Standard disclaimer: It isn't mine; I only warp it around for my amusement.
Harry couldn't believe how overloaded with schoolwork he was already. He was spending all his free time either doing homework or reading over books with Hermione and Ron from Gryffindor's library. On top of all these things, now he had quidditch trials coming up in just a couple of days. He didn't even want to think about the upcoming DA meeting. Fortunately, Ron and Hermione were there to help. He was also supposed to have his first Occlumency lesson with Professor Dumbledore Saturday night. Harry had a morbid thought….at this rate Voldemort wouldn't have to kill him….he would just die from exhaustion. He dragged himself out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts to go running. It was getting pretty chilly in the mornings now, but once he started running he would warm up enough. He went quietly down the stairs, being careful not to wake up his roommates. He was surprised to find Ginny waiting in the common room.
"Good morning, Harry." She smiled at him. "Do you mind if I run with you? I thought I had better start getting back into shape before the season starts."
Harry stopped and just stared at her. She was wearing a pair of black running shorts with a black tank top over it. Her long red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was bent over by the sofa stretching her long legs. He thought to himself that she looked like she was already in pretty good shape to him. He seemed to have lost the capacity for coherent speech. It must have had something to do with the sudden loss of blood to his brain.
Ginny stood up. "Harry? Did you hear me?"
Harry shook his head a bit. "Umm, yeah….sure. Sorry, you just caught me by surprise is all." Harry thought to himself—where did that come from…this is Ron's little sister…
Ginny watched him staring at her then turned around and grinned to herself. "Ok, last one down to the pitch is a mountain troll!" She ran out of the door with Harry hot on her heels.
Harry treated himself to a nice long warm shower after his run. He couldn't get the sight of Ginny running in front of him out of his head. He could still see the muscles in her well-toned thighs ripple with each long stride she took… that light sheen of sweat across her lightly freckled chest…her long red hair bouncing back and forth…When did she start looking….like that? He had always thought she was quite pretty…but she never seemed to—curve—in all those places before. Argh! This is Ron's baby sister…stop that! He frowned and turned off the hot water and waited for the shock of cold water to squelch his growing frustration. He got out of the shower and hurriedly got dressed.
By the time he made it into the Great Hall, his friends were already eating breakfast. The only open seat was next to Ginny so Harry sat down and looked quickly away from her. Get a grip on yourself Potter!
Hermione looked over at Harry. "Have a good run this morning? You were taking forever getting dressed this morning, you almost missed breakfast." She glanced quickly at Ginny.
"Oh, yeah. It was great. I suppose I lost track of time," Harry said. "Was there anything new in the paper this morning?"
Ron was stuffing the last bit of toast in his mouth. "Same thing as always, more dementor attacks, more death eater attacks." Ron leaned in so he could speak quietly. "Have you heard anything from the Order, Harry?"
Harry shook his head. "No, nothing as usual. But then again, no one ever seems to tell me anything. I did hear that one of the second year Hufflepuff girls got pulled out of class yesterday, though. Apparently both her parents were killed in the latest attack."
Hermione shuddered. "How horrible! I don't think I would be able to sleep at night without knowing that the Order was protecting my parents."
Suddenly, loud shouts and screams of laughter erupted from the other end of the Great Hall. Harry turned and looked towards the Slytherin table. Sitting in the spot where Draco Malfoy had been just seconds ago, was something resembling a large yellow bird. Malfoy was jumping up and down in frustration; big yellow feathers were flying all around him. There was nothing but a strange, high-pitched screeching noise coming from his throat. Crabbe and Goyle jumped back from Malfoy so quickly they both ended up sprawled out on the floor with their breakfast plates spilled all over them. Pansy Parkinson was clutching at her chest and shrieking at the top of her lungs. Somewhere from the back of the Gryffindor table someone shouted, "At least it isn't a ferret this time Malfoy!" which of course, just added to the peals of laughter ringing throughout the hall. Professor Snape stared stonily at Harry as he surged towards the Slytherin table. He gathered up a squawking Draco and roughly ushered him out of the door to the hospital wing.
Harry wiped his eyes, he had been laughing so hard he was tearing up. "Oh great, now he is going to blame me for that whole thing. I don't really care though. It was worth it to see Malfoy flapping around molting big yellow feathers!"
Ginny leaned over and whispered into Harry's ear, "Who's the birdbrain now?" She sat back and grinned. Harry stared at her with a mixture of surprise and awe.
