Shadows of War

by obfuscation

As Harry and his friends prepare for their sixth year, the arrival of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts, whom everyone trusts except Harry. But when a sudden wave of attacks threaten to break up the Trio, will Harry's fears come to life?

3. Schedules and Classes

Shadows of War

Schedules and Classes

Snape had spent nearly half-an-hour discussing what had happened at Death Eater central and none of it was relevant to anything. The only real part worth mentioning was Voldemort hadn't ordered the attack at the Burrow. Apparently a few overzealous higher-ups got bored and figured that going after him would be a good idea. As it turned out, one of them was killed on the spot by Voldemort to serve as a warning to the others and the remaining Death Eaters had been placed under the Cruciatus curse for extended periods of time. After that there was a brief mention of something called Hestegonne but it only seemed to mean something to Dumbledore. After that, here was a brief discussion concerning assignments and prior to the assignment of new ones.

It was then that Dumbledore introduced the group to Seran Cleir as Hogwarts new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, quickly earning him a condemning glare from Snape. Dumbledore also added that he had been in the Order during the first war with Voldemort which earned him a few nods of approval from those other than Snape.

With that, Dumbledore called the meeting to end and members began to rise from the table. It was then that Dumbledore called to Harry.

"I wanted to explain something to you about the mark on your hand," Dumbledore began, his twinkling eyes glancing around the room to see that they were alone. "That is Signum of the Phoenix. That seal represents that you are a member of the Order and is only visible to members of the Order."

Harry had already realized the first half, but the latter took him by surprise. He quickly took stock of the room and noticed that everyone who was a member of the Order had that Signum on their right hand. Watching the youth look around the room, Dumbledore decided to continue.

"That Signum also acts as a form of communication between the Order. You merely tap it and think the name of the person you wish to speak to. Now before you ask, it is a form of the legimens spell, you are merely transmitting the thought of what you wish to say to the other person. Now I wonder if there is any more cake," and Dumbledore strode off in the direction of the kitchen…

- - - - -

"That had to be the most boring two hours in my life!" Ron exclaimed as he collapsed on his bed.

"It wasn't that bad," Hermione responded. Harry smirked, he had noticed that even she, Miss. Stay-awake-through-the-most-boring-lecture-from-Binns had almost fallen asleep through the Order's meeting. And Harry didn't blame them.

"Hermione, it was that bad," Harry called from the doorway. "The only thing I got out of it was that Voldemort didn't order the Death Eaters after me and that doesn't help anything."

Hermione sighed, realizing defeat. Then immediately, something replaced the look of defeat and it was something that both Harry and Ron knew too well: curiousity. "So that was Cleir."

"Yeah, that was him," Harry answered in a slightly annoyed fashion, he already knew where this was going.

"Do you think he's any good? At teaching, I mean?" she asked hopefully.

"I dunno, I've only talked to him once."

"Oh."

The sound of Ron's sigh broke through the silence, "Hey Harry, any thoughts on Quidditch for this year?"

That caught him off guard, I hadn't thought about Quidditch at all, not since Umbridge. "You think that they would have lifted the ban?"

"It was in the Prophet last week, they lifted all the Ministry's Educational Decrees and that included your ban," Hermione said, well aware of the obvious change of subject.

"So I can play again?" Hermione nodded, "Oh my Go- this is gr- I can't beli- are you serious?" She nodded again, this time with Ron. "Yes! This is bloody great! I mean seriously this is…but we don't have a team."

"We'll figure it out mate, believe me, we'll get this figured out."

- - - - -

After realizing that Umbridge's legacy had been put to sleep, summer began to fly by. Harry and Ron spent hours developing new moves and strategies to put into play once they returned to school. It was rather difficult since they only knew for a fact that they had two Chasers, a Keeper and a Seeker. Despite the finale of last years game, both Harry and Ron were unsure of whether Kirke and Sloper could cut it as Beaters and they were still a Chaser shy of a full team.

