Lionheart

by indyjones1990

Harry's fifth year is a week away. Dumbledore is worried; is the Boy Who Lived ready for the war to come? Can he handle the losses a war always brings? Severus Snape thinks that an orphan from a war-torn United States might be exactly what Harry needs. Jonathan Sheppard Lionheart has been in a war since he was 11. Can he help Harry defeat Voldemort? (AU) *NEW CHAPTER 11*

8. Brick in the Wall much?

So, first things first I need to apologize. I had an overlap of moments between my last two chapters that I didn't notice in my first edits. I've fixed it now, and I'm sure a few people caught it. I'm not going to tell you what it was, just know that I caught it and fixed it.

I'm also sorry that this update took so long to get posted. Most of my free time ended up vanishing with work and career training. I promise I'll try to do better in the future.

Add that to the challenge of doing this story right, and not just creating some junk.

Anyway, thanks Bosma17 for the review, and to everyone else who has fav'd and followed. I'm glad you like it and hope to keep writing something you enjoy.

And again, I own nothing. I had an idea, I'm exploring it, and you're along for the ride as I make a mess in JKR's sandbox.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

After having to ask a few people for directions, Jon managed to make his way to the Arithmancy classroom. He was the last student to make it before class started, which left him with only one seat up front for him to claim. He didn't think this was such a bad thing as it was next to Hermione, but this presented a new problem.

As soon as Hermione saw him her gaze went from anxious to cool and unfriendly. 'Oh crap,' he thought. Thinking on his last conversation with Hermione and Ron, he realized he probably stepped on some toes without thinking. This put a damper on his good mood; he couldn't be Harry's friend while alienating the people that were already in his life. 'Looks like I've got some damage control to do.'

When class came to an end, Hermione shot out of her spot like a bullet, and Jon nearly had to run to catch up to her. "Hey, Hermione!"

She stopped and spun on her heels to face him. The look on her face would have made Jon a little afraid for his life if he hadn't seen half the things he'd seen. "Exactly who do you think you are!?"

Jon held his hands up in a placating manner. "Look, I know…"

"Ron and I have been Harry's friends since first year! We've been with him through some of the toughest times he's faced! We know more about him than you probably ever will! You've been here for all of two days and you think you know him better than we do!?" Her voice kept climbing in pitch and speed as she talked, and students were staring as they walked past.

Jon kept his calm. "Can I ask you something?"

She crossed her arms. "What?"

"Were you with him when Cedric died?"

The question seemed to pull the rug out from under her. "N… No. He was the champion. We weren't allowed to be with him."

Jon nodded. "So you weren't there when he watched someone he considered a friend get murdered?"

Her arms fell to her sides. "No."

"Can I ask another question, Hermione?"

She looked at Jon uncertainly. "Yes."

"Have you ever watched someone die? Doesn't matter how. Have you seen death?"

She chewed her bottom lip, fidgeting with her hands. "No." She said quietly.

Jon scratched the back of his head, noticing a bench in the hall. "Here, sit for a sec." They sat down, Jon turning so he was facing her. Sighing, he continued. "I've seen death, Hermione. I've watched friends die in front of me. I've heard of their deaths when they were away from me. I've held a friend in my arms as she took her last breaths in this life." Jon told Hermione the story of Elizabeth Koontz.

When he finished the story, Hermione sat stunned. Wiping teary eyes, she looked at Jon. "I'm so sorry. I didn't… Oh, and I was so rude."

Jon shook his head. "You didn't know. And I was rude, too. I stepped on your toes and Ron's at lunch and for that I'm sorry. It's just that… I've seen Harry's attitude before. The anger, the snappishness, the withdrawal; it always comes after something traumatic."

"Something like Cedric being murdered." Hermione whispered.

"Exactly." Jon rubbed his temples. "I asked Harry about what happened with Cedric."

"He doesn't like to talk about it."

Jon nodded. "I noticed. But he opened up, after I told him about Lizzie."

Hermione looked surprised. "Really?" Then she thought. "Well, that actually makes sense, since you told him what happened to you."

Jon nodded. "Yep. I think, when I told him about Lizzie, he realized I didn't see him as a freak or a liar."

Hermione shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, that does seem to be how most people see him."

"I know. Look, this is something… That a lot of people who have never experienced this kind of trauma can really understand. When you and Ron, Harry's best friends, fight like you two do, it makes him feel like… Like the solid ground under him isn't so solid. Like the things he counts on in the life can't be trusted to be there for him when he needs them."

"He can't understand why you're fighting about things that, to him, now seem trivial compared to what he's seen. He knows just how fragile life is. And when you and Ron just go at each other about things, it's… Painful. That's the best way I can describe it. It's painful to him."

Hermione chewed her bottom lip again. "Do you… What can we do for him, besides stop the fighting?"

"Be there for Harry. You're right, Hermione. I don't know him. I've been here for two days. You've been with him for years, you have a much better idea of how to help him and support him. But you need to understand; he's not going to be the same Harry you've grown up with. Not for a while, and maybe never again. He's going to be… Vulnerable. Irritable. His moods are going to swing from one extreme to the next. He'll hurt you without even thinking."

