Harry Potter and a Different Point of View Chapter 5, a harry potter fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own this or "Won't Get Fooled Again", JKR and The WHO do.

Chapter 5: Harry Again!

I watched them limp back down the stairs. For a second, Hermione and Ron looked like a couple of little children getting ready to be scolded by their parents. I didn't want for it, but the amusement came anyway. I wanted to yell and to scream and to hit someone, preferably Ron, but I knew there were some things that needed to be said. But I was going to give them a thorough dressing down for keeping all this from me.

"Let's have it then."

Ron looked confused for a second but Hermione understood, although, she did look less than thrilled about the upcoming conversation.

"What do you mean mate?"

Ron. Dear, sweet, innocent, infuriating Ron. You can't live with him, can't live without him.

"What I mean, Ron, is that it is time for you and Hermione to explain just what the hell has been going on between you two for the last year or so."

They looked shocked that I had guessed it had been going on for so long. And then, they both started to try and refute me at the same time.

"We swear it hasn't been that…"

"It's only been a little…"

I wasn't in the mood for this, at all.

"Be quiet, the both of you! You're skating on thin enough ice as it is without compounding the situation by lying. Unless of course you are cheating with someone else, Ron, this has been going on since at least October. Plus, I know you, Hermione. There's no reason for it, but you can be extremely insecure at times. You would have wanted to wait at least a couple of months before anything sexual happened between the two of you. Come on Hermione, you owe me, what the hell is this thing?"

It was a dirty move, but throwing her words back was just too appealing. She looked at me as if I had physically stricken her, and I realized it would take some time for her to regain her bearings. Meanwhile, Ron had that look on his face as if he had just thought of something "bloody brilliant!" I was getting ready for him to put his foot in his mouth.

"Well, Harry, Hermione and I feel as if what we have between the two of us is just none of your business."

Ron. Dear, sweet, innocent, infuriating Ron. You can't live with him, can't kill him either.

"Do you want to handle this, or should I?"

I looked to the brunette of the trio as I was saying this; she just sagged a little in emotional exhaustion.

"Well, Ron, let us just forget the obvious fact that what you were doing was in my bed. Let's just forget that I know this started in October because both the map and my invisibility cloak were missing from my trunk…"

For the first time in a long time, I thought about what that meant to me. I thought and thought and thought. When I came to my conclusion, I glanced up at the two of them. Both of them winced at the expression on my face. They were preparing for an explosion, so I gave them a whisper.

"Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? Those are some of the only heirlooms I had for the longest time of my parents. And you would dare use them as sexual aids. I still can't get that fucking smell out of my cloak! HOW WOULD THAT MAKE YOU FEEL! You have any precious jewelry or tokens that your family plans on leaving you, Hermione? What about you Ron, can I have a go at your parents' ancestral spell books?"

Once again they were both stunned; once again they attempted to apologize in chorus.

"Mate, I am so…"

"Harry, please forgi…"

"I AM NOT FINISHED YET!"

And I wasn't.

"What about the hypocrisy in what you are saying Ron?"

He actually started to look a little upset.

"Save it Ron, before you piss me off again. Every time Hermione and I did something by ourselves last year, you threw a fit. What makes what the two of you do any different? I'll tell you this though, I was sorry then, and I am sorry now. I came to realize, no matter how damaged our relationship has been this year, that the three of us are a team. What affects one of us, affects all of us. The strategic aspect of your relationship alone should be enough justification."

"What do you…"

"What I mean is that I don't know where either of you stand anymore. We always felt a loss when one of the three of us was taken down, but the two that were left were able to move on and finish what needed to be finished. That won't be the case any longer."

"Harry, you know that's not true!"

"Do I, Hermione? So you're telling me that if Ron were killed right now, in the line of duty, you would be able to just soldier on and help get me to the finish line?"

Not having an answer for me was answer enough.

"I thought so. What about, and this is what burns me the most, the fact that everyone in this damn place knew about the two of you before me. I mean the first person to say anything to me about it was Malfoy…DRACO FUCKING MALFOY, of all people!"

I heard simultaneous gasps from my friends.

"That was what he was goading me with the day I put him in the hospital wing. But I figured 'No my friends wouldn't let me hear about this from Malfoy. They would tell me about this up front if they were really together.' I blew him off until he called Tonks a 'bitch in heat' because she had been with Remus. That was when I put him through a fucking wall. I trusted the two of you, but I guess I was wrong."

