Chapter 8:
Hunting, Again
The first morning of school found Harry and Ginny sitting together at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna joined them. McGonagall passed out the timetables, while everyone was eating. Harry glanced down at his, "Not bad. We start Monday morning with Double Defense Against the Dark Arts, and then we've got Charms this afternoon."
Ron nodded, "I like this. It's a good Monday."
Hermione and Neville nodded. Harry asked, "How's your Monday, Ginny?"
Ginny smiled, "I've got Transfiguration this morning, and Double Ancient Runes this afternoon."
Luna nodded, "That's not bad. I've got Transfiguration with you, but I have Double Herbology this afternoon."
Harry laughed, "She's getting ready for you to be her teacher next year, Neville."
Neville blushed slightly, "I suppose. We'll just have to wait and see."
After breakfast all of them headed for class. Harry, Neville, Hermione, and Ron walked to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They took their customary seats at the front of the classroom. A few moments later, Tonks walked into the room. "Good morning. Welcome to the final year of N.E.W.T. Defense Against the Dark Arts. I want to begin by discussing what we will be covering this term. I must warn all of you that the N.E.W.T. for this course will be very difficult to obtain. The written examination will test your knowledge of defensive techniques to every major curse that we have ever studied. The practical examination will involve defending yourself against a variety of curses. This part of the test will be performed by Aurors."
Neville raised his hand, "Does this mean that we will have to duel with Aurors?"
Tonks shook her head, "No, you won't exactly be dueling with them. They will be determining if you can dodge curses, and also determining if you can counter them once you are hit. I think that all of you are members of the dueling club. I would recommend that you continue with it. Mr. Potter is doing an excellent job of teaching you how to duel. The skills that you learn in the dueling club will come in handy for the test."
Terry Boot raised his hand, "Are we going to have the dueling club meeting tonight?"
Tonks turned to Harry, "I think that is a question for Mr. Potter."
Harry grinned, "No, we will not be having a meeting this evening. We will start on Thursday. From there we will continue with the usual Monday-Thursday routine from last year. I will have announcements posted on the house bulletin boards by tomorrow."
Tonks swept her gaze back across the rest of the class, "I believe that settles that. Now, let us begin."
After class and the morning break was over, Harry met Ginny in the Great Hall for lunch. Ginny asked, "Where are Ron, Hermione, and Neville?"
Harry sighed, "Hermione decided to start on the Defense homework and went to the library. Ron decided to follow her. My best guess is Ron is trying to keep Hermione from studying too much. Neville went to look for Luna. They were discussing going to see Hagrid about getting some magical creatures for class."
Ginny smiled, "So, I guess that it is just the two of us."
Harry smiled, "Yes, Miss Weasley, I believe it is."
While they were eating, Malfoy and his bunch of Slytherin cronies walked over to the Gryffindor table. Harry looked up as Malfoy's shadow fell across his plate, "What do you want, Malfoy."
Malfoy flashed a feral smile, "I was told to deliver another message."
Harry laughed shortly, "I see that Tom has finally found a job that you can actually handle. An errand boy."
Malfoy drew his wand, "You'll pay for that, Potter."
"Don't make me laugh, Malfoy. You couldn't harm me with the most powerful spell that you could muster. Now, deliver your message." Harry said.
Malfoy shook with rage as he pointed the wand at Harry. Finally, he put his wand back into his robes and said, "The Dark Lord says that the time is drawing near for your end. Beware."
Harry snorted, "Unless Tom has a better message than that, I suggest you never interrupt my lunch with his trivial messages again."
Malfoy spun and swept away with his fellow Slytherins following in his wake. After lunch Harry kissed Ginny, and then met Ron, Neville, and Hermione on the way to Charms class. He grinned at them, "So, what have the three of you been doing all this time?"
Ron and Hermione blushed. Neville merely shrugged, "I was walking around the grounds with Luna. We had a nice time."
Harry nodded, "I'm sure that you enjoyed sneaking off to snog very much."
Neville grinned, "At least I find some place private to do it. From what I've heard and seen, you and Ginny will start snogging in front of anyone."
Ron and Hermione laughed, while Harry's mouth dropped open in astonishment. Ron said, "He's got you there, mate."
Harry turned to walk away, "Let's just get to class. Flitwick won't want us to be late." The other three followed him down the corridor.
Once all the students were assembled into the Charms classroom, Flitwick came in and climbed up onto the desk. "May I have your attention? I would like to begin. Today, we will be discussing the Concealment Charm. This is one of the major portions of the practical N.E.W.T. Charms exam. You will be tested on your ability to conceal yourself."
Hermione asked, "What else will be on the exam?"
Flitwick chuckled, "Not now, Miss Granger. I don't want to overload everyone with information at once. We will take everything that we have to study and break it down piece by piece. After that I am confident that all of you will do quite well on your N.E.W.T.'s. Now, onto the Concealment Charm. The wand movement for the Concealment Charm must be very precise. It is a complicated series of stabbing motions." Flitwick paused in his lecturing to demonstrate. "The incantation associated with the charm is Concelo Illusio Obscuro. You must say the incantation at an even pace, so that you begin speaking with the first stabbing motion, and complete the incantation with the final stabbing motion. This is probably one of the most difficult charms that you will ever have to perform. Let me demonstrate the charm." Flitwick began the complicated series of stabbing motions, "Concelo Illusio Obscuro." He finished and then light seemed to bend around him. If you stared straight at the spot where Flitwick disappeared you could still see a slight shimmer. A moment later Flitwick reappeared.
