Chapter 2: Potter's Committee

In the last two weeks before the start of term, Harry had little to do but stay cooped up in his room. For the first time in his life he felt content to do as the Dursleys wished knowing full well that, at his request, Mad-eye and company could bring their normal everyday lives to a screeching halt.

Understandably the Dursleys had acted normal around Marge, but after their trip to the States, Marge was gone and Harry had free reign on number 4 Privet Drive. Perhaps he felt sorry for them. Maybe it was the uneasy silence from his only living relatives who did, after all, take him in after his parents died because, rather than feel supreme as he could have, Harry felt subdued and preferred not to force his company on any of them.

In fact, he acted like an unobtrusive guest rather than the master he could have been, or the servant he use to be. Harry even decided to exchange a few galleons from his Gringott's vault for enough muggle money to buy taxi fare to King's Cross Station so that his uncle Vernon need not drive him there.

Harry spent the last day of the summer holidays at Diagon Alley with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and of course, Tonks. Curious to see what would happen if he ran into Draco Malfoy, Harry separated himself from the group, claiming that he had changed his mind about a purchase and that he would catch up to them in a few minutes.

Soon Harry found himself feet away from the entrance into Knockturn Alley. He looked around, knowing that any second now he would hear the drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Instead he heard a woman's voice call his name.

He looked up to find a formidably looking witch he did not recognize approaching him and looking excited. "Hullo, so good to meet you... Harry Potter, as I live and breathe," she said eagerly and reached out a hand. Harry politely shook it, before he recognized the girl half hiding directly behind the witch.

Although Marietta Edgecombe did not meet Harry's gaze, he could tell that she looked terrified, almost tearful. He was forcibly reminded of Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, whom he had met at St. Mungo's, and oddly felt the same kind of pity for Marietta that he had for Neville, rather than the usual anger at the very thought of her.

Harry remembered something Cho had said last term about the situation Marietta was in because her mother worked in the Ministry of Magic, and how she was actually a lovely person. He didn't know how but he felt sure that Marietta had been suffering all summer and the feeling of pity intensified.

He smiled at her and said, quite casually, "Hullo Marietta," who then froze as her mother turned around to look at her. "I... had no idea you knew my daughter." Madam Edgecombe looked back at Harry. "Only by reputation; I hear she's a very bright student." He smiled at Marietta's mother.

For some reason Harry was enjoying this. It felt as though he and Marietta were sharing a private joke that her mother could not catch. Madam Edgecombe shot a sideways look at her daughter. "Well, I guess I was mistaken," she said in a would-be casual voice before turning back to Harry. She smiled and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you," again reaching out her hand. Again Harry took it and smiled, first at Madam Edgecombe, and then at Marietta.

"Was that the sneak?" whispered Tonks from somewhere to Harry's right. Harry nodded, still looking at Marietta and her mother walking away. "That was a nice thing to do, you know. I'm proud of you." "Thanks Tonks. I guess I'm not all that mad at them anymore," Harry said searchingly.

; )

The next day passed like a hazy daydream. Before he had realized it, he was back in his four-poster, fit to burst from the welcoming feast, bidding goodnight to Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus. Where had the day gone? Harry could hardly remember leaving Number 4 Privet Drive, or going through the barrier to Platform nine and three-quarters, or the train ride to Hogwarts.

And even though his attention was brought back by the shock of hearing Gabriel Delacour's name called to be sorted into Ravenclaw, he vaguely remembered a first year student named Mark Evans taking his turn under the school sorting hat and being pronounced a Gryffindor. He also only half heard Dumbledore's speech about the school Houses having more shared classes together in an effort to promote a feeling of school unity and inter-house cooperation.

Still amazed at how fast time seemed to be moving, Harry spent the whole of his first Transfiguration class in a stupor, his mind back at Ms. Figg's house, attempting to remember everything that had happened there before those memories also faded into an obscure blur like yesterday seem to have.

But his time spent with Ms. Figg and Tonks remained quite vivid in his head, and when the prom picture of Ms. Figg's niece came into focus, an absurd idea filled his brain. Harry rolled the thought around in his mind, turning it over and over. "No way... but maybe... if Fred and George... and we could, but where could it... and, what if... still, it could work."

The scraping of desk chairs told Harry that the class had just been dismissed. Harry imagined discussing his idea with Professor Dumbledore as he followed Ron and Hermione to the door, imagining what he would say and how Dumbledore would react.

