Six glasses clashed gently together, Ron holding one in each hand. Once the liquid had been drained, everybody went his or her separate ways. Bill and Fleur returned to his flat in London. Ron headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Harry went to the Head Girl's dormitory with Cho, finally taking the time to check out her rooms in the few hours remaining before supper. That night, Mars burned just a shade brighter in the heavens.
Chapter Nineteen: Princes and Prodigies – The Trio ReunitedDisclaimer: If you've seen it before, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. Otherwise, it's mine. Naturally, I'm making no money off this.
Following the directions on Moody's parchment found Harry well out into the school grounds and skirting the edge of the Forbidden Forest. In the half an hour, the young wizard had taken a rather scenic route around most of the castle and a good bit of the surroundings. In vintage Alastor Moody fashion, the first charmed parchment from class had led to another, and that one to a third and so on, resulting in Harry having to take a roundabout route to wherever his final destination might be. Sensing that this lesson would entail far more than just some lecture and application, he had come properly dressed for a fight, wearing all of his armaments, as well as his battle robes, and carrying his kodachi and medicated water. He had also summoned his pets upon leaving the confines of the castle, and the two beasts kept a sharp watch both in front of and behind him. He finally reached a large spruce tree located about a hundred feet on the wrong side of the forest's boundary. A large piece of parchment was attached to the trunk with instructions to wait. Annoyed, Harry leaned up against the tree.
He didn't have to wait all that long. Within the next ten minutes or so, others began assembled at his location. The first was Hermione, who looked rather surprised to see Harry standing there. Ginny and Luna showed up immediately after as a pair, which made no sense at all. They were both in the year below, and therefore shouldn't be in the advanced class. Harry watched as Neville hesitantly approached from the distance as Hermione addressed the two younger girls with a frown
"You two shouldn't be here. This is the NEWT Defense class."
Luna only shrugged and sent a brief smile at Harry as Ginny responded flippantly.
"Professor Moody asked us to come out for extra credit. Thing is, I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing."
Harry nodded at Neville as the pudgy boy arrived and kept a watch in the distance, expecting a sixth to come strolling up at any moment. And as predicted, Ron soon came stomping down the path, muttering about how much he hated the Forbidden Forest and glancing ever which way, as if expecting Aragog to leap out from behind a bush and devour him at the moment that he dropped his guard. The redhead didn't notice the rest until he was almost upon them. The six Hogwarts students involved in the previous term's battle at the Department of Mysteries were assembled once more.
"Hey, what are you lot all doing here?"
"Apparently the same thing you are...whatever that is."
As if to answer Harry's remark, words began to appear on the blank parchment detailing the nature of the assignment. It had been charmed to reveal its contents as soon as the entire group had assembled. Every student in the sixth and seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and apparently a few fifth years, had been randomly assorted into squads of roughly half a dozen. Harry snorted at that comment, as his team was hardly placed together by coincidence.
Each team was to be assigned to track down and neutralize one of the others, with orders to stun or disarm only. Moody and other faculty members would be roving about to collect the wands of disarmed students and revive those knocked out. So, essentially, Harry and his friends would know whom they were to attack, but not who else would be attacking them. It was probably as close to an actual combat situation as could be produced within the confines of the school, though it did have certain flaws. It was entirely possible that a team could get wiped out before ever engaging their targets, allowing some squads an easier time than others might have. Regardless, Harry and Ron wore identical grins upon seeing their "randomly" chosen opponents: Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Millicent Bulstrode, and a person that Harry imagined to be an unwilling teammate of the remainder in Adrian Pucey.
It was blatantly obvious that Moody had intentionally rigged the pairings to allow Harry and his friends to pound the snot out of Malfoy and his goons and completely get away with it. It was likely the retired Auror's subtle way of expressing his discontent at being forced to teach junior Death Eaters. Due to the war raging outside, Dumbledore had opened NEWT Defense to any student who wished to take it, regardless of their OWL scores. This assignment was going to be a joke. Pucey was the only competent wizard among the six, and both Goyle and Parkinson were just barely qualified to hold a wand.
"Over five years we've been waiting for an opportunity like this, mate."
"Rather fortunate for us that the old man's letting everybody into the class. You know, I've been looking for an excuse to practice my nastier curses."
Hermione glared at both boys reprovingly.
"The instructions say to stun or disarm only. And you two both plan on becoming Aurors, honestly."
Harry and Ron shared a knowing glance with Ginny. The de facto leader of the group gave the official response.
