A/N: I'm posting these two chapters close together because they're fairly
short (well, shorter than my usual nowadays) and while they could have been
combined, they work better separate. I'll probably not be able to post
again for a while, because the new semester is starting up and I'll be busy
packing, moving and starting classes. I only have a little bit left though,
and I'll work on it as fast as I can. My Internet will work again! *dances
with glee*
Disclaimer: HP not mine. I don't own anything, not even this computer I'm typing on. Wait, I own my car. So if you really want to sue me, all you'll get is an old beat-up minivan, aka Loser Cruiser aka Albino Twinkie (long story, don't ask).
Chapter 30
Hermione sat at her usual table in the library, poring over one book out of many in the stack before her. Harry's new Dueling Club was exacting in the extreme, but she had enjoyed it not only for the mental challenge but also, strangely enough, the physical as well. Pushing herself to perfect the techniques that Eva had taught her over the summer, she found surprising levels of mental clarity that she relished while studying.
Her fingers skimmed down the page looking for the proper incantations to a complex series of spells that she might be able to modify towards a new protective ward, this one more aggressive than anything she'd previously worked on. Humming tunelessly under her breath, she scribbled out her quick, precise notes on the parchment in front of her.
Suddenly her vision was obscured by two large hands, and a voice asked teasingly, "Guess who?" Unseen, she rolled her eyes. "Now, let's see. There is only one person who would purposely disturb me while working, Ron." The hands were removed, and with a sigh Ron leaned over her shoulder as his arms wrapped around in a hug. "Just making sure you still knew who I was."
Hermione met his eyes with a puzzled frown. "Of course I know who you are. It's kind of hard to forget." One red eyebrow arched. "Oh really?" The teasing was back in his voice. "What is it that makes me so hard to forget?" She appeared to consider it for a moment. "It could be the time just two days ago in the Common Room, when we were on the couch together." Ron smiled fondly. "That was interesting, wasn't it? Too bad those second years walked in on us." She huffed, "How many times do I have to tell you? It's a blanket, not an Invisibility Cloak."
Ron chuckled. "Well, if you want, I could borrow Harry's Cloak." He waggled his eyebrows mischievously. "See what kind of trouble we could get up to with that." Hermione tried to scowl at him, but a matching grin kept tugging her lips upwards. Finally she gave up and sighed, "You're incorrigible." His breath tickled her neck as he whispered, "And you love it."
She blushed a bit, but then her concentration was diverted by the sound of him inhaling deeply in her hair. "Ron, what are you doing?" "Smelling you," he said matter-of-factly. "Have I ever told you how much I love the way you smell?" The flush on her cheeks deepened as she nearly squeaked, "No." Cocking her head, she inquired, "What do I smell like?" Another deep exaggerated sniff. "Like books . . . and apples . . . and a touch of cinnamon." He nuzzled her neck. "Like . . . like Hermione. Sweet and spicy . . . and just you. That's why I like it so much."
She wouldn't dare tell him, but that had to be the best compliment anyone had ever given her. Biting her lower lip as she smiled, she leaned back into his arms and tilted her head back. "So what are you up to now?" Leaning in, he brushed her lips with a quick kiss. "Just came over to see how well I could distract you from working." Catching her with another, longer kiss, he smirked. "I think I'm doing a pretty good job."
He knelt behind her chair and wrapped his arms around her waist while his lips moved over her neck. Hermione tried to push him away. "Ron, no," she hissed, looking around, "Madame Pince will see us." "No she won't," he disagreed while nuzzling her shoulder. "She's too busy punishing the fourth years who were eating chocolate in the stacks." Despite herself, she was amused. "Let me guess where they got the chocolate. You?"
Ron nodded proudly. "I plan my distractions well, and if it means giving up some of my precious stash," he nibbled her ear, "you're worth it." Grinning to herself, Hermione tilted her head to allow him better access even as she asked, "So, how are your morning workouts going?" "Fairly well. We're attracting more and more people who want to learn that form of self- defense." His lips were fire against her skin. "You should join us sometime. A few girls have come out, and you could help them."
"Mmm, I just might at that." Hands were rubbing gentle circles on her stomach, almost ticklish. "Then again, I could just come and watch you sweat with your shirt off." He laughed softly at that. "You vixen." "You have no idea," she turned her head and kissed him fiercely, but had to break it off when they heard approaching footsteps. Ron released her and slouched in the chair next to her, and she turned back to her books and notes.
Luckily it wasn't the librarian, only some Ravenclaws heading for the stacks behind them. After they passed, Hermione leaned over and whispered in her boyfriend's ear, "We'll pick this back up after dinner. Right now, I'm famished." With a wink she gathered up her things and headed for the doors, Ron trailing happily behind her with a grin plastered ear to ear.
****************************************************
Harry watched the students file out of the Great Hall chattering excitedly about the last session of the Dueling Club, and hid an inner smile. Only two weeks into the newly reinstated Dueling Club and most were showing a marked improvement. Even Neville, who normally was completely hopeless at dueling anyone other than Trevor his toad, had managed to master three more jinxes and was actually fairly good at dodging.
His morning workouts with Ron at attracted attention and inquiries, and now five other students joined them regularly, with others popping in for a day or two at a time. This morning Ron had teased him that the only reason that girls such as Lavender, Parvati and Padma Patil and their friends showed up was because they wanted to watch Harry. Harry had simply grimaced eloquently and went back to his knife throwing.
