A/N
Sorry folks – only one chapter this week. Been a bit hectic with other stuff!
Thanks so much again to all my reviewers, especially to those who said that Harry Potter and the Legilimens Curse is like reading Book 6. I'm really trying to keep this as canon as possible, so I'm delighted that you think so too!

Sorry about the fluff in the last chapter, but it was kind of unavoidable
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DISCLAIMER: I own nothing – it all belongs to JK Rowling.
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For the next few weeks, Harry found himself snowed under with schoolwork again.  His homework load seemed to be getting greater all the time.

"What's with the teachers?" he grumbled to Ron, staggering under a load of Transfiguration and Charms reference books. "I mean, we're only writing NEWTs next year – why are they trying to overload us now?"

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," said Hermione prissily, earning a sharp look from Ron.

"Easy for you to say, Miss Know-It-All, but for us lesser mortals, it's not so great," he snapped.

Hermione and Ron's relationship had taken a new twist since the Quidditch Ball. Although they were now clearly a couple, they hadn't stopped sniping at each other and spats still broke out regularly. However, they seemed to have found a much more interesting way of making up. Harry had discovered this by accident when stumbling in on them in the empty Transfiguration classroom one afternoon after they'd just had a cataclysmic row. He hadn't been able to look either of them in the eye for two days.

On a more worrying note, Harry had experienced stinging in his scar more and more regularly. There had been no more blinding flashes of pain, but he was quite sure that something was going on with Voldemort, and that no-one was telling him about it. He cornered Lupin one Friday evening after their Legilimency lesson.

"What's going on, Remus?" he said abruptly. "Don't tell me it's all quiet – my scar's been hurting again, so I know it isn't."

Lupin looked at him with tired eyes. "There's been a few attacks on Order members, but no-one's been hurt yet," he started carefully.

"WHAT!" shouted Harry. "Why doesn't anyone TELL me this stuff?"

"There's not much you can do about it," said Lupin, rubbing his temples. The grey in his hair had become more evident in recent weeks. "Anyway, I'm not even sure exactly how many attacks there have been, or who's been involved."

"Why not?" Harry demanded furiously. "You're in the Order, aren't you?" He got up and started to pace. "Don't tell me this is going to be a repeat performance of last year, where I'm kept in the dark and …"

"Harry, sit down," said Lupin. Harry glared at him. "I'm not kidding – SIT!"

Harry sat. It was the first time that Lupin had lost his temper with him.

"Listen to me," said Lupin. "The way we're running the Order now is very different from the last time. We each operate individually, and we don't know what everyone else is up to. It's literally on a need-to-know basis, and the only person who has a total understanding and knowledge of what's going on is Dumbledore."

"I don't get it," said Harry, scratching his head in confusion. "Surely you all need to know what's going on?"

Lupin shook his head. "The most effective way for us to operate is in small cells, where we each have a job to do and carry it out – no questions asked. That way, if we get caught by the Death Eaters and they use methods like the Cruciatus Curse or Veritaserum to get information out of us, we can't spill the beans on the whole operation – only on what we know."

"Oh – right," said Harry, a little embarrassed that he hadn't thought about this. "But ..."

Lupin stood up and went over to the window. "Harry, I thought you would have learned a little more after your experiences of last year," he said quietly. "We're not doing this to upset you. We're not even doing this just to protect you any more. We're doing this to protect others too – there's a lot more at stake now."

He turned to face Harry. "Please trust us, Harry – has going by Dumbledore's instructions ever led you into trouble before?"

Harry shook his head dumbly. In fact, not following instructions had been what had gotten him into trouble in the past.

"It's just so frustrating," he said weakly.

"I know," said Lupin understandingly. "I sometimes feel the same way. But if my ignorance means saving lives, then I'm happy to carry on not knowing everything. Maybe you should try to think about it the same way."

***

Tonks had decided to step up the pace in their DA meetings. She sat them all down for a serious chat at the next session.

"OK, you've all mastered most of the major defensive curses and hexes," she said quietly. "But you're still not fast enough. I'd say, right now, that the only people who have the speed required to survive a proper duel with determined and skilled opponents are Harry and Neville."

Neville flushed bright red. He had worked harder than anyone at the DA meetings, and Harry knew he was even putting in extra hours practicing. Over the last few weeks, Harry had been impressed with his progress. It seemed that Neville had finally found something – other than Herbology – that he was really good at. But then, he had more motivation than most.

"I think that you all need to understand one thing, and understand it well," said a new voice from the back of the room. They all turned to find Dumbledore standing there. "It is one thing to know how to do these spells. It is another to be prepared to use them."

He strode to the front of the room.

"I am immensely proud of the work that is being done here," he said, smiling. "However, I cannot over-stress the importance of the need to be single-minded in your purpose when you are required to defend yourselves. Please know one thing – Voldemort's supporters do not hesitate to kill, maim, torture and destroy. You will need to do the same to defend yourself against them."

Dumbledore looked around the group of young people, all watching him avidly.

"To illustrate this, I believe the time has come for some of your number to explain to you what it is really like to face a group of Death Eaters," he said softly. There were gasps from his audience, and a few people looked surreptitiously at Harry. "You will only understand what I mean when you realize what it is that you're up against."

He motioned for Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna to come to the front.

"I'm sorry to put you through this again," he said to them quietly. "But they need to know. Please – tell your classmates about your experiences in the Department of Mysteries last year. They don't need to know why you were there – just what happened." He conjured up a comfortable armchair and sat, steepling his fingers together and watching them over the top.

Harry started shaking uncontrollably. He knew why this needed to be done, but he wasn't sure that he could actually do it. He stared at the floor, feeling Ginny take his hand and squeeze it. Looking into her determined brown eyes, he suddenly found the strength to begin.