But then he stopped and looked back at his Transfiguration teacher and head-of-house. She would be the one to ask, he thought, a reckless excitement filling him, and before he knew it, he had hurried back to Professor McGonagall, unnoticed by Ron or Hermione who continued all the way out of sight.

"Professor," he said nervously and she turned away from the blackboard to face him. "I have a suggestion... about what Professor Dumbledore said last night. You know, the bit about school unity..." Professor McGonagall eyed him suspiciously. "You may make suggestions Mr. Potter, but I won't make any promises," she said sharply. "Right," Harry said slowly, struggling to remember the words he had just mentally prepared for his headmaster.

Harry began. "Muggle schools have loads of socials, like the Yule Ball, only less formal and, er, grand." "Yes Mr. Potter, I am aware of that," she answered, but in a more patient voice. Harry went on. "Well, the school houses should try to cooperate more, right, so I was thinking... Gryffindor could sponsor a ball and invite the other houses. We could have it in an empty classroom or something."

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth slightly, as though to interrupt, but simply stared at him. "It wouldn't need to be fancy," Harry continued quickly, "and we could have teachers there, as chaperones. I mean, it would be a brilliant chance for the houses to socialize with each other, right?"

"And what would you do for music," she asked, a pondering look on her face. "We could use recordings from the Wizarding Wireless Network. Fred and George Weasley, you know, can supply them." At this Professor McGonagall looked at him suspiciously. "You would invite all of the houses then," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Harry answered plainly. "Very well Mr. Potter, I will ask the headmaster, and you will meet me at the end of dinner tomorrow with your proposal." "My... proposal?" "Certainly, I want to know, in writing, how you plan to address everything; when and where you're planning this ball... music, refreshments, how you intend to prevent ah, incidents from occurring."

"Right," Harry said weakly, wondering what on earth a proposal for a party was suppose to look like. "Thank you professor," he said quickly, and he was pleased to see a small smile from her when she nodded him off. Excited, Harry went straight to the owlery and sent a message to the Weasley Twins asking them how fast they could get their Portable Parties to him.

During dinner that evening Harry filled Ron and Hermione in on his idea. They both liked it and, although Ron had suggested not inviting the Slytherins, the subsequent argument that followed had produced an unexpected benefit.

By the time they reached the Gryffindor common room, Harry had explained his idea to Ginny, Dean, Parvati, Lavender, Katie Bell, and Colin and Dennis Creevey, all of whom seemed interested after overhearing Ron and Hermione's heated discussion and joined in the planning by adding their own ideas.

Katie had suggested a large classroom on the fourth floor, which was unused and had an excellent view of the lake. Parvati and Lavender started drafting the proposal and came up with the idea of having a no wands security policy, while Dean, who was pretty good with a quill, volunteered to make animated flyers.

Ginny suggested asking Professor McGonagall for special permission to go into Hogsmeade for Butterbeer, and the Creevey brothers offered to set up a photo area to snap pictures for students who might want one as a souvenir.

The newly formed committee, Hermione among them, put off doing any homework for the evening to continue planning and, by midnight, had drafted what they thought was an excellent proposal. They decided to have it on the upcoming Friday for two reasons. It could serve as a back-to-school party for both students and teachers alike, and as is would be the first weekend of the school year, students were likely to have little homework queued up in their schedules thus far.

They also decided to make it a casual affair owing to the fact that it was not likely any of the students had packed their dress robes, and they all agreed that it might even be fun to go without house insignias and emblems that might discourage mingling with other houses. Indeed, Harry thought that asking which house one was in might be a good way to break the ice.

"Why didn't we use this classroom," Ron began, taking a precautionary look around, "for DA meetings, I mean. It's definitely big enough." "Because," Hermione began matter-of-factly, "it's too close to the staircase so anybody walking by would have heard all of the jinxes being cast back and forth. But it'll be perfect for Friday night. There are lavatories for both boys and girls right outside, and anybody walking by could have a look-in and see how much fun it is without going out of their way."

All in all they were pleased with the effort they had put into the proposal for their first ever Gryffindor Ball and it was the only thing they could think about during next day's lessons. They all thought it would be torture to have to tell anybody they might have mentioned it to that the ball wasn't going to happen after all and agreed not to mention it to anyone unless they received permission later that evening.

They all sat together at the Gryffindor Table, half exited, half terrified, and continuously shot anxious looks up at the staff table where Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore sat next to each other. When dinner concluded Harry and the rest of the committee straggled around until they were almost the last of the students left. Harry looked up at the staff table, which was now empty except for Professor McGonagall who was talking to their herbology teacher, Professor Sprout.

