Chapter sixteen: Hogwarts revisited

When Ron led his lover in to breakfast the next morning, they were told that the Potters were gone. Sirius growled something about them not being welcome in his house, and Molly's thin lips spoke volumes on the subject. Harry had clung to Ron all night, refusing to meet his eyes, fresh tears attacking the teen at unexpected intervals. He was red eyed and Ron was bleary as neither had slept, though Ron was sure they would tonight. The adults in the house would come up with something to help Harry feel better in the short term, and Harry himself would heal the pain he felt over time. All Ron could do was tell his friend how much he loved him and wanted him in his life.

Breakfast was barely over when Dumbledore arrived. He sat at the head of the table and although his eyes lingered on Harry he made no move towards the teen, sensing perhaps that Harry needed Ron more at the moment. It was an endorsement of Harry's ability to judge his needs for himself in a way, and Ron felt his lover straighten a little in pride, as if the knowledge had given him fresh energy. Harry was a complicated person, but Ron was happy to spend the rest of his life figuring him out.

"I came to ask the boys if they would be willing to participate in a ward cleansing ceremony for Hogwarts," Dumbledore minced no words this time, getting to the point of his visit as quickly as possible. Given the disaster that yesterday's visit had been, this was probably a wise course of action.

"What's wrong with the school wards?" tension ran through Harry in a wave, and Ron was no better off. They had left the school to protect it. Any cleansing ritual that required their presence meant that the action had been wasted.

"Nothing is wrong per se," Dumbledore folded his hands atop the table, "However I review them regularly to find weak spots or areas that are in need of repairs. Upon my last check I noted an additional ward woven roughly into the general matrix. If I have deciphered it correctly, it was cast by the Death Eaters - possibly a second force that did not participate in the actual attack itself - and its function was to influence the student body against you."

"A ward like that would take a lot of planning and power," Moony sounded amazed and Sirius nodded in reluctant agreement. Ron frowned, and glanced at Harry. If it was a ward responsible for the students turning on Harry why had some of them been spared? The teachers and Neville had been able to think normally and so had Ron, but then the girls had both had a minor disagreement with Harry just prior to the attack, and the magic would have to be very strong to influence someone who was harbouring positive feelings towards the target. Maybe their disagreement was why the girls had turned on his lover, and if the ward was only able to influence people who had neutral or negative feelings what did that say about Snape? Ron was drawn away from that complex issue by Harry's voice and he made a mental note to bring it up again later.

"Hermione and Ginny were against us being at the school because of a spell? One woven into the wards?" Harry summed up and Dumbledore nodded. The dark haired teen sighed and shrugged. Either way it didn't matter. If the students were being forced to believe him a dangerous person then it was best they be freed of the magic that was interfering with them. If they still truly believed him to be dangerous once the ward was repaired then he'd wish them well and stay away. Once the ward was down things wouldn't really change for him or Ron. They would be unlikely to be accepted back at Hogwarts even after all the tutoring they'd had. Voluntary or not, exclusion was exclusion and he didn't think that even the Headmaster had enough influence with the Governors and the Ministry to get them readmitted to school.

"What do we have to do to break the ward?" he asked, and Dumbledore beamed at him. They spent the next few hours discussing the spells that had to be cast and how long Harry and Ron had to learn them. Daily lessons would be abandoned in favour of learning their part in the ward breaking, and once the Headmaster left, Harry let Ron lead him down to the cellar where they could begin practicing together.

Molly Weasley looked a lot happier already, so Harry was more than willing to try this. She deserved to be happy, and having both Ginny and Percy at odds with the family had been putting a lot of strain on Harry's adoptive mother. He didn't like to see her or Ron so unhappy about Ginny, and for that reason alone he would put everything he had into breaking the Death Eaters sabotage.

0o0o0o0

Hogwarts was like a breath of fresh air. As much as Harry loved being with his lover and his family, he missed the school and its occupants. Seeing the teachers once a week or once a fortnight was not the same, even if he did have much more of their individual attention during the tutoring sessions. Hagrid was waiting in the Headmasters office for them, and he tumbled out of the Floo into the half giants arms. For once Harry laughed at his clumsiness and the soot, because Hagrid was laughing too and had him upright and soot free so quickly. He threw his arms around his friend and was almost lifted off his feet in the responding hug.

"I've missed you," he confessed into Hagrid's beard, "How are you?"

