AN - Thnaks for the generous reviews! I'll try not to disappoint!! :-)
0o0o0o0
Harry's Heart - 4
"Are you done yet?" Mark's voice intruded on his thoughts and Harry looked up with a smile. He was sitting in a corner of the front room, borrowing Mrs Weasley's writing desk to finish his lesson plans. The sun was coming through the window and he was quite warm and comfortable. The last three days had been very pleasant indeed. Mrs Weasley had mothered him gently, Ron was there at night to talk rubbish with and the rest of the family made for a very comforting background noise. Mark had been a bit clingy at first, but was much better now. He no longer had to be in the same room with Harry all the time, and was sleeping for most of the night.
"Only three more to go," he promised the orphan, "I thought that you and Ron were going flying after breakfast?"
"It's lunch time," Mark laughed at him and Harry shook his head. When he got started on his lessons he lost track of everything else. He put the writing desk that was balanced on his lap on the floor and Mark crossed the room, plunking himself without thought into Harry's lap and resting against his chest. The boy was easily the smallest student in the school and at times seemed to be the youngest too.
"I'll be done by tea time at the latest," Harry promised, "Then we'll have four whole days together before we go back to school."
Mark sighed and Harry hugged him gently. The orphan was recovering from his grief slowly, though they still had the odd bad day when he clung to Harry outside of lessons. The nightmares were slowly disappearing, though Harry had dealt with a few at the Burrow. His stay in St Mungo's had frightened Mark quite a bit, and the boy had told him that Ron had done his best to take Harry's role as comforter and confidant. Ron had muttered something about sitting up with the boy all night before they'd gotten word that Harry was alright, and Harry had given his friend a grateful hug which had surprised them both. Harry only hoped he hadn't blown his secret.
"Will you come flying with us tomorrow?" Mark asked wistfully and Harry nodded at once. He'd missed flying himself, and the Burrow always had plenty of brooms discarded by the older Weasley's for guests to play on. They could set up a two on two Quidditch game tomorrow - Weasley's versus Guests. Ron would enjoy that and Ginny would probably be happy to join in for a while.
"Lunch, dears," Mrs Weasley called and Mark sighed again, tightening his grip on Harry before letting go reluctantly and getting up. Harry got up too and steered his charge into the kitchen with an arm around his shoulders. Mrs Weasley beamed at them - she always got quite misty eyed when she saw Harry playing the part of mentor - and Ginny patted the seat next to her invitingly. Mark went willingly - Harry thought he'd developed a bit of a crush - and Harry took his seat beside Ron.
"Harry, Professor McGonagall said she'd Floo over tonight to collect your lessons and talk to you about term three," Molly poured herself a cup of tea and passed the sandwich platter. She was quite proud that her adopted son had become an apprentice at Hogwarts and had told Harry so in no uncertain terms when she'd come to collect him from St Mungo's.
"How's that going?" Ron asked, and Harry grinned.
"Well, I passed the first term assessment," he told them, keeping an eye on the number of sandwiches that Mark took. The boy needed to eat more, "The Headmaster sneaks into the class invisibly to observe now and then, and Professor McGonagall sits in on a first and second year lesson at the end of term as well. Hopefully she'll be able to tell me if I passed second term when she comes."
"I didn't realise it was so involved," Ginny frowned, "How long is the apprenticeship for, Harry?"
"Three years, and then I graduate as a teacher. In the last year I have to take a full teaching load and assist all the other teachers in their tasks too, which means I'll be scrubbing Snape's dungeons every week."
Ron laughed and slapped his shoulder in friendly commiseration and Ginny giggled too. Mark looked a bit relieved though, as if he'd been expecting Harry to leave at the end of his second year. Harry was hoping that Mark would be more independent by third year, which would allow Harry to pursue other interests. He had realised early on that the apprenticeship was another way for Dumbledore to keep him safe from Voldemort until they were certain that Harry was ready to fulfil the prophecy. Hogwarts was a very secure place and the Death Eaters would have a hard time getting into it.
Harry pushed the solemn thoughts aside and focused on his family, sitting at the table in a sun washed kitchen and eating lunch. He did his best to preserve the memory of this perfectly, storing it up for the times ahead. He had a dark feeling of foreboding.
0o0o0o0
"Bugger," Harry dragged a hand down his face and sighed in apology at the sight of the glare on his teachers face, "Sorry, Professor, it's just… Fudge? Observing a class?"
