful characters created by Ms. Joanne K. Rowling.

A/N: Thanks for sticking with this. Don't worry – we're nearing the home stretch. The quote of the chapter:

If only there had been had been a dementor around…. As a sobbing Wood passed Harry the Cup, as he lifted it into the air, Harry felt he could have produced the world's best Patronus.

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

By the way, for this Quidditch match, I decided to also write a little about what's happening in the stands, which obviously isn't from Harry's POV. I figured it's OK since JKR has done it, too.

"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, owls, toads, cats, animals and humans of all kinds, and you, too, Professor Snape. My name is Lee Jordan, and I'll be your commentator this fine morning, expertly bringing you all the spellbinding details of our match – Gryffindor, the defending champions, will face Hufflepuff, who handed them their only defeat in their championship year. Of course, there were extenuating circumstances in that game, which we won't go into right now. Well, needless to say – of course I'll say it anyway ­– the Gryffindor team is favored to win this match. Second year Hufflepuff Owen Cauldwell makes his debut as Seeker, but I think it's asking a bit much of anyone to try to beat Harry Potter to the Snitch. The reflexes on that boy – never seen anything like it! Of course, with its current lineup, any team would be hard pressed to beat Gryffindor. The amazing Chasers are a force to be reckoned with in their own right, lead by the smashingly beautiful Katie Bell, not to mention the incredibly daring Angelina Johnson and the super quick Alicia Spinnet. And the incomparable Fred and George Weasley, our flame haired Beaters – I'll tell you, after seeing them handle Angelina and Alicia when those two are riled up, two measly Bludgers will be a walk in the park. And the last of the Weasley boys, Ron Weasley has already demonstrated that he is more than capable of filling Oliver Wood's rather large shoes. Ah! There you are Professor! I was beginning to worry you would miss the match."

"I'm sure you were, Mr. Jordan," Professor McGonagall said stiffly, glaring at Lee. The reason for her tardiness was apparent. Traces of bright yellow feathers and down still remained on her robes; she somehow had become the latest victim of the Weasley's Canary Creams. Lee avoided McGonagall's gaze, innocently commenting on the weather.

Halfway across the field, the stands were beginning to fill up with students, clusters of scarlet and yellow forming. A small group of Gryffindors was staking a claim at the very top.

"Ouch!!" Ginny grimaced in pain, pulling her legs up and tucking her feet underneath her. She squeezed her body into a tiny ball as she made room for Neville to pass.

"Sorry Ginny. Can I sit with you for the match?" Neville asked apologetically.

Ginny smiled, still rubbing her shin where Neville had accidentally kicked it. "Of course, Neville. I've been saving seats for you and Hermione. I got here extra early – you know how quickly the top row gets filled."

Neville nodded earnestly, leaving an empty seat for Hermione between himself and Ginny as he settled next to Parvati Patil.

"Where is Hermione?" Dean Thomas asked, leaning over Parvati from his seat opposite her. "I saw her running out of here like a bat out of hell."

"A bat out of hell? What do you mean?" Parvati asked, her face puzzled as she scooted closer to the tall dark haired boy next to her. "I like bats," she added, sulking. The schemes she and Lavender Brown had come up with since the beginning of the year were beginning to pay off. Both Seamus Finnegan and Dean seemed to be spending nearly all their free time with the girls, although they hadn't officially asked them out yet. The fifth year boys found it quite amusing – everyone knew both Dean and Seamus thought Parvati and Lavender were the prettiest girls in the year, if not the entire school. However, as the girls hadn't seemed to figure this out yet, Dean and Seamus played dumb and let Lavender and Parvati do all the chasing. Ginny had heard Ron complaining about how easy Seamus and Dean had it, and was often tempted to knock some sense into Lavender and Parvati. She thought Padma Patil might've explained things to her twin, being as she must be somewhat clever to be in Ravenclaw.

"A bat out of hell," Dean repeated, grinning at Seamus as Parvati casually put her arm through his. "It's a Muggle expression."