"Just do your best to go with it. Be as gentle, loving and forgiving as you can." Hermione blushed at that bit. Jon noticed, but kept going. "That's what he's gonna need most, Hermione. He needs to know that you and Ron are behind him, no matter what. And that you're united and not bickering with each other."

Hermione looked at Jon, her eyes watery. "How is it you can see this, but I can't?"

"I'm the outsider. My view is mostly neutral. And I'm fairly experienced with war veterans." Jon looked at a clock hanging on the wall across from them. "We'd better go or we're gonna be late."

Hermione nodded, wiping her eyes as they stood and started making their way to the DADA class. "Thank you, Jon. For pointing this out. For helping us. For helping Harry."

Jon shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'm kinda used to it. Just keep in mind you're gonna need to handle Harry a bit more gently than you're used to."

As the two students rounded the last corner heading for class, Ron and Harry were waiting outside the room. As soon as Harry saw Hermione he visibly relaxed, but that went away as soon as Hermione tackled him with what looked like a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I… Well, there were some things I didn't understand." She looked back at Jon and smiled. "But I think I do. I'm sorry for making things harder on you."

Harry looked at Jon who just shrugged. "Th… Thanks, Hermione. I, well… I owe you an apology too. For snapping like that. I know you're on my side, it's just…"

"You're dealing with a lot." Hermione finished. "I know. And I'm going to help you with it." She looked at Jonathan and Ron. "We all will. As best we can." She reached down and grabbed Harry's hand, squeezing it tight.

"Isn't that sweet." The voice of Draco Malfoy came from behind Jon, sounding sickly sweet. "Potter's got a girlfriend." Jon turned and saw Draco and his two enforcers.

"Shove off it, Malfoy!" Ron spat.

Draco shrugged. "Personally, I think Potter could do better than a buck-toothed Mudblood."

As soon as the word left his mouth, Draco found Jon standing toe to toe with him, their faces only a couple of inches apart. The look in Jon's face was murderous, and Draco seemed to shrivel. "What did you call her?" Jon growled, his voice growling almost like that of a wild cat.

Draco backstepped two steps in an effort to get some breathing room, only to find Jon stepped forward, keeping the same distance. "Well… She is, a little Muggle-raised mud…."

Jon balled his right hand into a first and started to swing a solid uppercut when Ron's arms wrapped around his own and started pulling him back. "You can't, Jon. Back off!"

Harry was in front of Jon pushing him back. "He's a prefect, Jon. You can't hit him."

A small crowd of students was now watching the spectacle. Malfoy, sensing the threat was contained, started strutting, feeling he now had control again. "That's right, Potter. Call of your new dog. I think he should serve detention for threating a prefect." Jonathan growled as he tried to get out of Ron and Harry's grip.

Hermione stood in front of Draco now, and most amusingly, the look on her face caused him to cower in the same amount of fear Jon had caused. "How about I give Crabbe and Goyle detention for a week for slandering a prefect? Or maybe I just go the headmaster and tell him what you said about me?" Malfoy wavered and Hermione continued. "Jonathan was protecting a fellow student from emotional abuse. I think Dumbledore would grant a little leniency in this case."

From the entrance to the classroom, there was a small "hem hem." Everyone looked and saw the very short and toad-faced Dolores Umbridge standing in the doorway, on overly sweet, and frankly fake looking, smile on her face. "Is something the matter out here?"

Jonathan shrugged Ron off, and Hermione glared at Draco one more time before answering. "No, Professor. Just a misunderstanding. It's cleared up now."

Umbridge seemed to consider this for a moment, before looking at Malfoy. "I believe you have class somewhere, do you not, Prefect Malfoy?"

Draco nodded quickly. "Yes, Professor."

"Well, then I suggest you get going. You wouldn't want to be late."

Malfoy glared at Hermione, then Jon, before ducking down the hall, Crabbe and Goyle in tow behind him.

"Yeah, you better run." Jon mumbled.

Harry shot Jon a sympathetic look as they headed into class. Ron and Harry sat next to each other in a set of middle row desks, while Hermione and Jon sat across the aisle from them next to the wall. As everyone was getting settled, Hermione looked at Jon. "You should be a bit more careful."

Jon pressed his lips into a thin line. Hermione was right, of course, but it was still so frustrating that someone like Malfoy could skate like that. Unable to say anything without sounding angry with Hermione, Jon simply nodded tersely.

Once all the students settled down into their chairs, Professor Umbridge took a spot on the left side of her desk. "Well! Good afternoon, class."

Only a handful of students muttered in reply.

Professor Umbridge tsk'd twice. "Now, that simply will not do! I should like you to say, 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' Let's try again, all together. Good afternoon, class!"

Jon rolled his eyes as, like robots on command, the classroom replied. "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge."

Umbridge smiled sweetly, (sickeningly so, Jon thought.) "Marvelous! Now. Wands away, quills out if you please."