I had finally exhausted what was left of my anger. Ron and Hermione had been stunned into silence. What I did next seem to wake them up a little.

"So…I'm leaving."

For what had to have been the fourth or fifth time, the two of them made another move to put me off of something by talking or acting at the same time. I held up a hand for silence.

"Whether or not you believe me, this isn't just about you. Dumbledore wants to train me more intensively for whatever is to go down between Voldemort and me. He seems to think that I should be ready, just in case I am the one that has to end this." It was a misrepresentation of the information, but I'm not going to let them know the prophecy. Not now anyway, I really don't know if I can trust them at the moment. "I don't know when I'll be back…and…we really shouldn't part with all this resentment between us. It's funny because I thought I was prepared for this. Most of the anger and hurt I hold now is probably more because I wasn't as ready for it as I thought I was. There will come a day when I will be ok with this, but right now I am still fairly upset. I am willing to forgive, but like I said, it will take some time."

They looked very hopeful.

"I guess that this is goodbye for now, and I would really appreciate it if you could let Ginny know for me."

As I turned to walk out the portrait hole, a desperate sob grabbed my attention.

"Harrison James Potter! If you think you can leave without giving your little sister a proper goodbye, then you've got another thing coming."

I turned and took a good look at Ginny. She was doing an amazing impersonation of her mother. The only problem was that she looked far more vulnerable than I had ever seen Mrs. Weasley ever look.

"Have I told you yet today, Gem, that I love you very much?"

And with that, I opened up my arms as she barreled off the stairs and into what little comfort I could offer.

"Harry…you c-can't go. Not…not when we're finally starting to get this brother-sister thing figured out."

I don't even have to look up to know that Ron probably looks really confused right about now.

"I know sweetie, but it was either going to be sooner or later that I got this call. I have to go; I have to train; I have to fight; if need be, I'll have to kill. But don't worry, because I will do everything in my power to get back to all of you. You, Ron, Hermione, your family, all the Professors, and the memory of everything that has been sacrificed up to this point will get me back. Besides, it won't be like I'll be unable to communicate with you. I will be sure to get it set up with Dumbledore that I keep at least the three of you up to date."

I pulled Gem, as I had come to call her since the summer because I happen to think it is a very clever way of saying Ginerva Molly, back from my chest to wipe away her tears.

"Hey now, I'll have no more of this crying nonsense. I want a hug, a kiss, and dry eyes before I walk out that door."

She laughed a little, squeezed me a little tighter, and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I placed a kiss on her forehead and we walked arm and arm towards Hermione and Ron.

"Ron, take this bit of advice before I go. From now on, when it comes to the guys Ginny decides to date, just give them a chance. OK?"

With this I gave him a firm handshake, a one-armed hug, and turn to Hermione.

"You take care of yourself, Hermione."

It was awkward, but I gave her a hug and a kiss to the forehead as well.

"See you three on the other side of all this."

And I walked off towards my fate.

(A/N: Now this was my original stopping point, but I decided to go a little further.)

I make my way towards the Headmaster's office with a tremendous headache. 'I'll be spending a little extra time in the Ogden's tonight,' I thought bitterly. I reached the gargoyle to la casa de Dumbledore, offered the password, and traveled up the revolving stone steps into yet another headache.

In the office, sitting around Albus' desk, were Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Davis, and my favorite person in the whole wide world – Draco 'effing' Malfoy. I was confused. Not only were these three students here, but their luggage was here also.

"What's up?"

"Well, Potty, the Headmaster summoned us here and said to bring our things because we are going to some kind of…'academic seminar'…was the way I believe he put it."

My eyes moved sharply from Malfoy to said speaker. Once I recognized the mega-watt twinkle in the old bastard's eyes, I knew exactly what it was he wanted me to do.

"NO BLOODY FUCKING WAY IN HELL ALBUS!"

I was not happy.

The second after I said it, I was met with three shocked stares and one sinister smile that would forever lead me to believe that Dumbledore had been in Slytherin.

"Oh Harry, you most certainly will. And not only that, but I have another…minor task that I'll need you to perform on a…quarterly basis."

All of a sudden I felt very worried.

"Imagine my surprise when Stibbins, the house elf that I've charged with cleaning the seventh floor corridor in Dobby's place, ran into this very office worried about some strange stringy noises coming from that same location."

Dumbledore took extra delight in watching me pale. If he makes me do what I think he is trying to do, then I will very much enjoy sticking my wand up his ass after I get done with Voldemort.

"Naturally I investigated, and do you know what I found Harry?"

