Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe all other claimants to anything to do with the H.P. story are simply hangers on to her glory. I thank her for allowing us mere mortals to play in her world and I promise that while I have Harry in my care nothing bad will happen to him. I will leave that to J.K.R. herself in her books.

LOVE CONQUERS ALL


Chapter 14 What Ambush?

When the six talked to Luna and Ginny during their lunch both the girls thought that the potions examination had been very difficult and they would be lucky to pass it and if the written paper was that bad they would not pass.

Harry told Tonks that he and Hermione had something to do in the library and asked why didn't she take the others to the Quidditch pitch and set up a race circuit, then we will all come out in a couple of hours and have a race.

All of them took Ginny and Luna to the Great Hall for their written Potions examination then the others went to the Quidditch pitch while Harry and Hermione went to the library.

Harry told Hermione that he brought her here so that they could think more about the Muggle Studies idea that they had begun thinking about the day before and that if she had the chance she should tell Mme Marchbanks about it. The whole group had already decided that, it should be a required pass OWL for entrance to NEWTS for all students and the syllabus needed expanding to include both written and practical elements. They wrote down some things that should be included, but thought that Luna, Parvati, Ginny, Neville and Ron could assist by highlighting which things they found most useful and why. Also what they found most scary about learning about Muggles and again why they found them scary.

When the afternoon exam was over neither of the girls wanted to talk about it so the four of them trooped up to Gryffindor tower to let Luna and Ginny change. All of them collected their brooms and then they made their way down to the Quidditch pitch to look at the course the others had set up.

The course was just a zigzag through hoops on the pitch and around posts, which had been placed all around the top of the stadium, it was not too complicated and the newcomers were granted two practice laps. While they were completing these all the examiners arrived with the Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress, Mme Maxime and Hagrid. They went over and explained the rules, there weren't any except, there were to be five laps and follow the course, then they asked Mme Marchbanks if she would do them the honour of being the starter, she used her wand as a microphone and said ready, steady, Go!

Seven of them shot away but Harry did not move, as they came up to the end of the first lap Ginny was in the lead with Hermione very close behind, the others were ten yards behind her and very close together. Harry started as Ginny completed her first lap and the spectators could see why he had decided to give them a lap start, he was quick, very quick. By the end of the forth lap he was lying third behind Hermione, half way round the last lap he was second about three lengths behind Ginny, he was closing on her and at the finish he was alongside her, it was a dead heat.

The spectators were all cheering and coming down onto the pitch, congratulating them all, Mme Marchbanks was praising Hermione for how well she had done when Harry came over and told her that Hermione and Ginny's brooms were slower than his so she had done extremely well. Mme Marchbanks told him to swap brooms with her and give her a straight race.

Harry said, "If I lend her my broom she is very lightly to get ploughed."

Mme Marchbanks said, "What do you mean get ploughed?"

Professor Tofty laughed and said, "He means that, when she dives from the high post, down around the low post, she is lightly to go straight into the ground, and the Hospital wing."

Then Harry said, "Parvati, Luna and Neville all have the same brooms, maybe we should all use those?"

Mme Marchbanks smiled and said, "This should be good and two laps I think."

Hermione, Ginny and Harry borrowed Parvati, Luna and Neville's brooms and at Mme Marchbanks signal they set off together, the spectators had decided to stay in the middle of the pitch to watch. By the end of the first lap, Ginny and Hermione were neck and neck Harry was still getting used to the broom a little behind them but he had started gaining. Harry's seeker experience was now showing, he was diving and swinging around the bottom marker so quickly it was frightening. He passed both of the girls with about a quarter of the lap remaining and he won the race by a good three lengths Hermione and Ginny finished together.

When they landed and dismounted Hermione and Ginny threw their arms around each laughing and saying what a wonderful race, what a race,

Then Harry pretended to sulk and said, "I thought that I had won?" they stopped cuddling just each other and went and cuddled him as well.

