Author's Note: Over 6,000 hits, and only 1/100 of them decided to leave a review? For shame. I'm glad to know that my story is entertaining that many people, but it's really disheartening to find that they won't leave a simple review for all the time I put into this. More reviews will get faster updates, chaps. Also, I'm still struggling with the OOCness of characters. I apologize in advance for that.

Also, I noticed not many people saw the bit of humor I put into the last chapter. I was poking fun at how Harry forgives Dumbledore after a few weeks into the summer of HBP, almost like a little kid. After destroying half his office, he's all happy like a child that Albus is picking him up from the Dursley's. I guess I'm the only one who saw that as funny. Oh well.

Disclaimer: Of course, I own none of this, just the little plotbunny that whispers in my ear at night.

Dedication: This is dedicated to my friend Katie J, who, while not a member here, likes my story. So this one's for you.

Chapter 7

Albus turned to Minerva as they heard Harry jog up the stairs. "Minerva, I wanted to let you know that Voldemort has been seen close to here." Minerva's hands had been idle in her lap, but when he said this she grabbed the edges of the table.

"What?"

"He's been seen at a small village not far from Wrea Green, but we're not sure what his plans are. Now, while I have a chance, I'm going to strengthen the charm that makes up the barrier around your manor." He took a sip of the tea Rougey had placed in front of him.

"But what about the Fidelius charm? With that, the barrier should be fine as it is, right?" She was nervous, and he knew it.

"We think he may have somehow learned to get past the Fidelius charm simply by using legilimens, so the strengthened barrier won't let anything human in or out, unless they've seen that paper written by your hand." She exhaled, relieved. While it was frightening that he may have found a way past the Fidelius charm, the barrier that Albus created would certainly keep even him out. Looking up, she saw that Albus was staring at her, and she knew that wasn't all he wanted say.

"Well, what else was there to tell me?"

Albus leaned forward and placed his hand on hers. "I know you're growing very attached to him, Minerva, but I don't want you to tell him about Voldemort being sighted near here, at least not yet." Minerva looked down, blushing slightly. That man always knew what was going on. Always.

"And what if I think he has the right to know?" It angered her at how Albus treated him sometimes. Like he was still the baby she had watched him place on that doorstep.

He squeezed her hand gently. "You know better than anyone else I have good reasons for not wanting him to know yet, so please trust me on this."

She sighed, knowing when she was defeated. "Alright Albus, I won't tell him anything yet, but I still think it's wrong to keep him in the dark about everything."

"He won't be kept in the dark for long, he'll be ready for this sooner than you think," Albus said with a smile. With that, he leaned forward and quickly kissed her on the cheek. It took a second or two for her to react, but she reacted exactly how he knew she would.

"What was that for!" She hissed, blushing a deep red.

"It was for exactly what you thought it was for," he said mysteriously, winking at her behind his glasses.

"Albus! I hardly think it's appropriate to act like a giddy teenager at a time like this." She raised her hand to touch the cheek he had kissed so spontaneously. It would take a lot for her to admit that she liked it. But he probably knew already, anyways.

"But what if today was my last day on earth? Would you have me keep all this love to myself?" He sounded serious, but she saw the laughter in his eyes.

"Ever the joker, even when such a threat is upon us," she sighed. Standing up, she led him out the back door and past the garden to the barrier. What could he do to strengthen it like that? Sure, it might be possible to get past the Fidelius charm by using Legilimens, Albus had shared with her his theories, but you had to have seen that exact piece of paper to get past the barrier. It had only been added as an extra precaution, but maybe now it became a necessity.

"While the barrier was only initially added to back up the Fidelius charm, it's possible to break it with an older form of sorcery. I hope to strengthen it so that it won't break." Albus informed her as they walked.

"Albus, I hardly think it will be needed."

Reaching the woods, Albus turned to her. "When it comes to Voldemort, Minerva, everything at our disposal is needed," he said quite seriously. Turning towards the direction of the barrier, he pulled a knife from the sleeve of his robes. It had a handle that looked like some type of dark wood, with a ruby set into the bottom. In a quick motion, he cut a strange looking rune into the palm of his hand, and enclosed it in a large triangle spawning the entirety of his hand. Before letting too much blood drip, he pressed his hand against the barrier.

