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Harry Potter and the Spiritus Crystalus
Chapter
6
Ginny…
Ginny awoke a few hours later. She felt safe wrapped in Harry's arms, but the bond was still as strong as it had been.
She considered her actions of the last few days and found herself more than a little disgusted. She had come perilously close to hurting Harry and their relationship beyond repair.
She needed to put some distance between herself and Harry so she could think. She had noted that the link was stronger the closer she was to him, so if she moved over to the couch, it should be weak enough for her to consider what had happened without disturbing him. She gently moved away from Harry, who murmured his disapproval of her leaving in his sleep.
She padded over to the couch. She could still feel his love for her, but she could also feel the hurt. It throbbed like a dull ache and she knew she had caused that. How could I have been so stupid, she raged to herself. He'd done nothing and I tore his heart out! It's just like what Great Aunt Tilly said during that summer after my first year. She said I had to learn to control my emotions or they would control me!
He's done nothing but give me his love and his trust. He's never lied to me. I can feel what he feels for me, it's so sweet and pure, but there's an underlying ache that I caused and only I can make it go away.
She looked over at Harry and vowed she'd never doubt him again and she'd prove herself worthy of his trust. Somehow, she'd find a way to master her more violent emotions. She padded back to the bed and climbed in with him. Instinctively, he reached out for her. She was surprised to discover that dull ache had retreated a little, even in that brief time.
He might forget about, but I never will, she vowed.
Harry, half awake, nuzzled against her neck. He started to kiss her neck and her shoulder; one hand slid up to cup her breast through her bra. His eyes snapped open. He wasn't just feeling his own arousal, but hers as well. The two seemed to combine, making the sensations much more intense. He looked down into her eyes, seeing his reaction echoed there.
"Now I know why people wait until after they're married to do this soul bonding thing," he said softly. Then his eyes fluttered and he moaned against her as she slid her hand into his boxers and fondled him gently.
In response, he slid a hand in her panties and they both clung to each other as the sensations washed over them. Her release caused his and for a long time afterwards they lay panting and clinging to each other.
They lay in each other's arms, talking softly. Topics ranged from school, to the fight and what caused it, their wedding, and the final fight with Voldemort. After a long while, they decided to get dressed and head back to the common room. That discussion, more than anything else, had gone a long way to healing the pain between them.
Tonks and the Twins…
As Harry and Ginny made their way to the common room, Tonks made her way to Professor McGonagall's office to work with the Stonesmith twins. McGonagall was grateful for the help; when she had worked with Tonks, she'd only been able to draw on her own experience as an animagus to help Tonks. The younger woman remembered the experience as awkward and time consuming.
Working with the twins has been an eye opening experience for Tonks. Today she would continue to help them learn to change their hair color. She'd found that small victories were better than large failures. Changing one's hair color wasn't glamorous, but it could lead to a pattern of successful attempts to control the metamorphmagus abilities.
Normally the happy go lucky metamorph would be cycling through all sorts of transformations. But in dealing with the twins she kept a strict control. She had lost control just once in front of them and they had been terrified of some of the changes they saw her go through.
When she stepped into the office she found Professor McGonagall and the twins waiting for her. McGonagall was watching the process in case she ever needed to help another metamorph in the future.
Erika's face lit up when she saw Tonks.
"TONKS!" She dragged her brother forward. "Look at what we can do!"
Erika thrust her hand under Tonks' nose and screwed up her face in concentration. Slowly, her nails grew longer. Eric looked at his long nails in disgust and shrunk them back to normal.
Tonks was startled, but decided to let it pass for the moment. "That was excellent Eric, Erika! Have you been working on your exercises to change your hair color to blond?"
The two screwed up their faces in concentration and their hair started to lighten.
"Eric…" Erika whined. "Stop trying to make it blue!"
"Am not!" Eric said.
"Are too!" replied Erika.
Tonks snickered. "Now concentrate. Make your hair blond."
Slowly, their hair changed to a very dirty blond with a just a hint of blue at the tips.
Even McGonagall was pleased with the results. Tonks sent them a huge grin and told them how proud she was of their effort, though it had clearly tired them. She showed them a simple exercise, which might make the hair color change easier.
Eric was clearly not shy around his sister, but around everyone else, he was. As the lesson ended for the day, he moved behind Erika again.
"Are you really an Auror Tonks?" he asked from behind his sister.
"Yes, I'm an Auror. Who told you that?" Tonks asked.
"Oh, Professor Harry did. He said you were a great Auror, and his Auntie!" volunteered Erika. Eric nodded in agreement over her shoulder.
"Oh he did, did he? I'll have to remember to thank him appropriately," she replied.
After the twins left, Tonks turned to McGonagall. "Minerva, did you see? They're truly linked! What one does, the other can undo, or influence."
"Yes Nymphadora, I've been watching them closely for some weeks now and came to that conclusion myself. The truly sad part is, sooner or later, we'll have to split them up so they can learn to change themselves without influencing the other," said McGonagall.
"I suppose you're right, but I wonder if, at a later date, they couldn't use something like Occulumency to learn to shield themselves from each other? Assuming we could even get them apart long enough to try it. They're too young for Occulumency now, but it's something we may want to consider in a few years."
"An excellent suggestion, Nymphadora. I will make the Headmaster aware of it."
"Not to change the subject, but how's Harry? Remus told me what happened."
McGonagall frowned for a moment. "He had a nasty shock, but he and Miss Weasley seem to have patched things up. I think we all tend to forget that, despite being one of the most powerful wizards on record, he really has only begun to heal from his past with those muggles.
"I have no doubt that Miss Weasley will play an important part in that healing. But she also has the ability to hurt him, which she's only now coming to realize. I think that, ultimately, this will make their relationship stronger and probably have a bigger impact on Miss Weasley than it will on Harry."
"They are good for each other, Minerva. I'd like to say they are still kids, but to be honest, I don't know of any kid who's lived like Harry has. At times, he has an almost ancient look in his eyes. It's like he had a world of burdens on his shoulders and never had time to be a child. Ginny sometimes seems to be the same but you can still see the child in her if you look close enough."
The two women looked at each other before staring off, lost in their own thoughts.
The common room…
Ron and Hermione were sitting on a couch near a fireplace. Ron was working on his Quidditch playbook. He was the team captain for the Hogwarts Hornbacks this year. Hermione glanced up when Ginny and Harry came in through an entrance. Hermione was more than a little afraid, talking with Harry and Ginny. As far as she was concerned, it had been her, Hermione Jane Granger, who had been responsible for nearly causing the breakup of her two best friends.
Spotting the two, Ginny and Harry headed over to the couch and sat down with them.
"Harry…" Hermione began, but Harry cut her off.
"'Mione, please, let me say this. I know what you did and I can understand why. But please, in the future, let's not keep any secrets from each other. This mess could have been cleared up so easily if you hadn't kept it secret. I don't hate you for it, and I'm not angry. You're family. We need to work together. Just don't do that again. Please?"
Hermione could see the plea in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. Standing, she turned and knelt between her two friends. She reached up a hand to touch both of them, her lower lip trembling. "I'm so sorry Harry, Ginny. I never meant to hurt either of you."
Harry and Ginny pulled Hermione into a three-way hug. Harry reached out with an arm and snagged a protesting Ron into a four-way hug.
Wan Chang watched the four hug from a nearby table. She wanted to throw up at the sight of two purebloods hugging a mudblood and a halfblood. Shuddering, she went back to rereading the latest letter from Danny. He had promised to meet her in Hogsmeade and told her he would reserve a room at the Three Broomsticks for them. He hinted that he may have her engagement ring by then. He also reminded her to let him know when she would use the powder.
When can I use that? It would have to be some time when the common room and dorms are nearly empty, she thought. That's not going to be easy. There's almost always someone around, unless there's a Quidditch match… Quidditch! Yes, that will work.
Wan went back to reading her letter, a slight smile on her lips.
The Dream…
Ginny had joined Harry again in his bed, but they were both physically and emotionally tired. The link between them had started to fade. It wasn't gone entirely, but some of the intensity had diminished.
Ginny lay in his arms. Harry had cast a silencing charm on the bed when she climbed in. Now the two were talking softly.