Padma Patil raised her hand, "Professor, we could still see where you were."
Flitwick nodded, "I know. True invisibility is a feat that only the most powerful wizards can accomplish."
Hermione asked, "Can you do it?"
Flitwick shook his head, "I can cast an invisibility spell on an object, but I can not cast an invisibility charm on anything living."
Padma asked, "Do you know anyone that can?"
Flitwick nodded, "The Headmaster is capable of such a feat. I know of no one else that could."
Ron asked, "How about You-Know-Who? Could he do it?"
Flitwick shrugged, "I would expect him to be capable of it, but I do not know for sure."
Harry finally spoke, "He can."
Terry asked, "How do you know?"
Harry answered, "I know. Leave it at that."
Padma asked, "Can you do it?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, I can make myself invisible."
Flitwick gaped at Harry, "Would you be willing to demonstrate, Mr. Potter?"
Harry smiled, "I suppose that I could indulge you, Professor." Harry got up and walked to the front of the class. He made no motions or anything, but then he disappeared. A moment later, he reappeared behind Padma. He tapped her on the shoulder.
Padma jumped and spun around, "You scared me."
Harry grinned, "My apologies. I thought that I would try to be slightly dramatic."
Flitwick looked at Harry in amazement, "Harry, you didn't use a wand."
"I know. Voldemort broke my wand when he stepped on it during the battle. I don't need a wand to do anything anymore." said Harry.
The class sat in stunned amazement. Harry shook his head in amusement as the bell rang to end class. Harry waved his hand, and summoned his books to him. Then, he turned and walked out the door, while the rest of the class remained sitting in a stupor.
Harry went to the Ancient Runes corridor and met Ginny as she came out of the classroom. She looked at him in puzzlement, "What are you doing here?"
Harry replied, "Is it a crime to spy on the most beautiful girl in all of Hogwarts?"
Ginny curled her lip and stared off into space for a moment, "That depends on who the girl is."
Harry grinned, "You, of course."
Ginny smiled brightly, "Then, its okay."
"Ha, ha, very funny. Let's go and do your homework."
"What about your homework?" Ginny asked.
Harry answered, "I'll do my Defense homework after dinner. I didn't get any homework from Charms due to the fact that Flitwick was just a little too shocked to assign any."
Ginny eyed Harry suspiciously, "Why exactly was Flitwick too shocked to give homework?"
Harry shrugged, "I think it had something to do with the fact that he discovered that I can make myself invisible without a wand. It could have been something else, but I'm pretty sure that was it."
Ginny laughed lightly, "I'm sure that it was." Harry turned to lead her down the corridor. Ginny quickly realized that they weren't heading for the Gryffindor common room, "I take it that this means we're not going back to the common room."
Harry shook his head, "No, I don't want to deal with people gawking at me right now. I hope you don't mind studying in the Room of Requirement."
Ginny shook her head and grinned smugly, "No, I don't mind at all. I just hope you realize that we aren't going to get any homework done in there. We haven't snuck away to make-out for awhile."
Harry grinned, "I know. I figured as much. The only homework that I could have helped you with is your Transfiguration anyway. Its not like I understand a thing about those runes."
Ginny placed a hand in front of her mouth in mock surprise, "I'm shocked, Mr. Potter. I can't believe that you are admitting to not knowing something."
Harry shrugged, "Hey, I only know stuff if I have read it or absorbed it from Tom. He didn't take Ancient Runes either, so I don't exactly have a source for the knowledge."
Ginny laughed, "I suppose not."
They reached the corridor that contained the Room of Requirement. Harry walked back and forth three time while envisioning the room that he wanted. Once the door appeared, Harry walked in with Ginny directly behind him. Ginny smiled when she saw the couch sitting in front of a cozy fire. "Why, Mr. Potter, I didn't know that you had such good taste."
Harry snorted, "I picked you, didn't I? I would say that I have excellent taste, and that its obvious to the rest of the world. How did you miss it?"
Ginny playfully slapped Harry on the arm, "I was just teasing."
Harry grinned as he grabbed Ginny and pulled her into his embrace, "I know." Harry leaned in and kissed her. Both of them dropped their books, and they were soon forgotten as the two of them sat down on the couch and curled up together.
Later that night Harry and Ginny walked into the Great Hall for dinner. Ron looked at the two of them suspiciously, "So, where have the two of you been?"
Harry shrugged, "We decided to sneak off and do what you and Hermione were doing during lunch time."
Ron flushed slightly. Hermione hid her face. Neville laughed at them. Ginny poked him, "I don't know what you're laughing at. You and Luna did the same thing."
Neville continued to laugh, "So, I don't have to be embarrassed about it."
Luna smiled cheekily as Ginny gaped at Neville's boldness. Harry laughed, "Neville, you know that two years ago you would have been terribly embarrassed by a statement like that."
Neville nodded, "I know. That time has passed."
Harry clapped him on the shoulder, "Yes, it has."
While they were all enjoying their dinner, Cornelius Fudge came barging into the Great Hall with a contingent of Auror guards. He stormed up to the Head Table, and Dumbledore rose to meet him. Harry got up from his seat, and followed in Cornelius' wake. By the time that Harry reached the Head table, Cornelius had already bellowed, "I want to speak to you, Dumbledore."
