This chapter is just partly corrected for now. So please bear with some stupid mistakes...
A/N: Still don't own anything except the plot! And as you saw in the last chapter...Flames will be used for heating my room. Even in summer!
Thanks to CosmicAngel and Polaris the Ice Queen for being Beta!
Thanks to my reviewers (I'll just list you, as some stories have been taken down for answering them):
Hunedoara, Alexandria2, Lerafea, Ciara, Yana5, Loopyloony, Mikee, andrea10, Youkai-Animagus, volleypickle16, Jay-BG, SycoCallie, Sailor Star10, Jaleesa, s, Drupadi, catfat, Rose of many Thorns, wolfawaken
Chapter 7
"You wonder if the young man was who you think it was?"
"Yes," choked out Harry.
"It was," replied Fred.
"But how? And why and when, I mean?" asked Harry, perplexed.
"Well, I think you can answer the when question." answered Fred, "To the how question: you have to ask Cedric for yourself and the why refers to the letter."
"What do you mean it's in the letter?" demanded Harry, still shocked from the news.
"It's the-" Fred took the letter from Harry and started reading aloud "-Should you decide to join us, we are sorry to inform you that we have to take certain measures to guarantee the safety of your family and friends. We will undertake suitable actions in order to make your trip to our homeland safe and sound-part."
"And that means?" prompted Harry.
"In other words you, or well they, fake your own death or a kidnapping in order to protect your family. As long as they, as well as your enemies, think you are dead or gone or whatever, they are safe. They can't be used against you and that is a very strong reason for the anonymity of the High War Mages, therefore every High War Mage has an alias. They are also called Light Lords, as in the opposite of a Dark Lord."
"So that was really Cedric?" Harry asked still a bit shocked.
"Yep and he apologises for shocking you. He will be back later."
"And you weren't really kidnapped by Death Eaters either?" asked Harry confused.
Fred laughed and replied "No, I wasn't kidnapped either. All of the Death Eaters were actually High War Mages or some trusted allies."
"So that means," said Harry combining all the facts, "That you are a High War Mage?" Harry concluded but looked a bit unsure.
Fred grinned and answered "In the flesh."
"And Cedric as well?"
"Yup."
"What about the third task, then?" asked Harry.
"You have to ask Ced about that for yourself. He can explain it better." replied Fred, "All right. Any other questions?"
"Yes. You were 'kidnapped' and Cedric 'killed'-" Harry made the air quotes and Fred nodded "- and what happened to me?"
"Dumbledore, the Order and the Ministry don't know that. Well except one that is. When I got you out of there I cursed your relatives - sadly, nothing serious just a very strong stunner and a memory charm – took you, went outside, cast the Dark Mark and apparated away. The Prophet reported, by order of the Ministry that you were kidnapped and that the Dark Mark was found. They also apologised for badmouthing you last year and put the blame on Umbridge."
"So I'm officially kidnapped? Nice. What about my so called guards?" asked Harry.
"Well, your guards weren't doing a good job, did they? I was watching you for a week and they didn't even see me. And on the day I got you out of there, I was sitting in plain view on the wall between number 2 and 4. Even the cat was blind."
Harry snorted, "Sounds like Dung and Mr Tibbles. Anyway, how long will the training last?"
"Well," replied Fred "that depends. The more powerful the apprentice is, the faster he learns everything. Sadly you are still underage. You have to be seventeen to take the exam and be allowed to call yourself an High War Mage. The average is about a year and against popular beliefs, like some books and tales, you train in the same time and dimension. There are no different times and there are no dimensions. At least not like they define dimension. There are different worlds but what we see as our 'world'-" Fred made quotation marks in the air "-the globe with different continents etcetera- is actually called the Trium and there are three worlds existing on this planet, but you will learn all that when you join."
"How long was your training or are you still training?" asked Harry, now very interested.
"Oh, I finished quite some time ago." the tip of Fred's ears were slightly red. "It took me actually 4 months. I'm sure you would be as fast but you have to wait till you are seventeen and thus reach your full power. But at least this will give you the time to be properly trained, instead of a few NEWTs and some Occlumency."
