The Best-Laid Plans:
The ceiling above Harry's bed was of particular interest at the moment. The sun had long gone away and sleep was calling to him, but much to his misfortune he could not answer to it at the moment.
Across from him, slumped in a chair with his neck kinked at a horrible angle, red hair all askew, was a softly snoring Ron Weasley. His friend had promised to stay up with him, but with that failing, Harry was left alone, the ceiling his sole companion. Though helpfully, he found the harder he stared at its chipped plaster, the easier it was to stay awake. It only meant his eyes were hurting.
In truth, he wasn't sure he could fall asleep if he tried. There were too many thoughts running through his head, and his stomach was flipping around like it would the night before a Quidditch match. It had been doing so since the end of this night's Order meeting. Voldemort and the Death Eaters had gone quiet for some time now—too long in the opinion of many, most vocally Mad-Eye—and there was a feeling that something was to happen soon. Funnily enough, however, an impending attack was not the most pressing thing on his mind.
Harry's eyes shot to the door, his mind catching up seconds later. The room was a swirl of shadows after staring at the ceiling for so long and he fumbled for his glasses. He thought he heard a noise come from downstairs.
Checking back across the cramped bedroom, Ron was still fast asleep.
He sat in silence for what felt like minutes, when a creak came from the top of the steps, which he could not mistake for anything else. Is he back? Harry thought to himself. The last time he'd heard a noise outside his room, only an hour or so ago, it turned out to be Kreacher roaming the halls.
Harry heard the handle turn, and reaching over the side of his bed he picked up something heavy (it felt like a shoe) and threw it at Ron, hitting him in the shin.
"Wha… what? Harry—Ouch—is that you? Did I fall asleep?"
Harry could hear Ron, but was paying closer attention to the bedroom door. It cracked open with a slight squeak, and a figure came creeping in. "You boys up?"
"Am now," Ron said rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"How was it, Heath?" Harry beckoned the man over.
The Auror flicked his wand, lighting the candles which lined the walls, filling the room in an orange glow. He took a seat on Ron's empty bed, before turning to them and answering. "Went as well as you would suspect, took a bit of convincing." He sighed heavily to himself and laughed. "The woman is a nervous wreck, never known a Healer to be like that."
"Well, we're not exactly asking her to regrow a few bones for us, are we?" Ron said before stopping and yawning. "You don't think she'll give us up?"
"No, no, she's fully cooperating." Fardale looked certain of it. "She did say something interesting though?"
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"Well, first, she gave me these…" Reaching into the folds of his robes, Fardale removed a small parcel wrapped in parchment, an enveloped attached to its crinkled surface. Peeling back a corner of the parchment, a tuft of lime green fabric could be seen poking through. Healer's robes, Harry noticed. Then, handling the envelope with care, Fardale lifted its lip and extracted a small lock of dark hair.
Putting them away, Fardale looked back at Harry and continued, "The strange thing was after handing me this, she told me she was heading off home and not planning on leaving until this mess is over."
Ron snorted with laughter. "Well, that's because we're breaking in tomorrow."
Fardale jolted violently from his spot on the bed, like he'd just been struck by lightning. His eyes were as wide as saucers. "What? Tomorrow? No. We can't just break in tomorrow!"
"It's better we do it now than later," Harry said. "Besides, it's all set. Neville is meeting us around the corner at half past seven tomorrow morning."
"We don't even have a full plan!"
"I finished it this morning," said Harry, trying to keep the nerves from his voice. Unnoticed, he slid his hand beneath his pillow, grasping at the softness until his hand wrapped around a familiar length. Magic poured from the elder wood of his wand, travelling up him like a waterfall running backwards, its cold trickle calming him. A lot could go wrong tomorrow, and Harry did not want to think of the consequences. If he wanted to get Hermione out, it had to be now.
"Isn't that just fantastic." Sarcasm dripped from Fardale's every word. "Would you mind perhaps sharing?"
"I've explained most of it to Ron already, his and Neville's parts are the most straight forward. Did you get the Polyjuice?" Harry asked.
"I did." Fardale nodded and tapped the pocket of his coat. "I had to, um… borrow some from the Department. It's a good thing I was already on the outs because of Scrimgeour, there's no way I'll be recovering from this one. I'll be on suspension until retirement." Fardale laughed lightly to himself, but the rest of his body sat tense. "Would've been nice to get some from Moody—he keeps his own private stash of the stuff—but he'd lose his nut if he knew what we were up to."
"How strong is the potion?"
The look Fardale gave Harry was not good. "It's potent enough to last just about an hour," he said apologetically. "Any higher of a dose is almost impossible to get without the Department Head. Unlucky for us, Thicknesse is as good as a Death Eeater."
Harry nodded. An hour of Polyjuice was not ideal. But it should still work. It has to work.
"Did you learn any more from Healer Davis?"
This time Fardale smiled, and a part of Harry managed to relax. "She starts work every morning at eight. After checking in with the secretary, she's escorted up by an Auror to a part of the hospital out of public access. She works with other patients throughout the day, but is called to Hermione when needed." He paused for a moment, his face scrunched up while thinking. "Oh, right, I nearly forgot! The only consistent schedule they have is they bring her breakfast for nine, lunch after twelve and supper around five."
We'll be cutting it close. When do we ever get it easy…
"Alright, then we'll have to break her out at breakfast. I'll be under my invisibility cloak and, Heath, you'll be disguised as Healer Davis."
Fardale glowered at Harry.
"You've hung around with Tonks enough, surely she's given you some tips on how to pretend to be someone else." Ron could barely hold in his laughter as he spoke. "Better you than me, mate."
Huffing to himself, Fardale crossed his arms, but Harry swore he could see the barest hint of a smile lurking at the edge of his lips. "Okay, that's how we get in. How do you plan on us getting out? We can't just walk out the way we came in, the hospital will go on lockdown."
Harry felt as though his insides were trapped inside a vice and with each second that passed, it was turning tighter and tighter. This was the question that would make or break his entire plan. "How far do the enchantments extend from St. Mungo's?"
Sitting in this grungy, dim bedroom where the walls were peeling and dust collected faster than it could be spelled away, the silence was overwhelming.
Finally, Fardale spoke. "I was briefed on this when I first joined the force. There are designated apparation points within the building for bringing in patients, but they can be shut down when on lockdown…" He trailed off and paused for a moment before continuing. "If I'm remembering this right—yes! If you can get out of the building, then you're fine. Since it's in the middle of a Muggle area, and the Ministry didn't want to have to deal with our magic interfering with Muggle technology, the enchantments only extend to the building's borders."
Harry could have kissed the man he was so happy. "How's your apparating then?" He asked, with one of the largest smiles he'd ever had spread across his face.
"I just said—" Fardale stopped suddenly.
"I didn't get it at first either," Ron said. "But now that I know it works, I can't believe he came up with it. It's bloody barmy."
"Do you remember when I got Hermione's note?" Harry asked.
"Yes?" Fardale replied, still trying to piece it all together.
"Hedwig brought it," said Harry. "How is it possible that an owl can fly in and out of a Hospital unnoticed? There's only one way. The room Hermione is in has a window connected outside."
Fardale's face morphed into a strange expression, somewhere between incredulity, shock, and fascination. He sat there a moment, weighing Harry with his eyes. He shifted on the bed, readjusting his position, something about him different than it had been seconds before. It was almost as if he was looking at Harry differently. "As impressive as that idea is," he said, finally, "jumping out of a window and apparating isn't exactly easy. Even less so when you have to side-along someone."
"It won't be an issue," Harry said. "I can do it, and Ron and Neville have said they can as well. But hopefully they won't need to."
"I've, er, done some practice," Ron said from the side, his face reddening rapidly. "Been jumping out of trees in the orchard out back."
"You're certain of this?" Fardale leaned toward Harry as he spoke, his voice level and giving nothing away. Along the walls the burning candles flickered nervously.
Harry found he couldn't answer at first. Am I? Will this actually work? The answer was they wouldn't ever know, not without trying. Harry swallowed. "Yes, I'm sure."
