In Every Darkness
Chapter Thirty One: To the Train
31.8.1996 (Night)
Harry was lying on the couch in the living room, listening to everyone racing over the house searching for any last minute things they might need.
He'd packed the night before, using magic to help him find the things that seemed to have hidden themselves away just so that he wouldn't be able to find them on time.
So now he was bored. None of his friends had time for him, being too busy searching for their own stuff. Whistling softly to himself, Harry stroked Grypis's head gently.
The griffin was lying beside the couch, now being too heavy to lie on Harry's chest, and about the size of an English sheep dog. Grypis was purring in contentment, a sound that was odd, coming from an eagles beak.
"Good evening, Harry," Harry didn't start when the voice whispered from behind him. He'd heard Dumbledore walking up to him before. He could tell just about every member of the Order by their footsteps now – Tatsu had spent the last three weeks doing his best to creep up on Harry and catch the boy by surprise.
The first three times it had worked. Harry could still remember the first time, most of the Order had been in the kitchen. They'd heard him stumble into something, and when they got out into the hallway, Harry and Tatsu were fighting like mad things.
They moved with a grace that seemed almost inhuman, dancing around each other, blocking attacks, and attacking themselves. It had taken them awhile to notice they had an audience, but when they did, both had stopped immediately.
"What are you looking at?" Tatsu asked curiously. Harry caught sight of Snape's billowing robes as the potions master walked away in what was probably contempt.
Harry jolted himself out of his memories. "Evening, Albus," he replied, staring blankly at the ceiling still. "How are you? We haven't seen that much of you this summer."
"I'm fine, Harry," Dumbledore assured him. "But I wanted to talk to you for a moment. I don't think it would be safe for you to catch the train to Hogwarts."
"Are you trying to protect me again?" Harry asked, sounding a little dangerous. Dumbledore knew how much Harry despised the protections that he was given.
"In a way, but I am more concerned about the other students. If the train was attacked, you could protect yourself, I'm well aware of that, no fear, Harry, but what of the first year students? Or those who have never had to fight in their lives? The second years had only Professor Umbridge to teach them, and so they know nothing either …"
"You're right," Harry agreed. "But how would I get to Hogwarts otherwise?"
"You will be coming with our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore replied. "No, I'm not going to tell you who it is, not yet, at any rate. They will come to pick you up tomorrow evening and bring you to Hogwarts. You should arrive just after the Sorting, I hope you won't mind missing it?"
"I've only been to three of them in my five years at school," Harry said, smiling slightly. "Now I'll have missed as many as I've attended. No, I don't mind too much."
"Good. I have to go to Hogwarts now, but I will see you tomorrow night, at Hogwarts," Dumbledore smiled and was about to depart.
"Professor – how will Voldemort know that I'm not on the train? Won't he attack anyway?" Harry asked, suddenly curious.
"No, Severus will be going to a meeting tonight, and will inform Lord Voldemort of the change in plans. Just in case, some of the Order Members will be on the train."
"Ok."
With that, Dumbledore left Harry lying on the couch, absently stroking his griffins head.
Harry didn't notice when he fell asleep there that night, completely missing dinner, but he was woken in the morning by Tatsu.
"You weren't in your room," Tatsu accused, smiling slightly. "I was going to suggest an early morning training session."
Harry smiled at Tatsu. "When the guys are gone. I want to say good bye first," he said.
Tatsu gave a faint sigh. "Oh fine," he remarked darkly. "Be that way."
Harry watched as Tatsu wandered off, muttering to himself, and smiled slightly. He knew that Tatsu didn't mean a word of it.
Ron, Hermione and Ginny suddenly spun downstairs, laughing and gasping. Harry could hear Fred and George cursing upstairs.
"What happened?" He asked.
"They booby trapped the entire corridor, and we managed to avoid them all. Now they are trapped up there," Hermione replied, nearly choking on laughter.
"You should be careful when you go up to get your trunk," Ginny added. "You don't know what they've done …"
"I won't be catching the train today," Harry quickly explained what Dumbledore had said the night before.
"That's too bad," Ron sighed. "We can't tease Malfoy about your new status now."
Harry smiled slightly. "But we can when I get to Hogwarts," he replied. "I'm really looking forward to it, actually, so don't tell him anything about it … It'll be fun to surprise him for a change."
He and his friends laughed as they headed to breakfast, Grypis prowling beside Harry, ready to protect his friend from any harm.
Two hours later Mrs. Weasley was bustling them out of the door. "I'm sorry you can't come with us," Hermione said, looking down. Harry was standing in the doorway, watching them leave.
"So am I," Ron and Ginny added simultaneously.
"Remember, don't tell Malfoy anything until I'm there to rub it in his face!" Harry grinned at them, and they waved in agreement before Arthur drove them off. The car was from the Ministry, at Dumbledore's insistence.
Harry slipped back into the house, closing the door behind them. The Order members were mostly out now, which meant that he was practically alone in this house … His house.
What was that noise?
Harry kept walked, a normal person looking at him would not see any change in his posture, but he had adjusted himself to be ready to fight, his face became almost expressionless and his green eyes developed a slight golden sheen.
But the man creeping up on him could not see his face. Harry kept walking, and Grypis walked by his side, each acting as though nothing was wrong.
Harry moved towards the living room. Open space, he needed open space. He noted that the man behind was speeding his pace a little, trying to stop Harry from reaching the place he wanted to be.
Tatsu, for Harry knew it was he, kept coming closer. Tatsu knew that Harry was aware of him, of that Harry held no doubt. He just needed to find a good place to fight.