Ron was holding his sides and laughing. "Harry! That had to be a Canary Crème from Fred and George; however did you get him to eat it? I want to remember this forever, right up there with the Amazing Bouncing Ferret!"
Hermione looked at Harry with her eyes shining. "You didn't have anything to do with that, did you Harry? I mean, its funny and all….but how long will it be before it wears off do you think? You could get in so much trouble if they found out who did it…"
"Oh lighten up Hermione, it made my day!" Ron laughed. "They will never find out for sure who did it, will they Harry?"
Harry glanced sideways at Ginny and laughed. "No, I am sure they won't. We better go; we are going to be late for class."
Saturday afternoon came quickly after a flurry of classes and endless piles of homework. The notice for quidditch tryouts had obviously been well received. Harry and Ron arrived at the quidditch pitch to find a sizeable group waiting eagerly with their brooms in tow. Hermione had come down earlier with Ginny and they were sitting off to the side chatting. There seemed to be a fair amount of people sitting up in the stands to watch the flying. He looked up and saw Cho sitting with her friends. She stood and called his name and waved. When he waved back at her, she blew him a kiss while her friends giggled around her. Harry blushed uncomfortably and glanced over at Ginny who was still deep in conversation with Hermione.
Harry stepped into the center of the pitch. "Can I have everyone's attention please? As you all know, we have two positions of beater to fill as well as one chaser. Ron is back as keeper, Ginny and Katie are our returning chasers, and I am returning seeker as well as Captain for this season. We will all be helping with the trials. I am going to pair you off and trial you for each position. Then we can try you out for the one you are most suited for. Are there any questions? Alright then, if everyone could pair up and we can get started."
Harry watched a bunch of nervous 2nd and 3rd years struggling on their Cleansweeps for over an hour. Ginny, Katie and Ron were doing a marvelous job putting them through their paces. Harry was playing as a beater at the moment to help out. After watching each candidate attempt both positions, Harry called his team to the ground for a conference.
"I can't remember ever being that young and green," Ron snorted. "A few of them can barely fly."
"There are a few that could be pretty good though, Harry, with some training," Katie said. "Colin Creevy was much better than I had anticipated."
Ginny nodded. "I think so too. I figured he just came out this morning because Harry was here. Dean was flying fairly well also I think."
The conversation went on for a few minutes until it was decided who would be held back for further trials.
Harry stepped to the center of the pitch. "Could I please see Colin Creevy, Dean Thomas, Pete Mulligan and Sharon Kennick? The rest of you, thank you for coming and please consider trying out again next year. You four come forward here please. First we would like to see Pete and Sharon run through the paces of the position of beater. As you know, your job is to keep the bludgers away from your own team and direct them at the opposite team. For the purpose of this exercise you can hit them towards me and Ron and away from Ginny and Katie. Let's see how you do, mount up!"
Harry had to admit, Pete had pretty good aim and was strong; but Sharon was very strong for a girl her size and damned fast. It was going to be a tough call. At the end, though, Harry had decided to go with Sharon's quickness and easy maneuverability with her broom. Sharon was officially added as beater and Pete was thanked for his time.
Harry called everyone together at the center of the pitch. "Ok guys, there is only one beater and one chaser position left. I would like to see Colin try first as beater and Dean as chaser, and then you two switch positions so we can see where you fit better into the lineup. Everyone up in the air, and good luck!" Colin was certainly playing well as beater. He was quick and seemed to have an almost uncanny silent communication with Sharon. Dean managed to get two goals past Ron in quick succession. They switched positions and Colin took over chaser. He got one goal barely past Ron, but his next to attempts were easily blocked. Harry was watching Dean carefully. He was a very enthusiastic beater, maybe a little too enthusiastic. Just at that moment, he made a spectacular dive at a bludger headed directly for Katie Bell. He swung wide and knocked it wildly away….straight at Ginny. Before anyone could blink, it struck the back of Ginny's broom knocking it right out from under her. She started falling as Harry's heart leapt into his throat. Ron started towards her as quickly as his broom would go. Several girls in the stands screamed. Dean turned white and froze. Harry flattened against his broom and made a beeline for Ginny's falling form. 'I'll never make it…its too far…Ginny…I can't lose her…' Harry had put his hand in front of him reaching towards her; magical energy was crackling all around him charging the air. 'STOP!' Ginny appeared to hover for a few seconds in one place as Harry swooped underneath and grabbed her. He landed on the pitch with a soft thump, Ginny clinging to him for dear life. The other players quickly landed and ran towards them, Hermione scrambled out of the stands onto the pitch. Ginny sank slowly to the ground with Harry still clutching her tightly.
