Harry Potter, Heir of Gryffindor

Dementors, Spies and Quidditch

When the owls arrived at breakfast the next morning Hermione paid the delivery owl for her Daily Prophet and promptly opened the paper to read the morning's headlines. She had no more than opened the paper when she let out a gasp and a small scream.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked peering over her shoulder. "What's happened?"

"There's been another dementor attack," she said shakily. "This time in Devonshire."

"Was anybody hurt?" Ron asked, a note of concern in his voice.

She quickly scanned the article. "It says one man received a partial kiss and three aurors were badly shaken. All four of them are currently in St. Mungo's. They don't even have a prognosis for the man who received the partial kiss but they say the three aurors should be out in about a week. They are quoting one of the aurors as having said that there were just too many of them and that they were having trouble with the Patronus Charm.""

"A partial kiss?" Ginny asked.

Hermione read in silence for a moment then said. "One of the aurors said that the dementor was bending down to kiss the man and had just made contact when it was hit by a patronus. The man still has his soul but it is so disjointed that they don't know what will become of him."

Harry shivered slightly, remembering his encounters with the dementors in his third year and on Privet Drive last year. "Are you alright?" Ginny asked, noting the sudden change that had come over him.

Ron and Hermione looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine," Harry said, still shaking. "I just hope I didn't do you guys a disservice last night by letting you use the cheering charm. I don't want anyone to get overconfident but half the battle in performing the Patronus Charm lies in knowing you can do it."

"Is it really that bad?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, hunching his shoulders and doing everything he could to shake the memories off, "it's really that bad."

"Too bad we couldn't bottle that cheering charm," Ron said disappointedly. "It would sure make the aurors' jobs a lot easier."

Hermione laid her paper down and looked at Ron, her mind obviously working on a solution to the problem. "That's it!" she exclaimed after several seconds. "Ron, you're a genius!"

Ron looked at Hermione then looked inquisitively across at Harry who shrugged his shoulders. "Not bottling it, of course. That would be too cumbersome and would take too much time in the heat of battle but . . . Oh, Ron, I could kiss you!"

Ron looked at Harry again who once more shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't you see?" Hermione asked excitedly. "Fred and George! They have developed everything from Canary Creams to Nosebleed Nougats. Why couldn't they develop a simple, edible candy with a cheering charm locked inside?" She stood up so fast that she almost knocked the bench she had been sitting on over along with all of its occupants. "I'm going to owl them right away," she said excitedly, stepping over the bench. "Can I borrow Pigwidgeon, Ron?"

"Yeah, sure," Ron said. "But where's my kiss?"

Hermione quickly bent down and kissed him on the cheek and turned towards the door.

"Tell them it will have to be a strong one - the stronger the better," Harry called after her.

Hermione waved her hand over her head to signify that she had heard as she raced out the door on her way to the owlry.

"What was that all about?" Professor McGonagall asked as she walked up behind Harry and Ginny.

Harry, Ron and Ginny all jumped at the sound of McGonagall's voice but Ginny was the first to recover. "Fred and George and cheering charms," she said cryptically.

Professor McGonagall looked at Ginny for a few seconds, a confused expression on her face, then said, "Be that as it may, I want to see the three of you in the Transfiguration room at seven o'clock this evening for our first quidditch meeting of the year."

Hermione caught up with Harry and Ron on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts and as Ron pulled some toast and marmalade sandwiches he had prepared for her out of his pocket she explained what she had done. "I told them everything," she began excitedly. "I told them about the class last night . . ."

"I hope you left the part about Neville's bulldog out," Harry interrupted. "They would never let me live that one down."

Hermione ignored him. "I told them about your advice before we began working on our Patronus Charms. I told them about the difficulties some people were having and how it all tied into being able to think of a happy memory. I told them about the cheering charms we used and about our subsequent successes. I told them about the article this morning and about Ron's comments about bottling a cheering charm and your warning that it would have to be a strong cheering charm to work in an actual confrontation with a dementor."

Ron put his arm around her shoulders, handed her the marmalade and toast sandwiches and said, "Here, 'Mione. Eat. Breath."

Hermione looked at the sandwiches then up at Ron and, taking the sandwiches, smiled up at him and said, "Thank you," as she leaning into his shoulder.

Despite being preoccupied with the dementor problem Harry was able to pay attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms that morning. Well, most of the time anyway. On a few occasions, like when Tonks was teaching them the basics of a masking spell or when Professor Flitwick was reviewing the Blue Bell Flame charm, either Ron or Hermione had caught him with a closed look on his face and nudged him to bring him back to the realities at hand.