Hermione had once again sealed herself within the library, this time researching potions that could create something to grow to an immense size but quickly. She found one but was quickly shot down when Harry pointed out that it was a wall made of the same material the floor was made of and not made out of Devil's Snare. She quickly returned to the library while muttering under her breath, "Shouldn't exist," and "Why can't I figure this out," and Harry was sure he heard her curse.

Life was great until the sixth of August when three large envelopes addressed to Harry, Hermione, and Ron appeared on the table flanked by a significantly smaller one addressed to Ginny. Hermione immediately began to hyperventilate, quickly recalling everything she could about the OWL exams at the end of last year and immediately questioning both Harry and Ron about the proper way to brew that neither could remember and if there was any possibility that she might have misspelled flobberworm on her Care of Magical Creatures exam.

"Just open the letter already and find out!" Ron exclaimed after being questioned for the third time about the proper sequence of adding ingredients.

She turned to the letter and the most grueling staring match Harry and Ron had ever seen commenced before she finally pulled up the courage, crossed the gap, and ripped open the letter. Silence, then, "I got twelve!"

"You got a perfect score?"

"Almost," she replied rather dejected, "I got an 'E' in Astronomy; they couldn't actually expect us to concentrate through that." She then picked up another envelope, read the label, and tossed it to Harry.

Harry took a deep breath before ripping open the envelope.

Mr. Harry Potter,

Below are your Ordinary Wizarding Level results turned into by the examiners during the course of last years school semester. The results are split into both Theory and Practical and the final score for that course is the average between the two scores.

Course

Care of Magical Creatures

Theory: E / Practical: E / Overall: E

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Theory: O / Practical: O / Overall: O

Divination

Theory: N/A / Practical: P / Overall: P

History of Magic

Theory: A / Practical: N/A / Overall: A

Potions

Theory: E / Practical: O / Overall: O

Transfiguration

Theory: E / Practical: E / Overall: E

"I got ten, I can' believe I managed to get an 'O' in potions," Harry was dumbfounded, he knew that he did better without Snape glaring over his shoulder but he didn't realize that he had done that much better. He heard a rustling of papers to his right and glanced over at Ron who was staring blankly at his results. "What did you get?"

Silence.

"Come on, it can't be that bad," Hermione added.

"I got eight, Potions killed me," Ron muttered, his gaze never leaving the parchment. "I probably would have done better if I hadn't even shown up. How could they honestly have expected us to learn from Snape?"

"Well you could have studied more," Hermione mumbled.

"Pardon me for not being able keeping up with your study habits."

"Why should I be sorry if I take my classes seriously-"

Harry merely gave a absentminded nod and went back to flipping through the remaining papers. The next sheet was his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. He skimmed through it, noticing that he had to choose which classes to take now that he had his OWL results. Flipping to the next page he found a class list.

Classes available to sixth year students:

Alchemy

Ancient Runes (NEWT level avaiable)

Arithmancy (NEWT level avaiable)

Care of Magical Creatures (NEWT level avaiable)

Defense Against the Dark Arts (NEWT level avaiable)

Divination (NEWT level avaiable)

Healing

History of Magic (NEWT level avaiable)

Potions (NEWT level avaiable)

Transfiguration (NEWT level avaiable)

But despite the choices, the first was the one that drew his attention: Alchemy. I've heard that term before, but where? "Hermione, what's Alchemy?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because its on the class list."

"You're kidding!" ceasefire commended as she quickly ruffled through her papers before finding the class list. She looked like a child on Christmas morning. "They're offering Alchemy, I can't believe it…how did they find a teacher? I've always wanted to learn Alchemy!"

"You still haven't answered the question," Ron pointed out, now that he and Harry were staring at Hermione curiously.

"Alchemy is science based on the composition of matter," she stated, as if reciting it from a book. The two boys looked at her expectantly, but when she continued reading they knew they'd have to push her for information.

