Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -
Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.
There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).
Note: US English has been used here.
HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS
Chapter 10 – Confrontations & Hogwarts
Harry's voice seemed to freeze everything it touched as he started walking in the direction of the separator between the two portions of the same room with the words which left both Tonks and Remus gazing after him "They will be meeting their leader today".
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Station 9 and ¾ slowly vanished from Harry's view as he sat in the last compartment of the Hogwarts Express. Harry had a smile on his face as he knew he had successfully evaded the Weasley family on the platform even though it had required him to come to the station one hour early to get into the train. He felt that the additional time was worth it because the consequences of his being seen with the Weasley's could have been grave.
Checking his back pocket to see whether his trunk was secure or not, he looked around the compartment to see that it was empty except for another girl sitting nearby. He was sure that this girl was not in the Gryffindor house. "Ravenclaw maybe" Harry thought as he saw that the girl was reading a book. This girl was unknown to him and he assumed she must be one of those girls who had had a growth sprout in the summer. Speaking of growth sprouts, Harry was quite unlucky in that case. He had grown about 2 inches to reach 5 feet 9 inches and his figure was almost similar to that of the previous year. He had remained slim and had by now accepted the fact that he maybe he would never fill up as much as he would like to. But all in all, he was happy with the way he was.
Turning his head away from the girl and looking out of the window again, his thoughts wandered to the events of the past few days in the trunk and outside it.
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Only 8 days remained before the trip back to Hogwarts (according to the trunk's timeline) when Harry had decided it was time to talk to the D.A. members. But before he could do that, he had to talk with Dumbledore as he required the headmaster's consent to carry out his plan. He decided that now was the right time for it.
"How are you sir?" Harry asked. Dumbledore was seated in his office, lost in some deep thought, when the head of Harry Potter popped out of the fireplace.
"I am fine Harry." Dumbledore said with a smile. "How are you doing? Your school starts soon so you won't be able to escape me for much long." The eyes of the headmaster seemed to twinkle uncontrollably as he said these words.
"I am fine sir and I don't plan to escape again for the time being." Harry said with an acknowledging smile.
"So Harry, how is the D.A. doing?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry looked at Dumbledore for a moment wondering for the umpteenth time as to how this man knew everything which happened. He had come to discuss the D.A. and Dumbledore had brought up the topic before he could even mention it. Resigning himself to being unable to understand the skills of his headmaster, he said "Sir, I wanted a favor regarding the D.A."
Dumbledore looked at Harry as the twinkling in his eyes reduced a bit. "Go on" was all he said.
Harry then explained what he had on his mind. For the first time Harry told Dumbledore that he planned to distance himself from his friends which pained the experienced wizard greatly. He went on to explain why he had asked Moody to work for him and how the D.A. had developed into a reliable team of fighters. Harry then explained a plan which he had in mind. After he finished his explanation, he waited for Dumbledore's answer.
"Harry, I don't want you to live like this." Dumbledore didn't seem happy at all after hearing Harry's plan.
"Sir, either it is what I say or it is nothing at all. You know that if I don't give my consent then the D.A. can disintegrate quickly. I am trying to strengthen it sir and I want it to be done it this way." Harry said in a voice which held conviction.
Dumbledore sat thinking for a few moments and then said "Ok Harry. Though I would have preferred a better way out, I won't let my opinions hamper your plans."
"Thank you sir. Hopefully both of us will stand vindicated." Harry said with a grateful smile as the head in the fire withdrew leaving a concerned looking Dumbledore behind.
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"HARRY" Neville shouted when he saw his friend sitting in a room. Cho, who was with Neville, seemed very excited and nervous but managed to control the impulse of shouting out Harry's name.
"No need to shout, Longbottom" came the gruff voice of Moody from behind. "Take a chair each, will you?" Moody pointed out the chairs to both Neville and Cho.
Neville and Cho both sat down on their respective chairs. They were still a bit stunned at the turn of events. They had a great lunch today after having finished the last events of their training when Moody had said he needed to go for sometime. Moody had been gone for about an hour after which he had returned and asked Cho and Neville to meet him at his office. After reaching the office of Moody, their unofficial professor went on to explain that he had gone to attend a meeting with some 'important' people and those people had wanted to meet these two of them in person. This statement had astonished both Neville and Cho but Moody didn't explain anything more to them except for the fact that they would be going to the meeting in about an hour's time. As Cho and Neville left the office, a silent Moody waited for his next call from Harry, all the while thinking "How the hell did Potter manage to convince Dumbledore into this?"
Now that both Cho and Neville had arrived at the place of the meeting, they understood that one of those important people was their friend Harry. But the person who sat in front of them on the other side of the round table seemed nothing like the person they had known. He had both of his eyes trained on the two people from the time since they had popped into the room with the help of the portkey Dobby had provided to Moody. Also, he had not even acknowledged Neville which was quite surprising to both the new guests.
But then, as they looked on, they wondered whether this was really the person they knew. The eyes of the person in front of them were steely and his face was hardened. No expression could be detected on his face. He had his eyes trained on each of them for a few minutes before finally saying something.
"Neville. Cho." he said with a slight nod of his head. The lack of emotions on his part was quite discomforting to both Neville and Cho while Moody looked on as if there was nothing wrong in his behavior.
"Potter" Moody growled "When will the other person be here?"
Before Harry could make an attempt to reply, a cheery voice revealed that the last person required for this meeting to commence had indeed arrived "Am I late?"
Both Neville and Cho shot up from their seats as they saw that the new person entering the room was none other than their headmaster. "Sir, nice to see you." Neville said as Dumbledore smiled at both Neville and Cho.
"Hello Neville. Seems like you have got a new wand and a very interesting one at that. Alastor here tells me that you have made great progress in dueling." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brightly but not as much as they normally did. It seemed quite clear to Moody that Dumbledore hated Harry's idea of this conversation as much as Moody himself did.
Blushing slightly Neville said "Sir, I didn't progress because of myself but because of all the help I received from Harry and the other D.A. members."
"You didn't receive any help from me" Everyone turned to look at Harry as he finished off his statement.
"Of course I did Harry." Neville said with a stunned expression on his face. "I didn't know a thing about dueling before you taught us last year."
"You always…" At this point Harry was cut off by Dumbledore.
"I think we should get down to business. I have an important meeting at the Wizengamot soon." Dumbledore's statement ensured that no disagreement ensued between any of those present, at least not till he was here.