Mme Marchbanks and Professor Tofty came over and he said, "Congratulations all of you, if ever you want to be professional Quidditch players just let me know, I am on the boards of two teams and either would be glad to have any of you three," he walked away, Ron looked green.

Mme Marchbanks then said, "Well done to all of you, it was one of the best races I have ever seen, I am only on the board of the Holyhead Harpies and they only have women on their team. So I could only offer two of you actual playing jobs, but I am sure that they would pay Harry more to be a coach, than most other teams would pay him to play. But I know that at the moment you all have bigger fish to fry."

x-x

Chatting together they all walked back to the castle, Hagrid and Mme Maxime went back to his house and the students with Tonks returned to Gryffindor Tower.

Ron was still sulking and Ginny said, "What's eating you then? Put out because Hermione and I beat you in the race, or is it because we've all been offered jobs as professional Quidditch players? Grow up will you, they weren't serious offers, except maybe the ones to Harry and we all know that anyway."

Ron stormed up the stairs to his room without saying a word to anyone.

When Ron came down for dinner later, he seamed to have cooled down a bit, he apologised to everybody and then asked Harry, "How do you turn so dam quickly? If I tried to do that I would crash. I know it."

They were all listening as Harry answered him. "That is your problem, in your head you know you will crash so you will crash, I know I will make the turn so I make it, Hermione and Ginny know I was making the turns faster than them, on the same broom, so they go faster, because they know that they can. It only works up to a point and it's important not to exceed that point or it's Ouch and Poppy Pomfrey gets very busy."

"But how has Hermione become so good so quickly? She only really learned to fly on Monday."

This time Hermione answered him "Correct me if you think that I am wrong Harry. It's because I don't have your hang-ups, Harry taught me to fly, although I was scared I wanted to learn, I trust Harry absolutely not to let me hurt myself, when he says I can do it I know that I can. If he tells me it is dangerous so practice it this way and you will learn, I know that if I do exactly as he tells me, I will succeed. Mme Marchbanks was not joking when she offered him a coaching job with the Harpies, she knows what I have learned from him in two days and she hasn't even seen him do a Wronski Feint."

Mme Marchbanks, the Headmaster and the deputy Headmistress walked around the corner and the chief examiner said, "Well said Miss Granger, you are as usual absolutely correct, if you continue training you will be a wonderful flyer."

Then Hermione answered. "I am now going to commit sacrilege and say that I think that I can fly now about as well as I need to, flying is not and never will be my life, although the last few days I have started to really enjoy it, I believe that some lives in this group may well depend on us all being able to fly proficiently and I could not let the others down, so I learned."

Mme Marchbanks continued. "Mr Weasley, did I detect a sentiment that you would like to be a professional Quidditch player? Normally what position do you play?"

"Yes I would and I normally keep goal Mme."

"I will tell Professor Tofty and who knows what he may be able to do, anyway shall we eat?"

Mme Marchbanks sat next to Hermione and they spent the whole meal in quiet conversation, after they had finished eating and everyone was just talking they all discovered what the pair had been talking about.

Mme Marchbanks said. "This is an idea I am going to put forward as my own, certainly the reason for this is quite obvious. I propose that we make obtaining an OWL in Muggle Studies mandatory for all students whishing to proceed from OWLS to NEWTS and I think we could make it retroactive to the current second years. I intend completely restructuring the Muggle Studies OWL examination to be two parts written and practical and I thought that we could start working out the details of the syllabus here tonight. Who had the original idea?"

Tonks answered, "In the beginning it was Miss Weasley's basic idea with additions from Miss Lovegood, Miss Patil and Mr Longbottom. No doubt expanded and refined this morning by Miss Granger and Mr Potter in the library."

Mme Marchbanks continued. "For the rest of this evening we are using only Christian names and I am to be called Grizz. Well from four pureblood families, we won't tell your Grandmother though Neville, I am impressed, how did the idea come about?"