"How could I have been so stupid as to not trust you, Harry? You saved my life in the chamber, and many other times," she said softly against his shoulder.
Harry pulled her chin up gently so he could look into her eyes. "Are you still having bad dreams about the chamber, Gin?"
"No, not any more love. Not since the pensieve images at your birthday," she replied.
"You weren't stupid, Gin. Hermione was right in her own way, and I do worry about you. I just know not to try to openly protect you like that. I know you're good enough and can take care of yourself. However, if Voldemort comes after you, would you mind if I stepped in to protect you? Just a little bit?"
She nodded at him and gently kissed his shoulder, her hair tracing a thousand tickles across his arm. He shuddered in delight and tightened his grip on her. In a few minutes he was asleep.
Ginny lay awake, doing one of her favorite things; watching Harry. Even in sleep, he reached out for her. Sometimes he had bad dreams and her touch and voice would soothe him. Occasionally, he'd have a normal dream and he'd mumble in his sleep, saying amusing things she could tease him about.
She grinned as he started to mumble. He was dreaming.
It was a beautiful day. Harry was sitting out by their picnic spot. Looking around, he saw Ginny as she came bouncing around the big rock, carrying a picnic basket. Spotting Harry, she ran over to him and kissed him. Harry held her, delighting in how every soft curve of her body melted against him.
When they finally broke the embrace Ginny exclaimed, "I got the lunch!" and she held up the picnic basket.
She spread a blanket out and knelt down on it. Harry laid on his side, watching as she pulled items from the basket. Every so often, she'd turn and place an item directly into his mouth. Some cheese, a strawberry, a cracker.
Harry was astounded by both her beauty and her vitality. Her dress clung to every curve. He watched every move she made.
Finally, she turned to him and asked, "Would you like a sandwich, Harry?"
"I'll take anything from you Gin," he replied.
She opened one half of the lid to the picnic basket and removed the sword of Godric Gryffindor and handed it to him. It was impossible! The sword was three times the size of the basket, but she pulled it out anyway!
Ginny turned to rummage around in the basket again, her rump wiggling enticingly and she asked, "Harry, would you like some mustard to go with that sandwich?"
Harry gaped at her. Mustard on a sword? Suddenly the scene shifted.
It was a beautiful day. Harry was sitting out by their picnic spot. Looking around, he saw Ginny as she came bouncing around the big rock, carrying a picnic basket. Spotting Harry, she ran over to him and kissed him…
The Great Hall, breakfast…
Harry and Ginny strode into the Great Hall holding hands. Except for that odd dream he had had, he felt refreshed.
"Professor Harry!" shouted a little voice. "Come sit with us today!"
Harry grinned at Erika who was waving frantically and pointing to the two empty seats at their table.
"Well Gin? Shall we go sit with the little kids today?" he asked with a grin.
"Why not, Professor Harry? You're their favorite teacher," she replied smiling.
The two made their way over to the table filled with first year students. Harry was thrilled to see that Erika and Eric had made friends with kids their own age. But it seemed they had arrived at the table during a fight between Eric and Erika. Apparently Erika kept changing their hair blond and Eric kept adding a blue tint to it.
Erika finally had enough. "Professor Harry, make him stop. He keeps making our hair blue!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Have either of you ever thought about just changing yourself, rather than changing both?" Harry asked.
Both kids looked at him with sympathy. Erika said, "But we're twins! We've always done things together."
Ginny slapped Harry playfully on the arm and said, "Yeah, they're twins! Don't you know about twins?"
He grinned at her, then turned back to the twins. "But you don't do everything together. You sleep in separate dorms and someday, Eric will have a girlfriend, and Erika will have a boyfriend."
Erika rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I'll have a boyfriend, and he's going to treat me just like you treat your girlfriend! She's just lucky I'm not older or I'd steal you away from her." Erika pointed at Ginny.
Eric tugged insistently on Erika's robe, she turned and he whispered something in her ear.
"No Eric! She's too old for you!"
Ginny's eye's bulged. Harry placed a hand on her arm. "You don't want her Eric. This one bites," he whispered loud enough for the whole table to hear.
Ginny turned a shade of red and started to retort but Eric asked, "If she bites, then why do you have her?"
Ginny turned to Harry and arched her eyebrows at him. "Yes, Professor Harry. Why do you?"
Harry leaned forward to the table and motioned everyone else to lean in. He looked around carefully like he was about to divulge a secret. Then he said, "Here's the secret to finding a girlfriend or boyfriend. Find a friend first, someone that makes you happy to be with. Then, a habit like biting won't bother you."
Then he leaned back and conjured a white lily, which he placed behind Ginny's ear. The group of first years broke up into a fit of giggles.
There was a polite cough behind Harry and all heads at the table jerked up and most gasped. Professor Dumbledore smiled gently at them.
"Professor Potter, when you're done with your breakfast, might I have a word with you in my office please?"
"Of course, Headmaster."
"And how are you today, Miss Weasley?" he asked.
"I'm better Headmaster. I think I've finally figured out what I have to do," Ginny said quietly.
"Excellent, Miss Weasley. As you have a free hour after lunch, please come to my office then. Oh, Professor Potter, this may interest you," he said, handing Harry a slip of parchment.
He then looked at his youngest charges and smiled. "Might I suggest you try one of the chocolate éclairs? They're quite good this morning."
As he walked away, a tray of éclairs appeared on the table. The students squealed as one and lunged for the tray.
Harry opened the parchment.
Harry,I thought you would like to know the results of your examinations.
Charms, Theory O, Practical O
Transfiguration, Theory E, Practical O
DADA, Theory O, Practical O+
These results are most excellent Harry! You are excused from these classes for the remainder of the school year. You are also the only student in 200 years who has achieved an Outstanding with Distinction in Defense Against the Dark Arts. These grades put you well within reach of your goal as a Professor here at Hogwarts, and they have been filed with the Ministry as well as the Board of Governors. Again, well done Harry, you have every right to feel proud of these scores.
Albus DumbledoreHeadmaster, Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As he passed the note to Ginny, he felt a tug on his robe. "Are you in trouble with the Headmaster Professor Harry? You have to go to his office after breakfast!" said Erika in a whisper, her eyes clearly showing her worry.
"Don't worry, Erika. If he gets out of line, I'll turn him into a goat," he replied, causing the students to giggle once more.
Ginny handed Harry back the parchment and whispered in his ear, "I'm so proud of you love!"
Headmaster's office…
Harry didn't know why the Headmaster wanted to see him, unless it was about his absence from the school for the last few days. Once again he approached the gargoyle guarding the entrance. Without a word, the Gargoyle sprang to life and started the staircase moving. Harry stepped onto it and rode the staircase up.
Entering the Headmaster's office, he noted that Professors Snape and McGonagall were present, along with another gentleman he didn't know. Dumbledore was in his usual place behind his desk.
"Ah Harry, come in, come in!" Dumbledore waved him in.
As Harry took a seat, he said, "Sir, if this is about my absence for the last few days, I can…"
"No my boy, that's quite alright. These things happen. But that's not the reason I called you here today. Let me introduce you to Mr. Smythe from the Ministry's Department of Mysteries. Thanks to a request by our Minister, they performed an exhaustive search of their archives and, unfortunately, didn't find anything in regard to your crystal. However, Mr. Smythe here remembered running across something a long time ago and he wanted to show it to you."
"Ahem, yes well, it was a long time ago and I was just a new employee when they had me cleaning out some storerooms," the gray haired man began. "I came upon a box, which I've brought with me today. The box apparently contains a shard of an essence stone. At least, that is what the label says. I looked at it back then, but it was only a small piece of a larger gem."
Smythe placed the box on the Headmasters desk and carefully opened it. Inside, resting on a velvet cushion was a small sliver of crystal, perhaps two inches long and an inch wide.
Harry leaned forward intently, staring at the sliver. "May I, Sir?"
Smythe nodded.
Harry carefully pulled the sliver out of the box and laid it in the palm of his hand. His eyes grew brighter and he started to murmur, "Yes, I can see it now. And it's not a naturally occurring stone at all. It's one hundred percent man made. It's very fragile, like an egg. No, even more fragile."