He'd always thought that talking about it would make the pain of Sirius's death worse. But looking around the room as he spoke, he realized that he could try and make something good come out of this. Harry watched the faces of his classmates become ashen as he talked about the fight, with the others chipping in now and then to fill in parts that Harry hadn't been involved in.

When he described the final duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore, Ernie McMillan's eyes became as round as saucers. Harry finally stopped speaking and the room became utterly silent and still. Harry was holding Ginny's hand in a death grip to stop himself from trembling – suddenly, the loss of Sirius seemed real and immediate, not as distant as he had tried to make it in the last few months. He stared fixedly at the wall opposite, his face burning.

Dumbledore stood. "Thank you," he said. "I know that was difficult for you all." Ron was unconsciously rubbing at his forearms, eyes distant, as he remembered his tussle with the brains. Hermione had her hand pressed to her ribs, and Neville was glaring around the group, as if daring anyone to say anything. Luna's protuberant blue eyes were blazing with a fire that Harry had never seen before.

"I believe that the day is coming, and coming soon, where we may need to call upon your skills," said Dumbledore to the group. "You need to make a decision here and now. If you stay in this group, and continue with the development of your skills, you may be asked to risk all to defend those who can't defend themselves. If you feel that you cannot do this, I am going to have to ask you to leave."

There was a resounding silence. Then Justin Finch-Fletchley looked up at Dumbledore. "Sir, I can't speak for the others, but I'm in," he said firmly. "We all knew what we were getting into when we joined this group, but just hearing what Harry and the others have been through has shown me how much we'll need this. I want to carry on learning."

Susan Bones was nodding. "I've lost too many members of my family to Voldemort and his followers," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm in, too."

Everyone else was nodding and murmuring affirmatives. Harry spotted Hannah Abbott watching Neville with shining eyes.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore simply. He turned to Tonks. "Well, then, Professor – I will leave you to continue with your class."

As soon as he left, the others surrounded them. Ernie McMillan shook Harry's hand rather formally.

"What's this for?" said Harry, confused.

"Well, for what you did," said Ernie. "I mean, we were really surprised when you told us last year about the Philosopher's Stone, and the Basilisk, and all that stuff, but this takes the cake. You're a dark horse, Harry – but I'll give you one thing. You've got guts."

"Thanks, Ernie," said Harry, embarrassed. "But you know what? You'd have done just fine too – it's amazing what you can do when you're pushed into a corner."

Tonks clapped her hands. "Right, everyone – let's get to work. I want you working in pairs, and we'll be focusing tonight on the Shield Charm. By the end of the session, you all need to be a lot faster than you are now. Neville, Harry – you two work together."

By the end of the meeting, Harry was hot, sweaty and completely amazed. Neville had improved beyond his wildest expectations. Harry hadn't managed to get a single hex through Neville's Shield Charm, though Neville had come very close to getting a Jelly Legs Curse through Harry's.

"Wow, Neville," said Harry, panting. "You have been working hard."

Suddenly, he became aware that everyone was standing in a circle around them. "Now, that's how it's done!" said Tonks proudly, marching over to them.

"Have you all been watching us?" said Neville, shocked.

"Only for about the last ten minutes," said Tonks, grinning at his discomfiture. "It was hard for anyone else to focus while you two were going at each other like that. Right, everyone – good work. That's it for the night! See you next week."

The group started filing out of the door. "Harry, Neville?" called Tonks. "How about you two staying behind to help clear up some of the mess you made?"

Looking around, Harry was surprised to see the debris of furniture and bookshelves, which had obviously been caused by the rebounding of their curses off each other's Shields. Grinning shamefacedly at each other, they set to work.

Fifteen minutes later, they left a much neater Room of Requirement. Talking quietly together, they were heading back to the common-room when Neville nearly tripped over Cho, who was sitting on the third floor stairs. She stood up quickly.

"Er … Harry? Could I have a word with you?" she said, blushing furiously.

Casting a desperate look in Neville's direction (Don't go! DON'T GO! he willed Neville frantically), Harry was forced to nod when Neville shot off down the corridor.

"Um … so, what's up?" he said, trying to get her to walk with him. She refused to budge.

"Well, I was just wondering … are you and Ginny Weasley a serious item?" she said abruptly.

He gaped at her. He really hadn't been expecting this. "Well…" he started, then stopped when her dark eyes welled with tears.

"Oh Harry, I really messed it up with you, didn't I?" she whispered brokenly. "And now when I want you back, you've found someone else."

"You… you WHAT?" floundered Harry, completely floored by this news. "But I thought you and Michael …"

"He's not you," said Cho. "I only went out with him because I thought you weren't interested – you seemed so angry all the time. But tonight, when you told your story, I could understand why. You're so brave, and strong…"

She looked mistily up at him and moved closer.

"There's no-one like you, Harry…" she whispered in his ear as she snaked her arms around his neck. "No-one …"

Harry froze. Great, he thought bitterly. They teach us how to defend ourselves against death, and how to inflict injury and maim people, but they don't teach us how to deal with nutty girls. He put his hands up to remove her arms from around him, and in that instant caught a glimpse of a redhead turning away from the end of the corridor. It was Ginny, and she had obviously seen them.

Harry swore and pulled roughly away from Cho. "I'm with Ginny now, and I'm really happy with her," he said. "Leave me alone, Cho – nothing's ever going to happen between you and me again."

He took off at a run towards the end of corridor, but Ginny was gone.

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Please review! Thanks again to my regular reviewers for keeping me going – much appreciated!