Title: Harry Potter and the Tribe of Five
Author: Otori
Author email:
Category: action/adventure/romance
Keywords: Tribe, Harry, Ginny, secrets,
Spoilers: All canon books along with Quidditch Through The Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Harry's sixth year where Harry finds what it is like to really truly fight back against Voldemort's forces, but will he learn enough in time to fight Voldemort himself?
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Anything else that you recognize belongs to Lian Hearn.

III

Harry had finished packing and was watching a Quidditch game in the magazine that Hermione had bought him when he heard a groan of effort behind him from the tent and he jumped up to help Ginny into his room with her trunk from the tent.

"You have rocks in here or something?" He asked her as he put it down heavily on the floor.

"No, just those Rock Cakes." They both laughed, at the lame joke, both nervous about re-entering their dangerous world.

"Sometimes I almost forgot what was really going on."

"Me too," she said, "just try to ignore Ron if he decides to talk to you, unless of course he's apologizing, I'll stick up for you." She gave him a nervous grin, and he saw her cheeks give off a red tinge.

"Yeah." He replied, not really listening his mind on other things, like the fact that he would be going back to Grimmauld Place, his god father's house, where he had spent his happiest memory; talking with Sirius next to the fire over the Christmas break.

A flap of wings entering the window interrupted his thoughts, it was the same owl that had brought the letter to him that morning, and the owl behaved the exact same way it had during its previous visit and dropped the letter barely inside the window and flew away again.

Harry Potter

The same dark red ink was messily scratched on the front of the envelope, he flipped it open and opened it eagerly to see what Aota had to say this time.

Harry Potter

I will see you at Phoenix House tomorrow the 1st of August, you will take the Potion of the Tribe and I will await you at Hogwarts.

Aota

"Is it from that Aota person?" asked Ginny after had looked up from reading the brief letter, the sense of dread in his stomaching increasing, making him more and more nervous.

"Yeah, he's coming to Grimmauld place tomorrow."

"Oh, I wonder whe- ARGH!" Harry whipped out his wand and turned to look at Ginny, who had shouted scared by something, only to drop his wand back to his side almost immediately. "Bloody hell Tonks, did you have to do that?"

"Yep, and you should have seen your face too!" She turned around the room seemingly looking for Harry holding a large book, "Got your stuff?" She asked the two of them.

"Yeah." Replied Harry, at the same time as Ginny had politely said 'yes' seemingly embarrassed about her reaction to Tonks appearing.

"Dobby'll bring it to Headquarters... Well come on, Mad Eye's going to kill me if I take any longer.

"Aren't we going to Phoenix House?" Asked Ginny, and she grabbed the other side of the book.

"Headquarters, Phoenix House and Grimmauld Place are all the same thing." Explained Tonks gesturing frantically at Harry to copy Ginny, her expression softening when realization sunk in. "It'll be okay, you'll see, it's totally different."

"Because Sirius won't be there." Harry replied, emotions that he'd hidden away for the past month swelling up to the surface, the constant anger at Dumbledore, the loss of Sirius and the recent frustration with this Tribal stuff.

He felt a hand enter his and he looked up and saw that Ginny was giving him a reassuring look, she squeezed his hand and guided it onto the book. He barely felt the pull behind his naval before he was standing in a bright white hallway. He pulled Ginny from the ground as she had fallen over when they had arrived, and somehow Harry had remained standing where he usually fell.

"Thanks." She said, looking around in awe. "What happened here?" Ginny asked Tonks, who was still cursing on the ground.

"Dobby did," snapped Tonks, finally standing up, "you'd be surprised at how quickly it took him too, come on the others are in the kitchen." Tonks led them through to the kitchen.

Harry's eyes scanned the room looking at each of the people at and around the table, he saw Moody talking sternly with 'Dung, and Professor McGonagall sitting in between Bill and Charlie Weasley, laughing at something one of them had said, in front of her was an empty wine glass. Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing with his back to the wall surveying over the room his shoulders tense, his eyes met Harry's and he visibly relaxed.

