Chapter 27: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Classes on Tuesday passed unbearably slowly for Harry, he was desperate to visit Ali but Madam Pomfrey had told him he had to wait until after class, so obviously, they seemed to last twice as long as usual. When they were finally over he literally ran to Griffindor tower to dump his books, and headed for the hospital wing at once. Ron and Hermione, who were only just reaching the common room as he was leaving, watched after him bemusedly.

"He's still crazy about her isn't he?" asked Ron, half seriously,

Hermione rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle, "What gave it away?"

"Well he's desperate to see her, and he's been miserable since they…oh." Ron blushed furiously realising Hermione had been sarcastic. "Do you have to do that all the time?"

"Well…no." she replied, grinning cheekily, "but it is fun". Ron tackled her playfully and they landed a tangle of limbs on one of the couches, as he tickled her relentlessly.

"Do you have to do that all the time?" she spluttered between laughs, trying to fend him off.

"No…" he replied thoughtfully, "but it is fun!" he ducked as he finished knowing that a blow was headed his direction, to his misfortune though, Hermione had pre-empted him and aimed her blow lower. "Damn" he cursed nursing his arm overdramatically, "I had to pick the smart girl didn't I?"

Hermione smiled knowingly back at him, "You wouldn't have me any other way"

Ron looked down at her thoughtfully, considering what she said and then grinned; "well…you could do with being a little more relaxed sometimes…" he was cut off though, as she aimed another punch at him.

"Prat" she muttered with a smile and began to climb to her feet.

"No…Hermione…wait! Where you going?" Ron called rising after her

"No, no, you've ruined your chances now" she replied with a giggle

"Hermione!" he moaned still following her, "come back"

"No Ron, I can't"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" he called desperately,

"I know, you twit" she replied exasperated, "I just have to go and see Professor Danson"

"Oh" sighed Ron looking relieved, "Okay, see you later then"

"Bye!" she called after giving him a quick kiss and retreating through the portrait hole.


"Bye!" he called after her, watching her go, and he turned back to the common room, looking for something to occupy his time. The room was relatively empty; most people would be at the library or something he surmised, though he did see Sarah and Jamie in the corner having a game of chess. He decided to go over and see how they were getting on. "You guys any good?" he asked as he took a seat next to their board,

"I am" replied Sarah, her eyes dancing merrily as she finished off their game.

"Damn, not again" Jamie muttered, "she always wins…she can beat most of our family too…including grandpa, who was the one that taught her in the first place!"

Ron raised an eyebrow interestedly, "Really?" She nodded proudly, her eyes glittering dangerously, "You think you could beat me?" he continued tauntingly.

Her eyes quickly searched him, as though sizing him up, "Yeah, I'd say so" she replied easily

"Oh really?" Ron demanded, "Let's see shall we?"

"Sure," she replied happily, "I'm up for another win"

Ron gaped at her and quickly got his chess pieces and proceeded to set up the board. She may only be a first year girl, but damn it, this meant war.

Meanwhile Harry was approaching the hospital wing, somewhat nervously, for after all, they were fighting at the moment, and she had almost died, all because of him. Still, that wouldn't stop him, he had to see her. Even if it was only so she could tell him to go away, at least he'd know where he stood then. He was pleased to note on arrival that the hospital wing was relatively empty, with only one other patient, a second year Ravenclaw he thought, and no other visitors. He quietly made his way over to Ali's bed and was relieved to find her awake.


"Hey there" he said gently, taking a seat next to her, "How're you feeling"

"Hi" she replied quietly, "I'm okay, I guess, considering,"

"I, uh…why?" he asked, "Why did you do that? For me? I thought you hated me"

She looked at him briefly and her eyes seemed clouded with pain, "I don't hate you" she replied gently, "I couldn't hate you…I love you too much" she continued with a flicker of a smile, which caused Harry's face to light up and his heart to feel as though it was about to explode.

"But then…that night…at the party…why wouldn't you let me explain?"

