A/N: Hey! I want to say a special thank you to everyone who reviewed. I received more reviews last chapter than any of my previous chapters, and it made me squeal with delight. As promised, I did a little dance for each of you. I also want to thank the other 96 of my readers who did not review. I love it that you are reading, but if you want me to do a little dance for you, you've got to hit that 'GO' button below.
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XIX
XIXIX "War Games" XIXIX
Harry awoke from strange dreams of battle and prophecy a little before lunchtime. He, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Neville had stayed up most of the night reading through the books that Hermione had brought from the North Tower.
Harry had been exhausted when he went to bed just before dawn, and the thought of visiting Voldemort's head made his emotions flare erratically, so he decided to skip the potion for tonight. He wasn't sure if Snape would be angry or not, but decided it was worth the risk of Snape's wrath to be able to sleep well for the next few hours before the DA meeting.
During lunch, Harry and Ginny informed Dumbledore of their plans for the DA meeting. Dumbledore smiled knowingly, and assigned several professors, and Madam Pomfrey, to oversee the mock battle.
Harry sat with his back to the Slytherins while he ate. He could hear murmurs of excitement rumbling through the Great Hall. Just over half the students of Hogwarts were now in the DA—all of the Gryffindors, and more than half of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. None of the Slytherins were members. A self-imposed ban kept any of them from joining, although word was that more than a few were interested. They were just too afraid of each other to come forward.
Harry knew that their meeting today was going to have the audience of the rest of the school, and he was slightly worried about it. He knew that he could expect the Slytherins to taunt and jeer, and while he knew that that wouldn't affect the older DA members much, he worried about the younger ones. Harry noticed that the pre- and early teens tended to be very image conscious, and he worried that their fighting abilities would falter if they tried to impress people who were going to make fun of them regardless of how well they did.
After lunch, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron went outside to survey the Hogwarts grounds and make last-minute adjustments to their battle strategies.
The object of the battle was for each division to obtain the wand of the opposing leader—either Ginny or Harry. Ron had reasoned that in the real final battle, it would have to come down to Harry and Voldemort, so any battle they staged would have a similar premise.
For this first one, they had just wanted to get a feel for what the DA was capable of, and they had worked on strategy together. Today, it did not matter who won, what mattered was how the DA reacted to the situation of strategic battle. For future battles, Harry and Ginny would arrange the battle together, but design their strategies separately, later hashing out what had worked and what hadn't.
As the DA members made their way toward their leaders, Harry noticed the line of teachers that formed along the foot of the castle. He also noticed that many windows and balconies were full of students. Already, the Slytherins were laughing and throwing insults.
When everyone had gathered, Harry and Ginny quickly explained the basic premise and structure of the battle. Then Ginny led her division, Unicorn, around to the other side of the castle—their starting point. Harry led his division, Sphinx, to their starting point—a secluded area between the lake and the Forbidden Forest.
As they walked, Harry whispered to Ron, "I have an idea. I want you to lead your platoon in a 'special forces' mission."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't part of the deal. Ginny won't be expecting it."
Harry grinned. "Exactly."
Reaching their starting point, Harry quickly divided the platoons into stations and missions. Of the younger platoons, he assigned Team Raven to lookout. From their station, they should be able to detect the movements of the enemy and communicate what they saw to the rest of Sphinx. From their cover, they could also take out Unicorn stragglers, but they were ordered not to engage more than two at a time, as they might blow their cover and lose their lookout advantage with the distraction of battle.
Harry assigned his youngest, but quickest platoon, Team Niffler, to stay on the sidelines of the fight. Their goal was rescue. Whenever they saw a member of Sphinx go down, they were to either perform the counter-course to restore them to battle, or to move them off the field so that one of the attending professors could care for them.
He assigned three more platoons to strategic locations throughout the grounds with the goal of creating holes in Unicorn's defense. He kept two platoons to himself. Each of these platoons was split into attack and defense squads. Their goals were to get Ginny and protect Harry.
"Time," yelled Harry to his division. "Get to your posts!" The platoons split, and moved stealthily across the grounds. When Harry could no longer see them, he took a deep breath. He had to trust them to complete their jobs now.
As they made their way toward the castle along the edge of the forest, Harry watched in satisfaction as the first clashes of battle began. His and Ginny's divisions were evenly matched power-wise, so the battles would come down to strategy.
Harry was pleased to see that the younger groups, who were now clashing, were doing very well for themselves. They were thinking on their feet, casting spells creatively and with confidence, and effectively dodging and blocking spells. Harry could faintly make out the jeers of the Slytherins, and cheers of the others students, but no one on the 'battlefield' seemed to pay them any mind. They were far too caught up in what they were doing.
As the 'casualties' mounted, Harry was further pleased to see Team Niffler, as well as Ginny's rescue squad, Little Phoenix, moving deftly through the fights, dodging spells, and reviving or removing from battle their fallen comrades.
Unicorn seemed to be moving as a slightly more unified front than Sphinx, and Sphinx was slowly retreating. Harry didn't want to be the first to show himself on the field, but his division needed backup. He motioned to his personal platoons that it was time for attack.
As they made their way forward, focusing fully on the conflict before them, the sounds of the Slytherins melted away to the background, so that Harry wasn't even sure they were still there.