Once everyone was seated in their respective places, Dumbledore started the proceedings. "We have gathered today to discuss the future of the D.A.". At the alarmed looks from both Neville and Cho, Dumbledore went on to explain a bit more.
"I want the D.A. to make it ready for protecting Hogwarts always. You will have all our support though I can't say the same for Professor Snape." Dumbledore said with a slight chuckle "But I have enough faith in you to know that you will find ways to avoid the people who need avoiding."
"But sir" Neville spoke up. "What exactly you want us to do?"
"Neville, dark times are upon us. I want the D.A. to be always on the alert. There can be attacks on Hogwarts or the Hogwarts Express or Hogsmeade or any place you can think of. So, I want that for the time which you spend at your school, kindly protect us whenever necessary." Dumbledore finished humbly. Both Neville and Cho blushed at this statement from Dumbledore.
"Sir, we will do whatever we can." Cho said timidly.
"Yes sir." Neville added confidently "Now that we have Harry with us again, we will be a tough force to reckon with." The fervor in Neville's voice was unmistakable. Dumbledore cast a sad glance at Neville and then looked towards Harry. Harry's face, on the other hand, betrayed no emotion as he kept silent.
"Yes, yes, that's why we are here today" Dumbledore said with a sigh. "We are here to discuss the future of the D.A. without Harry present in it."
"WHAT?" Both Neville and Cho shot up from their chairs. "The D.A. without Harry is unthinkable." Neville was quite close to shouting.
"Sir, may I?" Harry asked Dumbledore for permission to speak, who just nodded with a sad look on his face. He knew that Harry was going to play with a double-edged sword and no matter whichever way the discussion went, it was Harry who was going to be the final loser.
"Neville" Harry spoke with a hardened voice. "I can't be with the D.A. anymore. I have some…problems."
"Harry…" Cho seemed breathless as she spoke "…if this is due to what happened last year with Marietta then I apologize to you on her behalf. In fact, Marietta herself wants to apologize to…"
"Cho, this isn't about some individual. I don't have any hard feelings about Marietta. If I had been in her place then maybe I would have done the same thing." Harry explained to Cho as Dumbledore silently looked at Harry. Harry had surely matured more than he could have asked for and he seemed quite calm as he tried to explain his decision to his friends.
"What I meant was…" Harry continued "…that I am not ready to be a part of a group after what happened last year. Neville was with me and he saw how my godfather died. I am still not over it and I will do more harm than justice to the D.A."
"But Harry, you are our leader." Neville stepped in.
"Yes Neville. I had almost led you guys to death not to mention my godfather. I am really a great leader." If someone had thought that Harry's voice couldn't harden more, then that person was grossly mistaken. "Look Nev, everyone has to make an important decision someday and I am making it now."
"But why leave us Harry?" Cho still couldn't come to terms with the fact that Harry won't be there in the D.A. after she had herself voted for Harry to be the leader last year.
"Cho, I am still not over some things and I need time. If I get over my mental blocks then maybe I will rejoin the D.A. once more but for now I know that I can't be part of it."
"But why did you have to say these things to us?" Neville protested at the injustice being dealt out to himself and Cho. "Why not to all of the D.A.?"
"Because…" Harry paused for a moment "…I wanted to talk to the leaders of the D.A."
"WHAT!" Cho looked absolutely shocked at this.
"Yes. I had informed Professor Dumbledore and Professor Moody of my decision not to be part of the D.A. anymore now. It was then that they came up with the suggestion of making you people the leaders." Harry lied. In fact, it had been his brain-child to make the people with the highest scores the leaders (based on the tournaments organized for the D.A.). He knew that if he mentioned that it was Dumbledore's and Moody's idea, then no one in the D.A. would object to it and there would be no chance of any person having any problems with the new leaders.
"I…uh…" Neville looked helplessly towards Moody and Dumbledore but realized that they had agreed to this decision. "Harry, the others won't…I won't…" Neville trailed off as he looked Harry straight in the eye.
Harry knew that it would be hard to convince his friends but this was turning out to be more difficult than his earlier estimates. Inwardly he felt sorry for pushing Neville and Cho into a situation where they would have to explain Harry's decision to everybody else in the D.A.
"You won't what Nev? You won't take the leadership? You won't be able to take it or are you afraid to do so? About the others, well…I don't know about that. I didn't take the decision to make you the leaders but from what I have heard from Professor Moody, you two are the best in the D.A." Harry replied and then turned towards Cho "Cho, I would like you to help and trust Neville as much as you can." Cho nodded at this though she couldn't decipher the meaning of Harry's words.
"Neville, Cho, Harry, please sit down. Standing unnecessarily doesn't help, does it?" Dumbledore said. When everyone had reclaimed their lost positions around the table, Dumbledore started to speak to the two newly appointed leaders.
"Yes, I along with Alastor decide to make you the leaders as we saw in you the leadership qualities the D.A. needs." Dumbledore glanced at Harry before continuing "Also, we wanted a combination of courage with brains." Both Cho and Neville blushed at this "We know Neville has lots of courage and you are not a step behind the others when it comes to using your brains Cho. We had to decide between you and Hermione but we want you to help Neville because then only the balance will be better."
"I agree with that." Moody spoke for the first time since Dumbledore had walked in. "You two can do a good job and if you remember what I have taught you then I know you will be able to save yourselves from getting fried by a death-eater". This kind of praise from both Dumbledore and Moody left Neville and Cho blushing and searching for words.
"One more thing…" Dumbledore caught the attention of the others "The D.A. isn't just about fighting. I want you to show respect to everyone in your school, and if possible, even to the people who might hate you. You never know when some of your kindness may actually come in handy for you later on. Why don't you start involving Slytherins in the D.A. and make a group of say, Junior D.A.?" Dumbledore's twinkling was almost back to his normal level but to the trained eye, something seemed to be bothering him.
"Maybe sir…" Cho said "…it would be an excellent thing though we would like some other name for the group." She finished off meekly. At this Dumbledore smiled and said "Whatever you like Ms. Chang. This old brain can't think up of many things nowadays."
"And keep your eyes open for trouble, even on the Hogwarts Express." Moody chipped in.
"Well, since everything here has been taken care of, I think I should be going now." Dumbledore said, rising from his seat. Everyone said good-bye to him and Dumbledore wished them a safe journey to Hogwarts. An uneasy silence ensued which was broken by Moody.
"Potter, I have to go now." Turning towards Cho and Neville, he handed each of them a round marble "If you press these here (Moody showed a black spot), then these will take you back to my office. Come back when you are done here." With that, Moody pressed used his own portkey to return to his office.