"You and your Muggle expressions! Can't you just speak proper English?" Parvati pouted. The pout quickly gave way to a sly smile, as she turned to face Lavender. "Anyway, I'll bet I know where Hermione is…"

Lavender looked up – she had been concentrating on her hand, which she had been inching very slowly towards Seamus' knee. She returned Parvati's smile.

"Well, will you let us in on the secret?" Dean asked impatiently. Ginny just shrugged at Neville.

"She's obviously gone to wish Ron good luck in his match," Lavender said innocently, although her expression said otherwise.

Ginny rolled her eyes, exchanging an exasperated glance with Neville. "She said she forgot something," Ginny explained. "She probably had to go dig up her old binoculars since Ron accidentally broke her Omnioculars."

"If you say so," Parvati said, clearly believing her explanation was far better than Ginny's.

No one had to wonder about Hermione for very long, as she soon came rushing up to them, her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Oh good. I've made it in time!" Hermione sighed, trying to catch her breath as she settled herself between Neville and Ginny. Resting the bag on her lap, she pulled out a roll of parchment and an acid green quill, grinning ecstatically at Neville. "I'd nearly forgotten I had this!"

"What? A green quill?" a befuddled Neville asked.

"It's a Quick Quotes Quill," Hermione explained. "It was Rita Skeeter's. She, er, lent it to me when she went on sabbatical. She doesn't need it where she is. Anyway, I figured you could use this to take notes on the match for Hannah. It's hands-free, so you won't miss anything."

"How does it work?" Neville asked, his interest piqued.

"Watch," Hermione said, placing the tip of the quill on the parchment as she cleared her throat. "Ahem – testing – this is Hermione Granger. Testing."

The quill started to flow across the paper, writing on its own as Hermione spoke. Hermione Granger, an exceptionally skilled witch-in-training, her brains and cleverness matched only by her charmingly pretty face and sparkling personality, sits anxiously awaiting the upcoming extravaganza of talent. Of special interest to Miss Granger is her ruggedly handsome and witty boyfriend, Ron Weasley, who will soon be displaying his agility and strength as Keeper for the superior Gryffindor team. The tall, statuesque Mr. Weasley, muscular and well-toned from his vigorous practice sessions, attracts as much attention for his brilliant physique as he does for his eye-catching flaming Weasley hair…

Hermione's face turned as red as the Weasley hair the quill had just described. Ginny, reading over Hermione's shoulder, smirked knowingly as her friend quickly crumpled the parchment and shoved it into her pocket.

"Brilliant physique?" Ginny struggled to hold in her laughter. Hermione chose to ignore this, turning to face Neville instead. She fumbled in her bag, pulling out a clean sheet of parchment and shoving it towards Neville, along with the Quick Notes Quill.

"Er," Hermione stuttered, her cheeks uncharacteristically red. "Neville, perhaps you had better hold onto it. The quill customizes what it writes based on the user. You'll know best what'll please Hannah…"

"Wow! Thanks, Hermione! Hannah's gonna love the letter I send her tonight. I'm sure it'll get her mind off of things." Neville put quill to paper and began testing it on his own, grinning in sheer pleasure as the quill moved across the page, scratching words with lightning speed.

They were all distracted from Neville's new toy as the players flew into the air, Madam Hooch blowing the whistle to indicate the start of play.

"And they're off! Gryffindor quickly takes control, with Angelina Johnson grabbing the Quaffle and zooming towards the goal. The Hufflepuff Chaser is right on her tail, forcing her to make an awkward pass to Gryffindor Chaser Katie Bell. Nice catch, Katie! Whoa, that Bludger nearly knocked one of the Weasleys off his broom! The other Weasley, can't tell which, hit it away just in time. Good job Fred or George!"