"I realise that this is the last thing you'd want, Mr Potter, however the Headmaster had no choice if he wanted to avoid the appointment of another Hogwarts High Inquisitor," she sighed, "The Minister has got it into his head that there is something untoward occurring at the school, especially as a Slytherin has stabbed the school's apprentice. He seems to think that the situation needs his personal attention, even though the Governors have reassured him that the whole incident was an accident. They even supplied him with a copy of your letter to them. It didn't help."
Harry had written a letter while still in St Mungo's to the Headmaster and the Governors, asking them to be lenient towards Zabini. He was convinced that the Slytherin had forgotten that the knife was in his hand when he'd turned, and Harry had startled him with that sudden touch. Already on edge, the other teen had defended himself from what he'd perceived to be an attack.
"Do we know why he was so jumpy that evening? And what did Malfoy have to do with it?" Harry asked, hoping that she would be able to give him some answers. After all, as the injured party he deserved to know why he'd been stabbed.
"It is not common knowledge among the students," McGonagall warned him, "But as you are both my apprentice and the injured party there is no reason for me to keep this from you. Mr Zabini's parents took the Dark Mark on the same night that the Mathers were murdered for refusing it. His father informed him that he would be expected to take the Mark himself at Easter, and Mr Zabini was trying desperately to find a way around the situation. Mr Malfoy found out and was pressuring him to take the Mark and stand with the Death Eaters."
"He hasn't had to take it has he?" Harry asked anxiously, any resentment he might have felt towards the other teen gone.
"He has not. His parents have disowned him, and he is now a ward of Hogwarts. Professor Snape is mentoring him closely and it seems to have had a positive effect on the boy," McGonagall sniffed, and swallowed a snigger when she caught Harry's mutter of 'no accounting for taste'.
"The incident has prompted quite a few students to come forward with complaints about Mr Malfoy and his pressure tactics, as well as concerns that they will be pressured into taking the Dark Mark. The Headmaster is currently working with a number of students who feel themselves to be at risk, and the Governors have suspended Mr Malfoy for a period of five weeks. The Headmaster was against this move, as he felt it would put Mr Malfoy at risk of taking the Mark, but he was over ruled."
"Was Zabini suspended?" Harry asked, and she shook her head. Harry had the feeling that Zabini was stuck with quite a few detentions, however, and didn't envy the other Slytherin his punishment. Detention at Hogwarts was no joke.
"On another matter, Mr Potter, it is my pleasure to inform you that you have passed the second term of your apprenticeship, to a very high standard. Your students are performing well, and the teachers in general are highly satisfied with your performance in the extra curricular activities. Even Severus has only made five complaints about your teaching."
"Only five, huh?" Harry mused, and McGonagall's lips twitched in what looked suspiciously like a smile. He grinned too, and leaned back in his chair. His Professor collected together his lesson plans and Harry walked her to the door, waving to Mrs Weasley that McGonagall was leaving and then waving to Mark who was helping Ron de-gnome the garden in the last of the daylight. He took his leave of his Head of House and went to help; giving Ron a thumb up in response to the questioning look sent his way.
0o0o0o0
The common room was busy with returned students and last minute homework completion as Harry and Ron played chess in a corner. Lessons would start again tomorrow, and Harry for one would be glad to get the coming week over with. Fudge would be visiting this week to observe his lesson, though the Minister hadn't been decent enough to tell Harry which lessons he would arrive for. Harry hoped the Minister would be able to keep his tendency for speeches in check and just let Harry get on with it.
Neville entered the common room, returned from his time with his parents, and Harry grinned at the glow in his friend's eyes. Ron noticed it too, and nudged Hermione, who was sitting with Ginny and helping her with her OWLs homework. Both boys had complained that she was much nicer to Ginny over the whole revision thing, to which she had responded quite sharply that Ginny appreciated her.
Neville stopped to speak to Dean and Seamus who were involved in a match of gobstones, and then made his way over to the foursome by the window.
"I need to see you all upstairs," Neville gestured to the dorm, and Ron got up immediately, evidently catching on that Neville had something important to tell them. Harry had a fair idea what this was about and shook his head in response to Neville's questioning look. Neville seemed even happier that Harry had kept his secret and grinned, ushering them upstairs impatiently and closing the dorm door, leaning on the wood and looking at his dorm mates and friends.
"I've got something important to tell you all," Neville took a deep breath, "Part of it Hermione and the Weasley's already know, but for Seamus and Dean…"
"And Harry," Dean glanced over at Harry in amusement, who shook his head.
