Chapter 12 (21 July)

Sunday morning Flitwick continued his lesson on conjuring items. "You're attempting to shape mass out of the basic elements, water, earth, or air. From that perspective it's a variation on transfiguration. Depending on your skill level, the objects that you create can last a day or two or last a long time.

Harry asked, "Professor, we have a specific interest in being able to conjure a limestone, marble, or granite object. Would it be possible to use that as an example?"

"What dimension did you have in mind Mr. Potter?"

"I'm not certain sir. In our last transfiguration lesson, we were discussing physical blocks against the killing curse."

"We haven't tested how thick of a slab that we would need, but I was thinking of something along the lines of a gladiator shield. Obviously weight would also be a factor."

Flitwick thought about what they were thinking of. Personally he thought agility would be compromised too much at the expense of armor, but the idea was certainly worth investigating. He told them, "You four have been giving this matter a lot of thought. I will do some testing and have some samples tomorrow. In the mean time, is there another item that you wish to work on?"

Susan replied, "How about a sleeping bag professor? Harry seems to get extra house guests from time to time and could use them."

"Very well then. Please visualize the sleeping bag that you are trying to create. Think of the little details. Close your eyes if you want, picture the item and say Conjurous."

Susan made a squashy black sleeping bag. Ginny's was emerald green and extra squashy. Hermione's was very similar to Susan's except not as thick. Harry's was purple, squashy, and looked like it could fit two people. He got a few sideways glances from Hermione and Susan, but everyone was pleased that their incantation had worked.

Flitwick continued. "Excellent. Next try for a food item. Think of an apple or something that you like to eat." Hermione created an orange. "Excellent work Miss Granger. Susan created a bunch of grapes. "Very good work, Miss Bones." Ginny created a chocolate chip cookie. "Delightful Miss Weasley." Harry made a thin crust cheese pizza cooked just right. "Outstanding, Mr. Potter."

He continued with the lesson. Finally, I'd like you to make a mug, a drinking glass, or a teacup that you remember. Picture the details carefully and we will put them away to see how long that they'll last. Please place them on the table when you are satisfied with them. I will check on the marble shield idea and see if it might make sense. Enjoy your evenings. I will see you tomorrow."

After the lesson Hermione stayed behind. She spent several hours conjuring a place setting of the china that her Grandmother had given her parents as a wedding gift. Then she carefully made a second and third set. She asked Winky to make her and her parents a simple lunch that they could eat together.

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True to his word Kingsley came over the next morning. He and Tonks demonstrated the use of the anti-apparation manacles. Susan had apparently seen them earlier, because she could get them on someone the quickest. Kingsley asked them if they assumed that the person who would be restrained would be unconscious or struggling. He pointed out that if they were struggling and attached with one arm, it would still be possible to portkey them, as the manacles worked the same as if the prisoner was holding the portkey them self.

They had a lot of difficulty against Kingsley. He outweighed any of them by three or four stone, was quite a bit stronger than any of them, and knew unarmed combat. Harry was quite bruised by the end of the session, as much as anything, from Hermione trying to stun Kingsley, and hitting Harry by mistake.

The only problem with using the manacles was that once closed, they could not be reopened in the field. Thus if the closed around the wrong person, it would require that they used a portkey to get back to the Ministry holding cell to get let out. The manacles would not close unless something was within them, meaning that they could not be accidentally be closed if someone's arm or ankle wasn't being held.

Kingsley left three pair for their use. One was a red practice pair that would reopen with the tap of any of their wands. The other two were real. Kingsley told them that they had been checked out to Tonks, who was responsible for their return within thirty days.

By the end of the lesson, they were all bruised from taking their turn at being the bad guy. Harry carefully put the three sets of manacles away in his trunk, and thanks Kingsley and Tonks for their help and trust.

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That afternoon Susan found Harry reading at one of the tables in the library. "Hi Harry, can we visit for a few minutes."

"Of course. Can I get you a butterbeer?" Pop. Winky appeared with a tray of butterbeers and cokes. Susan took a coke. Harry took a butterbeer. They both smiled at her. She had a miniature school girl dress on, and looked very cute.

"Harry, I want to thank you for inviting me into your home this summer."

"You don't need to say anything. I enjoy your company, and I'm happy to have you here."

"Harry, it's more than that. You have been trying to make Britain a safer place for as long as I've known you. I know that I'm not as brave as you. I'd never win a special award for services to the school or get sixty points for sheer nerve like you did, but I still want to help. Professor Sprout is a nice lady, but she'd never dream of showing us how to fight, or defend ourselves properly. You have a leadership quality that none of the professors except maybe Professor Dumbledore have. I know Auntie made you take me in, but I just wanted to say thanks."