They'd hardly fallen asleep before being forced awake again, meeting downstairs with the rest of the early risers. The morning was one filled with unease, Harry could taste it in his eggs, smell it in the dark, musty air, and hear it as Ron's knee continually bounced against the kitchen table. The atmosphere had not gone unnoticed. "Is there anything wrong with the food dears?" Mrs. Weasley had asked while tinkering around the kitchen, no doubt noticing their distinct lack of appetites. There wasn't much else they could do in response other than smile appreciatively and pile more on their plates, but still she kept a keen eye on them.
Even Ginny had come over and, under her breath, asked what had them so anxious. Harry could see from the gleam in her eyes, she knew something was up—after spending five years in Gryffindor together, he did not expect any less from her. From the way her head kept darting over her shoulder, she was bursting to demand an explanation, but would never risk doing so in front of her mother.
Sounds could be heard from upstairs, and an increasing number of Order members who'd stayed the night came trickling down, drawn as though entranced by Mrs. Weasley's cooking.
Bill had just entered the rapidly filling kitchen, his long red hair dripping wet and well past his shoulders, when Harry checked the time: it was nearly half past seven. Grabbing Ron's leg before it could bounce up against the table again, and catching Fardale's gaze from across the room as he chatted quietly away with Dedalus Diggle, he nodded his head discretely out the door.
Harry could see Fardale excusing himself from his conversation, when Harry and Ron stood up. Ginny's eyes were still glued on them. They exited the room just as the Auror went to return his empty plate to Mrs. Weasley.
Midway up the main staircase, they stopped, checked the top and bottom of the stairs, and upon seeing them empty, threw the invisibility cloak over both their shoulders and crept back down.
They reached the base at the same time Fardale walked out of the kitchen. Making in his direction, crouching to ensure the cloak would fully cover them, they were forced to stop short. Ginny emerged suddenly, her hair whipping behind her and eyes darting around in all directions. "Did you see where they went?" Ginny asked briskly, stepping between them and Fardale.
Fardale looked puzzled. "Did I see who?"
"Harry and Ron," Ginny said, scanning her surroundings a second time. "I think they're up to something."
Leaning to the side, as though trying to peak up the stairs, he said, "I thought I heard someone go upstairs, it might have been them. Sorry I can't be more of a help. I'm heading out to see Tonks." Ginny thanked him and rushed off, but before she could disappear he called back to her. "If you do find out what they're up to, I think it would be best to let Mad-Eye or Kingsley know. Who knows what trouble those boys can get themselves in." He winked and turned to leave.
Moving after him, Harry and Ron stuck close behind Fardale as he snapped open the front door and stepped outside. It was a crisp morning, cool and clear of sky. Fardale sucked in a deep breath of air.
Removing the cloak, Harry and Ron joined him on the front stoop. "Ready to go?" Harry asked.
"As I'll ever be," Fardale replied with a smile.
The walk was a short one, the streets nearly empty at this time in the morning, only the odd jogger and speeding car going by. Beneath a distant lamppost, Neville stuck out in a long brown wizard robe. He waved as they approached, some color returning to his pale skin with their arrival.
"I was nervous I went to the wrong place," he said, brushing away a bit of dried dirt from the cuffs of his robe. "I know you gave me the name, but Muggles just have so many streets it's hard to keep track of them all."
From within his pocket, Harry pulled out a handful of coins, sorting them and handing them out. "Muggle money," Harry explained as he did so, "we'll be needing it when the bus comes. Don't worry, everyone should have the perfect amount."
With the money clutched in his fist, Ron tentatively brought it near his face and peaked inside as if there was a bug trapped in there instead. "We're… taking a muggle bus?" He gulped.
"We can't apparate inside St. Mungo's without being seen—the bus will take us near enough to the front entrance where we can prepare and walk in. It's no different than taking the Knight Bus."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Ron muttered under his breath.
It was only a few minutes later, that a large, red, double-decker bus came wheeling around the corner. "It looks just like the Knight Bus." Neville sounded amazed. "Why's it so short?" Harry could hear Ron behind him, confused. It pulled in front of them with a great screech.
The doors opened and nobody came out. Fardale had to nudge Neville inside, who stood, lost, beside the driver. "Put the money in the metal slot," Harry whispered to Neville, whose eyes lit with understanding. Fardale followed as did Harry without much issue.
"You gettin' on er not?" Harry heard a voice ask.
Turning around he could see the portly, bald bus driver staring impatiently at Ron, who was still standing outside on the pavement. His blue eyes flipped between the bus and Harry. "C'mon, Ron!" Harry encouraged, gesturing with his hand. Finally, with great difficulty, he climbed aboard the bus, threw his money at the driver, and chased after the rest of them.
There was only a single other rider: an elderly woman sitting near the front, clutching her bag tightly in her lap, and with an umbrella in hand. She was staring at them. Harry smiled at her. The lady only sniffed and turned her nose away in response.
The group huddled together at the rear of the bus. "There are five stops between here and St. Mungo's, we should hurry," Harry said.
Fardale immediately removed the Polyjuice potion and passed it to Neville to hold. Reaching back into his cloak, he took out the small parcel and envelope from last night.
The bus slowed to a stop and a young couple stepped on. As they travelled further, Neville kept on checking, nervously, over his shoulder.
"Don't worry about them," Ron said as helped Fardale into the lime green Healer's robes. "They'll think we're strange, but they won't know what's going on. If we don't give them attention, they'll start ignoring us."
It took quite the effort to get Fardale dressed up. He wasn't the largest man, but Tracey's mum must have been a rather petite lady. The seams screamed under pressure, and Harry was certain they were one wrong movement away from Fardale bursting through the material.
Dropping the hair into the mud-like potion, they watched it fizz and bubble and smoke. They reached their fourth stop by the time it finally settled. "Wait," Harry said, holding Heath's hand steady, "not yet, we need to maximize our time."
The bus continued on its merry way, bumping and jerking its way through the streets of London. Harry could feel his pulse pounding. Crossing a busy intersection, a red bricked building came into view at the end of the block, old and forgotten. Above its scratched windows, Harry read the sign Purge and Dowes, Ltd.
"Now!" Harry said.
Fardale plugged his nose and emptied the potion down his throat. He made a face, but before he could say anything, his lips shriveled up and shrunk, followed by his nose and ears and chin. In a matter of seconds, Fardale was much less lanky and a lot more curvy. Where four males had entered the bus together, three males and an attractive witch of middle age left.
Only the magical barrier hiding St. Mungo's from the world stood in their way now.
Ron passed Harry a small bag. "They're called Break-In Bangers, I bought some a while ago from Fred and George's shop."
Harry nodded. "Remember, we're serving breakfast ten minutes to nine—no sooner, no later. Only set them off in the hallway, I don't want anyone to accidently get killed."
The four of them looked at each other a final time, a silent moment of solidarity passing between them, and then they were off. Harry covered himself in his invisibility cloak, and Ron and Neville disappeared through a ripple in the department store's window.
Harry counted in time with his own heartbeat. 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… After the fifth beat, Fardale—or Healer Davis, he supposed—followed through the magical barrier. One step he was standing on a quiet muggle street, the next he was in a blindingly white building bustling with activity.
Spread out in front of him was a waiting room filled with all sorts of witches and wizards, young and old, boasting a collage of conditions: purple skin, inflated heads, and illnesses not visible to the naked eye. Just beyond a man burping up luminescent bubbles, Harry could see a small desk to which Ron and Neville were standing over.
Over the cacophony of bizarre noises that accompanied this strange crowd of people, Harry could just make out the voice of the plump witch behind the desk.
"—what do you mean there's nothing wrong with you? Are you sure?"
She was talking to Ron, who had started looking himself up and down trying to figure out what she thought was wrong with him.
Neville stepped in and took over. "I'm sorry, Glenda, I was only wanting to visit my parents this morning."
The woman's round face softened, recognizing Neville. "Of course Mr. Longbottom," she said, her voice much softer and more pleasant, "I didn't see you there. Is this your friend? Of course he is. Just this way." She pointed in the direction of an Auror.
Harry watched as his friends walked over and submitted themselves to be searched. He felt a nudge at his side. "Look around the room," Fardale breathed beneath his breath.