Sighing, he flopped down on the stage and fiddled with his wand, thinking. Halloween was the day after tomorrow and he mentally reviewed his preparations. The students were progressing very well, but battle would test them all. Hogwarts, with both its ancient inbuilt defenses and Harry's own additions, was as ready as it would ever be. The secret tunnels were sealed shut - but only on this end, he realized, not from the village.
Hogsmeade was the weak link in their barriers, and he knew that he could improve on the defenses already there. Not to mention it might be good to review any plans the villagers remaining may have come up with. No time like the present. A shoe scuffed the floor, and Harry looked up to see Remus approaching him. "Harry, are you okay?" The teen shrugged and answered honestly, "I don't know. Things are just so screwed up right now, I'm not sure how I'm doing."
He scrambled to his feet. "Anyway, I was going to come see you just now. I need to run down to Hogsmeade and seat the last tunnels from that end." Remus hesitated, then nodded. "I assume you'll be in disguise?" "Yeah. Should be a quick trip." Harry started for the doors, Remus a step behind. "Take a communicator charm with you, just in case."
Harry threw him a side glance. There was an unusual amount of concern and stress in his eyes, which immediately put the teen on edge. "You know something I don't?" he asked quietly, and the professor winced. "Not really." He hesitated. "Just a feeling really. Like this storm is going to break sooner than we expected." Harry looked at him closely, suddenly with a strange feeling of his own.
"I'll be careful," he promised. "I don't want this to be the last time we see each other." Remus breathed out a sigh. "Hopefully soon, this will be all over." Unexpectedly he gave Harry a quick hug, then pulled away. The teen smiled and squeezed his shoulder briefly before turning away and exiting the castle.
Out of sight, Harry assumed the innocuous disguise he had utilized the last Hogsmeade trip and Apparated away. He appeared right in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks and casually strolled out into the street. Hogsmeade, even more than before, had the feeling of a town under siege. Most of the stores were closed and boarded up, except for a few dimly lit ones scattered here and there. A gaping blackened hole occupied the space Weasley Wizard Wheezes once stood, and Harry swallowed hard before steeling himself.
Carefully he walked the perimeter of the village, noting the extent of the wards and reinforcing them as needed. Then he turned back into town for his main job. Honeydukes was open, but on one appeared when the bell over the door jingled with his entrance. Harry waited, browsing through the meager supply on the shelves, but still no one came to investigate.
Shrugging, he ducked behind the counter and descended to the cellar. Locating the trap door after a minute's searching, he briefly entered the tunnel to set defenses on the inside and sealed it shut on his way out. Exiting the strangely deserted store, he glanced around before heading up to the Shrieking Shack. He tested every single possible entrance accessible save burning the building down, then Apparated inside to seal the tunnel just to frustrate that possibility.
By now night had fallen fully, and Harry had to pick his way carefully down the hill back to the main street. The only bright lights came from the Three Broomsticks, and he paused, concerned about the number of shadows outlined in the illuminated windows. Cautiously he approached, hand hovering near his wand just in case as he stuck to the shadows. Voices could be faintly heard, and from what little was comprehensible it sounded like a meeting was taking place.
Suddenly Harry felt the business end of a wand poke the middle of his back and a harsh voice sounds from behind him. "Alright stranger, who are you and what are you doing here?" He relaxed infinitesimally, reigning in his automatic reactions; to disarm and Stun the man senseless. "I'm a friend," he offered, "and I'm here on business." The man behind him snorted. "Yeah right, a 'friend' creeping around after dark. What's your business, Death Eater? Come to check our defenses before your buddies attack?"
Harry sighed. "Listen, I just need to speak with Madame Rosmerta. She knows me." "Oh really?" The man was darkly amused. "Tell me why I should risk it and not kill you right here." "If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already," Harry stated flatly, exasperated with this game and whishing he had just neutralized the man to begin with.
He decided on a little gamble. "Around here, I'm known as Wraith." "Huh? Wraith?" The man was confused for a second only, then horrified realization colored his tone. "Oh! Wraith . . . Right. Um, sure, I . . . uh, I'll just let Ros know you're here. Wait here a second." The wand disappeared and the man hurried along the side of the building, no doubt heading for the back door. Harry just shook his head.
A minute passed, during which a short lull of conversation in the pub let him know that he had been announced, then the front door opened and Madame Rosmerta walked slowly out with her wand trained steadily at his chest. He squinted in the light blinding him, and after a long moment she said, "It's all right. He's a friend." Lowering her wand, she beckoned him inside and he hurried in after her.
The light and warmth of the pub was a nice contrast to the chilly night outside, all serving to lift his spirits just a bit. Harry flashed the barkeep a smile, which she returned as she handed him a bottle of hot butterbeer. With a wink she said, "I believe you ordered this last time." He chuckled. "Indeed I did. And the students pass on their thanks to you for the excellent addition to dinner."
Sipping and glancing around, he noticed many eyes staring at him, only to flick away as he met them. Inconspicuously he sighed; figures. "So what's going on here? Town meeting?" Rosmerta shook her head a bit. "More like a war council. We want to be fully prepared for whatever happens, but most have left. What you see here," she gestured around at the perhaps thirty people in the room, "is all we have left."