Harry's presence upped the stakes of the battle. Everyone focused their attention, and fought with intensity unparalleled in previous DA meetings. The spells, hexes, jinxes, and curses were flying fast. Harry's adrenaline was flowing. He could feel his power flowing through him. He could feel the magic as it coursed through the air around him. He felt like he was always one step ahead of the rest of the battle, and he used that to his advantage. Sphinx was regaining ground.
In his peripheral vision, Harry saw backup from Unicorn move in from around both sides of the castle. His division would be surrounded. He yelled for what was left of his division to fall in together, back to back, to take on both fronts at once. Harry looked for Ginny. Seeing no sign of the tell tale long red hair, he fell in line with his forces, and continued the fight, glancing around for his target.
His platoons were putting up a good fight, but Harry's early appearance gave Unicorn the upper hand. After disabling four students in a row, he sent up red sparks, the signal that Ron's 'special forces' platoon should make its way in.
With a huge battle cry, The Hippogriffs swooped down on broomstick from the Quidditch stands where they had been concealed. Not anticipating such an attack, Unicorn faltered just long enough for Harry's group to again regain themselves. While Unicorn was busily disarming The Hippogriffs, Harry heard Ginny's voice call out "Alpha! Omega! Phoenix, now!"
He turned toward the sound of her voice, but she was nowhere to be seen. Harry had little time to ponder that, as, out of nowhere, ten more members of Unicorn appeared. Led by Luna, Team Phoenix removed the Illusion Charms that had kept them concealed, and allowed them to sneak up on the battle.
Still fighting, Harry smiled, realizing that he had been right not to feel guilty about The Hippogriffs' unplanned aerial assault. But something stirred in his mind as the battle shifted with the surprise newcomers. Suddenly, Harry was positive that he had not yet seen Ginny because she was masked by an illusion.
He turned to the general direction from which he had heard her voice, raised his wand and his free hand over his head and spread them apart, bellowing, "FINITE INCANTATUM!"
All sound deadened, and Harry felt the air around him tense and relax with the shift in magic. All the spells being shot seemed to halt in mid-air and fall harmlessly to the ground. And Ginny Weasley appeared five feet in front of Harry, where previously 'Colin Creevey' had stood. Her wand was raised, and she had apparently been in the midst of casting a fully body-bind on Harry. The magical ropes fell to the ground and disappeared.
Everyone froze for a moment in confusion, unsure of what had just happened.
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry had meant to cast the spell on Ginny only, but the power he put into the spell expanded its target radius drastically. Ginny, as well as the person on her right and two on her left, were blasted backwards, crashing into the people behind them. Harry caught four wands deftly in his outstretched hand, and then ran over to Ginny.
He pulled her into his arms. "Ginny! Are you okay?"
She looked up at him, a bit cross-eyed, and said, "We didn't agree on an aerial assault..."
Harry grinned. "Nor on hiding ourselves in illusion."
She smiled dopily. "Pretty smart, huh?"
Madam Pomfrey and the other present staff members ran onto the battlefield to attend to the students in the aftermath of the training session. Madam Pomfrey was livid, screaming about how Dumbledore should never have allowed such a dangerous game to take place.
The DA members who weren't down were busy jumping around and whooping. Their first battle had been a complete success. They scurried around, checking on the members of the division they had just been fighting, making sure there were no hard feelings for hexes cast. Even the injured were laughing as the staff members saw to their needs, and in some cases, prepared them for transport to the infirmary.
Madam Pomfrey only screamed more.
As she shooed Harry out of the way so she could tend to Ginny, Harry scanned the windows and balconies of the castle. He quickly caught sight of the familiar blonde hair. Malfoy was looking down at him with a completely blank expression. The Slytherins around him were still jeering, but Malfoy just stood there, watching.
Harry turned back to the DA, making his way around to talk to everyone personally about the battle, to make sure everyone was okay and knew how well they had done. Several celebrating Sphinx members tried to lift Harry up onto their shoulders to parade him around, but Harry would have none of it. They chased the blushing Gryffindor for a minute before he turned on them with his wand raised threateningly. Laughing, they tackled him. Other DA members jumped into the pile, wrestling jovially.
XIXIX
Voldemort was terrorizing muggles that night. Harry understood that they were government officials in an Eastern European country, but he was too sickened by what was happening to trust himself to stay and find out more. Even when he pulled out of Voldemort's head and tried to go to a 'safe place' in his dreams, his mind kept replaying the awfulness of the torture.
The worst part was that Voldemort was really enjoying himself, truly believing that he was doing the world a great service. Exterminating vermin. That's how part of Harry had felt while he was seeing through Voldemort's eyes. Their torture was a means to an end. The end was the salvation of the wizarding world.
Harry's mind was still reeling when the owl post came the next morning. He
looked foggily up from his uneaten breakfast as two letters dropped in front of
him. Harry reached forward and opened the one on top.
Dear Harry,
I am flattered that you would think of me for a second exclusive interview. As it happens, I do have publishing contacts in magazines and newspapers across Eurasia. I am sure that many, if not all, of them would be interested in buying my interview of you.
I will be in the area for the next week. I can be there as soon as you reply with a date and time.
