Exodus

The Trial had given Harry a new freedom that had been missing ever since his sixth-year started. Malfoy had stopped taunting him, instead choosing to spend his time with his schoolwork, and Percy seemed to have abandoned the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, muttering something about a campaign. Ron was worried about this, as he didn't think that his brother would make a good Minister. 'You watch,' he had told Harry dismally on the way to their Defense class. 'First thing he'll do is tell the Prophet that You-Know-Who is just a figment of our imagination or something ridiculous like that,'

    October meant more than the Quidditch season, it also meant Halloween, which always meant a trip to Hogsmeade. Seamus found Harry that day in the common room, and sat next to him. 'Hey,' he said softly. 'We have a Hogsmeade trip during Halloween,'

    'Yeah, I know,' said Harry, setting down his quill.

    'I was wondering …' Seamus paused, looking uncertain, '… we haven't had a first date yet. I was wondering if you wanted to … get a drink or something?'

    Harry burst into a grin. 'I'd love to,'

    Seamus looked immensely relieved. 'Great. The Three Broomsticks?'

    'Sure,' Harry smiled. Seamus nodded, got up and left, leaving Harry alone. Harry sighed, wishing that Seamus would stay but he knew that that would be dangerous. If anyone found out or even suspected about his relationship, it would be all over the Daily Prophet, and Voldemort would have yet another weapon to use against him. Just like he had used Sirius …

    Harry felt his eyes tearing up, and he blinked them back. Ron and Hermione had gone to monitor the halls, as it was part of their prefect duties. All in all, they had been growing apart by the level of responsibilities they had slowly attained. Ron and Hermione, being sixth-years, were now being carefully watched by McGonagall, as she had to decide if they were good enough to make Head Boy and Head Girl next year. Harry had been loaded with the amount of schoolwork he had, along with being Quidditch Captain and leading the Defense Association as well as Dumbledore's Army. Actually, it was a miracle they were still friends considering how little they saw each other these days.

    He was getting nowhere in his work, so Harry decided to get something to eat. He got up and looked around, hoping that Seamus would want to come with him into the kitchens, but he saw his boyfriend talking with Dean Thomas, a big grin on his face. Harry wondered if Seamus had told Dean about his relationship with Harry, but decided that Dean could be trusted. They were all, after all, roommates.

    He went to the kitchens alone and tickled the pear in the portrait. It giggled, and the portrait swung open. Harry climbed in, and there was a great shout for joy. The house-elves loved serving anyone who came into the kitchen looking for food.

    'Hello, Harry Potter!' said Dobby, who rushed up immediately when he saw Harry. His large green eyes were shining with excitement.

    'Hello, Dobby,' said Harry. 'Don't think you could fix me up with a few crumpets, could you?'

    'Of course, sir!' said Dobby, bowing low, the rest of the house-elves bowing along with him. 'We is having another guest,'

    'Really?' Harry asked in surprise, for he had not seen anyone else in the room. 'Who?'

    'Potter without the Weasel and Mudblood?' said an all-too familiar voice. 'Excuse me while I go to witness hell freezing over,'

    'Figures that you would know how to get there, Malfoy,' retorted Harry. 'I'm just surprised you decided to acknowledge lower beings such as house-elves to your arrogant eyes,'

    'Shows how much you know,' said Malfoy. 'I always acknowledge the house-elves. I've been coming here ever since my first year with Crabbe and Goyle,'

    Harry narrowed his eyes. 'Better make those crumpets to go, Dobby,' he said.

    'Don't bother,' said Malfoy, getting up. 'I was just leaving,'

    'But Master isn't finished sandwich,' said Dobby.

    'Hmm? Oh, I'm not hungry anymore,' said Malfoy, glaring at Harry. 'I lost my appetite,'

    Harry rolled his eyes. It suddenly occurred to him that this was the perfect chance to prove the Sorting Hat wrong. That Gryffindors and Slytherins couldn't get along. 'Don't be ridiculous,' he said. 'I think we can get through one snack without ripping each other's heads off,'

    Malfoy looked surprised, and then his lip curled. But just then, he looked into Harry's eyes and surprised Harry by saying, 'I know what you're trying to do,'

    'Oh?' asked Harry.

    'I can see the smirk in your eyes, Potter,' said Malfoy. 'I can practically see those rusty gears in your head trying to move. You really need to get a grip on your emotions,'

    'You haven't answered the question, Malfoy,' challenged Harry.

    'It's so obvious. You're waiting for me to turn you down and insult you, so that you can go running to Dumbledore and tell him that the Sorting Hat is wrong about inter-house relations. Well …' Malfoy leered at him, and took a seat, arms crossed defiantly on his chest. Harry felt disappointed that Malfoy hadn't taken the bait, but he sat down as well. Dobby, who had been watching the exchange, rushed off to prepare Harry's crumpets and making Malfoy another sandwich.

    'So …' Harry began, but Malfoy cut him off.

    'No talking,' the blonde said imperiously. 'Just because I'm sitting here with you doesn't mean that we're suddenly friends. Sorry to disappoint you,'

     Harry rolled his eyes. 'You are so full of it,'

    Malfoy didn't say anything but waited for his food.

    'Look—'

    'When the food comes, it will be easier, as you'll be stuffing your face with your crumpets,' snapped Malfoy. 'Until then, just try to control yourself. Chew on your tongue or something to pass the time,'

    'I don't even know why I bother,' said Harry angrily. 'You know, you may be sitting down here, but your attitude is just proving my point. A Gryffindor and Slytherin can't get along,'

    'And why should they?' asked Malfoy coldly. 'We both know that by the end of next year, one of us will be dead. Or maybe both. And we both know that we'll go down fighting each other,'

    'And how do you know that?'

    'A Malfoy,' said Draco haughtily, 'knows everything,'

    Harry snorted. 'Conceited bastard,' he muttered. Malfoy glowered at him, but didn't say anything. The two of them just sat there, looking everywhere but at each other. Harry's cheeks burned with indignation though he didn't know why. He and Malfoy always were, and always will be, enemies. There was nothing that would change that.

    Dobby came to them, carrying a platter of food. 'Your meals, Masters,' he said.

    'Dobby, you shouldn't call us Masters,' said Harry. 'You're not a slave,'

    Dobby looked worriedly at Malfoy, who was still ignoring Harry. Harry glanced at him and back to Dobby.

