Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling. Star Wars is owned by Disney. I am neither a British woman nor an animated mouse. Thus I do not own nor do I claim ownership of either Harry Potter or Star Wars, and I am not profiting in any way through the writing and publication of this story.

Holocron

XV

Saturday, May 4, 1996

"Thanks for the Chocolate Frogs," Ginny said right before she snatched the sweet out of the air as it tried to leap away. She took a bite and turned to her boyfriend and smiled. "They're my favorite."

"Anything for you, Ginny," Michael Corner smiled back at her.

Together they strolled down the High Street of Hogsmeade, hand in hand. Ginny was busy munching on her chocolate while Michael just seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Ready for your O.W.L.s?" she asked once she'd finished off the treat.

"Ugh… Don't remind me," Michael answered. "I've still got more revising to do."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

They passed two of the red-robed Aurors that were patrolling the streets. The Ministry was really pouring resources into the Auror Corps since You-Know-Who's return, or so her father kept saying. It was a good thing too, as the Death Eaters had been stepping up their activity. Ginny normally didn't pay too much attention to things like that, but it was hard to miss all the red robes that were now present for the Hogsmeade weekends.

"Where would you like to go next?" Michael asked.

"How about the Three Broomsticks?" she replied. "I could do with a butterbeer."

"Ehhh…" Michael seemed to hesitate.

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you say your brother was going there?"

"Oh, come on, Michael. He's not going to hurt you!"

"Still…"

"We're going," Ginny stated as she marched off for the inn, dragging Michael by the hand behind her.

They were just about to walk up to the door when it opened and out walked her brother along with Harry and Hermione. Ginny flashed her best smile as the dark-haired boy with the dashing green eyes looked at her.

"Hey, Ginny, Michael," Hermione happily greeted them.

"What are you three up to?" Ginny asked in return. She was quick to note the death glare that Ron was sending her boyfriend. Maybe Michael was right to worry about him. She made a mental note to have a word or two with her brother later on.

"Just had a bit of lunch," Hermione replied. "Now we're off to Scrivenshaft's. Harry needs a new quill."

"Is that right, Harry?" she asked while giving him her best doe-eyed look. She knew she should behave herself – she was standing right next to her boyfriend for Merlin's sake, but she just couldn't help herself whenever she was around Harry.

"Err… yeah," he replied.

"Maybe we should stay and have another butterbeer," Ron said. "Keep an eye on things in there."

Now it was Ginny's turn to practice her death glare. But her stupid brother was too dense to know when to turn his tail and run.

And then the three fifth-year Gryffindors suddenly all went tense, like they were getting ready for a fight. Their heads turned this way and that as their eyes searched the street around them. Hermione and Ron both drew their wands, while Harry pulled out a short, metal tube.

Ginny was rather confused.

"Is that one of those Muggle eckel-torches?" she asked while pointing at the thing Harry was holding, "dad's got one of those in his shed. Doesn't work though."

"You two, get inside." Ron practically ordered.

"Don't boss me around, Ron," Ginny shot back.

"Ginny—"

But the rest of her retort was cut off by a thunderous blast that seemed to shake the very air around her.

Ginny turned to see that the facade of Dervish & Banges had been blown off the building. Splinters and wreckage were flying all over the place and soon the sound of anguished cries started to fill the air.

"What the…" Michael started to say.

And then a host of black-robed Death Eaters poured out of the ruined building.

Bright flashes of spellfire streaked through the air as the handful of Aurors that were nearby engaged the threat. But there simply weren't enough of them to stand much of a chance against the host of Death Eaters. They'd be crushed.

Fear took hold in the pit of Ginny's stomach.

She turned to ask Harry what they should do, if anyone knew it would be the Boy-Who-Lived…

But Harry wasn't there.

He, Ron, and Hermione were sprinting down the street, running toward the fighting.

"What the hell are they doing?!" Ginny shouted.

She watched, her feet riveted to the ground, as Hermione gestured with her hand and one of the Death Eaters went tumbling through the air. Ron made a similar motion, and another Death Eater slammed face-first into a brick wall.

"When did they learn silent casting?" Michael asked.

"Dunno…"

Their presence made known, hexes and curses began to zero in on the three charging Gryffindors.