"It's complicated" she replied,

"It's not." He said determinedly, "Ginny had too much to drink, was upset, and threw herself at me. As soon as I realised what was happening I broke it up. I never meant for it to happen. See. Simple"

"But…that's not all there is too it. I…I can't explain" she said, close to tears.

"What? There's nothing more too it! Honest, that's it. What can't you explain?"

"No, Harry listen. I know that's all that happened that night. Okay? I'm sorry I freaked out. I…I wanted to talk to you since we've been back at school, since I got your letter, but I felt like such an idiot, I know I over-reacted. Just…there was a reason for it…just trust me on that okay?"

Harry looked at her, she looked so desperate and vulnerable laid out on the bed like that, and she did sound sorry, but he just couldn't understand what had happened. "What was the reason?"

"I can't tell you" she replied reluctantly

"Why not? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do. It's just something that I want to put behind me. I thought I had. Till that night, it just reminded me of it, of him"

"Of what? Of who?" Harry demanded, "You have to tell me Ali, I've been miserable for like a month, the least you can do is tell me why!"

She looked at him furiously, "Fine! You want to know what it reminded me of…it reminded me of the night I was raped!" the tears were streaming freely down her face now, and all Harry could do was stare at her, mouth gaping, completely in shock. Whatever he had been expecting it hadn't been this.

"Ali…I…uh…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I had no idea. My god. Are you okay?" He reached over to her and wiped away her tears softly, "I'll go now…if you like…I shouldn't have said anything…I didn't mean to upset you…"

"No! Don't go!" she cried desperately, "don't leave me! See…this is why I couldn't tell you…you don't want me anymore! You can't even bear to sit next to me!" she was sobbing hysterically now.

"No, no, Ali, no, that's not it at all. How can you say that? Of course I want you, I love you. I'm not going anywhere" Harry explained desperately, moving closer to her.

She fought back the tears and looked at him, her violet eyes shimmering with hope. "Really? You mean it? You don't hate me? Or…or…think I'm…I dunno…spoiled?"

"I could never hate you Ali, never. And nothing could ever spoil you. You're perfect. Absolutely perfect." He was leaning in, very close to her now, their faces only inches apart, and she reached up and kissed him furiously.


"I'm not perfect. You're the one who's perfect," she kissed him again, "and amazing," and again, "and wonderful," and again, "and lov-", this time Harry kissed her cutting her off. He kissed her fiercely and lovingly, pouring all the unexpressed emotion of the last month into it and he only stopped when he heard a distinct cough coming from the foot of the bed. When he pulled away he saw it was Madam Pomfrey looking most displeased.

"If you wish to remain in here, you will conduct yourself with a bit more decorum Mister Potter" she lectured sternly, glaring at the pair of them the whole time.

"Yes 'mam" replied Harry, blushing furiously, while Ali merely glanced downwards looking very apologetic. Madam Pomfrey nodded curtly and returned back to her office. As soon as she was gone the pair burst out laughing.

"You are so cute" gushed Ali lovingly, "with your 'yes mam' and your blushing" she giggled sweetly, which only caused Harry to blush even more furiously.

"I…uh…does this mean we're okay then?" he asked nervously,

"Yeah…I'm sorry" she replied "I should've told you before"

"No…you didn't have to. Sorry I pressured you into it"

"Don't be" she replied with a short laugh, "let's just leave it at we're both sorry"

"Agreed" replied Harry with a grin; he had almost forgotten what being this happy felt like. "One thing I need to ask though…why the hell did you take that curse for me?"

She looked back at him, deadly serious, "because I couldn't live with myself if you died"


"You mean you knew it could be fatal and still took it?" he asked almost hysterically,

"Calm down Harry" she replied soothingly, "It's not fatal for a fairy…that's why I took it. I knew it could kill you, and that it could only hurt me. It was worth the risk."

Harry still looked disproving, but the look she was shooting him almost dared him to try and argue, and he could see that it wouldn't be worth it. "Okay, then, thank-you I guess"

"You're welcome" she replied with a smile as she leaned over to kiss him softly, and while they were still close she whispered into his ear, "and when I get out of here, you had better thank me properly". He leaned back taking in her mischievous grin, and the glittering of her eyes and smiled back, equally as mischievously, "you can count on it!"