"I mean I'm just a boy and I need to be protected, after all I don't know much about the Wizarding World, do I?" he answered very sarcastically. Then, in a more normal tone, he added: "I have no idea about how I'm supposed to defeat him, Fred."
Fred laid his arm around Harry and pulled him close and replied, "That's why you are here and I told you before I'll help you no matter what. I won't let Dumbledore rule your life like that anymore. You are your own person and are allowed to make your own decisions and have some fun."
"What about my teacher. How do I know I can trust him or her?" asked Harry, uncertainty shining in his eyes.
Fred looked straight in Harry's eyes and Harry met his gaze, "Do you trust me Harry? I mean really trust me?"
Harry answered without hesitation, his eyes determined "Yes."
"Then you just answered your own question." replied Fred.
Harry blinked and a grin spread over his face, "Where do I sign?"
"Right here." deadpanned Fred and pointed on the line on the letter and gave him a quill.
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"So far so good." muttered Angelina to her two friends, leaning slightly against the wall of the otherwise empty elevator in the Ministry of Magic.
"True. Did you see any of the Order members?" asked Alicia quietly, eyeing the Ministry memos fluttering at the ceiling.
"Kingsley in the entrance hall. Good thing we came early. No one is questioning us and no one sees us. Maybe we manage to get to the old courtroom without anyone of them seeing us." replied George.
"Yeah, and let's hope they won't get Percy." said Angelina
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"Psst, Moody pssst," whispered Tonks into her communication mirror.
"What is it?" came Moody's harsh whisper.
"He didn't apparate but is heading for Muggle London instead." answered Tonks, looking to the street below.
"Damn that Weasley. We can't use magic there. We have to wait until he's at the Ministry. I'll inform Albus and you follow him without attracting attention. Contact me immediately if he changes direction or something of the sort."
"Will do," replied Tonks nodding, she was about to put the mirror away when Moody spoke again,
"And remember CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
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When the three Gryffindors descended the stone staircase from level nine to level ten, they were stopped by two Aurors.
"Are you here for the trial?" asked a tall Asian looking Auror.
"Yes." replied George.
"Very well. Please state your reason for attending the trial. This is a standard procedure."
"It's my brother's first case and we want to watch him."
"You are related to the prosecutor?"
"Yes." replied George again.
"Alright. Take these armbands-" he handed them three sky blue armbands "- and put them around your upper right arm. They signal the security that you were checked. Don't ever take them off while being in the trial. There will be a security belt after the hearing where you have to hand them back. Now, please enter the courtroom and an assistant will give you a portkey to Merlin's Coven."
"Merlin's Coven?" asked Alicia confused.
"Ah, you didn't know that the case was passed on to the High Magician Counsel. The trial is held in Merlin's Coven. A very secured building, rumours has it that's it's the most secured building in the world. Anyway, the trial takes place in the White Hall there, but you better move on now."
"Of course. Thank you." replied Angelina politely.
"You are very welcome."
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Tonks was following Percy with a block distance between them, when Percy suddenly lifted his hand and whistled to stop a taxi. He climbed into the back seat and the taxi was off, while Tonks was still staring after him gobsmacked, her mouth hanging open.
When she realised what was going on exactly, she started swearing profusely, which lead to a few Muggles staring at her in a disgusted way.
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George, Angelina and Alicia arrived with their Portkey in another hall. The rough stonewalls were illuminated by large torches. The room looked oddly like a cave, but it was pleasantly cold and dry instead of wet and gloomy. Looking around the room they spotted a guard next to every torch. They looked very different compared to the Aurors or guards at the Ministry of Magic. They guards looked like they were taken out of the old Rome. Polished silver armours and helms, reflecting the flames and their dark red tunics gleaming in the flickering light. They had also leather breaches and suede leather boots and a sword sheath and a dark red cape with a half-moon shaped clasp. They stood straight, a spear in their right hand and a dark red shield in the other. On their shield and the breastplate was an engraved coat of arms. It was light blue and in the background was a rising sun. In the middle was a wand crossed with a sword and below it, and thus forming a triangle was a scale. In the middle was an unicorn gleaming in the rising sun. In the upper right corner was a half-moon and a few stars.