Dumbledore replied, "If that is what you wish, Cornelius. Let us retire to my office."
Cornelius stamped his foot in irritation at Dumbledore's perceived calm, "Very well." As the Dumbledore turned to lead the way from the room, Cornelius noticed Harry for the first time, "We do not require your presence, Potter."
Harry replied, "I will keep my own counsel as to where my presence is required, Cornelius. For you to be in this much of a fuss, then it means that Voldemort is up to something. If he is, then it concerns me." Harry turned to Dumbledore, "Shall we go?"
Dumbledore made a supreme effort to hide the smile that attempted to blossom on his face. Cornelius stewed as he followed them, with the Aurors trailing behind him. They reached Dumbledore's office, and Dumbledore motioned Cornelius to a seat. Harry indicated that he would stand. The Aurors fanned around the room. "What is it, Cornelius?" asked Dumbledore.
Cornelius began, "I have just been in conference with the Prime Minister. Apparently, there have been a great deal of attacks on Muggles by Death Eaters. The Muggle press got wind of the situation today. The details of the attacks have been publicized. They don't understand the implications of it, but the situation is volatile. The Prime Minister is suggesting going after You-Know-Who with the Muggle military."
Harry voiced an objection, "You have to convince him that is a very bad idea. Voldemort and his minions would make short work of the British Army."
Dumbledore finally spoke, "I read the Muggle newspapers. I saw the articles concerning it this morning. We were going to discuss the Order's response at the meeting this evening."
Harry snorted, "You know exactly what the Order's response will be, Headmaster. I will be going to wait at the next most likely target. Hunting Death Eaters is becoming a hobby of mine."
One of the Aurors laughed and mumbled something under his breath. Unfortunately for him, Harry had excellent ears. Harry turned and strode up to the Auror in question, "So, you think that I have an over inflated opinion of my abilities do you?" The Auror remained stonily silent. Harry continued, "I asked you a question. Are you too much of a coward to respond to a simple student?"
Dumbledore intervened, "That is enough, Harry."
"No, it isn't. There might come a day that the Aurors that are present in this room are working with the Order. If they ever do, they need to understand that following my orders is the best course of action. I know more about what Voldemort is likely to do than anyone." Harry turned back to the Auror, "So, what do you have to say for yourself?"
The Auror replied, "I think that you are an egotistical young boy that entirely too many people have given a free reign to for far too long. The idea that you are going to save the world is a farce."
"Really. If that is what you think, then we should test your little theory. Hex me. Do everything that you can to attempt to subdue me. I would like to see what they teach you down at the Ministry."
The Auror drew his wand. Harry stepped back and leaned against the bookshelf. The Auror yelled, "Stupefy." The curse hit Harry and disappeared. The other Aurors stood and stared in shocked amazement. The Auror yelled again, "Stupefy!"
Harry yawned, "Are you through, yet? If not, let's hurry this along. There are important things to be discussed, and I don't have all night."
One of the Aurors asked, "How are you blocking the curse? You haven't drawn your wand."
Harry replied, "I wasn't blocking the curse. I don't have a wand. I don't need one anymore."
The Auror asked, "What are you talking about? No one can do wandless magic."
"I can. Expelliarmus." Harry waved his hand. The wand in the Auror's grasp went flying.
Another of the Auror's breathed softly, "Impossible."
Harry sighed, "I hear that entirely too often. Cornelius, consider the problem taken care of. You can reassure the Prime Minister that I will handle the Death Eaters that are attacking Muggles."
"You certainly seem sure of yourself, Potter." sneered Fudge.
"I am, Cornelius. I am."
Fudge stood up and swept out of the room with the Aurors hot on his heels.
Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, you do have to stop antagonizing Cornelius. He could make a lot of difficulty for you."
Harry replied, "That's exactly why I keep doing it. I'm trying to upstage him in front of as many people as I possibly can."
"Why?"
"As soon as the war with Voldemort is over, I'm going to actively attempt to oust Fudge from office. The worse he looks in the interim, the easier it will be to accomplish later. I'm not going to turn the wizarding world on its head, while Voldemort is still strong, but as soon as its safe, there is going to be a new order. The old pureblood families are not going to running the show anymore. I'm tired of it. I'm going to make sure that there are more Muggle borns controlling the upper level positions of the Ministry. I don't want to ever see an administration like Fudge's. One that values money and heritage more than the actual worth of people. Its time that the old prejudices that have ruled the wizarding world for so long died."
Dumbledore smiled and nodded, "That is a worthy goal. It may be one that you find impossible to accomplish, but the effort can only make the world better."
Harry laughed, "If my parents had known what I would accomplish in my life, they would have probably given me the middle name impossible. I have a knack for getting it done. This will just be one more link in the chain."
Dumbledore checked his watch, "The Order members will be here shortly. We should get ready."
Harry nodded, "I'll go get the others. I didn't tell them that we were having a meeting. They will want to be here for this. I'll be back in just a few minutes." Harry quickly strode through the castle towards the Gryffindor common room. He found Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Neville sitting in the common room. "Come on, guys. We have an Order meeting." Ron, Hermione, and Ginny got up to follow Harry. Harry looked at Neville, "What are you waiting for?"
