Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot and anything you don't recognise.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Chapter twenty three: Settling Old Scores.
The four of them walked around the lake, talking amicably and forgetting about the war. Harry was in an especially good mood, having seen the effectiveness of the Guardians and being reassured about their skill. For once, things seemed to be going right for him.
He walked casually, enjoying the good weather and laughing at Ginny teasing Ron and Hermione.
"I swear you two have snogged everywhere in Hogwarts!" Ron spluttered indignantly, turning an interesting shade of red.
"We have not snogged everywhere in Hogwarts! In fact, we rarely snog in Hogwarts! It's usually outside, well away from prying eyes." He growled.
Bollocks, Harry thought to himself. Ron is such a bad liar.
"Fifth floor broom closet?" He asked mildly. Ron spluttered indignantly again.
"Third floor store room?" He retorted after a moment. Harry was slightly shocked but recovered quickly.
"What about it?" Ron hesitated and didn't say anything. Harry smirked. As I expected, he can't bring himself to say it. Hermione leant over.
"It's where you feel up Cho." She said matter-of-factly. The other three stopped, stunned at her crudeness.
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, unsure whether to be impressed or not.
"What?" She asked defensively, "Just because I'm a girl and I like to read doesn't mean I don't know about these things. Get a grip." She turned away.
"I thought that was Ron's line." Ginny muttered. Harry snorted. Hermione turned around and smirked at them.
"Oh no, he doesn't have to tell me to." For the second time, Hermione left them stunned. Harry turned on Ron accusingly.
"You better not have gotten her drunk! You have, haven't you? Ron took a step back holding his hands up.
"No mate!"
"Stupid question really," Hermione muttered, "If he had I would be up in his bed."
"No," corrected Ginny, "He would be 'up' in his bed. You would be the cause of it." Harry could not help it. He burst out laughing. He turned back to Ron, who was blushing wildly.
"Good." He said. "Because if you had then I would expect to be absolutely hammered at the same time." Ron grinned widely.
"It can be arranged."
"I look forward to it." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Boys." Harry and Ron shrugged simultaneously, causing Hermione to roll her eyes again.
"Come on, let's go back to the castle." Ginny said, still laughing.
The four of them walked slowly back towards the castle, enjoying each others' company.
They opened the double doors and to their surprise Dumbledore was stood there, seemingly waiting for them. He looked unusually grave. He looked at Harry. Harry understood immediately. He nodded to the other three.
"I'll see you later." They nodded at him. Harry followed Dumbledore back to his office in silence. Dumbledore gave the password and they climbed the staircase. He went and sat behind his desk. Harry stood in front of it.
"Well?"
"We have two days until Voldemort attacks."
"What?"
"We have two days." Harry was horrified. He began to pace up and down. He stopped and turned back to Dumbledore.
"How do you know?" In answer, Dumbledore pushed the letter towards him. Harry picked it up and read it quickly. He put it down and looked at Dumbledore.
"Shit." Dumbledore nodded. Harry began to pace again. "Why didn't your spies tell us earlier?"
"They didn't know. Apparently Voldemort was very quiet about it. He got Pettigrew to organise it all for him. No one else." Harry swore again.
"So what do we do?"
"Are your men ready?" Harry stopped pacing and looked at him.
"They'll have to be. We don't have any more time." Dumbledore nodded again.
"True."
"So what do we do?" Harry asked again.
"What we can do. The only thing we can do."
"Fight?"
"Yes."
"When will they attack? What time?"
"In the evening."
"You are sure about this?" Dumbledore nodded.
"My spies tell me so and it is Voldemort's preferred time of attack. People are more vulnerable in the dark, more on edge. People scare easier in the darkness and Voldemort knows it. It's all about terror." Harry nodded. It made sense to him.
"What about the Order and Aurors?"
"They will apparate in the moment I give the word. They will not be here beforehand. We don't want to alert Voldemort to the fact that we know." Harry nodded, he had expected that.
They fell silent. Harry continued pacing and Dumbledore had his head in his hands. The letter lay discarded on the floor. Suddenly Harry stopped pacing and started laughing. Dumbledore looked up.
"This is what it all comes down to?" Dumbledore nodded.
"This is what it all comes down to." Harry laughed again.
"This is what my life comes down to. This is it." Dumbledore stayed silent. They both knew that, in a way, it was true. Harry turned to Dumbledore.
"I'm going to take him down. I'm going to kill him and if I go down in flames then by God I will make them flames of glory." Harry, still laughing, turned and left the room.
…………
Harry walked down the corridors purposely, the confidence he was displaying was, for the moment, not a myth. Adrenaline was rushing through his body overpowering the fear that he should have been feeling. For now, though it wouldn't last long, Harry was charged and fearless.