"They're back." He announced to the room, all eyes suddenly on them, Harry in turn swept his gaze back across the room taking in the Order member's looks. Moody much like Shaklebolt looked more relaxed while 'Dung looked very very tired and barely acknowledged him at all. He paused at the Weasley brothers expressions, Bill had one eye brow raised and a small smile on his face, Charlie's expression was almost identical. Harry realized with a shock that he was still holding onto Ginny's hand and immediately let go, but to his annoyance their smiles only widened.

Now that Ginny was loose she went straight to her brothers and was smothered by both of them hugging her at the same time.

"Hello little one." Said Charlie letting go of Ginny, Bill following suit.

"I'm not little you know."

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Said Bill as he ruffled her hair.

"Hello Potter." Said Professor McGonagall who had stood up to allow the family more room, and had moved towards Harry.

"Nice to see you professor." Replied Harry.

"Come now Potter no need to be so formal, it's Minerva until we get back to school, and even then only use Professor in class or around other students." Tonks, Kingsley, Ginny, Bill and Charlie were all looking on their mouths wide open in shock, they were never asked to 'not be formal' with McGonagall. Harry was as embarrassed as they were shocked.

"Erm... okay, um Minerva." Harry said, the sound strange to him coming from his own mouth.

"That's better, your summer has been good I trust?" She asked and the room when back to normal, the Weasley's were bunched to together in a tight group talking quietly, and Kinsley was now talking with Tonks.

"Yes, it was better than usual," he said, his nervousness leaving him momentarily, "how has yours been?"

"Just been relaxing Potter, like most teachers do over the summer break," she looked back over to the table, "hmmm I'm going to go find where that bottle got to." She shuffled off and Harry almost laughed the person he was just talking to couldn't be further from the Professor McGonagall he knew. Bill came over to Harry and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Come have a word with me will you Harry?" He asked kindly.

"Uh... sure." His nervousness suddenly reappearing, Bill led Harry into the next room and led him over to the lounge room chairs and they sat down opposite each other.

"No doubt that Ginny told you about all that business between her, Ron and mum before she went to yours this summer, and I just wanted to let you know, that mum never had a problem with it. She just wanted to spend some time with her daughter before she was sent away again, But" Bill paused and took a deep breath, "I cannot tell you what's going with Ron at all, it's a mystery to me and everyone else at the Burrow. I can tell you though we're all on your side."

"Thanks..." Replied Harry, another person who he hardly knew was talking to him like a friend of many years.

"Listen, I'm supposed to be working on something for Dumbledore at Hogwarts so I've got to leave in a minute," Harry was about to ask what this something exactly was, "don't ask, it's between myself and Dumbledore."

"Alright then." Harry replied, shouldn't everything concerning the war involve me now?

"And Charlie has to leave in a couple of days, supposedly he's bringing in some dragons to let loose in the forest around Hogwarts, and well, we want you to look after Ginny for us."

"Of course I will," Harry said straight away, "She usually ends up helping me just as much as I help her." Bill winked at Harry.

"Well I've got to go, have a good year Harry." Bill rose and left.

"Yeah, good luck Bill."

Harry sat unmoving for a while trying to keep his mind off just about everything, he couldn't believe that just after a month he was back in Sirius' house, he got up to wander the halls, passing the room he spent the previous summer in, the room he had shared with Ron.

He went up to the top room, the one that Sirius had used when he was staying here, he pushed the door open, trying to be as quiet as he could and poked his head into the room. The lights were lit and were casting their light over the room, he was shocked to see his trunk resting at the foot of the bed.

It was a four poster just like the ones at Hogwarts although it was probably twice the size of his Hogwarts bed. There was a large chest of drawers along with a closet on one side of the room, on the other was a dresser whish had bits of parchment and a view quills scattered on it.

