Disclaimer: I still don't own anything in my story but the plot. I wish I did, though. Think of how rich I would be!
Chapter 11- Return of the DA
"Hello, everyone. Hope you had a good summer." Harry said standing before all of the old DA members in the Room of Requirements. It was a stormy night and all quidditch practices were cancelled giving the DA an opportunity to have their first meeting. Everyone from the previous year showed up, excluding Marietta Edgecombe. She served as a traitor to the club and was not invited back. Everyone gathered there looked very excited about the return of the DA. It was the only thing worth attending Hogwarts for the previous year. As Harry began to welcome everyone back, Hermione interrupted him as usual. It was very common for Hermione to do that. He had learned to just let her talk and she would not complain.
"Excuse me, Harry, but I think we need to reelect a leader," several members groaned out loud, "and I nominate you."
There were murmurs of agreement and everyone raised their hands. Harry sighed and continued.
"Okay, then. Well, there are a lot of things going on right now that you all don't know about, and it is going to stay that way for a while. But there is something you need to know. There was a prophecy made very recently saying that the final battle with Voldemort was drawing closer. We are going to prepare for that battle, and when the time comes we will be ready. If there is anyone here who feels they cannot fight then you need to leave right now. It is not worth wasting anyone's time if you aren't going to help." Harry paused to let anyone leave. No one did, so he continued. "This battle is probably the most important thing we are going to do in our lives, so the DA will be a lot more intense. We will also be learning a lot of advanced magic that the school might not approve of us learning. Any information you might hear is strictly confidential. If you let one small thing slip it could be the downfall of our entire plan. In other words, do not tell anyone about the things we discuss in here."
Everyone stood there looking a little apprehensive, but nodded in understanding anyways.
"First off, the prophecy that I was talking about earlier also predicted that I would be betrayed by three people. We don't know who those people are, but everyone must be on guard for any suspicious behavior. Got it?"
Everyone nodded once again, and Harry said, "Well, let's pair up and we will get started."
Everyone obediently moved toward their usual partners, but with Marietta gone Cho was left partnerless. She looked at Harry almost hopefully. Seeing this, Harry quickly grabbed Neville and instructed him to pair with Cho.
Ron and Hermione were paired up, as were Dean and Seamus, Ginny and Luna, Parvati and Lavender, and Justin Flinch-Fletchly and Erni McMillan. The club had gotten much smaller with all of the previous seventh years gone, but there were still at least 20 people present.
"Now, I know we should probably review some from last year, but there is something I want to do. We are going to learn some stealth and concealment charms. They will come in handy when we need to track anyone down." Harry glanced at Hermione and she grinned forcibly at him. She nodded and he continued. "The first spell is a very easy one. I'm sure everyone has heard of it, the Disillusionment Charm. The incantation is Disillusio. Someone under the Disillusionment Charm will take on the color and texture of the space behind him. It will not make you invisible, but it will make you much harder to see. Alright, well, break off and begin practicing."
"Harry, Wait!" Hermione shouted from over the book she was reading.
"What?" Harry asked impatiently.
"I have to perform the charm." She answered pointedly.
Harry sent her an apologizing look before addressing the rest of the DA. "Err...right. Now, does anyone not know what the Fidelius Charm is?" Very few people raised their hands, so Harry decided it would be best to explain. "Well, first off, this room is already hidden from anyone who is not specifically looking for it. The Fidelius Charm will also hide everything about the DA from everyone, whether they are looking for it or not. All of the information about Dumbledore's Army will be hidden within a secret keeper. Only the secret keeper can give away our location and whereabouts. I am not going to tell you who the secret keeper is, but I promise it is someone we can all trust."
Harry then nodded at Hermione, signaling for her to begin the charm. She stood up and gathered her book. After quickly reading through the final passage, she turned to the group and spoke.
"I need everyone to gather around the center of the room and remain silent. The charm will not work properly if there is a lot of commotion going on in the room. I have to step outside to perform the charm, but I will be back once it is complete." She said, her voice a little higher than usual due to nerves.
As soon as Hermione left the room whispers broke out among the students.
"What happens if we try to tell someone something about the DA?"
"I wonder who the secret keeper is."
"Is this going to hurt?"
"What will it feel like?"
"Who are the three betrayers?"
"HEY! SHUT IT!" Ron shouted, fed up with everyone. "Didn't you hear Hermione? She said not to talk!" Immediately the whole room became silent. "Bloody Hell, these kids don't know how to take orders." He added in an undertone that only Harry could hear. Harry let out a muffled laugh.
