Chapter Twenty Five: Acceptance and Moving Forward

"You might want to work on that welcome," Remus said as Harry and Ron held out a hand each to help him to his feet.

"Sorry, Professor," Ron said. Harry noticed he wasn't turning his typical Weasley red. This surprised him more than having opened the door and blasting Moony six feet back into the corridor to land on his backside had.

"Be glad we used a weak spell," Harry smiled.

"That was a weak spell?" Remus asked as he followed them into the room, cracking his shoulder back into place.

"You're tough," Harry teased. "You can take it."

"You want to tell me why you're greeting visitors that way?"

"You have to ask?" Harry replied.

"No one is supposed to know about this room but us," Ron explained. "We were... startled."

"Have you already forgotten that you showed this place to Tonks and I?"

"No, sir..." Ron said. "But we didn't expect you to come knocking, did we?"

"Apparently not," Remus said, cracking his neck and sitting down beside Ginny on the sofa. "But I'll give you fair warning, the teachers, at least the Heads of House, know where this is. And they have the password," he looked pointedly at Ron and Hermione. "So you might want to govern your activities accordingly."

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, then turned back to Remus, trying not to look guilty.

"Professor?" Ginny said. "You came for a reason?"

"I figured you'd all be here. Tonks will be along in a minute," he glanced at Ron. "So don't blast her, okay?"

Ron and Harry grinned at each other.

"Have Harry and Ginny told you what went on in the Headmaster's office?"

"No..." Hermione began.

"Wait a minute," Harry interrupted. "How do you know? You weren't there."

"Tonks was," Remus said pointedly. "Under an invisibility cloak."

"What?"

"You're not the only one he doesn't tell everything to, Harry," Remus said. "Some of us... well, you're fully aware of who, have decided that we need to take.. a more active role."

"Spying?" Ron said disbelievingly. "On Dumbledore? Are you mad?"

"Relax, Ron..." Remus smiled. "He figured out pretty quick that Tonks was there."

"How?"

Remus glanced at Harry, his eyes communicating something. Harry sighed.

"Because," Harry said softly. "Dumbledore can see through Invisibility cloaks. Or at least sense them. I believe Snape can, as well, if to a lesser degree."

The others were aware of Harry's suspicions about the invisibility cloak. Ron had been under his with him in Hagrid's hut in second year when they had both got the impression that the old Headmaster was speaking to them, although he had no way to know that they were there.

"So he just let Tonks stand there?"

"Of course," Remus smiled. "It's Tonks' job."

"What?"

"Tonks has been under the cloak following various of you about the school for several weeks. Her favorite is Malfoy. I understand that he's become rather... clumsy lately..."

Ron began to laugh. Malfoy had taken to tripping over things that he claimed hadn't been there a moment ago, and turning on people in the halls and accusing them of pinching him. Everyone had begun to consider the possibility that the Slytherin was finally teetering on the edge. Even his ever-faithful sidekicks could be seen quietly distancing themselves from him. Apparently Tonks was a true Marauder at heart.

"In any case, Tonks told me what had happened, so I went to the Headmaster this afternoon and we had a nice long talk."

"About?" Harry tensed.

"About you. The six of you. Dumbledore recognizes that you, Harry, and Ginny to a degree, are going to be changing a few things about your schooling..."

"Wait up... Ginny?" Ron asked.

"Your sister..." Remus began.

"Remus?" Ginny said. "Please?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Remus sat back against the sofa cushions.

"I've decided that my role in this is as support to Harry," Ginny said quietly. "I'm not a particularly good dueller, although I can hold my own, but I do know that being beside him is going to put me in the middle of it, and as I'm not moving from his side... well, I spoke to Mum and Dad, and they've agreed to let me drop everything but Potions, DADA, Charms and Herbology. I'm going to be spending some time with Madam Pomfrey... I'm going to train to be a mediwitch."

"So both of you are going to be..."

"There's going to be a lot of independent study involved if we're going to be ready, Ron," Harry said.

"So you won't be attending regular classes?" Hermione asked.

"No, we'll be there," Harry said. "We probably just won't be studying the same things everyone else is."

"But..."

"Dumbledore has approved this, Hermione," Harry assured her.

"But what about... after?"

"After?"

"After... you defeat him. After... what will you do if you've not taken NEWTS...?"