In the middle of the dresser was a large feather, one that looked very familiar to him, he picked it up and ran it gingerly over his hand, a Hippogriffs feather. Buckbeaks.

He sighed and laid the feather down on the table, smoothing it down he went through each of the drawers looking for any hint of Sirius, but found that they had either been emptied or Sirius never had used them. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Harry called, it was Ginny.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she came down and sat on the bed next to Harry.

"Surprisingly I am, just looking around," she opened her mouth to say something but it just hung open, "are you?"

"I dunno, Bill and Charlie told me about Ron and all the stuff he's been doing at home, mums just about to toss him out, she's livid with him and what he said about you."

"What about what he said to you?" Harry asked.

"I dunno, Bill and Charlie never mentioned that." She said sadly.

"From what Bill told me, it sounds as if Ron is starting to act a bit like... Percy."

"Oh, is that what he wanted to talk to you about?"

"Yeah, and about your mum not really having a go at me or anything, she was just looking out for the family." Harry told her, she seemed at least a little relieved at this. Laughter drifted into the room from the kitchen all the way from down the stairs.

"I'm going to go to bed." Announced Harry.

"Are you sure you're alright? You were so quiet downstairs." She asked him, biting her bottom lip again.

"I didn't see Professor Lupin down there." He said in way of explanation.

"I didn't even notice, I was so excited that Bill and Charlie were there," She leaned over and quickly kissed him on the cheek, "I'm going to tell everyone to leave you alone for the night, you've got a big day tomorrow." She left the room and closed the door quietly, and sat stunned on the bed, touching the spot where Ginny had kissed him, his thoughts turned to what may happen tomorrow.

"Don't remind me."

Surprisingly, Harry slept in, well sleeping in for Harry was around about nine, but never the less he pulled back his sheets and got dressed, he left his room and made his way downstairs, he stopped outside Ginny's room.

He pushed the door open, poking his head into the room looked around he went over to the bed that Ginny was sleeping in and sat down near the top of the bed. He brushed the hair that stuck to her face her eyes closed and her jaw clenched, it was obvious to Harry, that this was a person that was having a nightmare.

He gently shook her awake and her eyes snapped open she saw Harry and threw her arms around his neck and cried silently into his shoulder, knowing not else to do he put his arms around her and spoke soothingly. Eventually she calmed down and he asked her what happened.

"Just the usual, I'm just getting sick of it, it builds up." She said not moving from her position, Harry only pulled her closer to him.

"I know, I'll be here to look out for you, don't worry." He whispered into her ear, she murmured something incoherently into his shoulder, the moment passed and they pulled apart, he was reluctant to relinquish his touch on her completely and grabbed her hand.

"Can you come down with me?" He asked her.

"Why?" She responded.

"Because I know that Dumbledore and that Aota bloke are going to be down there." He said a blush of embarrassment creeping onto his face.

"Of course, give me a couple of minutes to get dressed and I'll be out in a minute." She said as she pushed the covers back and walked into the bathroom sliding the door shut behind her.

His thoughts turned to the younger girl only metres away in the bathroom, it seemed as though she had crept up on him and he had come to know her as his greatest friend, if not more.

He often tried to compare to Hermione, trying to justify his feelings towards Ginny, but whenever he thought of Hermione, he never thought of how she looked, the way her hips moved when she walked, or the way her eyes danced with laughter and especially not the way she played with her hair.

"You ready Harry?" Nothing can compare to that smile either.

He stood up and joined her by the door and they both went down to the kitchen, he tensed as they entered the kitchen, and as Harry feared, Dumbledore sat there, however surprisingly alone.

"Professor." Said Ginny coldly, she was still angry at him, though Harry knew she wouldn't stay that way for too long.

"Miss Weasley, and Harry, I trust you both slept well?" Dumbledore looked at Harry as he said this, and all he did was nod, Harry heard Ginny mutter something under her breath, and saw Dumbledore briefly turn his eyes towards her.