"No sir, but I am positive you'll tell me."

He actually made it worse by pulling out a pensieve.

"How about I show you?"

Sometimes I really hate that old codger.

"Glad you could see it my way, Harry."

With that, Dumbledore brought his wand to his temple and placed his memory in the pensieve.

"Why don't we all take a look?"

The five of us crowded around the bowl and plunged in. I recognized almost instantly what memory we'd be witnessing just from the way my arm was waving through the air. As we all know Pete Townshend has a very trademark way of playing power chords. Does the term 'windmill' mean anything to you?

"As I was saying, I just so happened to be doing some paperwork in my office when one of the house elves alerted me to some disturbance they had heard while cleaning the seventh floor. Imagine my surprise when I found the cause of this disturbance to be none other than Mr. Harry James Potter playing a muggle instrument called an electric guitar. By the way Harry, you have to explain to me how you were able to get electricity to work here at Hogwarts."

He gave me an infuriating smirk, twinkle on full blast, and I gestured very rudely with my right hand.

"Listen closely boys; Harry is surprisingly good."

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

This night just keeps getting better and better. First Hermione and Ron rip my heart out, and now I have to deal with this old bastard airing out all of my secrets (especially such embarrassing ones). I jumped out of the pensieve before the memory even ended, and picked up a heavy book to hurl at Dumbledore's head when he climbed his old ass on out of it. I watched both Fletchley and Malfoy fall out confused, but still laughing about what they had seen. Davis came out next and he actually looked impressed. Although, he is a muggleborn with parents that had studied abroad at Berkley in the Colonies during the 60s and 70s, so I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. I was just about to clobber the old headmaster in the head when Fawkes flew from his perch, landed on my forearm, and pecked me none to gently on the wrist.

"Damnit, Fawkes! What the hell did you do that for!"

He hovered in front of me and gave me a look like 'you know exactly why I did that', so I threw the book at him instead. I wasn't very surprised, but very aggravated when the overblown chicken gracefully glided out of the way, and flew back towards his perch trilling the whole time. I was even more indignant when I heard the other occupants of the room now laughing at me because I was arguing with a bird. I gave all of them my most intimidating glare; it seemed to silence both Fletchley and Davis and reduced Malfoy's snicker to an unsteady smirk, but Dumbledore just laughed harder.

"OK, old man! What is it that you want me to do?"

"Oh, Harry. Can't you guess?"

"I have no idea how that depraved, deranged processor that you call a brain works."

(While all this is going on the other three occupants of the room are watching Albus and I banter back and forth in the same way that they would a tennis volley. Well…if two of the three of them knew what a tennis volley was.)

"Come on Harry. What plans of mine about important dates have I recently announced?"

"It better not have anything to do with some of the social events you have organized over the next few years."

"As it just so happens, Harry, that is exactly what I need for you to do. You see, I need some entertainment for these events I think it would do some good for the students if they had the opportunity to experience muggle music. And before you say anything, whether or not you play is non-negotiable."

I was extremely angry that he had the audacity to make me go through with this, but I started to think about it. If he made me do something like this, then I should be able to parley for some of my own concessions about the next year and a half.

"Fine old man, but I have some demands of my own."

"And what might those demands be Harry?"

"First, if I am to do this, then I don't want the students to know that it is me doing it."

"That doesn't seem to be too unreasonable."

"That's good to hear, because I'm not finished. Two, I want total anonymity in how I train these thre…"

I guess Malfoy was slower than I had originally believed. He must have been under the impression that he would be training with me, and not trained by me.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, how can you let this arrogant half-blood train me. I realize he has some power, but his spell repertoire is poorly lacking. I refuse to all…"

I guess Dumbledore wasn't going to be as patient with young Draco as he usually was with Snape, his pet Deatheater.

"MR. MALFOY! You will sit back down this instant and still your tongue! I have been training Harry personally in combat magic with the aid of a Time-Turner for quite some time now, and I think it is safe to say that he could probably do a better job of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts than your current professor. And that goes without mentioning all of the military, physical, and weapon's training I have had my colleagues administer. You should consider yourself lucky I chose you from your house, because I'd just as soon pick anyone else!"

I was surprised, as was everyone else in the room, even some of the portraits looked a little apprehensive, but Albus wasn't exactly done with the blonde albino yet.

