Ender; thanks for the advice, that's one of my worse habits. i'll definately double-check next time.
Chapter 1
So Much For Peace
A shiver of unease ran down Harry Potter's back, but he shook it off. Voldemort was dead and the Elder Wand was safely hidden, so there couldn't be anything wrong in the world again so soon. He pointed his wand at a shattered statue.
"Reparo," he murmured. The pieces of stone molded back together. Further down the hall Neville and Ron were carefully piecing a large tapestry back together, both muttering constantly. Similar scenes were to be found all over the castle. Harry shook his head again and fixed another statue with a flick of his wand. The repair of Hogwarts was going to take a while.
Occasionally a person would run up to him. They would stutter thanks and congratulations, perhaps shaking his hand before running back to their duties. Harry had thought his fame couldn't have grown with the fall of Voldemort, but it looked as if it had multiplied in the scores.
"Harry, could you give me a hand rather than just standing around," Hermione called. Harry turned and saw her standing next to a sizeable hole in the wall. The floor surrounding her was covered in large chunks of stone. The giants had done some serious damage.
He glanced out and whistled. There was a twenty foot drop to the ground, "If you jump I'll give you three galleons."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Really Harry, this is hardly the time to be joking around. Hogwarts is re-opening in less than two months. This castle needs to be spotless by the time those students start arriving."
Harry chuckled, "As long as it's not us Hermione, who really cares?"
Hermione didn't reply, but gave him a scathing glare before aiming her wand at the shards of stone on the ground, "Wingardium Leviosa." Harry smiled and finished it off with another "Reparo" before following her out of the corridor. They reached the Entrance Hall before she whirled around.
"Have you spoken to Ginny yet?" she asked. Harry stiffened at once and tried hard not to glare at her. Ginny had been pointedly ignoring him since Voldemort fell a week ago. Whenever he approached her she would suddenly find someone else to talk to, or remember something she had forgotten to do.
"She clearly doesn't want to talk to me," he said through clenched teeth, "If that's the way she wants to treat me, then fine. I'm not going to beg for her to take me back if she doesn't want to."
Hermione looked thoughtful, "You hurt her, Harry. You shouldn't have broken up with her in the first place. She didn't want protecting, she wanted to be with you, and you turned your back on her."
But he wasn't listening. He turned on his heel and marched into the Great Hall. The dead and wounded had been moved to St Mungo's long before, replaced again by the four house tables. He sat down at Gryffindor table and started wolfing down some cereal. Hermione joined him after a moment, a look of disapproval on her face. But she didn't say anything.
After a few minutes of awkward silence Harry muttered, "Sorry 'Mione."
She nodded in thanks, and they began talking of the repairs. Hermione didn't mention Ginny again. Just as Harry was pushing his cereal bowl away contentedly, the doors to the Hall slammed open and Ron walked in, a disgruntled look on his face. He slammed himself into the seat opposite Harry and attacked a piece of bacon. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other warily.
"Peeves!" Ron growled, "Bloody poltergeist, tearing things you just fix to pieces."
Harry tried very hard not to give a sarcastic reply. Peeves always tore things to pieces, it was in his nature.
A flash of fiery red hair appeared in the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see a cloak whip out of sight through the doors. This did nothing to improve his mood. He scowled at Hermione who was giving him a pointed look. She hurriedly turned away.
"Potter! Granger! Weasley!" They turned to see Professor McGonagall striding toward them, "I need your help with something." Beckoning for them to follow, she led them up several staircases and along three corridors up to a familiar stretch of blank wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
"Now, am I to understand that fiendfyre was used in this Room?" she inquired, and continued when Hermione nodded, "I'm not sure how destructive the use of Dark magic that strong in the Room of Requirement will be, so it could be quite some time before the chamber is usable again."
They walked back and forth three times, and a door began to appear. The door had ornate carvings on it, but there were black scorch marks around the edges. McGonagall pushed the door open tentatively, raising her wand as she went. As soon as it opened, it belched forth black smoke. McGonagall waved her wand and the smoke was dispelled.