Luna said, "Well it all started quite silly really Grizz, Hagrid asked if Hermione if she would bring back dragons for him and we were saying that she could ban Blast End Skrewts from Care of Magical Creatures and things like that but then Ginny suggested this and it seemed like such a good idea. The five of us pure bloods have learned so much about the way most of the world works from the others during the few weeks we have been with them, it has been quite an eye opener for us."

Then Grizz asked, "What was the best bit Luna?"

Luna blushed, "Talking to Neville on the telephone."

Then Minerva said, "But you can not see him on the telephone."

"Yes but I was sat in a comfy armchair dreaming," Luna said blushing again.

Hermione added, "Well a lot of Muggles have telephones in every room in the house and they can lay in bed, sit in a comfy chair or take a shower and talk on the telephone, Muggles have what they call videophones but generally they find the speech only variety far more convenient and I personally don't like kneeling with my head in the fire to talk Minerva."

So the conversation went on into the night, back and forth, Ginny and Luna went to bed at about ten because of their exams. But the rest went on until about one thirty by which time they had the outline of a syllabus to work with, Minerva was considering how to reschedule classes. Albus was working out how many extra teachers they would need and his parting statement, offered with a twinkle in his eye and a happy smile was, at least we need half and half if not full Muggle born teachers.

x-x

Only Neville and Harry accompanied the girls to the Great Hall for the next day's examination, which was Ancient Runes for Ginny, and Arithmancy for Luna, Grizz met them at the door to the Great Hall.

"Would you two young men like to guide this old woman to Gryffindor tower?" As they were heading for the tower Harry started to call her Mme Marchbanks but she insisted she was called Grizz, unless there were more than just teachers, they didn't count.

So Harry asked her, "How come you are called Grizz, excuse me for saying but it doesn't sound too flattering?"

She chuckled and told him, "Well it's nothing to do with the name Griselda, when we were young, my brother used to call me Grizzle Bum, because I used to whine all the time to get my own way and my mother lived in fear of him using the name in front of anyone even remotely respectable, so she persuaded him to shorten it to Grizz and it sort of stuck. Although I do not let too many people know, I do have my reputation to think of after all," she was smiling.

By this time they were climbing through the portrait hole and Harry told Grizz that no one else had been up when they had left the tower and she told him that she wouldn't be up either except there was something wrong with her bed. Harry immediately called Dobby.

"Good morning Mr Harry Potter Sir, what can I get for you?"

Harry said to him, "Good morning Dobby, I suppose that you know which room Mme Marchbanks sleeps in?"

"Certainly, Mr Harry Potter Sir."

"Well will you please go and check her bed, she did not sleep well last night." Pop, he was gone.

"He certainly seems to like you and he is wearing clothes, do you know him well?" Harry told her the story of his connection with Dobby while Neville went upstairs to wake the others.

When Dobby returned he looked very serious. "Mr Harry Potter Sir, I is finding this in the middle of Madame Marchbanks bed."

He held up a hairbrush, blushing Grizz held her hand in front of her mouth and said. "I used it last night before I came out and I could not find it this morning, I am so sorry."

Dobby walked around to her, he bowed very low and as he presented her with the brush, he said. "Would you like me to return it to your dressing table Madame Marchbanks?"

The others were coming down the stairs and she said. "No I think you should get us all some breakfast and some coffee please." Pop.

The conversation seemed to pick up where it had left off the previous night, then after about a quarter of an hour the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress arrived.

"Good morning, I thought I should find you here."

"Good morning to you to Albus and you to Minerva" the tone had been set once again.

The detritus of breakfast had been cleared and the table was littered with lists and charts.

Hermione said. "This would be a lot easier on a computer, can't we go to the…my house and do it."

She looked at the Albus who said. "I think I know a better place, Minerva will you look after the school, Harry can wait and bring the girls also he can send Dobby to us." They all left except Harry who called Dobby and sent him to the flat, then he went upstairs and collected Ginny, Luna and his brooms, it was only a half an hour or so until the end of the examination and he took a slow walk down to the entrance hall to wait for the girls.