Also, please advise: Has Dumbledore's threat that I 'stay out of Hogwarts if I know what is good for me' been voided, or should I enter Hogwarts grounds in my 'alternate' fashion?
Sincerely,
Rita Skeeter, most lovely and intelligent journalist
Harry smiled slightly, knowing that Rita's 'alternate' fashion was in her unregistered animagus form. He was also smiling because while he had known that Dumbledore had banned Rita from Hogwarts during his fourth year, he hadn't realized that he had threatened her in order to keep her away from Harry.
He handed the letter over to Hermione and Ginny, and opened the other letter.
You move like water,
steady and consistent.
I drift like air,
breathing for you.
Your heart is earth
powerful rhythm.
It burns like fire
to see you so far away.
"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Ginny, alarmed. Harry was shaking violently as he
stared at the familiar handwriting.
How dare he send Harry poetry, trying to woo him back after what he had done!
Harry took a few deep breaths as he crumpled the letter and shoved it into his pocket. "Nothing," he growled. "I'm fine."
He took a gulp of his pumpkin juice, and then angrily stabbed at the untouched sausages on his plate, devouring them with a vengeance as Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked on with raised eyebrows.
XIXIX
Harry felt sick to his stomach as he walked to Potions. He dragged his feet, but Ron and Hermione pulled him along.
"Harry, hurry up!" hissed Hermione. "If we're late Snape'll land us all in detention!"
"And take about a million points from Gryffindor," agreed Ron.
They had made it a habit of being early ever since Snape had taken 20 points from Gryffindor when Harry was almost late earlier in the year. But Harry could feel something coming on, and he dreaded standing in that hallway with Malfoy, waiting for class to begin.
He trudged along as slowly as possible, but to no avail. Hermione had made sure they left with plenty of time, and they were early once again.
Harry leaned against the wall, staring into the darkness of the ceiling. He would not look at Malfoy.
The Slytherins were talking about how silly the DA had looked outside, playing make-believe.
"Pretending to be grown-ups with a bunch of first year spells," laughed Malfoy derisively.
"Bunch of losers and weaklings," grunted Crabbe with a stupid guffaw.
"That's not what you were saying outside of Divination on Friday," said Ron simply.
"Shut up, Weasel!" he shouted.
"Hey," said Ron with a smile, "Don't take your love problems out on me. I can't help it if Luna doesn't—"
"Ron!" snapped Harry reproachfully. In one fluid motion, he stepped away from the wall and grabbed Ron by the arm, pulling him around. Ron looked surprised at Harry's anger.
Hermione gasped, and Harry glanced over to see Crabbe stalking towards him and Ron with clenched fists.
But just then, Harry heard the familiar swish of Snape's billowing robes. Crabbe stopped short as he saw Snape round the corner behind his pummeling targets. He stood glaring at Ron and Harry. Ron glared back; Harry averted his eyes.
His gaze fell on Draco Malfoy, who was scowling at Harry. Harry could see confusion and pain in his eyes, buried within the scowl. He looked away.
As the students began to file into the classroom, Ron hissed, "What the hell was that about?"
"Leave him alone about that," muttered Harry angrily. "He's having a really hard time with this whole Luna thing."
"So what! He's Crabbe, for Merlin's sake!"
Harry scowled. He thought back to his brief trip into the mind of Crabbe. His love for Luna was only surpassed by his fear of Voldemort, and worry about the hard position he was in due to his familial connections.
Could Harry really explain all of this to Ron? Would Ron understand or care?
"Just leave him alone, okay? Please?"
Ron narrowed his eyes and shook his head, muttering about having mental cases for best friends.
Shortly after Potions began, Harry felt a nudge inside his mind. He glanced up to Snape, and again wondered how the man was getting through his Occlumency shields. He wasn't thinking any words to Harry. Harry just felt this general idea of encouragement to know his enemies—to peak into the minds of the Slytherins. He shrugged.
In the lulls between steps in brewing, while Harry took notes, he carefully began to probe the minds of his Slytherin classmates—all except for Malfoy. He was not ready yet to find what thoughts and secrets he was guarding.
Harry was dizzy and quite nauseous when he left class.
Once again, everything was changing.
XIXIX
Harry was thankful that Voldemort didn't torture anyone that night. He met with a few Death Eaters about recent attacks. He was in Bosnia, and their Magical Ministry was just about ready to fall. Within a week, it would be his.
Harry was pleased. The people of this land were most definitely coming around. It was a shame that so many had to be... encouraged... to do so. After all, as the most powerful wizard alive, he was their rightful master. Under his power, the united wizarding world would rise in glory, finally achieving their destiny as gods on Earth.
And leading them all, the supreme god, would stand the Great and Terrible Lord Voldemort!
Harry awoke, grabbed his enchanted quill and some parchment, and bolted out the door. He had no idea what time it was, but this could not wait until morning. When he reached the gargoyle, he quickly mumbled the password and ran up the stairs.
He found the door to Dumbledore's office locked, so he beat on it with his fist. Presently, a very old and tired looking Dumbledore opened the door, dressed in purple polka-dot footy pajamas.
"Ah, Harry, do come in!" Harry briefly noticed that, as tired as he looked, Dumbledore's eyes still twinkled.