Ron reached them first. "Ginny! Are you alright?" He reached down and grabbed Harry on the shoulder. "Good catch, mate. That was amazing!" He circled behind Ginny and kissed the top of her head. "Are you sure you are ok?"
Ginny nodded her head weakly. "Yeah, I am fine. Just a bit rattled is all." She looked at Harry. "If you hadn't been close enough to catch me Harry…."
Hermione stopped in front of them breathless from running. "But Ginny, he wasn't close enough to catch you. Didn't any of you see what happened? Harry stopped her from falling before he got to her!"
Ron looked up at her. "What do you mean Hermione? He couldn't have. He didn't even have a wand."
A small voice from behind them spoke. "No, it's true. He stopped her from falling. I saw it too."
Harry looked over Cho as she was speaking. She was standing back watching Ginny still holding tightly to Harry's chest. Harry looked over at Dean silently standing nearby looking stricken. "Ginny, I think Dean wants to talk to you."
Dean crumpled to the ground next to her. "Ginny, I am so sorry. It was an accident…I didn't mean it. Are you…ok?"
Ginny reluctantly let go of Harry and turned to Dean. "Of course, I am ok now. It was an accident, no harm done." Ginny smiled and took his hand. "It's really alright."
Harry stood up and smiled. "Well, ok…interesting ending to the day. I think that Colin will be our new beater…congratulations Colin! Dean played terrific as well, and will be officially added to the roster as chaser."
Ron looked sour. "Good thing he has better aim with a quaffle than he does with a bludger."
Hermione nudged Ron and hissed at him, "It was an accident, Ron."
Ron just looked away from them.
Harry started gathering his things together. "I guess we should head back up to the castle then, its getting late. First practice will be posted next week. I will let you know when I can book the pitch." He started back up towards the castle. Cho fell into step beside him.
"Harry," she said, "Do you want to spend some time together in the library tonight?"
Harry glanced at her a bit uncomfortably. "I can't tonight Cho, I'm sorry."
Cho glanced over at Ginny walking in front of them with Dean. "Oh? You have plans, Harry?"
Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm really sorry Cho. I have to meet with Professor Dumbledore and I am not sure how long it will be before we are finished."
Cho chuckled. "It's ok Harry. I guess I can forgive being passed over as long as it is for the Headmaster. We can do it another time. Thanks for inviting me to watch, I always love watching you fly….as long as you aren't playing against us at the time."
Harry smiled back at her and walked the rest of the way to the castle in contemplative silence.
It was almost time for his Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore, he supposed he had better get going. Harry had been sitting in a chair in the common room thinking. Fiona had flown down and perched in his lap, singing softly to him. He stroked her golden feathers as he listened. 'I know girl, I know you're right, but I don't know what to do.'
Hermione walked up beside him. "Did you say something Harry?"
"Oh, sorry, no," Harry said, "I was talking to Fiona is all. I better go meet with Dumbledore, see you guys later."
Hermione waved goodbye as Harry went through the portrait hole towards the Headmaster's office. As he approached a turn down a long hallway he heard hushed angry voices. He slowed and tried to listen. He could barely make out a young man arguing with an older man. '…my father—he knows—can't keep hiding—never get away with it—don't be an idiot…' Harry carefully peeked around the corner to see the unmistakable forms of Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape stalking up the hallway. Harry thought to himself, 'I knew it! I knew it was only a matter of time before they were conspiring something together.' He ran the rest of the way to Professor Dumbledore's office. He walked up to the staircase and muttered 'Sugar Quills'. The large stone phoenix began to turn and carried him up to the office doors.
Dumbledore called for him to come in before Harry could even knock. "Come in, Harry. Have a seat. Care for a lemon drop?"
"Sure, thanks. Sorry I'm late, I got sidetracked."
"Nonsense, dear boy, you are right on time. Have you settled into classes already?"
"It certainly has been a hectic start. Classes are much more demanding already this year," Harry frowned. "We had quidditch trials today and our first DA meeting is tomorrow afternoon."
"Excellent, I assume that Professor Cochrann has been helpful, then?"
"I am supposed to meet her early for the meeting to discuss plans. Professor, if I may ask, where did you find her for the teaching position. I understand she was an auror?"
Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Yes, she was an auror. Of course, she hasn't been active for several years. We were quite fortunate to get her for the position."
Harry laughed. "Honestly sir, most of us were beginning to think the job was cursed. No one ever manages to hold on to it for more than a year it seems. How did you ever convince her?"
