Disclaimer: I alas do not own Harry Potter I wish I did but I don't. All I own is this computer I'm working on and a few other items in this room of mine.
A/N: Well another chapter ready and waiting for you all to start to read, I must say this one was fu to write and also people I plan on pairing Hermione with a person you meet in the last chapter you know the one waiting to get back to earth, must say I look forward to that but you have to wait and find out how they get together, anyway enjoy and let me know what you think of this as always.
Chapter 18: Calm before War.
/ Telepathic /
12 February 1997 12:11 AM A.D
Harry was seated at the Gryffindor table reading his Book of Charms and manfully trying to ignore the girl to girl talk Tonks and Hermione were engaged in. He really did not want to know about the pro's and cons of shaving or waxing hair in rather personal places or which brand of personal hygiene aids for women were best… he refused to even think of the word Period or menstrual cycle or… delicately he shuddered and tried to concentrate on a particularly difficult charm.
Silvenestri was seated to the left of him and looking half asleep though he knew that was deceptive. His young dragon was never less than alert and considering the war of stares that was being waged between her and Professor Snape she was probably day dreaming about their next bout. Ginny, the most resent member to join his group was seated on his right and her acquisition to their ranks brought their number to five. With the presence of Ginny his core group now numbered five, seven if he included himself and Silvenestri in the count.
It took Harry a minute to realize that Tonks and Hermione had ceased their mysterious talk of secret women's business and that their voices had been replaced by a deeper pleading tone. Looking up Harry watched Ron trying to talk to Hermione. He was failing miserably beneath the baleful glare she centered on him and the weight of the dreaded silent treatment.
Hermione refused to talk to Ron over the Lavender incident some four mouths past and she had recently taken a new approach to ensuring that her displeasure got across to him. Counting softly Harry had not reached thirty before Hermione pointedly looked away. That was her latest weapon in the arsenal she used whenever Ron gathered his courage to talk to her.
He had to give Ron points for persistence if nothing else and Harry determined not to peeve Tonks. He had no intention of being subjected to similar torture.
Ginny glanced up from studying her potions tome to see what had attracted Harry's attention and with an amuse little snigger rolled her eyes at Ron. Closing the tome with a firm thud she turned her attention to her lunch shaking her head at her brothers continuing failure to get back together with Hermione.
"He's got a great deal of groveling to do before she will notice him again." Ginny muttered. "Idiot deserves it too but if she's not careful she chances going too far. Boys will only take so much of that kind of behavior. He'll give it away and start to look somewhere else. It's too easy to overdo the silent treatment and Ron's not the most patient of people."
Harry arched an eyebrow and turned to smile at her. Realizing that Harry had overheard her comment she smiled shyly at him and blushed then gave her attention to her lunch. Watching her Harry could not help but think back to the week before and to how Ginny Weasley had become a member of the group.
FlashbackHarry frowned as he walked the shadowed hallways. It was late, deep in the night and he was looking for Silvenestri. He was becoming worried as his every attempt to contact her had thus far failed even his mental link to her was conspicuously neutral. Either she refused to acknowledge his attempts to contact her or something had happened to her and Silvenestri had never ignored his call before unless she was engaged in a particularly absorbing hunt.
He felt nothing over their shared link, not even the low rumble he associated with her intensity when hunting in her dragon form and he was worried. She had vanished earlier in the day while Harry and Hermione had been in their Charms class and while she had wandered off before she had always answered him when he called her.
Harry was dressed in his school robes having left his Dragon Lord regalia under Hermione's carefully set locking charms and wards. There had been little cause for him to wear the armor in the last months but he had the disturbing feeling that the time of relative peace was drawing to a close. There had been little intelligence on the Death Eaters of late and he knew that Professor Dumbledore was disturbed by the silence from their enemies. If Dumbledore was worried he was wondering if he should not be panicking.
"Silvenestri! Where have you gone?" He called down yet another one of the hallways on the fifth floor.