Listening to his partner, Harry scanned the room a second time. His heart stopped. No longer distracted by the odd characters sitting and waiting, he was truly able to examine the room and those in it. In every direction he looked, there were Aurors—at least ten in uniform, he counted. "Why are there so many?" Harry asked franticly.
Fardale did not get the chance to answer, he was next in line.
"Running a bit late today, Healer Davis? Is everything alright?" The witch, Glenda, asked.
"No… er, uh, I've just been all over the place this morning," Fardale managed to stumble out.
Glenda eyed him strangely. Thankfully, however, an Auror spotted them and came marching over. "Healer Davis," he said, not paying any attention to Glenda, "this way, please."
Harry followed the Auror as close as he could, out of the waiting room and towards the lifts. Ron and Neville were waiting there as well. Harry breathed out a sigh of relief. Crouching beside Ron, he gently slipped the bag Ron gave him outside back into his friend's pocket. He felt Ron stiffen as he did so, though nobody appeared to notice.
A soft ding sounded from above and the elevator door opened. "We'll wait for the next one," said the Auror, waving Neville and Ron onwards. He waited for the gate to close and them to disappear before clicking the button again.
The next lift came swiftly. The Auror entered first, followed by Fardale, doing his best to appear natural in the body of a woman. Harry made himself as small as possible, slipping into the nearest corner.
St. Mungo's stretched five floor high, but the lift stopped on the fourth floor. With the elevator opening, Fardale stepped out, as did the Auror, who brushed so close to Harry that he nearly knocked him in the head with his elbow.
They stood in a very familiar place, the Janus Thickey Ward. Incidentally, it was the quietest floor of the entire hospital, reserved for long-term treatment of spell damage, which boded well for Harry, meaning he didn't have to dodge Healers rushing from room to room.
"She was doing well last night. Should be the same this morning when we get her up."
Fardale froze and Harry shot to a stop before he bumped into him. They both stared at the Auror who was standing in the middle of the hallway.
"I thought you might want to know," he said to the form of Healer Davis, folding his arms as he spoke. "Some of us have noticed the way you've been feeling lately. Listen… we're not ev—"
A loud crash of metal falling to the floor came from one of the rooms, and a blonde figure zipped across the hallway. Seconds later, a kindly looking Healer followed after them, shouting, "Gilderoy!"
Ignoring the commotion, the Auror started walking again. Passing from where the Healer had exited, Harry glimpsed Ron and Neville huddled around the far bed before moving onwards. The hallway continued for some distance, growing emptier with each passing room. A small wooden door that looked as though it led into a storage cupboard was where they stopped.
As the Auror was reaching for the handle, the door swung open revealing another Healer standing in his lime green robes, and an Auror accompanying him as well. Beyond them was the beginning of a white marble staircase that by all rights should not have been there. It disappeared up and out of sight, and was only wide enough to fit two across.
"Morning, Healer Davis," the Healer said squeezing past them. He sounded in a hurry, not pausing for a second as he set off down the long hall they'd just come from, the Auror not trailing far behind.
They climbed the stair, moving higher and higher, to a place for beyond the roof of the department building. Reaching the top, they were brought to a stop at the start of a very short hallway. At the end, not a dozen steps away, was a set of double doors and a familiar Auror in front of them.
"Healer Davis, you're late." The voice was stern and has hard as iron.
Fardale didn't respond, likely frozen at the sight of his former partner. Auror Conner looked just as he did when Harry had last seen him months ago, burly and angry and with a pair of small, dark eyes that followed your every move. "Uh, sorry…" Fardale finally spoke, his voice catching in his throat. "I wasn't feeling well this morning."
"Feel better next time," Conner said sharply, "I don't have time for people coming late."
Harry tensed, seeing the smart reply threatening to burst from Fardale's lips. They'd been partners for so long it must have felt like second nature to banter back. Thankfully, Fardale caught himself and smiled as sweetly as he could.
"Something to say, Healer?" Conner asked.
Fardale shook his head and followed the other Auror through the only other door in the hallway. It opened to a small staff room, equipped with a handful of old, wooden chairs, a basic kitchen, and a Wizard Wireless set. In the corner of the room, another Healer sat alone, reclined against the wall with a book in hand. "Morning, Davis," they called. It was an older wizard, bespectacled, who's robes were stretched in the midsection by his belly.
The door opened behind them, and it was Conner who came marching in. He looked between the two healers with a frown on his face. "She'll be needing breakfast soon, Healer Forrester." Auror Conner folded his arms and stood beside the door, at some point the other Auror had stepped out.
Healer Forrester shrugged his shoulders, his book still in hand.
"I… I can do it?" Fardale spoke up suddenly.
Auror Conner's gaze shot over, his eyes narrowing into a frown. "Your enthusiasm is noted, Healer Davis, but you have patients to see. Healer Forrester's breakfast should do," he said. "In fact, I've come to escort you down myself."
Harry could see Fardale tense up. This was not going according to plan. Clearly, with no excuses coming to mind, he knew better than to give himself away. Fardale nodded and moved to leave, but stopped for a second. "I'll need to use the washroom first if you don't mind, it's been a difficult morning for me. What time is my first patient scheduled?" He asked in a way where Harry knew the response was meant for him.
An expression of thought came over Auror Conner's face. "It's for 8:45 in the Magical Bugs ward." Exiting together, Harry was left alone in the room with Healer Forrester.
Beneath his cloak, Harry checked the time and saw he only had fifteen minutes before Ron was set to let off his distraction. Fardale was on his own, Harry only hoped he could keep his cover long enough until the Aurors were too distracted with Ron. That left him needing to figure out how to sneak in to Hermione's room.
With his watch in hand, Harry waited, and as seconds ticked by and turned into minutes, his impatience turned to anxiety with it. Healer Forrester was still sitting in his chair, reading his book, and giving no indication that he was going to prepare breakfast anytime soon. His watch read 8:40. He was slowly running out of time.
Shuffling to where a stove was built out of the wall, Harry could see the small black handle of a cast iron pan jutting out over the ledge. Nudging it just enough, it toppled to the ground sending a violent crash into the otherwise silent room. Healer Forrester yelped, caught completely by surprise, and nearly tumbled out of his seat. "Strange…" he muttered to himself, scratching the side of his head, going to inspect what happened.
Harry stood to the side, waiting with bated breath.
Picking up the pan and placing it back on the counter, the healer looked around the room and checked his watch. Shrugging to himself, he turned on the stove.
Harry's body swelled with relief as he watched Healer Forrester start to cook up a small breakfast. It wasn't much, only a soggy bit of eggs, some toast and juice, but at least he had it ready fast. Checking the time again, Harry still had five minutes. Pocketing his wand, Healer Forrester set the food on a tray and took it to the exit, with Harry keeping close behind him.
Healer Forrester reached for the door, opened it, and that is when everything went wrong.
The floor shook underfoot, as though they'd been hit with an earthquake. The tray rattled, sending juice spilling to the floor, and Harry nearly lost his footing. The healer shouted out in alarm, the ground moving beneath them again, accompanied by the sound of blasting and yelling from deep within the hospital.
Hurrying over to them was the Auror who had escorted them from earlier. His wand was drawn and his face alert, though Harry thought he could see a hint of fear in his features. "Take that inside, and stay hidden!" He shouted, pointing at the double doors at the end of the hall.
Something isn't right, Harry thought as he ran after the Healer, Ron shouldn't have set them off this early. But that wasn't the only thing sitting wrong with him. Fireworks alone shouldn't be enough to cause that much of an explosion—even if they were Fred and George's fireworks.
The Healer fumbled with his wand, panic taking over his body, before eventually managing to swipe it against the door. There was a flash and a click and the door swung open. Healer Forrester slammed the door shut as quickly as it opened, giving Harry barely enough time to throw himself in the room. The man stood there panting, trying his best to catch his breath. Around them, the ground continued to shake and for a second, Harry thought he heard the sound of spellfire.
A lone bed sat in the room, made of a metal frame with a simple mattress sitting on top. Light streamed in from two square windows, illuminating the room and giving it a sanitizing glow. More than anything, Harry wanted to run over and check the bed, but he needed to take care of the healer first. Pulling out his wand, Harry snuck up behind Forrester who was laying the tray down on an empty table. There was a red flash, and the man toppled over stunned.