"Harry knows more about this than anyone," Neville straightened away from the door, "This is… important."
Dean and Seamus both nodded and they all sat down on the beds nearest the door, which happened to belong to Neville and Dean this year.
"Just after Harry defeated You-Kn… Voldemort… some of the Death Eaters that were still free came to my parent's house. They were Aurors, and the Death Eaters thought that because they were the best Aurors around that they might know where Voldemort was hiding. Apparently there had been all sort of rumours and Mum and Dad's names were mentioned," Neville began and Ron tensed beside Harry. The Weasley's and Hermione knew about this because they'd seen Neville's parents by accident in St Mungo's last year. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand and Ginny swallowed hard.
"They held my parents under Crucio until they were insane and left them for dead. Mum and Dad went to St Mungo's and I went to live with my grandmother," for a moment Neville's face reflected the pain of the last decade, having to deal with the knowledge that his parents were alive but did not even recognise him. Dean was looking sick, and Seamus had his head down while he stared at the floor.
"You know I got called out of school at the start of the hols…" Neville's eyes began to shine again and the mood in the room took a turn for the better, "An empath came to St Mungo's. They healed my parents. It's permanent."
The room exploded, and it was surprising how much noise so few people could make as they launched themselves at Neville to hug him. Ginny and Hermione had tears in their eyes and Harry wasn't so sure that the rest of the boys didn't either. He was also relieved that Neville had chosen not to reveal his latest adventure to the others, giving him the same privacy that Harry had extended with his silence.
"So you spent the Easter hols with them?" Dean grinned, and Neville nodded, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. Harry had never seen his friend look so alive, so wonderfully happy and a small part of him felt quite proud to have helped put that look on Neville's face.
"We were spotted when they brought me back to school, so it's likely to be in the papers tomorrow. The Headmaster has arranged a safe place for them to stay and I'll see them again in summer," the formerly pudgy teen beamed, "I just wanted to tell you myself. It didn't seem right to let you find out through the paper."
"This is wicked, Nev," Dean chortled, "Calls for a celebration I think. Anyone fancy sneaking down to the kitchens?"
Ginny and Seamus agreed to go with them and Ron closed the doors after the rowdy foursome. Hermione was looking at Harry very intently, and when he glanced over at Ron the redhead was also staring at him. The door behind him took on the pattern of a privacy spell, and from the corner of his eye Harry saw Hermione put her wand away.
"Empathy?" Hermione asked and Harry nodded with a sigh. Ron looked frightened, his face paling as he slumped against the door, and Harry felt sick at the wave of fear that rolled off his friend. Once more Ron was put off by the freak that was Harry. The green-eyed teen didn't know if he'd be able to forgive another breach so soon after the last blow up.
"Bloody hell, Harry, and I've been touching you all hols! Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you? And Mark! What do you plan to tell him? He can't keep cuddling up to you, especially when he's upset," Ron's blurting speech showed Harry that his friend was more worried about having hurt him with his emotions than concern for himself.
"Ron, you can't hurt me by touching me," Harry shook his head, but Hermione, who had also paled when Ron had pointed out that they'd been touching an empath jumped in.
"Harry, we must have been! Empaths are really sensitive to other peoples emotions, especially through touch!"
"Will you two listen?" Harry's shout got their attention, "I'm not a proper empath! It's a latent ability that kicked in because I was delirious and in pain! There was some sort of huge accident at the hospital and I wandered off half out of my head while the Healers were dealing with it. I could sense the Longbottom's because I've been living so closely with Neville and my house elf magic had made him one of my Important People. They were hurting and I wanted it to stop… so I made it better."
"Latent?" Ron frowned, "I've never heard of a latent empath."
"It makes sense though," Harry ran a hand through already wild hair. At least they were listening to him and not freaking out any more, "I use both House Elf and Goblin magic. Part of that ability might be because I have a small empathic ability. The Healers weren't even sure that I'd ever be able to do it again. They think I'll either grow into it, or it will only pop up now and then. Look at it this way, when Neville found out it was me that helped his parents he burst into my ward and hugged me while he… well lets just say he was pretty unsettled. It should have been a very painful experience, but because I'm so used to him, and he's a good friend it wasn't. You guys can't hurt me by touching me, and you never have."
"Do you promise?" Ron's voice was fierce and Harry nodded, meeting his eyes solemnly. He couldn't even begin to imagine a situation where Ron's touch would cause him pain.