"We both tanked Potions, so the Auror Academy is out for us. Besides, you can't honestly be trying to convince us that the Slytherins don't deserve every ounce of what's coming to them. Like Ron said, we've been tolerating them for years. But if it'll really make you feel better, we'll stun them once we're done hexing them into slime."
The bushy-haired girl tried to look indignant, but couldn't prevent a smile from surfacing on her face.
"Well, just don't do anything that might get you into serious trouble."
Harry flashed the same conspiratorial grin that he and Ron had shared to his other best friend. Hopefully she might even get inspired to practice some of those Dark Arts that she'd not so secretly read up on at Grimmauld Place during the summer. All three of them had legitimately killed people, and yet Hermione was still holding stock in school rules. It was utterly ridiculous.
"See, you're an accomplice whether you like it or not. That's our girl. And we'll even let you smack Malfoy in his ferret face again once we've had our fun."
The girl smirked and shook her head, as Neville hesitantly fielded a question. Luna seemed to be staring mistily out into the forest.
"Just how exactly are we supposed to go about doing this? We don't even know where to start looking."
Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully, in what seemed to be a universal Weasley gesture.
"Well, we're a bit too obvious moving about in a group. Not even the likes of Goyle are completely stupid..."
Harry nodded.
"True. Even the most base and stupid of creatures has basic instincts. And we have quite a lot of ground to cover. I say we split into two groups. Any three of us should easily be able to hold off all six of those pathetic excuses for wizards and witches long enough for the rest to arrive."
The idea met with approval from five of the six, but Luna Lovegood was still off in her own little world. Ginny shook the distracted girl by the shoulder and regained her attention for a moment.
"So then, who goes with who?"
Harry thought it best to take the weakest two with him, as he could assuredly defeat the entirety of Slytherin House on his own, to say nothing of a group of six, only one of whom was anything beyond mediocre. On the other hand, if the other group were to run across the enemy first, they would need the best of the rest to realistically hold out.
"I'll take Neville and Luna with me and cover the area around here. The rest of you sweep the grounds closer to the castle entrance. If I know Moody, he'll have placed everybody outside and thus open to attack from any angle. If you three run across Malfoy and the rest before we do, signal us by firing a Stunner straight into the air."
"We will, Harry. Just be careful, and try not to maim anybody, please."
"Yes, mother. Oh, and do keep clear of the library tonight. Ron and I really need to talk to you after class. It's rather important."
"Fine, then. The two of you owe me some explanations anyway."
Hermione and the two Weasleys departed quickly after, leaving Harry with a slightly trembling Neville and a once more distracted Luna. The girl's wide silver eyes, far prettier and so much more mysterious than those possessed by both male Malfoys, were roving about quickly into the deepening forest.
"Luna...what are you looking for out there? We need to get moving."
The strange Ravenclaw turned back to regard Harry.
"It almost feels as if we're being watched. Surely you can sense it as well."
Harry felt nothing and thus simply wrote the idea off as another one of Luna's nonsensical ramblings. Still, it was equally likely as not to be true, given the diversity of creatures that called the Forbidden Forest home.
"It's possible, but I'm not feeling anything. The place gives me the creeps. Let's go."
Neville started for the clearing in a rush, and Luna followed nonchalantly behind. Grindelwald and Khariana were both looking out into the woods in the same direction that Luna had been, and Harry began to realize that she had been right. No sooner than the others were out of immediate range, an arrow whizzed by dangerously close to his head and imbedded itself in the tree a few inches below Moody's charmed parchment. A note was attached to the projectile, apparently intended for Harry.
XXXXXXXXX
Harry Potter, you are requested to return to the forest on the night of the next full moon. Recent movements in the stars have caused our herd's elders to express a wish to speak directly with you. Prove to us your valor by making the journey alone. May the heavens continue to guide your path, young warrior.
XXXXXXXXXThe note was obviously from the Centaur. Harry glanced in the direction from which the arrow had come. Indeed, one of them stood there holding an ornate longbow. He recognized the Centaur's black hair and fierce demeanor after a moment's thought. It was Bane, who was perhaps the most staunchly anti-human of the herd. Bane gave Harry a curt nod and vanished back into the trees from whence he had come. Harry carefully folded the note into his robes and left to catch up with the other two, resolving to consider the matter when time permitted.