"This could take quite some time indeed," she murmured, peering in. Looking past her, Harry heard Ron and Hermione gasp. The walls were covered in ash and dust. There was hundreds of twisted, blackened objects lying all over the ground.
"It's as I thought," McGonagall remarked. The others turned to her, "The room's shapeshifting ability was damaged by the amount of Dark magic used here. I tried to change its form with my mind, but as you can see there is no visible change. You three are to assist in the restoring of this room. Oh and once you're done in here, if you could join me in my office for a moment, the password is 'Godric's Sword'."
As McGonagall departed, the trio glanced at each other, before pulling out their wands. For the next hour, shouts of "Scourgify!" could be heard echoing around the halls.
"But really," Ron said as he cleaned a large section of wall with a flick of his wrist, "You wonder how Crabbe of all people could do some serious magic like this."
Harry shrugged, shaking off the question, "Probably didn't need much brains, you know. Just needed the spell and the foul intent."
Hermione shook her head, "It hardly matters. Even he didn't deserve what he got."
"Oh yeah, why we should have just let him kill us," Ron said sarcastically. Hermione ignored him. By the time they had left the Room of Requirement, almost half the hall had been cleared of ash and other debris.
An ugly gargoyle guarded the entrance to the Headmistress' office. Harry said "Godric's Sword" and the gargoyle leapt to the side. They stepped onto the rotating stone staircase and were carried to the landing in front of what was formerly Dumbledore's room. With a shrug, Harry turned the doorknob and stepped through. Professor McGonagall was not in sight so the three of them took a seat in front of the desk to wait.
The grate that would normally hold a blazing fire sat cold and empty in the corner. The portraits of Hogwarts' former Headmasters and Mistresses, hanging in various places around the room, appeared to be snoozing, but Harry was sure he caught them peeping at him from time to time. He chuckled to himself, but looked around apprehensively when he realised that he had no idea why he was here.
Standing, he made his way around the Headmistress' desk to a large portrait on the wall behind. Dumbledore beamed at him, "So wonderful to see you again Harry, I trust you are well?"
Harry grinned back, "Never better."
"I must say you are coping quite better than I had hoped," Dumbledore continued, but was cut off by a snide voice, "I really think the boy's head is bloated enough without heaping your praise on him, Dumbledore."
Harry turned to the portrait of Snape, not feeling the slightest bit of dislike for the man he had once hated, "I think I owe you something of an apology."
Snape sneered, but Harry continued, "I'm sorry that you died without the world knowing your story. I never knew you loved my mother."
"Save it, Potter," Snape spat, "I neither need, nor want your petty apologies."
"Severus!" Dumbledore said warningly, "Harry has been through quite enough without your constant berating."
Harry couldn't help but feel a spike of irritation. Here he was, apologizing to Snape for everything he had done wrong, and the man was treating him with the same unfairness as always. He thought by now he would have earned at least a little of the respect of his former enemy.
"Ah, you're here," Harry turned to see McGonagall closing the door behind her, "There are a few matters of importance I wish to discuss with you three."
Harry gave the two portraits one more glance before moving back to his seat and sitting down. McGonagall sat down behind the desk and lifted a sheaf of papers.
"Firstly, Miss Granger," she said turning to Hermione, "A team of Obliviators has been sent to Australia to retrieve your parents. Let me assure you that these are professionals. They will be able to safely remove your parents back home and will take the utmost care to restore their memories."
Hermione nodded, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. Ron lent across and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Mr. Weasley, although it is usually considered against the law to deceive Ministry officials, they are willing to let the ghoul incident drop due to your recent services to the wizarding world in relation to Voldemort and the Horcruxes."
Ron nodded mutely with flushed cheeks, obviously trying hard to ignore the fact that he had narrowly escaped a term in Azkaban.