"I swear on my wand," he replied and Ron's breath whooshed out in a great big sigh. Harry reached out and Ron grinned, pulling him into a brief back slapping hug before stepping back and letting Hermione have her turn. The possibility of arguing at the top of their lungs was over and Harry cancelled the privacy spell so the others could get back in.
"Maybe that's why you couldn't learn to block Voldemort out," she mused as she pulled back, and Ron winced but rolled his eyes. Their braniac friend was always thinking, in fact Harry didn't know of anything that would turn her brain off. If Ron had found a way to do it he wasn't sharing that information with Harry.
"Because he was an Important Person and because I'd formed an empathic link?" Harry hadn't considered it, "Maybe. It might explain why my scar hurts when he was feeling strongly about something."
"Maybe V-V-Voldemort," Ron stumbled over the name but they beamed at him, "Was an empath and passed some of it to you Harry, like he did with the Parsel Tongue."
"Maybe," Harry nodded, but the door burst open, knocking Ron off balance a bit, as the other four returned with food and drinks. They settled down to celebrate, putting the rest of this aside for now.
0o0o0o0
Harry had not told his friends about Minister Fudge's impending visit, preferring not to risk that word would spread to the younger students. He didn't want to give the more mischievous a chance to plan anything - not that they would dare prank Harry who had an uncanny ability to spot these things thanks to the Weasley twins, Goblin sight and House Elf's senses - but the Minister would be a fair target, and his embarrassment would be blamed on Harry. The Hogwarts students didn't have much time for the Minister of Magic, who was nearing the end of his elected term and hopefully wouldn't see another one.
Fudge arrived in the morning and announced at the top of his lungs in the Great Hall that he was here to supervise Harry for a lesson. Malfoy's smirk was sickening to behold, and Ron and Hermione both shot him looks of commiseration as he led the Minister to his classroom.
The day was too busy for him to spend much time with Ron and Hermione - especially as he had prep in the evening, followed by a rather long and pointless meeting with the Minister, Headmaster and his Mentor, Professor McGonagall. By the time he got back to the dorm everyone was asleep and he only had time for a short nap before he had to get up and get ready for the next day.
Ron and Hermione weren't his best friends for nothing, however, and he found them sitting on the steps that led up to his office as he entered his classroom after the final meeting with Fudge. They grinned as he approached and Mark jumped up from where he'd been sitting behind Harry's desk and hugged him tightly.
"How did it go?" Mark asked immediately and Harry rumpled his hair, something that always made the boy scowl and smooth it back into place. Harry grinned but kept his arm around Mark's shoulders, sensing the need for contact.
"It was fine," Harry laughed, "I still have an apprenticeship, and I'll be seeing you in class tomorrow."
"That's great, Harry," Mark sighed, and Harry felt the tense muscles along the boys shoulders relax. He grinned at his friends sitting on the stairs and gestured for them to go into the office. Ron hauled Hermione to her feet and let her go first up the stairs.
"It's locked," Ron explained and then gaped when the door opened at Hermione's touch. The office always locked itself when he left it, as a security measure. Harry chuckled and Ron shot him a dirty look. Thankfully, the redhead wasn't too angry to enjoy the drinking chocolate and piklets that were waiting on Harry's neat desk. He'd asked Dobby for some after he'd gone to the kitchen with the tea tray from the meeting. The house elf had promised to deliver the requested items to his office, which in hindsight meant that the elf had known that was where his friends were waiting.
They settled around the room to munch piklets and drink the chocolate, talking about inconsequential things. They finished before the first year's curfew and Harry walked Mark back to his common room, the tray banished to the kitchen once the first year was out of his office. Harry wasn't in the habit of advertising this affinity for other species magic around the school, though he refused to hide it from Ron or Hermione. He was determined to be himself in front of them, no matter what strain that might be upon their friendship. If he couldn't be who he was in front of his best friends then he might as well jump off the Astronomy tower and have done with it. Ron was clearly still making an effort to repair the breach he'd caused with his temper, and although Harry wasn't one to bear a grudge against his friend, he wasn't able to forget the first term and its loneliness so easily. He didn't want to feel that awful ever again, so he left a little distance between them, claiming the pressures of the apprenticeship to cover that gap. If Ron and Hermione were aware of it, they hadn't called him on it.
They were still in his office when he got back, and Harry was happy to see that the distance he'd kept hadn't prevented them from being able to read the more subtle signals that he'd sent.
