To Go Or Not To Go
The curtain hung limply in its place blocking Harry's view. He ignored everyone's shouting; this time, he would pull the curtain back. He would see his godfather. Dumbledore stood in his way now. He waved his hand to the right and the old wizard flew out of his way; nothing was going to stop him. Remus grabbed his hand trying to hold him back. He sent a powerful magical pulse down his arm and he heard Remus slam into the stairs. His mind was made up; he was going to settle this tonight!
"Show the way, Show the light, For those who seek..." Harry's voice carried an air of command in it as it echoed through the hall. Those were the words written in Latin on the engraved stone where Sirius was standing before he fell into the curtain. The curtains began to billow as if a mighty wind was whirling through the chamber. Harry could hear people gasp and he knew that all the fighting had stopped; everyone wanted to see what was going to happen.
"Who awakens the ancients?"
Harry carried on walking toward the center. "Harry James Potter."
"Harry James Potter has no authority to call upon those who guard the doorway." The voice was deep, cold, and evil.
"Perhaps this will change your mind." Harry raised his hand up and his palm began to glow and the air in front of him shimmered in the heat. He did this with aplomb. A burst of light blinded everyone in the chamber and once they could see again, three signs were burning on the curtain. The top one was a pentagram burning angry red; the next was a soothing blue flame in the shape of the triquetra; and finally burning pure, blinding white was a heptagram. Harry lowered his hand and the symbols dwindled and died leaving the curtain unharmed.
"You have proven wise in knowledge, but you are still unworthy." The voice commented, but it seemed to have lost some of its certainty.
"Who is?" Harry shouted. Nothing was going to stop him.
"The Lord!" The voice boomed causing the entire chamber to rattle. "Only he can command us to open the doorway. To reveal the way and those who are on it."
Harry formed a fireball in his right hand and threw it with all his might at the curtain but the attack diminished as it got close to the curtain. "Wyatt Mathews Halliwell, has no business here," Harry snarled, "I do!"
"That is not our concern. Only when you are ready will the Lord open the door."
"It has been a year! How much longer do I have to wait?" Harry broke down. "I need to speak to him."
"There are other ways, Harry." Wyatt's voice whispered into Harry's ear. "That door must not be opened. It holds back a creature too great for even us to control."
Harry woke up in a sweat. This was the third night in a row that he had dreamt about that chamber; the one where Sirius had died. Ever since his birthday, he had been having that dream. It even took precedence over his visions from his scar as he learned last night. He was Voldemort torturing a demon for failing to kill someone when suddenly he found himself running toward that curtain.
Harry took a deep breath and sat up. If last night were like the last two nights, then it about seven seconds half the house's occupants would be in his room. Hermione, worrying about the meaning of the dream; Ron, saying that it must have something to do with Voldemort. Wyatt and Chris pondering over something and talking in whispers to each other. Osric, just standing in the doorway watching the rest of them freak out. Once everyone leaves, Osric shares one look with Harry before disappearing as well.
Osric was the first to arrive and this time he closed the door behind him and muttered a spell in a horrid language. The door glowed red and Harry heard the same suction sound he heard when Hermione used the spell to seal the doors in the Department of Mysteries.
"What is going on?" Osric's voice was low. It had a similar effect as that of the user of the Imperious Curse.
It echoed in Harry's head and it took everything Harry had not to just obey compliantly and spill his guts to an almost complete stranger. "I had a nightmare. It's not that unusual for me."
Osric did not look convinced. "These dreams have nothing to do with your scar; I heard you tell Ron that last night." Osric placed his hand on Harry's wand and the wand shot across the room. Osric sighed. "I guess you don't trust me enough yet. I will tell you this: I can keep a secret. After all, who is going to listen to me?" Osric opened the door and disappeared.
Not even a second later Wyatt orbed into the room. "Must I brew a Dreamless Sleep potion?" Wyatt's eyes were still closed.
Harry chuckled. "Alright, but only in the morning. I don't want to be poisoned."
Wyatt nodded and started to orb out.
"Wait," Harry hissed and waved his arm. Wyatt fell back to the floor softly. "Tell the others not to come here. I would like to get some sleep."
"Sleep…. Good," muttered Wyatt and he orbed out.
Harry shook his head and lay back down. Definitely not a morning person
Harry and Wyatt opened the door to the basement. It screeched open to reveal a fully equipped chemistry lab. The place was pristine and clean, reminding Harry too strongly of a hospital. It was the complete opposite of what Harry was used to when it came to a Potions lab.
"Does anyone know about this place?" Harry questioned. He stared at the walls that were packed to the brim with cupboards and shelves with various ingredients.