"And…anything else?" Ron ventured as Harry noticed a fourth sheet of paper.

Dear Harry

I regret that I am unable to ask this of you in person as I am currently being held at the Wizengamot over matters of trivial importance. As you are reading this letter then you have no doubt received your OWL results, your Hogwarts letter, and your class list. I hope that you can bear the request of an old man and that you enroll in Alchemy during your sixth and seventh year. I feel that your understanding of this skill would greatly increase your abilities against Lord Voldemort when you one day must face him.

Now must also inform you that Sirius' will, which names you as a beneficiary, must be held in trust until the time of your seventeenth birthday when you are of age to receive what you are entitled to. I must once again impress my apologies for the events of last year.

Sincerely,

Albus Wulfric Percival Brian Dumbledore

"What is it, mate?"

"Dumbledore wants me to take Alchemy," Harry responded, his mind still deciding whether or not to trust the aged wizard.

"Well are you?" Ron asked.

"Of course he is," Hermione countered turning back to Harry. "Aren't you?"

"I don't even know what Alchemy is."

"Well why did he ask you to take it?"

"It said something about how it could be useful against Voldemort," Ron winced but Harry ignored him…

- - - - -

"Now as you are all aware, the school year at Hogwarts will begin next week, so our meetings will become more…sporadic. Unfortunately for our younger members," Dumbledore spoke, eyeing Harry, "you will be unable to attend the meetings but we will keep you abreast in what is going on."

"And how do you plan on keeping us informed?" Harry asked, feeling as though he's once again being cut off from information he's entitled to know.

"To be truthful, I'm not quite sure," Dumbledore answered sinking into his chair. "We can't use owls since, as you know, they can be intercepted. We can't use the Floo network as it is monitored by the Ministry and Voldemort most likely has spies in place to keep track of that. So we may end up having to resort to a hand carried method. Don't worry Harry, I do not wish for a repeat of last year."

The last part was barely a whisper and Harry was sure no one else heard the headmaster.

"On that note, we will adjourn for tonight," Dumbledore spoke solemnly before rising from the table.

The others followed suit and the room quickly emptied with barely a word, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in the all encompassing silence. Footsteps faded away and the only sound to break the silence was a sigh escaping from Hermione.

"I know what you're going to say," Harry's voice broke the atmosphere.

It didn't stop her.

"They aren't going to leave you out on purpose Harry, they don't want it to happen again."

Something snapped. Constant suppression of pain, anger, torment, constant what-if scenarios all came to the forefront. "'It'?" his voice was low, dangerously low, barely above a growl. "Only an 'it'? Sirius is dead and all that he gets is an 'it'?"

"Harry, mate, she didn't mean it-"

"How the hell would you know what she meant? A man is dead because of what I did," he raised a hand to stop her from interrupting. "Now I know it wasn't all my fault, some of it was, a lot of it was Dumbledore's fault so I know it wasn't all me. But if I hadn't been there, neither would had Sirius."

"Sirius made his own choices, just like we did when we followed you there," it was Ginny this time.

"You guys must really think I'm stupid to be saying things like that. Of course I know it was his choice but just because it was his choice doesn't mean that I wasn't still partly responsible. He…" his voice faltered, hanging his head, "He was the closest thing I had to a family and he's gone." He slowly lifted his head. He noticed both Ginny and Hermione were taken aback and even Ron looked a little lost. "I never even really knew him."

"You knew him better than most."

The group spun to see Tonks standing near the kitchen. She silently crossed the room, some how devoid of her usually clumsy self, and took a seat near the table. "I barely knew him and he was my Uncle. I saw him every so often at family gatherings, but aside from that, nothing. The only person who might have known him better than you is Remus."

Harry nodded slightly.

"I wasn't here to listen in on your conversation though; Dumbledore has a way to keep you informed."

This caught Harry's attention. "But he just said he didn't have any ideas."