"Harry" Neville asked after a few moments of silence had passed. "I am sorry for your godfather."
"It's ok." Harry replied.
"Why Harry, why?" Neville suddenly stood up, his voice rising a bit. "You really can come back, you know."
"Cho, can you excuse us for a moment?" Harry asked politely. Cho nodded and was about to get up when Harry stopped her. "Stay her. Neville and I can talk in the adjoining room." For the first time, the other occupants noticed that there was another door just behind where they were sitting. Harry escorted Neville to the second room and started to speak more freely.
"Look Nev, please don't force me. I won't be coming back…not now. But I have a proposition for you." Neville looked perplexed at this but gave an affirmative nod. "Neville, you know that my scar hurts at times, right? Well, this scar hurts whenever Voldemort does something horribly wrong. I can sometimes understand what Voldemort is going to do. C'mon, there's no need to flinch at his name." Harry said in desperation.
"Sorry Harry, but you know about my mom and dad." Neville said in a whisper.
"Neville, that's the reason Dumbledore picked you. You have to ensure something like that never happens to anyone else. You have to do it, not for yourself but for your parents. Your parents never feared him. Do you think they would like their son to fear his name?" These words seemed to have an astonishing effect on Neville. His face hardened in a resolve which he didn't specify to Harry. Seeing an unmistakable glow in his eyes, Harry said "At least, don't flinch at his name even if you don't want to say it."
"I won't flinch ever again" came the short reply. Satisfied with the answer, Harry continued from where he had left off before. "So you see, sometimes I can tell what he is going to do. At those times, I will try to warn you if I can but you'll have to trust me. You will have to use the D.A. to stop whatever he is trying to do."
"I will trust you Harry but I really don't think I want to be the leader. I mean…" Neville's doubt in his abilities had overtaken him again. One look at his face and Harry knew he would have to give him what he didn't want to give. Harry thought for a moment and came to his decision. He knew that Neville had all the qualities required for a leader and Cho had all the brains they would require. Together they would be a great combination and would be able to lead the D.A. amicably. Harry decided that if he had to force them into this decision, then he would do so.
"Neville, you can do it. I know you can. And I will offer you something in return for leading the D.A. along with Cho." At this, Neville cast a questioning glance towards Harry. "I will give you Bellatrix."
"What do you mean?" Neville's voice had become quite angry at hearing the name but Harry knew that the anger was not directed towards him.
"Look, I know what she did to your parents. She also killed my godfather. So, you can say, that both of us want revenge from her. But if you lead the D.A., then I will give up my claim on her. She's all yours when we face her." Harry finished off. This had been very hard for him to say since he himself wanted to finish off Bellatrix but he knew that Neville had a greater claim on her. He also knew that what Neville lacked was not talent but self-belief and he was sure that this 'offer' of his would make Neville desperate enough to conquer his fears. Patiently, hoping he had been right in assuming everything till now, Harry waited for the reply.
"Promise?" came the astonishing question from Neville instead.
"Promise." This promise from Harry caused an unforeseen change in Neville. The glow in his eyes seemed to brighten and he pulled himself up to his full height. With an aura of confidence about him, he looked at Harry and said "I will do it."
"Thanks Nev." Harry said as he started to escort Neville back to the room where Cho was still present. Just before he opened the door, Neville stopped Harry.
"Harry, I will wait here. You have a talk with Cho and then send her here so we can go back." Harry nodded at this and opened the door.
"Where's Neville?" Cho asked as soon as Harry came in.
"He's in the other room. He'll come once we finish. Cho, do you have any problems accepting Professor Dumbledore's decision?" Harry came straight down to the most important question on his mind.
"Doesn't look as if I have much choice here, does it?" came the return volley towards Harry. Harry smiled inwardly as he understood that Cho had figured out that they would be forced to do their duties.
"I don't think so." Harry replied. He didn't ask any further questions and neither did Cho. The uneasy silence was at last broken by Cho.
"How are you doing Harry?" Cho asked. Harry took a moment to understand that she was referring to how he has been dealing with all the events of the past year.
"Fine." came the reply. Not knowing whether he should say anything more or not, Harry decided it was best to stay quite.
"Actually, I…ummm…"
"You what?" Harry prompted Cho though he had a feeling that this could lead to something undesirable.
"I wanted to…uh…apologize for the way I behaved last year." Cho was looking at her hands as she said this. "I was trying to find Cedric in you but I failed. I failed because Cedric can't be you and you can't be Cedric. I mean…what am I saying? I am not making any sense." Cho looked quite embarrassed at the moment. To tell the truth, Harry himself was bowled over by the fact that Cho had managed to say the truth so bluntly.
"You are making sense." Harry said calmly which caused Cho to look up again. For the first time today, Harry's voice sounded like what she knew it to be like. Yes, his voice was now changing, which was quite natural at this age, but the tone of the voice was like that of the person she knew. "You were having a difficult time and wanted to hold onto something. I am sorry to say this but I think we both got our priorities mixed up last year."
"Yes, I think so…" Cho said as her gaze returned towards her fingernails. Harry started squirming in his seat and was thinking about what would come next when Cho spoke up again.
"Harry, do you think we can give it a try this year?" Harry looked into Cho's eyes and saw the hope…and the fear of rejection in them. He felt very deeply for her as he knew that he had had similar feelings and fears when he had himself asked out Cho before, how he had felt so helpless when he had heard that Cho was going out with someone else and how he had felt elated when she had consented to go out with him last year. He knew that accepting her offer was not possible because he himself had not been able to understand his feelings truly but he also knew that rejecting her would cause immense pain to her. Thinking for a moment, he decided that nothing could be gained by lying and it was better that he told her the truth as best as he could.
"Cho, I want to say something more than just a yes or no. I am not quite sure if I am ready for a relationship now. I am also getting over the death of my godfather and I am trying to sort out some of the things in my life. I cannot say 'yes' to you because…" Harry paused for a moment as he saw that Cho had lowered her face and Harry thought he had seen tears in her eyes "…because I am not ready for it. You know how hard it is to get over someone's death…" Cho nodded her head "…and I don't want something like last year to happen again. I just want to be sure about whatever decision I take so that no one is hurt in the future." Harry finished his explanation.
"I understand." Cho whispered back almost instantaneously which surprised Harry. "And I really appreciate the fact that you were so honest with me."