Jon removed several pieces of parchment and his navy blue and gold fountain pen, waiting for Professor Umbridge to continue. When Professor Umbridge pulled out her own wand, Jon paid it some extra attention. It was short and thick, made of a dark wood. This alarmed Jon a bit, as most everyone he'd met in his life that had a short wand was dangerous and sinister in some fashion.

Professor Umbridge tapped the blackboard with her wand, making the words "Defense Against The Dark Arts: A Return to Basic Principles" appear.

"Well, after a thoroughly exhaustive review of your previous class years, it seems to me that, for the majority of this class, your instruction on this subject has been terribly fragmented. The constant changing of teachers and their apparent lack of instruction resembling anything close to a Ministry-approved curriculum has resulted in your being very far behind where you should be in an O.W.L. year."

She sighed, smiling as if she were pleased with herself. "However, this is going to be remedied this year! I have devised a carefully structured, theory-centered Ministry-approved course for you. Please copy the following."

She tapped the blackboard again and it filled with her planned course aims. Jonathan had to fight not to laugh. 'No one warned me I was going to have to go this far backwards! Let's see. Number one, understanding the principles underlying defensive magic. Two, learning to recognize situations where defensive magic can be used legally. Uh huh. And three, placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use. I just might fall asleep in this class.'

As he was trying to look busy copying down Professor Umbridge's instructions, she came and stood next to his and Hermione's table. "Mr. Lionheart?"

He stopped writing and looked up. "Yes, ma'am?"

She pursed her lips. "Yes, Professor Umbridge." She said expectantly.

'Oh for cryin' out loud.' "Sorry, Professor Umbridge." Jon had to work a bit to keep his tone neutral.

Umbridge smiled. "That's quite alright, dear. Now, I wanted to make sure you felt able to keep up with the class."

Jon shook his head. "I don't understand, ma… Professor Umbridge."

Her sweet smile widened. "Well, it has been a long-held belief of the Ministry that formal Wizarding education in the Colonies has always been lacking compared to our own." Hermione sucked in a sharp breath, and Jon grit his teeth so hard he thought he might crush some. "I simply wanted to ensure that you didn't feel intimidated by the objectives or course book, especially with this being O.W.L. year."

Jon's temper was still hot after his encounter with Malfoy and having both himself, his country and his school insulted by this Ministry hag wasn't helping. A thousand insults ran through his mind, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. "I'm sure I'll be fine, Professor Umbridge. If I find myself needing some help, I'll be sure to seek it out."

This seemed to satisfy Umbridge. "Splendid! That's an excellent attitude to have, Mr. Lionheart." She turned and started heading back towards her desk. "Now, has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

Only Jon and Hermione seemed to have caught on that Umbridge loved to hear her name and title said out loud by those under her. The rest of the class mumbled their answer.

"Mmhmm. Let's try that again, shall we? When I ask a question, I should like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' Now. Has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by William Slinkhard?"

As the class chanted "Yes, Professor Umbridge," Jon couldn't help but mutter. "Brick in the Wall, much?" Hermione sniggered, but quickly regained her composure.

Umbridge continued. "Excellent! Now, please turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners.' And please be quiet, there's no need for talking."

As she sat behind her desk, watching the glass with keen interest, Jon started reading. He read one paragraph and gave up. 'This is a bad dream. Basics for beginners? These are fifth year students. Even without what I've gone through, this is beneath them.' He started flipping quietly ahead, skimming over the material in chapter one. 'This must be what going mad feels like.'

Jon was about to raise his hand to ask a question when he noticed something pop up in his peripheral vision. He looked to his left to see Hermione's hand raised as high as it would go. She was staring at Professor Umbridge expectantly, and Jon got the feeling she was going to sit like that all day if she needed to.

Jon looked over and saw Harry looking at Hermione, a puzzled look on his face. She glanced at him, shook her head, then kept staring at Professor Umbridge. Jon looked at Harry, nodding at Hermione as if to ask, "what's this about?" Harry shook his head, shrugging.

Professor Umbridge and Hermione seemed to be in a cold war; one stared at the other intently, the other looked away just as intently. After several minutes it got to the point to where most of the class was staring at either Hermione or Umbridge.

Finally, Umbridge looked at Hermione. "Do you have a question about the chapter, dear?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not the chapter, no."

Umbridge smiled. "Well, for the moment we're just reading. If, once we've finished, you still have queries, we can deal with them at the end of class."

That didn't satisfy Hermione. "I have a query about your course aims." Her tone of voice was one of mild annoyance.

Umbridge seemed surprised by her response. "And you are, dear?"

"Hermione Granger."

Umbridge widened her smile. "Well, Miss Granger, if you read through the course aims I'm sure you'll find them perfectly laid out."

Hermione shook her head. "I have read through them and I don't think they're well laid out. You haven't mentioned anything about using defensive spells." Hermione's voice was almost accusatory, as if she felt she was being wronged in some fashion.

Silence enveloped the room. Jon smirked, looking at Umbridge while everyone waited for an answer, contemplating what Hermione pointed out. After a couple of moments, Umbridge gave a little nervous laugh, as if she'd been caught and hadn't expected it.