Floor by floor he had been searching Hogwarts and floor by floor his level of concern rose. Whether in dragon form or as a little girl Silvenestri was his responsibility.
"Harry what are you yelling about?" Ginny walked around the corner just behind Harry curious as to his presence and a small smile gracing her face. She liked Harry and she had had a crush on him after first meeting him though she knew well enough that his interest lay elsewhere.
"Oh Ginny, it's you. I'm trying to find Silvenestri. She wandered off while I was in class earlier today and now I can't find her. I don't want to trouble the teachers with this. Have you seen her?"
Harry looked anxiously up the length of the deserted hallway and stepped aside. Ginny paused as she came abreast of him and shook her head slightly.
"No I haven't seen her since breakfast but if you like I can help you look for her." Ginny flashed him a sunny smile and walked a couple of paces , glancing back over her shoulder at him, her long ruby red hair hiding most of her face. "Come on. She has to be around here somewhere."
"Thanks, Ginny. I've got Tonks looking for her in the grounds and Hermione is in the dungeons so with us looking in the upper floors we should find her. Up to the sixth, I've just finished this floor." Harry led the way toward the staircase leading up to the next floor.
Harry and Ginny systematically searched the sixth floor and had reached the seventh floor before Tonks arrived, a frown clearly stating before she spoke that she had had no luck. "Harry she wasn't in the forest or anywhere in the grounds. Have you heard anything from Hermione?" She said giving Ginny a smile and brief nod in greeting.
Harry shook his head trying not to show his near panic and led the way to the Room of Requirements, the last room to look into on this floor leaving. After this room there would be just the dungeon to search and since Hermione was already down there they would need to wait for her to get back to them.
Harry was a little ahead of Tonks and Ginny who were talking quietly and so he reached the room first and felt an upsurge of hope as the door was already visible. "That's hopeful. The door is invisible unless someone is in there. I hope its Silvenestri." He said and pushed open the door.
What lay on the other side was not exactly what Harry was hoping to find. Or rather it was exactly what he was hoping to find though not with someone who was not a member of his order standing behind him.
Silvenestri was indeed within the Room of Requirements but to Harry's consternation she lay in all of her draconic glory, her true form gleaming brilliant silver as she sunned herself on a tropical beach. The dragon was very deeply asleep and did not so much as twitch as he sucked in a startled breath. If he could just get Ginny away before she…
"Dragon." Ginny breathed eyes wide as she stared at the gleaming dragon soaking in the heat of the sun.
"Damn!" Harry whispered.
"Harry, I don't understand. How can a dragon be in the Room of Requirement? An unchained dragon at that?"
Having a brother who worked so closely with the great beasts Ginny knew exactly what to look for and when to be afraid. Charlie had told her a great deal about his work and how it was best to behave around the creatures and one thing she did know was that you did not startle a sleeping dragon. If you did you were likely to end up as breakfast before the creature was even fully awake.
Harry sighed softly and gently caught her elbow. He smiled at her and nodded to Tonks who was right behind them and she gently garbed Ginny from behind and pushed them both into the room. Harry slipped behind Tonks to securely close the door and block Ginny from using the door.
With a great heaving sigh, almost a moan, the silver form rolled slowly over, the long sinuous tail flicking sand up in a cloud as the dragon settled on its back, legs splayed as the graceful neck stretched out and the beast ground her back into the hot sand. Not once did the dragon give the appearance of having realized it had company.
"Harry? Tonks? What are you doing?" Ginny hissed. "We have to get out of here before it wakes up!"
"It's alright, Ginny." Tonks sighed. "Things are not quite what you think they are."
"I don't understand. That's a dragon, though Charlie's never mentioned that any of them are silver before." Ginny stared at the somnolent dragon. "I didn't know they liked to… look we have to go before it wakes up. I don't fancy being an entrée. "
Harry chuckled. "It's okay. Really Tonks and I… well, we know this particular dragon. She won't hurt us."
"Harry, it's a basic rule that you never go near a dragon and you never ever wake up a sleeping dragon. They bite first and think about it later! If they even remember their little wake up snack."