But Harry leapt forward and suddenly there was a brilliant, blue sword in his hands. He twirled the glowing blade so fast that it blurred through the air with a buzzing thrum. Spells raced at him, but they were each met by the flashing blade and sent rebounding either safely off into the sky or right back at their casters.

The main group of Death Eaters shouted in confusion as their own curses fell upon them and started to wreak havoc. Hermione and Ron sent their own hexes and jinxes into the confused mass of black robes, but they mostly used… whatever silent spell they knew to throw their opponents around.

Ron would definitely need to teach her how to do that.

Harry was still sprinting forward, running faster than Ginny had ever seen, his blue sword a blur of motion around him, intercepting any hex or curse that came within three feet of him.

And then he was among them.

He tumbled and leapt. His blue blade twirled and slashed, carving through anything that it touched, cutting a wide swath of death and destruction wherever it spun. The Death Eaters screamed and fell and died.

Within seconds their formation broke and they ran in all directions, seemingly desperate to get away from the young wizard and his terrible, glowing sword.

"Ginny, look out!" Michael's voice cried out from beside her.

She pulled her eyes away from Harry and turned to see the Death Eater, how had he gotten so close?

She saw the dark purple curse that was headed straight for her.

But she was too surprised to react.

There was nothing she could do.

She just stood there.

Frozen.

And then something latched onto her arm and roughly pulled her to the ground. The wall behind where she had been standing just a moment before exploded in a shower of dust and debris. She looked up only to stare down the wand of the masked Death Eater.

Ginny felt the bottom of her stomach drop off as she simply knew with undeniable certainty that she was about to die.

But before the Death Eater could do anything else, he simply dropped his wand and both of his hands flew to his throat. Ginny watched both in horror and confusion as he gasped, coughing and sputtering while he frantically pulled at the robes around his neck. He slowly fell to the ground, and then there was a sickening crunch. Ginny looked away in revulsion as the man went still, but for one twitching leg.

A series of staccato cracks resounded through the air as the remaining Death Eaters fled the scene of their ill-fated attack.

Ginny glanced down at the hand that was still latched around her arm. Her eyes followed it up to her boyfriend's worried face.

"Michael?"

He just nodded at her in answer.

"You saved me?"

"I guess so," he replied.

Ginny threw her arms around his neck and quickly sealed her lips against his.

But then he was violently ripped out of her arms and flung against the wall by some invisible force.

"Michael!" Ginny screamed as she drew he wand and frantically searched for whatever Death Eater was targeting them. But she couldn't see a single masked figure anywhere near that was still on their feet.

"Corner!"

Ginny turned to see her brother storming toward them, one hand extended toward her boyfriend.

"Corner, you bloody bastard!" he started screaming, "stay the hell away from my sister!"

Ginny threw herself at her brother, trying to bodily push him away from the boy that had just saved her life and was now struggling to stand up. But it was useless, Ron just pushed right by her as if she wasn't even there. When had her brother gotten so strong?

"Ron! Stop it!" she cried.

His head snapped over to her, and she could see the fury burning in his eyes. He snarled at her.

"Stop it, Ron! Michael just saved my life! What's wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you, Ginny?!" Ron shot right back at her. "You're acting like some scarlet woman right out in the middle of the street!"

"You want to fight about this now?! People are hurt or dead all around us! And you're mad that I kissed my boyfriend?!"

"Ron!" Harry's voice broke into the argument and both Weasleys turned toward the newcomer. He strode toward them, his face an expression of deadly calm. Ginny briefly wondered where is glowing, blue sword had gone. "Let it go, Ron."

Her brother snarled again, this time at his best friend. But then he turned and stalked away, probably to try and rein in his temper.

"Ginny? Michael? Are you two okay?" Hermione asked as she walked up to the little group. Ginny saw that the older girl's robes were red with blood near her shoulder. But she seemed to be walking alright so Ginny guessed she was fine, even if she did look a little shaky.

"I think so," Michael replied as he stood up.

Ginny walked over to him and slipped both of her arms around his waist.

"Don't worry about my brother," she said as she looked up at him. "I'll take care of him."

She missed the worried glance that Harry and Hermione shared.