"Well?" Ron asked impatiently, "What did Fudge really say?"
Harry grinned. He hadn't wanted to tell the whole story in front of Mark as the first year wouldn't see the humour of the situation, but his friends were bound to enjoy this.
"He doesn't like the content of my lessons, my discipline methods, the way I control my class, the way I mark their work, the tests and assessment I set, and my delivery of information is flawed. Oh and he doesn't like my appearance either," Harry rolled his eyes and settled back in his chair while Hermione put the book she'd been reading away.
"You're kidding," Ron shook his head in disgust, "What did Dumbledore say?"
"The Headmaster beat him down," Harry grinned, "And Professor McGonagall had a couple of letters from the other teachers saying how they thought I was doing. So then Fudge figures he'll deliver the coup de grace and calls Snape in to testify against me."
"You're kidding!" Hermione choked and Harry shook his head. It had been all he could do not to laugh in Fudge's face. By the time the man left he was thoroughly incensed by the lack of support he was getting from the school's faculty. Then again, why he thought the faculty would support him after the horrors of last year was beyond Harry. He supposed it was a politician's thing, and was resigned, even happy, to not understanding it.
"You'd have loved it… what did he say… um, 'Potter is performing exactly as I expect him to, Minister'," Harry copied the Potion Masters voice exactly and Ron burst into laughter. Hermione giggled too, though she was much more restrained. She probably thought they shouldn't be laughing at a teacher.
"That's beautiful," Ron wiped a tear and straightened his robes. Harry grinned at him fondly and got up to distract himself. It wouldn't do to get too sentimental in front of the red head. Hermione got up too, and urged Ron to his feet.
"That was the backwardest compliment I've ever heard," she shook her head, "Only Professor Snape could manage that!"
"True," Harry herded them out of his office, hearing the wards hum to life as the door closed behind him and following his friends down the stairs. The important thing was that he'd been allowed to continue his apprenticeship, and Fudge couldn't claim undue favouritism in the school by allowing it to continue. He'd conducted his investigation, none of the staff had aired misgivings, and the students he'd cornered had spoken well of Harry, or at least they hadn't complained about him. Malfoy had not had a chance to talk to the Minister due to a series of detentions he'd earned prior to the Minister's arrival. There was a Hogsmede weekend coming up and Harry fully intended to buy a huge gift basket from Honeydukes to leave in the staff room in thanks.
0o0o0o0
"Look at this, Harry!" Ron exclaimed and shoved the Daily Prophet into his hands as he took a seat. Ron had been reading the paper avidly for the past week, and whatever it was that had him fascinated had obviously reached a critical point.
"What am I looking at?" Harry asked, looking the page over. It was the Wizarding version of classifieds, and there seemed to be an enormous variety of things for sale. Harry had learnt that most Witches and Wizards tended to hoard the most outlandish things, the more unusual the better. Mr Weasley was a case in point with his collection of plugs and light switches.
"Here," Ron tapped the paper with the end of his knife, leaving a smudge of honey behind. They didn't have Quidditch this weekend, though there would be a practice before the match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, and Harry was caught up in his work. He was more organised than Hermione this year, much to her surprise. She'd always viewed him as a bit of a slacker, and tended to take over the organisation of any activity they were involved in.
"Oh Ron, you can't be serious," Hermione complained from where she was sitting opposite them. Obviously Ron had discussed this with her before, and Harry brushed at the honey smudge to better read what Ron wanted him to see.
'For sale: Knight Bus Prototype.'
"Prototype?" Harry asked, looking up at Ron who grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"The first Knight Bus was a whopping five storeys!" he was told, "It wasn't as fast as the one they have now, and it kept tipping over on the sharper curves if you were going faster than a walking pace. People didn't want to ride on it because they thought it was unsafe, so they built the three storeys one we use now, and kept trying to fix the prototype. Each floor is the same size as the current bus, but with two more floors they can fit more people on."
"And you want to buy it?" Harry scratched his head. The advertisement had a sales price in it, which he guessed wasn't too steep by the degree of Ron's excitement. Driving lessons were included, but Harry couldn't see why the red head wanted the thing.
"I'll be of age this summer! We can go travelling!" Ron nodded, "The only problem is, that's all of my savings, which means I wouldn't be able to far."
"But if we all put in…" Harry mused, following his friend's train of thought easily, and Ron got excited all over again. Hermione wasn't, but that didn't seem to be a deterrent.