Harry lazily circled a few feet over the action, taking in his surroundings with sweeping gazes. He watched the other Seeker, Owen Cauldwell, out of the corner of his eye. He had never seen Owen play before, but from what Fred and George had told him, he probably needed a couple of years of experience before he could really be considered good. Still, Harry didn't let himself become too complacent. Since Owen was three years younger, he was much smaller than Harry, making it easier to complete fast turns and spins. He was also the only Hufflepuff with a Firebolt; Harry had heard his family was well off. The combination of his size and the broom made him nearly as quick as Harry, but, Harry thought, having a fast broom and knowing how to handle it were two entirely different things.

Harry continued to watch Owen out of the corner of his eye as he searched for the Snitch. Both Seekers turned their attention back to the game as a roar rose from the crowd.

"And it's 10-0 Gryffindor! Alicia scores the first goal of the game easily, and Gryffindor takes the lead!"

Harry did a celebratory loop in the sky before turning his attention back to the task at hand – finding the Snitch. He adjusted his eyeglasses comfortably on his face, and started scanning every inch of the Quidditch pitch. He noticed Owen doing the same, circling at the other end of the field, never taking his eyes off his opponent. The late morning sun was climbing high in the sky, causing Harry to squint as he searched the horizon for any glint of gold.

"Hufflepuff's in possession…their Beater just knocked a Bludger towards Katie – where are Fred and George?" A hint of panic edged into Lee's amplified voice. "She doesn't see it! Katie, look out! Katie, please!"

Katie, suddenly noticing the Bludger heading straight towards her head, spun around quickly to avoid it, and – SMACK! – slammed right into the approaching Fred Weasley. For an instant, she hovered in midair, dazed, before losing her grip and sliding off her broom. Harry, watching the scene unfold from above, dove down, his Firebolt quickly surpassing Fred's broom as he raced Katie to the ground. Harry frantically leaned forward on his broom, his heart pounding in his chest, his body pressed against the smooth wood, urging it to go faster. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and Harry heard nothing but the blood throbbing in his ears and the wind rushing past his face. He was gaining on Katie – somehow she seemed to be slowing down, and Harry deftly swooped below her and gently caught the Chaser on his broom.

The sounds of the world slowly returned as Harry circled toward the ground, trying not to lose his grip on Katie who was still knocked out cold. As he neared, hands began pulling at the unconscious girl, lifting her to the waiting stretcher that Madam Hooch had already conjured up. Harry followed the hands to see the rest of Lee Jordan, frantic with worry as he gently slapped Katie's face in an attempt to wake her.

"Mr. Jordan, will you please step aside!" Madam Hooch ordered, her voice stern. Lee took Katie's hand, moving away obediently as the older woman set her hawkish eyes on the prone figure. With a word ("Enneverate") and wave of Madam Hooch's wand, Katie's eyes fluttered open.

"Katie, are you all right?" Lee choked out. Katie looked up at him, struggling to focus. She smiled briefly when she saw Lee's face, but a second later she jumped up in a panic.

"The game!" Katie fell backwards, obviously still very dizzy.

Fred made his way to her side. "Don't worry about the game – we called a time out."

The crowd that had gathered around the Chaser parted as George Weasley rushed forward, Madam Pomfrey following close behind.

"Out of the way! Clear a path here! Emergency personnel coming through!" George announced officially. Madame Pomfrey ignored him, leaning over the stretcher and examining Katie.

"She'll be fine in a couple of hours," she stated. "I'll have to bring her up to the hospital wing to give her a potion for her dizziness." With that, she pulled out her wand and led the stretcher off the Quidditch pitch and back towards the castle.

Fred and George were huddled with Madam Hooch, whispering earnestly. They finally nodded, and Fred made his way over to Professor McGonagall, leaning in to speak to her. After a moment McGonagall's amplified voice silenced the audience.

"May I please have your attention," she began. "Thank you. Miss Bell will be fine with a little rest, but unfortunately, she is unable to continue playing today. The match will continue, however. Gryffindor will play short one Chaser. We also are short a commentator, so if there is anyone who would like to volunteer…"

Before McGonagall could say another word, a blur rushed out of the crowd and was at her side in an instant. Colin Creevey had sprinted over and was now yelling, nearly out of breath, "I'll do it! Oh, please, may I? Choose me!" McGonagall eyed the young boy critically, before nodding. She began giving him some last minute instructions in hushed tones.