He explained to them what was happening as the three of them flew to the Three Broomsticks and then Flooed to the flat.

The study was bustling, Hermione was in charge and she had converted the window wall into a huge whiteboard wall. She was armed with six different colour pens and was laying out everything, Albus and Grizz were telling them what they wanted and Tonks, Neville and Ron were making sure it all lined up on the computer, Ginny and Luna relieved the two boys on the computers.

Harry said, "Is there anything you need Hermione?"

"I could do with a DIY manual and something about cars."

"What sort of thing about cars?"

"Like a how to drive and Highway code, sort of thingy."

Harry went to his room and returned in less than a minute with two books, he said. "Here you are, the Readers Digest A Complete Guide to DIY and the AA Guide to Driving and the Highway Code. How's that and do you have keyboard skills as one of your subjects?"

"Excellent, has any one told you that you're wonderful Harry?"

"You're wonderful Harry!" Came from all the other female voices and everybody burst out laughing, Hermione was adding keyboard skills to a list and was also adding under it Internet, e-mail, word processing, spread sheets.

Grizz asked, "What are keyboard skills and should we have some lunch, these two poor girls have their last examinations to take?"

Harry pointed. "Those are keyboards and using them is called, by the Muggles, keyboard skills, that's a spreadsheet and that is a word processor." Harry said to Luna and Ginny. "Do you want a meal or would you like sandwiches?" They decided that they would like a meal because they would have a long afternoon; the others were going to eat a bit later. But Grizz decided to come to the dining room with them. Harry had noticed that all of the windows in the apartment were blacked out but, Grizz started asking about the TV, Telephone but Harry stopped her and promised that everything would be explained later and they went through and sat down. Pop.

"Hello Harry sir, would you like to eat?" and he ran through a list of all the things he was going to bring, Harry said that that would be fine.

Grizz said to Harry, "I know a lot about House Elves and Dobby must really like you to cut your name down like that."

Ginny said as the food arrived, "That's another one you can add to the list of those who think that Harry is wonderful."

Then Harry said shyly, "Please stop teasing me."

Having helped them selves to food they had started eating then Grizz said, "They are not really teasing you, people follow you because you are who and what you are. I have met a lot of people who have met you and claim to know you, none I bet, except maybe Ginny's mum Molly, who know you as well even, as I do. I wondered what I was going to meet, because I was determined to meet you and see what makes you tick and I find, to my great surprise, that the nearest to the truth, was Molly. I will tell you and I hope that Hermione isn't listening, I have three grand daughters and if any one of them marries a man half as nice as you, well they will be extremely lucky."

Harry answered, "But Neville is very nice."

Laughing, Luna said, "Don't you go setting Grizz's granddaughters on my Neville, I want to keep him for me."

Also laughing Grizz said. "I am not trying to steal your Neville Luna, I must admit that he has improved out of all recognition since he has been here with you and I promise not to tell his grandmother. Also I have heard that they call you Loony Luna, well you don't strike me as being the least bit Loony, I wonder, is it all Harry's influence, he does tend to rub off on people. Well you three seem to have finished eating, you had better get them back for their examinations."

Then Ginny said, "We should have a quick look in the study before we go back, to see how Hermione is getting on."

So they all went back to the study where Hermione informed them that they would be all finished in about half an hour. So Harry asked Tonks, "Would you show Grizz the Muggle things in the lounge if you are all going to be finished soon, so there will be no need for me to come back?"

Tonks said that she would do as he asked and he thanked her then Harry having given Hermione a kiss, the three of them left.

x-x

When they arrived at the three broomsticks, Harry said that he felt uneasy, they should become invisible before going to Hogwarts, they all became invisible and went quietly out of the back door, which luckily was already open. He could see no one he thought 'MYRDDIN' here we go and five figures appeared under invisibility cloaks, he sent the girls back into the Three Broomsticks, the girls safely out of the way he turned back to face the ambush. He started throwing voiceless stunning spells the five cloaked figures fell stunned in about fifteen seconds, he called the girls back out, he took the Death Eaters invisibility cloaks and put them in his bag, they checked their arms revealing Dark Marks confirming that they were Death Eaters, then he broke their wands and put all five Death Eaters in full body binds.