Wait, up there, just ahead, a door … where did it lead? Oh yeah! To the basement … That was it! The basement! There would be plenty of room down there, with all of the stuff Kreacher had tried to save either safe in the attic or in rubbish bins of the street.
Harry pushed the door open quickly, he and Grypis hurrying into the darkness, leaving the door to swing shut. Harry rounded a corner as his ears picked up the sound of the door opening.
It was dark in here, but Harry was safe in his centre, he knew where he was, what he was doing. He was ready.
In the darkness of the attic, both he and Tatsu would have to rely on sound and changes in the air to predict each others moves. Harry was good at that though, he always had been, and Quidditch had done nothing more than to tone his instincts.
He waiting. Tatsu blundered on entering the room, and Harry bounded into the attack. A moment later he was leaping back again, he'd scored a hit on Tatsu, but was unwilling, as yet, to press his advantage.
He listened to Tatsu's footsteps. A slight limp. Remember that, he told himself, then he was moving again. This time it was his turn to get hurt as Tatsu's fist numbed his left arm.
The fight continued. Harry managed to trip Tatsu once, but apart from that he came off much worse for the wear.
***
"I hope Harry's alright," Hermione fretted.
"I'm sure he's fine Hermione," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, we have to go to the prefects carriage."
Hermione gave a suspicious look, but nodded in agreement. Ron knew that she was suspicious because he was suggesting that they do what they were supposed to, and he wasn't going to tell her that he only wanted to go there to see the look on Malfoy's face, after their – or rather, Harry's – confrontation on Diagon Alley.
"Well, well, well," a voice sneered behind them.
Ron and Hermione turned to see Malfoy sauntering towards them. "If it isn't Gryffindors famous trio … but only two of you?" he sneered at them.
"There may be only two of us, Malfoy," Hermione snapped coldly. "But in case you haven't noticed – there's only one of you."
Malfoy glared at her. "I wouldn't need anyone to deal with you two anyway," he told them.
"Your father didn't think so," Ron snarled at him.
A flash of emotion crossed Malfoy's face, but it was gone so quickly that neither Ron nor Hermione could tell what it was. "Don't speak about my father," Malfoy hissed violently.
"Oh, why shouldn't they? I'd think it was an excellent subject myself," a voice spoke behind them.
Malfoy whipped around to see Mad Eye Moody clumping towards them. Malfoy gave the wizard a single, terrified look and fled.
"Watch him," Moody growled at Ron and Hermione. "He doesn't like you, and he's too far on the way to following his fathers footsteps now, I think."
"Thanks Moody," Hermione smiled in gratitude, and Ron nodded.
"I'll be patrolling the train," Moody told them. "With a few other members of the Order. We may speak later … and we may not." He clumped away again.
"Well that was … good timing," Hermione remarked, watching the old Auror disappear in the crowds of the platform. "Come on, we'd best get to the compartments."
Ron was less eager to do this now, having already met up with Malfoy, but followed anyway, knowing that he couldn't back out now, unless he wanted a taste of Hermione's temper.
The ride to Hogwarts was uneventful. Ron and Hermione were soon able to leave and wander through the train, greeting all of their friends, giving vague answers to the questions on Harry's absence and speaking quietly with the Order of the Phoenix members.
***
Light blossomed from Harry's wand, filling the basement with light. Harry looked down at himself and smiled slightly. "I'm a bit of a mess," he remarked.
"Only a bit," Tatsu agreed, laughing quietly.
"What's going to happen with the training when I go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, sitting down on a crate and trying to ignore the pain he was in.
"I'll come around occasionally by fire. Dumbledore's already given me permission. I'll let you know ahead of times what's up, though," Tatsu replied. "Now," he seemed to forget entirely about the matter. "You can't go back to Hogwarts looking like that. I'll go and pester Snivellus until he gives him potions that should clean you right up! Stay here!"
With that, Tatsu turned and bounded out of the room, leaving Harry somewhat bewildered.
Grypis slipped to Harry's side, resting his eagles head on Harry's knee. "He will bring Potions to help," the griffin told Harry, seeming completely comfortable.
"Good," Harry grumbled, though it was only laughingly.
He and Grypis waiting in silent companionship for Tatsu to return, and, in time, he did, bearing with him an assortment of potions. "Here," he thrust the bottles at Harry. "Take those!"
Harry blinked at the array of potions that he'd been given. "There's instructions on the side," Tatsu added.
Harry smiled slightly and read the instructions on all of the bottles first, and then began taking the potions.
When he'd finished them, the bruises from the last few days of training were gone and so was his stiffness. "Thanks Tatsu," Harry smiled at his friend and teacher.
"Welcome," Tatsu shrugged it off. "I'm off home now, but I'll be by on the weekend, if you don't have too much homework!" With that he whisked away again.
"Come on Grypis," Harry addressed his friend, standing up and shrinking the potions. He might as well keep them.
Harry went upstairs, had a shower, attempted to brush his hair, changed into comfortable clothes and shrugged his Hogwarts Robes on over the top.
Then he tugged his trunk downstairs, not shrinking it in case one of the few other people in the house noticed, and waited in the living room for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to come, as evening touched the skies.
He wondered who it would be. Would it be one of the Order members? Harry guessed so, who else would Dumbledore want at the school at times like this? But who?
Not Alastor Moody, not Arthur or Molly, obviously not Snape … Maybe that new woman, Katharine …
The door opened suddenly and a woman strode into the room, wearing the robes of a Hogwarts Professor. "Come on Harry, we'd best get to Hogwarts!" she said brightly.
"You?" Harry asked, eyes wide with surprise.
Was Dumbledore insane?
***
Hehe … Next chapter, we discover who the new DADA teacher is! I didn't feel like telling you just yet!
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