Nothing happened for quite some time, and Harry began to grow worried. What if something had gone wrong? Ginny sensed his uneasiness and quickly grabbed his hand. She squeezed it to let him know she was there, and he immediately relaxed.
Suddenly, a sound like a gunshot rang out all through the room as a bright, blue light protruded from cracks in the door. Everyone stared at awe for a moment as the light advanced towards them. Then, like a cannon, the light sped towards Harry and engulfed him, blinding the entire room. Ginny was thrown from Harry with such force that she hit the wall behind her.
Harry was surrounded by pictures of things from the DA. The other members, Harry's speech at the beginning of the meeting, the location, how to get in; they were all spinning in flashes before his eyes.
Unexpectedly, all of the memories wove together into a big blur. They entered Harry's mouth and spread throughout his entire body. It was the weirdest thing he had ever felt, almost as if ice so cold that it burned was being poured all inside of him.
As soon as it began, however, it stopped, and Harry was thrown across the room. Landing flat on his back, Harry groaned out loud. As everyone was regaining vision they noticed Harry lying on the ground. They began to scream and yell right as Hermione burst through the door.
"Oh my, Harry! Are you alright?" She sprinted across the room to him, but tripped over something in the process. It was...
"GINNY!" Harry yelled leaping up and running towards Ginny. He pulled Hermione up off the floor and grabbed Ginny's wrist. With his other hand he pulled out his wand and yelled, "Enervate!"
Slowly, Ginny opened her eyes and looked around her. When she noticed that Harry was holding her she jumped, and he almost dropped her. Because she was still slightly out of it, she wobbled slightly as Harry carefully set her on her feet. She grabbed his arm to keep from falling, and he held her shoulders so she wouldn't loose balance.
"Are you alright, Ginny?" Harry asked her.
"Yes, I'm fine. What happened?" She replied quietly.
"The charm was so powerful that it flung you across the room. I saw the whole thing. One minute you were holding hands with Potter, and the next you were flying in the air. It was brilliant!" Zacharias Smith told her.
"It was not brilliant!" Harry growled at him. "What if she had gotten hurt?"
"Well I didn't, so I don't see why you are all standing around here arguing. I'm fine, so let's all just get on with practicing." Ginny said, louder than both of the boys.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital wing?" Harry asked her worriedly.
"Harry, it's alright. Lighten up." She told him.
"Umm...well then, let's begin working on the Disillusionment charm. Like I said before, the incantation is Disillusio." Harry told the room.
Everyone moved back off into their pairs whispering excitedly about what had just happened.
The Disillusionment Charm was a very easy charm, and, as Harry expected, almost every person mastered it by the end of the meeting. Eight Forty-Five came faster than anyone wanted, and they were all groaning as they left.
"Can't we just stay a little bit longer, Harry?" Michael Corner asked.
"Yeah, come on, Harry." Amelia Bones added.
"No, we can't. If Filch were to catch us out of our dormitories after nine, we would all be in detention for the rest of the year. I would probably be expelled, come to think about it," said Harry. Several people laughed.
"When is the next meeting?" Padma Patil questioned.
"I haven't decided yet. Most likely next Wednesday." Harry answered.
"That won't do." Yelled Justin Flinch-Fletchly. "We have Quidditch practice."
"What about Thursday?" Harry suggested yawning from tiredness.
"No, Harry, you promised you would help me make some more elf hats." Hermione spoke up. Harry groaned to himself at the thought, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to give Hermione some help.
Harry was growing frustrated and his head was beginning to throb. "Alright, will Saturday work?"
"That's the night of the Halloween Dance! We can't do it then!" Ginny yelled from the back of the room. Harry looked at her and she smiled. He couldn't help but smile back even though the thought of the dance made him feel sick. It was only then that Harry remembered the dance was coming up so soon. Only a week away. Luckily the next day was a Hogsmeade weekend, so he would be able to find something to wear then.
"Monday is the only day left then. Does that work for everyone?" Harry asked. There was some murmuring and a few grumbled yeses. "Okay, Monday it is. See you all then."
Everyone quickly made their way to the door and left, absorbed in their own conversations. The only one's left in the Room of Requirements were Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They were all quiet for a few moments before Ron spoke up.
"So, what do you think? I can't see any of them as traitors. Do you have any idea who they might be?"
"I think we are jumping to conclusions." Hermione said in her usual know-it-all voice. "It might not be anyone from the DA. For all we know, it could be someone we don't even know. I think we need to keep watch on all of the members, but we mustn't make any acquisitions just yet."