"Using defensive spells? Why, Miss Granger, I can't honestly think of a reason as to why you would need to use a defensive spell in my classroom. You're not expecting to be attacked during our class, are you?"

Jon held his tongue. The number of times the R.W.A. had sent scout teams and infiltrators to Ilvermorny was higher than anyone wanted to admit. There had been a point in time where everyone was so jumpy that a few young wizards and witches found themselves in the hospital wing from a burn hex because another student just didn't recognize them. Hogwarts might not be in the middle of a civil war, but Jonathan still shot his head in the direction of any sudden movement he caught in his peripheral vision, or any noise he couldn't immediately identify, and was always watching other people's hands.

Ron, meanwhile, did not hold his thoughts inside. "Wait, we're not going to use magic!?"

Umbridge took the outburst in stride. "Students raise their hands when they want to speak in my class, Mr...?"

"Weasley!" Ron almost yelled, jamming his hand as high as it would go, which Umbridge promptly ignored.

More hands shot into the air, including Hermione's and Harry's. Jon looked around. 'Well, this is deteriorating quickly.' And he was right. For at least the next five minutes, various students and Professor Umbridge went back and forth, arguing about the layout of the class, expressing concerns about learning enough for O.W.L. tests, disappointment in not actually learning defensive spells. At one point, Umbridge let slip that she was probably racist, calling one of her predecessor's, one Professor Lupin, a dangerous "half-breed." That remark steamed Harry, Ron and Hermione more than anything else.

Jon was sure he'd have probably lost his temper at some point, so did his best to tune everything out, focusing on flipping through the book in front of him. He made a promise to stay out of trouble, and he'd failed to keep it most of the day so far. Eventually, though, he heard Harry say something that brought him from his self-imposed isolation.

"Hmm. Let's think for a second… Oh, I don't know. Maybe Lord Voldemort?" Harry called out, his voice a mixture of anger and mockery.

Jon shot his head up as some students whimpered and others even screamed. Poor Neville fell out of his chair. Hermione looked worriedly at Harry. 'Shots fired,' Jon thought. He looked at Umbridge expecting to see her look upset or shocked. Instead, she looked… pleased. It was a look Jon would expect to see on the face of a Wizarding navy captain after his enemy made an obvious blunder. 'Oh crap. She expected that. She wanted that.' Jon glanced at Harry, imaging an enormous target painted on him. 'He really does need twenty-four-seven monitoring, doesn't he?'

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

The classroom went silent, and Harry was gritting his teeth. This was only going to get worse. As Jon wracked his brain for a way to get Harry out of the fire he just threw himself into, Umbridge stood from behind her desk.

"Allow me to make a few things very clear." She leaned forward onto the desk, like a general discipling his officers. "You have been told that a certain Dark wizard is back from the dead…"

"He wasn't dead, but yeah, he's returned!" Harry spat.

Umbridge's face went red. "Mr. Potter you have already lost your house ten points, DO NOT make things worse!" She took a breath, calming herself. "As I was saying, you have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned and is at large. This. Is. A. Lie."

"No it isn't!" Harry yelled. "I saw him! I fought him! He killed Cedric!"

Jon closed his eyes, wincing. 'Checkmate.'

Umbridge smiled the most disgusting smile Jon had ever seen, like a villain that just trapped the hero. "Detention, Mr. Potter. Tomorrow evening at five o'clock! My office. Now, I repeat, these are lies! The Ministry of Magic guarantees that no one is in any danger from a Dark wizard. If you are still concerned, then by all means come see me after class and I will assuage your fears. If someone is alarming you with fibs about Dark wizards, I want to hear about it.

"I am here to help you. All of you. I am your friend." She sat back down, smoothing over some papers on her desk. "Now, let's return to the reading. Page five. If you please."

Harry shot up like a thunderbolt, pure anger on his face. Hermione reached across the aisle, tugging on his sleeve. "Harry, no!" She whispered. He refused to come back down. As Harry opened his mouth to damn himself further, Jon shot up.

"Professor Umbridge, I have a question about our reading!" Harry shot him a glare, but Jon just shrugged. Hermione looked at him thankfully.

"Yes, Mr. Lionheart?"

Jon raised the book up. "Is there going to be a homework assignment over this reading?"

This puzzled Umbridge. "Yes, there will be an assignment."

Jon nodded. "Would it be possible for me to have it now, Professor?"

Everyone stared at Jon. Umbridge looked amused. "Why, Mr. Lionheart, you haven't finished the reading."

A small smirk played across his face. "Well, Professor Umbridge. I'm afraid I learned all this in my first year at Ilvermorny."

Umbridge's eyes narrowed. "I find that highly unlikely, Mr. Lionheart."

Jon nodded. "I can understand that, what with us Colonials being so… Inferior to your Ministry's education standards. But as you might be aware, we've been in something of a civil war for the past four years. Certain classes at Ilvermorny were taught at an... Enriched level, to prepare wizards and witches for war. Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts were all considered top priority. Frankly, Professor. I could probably take the O.W.L.'s for those classes today and pass easily. I could maybe even take the N.E.W.T.'s and pass just as easily.