Harry's eyes grew distant and he turned his other hand palm upwards. The hand holding the shard became enveloped in a bright blue nimbus. His other hand glowed white as sparks began to appear, fly to a center point above his palm and vanish.
Smythe made a move to stop Harry, but all three teachers waved for him not to move. Slowly, Harry rebuilt the Essence Stone, using the map given to him by the shard. It was complex, made up of elements that normally weren't found in crystals at all. Eventually, the sparkling of new pieces stopped and he carefully levitated the shard back into its box. Floating above his other hand was an egg sized stone that could best be described as sky blue. The stone pulsated with a light of its own.
He conjured a cushion and levitated the stone onto it before he leaned back with a sigh.
"My word! How extraordinary! Is that a complete Essence Stone, Mr. Potter?" asked Smythe.
"Yes, Sir. The pulsation is tied to the binding between the elements. As the pulsation dims, the binding loosens until it becomes very fragile. Right now it's pretty stable and will remain that way for a couple months. That's why Essence Stones broke apart so easily. Once the pulsation stopped, the stone could be broken with a kiss. It also explains why the practice didn't last. They probably couldn't come up with an Essence Stone that wouldn't break apart after a few months.
"My word Potter, it's beautiful. I've never seen anything quite like it," breathed McGonagall.
Harry nodded. "Yes, it's unique. It's not a naturally occurring stone at all. These stones were obviously man made from elements which wouldn't occur together in nature."
Harry looked to Dumbledore, "There you go, Sir, one Essence Stone. Something tells me it's very important, but I don't know why. I'll have Hermione talk to you about it. Perhaps now that we have one, we can figure out what good it is. It's far too fragile to channel magic. You already have my notes on it, and I can make as many as may be needed now."
Headmaster's office, after lunch…
Ginny approached the Headmaster's office with fear. He had been painfully clear yesterday how he had felt about her actions. She was afraid she was in for another tongue lashing today.
She knocked on the door, opened it when bid and entered the room.
"Come in, Miss Weasley. Please, have a seat," Dumbledore said. "Would you care for a lemon drop?"
"No, thank you, Professor," Ginny replied, sitting in a chair before the Headmaster's desk. She began to squirm as Dumbledore stared at her over his glasses. "Professor?" she asked when he remained silent. "Have I done something wrong?"
"Beyond the obvious, my dear?"
"Professor?" she questioned.
"I wouldn't say that it's so much something you've done, as something that is a part of you."
"A part of me?"
"Don't tell me you cannot see the flaw. I assure you, it is quite obvious to anyone who spends time with you."
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
"Miss Weasley," he said softly, "your most obvious flaw is something you and your brother both suffer from. A flaw passed on from your mother."
Ginny's eyes widened and her anger flared. She opened her mouth, ready to jump to her family's defense, but paused at the last minute. Closing her mouth, she glared at the Headmaster, but remained silent. The anger was there, but she refused to rise to the old man's insult.
Dumbledore nodded approvingly and continued. "Yes, I do see you've come to recognize the problem. Your mother was famous for her temper and you and your brother inherited it from her. Now, I'm not here to cast disparagement on your family, but I am here to offer you a chance to learn to control that temper. I understand that Harry has taught you enough Occulumency to develop impressive shields. It is but a small step from Occulumency to Legilimency. I believe that if you learn even just the basics of that art, you will learn to master your emotions better."
Ginny gaped at him. Me? Be a Legilimens? On the other hand, if it could help…
Dumbledore smiled gently at her. "I see you understand the advantages of what I'm offering you, Ginevra. I believe that even if you fail to master the art, just understanding and learning the basic exercises will help you learn to control your negative emotions better."
"I understand Professor, and I really appreciate this. I don't want to ever make this kind of mistake again," she said softly.
He nodded at her understandingly. "You will still find there will be times when you will be angry with Harry, my dear. He is a most stubborn man. But if we can teach you how to express that anger in a better way, then you'll both be happier. Now then, I will expect to see you right after lunch on Monday's, Wednesdays, and Fridays."
"Yes sir, and thank you sir," she said softly.
"Since you're here, let us begin the first lesson. Clear your mind using your Occulumens method…."
Later that night…
A forth year student made her way to the common room after spending an hour completing a particularly difficult potion assignment. She never had a chance to scream when she was grabbed from behind.
Harry, Ron and Ginny were sitting in the common room. Harry was tired. He had spent part of his day working with his advanced defense class. Then he helped Professor Snape in his regular DADA classes. Later, he'd visited the Auror academy where they were training the Ministry soldiers.
Fortunately, Jack was providing a lot of help with the last one, and Kingsley had called Alastor Moody out of retirement to help teach the new spells that they were being given. The ministry didn't know that, on the suggestion of Blaise, they were getting only a subset of the much larger set of spells being taught to the Phoenix Brigade. Hermione had selectively labeled several spells as being "under development" and those had been held back from the Ministry.
Right now, Harry was sitting with Ginny, just enjoying her company and watching Eric trounce Ron again in Wizard's chess. So far, the two had played 52 games, and the best Ron had managed was a draw on four of them.
Erika sat nearby working on her transfiguration homework. The brother and sister had taken to spending a little time with the older students in the evenings. Harry and his friends didn't mind. Ron got himself a chess partner, and Erika could usually get homework help from Hermione.
Ginny leaned close to Harry and whispered, "I don't know about you, but I'm really liking that bond the Headmaster created. I wish it weren't fading. I can barely feel you now."
"There are other ways of achieving the same results, love," he whispered back. But Dumbledore's right, we don't want that particular spell to be made permanent until after we're married. If you're interested sometime, I'll show you a few tricks we can do."
Harry's conversation was interrupted a short while later when Hermione joined them, looking worried.
"'Mione? What's wrong?" Harry asked, eying her.
"One of our fourth years was attacked tonight. She's in the infirmary right now with multiple broken bones. One of the prefects found her and then came to get me. Her name is Molly Anderson. Do you know her?"
"Anderson, she's a fourth year, from Ravenclaw if I remember rightly." His eyes narrowed and his face formed into a scowl, "She's a…" his eyes darted to the two first year students, leaving the word unsaid.
"Yes, Harry, she is," replied Hermione.
Harry looked at a wall clock, then turned to the two twins. "Sorry guys, but I think it's time for you to get to bed."
Protesting, they went up to their dorms. Ron, on the other hand, looked relieved that Harry had saved him from another crushing defeat. He reset the board and looked at Harry hopefully. Harry shook his head.
"Sorry Ron, not tonight. See if you can find Blaise and Neville, and bring them down here. Hermione, find Luna please. I think its time we have a talk among the command group of the Phoenix Brigade."
A few minutes later, the group was assembled. Harry conjured some extra chairs for them to sit in, and then cast a silencing charm around the group.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice. I'm not sure, but we might have a problem. I've heard rumors of lower year students, fourth, third, second and even a few first year students that have been beaten up recently. Mostly, these are rumors and the people involved have refused comment. But in my DADA classes, I've seen some of the bruises the kids are trying to hide.
"Now Hermione tells me that Molly Anderson is in the infirmary with several broken bones. All of these kids are muggleborn, halfbloods or close friends with one of those two groups. Molly is a muggleborn.
"Blaise, I think it's time to get together with Hermione and build up a list of possible targets. I'd ask Ron to help but, since tomorrow is his first Quidditch match as Captain of the Hornbacks, I'm not going to pull him away from that for now. Let's plan on meeting this time next week and see if we can shake out some information in the meantime.
"Oh, and Hermione? Just because I gave you something new to do doesn't mean I expect you to miss Ron playing tomorrow," He added with a smirk, ducking the throw pillow she tossed at his head.
First Quidditch Match of the season, 2nd weekend of October…
It was a chilly overcast Saturday. Harry, Ginny and Hermione sat in the stand closet to the Horntails goal posts so they could get a better view of Ron. The three friends sat huddled under a blanket and watched the game, drinking the Hot Chocolate that Harry had conjured for them. In short order, several other people noticed the drinks and Harry was conjuring hot drinks for everyone, including several of the teachers.
"Harry, do you miss playing?" asked Ginny. She had been watching him throughout the game and it was a question that had bugged her since last year.