OoOoO

OoOoO

Later that evening, Hermione was rather nervous as she sat in the Headmaster's office along with Harry and Ron. They'd been summoned as soon as they'd returned to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore had thoroughly questioned them about the attack and their actions in response. Hermione had been entirely truthful, not leaving out even the smallest detail. The Headmaster hadn't commented upon what they did, merely asking them to wait where they were as he flooed to the Ministry, promising that he would be back soon.

She knew that she had no real reason to be nervous, she hadn't done anything wrong, per se, and as a Jedi, she knew that she probably should have tried harder to release her anxiousness into the Force, but she couldn't help it. In her five years at Hogwarts, she'd never been called to the Headmaster's office. She'd never been in any sort of trouble before, at least not since the troll incident.

So she fidgeted and bounced her knee as she waited for Dumbledore to return.

"Think he's gonna expel us?" Ron asked.

"Don't say that!" Hermione shouted as her heart started to palpitate even faster. "He simply can't expel us! I mean, we were only protecting ourselves, and the other students, it was the Death Eaters that attacked, not us! It wouldn't be fair to expel us for standing up to them! I mean, the Ministry is basically at war with them, we didn't do anything that they wouldn't have done, I mean we probably saved countless lives, well, not countless, and we didn't save everyone, but it would have been much worse if it wasn't for us, and—"

"Breathe, Hermione," Harry interrupted her.

She snapped her mouth shut and turned to look at her friends. Harry was regarding her with concern, but Ron was grinning at her.

He'd been joking.

"Ronald Weasley!" she nearly screamed, "this is certainly no time for jokes!"

His smile only got wider.

"Just having you on a bit."

"People are dead, Ron! And we're responsible! How can you possibly make light of this?!"

"I was just trying to get you to relax a little," Ron defended himself.

"You're unbelievable! It's a wonder you can feel the Force at all as you clearly have the sensitivity of a teaspoon!"

"Hey!"

"Okay, guys," Harry interrupted their budding argument, "this isn't the time or the place for this. We're all a bit riled up after the attack, but we need to deal with it the right way – as Jedi."

Hermione blushed and looked down at her shoes. Harry was right as always.

"I think we could all use a bit of meditation," he continued. "Let's do that together while we wait for Dumbledore to get back."

Hermione sighed, letting out a long breath. She should have thought of that. She should have known better than to lose her temper like that. She was letting her emotions control her – and that was dangerous.

So she closed her eyes and stretched out her senses, just as Harry advised. She was immediately assaulted by the presences of her two friends, especially since they were so close to her. Ron felt like a burning flame, bright and hot like his Weasley temperament, always full of energy and ready for action - a coiled spring just waiting to be released.

Harry, on the other hand, was like a beacon in the Force, bright and shining like Ron, only more so. But at the same time his presence felt like calm, patient strength, a mountain of determination and sheer will that could withstand any opposition. She felt herself drawn to him as always; she wanted to let her own presence drift to him so that she could be swallowed up into him, like they had done during their intimate Force-embrace when he had first taught her to reach out to the Energy all around them. Had that really been all the way back in first year? Had it truly been so long ago? The feeling was still with her, it never really left…

But Hermione marshaled her willpower and resisted the temptation – it wouldn't be very proper after all. Instead, she focused on her own feelings, on the anxiousness and frazzled nerves that were driving her spare at the moment. She gathered them up and invited the Force to simply carry them away.

She sighed again and smiled as the burden was lifted from her. She then simply let herself sink into the Force, delving ever deeper into its strong current. From it she gained new perspective and the assurance that they had been right, that she had been right in her actions earlier that day. She had fought in defense of life, to protect those that could not protect themselves, and even though she had taken a life herself that day, the Force did not condemn her.

With the aid of the Force, her memory of that terrible moment came back to her in vivid detail. It had seemed like time had slowed to a crawl, everything moving in slow motion except for herself, Harry, and Ron as they used the Force to defend themselves and their friends. Despite her best efforts, she had just been hit by a Cutting Curse in her left shoulder. She had asked the Force to dull the pain so that she could keep on moving as her attacker readied another spell. But then her senses had shouted to her of the danger that was building nearby and she turned to see a mote of bright green gathering at the tip of another Death Eater's wand. She had never actually seen it before, but her mind instantly recognized what could only be the beginnings of the Killing Curse. She pushed with the Force, and the first Death Eater was flung away from her and into the path of the curse, preventing it from meeting its intended target. Most likely saving someone's life.