Meanwhile…

Hermione was in Professor Danson's office, in the middle of a deep discussion about how to rid the world of Voldemort. It seemed that some of Hermione's ideas where good, even if not altogether practical, her innocence and naivety regarding matters such as war and death, meant that she had a much different outlook on the subject, one that couldn't be ignored. They spent a long time discussing Hermione's theories, and Caighlynne was quick to offer any insight into ways in which she thought they could be implemented. In the end they both had several things to work on, before next week, when they planned to meet at the same time and discuss their findings. Hermione was delighted to be taken so seriously, and considered as almost an equal. She was glad that she was still included in the process because she was eager to learn and to see how well her ideas worked. She felt that had she been dealing with another Professor, they would have taken her ideas and left her out of it after that. Which needless to say, she would have hated. This way…this way Hermione was doing her part to help win a war she knew she wasn't strong enough to fight in. Because there was nothing Hermione wanted more than to see Voldemort gone, except perhaps to see Harry live through it, and this was the only way she could help. Intelligence. Though Hermione hated to admit it, she was jealous, of Ali. Ali was good at practical magic, her fairy heritage making her almost an expert in defensive magic, and when the time came to fight; Ali would be able to do so; without getting in the way, without panicking, and without being scared. She'd seen it all before, Hermione hadn't. And while Hermione was terrified for Harry, and wanted to be there for him, at the end, she didn't know if she could trust herself to be good enough. That thought alone was tearing her up inside, because she knew that Harry would do anything for her, without a second thought, and here she was; hesitating.

Harry and Hermione were both heading back to the common room, with about half an hour to spare before dinner and then Defence Club, when they met outside the portrait hole.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed delightedly, and after taking in the stupid grin that was still lighting up his face, "I presume you saw Ali then?"

Harry grinned even wider and nodded.

"And things are okay between you?" she prompted,

"Yeah" said Harry, his grin fading slightly as he remembered what Ali had told him,

Hermione, ever observant noticed this falter, "You sure?"

"What? Oh, yeah…it's just something Ali told me…about why she was so mad…I can't really say anything though" Harry smiled hopefully at her,

"Oh" Hermione replied quietly, holding back her natural curiosity, "ok, then. As long as things are fine now?"

"They are." Harry replied happily, "they're perfect"

Hermione smiled at him, and hugged him warmly, "Ooh good! I'm so happy for you!" And she was. Hermione hated seeing Harry upset, like he had been the last few weeks, and he and Ali did make a good couple.

"Yeah, okay, okay" said Harry, shoving Hermione away playfully, still grinning madly the whole time.

The common room, when they entered, was in complete silence, everyone gathered round the couches beside the fire enthralled in whatever was going on.


"What's happening?" Harry asked Hermione curiously,

She shrugged her shoulders and looked on enquiringly, "no idea"

They pushed their way to the front of the crowd, Hermione muttering something about being a prefect and being able to punish people whenever a particularly awkward person got in their way, and had to fight to stifle their giggles when they got there. For the spectacle was nothing other than the chess match between Ron and Sarah. Ron had made a name for himself as a chess master over the years within Griffindor tower, but now, by the looks of it, he was being beaten, by a first year! Harry and Hermione quickly settled themselves in to watch what should prove to be an interesting finish.

As the match progressed Ron became increasingly flustered and agitated, he was losing, and he didn't think there was anything he could do about it. Sarah, on the other hand, was displaying a grin that became more and more like that of a Cheshire cat by the second, until finally she won, and it broke to display triumphant laughter. Ron was frozen to the spot, mouth hanging open in amazement; he couldn't believe he'd just lost. Everyone rushed to congratulate Sarah, except for Hermione, who went to comfort her boyfriend, who was suddenly looking rather lost and forlorn.

He glanced up at her, eyes desperate, "I…but…how?"

"I don't know" she replied, hiding her grin by pulling him into a hug. Harry noticed this exchange from across the room and stifled a laugh as he shot a sympathetic smile towards his friend, who smiled back rather pathetically.