"Wow," breathed Alicia, "That's something new." The others just nodded in reply.
"Excuse me," said a powerful voice from their right. They turned to the man. He was wearing the same clothes as the guards except his armoury and helm were gold instead of silver. "But you need to exit the marked area." They looked on the ground and saw that they stood in an illuminated circle. "It's the Portkey area and we don't want anyone to land on top of you." The three moved out of the circle and the man went on, "Now for the hearing, please follow this corridor. After a few minutes you will be in Merlin's Coven. The White Hall is the large temple hall building to your right. Please be there in an hour at the latest. You can keep your hoods up for anonymity."
"Thank you." said George to the man when they left in direction of Merlin's Coven.
"Always at your service," replied the man and bowed slightly.
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"I send Tonks after Weasley," informed Moody the members of the Order of the Phoenix seated around the kitchen table. "He is going through Muggle London and we can't take him under the Imperious there. Kingsley is looking for the other three at the Ministry. So far we didn't see them in the Alley. Maybe they just fooled us."
"Very well. All of us need to be very attentive. We can't have anyone knowing about us." emphasized the old Headmaster "We should prepare for the hearing. Keep your eyes and ears open and inform one of our Aurors if you see Percival or the other three. Now, we will see each other after the hearing." With that the silver-haired wizard stood up but before he could leave the kitchen, Tonks entered.
"Ahhh, Nymphadora. I thought you were following Percival."
"Don't tell me you lost him." bellowed Severus Snape suddenly, "Ah well, what were we expecting-" he sneered "-you can't watch your own feet, how could you watch for others..."
"That's quite enough, Severus." interrupted Dumbledore, "Nymphadora, explain yourself."
She looked down and said, "I'm sorry, I lost him. He hailed a black car and before I could do something he was gone."
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"When are we going to start training and what will I learn?" asked Harry excitedly.
"Well, at first you need to get better. Then we start with small exercises and history. Probably you will have another apprentice close by. So you can train together."
"Where am I going to stay?"
"You'll have your own room." replied Fred.
"Are there-" Harry stopped a moment to think about the best way to phrase his questions "- other people close by?" He stopped for a moment again and Fred opened his mouth to answer but Harry went on rambling
"I mean, I don't sleep to well at night and I don't want to be a burden to others when I wake up and I usually get up after this and walk around or put my lights on. Mostly I talk to Hedwig and sometimes she hoots back and I don't want to disturb others who need their sleep more than I do." Before he could go on Fred intervened, "This isn't all is it? You don't want to disturb others, but there is more to it."
Harry blushed and mumbled a quiet "Yes."
"What is it really about?" asked Fred quietly, moving closer to Harry again.
"I- well I-" he started, looking down embarrassed "I usually wake up screaming after a nightmare or vision. It's no problem at Hogwarts. I became quiet good with the silencing charms. At the Burrow or Grimmauld Place I have the habit to bite into a handkerchief before going to sleep. I am awake before anyone else most of the time. When I had a bad nightmare I usually don't wake up screaming again. And well, at the Dursley's. Silencing charms were out of option of course and the hanky might muffle my screams but it was still loud enough to wake-" Harry breathed in sharply, "-him."
Fred made a growling-like sound in the back of his throat. "Even after all the years I didn't quite manage to suppress the scream. Of course it was easier in the cupboard under the stairs. It wasn't as close to their bedroom as the other one is."
Fred sensing that Harry wasn't finished, stayed quiet. "It became worse with these visions about Voldemort. I can fell every torture he dishes out. Well, positive thing about that should be that it's not so strong as the real Crucio, but it's still hard to keep quiet. And well, this plus Vernon's punishment and the chores didn't help much, too. You would think that running from Dudley's gang or the nearly passing out from all the pain or the chores my Aunt gives me would be enough to exhaust someone to fall into a deep sleep, but well everything is special about the boy-who-lived." Harry finished bitterly.