"It wasn't Dumbledore's idea; it was Seran's," Harry groaned, "What's wrong with Seran?"

"Harry's got a bad feeling from him," Ron interjected.

"Bad vibe, how?" Tonks inquired.

Harry sighed, "Just…a bad feeling."

"Hmm…I'll have to keep an eye on him," Harry gave her a disbelieving look, someone is actually taking me seriously? She must have seen his look because she gave him a reassuring smile. "Always trust you instincts, it's one of the first things they tell you during Auror training. But anyway," she turned back to the others, "I'm your new contact."

Silence.

"What? Did that come out wrong?"

"No, it's just…" Ron seemed to be struggling for the right words, "how are you going to be our contact, you kind of stand out."

"And it would create too many questions if you show up at school unless…" Hermione trailed off, the rest of them waited for the signal that Hermione had solved the problem and it came right on cue. "That's brilliant! It would work perfectly."

Tonks nodded and Ron was dumbfounded. "What would work perfectly?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "She'll pose as a student so she doesn't draw any attention."

"But she's too big for a first year," Ron continued.

"A transfer student," Tonks answered.

"But you kind of stick out," Ron once again, stated the obvious. Tonks tossed him an annoyed look before her green hair faded to an unobtrusive dark brown. "Oh yeah, forgot about that."

"So if they can get you information and you're in the school why can't we get it directly?" Harry questioned cynically.

"Because I'm an Auror. We have…alternative methods of communicating that aren't easily traceable," she gave him a knowing smile. "Besides, if anything big happens you've still got the Signum." Harry's eyes flew to the back of his right hand where the golden emblem still resided. The other three students stared at him out of curiosity.

"Hey wait, what's the signal?"

"Signum, it's the mark of the Order," Tonks replied.

"Why didn't we get one?"

"Because you didn't swear an oath to fight against Voldemort until he's dead or you are. You still have a choice," Harry's hardened gaze met theirs, "keep it that way."

"You know we'll stand beside you no matter what," this came from Ginny, who now had tears rimming her eyes. "But you already beat You-Know-Who five times, it doesn't have to be you!"

"Yes it does."

"No, Harry it doesn't," this time it was Hermione. "Everyone knows that Dumbledore is the one that Voldemort has always feared. There's nothing saying that you have to fight him."

"Yes," Harry began in a tone that carried a threat not to question it. "Yes, it does have to be me. You just don't know why."

"Then why Harry," Ron now, "inform the rest of us why it has to be you."

"The Department of Mysteries," Harry knew those words would quiet the three of them and silence once again consumed the room. "You all remember it; the Prophecy says that I must face Voldemort."

"You heard the Prophecy?" this time it was Tonks.

"Dumbledore told me, after…"

"How did Dumbledore know?" Hermione again.

"Because it was told to Dumbledore in the first place, what was in the Department of Mysteries was just a record of it," Harry sighed, dropping back into a chair, realizing that this conversation wasn't going to end until he told them at least part of it. "The prophecy said that I have to face him and that one of us will kill the other."

Silence consumed the room for the umpteenth time that night. Ron sunk into a chair and his face fell into his hands. Tonks seemed like she had been hit by a truck. Both Hermione and Ginny looked as if they'd be sick. Harry leaned back into his chair and let the silence continue. Ginny sniffled and gave Harry a look with too many mixed emotions to even bother figuring out before she lowered her head to the table. Harry looked to all four of them and it was finally Ron who broke the silence. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Because I'm still trying to come to grips with the fact that I'm either going to be a murderer, or I'm going to be murdered."

Harry's harsh reply caused silence to once again envelope the room. He glanced towards the clock standing near the stairs: 11:26. Pushing his chair away from the table he walked towards the stairs. The silence continued as he left the room and ascended the stairs and entered his bedroom.