She pointed out a slightly mad-looking older man with shaggy hair and bright purple robes. "That's Artemis Zonko. He's heading up our efforts. Apparently he didn't take too kindly to what the Death Eaters did to Weasley Wizard Wheezes." Harry added to himself, "Nor did I." However, Rosmerta overheard him and shot him a calculating look. Conspiratorially she leaned close and murmured, "Last time you introduced yourself as Mr. Potter. Now you're Wraith."
Her unspoken question mocked him and he sighed. "Yes I am." That innocent statement confirmed her question and she nodded thoughtfully. He glared briefly at her. "Keep that a secret." Rosmerta only nodded and shrugged slightly. "None of my business. And I wouldn't be a very popular bartender if I went around telling other's secrets."
Zonko chose that moment to throw a scowl in their general direction. "If we can get down to business," he said pointedly, and Rosmerta rolled her eyes a bit before giving him a patient look. He sniffed, then pulled himself up with a slightly martial air and announced, "Very well. Have we all completed individual defenses in our shops and homes?"
There was a general murmur of agreement, and he beamed. "Excellent. The village itself is as protected as we can make it magically, what with all the wards guarding the perimeters. Mr. Fowler, Ms. Whitecaster and I have been adding physical defenses as well." He signaled, and a youngish-looking wizard with long blonde hair spread out a map of Hogsmeade over the surface of several tables grouped together.
Zonko used his wand to point out their new obstacles as he described them. "We've dug giant hidden trenches here and here; placed some traps and mines courtesy of the Aurors just insides the ward perimeters all around; at these chokepoints barriers have been set up with a few more surprises on them; all empty shops have been reinforced; they will be our walls." Soon the map was covered with glowing dots and wiggling lines; it was more confusing that Oliver Wood's Quidditch models.
"When the attack comes, here's where we're going to make our stand." He indicated four chokepoints among the barriers and buildings closest to the Three Broomsticks. "They outnumber us, but we have the element of surprise and a few tricks up our sleeves." Now his face, obviously used to smiling and laughing, turned uncharacteristically solemn.
"We all know that in reality, we have no chance to repel them. There are no reinforcements coming. What we can do is slow them up and take as many down as we can. " Zonko met every eye in the bar. "Do no throw away your lives uselessly in grand heroics. When it gets too tough, retreat fighting back here to the pub. The Floo is open one-way to the Hogwarts dungeons, where you have the choice of hiding out or assisting the fight there."
He sighed, words sending a ripple through the gathered townspeople. "I'll not mince words. We're in for the fight of our lives. I've no doubt that Hogsmeade itself is doomed, but as long as we survive, we can rebuild. First, we just have to kick You-Know-Who back to the slimy pit he crawled from and make sure he stays there!"
The momentary melancholy was gone, replaced by bright eyes twinkling with certain determination. The mood brightened considerably, and his last statement induced some faint cheers and much applause. Harry observed it all quietly, examining their strategy. He raised a hand to attract Zonko's attention, then said, "I've an idea." The old jokemaster frowned a second, but with a look from Rosmerta nodded his head. "Go on."
Harry gestured at the map. "The village is not their real target. They will go straight through Hogsmeade to Hogwarts to press their attack. So if some of you can stay behind, hiding outside the village and following them up to the castle, we can catch them in a two-pronged attack of our own. The more we split their attention, the more our chances of survival increase."
Several men appeared thoughtful, and Zonko beckoned him up beside him at the map. "Interesting idea. But where could we hide? And how do we follow them without being spotted ourselves?" Harry drew his wand and pointed it at the mountains outside the village. "Everyone will be needed for the Hogsmeade attack. But when you fall back, have some Portkeys here to transport some of your best fighters up here. There's a cave to hide in if some scouts are creeping around.
"Take some brooms and fly back, keeping low over the forest. Disillusionment charms would help also. You might beat the Death Eaters there, so hide at the edge of the woods until they've fully engaged at Hogwarts, then fall on them from behind and at a slight angle, here. That'll confuse them, especially if you attack from the forest and use the trees to shield you. I've noticed they are not particularly good at hide and seek when they're not the ones hiding."
That drew a few weak chuckles, but for the most part everyone studied the glowing lines and new arrows wiggling around the map. Zonko pursed his lips and stroked his chin. "We'll need a force of no less than eight, all with brooms." He looked up. "Volunteers?" Immediately most of the remaining townspeople raised their hands, and he arched an eyebrow. "Okay, who's played Quidditch before? In a real game, not just flyin' around your backyard. You may be fighting on those brooms."
Now only twelve were left, and he considered them for a long moment before nodding. "All right, prepare yourselves well for this. There's no guarantee we'll all make it back here alive at all." They nodded, even though a few now were pale faced with nerves. Harry was studying the map again. "Who here can produce a corporeal Patronus?"
A few people raised their hands, and he indicated one blockade at the end of main street. "Station yourselves here. I don't know how many dementors are left, but you can be they'll be the first ones in. drive them off, then scatter through the village so the Death Eaters can't take you all out at once."
They continued like that, Harry and Zonko, for some time as they examined the map, plotting strategy and a few surprises for the invaders, trying to maximize their survival. Harry wished that Ron were down here; he was the strategic whiz. Still, this was rather fascinating and encouraging to see these people come together as one to defend their homes.