Whipping off his cloak, Harry turned to the bed, but was brought up short.
"Cursing men in the back? I thought better of you Potter." Stepping out from the corner, his body fading into existence, was Minister Scrimgeour. The man looked much the same, tall, thin and wiry, with a mane of hair like a lion. It was his eyes that were different—his eyes were wild and unsettling.
Harry clenched his fist around the Elder Wand, feeling it pulse between his fingers. "You don't live long if you duel every man to his face," he said, eyeing the Minister carefully.
"You have nothing to fear from me." Scrimgeour laughed, spreading his arms to the side, showing that he was unarmed. "But we are under attack, so I might recommend you keep hold of that."
"Under attack?" Harry asked.
"Yes, by Death Eaters and quite a few if I'm not mistaken. They've been planning this for quite some time," Scrimgeour explained.
Harry's mind immediately went to his friends. He knew Ron and Neville were competent enough to survive, but still he hoped they escaped as soon as they knew what was going on. "Is that why you've been spending so much time here lately, the Ministry not safe enough?" Harry said, some seconds later.
Scrimgeour clenched his teeth. "You know quite a bit for someone who's only just returned home."
"As do you," Harry shot back. The sound of spellfire being exchanged from elsewhere in the hospital was clear now. "How did you know I was coming?"
"We keep a close eye on the healers working with us. I've had Auror Conner follow Healer Davis since we first noticed her change in attitude." Scrimgeour smiled, rather pleased with himself, and filled a glass of water from a nearby pitcher, drinking it slowly. "I had an interesting call from Auror Conner last night," he said, putting the glass back down. "A meeting between Healer Davis and Auror Fardale where she passed on a set of her robes. Now that could mean only one thing. Turn around, take a look, I know you're here for her."
Doing as he was told, Harry rounded on the bed and was close enough now to get a good look. Hermione lay still, asleep, her skin as pale as a ghost but otherwise unharmed and unblemished. Extending his hand, he cupped hers with his own, feeling the warmth of her skin. "What did you do with her?" Harry was almost afraid to ask.
"Nothing," Scrimgeour said.
Harry released her and spun around, fury burning inside him.
"We did absolutely nothing," Scrimgeour continued, calmly. "We took her in, healed her, housed her, fed her. We looked after her better than most could."
"Then why did she send me a letter asking for help!" Harry spat.
"Ah, well, just because we did nothing doesn't mean she liked it. You see, she was quite adamant about getting out of here—a very resourceful witch that one is—she even tried to escape a few times. I needed her, so I was forced into, let's say, more extreme measures." Scrimgeour straightened the vest beneath his coat. "She was much more responsive when she learnt her parents were on a prolonged vacation in Australia, without any knowledge of the wizarding world… or a daughter."
"You bastard." The Elder Wand itched for Harry to strike down the man in front of him.
"You can't judge me, Potter. We've both done things we aren't proud of." Scrimgeour's eyes were wide and filled with madness beneath his bushy brows. "I know what happened at the battle of Hogwarts. I know what it takes to survive on your own in a war. This isn't about morality. This is about killing the enemy."
"Why did you need her?" The ground was shaking again, and the yelling and spellfire came from much closer. Scrimgeour stood still, unbothered by it all, like the sound of battle and crumbling walls was ordinary to him.
"I didn't need the girl to tell me secrets about the Order of the Phoenix, if that is what you are thinking. No, it was much more simple than that. I needed her for you."
"How could you have known I was alive?" Harry asked. He could feel the rush of approaching battle pump through his veins. The Elder Wand felt oddly pleased in his grip.
"I didn't at first," Scrimgeour admitted. Dust came crumbling down from the ceiling like ash-marked snow after a particularly rocking blast. "I had been contacted some time ago by the International Confederation of Wizards about your survival and strange reappearance in France. A friend of yours actually, Viktor Krum, had been the one to report it. They had plans to convince you to join them, as did I."
"So that's what this is? Keeping Hermione here? It's your way of convincing me to join the Ministry." Harry wanted to laugh, but wasn't given the opportunity.
The door burst open, and Harry turned ready to curse the first thing through it. He almost did.
His face a mess of blood and sweat, Auror Conner came in dragging Fardale (who was no longer a woman), his wand pressed against his former partner's temple. "I found this one trying to escape up here when the fighting started," he said with labored breath.
"You can release him. We will need the extra wand," said Scrimgeour, and Fardale was immediately let go, dropping to all fours.
"Merlin's sake, Reg, you treat me as if I'm one of them." Fardale coughed a few times, before picking himself up to his feet and stumbling over to Harry, laughing. "The plan's gone tits up, but we made it in here at least."
Harry looked back to Scrimgeour while Fardale started pulling off his healer's robes. "You aren't surprised by this attack. Why?" he questioned.
"It is as you mentioned earlier, the Ministry is not safe. We lasted longer than I thought possible, but it was inevitable. You-Know-Who's influence and fear runs far deeper than any loyalty to the Ministry, especially after Fudge's administration." Harry could hear screaming now, and it sounded as though it was coming from the stairs. Conner and Fardale stepped back and faced the door, alert, but Scrimgeour continued on. "In my office, I was nothing more than a pig waiting to be slaughtered. But here, I was safe. I knew eventually the time would come when the Death Eaters would strike, but it would be on my terms."
Everything had gone quiet. It was as though the world and time had frozen outside of this room. The silence that rang around them was louder than anything that had come before.
"They want me dead—a feeling you know intimately well, Mr. Potter—the final step in taking over the Ministry," Scrimgeour finished.
The silence ticked on like a bomb, and then it exploded.
Harry was flung back, shards of wood and stone flew at him with the speed of shrapnel. A thin, translucent shield materialized inches in front of him, causing the debris to ping off like hail from a window. Hermione! The thought screamed in his mind.
Rolling to his feet, Harry summoned the bed to him. Taking Hermione in his arms, he lay her on the ground and tapped the metal frame with his wand, muttering under his breath all the while. The bed writhed and twisted and encased Hermione, protecting her like a giant metal clam.
The room was shrouded in a haze of dust and falling plaster, colorful flashes of light blinking in its depths; and over the ringing of his ears, Harry could hear shouting. Keeping up his shield, several spells splashed against it, emerging somewhere from the cloud in front of him.
From his wand, Harry set forth a gust of wind that snaked around the room, funneling the dust. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying to the window, where it burst through the glass and flew outside.
Clear in front of him, Harry could see the rest of the room.
Four Death Eaters stood in front of them in their silver masks, and another without, his hair long, eye's cruel, and robe stained with blood. In the corner, unresponsive and covered under a pile of rubble was Auror Conner; while to his left and right were Fardale and Scrimgeour.
"Good evening, Minister." The lead Death Eater spoke, his voice a harsh rasping sound. Harry recognized him as Travers. Turning his gaze to Harry, an ugly smile spread across his lips. "Oh, and Potter is here as well, our Lord will be so pleased." Ripping up his sleeve, unveiling the hideous mark slithering along his forearm, Travers dug his wand into it with a grimace. "He'll be here soon."
Slashing his wand through the air, Harry sent a red ribbon of magic across the room, forcing Travers to deflect. A deep cleft was torn into the floor where it impacted. "Heath we need to get out of here!" Harry shouted. However, glancing to his left he could see his friend busy fending off two Death Eaters.
Travers responded by sending a curse that cut through the air like a hideous silver blade. Harry dodged to his left and conjured a compact metal shield. They clashed together with a metallic ring that screeched horribly enough to cause his ears to bleed. The blade cut through the shield and flew viciously into Hermione, the bed doing just enough to protect her. Travers' eyes flicked to the cage Harry had made for her. "The girl!" He shouted over the battle. "Kill the girl!"
The Death Eaters who'd been busy fighting Scrimgeour turned their attention to where Hermione lay protected. One of them fired the Killing Curse, and Harry sent a spell at the cage, sliding it across the floor and just out of reach of the Unforgiveable. The Elder Wand burned with excitement in his hand as it burst with fire forcing the two Death Eaters to protect themselves. Pushing out a final gust of flames, Harry cast a quick spell at the pile of debris covering Auror Conner, sending it flying at his adversaries. One of them managed to keep his shield, but the other was struck in the head by a jagged piece of stone and was knocked into the wall.