"Do you really think I'm concerned about that right now, Mione?" Harry asked softly. "Right now, all I'm concerned with is getting through this alive. After... I can't think about 'after' right now."

"But Harry..."

"Hermione, I can't concern myself with worrying about what grades I get on my NEWTs right now. Don't you understand that? This isn't about grades. This is about still being alive the day after the battle... this is about making sure Ginny is still alive the day after the battle. If that doesn't happen, I don't care about 'after'."

"You can't be so negative about it, Harry!" Hermione said.

"Negative? I'm not being negative, Hermione.... I'm being realistic. Think! This is not about beating out someone else for first place in DADA... or even about beating the crap out of Malfoy and the Slytherins on the Quidditch pitch.... either Voldemort or I have to die. Don't you get that?"

Hermione's horrified eyes stared into Harry's calm ones. Everything he had said he had said calmly, rationally. There was an acceptance on his face that Hermione couldn't remember ever seeing before. She glanced down and noticed his hand was gripping Ginny's.

"I..." she swallowed. "I suppose I do... now."

"Good," Harry smiled sadly. "Because that is what this means, Hermione. Living now... enjoying now, but preparing because tomorrow... well, tomorrow might be the final battle, and one of us, Tom or I, have to die. And I do not intend to be that one, if there is anything I can do to prevent it."

There was silence in the room until a loud knock sounded on the door. Ron stood and strode to the door, opening it to admit Tonks.

As she walked in and noted the tension in the room, she glanced at Remus.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Harry and Ginny were walking towards the Headmaster's office the following morning when they were surprised by Neville and Luna joining them.

"Where are you two off to?" Harry asked. "Nev, you're going to be late for Transfiguration..."

"Not going," Neville said quietly.

"You're skipping a class?" Harry was shocked. Neville was almost as rigid as Hermione about being where one was supposed to be when one was supposed to be there.

"Going to see the Headmaster."

"What?" Harry stopped, turning to look at the other boy.

"I'm going to see the Headmaster, Harry," Neville looked him in the eye, his cheeks flushing. "My duelling is pretty good now... I know that I need to practice it more... but well... Herbology is my strong point, but I suppose you're going to need someone to brew potions and if all that means is spending the odd weekend with Snape, well..."

"Nev?" Harry looked at the other boy, concerned.

"I'm one of the six, Harry..." Neville said quietly. "And I know how close I was to being... well... being you. Only I probably wouldn't have lived... but, well... I'm one of the six, and I'm... I'm going to talk to Dumbledore."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded.

"Luna?"

"You're going to need more than one person able to heal, Harry Potter," Luna said softly. "All those sproggerts..."

Harry smiled, and then began moving down the hall again, the other three with him, towards Dumbledore's office.

As they approached, it was to find a tall redhead moving towards them from the other direction.

"Ron?"

"Think you were doing this alone?" Ron commented.

"Ron..."

"What have you done without me beside you since first year, Harry?"

"The TriWizard tournament," Harry commented drily.

"And look how that turned out," Ron returned without missing a beat. "I think not, mate. If we're in this, we're in it as a team."

"Ron, you don't..."

"She's my sister, Harry. Do you really think you're the only reason?"

Harry stopped, looking his blue-eyed friend in the eye. "No."

"Then shut the hell up and come on," Ron turned towards the entrance to Dumbledore's office. The statue moved aside with a grating of stone on stone.

"Let's go, then," Harry said, moving to step inside.

"Wait!"

They all turned to see the bushy mane of Hermione Granger coming towards them through the crowd of students.

"Hermione?" Ron looked at her, surprised.

"You're missing Transfiguration, Hermione," Harry said.

"Screw Transfiguration," she puffed as she caught her breath.

The other five all exchanged surprised looks.

"What?" Ron was perhaps the most surprised of all.

"What does a Transfiguration class matter? We have to prepare..."

"We?" Harry asked.

"We, Harry Potter," she snapped. "Not a single one of you are any good at all at doing your own research. You need me."

Harry grinned, pulling her into his arms and hugging her, hard. "Of course we do, Mione."

"We need to talk to Dumbledore..." she said.

"Strange coincidence, that," Ron remarked, shaking his head. "We were just headed there. What would we do without you to point out the obvious to us, Hermione?"

"Shut up, Ron," she snapped. "Well? What are we doing standing here?"