Before Minerva could open her mouth, the barrier turned blood red, and his arm passed into it. Rushing over to him, she saw that he was clenching his teeth and sweating. He was in pain.

"Albus, it isn't worth it!" She cried, tugging at his arm. Would he lose his life for this cause?

The air began to hum, and the barrier itself turned a stunning gold color. Unknown to Minerva, however, there were three pairs of eyes watching the spell from a second floor window.

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"Harry, what exactly is that thing Dumbledore's touching?" Hermione asked, bedazzled by the show of sorcery she'd never seen before.

"It's a barrier Dumbledore put in to reinforce the Manor." Harry was perplexed by the whole thing. What on earth could he be doing? The professor had had his arm inside the barrier for a few good minutes already. Ron crouched next to him, eyes wide with amazement.

"Harry, d'you think he's spelling it for extra protection to it because you're here?" Ron finally asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised, you're top priority Harry, now that He's been out in the open," Hermione said darkly. They had all read that Voldemort's supporters were running amuck, and that bad things were happening frequently, such what happened to Madam Bones. All three of them shivered simultaneously.

Suddenly, the barrier turned pink, then clear again as Dumbledore took out his arm. They saw the rune he had carved into his flesh was already healed. As McGonagall said something to him, Dumbledore looked up at the window they were watching from and smiled. All three of them ducked down, ashamed they had been watching.

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Later that night, Minerva couldn't sleep. Maybe it was because He was probably prowling close by, or maybe it was because she didn't like keeping secrets from Harry, like she had to now. Hell, she could just be off her rocker, for all she knew.

A few minutes into her steadily-growing-colder cocoa, she heard footsteps down the stairs. Perhaps Hermione, with a question about the barrier? She knew they all saw it, and frankly, she wasn't sure she understood exactly what he did either.

"Professor?" Looking up, she saw Harry standing there, in his oversize pajamas, a little surprised to see her there.

"What is it, Harry?"

"I couldn't sleep, do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all, I don't mind the company." She motioned for him to take a seat. Do you want some cocoa? It's very good."

He shook his head and sat down. For a minute or two he was silent, staring at his hands in a contemplative way. Then he perked his head up and asked, "Did you know, when you were leaving school, exactly what you wanted to do with your life?"

She smiled, remembering when she had asked her parents this exact same question. And she gave him the answer they gave her. "No one knows 100 what they want to do in their life, but that's the fun of it. Sure, we have an idea for going in the general direction, but there are lots of small detours along the way that make life so interesting and worth living." Looking at him, he had the same look of understanding she had had, so long ago. Then he gave her a big smile.

"I just wanted to say, thank you for bringing me to your home, helping me with little things like homework, and just...being here for me." Thanks." Getting up from the table, he said goodnight and headed back upstairs, to what she guessed would be a sound sleep.

Unlike her. How could she keep anything from this boy? It didn't seem right to keep anything from him, even if Albus did have his reasons. He'd already been through too many lies and falsehoods, so why couldn't she, along with Albus and the rest, be honest with him for once?

Then she came to realize that Albus had warned her not to fall in love with this skinny boy, and that it was far too late for that. And with that realization came guilt, and hatred at herself for keeping secrets. Always secrets.

Getting up softly, she put the mug of untouched cocoa in the sink and headed upstairs. She dressed in her favorite tartan pajamas, and snuggled into her favorite spot on the large bed. But none of it stopped her from crying to herself for a good long while, before falling into a fitful sleep.

A/N: I swear you crazy people are going to kill me. I'm always so late with my updates! It's just, it takes a long time for me to write them, because a lot of thought goes into where I want this to go. Someone also pointed out to me that my style seems different now than when I first started this. Well, you're probably right. But I'm still a high school brat, what do you expect?

I know some of the details of this story were probably a bit confusing, and I'm sorry. Hopefully it'll be sorted out by the next chapter, if not, message me and I'll try to help you understand my crazy brain.

Also, I know it's hard to believe, but...I have no beta for this story. That's why I get so nervous when I update! I don't know what kind of feedback I'll get! So, if anyone's interested in that, please message me.