Just then Harry noticed Ginny, sitting out of the way of everyone, seemingly engrossed in a book. Though he could tell, by the way her eyes kept flitting upwards towards the commotion, that really she wasn't that interested at all. Just as he could tell that she looked slightly miserable and more than a little lonely despite her efforts to hide it. At first Harry had been avoiding Ginny just as much as she had been avoiding him, he was furious at her for making Ali mad at him, but now, now that he had made up with Ali, and was feeling such elation that anger was inconceivable to him, he simply felt sorry for her. After all, she probably regretted what happened just as much as he did, it had been ages, and now that things between him and Ali were fine he couldn't even find a reason to be mad at her. A surge of compassion for her rose in him, and he went to talk to her, and clear the air.

"Ginny?" he began, sitting down beside her, "can I talk to you for a minute?"


She looked up shyly, and closed her book softly, "sure Harry, what is it?"

"Well I thought you'd like to know that I went to see Ali earlier and she's going to be fine"

"Really?" Ginny gushed, relief flooding her face, "oh thank god, I've been so worried about her, but I didn't want to go and visit, after, well, you know, we've never really talked…"

"That's why I thought I'd come and talk to you just now," Harry continued warmly, "You see Ali and I made up today, things are fine between us, it wasn't even just that kiss that made her mad at me in the first place…anyway I think you should talk to her. I mean, it's not worth you two falling out over."

"I…but…it was still my fault…I mean, what would I say to her?" Ginny asked, almost hopefully,

"I think sorry would be more than enough" Harry replied with an encouraging smile,

"What it would be that easy?" she asked disbelievingly,


"Probably" he replied, "Ali's a nice person, she'll forgive you, and especially for something that was a mistake…it was a mistake wasn't it?" he felt his cheeks redden,

"Of course it was a mistake!" she exclaimed, looking flustered, "you know…I might go and see her just now…"

"But it's almost dinner…and there's defence club later"

"All the more reason to go now" Ginny replied determinedly, "thanks Harry, I really needed this"

"No problem" he replied as he watched her hurry off.

Ginny was late to dinner, her visit to Ali running longer than she had expected. Things had been rather awkward to begin with, but soon they were back to normal, the tension between them gone, thankfully. She slipped into dinner without much notice; she had become so withdrawn over the last few weeks that people had stopped missing her. Harry though, did notice her come in, and made a special effort to draw her into the conversation, which thankfully was about quidditch. Something she was involved in anyway. In actual fact they were discussing how long Ali was going to be in hospital for, and whether she would be able to play in their match against Ravenclaw, which was in two weeks time. Harry was fairly confident she would be fighting fit by that time, but the rest of the team saw him as a rather biased source, and wanted to, at least, have a back-up plan in case she wasn't. Harry was more than willing to cooperate though, and asked for any suggestions; that was enough to silence their worries for the time being, for none of them could think of anyone that was both good enough, and practiced enough to replace her. For even a talented chaser would be lost without at least some practice with their team-mates beforehand.


"That's exactly my point!" exclaimed Daniel, the one most concerned, for after all he would be working most directly – along with Ginny- with the replacement. "We need to pick someone now, so that they can be trained – even if we don't need them surely its better that they're available"

Harry considered his point, and could see no flaw in the logic, "I guess you're right, but seriously we do need some suggestions…or volunteers, pass the message down the table, see if we can't muster any interest"

And the team set to work on doing exactly that, while Hermione began talking to Ginny, trying to find out what had brought her out of her slump, where Hermione had failed so many times over the few weeks. Needless to say Hermione was surprised to learn that it was Harry that had talked to Ginny, though she as not as surprised as she would have been in previous years. She wasn't quite sure what was different about Harry recently, but there was something. Perhaps it was because he had a girlfriend he was more attentive and aware of things going on around him. Perhaps it was after the disaster at the Department of Mysteries at the end of last year, or perhaps it was just a general growing up and maturing. Probably a combination of all three she surmised subconsciously, as her discussion with Ginny continued.