"Harry, Aota is waiting for you in the lounge room, Miss Weasley how about some breakfast? The others will join us eventually I'm sure, though I suspect Minerva will be some time." He said with a small smile.

"Actually sir I was wondering if Ginny could come with me." When he finished talking she put her hand in his and held on tightly.

"I do not see that as a problem, however I must have you, Miss Weasley, promise that if Aota asks you to leave, then you shall." Harry reassuringly squeezed her hand and she nodded to Dumbledore. "Well I believe you know the way to the lounge room." And he gestured the back through the door they had come.

Harry was surprised at Dumbledore's behavior even last night he had barely taken the time to see if Harry was alright, despite the letter at the beginning of the summer, saying how much he cares for Harry, he sure had a funny way of showing it.

Harry took a deep steadying breath and they went into the lounge room, on the couch a bald old Asian man sat his eyes closed as though he was resting, Harry cleared his throat and the mans eyes slowly opened and he turned his head slightly to look at the intruders, he stood suddenly and gave Harry a low bow.

"Harry Potter," said Aota, "I would offer you a seat, but that will seem very inconsiderate when it is you that owns this house, and not I." Harry returned the bow, as did Ginny, he could not speak for her but he felt rather foolish doing so.

"Err... right." Harry said, his nervousness increasing as he spotted the sword that Aota had in his right hand, while sheathed; Harry couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Do not worry Harry Potter," Aota said noticing his discomfort, "This is a ceremonial blade, the five blades of the Tribe are in a museum in Japan, awaiting you to-" he looked at Ginny for the first time, "I take it that she knows of all this?" Harry nodded. "And she knows not to tell anyone?" An anger spreading through Harry.

"I know who I can and cannot trust, Mr. Aota, I have been in this type of problem before." The man again bowed.

"I apologize Harry Potter; some one like me should not question you of all people." A gentle smile spread across his face. "Please, I have only one name; it is not Mr. Aota at all, just Aota. Now we will sit." The man despite already saying that he would offer a seat to Harry seemed to want to move along the conversation.

"What is this potion that I'm going to have to drink?" Harry asked.

"It is most likely the oldest potion in existence, made from many ingredients that do not exist anymore, this potion will give you a means to access the knowledge of the order, I think." A frown creasing the old mans brow, Harry was about to speak but Ginny beat him to it.

"What do you know about this potion?"

"Only what I told you but a moment ago." He replied a blush creeping over his visage. "I also know however that it is the potion you need to take to undergo the journey to regaining the knowledge."

"What is the knowledge?" Harry asked.

"I do not know.... nobody knows, it may not even be knowledge that is just what the keepers have called it." He replied.

"What's going to happen to Harry once he takes the potion?" Asked Ginny voicing his own concern for him.

"I do not know." Aota said quietly.

"You don't know very much do you?" Accused Ginny.

"I know more about the Tribe than anyone else!"

"It still doesn't help at all." She said.

"Harry Potter will know all about the Tribe once he has taken the potion," Aota drew an age encrusted vial from his robes and placed it on the table between them, "drink Harry Potter." Harry immediately reached for the vial.

"Harry don't, we have to learn more about it." Harry shook his head.

"I have to, it could be the only way to beat him." He said referring to Voldemort, Ginny's eyes began to water.

"Please, you mustn't, Harry."

"It'll be okay Ginny, I promise." He fluidly picked up the vial and pulled the stopper from the top and put it to his mouth. His eyes briefly looking to Aota who had a serious expression on his face, and Ginny who was crying freely now.

"I'll look after you Harry, no matter what."

He tipped the potion into his mouth and swallowed straight away, unlike the potions in the hospital wing, it tasted sweet, he finished the vial and looked to Aota.

"Do you feel anything?"

"No, I feel fine." Harry replied, he could feel the potion settling in his empty stomach he felt Ginny grip his hand tightly.

"But do you feel any different?"