Collapsing on the bed, he lay with his eyes blankly gazing upon the dimly lit ceiling. His eyes had adjusted to the point where he could just barely make out the cracks running through the aged wood when his near catatonic brain registered the door opening and closing. Rustling of sheets followed as Ron got into bed at the other side of the room. The silence continued and Harry's mind began to wander once again. Questions continued to float through his mind, but all centered around one perennial: why does this keep happening?

These thoughts continued until his mind slipped away into a restless sleep…

…Diagon Alley was one of those few places that never ceased to amaze Harry. It was one of the few places in the Wizarding world that he had some semblance of anonymity, where he could remain completely anonymous despite the scar partially covered by the unruly mop he called hair. Their was movement everywhere, countless witches and wizards caught up in their own daily lives, busily moving back and forth gathering the assorted items that filled the average magical shopping list. The narrow alley was packed so tightly that Harry had to literally force his way through the crowd and it wasn't until then that he realized he had no idea where he was going. "So what exactly are we doing?"

"We need to go to Gringotts to meet my parents," Hermione replied from his right. "Then we're meeting the Weasleys at Fred and George's shop. Now if you don't hurry up we're going to be late."

"Oi, she's always in a rush," Ron remarked from Harry's left and three continued to push their way through the throng of people. "Geez, why are their so many bloody people here today?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied, "It could have something to do with-"

With what Harry would never find out. Just as Hermione had begun her sentence Harry had lost his balance and fell directly on the cobblestone street. Shaking his head he pushed himself to his feet to come face to face with…nothing.

No one was near him, the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley had disappeared, replaced by thick, red fog which obscured everything in sight. His first instinct, aside from instantly realizing that something was wrong, was to yell for Ron and Hermione but he received no answer, nor did he expect one. He threw his arm forward to try and feel his way through the mist, but he had the most peculiar feeling of walking but feeling his body remain in one place. That was when he spoke…

"Hello Harry."

A chill tore its way up his spine…Voldemort.

"What do you want?"

"Now, now," the disembodied voice replied, "is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"

"You're not my friend," Harry replied forcibly, the words forced through his teeth.

"Oh, you mean the Weasley and the mudblood, mere trivialities."

"Leave them out of this, you're dealing with me."

"Quite a temper you've got there Potter…best be careful, it might get you into trouble."

With Voldemort's last word, the fog was torn away but the red hue remained. Diagon Alley reappeared but the sky, the buildings everything tinged a deep red…then there were the bodies. Countless bodies littered the street, each lifeless, the blackness of death consuming the eyes of each. Then there was movement. A lone figure crouched over two unmoving bodies. Squinting, he tried to make out who it was before a familiar pain ripped through his forehead. His scar burning, he dropped to his knees and he felt something grip his shoulders hearing his name repeated as the world faded from view…

"Harry!"

I'm shaking…why am I shaking…what's going on?

"Wake up Harry!"

Why is someone yelling at me…I'm awake, I'm awake…right?

"Damn it Harry, snap out of it!"

Huh…snap out of what…

Consciousness snapped into place. Hands, there were hands on his shoulders. The hands were shaking him. What do I do? Instinct yelled: It doesn't matter just do something!

He lashed out; his left arm struck who ever it was on what felt like the temple of his attacker. He unconsciously muttered, "Accio wand" and felt the wand land in his right hand before he turned it on his attacker. He was about to curse his attacker when he heard something that made him freeze:

"Bloody hell, mate."

"Ron?"

"Yeah," he choked, and Harry reached for his glasses still sitting on the bedside table and put them on. He then saw Ron sprawled on the floor with a rather large red lump forming on the side of his head. "Who did you think it was?"

"I...don't know…it was just a-"

"Bad dream," Harry turned to Ron, who looked at him sympathetically. "Look mate, I may not know what you're going through; but believe me, I'd have had to be as dense as Malfoy not to notice what was happening."

Harry grinned at the dig to his archrival. "Thanks for, waking me up."