"Yeah, I do, very much. There's something about zooming around the pitch on my Firebolt at top speed that just makes me want to shout for joy."
"I'm sorry you had to give it up," she said softly
Harry shrugged. "I'm not all that upset, Gin. I can still fly my broom. Besides, between you and 'Mione, we'll put together more than enough kids for a team of our own."
When Hermione turned to glare at him, Ginny laughed and said, "Harry thinks we're going to have four children, 'Mione. That means three for you and Ron."
"Oh, so you've mastered the art of Divination have you, Harry James Potter?" Hermione asked acidly.
"Mastered? Merlin no. Just call it a hunch if you will. I drew a picture of Ginny in front of a house and then I started adding children in the front yard. I stopped at four because it felt right. It's hard to explain, but lately some things have just felt right."
The friends turned their eyes back to the game in time to see the opposing team with the quaffle. One of the chasers was about to throw the quaffle into a ring when it changed into an octopus and grabbed hold of the player.
Harry's eye's narrowed and he scanned the field. He laughed suddenly when he spotted the twins sneaking from the pitch. He nudged Ginny, who eyed the twins retreating backs and joined him in his laughter.
Meanwhile, the player with the octopus started screaming and attempting to pull the sticky creature off of herself. Not paying attention to where she was flying, she hit the goal post had and fell to the ground, the quaffle next to her.
The game played on and no one noticed the lone owl winging away from Hogwarts to deliver its message.
Harry watched with keen interest as the seeker for the Hornbacks spotted the snitch. He nudged Ginny again and they watch the seekers from both teams race towards the golden ball.
"The Banshee seeker is going to crash if he doesn't pull out," Harry commented.
A moment later, the seeker plowed a furrow in the ground and went flipping head over heels in the dirt.
"See! Amateurs!"
Both Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes at Harry's comment. The next minute they were on their feet, shouting as the Hornbacks seeker caught the snitch.
Somewhere in England, Location Unknown…
Voldemort listened to his servants with a contented glee. For once, everything was going well.
"My lord, we have successfully tested out our floo trap, so that is all prepared. We have received word of everything being ready in Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Finally, considering the success of our last night of fires, we've doubled the number of teams to be ready for the next night of fires," said Wormtail.
"Excellent Wormtail, most excellent. I see that you really are competent now that you're out from under the shadow of Lucius and Bellatrix. I must think up a suitable reward for you."
Voldemort turned to another Death Eater. "What of the muggle Grangers? Have they been found yet?"
Wormtail shuffled back to his position, grateful that he wasn't responsible for the next set of reports.
"No, Master. We've searched everywhere. We believe that Dumbledore may be hiding them," the Death Eater stammered out.
Voldemort snarled and turned to another. "What about the Goblins? Are they willing to talk yet?"
"N-N-No, Master. The Goblin representative instructed me to pass along a message to you, stating that the Goblin nation intends to provide its full support behind the Ministry and Harry Potter," stuttered another Death Eater.
"POTTER!" Voldemort roared, causing the people in the room to flinch. "I WILL HAVE MY WAY WITH YOU SOON ENOUGH, POTTER!"
"Nagini," Voldemort hissed.
The huge snake uncurled itself from the back of his chair and leaned its head forward.
"Yes, my master," hissed the snake.
"You may have that one," he said pointing at the now blubbering Death Eater.
"Thank you, my lord," replied the snake.
Dreams and Nightmares…
It was just two days after the Quidditch game. Next weekend would be the first Hogsmeade weekend of the month.
Harry slept, drifting from one hazy image to another on the currents of his dreams. Relaxed and unbound he floated, as new images solidified around him.
Harry looked around. This was the living room of his Parent's place in Godric Hallow!
A much younger Remus brushed by him.
"Hi Harry!" he said as he passed.
"Umm… Hi Remus," he replied weakly.
Then Lily walked in. "Harry! You must be starving! Here, let me make you something to eat."
She rushed from the room and returned a moment later with a large sandwich, which she put into his hands.
"Your such a good boy, Harry. We're proud of you, my son," she whispered sadly.
She guided him over to the couch. As he sat down, Snuffles ran into the room and transformed into Sirius.
"Lily, look at his sandwich! YOU FORGOT THE CHEESE!" He roared at her.
From the corner, Remus whipped out his wand shouting, "CHEESE! YOU CANNOT FORGET THE CHEESE"
Harry looked aghast as the sandwich in his hands transformed into the sword of Godric Gryffindor.
"Too much emphasis, Moony old boy. And you flicked when you should have swished," said Sirius smugly.
Harry was laughing too hard to hold onto the sword. It slipped and fell to the floor.
Ginny woke up when Harry started giggling. She could tell he was asleep, but he was giggling in his sleep! She had never heard of such a thing. She was about to start giggling right along with him when his expression changed to one of horror.
The scene suddenly shifted and a cold wind ran across his back, causing him to shudder violently.
He was in the death chamber again. Only now the room was full of people, all the people he considered family and friends.
He blinked and tried to scream, he tried to move. One by one his friends turned to look at him sadly before entering the veil.
Ginny was the last. She looked older somehow, more beautiful than ever. In her arms, she held a small infant who looked at him with bright red hair and green eyes.
Ginny looked at him and said, "You're not listening, Harry. That's why we all had to die. You killed us because you didn't listen!"
The baby altered shape and suddenly Ginny was carrying a sword.
With that, she and the sword walked into the veil.
Harry screamed, his voice suddenly free again. "GINNY! NOOOO!"
Harry started to thrash about. He was mumbling something she couldn't understand, but she could hear the anguish in his voice. She tried to hold him and comfort him, but it wasn't working tonight.
The scene shifted again. He was in number 4 Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon was bearing down on him and he reached for his sword. His Sword? No, he wanted a wand, not a sword. He dropped the sword and searched frantically for his wand.
Harry looked up to see a fist coming at him. He collapsed and whimpered, "No! Please don't hit me, uncle Vernon. Noooo!"
For a brief moment, a glowing light appeared above the bed, and then it faded and was gone.
As the light disappeared, Harry awoke. He curled up into a tight ball, trembling violently. Ginny wrapped her arms around him.
"Shhh love, it was only a nightmare. It's all right, Harry," she breathed.
As Ginny's softly repeated words reached him, he relaxed and drifted off to sleep once more.
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts…
Albus Dumbledore was reading over some of his correspondence and pondering the Essence Stone, sitting under a glass case on his desk, it's soft pulsations somewhat comforting.
After reading and rereading Harry's notes about the stone, he couldn't help but be drawn to the fact that every use Harry had found for this crystal was related to a death ritual.
I wonder if our Harry has given me an answer to my puzzle of how to kill an immortal soul, he mused. Wait, perhaps it's not killing that is necessary. If the stone can trap it, and then…and then…what? If the stone can hold the soul, what do you do with it once it's inside? You have but a few months before the stone becomes too fragile to move, according to Harry. What do you do with it?
He scratched his head in bewilderment. As he saw it, there were two distinct problems. The first was, if the stone could hold a soul, then how to get the soul into the stone without destroying the stone in the process? Secondly, what does one do with a stone that contains an evil soul? Even if the stone was hidden in the most protected vault at Gringots, someone could get it. Gringots had been broken into before, after all. And sooner or later, the stone would break down anyway.
Dumbledore sighed. And if that wasn't pressing enough, the Ministry had asked that he, Severus and Serena attend a meeting Wednesday to discuss how to improve the Anti-Cruciatus potion they had invented. He was beginning to feel pressure closing in from all around him.
Merlin if this is how pressed I feel, Harry must feel ten times worse! He thought.
Tuesday Morning DADA class for third years (3rd week in October)…
The morning's DADA class went reasonably well. The students were learning about magical creatures and spent part of their time dealing with the class Boggart. What bothered him however was that the class seemed to be shifting the seating arrangement. It was subtle though. Over the past few weeks, some of the students had moved to the back of the class.
It was only today that he realized that they were all muggleborn or halfblood students. After the class, he decided to mention it to Professor Snape.
"Professor? Have you noticed the new seating arrangements in today's class?"
Severus frowned for a moment. "Come to think of it, I did notice that some students had shifted places. But it didn't seem all that significant," he replied.
"Sir, you heard about what happened to Molly Anderson?" Harry asked.