"No, do you think it didn't wor-" Harry lurched forward, gripping his stomach tightly, "It burns!" he said. He could feel it traveling through his body, starting from his toes it was moving steadily up his body, when it passed his stomach he screamed again.

"ARGH! It's... it hurts so much!" He shouted again.

The numbing pain was in his head and he fell from the chair he was in, Ginny shouting his name before kneeling next to him. The last thing he saw was her beautiful face outlined in a frame of shining red hair.

"Professor! Madame Pomfrey! He's awake!" A deep voice shouted.
"Quickly! Before he blacks out again!" A different voice this time.
"Harry stay with us." He knew this voice, even if he couldn't see her it was-

Harry awoke with a start, his eyes taking in his surroundings, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief, he was back in Sirius' old room, his room. He felt an uncomfortable weight on the bed and looked next to him, a bushy haired young witch lay on the bed next to him, he tried to sit up, but his legs wouldn't move, so he gently shook her to get her attention.

"Harry!" She shouted, and surprisingly at least to Harry, carefully pulled him into a hug, "We were all so worried, we didn't know what happened." Harry only nodded into her shoulder, his worry ever increasing about his legs and their inability to move.

After a long time she pulled away from Harry and looked down at him, and he saw her properly for the first time, her eyes had dark circles under them and her cheeks were stained with tears, but she gave him a warm smile.

"I'm going to get the others, their all down at dinner." She rushed from the room leaving Harry to himself, who spent the time she was gone frantically trying to get even his smallest toe to wiggle even the slightest.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Called Mrs. Weasley from the door, Harry smiled back at her and returned the hug, "I couldn't help but think how bad I have been to you over the past two months, and I never got the chance to say how sorry I was." Tears were flowing down her cheeks and Harry nodded in return, she pulled away to let Tonks near him next who patted him on the shoulder enthusiastically. Ginny was behind Tonks and she stepped carefully next to the bed and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You promised it would be alright!" She whispered, her voice cracking. She was biting her lower lip. Harry pulled her onto the bed with him and pulled her into the strongest hug he could, trying to let her know he was alright. He heard two sets of footsteps on the landing on the floor below and looked to the door, Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey entered the room a short time later.

"How do you feel Potter?" Asked Madame Pomfrey, though concern filled her voice, Harry shrugged and looked pointedly at his legs that lay stretched out before him. "Yes, it seems that all that Quidditch you played caused your spine to twist, though not a problem as the potion stopped all neural communication and activity below your waist to correct the problem, and the potion that you took seems to be the most advanced healing potion I've ever seen, you may notice that you're not wearing your glasses?" Harry shook his head, and reached up to the bridge of his now, he could see perfectly without glasses!

"The potion is working its way down your body, fixing every irregularity that you have, every small problem in your body." Harry's hand let go of his hold on Ginny and shot to his scar, he felt the familiar rough scar and looked at Madame Pomfrey accusingly. "Not all, problems then Potter." Harry looked at Dumbledore, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, for an answer.

"I believe it best to just wait this out; we will see what changes have been made when you are fully fit again I suspect by Friday, if the speed of the potion is any indication to go by." Hermione sniffled and Dumbledore definitely noticed. "Come," he said to the adults, "let's let them catch up." Mrs. Weasley gave Harry another hug that encompassed both him and Ginny before leaving.

"You promised you'd be alright." Harry shrugged, but said nothing; he didn't have any reason to say anything at all. He could hear the adults in the kitchen especially Mrs. Weasley who was busily pulling pots and pans out of the cupboards.

"Ginny's told me everything about the Tribe." She said her shoulders were set as though she were about to lecture him, but she didn't and crawled up onto the bed on his other side and cuddled up to him like Ginny had.

"Ron has been awful since I got her yesterday; he hasn't even spoken to me." Said Hermione, Harry pulled her to him. He looked to Ginny with his eyebrows raised.