"He's in Bosnia. He'll have control of their Ministry within a week."
"Tell me what you know."
While asleep, Harry had managed to ascertain Voldemort's location. Unfortunately, his safe house was protected by the Fidelis Charm. Harry could tell anyone where it was, but because he was not the secret keeper, the knowledge meant nothing.
"Who is the secret keeper, Harry?"
"A man named Karaszewski—he's an apothecary from Slovenia. But I don't know where he is." A/N—pronounced car-uh-shev'-skee
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he leapt into action. He and Fawkes were busy contacting Ministry officials as well as members of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry sat down with his quill and parchment, writing down everything he could remember.
As Order members began arriving by portkey and floo, something tugged at Harry's memory. There was something he hadn't noticed while he was in Voldemort's head—but something he had experienced. He only caught it now because the quill forced him to write every little detail. Since Harry hadn't thought to look for this information, the detail had been so minute that he did not notice it until writing it down.
"Sir!" he called out suddenly. The room fell silent as Harry looked up at the now familiar faces of the Order members. "This feeling or notion that I just remembered..." Harry wasn't quite sure how to explain the sensation of Legilimens. Dumbledore nodded to show that he understood. "I think that Karaszewski is in another safe house, also protected by the Fidelis Charm. It's sort of a chain of Fidelis Charms to protect Voldemort from capture. I don't know how long it is, but as we run through the chain, he'll have plenty of time to escape."
Dumbledore nodded in the silence that followed. Then he said, "Then we must focus our efforts on protecting the Ministry in Bosnia from collapsing."
"But I know where he is!" Harry demanded, rising from his seat. "I can go! We can get him tonight!"
"Harry," said Dumbledore warningly. "We must be wise in our action."
"But we can finish this war! We can prevent devastation!"
Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's shoulder and said seriously, "Your time has not yet come." He eyed Harry, and Harry wondered briefly if Dumbledore knew about the prophecies of the coming war. Before he could ask, Dumbledore continued, "Ministry officials will begin arriving shortly, so unless you want the papers to know about your active link with Voldemort, I would suggest you return to Gryffindor Tower. We will talk tomorrow night following your lessons."
Harry nodded, and took his leave.
XIXIX
Harry knew there had been no direct attack against Voldemort or the Death Eaters in Bosnia—not because anyone told him, but because the Daily Prophet was silent about it. Ministry officials had been involved. If there had been any victories, they would have made sure that they were printed. Similarly, had there been any defeats, the Prophet would have pounced. Harry surmised that the Ministry and the Order were currently focusing on surveillance work.
He didn't eat all day. In his mind, he kept replaying his two most recent dreams of Voldemort. He thought about torturing those muggles. He thought about his plans with the Death Eaters. He thought about Voldemort's greed for power, and his fervent desire to rule over wizarding world, to have the wizarding world rule over the muggle world.
He really did feel that his rightful place was as a god to wizardkind. And toward his subjects, both those loyal, and those that he tortured to insanity or death, he felt—an emotion akin to love.
'He's got a really fucked up perception of love,' thought Harry. His eyes focused and he realized he had been staring at Malfoy across the Great Hall. He must not have been paying attention. He hadn't meant to sit on that side of the table. He hated watching them. Not just Malfoy, but all of the Slytherins.
He couldn't believe what duplicitous lives they led. He hated them—had hated them for so long. But now, after even the most cursory of peaks into their minds, he found himself feeling sorry for them. They all had their reasons. They all had their public and private selves. They were all afraid, and angry, and confused. And worst of all, if you took away their concerns with the war, they were just like any other teenager—even just like Harry. Malfoy had been right. They really were "caught up in this war."
Ginny nudged him sharply. He was staring at Malfoy again.
Harry was in a rotten mood when time came for his wandless spellcasting lesson.
While they waited for officials to arrive as bodyguards for their trip to appeal for foreign aid, Nicolas and Perenelle both insisted on continuing to help Harry prepare himself.
As Harry set his bag on the floor by the door and cast a shield charm over it, he looked up to the smiling face of Nicolas Flamel, and something felt wrong. The magic in the room was off. It was almost as if—
"Protego!" he yelled, as three spells flew at him at once. His shield was erected just in time. The spells bounced off of him. Harry's blood was flowing as he sensed the room. Someone to his left had had to dodge one of the rebounding spells. He could feel it.
He dove forward, casting a disarming spell to his left, and dodging a stunning spell that came from his right. He knew that magic as it flew past him. It was Snape. Grinning inwardly, he sent a Batbogey Hex his way. It was juvenile, he knew. But he had dreamed of hitting Snape with that one in his earlier days at Hogwarts.
Nicolas was now standing against the wall, shielding himself. He clearly did not mean to be a party to this fight.
The battle raged on. Harry quickly ascertained that he was down five to one. He focused all of his attention until he was sensing the intricacies of even the slightest whisper of magic in the room. He was sending spells off in quick succession, but the world seemed to slow down for him. He had plenty of time to cast defensive and offensive spells.
Within minutes, his aggressors had revealed themselves. Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody had let down their illusions once they realized that the illusions were not hiding them from Harry. They were a waste of magical resources.
But Harry was up against some strong magic. He realized quickly that he wasn't going to be able to beat them by strength alone. It would have to come down to strategy.