"So, it would be a huge help to me, Professor Umbridge, if I could work on the homework assignments while I was in class. That would really let me free up time to work on classes I might not be so much more advanced than in everyone else. Like… Care of Magical Creatures. Or Arithmancy. To name a couple."

Professor Umbridge smiled another sickeningly sweet smile. "Mr. Lionheart, I do admire your desire to prove yourself to the staff here. However, such theatrics will not endear you to anyone." She glanced at Harry. "We have enough attention seekers in the school as it is."

"Well, if it would help to convince you, I'm more than prepared to give a practical demonstration. Or perhaps to answer some random questions you can come up with." Out of the corner of Jon's eye, he noticed Harry seemed to be calming down, or at least focusing his anger on Jon for derailing him. 'I can't expel him, so that's an improvement.'

Umbridge studied Jon carefully. "You seem to be quite sure of yourself, Mr. Lionheart." Her smile went wider. "Very well. I shall give you a chance to prove yourself. You have until the end of class today to complete seven inches on the instructions I will post on the board. If you cannot meet the deadline, however, you'll join Mr. Potter for detention. I do not appreciate theatrics like this in my classroom."

Jon hid a smirk. "I understand, Professor Umbridge." As Umbridge tapped the blackboard causing the assignment to appear, Jon glanced at Harry who was glaring at him. Jon shrugged. If Harry had kept on the course he was going, who knew what Umbridge would have done to him. Beyond that, Jon knew there were only so many times he could run such interference. If Harry got into that kind of spitting contest with Umbridge again, there wouldn't be anything Jon could do for him.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

A thankful group of fifth-years burst out of the DADA classroom. Harry was still fuming, Ron and Hermione were angry about the format of the class, and Jon had a mild strut in his walk. With ten minutes left of class he handed in his seven inches of writing to a very surprised Dolores Umbridge, who, after looking it over, seemed completely shocked that it was not only well written, but full of knowledge instead of bluff.

Rounding the corner heading for dinner, Jon wanted to talk to Harry before he had to go serve his own detention with Snape. "Harry!" Harry kept walking. Jon jogged up next to him. "Look, Harry, I know you wanted to prove…"

"You don't know anything!"

Jon grabbed Harry by the arm and stopped him dead in his tracks. The force and strength surprised Harry. "You know better than that, Harry. Look. If you'd kept going, there's no telling the kind of punishment Umbridge would have slapped you with. You'd already lost the House ten points, making your housemates angry at you. And you have detention tomorrow night. If you'd kept going, you could have gotten detention for a week, a month, or maybe even worse."

Harry thought about this for a second when Hermione piped up. 'He's right, Harry. You need to be careful, especially around Umbridge. Saying the things you were saying…"

"The truth!?" Harry ground out.

Hermione closed her eyes, then continued. "Yes, Harry. The truth. It's dangerous. We believe you, but the Ministry doesn't want people to believe you. They can't afford the panic."

"She's right, mate." Ron agreed. "You said it yourself, Umbridge was at your hearing. She already doesn't like you. You need to mind yourself."

Jon put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Look, I know it's tough. Believe me, I do. Just keep your head down. You have enough problems on your plate without professors trying to end your education." Jon looked at a clock on the wall. "I have to go. Detention with Professor Snape. I'll see you all after dinner, alright?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded as Jon made his way down towards the dungeons. The gravity of what he'd been asked to do was finally starting to sink in with Jon. 'Dumbledore must have known Umbridge was put here to keep an eye on Harry. So, I need to help protect Harry from Voldemort, from the Ministry, from professors and students here at Hogwarts, and worst of all… From himself.' Jon sighed. "I'm much too young to feel this damn old."

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

Detention with Snape had been, thankfully, a quiet affair. Snape had given Jon his assignment and said nothing else, allowing Jon to work on his twelve inches on the properties of Moonstone in silence for the hour.

When he turned his paper in, Snape looked it over with an emotionless mask. "Perhaps, Mr. Lionheart, you are more than reputation alone." He set the assignment down. "The Headmaster has requested you see him before you retire for the evening."

Jon sighed. "Yes, sir."

Snape looked at Jon, as if he were sizing him up. "You're dismissed."

Jon grabbed his pack and left the dungeons. When he made it to the main floor and was standing outside the Great Hall, he realized that he had no idea where Dumbledore was right now, or even where his office was. He rubbed his temples when a voice came from behind him.

"Ah, there you are, Mr. Lionheart." Jon turned to see Dumbledore standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, having ushered the last remaining students from the hall to their common rooms.

Jon walked up to him. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Let's head to my office. I promise I won't keep you long."

Jon followed Dumbledore up several flights of stairs until they reached the hall to his office. Dumbledore walked up to an intricately carved gargoyle. "Acid pops." The gargoyle leapt aside, and Jon followed Dumbledore up the stairs that led to his office.