Wyatt shook his head. "Dumbledore magically constructed and warded it so that only you and I could use it."
Harry noddedgrinning. "Bet that made Snape furious."
Wyatt opened a laptop and pulled up a database program. The computer whined into action as it looked for the most potent Dreamless Sleep potion.
"You realize that Dreamless Sleep is unhealthy?" Wyatt commented. He got up and started calling basic ingredients to him using his gold wand.
Harry nodded. He was on another computer looking through all the information on it. "No sleep is a lot more unhealthy."
Wyatt's computer beeped.
"Where did Dumbledore get all this information?"
"A lot of it he had memorized and he simply wrote it all up. I added my knowledge along with my Book of Shadows. Your Book of Shadows was added by Kyle, although he does not know why he had to type up that entire book. Hermione and Madam Prince added the Hogwarts library and Paige got some of her TA's to copy all of Magic School's wisdom." Wyatt informed as he gathered the rest of the required ingredients.
"Why go through all this trouble to only have two people use it?" Harry took over stirring the potion as Wyatt cut up some ugly-looking slimy water plant.
"Oh, the computers are networked so that any leader of the Resistance can access the information from any computer. I got them to include you, Hermione, and me into that group as well. Snape was very displeased…Argued with Dumbledore for hours. Pass me the scapula. Dumbledore told Snape to drop it and then disappeared."
The Granger's Estate once again was full of wizards and witches from all over the United States and beyond. The United States Ministry had sent its own delegates to this meeting, something that put some of the Order members on edge. The Order was always meant to be an organization outside the dictates of any government. While they welcomed Aurors in, Dumbledore and McGonagall had been careful only to allow those who would not allow politics to sway them. Now the Resistance had swelled in the absence of any leadership with members whose true agendas were, for the most part, unknown.
The actual meeting was held in the main library in the back of the house, far away from any of the guest rooms. Only those who had something to report and then the leaders in the Resistance were allowed to attend. After a short briefing the majority of the witches and wizards went back to their various duties. The Minister of Magic and the head of the Magical CIA took part in the meeting, much to Snape's dislike and Lupin's discomfort.
Harry, Wyatt, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Ginny were the only teens at the Estate and the only ones not allowed to partake in the meeting, much to their frustration. The Power of Five were spending the day taking tests to allow them not to have to take the previous grade they missed due to attending Hogwarts the previous year. Caleb was taking finals in three of his classes early so he could have the remainder of the summer to recuperate from his operation; he did not like the idea, but he was comforted that at least he got them to take his tests early. Osric was applying to have his status as a demon amended to him being a Wiccan witch at the Ministry SoCal headquarters in Hollywood.
"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Wyatt asked Osric at breakfast.
Osric frowned at his babyhood friend. "I prefer to do this alone. It may get messy."
Chris forced Osric to allow him to accompany him to Hollywood. Osric agreed on the condition that Chris did not enter the Ministry. Although Chris felt like that defeated the point of him going, he agreed anyhow.
"What is it with your mother, Ron?" Wyatt asked once he was sure Mrs. Weasley was well on her way back to the meeting.
"She's just trying to protect us!" Ron proclaimed. He was already in a foul mood because Fred and George had used him as a test dummy for their latest invention.
Wyatt huffed in frustration and idly flipped through Harry's fifth year potions textbook. "I've probably seen things ten times worse than they are going to discuss when I was two years old. I don't need to be protected."
"Well, there's no use arguing over that now." Hermione stepped in before things exploded between Ron and Wyatt. Ron had been waiting for a chance to punch the blonde boy since he broke his sister's heart.
Harry sat on the bed watching Wyatt and Ron seethe at being treated like infants by the clever witch, but neither was brave enough to challenge her. Draco and Ginny had wandered off to the kitchen for something to drink; not waiting to witness what they thought was an imminent argument. When both boys turned to Harry for some help in breaking the silence Harry was reluctant to jump into the fray.
"Why don't we try and listen in again?" Harry said softly.
Hermione shook her head but did not voice her opinion. Ron and Wyatt agreed that it was the best way of spending their time. Harry felt they did not really care what was going on in the meeting; they just did not want to be cooped up in the same room with the other.
"Then let's go." Harry got up and wrapped himself in his father's invisibility cloak. The others followed, pretending to head off to the kitchen.
Once they caught up with Ginny and Draco in the kitchen they continued to the meeting room. An Auror guarded the main door; he could have been Moody's double, with the exception of the magical eye. Harry snuck behind the Auror and silently stunned him. With the Auror down, the others came up the corridor and pooled their magic together so Wyatt could use Chris's most unique power, molecular destruction.
