Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling and published by Bloomsbury Books and Scholastic Press. The rights to the characters and plot are retained by them. This is written without claims of originality or in the expectation of monetary or material gain.

The Janus Order

Chapter 8

Harry had been restless for several days. The feeling of general unease that he had felt for nearly a month had sharpened into outright anxiety. At night as he slept Harry could feel Voldemort probing as if he knew precisely where Harry was at. Fortunately for Harry, his nearly full year of training in occlumency was evidently enough to keep the Dark Lord at bay.

Harry, along with Hermione, went to Dumbledore and told him what was happening. The headmaster tried to use a pensive to track Voldemort down using Harry's memories of the night time explorations. It didn't bring the result that they hoped for.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Dumbledore apologised as he stepped away from the pensive. "The trail just isn't strong enough. Voldemort has long been a master at evasion."

Harry nodded from his position on the settee. Hermione sat next to him with her concern plain to see on her face.

"Can you tell if you know who is nearby or not?" Professor McGonagall asked. She was sitting on an overstuffed chair at a right angle to Harry and Hermione. She, too, was concerned for Harry. She also was concerned with the obvious depth of feeling that had grown between her two young students. Over the course of the school year, the two of them had become inseparable. Even now, Hermione had Harry's hand between her own. McGonagall doubted if they were even aware of how automatic it had became for both of them to be in near constant physical contact. The two of them were still some months shy of their twelfth birthdays yet were forming an attachment that was years ahead of what should be expected of most adolescents. Indeed, they were scarcely beginning puberty.

"No, Ma'am," Harry replied with a shake of his head. "It seemed as if he was close but in the land of dreams distances are deceiving."

The fanciful wording caused Dumbledore to smile as he eased himself into a chair opposite of the transfiguration professor. "Dreams are nothing if not deceptive, young Harry, but I want to reassure you that I have taken every precaution possible to guard your well being. Hogwarts is the safest place on Earth."

"Heck, Headmaster," Harry groaned. "After all that effort, it makes my request that much more difficult to ask."

"No, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"I can do it, Sir."

"No, Harry," Dumbledore reiterated forcefully.

"Voldemort can't harm me in that state, Sir. I am too well protected. Besides, there is a very good chance he won't even know I am there."

Dumbledore paused. What Harry said was true. How he knew so, Dumbledore didn't know. Dumbledore had been expecting the confrontation to take place several years down the road after Voldemort had managed to regain a corporal form and Harry had been trained as well as he could have been but to trap Voldemort now while he was still weak; it was simply too great of an opportunity to let pass by.

"I agree with your plan, Harry," Dumbledore finally said. "But with one provision; I must accompany you."

"You've made good progress these last few weeks," Harry agreed with a grin.

"So there is a bit of your father's cheek in you, after all," Dumbledore laughed.

"Headmaster, I must protest," McGonagall stated sharply. "The last journey of that sort this young man took nearly killed him."

"Yes ma'am, it did," Harry said. "But I have found out what I did wrong since then. It won't happen again."

"Minerva," Dumbledore said soothingly. "You know that I would not risk Harry's life recklessly. We will be safe."

Professor McGonagall could tell that the Headmaster had made his mind up to proceed and that she wasn't going to be able to dissuade him.

"You old fool," McGonagall grumbled without force. "What do you wish for a focal point?"

"Oh, this candle on the table here should be fine," Dumbledore said as he reached out and set fire to the wick. "Now, if Miss Granger would be so kind as to relinquish her place to me, we'll get started. Dim lights!"

The room fell into twilight at the headmaster's command. Hermione gave Harry's hand a quick squeeze then vacated the settee for Dumbledore. The old man and the young boy sat side by side and gazed into the flickering light of the red candle before them.

Hermione sat down in the chair that the headmaster had been sitting on. For the most part she kept her eyes on Harry but ever so often she would steal a glance at her head of house. It was obvious even to a girl as young as Hermione that in this informal, unguarded milieu, a different woman emerged from the gruff, formal professor that rigidly governed her charges in an no nonsense fashion. It was a woman that Hermione very much wanted to get to know.

Harry waited by Fawkes. The phoenix would shift his glance from Harry back to the settee from time to time.

"He should be along shortly," Harry said to the bird.

"Yes, he should," Fawkes said.

"Will you be with us?" Harry asked.

"I'll be somewhat behind you," Fawkes replied. "We don't want to give up the element of surprise if you happen to stumble across your quarry. Ah, here's Johnny come lately now. Did you get lost, Albus?"

"I was trying to sell you to a chicken plucker but he wouldn't go more then two Knuts," Dumbledore responded.

Fawkes's laugh came out as a cackle which startled the two females.

"Albus stop joking around with that bird and get a move on," McGonagall commanded.

"Can she see us?" a surprised Harry asked.

"No," Dumbledore smiled. "But she has known me for fifty years."

"Yes, Sir," Harry said noticing the beam of golden glistening light that flowed between the headmaster and the professor. Harry's eyes, however, fell quickly on a crimson beam.

"I knew that we were connected," Harry exclaimed.

"But the mystery is why the two of you are so intertwined," Dumbledore ruminated.

"Fate, chance, destiny, the will of God, who knows," Harry said shrugging the matter off.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Have you ever read any works of Taoist philosophy, Harry?"

"No, Sir. Why?"

"It's just that you embody the lifestyle it advocates almost perfectly without trying. Come. Let us follow the trail."

They walked along following the beam. They passed through several walls and rooms and crossed a hallway. They emerged in an untidy apartment that smelled heavily of garlic. Lying on a bed tossing in fidgety sleep was Professor Quirrell. He was wearing only a pair of boxers which left his emaciated body to the view of Harry and Dumbledore. His head sans his habitual turban seemed curiously misshaped. Harry's mouth dropped opened as he distinguished what his eyes beheld. Dumbledore quickly pulled him back out of the apartment. They returned to their bodies without delay.

"That was very rather quick," McGonagall commented as Harry and Dumbledore came out of their trances.

"Did you find him?" Hermione asked.

"Lights," Dumbledore commanded. "Miss Granger, I am going to ask you not to ask about what we discovered. For the moment, it is a question of your safety and the safety of the other students here. Do I have your word?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione promised reluctantly.

"Harry, I want you to do nothing until I have had an opportunity to think on how to best use this knowledge to our advantage," Dumbledore said.

"I have no idea as to what to do, sir so I'm more then willing to wait on you," Harry replied.

"Minerva, would you please stay here while I go and roust Severus out of bed?" Dumbledore asked.

"You must be tired from the effort even if you weren't gone all that long," Professor McGonagall said. "I'll go and get Severus."

"Thank you," Dumbledore said in a voice more sad then tired. "You two get some sleep. You have exams tomorrow."

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Good night, Professor Dumbledore."

Professor McGonagall and the children left together. They parted ways outside of the headmaster's office.

"I want the both of you to get a good night's sleep. You are one and two among the first formers in grade point average and I want you to keep it that way," Professor McGonagall said. "It will do Professor Flitwick some good not to have one of his Ravenclaws first overall for a change."

Hermione laughed. "We'll do our best, Ma'am."

"I didn't know we were that high in the rankings," Harry admitted truthfully.

Professor McGonagall glanced down at the intertwined fingers of the pair. "Well you are, Harry. Good night, then," she said as she spun on her heels.

"Good night," they called after her.

"That was a strange look she gave us," Harry said as they turned toward the Gryffindor dormitory. "I mean, I'm sure that lots of students don't bother to see where they rank in their class."

"That's not what she was looking at," Hermione said. "While you were gone, the two of us had a most interesting conversation."