Harry rose from his seat, a feeling of excitement mingling with nerves in the pit of his stomach, while the others followed suit. When Harry reached the staff table, he realized that the distance between he and his fellow committee members had doubled in the short time it had taken for them to reach it.

The rest of the committee all seemed to be in silent agreement that Harry should do all of the talking, but he was sure at least that Hermione would not let him get shot down alone. She had always been in Professor McGonagall's favor and had put as much effort into this proposal as any of the others.

This lifted his confidence and, after a moment, Professors McGonagall and Sprout finished talking. Harry took a deep calming breath before Professor McGonagall turned to him. She took an appraising look at everyone behind him before she spoke. "Is that your proposal Mr. Potter," she asked, looking down at the roll of parchment in his hands. "We all helped come up with it," he replied.

"Very well then, all of you follow me," and turning, Professor McGonagall walked along the staff table towards a side chamber. Harry remembered the only other time he had approached this door, after a charred bit of parchment bearing his name had been regurgitated by the Goblet of Fire and, although the present circumstances were quite different, Harry felt the same nerves and uncertainty he had felt then, but gladly, the other emotions, those of shock and dread, were not here this time.

Professor McGonagall placed spectacles on herself and unrolled the parchment. Harry watched her eyes dart across the parchment. To his left Hermione had quietly walked up beside him, shortly followed by Ron to his right.

Harry crossed his fingers in his pockets and, with a backward glance at the others, thought some of them were thinking along the same lines. He noticed more than a few people with hidden hands and saw Ron's tighten beneath folded arms.

At long last their head-of-house looked up from the proposal and glanced around at them before her eyes settled on Harry, who stared back numbly. Slowly Professor McGonagall smiled at him. Instantly a feeling of excitement filled the small room as Harry and his classmates looked at each other in thrilled disbelief.

"I think we are going to have our first ever Gryffindor Ball," Professor McGonagall announced, smiling at the children again as they let out a cheer. Hermione regained her composure first and restored order by clearing her throat. All eyes fell back on Professor McGonagall, who continued.

"Now we don't have much time if you want to do this on Friday so we'll need to begin preparations at once. I need to see your notices and invitations tomorrow, before they are presented to the school. I will have special permissions for those who will be going to Hogsmeade; I think, no more than two or three students can handle the job, with a teacher of course. The forth floor classroom will need a lot of work so start on that straight away, won't you." Professor McGonagall gave them one last smile and left the room to many grateful cheers.

"I'm gonna start on the classroom," said Katie Bell enthusiastically, and the others agreed eagerly. They all half ran up the marble stairs to many confused looks from some of the students, ghosts, portraits, and suits of armor they encountered along the way. Harry thought the room was fairly large and would be quite adequate even if half the school showed up.

Katie went strait to the covered windows that lined the wall, pulling out her wand as she did so, and immediately disappeared behind one of the thick, dark curtains that had hung undisturbed for years. They took a moment to appraise the classroom, taking in the pile of furniture and odd supplies that had claimed it for itself.

"We should start by clearing it out, then we'll have a better idea of what we've got to work with," said Ron. A murmur of agreement preceded the semi-organized dismantling of desks and chairs stacked pell-mell in the center of their would-be ballroom.

After about twenty minutes Katie reemerged looking quite pleased. She took a quick count of bodies before smiling and, with two waves of her wand, caused the huge double-doors to slam shut. A few people gasped in surprise and looked around. Katie waved her wand once more and all the candles in the room went out, plunging them into total darkness and drawing yet more gasps.

Harry heard footsteps run lightly behind him before he heard Katie cast one more spell and, without warning, brilliant moonlight flooded the entire room as the four great curtains flew open. They had to blink repeatedly while their eyes readjusted to the sudden light after the pitch black darkness they had just been in.

"Wow," said Parvati and Lavender together. Harry stared at the windows, which seemed slightly blurred by the intense light coming from both the moon above as well as its light reflecting off the lake below. He walked up to one of the great windows and, half-entranced, surveyed the panoramic, breath held and eyes wide.

Still in awe Harry turned around and was surprised to meet Hermione's stare, just as astounded, yet with an odd twinkle in her eyes, as though halfway in a dream; she seemed to have followed him to the window. "Didn't I tell you this place'd be perfect," asked Katie blissfully. But Harry's thoughts were suddenly preoccupied with Hermione's dreamy look, which seem hesitant to release him.

Finally however, she blinked and they both seem to come out of whatever it was that held them. "What—yeah, it's excellent," he replied, quickly turning to Katie. A muffled panic fell through him and at once he shot glances at the others. Had anyone seen him staring at Hermione? But it looked as though no one had for everyone was at the windows now, entranced no doubt, in exactly the same way as he had been.