At the expense of another.

She'd killed a human being.

She knew that he'd been a dark wizard who probably took delight in all sorts of terrible things. Killing him had probably saved not only one life, but likely many more lives that would've been lost in the future.

But those justifications didn't really help. She'd still taken a life. She still felt like a killer.

But the Force didn't condemn her. It didn't pass judgment or blame her. Instead, it brought consolation and eased her guilt. Fighting in defense of life made a difference somehow and the Force helped her process and accept what she had done, to acknowledge that while it was regrettable, it had still been the right thing to do.

Part of her wondered how Harry was feeling. As far as she knew, Hermione had only been directly responsible for one death. Harry had sprinted into the middle of the Death Eaters with his lightsaber flashing all around him. She couldn't even guess how many people he'd maimed and killed, or how he was dealing with it after the fact.

But she could feel that the Force didn't condemn him either, and neither would she. As long as they held themselves to using the Force for knowledge and defense, and not to attack, they would be fine.

Hermione heard a roar from the fireplace followed by the voice of the Headmaster.

"Well isn't this a sight to see."

She opened her eyes and saw that the office was in complete disarray. A selection of Dumbledore's belongings were slowly floating around the room - the Sorting Hat, a collection of fiddly, silver instruments, the gilded stand that his phoenix was still using as a perch, a few portraits of former Headmasters, as well as several other odds and ends.

"Sorry about that," Harry said as he gestured and everything gently floated back to its rightful place. "It's my fault. I never really learned to control what I unconsciously do with the Force around me as I meditate. It can cause a bit of a mess sometimes…"

"Not to worry, Harry," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes, "no harm has been done after all."

The ancient wizard then took his seat behind his expansive desk before continuing.

"I have spoken to Madam Bones at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and I have explained your actions in defense of your fellow students, leaving out certain details, of course."

"Is she going to press charges against us?" Hermione found herself asking.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Miss Granger," Dumbledore smiled. "Madam Bones agrees with me that this was a clear case of self-defense. If anything, you are to be commended."

"Told you we wouldn't be expelled," Ron said.

"Heavens no!" Dumbledore added. "Quite the contrary, in fact. I believe that you three are deserving of a reward, not condemnation. I hereby award one hundred points to Gryffindor, each, for your bravery in the face of such danger. And I think that awards for special service to the school would be appropriate as well…"

Hermione felt her face split into a very wide grin as the old wizard went on speaking.

OoOoO

OoOoO

Sunday May 5, 1996

Ron slammed down his goblet of pumpkin juice as he stared at the front page of the Daily Prophet.

DEATH EATERS ATTACK HOGSMEADE!

DOZENS DEAD OR WOUNDED!

BOY-WHO-LIVED BECOMES BOY-WHO-FOUGHT-BACK!

By Rita Skeeter

Sources report that a large force of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's Death Eaters attacked the wizarding village of Hogsmeade yesterday afternoon leaving dozens wounded or dead. Scores of innocent students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were enjoying a quiet day of shopping and fun, when the extremists executed their most recent attack, quickly overwhelming the Aurors stationed nearby. They were poised to begin their merciless slaughter when the tide suddenly turned against them.

Multiple witness say that Harry Potter, currently a fifth-year Gryffindor, was seen running toward the Death Eaters with a glowing, blue sword in his hands. The Boy-Who-Lived singlehandedly took on a force of over twenty dark witches and wizards and sent them reeling.

"It was unbelievable," said witness Cho Chang, a lovely and vivacious sixth-year Ravenclaw, "Everyone was screaming, and then Harry was there with that blazing sword, cutting through the Death Eaters. They couldn't come anywhere near him with even a single curse. It was just like something out of one of those Boy Who Lived adventure books from when I was little."

Potter is said to be responsible for killing eleven of You-Know-Who's most vicious followers and likely wounding several more. The rest quickly fled the scene in fear.

Yet many questions remain. Where did our hero learn such skills? And where did he get that glowing sword? Is it perhaps the Sword of Gryffindor found anew after being lost for centuries? And what happened to the Aurors? How were they so quickly overrun? Why hasn't the Ministry provided better protection for our precious children?