As a diversionary tactic, he pulled out his wand. The slight shift in stance told Harry that his aggressors had fallen for it, and believed that the appearance of his wand meant that he was growing tired.
Snape immediately stepped up with a Blasting Spell that Harry deflected. He thought, 'You should have known better,' while casting a Stunning Spell that sent Snape flying clear across the room.
He was surrounded by the remaining four. Harry cast a shield at his back while simultaneously hitting Tonks with a full body bind, and Mad-Eye Moody with a Locomotor Mortis. Pausing only an instant to ascertain that they had not deflected the spells and were in fact out of commission, he turned, lowered his shield and disarmed McGonagall and Lupin before they knew what hit them.
He turned, and yelled to Nicolas, "Check on Severus! I hit him with more force than I'd meant to—" As Nicolas nodded and moved to comply, Harry felt the slightest shift in the magic of the room.
Harry had three wands in his hand and needed to get rid of at least two. In an instant, he realized that if he sent them back to McGonagall and Lupin, they might once again take up a role of attack. He made a choice and threw their wands up to the ceiling, yelling, "Glutinare!" A thick glue formed around them, and they stuck to the ceiling, far out of reach of their owners.
But before the gelatinous plopping sound signaled that they had reached their destination, Harry had begun an intense duel with Albus Dumbledore.
Harry was aware of the awestruck faces of his professors, fellow Order members, and friends as they watched him and Dumbledore do battle. He was aware of the movement in the air, and how the room seemed to vibrate at different rates, with each person's pulse. He was aware of every dimple in every stone on the floor, every crack in the paint on the walls. He was aware of the flickering glow cast by every candle in every chandelier that lit the room. He was aware of the swish of Dumbledore's robe, and the splash of the five sweat drops that hit the floor, and the rustling sound of Dumbledore's beard as he moved.
Time lost all meaning as they threw spells across the room. Harry's magic seemed to expand, to fill the room until he was the room. He felt the pressure of Lupin's step as he readjusted his position. He was drawn in as the sharp intake of breath when Snape awoke and saw Harry dueling the headmaster. He was the space around Dumbledore.
He slipped into Dumbledore's mind and always knew his next move. Even with this edge, Harry pushed himself to keep up. The man was fast. Harry was certain that Dumbledore had not breached Harry's own Occlumency shields, but he deflected every spell with little effort. A standard duel would not work. They would end in stalemate. Harry needed to try something different.
Harry took control of his broadened consciousness—he took control of the room. He breathed in and the air began to move, began to swirl around in twisted spirals, began to obey. He pulled the air toward him so that his robes billowed out behind him. He heard a sucking sound that grew to a roar, and watched as the air pulled itself away from Dumbledore.
Dumbledore stood there, perfectly preserved in the midst of a vacuum. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He was suspended in a void that could destroy him—
If Harry could keep it up.
The extraordinariness of the magic he was casting was using him up, and Harry knew he couldn't last. He dropped his control of the room. A deafening BANG sounded as the air collapsed back in on itself. Dumbledore stumbled, and Harry took that instant to cast a disarming spell and a stunning spell in rapid succession.
Harry wavered for a moment, holding Dumbledore's wand in front of him and gazing at his fallen headmaster.
And then the world went black.
XIXIX
Harry felt light and carefree. He heard a murmur of voices, but he couldn't make sense of any of their words. He listened to the tones, trying to figure out if something was wrong. Yes, he could definitely hear alarm. People were upset about something. One of them kept repeating, "Harry, Harry." Harry wondered what that word meant. He felt movement. Was he moving? Did whatever was wrong have something to do with him?
He tried to ask, and everything went quiet. And then, that word again. It was so familiar. It meant something. It was a name. It was his name.
He opened his eyes. A pale smudge surrounded by a black smudge occupied his field of vision.
"Sev?" he murmured.
Harry heard a sigh of relief. And then he heard more words, more voices. It was too confusing to understand it all.
He heard a crack, and then more voices, followed by another crack. There were more words. Sev was talking to him, but Harry couldn't understand. He just wanted to go to sleep, but the voices were so insistent. They kept pulling him back.
After a third crack sounded, Harry began to choke as he felt a cold liquid draining down his throat. He coughed and sputtered, and managed to swallow some of the foul tasting potion.
"Harry, can you hear me? Do you understand?"
Harry looked into the now clear eyes of his Potions professor, and nodded.
"Oh, thank Merlin," he heard. That was Lupin's voice. Harry looked up and saw Lupin standing behind Snape. He looked around to see everyone in the room swarmed around him and Snape and a house elf he didn't recognize. The house elf was carrying a tray of potions. Snape reached over with his free hand and grabbed one.
"Harry, do you think you can drink this?" he asked softly.
"Yeah," said Harry, realizing he was laid out on the floor, leaning into the chest of a kneeling Snape. Snape was holding him in one arm, and administering Harry the potion with his other.
It was less foul than the first, and Harry felt his strength returning to him. He made to sit up, but was stopped short as a jolt of pain rushed through him. Harry felt frozen in pain; every muscle in his body tensed.
"Help me!" snapped Snape.