Zonko only glanced up when the clock chimed twelve, blinking in surprise. "Where has the time gone?" Rosmerta smiled wryly from behind the bar as she washed a couple of glasses. "Where time always goes. There's a big black hole somewhere in the center of the galaxy that sucks it all away." Harry chuckled as he ran a hand over his eyes, blinking away grittiness. "I'll have to remember that one."
Glancing around, he saw the varying levels of fatigue in the crowd. "I believe that's all we can really do tonight. How 'bout we all go home and get some sleep?" One man raised his head from his contemplation of a tiny glass of gillywater and mumbled, "Hear, hear." With a scrape of tables and chairs, everyone slowly emptied the tavern to head for soft beds. Zonko kissed Rosmerta's hand goodnight and exited with his map.
Harry grinned and stretched kinks out of his back. "Goodnight," he called as he walked towards the door, and the barkeep echoed, "Goodnight, and sweet dreams." Wearily he made his way up the street towards Hogwarts, feeling too tired to Apparate safely. It would be embarrassing to splinch himself and end up with a leg on Main Street, an arm at the front gates, and his nose in his bed. But as the cold night air cut through his cloak he reflected that maybe he should try it anyways.
Pulling his cloak tighter around him, he hurried along the path as it cut by the Forbidden Forest, thinking of the fire crackling in the Tower and the warming pan between his sheets. The cold seemed strange tonight, too frosty for October as it numbed his fingers and nose. Suddenly the cold came alive, burrowing past his cloak and skin to lodge in his bones and freeze his heart. Shaking, he stopped and turned, seeing nothing but blackness around him. But he heard things.
Long cloaks whispering over frozen ground . . . slow rattling breaths sucking all life from the air . . . and faint screaming inside his head.
Gasping for air even as the cold strangled him, Harry pulled his wand and muttered, "Lumos." The light revealed nothing, but he pointed it around, searching =for what he knew was there. Something flickered at the edge of his sight, and he spun in time for his light to reflect dully off a gray, slimy, scabrous hand before it vanished into the gloom of the forest.
Where was it headed, the village or Hogwarts? He stalked forward, trying to catch a glimpse of it again, when a strong pair of hands caught his shoulders and spun him around. The wand was knocked from his fingers but stayed lit as it clattered to the ground. By its feeble light he looked up foggily at the unhooded face of a dementor, gaping mouth open and swooping down to meet his.
*************************************************************
Destiny looked up from her book as Fate stomped in and threw herself on the couch, muttering darkly, and calmly marked her placed before inquiring, "Something vexes you, sister?" Fate rolled her eyes. "Sister, if you would get your nose out of those books and take a look around you, you would know." She flipped over to stare at the other Guardian. "Death refuses to cooperate. She's deliberately breaking all the laws governing the realms and our very existence, but she claims it's not her fault!"
She snorted derisively. "She lets herself be ordered around, blames me, and can't even manage her own realms effectively. Can you believe that a couple of mortals actually asked me to send them back?!" Destiny let her rant and rave some more, nodding in all the right places, while she pulled out a thick tome and flipped towards the back.
When Fate finally ran out of steam and her hair changed back to a neutral brown from the wild spectrum it had been going through, Destiny arched her eyebrow. "Sister dear, you are merely seeing the consequences to your own decisions. See what happens when you meddle?" Fate threw up her hands in exasperation.
"That's exactly what Death said! But don't you dare try to blame this all on me," she added warningly. "I did my job to the letter. Death is the one who screwed it all up into this . . . this catastrophe! I never said anything about letting Lucifer out of his playpen, yet he's down there right now wreaking havoc."
She reflected bitterly, "At least Chaos is happy, even if he's the only one." Destiny nodded distractedly, flipping black hair out of her blue eyes. "He's easy to please. But here's what I'm talking about." One finger thumped the page she was currently perusing, and Fate leaned over to see. "Here's how I had it all planned out. Time-consuming on human standards, but simple. Then you let those two fall in love."
She traced a slight tangent. "Try to stay out of Love's debt next time; she likes to meddle nearly as much as you do. It wasn't really a big problem at first, but I had to push up the timing, which in turn started the ball rolling. Then Death got involved with her current agenda and I had to account for a few extra deaths," the tangent went wider and farther from the original, "which meant I had to change my plans here and here."
Fate rested her chin in her hand, idly rubbing her dice with the other. "But as I see it, you could have deviated back to the main path here," her finger poked the page right in front of the other's, "with very little effort. Instead, it went the other way. Why?" Destiny sighed and shook out her black hair. "That is where you let the mortals pick the trainer."
Fate frowned and was about to reply when Destiny cut her off. "We could have disguised one of the Shamak'la and sent them to teach, but no." Her voice dripped sarcasm. "Your meddling mandate kicked in. Admittedly, it did help with the prophecy, but I had planned on saving that for later. He never should have been sent away." Now the path twisted and turned like a drunken sailor's walk, sometimes doubling back on itself or splitting briefly, a far cry from the straight-line path before.
Destiny slammed the tome shut with a loud band, and for a long minute the sisters stared at each other. "Are you mad at me?" Fate murmured curiously, and Destiny let her lip quirk. "No. How can I be? You're doing your job as you see best. You haven't done anything really wrong." She shot Fate a mischievous look. "You're just being your usual infuriating self. I'm used to it. Almost."
Mollified but not happy, Fate relaxed back into the couch. "So now what will happen? What are we going to do?" Destiny sighed wearily, shelving her tome amid hundred of thousands like it. "We can do nothing. For now, it's out of our hands." She looked into the distance, as if trying to read the books of distant Future. "All we can do is see how it plays out. And be on hand to clean up the mess afterwards."