    'Especially to him,' he added.

    Malfoy fixed him with an icy stare. 'Hah,' he said. 'Dobby knows he has nothing to fear from me, don't you Dobby?'

    'Y—yes, Master,' stuttered Dobby.

    'He's shaking,' said Harry. 'You know, maybe you should leave, Malfoy,'

    'Too late, offer's gone,' said Malfoy. He took his sandwich and ate the end delicately. Harry tossed his crumpet in his mouth, and was sure he heard Malfoy mutter something along the lines of 'uncouth pig'.

    'What was that?' asked Harry.

    'I called you a decorum-challenged uncouth pig,' said Malfoy. 'Why, got a problem?'

    'You just insulted me and you're asking if I have a problem with it?' asked Harry in disbelief.

    'I believe I just did,' said Malfoy. 'Toughen up, Potter. If you can't even handle an insult, how do you expect to handle a Killing Curse from the Dark Lord?'

    'I've handled Killing Curses from Voldemort before, thank you,' said Harry coolly. Though Malfoy had never said Voldemort's name, Harry noticed he didn't flinch like most people he knew. He could at least give his nemesis credit for that. 'Loads of them,'

    'Yes, and escaped on lucky chances,' said Malfoy. 'What if the Dark Lord decided to get a new wand? That would eliminate Priori Incantatem for you, wouldn't it? What if you're battling in a barren wasteland where there's no wizard statue to get hit by the curse? And for goodness sake, ask that house-elf what it wants. It's been there for fifteen minutes already,'

    Harry turned and saw Winky watching them carefully, hidden almost out of sight, as if trying to avoid being seen. 'Hello, Winky,' he said. 'Alright?'

    'Wi—Winky is wanting to know if sirs is wanting for more food,' said Winky, stepping out of the shadows. She was dressed in a little yellow dress which was stained with what looked like Butterbeer and soot.

    'I'm alright,' said Harry, and he turned to Malfoy. 'What about you?'

    'Fine,' said Malfoy. Winky nodded, and ran off. Malfoy turned back to Harry. 'Well, Potter? What would you do in those situations?'

    'That's the whole point of the Defense Association, isn't it, Malfoy?' said Harry, taking a bit of his crumpet. 'To learn how to protect ourselves,'

    'I'm glad you see it that way,' said Malfoy. 'So why don't you cut the crap, and teach us something useful, you muffin?'

    Harry didn't reply, allowing the insult to bounce off him. 'I have to go,'

    'I'm not stopping you,' said Malfoy. 'Just make sure no prefect finds out that you're in the kitchen, or you'll most probably be reported to a teacher,'

    'Right,' said Harry, getting up from his seat. There was a puddle of water on the floor, and he made sure to not step on it.

    'Oh, and Potter,' said Malfoy, as Harry was about to open the door to the portrait. 'I'm a prefect too you know,'

    Harry stared daggers at him and walked out of the kitchen. Malfoy wouldn't tell, particularly because he wasn't allowed near the kitchens either. As there was no one around, Harry deemed it safe to sneak back up into Gryffindor Tower.

    When he got back, Ron and Hermione were there already. Ron looked grumpy, and had his wand out. Hermione didn't seem to notice Ron's moodiness, and she had her wand out too, and they were both flicking it. When he got close, they said, 'Marmor!' but nothing happened. Harry noticed that they were practicing on quills. 'Oh, I don't know what we're doing wrong,' said Hermione in frustration. 'We've been doing this for almost a month, and have gotten nowhere!'

    'Well, McGonagall said that it's hard,' shrugged Ron. 'Hey, Harry,' he greeted when he saw his friend approaching. 'Where were you?'

    'Kitchens,' said Harry. 'With Malfoy,'

    He grinned when Ron and Hermione dropped their wands in shock.

    'Malfoy?' repeated Hermione. 'Oh, Harry, were you alone?'

    'Yes,' said Harry.

    Ron had gone pale. 'Mate, are you off your rocker?' he asked. 'Did Malfoy try to hex you? He did, didn't he? I knew it!'

    Harry laughed. 'Ron, calm down. Malfoy didn't try to hex me. In fact, he wanted to leave when I came, but I told him to stay,'

    Ron and Hermione exchanged confused looks. 'You … er … told him to stay?' asked Hermione in a tone that suggested that she thought Harry had gone off the deep end. 'Why in the world would you do that? You know how dangerous he is,'

    'He wasn't about to try anything right in front of the house-elves,' reasoned Harry. 'But we didn't get along, I assure you. There's no way we're suddenly going to become friends or anything like that,'

    'Promise?' asked Ron in a small tone. Harry laughed.

    'Promise,'

    They relaxed visibly. 'So what did you talk about?' asked Hermione. 'Were you investigating him or what?'

    'I was investigating him, no,' said Harry. 'We just talked. I wanted to ask him what happened to Crabbe and Goyle, but he didn't want to talk. In the end, he just asked me how I was going to defend myself against Voldemort—' Ron winced, '—if I didn't start teaching anything good in the Defense Association. Then I left,'

    'Pretty dull,' said Ron.

    'Not really,' said Harry. 'We spent most of the time insulting each other, so it wasn't that dull. Oh, and Winky was there,' he told Hermione, who sat up straighter. 'She seems loads better now. Managed to get out whole sentences without crying and everything,'

    'Good,' said Hermione in a proud voice. 'I knew she would get over Mr. Crouch soon. He really didn't deserve such a good house-elf, you know,'

    Ron sighed, rolling his eyes. 'Yes, Hermione. We know, we know,'

    Hermione frowned, but didn't say anything. 'I don't know why I bother with this stupid charm,' she said despairingly. 'I've read everything I could about it, but it hasn't helped me at all,'

    'What about taking a break?' suggested Ron.

    'We already took one,' said Hermione.

    'We were patrolling the hallways!' Ron cried.

    'Oh, please,' Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Don't tell me that you don't get some sort of twisted pleasure threatening the first-years to take deduct their points, and telling the other students off,'

    Ron grinned. 'Yeah, that is pretty good,' he laughed. 'I can't believe those first-years think that prefects can take off points. I certainly didn't fall for that when I was first-year,'

    'That's because they, unlike you, don't have loads of brothers to tell them all about Hogwarts,' said Hermione severely. 'You should take pit on them, Ron. They're only children,'

    'As if you're one to talk,' retorted Ron. 'What about that poor second-year you terrorized at the library last week?'