"Ron, you're missing the fact that it keeps tipping over!" she butted in, and Ron rolled his eyes. Harry read through the contact information, noting that a letter of offer had to be sealed specially so the company knew it was genuine.
"Only if you go too fast," he retorted and Harry cut across Hermione's next comment with one of his own.
"Besides, we'd reduce it to two storey's and use the extra space for other things. If we're going to make it into a travelling house, then we need to reconfigure the interior so we've got a kitchen and bathroom at the very least."
"Exactly!" Ron nodded and Hermione sniffed in disapproval. Harry grinned at them both and stuck his hand out for Ron to shake. The Headmaster hadn't mentioned where Harry was spending the holidays, but Harry figured that by the time Ron had turned of age and they'd both learned to drive the charm at the Dursley's would be 'topped up' enough for some travelling. Especially as this bus was rated for overseas travel. They could catch the ferry to France with the help of some magic, and tour around Europe for a bit.
"I'm in," he promised, "We'll go halves and have a wicked summer!"
Ron cheered and went to owl a reply to the advertisers. Hermione fixed him with a scowl and announced that she didn't want anything to do with the scheme, to Harry's disappointment. He would have enjoyed having her with them, the three of them together for a bit of light-hearted fun.
For the next three weeks every spare moment was spent with Ron, dealing with correspondence from the Knight Bus company and Gringotts bank. They had to draw up plans for the new interior of the bus, electing to put a kitchen and eating area on the ground floor with a well padded bench seat bent around the front and sides of the bus with a table for them to all sit at while the other was driving. There would be the usual sink and stove, and two large cupboards at the end, one tucked beside the stairs that led to the upper deck, and one by the open door. The one beside the stairs would have a single door with two handles, one that opened into the bathroom, and the other opening into a bedroom with a single bed. The other tall cupboard had two doors. One opened into a pantry for all their food storage, and the other door also had two handles, opening onto another bedroom and a library room that they'd use in wet weather. After some discussion it was decided that the upper deck would be converted into a bedroom that Ron and Harry could share. Harry wasn't sure why his friend wanted them to share a space like they had in the dorms, but wasn't going to argue too hard. He liked being close to Ron, and evidently Ron liked being close to him.
The Knight Bus Company designed and sent the spells that they would have to use to reorganise the interior and the standard wards they could use to ensure the bus was safe and roadworthy. Harry took the spells away and redesigned them to be stronger and better integrated. It would take a few attempts to cast this, unless Harry could convince Ron to let him do it himself. He had an idea that he could manage it by integrating his elf and goblin magic to strengthen the whole casting.
0o0o0o0
Harry emerged from behind the tree where he'd been tagging and sending his gift to the staff and clapped Ron on the shoulder. The redhead grinned and they headed away from the small clearing over to the Shrieking Shack, where Hermione stood at the fence, looking at the place that Remus and the Marauders used to haunt. Harry didn't even spare it a glance, irrationally angry at the blameless structure that had failed to keep the Marauders safe. Hermione smiled at Ron's cheerful 'all done' and they headed back through the budding forest to the village.
There were a number of teachers there today, including Professor Trelawney who had emerged from her tower to peruse the offerings of the small village, presumably in search of something her 'inner eye' had told her was there. Lavender and Parvati had walked with her for a while before being lured away by the Gryffindor boys who were interested in treating them to a butter beer. House unity was better than ever, and Harry was relieved to be living in a peaceful atmosphere. He didn't need more stress.
He wandered along the street with his friends, window shopping idly as Hermione and Ron bickered over the amount of books Hermione already had and her desire to add a few more to that collection in the village bookshop. They really did fight like an old married couple and Harry sighed, wondering when they'd get together officially. Everyone else already thought of them as a couple, and Neville had even asked Harry about it once.
"I'm going in here," he said at the door of the apothecary and escaped inside before they could even register that he'd spoken. He drifted over to the displays and bought several refills for his potions kit, and a new stirrer as well. He'd been using the same one since he'd started school and it was beginning to discolour. Harry was concerned that it was contaminating his potions and had decided to purchase a new one to see if that made a difference. He'd gotten quite good at compensating for whatever tended to make his potions less potent, but didn't want to give Snape any further reason to despise him. Just because certain elements of Slytherin were out of favour didn't mean the rest of them had caught a break, and more than one of them had been prodded by Snape's walking stick.