"I'm well, lad, don't you fret," Hagrid rumbled, "It's been pretty quiet around here of late though, make no mistake."

"Are you accusing Harry and I of being trouble makers?" Ron laughed and Hagrid put Harry down, a distinct twinkle in the dark eyes.

"Not a bit of it," the lie was there for all to see, but Harry simply laughed and looked around for Fawkes. The Headmaster was downstairs, getting the last of the ceremonial markings into place, as they had already discussed. Hagrid would escort them through the halls to the Foyer once Dobby came to say that they were ready for the ceremony to begin. The Headmaster didn't think that people would attack Harry in the halls in a panic if he were seen before the ceremony was complete, but no one wanted to take any chances. Hagrid would at least be able to help defend them, and most people would think twice before taking Hagrid on even if he didn't use a wand. It was almost a moot point as all the students had been sealed in their common rooms anyway - for all the good that did. After all the Golden Trio was rarely where they were supposed to be when something big was going on, their first year had proved that.

Fawkes welcomed Harry with a soft crow. He was beginning to enter his ragged stage, which heralded a Burning Day for the Phoenix. Harry spoke quietly to the bird, and scratched at an itch between his wings when requested to, aware that his lover was discussing him with Hagrid while he was distracted. Ron fussed over him every day, and part of Harry enjoyed the attention. He made sure to fuss over Ron as well, as much as the redhead would allow, and together they made being away from all their friends bearable.

There was a soft pop and someone immediately tried to squeeze Harry in half. He didn't need to glance downward to confirm the identity of his 'attacker' and grinned to himself.

"Hello Dobby," he patted the elf kindly, returning the hug as best he could. The arms around his waist tightened even further for a moment before Dobby let go and stepped back, holding Harry's hands instead.

"Harry Potter has come back to Hogwarts!" the elf squeaked happily, "And brought his Wheezy too!"

He let go of Harry's hands and threw his arms around him in another exuberant hug.

"Hi Dobby," Ron was smirking at him, but Harry didn't care much about that - the redhead had always found the manic elf's fixation on Harry amusing. He unwound Dobby from his middle and took a deep breath - elf arms were surprisingly strong - before smiling down at the little green being.

"Are they ready for us downstairs?" he asked and Dobby nodded, beaming happily. Hagrid ushered Ron to the door and Harry followed, trailed closely by Dobby who had apparently decided that he would accompany them back to the Headmaster.

The floor of the Great Hall looked very strange. Filled with runes that glowed a soft blue and bare of the usual house tables and enchanted ceiling, it somehow seemed smaller than normal. The Great Hall was the Hearth Point of Hogwarts, where the students gathered as a group to share meals and socialise. The Hearth Point of any dwelling was where the wards of that dwelling were anchored - which made sense because that was where the most positive energy was collected at any one time. Because Hogwarts was a school, the Hearth Point was centred in a place where all students were welcomed and had positive associations with. The Common Rooms and Library stood as minor Hearth Points throughout the school, bolstering the one in the Great Hall, but it was here that they would need to conduct their cleansing ritual.

The Headmaster and the Heads of House were waiting at their assigned places on the seven-point star, and Ron and Harry split up wordlessly to take their own. The air was crackling with magic and Harry could feel it washing over his skin in delicious waves. It was quite seductive in its way, and something they had been warned about. Both he and Ron had vowed to give in to that seduction only in each other's arms, which meant that neither boy was in danger of succumbing as long as they were apart. After the ritual was over, all bets were off, though they'd make an effort to control themselves until they were in private.

Dumbledore's voice rolled over the Hall in a wave. Harry called his mind to attention and added his voice on cue, releasing his magic as he and Ron had practiced in the cellar of Sirius' house. He felt the potent magic of his lover and his teachers join with his, and couldn't help the rush of affection that flowed over him in response. Even Snape, who professed to hate three quarters of the students he taught, was giving nothing but his best here, and Harry's resultant rush of emotion strengthened the ritual as only pure love could. Their voices rose as one, the magic carrying them along easily, bisecting the dark from the light and banishing it before joining the light at last, strengthening it incredibly.

Harry staggered as the ritual came to a smooth end and gathered his robes closely about himself. He and Ron would be ushered back to the nearest Floo point by Hagrid and return to Grimmauld place. They would have to wait to hear about their success later, after the teachers had a chance to sound the students out.

0o0o0o0