The power converted the door's matter into illusive energy, as effective and misleading as a two-way mirror. The power was difficult to control and deadly if messed up. After all, it was creating a nuclear reaction similar to that of an atomic bomb, except siphoning off the energy into an illusion rather than destruction.
"…I do not believe that it would be wise to reopen the school even to the select few who are here in America." The voice of the CIA member shot clearly through the illusion. "They can be trained at other schools or independently, but our main focus should be the end of this New Order of the Dark Lord's."
McGonagall was quick to dispute the claim. "The continuing of Harry Potter and his friends' schooling is our only hope of defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Potter is the only one who can trounce You-Know-Who and for him to do that he needs to complete his schooling."
Lupin was the next to speak in a quiet, hesitant voice. " I agree that Harry must be trained still, but announcing the reopening of Hogwarts is asking for trouble. Lord Voldemort believes us beat and that is our only advantage at the moment. Lord Voldemort will not remain quiet if we open the school. He will see it as an act against his dominance. Am I not right, Snape?"
The Head of Slytherin's silky, dangerous voice drifted to the prying ears of the teens. "The Dark Lord will view any major move we make to prepare his enemy as a danger to himself. He will not hesitate to take on the United States if that occurred. Keeping Harry Potter's training a secret is a must if we wish for time."
"Remus and Severus have an interesting point," Dumbledore commented, killing the whispering that had sprung up. "The school's reopening must remain a secret to the general public. I however do not agree with only training Harry and his friends. The rest of the students who escaped Europe must be given a chance at life after the war as well."
The Minister of Magic stepped in before anyone else could. "You are right, Albus. I will tell all schools in the US and our allies to allow any European exile to join their school immediately. You must concentrate on Harry and his friends' training."
"Now the question that remains is where to house the school. Hogwarts Castle is out of the question. But I do think that someplace closer to the Suxen is better." The Lord Dwarf's gruff voice spoke with prior knowledge. "They must learn about the Suxen and how to adapt to its growing powers."
The High Lord of the Elves spoke next. "The Potter's ancestral home would be a perfect place if Harry can activate the offline wards."
Harry broke his connection to the group. Wyatt's aura became visible because of the strain of undoing the spell on the door without alerting the adults. Harry ignored the aura and threw his cloak back on and led the way back to the kitchen.
"Care to explain yourself, Harry?" Wyatt questioned once they were certain that they were alone.
"No." Harry said simply. His voice and body language showed no hint of the anger and frustration that had been there seconds before.
Wyatt raised his eyebrows. "So the fact that you could have killed the entire group and Resistance leaders along with us does not bother you?"
Harry looked up. "Not in the least. You handled the backlash of my removal easily enough."
Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Ginny remained quiet watching the two leaders' vie verbally. Everyone knew what had set Harry off but no one was willing to admit it because it bothered them as well. They did not want to be treated any different than any of their peers.
"And if I did not we wouldn't be standing here!" Wyatt shot back getting annoyed with Harry's attitude.
Harry got up from the table and walked outside. "If you're so annoyed with me, then let's duel. Otherwise Wyatt, shut it."
Wyatt's eyebrows disappeared into his fringe. "Fine, let's duel!"
"Harry! Wait!" Hermione shouted out before Ron could stop her.
Harry turned around. "For what, Hermione?"
"This isn't the solution."
Wyatt stood behind Harry. "No, it's the perfect solution. Come on Harry, I'm not waiting."
The four nervous teens followed the two angry young men from the kitchen into the backyard. Harry set up wards so Muggles wouldn't notice the magic and the magic could not escape and damage others. Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Ginny ran straight into the ward, which knocked them flat onto their bottoms.
"No wands." Wyatt called out.
"Agreed." Harry replaced his wand in his pocket.
Wyatt nodded his approval. "Ron, you start the duel."
Ron paled but nonetheless raised his wand and fired red sparks from it indicating that the duelists should bow, orange ones, and finally green.
Wyatt's competence in Wiccan magic showed immediately as he sent Harry flying to the edge of the ward without moving a muscle. Harry landed on his feet and threw a fireball at the Twice-Blessed. Wyatt ducked the fireball and returned it with a movement of his right eyebrow. Harry's fireball hit him squarely in the chest and pushed him into the ward. The ward shocked the Gryffindor to the ground face first.
"Giving up so quickly?" Wyatt taunted.
"Bad idea, Wyatt." Muttered Draco. "Harry fights the best when he's mad."
Harry was up on his feet with help of a telekinetic blast. He then sent a similar attack at Wyatt. Wyatt, not ready for such a powerful attack, flew back into the ward and burst into thousands of orbs.