"However, because you lowered yourself to the degree that you posthumously degraded Harry's family in such a way that his only choice of reprisal led to a rather convincing defeat in a wizard's duel between you and he, you have seen the extent of Mr. Potter's power. This is a secret I would like to keep as quiet as possible and that is why I chose you and the two other wizards present that day. I would watch my step Draco, because I am about to turn your well being over to someone who is being trained to eventually end a life. I'd pray if I were you, that it not be your own."

By the end of Albus' lecture, Malfoy had paled to an almost dangerously looking white I didn't know the human complexion was even capable of reaching. Needless to say he sat down to keep from falling over, and was quiet from then on.

"Go ahead Harry. Is there any other way I could be of service."

"Yes, I would also like to reserve the right to take these three out on missions, Order or otherwise, throughout England and the continent."

"That, I am sorry to say, will depend on the mission. And my decisions from case to case will be non-negotiable."

"Yes, well I am going to need a way to keep in contact with my friends. And finally, if I am going to do this then I will need one more person."

"And who would that be Harry?"

I knew I was going to get some sort of interesting reaction when they found out who else it was that I was referring to.

"Why I'll need Neville Longbottom, of course!"

You could have heard a pin drop.

"Harry, are you sure?"

"Why of course I am Albus."

"Well, when he gets back from his break, I…"

"No, Dumbledore. If we are going to do this, then I want us all starting on the same page. If we wait, Neville will be at least a month behind. Besides, you said I had complete anonymity and the right to conduct missions. This fulfills two of my requests and because there is such a low degree of danger involved, you can think of it as a training mission if you have to."

Dumbledore looked very reticent to acquiesce to my request, but he did in the end.

"So after we get Neville where should we report to Albus?"

Suddenly the headmaster had a very sly look on his face.

"Well, the third floor if you must know. I usually say it is off limits every year in case I want to run one of my projects and don't want any of the students getting in the way. I think it would be a perfect place for you five to transform into a training center."

"Well if there isn't anything else that you need headmaster, then the three of us need to go pick up Neville."

I turned to give orders to Davis and Fletchley, 'shrink your shit and stow it'; they were used to my orders from the D.A. Under the expert tutelage of the squib SAS member that her Royal Majesty had provided to Albus this last year, I have been able to turn the D.A. into a real army with ranks, orders, and platoons. It took a while for everyone to get used to it, but the novelty of it (everyone plays at being in the service when their young a little bit) coupled with the strenuous physical exercises I used as punishment should they not take me seriously enough, got everyone more or less in line. And as good little soldiers, Fletchley and Davis set to completing their orders while Malfoy kind of just sat there as stared. I rolled my eyes skyward and said to myself 'Jesus this is going to be a long year.'

As we walked out of Albus' office, Fletchley and Davis fell into line behind me with Draco bringing up the rear very awkwardly and hesitantly. We marched on anyway. And when I say we marched we really marched. This disturbed Malfoy even further, but this time the headmaster was no where in sight so Draco didn't waste anytime in degrading us for it. My patience with the Slytherin has always been famously thin, but tonight I felt extremely confrontational. So, by the time Malfoy decided to use the fourth derogatory derivation of my given name I had finally had enough. I stopped, turned to look at Justin and Anthony, touched my wrist and gestured towards Draco. A great many things then happened in surprisingly quick succession. Anthony and Justin flanked Malfoy on the left and right respectively, the Hufflepuff punched Malfoy in the stomach while the Ravenclaw knocked the wand out of Draco's rising hand. Anthony then grabbed the Slytherin by the throat and slammed him against the corridor wall. Justin had been busy retrieving Malfoy's forfeited wand, and was now covering the Slytherin with not only his own magical focus, but the git's as well.

"It's time to set you straight Draco." I didn't just walk, but I strutted up to Malfoy's subdued form. "Did you or did you not hear what the headmaster said Slytherin? From this point forward you will abide by my orders. You will learn to walk, talk, act, and fight the same way that Anthony and Justin do. If you don't, and that negligence threatens the lives of the rest of us, I will hand you your heart. Do you understand me?" I said all this with as much intimidation as it was possible for me to muster. Draco took one look at me and folded like a poorly stacked deck of cards.

I turned away from the ferret and pulled out a bit of spare parchment to write a note.

Dear Ginny,

Be ready in the next couple of days for instructions for the D.A.

Harry

It was short, and kind of impersonal, but anything about Dumbledore's Army was very sensitive information. In fact, I probably said more than I should have. With the day I am having though, I could really care less.

"Anthony, run this up to Ginny will you. If she isn't in the common room, then give it to Ron with orders from me not to open it and relay it to no one but Ginny as soon as possible."