"She does have a point, Harry." Tonks murmured. "We were not here when she went to sleep and she won't be expecting to find us here. Dragons are… well, dragons."
"Don't ever let Her hear you liken her to other dragons." Harry advised. "She has definite defining lines between what we know as dragons and what she knows are dragons. I don't see that there is any alternative. Ginny you're about to make a choice."
Harry pulled his wand from a pocket and glanced up as with a great groan the dragon ground her back into the hot sand and wiggled. Sand flew everywhere, sent into the air by the great tail thrashing from side to side and in seconds all three were imitating sand castles. Silvenestri blinked innocently at them and gave a massive yawn showing her white fangs to everyone and with a final wiggle and tail lash that resulted in a palm tree being hit a blow hard enough to send coconuts raining down to the sand the dragon rolled to her belly and shook the sand from her scales.
"Enough already!" Tonks screamed, shielding her eyes from the deluge of sand.
Ginny could only stare at the two and their apparent total lack of fear and at the silver form slowly pacing toward them across the stretch of beach. A final flick of the great silver wings and another wave of flying sand descended on them. Harry was glaring at the dragon and there was no fear in him at all, Ginny noted, only, if she could believe her eyes, fond amusement?
"Choices, Harry? What choices might they be? Dragon fricassee, perhaps?"
"Nothing like that, Ginny. What you are looking at is Silvenestri in her true form. She is a Silver Dragon, one of the Greater Dragons and only a few select people know that she is here in this time. They are supposed to be extinct, you see. We need to keep her a secret so your choice is either to join our group, keeping the secret of Silvenestri and help us in the war we are to wage against Voldemort," he ignored her wince at the name of the Dark Lord. "Or have your memory altered so you don't remember seeing Silvenestri in her true form. We could use your help."
Harry watched her closely, his wand in hand and ready as Tonks moved to stand by the door to ensure that no one could walk in on them. Silvenestri had plopped her haunches into the sand and now sat watching the three humans. Absently she picked at her teeth, failing to notice that Ginny turned pale at her actions, more concerned with picking out a stray bit of flesh she had missed earlier in her hunt.
'Thanks, Silvenestri. I really needed you to frighten her. Please Ginny. Please take the offer of joining the group. I have had to perform this spell too many times for my liking this year. Charlie showed me just how dangerous it can be and I don't want to have to use it again. Especially not on another Weasley.'
Ginny looked wide eyed at the dragon that stretched out its great head and gently butted against Harry's side. After all the tales Charlie had told her about dragons this seemed so impossible yet she was sure she was not dreaming. Her gaze settled on Tonks who had locked the door and walked over to rejoin them and then back to Harry who was absently scratching that great nose resting on the sand at his side.
"I'm going to be practical about this so don't be shocked. What do I get out of it if I join this order of yours, Harry? After all the Order of the Phoenix is offering me training that may just keep me alive and my family are members. You are asking me to betray their confidence in me and all you are offering me is my memories." Ginny folded her arms across her chest and glared first at Harry and then at the dragon and Tonks. She was a Weasley and she was not a coward but neither was she a fool. She just hoped that she could remember what she was sure was her finest hour when she left this room.
Harry smiled at her. 'Ah, Ginny! You are just like your mother and have to complicate things with questions. Stubborn too. That look is Mrs. Weasley to a T. She does have a point though. Her family does belong to the Order of the Phoenix and they are loyal. What do I do? I really don't want to cast that damn spell.'
Tonks began to finger comb the sand out of her hair as she watched the play of emotion over Harry's face. Clearly when he had offered her the place within his inner circle he had not considered her loyalty to her family. He should have, Tonks mused. The Weasley's were not fools and they were very close knit with one notable exception in Percy. His turning his back on the family had hurt them all and the rest of the family had become closer than ever. Harry was going to need to tread very carefully here.