Wyatt reformed behind Harry and punched. Harry caught the fist in a surge of magical power and sent it up Wyatt's arm numbing it. Wyatt orbed out. Harry closed his eyes and allowed the sound and depth and power of the earth around him full him. He concentrated the power on his fingertips. He opened his eyes and Wyatt was caught in vines issuing from Harry's fingers.
"Game over." Harry said loud enough for everyone to hear.
Wyatt got up, released from his green prison, and reluctantly helped Harry bring down the wards. "We must give them a chance first, Harry."
"I intend to. But we must plan for the worst case scenario."
"Well done, young Potter."
Harry turned around to see Dumbledore and the High Lord of the Elves strolling across the lawn to join the group of teens.
"It has been awhile since a mortal has had that much control over any elemental, never mind two." The High Lord complimented Harry. "Wyatt Halliwell, you too exhibit great command over your powers. Neither of you take your gifts for granted and that is not common among humans especially young ones."
Harry and Wyatt bowed their heads respectfully to the High Lord but neither made any effort to speak.
Dumbledore took the moment of silence for his advantage. "A word with you, Harry, if you please."
"Of course, Professor." Harry responded automatically.
Dumbledore, the Uurande-tur, and Harry walked back to the house: Leaving behind a very confused group of teens. They entered a room near the one the Resistance used for their meeting.
"Harry, do you agree with what you heard in the meeting?" Dumbledore jumped right onto the subject.
Harry's mouth dropped open. "How did you…?"
Dumbledore cut him off. "Never mind. Harry, answer my question." Dumbledore's voice was stern but not sharp.
"I do not." Harry said honestly.
Dumbledore sighed. "Then I am sorry to inform you that after you left the Head of Houses agreed with Uurande-tur's suggestion and Hogwarts will be partially reopened. You and your friends will continue school and complete the classes you usually would have along with some extra classes to prepare you for the final confrontation."
"Sir—"
"Harry, it has been voted on and the arrangements have been made."
"Except, Dumbledore." Uurande reminded Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded and looked Harry in the eyes. He took a deep breath: "You need to reactivate the wards that used to be up before you discovered the house. They should be enough to keep Voldemort away and unaware of our doings."
Uurande continued. "The elves will reinforce the existing wards. We will do our best to make the Hall as protected as our kingdoms are, but you have to be willing."
Harry looked hard at the two ancient fighters of the eternal war. "I'll agree if you promise that the rest of the Hogwarts students that escaped are placed in the same school. They've suffered enough without being split up even more."
Dumbledore smiled. "That will be arranged."
Uurande and Dumbledore shared a look and the elf left the room to relay the decision.
"Now Harry, there is a more important reason why I called you away from your activities." Dumbledore pulled out his wand and a blue stream of light hit the door. "You cannot tell anyone about the following information. At least not yet."
Harry frowned but sat up straighter. "No one, Professor?"
"No one," Dumbledore repeated. "Not even Wyatt or Hermione or Ron. At least not yet."
"Why not, sir?"
"They will want to find the information for themselves and they must not. The fewer who know about this the better."
Harry nodded. "Alright, Professor."
"Do you know anything about Lord Voldemort's past?"
"Well, I know that he used to be called Tom Riddle, and his father was a Muggle, and…"
"Yes, besides the tidbits you learned from the diary or Voldemort's rantings at his resurrection?"
"No, sir."
"Have you figured out why he survived the Killing Curse meant to kill you that fateful night?"
Harry gulped. "No, sir." He blinked his eyes quickly.
"Well, I wish to tell you all that and more over the course of the year." Dumbledore said his eyes sparkling.
"Why not now?" Harry asked hungrily.
Dumbledore smiled but spoke seriously. "The information is too important and valuable to be told quickly and I still need to gather the last bits that I am missing."
"Why must I learn about Voldemort's past?"
"To defeat an enemy, you must know everything about him or her." Dumbledore looked down at his watch, which Harry still could not make out how the old headmaster told time on the thing. "Now Harry, not a word to anyone. Professors Snape and McGonagall do not know that I am doing this. Only you, Uurande-tur, his royal guards, and I know that I am searching into Voldemort's history and I want it to remain that way until we know the what we are looking for."
Dumbledore pulled out the pendent Draco had seen him use before and disappeared in a whirlwind. Harry sat in the room for ten minutes processing everything that had happened in the matter of twenty or so minutes.
"Harry, are you done?"
Harry blinked to Wyatt's position. "Yes, Wyatt."
"So, what's up?" Wyatt asked.
Harry cringed at the Americanism. "Don't ever say that again."
Wyatt frowned. "Don't change the subject."