"You got it."

Justin, Draco, and I sat down to wait for Anthony to get back. As soon as he did we could set off to get Neville. Longbottom's inclusion seemed to be bothering Malfoy.

"Potter?"

"Yes."

"Why Longbottom?"

"What do you mean 'Why Longbottom' Draco?"

"You know exactly what I mean, half-blood. Toad boy is a stumbling, bumbling buffoon. That idiot wouldn't know a dark curse from a tickling charm, and you want to bring him along. As much as it pains me to say it, I know that you are better than me. From that little display back there it is obvious you have Davis and this pansy trained up fairly well. I have seen Longbottom in DADA and he isn't anything special, so why do you need him?"

Justin sort of flinched when Malfoy insulted his masculinity, but he knew better than to react unless I ordered him to. And even though he disagreed with the ferret's delivery, Justin seemed to fall in with Draco's sentiments.

"Go ahead, Justin. What are your thoughts on my decision to use Neville?"

"Well, Harry, I understand he must be at least functionally capable or you would have never promoted him in D.A. But like Malfoy, I have never seen him perform exceptionally well in anything but gardening. It will take us long enough to get Draco trained for combat. Why bring someone else that'll need extra help to get ready?"

You have to hand it to Fletchley. His insults concerning his commanding officer's abilities were more subtle than they would have been a year ago.

"Let me ask you two a question. Say you and a group of wizards were charged with apprehending the 'Ministry Six'…" That little moniker was the brainchild of the editors at the 'Daily Prophet'. Right after the Ministry acknowledged Voldemort's return, they launched a media blitz chronicling the entire Department of Mysteries affair to make themselves look more credible. The Prophet was more than happy to oblige, seeing as how they were in the same boat after slamming Dumbledore and I for a year. The focus of the article was to make Ginny, Luna, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and I look like we had gone to save the Ministry and not my Godfather. I was less than happy about their conclusion, and it infuriated me that they made my friends even bigger targets by grouping as all together like that. "…You would dismiss Neville as a negligible threat, wouldn't you?"

They nodded their heads without any hesitation.

"You would be wrong, and you would probably end up dead for it. Listen guys, Neville is in Gryffindor for a reason. He carries the same stuff inside him as I do. Besides, what if I were to tell you it was all an act? What if I were to tell you that I have been training Neville personally for the past few months and had him keep up a 'bumbling and stumbling' façade so that he would be a more effective fighter?"

They both seemed stunned, but Malfoy looked faintly impressed.

"I'd say it was a very Slytherin thing for you to do."

It was at that time that Anthony got back from delivering the note. He had a disturbing smirk on his face.

"Was Ginny in the common room?"

"Yes, and she told me to tell you that if you aren't the one who brings the information personally, then she is going to hex your 'reproductive organ' so thoroughly it will be rendered useless."

The three of us that hadn't already heard the message winced visibly.

"I'll keep that in mind, Davis. For now, though, let's go get Neville."

We walked out past the gates of Hogwarts, and I charmed an old rock into a portkey. We arrived just outside the wards of the Longbottom's ancestral home in the southeastern corner of England. I told Anthony and Justin to get there wands out and cover me. Draco would have to be fairly desperate to attack me so openly, but I didn't know if any of Voldemort's friends would be casing the place. The magic I was about to perform would leave me very vulnerable to attack; I wasn't about to take any chances. As I closed my eyes and started to reach out with my senses, I informed Justin and his partner of their mission.

"Listen up guys. Your assignment is 'site and steal'. I want you to find Neville, subdue him, and get him to the extraction point. You will have to use stealth. I will neutralize the wards, but you will still have to proceed with caution. Should Neville wake up, it will be very difficult, even with your combined efforts, to take him. If things start to heat up between the three of you, then you'll need to give him our group's safe word. In the event that you do fail, I will not be lenient at the debriefing."

We were about another hundred yards around the perimeter of the wards, when I felt the 'pull'. I stopped, sat down in the lotus position with my eyes closed, and I used my hands to manipulate the ward magic. I was just beginning to get into the work when Draco opened his mouth and ruined my concentration.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing Potter?"

"That is a family secret Malfoy, and if I told you then I'd have to kill you."

I thought that would be the end of it, but it seemed as if he didn't need my input to know of my abilities.

"You're a Detector aren't you?"

Well, I guess that it would be easier for a member of a well known dark family to guess at what I was doing than for most others. The question is: Can I trust him? The answer, of course, was no. But you can't earn someone's trust without giving a little in return.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am."