At lunch Ron and Hermione watched Harry carefully, concerned that he might be lapsing into some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. When he didn't show any signs of eating the meager rations he had asked Dobby to send up Ron took the initiative and, leaning across the table, softly asked, "What's the matter, Harry? You've been quiet all morning. What's wrong?"

Ginny glanced up then turned to look at Harry, an expression of concern etched on her face. Harry looked into Ginny's eyes and, feeling the love that she held for him, knew that an emotional outburst wouldn't do anyone any good. So, he looked back down at his plate and played with his food for several seconds, aware that the others were watching him, then said, "The dementors . . ."

"What about them?" Ron asked.

"The Patronus charm is a defensive maneuver. That's all it has ever been and that's all it will ever be. We need to find a more permanent solution."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"Dementors are a menace!" Harry said, voicing his concerns for the first time. "They live to destroy hope and happiness. So long as they exist no one will ever truly be free of their influence. There has to be some way to destroy them.

"According to 'Magical Philosophy and its Many Manifestations' everything in the universe has some kind of energy signature and can, therefore, be manipulated through magical means. What we need to do is find out everything we can about their energy signatures and find a way to destroy them because I don't know about you guys but so far as I am concerned one dementor is one too many."

"But no one's ever been able to measure a dementor's signature," Hermione said, recalling something she had read in the library the year before. "No one's been able to get close enough to measure it without feeling its effects."

Harry sat silently thinking this over when something he had heard on the news shortly after returning to Privet Drive the previous summer popped into his mind. "What was that thing about the space-based telescope that was in the news last summer, Hermione?" he asked. "Wasn't there something about it being able to measure the energy signatures of distant galaxies even though it couldn't see them?"

Ron and Ginny looked at each other at a total loss for words and not knowing what to think. Hermione, however, looked thoughtfully at the corn on her plate for a few seconds before allowing a smile of understanding to begin spreading across her face. When she looked up the others knew that she was on to something. "Yes," she said. "It has something to do with measuring the electromagnetic energy signatures of stars. But can it be adapted to the magical world?"

"There's only one way to find out," Harry said, standing up and stepping over the bench. "Hold that thought. I'll be right back."

Harry walked quickly up to the teacher's table and over to stand in front of Professor Dumbledore. Several heads turned and watched as he passed but no one really paid all that much attention. Harry was secretly glad that, even though he had earned quite a reputation over the years and that many still stood in awe of him as 'The-Boy-Who-Lived,' his classmates and schoolmates were finally accepting him as one of their own.

Professor Dumbledore looked up as Harry approached and didn't seem at all surprised when he walked over to stand in front of him. "Yes, Harry?" he asked. "What can I do for you today?"

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick looked up in surprise as Harry leaned over the table. "Professor," Harry began, remembering the formalities of the student-teacher relationship that were to be observed outside of the Headmaster's Office, "we need your help with something."

Dumbledoor peered at Harry over his half-moon glasses, his blue eyes sparkling with interest and anticipation. Nodding his head he said, "Go on."

"We need to find some way of measuring the energy signature of a dementor. We already know that a proper reading has never been done because no one has been able to get close enough to do a proper reading without feeling the effects. But we've been talking and we think there might be a way." Harry explained about the Hubble Space Telescope and some of its capabilities and described his hope of finding a way of adapting some small portion of that muggle technology to the wizarding world so that an energy signature reading could be done on a dementor from a distance. "What I would like to know, sir," he said in closing, "is if any of the muggle-born's parents work in this field. I think they call it 'Physics.' If so, I would like to know if there is any way I could meet with them and a few Unspeakables from the Department of Mysteries, that you feel can be trusted, to explain what we are up against and what we are trying to do."

Professor Dumbledore looked into Harry's eyes for several seconds while pondering this information then nodded. "I'll see what I can do," he said.

Harry thanked him and went back to his table. As he sat back down next to Ginny and began eating ravenously to catch up with his friends Ron looked over at him and said, "Well?"

Harry looked up with an evil grin on his face and said, "Those dementor's days are numbered."

As they entered the Potions classroom later that afternoon Professor Snape looked up and snarled, "Potter! Over here."

Harry glanced apprehensively at Ron and Hermione then broke away from the line of students entering the classroom and approached the Potions Master's desk. Snape was leaning low over his desk, looking to be examining someone's summer essay. Harry looked down and saw that it was the summer essay he had written after receiving written confirmation of his O.W.L. results. "Closer," Snape hissed barely loud enough to be heard. Harry bent lower. "I want you to know that you have earned my respect," Snape murmured just loud enough for Harry to hear. "By defeating the most powerful death squad that has been assembled in many years you have given the Dark Lord something to think about. I am still struggling with the idea of forgiving your father and his . . . friends but I want you to understand that I cannot play favorites. I no longer have anything personal against you but I want you to understand that so far as everyone else is concerned, between us it is going to be business as usual. I am not the only spy in attendance at Hogwarts and I cannot afford to blow my cover."