"Dumbledore wanted to inform me that they decided to continue our schooling at Phoenix Hall. They needed my permission to enforce some of the existing wards and told me in a roundabout way that I need to read up on ward magic." Harry answered walking toward the door.
"And so…he and the High Lord had to tell you that?" Ron questioned. "I mean you are important, but jeepers!"
"Only a few members wanted us to know." Harry lied through his teeth. He hated not telling them but he knew that it was for their protection. "Now, should we go visit Brendin and the crew, or are we just going to mope around here?"
Ginny voiced her opinion. "Yeah, let's go see Kyle."
Wyatt looked quizzically at Ginny, almost angrily, but averted his gaze when he saw Harry watching him. "I don't see the point in staying cooped up here any longer than we have to."
"Are we taking the car or are we getting there magically?" Draco inquired making his presence known for the first time.
Harry picked up his keys from the table and headed for the door. "I'll fetch Kyle and Daelan with Ginny."
Wyatt nodded. "I'll get Casey and Ethan before meeting at Brendin's house. Draco, you want to join me?"
The lone Slytherin nodded. "What about Ron and Hermione?"
Ron and Hermione headed for the door as well with Harry. Hermione held her own set of keys. "Tell us where to meet you and we will be there."
Harry caught a glimpse of the keys Hermione was holding and smiled. "I guess you aren't going to have time to pick up passengers."
Ron and Hermione blushed. Ron stood up for himself. "We don't get to spend much time alone." His voice fading off as he realized what he was walking into.
Ginny giggled. "Ickle-Ronnie is growing up."
"Shut it, Ginny." Ron snapped.
Harry ushered the redhead out before the two siblings really got under each other's skins. "What about Osric and Chris?"
Wyatt sent back. "I'll contact them the same time I contact Ron and Hermione."
"Sounds like a plan."
Harry unlocked the Honda and opened the door for Ginny before going around the driver's side and getting in himself. He turned the ignition and backed out of the driveway.
"What's going on between you and my cousin?" Harry asked when they turned onto Kanan.
Ginny turned the radio down. "Nothing." Her ears were red, showing that she was hiding something.
"So, you are not going out, do you want to?" Harry pressed on.
Ginny answered again this time more firmly. "Definitely not."
"Is he not good enough for you?" Harry teased.
Ginny blushed and shook her head. "That's not it. I've just got my eyes on another."
"Is he blonde?"
"Yes." She got redder.
"Powerful?"
"Yes." Ginny looked out the window to hide her face.
"Wyatt."
Ginny nodded and her eyes filled with tears. "Yes." She whispered.
Harry conjured a tissue with his right hand and gave it to Ginny. "You just need to talk to him, Ginny."
Ginny sniffed. "What if he doesn't want me back? I was rather testy with him."
"He's very much still in love with you, Ginny." Harry patted her on the knee. "He is just too stubborn and too prideful to make the first move."
Ginny pulled herself back together. "But what…"
"But nothing, Ginny. You love him, so you better make your move before someone else does."
Ginny shut her mouth at this revelation. She turned to look out the window again and remained quiet until Daelan and Kyle climbed into the car.
"Do your parents know you're going out?" Harry asked. The last thing he wanted was to have his uncle mad at him.
"Yes," they both replied in mock four-year-old voices.
"Hi, guys." Ginny said quietly.
"Hey, Ginny."
Kyle smiled mischievously. "Did you hear what happened to Brendin?"
Harry shook his head. Ginny was again in her own world.
"He was out past his curfew with Leia."
Harry nodded. "So he got in trouble."
"He got grounded. He got so angry because they should've known he wouldn't have done anything. He blew up the table in front of his grandfather."
Harry chuckled. "That must have been quite a shock for the old man."
"Yeah, it was but it was a bigger shock for his parents." Kyle said excitedly. "His grandfather has powers too."
Harry almost crashed into the car in front of him. With the owner of the car honking at Harry, "He's a witch!"
"Yes. I thought that they were the first in their families to have powers since the last batch of the Power of Five."
Harry nodded. "That is what Wyatt told me. So what happened?"
"His grandfather explained that he stopped using magic when he married Jack's mother. Brendin asked him if he wanted to help, but he declined claiming that he was too old to get involved." Kyle continued.
Harry nodded. "Anything else?"
"Oh, his parents ungrounded him because he threatened to blow up the house."
"Not a smart idea."
Kyle smirked. "Well, it worked. Oh, and Brendin got his Book of Shadows. It's the one of the Power of Five."
Harry frowned. "I did not think they had one."
Kyle nodded. "Well it's not an actual Book of Shadows. It's just a notebook with spells and information on demons the Five encountered back during the war."