"Yes. I understand she'll be fine Harry," he said, eyeing the young man carefully. Something about Harry's line of questions was starting to bother him.
"Sir, Molly is a muggleborn. All of the students who have moved to the back of the class are muggleborn or halfbloods. Am I just imagining a connection here? Has Mad-Eye finally made me as paranoid as he is? It just seems off to me…odd," Harry said softly.
Severus scowled. "I don't think there is anything to be worried about Harry, but I'll speak with Mrs. Snape tonight and see if she had noticed anything unusual."
"Thank you, Sir."
Warbangers and Sour Grapes…
Serena walked into the infirmary to talk to Poppy. The medi-witch had been using a number of potions lately and Serena needed to make sure she had enough on hand.
She was surprised to see Poppy working on two patients. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, both looked like they had lost a war with sword wielding midgets. Their pants were torn to shreds from the knees down and their legs were covered in hundreds of small cuts.
Serena had taken the opportunity to look up the twin's records and was surprised to discover they had dropped out of school after achieving only three OWLS. Their scores were dreadful, and yet they now owned a highly successful and innovative joke shop, and were actively developing weapons for Harry. She strongly suspected that they had deliberately thrown their scores while here at school.
Both twins looked up and broke into grins as Serena walked in. Fred was holding a box tight to his chest. Eyeing it curiously, she noticed that the box trembled intermittently.
"What have you two gotten yourselves into this time?" asked Serena.
"We were testing…" started Fred.
"…a new product…" continued George.
"…for speed and endurance," ended Fred.
"Well, judging by your legs, I'd say it's got more speed than either of you," Serena said.
She blinked at the low growl that came from the box that Fred was holding.
Fred waved a hand airily. "It's no big deal…"
"…just a matter of adjusting the mix really," continued George.
"Besides we did catch most of them…" added Fred happily.
"And our interns will catch the rest," finished George.
"Interns? Oh, you mean the students you've hired." Serena's eyes narrowed and she walked to the window to look at the Warbangers building. In the distance, she could make out three students being chased by some sort of low, blue mass that seemed to flow like water over the ground. Through the closed window, she could just make out the faint sound of screaming.
She turned back to the twins and raised an eyebrow. "You're interns are the ones currently being caught, I think. Madam Pomfrey's going to be in for a busy day, it seems. So tell me, what's chasing the kids, and will it require Auror intervention?" she asked dryly.
George pulled out a glass vial and handed it to her. Inside was, well, she couldn't tell what it was. It was round, about the size of a marble, dark, angry purple in color, and it blinked two tiny eyes at her. When she tilted the vial to get a better look at it, the thing inside bared small, sharp teeth and kicked the side of the glass with a tiny foot.
"We call them…" started George.
"…The Grapes of Wrath," finished Fred.
Looking at their shining, happy faces, bloody, tattered clothing and oozing wounds, she almost pitied Voldemort having to face these two. With that thought, Serena sat on an empty bed and started to laugh.
The twins gaped at her. A Professor, laughing at something they'd done? Lectures, they were used to. Yelling, they'd come to expect. But laughter?
George leaned over to Fred and whispered, "Has she gone mental, then?"
"Well, she did marry Snape," Fred said wisely.
"That would explain the twisted sense of humor, wouldn't it?" George asked.
Serena bent over, holding her sides as tears streamed down her face.
Hogwarts Infirmary, Wednesday afternoon…
The infirmary was empty today. Madam Pomfrey was working on her inventory notes when Professor McGonagall stepped into her office.
"Minerva! How nice for you to visit. Please tell me you haven't escorted another injured student here for me?" said Madam Pomfrey.
McGonagall smiled. "No Poppy, not today. However we have had a floo call from Hogsmeade. It seems that Rosemerta's niece Cindy is in labor and no one can find Healer Aberson. They have asked if you could come assist?"
Madam Pomfrey looked around at the empty beds. It had been so long since she had helped with a birthing. They were such special occasions, so happy!
"Let me get my cloak and bag Minerva, and I'll leave straight away," said Poppy.
"If you don't mind Poppy, I think I'll come with you. If I know Rosemerta, she'll be wearing a hole in the floor with her pacing. I'll be able to keep her calm. Besides, Albus will be back shortly from that conference and I'm done with classes for the day."
"Thank you, Minerva. I would be happy for the company," replied Poppy.
Donning her cloak and checking her bag, the two women left the infirmary and headed to the Entrance Hall.
The Ministry Conference…
It had been a long, boring conference, sitting around listening to possible approaches to improving the potion that Serena and Severus had invented. Ministry healers were hoping to find something that was capable of providing at least a four-hour protection time, and perhaps also incorporate the Crucio restorative features into it as well.
While it was a worthwhile endeavor, Ministry potion developers seemed to be the most boring of speakers. It was with no small sigh of relief that Albus, Serena and Severus finally left the room after a long day.
The three conversed with Kingsley Shacklebolt for a moment. Kingsley, as head of the Aurors, had a keen interest in seeing the potion improved. With a parting wave, the three teachers entered the queue for the waiting floo.
Dumbledore knew immediately that something was wrong when he stepped into the floo. The movement was jerky, not smooth. Reaching for his wand, he cast a shield as he stepped from the floo.
Barely a minute later, both Severus and Serena stepped out of the floo. They were shocked to find themselves in a room with no apparent exits other than the fireplace they'd just stepped out of. Albus was bending over a bound Death Eater, removing his wand. There were four other Death Eaters bound. Severus immediately went to help.
Serena opened a small pouch at her belt and tossed a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace. Nothing happened.
"Albus, were are we?" she asked.
"It appears Serena, we have been intercepted while in transit. As to where we are, that is hard to say. These five," he gestured at the Death Eaters, "were lying in wait when I came through. Since the floo doesn't work, we may have to wait until these revive enough to find out how they expected to leave this place," he replied.
Serena nodded and started checking the walls for illusions, or other spells which might hide an exit.
Meeting of the Phoenix Brigade…
Harry was uneasy. His locket had thumped against him several times today and he still couldn't see a reason for it. The Brigade was busy working on coordination drills. He had walked the floor several times, but there really wasn't much for him to do. Jack and Ron had them well in hand.
Finally, he turned to Ginny. "Keep them working for another ten minutes, then let them go, Gin. I think I'll head up to the common room early tonight."
Ginny looked at him with concern. "Are you ok, Harry?"
"I don't know. I just had this feeling that something's happening. Something bad. I wanted to watch those new grenadier squads, but I think we should be up in the common room tonight. You saw how few teachers were at dinner."
"All right. Wait a moment though. I'll tell Hermione and join you." Ginny dashed off to speak with Hermione who glanced at Harry with worry.
Somewhere in England, Location unknown…
"Report," snarled Voldemort.
"Master, the floo trap has been triggered," said the bowing Death Eater.
"Finally!" he snapped.
The link had been available to him for nearly six days now and he had held back. With everything in place, now was the time to strike!
The common room…
The two left the Room of Requirement and headed for the common room. Upon entering, they were shocked to see a group of fifth year students had cornered a bunch of first year students. Wan Chang was screaming at them.
"STUPID MUDBLOODS! YOU WILL DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO!"
Harry scowled, seeing Eric and Erika were in the center of the group, clutching each other in fear.
"Chang," Harry said, walking towards the group, "that's one month detention with Mr. Filch. Say another word and it will be a year."
Wan whirled on Harry. "You'll get yours Potter! You can't protect yourself, let alone these filthy mudbloods!"
"That'll be a year's detention, Miss, Chang. Would you care to go for two?" Harry asked calmly.
With a murderous look, Wan turned towards the dorms, her friends following. The sounds of their vicious laughter drifting back towards Harry. Ginny moved around between the first years, trying to calm them. Most relaxed as soon as Harry and Ginny appeared.
Ginny was talking to a young girl when she felt someone grip her leg tightly. She looked down to see Eric clutching at her.
"What's wrong with Professor Harry?" he whispered, his eyes full of fear.
Ginny whipped her head around to see Harry clutching at his scar and staggering drunkenly around the common room. She paled as Harry reared backwards, screaming, and collapsed, landing on one of the small coffee tables. He writhed in agony and slowly slid off the table onto the floor. Ginny broke from her stasis and sprinted over to him.