"Snape is always flaunting how I think too high of myself, that I'm just like my parents I can't remember. That I'm a spoiled brat who wants to have everything going his way. I know Dumbledore told the Order that I wanted to stay at Hogwarts or the Burrow or at Grimmauld Place. I know everyone thought that I think to high of myself and that the war is more important that the 'spoiled antics' of a fifteen year old boy that complains that things don't go his way. Is it to much to ask to have something of a normal life? Not a bloody prophecy or people who lead my life for me. No one sees, that all I ever wanted was a normal life, with a normal family or at least people that care about me and see when something is wrong. The Dursleys never cared about me. They gave me enough food to live and old clothes but the first time I got a present was when Hagrid came on my eleventh birthday. The first hugs I ever got, well maybe not ever but the first I can remember, were from your mum and Hermione. When your mum hugged me in the hospital wing in fourth year I nearly cried. It was so good to know that someone cares for you. You can't imagine what I felt like, when I woke up after the Quidditch match in third year and seeing all you guys looking down on me. My Aunt never cared enough to check on me after a nightmare. My uncle just told me off and later punished me." A lone tear rolled down Harry's cheek.
"I just want to be Harry. Not the boy-who-lived, an attention seeking brat, the burden or the saviour. I don't want to be famous. I just want a family that doesn't act like sheep. I mean if one sheep leaps over the ditch the rest will follow. It's the same every year. I want a family standing by me no matter what. I mean it's not that utopistic, is it? Ron always thinks I want to outshine him. He doesn't see how good he has it. I would change my money and fame immediately to have a family and a home like he does. Like all of you do. No one really understood that last year, except George. He tried to talk me out of this stuff most of the time. I realised last year that we were in the same boat. He was alone as well and no one really understood him except the girls and Lee. You know that I spend as much time with them as with Ron and Hermione? The two of them were treating around me like I would break in a second. Of course all of us sat together in the evenings, but when Ron and Mione were on prefect duties and I miraculously wasn't in detention with Umbitch, I hung around with George, Angelina and Alicia. I think that was one of the best years I ever had, it was just sad that you weren't there. I bet you would have loved the things we pulled. Best was probably when we hexed Roger Davies and pranked him until he was a paranoid as Moody. Or what we did to that Umbitch woma- toad." Harry grinned at the thought.
Fred smiled and said, "I saw some of it, but I wondered why you were hexing Davies."
"What do you mean you saw some of it?" asked Harry.
"I had to check on George and Angelina." Fred had a rueful look on his face, "You know when I got my letter, I couldn't tell anyone?" Harry nodded and Fred went on "That were probably the hardest 24 hours I ever had. It's just – you know that you are powerful, you are so powerful that you can change something, that you are a counter weight to evil. What should you do now? Forget about it, cross your fingers – hope for the best and stay with your family and the person you spent your whole life with and hope that your family, which plays an important role in the battle won't get hit too bad and that your other half survives – or leave for some time and learn to fight. Use your power to protect your family and the people you love. I had to chose. Leave and be able to protect them or stay and life with the possibility that you could most likely lose a person you hold dearly. I was hard and I know it was even harder for George and most likely Angelina as well. I wrote a letter to Angelina, but I couldn't say anything to George without him suspecting something. I had to leave him from one minute to the next. I know it was damn painful for him. Then, the first thing I had to learn was to block our bond." Fred shuddered at that, "That was the worst and most painful thing I ever had to endure and believe me, I know what torture is like. I know it was for George's safety and that made it a bit less painful but there's one thing always in the back of my mind and that is, that George doesn't know that. The moment I finished my training I went to check on all of you. I watched the first Quidditch match and the Slytherins were lucky I know how to control my emotions otherwise...well, let's just say that it wouldn't be pleasant. I heard the song and I heard what Malfoy said. I heard the things about Mum and myself and believe me I wasn't happy. I'm just glad that the girls didn't attack him and that they held Ginny back. I followed you and George and I heard everything that - that toad said. I stuck around for a bit before leaving again. I came back some time in February and well, let's say that the meeting with Centaurs wasn't coincidence. I couldn't follow you guys to the Ministry though. I was called away. When I came back I checked on you guys, I heard your whole conversation with Dumbledore and I learned some other stuff as well. But that for another time. Now, I believe you didn't answer my question about Davies. I mean I know he is a git, but we usually ignored him."