"I agree with Hermione." Ginny announced almost as if this statement settled the whole argument. "We can't judge anyone yet."
"But if we can figure out who it is, then maybe we can stop them." Harry told them. "I am not going to let anyone else get hurt because of me. I have to stop them before they cause some real damage."
"Harry, don't worry. Everything will work out fine. Just give it time." Ginny assured him, laying a hand on his shoulder. Harry smiled at her and hugged her tightly. It was a small gesture, but Ginny appreciated it all the same.
"Yeah...er...we should probably get going. Filch will murder us if he catches out of our dormitories." Ron said, rubbing his neck. He was still a little uncomfortable about Harry and Ginny's relationship.
"Uhh...right. Let's go." Harry said. He let go of Ginny rather abruptly and made his way towards the door. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny followed, watching their friend walk quickly away, and each worrying equally about him, as they did constantly.
The next morning Harry was awoken very early as Ron threw a large pillow in his face. "Come on, Harry. If you don't hurry we won't make it to Hogsmeade."
"I'm coming." Harry groaned sitting up in bed. When he looked at Ron he noticed something different about him. Ron looked odd.
He was wearing a very nice pair of khaki slacks; well, at lease for Ron they were considered nice, and a freshly ironed, blue, button down polo shirt. His hair was flat for once and gelled back, and it looked like he had actually washed his face from the day before. Harry wasn't sure if he liked the look or not; it did not really suit Ron.
"Er, Ron. What are you wearing?" Harry asked, still staring at him.
"Clothes, Harry. It's what most people wear." Ron replied while going over to the mirror in the corner and checking his appearance. This was definitely not something Ron usually did. When he noticed that Harry was still watching him he said, "What? Do I have something on my face? You won't quit staring at me."
"Why are you all dressed up nice?" Harry questioned, still confused.
It was Ron's turn to stare. "What do you mean? I'm not dressed up."
"Then what's with the nice clothes and your hair all smoothed back?" Harry laughed.
Ron just shrugged before answering. "I just thought I would try something new. Why? Does it look bad?" He asked worriedly.
"Do you want the truth or do you want me to make you feel good?" Harry replied smiling.
"Okay, I get the picture. Will you wait for me while I go change?" Ron yelled walking quickly into the bathroom.
"Sure." He replied. "By the way...er...what do you think Ginny would like for the dance? I want to get her something, but I don't know what."
"What about jewelry? Girls always like jewelry." Ron answered.
"I want to get her something different, Ron. What all does she like?"
"Er...books, candy, clothes. I don't know what else. Just get her anything."
"Ron, you're so pathetic. I can't get her just anything, it has to be special."
"Whatever. I still say you should get her jewelry."
Harry just shrugged and began getting dressed. It didn't take him long, but Ron was still putting on his socks when Harry came to get him.
"We better get going if we want any time do anything." Harry told him.
"Alright. Are we meeting Hermione?" He asked.
"I don't think so. She's helping Ginny pick out a dress."
"She better pick a good one. An appropriate one, I mean. My little sister better not be wearing anything bad."
"Ron, it's Hermione and Ginny we're talking about. Ginny's dress will be fine."
"Sure, it better be. Do you know who Hermione's going with by the way?"
"I thought she was going with you." Harry said while opening up the door and making his way downstairs. "Whom are you going with then?"
"Oh, er, Amelia Bones. I asked her yesterday at the DA meeting."
"I like her. She's nice."
"Yeah. It will be fun, I guess." Ron said opening the portrait hole, and shrugging.
Harry could tell that Amelia was not the person Ron wanted to take, but he knew that Ron wouldn't have the courage to ask the girl he really wanted to ask. It was quite sad, really.
When Harry and Ron entered the Entrance Hall, it was completely deserted. Harry figured that everyone had already left for Hogsmeade, so he told Ron to skip breakfast and have an early lunch in the Three Broomsticks. Ron groaned about how he was starving all the way into the village. Harry ignored him for most of the way, but after about 10 minutes of his ranting Harry sped up trying to get away from him. Ron was so absorbed in his complaining that he didn't even notice, and Harry got all the way into the village before Ron even realized he was gone.
Hogsmeade was a small town completely inhabited by wizards. It was not uncommon for one to run into a troll or a hag, along with dwarves and goblins there. The shops and houses were all relatively small, but welcoming, and each pub always had a supply of Butterbeer waiting to be served.