"Ginny," Harry began trying to pick his words with great care. "I am hoping that you will choose to become a part of the group that I have gathered to help in the war that is to come. The Order of the Phoenix too is dedicated to battling Vol… The Dark Lord" He amended at her flinch. "At some point I intend to approach the Order and inform them of the group who are working with me outside of their ranks. I do not see that you could not remain a part of them and still be a part of what I am trying to do. I would not expect you to betray any confidences or tell me anything that happens within the Order of the Phoenix, which as a matter of fact, I still belong to, as does Tonks and certain others in the group. I suppose you could say we are a spin off of the central group. We all want the same thing, after all and we have to work together if we hope to take down Vol… The Dark Lord. We can train you in certain magic that is not commonly in use in this day and age and will be of use in the fight to come."
Ginny was watching him closely, particularly the expressions flitting across his face as he searched for the right words. He glanced at Tonks who nodded slightly, approving of the offer he had made to her.
"I do ask that if you join us you refrain from mentioning us at this time to anyone else and that includes other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Until we are ready we need to tread with care. We can't afford for The Dark Lord to learn about us until we are stronger. All you have to do is make the choice of what you want to do. If you touch the tip of my wand you will forget what has happened here today and if you take the ring I am offering you then you can become a part of the group and learn what we have to teach you but you still can remain a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Please, if you take the ring, be discreet I'm not going to make the choice for you."
Harry reached into a pocket of his robes and his fingers closed on one of the silver rings he carried there. With a deep breath he held the ring out to Ginny in his left hand while he held his wand in his right hand. He met her gaze for a long moment and waited.
Ginny looked at the hands held out to her, one baring a ring and the other a wand. He was not making her choice for her? That was a lie because hanging over her was the threat of taking her memories away and that was something she could not abide. There had been that time when Charlie had been acting strangely and then that more recent occasion when Charlie had been in hospital and the twins and Ron had been acting odd. She now had a very good idea of why her brothers had not seemed to be them selves. Did Harry not think she was capable of putting two and two together and coming up with four?
'It's time to decide. I can at least watch him and do my best to see that he does not hurt my family.'
Ginny reached carefully toward Harry and her fingers closed around the silver ring as her eyes locked with Harry's. He smiled at her and she nodded.
End FlashbackHarry watched as Silvenestri tucked into the food wondering where that little girl body could store all that she ate. With a quiet sigh he looked around the Great Hall to see that some of the students were starting to leave and head to their fist afternoon class. He and Hermione had a free class now in which they should be studying up on the charms test coming up but they had been studying every chance they got so that they could make use of this free time to go to the Library. They intended to search as much of the Library as they could in an attempt to learn if there was any references to what might be the city called Ice Cliff. They needed to find the city and realistically he knew that he was not just going to open a book and find a reference to it before they had to head off to their Charms class later that afternoon. They had been searching in the Library at every opportunity and thus far had found no references to an ancient city that might lead them to Ice Cliff.
Tonks looked up to see Harry and the far off look on his face and smiled at Hermione. Inclining her head to Harry she sighed. "What's the bet he is thinking about the war again?" She said while getting to her feet.
Hermione nodded and joined her in walking around the table and standing on either side of Harry to look down at him. He was still lost in thought and Hermione chuckled. "I'll take that bet and say he is thinking of you." She whispered to Tonks.
Tonks grinned, pleased at the notion and then looked down at Harry again. "Harry, what are you thinking about my love?" Tonks whispered into his ear and one arm curled to rest around his shoulders.
"Oh nothing much. Just thinking about the war and how I'm going to make it to Norway and from there to where Ice Cliff is, if it's not sunk or encased in a blanket of ice. But if you like I can give some thought to having my wicked way with both of you lovely ladies?" He flashed a wicked smile as he jumped up and run from the hall.
Both Hermione and Tonks were on his tail a moment later trying to catch him with shocked looks on their faces.
Silvenestri looked up from her lunch, a strip of bacon hanging between her teeth as she considered the hasty exits just made and smiled then looked over at Ginny. The red head was watching the door too and smiling.