"Wrong Cho." Harry's words caused Cho's face to snap up. "I wasn't being truthful to you; I was being truthful to myself. At the end of the day, when I look at myself in the mirror, I won't have to explain to myself as to why I tried to mislead someone into believing something which I myself am not sure about."
"All the same, thank you Harry." Cho said as she got up. "I don't know whether we can ever get together again or not, but I would really like us to be friends…always."
"Hopefully." Harry said as he shook her outstretched hand. He then led her to the adjoining room and said goodbyes to both of them as they portkeyed back to Moody's office. Harry turned back and wished away the room and its contents. He now had an even bigger task to do and an extremely angry person to deal with. With a deep sigh, he resigned himself to his fate.
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"What do you mean he is not coming back?" Zacharias Smith was the first to get back his voice after Neville and Cho had finished their explanation.
"You heard what he said. Professor Dumbledore seemed to agree with him on his decision." Cho explained.
"But he formed the D.A. and he is our leader." Ginny said in desperation.
"We know." Neville spoke on behalf of all those present. "But he said he wants time to get over things which had happened in the past year." Hermione nodded her head at this while Ginny gave an evil glance at Cho. Cho, coincidentally, had been looking towards Ginny and immediately lowered her eyes.
"Did he say he will come back after he has got over his problems?" Hermione asked.
"Don't know Hermione." Neville said. "I asked him the same thing but he didn't answer it". Hermione didn't say anything at this but the bewilderment on her face was similar to those of the others.
"Now what are we going to do? Did he say what we should do? Will Dumbledore be our leader from now onwards?" came the question from Anthony Goldstein.
"Do you think that Dumbledore has no other work?" came the gruff voice from behind Anthony who looked startled. "Dumbledore won't be leading you; it will be Longbottom and Chang."
"What?" Ginny cried out. She didn't have any problems with Neville but Cho was a different proposition. Also, she just couldn't picture herself taking commands from Neville who was of a very submissive nature.
"Yes. You have any problems with that?" Moody's magical eye seemed to pierce Ginny who didn't voice her opinion.
"Look you lot…" Moody knew he would have to do some explaining and he wanted to spare Neville and Cho getting into an uncomfortable position. "Longbottom and Chang are amongst the best students here and they respect you as much as you respect them. Dumbledore himself wants them to lead you and Harry has specified that he doesn't have any objections to it." Seeing that everyone around wasn't making much of a noise, Moody added "Their being the leader doesn't mean that they will order you around. It just means that whenever it comes to getting the group together or finalizing a decision taken by everyone in the D.A., they have that power. It is just a way of saying that they will be responsible for every dumb decision you guys make."
The last statement from Moody broke the tension in the air as many of the members laughed out loudly. No one could still think of anyone other than Harry as their leader but they were happy with the stop-gap arrangement. Even Ginny and Ron gave their approval on the issue. Slowly but surely, both Neville and Cho felt more confident about their new found positions.
In the remaining days, the other members of D.A. were informed by Neville and Cho about how Dumbledore wanted the D.A. to function. Initially there had been protests about involving Slytherins in the D.A. but later on everyone decided that a junior body of the D.A. would be formed which will indeed contain 10 members from each house. They decided to name this body as the Apprentice D.A. (A.D.A.) as no one could come up with a better name.
Also, it was decided that the D.A. would take on the responsibility of maintaining peace between different house members at Hogwarts. For this, Cho and Neville drafted a letter to Dumbledore specifying the need for powers to the D.A. so that they are able to ensure that no unwanted trouble breaks out. It was then decided that the letter would be handed over to Dumbledore on 2'nd September.
Soon it was time for everyone to say goodbye to each other. Each wished the other a safe 2 days period after which they would meet on platform 9 and ¾. Moody was the last one to leave the place with the help of one of Harry's numerous portkeys. As he left the place, the only thought in his mind was "Potter, your wish has become a reality."
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"WHY THE HELL DID YOU MAKE ME DO THAT?" Remus and Harry were cowering in a corner as Tonks started shouting at Harry the moment he came into view. "DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO DO WHAT I DID? THOSE GUYS DESPERATELY WANT YOU IN THEIR MIDST AND I HAD TO PULL YOU AWAY FROM THEM."
Casting a look at Remus, who had a pitiful expression on his face; Harry gathered enough courage to speak out "You agreed to the plan before hand."
Tonks looked a bit guilty at this statement as she knew that she had agreed to one of Harry's most stupid plans (at least, according to her). When Harry had come in about 2 hours ago and said that he had a plan in his mind, she had been all ears. He had explained that he had talked to Dumbledore and Moody about appointing Neville and Cho as the new leaders and Dumbledore had agreed to it. He also said that to convince his friends, he needed the help of Tonks.
On further questioning, Harry revealed that he wanted Tonks to change into Dumbledore because Dumbledore was too busy to come today, added to the fact that Harry didn't want Dumbledore to come here. Tonks had rejected the idea at first but Harry had refused to give in. She was his only hope to succeed, Harry told her. After about an hour's argument, in which Harry explained that both Dumbledore and Moody knew about this plan and had approved it, she had finally given in.
But what Tonks had not expected was to encounter the fierce opposition from Neville and Cho. It was clear from the very first that both of Harry's friends couldn't think of the D.A. without Harry as their leader. Tonks hated sitting in that room and tearing away Harry from his friends. Tonks had almost decided that she would leave the room in the middle of the argument but she had been unable to bring herself to do it. After all, she had given her word to Harry and she couldn't back out now.
"Harry" Tonks said sternly "You know how they feel. How can you do this to them? They count on you and you are trying to leave them on their own?"
"They are no longer children, Tonks. They have to learn to believe in themselves." Harry replied "I had followed Dumbledore's advice blindly for 5 years and look what I have got in return. I want them to judge for themselves as to what is correct or wrong."
"But Harry…" Remus interjected "…you are not like Dumbledore and you won't do what he did."
"Really Remu? You think so?" Harry said in a scornful tone. "What if I change tomorrow? What if I think I want to make them do whatever I want? You can never be sure, can you?"
"But Har, they love you." Tonks anger had vaporized by now. She knew that she couldn't let Harry do all this; at least she wouldn't give up without a fight. "They need you."
"No Tonks, they need their self-belief. They need each other to help themselves." Harry retorted. "And they are getting quite good at it."
"Harry" Remus spoke up again "You are one of their 'each other' group" he said, referring to Harry's earlier statement.
"Sorry Remu, I was part of their 'each other' group". Harry was almost getting impatient now.