Fate muttered softly, "If we are still here."
Disclaimer: HP not mine. I don't own anything, not even this computer I'm typing on. Wait, I own my car. So if you really want to sue me, all you'll get is an old beat-up minivan, aka Loser Cruiser aka Albino Twinkie (long story, don't ask).
Chapter 30
Hermione sat at her usual table in the library, poring over one book out of many in the stack before her. Harry's new Dueling Club was exacting in the extreme, but she had enjoyed it not only for the mental challenge but also, strangely enough, the physical as well. Pushing herself to perfect the techniques that Eva had taught her over the summer, she found surprising levels of mental clarity that she relished while studying.
Her fingers skimmed down the page looking for the proper incantations to a complex series of spells that she might be able to modify towards a new protective ward, this one more aggressive than anything she'd previously worked on. Humming tunelessly under her breath, she scribbled out her quick, precise notes on the parchment in front of her.
Suddenly her vision was obscured by two large hands, and a voice asked teasingly, "Guess who?" Unseen, she rolled her eyes. "Now, let's see. There is only one person who would purposely disturb me while working, Ron." The hands were removed, and with a sigh Ron leaned over her shoulder as his arms wrapped around in a hug. "Just making sure you still knew who I was."
Hermione met his eyes with a puzzled frown. "Of course I know who you are. It's kind of hard to forget." One red eyebrow arched. "Oh really?" The teasing was back in his voice. "What is it that makes me so hard to forget?" She appeared to consider it for a moment. "It could be the time just two days ago in the Common Room, when we were on the couch together." Ron smiled fondly. "That was interesting, wasn't it? Too bad those second years walked in on us." She huffed, "How many times do I have to tell you? It's a blanket, not an Invisibility Cloak."
Ron chuckled. "Well, if you want, I could borrow Harry's Cloak." He waggled his eyebrows mischievously. "See what kind of trouble we could get up to with that." Hermione tried to scowl at him, but a matching grin kept tugging her lips upwards. Finally she gave up and sighed, "You're incorrigible." His breath tickled her neck as he whispered, "And you love it."
She blushed a bit, but then her concentration was diverted by the sound of him inhaling deeply in her hair. "Ron, what are you doing?" "Smelling you," he said matter-of-factly. "Have I ever told you how much I love the way you smell?" The flush on her cheeks deepened as she nearly squeaked, "No." Cocking her head, she inquired, "What do I smell like?" Another deep exaggerated sniff. "Like books . . . and apples . . . and a touch of cinnamon." He nuzzled her neck. "Like . . . like Hermione. Sweet and spicy . . . and just you. That's why I like it so much."
She wouldn't dare tell him, but that had to be the best compliment anyone had ever given her. Biting her lower lip as she smiled, she leaned back into his arms and tilted her head back. "So what are you up to now?" Leaning in, he brushed her lips with a quick kiss. "Just came over to see how well I could distract you from working." Catching her with another, longer kiss, he smirked. "I think I'm doing a pretty good job."
He knelt behind her chair and wrapped his arms around her waist while his lips moved over her neck. Hermione tried to push him away. "Ron, no," she hissed, looking around, "Madame Pince will see us." "No she won't," he disagreed while nuzzling her shoulder. "She's too busy punishing the fourth years who were eating chocolate in the stacks." Despite herself, she was amused. "Let me guess where they got the chocolate. You?"
Ron nodded proudly. "I plan my distractions well, and if it means giving up some of my precious stash," he nibbled her ear, "you're worth it." Grinning to herself, Hermione tilted her head to allow him better access even as she asked, "So, how are your morning workouts going?" "Fairly well. We're attracting more and more people who want to learn that form of self- defense." His lips were fire against her skin. "You should join us sometime. A few girls have come out, and you could help them."
"Mmm, I just might at that." Hands were rubbing gentle circles on her stomach, almost ticklish. "Then again, I could just come and watch you sweat with your shirt off." He laughed softly at that. "You vixen." "You have no idea," she turned her head and kissed him fiercely, but had to break it off when they heard approaching footsteps. Ron released her and slouched in the chair next to her, and she turned back to her books and notes.
Luckily it wasn't the librarian, only some Ravenclaws heading for the stacks behind them. After they passed, Hermione leaned over and whispered in her boyfriend's ear, "We'll pick this back up after dinner. Right now, I'm famished." With a wink she gathered up her things and headed for the doors, Ron trailing happily behind her with a grin plastered ear to ear.
****************************************************
Harry watched the students file out of the Great Hall chattering excitedly about the last session of the Dueling Club, and hid an inner smile. Only two weeks into the newly reinstated Dueling Club and most were showing a marked improvement. Even Neville, who normally was completely hopeless at dueling anyone other than Trevor his toad, had managed to master three more jinxes and was actually fairly good at dodging.
His morning workouts with Ron at attracted attention and inquiries, and now five other students joined them regularly, with others popping in for a day or two at a time. This morning Ron had teased him that the only reason that girls such as Lavender, Parvati and Padma Patil and their friends showed up was because they wanted to watch Harry. Harry had simply grimaced eloquently and went back to his knife throwing.