Purchases paid for, Harry stepped back out onto the street. Hermione and Ron were standing a short distance away in silence, looking a little guilty, and Harry extended his sense of magic towards them instinctively, trying to figure out what they were up to. His sense flared sharply, touched by something cold and foul and disturbingly familiar. Harry's eyes hardened to green emeralds and he strode towards his friends quickly.
"I want you to start rounding everyone up and get them back to the school," the school's apprentice ordered in a cold voice, "Recruit the other Prefects, but get them moving. Check each shop as you pass. If there's trouble, don't forget that Honeydukes cellar has a passage back to the school. Go!"
He whirled and headed away from the school, stepping into each shop he came to and looking for students, sending them scurrying back to safety with a cold, commanding voice. Professor McGonagall saw him at it and turned wordlessly to add her own efforts to his, a show of trust that Harry would have basked in at any other time. The threat was getting closer, and the lines of students that were straggling reluctantly to safety were slow and few.
He was in the street when someone switched off the sun. One moment the village was basking in cheerful spring sunlight, the next it was gripped in the coldest light of winter. Adults and children alike crumpled under the force of the change, the atmosphere itself becoming something cloying and hateful as the foul forms of the Dementors descended slowly in a seemingly endless wave. Harry heard the screams of his mother ringing loudly in his ears as if she was being murdered in front of him once more. He could barely grasp his wand, let alone cast the Patronus spell that would free him from the effects of the Dementors, and instinct kicked in, house elf magic whisking him to the safety of the Hogwarts steps. He staggered in place, one hand smacking into the balustrade, his fingers gripping the old worn stone tightly, needing help, needing to protect, needing to fight…
Like putting his hand onto a live wire, Harry felt a surge of power from the very stone he gripped, from the castle itself, as it sensed the dangers he was reacting to. Wordlessly SOMETHING asked what he needed, and wordlessly he replied.
Instantly a million happy memories, stored in the stones themselves by the students of the past and present, poured into his mind, down his wand arm and out, bursting forth in a peal of thunder. Prongs and Padfoot charged towards the distant village, rending the air itself with their passage, flinging themselves on the Dementors that even now were stooping over their victims. More were dropping from the sky even as Harry watched, and the castle responded, feeding him more of its own strength to form a small shield above the exact centre of the village. The white spot grew slowly, forming a powerful dome, which repelled the Dementors still in the air. Those on the ground that were unmolested by Pad foot and Prongs took flight, desperately seeking a way out before the dome touched ground. One flew into the leading edge and was destroyed by the perfect Light, others were trapped beneath it to be mauled to death by Harry's Patroni.
Harry's vision dimmed to a bare tunnel, the world slowly slipping out of focus as the dome completed itself and chimed once, a perfect note, one that said its task was done and those beneath it were safe. Prongs and Padfoot returned to him, a sign that the Dementors were truly gone, and he smiled, reaching for them weakly as the world went black…
0o0o0o0
Without even moving, Harry could tell he was in the Hospital wing. The scent of the sheets and pillowcase confirmed that. He was lying curled half on his stomach, and he felt incredibly comfortable. One hand was a bit numb, and someone who was smaller than him was holding the other. He didn't need Hermione to help him work out that it was Mark. From the laxity of the fingers twined around his and the slow breaths of the person beside him, it sounded as if the first year was asleep. Harry sighed and cracked one eye open, sighing again when his theory was confirmed. It was a moment's work to levitate Mark onto the bed with him, as the one beside him was occupied, shifting to accommodate the slight build of the other boy. Mark reacted to the change by curling closer and mumbling wordlessly.
"Awake, Potter? And you've only slept a week," Snape's cool voice sounded from the end of the bed and Harry turned his head to squint at the dark silhouette that stood there. His Potions Master was not scowling or sneering, a most surprising development.
"Was anyone hurt?" Harry wanted to know about his friends first, but knew that Snape wouldn't pass that information on until he was ready, and it might do some good to let the other man see that he valued all the students in their care, not just his friends.
"There are several still in shock from the Dementors attacks, and one or two injuries from the attack that was launched simultaneously by a small squad of Death Eaters," Snape replied quietly, "Granger and both Weasley's fought, but none of them were seriously harmed and have been released to their common room."
Harry sighed in relief, surprised at the mans generosity but not about to call him on it. The last thing he needed was to drive Snape into a snit.
"Thank you," he nodded to the Head of Slytherin and Snape's lip curled in what could have been intended to be a smile - a very sardonic, dry one.