Harry cut her off. "Susan, stop it! No one made me do anything. I invited you here of my own free will. The sorting hat keeps saying that the different houses have to work together. I think it's happening. Flitwick is helping us, McGonagall is helping us. Tonks is helping us. I'm sure that Professor Sprout would help us in any way that we asked her to. This isn't Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. It is all good people trying to take a stand against killers and thugs."

"Thanks Harry. Most people don't pay any attention to the Hufflepuffs. You see people for what they really are. I just wanted to say thanks."

"No problem. How is your occlumency training going?"

"Slowly. I don't have anyone to practice with."

"I could help a bit if you'd like. I've been working on it for nearly a year."

"Thanks. What can I do to help with the Malfoy operation?"

"Susan, you're really good at conjuring and healing. Someone might get hurt and really need your help."

"Auntie had me take the witches first aid class last summer. I passed the class."

"That's great! I didn't even know that there was such a class. I'd like to get to the point where we could stun him, put on the manacles and get away in less than ten seconds. Every second that we stay there exposed increases the risk that bad things might happen. We need someone that we can depend on to help us, and I know that person is you. We also need some photos of the home and the grounds. I'll ask Tonks if she could help us there."

Harry continued. Susan, my point is that there will be lot's of tasks to do, and I know that you will be a lot of help. Professor Dumbledore will get us an address. I don't know if she lives in a muggle neighborhood, or in some big country manor. We don't know if we will have to be inside their house, or could get him from outside. I don't know if they are connected to the floo network, or if they have anti-apparation wards set up everywhere. We have a busy week ahead of us."

"Thanks Harry. You're really a great guy."

"Susan, you're a very good witch. I'm really glad you're here."

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After the defense training session the next day, Remus took the women out to run errands. Dumbledore asked Harry to visit with him in the library.

"I wanted to talk with you about several things Harry. I checked the school records. The Parkinsons live in Yorkshire County. Here is their address. Here are some portkeys. They will activate if you hold them and say Chinese food. I asked Remus to check out the area last night. He will be able to give you some details. One of my trustworthy former students is quietly checking to see if they are hooked up to the floo network. Tonks will take some photos of the area tomorrow that may help."

"It is likely that the Parkinson home itself is warded against apparition. As such it is most likely that Draco would apparate either to the front or back entrance and go in. They do not have a large home, but you would need two groups, one to watch the front, the other to watch the back. You saw with your own practice that it is much easier to dodge two attackers than three. As such, I recommend that you consider asking two people for assistance. I'm positive that Tonks and Remus would offer to assist you in any way that you would request. Her presence does not make this a ministry sanctioned capture. It is an illegal kidnapping. You must not be seen. Once Draco has been stunned and portkeyed back to your car park, he will be transported to the ministry holding cells for interrogation. I have little doubt of his guilt, and hold to my warning that I believe him to be a killer, but he is to be considered innocent until proven guilty."

"Harry, have you thought any more about your longer-term skills training?"

In truth, Harry had been thinking of little else for the last few days. He replied, "I don't think sixth year classes would fit my needs, so I've eliminated going back to Hogwarts as a student as an option. I have some hesitation about staying here and hiring tutors that I don't know, so I have two options that I'm considering – asking you to tutor me full time, or asking you about an apprentice program of some sort. Before you answer, let me give you my reasoning. First and foremost I trust you. Second, I know that we have had our differences, and we most likely will again in the future, but I know that you care about me. Third, despite our differences, I think we have a common goal."

He continued, "Sirius's concern was that you wouldn't have enough extra time to be able to devote to my training. Sir, I can't answer that for you. I have some other reasons, and I'd like to give them to you. I'm not trying to sound fatalistic but I may not live to be eighteen. For the first time in my life, someone that I like has asked to be my girlfriend. I don't want to enroll in some evil wizarding fighting school in Tasmania and leave everyone that I know. I honestly don't know that Remus is going to be able to show me what I need. I don't want to learn a hundred different assassination techniques. I want to master one that will work."

He concluded, "This is where my thinking comes back to you. You somehow beat Grindelwald in 1945. You taught Tom Riddle as a student and know some things about him, and you've had fifteen years to think about getting rid of him."

Dumbledore had listened carefully to Harry's words, and was pleased at his reasoning. "Harry, I don't believe that I have shared this with you before. I was in my late nineties when I faced Grindelwald. In the end I shot him eight times with a pistol. There was no fancy spell work, just violence."