Sighing, he flopped down on the stage and fiddled with his wand, thinking. Halloween was the day after tomorrow and he mentally reviewed his preparations. The students were progressing very well, but battle would test them all. Hogwarts, with both its ancient inbuilt defenses and Harry's own additions, was as ready as it would ever be. The secret tunnels were sealed shut - but only on this end, he realized, not from the village.
Hogsmeade was the weak link in their barriers, and he knew that he could improve on the defenses already there. Not to mention it might be good to review any plans the villagers remaining may have come up with. No time like the present. A shoe scuffed the floor, and Harry looked up to see Remus approaching him. "Harry, are you okay?" The teen shrugged and answered honestly, "I don't know. Things are just so screwed up right now, I'm not sure how I'm doing."
He scrambled to his feet. "Anyway, I was going to come see you just now. I need to run down to Hogsmeade and seat the last tunnels from that end." Remus hesitated, then nodded. "I assume you'll be in disguise?" "Yeah. Should be a quick trip." Harry started for the doors, Remus a step behind. "Take a communicator charm with you, just in case."
Harry threw him a side glance. There was an unusual amount of concern and stress in his eyes, which immediately put the teen on edge. "You know something I don't?" he asked quietly, and the professor winced. "Not really." He hesitated. "Just a feeling really. Like this storm is going to break sooner than we expected." Harry looked at him closely, suddenly with a strange feeling of his own.
"I'll be careful," he promised. "I don't want this to be the last time we see each other." Remus breathed out a sigh. "Hopefully soon, this will be all over." Unexpectedly he gave Harry a quick hug, then pulled away. The teen smiled and squeezed his shoulder briefly before turning away and exiting the castle.
Out of sight, Harry assumed the innocuous disguise he had utilized the last Hogsmeade trip and Apparated away. He appeared right in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks and casually strolled out into the street. Hogsmeade, even more than before, had the feeling of a town under siege. Most of the stores were closed and boarded up, except for a few dimly lit ones scattered here and there. A gaping blackened hole occupied the space Weasley Wizard Wheezes once stood, and Harry swallowed hard before steeling himself.
Carefully he walked the perimeter of the village, noting the extent of the wards and reinforcing them as needed. Then he turned back into town for his main job. Honeydukes was open, but on one appeared when the bell over the door jingled with his entrance. Harry waited, browsing through the meager supply on the shelves, but still no one came to investigate.
Shrugging, he ducked behind the counter and descended to the cellar. Locating the trap door after a minute's searching, he briefly entered the tunnel to set defenses on the inside and sealed it shut on his way out. Exiting the strangely deserted store, he glanced around before heading up to the Shrieking Shack. He tested every single possible entrance accessible save burning the building down, then Apparated inside to seal the tunnel just to frustrate that possibility.
By now night had fallen fully, and Harry had to pick his way carefully down the hill back to the main street. The only bright lights came from the Three Broomsticks, and he paused, concerned about the number of shadows outlined in the illuminated windows. Cautiously he approached, hand hovering near his wand just in case as he stuck to the shadows. Voices could be faintly heard, and from what little was comprehensible it sounded like a meeting was taking place.
Suddenly Harry felt the business end of a wand poke the middle of his back and a harsh voice sounds from behind him. "Alright stranger, who are you and what are you doing here?" He relaxed infinitesimally, reigning in his automatic reactions; to disarm and Stun the man senseless. "I'm a friend," he offered, "and I'm here on business." The man behind him snorted. "Yeah right, a 'friend' creeping around after dark. What's your business, Death Eater? Come to check our defenses before your buddies attack?"
Harry sighed. "Listen, I just need to speak with Madame Rosmerta. She knows me." "Oh really?" The man was darkly amused. "Tell me why I should risk it and not kill you right here." "If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already," Harry stated flatly, exasperated with this game and whishing he had just neutralized the man to begin with.
He decided on a little gamble. "Around here, I'm known as Wraith." "Huh? Wraith?" The man was confused for a second only, then horrified realization colored his tone. "Oh! Wraith . . . Right. Um, sure, I . . . uh, I'll just let Ros know you're here. Wait here a second." The wand disappeared and the man hurried along the side of the building, no doubt heading for the back door. Harry just shook his head.
A minute passed, during which a short lull of conversation in the pub let him know that he had been announced, then the front door opened and Madame Rosmerta walked slowly out with her wand trained steadily at his chest. He squinted in the light blinding him, and after a long moment she said, "It's all right. He's a friend." Lowering her wand, she beckoned him inside and he hurried in after her.
The light and warmth of the pub was a nice contrast to the chilly night outside, all serving to lift his spirits just a bit. Harry flashed the barkeep a smile, which she returned as she handed him a bottle of hot butterbeer. With a wink she said, "I believe you ordered this last time." He chuckled. "Indeed I did. And the students pass on their thanks to you for the excellent addition to dinner."
Sipping and glancing around, he noticed many eyes staring at him, only to flick away as he met them. Inconspicuously he sighed; figures. "So what's going on here? Town meeting?" Rosmerta shook her head a bit. "More like a war council. We want to be fully prepared for whatever happens, but most have left. What you see here," she gestured around at the perhaps thirty people in the room, "is all we have left."
She pointed out a slightly mad-looking older man with shaggy hair and bright purple robes. "That's Artemis Zonko. He's heading up our efforts. Apparently he didn't take too kindly to what the Death Eaters did to Weasley Wizard Wheezes." Harry added to himself, "Nor did I." However, Rosmerta overheard him and shot him a calculating look. Conspiratorially she leaned close and murmured, "Last time you introduced yourself as Mr. Potter. Now you're Wraith."