"No, thank you Potter. Once again you have foolishly risked yourself and those around you to save the day."
Before Harry could ask what that meant Madam Pomfrey came bustling over. She didn't try to pull Mark away from Harry - who had a protective arm around the smaller boy - but she did run her wand over him several times.
"Right, Potter," she said briskly, in a soft voice, "You're to take the Dreamless Sleep potion now. The Headmaster can see you when you wake from that."
"Have you any message that Albus needs to hear?" Snape asked, gathering his stick and rustling his robes.
"No, sir," Harry sighed, eyeing the approaching school matron with misgiving, "Only that I didn't see this coming."
The message was ambiguous enough to prevent those that didn't know about his visions from understanding what he meant, but Snape nodded sombrely and headed for the door as Madam Pomfrey went about getting Harry to take a potion he hated.
Mark was still there when he woke, awake and rubbing the arm that Harry had around him. The hand that had been a conductor for the castles power was much better today, the numbness faded to a mild tingling. Harry let go of Mark and sat up, feeling a lot better for the last bit of sleep and glad he hadn't had to deal with any visions from the Dark Lord. Voldemort would not be happy that he'd been thwarted - assuming his goal had been to get his hands on Harry.
The Matron released him from the hospital wing with the message that there was to be a staff meeting in twenty minutes, which left Harry very little time to go see his friends and eat. In the end he went to the kitchen with Mark, and five minutes later Hermione and Ron arrived breathlessly, obviously told by an elf that Harry was there. He looked them over anxiously, not reassured by the fact that they were obviously fit enough to run nearly the length of the castle to see him.
Ron had one arm heavily bandaged from elbow to fingertips, and Hermione had a few small cuts and scrapes on her face.
"Are you all right?" they asked simultaneously, and Harry laughed reluctantly, nodding his reply and waving them to seats. They joined him and Mark in a late breakfast, and then Ron offered to walk the first year to his common room. Harry promised to see the boy later, and his eyes conveyed the same promise to his friends. Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek and Harry hurried up the stairs and along to the staff room. He didn't need to be directed to the meeting room and plunked himself in the seat beside Hagrid, patting the half-giant on the hand in reassurance and nodding to Professor McGonagall.
The Headmaster was the last to arrive, and the already silent staff stilled, those that had been fidgeting stopping to regard the school patriarch.
"Well Albus?" Professor Flitwick said, "You said you'd have an explanation for us about the attack last weekend."
"And now that our Apprentice is awake, I do," Albus nodded to Harry, "As you know, the attack on Hogsmede was very unexpected. A powerful casting of the Patronus charm drove off the Dementors before they could give anyone the Kiss, though the Death Eaters acting under the charm were not affected by it."
"They wouldn't be, the charm is designed for the Dementors, not Humans, no matter how evil they are," Madame Pomfrey's voice came from the fireplace, where her head was floating. Obviously she couldn't leave the hospital wing with it so full. Harry wasn't surprised, the affect of the Dementors was horrific, and to have so many in close proximity to them would certainly upset quite a few people, not to mention any damage caused by the Death Eaters.
"How did you cast the charm, Albus?" Professor Vectra asked, "You must have relied on another source of power than your own."
"The castle itself acted as an energy pool of sorts, and this gave the caster of the charm the strength to not only build that marvellous domed shield, but to cast the two Patroni that were seen in the village."
"I thought Potter's Patronus…" McGonagall trailed off, "It was you, Potter?"
"I didn't mean to," Harry confessed straight away, "The Dementors had me half out of my mind. The power I needed was suddenly there; I was more of a conduit than anything else."
"That's incredible," Flitwick squeaked, "Oh well done, young man, well done!"
The other teachers added their voices to his, and Harry blushed, uncomfortable with the attention. Hagrid dropped his heavy hand on Harry's shoulder and he smiled at his friend weakly.
"Unfortunately, the castle wards are now badly strained," Dumbledore's voice was solemn, but not hopeless, "They will provide us with adequate protection until the holidays and then they must be completely rebuilt. The school holidays will have to be extended by at least a month, which means that the teaching hours next year will be extended to cover the shortfall."
"Do we know why they attacked?" Harry asked, feeling guilty that he'd damaged the castle, but not at all sorry about it. He'd needed the power and without it people could have been killed.
"Unfortunately we think we do," Dumbledore sighed, "Several students have reported seeing the Death Eaters leave the village with a captive. Professor Trelawney."
0o0o0o0