"As did I, Harry; as did I. She applied for the position. She was quite eager to get it actually, we were very lucky to get her. I hope she is able to help you as much as I hope." Dumbledore stood up and walked to the other side of the desk and sat across from Harry. "How have you been sleeping? Have you had any dreams you need to tell me about?"
"No sir, I haven't had any dreams of that nature. I have been practicing Occlumency before going to bed; relaxing, trying to empty and clear my mind and block outside intrusions."
"Very well then Harry. Since you know the basic principles we are going to work on strengthening your ability. When you have mastered it, I would like to move on to Legilimens skills. Now, I am going to try and probe into your mind. I won't go too far in the beginning. You try to block me out as soon as you feel it, understand?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, sir." He sat back in his chair and tried to clear his mind. He started to feel a warm, calm sensation as thoughts drifted through his mind. He could see himself meeting Ron for the first time on the Hogwart's Express, Hermione fixing his glasses for the first time, playing his first game of quidditch in his first year, flying high on his broom feeling exhilarated then watching Ginny start to fall…wait…no….push him out….Harry pushed his memories far down and concentrated with all his might until he saw Dumbledore fall back in his chair.
"Very good job detecting me and pushing me out, Mr. Potter, but you let me in too far in the first place. I am assuming that Ms. Weasley is well?"
Harry nodded his head slowly. "Yes sir, she is fine. I didn't notice you until it was too late. It felt different for you to invade my mind. It was so…warm and inviting, not painful and scary."
"Yes, Harry, that is the best way to get in. It isn't always going to feel badly. You have to learn to recognize it in all forms. Concentrate all your effort into walling off the intruder and banishing them from your mind. We will try again when you are ready."
"Yes sir, anytime you wish." Harry was preparing himself when he started to feel warm and relaxed again. He could see visions of his parents dying in a powerful green blast of light; himself as a small child, crying in a dark broom cupboard on Christmas morning; Cedric Diggory falling dead at the feet of Voldemort and Wormtail, Sirius reaching for him as he fell through the veil ...NO….NOT AGAIN….Harry tried to close his mind to the pain but only succeeded in collapsing into a heap on the floor; his body heaving in pain.
Dumbledore slowly lowered himself to Harry. "I am so sorry, dear boy. I had to do it. Voldemort will not give you warning. He will not look for happy memories. You must learn to overcome the pain and control your own mind against intrusion. Do you understand what I am trying to do?"
Harry slowly looked into Dumbledore's eyes. "Yes sir, I understand. There are so many…painful…memories. But they are mine. They make me who I am, and no one should ever be able to use them against me." Harry struggled to his feet.
Dumbledore smiled gently. "That's exactly right, Harry. I want you to practice every night before you go to bed. You should also take time to meditate once a day, clear your mind and relax. Once you become comfortable with your own self and mind, it will be easier for you to recognize an outside intrusion and to be able to protect yourself. Now, you have a busy day tomorrow. If you are sure you are alright, then off you go and get some rest. We will meet again next week. If you have any concerns or questions please feel free to come to me."
Harry briefly thought of the encounter he witnessed between Snape and Malfoy, but decided not to say anything about it until he had more to go on than simply suspicions. "Goodnight then, Professor. And thank you."
Harry hurried back to his common room. He was eager to tell Ron and Hermione about what he had seen in that hallway…he just knew that they weren't going to believe it.
Harry headed to the Room of Requirement early the next afternoon. He needed to be there early to meet with Professor Cochrann and he wanted to be sure everything was set up. He wondered how many new people were going to show up this year. Most of the old members had already expressed interest in continuing. He wondered if any Slytherins were going to show up, and secretly hoped they wouldn't. He understood that the Houses needed to work together more now than ever, but he still didn't trust them; especially after what he saw yesterday. Ron had believed him right away when he told them about yesterday's incident. Hermione, of course, tried to reason that it must have been something other than what it looked like. 'She is always so willing to trust someone just because they are a teacher' Harry thought. He was sure they were up to something, and he was going to be watching them closely.
Harry neared a spot in the wall and slowed down. He walked back and forth three times thinking, "I need a room that a large group of people can use to practice advanced defense spells and dueling techniques." A door appeared and Harry went in to get ready. The room, as always, was exactly what he needed. It was large, with several large stuffed pillows for people to sit on. In one corner there were several of what Harry presumed to be some sort of practice dummies. There were several long tables along the walls with refreshments and other various items that might be needed for spell work. Professor Cochrann walked into the room as Harry was making his final inspections.