The calm detachment that Harry was feeling had left him relaxed and unafraid. It had also put a slight secretive smile on his face that suggested he knew something terrible but he was unafraid and prepared to face it.
He opened the doors to the Great Hall and entered it. He slipped over to where Ron and Hermione were sitting and sat opposite them. Ron caught sight of his face. He was immediately wary. Whenever Harry looked liked that it usually meant that something bad was going to happen.
"What do you know, Harry?" Harry sighed, putting down his knife and fork and feeling some of the adrenaline ebb away at the realisation that he would have to tell Ron and Hermione. He looked at them at them for a moment.
"You must keep absolutely quiet when you hear what I am about to tell you. Not a word, not a sound." He looked at Ron straight in the eye, "If you make a single sound, I will take you behind the broom shed and kick the shit out of you." He turned and looked Hermione straight in the eye. "And if you make a single sound you will find out that you may be the best witch in the year, but I'm the one with power and I'm the one that can hurt. Do you both understand me?" They nodded at him, wide-eyed and serious.
"We won't say anything, Harry." Hermione promised. Harry nodded.
"Good. Voldemort is going to attack in two days." He waited for their reactions. They both reacted in the same way. Their expressions turned to horror and they clamped their mouths shut. Ron went pale and Hermione was shaking her head in hopeless denial.
"Are you sure?" Harry nodded. Seeing their expressions had caused some more of the adrenaline to ebb away and he fought to stay above water. A few deep breaths later he was relaxed. He could see that Hermione was on the verge of hysteria and Ron was not far off. He leaned forward slightly.
"Listen, calm down, we'll be fine. The Guardians are good and so are the DA and there will be Aurors and the Order as well. Just relax. We'll be fine. We'll get through it. Don't worry."
"And what about you, Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling with suppressed fear.
"Me? I'll do what I have to do." He was about to say more but suddenly stiffened and then, without warning, threw himself backwards off the bench. He leapt to his feet his wand pointing towards the Slytherin table. In an instant the DA were on their feet as well. Harry waved them down again.
"Nice try, Malfoy." Malfoy slowly stood up, his wand outstretched.
"I will kill you." He said softly. Harry laughed and lowered his wand.
"You are welcome to try, Malfoy, but before you do let me remind you that fifty of my men are stationed in this castle, twenty of which are in here with us. Don't forget that seventy more of my men could be by my side in an instant. Now, do you care to try?" Malfoy didn't move. Suddenly everyone in the Great Hall understood how much power Harry had. They truly understood how much power Harry commanded, he had his own private army ready to fight and die on his command.
"Your time will come soon. Very soon." Malfoy whispered, but loud enough for everyone to hear. Harry stiffened ever so slightly. So Malfoy knew as well. Narcissa must have been talking. Harry made a decision.
Before anyone else could react Harry was running forwards shooting spells in rapid succession with his sword drawn. Before Malfoy could even consider firing a spell back he found himself pressed up against the wall with the edge of Harry's sword against his throat.
"So you know," Harry muttered, softly so that no one else could hear, "I suppose that's not really surprising. However, let me tell you this, if I see you on the battlefield in two days time then I will kill you." Malfoy's eyes went wide and Harry could see real fear in them as Malfoy realised that Harry meant it. "So you intend to be there," Harry said, reading his expression correctly. Shifting his body slightly so that no one else could see, Harry pushed up the sleeve of Malfoy's robe. Sure enough, the Dark Mark burned brightly there. Harry pressed his sword harder against Malfoy's throat, drawing blood, "You bastard. Why shouldn't I just kill you now? You are a Death Eater, I would be justified and besides, who could stop me? I have one hundred and twenty men loyal to me and me alone. No, I will kill you where Voldemort can see you die." Malfoy half smiled.
"Only after I have killed Cho." Harry's temper snapped. He whipped his sword across Malfoy's throat and stepped back. Malfoy fell to his knees, his hands at his throat, choking. Harry kicked him once, knocking him to the ground, then he kicked him again. He held his sword above Malfoy, ready to stab it downwards.
"You're a dead man, Malfoy." He was just about to stab it downwards when an authoritative voice rang out.
"Harry." Harry looked up and saw that it was Dumbledore who had stopped him. Kicking Malfoy once more, Harry ran over to Dumbledore.
"Now or in two days time, what does it matter?" He demanded in a hushed, angry tone. Dumbledore looked at him.
"In two days time you might have a reason, now you don't."
"I have a reason."
"Which is?"
"You kept things from me, now it is my turn to keep things from you." Dumbledore nodded his head in a gesture of acquiescence. Harry wondered why he didn't tell Dumbledore that Malfoy was a Death Eater. Perhaps it was because Harry wanted to kill him, not have the ministry take him away. Harry wanted to make sure he died. He looked over at him. Malfoy was still writhing on the floor, his hands clutching his throat.