He had his hands plastered to his forehead and blood trickled from underneath them. Only the whites of his eyes were visible and his body was wracked by spasms.
Eric and Erika had followed Ginny and now clung to each other, terrified at what they were seeing.
The doors to the common room burst open as Brigade member's poured in. Hearing Harry's screams, they drew their wands.
Ginny looked up as Ron and Hermione rushed over. She was struggling to keep Harry still.
"Ron help me! Hermione, his salve! It's on his nightstand."
Neville and Luna stepped up to help Ron with Harry, his screams now bringing down some of the students from their dorm rooms.
Wan, standing at one bottom of one of the stairways, barked a laugh and said, "Filthy halfblood! I knew he'd get his!" Her voice carried over Harry's screams of agony.
Ron looked up from holding Harry's shoulders down. He spotted Blaise and ordered him to clear the room of all but Brigade members.
As the security team moved out, Blaise grabbed Wan roughly. Over her shrieks and protests, he forced her from the room none to gently.
Hermione came rushing down from the boy's dorm and handed Ginny the pot of salve. She reached in and put a small amount on Harry's scar, but he continued to writhe and thrash around. The salve had no effect! Ginny looked at her fingers and gasped. Her fingers hadn't changed color. Always before they turned green!
"'Mione! Something's wrong with the salve! It didn't change the color of my fingers!" she gasped, holding them up for her friend to see.
Hermione looked stricken. "Does he have any more?"
"Yes! There should be two extra pots in his trunk. Hurry!"
Neville and Luna were casting pain-relieving charms on Harry. It was all they could think to do. But the charms, which should have lasted an hour, were burning out almost immediately. At the strained looks on their faces, Ron asked what was happening.
"Too much pain," Neville muttered, casting once again. "The pain is burning through them too fast, Ron!"
"Keep going, Nev," Luna said softly, her eyes focused for once. "It's all we can do. If it gives him any relief, we can't stop."
"Slatterly," Neville snapped at a young man standing near an exit. "Get over here and help us. Grab any of the other squad healers you see. We'll trade off, round robin style, until the salve takes hold."
Hermione came back down carrying the two pots of salve, but she didn't hand them to Ginny. Ginny looked up at her questioningly.
"They don't make my fingers change colors either, Ginny."
"Ron," Luna said quietly, "we need help. We can keep casting until we exhaust ourselves, but the pain could kill him."
Ron didn't need to say anything. Twenty members of the Brigade sprinted from the room in search of a teacher, Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, someone!
Ginny rocked back on her heels and looked down at her man. His pain was unbearable and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Hermione knelt besides her, putting the two pots of useless salve on the table.
As Ginny started to sob, she felt Hermione's arms wrap around her. There was nothing they could do.
Colin Creevey in the Kitchen…
Colin raced from the common room with the rest of the students. Like Harry, he had noticed how few teachers were at dinner and decided to check the kitchen in case someone was picking up a late night meal.
He burst into the room, startling some of the house elves.
Dobby came forward. "Is there something we can do for you, young master?"
"Dobby! I've got to find a teacher or Professor Dumbledore! Harry's in trouble in the common room!" Colin cried breathlessly.
"Harry? Harry Potter in trouble? Dobby find Professor Dumbledore!" With that, the small, loyal elf winked out of sight.
Colin leaned against a table, breathing heavily.
Headmaster's office, Hogwarts…
Dobby appeared with a loud Pop, and looked about the room wildly. "PROFESSOR DUMBDLEDORE! WHERE IS YOU?" he cried.
Dobby could see the room was empty. He started to think of where next to check when he spotted Fawkes, who trilled softly to him.
Dobby blinked as a voice popped into his head unbidden.
What troubles you, gentle elf?
"Fawkes? Is you talking to Dobby?" the elf asked.
Indeed little elf. Now tell me, what troubles you? I sense a great urgency about you tonight.
"Fawkes.. We needs Professor Dumbledore. Harry Potter is in great trouble in the common room, but I does not know were to be finding the Professor," Dobby cried.
The Fledging is in trouble? Let us go see for ourselves, little elf. Grasp onto one of my tail feathers and we shall go.
Dobby grabbed a tail feather as Fawkes glided over him. They left the office in a flash.
The common room…
The students had managed to find a few teachers. Professor Flitwick was there and Professor Sprout, who spoke of sending Harry to St. Mungos.
There was a bright flash of light and suddenly Fawkes and Dobby appeared. Dobby rushed over to Harry, his tennis ball sized eyes grew wider and great drops of tears slid down his cheeks.
Harry lay barely breathing. His energy spent from convulsing, he had finally fallen silent. His muscles continued to spasm and it was clear that his strength was waning.
Little Elf, tell them I will bring Albus. The Fledging is in great danger. The Dark Lord attacks him.
Fawkes flew over Harry a few times and then burst into flame, vanishing from the room.
"Miz Wheezy… Miz Wheezy! Fawkes says he is getting Professor Dumbledore, he will bring him!" cried Dobby
Ginny looked to Hermione, whose face mirrored her own expression of hope. If anyone could find Dumbledore, his familiar could!
In the Floo trap…
Dumbledore, Severus and Serena were sitting, slumped against the wall. The five bound Death Eaters were still face down where Albus had left them. None had revived as yet.
When Dumbledore felt a familiar tingle along his spine, he stood up.
"I do believe help is arriving. Shall we leave this place?" he asked, offering a hand to Serena.
For a moment the other two Professors looked at him like he had finally lost his last marble, but then gasped at the bright flash of flame that filled the room.
Fawkes circled above their heads, his song agitated and upset. Dumbledore glanced sharply at the phoenix.
"Come, there is no time to lose," Dumbledore said briskly. "Something is wrong at the school!"
Severus looked at the five Death Eaters. "But Headmaster, what about them?" he asked.
Dumbledore's voice hardened. "Leave them," he replied.
Linking hands, the Professors waited as Dumbledore grasped a tail feather. In a flash, they were gone, leaving behind five Death Eaters who would probably starve to death unless someone came to get them.
The common room…
Ginny couldn't bear to watch Harry any longer. Instead, she scanned the room hopefully, waiting for Fawkes to return.
There was a bright flash of flame and Fawkes reappeared, bringing Dumbledore, Serena and Severus Snape.
"PROFESSORS! THE GREAT HARRY POTTER NEEDS YOUS!" cried Dobby.
"Professors!" Ginny gasped. "It's Harry, the salving isn't working!"
Serena stepped forward and grabbed one of pots on the table. She lifted the lid and sniffed the contents carefully.
"Headmaster, this salve has been tampered with. Severus!" she yelled, turning to her husband. But Severus was already running for the nearest Slytherin exit, which would put him in the dungeons and closer to their private potion lab where the main supply of salve was kept.
"Where is Madam Pomfrey?" Dumbledore asked Professor Flitwick.
"She and Minerva left to respond to an emergency birthing call from Hogsmeade," piped the little Professor.
Dumbledore nodded and waved that aside. Fawkes continued to glide over the students, but his song changed once again. It was soothing and calming to all listening.
It was only a minute or two later that Severus returned to the common room with a much larger pot of salve. Serena grabbed it from him and sniffed the contents again. She then scooped up a small amount of the salve and rubbed it onto Harry's scar.
The effect was immediate. His muscles relaxed, but his breathing was very shallow, and his heartbeat weak. The assault had ended and Harry was unconscious.
Somewhere in England, Location unknown…
Voldemort flew into a rage. He pounded the arm of his chair and killed three servants with killing curses before regaining control. He had been so close! Just another hour or two and that Potter would have been dead, or insane! Unexpectedly, the link had been closed. That meant someone had gotten Potter untainted salve!
He summoned a servant who was forced to step over the body of another.
"Go to the floo trap room. If those five servants are still alive and Dumbledore isn't there, kill them!" he hissed.
The Death Eater bowed low and backed at, "As you command, Master!"
Voldemort seethed. He knew it was his last chance to attack Potter that way. Trying to deny him the salve again would be too difficult. Potter and his friends would be much more careful now.