Neville's eyes widened, "Does that mean you want me to come to the Order meeting?"
Harry nodded, "Of course. If you can find Luna in the next few minutes, she should be there as well."
Neville jumped up, "She will be in the library. She's doing her homework."
Harry asked, "Why aren't you working with her?"
Neville grinned, "She says that she doesn't get enough work done when I'm around."
Harry chuckled as Neville raced through the portrait hole and down the corridor. Harry followed him towards the library with the others trailing behind him. They caught up as Neville came out of the library with Luna in tow. Luna asked, "What is going on?"
Harry smiled, "We're having an Order of the Phoenix meeting and I thought that you might like to be included in what is going on."
Luna nodded, "Let's go."
Harry led the way back to Dumbledore's office and the group walked up the stairs to find the rest of the Order assembled. Harry walked over to Frank, and held out his hand, "I'm glad that you could make it."
Frank grinned, "I wouldn't have missed this for the world. I'm ready to fight."
Harry took his place in front of everyone, "It is time to begin the meeting. I would like to say that I am glad to re-welcome the Longbottoms to the Order of the Phoenix. However, that is the end of the happy news. Albus, since you are the only one that seems to have read the newspaper articles, I will let you tell them what is going on."
Dumbledore cleared his throat as Harry took a seat, "It appears that Voldemort has begun to allow his Death Eaters to conduct raids on Muggles. There have been twenty-two Muggle deaths thus far. The Muggle newspapers have gotten a hold of the details behind the deaths, and have publicized pictures of the Dark Mark in the sky."
Arthur shook his head, "Fudge has been in a towering temper since the Prime Minister contacted him concerning it this morning."
Kingsley nodded, "Don't I know it. He came down to the Auror department and yelled at everyone. He said that if we didn't start doing our jobs properly that he would fire us all."
Harry snorted, "That's an empty threat if I ever heard one. He wouldn't have anyone to defend the Ministry if he got rid of all the Aurors. Cornelius just wants to yell at someone to make himself feel as if he's actually accomplishing something. It's pathetic really."
Dumbledore broke in, "While insulting Cornelius might give all of you some sort of gratification, we must return to the subject at hand. We must respond to this."
Harry grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away. The most sensible course of action is for us to put a team together and wait for them to attack again. Then, we wipe out the Death Eaters that are responsible. I have a feeling that this is just a diversion to keep our eyes off of what Voldemort is really up to."
Remus asked, "What is that?"
"We'll get to that in a minute. That was the reason that this meeting was called. We need to decide how to deal with the diversion first. Albus, you have access to data that I don't. Where do you think that the Death Eaters will strike next?"
Dumbledore shrugged, "I have not the slightest idea. The attacks appear random in nature to me."
Dawlish spoke up, "No, they actually aren't. If you correlate the locations of the attacks with the homes of known Death Eaters on a map, you will find that all of the attacks are happening to Muggles that are close to their homes. The only Muggle area that has not been attacked is the small village near the ancestral Malfoy estates."
Kingsley nodded, "We spent all afternoon working on this. The Malfoy estate is the best guess that we can come up with for the next attack."
Harry sighed, "If they are going to attack Muggles around the Malfoy estate, that means they will most likely gather there before the attack. That will be out target. Who wants to be on the raiding team?"
Kingsley replied, "You know I'm in."
Dawlsih chimed in, "You can count on me, as well."
Frank twirled his wand, "I'm itching to hand out some punishment to some Death Eaters."
Neville stood up, "If my Dad is in, I'm going to."
Frank beamed with pride at his son, but Alice protested, "Neville, you are still too young."
Neville answered back fiercely, "I'm the same age as Harry. Besides this won't be the first time that I have gone head to head with Death Eaters. I'm ready. Harry is an excellent dueling instructor."
Ron jumped up, "You know I'm in."
The twins chorused, "We'll follow you anywhere, Harry."
Harry nodded, "That should be enough. Fred, George, everyone is going to need some Weasley bombs."
Fred grinned, "Don't worry we've got plenty."
George asked, "Do we need to bring any of the other items?"
Harry shook his head, "No, we shouldn't need anything other than the bombs."
Bill asked, "Don't you think you need a larger raiding party?"
Harry shrugged, "The more the merrier. If you want to join us, all you have to do is speak up, Bill."
Bill grinned, "I'm going."
Charlie said, "So am I."
Molly sighed, "Five of my children are running off into danger."
Ginny laughed, "I'm afraid that all six are running off into danger, Mum. Where Harry goes, I go."
Molly protested, "Ginny, you can't. You're not ready for a raid of this size."
Ginny pointed to Ron, Fred, and George, "I can beat those three in a duel. So, if they are ready, I am. I've already been Death Eater hunting with Harry."
Ron protested, "You haven't beaten me in a duel yet, Ginny."
"I will on Thursday." replied Ginny evenly.
McGonagall asked, "What are the two of you talking about?"
Harry answered for them, "They have challenged each other to a mock duel during the first dueling club meeting. Don't worry, Molly, I won't let them hurt each other."
Molly shook her head, "I guess I don't have much of a say in this matter, do I?"
Harry sighed, "Not anymore. We're not little kids that need to be protected anymore."
Remus interrupted, "Okay, now that that is settled, I want to know what you think the Dark Lord's true objective is."