Turning his attention to Fardale, Harry helped him fend off his two attackers. "Heath, we can't stay! Voldemort is coming!" The window was just behind them, they only needed to grab Hermione and jump.
"I know!" Fardale shouted back, dodging out of the way of the Cruciatus Curse. Harry could see the indecision in the way Fardale was dueling. Between every spell, his eyes flickered to where Auror Conner lay still on the ground.
"We can't risk it! I'm sorry, but—"
A sickening sound cut Harry off: a crunch, a gurgle, and wet slap against the ground. Scrimgeour was on his knees, his mouth wide open in a silent scream. Next to him, on the ground, was his arm cut off near the shoulder, withering away into a black husk. "Avada Kedavra." A green light struck him in the chest and he fell to the ground dead.
Three more Death Eaters came running into the room. "Who's next?" Travers said.
"Heath go!" Harry yelled. But the Auror wouldn't leave.
It was seven against two, and a sinking feeling took hold of his stomach. Scrimgeour was dead. Fardale could be next. He couldn't let that happen—not to Tonks.
The Killing Curse was aimed at Harry twice more, and he had to tear up chunks of the floor to protect himself. A third was fired at Hermione, but the top half of the cage snapped open of its own accord, protecting her while being blasted to pieces.
Twirling out of the way of another curse from Travers, Harry spun his wand in circles, a golden lasso appearing at its tip, which he sent across the room. The lasso looped around one Death then another and another, binding them all together, and pulling more tightly with every victim it claimed.
A scream rang out next to him and Harry could see Fardale writhing across the ground, trapped under the Cruciatus Curse. Travers grit his teeth with every bit of force he put into the spell. He cut it off, leaving Fardale broken on the floor. "We only need you alive for our Lord," he said. Just as it happened to Scrimgeour, there was a familiar flash of green that lit the room.
A sudden movement came from the corner of Harry's eye, and meeting the spell head on was Auror Conner, who'd thrown himself across the room and on top of his partner.
Fardale howled louder than he'd done when under the curse, but Harry wasn't wasting any time. Sprinting to his friend, Harry grunted, hoisted him to his feet, and pushed him to the far wall. "Heath, run!" Harry yelled, and the Auror finally listened. Whether it was the desperation in his voice, the death of his partner, or simply instinct, Fardale staggered to the window on noodle-like legs, jumped, and disappeared with a crack.
Turning around, Harry faced off with Travers, who was apoplectic with rage and one step away from murdering everyone in the room.
"You're out of time, our Lord is arriving and we only need to hold you off," Travers said, rubbing at where he was branded with the Dark Mark.
"No, I only need enough time to kill you," Harry responded.
Tapping what remained of the cage containing Hermione with his wand, it spat her up and dissembled into scraps. With a grand swipe of his wand, the fragments of metal went flying at Travers like daggers. He shielded just in time, letting them drop harmlessly to the ground. Travers laughed, but Harry only smiled in response, knowing the man had made his final mistake. Unnoticed, the shards of metal snaked together by his feet and struck at his legs, piercing through his calves and pulling him to the floor. Much like it had for Hermione, the metal writhed and twisted around Travers, but rather than protect him, it was crushing his body in a death grip.
Turning his back on Travers and the Death Eaters wrapped together by his golden lasso, Harry bent over and picked up Hermione. Climbing on to the window sill, Harry looked back at the man whose face had turned to a grisly shade of purple from a lack of breath, and said, "If your master is arriving so soon, maybe he'll get here in time to save you. But knowing Tom Riddle, he's more likely to kill you."
Bracing himself against the side of the building and keeping a tight grip on Hermione's side, he jumped.
AN:
A faster update than many of you expected, no doubt. I really hope you enjoyed this one! There is more to this update than just the story, below this AN is a summary of Chapters 1-17. I saw that some of you asked for a summary, which is a very reasonable request, since it has been some time and it's hard to remember details.
I stopped at Chapter 17, since the material leading up to that was written the better part of a year or two ago. From Chapter 18 onwards, I would recommend reading it over if you are in need of a refresher, and that is because of several reasons. The quality is much higher from that point on, the length of story is nowhere near as long as the first part, and a lot of the plot from 18 onwards is very relevant to the end. I might consider making a summary for 18 to the end at some point, but I would rather not, given I'd like to put my efforts towards future updates, and making this summary took A LOT of time. That being said, please forgive me for any mistakes in the summary (grammatical, changing tense, spelling, etc.), I wrote it as quickly as I could and did not check it over.
As always, please leave me all your thoughts, opinions, and constructive comments. Your reviews are very important to me, and the more in depth they are, the more helpful.
Chapter 1: Harry sits at Number 4 Privet Drive at the death of summer, where the days run shorter and cooler in the run to September. Reflecting on his past, particularly the sequence of events he started, which led to the Death of his godfather, he allows the ghost of a smile to cross his lips at the sound of neighborhood children laughing. Packing for the new term, Harry waits in anticipation of a rare visitor. A knock sounds, and Dumbledore appears in all his magnificent and eccentric glory, but with a heaviness that Harry can't help but notice. Taking him by the arm, Dumbledore apparates Harry to a small village, where Dumbledore apologizes for his secrecy in the past and Harry for his harsh reaction. They forgive one another, promising a fresh, honest start. Stating their business is a 'job interview' Harry and Dumbledore encounter Horace Slughorn, who is currently in hiding. After an emotional meeting where Slughorn is brought to tears at the thought of his favorite student, Lily Potter, he relents to Dumbledore's request and will return to Hogwarts for the upcoming year. Taking him to the Burrow, Dumbledore discusses the prophecy with Harry, expressing his belief in Harry possessing the power to fulfil it. Dumbledore also tells Harry they will be having private meetings throughout the year, and warns him to keep the contents of these meetings, along with the
prophecy, secret from his friends. Harry agrees and parts ways with Dumbledore
Chapter 2:The next morning, Harry wakes to the sound of his friends beside his bed. They all exchange warm greeting and Harry quickly learns that there is another visitor at the Burrow. Fleur Delacour, the beautiful French witch who competed against him in the Triwizard tournament, is living with the Weasley family for the summer to better get to know them after her quick engagement to her fiancé Bill (who is away working at Nurmengard prison). Fleur greats Harry warmest of all, her silver hair and blue eyes alight at the sight of him. After catching up with his friends and explaining his late night trip with Dumbledore, Harry for the first time chooses to lie and keep secrets from them all. Downstairs, their Hogwarts letters and OWL results come in, but with school the far from Harry's mind, he steps outside. Fleur meets him there, and they share a touching moment where she speaks about missing home and her little sister, but need to remain in England for work. Later in the afternoon, the Weasleys, Harry, and Fleur travel to Diagon Alley. While there, Fleur explains to Harry the affect his fame has on women and how girls like Ginny are in love with him. Outside of Madam Malkin's, Harry has a particularly toxic altercation with Malfoy, which leaves him a broken mess over the guilt he has over Sirius and all he's suffered in life. With Fleur looking after him, he nearly reveals the contents of the prophecy to her before catching himself. Finishing up in Diagon Alley, the family meets up and returns home.
Chapter 3: Sitting out in the crisp air and early morning glow, Harry enjoys his last morning of the summer holidays. Fleur comes out to tease him, before leading him back in the house where the rest of the Weasleys are scrambling to get ready. An Auror escort arrives to take them all to Kings Cross station, and Harry immediately takes a liking to a young Auror named Fardale, who is a breath of fresh air compared to his stony faced partner Auror Conner. After saying his goodbyes, Harry runs in to one of his friends, Megan, a Quidditch fanatic and younger sister of Quidditch star Gwenog Jones, before he finally reaches his friends. Their compartment acts as a safe haven from Harry's many admirers and the gossip running rampant along the train about what happened last June at the Ministry of Magic. A letter arrives halfway through the journey, inviting Harry to Slughorn's cabin for a special dinner. On his way, he runs into a group of friendlier Slytherins who tease him about his new nickname, The Chosen One, particularly Daphne Greengrass, a dark haired and dark humoured girl. Enjoying himself a little too much, and having one too many drinks at Slughorns party, Professor Slughorn gives Harry a particularly effective Hangover Cure that has the unintentional side effect of dulling your senses. Noticing Malfoy acting suspicious on the train, Harry tries to follow him but his caught. Slowed from Slughorn's potion, Harry is downed by Malfoy and left beaten on the train. After being rescued by Tonks and taken to the castle, Harry has his first meeting with Dumbledore, who passes along dangerous books on magic and tells Harry to study them.