Lupin was there, and helped Snape pour the next potion through Harry's clenched teeth. Harry relaxed immediately, reached up and clung to Snape. He felt defeated. He began to tremble, and Snape held him close.
"It's okay, Harry," he said softly. "You're okay. You just expended an unprecedented amount of energy in a very short time. You went into magical shock. Your body is trying to re-regulate you energy levels now. The Heal Magical Wounds should help with that."
"Sev, I'm so hungry," he whimpered into Snape's chest.
Without a moment's hesitation, the six other witches and wizards in the room conjured a feast each. Snape was slowly rocking the weakened Harry. He helped him to sit up so that he could eat, and then stood up.
He spoke in low tones to the house elf with the potions; she once again disappeared.
Harry set about devouring as much food as possible. Tonks sat on the floor next to him.
"Harry, that was incredible! Are you okay?"
Harry nodded, his mouth full of food. Dumbledore conjured a table and chairs and a tea set and he, McGonagall, and Moody all sat.
Lupin had grabbed Snape by the arm and led him across the room. Harry knew they were going to talk about him, so he strained his ears to get their conversation.
"What is going on between you and my son?" hissed Lupin angrily.
"Harry is not your son," replied Snape in calm, low tones.
"He might as well be, so you had better—"
"Mr. Potter is my student."
"Well you weren't acting like he was just your student a moment ago! And him calling you Sev! And curling up in your arms!"
"Mr. Potter has been studying Legilimency with me. He is a wizard of incredible skill and during our lessons, I believe he has forged some sort of mental bond between the two of us."
"That better be all, Severus Snape, or so help me you will live to regret it."
Lupin turned on his heel and stalked over to Harry. He crouched down and asked kindly, "Harry, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," said Harry through a mouthful of food. He swallowed, and then turned to Dumbledore. "Are you okay?"
Dumbledore chuckled. "Fine, fine. I've been dealt worse, just, not for a long time... Has your appetite abated enough for you to talk?"
Harry looked down at the tray of food he was working on. He had already eaten enough for two people, but while he no longer felt ravenous, he was still quite hungry. All the same, he nodded.
Lupin helped him up (he was still a little unsteady on his feet), and Tonks carried his tray over to the table to the seat next to Dumbledore. Lupin sat on his other side and put his arm protectively across the back of Harry's chair, behind his shoulders, glaring at Snape, who sat across from them.
Harry noticed that everyone was looking tentatively back and forth among Harry, Lupin, and Snape. Harry glanced at Lupin, who now looked a bit flushed, as though it had only just occurred to him that everyone in the room had heard his accusation against Snape. Snape, for his part, was masked as always.
'So this mental bond... Is that why you can get past my Occlumency shields to communicate to me?' thought Harry, staring at the food he was eating intently.
'It's one of my theories that could explain that phenomenon, yes,' replied Snape.
'What are your other theories?'
'Well,' thought Snape with a friendly mental smirk, 'That I have underestimated my abilities and am actually an extraordinarily powerful wizard.'
Harry snorted into his food. Snape raised an eyebrow while Harry coughed, laughing. He reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice and looked at Snape over the rim. Lupin caught the look and realized they were speaking telepathically, and stood up in outrage.
"Now, see here!" he began, waving his finger at Snape.
"Remus, sit down," commanded Dumbledore.
Harry reached up and tugged on Lupin's arm. "Remus, it's okay."
"But—"
"Come on, I'm sure we have a lot to talk about," he turned to Dumbledore and said pointedly, "Right, professor?"
"Quite right, Harry," he said, his eyes twinkling. Lupin sat back down, returning his arm to the back of Harry's chair, and continuing to glare at Snape. "First of all, let me say that that was a very impressive bit of magic you performed tonight."
"Thank you," said Harry.
"Just don't do it again," barked Moody.
"What?"
"Mr. Potter," said McGonagall, "I can't even begin to speculate on the extent of your powers if, at 16, you are already able to expand your consciousness to fill a room this size..."
"And then control it!" said Tonks.
"Not to mention casting four and five spells simultaneously," added Nicolas.
"But if you don't pace yourself," continued McGonagall, "You can cause irreparable damage to yourself, and lose control over a vast majority of your powers before they are even fully developed."
"What are you talking about?" asked Harry, who had paused his eating.
"Harry," said Lupin kindly, "We're afraid that you are progressing too quickly. The extent to which you are wielding powers that you only just realized you have... it's... amazing. And more than a little scary."
Harry looked down at his hands, now resting in his lap. He felt a muted fear at the idea of losing his magical abilities from overextending himself. "So," he said quietly, "This magical shock or whatever that I just went into..."
"There will be no long-term side effects," said Snape calmly.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
"But you will feel a bit 'off' for the next few days," said Dumbledore. "And I would like you to take a hiatus from your training this week to allow your powers to rebalance themselves. I believe you have a Quidditch rematch coming up this weekend with Slytherin. Why don't you take this week off to prepare yourself for the game?"
"What about Voldemort?" asked Harry suddenly.
"He can wait," said Tonks.
Snape, who understood what Harry was getting at, said, "Don't take the potion. Natural sleep will help you more now than anything else."