"No worries, but I'm pretty sure everyone in the house heard you," Harry groaned at Ron's observation; the last thing I need is Mrs. Weasley with a another reason to worry about me. "Just go back to sleep and don't worry 'bout me mum."

Laying back down on the bed, Harry returned to his previous pastime of tracing the cracks in the roof before he head Ron's snores break the silence. As sleep began to overtake him once again, the last thing he noticed aside from Ron's mention of tap-dancing spiders was the soft click of the door…

The two made their way downstairs in time to see Mrs. Weasley emerge from the kitchen with a platter of food that Harry expected could have fed all of Hogwarts. "Morning boys, now you two tuck in. Harry my dear, how are you feeling." He nodded numbly and quickly pilled his plate with pancakes and bacon before Ron had a chance to grab everything. Ron made a remark about having to wait but grabbed nearly twice as much as Harry as soon as he had finished.

About ten minutes later and when both he and Ron were on thirds, Hermione and Ginny stumbled down the stairs half-asleep and took places at the table followed by Mr. Weasley and Lupin. Tonks appeared a few minutes later from the kitchen with a cup of coffee and took a seat next to Lupin.

A short puff of flame and smoke appeared above the table and two letters floated slowly to the center. Hermione grabbed both of them before tossing one to Harry and the other to Tonks. Tonks tore into hers but Harry merely studied his for a moment.

He knew it was from Dumbledore and after all the memories that were dredged up after last night and that cursed dream thrown in for good measure, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear from the old man. He sighed inwardly and ripped open the envelope:

Dear Harry,

I'm sorry to hear that the connection between you and Tom is still alive and well. I heard about your dream last night (no it wasn't from your friend Ron) and I've come to a decision. If you wish to continue training in Occlumency then I will train you if you wish. If you do not, I will not force it upon you. Either way, I will call upon a mutual acquaintance of ours to create something for you that would act as a barrier between yourself and mental intrusions. If you do wish to continue you could merely use this item to keep Tom at bay until your mental defenses are up to par. If you choose not to then I merely ask that you wear this item to keep yourself safe. I will also make sure that it is easily concealable.

As you may have noticed, Ms. Tonks has also received a letter today. Since that letter concerns you I will fill you in on the details. Ms. Tonks, being both an Auror and a member of the Order, must follow both orders. Now because of that, our choice to have her act as a transfer student so that she can be your liaison between yourself and the Order, it would be difficult for her to maintain her cover if she was called away on assignment for the Ministry. So by pulling a few strings, I have managed to have Ms. Tonks assigned as your "bodyguard" indefinitely. Now this is only in the eyes of the Ministry and as we both know that is not her purpose there, but that position supercedes any other assignment that the Ministry can give her because the order comes directly from Minister Fudge himself. The only possible situation that could remove Ms. Tonks from her position would be a declaration of war from the Ministry and even with that occurrence, her position would most likely remain.

Just as a note, the item in question will be hand delivered by myself on the day you plan to head to Diagon Alley.

Sincerely,

Albus Wulfric Percival Brian Dumbledore

Harry felt something rise within him but quickly suppressed it. It was now imperative that he learn Occlumency. Realizing that by knowing the full Prophecy he was a liability to his own livelihood. Also by being the Order, he affected the livelihood of everyone in the Order as well. Everyone…Lupin, Tonks, Moody, the Weasleys, Hermione…everyone…

"You okay Harry?" it was Ginny sitting across the table with a concerned look.

Quickly shoving the letter into his pocket, Harry mumbled, "I'm fine." and continued eating.

She continued to look at him for a moment, the concern still there, but finally let it be after what seemed like an eternity. Harry pushed the thoughts from his mind, quietly rose from the table, and returned to his room. He didn't feel like studying at the moment and a one-player game of chess had its drawbacks so he resorted to the only thing he could think of: cleaning his broom.