Harry sighed, "Malfoy delivered a message to me as soon as I got off the train. Apparently Voldemort is going to attempt time travel."
Everyone gasped in surprise. Bill stammered, "Surely, he isn't that crazy."
Harry shook his head, "Do you really have to ask? Voldemort isn't crazy, but he is desperate. He knows that he can't beat me anymore. He's going to try the last thing he can think of. Defeating Dumbledore or myself in the past. Most likely Dumbledore."
Charlie asked, "Why Dumbledore?"
Harry shrugged, "I expect that he will still be hesitant to attack even my past self. He will be afraid that it will blow up in his face. If he kills a past version of Dumbledore, then there will be no one to protect me as a child. One of his minions would be able to kill me in the past, and all of Voldemort's problems would be solved."
Snape protested, "It could have other consequences that would be impossible to predict."
Harry nodded, "I know. So does he. However, he's willing to risk everything to defeat me. That makes him far more dangerous than he has ever been. The problem lies in the fact that if he goes back, then I will have to go back to stop him. Both of us being back in the same time period could be catastrophic. There are entirely too many things that could be altered by the two of us battling in the past. I have to find some way to make him return to the present once he goes back."
Arthur asked, "How are you going to do that?"
Harry sighed, and then shrugged, "I wish I knew."
Everyone left the meeting in disheartened spirits. They all had to carry away the forbidding knowledge that Harry didn't know how to stop Voldemort from traveling back in time.
The next morning, Harry walked down into the Great Hall to find Aurors stationed in the Great Hall. He gave Dumbledore an inquiring glance. Dumbledore motioned him to come up to the Head Table. Harry walked through the room and asked, "Why are they here?"
Dumbledore shrugged, "Dawlish and I decided that if Voldemort lures you back in time, then it is possible that his minions could attack the castle. We decided that it would be better to have some extra security around the castle. The students need all the protection we can muster."
Harry nodded, "Good. Having Aurors roaming around will keep our resident Death Eater in line for the most part. I hope."
Dumbledore smiled, "Don't worry. I have eyes watching young Mr. Malfoy. He won't be getting too far out of line."
"That's one less thing that I have to worry about. I will meet the others here right after dinner." said Harry.
Dumbledore nodded, "They will be here. I can only say good luck and happy hunting."
Harry walked back to the Gryffindor table and sat down to eat his breakfast. Ginny asked, "So, what do you have to do today?"
Harry grinned, "I have Herbology this morning, and Double Potions this afternoon."
Ron moaned, "Ugh. I'm glad I don't have to deal with Snape anymore."
Harry laughed, "I'm sure that Potions isn't nearly as bad as you remember it. Professor Snape is much better than he used to be."
Ron shook his head, "I'm still glad that I don't have Potions anymore."
Harry shrugged, "I guess."
Hermione ignored the two boys and asked Ginny, "What classes do you have today, Ginny?"
Ginny checked her timetable, "I have Double Charms this morning, and then Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."
Harry finished eating, "Well, we might as well get to class." He leaned down and pecked Ginny on the lips, "I'll see you at lunch, dear."
Harry headed away towards the greenhouses with Neville and Ron hot on his heels. The trio of Gryffindor boys reached greenhouse six, which their timetables had told them to report to. Madam Sprout came in, and said, "Hello, my students. Welcome to Greenhouse six."
The class, which was composed of the three Gryffindor boys, and a few Hufflepuff girls including Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones, chorused back, "Good morning, Professor Sprout."
Madam Sprout continued, "Obviously this is your final year at Hogwarts, and you will all be taking your N.E.W.T. in Herbology at the end of this year. The written portion of this test should not be terribly difficult to pass as long as you have done your homework. The practical portion of the test will involve dealing with multiple types of dangerous plants in a safe manner. We will begin with the first of these today. You will find one of each plant at each workstation. I have one for each of you. We are going to be pruning the Alboric Andromeda. These plants are hazardous due to their acidic secretions. You need to wear your dragonhide gloves while handling these plants."
The group spent the morning period pruning the Andromeda plants. After they were done, Harry took off for the Head Boy bathroom to take a shower. Ron and Neville looked at each other and then laughed. Ron said, "I think that Ginny has got him whipped."
Neville smirked, "I think Hermione and Luna have us whipped, too. We don't have much room to talk."
Ron nodded, "True. Chess?"
Neville nodded, "Sure. I'll let you build your ego up."
Ron shook his head, "I just like to play."
Neville snorted, "Sure you do."
The two of them continued to joke all the way to Gryffindor tower.
Later, at lunch everyone gathered around the table. Hermione said, "I want to go ahead and say this now, just in case I don't have another opportunity. I want all of you to be very careful tonight. You all need to come back safely."
Ginny smiled, "Don't worry, Hermione. Harry will keep an eye on everyone, I'm sure."
Harry nodded, "Ginny's right, Hermione. You don't have to worry. Everyone will be fine. We've got the Weasley bombs, and the element of surprise. We should be able to take them without much of a fight. I'm not going to bind them with a Disapparation Jinx, so they will be able to run once they realize that they are beaten. I'm not really worried about catching them all. We just want to give them a bloody nose tonight, so to speak."
Hermione sighed, "I would like to go with you, but I don't know how much good I will be."
Ron laid a hand on her shoulder, "Don't take this the wrong way, Hermione, but I'm really glad that you are not going. That way I don't have to worry about you."