The small party of five, pets included, hadn't far to go before coming across a few of their targets. As they patrolled about the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a red light indicating a Stunner flashed through Harry's field of vision. Motioning for the others to stay behind, he moved in to get a closer look, and glimpsed a small battle taking place. Nott and Bulstrode were doubling up against a single Ravenclaw, while a bored looking Pucey leaned against a nearby tree watching on, making no effort to assist them. Hannah Abbott and Lisa Turpin lay disarmed and bound on the mossy ground nearby, along with some seventh year Gryffindor whom Harry didn't recognize. Likely Pucey's work, as his two cohorts were being easily outgunned by their one opponent.
Harry took a better look at the girl, who had shining raven hair that extended to just below her shoulders. Harry had at first nearly mistaken her for Cho, but upon closer inspection noticed that her skin was a shade or two lighter than his girlfriend's, and her features somewhat plainer. She was even smaller than the petite Ravenclaw Seeker and had a mousy look to her, not having really filled out like the other girl had over the last few years. Not ugly, but also a girl that one likely wouldn't give a second look to. She was definitely Chinese, though, and had to be that Su Li girl that Cho had been so high on that afternoon in the Room of Requirement. Harry stayed back to watch her fight, curious to find out if she was indeed as good as promised.
The show was strikingly short. Nott had managed to recover from the defensive for just long enough to snap off a Bone Breaking Curse, classified as minor Dark Arts. Su calmly deflected it towards Bulstrode with a Shield Charm and also cast a forceful Stunner of her own at the burly Slytherin girl, who barely dodged Nott's curse but got nailed square in the face by Su's. The slight victorious smile that crossed the Ravenclaw's face indicated that she had aimed right at Bulstrode's head on purpose. Harry was liking her already. Nott looked slightly afraid after seeing his partner felled with such ease and looked to Pucey for help, only to receive a mocking sneer from the Head Boy in response. In doing so, he had made the critical mistake of taking his eyes off of his opponent, and paid dearly for it. Su muttered an incantation in Mandarin and blasted off a sickly lime colored curse at Nott, who took it in the side and fell to his knees violently retching his insides out. Harry toyed with the idea of sealing the boy's mouth shut and letting him choke to death on his own vomit, but decided to let Su finish her little exhibition. She elected to let Nott suffer for a few minutes before lifting her spell and disarming him to end the fight.
Upon seeing Nott taken out, Pucey rolled his eyes and redrew his own wand to attempt to deal with Su. Harry decided to have his own fun at that point and waited until the Quidditch player was well out in front of him before leveling his masterpiece wand.
"Expelliarmus. Incarcerous."
Pucey's wand flew into Harry's hand as thin cords wrapped around his ankles, sending him crashing face first into a pile of mud and soiling his expensive robes. Harry took especial care to step onto the small of the arrogant Head Boy's back as he emerged from his hidden vantage point and mildly applauded the only other person standing.
"Very nice. I'm afraid I just couldn't let you have all the fun, though. Harry Potter, by the way. Pleasure watching you do your stuff."
Su managed a shaky smile, despite being visibly nervous at the fact that the legendary Harry Potter was actually talking to her.
"Of course, everybody knows who you are. And thank you."
Su's Chinese accent was much thicker than Cho's. Harry supposed that her general inclination towards reticence at school had not allowed for her speech to adapt as well as the other girl's.
"It's only polite to introduce myself. And you're Su Li. Cho speaks very highly of you. And for good reason, judging from what I've just seen. It's really a shame you weren't in the D.A. last year. I think we all could have learned a few things from you."
Harry's complimentary tone seemed to mollify the small girl's inherent shyness somewhat, though she still seemed a bit uncomfortable.
"It's nothing much, really. I've just been training for a long time. And besides, I don't do very well around lots of people."
"Maybe I can help with that shyness. It's not every day that I come across somebody with skills like yours. I'll bet you have trouble finding suitable opponents around here."
"Yes, that is a problem. Everybody always talks about how powerful you are, though."
Harry understood exactly what she wanted but was afraid to ask for. A quick and friendly duel with this obviously skilled witch might be fun, and it would give him a perfect opportunity to see what she could really do. Besides, Pucey was the only threat among his designated opponents, and he was now neutralized. The most skilled among those remaining was Malfoy, and that wasn't saying very much at all. None of his teammates were in any danger at this point, as Harry supposed that even Neville could take down Draco without much trouble should he simply put aside his fear of the Slytherin and fight him. Harry had time enough to indulge his curiosity a bit further.
"I have my moments. But I'm quite curious about you, Miss Li. I want to see what you're really capable of. Since these losers are out of the way, I hope you might be willing to accept a match with me."
Su flashed a smile that made her look much prettier than before.
"I would be honored, Mister Potter. Whenever you're ready, then."