George rejoined the remainder of his team, drawing them around him as they waited for Fred to return. Harry turned to the stands, watching the students speak excitedly to each other now that they knew Katie was all right. He saw Hermione and Ginny flanking Neville, watching the field anxiously. Ron walked to his side, clutching his own Firebolt as they waited for George to begin speaking.

"Great move, Ron. You probably saved her life. You too, Harry," Angelina beamed at the boys. Harry looked over at Ron in surprise. His best friend's ears were turning red at the compliment.

"Where did you learn that spell?" Alicia asked. "If you hadn't slowed her down, Harry could never have caught her!"

"I was wondering why she seemed to slow down," Harry mused. "That was you?"

Ron looked down modestly, as the color crept from his ears to rapidly cover his entire face. "Hermione taught me how to do it," he mumbled.

"You mean you actually study when you're together? Haven't we taught you anything?" George asked, mock terror on his face.

Ron shot his brother a cross look. "It was in our third year, the last time we played Hufflepuff. We saw Professor Dumbledore use the spell to save Harry, and Hermione decided we should learn it, you know, just in case."

Harry stared at Ron blankly. "Thanks," he said simply. Ron nodded in reply, his head down in embarrassment. Fred finally made his way back to the team, nodding grimly at his brother.

"All right, men," George began. Alicia cleared her throat loudly. "Er, women, too. If we stop now, we'll forfeit the game and Hufflepuff will win. We'll have to play one man, er, one person short, but if we all pull together, we can still beat them. Harry, try to catch the Snitch as soon as possible," he finished quietly.

Everyone nodded in agreement, determined to win. They mounted their brooms ready to take off, as Madam Hooch once again blew her whistle. The game resumed quickly, with Hufflepuff's three Chasers quickly stealing the Quaffle from Angelina and Alicia, and rushing toward the goal. Ron's face was set – he hovered directly in front of the approaching Chasers, who passed the Quaffle from one to the other, trying to divide his attention. Ron had just shifted to the right when the shot was finally taken to the far left. He threw himself to the left, stretching his long arms and leaning off his broom, barely hanging on by his knees. The Quaffle flew by, grazing the tips of his fingers. It was enough. The Quaffle veered off course, missing the hoop by mere inches. The crowd roared in disbelief. Harry let out his breath, just now realizing he had been holding it in. Ron hung upside down from his broom, holding his head in relief, before righting himself again.

"And that was an amazing save by Gryffindor Keeper, Ron Weasley. Ron happens to be Harry Potter's best friend. Harry sure knows how to pick them, doesn't he? Here's a nice tidbit for you – did you know that Harry Potter was the youngest Quidditch player at Hogwarts in over a century? That's right, I looked it up. It's in the newest edition of Hogwarts – A History. Of course, Harry's in quite a few books…"

"Mr. Creevey, you're supposed to comment on the game, not on Mr. Potter's life," McGonagall interrupted.

"Sorry," Colin answered sheepishly. "Anyway, Gryffindor just scored again, making it 20-0. I think it was Angelina this time. Or maybe Alicia. I'm not sure; I missed that one. And the game continues. Hufflepuff has the Quaffle again. Harry's searching for the Snitch, flying to the left, and now to the right, and now making a figure eight…"

Harry scowled to himself, trying to block out Colin's voice. He focused on the corner of the Hufflepuff goal post, where he thought he saw a glimmer of gold. It was gone a moment later, and Harry relaxed. He heard a mixture of groans and cheers coming from the crowd and he looked down to see that Hufflepuff had scored their first goal.