    'How hard is it?' said Hermione. 'Always put the books the place where you found them. It's not exactly Marble Transformations. I would have thought that after a whole year at Hogwarts she would have known better,'

    Harry chuckled and shook his head. 'You lot are terrible,' he said. 'Bullies, the both of you.'

    'You should see what Malfoy's doing,' said Ron.

    'Yes, just two days ago, he was screaming at the top of his lungs in the library at a Hufflepuff boy who was breathing too loudly, telling him that he was disturbing the peace' said Hermione. 'He's just lucky Madam Pince had gone out for lunch,'

    Ron was shaking with silent laughter. 'It was funny though,' he told Harry. 'The Hufflepuff was so scared, and looked like he wanted to tell Malfoy that screaming in the library was worse than breathing too loud, but couldn't,'

    'Right,' said Hermione, turning back to her wand. 'I'm going to leave Marble Transformations for a while. Want to join us in Liquid Metamorphism, Harry?'

    'Alright,' Harry said, not having anything better to do anyway.

    He got out his wand, and followed Hermione's lead. 'Aquarius Mutare!' they yelled, pointing at their quills. Nothing. By this time, Hermione was so frustrated, Harry wouldn't be surprised if she ripped up her quill right now. He tried to hide a smile and saw that Ron was doing the same too. Hermione, however, was muttering swear words at her quill under her breath hat she hadn't noticed them.

    'Hi, Harry!' Harry looked up and suppressed a groan. Colin Creevey was beaming down at him. 'I was looking for you earlier,'

    'Oh right, before I forget, Harry, Colin was looking for you earlier,' said Ron immediately. Harry threw a withering look at him, and he shrugged.

    'When's our next DA meeting?' Colin asked.

    'Which one?' asked Harry. 'The Defense Association or Dumbledore's Army?'

    'Dumbledore's Army,' replied Colin.

    'Next Monday,' said Harry, feeling a twinge of guilt. He had been paying very little attention to Dumbledore's Army because he could hardly cope with his schedule at it was. The result was that the Army had been learning as little as the Defense Association was, but he couldn't help it. His lessons barely made it to the one-hour limit. The longest class had lasted a mere fifty minutes, and that had been two weeks ago.

    Colin nodded and left them, his eyes still on Harry, who had turned back to his friends. 'Okay, one more time,' said Hermione, rolling up her sleeves.

    'Actually, Hermione,' said Harry quickly, 'I'm really tired. I think I'll just go to bed now,'

    'Oh,' said Hermione disappointedly. 'But … who will I train with?'

    Ron cleared his throat significantly.

    'Oh, I know you, Ron, but I can tell that you would rather be doing anything but studying,'

    'And Harry wouldn't?' Ron argued.

    'Good night, you two,' said Harry, eager to leave before they got into another row. Sure enough, they exploded when he left, shouting loud enough for the whole room to hear. Harry ran up the Boys Staircase and pushed the door to his room open. He made his way to his bed, and tripped on something. Getting up, he saw that his Invisibility Cloak was on the floor. He stared at it. After loaning it to Mrs. Figg, he hadn't gotten it back. Someone had come into his room, and thrown it carelessly on the floor. But who? An image of Dumbledore walking in appeared in his mind, but it was impossible. Dumbledore may have come in to return his cloak but he couldn't imagine the Headmaster tossing it like that on the floor.

    Getting to his feet, he opened the door, clutching the Cloak in his hand, and ran out. 'Harry?' he heard Ron's alarmed voice call out as he rushed past, but he didn't stop to tell him what was going on. He heard people whisper to each other as they fixed their eyes on him.

    'Look, where's his hand?'

    'Dunno. Maybe he's going to the Hospital Wing to get it fixed,'

    'Do you think he'll vanish fully or something?'

    'Don't be ridiculous, all of you,' he heard Hermione say crossly. 'Back to your activities. Now,'

    Harry silently thanked her and opened the door and running out. 'Oh, don't worry about not closing me!' he heard the Fat Lady say sarcastically. 'It's not like I don't have the power to close myself!'

    He was on his way to Dumbledore's office when he ran into Snape. 'Potter!' the Potions master snapped. 'No running in the halls. Five points from Gryff—'

    'I have to see Professor Dumbledore!' said Harry wildly. Snape raised an eyebrow.

    'The Headmaster is not here, Potter,' he said.

    'What?' Harry's eyes widened. 'Why? Where is he?'

    Snape raised an eyebrow. 'At the Ministry of Magic, Potter,' he said. 'Haven't you been reading the Daily Prophet? The Wizengamot postponed the decision of the position of Minister for Magic until today. Professor Dumbledore is there right now,'

    'I—I need to speak to him,' said Harry.

    'Then I suggest that you owl him,' said Snape silkily. 'What is it that's so important for you now, Potter?'

    Harry hesitated. 'I think someone sneaked into my bedroom,' he said truthfully.

    'Perhaps one of your fans?' Snape offered in a sarcastic tone.

    'I'm serious!' Harry yelled. 'Someone broke into my room. I don't think it was a Gryffindor either,'

    Snape's cool demeanor vanished instantly. 'How do you know this?' he asked.

    'I lent my Invisibility Cloak to Mrs. Figg on the day of the trial,' explained Harry. 'Almost two weeks ago, but I never got it back.' Snape's eyes drifted to the Cloak which was draped around Harry's right arm. Harry ignored him. 'And tonight, I went into my room, and I found it there,'

    Snape relaxed. 'No need for such alarm, Potter,' he said, the ice in his voice returning. 'The Headmaster, I assure you, has access to all houses. Either he delivered it himself, or most probably sent it through Professor McGonagall or one of the house-elves,'

    'That's just the thing,' said Harry desperately. 'I found it lying on the floor. No one would have just taken it to the Tower and then threw it on the floor like that,'

    Snape looked immediately suspicious. They looked up when they heard the sound of people running, and saw Ron and Hermione rushing up to them. 'We're—here,' Ron gasped, clutching a stitch at his side. 'What's—wrong?'

    'Potter thinks that someone sneaked into Gryffindor Tower today,' he said.

    Hermione straightened up. 'What?' she gaped. 'When?'