"What's the betting pool in the common room up to now on which of them Harry is bedding?" She asked and winced as Harry gave a cry of pain from the entrance hall. "Hmm that one must of hurt."
Ginny pursed her lips, trying to think of what the last figures in the pool were but it was Dean who answered Silvenestri's question. "The pool is up to 150 Galleons right now. Do you want to place a bet Silvenestri?" he said and winced as from outside the hall Harry gave a high pitch scream as one of the girls hit him with another spell. "What on earth are they hitting him with?"
"No, I don't want to bet. I thought if I put you all out of your misery by telling you which he is bedding then I get the gold. Correct?" Silvenestri said just as Harry come running back into the hall with his robes smoking on his left shoulder and a slash in the back of the robes.
Hermione and Tonks were right behind him both with their wands out trying to get a shot at him as he weaved his way around the hall.
"Oh this is even better. What's the bet that Tonks catches him first?" She said watching with wide eyed delight as they started a lap of the hall, Harry jumping over tables and chairs to avoid being hit again every now and throwing a chair between him and the girls to take a spell thrown at him.
Ginny looked anxiously at the head table where some of the teachers still remained, including Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Both seemed to be ignoring the goings on in the hall though they certainly could not miss what was happening.
Everyone chuckled as first Dean and then Ron placed bets that Hermione would catch Harry first and then everyone was placing bets as to which of the persuers would be first to corner and then catch their prey. Silvenestri with a wide smile was writing down all the bets as quickly as she could in the front cover of Harry's Charms book and every now and then she would look over to see how Harry was doing.
Meanwhile at the head table Dumbledore and McGonagall were watching Harry as he started on his second lap of the Great Hall with Tonks hard on his heels and Hermione scrambling over the Slytherin table to make up ground and bring her even with Tonks once more.
"What do you say Minerva. Tonks to catch him first?" Dumbledore wiggled his eyebrows and timed his exit from the head table as Harry came streaking past.
"Professor!" Harry panted.
Tonks and Hermione sudden stops as Dumbledore swept past Harry with Minerva at his side and the twinkling blue eyes he turned to both women saw wide smiles dawn.
"Don't let us stop you, ladies." He murmured and winked.
With a yelp Harry was off again, the teachers remaining at the head table looked scandalized and the students at the Gryffindor table hooted in delight. Tonks and Hermione were in hot pursuit and Dumbledore leaned over Silvenestri.
"Ten Galleons on Tonks to win, my dear." Dumbledore whispered.
Minerva shook her head, watching the headmasters antics and sniggered as one by one the teachers remaining in the great hall placed small bets, joining in the spirit of the game. To her absolute astonishment Snape placed a bet and she caught the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye.
'Ah, to be young again and carefree.' Dumbledore watched the race with a nostalgic look in his eye. 'I really should have called a halt to the game I suppose but it is nice to see them all having fun for a change. Too long has the air been somber at Hogwarts and I fear that there shall be trouble soon. The Death Eaters have been too quiet of late and my agents whisper at last that there is movement in their numbers.'
Everyone watched the race with growing interest as first Hermione and then Tonks made up ground on Harry. The end came suddenly, with Tonks taking a leaf out of Hermione's book and using the Slytherin table as a short cut to take Harry down in a flying tackle. With a shriek of delight Tonks had her wand pointed at Harry and let loose with a tickle charm and for good measure gripped her wand with her teeth and set to tickling him with both hands. Hermione came to a stumbling stop, considered the two on the floor for a moment and with a wicked grin launched herself into the squirming mass of limbs and shrieks.
Silvenestri smiled and referring to the lists she had scrawled in the tome started to divide the money between the winners. As the students from the other houses wandered off, some happy with having won their wagers and others grumbling that they thought Hermione could run faster than that Silvenestri motioned to the Gryffindor's remaining at the table and whispered to them to tell them to be in the common room tonight and she would tell them who it was who would win the 150 Galleons.
There were cheers from around the table and no one seemed to be paying attention at all to Harry's cries for help.