"Yes, I will help you bring down Tom Riddle, but in the end you will be the one facing him. I would like to take you on as my Apprentice. If you are certain of the relationship, I will offer the same to Miss Weasley. I will tutor you both myself several hours a day. Minerva, Poppy, and Filius have offered to tutor you as well."

Harry had thought about the next part of the conversation very carefully. He asked, "Professor should they be willing, would you consider offering the same to Hermione and Susan?"

"I would offer them the same opportunity should you ask me to, but expect that the Grangers would decline for their daughter. I believe that it would be out of hope and loyalty that Hermione would accept, not career conviction. As for Susan, I believe that she would be best suited to apprenticing with Poppy or pursuing a Healing certificate through traditional means."

"I'm not disagreeing with you professor, but shouldn't we let them decide for themselves? As for Hermione and Susan, yes they are loyal. I believe that they both are exceptionally loyal. Someday I will have to face Voldemort. Would it be so bad to have others there with me?" Hermione has always stood by me since we were eleven. I don't feel the same way about her that I do with Ginny, but there's no doubt in my mind that she's my best friend. Ron has abandoned me more times than I care to remember."

"Harry, Generals have led loyal troops into battle for centuries. You are not wrong to inspire loyalty. Please be certain that you provide them the training and tools that they deserve. In a war like this, a general's job is to get some level of result with no loss of one's own. It was a mistake to get into a set piece battle with Voldemort at the Grangers. You are right to try to pick away at his followers one by one."

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Tonks and Remus sat at the table in the library listening carefully to Harry's plan. They had diagramed the area based on the photos that Tonks had taken and the surveillance that Remus had done. Tonks asked, "Harry, what time do you think he might appear?"

"I expect sometime in the afternoon or early evening."

"Then you'd better plan on getting there in the mid morning. The hardest part of an ambush is the waiting. You need to stay alert, and remain silent and unseen. Otherwise, you become the target."

Harry looked into her crystal blue eyes. "Since we don't know if he would be coming to the front of the house, or the rear, I was hoping that you and Remus would join us. I'd feel better with a three-person team than just two people. The other could serve as backup for the team that sees him first."

Tonks glanced at Remus for a fraction of a second. He nodded and said, "We had always intended to help you. That said, "Here are the dragon hide vests that we talked about. We had them made a few days ago.

"I will pass them out after dinner. Only a few of the Aurors have ones as good."

Harry examined the vest that Remus handed him. "Hungarian Horntail."

"They're as much protection as you can get. They'll deflect most curses except the unforgivables. They'd slow down a bullet from a muggle pistol too. Let's hope that you never have the opportunity to find out." He carefully examined each of the vests.

Tonks said, "Eventually they'll go next to your skin, but wear them over a t-shirt for a day or two until they get comfortable. I'll help the women with theirs." Glancing at Harry she asked, "How's your other practice going?"

Knowing that she was referring to Metamorphmagus practice, Harry said, "Not much has changed. I need more time to work on it."

Remus only caught half of the conversation, "What practice?"

"His disguise. The stealth training that you taught him is dead useful. I'd be happy to get a lesson from you myself, but he has to be able to get out once in a while with Ginny without being noticed."

"Getting back to task how do you want to make up the teams?"

"We'll have Ginny, Tonks, Hermione on one team and the rest of us on the other."

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Wednesday, they spent a good part of the day practicing stunning and manacling each other. Everyone was sore both from falling, but also from the new vests. They took turns giving each other a massage after the practice. Tonks did Ginny who did Susan who did Hermione who did Harry who did Tonks. Remus had been gone most of the day acquiring an extra invisibility cloak.

Thursday they practiced hitting moving targets. Harry opened several of the windows and they each conjured twenty red balloons. They practiced sparking the balloons as they drifted in the breeze. It was a lot harder to hit a smaller moving target than a larger stationary one. Finally Tonks and Remus conjured 150 grapefruit sized balloons and created a breeze. There were six colors. When they had finished making the balloons, everyone was assigned a color and they started hitting their color at the same time. It really was quite difficult identifying your own color, taking aim and trying to hit it, rather than one of the other colors. Harry, Remus and Tonks became quite competitive and tied for first. Ginny and Susan finished about ten seconds later. Hermione was a bit more methodical and finished a few seconds later.

They had prepared about as much as they could, and felt ready. At dinner, Tonks mentioned that they would be out on a field trip the next day, and asked the Grangers if they would need anything the next say. Remus said that he would take his cellular telephone and call if they would be late for dinner.