    'I don't know,' Harry admitted. 'I was going to find Dumbledore, but he's not here,'

    'As far as I know, the Cloak was being kept by the Headmaster,' said Snape.

    They came to the same conclusion at the same time. Without another word, they sped off. 'Oh my goodness,' Hermione cried when they arrived at the stone statue of the gargoyle. It had been overturned and was cracked and chipped.

    'Weasley,' said Snape, 'go and alert all the prefects to awaken the students and get them out of Hogwarts. Granger, alert the teachers, and bring Professor McGonagall here,'

    'Yes, sir,' they said in unison before hurrying off.

    'Potter,' Snape turned to Harry. 'Come with me. I want to investigate if any damage was done to Dumbledore's office,'

    Harry nodded, and they went in.

    It was worse than he thought. Several portraits of the past Headmasters and Headmistresses had been torn down. Fawkes was gone, and Dumbledore's table had been overturned. 'Phineas!' Snape called. 'Phineas, are you there?'

    'Down here!' Harry heard the voice of Phineas Nigellus, Sirius's ancestor. Snape lifted one of the portraits, which were lying facedown on the floor. Phineas was there, looking shaken. 'What happened?' Snape demanded.

    'After Dumbledore left, everything was quiet for a while,' Phineas reported. 'Then we heard a shout, and then some sort of commotion outside. After a while, the door opened, and a bunch of men came in, holding their wands. One of them ordered the others to search for something. They ripped us off and made this mess,' he gestured to the vandalism around the room.

    'Who were they?' asked Harry.

    'They were masked,' said Phineas. 'I heard one of them ask if they should shoot it, but the leader—that's the guy who told them to tear the place apart—said not unless he wanted to be punished,'

    'Death Eaters,' murmured Snape, but Harry had already figured that before Phineas had told them anything.

    'What did they want to shoot?' he asked Phineas.

    'I don't know,' Phineas shook his head. 'They didn't say. They just referred to it as 'it','

    'Maybe they meant Fawkes,' mused Harry. 'Maybe they wanted to shoot Fawkes. Or one of the portraits,'

    Snape paid him no attention. 'What did they look like?'

    'I already told you that they were masked,' said Phineas irritably. 'I tried to go to my other portrait at the House of Black and warning the redheads, but they ripped me off, and I can't very well do that without being on the wall,'

    'What happened to the bird?' asked Snape.

    'I don't know. It was here the last time I saw it,' said Phineas. 'Probably flew off into hiding. Lucky coward,'

    'Phoenixes don't go into hiding, Nigellus. You know that very well, as they are immortal,' said Snape. 'It must have gone to alert Dumbledore,'

    McGonagall came in and surveyed the scene in horror, before turning to Snape and Harry. 'Ms. Granger told me that you asked me to come. What happened?'

    'A raid, Minerva,' said Snape grimly. 'Death Eaters attacked the moment Dumbledore left. The phoenix ran to tell Dumbledore, I assume,'

    'Knocked off poor ol' Cecile Witchbaron,' said Phineas.  'She was squawking on about how their not allowed to be here, and this man with big muscles threatened to chop off her mouth with his axe, before throwing her out the window. Think she landed somewhere in the bushes below,'

    'Macnair,' said Snape. 'Malfoy must have been here too,'

    'What do want to bet that he was the one who ordered them around?' said Harry darkly. McGonagall peered out the window, which was broken, and took out her wand.

    'Dumbledore's here,' she said grimly to Snape and Harry. 'I can see him and Fawkes in the Forbidden Forest. They must have just Apparated from the Ministry. Accio, portrait!'

    Harry watched as a portrait flew into the air only to be caught by McGonagall. A slim woman who looked to be about seventy was in there, shivering. Dumbledore walked through the doorway, looking very serious. 'Mr. Weasley told me that there had been some kind of attack,' he said.

    'Death Eaters, Headmaster,' said Snape. 'They were looking for Potter's Invisibility Cloak,'

    Dumbledore's blue eyes, full of worry and concern, shifted to Harry, who was standing next to Snape. 'Dreadful, dreadful. They found it?'

    'I'm afraid so,' said Snape. 'They returned it to Gryffindor Tower and left it on the floor of Potter's bedroom, where he found it, and tried to tell you. I informed him that you were at the Ministry, however,'

    'Yes, a mistake to be sure,' said Dumbledore. 'Now what remains is where the students sleep,'

    'Anywhere outside the school,' said McGonagall immediately. 'This isn't like the case with Sirius, Dumbledore. We can't just place them in the Great Hall,'

    Harry didn't see a problem. 'But Professor Dumbledore's back now,' he said to McGonagall. 'And I'm sure the Death Eaters are gone, or why would they have returned the Cloak?'

    'The question is, Harry,' said Dumbledore, 'why did the Death Eaters return the Cloak at all? I'm sure Voldemort would have wanted it in his arsenal,'

    Harry bit his lip. He didn't know the answer to that.

    Dumbledore looked back at McGonagall and Snape. 'Send the students home,' he told them. 'Until further notice, Hogwarts is closed,'

    'But how will we get the students home?' asked McGonagall. 'I suppose some could fly, but what about the Muggle-borns? And the half-bloods that live in the Muggle world? Floo-Powder would be too dangerous, Albus. Half of them have never used it before,'

    Dumbledore nodded, contemplating the problem. 'Then we have no choice,' he said. 'We shall have to call the train to pick the students up. I will not place them in harm's way by allowing them to stay here. For all we know, Hogwarts could be infested with Death Eaters right now. I need you two to go out and inform the students that the carriages will be picking them up shortly to take them to the train. Make sure that the teachers wait with the students. When they have gone, tell the teachers to return, and we shall conduct a thorough search of the school. Get the school ghosts to help, especially Peeves,'

    Harry frowned in confusion. If he were Dumbledore, he would have left Peeves out of the search. He turned to the wizened man, and opened his mouth, but Dumbledore spoke up as though reading his mind.

    'Peeves, Harry, would have been banished a long time ago if he wasn't so loyal to the school. When the students lives are threatened, you can rest assured that Peeves will do everything within his power to ensure their safety. He is also a master at conducting raids,'

    Harry nodded, and opened his mouth to ask something else, but once again, Dumbledore beat him to the punch.