With glowing, vicious eyes, the Dark Lord stared across the room at one of his servants. Feeling his master's eyes, the man bowed low. It had been his plan, and it had nearly worked. But nearly wasn't good enough.
Voldemort waved the trembling Death Eater to approach him.
"You will continue to work with your subject, servant. But I am most displeased by this." Voldemort said softly. Raising a bony hand, he pointed his wand and the man's chest and murmured almost lovingly, "Crucio."
As the man fell, screaming, the Master smiled. Yes, let him taste his failure, he thought.
Back in the common room…
Serena started examining Harry. "How long has this attack been going on?" she asked Ginny, not looking up.
"Almost an hour, Professor," came Ginny's whispered reply.
"Serena, how is he?" asked Dumbledore.
"I'm not a healer, Headmaster, but he's extremely weak at this point. I don't think he should be moved just yet."
"Then let us at least make him comfortable," replied Dumbledore.
He moved the furniture out of the way and conjured a bed, then levitated Harry onto it. Ginny immediately moved to his side.
Serena looked to Neville and Luna, "Are you two strong enough to run to the infirmary? I know how exhausted you are. And don't lie to me," she said crisply. "One patient is enough. I don't need you two collapsing out of loyalty!"
"We can do it, Professor," Luna said firmly.
"Good. Get me as many strengthening potions as you can find. Oh, and see if Madam Pomfrey has any cardiac strengthener as well."
As the two turned and left the room, Severus handed one of Harry's salve pots to the Headmaster. "The salve has had a neutralizing agent added to it. It wouldn't take much to render the mixture ineffective."
Dumbledore nodded at that. "Yes Severus, another mystery for us to ponder. Right now however, I am concerned for young Harry and our missing healer. Mister Weasley?"
Ron looked up at his name being called. "Sir?"
"I understand your Brigade is fond of running. Do you think we may prevail upon some of them to see if they can find Madam Pomfrey in Hogsmeade?"
Ron nodded and went to issue the orders to Brigade squad members.
Serena was forced to administer the potions via syringe, which meant they would not be as potent as the regular oral method. Blaise was talking intently with Severus about the tampering. Dumbledore conjured a chair for himself and sat near the bed while everyone waited for Madam Pomfrey to return. Fawkes came to a landing on the back of his chair.
At a small noise near his shoulder, the Headmaster turned to find Erika and Eric. They stared at Harry, lying motionless on the bed. Both looked like they had been crying.
Erika tore her eyes away from the still form and looked at Dumbledore. "Sir? Will Professor Harry be alright?" she asked in a small voice.
At the sound of his sister's voice, Eric turned to look at the Headmaster. The fright and other emotions they were experiencing were showing up in their metamorph abilities as their hair cycled violently through colors. The twins were unconsciously fighting each other for control. They hadn't mastered voluntary control, but the last month or so with Tonks had awakened their abilities considerably.
Dumbledore smiled gently at the two. "Yes child, I think Professor Harry will indeed be alright. So long as he has friends like you two, how could he not be?"
Erika nodded and smiled at Dumbledore, as if to say, 'Of course we're his friends, without us he'd be nothing!' Eric flashed a small smile before ducking behind his sister.
Hermione stepped up behind the twins, touching each on the shoulder. "Now that you know Professor Harry will be all right, I think it's time for you both to go to bed," she said, smiling at them.
The twins nodded and allowed Hermione to lead them back up to their dorms.
A few minutes later, a door opened and Madam Pomfrey stepped in, followed by Professor McGonagall and several Brigade members.
Poppy rushed over to Harry and started running diagnostic spells on him. She then switched to healing spells. Her wand flashed and hummed for a several more minutes before she stepped back and looked at Dumbledore.
"Well, Poppy?" he asked.
"He will recover, Headmaster, although I daresay by tomorrow every bone and muscle in his body will be aching. The damage is mostly along the same lines as a Cruciatus Curse, but not quite the same."
Dumbledore nodded absently. "We must make plans to see his supply of the salve remains secure. I would install him in the faculty quarters, but I suspect he would not allow that. Severus can you supply him with a small pot of the salve that will see him through the next few days?"
Professor Snape pulled a much smaller pot out of his robe pocket, "I thought you might want this, Headmaster. There is enough in here for at least five days."
Dumbledore looked at the pot for a moment, then stood and placed it in Harry's hand. He pulled out his wand and muttered an incantation. Then he levitated the pot to the table.
"There, that particular pot is keyed to Harry and Dobby alone. Anyone else touching it will be rendered unconscious. That will do for a temporary solution until we can come up with a more permanent one. Madam Pomfrey, do you wish him moved to the infirmary?"
Poppy Pomfrey harrumphed a few times before replying, "Headmaster, you know as well as I do that he'll only be arguing with me for an early release first thing in the morning. So let's put him in his own bed and make him visit me when he wakes tomorrow. He probably should be excused from classes tomorrow, as well."
Dumbledore nodded. "As you wish Madam Pomfrey. I trust his friends will be happy to see him to his bed. Dobby, will you take his salve up?"
Dobby nodded and grabbed the pot from the table. He'd guard it with his life. Anything for the Great Harry Potter!
When the house elf disappeared, Serena pulled two clean syringes from Poppy's bag. "Do you mind?" she asked the medi-witch, holding them up.
"Of course not," Poppy said, a bit puzzled.
As Serena bent down to the young man on the bed, Dumbledore held up a hand protectively. "What are you doing, Serena?"
"I'll not take a chance with the remaining salve, Headmaster," the Potion Mistress said, sliding one needle into Harry's arm and extracting a small amount of blood. "With these, I can create more salve in little time if the need arises."
Setting aside the untainted blood sample, she picked up the second syringe and repeated the process, extracting blood directly from Harry's scar.
Straightening, she set the second syringe next to the first and cast a magnifying charm on both. As the image appeared above the samples, she nodded to herself as the color variation appeared. With a flick of her wand, she increased the magnification, checking the cell membranes in each sample.
"Severus?" she asked quietly.
"They look correct, Serena," her husband replied, squinting at the image.
With a nod and a murmured "Finite Incantatem", the image vanished. Gathering the samples, she turned to Dumbledore. "I have enough in these samples to keep Harry in salve for years, Sir."
Before he could reply, Ginny interrupted. "Headmaster, may I have a word with you in private please?"
"Of course, my dear. Come sit by me."
Once Ginny had sat down, Dumbledore cast a silencing charm around them.
"You may speak now Ginevra. No one else will hear us."
"Headmaster, before the attack began, Harry stopped a group of fifth year students who were teasing and scaring some first year muggleborn and halfbloods. When Harry gave Wan Chang one month's detention, she laughed and said that Harry couldn't protect himself let alone first year students. As a result, he ended up giving her a full years detention. I didn't think anything of her comment at the time, but it might be important in light of what happened here," she said.
"That is most interesting, Miss Weasley. But tell me, now that you've had time to think about it, how does it make you feel?" he asked her gently.
"To be honest, Sir, it makes me very angry. But I know if there is anything to this, you'll find it and take care of it."
"And you didn't feel the urge to strike back at her, Miss Weasley?" he asked.
"Yes Sir, I did," she replied defiantly. "But I knew there was no proof other than some words. Besides, this is something for you to handle, not I, as much as I would like to."
He nodded approvingly. "Excellent, Miss Weasley. These past few weeks of legilimency lessons do seem to be helping. You've recognized the anger and channeled it into the correct course of action…informing me. You may rest assured my dear, I will put this information to good use. Now, if you will do me the favor of asking Mr. Zabini to join me? He seems to have all the talents of an investigative Auror. I think I can use that to both our advantage."
Ginny nodded, and then stood up to get Blaise.
When Blaise joined Dumbledore in the charmed space, Ginny and Dobby supervised moving Harry up to his bed.
Hogwarts, the next morning…
The Hungarian Horntail snapped and roared at Harry.
"ACCIO BROOM!" he shouted.
In the distance he could hear his broom zooming down from the castle. In a moment it was hovering next to him. He grabbed it by the handle and it transformed itself into a sword!
Harry blinked in surprise. He blinked again, only to discover he was in his bed. From the position of the sun it was mid morning, maybe later. Mid Morning? He sat up. That was enough to cause every muscle in his body to scream. He groaned and pulled himself tight against the pain.