Her unspoken question mocked him and he sighed. "Yes I am." That innocent statement confirmed her question and she nodded thoughtfully. He glared briefly at her. "Keep that a secret." Rosmerta only nodded and shrugged slightly. "None of my business. And I wouldn't be a very popular bartender if I went around telling other's secrets."
Zonko chose that moment to throw a scowl in their general direction. "If we can get down to business," he said pointedly, and Rosmerta rolled her eyes a bit before giving him a patient look. He sniffed, then pulled himself up with a slightly martial air and announced, "Very well. Have we all completed individual defenses in our shops and homes?"
There was a general murmur of agreement, and he beamed. "Excellent. The village itself is as protected as we can make it magically, what with all the wards guarding the perimeters. Mr. Fowler, Ms. Whitecaster and I have been adding physical defenses as well." He signaled, and a youngish-looking wizard with long blonde hair spread out a map of Hogsmeade over the surface of several tables grouped together.
Zonko used his wand to point out their new obstacles as he described them. "We've dug giant hidden trenches here and here; placed some traps and mines courtesy of the Aurors just insides the ward perimeters all around; at these chokepoints barriers have been set up with a few more surprises on them; all empty shops have been reinforced; they will be our walls." Soon the map was covered with glowing dots and wiggling lines; it was more confusing that Oliver Wood's Quidditch models.
"When the attack comes, here's where we're going to make our stand." He indicated four chokepoints among the barriers and buildings closest to the Three Broomsticks. "They outnumber us, but we have the element of surprise and a few tricks up our sleeves." Now his face, obviously used to smiling and laughing, turned uncharacteristically solemn.
"We all know that in reality, we have no chance to repel them. There are no reinforcements coming. What we can do is slow them up and take as many down as we can. " Zonko met every eye in the bar. "Do no throw away your lives uselessly in grand heroics. When it gets too tough, retreat fighting back here to the pub. The Floo is open one-way to the Hogwarts dungeons, where you have the choice of hiding out or assisting the fight there."
He sighed, words sending a ripple through the gathered townspeople. "I'll not mince words. We're in for the fight of our lives. I've no doubt that Hogsmeade itself is doomed, but as long as we survive, we can rebuild. First, we just have to kick You-Know-Who back to the slimy pit he crawled from and make sure he stays there!"
The momentary melancholy was gone, replaced by bright eyes twinkling with certain determination. The mood brightened considerably, and his last statement induced some faint cheers and much applause. Harry observed it all quietly, examining their strategy. He raised a hand to attract Zonko's attention, then said, "I've an idea." The old jokemaster frowned a second, but with a look from Rosmerta nodded his head. "Go on."
Harry gestured at the map. "The village is not their real target. They will go straight through Hogsmeade to Hogwarts to press their attack. So if some of you can stay behind, hiding outside the village and following them up to the castle, we can catch them in a two-pronged attack of our own. The more we split their attention, the more our chances of survival increase."
Several men appeared thoughtful, and Zonko beckoned him up beside him at the map. "Interesting idea. But where could we hide? And how do we follow them without being spotted ourselves?" Harry drew his wand and pointed it at the mountains outside the village. "Everyone will be needed for the Hogsmeade attack. But when you fall back, have some Portkeys here to transport some of your best fighters up here. There's a cave to hide in if some scouts are creeping around.
"Take some brooms and fly back, keeping low over the forest. Disillusionment charms would help also. You might beat the Death Eaters there, so hide at the edge of the woods until they've fully engaged at Hogwarts, then fall on them from behind and at a slight angle, here. That'll confuse them, especially if you attack from the forest and use the trees to shield you. I've noticed they are not particularly good at hide and seek when they're not the ones hiding."
That drew a few weak chuckles, but for the most part everyone studied the glowing lines and new arrows wiggling around the map. Zonko pursed his lips and stroked his chin. "We'll need a force of no less than eight, all with brooms." He looked up. "Volunteers?" Immediately most of the remaining townspeople raised their hands, and he arched an eyebrow. "Okay, who's played Quidditch before? In a real game, not just flyin' around your backyard. You may be fighting on those brooms."
Now only twelve were left, and he considered them for a long moment before nodding. "All right, prepare yourselves well for this. There's no guarantee we'll all make it back here alive at all." They nodded, even though a few now were pale faced with nerves. Harry was studying the map again. "Who here can produce a corporeal Patronus?"
A few people raised their hands, and he indicated one blockade at the end of main street. "Station yourselves here. I don't know how many dementors are left, but you can be they'll be the first ones in. drive them off, then scatter through the village so the Death Eaters can't take you all out at once."
They continued like that, Harry and Zonko, for some time as they examined the map, plotting strategy and a few surprises for the invaders, trying to maximize their survival. Harry wished that Ron were down here; he was the strategic whiz. Still, this was rather fascinating and encouraging to see these people come together as one to defend their homes.
Zonko only glanced up when the clock chimed twelve, blinking in surprise. "Where has the time gone?" Rosmerta smiled wryly from behind the bar as she washed a couple of glasses. "Where time always goes. There's a big black hole somewhere in the center of the galaxy that sucks it all away." Harry chuckled as he ran a hand over his eyes, blinking away grittiness. "I'll have to remember that one."