    'You will return to Grimmauld's Place along with Mr. and Ms. Weasley, and Ms. Granger,' the Headmaster told him. 'Please tell them to come up to my office. I believe that they are very worried about you. They are currently assembled, along with the teachers, at the Quidditch field,'

    'Yes, sir,' said Harry, leaving the room. As he left, he heard Dumbledore say to Snape and McGonagall, 'Make sure that Flora checks the greenhouses. The Death Eaters may be hiding there.' He ran down to the Quidditch pitch, where the students were talking amongst themselves. Some of them were dressed for bed, but most were dressed in their evening clothes, as it was still quite early.

    'Harry!' Seamus called out to him. 'What's happening?'

    'The students have to go home,' said Harry. 'There's been an attack,'

    The students, who had been listening in, gasped, and began talking even more. Seamus opened his mouth to ask another question, but it was drowned by the sound of the students. Professor Flitwick and Sprout came to him, hoping for some news.

    'You have to wait here with the students until the carriages arrive,' informed Harry. They nodded, and proceeded to tell everyone. Harry could see Professor Trelawney looking anxious, standing next to Hagrid, who was biting his nails. Harry joined Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus, Dean, Neville and Luna, who bombarded him with questions.

    'What's happened?'

    'Why do we have to go home?'

    'Was it a Devil-Tailed Poru-Poru?'

    'For the last time, Luna, they don't exist,' said Hermione exasperatedly.

    'They do too,' said Luna. 'And they would do something just like this too. They like to cause chaos, and killing people,'

    'So do most things in the Forbidden Forest,' said Hermione.

    'That's not important!' snapped Ginny. She turned to Harry. 'What's going on, Harry?'

    'There's been an attack,' said Harry. 'Death Eaters. They raided Dumbledore's office while he was gone, looking for my Invisibility Cloak and—' he stopped short. He had just caught sight of Malfoy, who was watching him with the strangest expression on his face. It occurred to him that Malfoy and the other Slytherins could have told the Death Eaters that Dumbledore was going to be out tonight. He knew that they were now Death Eaters , after all.

    'Well?' asked Ron impatiently. 'They were looking for your Invisibility Cloak and?'

    'Malfoy,' whispered Harry.

    'What?' asked Dean.

    'Malfoy,' said Harry in a louder voice, not taking his eyes off the blonde, who was still eyeing him. 'Malfoy and the other Slytherins are all Death Eaters now. They could have easily told Voldemort that the castle was going to be unprotected tonight,'

    As if on cue, everyone turned to look at Malfoy. 'No, don't look!' hissed Harry. 'He'll know we're talking about him!'

    'So what?' asked Neville. 'We could hex him, right Harry?'

    'No, Neville,' said Harry sternly. 'Not out here in public,'

    'Potter!' They looked up when Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, walked briskly up to them. 'Professor Dumbledore wants you, the Weasleys, and Granger in his office. You are to go to the house immediately,'

    'The house?' asked Dean, frowning.

    'Never you mind, Thomas,' said Sinistra. 'Come on. He's waiting,'

    'Yes, ma'am,' said the four students, following her. When they got there, Dumbledore didn't say anything, but simply throwing the Floo Powder into the fire, which grew large enough to envelope them, and turning emerald green. Ron went first.

    'Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!' he yelled, before being sucked in. Ginny went next, followed by Harry.

    Traveling by Floo Powder was horrible, but he landed at Headquarters safely, albeit a bit ungracefully. He stood up and got out of the way, and a second later, Hermione was spat out of the fireplace. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was there, along with Tonks and Lupin, who went up to them, arms open. He enveloped Harry in a hug. 'What happened?' he asked. 'Phineas Nigellus appeared a few minutes ago, telling us to prepare for your arrival,'

    'The school's been invaded,' said Harry.

    'Sit down,' said Tonks, pointing at the table. 'Tell us everything,'

    'Yes, I want to hear this too,' said Ginny. They sat down at the table, and Mrs. Weasley went to make a pot of tea. 'Alright, what happened, Harry?'

    Harry opened his mouth, but then they heard the doorbell. Mr. Weasley got up and opened the door, and a second later, Fred, George, Angelina and Katie appeared. 'Katie Apparated in the joke shop just now,' said Fred.

    'She told us that Hogwarts was under siege or something,' said Angelina.

    'What were you doing in Fred and George's joke shop so late at night?' inquired Mr. Weasley distrustfully. Angelina blushed.

    'Nothing,' she said in a guilty tone, before quickly turning to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. 'So is this true? Hogwarts has been taken over?'

    'Hardly,' said Harry wryly. 'There was an invasion,'

    'Sit down,' Ginny offered.

    Mr. Weasley took out his wand and flicked it. 'Elongate,' he said, and the end of the table lengthened. Mr. Weasley drew up a few more chairs, and Fred, George, Angelina and Katie sat down. Mrs. Weasley came out with the teakettle and cups on a tray.

    Harry started the story when everyone had sat down. 'I went up to my bedroom, and was about to go to my bed, but I tripped on the Invisibility Cloak on the floor,' he said. 'That was strange because I had lent it to Mrs. Figg so that she could make the switch on the Veritaserum for the trial almost two weeks ago, and I hadn't gotten it back. Dumbledore may have given it back, but he wouldn't have thrown it on the floor like that, so I went to ask him about it. But Snape told me that Dumbledore was at a meeting with the Wizengamot in the Ministry of Magic. Ron and Hermione came up, and we went to check his office. The stone gargoyle had been overturned, and the office was a mess. Fawkes had gone to alert Dumbledore, and when he came, he told Snape and McGonagall to send the students home. He seemed to think that there were still Death Eaters hiding in the school,'

    'So how long will Hogwarts be closed?' asked Ron.

    'I don't know,' Harry shrugged.

    'But why would the Death Eaters want your Invisibility Cloak?' asked Ginny. 'It can't have been for the Cloak itself, or else they would have taken it,'

    'I don't know,' sighed Harry.

    'I do,' said Hermione. 'I bet it was for the Orb of Confusion,'

    'I'll bet it is!' said Ron excitedly. 'You said that it's a good weapon, didn't you Harry?'

    'Wait you have the Orb of Confusion?' asked Fred. 'Oh man! That is excellent! Can we borrow it?'

    'Absolutely not!' said Mrs. Weasley sharply. 'It is not a toy,'

    'What's the Orb of Confusion?' Ginny asked, puzzled.

    'It can make you say the funniest things,' said George.