"Hello, Professor. Did you have trouble finding the room?" Harry asked.
"No, it was exactly where you said it would be. This is very nice Harry. I didn't even know this room existed in the castle. It's quite handy, indeed."
"Yeah, it's great. We used it all last year. I see this year the room provided what I think are practice dummies." Harry pointed to the far corner.
"That's exactly what those are, Harry. We used them in Auror training classes. The more advanced the student, the more difficult the duel becomes. Would you like me to show you how they work?"
Harry grinned at her. "Yes ma'am, that would be brilliant, thank you. I would like to at least look like I know what I am doing when the others get here."
Professor Cochrann moved one of the dummies into position. "Now Harry, you just face the dummy and hold your wand at the ready. It will engage you at the level you are fighting at and will gradually step up the attack as you improve. It will never use an unforgivable curse, but all other curses and jinxes will be genuine. Do you have any questions?"
"No, I think I have it." Harry pulled his wand at the ready and waited. "Professor," Harry turned his head and looked at her, "do you think— "Harry was suddenly knocked backwards and his wand flew neatly out of his hand.
"By the way Harry, the practice dummy's spells are non-verbal. You won't know what is coming at you."
Harry grimaced as he got up and retrieved his wand. "I see that, thanks." Harry stood, stretched his limbs and centered himself; then turned to face the target again with his wand at the ready.
Devyn Cochrann watched with interest. The duel began simply enough. There were a few spells volleyed back and forth as Harry adjusted to it. Within a few moments, the spells began to fly at a faster rate. People began to come in for the start of the meeting. Professor Cochrann pointed for them all to have a seat quietly. Harry seemed to be oblivious of his newly acquired audience. The air surrounding him was beginning to crackle and glow as the dummy began firing off spells two at a time. Devyn had never seen anyone move so fast. Harry was dodging spells that were coming at him from all different directions at once. He had dropped and rolled to his left only to spring up and fire off two more spells when it happened—Cho had come into the room and seeing Harry fighting had cried out his name—he looked in her direction and a blast of red sparks cut across his right shoulder, slicing it open. Harry dropped his wand and the dummy went silent.
"Harry!" Ginny ran forward and gingerly touched his shoulder. "You're bleeding; you have to go to the hospital wing."
Harry looked up at her. "Yeah, I guess I am. I got distracted for a minute. That was brilliant though, did you see it?"
Ron rushed up beside him. "That was amazing Harry. What is that thing, anyway?"
"It's a dueling practice dummy. They should come in really handy for learning I should think."
Hermione grabbed Harry and hugged him. "Oh, I was so scared. It was all going so fast!"
Cho was crying again. "Harry, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to distract you, it just startled me so when I saw you. Are you ok?"
Professor Cochrann leaned over to look at Harry's shoulder. "I am afraid you are going to miss your first meeting Harry. This needs to be tended to." She examined the freely bleeding wound. "It's pretty deep."
A flash of golden light burst in front of Harry and Fiona hovered before him and begun to sing. Harry offered her his arm and she gently landed and softly cried pearly tears onto his shoulder. Within minutes the injury was completely healed. Harry stroked the golden bird on the neck and thanked her. "It's ok Professor. I am quite alright. Fiona takes wonderful care of me." Harry smiled at her.
Professor Cochrann looked warily at Harry. "Well, if you are sure, then. I guess you should get started. I will just stay and watch for awhile to be sure you don't need me."
Harry finally took a good look around the room. There were at least twice as many students here as last year. He even noticed a few Slytherins. He wondered how many of the new people were actually interested in helping the war effort and how many were just here to find out if all they had heard about him was true. He stood at the front of the room to address everyone. "Welcome everybody. I am glad to see some new faces as well as all of our returning members. Sorry I wasn't able to greet you as you came in. I guess I got carried away with one of our new dueling targets."
Seamus popped up in the back and shouted, "It's ok Harry, that was wicked! Do we all get a go at it?" Several others voiced interest as well.