A couple of hours later, his Firebolt was just as spotless and trimmed as the day he had received it. He wasn't sure when but Ron had appeared across the room and was staring at the broom with awe, something that hadn't diminished since the day he got it during his third year. He asked Ron where his broom was and Ron sheepishly snapped out of his glazed state and muttered something about needing to get it. When he returned a few moments later, he and Harry spent the next few hours returning the broom the state it had once been in when it was purchased from the store.

The next two days passed uneventfully and to be completely truthful with himself, Harry was almost curious about the item that Dumbledore had mentioned in the letter. Other than his insatiable curiosity over all things in general, a few standard outcome chess matches against Ron, and brief period of time where Tonks was asking for opinions as to how she should look when she showed up as a sixth year transfer student, life at Grimmauld Place was extremely dull. That is until the Friday before school started, because many things happened that day that he didn't expect.

Being woken by being shaken by his best friend for the second time in three days wasn't the most pleasant experience. Even knowing it was Ron, Harry had almost lashed out again on principle. But it was the news that Ron had that kept Harry from proving the principle.

"Harry, Dumbledore's here and I think he's got something for you."

Harry groaned and pulled himself from bed, I know he's the most powerful wizard of the time but why does he always get here so early? Getting dressed, he made his way downstairs to see Dumbledore sitting at the edge of the table with a wooden box before him.

"Good morning, Harry," the headmaster spoke with his trademark twinkle in place. It was then that he noticed there were others in the room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood near the kitchen with Bill speaking adamantly about something. Lupin was residing in a chair near the middle of the table and Tonks was in a corner with a mirror still trying to decide what to use for her cover. Hermione was sitting next to Dumbledore looking rather peeved, most likely she was trying to figure out what was in the box with no luck. "I trust you have had a pleasant couple of nights sleep."

Harry nodded numbly, wondering if Dumbledore had anything to do with that.

"No Harry, I had nothing to do with that by the way, I was just…curious," he said, answering Harry's unasked question. "Did you decide to enroll in Alchemy?"

"Yes, but what exactly is Alchemy?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled, "To tell you the truth Harry, its something that can really only be understood once you understand how to do it."

Figures. "Hermione mentioned that it is a science."

"Well then, ten points to Gryffindor when we return to school because she is right," Hermione blushed but was still too eager to see what was in the box to leave the table. "But it is more than science. In its most general form, Alchemy is the study of the way things are made and what you can do with them once you understand that most intrinsic idea. To an extent, it is much like potions."

Harry groaned, "Snape isn't teaching it, is he?"

"Professor Snape, Harry, and no he isn't teaching it," Dumbledore paused as if considering whether to let the cat out of the bag or not. "I've retained the services of someone else to teach that class." Apparently the cat was stuck for a while longer. "He is, however, the one that made you this." Dumbledore gave the wooden box a soft tap of his wand and the lid slowly lifted.

Inside the box was something he didn't expect. If it was something to protect his mind for intrusion then he expected something like a necklace or pendant or something that would go near his head. These didn't go anywhere near his head.

From what he could tell, they were bracers, a medieval form of armor that covered your forearms. But from what he'd seen about suits of armor, these were unlike any set of bracers that he had previously seen. They were entirely black save for what seemed to be golden characters etched into top. Dumbledore picked up one and handed it to Harry who took it to further exam it. It was surprisingly light, it must be permanently enchanted with a feather light charm.The golden characters were not the only mark to be found on the bracer. On the opposite side there was a white circle which appeared to be carved into it with a series of triangles dividing it into thirds. Running his finger over it, he realized that it hadn't been carved, but felt as if the blackened metal had been formed around the circle as it had with the golden symbols.

Harry was speechless, Hermione wasn't.

"But Headmaster, that can't possibly work!"

"I have every belief that they will," Dumbledore replied and Harry turned to Hermione curious as to what had sparked that outburst. "But for the sake of Ms. Granger's sanity, let's try them. Harry, if you would put these on."