In any event, this reporter says 'well done' to our Boy-Who-Lived! So far the Ministry of Magic has been entirely ineffective at taking the fight to You-Know-Who. It's about time that someone had the courage to stand up and fight back. Harry Potter is the hero our country needs in these dark times! Hopefully the Ministry takes notice and starts following his example.

For more on the attack on Hogsmeade, see page 3.

For more eye-witness accounts of Potter's fighting, see pages 7-9.

For a reprinting of articles detailing You-Know-Who's most recent attacks, see pages 12-15.

For speculation on Potter's love life, see pages 18-25.

"This is ridiculous," Ron grumbled to the Gryffindor table.

"What is?" Harry asked as he finished his eggs.

"That's not how it happened!"

"So?"

"Skeeter gets it all wrong!" Ron complained. "And she paints you out to be the lone bloody hero! Basically calls for you to be appointed Minister right away. And the hag doesn't even mention us! She says that you took them on all by yourself! Doesn't say a word about me! Or Hermione!"

"Honestly!" Hermione exclaimed. "Who cares, Ron? People died yesterday, and you're worried about your name in the papers?! Kevin Entwhistle and Megan Jones are still in the Infirmary!"

"What?! It's the truth!"

"Since when has the Prophet ever worried about printing the truth?"

"Why are you upset about what's in the paper?" Harry calmly asked.

"It'd be nice to get some recognition is all," Ron replied. "We put our lives on the line, you know? I almost took a Blasting Hex! Hermione did get hit with a Cutting Curse! People should know about what we did!"

"That might be true," Harry said, "but a Jedi shouldn't worry about those things. We're not in this to see our names in the paper or to get recognition, Ron. A Jedi fights to defend life. Plain and simple."

"Still."

"Let it go, Ron," Hermione admonished him. "Rita Skeeter is a two-bit hack that wouldn't know real journalism it if slapped her in the face. Don't worry about what she says."

"Anyways," Harry said, "I've got a feeling that yesterday was just the beginning. Things are only going to get worse. We obviously can't fight the war for the Ministry, we're just students after all, but we should be more prepared in case something like this happens again."

Ron and Hermione both nodded in agreement.

"But there's a problem," Harry continued, "you two would have been in a lot of trouble if I hadn't been there to deflect those curses."

"So what?" Ron said. "We'll fight as a team. Tossers'll never be able to touch us! Ron Weasley and the Fighting Threesome!"

"Do you even listen to yourself?" Hermione asked while she shook her head. "Fighting Threesome? Go ahead and call the tabloids right now."

"What's wrong with a threesome?" Ron asked aloud.

"Ow ow!" Dean catcalled from his place down the table. "Getting a bit ambitious there, aren't you Weasley?"

"Weasley can't even keep one girl happy, never mind two at the same time!" Parvati added.

Ron blushed bright red when he finally realized what he'd actually said.

"Bugger off, you two!" he shouted.

"Not with you!" Dean shot back.

With a flick of his wand Harry cast a privacy spell around him and his two friends. The voices around them faded to a dull buzz.

"If we could get back to the point?" he asked. "Right then. We did alright together yesterday, but—"

"But we might not always be together when trouble crops up," Hermione finished for him.

"Exactly," Harry said.

"So what do we do, then?" Ron asked.

"Term's almost up," Harry replied. "Once it is, I think we better see about you two building your own lightsabers."

"You're daft," Ron said. "Mum's not gonna let me run off for a month on a Force-quest. Especially now with the attacks."

"He's right, Harry—"

"Hear that, Harry?" Ron cut Hermione off, "Hermione says I'm right!"

The witch rolled her eyes but continued her statement.

"Ron's right, for once. My parents don't know about the Death Eaters, but they're not about to let their teenaged daughter roam about the countryside for a month. Especially not if they know there's two boys involved."

"Who says it has to take a month?" Harry asked.

"You did," Hermione answered. "What, you think I'd forgotten about your disappearing act last summer?"

"It took me a month, you're right. But I don't see why it should take so long for you…"

Ron leaned forward in interest and listened to the beginnings of Harry's plan.

This was going to be great! Soon, he'd have his very own lightsaber!

AN: Thoughts?

Thanks for your reviews and thanks for reading!