    'It's a weapon,' said Harry. 'Merlin made it. I got it from Filch in order to use it against Voldemort,' Everyone except him, Hermione and Lupin flinched.

    'Do you have it now?' asked Lupin, who had remained silent this whole time.

    'No,' said Harry. 'I'm not even sure that I have it anymore. I didn't bother to check. I ran as soon as I found out that the room had been broken into,'

    Lupin sank back into his seat. 'Oh, no,' he murmured. 'Oh, this is horrible,'

    'Not a problem,' said Fred confidently. 'We can just nip into the Forest and go into Hogwarts—'

    'Not after it's been attacked, you're not!' said Mrs. Weasley in alarm. 'Now, listen you lot,' she addressed Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Angelina and Katie. 'Until Hogwarts is officially reopened, you are not, I repeat not to set foot in there,'

    'Your mother's right,' said Mr. Weasley, focusing on his three sons. 'And the rest of you, it's too dangerous right now,'

    'That's right,' agreed Lupin. 'You have to swear to us that you won't go near Hogwarts or the Forbidden Forest. If it weren't for Fred and George's joke shop, I wouldn't want you to go into Hogsmeade either. However,' he glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, 'the four Weasleys aren't my responsibility. Harry, this is for your own good. I don't think you should leave Grimmauld Place while you're here,'

    'Why?' asked Harry.

    'How can you ask that?' asked Tonks. 'You could have died tonight! Chances are, there was a Death Eater hiding in your bedroom just waiting to strangle you while you slept or something,'

    'But that's not all, is it?' asked Harry. 'There's something else going on.' His eyes shifted accusingly from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, to Lupin, to Tonks. 'Something is going on here. Something the Order knows that they're not telling me,'

    'The Order isn't your business,' said Lupin curtly. 'Harry, you have to listen to us. We only want what's best for you. With Voldemort back, your life is in terrible danger, and you can't just downplay it. Everything we tell you now that concerns the Order is strictly on a need-to-know basis,'

    Harry wanted to argue, but nodded. 'Right,' he said quietly.

   There was a beat of silence, and Mr. Weasley clapped his hands together. 'Right then,' he said, 'it's been a long night, and I'm sure everyone is eager to get some rest. Fred, George, Angelina and Katie, would you like to stay the night?'

    'I don't think you have enough beds, Dad,' said Fred brightly, standing up.

    'Yes. We might have to share with Angelina and Katie if we were to stay,' George raised his eyebrows, grinning. Mr. Weasley paled considerably. Harry got up too, followed by Ron, Hermione and Ginny. The four older kids Apparated out with a crack, leaving the others in an uncomfortable silence.

    'Right,' said Tonks. 'Well, I'm off. The Ministry would most probably need all hands on deck to fight off the Prophet tomorrow about what happened in Hogwarts, and the events with the Wizengamot,'

    'Oh, did they decide who's going to be the new Minister?' asked Hermione.

    'Not that I know of,' said Tonks. 'But then again, Ministry officials aren't allowed to be a part of the decision-making process. We're only allowed to vote when the Wizengamot put up the candidates,'

    'So you don't know who the candidates are?' asked Ron.

    Mr. Weasley laughed. 'Even the candidates don't know they're candidates. It's completely hush-hush until the Wizengamot decides to put them up. Then they can either drop out, or new people can appeal to them to be a candidate,'

    In their bedroom, Harry was no closer to sleeping than he was in flying to the moon on his broom. 'Still awake?' asked Ron.

    'Yes,' said Harry. 'I just don't understand it. What is Voldemort up to?' If Ron winced, he didn't see it. He was too busy contemplating. 'It's something big,' he said. 'That much I know,'

    'And it involves the Department of Intelligence,' added Ron.

    'And it involves the Department of Intelligence,' Harry agreed. 'I also know that the Slytherins are now Death Eaters, probably turned during the summer.

    'Why don't we make a list of all the things we know?' suggested Ron.

    'Good idea,' said Harry, sitting up. He turned on the lamp and dug around the desk for some sheets of paper.

    'Here,' said Ron helpfully, holding up a sheet of paper and a quill. Harry took it and sat on the edge of his bed, while Ron sat at the edge of his own, the two of them facing each other.

    'Okay,' said Harry. 'We know that Voldemort needs a link to the Department of Intelligence,'

    'And that he's lost his link already,' said Ron. Harry scribbled down the points. 'We know that he's building his army,'

   'Right,' Harry nodded, writing it down. 'I think that's basically it,'

    'That's pathetic,' scoffed Ron.

    'It really is,' Harry nodded in agreement. 'Oh, and we know it's something major. Voldemort—' this time he saw Ron wince. 'Don't you ever get tired of wincing every time you hear his name?' asked Harry. 'I mean, I can understand it in our first, and okay maybe second year. But you've heard it so many times now, especially in our third year in the Shrieking Shack,'

    'Harry, you don't get tired of being afraid of someone,' Ron said in a tone that suggested that he was teaching a complicated charm to a two-year old. 'You-Know-Who did some really evil things back then,'

    'Yes, yes, I know,' Harry said. 'He killed and tortured because he was bored. Must have been too exposed to Binns,'

    'Don't joke about that,' said Ron.

    'How can I not joke about that?' demanded Harry. 'We have a crazed lunatic who wants to rule the world, but can't even get past an adolescent, especially when he was a year old,'

    'Well, he got past you in your fourth year,' said Ron quietly. Harry fell silent.

    'About ruddy time, too,' muttered Harry. Ron stared at him, but Harry didn't bother to look at him. 'My point is, you've heard his name so many times. And you weren't even around when all the things he did happened. You shouldn't be scared. At least not of his name,'

    'But I am,' said Ron in a stubborn voice. 'What do you want me to do? I can't help it. It's not like I want to be scared. It's just that my whole life I've been taught to fear him. That he may be dead, but that there was also a chance that he was still alive and would be coming back. And after my first year, my parents were only all the more convinced. They put up protective charms all around the Burrow after what Dumbledore told them about Quirrel helping You-Know-Who to get the Philosopher's Stone,'

    Harry was silent, and was thinking about how he could help his friend from his handicap. 'I know,' he spoke up. 'I'll help you through it,'

    Ron looked taken aback. 'What?'

    'I'll help you,' Harry repeated. 'And Hermione will too,'

    'I really don't consider not saying his name a setback,' said Ron.