Hermione responded, "But, I have to sit here and worry about you."
Luna smiled, "If it will make you feel better, Hermione, we can sit and worry together until they get back."
Hermione smiled back at Luna, "I'd like that."
Harry clapped his hands together, "Now, that that is settled, let's eat lunch. I'm going to need all the strength I can muster to get through Double Potions."
Hermione laughed, "It won't be that bad."
Harry shrugged, "I know it won't be that bad, but it will be long."
Everyone laughed, and then settled down to their lunch. After they finished, Harry kissed Ginny lightly, and said, "I'll meet you after class, love."
Ginny kissed him again, "I know. Bye."
Harry and Hermione headed down to the dungeons for Potions class. They sat at the front and waited for Snape's customary entrance. A few moments later Snape swept in with his robes billowing behind him. "Welcome to the final year of N.E.W.T. Potions. We will be brewing potions that appear quite frequently on the Potions N.E.W.T. I expect a high level of passing from all of my students, and I have yet to be disappointed in eighteen years. The first potion that we will be brewing this term is a truth potion."
Hermione raised her hand, "Will we be brewing Veritaserum?"
Snape shook his head, "No, Miss Granger, we will not. Veritaserum is too expensive a potion to brew in a classroom setting. We will be brewing a much weaker truth potion that can be used to verify information that you receive from another source quite easily. This potion is call the Truth Telling Potion because anyone who ingests it is incapable of telling a lie for the next several hours. They will feel no compulsion to answer your questions like with Veritaserum, but they will be unable to lie if they do answer the question."
Padma Patil asked, "How does that help you to verify information?"
Snape turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter, would you like to field this question?"
Harry nodded, "Padma, it is quite obvious that if you ask them a question, and they refuse to answer, then the information you have is most likely correct. If possible, they will tell you a lie, but since this potion makes that impossible, then they will have to merely stay silent, which only confirms what you know. It isn't foolproof because if they are extremely clever then they will refuse to answer the question even if what you want to know is wrong. However, most criminals that are stupid enough to get caught are not that intelligent."
Snape said, "Excellent response, Mr. Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor." Everyone in the room froze in shock except for Harry, who had already begun to unpack his potion ingredients. None of the others had ever seen Snape give points to Gryffindor, let alone Harry Potter. Snape swept his gaze over the rest of the class, "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out your things." Snape pointed his wand at the blackboard, and the ingredients and instructions for the potion appeared. "You may begin."
The students rapidly went to work. Harry was the first to finish his potion. He corked a flask of it for marking, and then took it up to Snape. Snape nodded to him as Harry returned to his desk to clean up. Shortly thereafter, the bell rang to signal the end of class, and Harry and Hermione hurried out. Hermione waited until they were out of earshot of the other students, "Harry, I can't believe that Snape gave you points in front of the Slytherins."
Harry grinned, "Well, Snape isn't going to show much favoritism to his own house for awhile. He knows that Malfoy has taken the Dark Mark, and that several of them despise him for being a traitor to Voldemort. He isn't happy with them at the moment. Once the Death Eater students leave, he will probably be back to his old ways, just not as sadistic about it. He's actually an excellent professor. He knows the subject matter, and he certainly knows how to keep a class attentive."
Hermione laughed at him, "If somebody had told me that you would be complimenting Snape two years ago, I would have told them they were crazy. Now, I'm hearing it first hand and I'm still not quite sure that I believe it."
Harry shook his head in silent amusement, "Believe it. We need to find the others. Never mind, there they are." Ginny, Ron, Neville, and Luna were walking towards the two of them. Harry said, "Let's go to the Room of Requirement, and get our homework done. We need to finish early since several of us have other matters to attend to after dinner."
Ron nodded, "Good idea, mate. We can have some privacy in the Room of Requirement."
Harry led the way, and the group settled down around an extremely large table to do all their homework. Harry and Ginny finished theirs quickly, and then started helping the others. Ginny pointed out a few flaws in Hermione's calculations for Arithmancy from over her shoulder. Hermione looked at her in amazement, "How did you know how to do that? You didn't take Arithmancy."
Ginny pointed at Harry, "I learned it from him."
Hermione turned to Harry, "How did you know how to do it?"
Harry shrugged, "Merlin is a brilliant man."
Hermione asked, "What?"
Harry shook his head, "I don't have time to explain right now, but I promise I will tell you all what I have been doing after tonight's mission is over with. I have informed Dumbledore of what I have been up to, but no one else knows yet."
Ron asked, "Not even Ginny?"
Ginny shook her head, "No, I knew that he had been learning things from somewhere, because he has been imparting the knowledge to me through our Soul Bond, but up till now he has been hiding the source of the information from me."
Harry chuckled, "Don't worry, we will all have a nice long discussion about it tomorrow." Harry looked at his watch, "Well, it is almost time for dinner. I guess we should go down to the Great Hall."
Ron jumped up, "Let's hit it. I'm ready to eat."
Hermione commented dryly, "You're always ready to eat." Everyone else laughed as Ron mock angrily stormed out the door. Hermione followed him out and asked playfully, "Did ickle Ronniekins get his feelings hurt?"
Ron stuck his tongue out at Hermione, and then pulled her into a kiss. Harry turned and raised his eyebrows at Ginny. She smiled, "I guess he must be learning. If he keeps at it, he'll start talking like you."