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Ginny came in at ten and closed the door behind her. As usual, Harry was sitting on the floor staring at the fire. "Hi Harry. What are you looking at?"

"I was just thinking of the first time that I stared into the fireplace and saw Sirius. He had popped into the Gryffindor common room fireplace. It was during my fourth year. He had broken into some wizard's house to use their fireplace so he could talk to me about the Tri-wizard tournament." Ginny scooted up behind Harry on the floor and put her arms around him. They sat in comfortable silence. Ginny started massaging Harry's shoulders, which he obviously enjoyed. After five minutes Harry scooted Ginny in front of him, trading placed with her. He began massaging her shoulders. She felt so good being by him. "Ginny, promise me that you'll be careful tomorrow. If we get Malfoy tomorrow, that's great, but nothing is worth your getting hurt."

"I'll be careful Harry." I know that your will too." It was then that Harry noticed that Ginny had somehow neglected to button her nightshirt properly. "We're both tired. Let's get on the couch and get some rest." The rest of the evening was quite comforting indeed.

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The Parkinson house was not large, but it was very nice. The back garden was quiet. The front was on the inward side of a road near the ocean. Because the back was so much more secluded, Tonks was certain that Draco would apparate or portkey to the back garden. The house had been disconnected from the floo network the previous week citing problems with the connection in that area.

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To verify that she was home, Dumbledore arranged to have her OWL results sent late that morning with instructions that she needed to identify the classes that she would be taking by return owl. The owl would arrive fifteen minutes after they had gotten into position.

At ten the six of them took the portkey to the neighboring home. Harry, Susan and Remus took the back garden and found an area where they had good sightline to the back door, but also had sightline to the other team who was similarly stationed in the front. They conjured rocks that they could sit on and remained covered. The plan was that they would see Malfoy appear, Harry would stun him with the other two providing cover. Remus would apply the manacles, and Susan would carry back the big invisibility cloak. She carried Remus' cell phone which had been turned off so that it wouldn't inadvertently give their position away. In an emergency they could use it to call for backup. The front team had made similar arrangements except with Tonks on lead. In the event that one team went onto action, the other was to come to their assistance. Each of them had been disillusioned, so even when they took the cloak off, they would be difficult to see.

Ten minutes after they got into position, the school owl arrived and tapped on the back window. Pansy came out to get the owl. Hermione noticed that she was wearing makeup, and had obviously been working on her long brown hair.

The minutes passed slowly and nothing happened. The hours passed even slower. Twelve o'clock. One o'clock. Two o'clock. Susan gave them each one of the plastic bottled waters that she had brought. Three o'clock. The rocks were the most uncomfortable objects ever created. Four o'clock.

Then Malfoy appeared. Susan took off the cloak that had been covering the three of them. They all stood. Harry took careful aim and said "Stupify a second later he cast it again. The others came running to that side of the house. Remus sprinted up to Malfoy and placed the manacles on one of his wrists then the other. A second later he vanished. Harry gave the signal for the second team to use their portkeys and they vanished. As he was going back to Susan, the back door opened, and a jet of red light was fired at Harry. It missed, but hit Susan instead and she fell. Harry ran the last half dozen steps to her, grabbed the cloak, Susan's arm and holding the portkey said "Chinese food."

A second later, they were all in the car park. Tonks stunned Malfoy again and transported him to the holding cells. Remus helped Harry with Susan. Fortunately she had only been stunned. The spell had hit her in the forehead, and left a red mark like a burn.

Poppy who had been waiting inside, saw them return and rushed out to help. She looked at Susan for a moment, and said "Enervate." A few seconds later, Susan's eyes opened. She asked Remus and Harry to help her inside. They got her into her room. Poppy gave her a potion to make her feel better, and heal the red mark on her head. Ginny and Hermione brought in the cloaks, and the knapsacks that they had brought with them.

Fifteen minutes later, Susan felt much better. She got up, and found Harry. She gave him a kiss and a big hug. She whispered "Thanks Harry. You saved me."

The five of then celebrated their success with a special dinner of pizza, salad, cokes and butterbeers. They had done it!!!

An hour later, the Grangers got back along with Professor Dumbledore. They had been out looking at the construction project, and had stopped for dinner. Dumbledore asked, "Where is Miss Tonks?"

Remus answered, "She is interviewing a prisoner. We decided conjure pizza. Can we offer you a slice?"

Dumbledore picked up a slice, and said "It looks like you've made excellent progress with your studies. Let's go in the library and you can tell me all about it."

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