    'I do,' said Harry firmly. 'Chances are, we're going to war by the end of this year, if not sooner, and a fine sight you'd make if you started shaking at the mention of his name,'

    Ron exhaled. 'Fine,' he granted. 'Now, can we go to bed?'

    'Sure,' said Harry, and they lay back on their mattresses and closed their eyes, the list forgotten.

*

    'No,' said Ron adamantly.

    'Ron, you promised!' said Harry in an accusatory tone.

    'Oh, wake up Harry. This isn't a perfect world. Promises were made to be broken,' said Ron.

    'Very well,' said Hermione. Harry and Ron stared at her in shock. They weren't used to her giving in so easily. Hermione hummed a little tune, and Harry noticed her hand sneaking downward, where her wand was being held. Then, she seized it and pointed it at Ron. 'Stupefy!' Ron opened his mouth, most probably to scream and duck, but he was hit with the red light and remained frozen.

    'Hermione!' said Harry in a half-horrified, half-impressed tone.

    She shrugged.

    'You can't expect me to be around you for over six years, and in the Army for almost a year without learning a thing or two,' she grinned. 'Come on. I'll grab his hands, you grab his legs, and we'll take him to the living room,'

    'Right,' nodded Harry, seizing his friend's legs. When Hermione had gotten a good hold on his arms, they marched down the stairs, past the closed portrait of Mrs. Black, and into the living room, where they set him down in a horizontal position. 'Ennervate!' Harry pointed the wand at him, and a second later, Ron was blinking furiously.

    'I could report you two,' he muttered, getting to his feet. 'Alright, since we're here, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try,'

    'Good,' said Harry in a self-satisfied tone. 'Voldemort,'

    Ron cringed.

    'Voldemort,' said Hermione, who was standing behind him. Ron jumped a little, but then turned to face her.

    'Voldemort,' said Harry.

    Ron flinched. There was a loud crack and Tonks appeared before them. 'Voldemort,' said Harry again. Ron glared at him.

    'What's going on?' asked Tonks.

    'We're trying to teach Ron how to overcome his fear of Voldemort's name,' said Hermione. 'But this is one of the most stubborn psychological ailments I've ever seen. No matter what, he refuses to not react at the sound of his name.

    'Oh, it sounds fun. Can I play too?' asked Tonks earnestly.

    'Sure,' Harry smiled. Tonks beamed.

    'Voldemort,' she said. Ron fixed her with an angry stare, which he directed to Harry when he said the name, then Hermione when she did the same. This went on for another five minutes until Mr. Weasley came in.

    'Tonks, what are you doing?' he asked.

    'We're teaching Ron to hear Voldemort's—' Ron and Mr. Weasley winced, '—name and not … wince. Harry, I think we need to work on Arthur too,'

    'Right,' said Harry. 'Voldemort,'

    Mr. Weasley looked annoyed. 'As much as I would love to stay and hear that name continuously, we have work to do, don't we, Tonks?'

    'Ugh. Yes, Arthur,' said Tonks. 'And we'd better hurry. I was in the Ministry earlier checking up on Bode, and I saw that awful Montgomery Young snooping around. Do you know that he's been linked to Violet Jones from Page Eleven? What a match made in hell that is. If they were to have children, they'd be the loudest, most annoying ones on the in the world,'

    'Can you imagine? Babies with his eyebrows and her nose?' said Mr. Weasley. He and Tonks shuddered in revulsion.

    'See you, Harry, Hermione,' said Tonks. 'Ron, you keep working on that name, alright?'

    'Okay,' said Ron.

    'Bye, kids,' said Mr. Weasley, and they were about to Apparate when Harry spoke up.

    'Wait, Tonks did you say that you were checking up on Bode?' he asked. 'Harrison Bode, the one who was taken into custody after the attack on him?'

    'Why, yes,' said Tonks. 'Poor man. He got a dreadful fright from those Death Eaters. He still sits in his little corner talking about the evils of potted plants and how he wishes that he could kill all the Devil's Snares. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement sends me to visit him from time to time in St. Mungo's.' She turned to Mr. Weasley. 'I saw Frank and Alice on my last visit. Not in very good health. They miss their son very much, I think. What's his name—Norton?'

    'Something like that,' said Mr. Weasley.

    'Neville,' said Ron.

    'Right. Neville Longbottom,' Mr. Weasley told Tonks.

    'How is he?' Harry interrupted. 'Bode, I mean,'

    The two adults looked surprised. 'Fine,' said Tonks slowly. 'Why?'

    Harry shrugged. 'No reason. Do you think we could come and visit him with you sometime?'

    'Now look you three,' said Mr. Weasley, before Tonks could open her mouth. 'I don't want you meddling in affairs that don't concern you. Leave everything up to the Order, understood?'

    'Yes, dad,' said Ron.

    Mr. Weasley nodded. 'Good. Come on, Tonks. We have to go. All hands on deck, remember,'

    They disappeared with a crack!

    'Voldemort,' said Hermione. Ron winced.

    After lunch that day, they resumed their work on Ron, and Hermione said that they seemed to have made some improvement. Ron had shifted from cringing to a mere wince when he heard the Dark Lord's name. They took a break, and Harry told his friends about what Dumbledore had said about Peeves, and about his newfound respect for the poltergeist. Eventually, the talk shifted to Voldemort. Ron didn't wince when he heard Voldemort's name, but he did bite on his lips.

    'Don't,' commanded Hermione. 'It'll bleed,'

    'I just don't understand what he's up to,' said Harry.

    'Well, you always find out in the end,' said Hermione. 'It's only been two months, Harry,'

    'Five,' said Harry glumly. 'You aren't counting the summer holidays,'

    'Doesn't You-Know-Who take a break during the summer?' asked Ron.

    Harry laughed hollowly.

    'Haven't you ever heard of the expression 'No rest for the wicked', Ron?' he asked. 'No, if anything, the summer is when Voldemort punishes his Death Eaters for the latest failed attempt at dominating the world, then comes up with a new plan,'

    'Don't know why he's so eager to control the world, anyway,' said Fred. He and George walked into the room, wearing identical grins. 'Can you imagine having idiots like Fudge under your care?'

    'When did you get in?' asked Ron.