Harry made a weird face, "I hope not. If he starts talking to Hermione the way that I talk to you, I might gag."
Hermione broke the kiss with Ron and hit Harry on the arm, "What would be wrong with Ron being sweet and romantic?"
Harry shrugged, "Nothing. I just don't want him to do it in front of me. You're kind of like my sister, Hermione, and that is just gross."
Ron put his hands out in front of him, "Finally, he knows how I feel when I have to watch him snog my sister."
Ginny looked pointedly at Ron, "You don't have to watch you know. You could just walk away."
Ron looked pointedly right back at her, "You don't have to start kissing right in front of me either."
Harry tapped Ginny on the shoulder, "I hate to admit it, Gin, but the man does have a point. We flaunt our relationship just a little bit."
Ginny put her hands on her hips, "We should. All of the boys have been teasing me about having a crush on you since I was a little girl. Now, that I actually have you, I need to rub it in their face."
Harry gave a mock offended look, "Oh, I see. I'm just a prize that you had to win so you could get back at your brothers. I feel so used."
Ron, Neville, Hermione, and Luna broke down laughing. Ginny looked horrified by what she had said. "I didn't mean it like that, Harry!" she exclaimed.
Harry grinned, "I know. I was just trying to see what kind of reaction I could get out of you. Now, let's go eat. I'm even getting hungry now."
They went down to dinner and ate hurriedly. Once they were finished, and everyone else started to file slowly out of the Great Hall, they went up to the Head Table, where Fred, George, and Bill had come in. Dawlish and Kingsley were already at the castle on Auror duty. Frank walked in a minute later, followed shortly by Charlie. Harry clapped his hands together, "I guess that is all of us. Fred, George, did you bring the items that we discussed?"
The twins nodded, "We have them right here." The two of them held up the bags that they were carrying.
Harry smiled, "Excellent. Now, I have arranged a Portkey for us to go. He held up a large book. Everyone put a finger on, and we will get out of here."
Dawlish asked, "Where is the Portkey going to take us?"
Harry answered, "About a mile from the Malfoy estate. We will have to walk the rest of the way. I didn't want us to be too close."
Neville kissed Luna goodbye, while Ron did the same to Hermione. Hermione told all of them, "Be careful."
Harry replied, "I'll say it again, Hermione. Don't worry." The strike team all put a finger on the Portkey and suddenly they were gone. When they popped back into existence. Harry dropped the book and it disappeared.
Ron asked, "Where did it go?"
Harry grinned, "Don't worry. I can summon it to me at will. I'm going to become invisible and check the situation out. That way we can come up with the most effective strategy for taking them. I'll be back in just a minute. All of you stay hidden." Harry disappeared from view.
Frank shook his head in amazement, "There isn't a wizard alive that wouldn't pay good money to be half as talented as that young man."
Kingsley nodded, "I know what you mean, Frank. He has changed so much in such a short time. I remember not too long ago, when he needed us to protect him. Now, he's the leader of the Order. It just goes to show you that time can change everything."
Frank looked at Kingsley curiously, "Considering that we were discussing the altering of time at the last Order meeting, that statement can mean a whole lot more than you intended it to."
Dawlish sighed, "Don't we all know it. All we can do is hope that Harry figures out some way to stop him."
Harry reappeared in front of them. "Okay, there are about fifteen of them in the house. There are two standing out front as guards."
Dawlish asked, "Could you tell which ones they were?"
Harry shook his head, "No, they already have their masks on. They are getting ready to go out and attack. Here is what we are going to do. I'm going to go invisible again, and take out the two guards. I want Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, and Frank to be standing by with Weasley bombs. Hurl them through the front window. That should create plenty of confusion. Everyone else, be ready to throw Stunning Spells in after the bombs go off. We should nail a few of them that way. After that, all of you take cover, and continue to throw hexes into the house. Neville and Ron, I want the two of you watching our backs. Make sure that none of the Death Eaters go out the back of the house and try to flank us. That means that the two of you need to get up into the trees."
Neville asked, "What do we do if we see someone."
"Stun them." replied Harry.
Ron asked, "What if we can't?"
Harry chuckled, "Make a whole lot of noise. Everyone knows their jobs. Let's go."
Harry disappeared again and walked back towards the house. Things were just as he left them. The Death Eaters were still standing around in the sitting room. Either they were waiting for someone or a certain time. Harry quickly stunned the two guards. As soon as Fred and George saw the guards drop, they ignited their Weasley bombs and hurled them through the window. The glass shattered, and the other three bombs followed the first two in quickly. Stunning Spells followed directly behind the Explosion of minor hexes. Harry became visible again and leaped through the window behind the Stunning Spells. The Death Eaters scattered all over the vast room. Several of them began hurling hexes out the window. Others aimed at Harry.
One of the Death Eaters screeched upon recognizing Harry, "It's Potter."
Another Death Eater laughed mockingly, "Has the wee baby Potter come back to play?"
Harry spun at the sound of Bellatrix's voice. He smiled evilly, "Bellatrix, I will enjoy killing you." Harry raised his arm and pointed a finger at Bellatrix, "Avada Kedavra." The green jet of light sped towards her. Bellatrix Apparated away as soon as she heard him speak the words of the spell. The spell harmlessly splashed into the wall. By this point, several curses had hit Harry with no effect.