"Oh, that must be painful for Ron. He was almost knocked off his broom trying to make that save! I personally would say that was a penalty, practically slamming into him like that. Luckily, Gryffindor still has Harry, who has never failed to catch the Snitch when it counted…"

Harry watched Ron sympathetically, who was grimacing as he rubbed a sore shoulder. The game resumed, and Hufflepuff quickly scored another goal, tying the game. Harry looked over at Ron in surprise, only to see that Ron wasn't paying attention to the game. Ron's face was angry, and Harry followed his line of vision into the crowd. His eyes widened in astonishment – there was Malfoy, grinning widely and holding up a large banner with the word "Potter" flashing brilliantly in glowing green letters. A second later, his surprise was replaced by fury. The word disappeared and was replaced by "Killer", in bright red letters that blinked sinisterly. Not very original, Harry thought bitterly. He tried to ignore the Slytherin, but his eyes kept returning to the edge of the stands where Malfoy was seated. It was during another of these distracting moments that he saw it. The Snitch was making lazy circles not ten feet to the left of the stands where Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins were seated.

Harry gripped his Firebolt and zoomed toward Malfoy. Owen stared in shock – seeing the flashing poster, he assumed Harry was attacking Malfoy and didn't follow. Harry's sudden burst of speed caused a commotion in the stands. Everyone turned and saw Malfoy's sign and began talking all at once. Malfoy, watching in alarm as Harry quickly approached, shoved the sign into Goyle's hands and ducked behind Crabbe, his face the picture of terror.

"Get him Harry!" Colin shouted. "Tear that sign right out of his slimy Slytherin hands!"

"Colin!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

"Well, it wasn't his fault, Professor!" Colin argued. "No one blames him for what happened to Cedric…oh, the Snitch!"

Colin, and the rest of the school, had finally realized what Harry was after. The Snitch had floated higher and Harry turned his broom up, flying right over the Slytherins, nearly checking a few heads, as he zoomed up. His Firebolt was nearly vertical and Harry sped up, his arm reaching for the walnut-sized ball, his fingers finally wrapping around the fluttering wings. He made a U-turn, heading straight down to the ground, where the rest of the team had already flown.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!! I knew Harry would do it! Didn't I tell you? Didn't I?"

Harry was swallowed in a mass of scarlet robes. The Weasley twins were exultant, relieved that the game had ended so quickly when they were short a player. They all hugged each other, and Harry tried to share in their excitement, but the vision of Malfoy's sign stuck in his head. He broke free from his teammates embrace, and stormed off to the locker room.

"Harry," a voice called hesitantly. Harry turned around to see Ron enter the locker room. He didn't respond, taking his robes off and tossing them to the ground. He pulled off his T-shirt and threw it roughly on top of the robes, too upset to speak.

"Harry, Malfoy's a royal prat. Don't let him bother you. Besides, everyone thinks the sign's about Cedric, and you know most of the school's on your side on that one. It's making Malfoy seem like even a bigger git." Harry remained silent. He sat down and grabbed his T-shirt, using it to methodically rub the dirt off his broom handle. Ron sat at his side, seizing a towel and silently starting to clean his own broomstick. Only after the brooms gleamed brighter than when they were new did Ron attempt to speak again.

"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll break his nose for you. I've already practiced on Neville." Ron's expression was serious, and Harry couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," Harry responded, his anger slowly ebbing away. Ron grinned lopsidedly at his friend.

"Come on. The rest of the team will be here soon, and Hermione'll probably be worried," Ron said. Harry nodded, and reached for a change of clothes. He wasn't really angry with Malfoy, he thought to himself. He knew not to expect any better from the Slytherin. What really bothered him was that Malfoy kept reminding him how little he knew about his parents. With Voldemort at the height of his power, people had died left and right. Maybe his father was responsible for some of them, Harry thought. Of course, he quickly added to himself, if anyone had died, his father couldn't have meant for it to happen. It had to be something that couldn't be help. Still, if there was any way to find out…

In the next few weeks, Harry was determined to find out more about his parents. Although Sirius and Remus still were relatively out of contact, there were enough people at Hogwarts that had known James Potter and Lily Evans, and Harry intended to use this to his advantage. The continued carnage happening outside of Hogwarts' borders made it easy to bring up Voldemort's last rise to power, as it was already a main topic of conversation.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out of the castle on their way to the Care of Magical Creatures class. As they had just finished Charms, Professor Flitwick was walking with them, since they weren't allowed out of the castle alone. The professor left them at Hagrid's cabin, where Fleur Delacour was waiting.