"Ah," Dumbledore looked up from behind his desk as the six students entered his office. "To what do I owe this pleasure? I was expecting Harry and Ginny, but the rest of you... shouldn't you be in classes right now?"

"We won't be going, Professor," Hermione said firmly.

"Really, Miss Granger?"

"We're here... we all want to talk to you..." Neville glanced around at the others. "I want to talk to you about what I need to do to help Harry and Ginny."

"Mr Longbottom..." the Headmaster turned to Neville. "You wish to... pursue this as well?"

"I'm one of the six, sir," Neville said. "I have to be prepared."

"Indeed," Dumbledore smiled through his long beard. "Miss Lovegood?"

"Ginny said that she was going to train with Madam Pomfrey. I would like to join her, sir."

"A mediwitch..." Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. Mr Weasley?"

"I'm standing beside Harry, sir. I figure you'd rather have me properly trained to do that."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You're very much like your father, Mr Weasley. Very much."

He turned his eyes on Hermione, who looked straight back at him and straightened her spine.

"Miss Granger?"

"None of them has one iota of a clue how to research anything. I sometimes doubt if Ron has read anything besides a Quidditch magazine by choice in the last three years," she said.

"Hey!"

"... but the fact is, my strength is knowledge, sir. And I think that we're going to need all of that we can get."

Dumbledore smiled at her. "You could be right, Miss Granger. Well, I suppose that if you've all made your decisions, there is nothing more to discuss. Harry, I asked you to come here to discuss with you and Miss Weasley what your schedule would be looking like in future. I will have to talk to the other instructors and make sure that they are okay with... more students... but in the meantime, I have taken the liberty of writing out your new schedules..." he handed parchments to Harry and Ginny.

"'Other instructors'?" Hermione asked.

"Miss Granger?"

"You said 'other' instructors," she said. "Does that mean that you will be an instructor, as well?"

"Indeed, Miss Granger," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You will be an asset to the group, my dear. Yes. I will be instructing Harry with his Occlumency... among other things."

"Other things?" she asked boldly.

"You forget, Miss Granger..." he said softly. "I am the only wizard alive who has stood against a Dark Lord... and won."

Okay, so two updates, plus a separate three chapter fic in a single day. I think this probably should go down as my personal best...

Oh, I do love the holidays! My kids and I have been baking cookies, and we've got Christmas music on the stereo... Enya's Gaelic version of Silent Night (Oiche chiuin) is AMAZING. Not to mention the king of crooners himself... I've had Bing Crosby's White Christmas playing. My kids think I'm insane.

KittiesRule878: Ah, yes... Harry is the only one who can beat Voldemort... but does it say how?

Gorman99: No, he really doesn't. And they trust Harry, and now Harry knows that.

HarryPotterfan777777: All questions will be answered...

PCB: The Bay? OH NO, ANOTHER CANUCK? Wow... there seem to be a few of us on here now!

Rdprice29: Glad you're enjoying it. I do that too, go back and read things from the beginning. When fics are uploaded, especially with delays between (--cough-- James –cough--) it's sometimes difficult to remember all the details. I passed your message on to James' muses, we'll see if it does any good.

Shotgunn: So you've resorted to guessing, huh? As for your review on Christmas at the Burrow... get your mind out of the gutter! (It's getting crowded in here!)

BJ: Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your studying... I'll just hold off posting any more chapters until after the holidays, shall I?

Mehgan: Yes, I think so, too... I was rather surprised when I figured that out... knowing what JKR is like with the anagrams, one has to wonder at this one. Hope you enjoy Christmas at the Burrow...

SiriusBlack08: No problem... I just miss my "regulars" sometimes....

MrsSakuraPotter: Well, hopefully you've recovered in time for this. And thank you for your kinds words (blush).

Emily: I try to update daily... doesn't always work out that way, of course!

MysticRuby: Not bad. Would I do that? (Of course I would... just not this time!)

Larna Mandrea: Well, if you're very, very good, I'll consider doing a one-shot just for you. But you have to stop begging for Harry's death...

SexyGod: For you? Of course!

Sabine Strohem-Moss: Are my fics so lacking in cliffies? Man, the response I've gotten to that!

SumersGirl: You owe me ten galleons.

GiGiFanfic: Ah – snow country! You wouldn't be around Barrie, would you? My family is in Muskoka. And thank you, once again, for your kind comments... I really love your reviews!

CQ