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Later that day found Harry seated in the charms room watching as Flitwick talked about some of the more uncommon defending charms know to be used for protecting houses and items a wizard might own. He was only listening to the professor with half of his attention as he was still wondering what had come over them all in the Great Hall some hours ago. His robes had been repaired with a quick flick of the wand but the burn from Tonks fire charm had taken a little more effort to re-pair.
/This is boring / Harry thought taking notes and flicked his gaze at Silvenestri where she was curled in the corner of the room with her head resting on the book Hermione had given her for Christmas. /We should be trying to find Ice Cliff, not sitting here talking about how to charm a pocket to scream 'get your fingers out of me'/
Hermione noticed Harry seemed to be about to drop off and elbowed him in the side. A second elbow in the side was accompanied by a hissed "Pay attention."
Harry sighed but smiled at her and looked at Professor Flitwick only to nearly fall out of his chair. Rowena had came though the wall behind the short professor and stood right where the tiny professor had been standing a moment before a large smile on her face. The smile grew as the students stopped paying attention to Flitwick and stared at her with open mouths. Everyone had seen the portrait and knew who this apparition was not though they seemed to be having difficulty believing that the ghost of Rowena Ravenclaw had popped into the charms class to pass the time of day.
Flitwick became aware of the new point of interest for his class, the wide eyed looks common to all accept for Harry who was almost falling out of his chair as he tried not to laugh at the look on everyone's faces.
"What are you all looking at? Mr. Potter do calm down." Flitwick frowned at his class and turned to see Rowena hovering behind him. The little professor arched a rather bushy eyebrow and very politely bowed to the ghost.
"Miss Ravenclaw to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Flitwick asked and though he had had one or two occasions to meet the ghost in the past he could not quiet keep the awe out of his voice. He was rather glad that for once he was not perched atop his pile of books if he was to have the ghost of one of the Founders in class today.
"Why, Flitwick." Rowena positively purred, teasing the little professor shamelessly and winking at him. "I thought I'd just stop by and seeing how the students are doing and its Mrs. Ravenclaw not Miss."
With a flirtatious flick of her head she ghosted gently about the class room, looking with interest at the students and finally coming to a halt and hovering over Silvenestri to see what she was reading or rather, pretending to read.
"Well, well. We appear to have a special guest today. Now class, let us get back to work on that home shielding charm." Flitwick watched for a moment as Rowena struck up a conversation with Silvenestri and with a sharp tap of his foot drew the student's attention back to him. He frowned at the class demanding their attention and that they ignore the conversation going on between the ghost and the little girl talking about the aspects of the school that amused the child.
After a few minutes of listening to the conversation between the two Harry found it far more interesting to pay attention to the professor's lesion and he had only just finished his assigned work when Silvenestri, with a startled cry went very stiff and stared at nothing.
/Silvenestri? What's the matter/ He almost fell out of his chair in his haste to reach her. Rowena hovered anxiously over her and Hermione was quick to join him. "Silv…"
Hermione gasped, almost knocking Harry over as he froze between her and Silvenestri. As yet the remainder of the class did not seem aware that anything was wrong and she hoped they remained attentive to the professor.
"Harry what's wrong?" Hermione whispered.
"I…" Harry shuddered. "I… don't know… Shit!" Harry shook himself and for an instant there was both fear and rage reflected in his eyes. Then he turned to Hermione and there was grim determination on his face. "Get ready."
"Mr. Potter! Where do you think you are going!" Professor Flitwick shouted, incensed as Harry spun and ran from the classroom, Silvenestri on his heels and the ghost of Rowena Ravenclaw floating above him.
"Sorry Professor, got to run!" Harry gasped out just before the door closed on Silvenestri's heels and right through Rowena.
Harry raced down the hallway and jammed the ring he wore hard into his finger, drawing a single drop of blood to coat the inner circle of the ring. He needed to find his armor and his group would be alerted by his blood. It was time.