"I wonder what she's doing here," Hermione said. "She's supposed to be training with Professor Figg, not with Hagrid." Hermione tightened her grip on Ron's hand as she eyed the tall blonde girl.

"Cold?" Ron asked Hermione, grinning knowingly at Harry as he pulled her closer. "Whatever the reason, I don't mind seeing her again."

"Humph," Hermione said. She was prevented from saying more when Fleur gathered the class around her.

"Everyone gather close. Yes, that eez right. Get togezzer," Fleur said. The male half of the class didn't need to be told twice before they gathered around her. Ron hung back, although Harry noticed he first took a step towards Fleur for Hermione's benefit. He had pretty much learned to hold his tongue when Hermione received an owl from Viktor Krum, but he still tried to make up for it whenever Fleur was around. Harry stayed back with the two of them.

"You are wondering why I am 'ere today," Fleur continued. "It eez because 'Agrid 'as a special treat for you. A creature you would not like to ever come across, a very dangerous creature indeed. 'Agrid needs to give all of heez attention to the creature, so he 'as asked me to help watch ze class."

The class was abuzz with guesses as to what Hagrid had in store for them this time. They all jumped at the sound of a terrific roar coming from behind the cabin. Malfoy inched his way to the back of the group of students, as far away from the noise as he could go.

"Shall we go?" Fleur asked, leading the students to the back. Harry felt a mixture of excitement and fear building inside him. Knowing Hagrid, there could be anything behind the cabin. The class stopped short as they turned the corner. Harry pushed his way forward, with Ron and Hermione close behind. When he finally made it to the front of the crowd, Harry felt his jaw drop.

Hagrid was wearing what appeared to be body armor, holding a shield in front of him as he stood a few feet away from an enormous cage. In the cage was the most fantastic creature Harry had ever seen. It was monstrous, with the body of a lion, a strangely human-like head with rows of vicious teeth, and what appeared to be a spiked dragon's tail. The tail brought back unpleasant memories of the Hungarian Horntail Harry had faced in the Triwizard Tournament last year. Even next to Hagrid, the creature appeared gargantuan, and it was not happy to be in the cage.

"A manticore," Hermione whispered in admiration.

"How on earth did he catch one of those?" Ron asked, equally awestruck.

"Stand back, everyone," Hagrid warned. "The manticore's one of the most dangerous creatures out there. Human eaters, they are. Found this one lurkin' in the forest. Nearly killed a centaur. It's a wonder how it got here. Drawn to evil, I guess. I figured I'd let y'all see it 'fore the Ministry comes and takes it away."

"Are they going to kill it?" Hermione asked, remembering what the Ministry had very nearly done to Buckbeak the Hippogriff.

Malfoy sneered, his courage up a bit as he stood behind his thugs. "Death's too good for that thing if you ask me. Can't imagine why Hagrid would expose us to such a dangerous monster. My father'll hear about this."

"Nobody asked you, Malfoy," Ron retorted. Privately, Harry was a little worried. The bars in the cage looked rather flimsy for a creature of that size. And judging by Hagrid's armor, he was a little worried too.

"They're not gonna kill Monty," Hagrid chastised. "The Ministry's got plans for 'im."

"Monty," Malfoy choked out. "You've named that beast Monty?"

"Monty's a perfectly fine name," Hermione said, more bravely than she felt.

"Right, that's enuffa that," Hagrid ordered. "Like I said, the manticore's deadly. If it doesn't eat you alive, it'll poison you with the sharp spikes on its tail. They can shoot out at ya…"

The whole class took a step back at this. "Don't worry," Hagrid continued. "Fleur helped me put a spell around the cage. Nothing'll get through…"

"Most people believe there eez no defense against zee manticore," Fleur added. "But there eez one – even many of ze best trained wizards and witches do not know of eet."