"But Har…" Tonks threw up her hands in desperation but Harry cut short whatever she was about to say.
"Tonks, we had this discussion before also." Harry's voice had a bit of edge to it. "I know what I am doing and this is what I have decided to do. If someone doesn't like it then it's their problem". Hearing this, Tonks looked quite shocked and stomped off a moment later. Remus too shrugged his shoulders and went off to his room leaving a frustrated Harry behind.
An hour after the incident, Harry was sitting alone in his room when someone knocked on the door of his room.
"Come in" Harry called out. "The door's open". As the door opened, Harry saw that the person in the doorway was Tonks. Tentatively she entered the dark room in which she could make out the silhouette of Harry sitting on his bed.
"Hi" Tonks said. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"
"Don't know." Harry replied. "Just felt that I needed some darkness around to find the source of light." Unable to understand what Harry meant by his statement, Tonks quietly took a chair which had appeared near Harry.
"I am sorry" Tonks said, gazing towards the floor.
"Sorry? For what?" came the question from a puzzled Harry.
"For meddling in your life and decisions" Tonks replied.
"It's ok. You guys were not meddling; you were trying to show me the way which you feel is right for me. I don't have any problems with that." Harry replied quietly
"But every time you take a decision like this we seem to be coming in your way, isn't it?" Tonks queried.
Giving off a short laugh and wishing for some light in the room, Harry said "I am an adamant person when it comes to decisions. You guys can try as much as you want but once I have made my decision, no one can change it."
"Yeah" Tonks said with a sigh. "Remu said pretty much the same thing about you."
"Don't worry Tonks" Harry said calmly. "I won't get lost in the maze of the decisions my life is forcing me to take"
"Where did you learn all this?"
"Learn what?"
"To talk like that. Dumbledore seems to have rubbed onto you." Tonks said to a smiling Harry. Sitting in the silence for a few more moments, Tonks said "You are angry with us, aren't you?"
"Cut it off, Tonkie." Harry said. "I can't get angry with you guys."
"But Harry, I will still say this is not the right thing to do." Tonks was a bit hesitant but when Harry didn't stop her, she added "I mean, you are pushing away everyone you like."
"Temporarily" Harry corrected her before adding "I am not pushing away you guys, am I?"
"But these temporary things could permanently change your life."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked curiously.
"Cho" Tonks said in a whisper, almost afraid that Harry would shout at her.
"What about Cho?" Harry asked, knowing fully well what was coming towards him.
"She likes you. All the time you were talking to Neville, she was looking at you with an expression which can have only one meaning." Tonks described her observation of Cho.
"Well….yes…I had a talk with Cho…" Harry trailed off as he said this.
"And?" Tonks had a strange expression in her eyes as she prompted Harry.
"…I said I was not ready for a relation now. She understood and asked whether we can remain friends and I said yes. That's it." Harry explained, not taking his eyes off the ground in front of him.
"What? You said that to her?" Tonks looked astonished "God Harry, you are terrible with girls. A good-looking girl comes up to you and you refuse her as bluntly as possible. Dear me!"
"Well, that's the way it is. You like it or not, I will stick to my decisions" Harry said with a mischievous smile on his face. Tonks didn't say anything in return but looked angrily at him.
"Well, I think I should talk to Remu" Harry finally said as he got up. "I shouldn't have behaved like I did today." With that, Harry left the room leaving a thoughtful Tonks still seated in her chair.
Remus and Harry then had a nice little talk. Remus explained that he understood the reasons of Harry's decisions but even though he didn't approve of them, he would support Harry to the best of his limits. Harry thanked him for understanding but not before he had received a 'punishment' for his behavior – to cook that evening's dinner for everyone which he happily did, much to the disappointment of Dobby.
&&&&
"So, should I resign now or do you want to drain me of the few sickles I have left?" Minister Fudge asked his well-wisher. He had received a letter that morning specifying the time of the appointment and he had to cancel a press conference to attend this urgent meeting.
"You still have a few left?" came the question in a mocking tone "I didn't know that. Thanks for the information." Fudge shuddered slightly at how easily this boy could turn things in his favor. Also, he was silently cursing his big mouth.
"So, what is it going to be today?" Fudge asked, not able to hold onto his patience any longer.
"Don't get impatient Minister. I was thinking of a deal with you." Fudge's well wisher took a seat as he said this.
"Deal? Oh yeah, another of your one-sided deals, right?" Fudge asked sarcastically.
"Wrong again Fudge." Harry corrected him. "You are always wrong, don't you think so?"
"Does it matter what I think about anything here?"
"Right on that point. You do get some of the thing's right, don't you?" Harry replied.
"Well, get on with it, will you?" Fudge said angrily.
"SHUT UP FUDGE." Fudge cowered as he saw that his well wisher had jumped up from his chair and was pointing his wand towards him. "I am the one who gives orders here, not you."
"S…ss…soo…sorry, I…uh…didn't mean to sound…that way." Fudge said, the expression of anger on his face replaced by one of deep fear.
"Good." Harry said, resuming his seat. "So, the deal I was talking about has something for you too." At this fudge's eyes lit up. "You won't have to resign."
"WHAT? I won't have to resign?" It was like music to his ears, it was like a dream come true and it was beyond anything he could ever have wished for.
"No. But I want something in return."
"Yes…ask, just ask me and I will give it to you." The grin on the face of Fudge was growing larger by the minute.
"Don't get too excited Fudge, it won't last much longer. I want you to for a Council of Wizarding Security which will compromise of the topmost wizards and witches of England." Fudge's smile faltered a bit at this but he quickly seemed to be calculating something in his mind.
"Ok." Fudge said after a few moments "I know just the right people for the council."
"Wrong again Fudge, I will give you the names of the wizards and witches who will be in the council." Fudge seemed disheartened at this statement as he knew that he wouldn't be able to use his people in the council.
"You will also be there in the council." Harry continued. "Here is a list of people whom I want it the council." Harry handed over a parchment which had the names of 6 people in it out of which 3 were in the Order, another 2 were in the ministry and the last one was Fudge himself. Fudge was looking grimly at the list but seemed to draw some hope from the fact that there were 2 people from the ministry in it. At least, if it came down to the option of voting on some policy, he would ensure that the other 2 voted along with him.
"Now, listen to me carefully. You miss one of my points and I will go straight to all the news agencies in England." This effectively made Fudge more attentive than usual as Harry dictated a list of what he wanted to be done.