Harry turned to Dumbledore. "But what about Bosnia? I can help—"
Dumbledore waved his hand. "You already have. We have Ministry and Order forces watching the area. Voldemort's threat in Bosnia has acted to further encourage many of the surrounding Ministries to send an official to act as bodyguards on the Flamels' trip to seek foreign aid. Once aid begins to arrive, we should be able to sufficiently clamp down on the Death Eaters in order to give you the time that you need to safely complete your training."
"When are you leaving?" Harry asked Nicolas.
"Thursday morning," Nicolas replied with a smile.
Harry furrowed his brow. "I still think you and Perenelle would be safer here," he said.
Nicolas grinned. "Oh, there is no doubt about it. But the question is 'would the world be safer if Perenelle and I stayed here?' We may not be fighters, but we can help in this war. And we will."
Harry nodded, and then couldn't take it anymore. He dug back into the food before him.
"When can I continue training?" he asked, his mouth full.
Snape sneered and began to rebuke him, but Harry shoved him out of his mind, turning to Dumbledore, who chuckled, eyes twinkling. "Why don't you meet with Severus Saturday evening for a brief Legilimency lesson? He can then ascertain if you are ready to continue your regular training."
"But we have a game that day. Everyone will notice if I'm not at the victory party!"
"I doubt the Slytherins will want you to attend their victory party, Mr. Potter," said Snape with a sneer.
Harry looked over to retort, but the fire in Snape's eyes as he and Lupin glared at each other made him change his mind.
"Fine, Saturday night," he said.
XIXIX
As his appetite died down, everyone began to take their leave, until only Harry and Lupin remained in the practice room.
Harry couldn't imagine what exactly was happening in his body that his magical energy was metabolizing so much food, and so quickly. He had been eating for over an hour, and was still nibbling as he and Lupin sat and talked.
"Listen, Harry, what I said to Snape—"
Harry waved him off. "You're just being protective. I understand."
"No. You don't really. I've known Severus a long time. I have my reasons for being worried."
"Like what?"
Lupin smiled, but shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe they're just old grudges. But will you do me a favor and watch out for him?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't have any reason to watch out for him. I'm more powerful at Legilimency than he is at Occlumency. He can't hide anything from me."
"But you're also good enough and trusting enough that you won't go looking for secrets. If you care about him, he can hide things from you. Don't forget that Snape is a Slytherin through and through." Harry sighed. "Look, just humor an old man, will you? Be careful?"
"Okay," said Harry quietly.
They sat in silence for a few moments, and then Lupin said, "Harry, I'm going to Albania tomorrow."
"Why?" asked Harry, a bit alarmed. He knew there was currently a very high rate of Death Eater activity there, but he hadn't heard of any Order missions that would necessitate a trip by Lupin.
"We think Mundungus Fletcher is there."
"So?" said Harry nastily.
"So, I'm going to go look for him, and try to bring him back into the fold."
"Why? You were almost killed the last time he slipped up. And then that time in Little Whinging, with the Dementors..."
"You're right. And both of those errors were grievous and could have been disastrous for the both of us, but that doesn't mean he deserves to die, or be tortured for the information he has. We don't know that he realizes how dangerous it is in the country he has fled to."
"Why does it have to be you?"
"Because I'm the one he almost got killed. He's shamed, Harry. He won't come back with anyone else. It has to be me."
"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of it, am I?" asked Harry, scowling slightly.
Lupin shook his head, and said calmly, "No. I'm afraid not."
Harry sighed in frustration, and they sat in silence once more. Eventually, Harry built up his courage to ask Lupin about what he had said earlier.
"Remus, do you really think of me as your son?"
Lupin smiled broadly. "Of course. You don't know, but, before your parents died, we were all so close. Sirius and I doted on you just as much as James and Lily. Lily used to joke, saying, 'How did my son get three fathers, but I only got one husband?'" Harry laughed. "That drove James nuts, let me tell you."
"I can imagine," said Harry. He paused for a moment, and then asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Lupin looked distant for a moment, sad. "I lost my four best friends in a matter of days." He took a deep breath. "I wanted to get custody of you, but there was no way the Ministry was going to hand over The Boy Who Lived to a werewolf. So I just drifted for a few years. And by the time I saw you again, you were old enough to make your own decisions about who you wanted in your life. I just tried to be here for you, if you needed me."
Harry felt solemn. He and Lupin both stared at the table, hiding the tears in their eyes as they thought about the many things that had gone wrong over the last sixteen years.
Finally, Harry spoke quietly. "Remus, I need you in my life now. Will you please be careful in Albania?"
Remus reached over and pulled Harry into a very powerful hug, and for a very long moment, Harry felt at peace.
XIXIX
XIX
X
A/N- You have just finished reading "The Chapter that Wouldn't End." It was supposed to be a short chapter- half as long, actually, but it just wouldn't stop! I even finished it- claimed it done- this afternoon, and somehow wound up with two more pages tonight!
But I hope that everyone enjoyed it. And before anyone asks, we'll find out more about the prophecies and about the minds of the Slytherins in upcoming chapters.
Also, be warned- the next section is going to be very long, but hopefully, very good. I'll see if I can't break it into two chapters in order to alleviate the wait, but if the flow doesn't work right, I'll whimper, but I'll also keep it whole.