In the Charms classroom Hermione gasped and looked down at her ring. The silver colored metal circling her finger radiated heat and an overwhelming sense of summoning swept through her. She was needed and she knew that everyone who wore such a ring would feel the pull. With a quickly muttered apology to the professor she was out of the classroom and running to meet with the others.
Outside in the Care of Magical Creatures class Hagrid and Ginny both gasped and garbed their rings at the sudden flush of warmth. With startled looks at each other Hagrid dismissed the class and dispatched them to their individual common rooms and then he and Ginny were racing across the grass and up the hill toward the castle.
Tonks, who had had a miserable morning and was now lying in her bed taking an afternoon nape and wondering why she had spent the morning throwing up and yet now felt quite alright, if somewhat tired stretched and wished she could fall to sleep. She was tired, but she could not quite relax enough to sleep.
"What was with that this morning?" She asked herself but her train of thought was cut when her ring went warm. "Harry." She whispered and reached for her clothes.
Minerva McGonagall was sitting in her office enjoying a particularly nice blend of tea she reserved for those moments when she needed to relax after dealing with particularly dense first year students who seemed incapable of following the simplest of instructions. There was a tea for every occasion and this afternoon she definitely needed this particular blend. Her eyes widened and the cup froze half way to her lips as the ring circling her finger flushed with warmth. Taking a deep breath the Professor looked at the ring then set aside the cup, promised herself a stronger blend when she returned as she was likely to need it and quickly left her office. A quick look around the hallway to ensure there were no witnesses and Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts hitched up her robe and sprinted for the painting of a particular founder of Hogwarts.
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Harry hurried across the main room of Rowena's suite and nodded to Minerva as she arrived dressed in the black robes and silver cloak that Hermione and Tonks had worn on Christmas night. There was no sign now of the prim and proper professor of Hogwarts. Minerva nodded briefly to him and followed him into the next room, her expression serious.
"Where are they Professor?" He asked while heading over to the teleporting room and to the new changing room that had been added to Rowena's suite of rooms for any one who needed to change before combat.
'Thank goodness Rowena let us add the change room. I really don't want to walk in on any of the girls changing… other than Tonks that is.' He finished that thought with a small smile while pulling his armour from its stand.
"They are at the edge of Hogsmeade's and are heading this way. I'm not sure I understand why they are moving so slowly. At the speed they are moving it will be at least a half-hour before they arrive." Minerva said, placing her wand carefully so that she could reach it easily at need.
"That long?" Harry frowned; concerned at the time it was taking though every delay now gave his people and the other defenders of Hogwarts time to prepare. "Get everyone ready as quickly as possible and tell them what we are going to be fighting. There has to be more to this than we know. Try to find out what we are going to be fighting other than Dragons." Harry called from the changing room before starting to pull off his robes.
'Thank god I can sense lesser and greater dragons through Silvenestri. Why would dragons be attacking Hogwarts?' He turned to his armour and reached for the undershirt.
Minerva nodded and turned as the door opened to reveal Hermione and Ginny and she motioned them into the second changing room with some impatience.
/Minerva, there are Death Eaters, two to a dragon. Voldemort has been busy and this is a combination that was not considered before. A mistake, obviously. I trust our young Mr. Potter will be up to the task of defending Hogwarts. Good luck my dear. / Dumbledore's message caressed her awareness and his mental tone sounded as calm as the man usually did. From his tone she could not tell if he was concerned or not by the combination of Death Eaters and dragons.
Hagrid came through the door scowling and pulling on the massive silver overcoat Harry had made for him over black pants and shirt, his crossbow hidden within the coat's magical bindings. "What is this all about Professor?" He rumbled seeing Minerva standing by the fire.
"Voldemort and his forces are on the way to Hogwarts and they have dragons. Get ready, Hagrid. This will be unlike any other fight we have engaged in."
Pulling out her wand she concentrated for a moment and with a wave and softly uttered command word brought to life a 3D image of the castle and the ground surrounding it. The scene filled the middle of the room much like the representation Lupin had made at the start of the year for his dragon work.