She dropped into a dueling stance that looked to be a cross between formal wizarding style and martial arts. Harry raised an eyebrow at the unorthodox stance and stripped his battle robes and upper body armaments. Removing his leg guards was too much of a hassle, but the duel would be no contest at all if he kept his gear on entirely. He smirked slightly in satisfaction upon seeing a slight blush suffuse the timid girl's cheeks as she gazed over his toned form. Harry also sent a mental command to his two pets ordering them not to interfere in the exercise, as they were watching from the foliage.
"There, things ought to be even now. Let's keep this friendly. No spells that will cause any serious bodily harm."
Su regained her composure immediately and nodded cheerfully.
"Understood. Stupefy!"
Harry was impressed. He hadn't expected the girl to initiate the battle. Most would be afraid to attack him without being instigated. Her compact Stunner would fell most wizards, but would only barely graze Harry's aura. He hadn't really expected her to be able to match magical strength with him, but still shifted aside and countered rapidly."
"Expelliarmus. Impedimenta. Incarcerous."
"Protego."
Good reflexes, Harry mused. Her protective shield was up no sooner than he had cast his first spell. She had been holding back quite a bit with Nott and Bulstrode. Su's shield buckled heavily upon the first spell's impact, and shattered on the second. She moved aside quickly to avoid it and leapt over the low flying entangling cords produced by Harry's third spell, propelling herself directly towards him at a high speed. Her left hand lashed out at a key pressure point on his wand arm as she approached and simultaneously sheathed her wand into a holster on her belt with the other. Even the most powerful opponents were susceptible to such attacks, and Harry would have found his right arm crippled had it connected. Su's incorporation of a martial arts stance into her dueling form was obviously not just for show. The Shinn Kohaku often employed pressure point attacks in order to incapacitate their foes at close range as well, and Kenzo had shown Harry how to recognize and avoid such attacks one morning during his stay in the village. He twisted his wrist slightly and Su's attack missed its target point. Harry trapped her arm with his own, pinning it against his side with a quick motion.
"Nice try, but you'll have to do more than that."
Su grunted in response and struck at his neck with her free hand. This time, a direct hit to the pressure point would render him immediately unconscious. She obviously wanted to win this rather badly. Harry moved his own unoccupied hand to counter with an almost unnatural speed and deflected Su's attack halfway, grasping her bicep to prevent a repeat. Now the two were at a standstill, each with both arms occupied. Su grinned at him.
"It seems we're at a draw. Not even you can fight with both hands tied up."
"Don't assume too much just yet, sweetheart."
Harry shifted his weight forward, attempting to use his larger size to pin the diminutive Chinese girl to the ground and free up his wand arm. She turned the tables by planting a knee into his gut and flipping him over her head. Harry could hardly believe that a girl not even half his size had just gotten the better of him in a grapple. Far from being irritated, he actually found the scenario to be rather hot, and couldn't stop himself from momentarily wondering whether or not the tiny girl was also that flexible in the bedroom. Su scrambled back onto her feet first and pivoted slightly on a leg. Harry knew that she was about to attempt a roundhouse kick to the half risen dakaathi hybrid's head, but she apparently thought better of it and decided not to push her luck through continuing to fight at grappling range with the much stronger young wizard. It was a smart move, as her light body would prevent her from inflicting much damage and she would be left wide open to a harsh counterattack. Su instead opted to force some distance between them by springing back, again drawing her wand and snapping off a spell.
"Conjuvictus!"
Harry rolled out of the spell's path and aimed his wand, casting a spell of his own upon landing.
"Stupefy."
Su didn't bother with a defensive charm, having correctly estimated that her shields wouldn't be able to hold up against the stronger wizard's Stunner. She instead jumped sideways to avoid the spell and retaliated with a barrage of spell fire.
"Stupefy! Stupefy! Densaugeo! Stupefy!"
"...Protego."
Despite Su's best efforts, all four spells combined failed to make a dent in Harry's shield. He smirked at her, almost as if daring her to up the ante.
"Come on. I know you're better than this. Stop holding back."
"Fine, but you asked for it."
The Chinese girl's eyes narrowed and she started blasting off curses intoned in her native tongue. The first was the same lime green spell that had dispatched Nott. Harry simply allowed it to come, confident in the power of his defensive barrier. Needless to say, he was most surprised when the curse phased right through. Harry was just barely able to duck in time and abandon his position in order to evade the remainder of the assault. Su pressed the attack relentlessly, and he was a bit chagrined to note that he had barely enough time to even think of returning fire. Harry didn't dare attempt to defend with magic, as he had no idea what she was throwing at him and even less of a clue as to how to counter it. However, she couldn't last much longer. Su was depleting her magical reserves, and was having increasing difficulty in keeping the stream of curses going. After roughly ninety seconds of constant casting, she had to stop and allow her energies to recharge momentarily. Harry had no intention of giving her a breather.