Glancing around, he saw the varying levels of fatigue in the crowd. "I believe that's all we can really do tonight. How 'bout we all go home and get some sleep?" One man raised his head from his contemplation of a tiny glass of gillywater and mumbled, "Hear, hear." With a scrape of tables and chairs, everyone slowly emptied the tavern to head for soft beds. Zonko kissed Rosmerta's hand goodnight and exited with his map.
Harry grinned and stretched kinks out of his back. "Goodnight," he called as he walked towards the door, and the barkeep echoed, "Goodnight, and sweet dreams." Wearily he made his way up the street towards Hogwarts, feeling too tired to Apparate safely. It would be embarrassing to splinch himself and end up with a leg on Main Street, an arm at the front gates, and his nose in his bed. But as the cold night air cut through his cloak he reflected that maybe he should try it anyways.
Pulling his cloak tighter around him, he hurried along the path as it cut by the Forbidden Forest, thinking of the fire crackling in the Tower and the warming pan between his sheets. The cold seemed strange tonight, too frosty for October as it numbed his fingers and nose. Suddenly the cold came alive, burrowing past his cloak and skin to lodge in his bones and freeze his heart. Shaking, he stopped and turned, seeing nothing but blackness around him. But he heard things.
Long cloaks whispering over frozen ground . . . slow rattling breaths sucking all life from the air . . . and faint screaming inside his head.
Gasping for air even as the cold strangled him, Harry pulled his wand and muttered, "Lumos." The light revealed nothing, but he pointed it around, searching =for what he knew was there. Something flickered at the edge of his sight, and he spun in time for his light to reflect dully off a gray, slimy, scabrous hand before it vanished into the gloom of the forest.
Where was it headed, the village or Hogwarts? He stalked forward, trying to catch a glimpse of it again, when a strong pair of hands caught his shoulders and spun him around. The wand was knocked from his fingers but stayed lit as it clattered to the ground. By its feeble light he looked up foggily at the unhooded face of a dementor, gaping mouth open and swooping down to meet his.
*************************************************************
Destiny looked up from her book as Fate stomped in and threw herself on the couch, muttering darkly, and calmly marked her placed before inquiring, "Something vexes you, sister?" Fate rolled her eyes. "Sister, if you would get your nose out of those books and take a look around you, you would know." She flipped over to stare at the other Guardian. "Death refuses to cooperate. She's deliberately breaking all the laws governing the realms and our very existence, but she claims it's not her fault!"
She snorted derisively. "She lets herself be ordered around, blames me, and can't even manage her own realms effectively. Can you believe that a couple of mortals actually asked me to send them back?!" Destiny let her rant and rave some more, nodding in all the right places, while she pulled out a thick tome and flipped towards the back.
When Fate finally ran out of steam and her hair changed back to a neutral brown from the wild spectrum it had been going through, Destiny arched her eyebrow. "Sister dear, you are merely seeing the consequences to your own decisions. See what happens when you meddle?" Fate threw up her hands in exasperation.
"That's exactly what Death said! But don't you dare try to blame this all on me," she added warningly. "I did my job to the letter. Death is the one who screwed it all up into this . . . this catastrophe! I never said anything about letting Lucifer out of his playpen, yet he's down there right now wreaking havoc."
She reflected bitterly, "At least Chaos is happy, even if he's the only one." Destiny nodded distractedly, flipping black hair out of her blue eyes. "He's easy to please. But here's what I'm talking about." One finger thumped the page she was currently perusing, and Fate leaned over to see. "Here's how I had it all planned out. Time-consuming on human standards, but simple. Then you let those two fall in love."
She traced a slight tangent. "Try to stay out of Love's debt next time; she likes to meddle nearly as much as you do. It wasn't really a big problem at first, but I had to push up the timing, which in turn started the ball rolling. Then Death got involved with her current agenda and I had to account for a few extra deaths," the tangent went wider and farther from the original, "which meant I had to change my plans here and here."
Fate rested her chin in her hand, idly rubbing her dice with the other. "But as I see it, you could have deviated back to the main path here," her finger poked the page right in front of the other's, "with very little effort. Instead, it went the other way. Why?" Destiny sighed and shook out her black hair. "That is where you let the mortals pick the trainer."
Fate frowned and was about to reply when Destiny cut her off. "We could have disguised one of the Shamak'la and sent them to teach, but no." Her voice dripped sarcasm. "Your meddling mandate kicked in. Admittedly, it did help with the prophecy, but I had planned on saving that for later. He never should have been sent away." Now the path twisted and turned like a drunken sailor's walk, sometimes doubling back on itself or splitting briefly, a far cry from the straight-line path before.
Destiny slammed the tome shut with a loud band, and for a long minute the sisters stared at each other. "Are you mad at me?" Fate murmured curiously, and Destiny let her lip quirk. "No. How can I be? You're doing your job as you see best. You haven't done anything really wrong." She shot Fate a mischievous look. "You're just being your usual infuriating self. I'm used to it. Almost."
Mollified but not happy, Fate relaxed back into the couch. "So now what will happen? What are we going to do?" Destiny sighed wearily, shelving her tome amid hundred of thousands like it. "We can do nothing. For now, it's out of our hands." She looked into the distance, as if trying to read the books of distant Future. "All we can do is see how it plays out. And be on hand to clean up the mess afterwards."
Fate muttered softly, "If we are still here."