Nobody paid much attention to the time as they continued to work feverishly; moving desks and chairs, levitating boxes, and magically scrubbing the walls and curtains clean. Suddenly Harry remembered the war that had been waged on Grimmauld Place and so many sad, sorry feelings filled him.

He had stopped the controlled scrubbing motions he had been making with his wand, although he was not aware of it. Images flashed pass and left an empty feeling in their wake. There was the damp, dilapidated bedroom he and Ron had shared at number twelve. He could hear the horrible, wretched screaming of Mrs. Black.

Now he was in front of the table in the basement kitchen and he could hear Kreacher laughing from somewhere behind him. Harry closed his eyes and saw Sirius' family tree quite clearly, as though its image had been attached to the back of his eyelids.

Then he felt a hand touch his shoulder and, startled, turned quickly away from the hand to face its owner. Once again Harry found himself staring into Hermione's face, but this time she was wearing a look somewhere between fear and concern. Harry glanced around, dreading the watchful gazes of his fellow Gryffindors that he was sure he'd see this time, and vaguely noticed Hermione do the same. No one however, seemed to have noticed this occasion either.

"Why don't you go back to the dormitory Harry, you've got a long day tomorrow... Hogsmeade, you know. We can carry on." Harry nodded, not wanting to speak. Although this simple, friendly gesture of concern made him feel much better, he decided to leave anyway in order to avoid another relapse of memories, bidding them all goodnight before heading out.

With a last look back at Hermione, who was looking a bit apprehensive now, Harry closed the doors slowly, still trying to decide whether or not he would actually go off to bed because he did not much feel like doing so. No, there was still about an hour until nine o'clock and a wrestles feeling was engulfing him now. Instead of going up towards Gryffindor tower, he headed down, unsure exactly where he was going, yet quickening his pace as he when on.

He jogged silently through the Entrance Hall and right out the oak front doors and onto the cold and soggy grounds. He thought of Hagrid and heard, "He died in battle, an' tha's the way he'd've wanted ter go..." which made him turn away from the small hut and, instead, towards the lake, still reflecting moonlight vibrantly.

Automatically it seemed Harry soon found himself sitting well hidden in the same cluster of bushes where he had hid in the closing days of last term. He swelled with sorrow inside until finally, his eyes closed, pulled off his glasses, and he buried his head into his arms folded over his knees.

Harry awoke quite suddenly and immediately lifted his head. He replaced his glasses and looked up at the moon, which had moved quite a bit from where Harry had seen it last, and knew that the time was well past nine o'clock by now. His rump was cold and numb but the rest of his body felt oddly comfortable, and he was surprised to realize that he hadn't fallen over in all this time.

He felt a heavy weight fall from his shoulders as got to his feet and, looking down, saw that it was a dark cloak. Harry stared at it for a moment, and then looked around hastily, half-expecting to see someone walking away, Hermione perhaps, but there was no one around. Nobody knows I come here, he thought, picking up the cloak and examining it more closely. It had no insignias and there was nothing extra ordinary about it. In fact, to Harry, it looked more like a muggle coat than a cloak.

Cautiously Harry made his way back to the castle and was extremely thankful when he finally entered his house common room, only having stopped twice on the way to hide from patrolling prefects. When the portrait hole closed behind him, someone dozing in one of the armchairs by the fireplace awoke with a start and got up quickly.

"Harry, is that you?" whispered Hermione through the dimness, "where have you been?" She ran lightly to him and winced when her foot collided hard with her school bag on the floor. "Ron said you weren't in bed. I thought you might have wanted to be alone so I told him that you had to go up to the owlery to write something to Fred and George. He was pretty tired so he went off to bed straight away."

Harry's insides had not yet fully drained of the nerves that had filled them at the thought of being caught out of bounds this late at night when he began to feel warm inside, and he knew it had nothing to do with the heat from the fireplace.

"I'm alright now... thanks," he said, slowly smiling. "Good," said Hermione simply. She turned and walked gingerly to her bag on the floor. Harry rushed over and picked it up for her. "I'll walk you," he said brightly, swinging it over his shoulder. Hermione smiled and nodded.

When they reached the stairs to the girls' dormitories, Hermione took her bag and gave the cloak in Harry's other hand a quizzical look. "Get some rest, okay," she said wearily. She did not wait for an answer but instead, leaned over and kissed his cheek before turning and disappearing up the girls' staircase.