"Stupefy."
Miraculously, she managed to cast another spell. Her incantation conjured what appeared to be a gong head emblazoned with red Chinese ideograms in front of her. The spell loudly reflected off of the created structure and flew back at Harry with almost triple its original speed. He was forced to throw himself onto the ground in order to dodge. As she watched cautiously for his next move, Harry glanced into his peripheral vision and saw spells flying from near where he had left Neville and Luna. As much as he was the duel, he needed to get back to his friends. It was time to cease toying with her and end it. He sprang around to Su's flank where he would be well out of that infernal gong shield's path and slammed his wand like a hammer at the ground. The earth trembled violently underneath the girl's feet and knocked her down with a shriek. Harry intoned his spell before she had even started to fall.
"Incarcerous."
His aim was spot-on. The cords wrapped themselves around Su's body, forcing her to drop her wand. Harry summoned the ornate cherry stick to his hand and sealed his victory. He then banished the bindings around Su and returned her wand to her before helping her back to her feet. Far from being upset at her loss, the girl hugged him gently.
"That was so wonderful. I have never had so much fun in my entire life. Promise me we can do this again sometime."
Harry had no problem with that whatsoever. She had exceeded anything he could have expected of her. Naturally, had he been taking the fight truly seriously, it would have been over within a few exchanges. He had held back the entire time, wanting only to test her. Su boasted decent magical power with extensive spell knowledge, and was an accomplished hand-to-hand fighter as well. She was extremely resourceful and capable of thinking on her feet. She had taken a fight that she had no chance of winning in terms of strength or skill and had made it very competitive through the use of tactics and guild. She was in every respect the very epitome of what he planned for those in his unit to be.
"Whenever you like. But for now, I need to go and look after my team. See you around."
"I will see you later, then. My reserves are completely exhausted."
"Right. It really was a blast, Miss Li. Just talk to me or send an owl when you're free for another go."
"Just Su, if you don't mind. I have to suffer enough formality at home. I don't need it among my friends."
Harry ran a hand through his hair.
"Just one quick duel and we're friends already, then?"
The girl cast her eyes downward with a hurt expression. It was rather obvious that she wasn't particularly used to normal conversation on a regular basis.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to presume..."
"I was only kidding. I'd love to be your friend, and I hope you'll come and hang out with the rest of our little entourage sometime. And it's Harry. I hate formalities also."
He wasn't being dishonest, as he really did desire her friendship. However, his reasons for feeling that way were somewhat more complex than simple camaraderie. Cho was correct in saying that making that little bit of personal effort would have a powerful effect with this girl. If everything went well and she assimilated into his circle, he would gain a very powerful helper, already skilled enough that she could hold her own with even some of the higher-ranking Death Eaters. While she would be mercilessly routed by a Lucius Malfoy or a Bellatrix Lestrange, she was every bit a match for the likes of Avery or the elder Crabbe or Goyle. Harry could improve her skills even further with additional training in the Dark Arts. She would stand among his most powerful and feared.
By the time Harry had wrapped things up with Su and gotten back over to Neville and Luna, their battle was already over. Ron and the others were also waiting there, the tall redhead sporting a few bruises as he supported a panting Neville while Hermione revived an incapacitated Luna. Both Seamus and Susan Bones were also knocked out on the ground. Neville fixed Harry with the angriest expression that the meek boy was capable of when he arrived.
"There you are, finally. Where were you when we got attacked earlier?"
Harry shrugged lazily.
"I was stuck in a fight of my own. Tell me what happened here."
"Those two snuck up on us while you were in the woods. I was able to beat Seamus, but Susan took out Luna after a long duel. I had to fight her after then, and thankfully Ron and the rest showed up to help and hexed her from behind. I don't think I could have taken Susan by myself."
Ron clapped Neville on the back.
"Stop selling yourself short, mate. You were holding your own just fine."
"...It's only because she was tired. Luna pushed her to the limit before losing to her."
Ginny joined in trying to embolden the rotund Gryffindor.
"Honestly, Neville. You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for. Have some confidence in yourself."
Neville blushed and nodded.
"You're right, both of you. I should."
Harry turned to Ron.
"What happened with you three? Did you run into Malfoy and the others?"
Ron guffawed loudly.
