Chapter 2

When schoolwork didn't keep her busy, Hermione made arrangements for the wedding. A lot of accommodations had to be made because of Hermione's muggle heritage. She stifled a chuckle every now and then at the thought of gamma and grandpa slack-jawed at the sight of robed and slightly odd figures entering a sanctuary. She had a picture in her mind of one side of the sanctuary wearing nice semi-formal wear and the other side wearing beautiful dress robes. It was either that or teach the enormous Weasley herd to dress in muggle style. Which would be odder? Robed figures or wizards in nightgowns and rubber boots?

As the day got closer, Hermione became more frantic. There were NEWT's to take care of and a wedding to plan. NEWT's and weddings were perhaps the two most stressful things in a modern young witch's life and Hermione had managed to schedule them both in the same semester!

All the silly little rumors hurt Hermione. She thought it was so silly; no, stupid and insulting, that the student body would carry on about the future of the future Mr. and Mrs. Ron Weasley. It hurt to see that they pay no attention to Harry. It was true that Harry didn't want one more minute of celebrity. However, nowadays, the only support that Harry got was from Dumbledore, Ron, and Hermione. The student body had pretty much forgotten about him. The "being spoiled and/or pregnant" rumor doesn't help my state of mind either, Hermione thought.

In the midst of all this, she tried to keep in touch with Harry. She, not surprisingly, felt like she alienated him when she announced her engagement to Ron. She always tried to remind him that Ron and her were still his friends and could come to them with anything. However, at breakfast, Hermione wasn't too worried.

The next test of the defense system would be on May 25th of that school year. The first few tests had gone pretty smoothly with everybody accounted for at their appropriate French locations. There were some skirmishes in the Slytherin lines but that was to be expected. The plan was to have a staff member go first. Then have first years through seventh years go in. And then have remaining staff members go in. Seventh years and staff members would be prepared to defend those ahead of them. There were two-hundred assorted objects in the tunnels that would transport one to France.

Harry planned to get up early that day to make final preparations with Dumbledore. As Dumbledore had said, "This is the last test. How it works today, good or not, will be the system used when we need it." So, any kinks that hadn't been worked out before had to be done before the drill that day or there would be no fixing them.

At 4 am, the day of final test, Harry reluctantly got out of bed and got dressed. He fumbled for his glasses, invisibility cloak, and map. He really didn't need the last two items because Harry basically had free reign of the castle (through Dumbledore) but he liked the privacy that the cloak and map afforded him. (Also, Harry felt he had a connection to his father and godfather when he used these items.)

Not fifteen minutes later, Harry made his way down to the common room and was halfway to the portrait hole when he spotted something odd. On the big couch, in front of the fire, Harry spotted his two best friends. Ron and Hermione were in such a loving embrace. They lay, stretched out along the couch, with Hermione's weight resting lightly on Ron. Hermione's head lay on Ron's chest and Ron's arms around Hermione's shoulders.

Harry knew that Ron and Hermione had vowed to wait until their wedding night. So he knew that nothing inappropriate had happened. In fact, Harry had walked in on this scene quite a few times. At first, he was jealous but quickly got over it. This is supposed to be what I'm fighting for: Love. Harry thought. If I do my job right, then maybe they'll have a chance.

Suddenly, Harry was struck with a burst of inspiration. He found some spare parchment, quill, and ink and scribbled a note.

Hey Ron,

I don't know what YOU'RE doing downstairs at four in the morning (wink, wink) but I'm going to see to the last defense test.

See you guys at breakfast, hopefully.

Your friend,

Harry

Harry prided himself in his little innuendo and knew that it would not be unwelcome. Hermione might be a little embarrassed though but moments to laugh were so rare and priceless anymore. Harry folded the little note up and carefully placed it in Ron's hand. Harry knew it wouldn't fall out because Ron is a very sound sleeper. Also, the first thing Ron does when he wakes up is to clench his fists and stretch. So Harry had no doubts that Ron would discover the note.

Harry, with a smile on his face for the first time in days, perused the castles looking for the different tunnels. He made sure the shields and defensive enchantments worked. He even tried out one of the portkeys. He felt the familiar tug at his navel, only amplified about five times, and was instantly in a manor south of Paris. Once he was satisfied with his arrival, he created a portkey back home. (Yes, Dumbledore had even taught him that…)

Harry was feeling quite hungry when he got back to school. He was glad when he saw he had got back just in time for breakfast. He saw the Great Hall and wondered at its beauty. He saw the ceiling that mirrored the sky. He saw the dais where the professors ate. He saw the four long tables where one thousand students gathered each morning to eat breakfast. Today, it was as if he was seeing it for the first time. He knew that in about a month, he might never see it again.

Harry quickly spotted the Gryffindor table. His eyes ran along it until he saw Ron and Hermione and made his way over. When Harry sat down, Ron broke out in a grin and Hermione blushed.

"We found your little present, Harry," Hermione said.

"Oh, uh, what present?" Harry asked with a smile on his face.

"You know exactly what she's talking about, my friend," Ron said and the grin still on his face. Suddenly, the Trio broke out in laughter.

This was a rare moment between the tried and true Golden Trio. This was a moment of laughter. The Trio soon found themselves talking about old times. They started with first year and remembered how bossy Hermione was. There was fourth year and talk of the dreaded Yule Ball. It was an amazing sight to see the Trio laughing again. Harry had some color come back in his cheeks. I should tease them more often, Harry thought.

They found themselves smiling halfway through Charms class. In turn, this brightened a few more of their classmates and Professor Flitwick himself. Professor Flitwick spoke with a brilliance the students hadn't seen since their third year. However, halfway through a complicated lecture on the Fidelius Charm, the alarm sounded.

It was a magically produced, high-pitched shriek that wailed through the hallways. Teachers, then students made their way down the corridors. The students were instructed to remain close to the walls. Staff, sixth years, and seventh years had their wands out ready to defend the younger students. Even though everyone expected the drill, everyone had a look of fear on their faces. They knew exactly what they were preparing for. This wasn't like a fire drill in a muggle primary school. They were preparing for war.

"Ron, Hermione? Do you know where to go?" Harry asked. His friends nodded yes. "Good. Go." Harry said.

Harry made his way to the tunnel that led to Honeydukes. He had his wand out and was watching every corner, every shadow. He couldn't cull himself into believing that this was only just a drill. Something was odd about this day. He could feel a darkness creeping behind the shadows. Something was just not right. The shadows were a little too shifty. However, Harry couldn't be bothered by vague intuition now. He needed to focus. He had to be prepared to defend the school. Also, he had no intention of leaving.

If Voldemort were to attack the school, Harry Potter must remain behind. Harry Potter must make the Dark Lord focus on him. It is as the prophecy says, him or me. And hopefully my friends aren't in the crossfire when it happens, Harry said to himself. He had not told Ron or Hermione that he had remained behind.

Harry wandered around the school. He couldn't shake the creeping feeling. Maybe he wasn't wandering, maybe he was investigating. Harry certainly knew that part of this dark feeling came about because the school was empty. His footsteps echoed unmercifully loud on the stone floors. Harry could hear no lectures, no footsteps, no talking, only silence. But wait…