Harry's phone went off. Harry picked it up. "Hello?"
"Harry, it's Brendin. Wyatt wants me to tell you that we're going to the movies at the Promenade. Hermione and Ron are joining us there."
"What about Osric and Chris?"
"They've been held up at the Ministry. They'll meet us for lunch afterwards."
"Alright I'll been there in ten minutes."
A fireball flew out of nowhere and hit the car. Harry slammed onto the breaks but it was too little too late. The car slammed into a tree and exploded. The four teens reappeared outside the car seconds later.
"Or not." Harry hissed. He pulled out his wand and was about to reserve the damage when Ginny grabbed his wand and pocketed it.
"Too many witnesses." Ginny whispered.
Harry shook his head. "What about us just appearing out of nowhere?"
"We are beaten up enough to claim we jumped out of the car." Ginny said evenly.
A crowd started to gather around the crash and Harry pretended to call 911 but in fact contacted Wyatt to warn him to be on the alert.
"We need to get out of here before a news crew arrives." Kyle murmured to the Daelan. "Our parents are already uptight."
"Oh, I don't think you are going anywhere." A man in a tattered brown cloak and long oily black hair stepped through the crowd.
Harry came and stood behind his cousin. "Why won't we be going anywhere?"
The man's face contorted in pain. "That would defeat the purpose of my blowing up your car."
Harry raised his hand but the man shook his head. In mock sorrow he said, "You won't be doing that today or I'll kill them." He pointed at the crowd of innocent, curious people. "There is a reason curiosity killed the cat."
Ginny closed her eyes. Harry and Wyatt had been begged her to practice her orbing power, but she never did find the time to follow through. And now they might all die because of it.
"Concentrate and relax." Wyatt's voice echoed in her heard. "I'll be there in a second." The pressure on her brain weakened.
She caught Harry's eye and waved her hand. The group of bystanders went up in a mass of blue orbs. The demon screamed in rage and threw a fireball at Ginny, which was redirected to the floor by a twitch of Harry's finger.
"Looks like you lost your bargaining chip." Harry smiled. He raised his hand and formed a fireball of his own. "You lose." He threw the fireball and it hit the demon square in the chest.
The demon burst into flame and screamed in agony but the flames died down and the demon remained standing. Harry pulled out one of his vanquishing potions from his other pocket and threw it. Again the demon began to burn but was not vanquished.
The demon took the momentary confusion to retaliate and attacked Harry head on. Harry fell back, but sent the demon flying with a well-placed kick. The demon burst into flames for a third time: This time, because of Wyatt's power of molecular combustion. Just like Harry's attacks, the demon was not vanquished, although it did not get up off the ground immediately.
The demon rose and smiled. "Looks like you can't do it either, Wyatt."
Brendin appeared beside Wyatt and without waiting, blew the demon up. The demon exploded. "Why didn't you do that?"
Wyatt and Harry remained quiet and the others were too far away to hear the conversation. Ginny gave Harry back his wand and with a flick of the wooden object, Harry's car appeared brand new and the tree was uninjured. Wyatt took Brendin by the shoulder and orbed out.
Harry looked at the three teens expectantly and they scrambled back into the car. Ginny's feeble orbing attempt failed and the crowd reappeared seconds after the demon was vanquished. Harry waved his wand again and with a muttered "Obliviate" walked away and climbed back into the car.
The rest of the trip to the Promenade was made in silence. Not that Harry would have known if anyone had been talking. He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts. The fact that he could not vanquish the demon was bothering him; the demon was only a lower-level one. The vanquishing should have worked even if his powers were acting up. But then Brendin was able to blow the thing up without a thought. Maybe Wyatt and he needed to look deeper into each other's magics to find the problem.
Wyatt bought the tickets for everyone and Harry bought the snacks. Once everyone was settled, Wyatt and Harry left the movie theater and went down a few shops down and bought ice cream.
"That was weird."
"Yeah."
They found an empty bench outside the bookstore and sat down.
"What's wrong with us?" Harry voiced his concern.
Wyatt shrugged. "We're just still off."
"But this is the second time Brendin has had to bail us out of a fight we should've been able to win."
Wyatt's bright blue eyes shut and when he opened them, they showed just how truly worried he was. "It's nothing to concern ourselves with. Brendin's not precisely a weakling."
Harry's emerald orbs burned with controlled anger. "Don't lie to me, Wyatt. You're just as worried as I am."
"So what if I am?" Wyatt rebutted. "Doesn't change the fact that we shouldn't be worried."
Harry waved two staring, flirting teen girls away with some annoyance. "Perhaps. All the same, we'd better start training again. Brendin'll have his own fight when the end of the war comes."