Startled, Harry glanced up at the Potions Master and said, just as softly, "Yes sir."

Snape grabbed Harry's hand before he could stand up and hissed, "One more thing, Potter. I would appreciate it if you could explain to Longbottom that I have to appear to loath the two of you because your parents were formidable forces in their day and if I let anyone even suspect that I respected either of you in any way my cover would be blown."

"Yes, sir," Harry said and stood up.

"And from now on, Potter," Snape said loudly enough that everyone in the room could hear, "I expect you to apply yourself to you studies because I will not accept such shoddy workmanship from my Advanced Potions Students."

""Yes, sir," Harry said more loudly, retrieving his Potions essay, that was clearly marked with an'O', and heading back to sit between Ron and Neville.

"What was that all about?" Ron whispered while Harry was busy setting up his cauldron.

"Oh, just business as usual," Harry groaned while trying to think of a way to get Neville alone to explain the situation.

At five-minutes-to-seven that evening Harry Ron and Ginny walked into the Transfiguration classroom to join their teammates and await Professor McGonagall's arrival. As co-captains, however, Harry and Ron looked nervously around when they realized that with the departures of Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet and the resignations of Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper they were the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. "Uh, guys," Ron said nervously, "I think we're going to have to do a little rebuilding this year."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Ron," Ginny said sarcastically. "The only question now is where to start."

"I think tryouts might be a good place," Harry said offhandedly.

"I agree, Mister Potter," Professor McGonagal said from the back of the room, causing all three students to jump. "We do, indeed have a lot of rebuilding to do this year and tryouts is a good place to start. This year, however, we are going to be fielding two teams. One will be the official Gryffindor Quidditch Team and the other will be our reserve team in case anyone gets hurt. All of the houses will be fielding two teams this year and the heads of house will be calling the practices. Our tryouts will be this coming Saturday evening, from six until nine, and our practice times will be on Monday and Wednesday evenings and every fourth Sunday afternoon. You should also know that all practices and games are going to be monitored for security reasons.

Yes, Mister Weasley," she added at the surprised expression on Ron's face, "security had been tightened."

Looking at the faces of the three stunned students her expression softened slightly as she said, "I'm sorry but this is how things are going to be for the next few years. I like quidditch as much you do but unfortunately we are on a wartime footing and we cannot afford to take any chances. As co-captains, and as members of the Order, I would like the two of you, Mister Weasley and Mister Potter, to use this experience to your advantage and look upon it as a learning experience in the formation of battle plans and strategies. We aren't going to have much practice time so you are going to have to pick your team members carefully. All of you will have to be willing and able to work together as a cohesive, military unit. I will, of course, have the final say but I will be relying upon your observations and suggestions."

Turning to Ginny she said, "I trust you will be trying out for the Seeker position on the reserve team?" she asked even though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Er, I was actually thinking about trying out for one of the Chaser positions," Ginny said hesitantly. "But if you want me to stay on as reserve Seeker I will."

Professor McGonagal smiled briefly. "I think that can be arranged," she said. "However, I would like to keep you on as a reserve Seeker. So apparently this year we will have two reserve Seekers, if you become one of our Chasers."

Ginny nodded briefly then looked down at the table.

"That will be all," the Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor House said. "I expect to see the three of you on the quidditch pitch at six o'clock Saturday afternoon."

"Yes, ma'am," the three teens said as they stood up and turned to leave.

"Oh, and that was a very good game you played at the end of the year last year. I hope you can repeat it again this year because I am getting used to that cup being in my office."

Ron and Ginny smiled at each other and Ron threw an arm around Harry's shoulders as Ginny gently took hold of his hand that was on her side.

Out in the hall, as they made their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry was thinking furiously, trying to think of anything but the remorse and guilt he felt for getting kicked off the team the previous year after Malfoy had purposely baited him into a fight. As they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady Ron said, "Cheer up, mate. I know it still bugs you but Malfoy isn't here anymore and with the three of us on the same team there's no way we can lose!"

Harry looked tiredly up at Ron and said, "Yeah, but do the other teams know that; and what are we going to do about the other positions?"

Ginny squeezed his hand. "I don't think we should have any trouble filling them. There really is quite a bit of talent in Gryffindor and if last year's try outs are any indication we should have a fairly decent pool to choose from."

Harry smiled at Ginny's confidence. "Yeah," he said solemnly. "I hope so."