Chapter 4: With no classes on his first day at Hogwarts, Harry takes out his broom and goes for a flight to clear his head. Others quickly join him near the Quidditch pitch, including Megan, who flirts with Harry unashamedly much to the dislike of Ginny. Discussion turns to reviving the D.A. from last year, and Harry agrees to hold a meeting that evening in the Room of Requirement. Before then, however, Harry heads to the Kitchens for a private lunch prepared by the house elves and reads the books passed on to him from Dumbledore. One of them in particular catches Harry's interest immediately-sucked in and fascinated, he pours over its contents for hours, as it opens his entire perception of magic. Opening the second book, Harry puts it away quickly, unable to stomach its dark contents, particularly that of the Horcrux. Meeting with his friends he tries to explain his suspicions that Malfoy might be up to something, but they are dismissive. That night at the D.A. meeting, Harry explains how he won't be leading the sessions as he was last year and that they should continue without him.
Chapter 5: Harry's first class of the year, much to his pleasure was NEWT Potions with Slughorn. Without his own textbook, Harry was forced to borrow a used copy from the classroom cupboard. Taking an empty seat beside Daphne, Slughorn introduces the class to some of the most powerful potions in the world: Polyjuice, Veriatserum, Wolfsbane, and Amortentia. The class competes for a vial of Liquid Luck, the winner being who brews the best Draught of Living Death. With the aid of his textbook, where improvements to the recipe were scribbled in the margins, Harry wins. Inspecting the book further, he finds much more written inside it than simply potion recipes. Later on after an altercation with Snape in DADA, Harry runs into Professor Trelawney in the hallway. In a trance, she reads cards and warns Harry of the future, telling him to visit her in her tower to learn his fortune.
Chapter 6: Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts were held in public, much to the entertainment and appreciation to the rest of the school. Following the picking of the team, and where Harry ceded his captainship to Katie Bell, students gathered for the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Headed down to the village with Meagan on a date, they visit the Three Broomsticks, where Meagan's sister Gwenog meets them secretly in the back. In private, Gwenog admits to Harry her reservation of involving her family in the war, but says she will try to pass on as much information as she can from the more affluent members of magical society that she so often spends her time with. Before leaving the pub, Harry runs into Tonks and Auror Fardale who are on duty in the village. They tell him about the Ministry's effort against the Death Eaters, and when Fardale steps away, Tonks shares information from the Order of the Phoenix, particularly that of the mass exodus of Werewolves from Britain. That evening, Harry is invited to Dumbledore's office for another meeting. The Headmaster greets Harry in funny green hat from a recent trip to Germany where he went to counsel Bill on some of his work for Gringotts. While discussing the book Harry had immersed himself into, Dumbledore explained that it had been written by his father, and trapped in the memories of the past, he spoke of his family's tragic history. Later, he pushes Harry on continuing to study the dark arts despite their disturbing nature, telling him that it is essential and that conventional rules do not apply to extraordinary figures like themselves. They end the night with Dumbledore taking him out on a mission.
Chapter 7: Arriving in an abandoned muggle area, Dumbledore leads him through the streets. Walking down an old, overgrown path, a horrible feeling creeps its way down Harry's spine. The came to a dilapidated Orphanage—the place where Voldemort grew up. Walking the halls, Harry felt for some strange reason that he'd been here before, the darkness preying on his mind the closer they drew to Tom Riddle's room. Alone in the dark, Dumbledore explained to Harry the disturbing nature of Voldemort's childhood, and his greatest fear, death. When Harry asked Dumbledore how Voldemort cheated death, Dumbledore begs Harry to leave the conversation for another day. While exiting, Dumbledore notices that something is wrong and Harry is unnerved by the fluttering shadows stalking them. The two of them are attacked by Lethifolds, horrible creatures that swarm out of the darkness and feast on evil energy, much like Dementors. Battling their way through the house, Dumbledore and Harry worked in synchrony. Sprinting to the exit, Harry falls harshly to the floor, as he is smothered by a Lethifold. With a last gasp of energy, Harry attempts a spell he'd read in Dumbledore's father's book, unleashing a tempest on the Orphanage. The wildness of the spell ripped through everything in its path, reducing the orphanage to timbers, and leaving Harry gasping on the floor, where he passed out grievously wounded. Harry wakes in Grimmauld Place to Dumbledore smiling over him, and is informed that he had been unconscious for a week and the school has been told he was severely sick with Dragon Flu. Dumbledore leaves as another guest enters, Fleur brings Harry a plate of food and sits next to him on the bed. She scolds him for how careless he is with his own life, and that there are consequences for the people who care for him. After telling her about his trip with Dumbledore, Harry opens up about the horrors that haunt his sleep—how he is connected to Voldemort in a way he doesn't understand. Fleur complains of her work and its unfair treatment of her and how she feels alone, the Weasley's not caring for her and Bill hardly around. In that moment Harry nearly tells her to cancel the wedding, and with a sickening realization he understands that it is because of his own budding attraction to Fleur. They speak well into the night, lost in each other's stories, and Fleur falls asleep curled up against Harry.
Chapter 8: Harry is stuck in Grimmauld Place for days after his arrival, waiting to fully heal, but is growing frustrated at his exclusion from Order information, believing he has done more than enough to warrant becoming a member. Admiring the Black Family tapestry, and noticing that his own family, the Potters had married into the Blacks, Harry is interrupted by the door slamming open. Severus Snape stands in the doorway sneering at Harry, their interaction is antagonistic from the off and after having his father insulted, Harry asks Snape what it's like owing his life to him. Snape spits that James Potter got what he deserved and losing his cool, Harry asks Snape if his mother deserved it as well, knowing from Slughorn that Snape had once been close to her. Before the situation could escalate any further, Dumbledore walks in and dismisses Snape. Harry is furious with Dumbledore, demanding to know why he continues to push Snape on him, saying that he will never tolerate the vile man. Dumbledore admits that it is his own folly and wishful thinking to see them reconcile, and tells Harry that from now on he will do his best to keep them away from each other. Continuing their discussion, Harry learns that Remus has disappeared and Dumbledore believes that the events of last year were too much for his fragile soul. That evening, lost in the darkness of his thoughts, Harry sneaks off to a private room in the attic that he used to share with Sirius. Basking in old memories, he feels a presence settle on his lap and catches the scent of lavender in the air. Harry is guarded, and demands to know why Fleur is up there with him. She says that she heard about Snape and Harry's altercation, and went looking for him. Harry asks where Tonks is, knowing that she would understand how he feels, losing both Sirius and Remus. Looking at him strangely, Fleur asks Harry, does she not understand him? Her presence lifts his spirit, even drawing a laugh from him later in the night. To his shame, Harry can't control his growing feelings for her and struggles to tear his eyes away from her. She kisses on the cheek goodnight, leaving behind only her scent.
Arriving back to Hogwarts in the dead of night, Harry wandered through the halls, making his way back to Gryffindor tower. Somewhere on the 7th floor, he hears a strange, almost supernatural noise and is drawn to it. He noticed that he was in a part of the castle he hadn't seen before. A silvery woman could be seen crying in the moonlight, falling silent with Harry's approach. Harry finds out the true identity of the Grey Lady, as Helena Ravenclaw the disgraced daughter of Rowena the founder of Ravenclaw House. Continuing on his way, a voice calls out to Harry and he turns to see that it is Daphne Greengrass, catching him off guard in her nightwear as he'd never seen her not put all together. She questioned where he had been, knowing that he wasn't in the Hospital Wing like the rest of the school believed. She continued to press on the topic. Harry unable to figure out why she cared so much, replied that she can't know everything. Just before leaving, she shares that something is indeed up with Malfoy, telling Harry she thought he might want to know. When Harry asks if she knows what he is up to, she echoes his words by saying that she doesn't know everything.
