Note: Please look to prologue for disclaimer and additional notes about the story.

A Dance With Fate

Canopus Carina

Chapter 15 of 20

He wanted to just jump before the battle, knock out the Death Eater before he could cast his spell and then jump back once he had enough energy to do so. And he would have if she wasn't there to slap some sense in him. No matter what he does in the past, it has already happened which means he could have died or in the very least failed. They didn't want to take that chance since they knew they couldn't change the fabric of time.

Which meant they should instead focus on finding the reclusive healer who knew the only cure to the Manas Curse. If they went far enough back, they would be able to find Healer Remedius Partromi and ask for a copy of the cure and then go back home.

The only problem was when they found out that Healer Remedius Partromi was only an alias, so they didn't know where he would be.

Monday: 31 October 1977

"I figured it was a perfect day to have a dueling lesson as it holds so much importance to me," Harry started off. He looked off with slightly distant eyes and sat down on the High Table. Not at his seat, but on the actual table, something no one had seen done before. "My first year, this was when my closest friends and I became best friends. In my second, a monster was let loose and tried to attack students. In my third, a criminal –who turned out not to be a criminal- broke into the school. My fourth forced me in a year long battle I don't think I was ready for. A day of ups and downs, goods and incredible bads, but one thing –or maybe someone would consider it two- remained the same each year. Can you figure out what it was?"

Several of the students raised their hands in attempts of answer this question but he only smiled a peculiar smile and crossed his arms. A few seconds of confusion passed before the antechamber to the far right of him opened to reveal a fully grown troll wielding a club. Pandemonium soon filled the room, draining any confusion. Only pure fear of the creature remained as they attempted to go through the doors out of the hall which seemed to be locked from the outside. Some thought quickly and knocked over some of the tables to use as a barrier. Spells were directed towards the troll but nothing was working.

When hope seemed to be lost, the doors to the antechamber opened and were unblocked by the troll. Students began to run for safety in the antechamber in hope to barricade that door against the troll. When the other Marauders and other seventh years made sure all of the underclassmen were safe, they ran for safety as well. But mysteriously Remus tripped over something he couldn't see, twisting his ankle in the process, and couldn't get up.

"Remus!" James cried out when he noticed no one was behind him. "Get up! Hurry!"

Remus turned to see James only fie steps from safety, where numerous faces were peaking through in fear. But before he could say anything, the troll stomped closer to his position. The ugly thing raised his club high above his head threatening to crush Remus in seconds. Remus screamed spells, curses and charms alike in hope that they would deter the troll, without luck. Sirius, James, and Peter sprang to his rescue, each yelling spells. He could have sworn that he had used all of those spells before with no avail but this time they succeeded. And even more strange was that the troll completely disappeared soon after the spells cast were finished. Not caring about it then, the three mobile Gryffindors ran to their friend and cast healing spells on him to heal his ankle.

"What was that about?" Peter squeaked. "And what happened to Harry?"

Before they could consider the answers to those questions, screams sounded in the antechamber. Students poured out of the room to avoid whatever was in there. Someone screamed, "Sarah!" and then a series of spells and the screaming stopped. Only to start again.

Where the Slytherin tables used to be was a dark stranger wielding a knife. He gazed at the students with ghost like eyes before lunging at the closest group of students. Those further from him started to volley off spells to stop him to no avail. The stranger only turned to those opposing him with a deranged smile and continued towards a group of fourth years who were clawing at the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Sabrina!" sixth year Hufflepuff Mark Leon called out to his sister who was apart of the group. He jumped out of the group accumulating in the opposite corner and cried out, "Confundo!" And the man, even when no other spells worked, became confounded as the spell usually worked. And he disappeared. Mark ran to embrace his little sister.

The other students clumped together, eyes darting between the shadows and corners half expecting something else to come out and attack them. Sarah was mumbling about giant snakes while being surrounded by her friends for comfort. Remus could only imagine what she felt like when she was attacked by a snake. The troll was terrifying enough.

A light clapping came from a dark corner, and Harry slowly appeared before the students. With a few carefully chosen words, the tables and benches were placed back to where they usually would be and even Remus' ankle didn't even itch. Other than the memories each of the students had, it appeared that nothing had happened. "You did well," he announced. But they didn't feel that they did well. Each student was either shaking in aftershocks or were glaring towards Harry for putting them in that situation. "Granted it took a little longer than I had hoped for the troll to be defeated, but the other times were fast enough that it makes up for the first task.

"This is an exaggerated show of what Halloween meant to me. The first Halloween I spent at school, the troll got loose in some of the hallways. One of my classmates didn't know about it and ended up being cornered by it without any way of protecting herself: The only spell we knew was levitation. But my closest friend and I came and we ended up helping her and succeeded. But I assure you, it was much smaller than the one you faced, but being a first year, it looked big enough to haunt us forever. In the second year, a giant snake, as you had gone against once the troll left, was let loose in the school. It was blinded by our headmaster's familiar, and we were able to save each other from certain death when facing it ourselves. And finally our mad man. He truly wasn't as evil as he appeared here, and he didn't appear in front of everyone as he did here, but he was dangerous at the time. I figured since there was so many of you and at a much higher level of magic than my friend and I were, we should take it up a notch.

"As you could see, I wasn't a lucky person."

A light series of weak chuckles emerged from the non-terrified students. There were some who would probably never return to the dueling club because they were scarred for life. Even Remus felt angry at Harry himself for taking such drastic measures to make a point. Couldn't he just tell them the tale instead of putting them in danger? What was he getting at for even bringing up such a lesson? Did he expect everyone to hero worship him because he faced such dangers?

"But now we get into fourth year," he trailed off as if even the thought robbed him of his confidence in front of his class. "The year everything changed… You are actually quite lucky, though you think it's a curse. While war rages outside, you are protected in this castle. While people die daily whether or not they are rightfully fighting or innocently by standing, you are taught things like turning people's hair different colors or levitating feathers. While families are ripped apart by one man's insanity, most of you have not been touched by fate's cruel hand. It is something your parents feel is not ready for your ears, in hopes that you will be able to handle that innocence even a little longer. And I know that most of you hate that they don't tell you, it's proven that you are here today. In my fourth year, I was introduced to my country's isolated war head on. And I never been the same.

"So how did you like your little glimpse of how war looks? Not very pretty, is it? It's not the idealistic picture of a grand warrior going out to slay the evil. Many times, your opponent is another human being as you are, one that is just misguided and does not necessarily need to die. Many times, your opponent isn't a logically thinking human like the obstacles I brought today. What do you do when that comes up?"

"Why didn't our regular spells work?" a fourth year Ravenclaw called out. Looking around, Remus could see that many people had let go of their anger and were starting to understand, as he was.

"Oh yes, the main lesson of today's meeting. Why, indeed. Does anyone remember what I asked right before the tasks began?" Harry's face split in a large smile and a fire lit in his eyes as he looked around the hall. "What was there each year even when it was bad? And I'll give you a hint: It was the only reason you were able to defeat these tasks."

Silence fell upon the hall as everyone considered his hint with the tasks and story behind them. He didn't catch who said it, not that it even matter as many people probably came up with the answer as well, but the silence was broken with: "Helping each other even during the hard times."

Harry nodded somberly and walked out the room without a look behind him. "Yes: friendship. Will you be able to bond during the harsh realities of war?"

End of Chapter 15 – 1,565 of words

Posted: 22 June 2007

I'm so sorry! I didn't notice until I got to work that I hadn't posted yet, and to make me feel worst, I had a computer but no way of getting to the file to post!