"Did we ever. We caught up to those gits right outside of the greenhouses. Parkinson has more boils and warts on her face now than Dumbledore has wrinkles thanks to Ginny. As for me, I broke that great ugly tosser Goyle's jaw with one punch. He took a swing and missed, and then I just killed him with a right cross. He never saw it coming. But you should have seen Malfoy. The ferret went running like a scared little girl back to the dungeons. I'll bet he pissed himself."
Harry was reminded of his dear departed cousin's regaling the elder Dursleys with tales of his boxing exploits while Ron gushed about his fight with Goyle. The redhead naturally neglected to mention that he had obviously taken a haymaker or two in his own right judging from the shiner over his left eye. Harry was more interested in hearing about Malfoy's humiliation.
"I take it Hermione was the one that dealt with him, then."
"Yeah. She had the git on the ropes from the very start. He tried to use Dark Arts on her, and she somehow knew all the counter spells for everything he threw out. He was pissed, mate. And then he saw Parkinson and Goyle down and took off like he was being chased by You-Know-Who. Typical Slytherin, that one. Leaving his friends behind. It's too bad. I wanted to hex the bloody ferret myself. We'll get him later, though."
Hermione didn't meet either of their gazes when Ron spoke of her being able to counter Malfoy's illegal curses in kind. After all, many dark spells can only be negated with other dark spells. Her being willing to use them in battle was a welcome surprise, but she still seemed to be holding to some last vestiges of her old prejudices and respect for the wizarding laws regarding the occult. Harry hoped that he and Ron could cure her of those leanings once and for all tonight.
"We will, Ron. Count on it. He's obviously finding what passes for his spine again, trying to use those kinds of spells on Hermione here. He'll make another stupid move soon enough. Malfoy never seems to learn his lesson. And we'll take him to school for the last time when he does."
"I hear that. I hope those other three got lost in the woods and eaten by Aragog or something."
"No such luck. Bulstrode got capped in the head with a Stunner, Nott was forced to puke his guts up, and Pucey's got a mouthful of mud and ruined robes to boot. Maybe the Centaur will find them before the staff does."
"Nah, we're not that lucky."
After a few more minutes of conversation, Harry revived both Seamus and Susan and the entire group made back to the castle for supper. The young wizard sat with the Ravenclaws at the evening meal, going over the day's happenings with Cho and taking a few minutes to chat with Su and Luna as well. Apparently a small party of other students had observed Harry's duel with the small girl unbeknownst to either of them, and it was a favorite topic of discussion in the Great Hall that night. Harry noted with some satisfaction that Malfoy didn't dare show his face, apparently unwilling to face his potential wrath for what he had attempted to do to Hermione.
Late that evening, when most of Gryffindor Tower had already turned in for the night, Harry and Ron both headed down into the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table writing a Potions essay. She smiled at Harry as he sat down in a nearby armchair and cast Silencing Charms all around the three of them. Ron took a seat at the table next to her. It was time to finally make a bid to win the final member of the infamous Gryffindor Trio back over with the other two.
"I don't understand the need for the Silencing Charms, Harry. I thought we were just going to have a chat..."
"Some of the things we have to say are sensitive. First, you said you wanted some explanations out of us. Go ahead and ask."
"Fine, then. I will. Explain why you've both been avoiding me all term. You've been the worst, Harry. Sneaking around everywhere like some sort of thief ever since we got here. I understand that you have a girlfriend, but I know you're not spending that much time with her."
Harry closed his eyes for a moment.
"Several reasons. I'm not going to insult you by denying that I've been keeping my distance. The main issue was that I thought that you simply needed some space. You've had a quite a bit to deal with lately, nearly losing your life at the Ministry and then accidentally killing Crabbe on the train. And then there was the issue of your messing around in my Dark Arts tomes over the summer. Yes, Hermione. I know all about that."
Hermione stared incredulously at him.
"You knew what I was going through, and you didn't say anything..."
"There was nothing that I could say. Attempting to meddle in your business would only alienate you. Dumbledore always did that with me, you know. It did me no favors."
Ron added in his opinion.
"I didn't know what to do either. I would have helped if I could, you know that."
She shook her head.
"Well, I suppose I can accept that. But don't be so hard on Dumbledore, Harry. He's doing his best to protect us."
Harry scoffed loudly.
"I used to believe that. But the fact of the matter is that his best is wholly insufficient. And that brings me to the heart of all this. That man has made too many mistakes recently. That's why I've created my own force in all of this. I'm going to succeed where Dumbledore and the Order are failing. If they can't stop Voldemort and bring peace to our society, then I will."