"He's been horrible to everyone-" Harry shook his head quickly and Ginny didn't finish what she was going to say and he looked pointedly at Hermione.

"Oh!" She said, realization dawning on her of what he meant, "It's the thirty first today, about three weeks since you took the potion, Hermione came as soon as her parents would let her, and she's been worried sick." Harry paled, three weeks was a long time to unconscious, and what was most frustrating to him was that he had taken the potion that would supposedly give him all the answers, yet he felt not different than before. He sighed in exasperation.

"What's the matter?" Asked Hermione from his right. Harry shrugged and gestured around the room, everything.

"Speak to us Harry, we're here to help you." Harry nodded fervently and pulled them both back to him, trying to reassure them that it was okay, neither was satisfied. Both started trying to get him to talk, but he didn't, he didn't know why he wasn't talking, he just didn't feel like it, eventually he was left in the room by himself.

Neither girl left upset they both let him be, Hermione logically suggesting it was another effect of the potion, after they had left the room Harry tried to get up, trying to force his legs in some way to move, to no avail.

Madame Pomfrey came back into the with Hermione and Ginny sometime later and gave him a potion that would put him to sleep for the night, without it, Harry was sure he would stay up all night.

"Goodnight Harry," Said Ginny, "sleep well." And she left the room. Hermione climbed up onto the bed next to Harry and curled up next to him under the covers, kissing him lightly on the cheek she said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you this summer Harry." He nodded and pulled her closer to him, she felt cold and he wrapped his other arm around her. "I'm so scared for Ron." She said after a while, though Harry was long asleep.

When Harry awoke he rolled over in bed and put his feet on the ground, he looked down at his naked body and remembered that he had shared the bed with Hermione the night before, he quickly looked around the room for any signs of her, but could find no sign of her at all, he stood up to get dressed and fell flat on his face, yesterday coming back to him.

He pulled himself back onto the bed and tried to stand again, this time managing to balance long enough to stumble towards the dresser which he his with a loud thud, knocking all of it's contents to the floor in a loud bang and sending himself sprawled to the floor in the process. In the house he heard footsteps up the stairs to his room and the door click open.

"Oh! Harry are you okay?" It was Hermione, and luckily Harry had covered himself as best he could. She gripped him strongly on his arm and tried to pull him up.

"Come on, it's nothing I've never seen before." He grinned sheepishly and pulled against her and got to his feet, she put her arm around his back to support him and he threw his arm over her shoulder. She led him over to the chest of drawers and helped him into pants and a shirt.

"Dumbledore will be up soon, he's just checking in on Ginny, she hardly ate a thing when you where under, as the order have come to call it." Harry nodded again and she sat him down on the bed. He heard Ginny and Dumbledore talking in the girls' room, and eventually they started to make their way up to the room, Harry looking to the door before they entered.

"Harry!" Shouted Ginny happy to see him out of bed for the first time, he put his arms out to catch the youngest Weasley and pulled her into a hug before she sat on the bed next to him.

"How are you this morning Harry?" Asked Professor Dumbledore, Hermione knowing his unwillingness to talk answered for him.

"I found him over there by the desk, his legs are a lot better, but he can't support himself on his own." Harry scowled at Hermione. "Well it's true, you couldn't even dress yourself." Ginny giggled.

"Very well, do you notice anything different about yourself Harry? Apart from what Madame Pomfrey told you yesterday." Harry shook his head and Dumbledore conjured a black walking stick and handed it to Harry. "Try walking with this." Harry stood with it and walked, albeit very slowly to the dresser and back smiling at all around triumphantly.

"I will talk with you more at Hogwarts, however I believe it is time for us all to leave, Dobby will bring all of your trunks to Hogwarts so no need to worry about them, I suggest you carry your robes to the station with you." Harry looked towards the front door several floors down where the front door had opened and he heard many people enter. "Your escort, Mister Potter." Dumbledore said a smile playing across his face, and for the first time that holidays Harry returned it.