"Awake are we? And in pain I see. Well we'll fix that up," said Madam Pomfrey.
"Madam Pomfrey?" He looked around, confused. This was his dorm room, not the infirmary!
"I told the Headmaster that you should see me when you woke up. When you didn't show up at breakfast, I thought you might be sleeping still, so I figured I'd come and check up on you. Now, drink this potion. It will relieve most of the pain. Then you are to rest for the remainder of the day. No classes, young man! You can go to the Great Hall for lunch, or have Dobby get you something to eat. I've left you several potions with Dobby, he or Miss Weasley will see that you drink them," she threatened sternly.
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," he replied, the potion already taking effect.
"Mr. Potter, did you know about your salve and just didn't tell anyone?" she asked.
"My salve? Something was wrong with it?"
She smiled at him warmly. "The Headmaster will fill you in on all the details. In the meantime, I want you to stay in this bed for another 30 minutes before you leave it. Do you understand me?"
Dobby appeared with a loud pop. "Harry Potter is feeling better?" he asked, wide eyed.
Poppy smiled at the little elf. "Yes, he's better. Just remember to make sure he takes his potions."
Dobby nodded eagerly. Anything to help the great Harry Potter!
The Great Hall…
The trip to the Great Hall reminded Harry a lot like his recovery from Vernon's attack last year. By the time he arrived from the common room, he was tired and light headed. It didn't help that Dobby was following him, just a pace or two behind, watching his every move.
Harry was early for lunch, but since the Great Hall was often used as a study hall, he wasn't alone. He went to his table and sat down carefully. When the dizziness passed, he started working on his potions homework.
A soft noise behind him caused him to turn slowly. Spotting Erika and Eric, he smiled tiredly.
"Are you ok, Professor Harry?" asked Erika.
Eric it seems had spotted Dobby and his attention was riveted entirely on the little elf. Dobby, for his part, seemed to think Eric was interesting as well.
"I'm fine, Erika. I'll be back in class tomorrow, good as new," replied Harry. "Would you like to sit with me? I'm just going over my potions homework."
Erika nodded eagerly and dragged the unseeing Eric to a seat. He didn't want to take his eyes off Dobby.
"Eric, this is Dobby. He's an elf, and my friend, and he won't hurt you. Dobby, if you like, you can sit next to Eric."
Dobby looked nervous but he slipped into the chair next to the boy. When Erika saw that Harry was really working on his homework, she pulled out her transfiguration notes and a goblet. She then proceeded to try to turn it into a water glass.
Eric and Dobby kept exchanging looks. Finally Eric reached out with one finger and touched Dobby's ear. Dobby looked startled and frightened for a moment, then Eric started to giggle. Dobby smiled shyly at the boy.
"I'm Eric," he said to the elf.
"I'm Dobby, young master," replied Dobby.
"Do you play Wizard's chess?" asked Eric.
Harry rolled his eyes as Eric and Dobby got into a discussion of Wizard's Chess Vs. Elf Chess.
A few minutes later, people started to enter the Great Hall as classes let out. Some seemed surprised to see a House Elf sitting at the table with Harry and two first year students.
Jack Parsons was the next one to join Harry at the table. He seemed delighted to see Dobby.
"Hiya, short stuff! I haven't seen you in a while," he said to the elf.
Dobby looked up shyly at the Professor. Like Harry, Jack had no preconceived notions about how elves are supposed to be treated, so he treated him like he would another person.
"Dobby is busy helping Harry Potter, Professor," said the little elf, proudly.
"Well you take good care of him, Dobby. Make sure he eats his wheaties!" said Jack.
Harry winced. He wasn't sure what "wheaties" were, but Dobby would find out now, even if it killed him.
Jack turned to Harry, his look serious. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Harry, although you do look a little green about the gills, if you ask me. Dumbledore tells me you should be back in form by tomorrow."
"That's right, Professor. I'm supposed to take it easy today, but I can return to class tomorrow."
"That's great, Harry!" replied Jack.
As more classes let out, a steady stream of girls began coming up to Harry and wishing him a speedy recovery. When Ron and Hermione joined the table, Ron looking at him with envy, while Hermione smirking at his obvious discomfort.
Serena Snape and Ginny were the last to join them. Ginny gave him a short hug before taking her seat. The hall filled up quickly after that.
Looking around the table, it suddenly struck Harry. Here he was, sitting at a table with multiple muggleborns, a squib, a house elf, himself a half blood, and only two full bloods. He grimaced.
He looked the hall, noted the seating arrangements and scowled. Serena and Jack, seeing his expression, glanced around in concern.
Ginny touched him on the arm. "Harry? Is something wrong? Why are you scowling?"
When he nodded towards the twins and waved everyone else closer, the other occupants leaned towards him. "Look at the other tables and think in terms of blood or ability," he whispered quietly.
Ginny, Serena, Hermione and Jack looked around. Ron was too busy stuffing his face. Hermione caught on first. All of the tables containing muggleborn, half bloods and their full-blooded friends were clustered around Harry's table. Several tables of Brigade members formed the outer ring. The remaining tables were filled with pure bloods, but only a few at those tables seemed openly hostile.
Jack was still confused. "Harry, I don't get it. What are you seeing?" he asked.
"Jack, think defensively for a moment. All of the muggleborn and half bloods are sitting close by, with the brigade forming a protective shield around them. The full bloods are, for the most part, at their own tables. Only a few tables seem to contain troublemakers though. The school is dividing along blood lines," he replied. "It's worse that when we were divided into houses," he finished quietly, grimacing.
"I think I'll bring this up with the Headmaster, Harry," said Serena.
Harry nodded as he watched Wan Chang leave the Great Hall. His eyed narrowed as he noted the faint shimmer of someone using a Brigade camouflage charm following her out. He shot a glance at Hermione who nodded back to him. He turned his attention back to Serena.
He then remembered his potions homework. He handed her the scroll with the essay. "I'm sorry I missed class, Professor. I didn't even wake up until just before noon," he said.
"That's alright, Harry. None of us expected you to make class today." she replied, unrolling the scroll and scanning it quickly. It seemed to be correct, but she'd need to read it completely before she was sure. She smiled when she reached the bottom of the scroll.
"Harry, it's not necessary to place artwork on your homework, you know," she said with a chuckle. "But it's quite good and I do appreciate it."
Harry looked startled. "Artwork, Professor?"
Serena held up the scroll, showing him the bottom of the parchment. In the empty area he had drawn a perfect rendition of the sword of Godric Gryffindor.
He sat there, stunned. He didn't remember drawing that!
Authors Notes:
I'd like to make everyone understand this so I'll try to explain. In many ways Ginny needs to mature still. She's spent all of these chapters, and the ones in Dumbledore's Army, almost treating Harry as if he was her personal toy. Like so many people, she required an extraordinary event in her life in order to understand that it's time to grow up. In Ginny's case, this was hers. You will find that she becomes less impulsive and less prone to fits of that legendary Weasley anger. This isn't to say that she and Harry will have total bliss. I do expect them to have the occasional spat now and again. But steps are being taken, as you can see from this chapter, to teach her to temper and control her anger.
This will be the last MAJOR row they'll have. And because of this epiphany of hers, she will begin treating Harry on a more equal footing.
If that turns some people off to Ginny, we're truly sorry. We envision Ginny as a young woman who's sitting on the cusp between child and adult and we wanted to give her a nudge in the proper direction. Ginny is a wonderful character! She embodies everything that is good about young women, but she still has a childlike quality to her that needs to be burned away. Her experience in the Chamber of Secrets started the process. But keep in mind that, during the worst of it, she was unconscious.
As to personally we've not seen anything about their draconian policies, but we're new to the whole fan fic business. And if anyone would care to leave a url of a yahoo group that would welcome us, we'd be happy to give you house points. Oh wait, there are no more houses. Nevermind.
Harry and Ginny may play with links and bonds as their relationship matures, but don't expect them to run off and create a permanent bond anytime soon. Harry wouldn't do that to Ginny, not until Voldemort has been dealt with.
Cliff Hangers? Well we hate them also, but that doesn't mean we'll never leave you with one. (EVIL CACKLING LAUGHTER!)