Sliding one over his right hand, he felt the metal expand and contract to meet the contours of his arm, this even surprised Dumbledore. "Impressive, I didn't think he would use that spell."

"Any chance we could find out who 'he' is?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

"All good things come to those who wait," Dumbledore replied, but then added, "He is a mutual acquaintance though."

Harry sighed; Dumbledore was being as cryptic as ever. He slid the other bracer onto his left arm. He shut his eyes immediately as he felt something in his head, but relaxed when the most peculiar calming sensation slipped through his mind. It took him a moment to realize that he was completely at peace. He opened his eyes to see Dumbledore standing before him with his wand outstretched.

"Are you ready Harry?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Legimens"

It happened just as it had before with Snape. Harry felt something…a presence…slip into his head. But unlike with Snape, the presence was unable to slip into his mind much less access any of his memories. He could feel it near the edge of his mind, but every time Dumbledore tried to enter he was pushed away. The third time Dumbledore pushed much, much harder…every action has an equal and opposite reaction…Harry wasn't sure where that thought came from but the next thing he heard was Hermione screaming at him to open his eyes.

The room snapped back into focus and ten feet away from him Dumbledore was slouched against the wall with a vague look of disbelief covering his face. He shook his head slightly before a smile returned, "Interesting, most interesting…I didn't think he would make them that strong."

"Prof…Professor, what just happened," Hermione stammered while everyone else in the room was still stunned.

"I underestimated the bracers on Harry's arms," Dumbledore replied, pulling himself up from the floor. "I can say for a fact that they do work."

"But how? The…bracers use Runes, but Runes can't be etched onto object and still have their properties."

"Correct."

"But the Runes weren't embedded either and embedding a Rune is the only way to attach a Rune without compromising its magical properties."

"Correct," Dumbledore's one word answers seemed to inflame her more.

"Then why does it work? It doesn't follow any magical laws…they shouldn't work!"

"I understand what you are saying Ms. Granger, but you must also remember is that rules are never supreme," Dumbledore gave her a knowing smile before saying goodbye to everyone in the room before exiting through the front door leaving a very distraught Hermione standing in the middle of the room.

"Umm…Hermione, what do you mean it shouldn't work," she snapped back to reality.

"That bracer uses Runes to work. When you make a Rune, you have to make them separately because each has Rune has individual properties. Advanced Rune makers can link Runes together to create desired effects but the closest they can get to something wearable is to embed the Runes onto whatever object they want." She finished speaking with every eye in the room either on her or Harry's wrists. She slumped into one of the chairs near the table, "it shouldn't work…"

"But it does," cue Ron, Captain Obvious. "Wicked."

"Well, I think we should probably get a move on then, lots of things to do," Mrs. Weasley had snapped out of her apparent reverie and now the house wasn't chaotic enough for her liking. "You should probably cover those dear," she mentioned as she rushed past him towards the stairs for who knows what.

Not really caring, Harry headed for his room and pulled an oversized black jacket from his trunk to cover the two bracers. The door slammed open and Ron stood panting before him, "Mum wants everyone downstairs, Knight Bus is here." Harry looked closer at his best friend; he seemed a little…pale. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No you just…scared?"

"That wizard driving that bloody thing is nuts, I'm telling you!"

"That's a yes."

The two friends made their way down to the street outside Grimmauld Place and the massive purple bus stood before them in broad daylight. Mr. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione must have already been on board as Mrs. Weasley was rushing them towards the entrance to the bus. They were seated on the top floor of the bus, the same armchairs they had used before were currently residing in a less than ordered fashion. Ron gulped loudly and the group took a seat.

"I hate this thing," came a groan from the stairway and everyone turned to see Moody and Tonks enter the upper floor. Harry smirked, the Knight Bus does have a way with people.

He heard a muffled call from two stories down and with a bang, the bus lurched forward sending everyone flying across the room.