Chapter 9: Harry enjoys a morning together with his friends, with their usual banter and laughter. For a moment he forgets about the outside world and believes things are as they used to be. That is until the Daily Prophet is delivered moments later and the news is broken that Hannah Abbott's mother is dead and father critically injured. Harry remembers that it is Halloween, and knows Voldemort did this for him. He's convinced Malfoy was the one who passed on the information to the Death Eaters, because only someone from Hogwarts would know they were friends with Hannah through the D.A. Again, however, his friends are not convinced. Frustrated with their dismissal of his suspicions, Harry rushes out of the Great Hall in search of Hannah. He finds her outside, leaving the castle with Dumbledore and Susan Bones, her best friend who'd lost much of her family to Voldemort and the Death Eaters as well. Just before she leaves, Harry expresses his condolences and tells her they will win in the end. That evening, Harry receives a note from Dumbledore asking him to meet him outside the Hogs Head Pub in Hogsmeade, where Dumbledore teaches Harry how to apparate. Harry catches on very quick, much to Dumbledore's knowing delight, and the headmaster admits they have one more stop to make that evening.
They arrive in Godric's Hollow together, an interesting little village mixed with magicals and muggles, and a place that has deep ties to both Dumbledore and Harry. Before them stood a tall obelisk in front of a cemetery, that as they drew closer morphed into a statue of a young couple, hand in hand, huddled together with a young child in their arms. Harry was brought to tears at the immortalization of his family. Entering the cemetery, Dumbledore makes note of an ancient grave marked by the name Ignotus Peverell, telling him that it was one of his ancestors and the one where his invisibility cloak originated from. Separating on his own, Harry is drawn to one grave in particular, the one inscribed with his parents' names. Spending a tender moment with them, Harry stands and finds Dumbledore in front of a grave of his own—the one of his sister Arianna and mother Kendra. Leaving the cemetery, they visit an old acquaintance of Dumbledore, renowned magical historian Bathilda Bagshot. She recognizes Harry from when he was a baby and reminisces about the times when Dumbledore in his youth would spend time with her nephew. Breaking into the room, a message reaches Dumbledore that Pansy Parkinson is dead.
Chapter 10***: The school is in shock over the attack of Pansy Parkinson. Walking the halls, Harry is thinking of the several meetings he's had with Dumbledore in recent times, and some of the new information he'd learnt from memories of Voldemort's past. All of a sudden, Harry is pulled into a classroom forcefully. Before he starts a fight, he recognizes Blaise Zabini who wants to speak with him. The school is on a knife edge with Slytherins thinking Gryffindors attacked Pansy in retaliation for many of the incidents between the two houses in the past. Nobody is sure what actually happened to the girl. Harry asks if Daphne knows anything, as she seems to have a way of finding out everything going on in the school. They say she won't tell them anything, but ask that he try, because she has a soft spot for him. After days of searching, Harry finally finds the perfect opportunity during a Hogsmeade weekend. Daphne agrees to an exchange of information, so long as Harry goes to Slughorn's Yule Part with her. Harry laughs saying that she is using him, and Daphne admits there are many advantages of having him on her arm that night. Harry learns that Pansy had her mind assaulted beyond the point of recovery, and that a D.A. meeting ended around the time she was attacked. Daphne even throws Malfoy's name in, saying he's been acting increasingly erratic as the year has gone on, and promises to pass on anything else she can learn. They spend the rest of an enjoyable afternoon together, bantering over Butterbeers, when all of a sudden Fleur appears with Bill. Daphne stands to leave, expressing she had a good time together with him today. Fleur warns him about Daphne, saying she knows what type of girl she is, but Harry doesn't understand what she is getting at. He learns that Bill and Fleur are there to keep an extra eye on the village. Leaving the pub, Harry hears a piercing scream and springs in its direction. Above them, hanging in the air in the shape of a perverted cross, is Katie Bell. She is thrown to the ground, cursed by a necklace meant to be delivered to Dumbledore and is near death, until Fleur races up the path and saves the girl. Harry is about to follow Fleur and Katie back into the castle, when Ron and Hermione come sprinting up a hill in the opposite direction. They tell him that a horde of acromantula had broken into the school grounds, and Harry rushes off to Hagrids to help. Fighting them off singlehandedly, he finds Dumbledore and Hagrid deep in conversation and learns that the school's protective enchantments are failing.
Chapter 11: Harry wakes the following morning in the Hospital Wing, he remembers heading there for treatment after fighting the acromantula. To his shock, he learns that a part of his face is permanently scarred by burns from cursed fire he used against the spiders. Daphne comes to visit him, and when Madam Pomfrey asks her to leave, Harry gives his permission for her to stay. A part of Harry is deeply touched, when he finds out that Daphne isn't bothered by his scarring in the slightest. She says he's still Harry Potter, only a bit more heroic looking now. As they converse, again they are interrupted by Fleur. Shooting a glare at the French girl, Daphne leaves after reminding Harry to look sharp when he takes her to Slughorn's party. Fleur, again, pleads with Harry to take better care for himself, and admits that she cannot bear the thought of him getting hurt or dying. Fleur opens up to Harry that she worries the Order doesn't trust her, and asks him if he does. Harry says he trusts her, but a part of him wonders why she has become so close with him recently, though he dismisses it because of how badly he wants to be near her. Being released from the hospital, Harry goes in search of his friends. On his way through the school he notices that the stairs are acting funny, and at one point he's almost thrown off the staircase when it stops suddenly in midair. Harry has another encounter with Helena Ravenclaw, where she tells him the tragic story of her life and passes on a cloak she had enchanted, a famous and rare artifact. The strange encounters of his day continue, when Sir Cadogan comes riding towards him through the portraits and passes on Dumbledore's message of a meeting that evening. Entering Dumbledore's office, he overhears a conversation about the strange occurrences within the castle (the stairs, the portraits, and suits of armour). Dumbledore is about to show another memory to Harry, when he doubles over in pain, sending Harry into a panic. Dumbledore recovers and dismisses Harry's concern, but Harry can see the man has aged greatly in the last few months, looking almost frail now. Diving into the memory, Harry witnesses firsthand the evil beginnings of Voldemort, who tortured his fellow orphans on a trip they took to the coast. Escaping the memory, Dumbledore plans on ending their meeting, but instead decides to spend the rest of the night with Harry, saying that life is all too brief to waste on sleep when it can be spent with those they love. Until the early hours of the morning, Dumbledore teaches Harry, and even imparts of bit of advice on what he can do for Daphne for Slughorn's party
Chapter 12: Harry gets drunk with Slughorn in his office again, the day before the students return home for the winter holidays. At the end of their evening together, Slughorn passes on a note from Narcissa Malfoy, which begs Harry to watch over her son and help him. Harry takes the note to his friends and uses it as proof that Malfoy is up to something dangerous, they believe him but are suspicious of what the true intentions behind the letter are, and decide to ask the rest of the Order. Harry notices a growing rift between Ron, Hermione, and himself, and wishes he could do more to fix it. Night comes, and so does Slughorn's party. Harry goes to pick up Daphne, and is blown away by her beauty. They exchange greetings, both of them almost a bit shy, when he pulls out his wand and tries the trick Dumbledore taught him for this moment. From a nearby fountain he takes the water and gently directs the stream to the base of her wrist, watching as it wraps up her forearm like ribbons and slowly blooms into an eye-catching array of flowers. Daphne is speechless at his gift. After a moment, she regains her voice and leads him to the party, a strange feeling held between them. The party is everything Harry detests, drunk witches and wizards fawning over his fame, but oddly, with Daphne there, he is enjoying himself. Getting separated from Daphne for a moment, Harry encounters a vampire, who leaves him a cryptic message of encountering his kind again sometime in the future. After saving Hermione from an obsessed Cormac McLaggen, he runs into Gwenog Jones who passes on information that much of Britain has been infiltrated by agents of the International Confederation of Wizards, and if the war gets any worse the ICW will pull its agent out of the fight. Getting caught up in a conversation with Tonks and Aurror Fardale, who were sent to watch over the vampire, Harry almost misses an argument break out between Snape and Malfoy. Deciding to follow them, Harry makes to leave the party but is called back by Daphne, looking hurt. Not wanting to leave her behind, Harry takes her by the hand and rushes out after Snape and Malfoy. Throwing the cloak over the two of them, Harry presses closely against the wall with Daphne and overhears Snape offering to aid Malfoy in his mission. Snape and Malfoy exit soon after, leaving Harry and Daphne alone. Brought close by the events of the night, and unable to deny their attraction to each other, Harry and Daphne give in to passion beneath his cloak.