"As you can see from the list, Albus Dumbledore is on the top. He will have the power to take decisions in emergency situations. In other cases, the council will come together to take a decision. Whenever it comes down to voting, you will hold back your vote till the last moment. If it is a 3:2 voting scenario, then you will adjourn the meeting for 10 minutes and talk to me regarding the situation and I will tell you which side you should vote on."
"WHAT!" Fudge exclaimed but quickly lowered his voice. "You mean that I won't have any power at all?"
"Correct." Harry said with a smile. "No power at all. But I will have the power…" Harry paused before continuing "…through you." Knowing that arguing with this kid was out of question, Fudge decided that it was best if he did what the kid wanted him to do.
"So, how do I contact you?" Fudge asked. At this, Harry provided him with an old looking sickle.
"Whenever you want to contact me, press on this side of the sickle and I will know." Harry explained. As Fudge nodded his head in understanding, Harry went on to explain the rest of the points on his agenda.
"Now, you will be my informer in this council. Every week, you will leave a letter with Mr. Tevrid at Gringotts." Fudge's ears perked up at this because it was a well known fact that goblins didn't like working for others. Obviously this kid had to have very high connections. "Also…" Harry continued "…in case of an emergency, you will use the sickle I gave you and will meet me here in 5 minutes time after you use the sickle. Understood?" Fudge nodded his head.
"Good, now the last point." Harry said. Fudge's face seemed to brighten up at this. At least, all he had to do was form a council to keep his ministry position and it didn't seem that bad to him. "I forgot to mention what the workings of the council will be". Fudge gulped visibly at this statement from a smiling Harry.
"The council will be the ultimate authority in England regarding the fight against the dark forces. It will have total control over the aurors and its decision will be final. Also, it will have the authority to overrule the Wizengamot, if the situation arises." Harry finished off with a smile.
"But that's impossible. The ministry is the supreme authority here." Fudge cried out.
"Fudge, do you want to remain the minister or not? You like getting your salary?" Harry asked in a menacing tone leaving no doubt as to what would happen if Fudge didn't follow his instructions. Fudge blinked stupidly for a few times and then gave an affirmative nod.
"I will do what you want." Fudge said meekly.
"Good. I want this done by September 1'st." Harry said as he got up to leave.
"But…" Fudge started to speak but then stopped as his well wisher didn't even acknowledge his words. "Oh well, at least I get to remain the minister." This thought brightened him up a bit.
&&&&
"HARRY, YOU WILL BE LATE." Tonks shouted at the top of her lungs. It was September the 1'st and Harry was still practicing with a double. The shout from Tonks broke his concentration and he got hit by a leg-locker curse. Sensing that Harry didn't want to fight anymore, Harry's double performed a quick counter-curse and vanished.
"Tonks, why did you have to shout like that?" Harry asked as he got up.
"You are getting late, that's why." Tonks replied.
"No, I mean why did you shout and not perform the Sonorous charm? Or you could have just wished for your voice to be heard by everyone and the room would have granted your wish." Harry said with a mischievous smile.
Now that Tonks thought about it, she felt a bit stupid. "I…uh…"
"No need to stutter." Harry interrupted Tonks. "I am letting you go this time".
"Oh…" Tonks said regaining a bit of her composure. "How sweet of you my dear Harry Potter, the great Harry Potter, the migh…"
"Excuse me, but are you Tonks or are you Dobby under the Polyjuice potion?" Harry queried though he wasn't too sure whether the Polyjuice potion worked on elf's or not.
Damn, Tonks muttered under her breath. Knowing that she had put her foot in her mouth again, she quickly diverted the topic to another one. "Never mind, you have to get ready now or you will be late for the train."
"Ok." Harry knew that there was no time left for fooling around and decided to get ready for his school. "You get out of this trunk now. I have to shrink it." With that, Harry got ready and came out of his trunk.
Harry then proceeded to let Hedwig out and asked her to be on the train when he got there. Tonks said that she would come into the trunk later that night along with Remus and Harry assured her that he would have the trunk enlarged by then. Harry then asked Dobby to meet him in Hogwarts, which the house-elf readily agreed to do.
Taking a last look around the place which had been his home for the past 6 weeks, he went over to the tapestry and touched the place where his name was and said "Harry James Potter". After the house had returned to being a shack, he took out a portkey and arrived at platform 9 and ¾ with an hour left for the train to leave.
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"There is our great hero" Harry heard the distinct voice of Ron announcing his newest discovery. From the amount of footsteps which he heard, he knew that there were at least 3 or 4 people with him whose identities were not too difficult for him to guess. Even though he had heard Ron speak out, he kept looking out of the window of the Hogwarts Express which was now passing a area which had mountains on one side and a deep gorge on another side.
"Harry" He heard Hermione calling out to him. Knowing that he couldn't ignore them any longer, Harry hardened his face and turned around to face Ron, Hermione, Ginny and a dreamy Luna. Hermione sat down beside Harry while Ginny took the seat opposite to him. Luna was inspecting the window sills of the train with great interest while Ron took a seat beside Ginny, his face fixed in a scowl which would have given Moody a run for his money.
"You…you look different." Hermione said after a moment of observation. Harry didn't reply and just kept surveying the people around him.
"Yes" Ginny said. "What about your glasses? I didn't notice it that day when you had flooed to Gri…you-know-where."
"I corrected my eye-sight." Harry replied, while Hermione gave him a strange look.
"Corrected your sight? But that is a very ancient spell, isn't it?" Hermione asked.
"Yes" Harry replied.
"Oh Harry, so nice to see you again." Luna said in a sing-song tone as if she had noticed Harry for the first time today. Harry didn't reply but nodded his head in acknowledgement. Ginny and Hermione snorted at this but Luna didn't seem to care about them.
"What is all this about?" Ginny said a bit impatiently. "You didn't even talk to us at our makeshift 'home'. From when did you become so quite?"
"From the day Sirius died." Harry replied in a cold voice. Silence reigned after this sentence as this had been what Hermione had predicted during their D.A. lessons. But it was puzzling for even Hermione as to why Harry still hadn't been able to get over Sirius. It was Ron who broke the silence.
"What's the deal mate? Why are you acting so strangely?" His voice seemed to indicate that he was quite angry. "You seem to be ok with Remus and Tonks but you don't even speak to us. You didn't even write to us."
"Sorry." Harry maintained his monotonous but cold voice. "I was busy reading all the letters you had sent me." This had the desired effect on the rest of them, except for Luna. Ginny, Ron and Hermione had not sent a single letter to Harry in the summer but, truthfully, Harry didn't mind that fact. He knew that they had been busy with their own lives initially and then they had a very busy training schedule. To say he was angry would be false.