The first shop Harry and Ron went into was Honeydukes. Honeydukes, a candy store, was filled ceiling to floor with every type of candy imaginable; Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's Best blowing Gum, Bertti Botts Every Flavor Beans, Ice Mice, Sugar Quills, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pastries, and anything else you can think of. Harry grabbed all his usual favorites, paid, and walked out the door. Ron, on the other hand, took much longer deciding and came out much later with an extra large back filled to the top with sweets.
Their next stop was Zonko's joke shop. Before Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Zonko's was the largest joke shop in England. Ron saw a large sign in the front and ran up to it. It read:
Zonko's is proud to present...
Boggart Bubble Gum!
Our newest product, Boggart Bubble Gum, will provide the chewer with a true shape-shifting experience. He will be transformed into the person or creature that he most fears until the gum has been dissolved or swallowed. Scare your friends by changing into horrific creatures!
Boggart Bubble Gum 1 Sickle a piece
"Harry! We have to go get some. That sounds brilliant!" Ron yelled to Harry.
"Ron, you promised Fred and George you wouldn't give any business to Zonko's." Harry pointed out.
"Can I just get a couple pieces? Please?" Ron begged.
"Whatever. Just don't let your brothers find out. They won't be too happy."
"Great. I'll be right back." At that, Ron took off into the store, leaving Harry alone outside. Harry wandered around the area in front of the store, looking at various signs and pictures. On one sign in the doorway of a small dress shop there was the picture of the escaped Deatheaters from the previous year. A few of them had a large X over them showing that they had been caught, but many of them remained free. It had been a while since Harry had seen one of these posters and the sight unnerved him a bit.
Just as Harry was about to turn around to go get Ron, he heard a voice call his name from inside the shop. It was Ginny.
"Hi, Harry. Where's Ron?" She greeted.
"In Zo...er, the bathroom. What about Hermione?"
"She's trying on her dress. Hey, look, we're almost done. Do you want to meet us for lunch?"
"Sure, why not. Where do you want to go?"
"It doesn't matter to me. Is the Three Broomsticks alright?"
"That sounds great. I'll go get Ron. Meet us outside of Zonko's."
"Alright. Bye, Harry."
"See you in a minute."
And Harry walked out the door leaving Ginny to pay for her dress.
About fifteen minutes later, Harry and Ron saw Ginny and Hermione walking out of the dress shop each holding long bags that must have been their dresses. They walked up to Harry and Ron, and Ginny immediately took Harry's hand as they walked to the Three Broomsticks. Harry talked with her all the way there, leaving Ron and Hermione to have an awkward conversation by themselves.
"Harry, when does England come to practice again?" Ginny asked him, making small talk.
"Next Saturday. We have a practice match against the Chudly Cannons in three weeks."
"The Chudly Canons? Ron will love that."
"I think I am going to see if I can get him into the locker rooms after the match. He can get autographs and pictures with them."
"That would be really cool, Harry. I hope you can."
"Me too. So, what does your dress look like?"
"I can't show you. You will have to wait till the dance."
"Why?"
"It's like a rule. The boys are never supposed to see the girls dress before the actual dance."
"Oh, okay. Here we are. Should we wait on Ron and Hermione?"
It was only then that they realized Ron and Hermione were not behind them. They watch looked around for a few moments before seeing Hermione come walking briskly towards them in a towering temper. She was breathing heavily, and Ron was nowhere to be seen.
"I can't believe him! What was he thinking?" She muttered to herself, but loud enough so Harry could hear.
"What happened?" Harry asked her.
"Ron's being an insensitive wart is what happened."
But when Harry tried to question her more, she just brushed past him into the Three Broomsticks completely ignoring him. Harry turned and looked at Ginny only to find her just as confused as he was. They both shrugged and walked in to join Hermione. Obviously Ron wasn't coming.
They sat down at the table and ordered lunch. Every so often Hermione would sigh or grunt in frustration, but other than that it was a very nice lunch. Because Harry still had to buy a suit for the dance, and Ron was still missing, Harry decided to leave early and let the girls have some time alone.
First, he went to all the usual stores looking for Ron. He wasn't anywhere to be found, so Harry decided to go ahead and buy a suit. It just so happened that the first shop Harry went into he found Ron sitting at the back waiting to get measurements. Harry walked over to him and sat down next to him.
"What happened with you and Hermione? You didn't show up for lunch and she seemed really mad about something." Harry asked him.
"I am so stupid. I can't believe I said that." Ron replied. This did not clarify anything. Harry still looked puzzled, so Ron added, "I mentioned something about houselves and, she got all defensive. Then I said something else about how useful they are and that I wanted one, so she started lecturing me about SPEW. I told her I didn't care about SPEW, and she ran off. Now she's really mad at me and I don't know what to do."