Chapter 13: It's Christmas time at the Burrow, and Weasley's invite much of the Order over for dinner. Harry tells them about the letter from Malfoy's mum, and they tell Harry they will bring it up with Dumbledore. The meal is delicious, and the atmosphere is joyous. Tonks reveals she's dating Auror Fardale and that he is interested in joining the Order. The door to the house opens unexpectedly and Charlie Weasley surprises everyone by coming home. Before the meal can restart, they hear the sound of apparating from outside. Percy comes in awkwardly, followed by Auror Fardale and Auror Conner, who are accompanying the Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. Rufus Scrimgeour requests to speak with Harry, and they head outside for a walk. Scrimgeour wishes to use Harry as a symbol for Ministry propaganda against Voldemort and he refuses. Scrimgeour accuses Harry of being Dumbledore's man, but Harry refutes that statement saying that he is his own man. The minister leaves in a fury, cutting short their Christmas dinner. Harry goes upstairs to his room to be alone, but Fleur follows him up. Harry gives her his Christmas gift, and she recognizes it immediately as Ravenclaw's cloak, saying as a little girl she'd been obsessed by magical artifacts, this one in particular. Something sat between them in that moment, and Harry, his emotions running high from the Minister's visit, couldn't control himself. He took Fleur in his arms, kissing her, not caring for the consequences. To his utmost surprise and joy, Fleur reciprocated his actions, pulling him tighter against her. It was Harry, brought to shame over what he'd just done to Bill, in Bill's own house, pulled himself away and told Fleur to leave.
Chapter 14***: The following morning they opened presents, and Harry did everything he could to keep his eyes away from Fleur, only looking at her to thank her for her gift (a mokeskin pouch). Mrs. Weasley had made him a sweater, Hermione had bought him a set of books, and there was a final gift that only arrived that morning via owl, from Daphne—a replica of the floral arrangement he'd made for Daphne, but made of stained glass, precious metals and glimmering gems. Moments later, Dumbledore arrived saving him from the awkwardness of the situation. Excusing himself, he apologized for having to take Harry away on Christmas. Arriving at Grimmauld Place, Dumbledore explained to Harry how wished to transfer the responsibility of secret keeper to Harry. Dumbledore said it was a legal matter, but Harry didn't quite believe him, thinking there was a deeper reason for his decision. After casting the spell, Dumbledore asked Harry if he would join him for one more stop, saying how he wished to spend this day together in a place very important to him. They apparated to a Cliffside, where Dumbledore led them to a hidden cave he'd built himself. In there, Dumbledore admits to the grief he carries to this day for all those he cared for, who's time came before his own. He makes Harry promise him that even in the darkest of times, when those closest to him perish and his heart is shattered, that he will carry on and do what must be done. Harry promises, but feels as though something is very, very wrong. It is there, on Christmas Day, where Dumbledore finally tells Harry about Horcruxes.
Chapter 15: After learning about Horcruxes, Harry attempts to extract a vital memory from Slughorn. Using the close bond they'd formed over the course of the year, Harry is able to explain the importance of this piece of information and acquire it from Slughorn, while letting the man know he shouldn't feel shame as Voldemort had fooled many in his rise to power. Returning from his meeting with Slughorn, Harry overhears a conversation about Daphne between her sister and her father, learning that something is not right with her. Bringing the memory to Dumbledore, they discuss Horcruxes and try to figure out which are the remaining ones. Their meeting is interrupted, forcing Harry to hide under his cloak, when professors burst into the room with news that another student has died.
Chapter 16: Harry meets with his friends after the death of Cho Chang. The meeting doesn't go as he thought it would, with his friends calling Harry out for being increasingly distant as the year has gone on. Harry tries to deny it, but they know he has been hiding things from them. They beg that he opens up to them, saying they only want to help, but Harry can't find it in himself to share in his secrets. Ron in his anger punches the wall, breaking his hand, and in his stubbornness refuses to get it checked keeping him out of the upcoming Quidditch match. In his place, Cormac McLaggen suits up. The game goes to plan with Gryffindor leading against Hufflepuff, but after a few plays going wrong, McLaggen grows frustrated with his beaters and steals one of their clubs. At the same time, Harry spots the snitches and dives after it. He catches seconds before McLaggen misfires a bludger and cracks Harry in the skull. Harry wakes up in the hospital to the news that they won and there would be a victory party that night. Before being able to leave, Daphne comes and visits him. Harry confronts her on how distant she's been lately, and Daphne says nothing has changed in how she feels. Harry tells her to never disappear on him like that again. Fleur interrupts them, but this time Harry is not pleased. He admonishes her for continually coming to see him without Bill, and Fleur responds by saying he would never understand, and then warning him about Daphne again. Harry mocks her, but Fleur remains staunch in her belief that Daphne will never be the one to stand by his side when he needs it most. Harry tells Fleur to go back to Bill, yet still has to hold back the urge to comfort her as she leaves. Harry returns to the common room to raucous applause, the party in full swing. In all the chaos, he is approached by Romilda Vane, a very pretty fifth year, who has spent most of the year following Harry around. She offers Harry her drink but he politely declines saying he'd like his own, not giving up, Romilda goes and gets an extra butterbeer her friend was carrying. Not wanting to be rude, he took it and joined his friends. After playing a drinking game, Harry starts to notice something strange with himself. It's when he notices that his gaze is consistently being drawn to Romilda, that he realizes that he's been slipped a love potion. Growing groggy and losing sense of where he is, Harry sprints out of the common room to escape to safety. He can only see in flashes, and has the sensation that he is being led somewhere. He can taste another liquid poured down his throat and he slowly gains some sort of awareness, though his mind is still addled. Blue eyes and dark hair looked down at him from a dark room, and he recognized Daphne, who was just as naked as he was, and he blacked out.
Chapter 17: Harry knew what happened to him, but a part of him still couldn't believe it. His mind went to that night every time he closed his eyes. Days had gone by, but still he wasn't over it. After class one day, Blaise came up to him and told him Daphne wanted to talk. Harry refused, but relented when he saw how desperate Blaise looked. Meeting at the top of the astronomy tower, Harry saw how broken Daphne was. She apologized, in tears, trying to explain, but couldn't. She told Harry that she was leaving, her family was running away to the continent to escape the war, and she had to go. Harry felt numb, not sure what to feel, only barely hearing Daphne as she held his hand and said not to forget about them. Leaving the tower, he ran into Malfoy, and in his fury he confronted him. Malfoy looked terrible, sickly and exhausted, but Harry didn't care. Unintentionally, he slipped into Malfoy's mind and ripped through his memories, glimpsing images such as a necklace, a black cabinet, and a girl lying dead without a memory. Malfoy panicked and tried to kill Harry, who shot a spell that cut through him. Running away in a panic, Harry runs into Trelawney who warns him that death and betrayal is approaching. Dumbledore finds him, worried at the sight of blood. He assures Harry that Snape is looking after Malfoy and that they will discuss what he saw later, but first they had to hurry because he discovered the location of a Horcrux. They made it to the magical cave where Voldemort kept the locket, and Dumbledore forced Harry to feed him the potion. Dumbledore cries out to the ghosts of his past, and Harry is forced to fend off the rising inferi on his own. As their numbers grow, Harry is pressed back, and is nearly hit by a stray spell from Dumbledore who is struggling. Tackling the headmaster, Harry takes his wand to prevent Dumbledore from getting in the way, and clears a path on his own, the power of Dumbledore's wand filling him with something he'd never felt before. They escape back to Hogwarts, were Harry leaves Dumbledore to rest, but before he leaves, Dumbledore passes on a small wooden box. Checking the Marauders Map, Harry is frozen in fear.