"Agreed."
"Where did you two go off to?" Kyle asked as Harry and Wyatt shuffled their way back to their seats in the movie.
"We needed to talk in private." Harry whispered. "Nothing to worry about."
Kyle leaned in closer. "You're worried about what happened."
"Yes," Harry admitted even lower, "but we've things figured out, kinda."
"Quiet down there! Some of us are trying to watch the movie." A voice with a familiar accent caught Harry's attention.
"What you're actually watching the movie!" Harry's mental voice cracked.
Hermione's bossy, self-indignant voice echoed in Harry's head. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Harry shook in his seat with laughter but did not reply. He turned his head back to the movie and enjoyed the remaining fifteen minutes of the remake of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
"Well, that was an absurdly ridiculous movie." Harry commented to Kyle. He was designated to drive the six teens home.
"Well, it was funny." Kyle defended half-heartedly.
Kyle woke up the next day to see that Harry had not gone home the night before. Harry lay on the mattress he had conjured sometime around two in the morning the night before. The two cousins and surviving Potters had talked about each other's lives and truly got to know each other. Harry heard the entire story in vivid detail of Kyle's torture and rape. Kyle got to hear the fascinating adventures Harry landed himself in through his ears at Hogwarts.
"Harry." Kyle whispered in the raven-haired boy's ear. Nothing happened. "HARRY!" he hissed louder. Harry mumbled something incoherent, turned over and carried on sleeping. Kyle touched his sleeping cousin's head and shouted in his head, "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Harry awoke with a jump.
"What the hell was that all about?" Harry exclaimed.
"SHHH!" Kyle placed his finger on his lips. "My dad is still asleep."
Harry sat up and searched around for his pants. "Then why are you waking me up?" His voice a lot calmer.
Kyle handed Harry his jeans and went to his cupboard to find his own outfit. "Because we are supposed to go watch Daelan's basketball game at Pepperdine."
Harry nodded absently. He pulled his shirt on and stood up. "Do I still have time to go and shower?"
Kyle looked down at his watch. "If you hurry. We have to leave in twenty minutes." Kyle headed for his own bathroom as Harry apparated out.
Kyle looked at himself in the mirror. He was more defined than he had ever been before going to Hogwarts. His gray eyes were turning back to the color they were when he was born, brilliant blue. He had guessed that his mother had given him a potion in order to hide his identity. He was not as tall as his old cousin, but he had a lot more muscle than the older Potter. His pitch-black messy hair was now fairly long although not long enough to touch his shoulders or cover his eyes. He was at last showing the signs of having to shave everyday, though he was not all excited about that point. He cringed as phantom pains ran across the scar tissue that covered a one-inch strip from his right shoulder down to just below his boxer line on the left side.
"I cannot believe I missed that last shot," ranted Daelan for the hundredth time.
Kyle, Harry, and Brendin had come to see Daelan play in the finals of his basketball tournament. Daelan's team outplayed the opposing team the entire game until the last quarter. In a remarkable turnaround, the other team scored forty points in the last quarter to tie the game. The game went into overtime. After a difficult time Daelan's team won the game by one point.
Harry shook his head but smiled nonetheless. The other two were not so easily amused and showed a lot of self-restraint not throttling their blonde haired friend.
"Enough, Daelan. You won." Kyle said as evenly as possible.
Daelan waved his hand and pushed on. "It was an easy shot…and I missed it."
Brendin quietly muttered a Silencing Spell under his breath. The multi-millionaire failed to complete his sentence. After attempting to speak a few more times, Daelan glared at Brendin who shrugged.
"We asked you to stop, sweetheart. Next time, maybe you'll listen." Brendin said in a voice one would use when speaking to a disobedient three-year-old.
Harry waved his hand and the spell dissipated. "You shouldn't be so carefree with your magic." He admonished Brendin. "The last thing we need is to be exposed."
Kyle grinned. "That is a turnaround, Harry."
"Shut it!" Harry commanded playfully.
The Will household started the day off with a bang and things got progressively worse. During breakfast, a rather clumsy barn owl crashed quite spectacularly into the front window of the house. Brendin brought the dazed bird inside and got nipped when he tried to remove the parcel. Jack got the letter off the bird just in time for the police's arrival. It seemed that numerous of their neighbors thought that someone inside the house had been shot.
"It was just this creature crashing into out window." Jack tried to explain calmly.
The policeman's eyes widened when he saw the owl perched quietly in Brendin's bowl of cereal. The bird seemed to believe that it needed to have a milk bath to wake itself up.
"Sir, you realize that keeping an exotic bird without a permit is illegal." The policeman regained his ability to speak.