The group of Gryffindors stayed behind after dinner, helping to get the hall set up for Defence club as they had taken to doing over the last few weeks. They found it counter-productive to walk all the way to Gryffindor tower, only to have to set off for the hall again just after they got there. It seemed that some Ravenclaws had a similar idea, as a group of them also hung off as the others left. With nothing to do for a short time, and a relatively private environment, Ron decided now would be the best time to find out about Hermione's ideas about Voldemort.

"So…" he said, plonking himself down onto the floor beside where Hermione had seated herself, "Are you going to tell us what you talked to Danson about today?"

Hermione blushed slightly, but that fooled neither Ron nor Harry, the familiar glint in her eye giving away how truly eager she was to divulge that information.  

"Well…" she began, waiting until she had the undivided attention of her audience, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. "The first thing I thought of was how exactly to kill him, I mean, the killing curse alone is obviously no good as he survived that before, well practically, and seeing as it's so well known he's probably taken precautions against it. That was what led me to think about it, you see when he'd destroyed we'll have to make sure he is completely destroyed, and isn't just some spirit or something waiting for the right time to return again. To do that, I thought about using crystals to capture whatever tries to leave his body, and imprison it. Then destroy the crystal, while he goes along with it. This was Danson's favourite one of my ideas, she said she hadn't really considered it, because crystals can be so temperamental, and only really work for certain people. So I've to do some work with you Harry, over the next week to see if that's an option we should pursue any further."

The group were staring at Hermione in amazement, "How do you come up with things like that Hermione, I mean, I didn't even know you could use crystals for that type of thing…how did you find that out?" asked Harry, mystified,

"I read" implored Hermione, whilst rolling her eyes, "maybe this will encourage you to take it up"


"What would be the point?" countered Ron, grinning, "I mean you know everything about anything, it's much easier just to ask you!"

"I won't always be there Ron!" she exclaimed exasperatedly, "sometime you're going to have to fend for yourself"

He examined her closely, and saw in her eyes that she was serious, and it shocked him somewhat. He'd never really considered life without Hermione in it, but then again, after Hogwarts who knew what they were all going to be doing. By the look on Harry's face Ron assumed he was thinking the same thing.

"I guess I never really thought about us being apart…" Ron muttered,

"Yeah, me either," agreed Harry, "I mean, we'll still see each other after Hogwarts won't we? It's not like we'll just forget each other" He pleaded, asking for confirmation more than just stating a fact.

"Of course we'll see each other, you idiots!" Hermione laughed, "I just meant that you will have to get your own jobs and things and I can't be there all the time!"

Hermione was touched and secretly delighted by the relief evident on both boys' faces as they grinned sheepishly at her. It was only then that they noticed the students that were steadily arriving in the hall, preparing for the Defence Club to start.

Harry had been studying Defensive and Offensive magic with Caighlynne, Sirius, and any other members of the Defence team whenever he had a spare moment, and while he wasn't exactly a master, his skills had improved ten-fold on what they had been at the start of the year.

There was almost no doubt in Caighlynne's mind that Harry did have some fairy blood in him by this time, for the ease with which he familiarised himself with branches of magic, that previously had been almost exclusive to fairies, was astonishing. He was extraordinarily confident in his truth shield, fairies got on better with this charm mostly because of their inability to use dark magic, it made it that little bit easier to trust other fairies. Though when she heard all of what Harry and his friends had been through over the years she could see that his trust was well placed. Caighlynne had taken it upon herself to test Harry at random times throughout the day, both in Occlumency and the use of his trust shield, which she advised him to keep up constantly. And to her surprise and delight it was a rarity indeed if she caught him off guard. She had never before seen such dedication in someone so young, not even James and Sirius exhibited such determination at that age. Then again, she had never before seen someone so young, with so much to live up to.

Harry worked with his friends equally in the Defence Club, both giving himself practice and helping to bring them up to his exceptional standard. Hermione had struggled at first, for there was simply no time to spend on the theory work that Hermione usually based her understanding on. Caighlynne respected that about her, that she was unwilling just to accept something, without proof or explanation, though it could be trying at times. But given some time, Hermione adjusted to her new way of learning, and her progress was superb.