The first thing Jon noticed was that the office was very dimly lit. He couldn't really see anything besides Dumbledore's desk, which Dumbledore was walking towards. "Please, take a seat, Jonathan. I apologize for it being so dark. I've not been spending a lot of time in this room so far this week."

"It's alright, sir."

Dumbledore looked at Jonathan over the top of his spectacles. "I hear you had an interesting first day of classes."

Jon sighed. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

Dumbledore smiled softly. "I would be lying if I said I expected you to transition into Hogwarts smoothly and without incident. However, I do need you to try harder to blend in."

"I will, sir." Jon paused. "May I ask a question, sir?"

"Yes."

"How are prefects chosen here at Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore seemed surprised, like this was not the question he was expecting. "They are chosen by the Head of their House, and myself."

Jon nodded. "So just like Ilvermorny." He paused. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"You don't need to ask, Jonathan."

Jon sighed. "Making Draco Malfoy a prefect was a mistake. He does not have the leadership skills or temperament for the position."

An almost sad look came across Dumbledore's face. "Yes, I have heard of some of Draco's actions. Unfortunately, Professor Snape was adamant that he be made a prefect, and he does have the grades to earn the position."

"Grades aren't everything, Headmaster. I'd rather have a prefect that can't ride a broom or brew a potion than a prefect like Malfoy. He's abusing his position, and he's using it as a weapon against Harry."

"I understand. Unfortunately, unless Draco violates Hogwarts rules for prefects, he must remain a prefect for the rest of the year."

"And bullying first year students isn't against the rules?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Sadly, the rules are rather vague."

Jon rubbed his forehead. "Of course they are."

Dumbledore smiled. "Your sense of right and wrong is quite strong, Jonathan. It's a part of why you were chosen. I promise you, come the end of the year, Draco's position as prefect will be strongly re-considered."

"Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore nodded. "In the meantime, Jonathan, I need you to lay low. So far, I don't think any damage has been done to your cover, but you cannot take anymore risks. I understand you want to protect Harry, but unfortunately, if Harry puts himself out there as he did earlier today, you're going to have to let him take whatever comes. You cannot protect him like you did."

Jon frowned. "He could find himself in some serious trouble."

"I know, but it must be this way. The Ministry will remove you if they find out who you are. And Harry will need your help much more than he will need an easier time at Hogwarts."

"I have mentioned I don't really like this, right?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Once or twice. Please, Jonathan. You must keep a lower profile."

Jon nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best."

"I know you will. Now, you missed dinner. I can have a house elf bring something to your dorm."

Jon shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. "Thank you, sir, but Professor Snape was right. I am used to missing meals. I'm also prepared. I'll grab something from my stash."

Dumbledore nodded. "Then you probably want to head to your dorm. Goodnight, Jonathan. And good luck."

Jon nodded, then turned back to the door.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

After Jon finally got back to the Gryffindor common room, everyone else was already in their dorms. Neville, Dean and Ron were already asleep, but Harry was still up. When Jon walked into the dorm, Harry got out of bed.

"Hey, can we talk?"

Jon nodded. "Yeah, lemme grab something from my trunk." Digging around in his trunk he managed to find what he was looking for; a standard U.S. Army MRE.

As the two students left the dorm and headed for the common room, Harry looked at the pouch. "What is that?"

Jon smiled. "Meal Ready to Eat. Ilvermorny required students to keep several in different locations, in the event we needed to evacuate the school in the middle of the war. These come from the No-Maj Army. Pretty handy little things. Tonight's flavor…" He turned the pack over. "Beef stroganoff. One of my favorites, actually."

Harry shook his head. "I can't honestly imagine what the last few years have been like for you."

'No, you can't.' "Hopefully you'll never have to."

Harry had a look on his face, like he could see the deeper meaning in what Jon had said, but then his face softened as the two sat down in plush chairs across from each other. "Look, I wanted to talk. About earlier."

Jon tapped the MRE with his wand, causing steam to come out of the opened pouch as he warmed it up. "In Umbridge's class?" Jon took a forkful of the MRE and grimaced.

Harry chuckled. "Not good?"

Jon shrugged. "Eh. Could be worse."

Harry shook his head, then continued. "Well, yes. About what happened in class. Look. I got upset at you after and I shouldn't have."

Again Jon shrugged. "It's okay, Harry. Umbridge is… Well. Trouble. She's going to be pressing on your buttons at every opportunity."

Harry's shoulders slumped. "Hermione said the same thing."

Jon looked at Harry sympathetically. "I know it's gonna be hard, Harry. But you've got Hermione, Ron, and me on your side. Plus others we don't know about yet. And Dumbledore."

At Dumbledore's name, Harry seemed to slump even more. "I'm not so sure about Dumbledore."

Jon cocked his head to the left. "What do you mean?"

"He hasn't talked to me at all. Earlier this summer, I got in trouble for…" Harry hesitated, looking at Jon, then seemed to decide it was okay to tell him. "I was walking home with my nephew, Vernon, and we were attacked by Dementors. I used the Patronus charm to fight them off," Jon's eyebrows shot up at this revelation, "and the Ministry tried to take my wand away.