Brendin jumped in. "It isn't ours."
"Then what is the bird doing in your house?"
"We told you," Jack said heatedly, "It crashed into our door."
Policeman nodded, not convinced in the least. "I'll just take it to the shelter then."
Brendin tried to stop the man. He had recognized the seal on the envelope. But his father grabbed his arm rather firmly.
"Oooooooouuuuuuuuccccchhhh!" The policeman pulled back his hand. Where the skin had made contact with the bird's feathers, there were big ugly boils.
"I tried to stop you!" Brendin shouted above the owl's hooting. "And shut up you stupid bird!"
The owl stopped hooting with a final halfhearted hoot. Brendin walked to the door and looked back at the bird. The owl ruffled its feathers and took off but not before knocking the entire milk jug over, spilling milk all over the show. The policeman stared widely at the family before promptly getting up and exiting the house.
"I do not want to see another owl in this house again!" Jack said angrily.
Brendin equally annoyed replied with a testy, "Fine."
"Don't talk to your father like that, young man." His mother warned.
Brendin brushed past the stern look his parents gave him. "Could you hurry up and open the letter?"
Brendin and Caleb were both excited. A letter from the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could only mean two things. They either decided to reopen Hogwarts or closed the school for good. Both brothers believed the former was true as the teens that had been at Headquarters were extremely excited as well. None of them would say anything but whenever the subject had been brought up they all flashed a smile at each other.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Will parents of Ashley, Caleb, and Brendin Will;
As you are well aware, Hogwarts School was temporarily closed due to the uprising of a dark wizard in the United Kingdom the end of last term. We are sorry to say that we are no longer in control of Hogwarts School as we escaped the country. Albus Dumbledore, the former Headmaster of Hogwarts has decided to train a select group of students in an alternative school until such time that we are able to truly reopen Hogwarts. All of your children are invited to join many of their friends at the Phoenix Hall for the continuing/start of their training.
We understand that you may have reservations about sending your children away for schooling, but we promise that Phoenix Hall is the safest place on Earth. Also, we must inform you that since both Caleb and Brendin have already started their schooling, they have the choice of continuing their schooling without your consent as stated in the fourth clause, Paragraph C of the Educational Constitution of both the United Kingdom and United States' Ministries.
We hope to see your children at the Granger home on 20th of August at 11 o'clock.
Minerva McGonagall
Jack finished reading the letter and passed it to his wife. He had gone extremely pale. It was one thing for them to ask for his children to go to a school; it was another to tell him he did not have a say in the matter. Amber finished reading the letter and promptly threw it in the bin. Brendin and Caleb had cleaned up the mess the owl had made and were sitting at the table with bated breath. Ashley had read the letter behind her parents' backs and shaking with excitement.
"What did it say?" Brendin prompted.
Jack took a claming breath. "They have decided to reopen that wretched school."
Caleb's eyes lit up and Brendin's smile grew even bigger. "But you will not be going."
"WHAT!" Brendin shot back. "Why not?"
Amber looked sternly at her oldest son. "We want you to be normal and safe."
"We are not normal and there is nothing you can do about that." Brendin said quietly. "And we will be more safe if we know how to protect ourselves."
"They almost got you killed not even three months ago and you are defending them?" Jack questioned his son's argument, trying to get him to understand their worry.
Brendin, like any other teenager, refused to do what his parents wanted him to do: think realistically. How could he? Magic was hardly bound by the "logic" of the Muggle world. "We have a say in this. Do we not?"
Amber and Jack shared a look. "No." They said together.
Caleb gave his parents a knowing look. "Don't lie. You both suck at it."
"They seem to believe that you are old enough to make a rational decision, but we do not." Amber told the truth.
Brendin nodded. "I am going whether you like it or not."
"No, you are not!" Jack shouted.
Brendin took Caleb's hand. "Then try and stop us." They vanished
"This is bad. This is really, really bad." McGonagall paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.
Dumbledore's calming voice issued out of the fireplace, "It may work out for the best."
"How, Dumbledore?" slurred Snape. He was brooding on the couch behind McGonagall. "They will phone the police. We do not have the time to still fight with the Muggles. We have to act soon before Voldemort catches a glimpse of our plans. Remember Dumbledore, Harry's magic has been up and down the entire summer. We do not know when the Dark Lord might break through the shield placed around the boy's mind."
"I know that, Severus!" Dumbledore remained silent for a bit. "If the police come asking about the children, send them up to my house in San Francisco. They can stay with the Weasleys until the date arrives."
"Understood," McGonagall closed the Floo network.
AN:
Not much to say. Next chapter an old friend comes back into the picture and Harry learns more about the deaths of his parents.