"It's weakness is the feet. Tickle 'em and a manticore'll roll over laughin'. Give ya a chance ter get away," Hagrid finished.

Malfoy, still cowering behind Crabbe, shouted out, "And just how do you expect us to get close enough to that thing to tickle its hideous feet?"

Hagrid's black eyes narrowed as he surveyed the pale blonde boy. "Are ya a wizard or aren't ya? I'da figured a 'pure-blood' like you would think of magic first thing. You use a tickling charm o' course."

Fleur also eyed Malfoy with distaste. "Of courz, as 'Agrid said, manticores are drawn to evil. Meaning it will go after ze worst among us first." Harry couldn't help but smile as he watched Malfoy take yet another step back, the blood draining from his already pale face.

Later that night in the Gryffindor common room, Harry packed up his homework. He had arranged to visit Hagrid that night, intending to find out what he knew about the Potters. Hagrid was going to meet him in the entrance hall at 8 o'clock, and walk him to his cabin. Ron was to go with him, but Harry didn't tell Hermione or Ginny – he still didn't want the younger girl getting involved.

"Harry, how about we head to the library now," Ron said, according to plan.

"Oh good, I need to go, too," Hermione responded, starting to pack up her own books.

"Er, we're not going to the library," Harry added quickly. Ginny looked up from her book at the other end of the table, eyeing Harry suspiciously.

"Ron just said you were," Hermione challenged.

"Well, we were going to, but now we're just going to find an empty classroom instead. We need to discuss Quidditch tactics," Harry thought quickly.

Hermione folded her arms across her chest and stared at Ron icily, "You can't just go to an empty classroom. You'll get in trouble. And besides, your brothers don't seem to be getting ready to go anywhere. Last I heard, they were captains of the team."

Ron's ears were burning. "Er, right. We're just discussing Seeker and Keeper tactics. And, er, we'll just do it in our dormitory. I know us sneaking into a classroom would cause a dilemma for you, being Prefect and all. I would never want to put you in that position," Ron finished silkily. He had moved closer to Hermione and was gently rubbing her arm.

"You two are such horrible liars!" Ginny burst out. "If you want to go see Hagrid, go ahead. And take Hermione with you. Don't worry, I won't follow," she finished bitterly.

Harry and Ron looked at Ginny, their mouths hanging open. She frowned, rolling her eyes at the boys. "Honestly! Hagrid told me you were going to visit him. It's not much of a secret."

Harry attempted to smile, seeing white splotches of anger form on Ginny's reddened face. "Er, we would've told you, except…"

"You don't need to explain, Harry," Ginny said sadly, her face resigned. "Go ahead. I have homework to finish anyway."

"Great," Ron said. "Then we don't have to use your invisibility cloak, Harry. Come on, Hagrid will be downstairs any minute."

Harry would've preferred if Ginny had yelled at him, or tried to follow. As it was, he felt lower than a Slytherin. He just wanted to protect her, he told himself. Why should that make him feel like the bad guy?

Harry felt much better by the time he was sitting by the fire in Hagrid's small cabin, sipping a cup of hot tea. Hagrid had his brown suit lying out on the bed, and was twisting his hands nervously.

"So, Olympe's gonna visit. She'll be here in the mornin'. I sure miss 'er," Hagrid said.

"Madam Maxim?" Harry asked, taken aback. "What for?"

Harry was a bit surprised to see the hint of a blush beneath the tangled black hair covering Hagrid's face. Hermione smiled at the half-giant, a glint in her eyes.

"I know why. It's because it's Valentine's Day, isn't it, Hagrid?" Ron asked, picking up on Hermione's smile.

Harry's face flushed. "Valentine's Day? Tomorrow is Valentine's Day?"

"Of course it is, Harry," Hermione scolded. "It's the same day every year."

Harry sat silently, terror filling him. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day. Was he supposed to do anything? He wasn't dating Ginny – he was barely even speaking to her lately. Still, he should do something, shouldn't he?