So, just to peak your curiosity, and perhaps make the wait unbearable, but perhaps help you understand what the wait is all about...
Malfoy is really pushing to get back on Harry's good side. Do we finally learn what the hell has been up with him lately?
And what is it about Snape that has Remus so concerned? Will Harry actually 'watch out for him' and try to find out?
And about this trip to Albania...
Oh, and by the way, everyone should go read The Shadow Bandit's "A Moment in Time." It's my most recent addiction. Love it love it love it! So you go enjoy it too!
wolfen-alysha-draco-drago- Yay!
Simply Slytherin- Your love for Draco can hold in this story. He's still Draco, just seen from Harry's eyes. Hold on, 'kay?
GotRyceBo- Wow, I didn't know I could illicit such strong emotions in people. Thank you for telling me. You're right about Harry and Draco's love being a twisted sort of love. It really is. Them's got baggage.
Wintermoon2- Here here! For all those good things. And as far as your psychic abilities go, I think you'll be loving the next couple of chapters. Ooh, things are really going to start heating up, in more ways than one!
Maximum Poofy-Confused Queen- Thank you, I'm so glad you like it! Here's some more for ya!
The Shadow Bandit- Thank you. Harry's not digging in Malfoy's mind yet because he feels so hurt and betrayed. He's afraid of what else he'll find- either that he's betrayed him even more than previously thought, or, something that will make him love him/feel sorry for him despite his betrayal. He's trying to keep his pain at a minimum if he can handle it. Thanks for weighing in with your thoughts!
Isis-mystic- I asked Harry what he thought, and he said that Malfoy could be consumed in dragon flames for all he cared. Malfoy refuses to admit that he and Harry were ever together in the first place, stating, "I'm a Malfoy."
Helena- Ah, your secret's out. But only time will tell how Draco's going to turn out. I'm sure not going to. :)
Nemati- Thank you, here you go!
Firestar- Thank you. I'm glad you like the characterization, and the character interactions. Makes me feel good.
Illucia (Chapter 7)- hmm, very good question. Pertinent, I'd dare say. I actually thought more people would have asked it, but you're the only one so far. Keep reading. The answers are coming.
Meggplant- (laughs) thank you. Of course, Malfoys are not sporadic people. Everything they do they do with reason. What remains to be seen is, will that reason be the end to he and Harry? Glad you enjoy...
Malfoysnogger- There is always more to Draco than meets the eye! But you'll have to wait to find out more. The answers are coming. Personally, I hate loose ends.
Usually Immaculate Aristocrat- I'm glad you like the poem. I haven't been a poet for some years now, and groaned when Draco told me that he was secretly into poetry. I wonder if anyone other than Harry knows this- after all, it doesn't seem like a very "Malfoy" thing to do, writing poetry... Thanks for letting me know what caught your eye in the chapter- good to know what people are thinking about.
Celedriel-greenleaf- thanks for reading and supporting the characters!
Ningchan- Ah! Don't fall! (laughs) thanks.
Illucia- Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying everything. I passed on your questions to Harry and he said he didn't want to think about it yet. Unfortunately, you'll just have to wait. But thank you for patiently waiting, and reading despite the update status.
Tsuyuno- Ah, of course. :p Thank you.
Chibi- thank you!
Rysta cat- Thank you! Of course, I love hearing how much people like my story, but I do also love hearing constructive criticism, so if you come up with anything, please pass it on! Thank you for reading!
Perona- Wow! Thank you! I'm glad you like the characterizations, and are willing to wait for updates. Hopefully you won't be waiting TOO long for the next one, but, it's gonna be a doozy, you know? Hold on, though! I'll get more up as soon as I can.
Headphone Therapy- HAHAHAHAhahahaha! I was wondering when you would come back! You were the first person that reviewed this story- did you realize that? So thanks for coming back! I'm glad you've enjoyed the progression, the relationships, and the characterization. And the grand scale thing- it seemed plausible to me when I took into account what was going on in Eurasia between '95 and '97. Large scale violence and general badness. Anyway, glad you're back- glad you enjoy!
CS Whitewolf- Gah! Put those fireballs away! Here's another chapter for you! But yes, prophecies ad Draco/Harry confusion. It will all be sorted out- one way or another. But about the "Sybil" thing- who would have thought it from Hermione, right? Hopefully we'll find out more about that as well. Thanks for reading/reviewing.
Pat2- Wow! Thank you! I appreciate it, and I love you too. Sorry to have made you cry. Hopefully it was a good cry and not a bad cry? Thanks for reading/reviewing.
Sapphire-wolf1- It's not that Draco forgot, it just hasn't occurred to him that Harry could have found out. That's why he's so clueless as to WHY Harry broke it off with him- last he knew, everything was swell.
Yuki-Kurai- Harry can't talk to him about it. If Draco betrayed him and is working for the V-man, then Harry doesn't want to give him anymore information. The slip about the dreams during the veritaserum fiasco is protected by blood oath, so Draco can't give Voldemort that knowledge. But, if he confronted Draco about this betrayal, questions would come up as to how he knew, and that conversation would NOT be protected by blood oath. The most logical thing would be for Harry to jump into Malfoy's mind to find out more, but he's to hurt right now to go there. Maybe when things have settled a bit... eh?
Hayley- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!