Chapter 17
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as he told her and Ron what he had decided to do. "You can't do that! Not when you have over half of your Auror training left."

"She's right, mate," Ron agreed. Even his freckles had turned pale.

"Why not? Those other times I faced Voldemort--"

"You didn't do out of your own free will," Hermione stated. "You had no choice but to face him to save your own life!"

"Listen, I need to do this. I can't just sit idle while Voldemort and his followers murder all these Aurors around me. Moody himself said I can't just dance around Voldemort all my life. Eventually I'll have to face him, so why not start now?"

"Because you're so young!" Hermione looked thoroughly terrified.

Harry took a deep breath. "Hermione," he stated as gently as he could, "if I don't do this, I won't be able to face him next year when I have to face him with a duel to the death." Both Ron and Hermione shivered. "You've both seen the constant reports of murdered Aurors. They need help." There was a long pause.

"I'll help you, Harry," Ron said quietly.

"What?"

"I'll—I'll help you train, or I'll go with you to the Abyss next month or something. I can't sit here watching Vol—Voldemort gain power again." He shuddered at his own daring to say the name; Ron was the only one not accustomed to it yet.

"Me too," Hermione replied after a while, sighing. "I'm sorry I got all worked up, Harry."

"Not a problem."

"What can we do to help?"

* * *

With Ron and Hermione's assistance the remaining month of training seemed fairly bearable to Harry. Hermione constantly tutored Harry and helped him with his homework while Ron became the subject of practice for certain spells.

"You're getting the hang of it, mate," Ron said as he picked himself off the floor after getting full-front of his own Jelly Legs Charm off of Harry's Shield Charm. Hermione ran in the room, obviously pleased with something.

"I've just been to see Professor McGonagall! Exams are next week, but she says that no matter what all three of us have made it through this year into next year's N.E.W.T. classes."

"Just what I wanted, more Divination," Ron said sulkily.

"At least you don't have to put up with Snape," Harry pointed out.

"True, but still, I don't think I can take much more of that old bat."

"Well, you should have taken after me and switched out of it in third year. You could have learned so much more in Professor Vector's Arithmancy class than that dumb fortune telling stuff," Hermione said indignantly.

"I'll probably end up in the Ministry of Magic like Dad anyway." Ron fell onto the pillows they had been using for practice in McGonagall's unused classroom after supper and put his head in his hands.

"Cheer up. At least you don't have to stay in the Muggle department," Hermione's huffiness temporarily disappeared.

"Wish I was like you, Harry. Wish I could become an Auror."

Harry didn't know what to say that would cheer Ron up.

"There's still a chance for that," Hermione said, her eyes becoming wistful. "Just give me a second in the library..." With that she rushed out of the classroom and dashed towards the library.

"What's her idea?" Ron asked Harry.

"No idea. Let's get some more practice in before we turn in..."

* * *

A half an hour later Hermione came rushing into the Gryffindor common room with a huge book under her arm. She dropped it on the table where Ron and Harry were working. "More light reading?" Ron asked innocently.

Hermione glared at him. "No, actually. This is the answer to you wanting to become an Auror after we're done with school." She started to turn the old dusty pages quickly.

"It looks like that book hasn't been touched for centuries."

"That's because it hasn't," Hermione replied without looking up from her reading.

"What?"

She reluctantly opened the book to the front cover. "See? October 10, 1573 was the last time someone checked it out."

"Isn't it a bit outdated?" Harry had to ask.

"Of course not! Although Madam Pince may seem a bit...well, ancient, she makes sure to keep the books in the library updated."

"We wouldn't want wrong information from a library now, would we?" Ron asked, but Hermione didn't hear him nor did she catch the sarcasm. Her eyes briskly scanned the page.

"Here it is! 'If someone wishes to become an Auror who does not fulfill requirements, a five-year training option is available. Two years will focus on completing N.E.W.T. requirements...' "They had N.E.W.T.s back then?" Ron interrupted. "'...and the next three will comprise of the typical Auror training.'"

"Just what I need, more school," Ron groaned.

"Look at the bright side, at least you don't have Snape to worry about for Potions," Harry told Ron.

"You have a valid point."

Hermione glared at the two of them. "Listen, Snape isn't all that bad."

"What about when he gave you a zero just for asking a question about the potion last week?" Harry asked.

"I know he hates people from Gryffindor, but really is he all that bad?"

"Yes," came the monotonous simultaneous answer.

"He belongs to the Order..." Hermione started under her breath.

"We know he's in the Order, but he hates Harry."

"Honestly," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as she turned back to her book.