"Well," said Harry, "I imagine so. First things first, though. To all of our returning members, welcome back. You will remember the confidentiality agreement we had last year, Hermione has drawn up a new one and she assures me it is even more hideous than last year." Several people laughed at the memory of what happened to Marietta Edgecombe the previous year when she broke the contract by revealing DA secrets to Umbridge. "For all the new members, while this club is no longer forced to operate in secret, it is still vital that we keep our members protected. These are harsh times, people that stay here have to be able to trust each other and our lives may depend on it one day. What goes on in here stays in here. Therefore, all members are required to sign our confidentiality contract. It is a charmed document. If anyone speaks of what happens in here to anyone other than each other or the Headmaster himself, you can believe that dire consequences will befall you. Hermione is quite clever, don't underestimate her. Now, anyone that is not willing to sign this should probably leave now." A group of about ten Slytherins sneered, got up and left. "Alright now, anyone else leaving? Hermione will begin passing around the contract to sign while Ron goes over some group objectives."
Harry walked over to the side of the room where Professor Cochrann was standing. As he stood and talked to her Fiona had flown over to land on Harry's arm once again. "Do you have any suggestions for us Professor?"
Professor regarded Harry closely. "No, I don't think so for now. I just wanted to observe what you were doing last year first. Maybe then I can offer something different." She looked down at Fiona. "Your bird is very protective. You don't see many wizards that own a phoenix. A golden one at that…they are very rare…I can only think of one other wizard that had one; and that is legend, of course."
Harry stroked Fiona's feathers. "I don't own her. She chooses to stay with me and I am grateful for her companionship."
"I see," said Professor Cochrann. "she is beautiful, nonetheless."
Hermione walked up to Professor Cochrann. "Professor, if you can sign this please. As you can see, it is a standard confidentiality agreement."
Devyn looked up at Harry. "I have to sign this also?"
Harry cleared his throat. "Well yes ma'am, everyone needs to sign it, even me, no exceptions."
"I see. Very good, trust no one Potter." She smiled quickly as she signed her name with a flourish.
Harry moved back to the front of the room. "Now that we have all taken care of that business, let's start by dividing up into three groups. It would be a big help if some of our older members could spread themselves out between all groups to assist the new ones." As people began to divide up, Harry walked over to the only remaining three Slytherins in the bunch. Blaise Zabini stood with two other boys that Harry recognized but didn't know their names. "Hello Blaise." Harry extended his hand towards him. Blaise reluctantly shook it. "It's good to see you here."
"Do you mean that Harry? Or are you just saying that?" Blaise asked.
"No Blaise," Harry answered, "I really do mean that. I think it's important for all of us to stand together now. No matter what house you are in. We all have a common enemy, do we not?"
Blaise stared at Harry for a moment. "You know, not everyone in Slytherin supports The Dark Lord. We are taking a chance just by being here. We hope to lead some others in our house by example. There are more of us than of them, they are just afraid to come forward in support of you."
"I can't say I blame them for that. Hopefully we can all lead by example." Harry smiled at them.
After the others witnessed Harry's open acceptance of Blaise and his friends they were more easily welcomed into their groups. Harry instructed each group to start out with basic spells and working with them on shielding. Ron and Hermione circulated around the room helping where needed. By the end of the meeting everyone had been able to produce a good, strong shield.
Harry moved back up to the front of the room. "Good job everyone! You were all able to produce a strong shield today. Curses and jinxes are important, as is strategy, but a good defense shield will save your hide someday. We will announce next meeting, but I am anticipating about every two weeks or so. We have a lot of quidditch schedules to take into account also!" Several people laughed at that statement. "OK, see you all in at the next meeting, any questions or suggestions please let me know."
As people started filing out of the room Professor Cochrann walked up behind Harry. "Nice job Harry. Most of these people look like they would follow you anywhere and do anything you asked of them."
Harry looked over at her. "Only because they know I would do the same for them, and that I intend to. That's a promise and they know that."
Professor Cochrann nodded slowly and looked into his eyes. "I believe that is absolutely true Harry. I'll take my leave of you now, goodnight."
In a dark, musty room lit only by sporadic torchlight, Voldemort sat waiting. Wormtail approached quickly, ushering in a slim, black cloaked figure.
Voldemort rose and spoke. "What do you have to tell me? And for your sake, it had better be good."
"My lord, it is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. I know I can never turn him, we can only destroy him."
Voldemort raged, "I have asked a simple thing from you; and yet, you continue to fail me!"
"F-forgive me, my Lord. It cannot be helped. He is much more powerful than we thought; even more so than he realizes. He is constantly surrounded by people. He has many friends that are willing to die for him if necessary, just as he willing to do so for them. It will not be easy."
"EXCUSES! I am tired of excuses! You will deliver Potter to me, or you will wish that I would kill you instead!" Voldemort pointed his wand and cried, "CRUCIO!" All that could be heard was tortured screaming in the night as the black-cloaked figure hit the ground writhing in agony.