    'About two seconds ago,' said Fred. 'Thought we'd pop by and cheer up Mum. Doesn't look like Dad will be home until late,'

    'Yeah,' said George. 'We Apparated to the Ministry, and there were reporters everywhere. The Daily Prophet were there, along with the Evening Prophet, and Witch Weekly.'

    'Strange that we didn't see old Skeeter there, though,' added Fred.

    'I hear she works for The Quibbler now,' said Hermione. 'Ever since she sent in that article about Harry. The Daily Prophet refused to take her back,'

    'Yeah,' nodded George. 'Violet Jones is the new Rita Skeeter it seems. She's just a gossip columnist, but her stories have about as much credit as Skeeter's. Maybe more,'

    'Anyway,' said Fred, sitting down next to Harry on the couch, 'what are you three up to? A nice vacation from Hogwarts, surely you're not going to waste it inside,'

    'We're trying to help Ron overcome his fear of Voldemort's name,' reported Harry.

    'Why on earth would you want to do that?' asked George, taking his place next to Fred.

    'Because it's a handicap,' said Hermione.

    'As I recall, Hermione, you were once afraid of his name too,' Ron said.

    'With good reason,' said Hermione hotly. 'I'm a Muggle-born. You're a pureblooded wizard, Ron. You have nothing to fear from Voldemort,'

    Ron winced, and stared at the twins when they didn't react. George shrugged.

    'We don't mind his name,' he said. 'We just don't want to say it,'

    'Yeah, what's he going to do?' asked Harry. 'It's not as if he's going to appear and ring on the doorbell just because we say his name,'

    The doorbell rang.

    Everyone jumped up a mile in the air. There was a tense silence, and Hermione giggled nervously.

    'Wow, what a coincidence,' she said. She got up and went to the door.

    'No!' shouted Ron. 'Don't do it, Hermione! It could be—it could be … him,'

    'Oh, Ron don't be so ridiculous,' chastised Hermione. She went out of the door, and a moment later reappeared with Lee Jordan.

    'Hey, Lee,' said George cheerily, waving.

    'Hey,' said Lee. 'Angelina talked to me through the fear and told me about Hogwarts. Then I saw the paper. What happened?'

    'There was an invasion,' said Harry.

    'Yeah, I gathered as much,' said Lee, sitting down. 'I mean what were they after?'

    'We think they were after the Orb of Confusion,' said Hermione. 'But we don't know for sure,'

    Lee stopped her. 'Wait, what do you mean? You had the Orb of Confusion?'

    'Yes,' said Harry. 'Dumbledore told Filch to give it to me,'

    Lee cracked up. 'Oh, man, this is priceless. Do you have it now?'

    'No,' said Ron. 'Harry left it in Hogwarts. Actually, we're not too sure that it's there anymore,'

    Lee's face fell. 'Damn,' he said. He turned to Fred and George. 'If we had that, we could have been the new Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs,'

    'Yeah,' said Fred quietly. George grinned. Harry frowned, noticing that Fred had tensed visibly when Lee came in, and wondered why. Fred, George and Lee had been the best of friends when they were back in Hogwarts. He wondered if that had changed after they graduated. He decided that it was impossible, and Lee and George didn't act any different.

    'We have to get back to training,' said Hermione, turning to Ron. Ron groaned.

    'Oh, come on, Hermione. You're taking this too far,'

    'I'm not, Ron! Tell him, Harry,'

    'We're only doing this for your own good,' said Harry. 'Now come on. Let's hear you say Voldemort's name,'

    Fred, George and Lee watched in interest. Ron paused. 'V—Vol—'

    'Just a little bit more,' said Harry.

    Ron tried again. 'Vol …' he trailed off. 'I—I can't,'

    Harry sighed tiredly. 'Ron, it's just nine letters. How hard can it be?'

    'Very,' insisted Ron.

    'Look,' said Harry. 'You already have three of the letters down. Just six more to go. Come on, give it a try,'

    Ron bit his lip. After a moment, he nodded. Harry could see that he was preparing, as though he was about to jump off a cliff instead of saying a name.

    'Volde …'

    'That's it,' whispered Hermione. They were on the brink of a break through. 'Just a little bit more, Ron,'

    'Volde …' Ron tried again He stopped, and shut his eyes tightly. 'Voldemort!' he screamed.

    There was a stunned silence. 'He did it,' Harry whispered five seconds later. He jumped to his feet. 'He did it!'

    'Oh, Ron, I'm so proud of you,' Hermione enveloped him in a hug. Ron blushed furiously, and began to stammer. Fred clapped Ron on the back, and George grinned. Lee chuckled, and Harry was looking at his friend with pride. Now he only had to train the rest of the wizarding world into not fearing Voldemort's name.

    'Just don't go on chanting it at the dinner table, Ron,' said George.

    'Yeah, I think that if you say his name three times, he takes over the world,' Fred joked, and got a slap on the arm from Hermione as a result.

    'Can I go now?' asked Ron hopefully.

    'Yes,' laughed Harry. 'I'm starving. Let's see if dinner is ready,'

    Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen making some eggs, but the rest of the dinner was ready. 'Oh, good,' she said when they came in. 'Take out the food and put them on the table. This will only take a few minutes,'

    Ginny came down after they had set the plates, and asked Mrs. Weasley if anyone was joining them fro dinner, and she replied that Lupin was showing up later. They had roast beef and mushrooms and eggs, and in the middle the doorbell rang, and Lupin came in to shouts from Mrs. Black's portrait. 'Oh,' said Mrs. Weasley distressfully, 'we really have to find a way to get it out of here,'

    'I saw Dumbledore earlier,' said Lupin, sitting himself down. 'It looks like the whole school needs to be put under a spell, which is going to take a very long time. It doesn't look like you can return until November,'

    'But the Death Eaters would have escaped by then,' argued Harry.

    'Oh, no,' said Lupin, shaking his head. 'A Revealing Charm was cursed by Dumbledore to reveal if there were any Death Eaters hiding, but there were none. They're putting on more protective charms to prevent this. It looks like some of the protective charms were destroyed by Voldemort's followers,'

    They nodded, and returned to their food. Harry couldn't help but feel disappointed. He was banned from visiting Hogsmeade, and now that Hogwarts was under renovations, it looked like he would have to miss his Halloween date with Seamus. I just wasn't fair. With this thought in his mind, Harry bit viciously into his portion of roast beast..