"What're you going to do?" he asked Ron desperately.

Ron 's ears turned the same color as his hair. "I, er, have something planned." Hermione was watching Ron's face with interest, her eyes shining in anticipation.

"Anyway," Hagrid interrupted. "Fleur'll like ter see Olympe again, too. Hard to be away from yer own people that long."

Glancing at the time, Harry saw it was getting late. He pushed the panicky thoughts of Valentine's Day out of his head, focusing on why he had come.

"You're right Hagrid. It must be hard. Did my parents leave England much?" Harry asked innocently.

Startled at the change in topic, Hagrid stumbled over his words. "Er, suppose they did, though it's kind er hard ter say. Dumbledore had your father on so many secret projects..."

"What kind of projects?" Harry asked, urging Hagrid to continue.

"Don't know. No one did," Hagrid answered.

"Well, did they involve, er, killing anyone?" Harry asked cautiously.

Hagrid frowned, deep in thought. "No, can't imagine they did. There was that one time…but that wasn't yer father's fault…" Hagrid froze. "You shouldn't be hearing about any er this. It's time to bring ya back up ter the school."

"But Hagrid," Ron tried.

"No buts," Hagrid said firmly. "The headmaster'll have my head if I start fillin' up yer brains with nonsense. Come on, finish yer tea."

Harry headed back to his common room disappointed. Ron was trying to lift his spirits the best he could.

"Well, we know something happened, at least," Ron repeated for the fifth time. "You can ask Sirius next time we speak to him, or maybe we can talk to Professor Figg."

"And I'll check Ginny's scrapbook, in case there's something we missed," Hermione added.

"Oompa loompa," Harry muttered. The Fat Lady swung open, letting the three enter. Ginny was still in the common room, reading by the fire. She looked up as Harry climbed through the portrait hole, her face unreadable.

Hermione looked from Ginny to Harry. "I'm heading up to bed," she said. "Ron, you should too. It's late."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione silenced him with a kiss. After a minute, she stepped away, giving him a smile and a quick peck on the cheek before pushing him up the stairs to his dormitory. Ron, slightly dazed, went up without a word.

"Good night," Hermione whispered, her own cheeks glowing, before she too disappeared up to her room.

Now alone in the common room with Ginny, Harry nervously walked over to the fire. He sat silently, focusing on cleaning his glasses. After he couldn't clean them any more, he put them back on and turned his attention to his scar, absentmindedly rubbing it.

"Does it hurt much?" Ginny asked quietly, breaking the silence. Harry's head shot up.

"Er, not really," Harry lied. The throbbing pain had been growing steadily stronger as Voldemort's power grew. He watched Ginny nod, knowing she didn't believe him. She turned back to her book. "Well, a little," he added, trying to draw her into a conversation.

Ginny searched Harry's eyes, her face serious. "You know I just want to help."

Harry was taken aback – he hadn't expected her to say that. "I know. It's just…"

"You just want to protect me," Ginny finished for him. She was playing with the bracelet Harry had given her for Christmas, twisting it around her tiny wrist. Their eyes locked, unwavering. "But Harry, who's going to protect you?"

Harry didn't answer, breaking the eye contact as his gaze shifted to the fire. She had hit a nerve. He knew that everyone who had tried to protect him ended up getting hurt. That was just what he was trying to avoid. After what seemed like an eternity, Harry got up.

"Heading up?" he asked, holding out his hand to Ginny. Ginny stared at it a long moment. She finally nodded, taking the offered hand.

"Good night, Harry," she whispered, turning to head up the stairs. Harry watched until she had completely disappeared before heading up himself.

Once in bed, Harry tried to listen to the radio as he usually did. After hearing the fifth story about a dead wizard or witch, he shut it off in disgust, putting his head under his pillow, trying to block out the world as he slipped into a blissful dreamless sleep.

A/N: I apologize for the long delay. Work has been extremely busy and I haven't had time to breath. OK, enough complaining. Hope you liked this, and we are getting close. Thanks for all your kind reviews.