"From whom in your family did it come from?"

Malfoy was referring to the fact that being a Detector is a genetic gift passed down in the blood of older families. The only real natural advantage of being a member of a pureblood family is that there are just some magical abilities that you can't get otherwise.

"It was my great grandfather, William Potter, actually."

"The White Warlock of Scotland was a Detector!"

My great grandfather earned that name because he gave his life single-handily defending a group of women and children from an advancing legion of Grindewald's allies. He had done a number of other very courageous things, but what he gave his life for was his crowning achievement.

"Yes he was Draco. You really ought to forget that silly misconception about certain 'Light' and 'Dark' Arts. Of course there are some things that are inherently evil, as there are some things that are completely good; it would be impossible for one to exist without the other. But, the other ninety-five percent of magic is based on intent. It is your choices that make you what you are, Draco. The only reason you think being a Detector is so scandalous an ability for a member of such a 'Light' aligned family to have, is because so many Detectors have turned to the Dark Side. They have done so by trying to make this ability more practical in a fire-fight. You see, as it is, being able to observe and manipulate magic takes a great deal of concentration, so much so that I can't do much of anything else. That is why I am having these two cover me, because otherwise I would be a sitting duck. Wizards in the past have gone crazy subjecting themselves to terrible rituals involving innocent sacrifices to increase the scope of their talent in this particular art. In my gift's most basic form, all it does is connect me to my own magic more completely. It gives me a sort of 'sixth sense' about the magic that surrounds me. Also, one of the reasons it is so infamous is because with enough time I can disable wards. The 'Old Guard' doesn't much like it when their security is threatened. Maybe if you people did, the wizarding world wouldn't be in the trouble it is with Voldemort right now.

It took me nearly thirty minutes, but with enough patience I was able to bring the wards down. What's more, I was able to do so without alerting anyone on the inside of the house or at Ministry to our presence. I unfurled the map of the estate and pointed out certain entrances and exits that the two could use. I also pointed out Neville's and his Gran's rooms. Justin and Anthony suited up and moved out. I watched them disappear into the house and turned to Draco; I just knew he had some more questions.

"What was all that?"

"What do you know about wards Malfoy?"

"Next to nothing actually."

"Well, the simpler ones that are erected around certain areas like 'Notice-Me-Not' charms and such are easily dispelled with a Finite. The Fidelis, on the other hand, is the most secure protection that you can erect. Trying to disable a Fidelis without the secret is like trying to hold water in the palm of your hand, but it is that same said secret that is its disadvantage. It is very difficult to continue to live a life on the level you have grown accustomed to under a Fidelis. No one but your secret keeper knows you. It isn't like you're invisible if you go out into public, but you wouldn't be recognized if you walked up to a life-long friend and told them your name. That is the reason why blood wards are the most popular. Blood wards, while not as complete a defense as Fidelis, are still very complex and powerful. They are strong and difficult to neutralize because they integrate with the magic of the very lands and family they are trying to protect. The magic involved with the wards is all about glyphs and focal points. To completely immobilize it, I have to rewrite the arithmancy and alter the runes of the glyphs to isolate the focal point. Once I get there I have to have blood from the family member to disable the focal point. One of the real reasons, aside from Occlumency, that I have gotten so good at Runes and Arithmancy is because it is apart of me and crucial to my family's history."

"How did you get a hold of Longbottom's blood?"

"One of the most important tasks of the D.A is to prepare Hogwarts for evacuation should Voldemort ever grow the stones to face Dumbledore head on. One of the only two places large enough and secure enough on our side to house the population of Hogwarts comfortably is Longbottom Estates. In case Neville himself is unable to open up his home in case of emergency, then he has entrusted in me a vial of blood and a map of his home. On the same token, Neville has my blood and a map of Potter Mansion."

"Somehow, I don't think he shared this confidence to be kidnapped."

"Neville is a soldier. He'll get over it."

Just as I said that, Justin and Anthony marched up with the object of our conversation sedated and floating behind them.

"We've got Longbottom and his equipment Harry; where to next?"

"Back to Hogwarts Anthony."

A/N: I could make up a sorry ass excuse as to why it has been nearly a year since I updated, but it probably wouldn't matter anyway. I'm likely to have an entirely new audience as it is. But, I am out of school with a free summer. Hopefully, I can get through at least half a dozen more chapters before it is all said and done.

Next Chapter: Neville, the amazing, wonder-Gryffindor.