"We are sorry Harry" Hermione said after a few long seconds. Harry didn't respond to her and turned to look out of the window.
"Look Harry, don't say you are angry because of us not sending you letters." Ron said aggressively. "Even if that is the case, it is no justification not to come to the D.A. lessons." Getting no reply from Harry, Hermione chipped in "Ron's right Harry. Why did you leave us?"
"I didn't leave you." Harry said, his gaze fixed on the landscape outside. "I just didn't join you."
"But why Harry?" Ginny asked. She had to get some answers out of him.
"Because I didn't feel like it." Harry replied.
"But Harry, we need you." Hermione said.
"Hermione…" Harry turned to face her. Hermione gulped as she saw that Harry's expression was similar to what she had seen in the fire at Grimmauld Place. "I think there is no point in continuing this conversation. I don't want to talk about it and that's it."
Hermione opened her mouth once to speak but closed it shut again. She had a look of utter disbelief and hurt in her eyes which pained Harry to no end. Still Harry didn't reveal any of his emotions to those present.
"See what I told you." Ron shouted at both Hermione and Ginny. "I told you that the Boy-Who-Lived didn't care for us anymore now. You two were too dumb to believe me. And you people think I am dumb, ha!"
At this, Hermione gave a glare towards Ron while Ginny gave him a nudge in the ribs. Luna had returned to her inspection of the window-sill and didn't seem to have heard anything. Harry, on the other hand, maintained his cold demeanor and went back to looking outside the window. After a few minutes of angry whispering between Ron, Ginny and Hermione, Ron stomped off leaving Ginny and Hermione behind. Hermione looked uncomfortable while Ginny also squirmed in her seat.
Finally, realizing that Harry wasn't in a mood to talk, Hermione got up and said "Harry, we are going to our usual seats in the 4'th compartment. If you find time then please join us." The last sentence was more of a request to Harry. Without getting any reply from Harry, Hermione gave a deep sigh and went out of the compartment followed by Ginny and Luna.
Harry heard the footsteps die away and sighed in relief. He had managed to make his friends go away without having any argument. Before coming onto the train, he had made a promise to himself that he would try to avoid arguments with his friends and he had succeeded in doing that. Silently he hoped that he would be able to succeed in his objective in the coming months also. He sat there contemplating what Remus and Tonks had said to him in the past few days when he was interrupted by a drawling voice.
"Hello Potter. Saved the world yet?"
"Malfoy, go away." came the reply from Harry who had turned to face Malfoy along with Crabbe and Goyle.
"Potter, we are getting stronger. Join us and you will live." Malfoy made his offer, which obviously had to come from his father.
Harry contemplated Malfoy's offer and said "Ok. I will think about it and write to Voldemort when I am ready." All the three new members of the compartment winced at the name.
"You think very highly of yourself, Potter." Malfoy's voice had changed back to his normal, taunting one. "So much so that you don't even care for your friends anymore."
"Tell me one thing Malfoy…" Harry queried "…when have you cared about Crabbe and Goyle? Have you ever wanted them for anything other than their brute force?"
At this question, Malfoy shifted his body weight from one leg to another and Harry could clearly tell that Malfoy was feeling uncomfortable.
"That's between us Potter." Malfoy said at last but not before Crabbe and Goyle had started muttering something between themselves. "You don't need to think about what we do or not."
"I understand Malfoy. It's just that I was trying to draw the attention of your friends to this little fact." Harry said with a sarcastic smile plastered on his face. "As for my friends, I have none now." Harry wanted to make this point clear to Malfoy so that it would reach the ears of his father.
"None Potter?" Malfoy started his teasing again. "Has the dirt-bag Weasley and the mud-blood left you?". Not getting any reply from Harry incensed Malfoy. "What is the matter, Boy-Who-Lived? Don't have any words to say?"
Malfoy and Harry stared at each other for a long minute before Malfoy finally lost his patience. "We will see whether you really have no friends or not. Hopefully this will be one heck of a year Potter…only if you live long enough". Harry knew that this was an open threat that Malfoy will try to attack his friends whenever possible and he felt quite pleased at the fact. Malfoy was surely in for a big surprise if he did anything like that. Still keeping his poker-face intact, Harry watched as Malfoy and his goons walked away with Malfoy saying something like "…of course I care about you guys…"
With a smile on his face, Harry looked at his watch and found that there was still around 30 minutes left to reach Hogwarts.
"Excuse me." came a timid voice from his side. Taking his gaze off the darkening skyline outside, Harry saw that the girl who had been sitting on other side of the compartment had come over and was standing near him. Now that she was standing so close to him he had a chance to look at her closely. The girl was a bit taller than him and had a womanly figure, unlike many others. According to Harry, she couldn't be more than 17. She had a pretty face and her overall presence was a soothing one.
"Yes?" Harry asked politely as he didn't want to be rude to anyone whom he didn't know.
"Are you Harry Potter?" asked the girl in the same timid voice.
"Yes." Harry said though inwardly he was groaning. Not another Boy-Who-Lived fan, he prayed to whoever was listening to him.
"I see. Can I sit down?" She asked politely.
Harry looked at her for a moment and then answered "I don't own this train so I don't really have the authority to answer that." The girl smiled at this reply and took a seat opposite to Harry.
"I am sorry but I couldn't help but overhear your conversations." Harry didn't say anything at this. "You don't seem to be as famous as they make you out to be." Hearing this statement, Harry felt very glad because he got the impression that this girl had only limited information about him.
"Well, it depends on which newspaper or magazine you have been following. I really don't know if I am more famous or even more infamous." Harry replied truthfully. "But I don't think that my conversations should bother you too much."
This statement gave the girl the indication that Harry had not taken too well to her passing judgments on him without knowing anything about him. Taking the hint, she let the topic drop and introduced herself. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Soha Mentieva and I am from Russia."
"You are far away from your home" Harry stated.
"England is my home now. My father works for a private company and he got posted here." Soha replied. Harry came to the conclusion that her father must be a muggle-born but didn't press the matter because he didn't know too much about businesses in the wizarding world.
"So, you are attending Hogwarts too?" Harry asked the next most logical question.
"Yes. 6'th year. Which year are you in?" Soha asked.
Harry then went on to explain that he was also in the 6'th year. On asked about the houses of Hogwarts, he described the different houses and their specialties. Soha took in each and every detail and seemed to be contemplating which house when would like to be in when the Hogwarts Express ground to a halt.