"Harry...that's ridiculous. An army...what army? What are you talking about?"
Harry went on to explain everything to her. He started with the true circumstances of his inheritance and transformation, going on to describe the events of his month in the village and those who had pledged themselves to help in his revolution. He concluded with telling her of his refusal to join the Order of the Phoenix, his temporary alliance with Fudge and the Ministry, and his plan to turn the former D.A. into a formal military unit. Hermione seemed to be increasingly thoughtful and indignant at the same time as he continued to tell his story.
"...That concludes my story. You wanted to know why I haven't been around, and now I've told you. I believe that it's my destiny to end this war, Hermione. People all over our world believe in me, and not just wizards and witches. What I want goes beyond just getting rid of Voldemort. I'm going to tear down this corrupt husk of a government and rebuild it, create a wizarding world that treats all beings with an equal hand. I want to foster a utopia, where there will never again be cause for a Tom Riddle to rise in dark rebellion. And I need you to help me do it."
Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head, apparently trying to come to terms with what she had just been told.
"Harry, this is madness. You're talking about destroying the entire structure of our society, killing countless people. You don't have any more right to decide the fate of the wizarding world than Voldemort or Fudge. And for you to even jest at destroying Dumbledore. I can't believe this."
Harry sighed. He knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but he was confident of success.
"I have no desire to physically harm Dumbledore. I simply want him to stand aside and allow the next generation to shape the world in its image. Look at this objectively. He can't lead our world to victory against Voldemort, and he isn't willing to see our festering institutions change for the better."
"Harry..."
"Think about this, Hermione. I'm asking you to stand by me. With the three of us working together like we always have before, there's nothing we can't do. Listen to your feelings and you'll understand that what I'm saying is right."
Hermione said nothing for several minutes, looking back and forth between Harry and Ron with doubt in her coffee brown eyes. Finally, she spoke again.
"I think that you're making a huge mistake. There must be some way for me to make you understand..."
Harry shook his head.
"I'm afraid not, Hermione. I've chosen my path, and I'm not turning back. I've come too far now to quit. I won't betray the faith of those who've placed their lives and futures into my hands. I have the power and following, as well as the resources to see this through to the bitter end. I want your help, but I will move on without it."
Hermione appeared appreciative of the fact that Harry had the resolve to follow his plans to their natural end, regardless of the consequences. She had the intelligence to understand that he was correct. Their world was slowly dying, and it would take a powerful hand to save it.
"I see. All right, then. I suppose there's only one thing for me to do."
Ron ran a hand through his hair.
"What are you saying, 'Mione?"
"I'm saying that you can count me in. It's not as if I haven't helped with your crazy ventures before. I've missed being around both of you, and I guess this will be our greatest test yet. But I'm going to make sure that you never lose sight of what you're trying to do. I won't even try to stop you from killing. I'm not so blind that I can't understand why it's necessary. I hate it, but the only alternative is to kneel and surrender our world to Voldemort, to accept being exterminated like animals. And to be truly honest, I agree with you. Not on everything, mind you, but the Ministry is hopelessly corrupt, and its prejudiced policies towards other races are disgusting. Perhaps together we really can change things for the better. I believe that we can."
Harry nodded.
"And we will. With you back with us now, I have no doubts of it."
To be honest, Harry felt assured of his success regardless. But having his two best friends squarely with him alleviated those small strings of doubt that had lingered inside him. He would have always had that slightest bit of reluctance to pursue any path that would have hurt either of them. Now that was no longer an issue, and he could move forward with no regrets. Harry pretended not to notice Ron holding Hermione's hand under the table as he stood and headed upstairs for the night, his head much clearer than it had been in months.
Nearly a week later, Harry waited alone in the middle of Hitomi's training grounds near the Whomping Willow. The time had come to begin training his personal force. Those approached had all accepted his proposal. He had received the Portkey that he had requested from Fudge, having sent the letter out the morning after that strategy session in the Room of Requirement. It came in the form of a small pin, with instructions to attach it to whatever item he desired to serve as the transport apparatus. Harry had chosen the emerald snitch necklace that Cho had given him for his birthday. Its long chain could be easily grasped by the entire gathering, and he always wore the adornment on his person, allowing him to move about whenever he needed. Now all he had to do was wait for the others to arrive. There was still an hour left before curfew, so the students could assemble without drawing undue suspicion.