Then he called Hermione mentally and told her quickly what had happened and to tell Tonks get the Aurors from the ministry to come and pick them up. The three of them were already flying invisibly towards Hogwarts, the girls arrived at the Great Hall for their Care of Magical Creatures written examination, with ten minutes to spare and all things considered they were remarkably calm.

It was about an hour and a half before all the others arrived together at the castle, the first thing Harry did was to take Grizz's hand and say.

"I hope that you are all right," he indicated to the Headmaster that she knew nothing.

She said, "I suppose that is what makes you who you are yo…"

Harry interrupted her and said very quietly, "Don't say any more, there is someone and I think it is probably an examiner, who we can not trust."

Grizz looked devastated, "How can we find out who it is?"

Then Harry said, "Well I know it isn't you or either of the Professors Tofty."

Grizz said immediately, "How do you know?"

Harry decided to tell her, "If I am near people I sometimes get feelings, but if I touch them I know if they are honest. I have shaken both of the Tofty's hands and yours, so I know."

She did not ask anymore but said, "Well that only leaves Worms and Boggles. Worms is fairly new and he should be supervising the practical later and Boggles should be in the Great Hall overseeing Ginny and Luna and they should be just about finished." With that the two girls came out of the great Hall with a man who looked about seventy. Grizz continued, "Professor Boggles I would like you to meet Harry Potter."

The man smiled at him as Harry walked up and shook his hand Harry caught him as he fell.

Harry levitated him level and covered him with an invisibility cloak, "He is under an Imperius will we be able to find out very much?"

The Headmaster said. "Probably quite a lot. Professor Tonks you, Mr Weasley and Mr Longbottom escort these two young ladies to their practical examination I think that you should wait nearby until it is complete. We will all adjourn to my office."

As they were entering the headmasters office Professor Snape arrived armed with several potions, Harry took the invisibility cloak off Worms and put it back in his bag, they sat Worms on a chair.

The Headmaster asked. "What should we do first, Severus?"

"We should give him 'Fay Land' and before you ask Miss Granger, when he awakes he will be with the fairies, though open to our questions."

Professor Snape gave Boggles the Potion and then revived him, as promised, he was with the fairy's, nevertheless they questioned him for ten minutes and decided that in all probability one of the five they had caught were responsible for the Imperius, that information, was in all probability, being verified now. Then they undid all that had done and removed the Imperius, then they woke him, he said that he felt strange and Grizz told him he had fainted, so she asked Professor Snape to help her get Professor Boggles to his bed, he needed to sleep for a few hours.

When they had left the Headmaster conjured chairs for them, as Tonks and the four students arrived from the Care of Magical Creatures practical.

Professor Dumbledore said, "Harry, why do I always seem to be asking you the same question please tell me what happened?"

Harry took the five invisibility cloaks out of his bag and handed them to Professor Dumbledore.

"I took these off the Death Eaters, I thought that they might be useful to the order and I broke the Death Eaters wands," then he went on to explain what had happened how he had felt uneasy when they had arrived in the Three Broomsticks and what they had done about it, he finished with and the rest of it you know about.

"Remember to take notice any time you feel uneasy In the future, you three did very well and Tonks please tell them later what we said to the Aurors so they can tell the same tale. You know Harry that these cloaks are spoils of war, they are worth a lot of money and you are entitled to keep them." Both Luna and Ginny told him they did not want theirs and Harry said that it was five cloaks for the good guys and Dumbledore continued. "Now I think that it is time you went to Gryffindor Tower and rested prior to your tests tomorrow"

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