Harry looked at his friend sympathetically. Ron really could be stupid sometimes.
"It's alright, Mate. Just apologize and tell her you didn't mean it. Then offer to help with SPEW somehow, and she will get really excited and forgive you."
"But what if that doesn't work?"
"Trust me, it will. Hermione will do anything to get people to help her with SPEW."
Just then, the salesperson came up and interrupted their conversation.
"Mr. Weasley. We are ready to get your measurements. If you will follow me back here, please."
Harry sat there and waited for his friend to get done, but before Ron came back another salesperson came to help Harry.
"Excuse me, may I help you with something?" It was a lady with long black hair and a very small figure. She had bright blue eyes and a very welcoming smile.
"Er, I'm looking for a suit to wear."
"What is your name, Son?" She questioned.
"Um, Harry- Harry Potter." He replied.
Her eyed immediately darted to the scar on his forehead, and harry shifted uncomfortably. She must have noticed this, because she quickly looked back into his eyes and said, "Well, Mr. Potter, will you please come back here with me?"
Harry moved into the back room and saw Ron, once again, sitting down. The saleswoman began measuring Harry up and down, side to side, and around the middle. When she was done, she took her notebook into a back closet and came out with a very nice, black suit. Harry saw Ron's salesman do the same.
Harry and Ron both carried their suits back into the front, paid for them, and made their way back to Hogwarts.
After taking their purchases up to their dormitories, Harry and Ron hurried down to the Great hall for dinner. Dinner was almost over and they were both starving, especially Ron who hadn't eaten lunch in the first place. They quickly ate a very uneventful dinner and went back to Gryffindor tower to sleep.
It was a week away from the Halloween Ball, and Ron was at detention with Snape for "passing notes in class" when really he was just giving Harry a copy of the instructions off the board. So Harry and Hermione surrounded one of the fires in the common room and worked on some unfinished homework. Harry was dwelling on the prophecy again, something he tended to do whenever he got some time alone. He glanced over at Hermione and felt a pang of guilt. What if he didn't survive this fight with Voldemort? Or worse, what if one of his friends got hurt? He couldn't think about that. It was more than he could stand. Again, Harry glanced at Hermione and noticed that she was muttering. Through the scratches of her quill Harry managed to hear the words "inconsiderate" and "selfish." He only had moments to ponder on this, however, because at that exact second a bang like a gunshot sounded from out in the corridor. Many students screamed, and harry and Hermione jumped up and sprinted to the portrait hole. Before Harry could open it Hermione grabbed his arm and held him back.
"Harry, what if it's an attack?" She said looking very fearful. "Maybe we should just stay here and watch the younger students."
"If it is an attack," Harry replied, "then we are the only ones here with experience and we need to be out there fighting."
"But there are bound to be tons of Deatheaters. What if you get hurt?"
"I'll be fine, 'Mione. Don't worry."
Hermione threw her arms around him and squeezed hard.
"Be careful, Harry!" She said to his chest. "Don't do anything rash. Please!"
Harry just stood there awkwardly as Hermione hugged him tighter. The other students watched the two fearing for the worst. Harry gently took her hands and she released him. He turned back to the portrait hole and pushed it open.
Coughing on clouds of smoke, Harry heard many footsteps and screams but couldn't see anything. Oddly enough, there weren't any spells being fired. Surely Deatheaters would be shooting spells. Finally, Hermione had the common sense to clear the smoke with an easy charm.
"Evanesco!" She yelled, and the smoke disappeared. Hermione screamed, and Harry gasped at the sight.
Before him was a tall, skinny man with exceptionally long fingers and bright, venom red eyes. The eyes that haunted Harry's dreams. Lord Voldemort had returned to Hogwarts.
A/N: Okay everyone I will explain, but first I must apologize for the evil cliffhanger I left. Sorry!
First of all, I know I have taken forever to update, and get used to it. Updates might be this far spread out from now on. I did have major writers block on this chapter, so it took much longer, but updates still are not going to be as frequently as I hoped.
Secondly, I only received 8 reviews for last chapter. And the eighth review I didn't receive till about two weeks ago. Like I said, I will not update unless I have at least eight reviews. That is one reason why this chapter took so long.
Thirdly, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter and I really don't like it, so may I please have some feedback. I need to know what you guys thought about it. Please, please, please review!!
Well, I think that's all. Sorry for the long wait. I'll try to update the next chapter much faster! Please review! The more reviews I get the faster I update!