Ron had also made a definite improvement since the start of the year. He was growing into his once gangling limbs, and as a result lost much of the clumsiness of his youth, making both his stance more intimidating and his spell casting more accurate.

Ginny was also shaping herself into a formidable opponent, though her temper, which at times was a blessing that fuelled her curses and gave them an extra edge, often got in the way of her better judgement and led to mistakes on her part. She was learning to control it though, just as Harry had had to, though his Occlumency training had helped that to no end.

And while no-one would call Neville formidable, he could certainly hold his own, and more often than not give as good as he got. Luna, who hadn't been overly dedicated to the club at the beginning of the year, had tried harder than anyone recently, since her kidnapping. And Caighlynne couldn't blame her, Caighlynne knew what it felt like to be defenceless and she despised that feeling, and didn't doubt that Luna felt the same.

Though they were all good, and making fantastic progress none of them could compare to Ali. While she was rarely higher than average in most of her classes, Defence Against the Dark Arts was the exception, perhaps because she had been trained in it since she was a young child, or perhaps because she possessed all of the grace of the fairies and then some, the lightning speed and dexterity making her impossible to pre-empt. Whichever it was made no difference, Caighlynne had given up duelling with her in the last few weeks; Ali would win every time. Caighlynne was proud to admit that now the only one who stood a chance was Harry. And she sometimes felt that might only be because Ali was so reluctant to hurt him.

All in all she was delighted with the progress of the students in the Defence Club; they had improved from naïve students to confident youngsters who could take care of themselves. She was both impressed and proud of them. And more importantly confident that they could defend themselves should the worst happen, and she was certain that it would.

The group retired to the common room that night with only one thing on their minds; sleep, they were simply exhausted after the intensive training session.

The next few days passed quietly, almost too quietly. Even Malfoy and his comrades made no comments, which Harry found highly suspicious; it was like they were up to something that was taking up all their time, leaving none to use antagonizing Harry. He was enjoying their silence far too much to really think anything of it though.

In fact the first major event to occur, surprisingly, did not involve Harry or any of his friends. It was in fact the first year group that Harry was coaching that were at the centre of the problems. One of them had gone missing, Alex, a Ravenclaw girl. Her mother, who happened to be a member of the order, had been injured in the course of duty, and Alex had gone to visit her at St Mungo's. She was supposed to return to school the day before, but she never turned up. Dumbledore had tried to get in touch with her but there was no sign of her anywhere. Of course this information was kept from most of the school. Her friends knew, and had told Harry, who in turn told his friends, whom he knew, of course that he could trust. The first years were frantic with worry, and Harry wasn't much better, they were like the siblings he never had, and now that Alex was missing, he found his mind being drawn to her all the time.

Ali was out of the hospital wing, fully recovered, and Harry was glad of it, she was what was keeping him sane. She could allay his fears and worries like no-one else, and if it wasn't for that he probably would have lost his mind before now. The first years were relying on him to be there for them, not that he minded, he just needed someone to help him through too. Ali meant the world to him, and as long as she was happy, he knew that he would be too.

Hello All!

This hasn't been too long now has it? The prelims are over! And I've never been more grateful for something in a long time! Got some of the results today, Maths, Physics, and Computing, all A's!! I am so pleased! Seriously been grinning like an idiot ever since I found out.  So I was in a very good mood at when writing most of this! Still two more to get but I figure they can't be that bad! Anyway, enough about me…and more about the story. Things are about to start heating up again! And they won't really cool down for the remainder of the story. We're about to find out if I'm any good at writing drama/suspense, rather than the usual fluff. This should be interesting.

Now I'm sure you've all noticed how erratic my updates are, and I do apologise, but unfortunately things won't change, that's just too much of who I am. However, I was thinking of starting a mailing list, if anyone is interested. If you are leave your email in a review, or send me an email yourself (elsie_the_ghost@hotmail.com )!

And last but by no means least, my reviewers! As always every review is much appreciated. Thanks to: athenakitty, dnd4eva, ThA_DarK_PHoenIX, and zdanz. Your support and kind words mean the world to me!