"Dumbledore represented me at the trial and got the Ministry to back down, but he refused to speak to me. I have so many questions, and I can't get answers. I don't honestly think he cares."

Jon's head was spinning. 'A Patronus charm? By the summer of his fourth year? That's impressive.' Aside from the impressive use of the Patronus charm, the Dumbledore Harry seemed to describe wasn't fitting the Dumbledore Jon had met so far. Headmaster Dumbledore cared immensely about Harry; heck, that's why Jon was there in the first place. So why wasn't Dumbledore talking to Harry when Harry clearly needed it. 'Well, doesn't matter right this minute. Just reassure Harry.'

"I don't know what to tell you, Harry, but I have a feeling that Dumbledore cares a lot more than you're giving him credit for. I'm sure he's working on ways to help you in any way he can. Maybe he thinks that by distancing himself, he's sparing you more attention."

Harry thought for a moment. "You really believe that?"

'You have no idea.' "Yeah. I do." Jon took the last spoonful of his MRE. "Well, let's hit the sack. It's late, and I suspect tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Harry nodded, and the two boys walked up the stairs towards their room. As they did, Jon was looking at Harry's back, noticing that he seemed to walk with a weight on his shoulders. 'I would tell you everything if I could. And hopefully when the truth comes out, you can forgive me for keeping you in the dark.'

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

Roughly five hours later, Jon's eyes shot open. It was still dark outside, and the other boys were fast asleep. Much to Jon's surprise, Harry was sleeping soundly, instead of moaning and rolling.

As quietly as he could, Jon donned his track suit and made his way downstairs. As he was coming down the last stairs from Gryffindor Tower, he caught sight of a waft of blonde hair and an ankle disappearing around a doorway. Jon jogged to the doorway and looked down the hall.

Sure enough, there was a girl, roughly five feet tall with dirty blonde hair, pajamas with strange creatures on them, and the oddest pair of Converse Jon had ever seen. He smirked, then called in a loud whisper, "Luna!"

She kept walking down the hall, paying his call no attention. With a puzzled look on his face, Jon jogged quietly up next to her to see that her eyes were covered with a purple sleep mask. Stifling a chuckle, Jon shook his head. 'Luna Lovegood sleep walks the castle.' At Ilvermorny, he's had a few friends that would sleep walk, too. He paused when he realized that those people were either incredibly intelligent or haunted by something.

'And some people just sleep walk. Doesn't mean anything, really.' Jon watched as Luna started walking the stairs up to the dorms of Ravenclaw tower. Shaking his head, he turned to go back towards the main entrance. 'That girl is something else.'

A strange sound made him pause. It sounded like stone grinding against stone. He turned around to see the stairs of the tower were moving. Up on the second flight of stairs, Luna was coming to the last two steps, walking straight into a thirty-feet or more drop to a solid marble floor.

Jon bolted to underneath where the steps were turning. "LUNA!"

The yell didn't wake the girl as she took the last two steps and fell right off the edge of the stairs. Jon thought fast, focusing as strongly as he could on Luna's falling form. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

After falling rapidly nearly ten feet, Luna's sleeping form started hovering gently in the air. Positioning himself underneath her, Jon lowered her gently until she was in his waiting arms. Looking down to see Luna still asleep, he looked up at the stairs and exhaled a breath he'd forgotten he was holding. 'Who builds a castle with MOVING STAIRS!?'

An ethereal voice broke his mental tirade of the idiot wizard that built this castle. "Hello, Jonathan."

Jon looked down at Luna's face to find her sleep mask resting over her forehead, and her large blue eyes boring into his. Still panting from his held breath, he answered. "Hey."

She looked at him concernedly. "Was I sleepwalking again?"

Jon nodded. "Yeah. You fell off one of the stairs…" He chuckled nervously. "Would have made for an ugly wake up call."

Luna looked up at the stairs, then back to Jonathan. "Yes. It would have." Suddenly, she wrapped her left arm behind his neck and tucked her head back down into his chest. "This is a much better way to be woken up."

Jon's eyes bulged at the comment and was about to say something when the sound of several footprints came up behind him.

"Good Merlin!" Jon turned to see Professor Flitwick and two Ravenclaw students, Jon assumed the Prefects, standing behind him.

The girl looked at Jon. "We heard you yell. Is she okay?"

Jon nodded, keeping his voice down for the sake of the semi-sleeping Luna. "She's fine. She was sleepwalking, and the stairs…"

The girl, dark haired with a darker complexion, gasped and put her hands to her mouth, while the boy, blonde and roughly Jon's height, looked at the stairs. "Blimey," he whispered.

Professor Flitwick looked at Jon, a mix of emotions on his face. "Are you saying she fell, Mr. Lionheart?"

Jon nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And you caught her?" The girl asked.

Jon nodded again.

Professor Flitwick looked at Jonathan, looking like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Very well done, Mr. Lionheart! You've saved us all from something truly tragic."

Jon felt his face go a little red. "Thank you, sir." He looked down at Luna, still sleeping. A small smile formed on his lips. "I'm glad I was here."