Tonks appeared dressed in her battle robes and cloak and her wand out and ready for anything. "Where do we have to be Minerva?" She said when she noted the image in the middle of the room.
"From what Rowena has told me there are five key points to the castles defenses. The four towers at the corners of the castle and the Astronomy tower in the centre are the key points to holding the castle against air and ground attacks." Minerva flicked her wand and the five towers showed in red on the image all other towers showing in a light gray.
"And that is exactly where I want you to be placed for this attack." Harry said appearing from the changing room now clad in his armour and cloak. "Professor you're to take the North tower, please with Hagrid in the south, Hermione to the east and Ginny in the west. Tonks you're the most powerful here in the old magic out of everyone here other than me so I need you in the Astronomy tower. You'll need to cover all four towers and help as best you can if the tower defenses weaken and also keep your attention on me while I deal with the dragons." 'And just where did Voldemort and his slimy Death Eaters get dragons, I wonder? Better yet, how did he get them to cooperate with his Death Eaters?'
Tonks nodded and walked over to Harry planted a quick kiss on his lips and watched in silence as he left the room his silver cloak blowing out behind him.
Standing at his window a few minutes later Dumbledore watched the silver cloaked figure running across the grounds of Hogwarts. He leaned forward slightly and watched the figure run into the Forbidden Forest and he sighed. They were all going to have to fight and fight well this day.
'Off to fight Harry?' he thought before turning to the fire and sending the first of the floo summons to summon his members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Already he had the teachers sending the students to their common rooms and setting teachers as guards over them. Soon the first of the Order would arrive and he only hoped that they would be enough to deal with the dragons.
'Wish you did not have to fight, my boy. Luck to you, Harry.'
Minerva reached her tower first to find that the suits of armour normally lining the walls of the room were all gathered in orderly ranks and each was armed with a longbow though no arrows were in evidence. At her entrance with a great clanging the armour snapped to attention, standing straighter if at all possible and the visors of the helmets turned to face her.
"Oh you're under my command I see. Well then, get ready and only fire when I tell you to." She strode to the window and the suits of armour clanged along behind her, taking up position and standing ready for the fight. Minerva smiled and sighed softly, knowing that the other three towers would have just as many defenders.
Tonks reached the Astronomy tower and looked down in time to see Dumbledore and most of the schools compliment of Professors running out of the castle and to the main gate. She knew that they would stand there to meet the attackers and wondered where the other members of the Order of the Phoenix were placed. Her attention was caught from the tower where Hermione stood guard by a shower of purple sparks and she knew it was Hermione's signal that she was ready and the other towers were not far behind in signaling their readiness.
An earth shaking roar erupted from the Forbidden Forest and she craned her neck to see what was going on. Silvenestri appeared flying out of the clouds to the south and passed Tonks position on the Astronomy tower and she saw the small figure of Harry give her a nod as they passed.
Down on the ground Professor Dumbledore and the other Professors looked up to see the silver dragon wheel across the sky, flying low over the Astronomy tower and then with a seemingly lazy flap of massive wings vanish back into the clouds.
Albus Dumbledore nodded slightly at the sight smiling in appreciation of the beauty of the beast. He had seen many things in his life time but a dragon in flight was always beautiful to watch and especially one so young and nimble.
'Good luck Harry.' He thought softly to the dragon as it vanished into the cloud cover. 'Be careful, young man. This is only the beginning.'
Mad Eye Moody moved to flank Dumbledore and his magical eye was fixed firmly on the clouds. "Let's hope that beast is on our side." Moody muttered and his magical eye revolved to centre on the group of Death Eaters and Trolls now approaching the main gate.
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Thanks to the following reviewers:
Athenakitty, Boilerfan2001, Silverscale, Grey8, fireflashphoenix, Blade-Claven, kupchoi, goddessa39, danielc (Tonks choose to ware the ring on that finger,) mosleyn001, sakura13, tidus4yuna, anti-thule, Bobboky, lucy-lollipop, Rogue7.