"Don't worry, the hat will take care of you." Harry said as he got off followed by Soha.
"HAT!!! What do you mean the hat will take care of me?" Soha asked with a frightened look on her face.
"You will see." was all a smiling Harry said in return.
"'ello Harry" a booming voice called out from somewhere behind. Turning back and knowing fully well who the person was, Harry gave a big smile and waved towards Hagrid. Hagrid had been one person whom Harry could really trust and who had been his first friend and there was no way Harry could behave coldly with him. Shortly, Harry entered the last Thestrals-pulled carriage along with a few other students while Soha was escorted by Hagrid along with the first year student.
Once inside the great hall, Harry went over to the Gryffindor table and instead of taking his normal place, went towards the end of the table and sat down. Everyone sitting in the Gryffindor table was looking at him strangely, or rather, everyone except for Ron. Even Hermione and Ginny were surprised by what Harry had done while Ron was furiously saying something to Hermione. For all Harry could make out, he was complaining about how naïve everyone had been and how right he had been in his prediction about Harry. Harry decided that it was best not to listen to what Ron was saying and sat quietly at his place.
Looking around the great hall, Harry saw Dumbledore looking at him. As their eye's met, both of them gave a slight nod at each other. Surveying the teachers table, Harry saw all the familiar faces along with an unexpected, but familiar face – that of Fleur Delacour. Wondering what she was doing here, Harry noticed that a number of students of the other houses were also looking curiously at his new seating arrangement. With a sigh, he got lost in his thoughts.
Soon the new students arrived for the sorting ceremony. The sorting hat sang a song predicting the destruction of the wizarding world unless everyone stood united. Most of the new students looked frightened at this but then proceeded to be sorted. One by one, most of the first years were sorted to their new houses. Harry's mind was not focused on the sorting and he was surprise when a boy sat down opposite to him and said "Harry!"
"Mark! What are you doing here?" Harry asked the kid Mark Evans who had been the object of Dudley's tortures in the park near their home.
"I learnt this summer that I was a wizard. Didn't believe it till I went to that Dragon Alley." Mark said with a huge grin on his face.
"Diagon Alley." Harry corrected him.
"Yes. I keep forgetting it. So, you are a wizard too? I though that you…" Mark trailed off and Harry understood what he was about to say.
"…that I was a criminal and went to St. Brutus, right?" Mark just nodded his head in reply. "Don't worry Mark, my aunt and uncle don't like magic so they said all those things about me." Harry explained to the little kid who was still in the same kind of awe as himself when he had first seen Hogwarts.
"They are so horrible." Mark said angrily. Though Harry couldn't help but agree with him, he felt the need to explain something to the kid.
"Mark, everyone has reasons to do what they believe is correct. They may be horrible in your sense but others might think that they are right. So, unless you know the real reasons for their behavior, don't judge them." Harry felt baffled at his own explanation. He didn't know from when he had started thinking and speaking like this. If truth be told, even a few weeks ago Harry would have done everything to see the Dursley's being tortured a bit, though not at the hands of the death eaters or Voldemort. But over the past 6 weeks, he seemed to think differently.
Harry didn't want any of them get hurt, at least not because of him. He had meditated and had seen his life at the Dursley's from a third person's point of view and he had come to the conclusion that there was some reason for the Dursley's to behave the way they did. Even if there was no logical reason for their behavior, Harry still felt that every person had a right to do what they want. Whether it leads to good or bad, it's their own decisions and they would one day reap what they have sown.
Hearing the name of Soha Mentieva being announced brought him back from his thoughts. He saw the girl get sorted to Ravenclaw and smiled back at her when their eyes met. Harry was once again lost in his thoughts about what Voldemort could be planning when the sorting ceremony finished and the headmaster stood up.
"To the new students – Welcome to Hogwarts. To the older ones – Welcome back. Should I bore you with the details now or should I wait till the feast is over?" Dumbledore threw up the question for a full fledged voting. Within a second, the unanimous decision was clear and Dumbledore announced it. "Thank you for showing this old man the correct direction." This comment led to some laughs from the students. "For now, tuck in."
The whole of the great hall was filled with students who were chattering amongst themselves and eating as much as they could. The first-years had got over their initial shock and were now enjoying one of the most delicious dinners ever while the older ones were also digging in without any reservations.
"So, is this how everyone eats here?" Mark asked Harry as he took a sip from of pumpkin juice. Some of the first year students along with a number of second year ones were in awe of the kid who was talking to Harry Potter as if it was the most normal thing to do. Harry, on the other hand, was quite grateful that Mark didn't know of his celebrity status and went on to give a description of how life was at Hogwarts. Mark looked on in awe as Harry described what he will be learning over a period of 7 years and what Hogwarts hand in store for him when…
THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…
Everyone in the great hall stopped eating and started looking at each other. There was pin-drop silence as even the smallest of the items vibrated from some unseen force whose source seemed to be related to the thumping sound. Harry looked up to see a concerned looking Dumbledore whispering something to Snape and McGonagall. At the same time, the wizard radar started thumping near his chest. Harry knew that something was wrong, gravely wrong.
THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…
Harry silently took out the wizard radar and was about to open it when he got distracted by an announcement.
"Please stay in this hall." Headmaster Dumbledore had risen from his chair and was addressing the students, some of whom were now talking furiously amongst themselves. Harry looked around to see a smug looking Malfoy staring at him and he understood that Malfoy knew what was going to happen.
THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…
Harry then saw something which he had never seen before, tension on the face of his headmaster. Dumbledore seemed to freeze for a moment and then he addressed the students once more "Move away from the doors as much as possible." This immediately led to a rush amongst the students but Dumbledore did nothing to calm them down. Evidently, the danger was too great for slow movement.
Everyone, including Harry, started to move away when…
WHAM
Harry looked around to see the gates of the great hall come down with a crash. Outside stood a group of formidable foes – 2 death eaters and 3 giants. The scenario on hand had just gone from bad to worse to a nightmarish one.
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A/N:
Ok guys, here's the 10'th chapter. I enjoyed my break and was able to fine-tune my planning's for the rest of this fic and decide about the sequel. Hopefully you guys will be able to enjoy this fic greatly.
Hope you like this chapter. If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.
And all the other guys who reviewed - Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing. Also, since this story was taken down once, I will like to inform you that if it is taken down again, I won't continue with it here anymore. The group is hppowerofhogwarts.
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