Meanwhile, he took some time to reflect upon recent happenings. He had begun to formulate his strategy for Halloween night and embarked on an intensive training regimen to prepare for the battle. Su Li was his preferred dueling partner, but he usually brought in others to help as well. Cho was a usual participant, as were Hermione and any assortment of Weasleys. He set them to attacking him as a group, giving him additional experience in fighting against large groups and dealing with several different combat styles at once. Harry felt his skills improving daily, and only hoped that they would be enough to see him through his trial. He would fight the battle alone, knowing that his friends would not be prepared to take on the Dark Lord directly. Their lives were too important to him. He had an initial strategy in mind that he hoped would confuse and dishearten Voldemort's minions enough to allow him to face the evil overlord and win.
The day after the events of Moody's practical class, Harry had bitten the bullet and returned to Hogsmeade to face up to telling Hitomi everything about Cho. She had been surprisingly understanding about it, though still visibly jealous. In the end, she was satisfied with the fact that he would never replace her, and that she fulfilled the needs of a part of him that the other girl never could. She also explained that she was fully aware of the philandering nature of his demonic kin, having overheard Grilthauk explaining it to her grandfather while Harry was sleeping that first night in the village. Harry hoped that things would go so smoothly when it came to doing the reverse and explaining Hitomi to Cho, though that hope was dismal at best. His relationship with the Chinese beauty was progressing as well as could be expected, and she received a letter of praise from her father regarding her landing Harry after the man had seen the photograph of them together in the news parchment. Song Chang had also stated in that letter that Harry would be receiving a very important owl from him in the coming weeks, though that had yet to arrive.
Voldemort had finally broken his silence a few nights ago, personally leading a raid on a Muggle village in Devonshire. His forces were still in disarray thanks to the efforts of the student defenders in the train debacle, but his attack let it be known that he was far from being vanquished. Harry had learned through one of his arranged liaisons with Mrs. Malfoy that the Dark Lord was laying plans to break his Inner Circle from Azkaban and also stepping up recruitment efforts abroad, with hopes of drawing heavily from traditionally dark-oriented countries in Eastern Europe. He was attempting to forge alliance pacts with various vampire clans across the continent as well, in a motion to compensate for his dwindling pool of potential Death Eaters within Britain. Harry promptly relayed the information about the planned raid on Azkaban to the Ministry of Magic, which immediately beefed up security at the prison. Fudge promised to expedite the trials of those caught at the Department of Mysteries and hopefully see them executed before their master could come to free them.
Slowly, the candidates came wandering up to the designated rendezvous point. Ron was the first, followed by Su and Cho together, and the rest came along in a timely manner. There were nineteen in all, as he had chosen to invite Parvati and Lavender in simply to save Hermione the trouble of having to keep her actions hidden from them. Harry configured the Portkey to ferry them to the main hall of the Evans vault, where training would begin in earnest.
"Are we all ready?"
Everybody nodded, and Harry activated the device. He felt that familiar tug in his navel, and they were off.
(End Chapter Nineteen)
Author's Note: Another chapter, gone. I'm pretty satisfied with the way that a lot of this came out, except for the entire conversation with Hermione towards the end. I hope those of you that wanted some more action are satisfied. The next battle will be Halloween, which I am very much looking forward to writing.
Back to Hermione, that section didn't come off very well at all. It was one of those things that I knew I needed to write, but no inspiration as to how to make it work well came to me. I just sort of had to wing it, and I'm less than pleased with the result. Still, I don't find it entirely unrealistic. It's sort of the same principle that Harry experienced when recruiting Ron. His friends are much more loyal to him than he gives them credit for. Hermione knew that she couldn't stop Harry from doing what he was doing, so she chose to go along with him rather than have to line up against him. And honestly, she does agree with some of his ideals, particularly creating an equal society for all magical races. I may rewrite much of that scene if some better ideas come to me later. If so, I'll make mention of it in the next chapter.
I'm currently exploring the idea of having a number of the known Death Eaters defect to Harry's side at some point. I'd like to get some feedback on the idea, whether it would be a good idea or a bad one, and perhaps suggestions on who to have defect. Bellatrix is not a viable choice, however. Neither is Wormtail, because I hate him. Everybody else is fair game, though I am reluctant to use Lucius Malfoy because of Rodriguez and his justified hatred for the man. But on the other hand, Lucius dueling Draco to the death with the elder being on the "good" side for a change is a tempting idea. Of course, I likely won't use this idea at all. Depends on how I feel when I get to putting the related device into the plot. Hope you lot enjoyed, and don't forget to hit that review button. Next chapter will have the first training session and probably Harry's meeting with the Centaur elders.