Three Death Eaters decided to try killing him and hurled Killing Curses at him. Harry heard three distinct voices yell, "Avada Kedavra."
He spun to locate the spells and saw all three jets of green light hurtling at him. Harry waved his arm around in a circle and said calmly, "Dissipato." The jets of light vanished in mid-air several feet away from Harry. Harry followed this with an Explosion Hex aimed back at the three Death Eaters. They were blasted away as several pieces of furniture were hurled around the room. Harry extended his other hand, and said, "Stupefy." A jet of red light emerged from each of his four fingers. Two of them caught Death Eaters and dropped them where they stood.
Another Death Eater screamed, "Retreat." With a series of pops the remaining Death Eaters Apparated away.
Harry surveyed the destruction of the room that he was in, and sighed, "You can all come in now. It's safe." The rest of the strike team entered the sitting room. Bill and Charlie were dragging the two stunned guards with them.
Dawlish glanced around and asked, "How many did we get?"
Kingsley appeared to be counting, "It looks like six stunned Death Eaters, and three mangled ones. Frank was kneeling over the three that had been hit with the Explosion Hex. Kingsley asked, "Are any of those three alive?"
Frank nodded, "Yes. One of them has a broken neck. He's dead. The other two are alive for the moment. They won't stay that way if we don't get some medi-witches in here, fast."
Harry sighed, "Don't bother with medi-witches. I'll take care of it. Harry flicked his wrist, and the two Death Eaters were healed. Then, he said, "Stupefy." Two Stunning Spells flashed across the room, and hit the two Death Eaters."
Dawlish smiled as he continued to look around, "We got nine of them. This is encouraging. They will think twice about attacking any more innocent bystanders."
Harry growled, "Bellatrix got away, though."
Frank stood up and walked over to Harry. He clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Harry. We'll get her one of these days."
Harry nodded, "Yes, we will."
A/N: For those of you that have been awaiting some action, I hope that this has sated your appetites for the moment. Thanks you to everyone who is reading and enjoying my story.
Curlycurlz: That was the idea. Thanks for the review.
Gents: You would be surprised what people of capable of once you push them too far, What Harry Potter novels have you been reading? Snape, one of the most powerful wizards of the day? You must be joking. Sirius was never afraid of Snape. I don't know where you pulled that out of a hat. Thanks for the review.
Aalikane: I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I thought the itch was a nice addition myself. Thanks for the review.
Teazer: Most likely. However, I felt that by the time I decided that I needed to explain it to everyone, it was too late to put it into the story. It would have made sense several chapters back, but not at that point in the novel. So, I just used the Author's note. Thanks for the review.
Lady Phoenix Slytherin: Interesting name. I hope you have enjoyed the novels up to this point. Thanks for the review.
Captuniv: Very perceptive. Thanks for the review.
Kemporer: Drop the company. Harry and Voldemort will be the only ones to go back. Thanks for the review.
Kate Potter13: I'll do my best. Thanks for the review.
Yugioh/Potter/Pokemon fanatic: Been there. Read that. Thanks for the review.
Dragonclawz: Don't worry. He will spend some money. Thanks for the review.
HP-wannabe69: Both. Thanks for the review.
Phred doesn't like you: Do you talk when people IM you? I've tried several times, and you never respond. Thanks for the review.
volley pickle: Thanks for the review.
Blind Faeri: Yes, Ron will finally get a little bit of sense when it comes to that. Although he's not going to be anything like Harry. Thanks for the review.
RLupin1003: That's the way he deserves to be treated. The prat. Thanks for the review.
Plasterwork: Depends on which Malfoy you're talking about. The elder one is going to meet his end very soon. Thanks for the review.
Tkmoore: The chapters will come marching one by one. Thanks for the review.
Jbfritz: No problem. Thanks for the review.
Lil Ole ME 97: I'm quiiiick. Thanks for the review.
Maria: Not a third book. There will most likely be some short stories set in this AU, though. Thanks for the review.
Hunta: I had to give the twins something to do with their creative genius. Thanks for the review.
Dragonstorm316: It will come. Don't worry. Thanks for the review.
KirbyChirby: Harry will have to explain everything about time travel to everyone else before the story is out. Hopefully that will clear up any confusion that results in the mean time. Thanks for the review.
HappySnakesRule: I'm going to continue throwing them at you as fast as I can. Thanks for the review.
Joulez: Its where the wind happened to blow me one day. Thanks for the review.
Blip-dragon: Thanks for the review.
Darak: You and I have different perceptions of how time travel in the past would affect the future. You're working with the alternate timeline theory, whereas I lean towards the idea if something is altered in the past, it creates a new timeline that molds around everyone else that is still in the stream of time. As long as the alteration does not create a paradox, then everything should be fine. Thanks for the review.
Lord of Darkness13: You can be sure that it is as diabolical as ever. Thanks for the review.
GerdieSI: Rowling herself has said that Harry will become much more powerful in Book Six. Thanks for the review.
Goddess of War and Wisdom: You better believe it. Thanks for the review.
Nisha: I'll do my best. Thanks for the review.
HPBeatles: Thanks for the review.
Harryp123: Thanks for the review.
MuggleNet27: I try. Thanks for the review.
UncleD87: Normal wizards would be restricted that way. Harry isn't. Thanks for the review.
Cur03: The next chapter has arrived. Thanks for the review.