"I'm not sure I should tell you that." said Harry in a small voice.
Fred lifted an eyebrow, "Why not?" he asked sharply.
"Well I saw what George did when he heard and-" Harry paused for a second "-well George isn't you..."
Fred had a neutral look on his face but his eyes shimmered confusion for a moment. Then they grew hard and the confusion was replaced with an icy look. "What did he do to her?" asked Fred, "I know this is about Angelina."
"Just promise not to do anything stupid now."
"Oh I promise. It'll be just very…unpleasant for him later on." replied Fred, the icy look still in his eyes.
"Okay then. Well, everyone of course realised at breakfast on the first day of school that you weren't there. That, of course, set the rumour mill off and well the school knew within the week what happened. I think Lavender heard all of us talking which guaranteed that whole Gryffindor knew the next day. Of course Lavender told Paula Jones who took care of Hufflepuff and Pavarti told Padma and thus Ravenclaw knew. And as always Slytherin hears of it in the end. Well, you know that Davies has a thing for Angelina, he just doesn't get that he has as much chance with her as a snowflake does in Hell. He left her alone at the beginning of the year but after me and George got suspended Angelina wasn't uhm perfectly happy. You weren't there and she got depressed because of that and because she thought that she isn't a good captain. He tried to cheer her up which actually backfired. He asked her out multiple times and in February, Valentine's Day to be exact, he baited her in an old classroom and locked the door. I know he tried to kiss her - this resulted in a really nice, really red copy of her hand on his cheek. I think he tried more because he had some problems with sitting down the next day. We have no idea how she got out of there. She was pissed as hell this evening which actually resulted in Alicia staying the night with George and Jasmina and Brigitte staying in Katie's bed while she stayed with Lee. Angie was so pissed that the girls were actually afraid of going in there. She stormed into the common room, up the stairs and threw their door shut with so much force that the trophies on the fireplace mantle jumped half an inch in the air. The next morning - as George told us later - she was laying in her bed and staring at the ceiling. The girls were still very careful of going up there. George finally went up to her and after he didn't get down for fifteen minutes we followed to check if he was still alive. When we got there George was holding a crying Angelina and he had something close to murder in his eyes. We just got a short summary later and planned to prank Davies, who swore revenge on Angie. I think no one except George knows the whole story, so you have to ask him for all details. After that Angelina was pretty down and her and Alicia stayed mostly in your old dorm. Alicia with George and Angelina in your bed. And well, that's it." Harry looked at Fred closely to get a hint of what the redhead was thinking. Fred's face was a neutral mask and his eyes didn't betray him either.
"Sooo he tried to molest her? Well, he'll see what's coming to him." With that changed the subject back to George and Angelina, "How are they now?"
"They were okay, last time I saw them. They miss you all very much though. As far as I know, George wanted to open the shop and Angelina said she would help him. I'm not sure about Lee and Alicia and Katie has an other year left. Are you going to tell them that you are here." Fred sighed, "I thought about it, but it's too dangerous now." Harry stifled a yawn and Fred stood up and sat down in the chair next to the bed again. "I think you should sleep for a bit now. Mylandra will have my head when you're not rested. We'll talk later and I'll show you to your room then." Harry nodded suddenly very sleepy. He curled up on his side, facing Fred, closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
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A/N: Sorry, if the ending so sudden, but I wanted to get this up. I'll try to update ASAP :-) Please, review… Again, please bear with my mistakes until the chapter is betaed.