Flitwick nodded. "As are we all. There will be House points for this, Mr. Lionheart, after I tell Dumbledore about this. In the meantime, we should get Miss Lovegood back to bed."

Suddenly, Luna stirred, murmuring something (Jon thought he heard the word Wrackspurt) and tightening her grip around Jonathan's neck, causing him to hunch a bit more. The dark-haired girl giggled softly.

Jonathan looked at Professor Flitwick. "I'm, umm…"

The dark-haired girl laughed softly. "Professor Flitwick, I can escort him to the dorm so we can get her into bed."

"Very well, Miss Patil. But you leave as soon as she's in bed, Mr. Lionheart."

Jon nodded. "Yes, sir."

The girl, Miss Patil, smiled at Jon. "Follow me, we'll get her back in bed." Jon followed the girl up the stairs towards the Ravenclaw common room. "By the way," she whispered. "My name is Padma. Padma Patil."

"Jonathan Lionheart."

"A pleasure." When they reached the portrait guarding the Ravenclaw common room entrance, Padma whispered the answer so Jonathan wouldn't hear it, then led him into the common room.

It was large, but dimly lit, with only a fireplace along the far left wall offering light. Padma looked at Jon. "I'll go up and make sure her dorm mates are asleep and decent, then I'll come get you." Jon nodded as she went up the stairs to the girl's dorms. It was only about a minute before Padma came back down. "It's clear. Come on, let's get her settled."

Jon ascended the stairs as carefully as he could, trying not to jostle Luna too much. Padma led him into Luna's dorm room and walked over to a bed, straightening out some sheets. "Here we go."

Jon walked over and set Luna gently on the bed as Padma pulled the sheets up to Luna's chin. As soon as Jon got Luna's arm from around his neck, though, Luna started to stir and moan.

"Mmm. Mum. No… Careful. No… Dad… Help! Hurts!" Her voice got louder with every word, but she wasn't awake.

Jon looked to Padma who seemed lost as to what to do. Looking back down at Luna, Jon ran a hand over her hair and leaned over her. "Shhh. Easy, Luna. It's okay. You're safe now. Nothing's wrong."

Luna stopped rustling and settled down, her face relaxing and her breathing settling. Jon wiped some errant hairs from her face. "Sleep, Luna. Just sleep."

Padma tapped him on the shoulder. "Let's let her sleep." The two students left the dorm and stopped in the hallway outside. Padma sighed. "I didn't know it bothered her quite that badly."

Jon looked at her. "What bothers her?"

"Her mother died when she was nine. A spell gone wrong, I heard. Apparently, she was injured when it happened." She paused. "We've known for a while that she sleep walks. One of her dorm mates woke me up tonight about it. We never thought about what might be causing all this. We all just kinda thought…" She couldn't seem to finish what she wanted to say.

Jon took a guess. "You all just thought she was Loony."

Padma looked ashamed. "Yes."

"Well now you know better. Now you can make it right."

Padma nodded. "It'll take some doing to put a stop to people thinking about her like that. It doesn't help that she's as… Eccentric as she is."

Jon grinned. "Luna doesn't strike me as the kind of person to care too much about what most people think. She might be hurt by what happened, but she's got spunk."

Padma giggled. "Yes, she definitely does." She looked at Jonathan. "Thank you again, Jonathan. If it hadn't been for you…"

Jon nodded. "I know."

Padma yawned. "Well, let's get you out of here. I want to go back to sleep."

The two students chuckled as they headed for the exit to the common room. Once Jon climbed out the portrait hole of the common room, he started heading back towards the main entrance, finding most of thoughts revolving around Luna, what her story was, and why, every time she looked at him, his heart seemed to stutter.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o - o

Well. Finally.

Again, I am so sorry it has taken this long to get this story updated. This chapter proved difficult to work, trying to determine exactly how Jon would impact everything. With more and more characters getting involved, it's getting more difficult to write something I actually like.

Wandless Wingardium Leviosa, huh? I know someone's either thinking it or will mention it, but yes, Jon cast that charm without a wand. No, he's not more powerful than Harry, just more experienced. There is going to be a pretty epic demonstration of this in the future.

On that thought, does it seem like Jon never seems to catch Fred and George? There's good reason for that: writing those two terrifies me. Given enough time I can get into the mind of most of these characters, but Fred and George are complete mysteries to me. They're hilarious and a lot of people love them, so I want to do them right. So I keep postponing Jon's meeting them officially. Because I'm a coward.

I guess it's not really a surprise anymore that Jon and Luna are going to wind up in some kind of something. Exactly what, well, only time will tell. Yes, I realize it's an odd pairing and honestly, when I started writing this, Jon was either going to wind up with another OC (who has yet to be introduced) or no one at all. Then I just kind of found myself having this notion of Jon and Luna, two complete opposites, in some kind of relationship. Exactly what it will turn into and how long it might last, I don't know yet. It just sort of… Happened.

Well, as always, questions, comments, concerns, complaints and snide remarks are always welcome. Thanks for reading! And I promise the next chapter will not take nearly as long to post.