"The wound's deep, not deep enough to kill him, but deep enough for him to lose a lot of blood in a short time." Dumbledore took the hint and went and healed Malfoy.
Harry turned and left the Great Hall, well aware of the gaze of the student body on his back. He caught Snape's eye as he left. Snape however, stopped himself from doing anything, Harry's earlier reminder about his men still ringing in his ears.
As much as he'd lamented it and scorned it over the years, seeing him nearly kill Draco Malfoy, Snape finally realised that the normal rules didn't apply to Harry Potter.
…………
Harry walked towards the grounds. He heard running feet, four pairs of them, behind him and knew that Ron, Hermione, Cho and Ginny had come to catch to him.
"Jesus, Harry, what the hell was that?" Yelled Ron. He sounded gleeful. Harry spun around.
"None of your business, that's what." He snapped. Ron checked himself.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Nothing."
"Bollocks. Now tell me."
"No." Harry quickened his pace. He wanted to be away from them. Unfortunately they weren't having any of it. Ron ran ahead and grabbed him, spinning him around.
"What the hell was that?" He repeated. Harry looked at him.
"You know what's going to happen in two days. It's time to settle old scores." He snapped again. Ron was about to reply when Ginny stepped forward.
"Hang on, what's going to happen in two days?" Her voice was wary, she knew that it was bad. Harry turned away again.
"Shit."
"What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Don't give me that crap. Answer the bloody question." Hermione stepped forward and put her hand on Harry's arm.
"Harry, they have a right to know. How does it help them if you hide it from them?" Harry nodded. She was right. He turned back to Ginny and Cho.
"Voldemort is going to attack in two days." Their reaction was predictable. Ginny went pale and stifled a small scream. Cho closed her eyes, walked over to Harry and threw her arms around his neck. Harry held her close, drawing some comfort from her.
He leaned into her, emotionally exhausted. He closed his eyes and tried to fight back the tears. He knew that this could be one of the last times he held her. He pressed himself into her, trying to get as close to her as possible, to feel her as much as possible. She responded in kind.
It took Harry a few seconds to realise that the tears he had been trying to hold in were freely falling down his cheeks. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over and saw that Ron was standing there, trying to hold back his own tears.
"Don't let go, Harry, don't think that this is the end. It isn't. You will beat him. You will do it. Have faith in yourself, like we have faith in you." Harry nodded weakly.
"Thanks."
"No problem, mate, now, what do you say to a party tomorrow night? Fred and George have been sending me firewhiskey, telling me that one day you will need to get absolutely, blindingly drunk and as your best mate it is my responsibility to make sure it happens." Harry nodded.
"Yeah, we need a party. One last time, just in case." Ron smiled, wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and with Harry still holding Cho close they began walking back to the castle.
To prepare a party, one last time.
A/N VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ.
Right, first of all, and I'm really sorry, but I am flying back to Malaysia and will not be able to update until the 10th of September. I apologise profoundly but I am afraid there is nothing I can do. Once again I will reiterate that I am not using this as an excuse to abandon this fic and there will be an update on the 10th. Thank you for your patience.
I'm sorry for the continued delays; first my GCSEs then term ending have made school hectic and unpredictable. You will be glad to know that that is the end of all that and next term updates will be regular and with less time in between.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. One more chapter and then the final battle.
Thanks to all who reviewed.
ChaosGriffin – Thanks for the review.
Anata oka-san - Thanks for the review. Cho is around, but there are other matters that have to be covered I'm afraid, you will see a lot of her next chapter though, no Harry is not going to run off with Ginny! Primarily because this fic is H/C and also it is too late for that! So don't worry.
The Phoenix King - Thanks for the review. I'm glad that the human side of Dumbledore is showing through. Although he can be manipulative he always has Harry's best interests at heart, and that needed to come through. I am a huge H/G fan. I hope to see you at the next fic, but if you don't like H/G then it is understandable if I don't.
Aizan19 - Thanks for the review. I hope your exams went well. My ankle is better now, thank you, I slipped down a couple of stairs, landed on it sideways and put all my weight on it. But it is better now at least!
Dragon Sword Master - Thanks for the review. My ankle is better now thanks and my exams went well.
Colm - Thanks for the review. Hope you're feeling better now.
J or The Blind - Thanks for the review.
Goddess Usagi - Thanks for the review. Good luck with your exams, mine are out of the way and went well thank God! Why do guys prefer violence to romance, I wonder. Must be all the testosterone…
Hockeyman - Thanks for the review. Good luck with your exams. I don't think that Harry would mind too much… he only hates it when he feels that things he ought to be allowed to know are kept from him for long periods of time. An hour wouldn't make too much difference in his eyes. That's how I see it any way.
FSI - Thanks for the review. She isn't dead! There are just other things that have to be covered.
Keep reading and reviewing 'cos I'll keep writing.
Fireboy.