She turned to Harry, "And lastly, Mr. Potter. Now that you are of age, you have all rights to the Potter and Black estates. This includes your own family vault, and now the vault belonging to Sirius Black. You also keep Grimmauld Place, and if you so wish it, the house in Godric's Hollow."
Harry nodded, feeling strangely empty. He didn't like thinking about his inheritance, it often led to thoughts about the loved ones he had lost, and that was one thing he hated to think about.
"I also feel it is my duties to inform you that upon marriage, half of your entire estate will belong to the partner you choose." Harry nodded in acceptance.
"Now," McGonagall leant forward, "About your futures…"
Harry sensed Ron and Hermione tense up beside him. What could have possibly gone wrong now?
"There was a large number of people in the Ministry who seemed to be in favor of allowing you to have careers without having to do your seventh year of education," she grimaced, "However, a small group seemed to believe that if one witch or wizard has to have a certain amount of N.E.W.Ts, than there was no reason they should give preferential treatment to you just because you've had more experience."
Harry was furious, "This is beyond unfair. The three of us have done more than any ten Ministry workers."
"You don't need to tell me, Potter," McGonagall said wearily, "I am on your side. Unfortunately, some high ranking officials managed to sway the others."
Harry snarled. Ron and Hermione made similar noises of outrage. A woman resembling a large toad flashed to the front of Harry's mind. He looked down to see that his fist was clenched tightly on the edge of the seat. A scar was visible on his fist. I must not tell lies.
"As it is, you will not be able to become anything without achieving your N.E.W.Ts this year," she continued, "But to make up for this inconvenience, the staff here at Hogwarts are willing to give you a free reign of sorts. You will be able to enter and leave the castle grounds whenever you wish, on your own time of course. It is essential that you complete your N.E.W.Ts."
Harry grunted. McGonagall put away her papers, "I will expect to see you at the opening feast. That will be all."
Harry heard the dismissal in her tone. He stood slowly and looked over at his friends. Ron's face was set in a livid mask, and Hermione had a look of shock plastered over her features. They filed slowly out of the office in silence, but when they were well out of hearing distance from the Headmistress' office, Ron exploded.
"They can't do this to us!" he roared, "We've done a hundred times more than anyone else and how do we get rewarded? We get another bloody year at school."
"I don't know how that Umbridge woman still has any power in the Ministry," Harry said angrily, "You'd think she would have been kicked out by now."
"Well to be honest," Hermione said, surprising Ron and Harry with her timid tone, "I think I'm kind of glad to be coming back for another year."
Harry and Ron stared at her, open mouthed.
"Well!" she said defensively at their incredulity, "You need that sort of experience to become an Obliviator, and I think it's a very worthwhile job."
Ron looked thoughtful, "Somehow, I never saw us as anything but Aurors. But now that you mention it, a job like an Obliviator wouldn't be so bad."
Harry rolled his eyes, "It's not so much the fact that we'll be here for the next year that worries me. It's more the principle that they're making us do it."
Hermione nodded, "They really shouldn't be able to stop us, but I personally don't mind spending another year here."
"Don't forget to smile when you walk in so the toad thinks we're happy with her decision," Harry said, smirking.
They burst back into the Great Hall, the biggest smiles etched into their faces. A glance at the Slytherin table saw them all looking at the trio expectantly, as if waiting for signs of discontent. Harry, beaming for all to see, was burning with rage on the inside, but sat down calmly at the Gryffindor table and tucked into some supper.
"I think I might go for a bit of a fly, you know, just to clear my head," he whispered to the others as he pushed away his plate. Ron nodded glumly, stabbing a potato with his fork. Hermione made no sign that she had heard him at all.
The sky was dark by the time he reached the Quidditch pitch. He mounted his Firebolt and flew into the air. He calmed down immediately. Here he was free.
After a couple of laps of the pitch, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the snitch that Dumbledore had left him in his will. With a mighty heave, he threw it as far as he could. When it began to fall, the golden ball's wings fluttered madly and it flew off, disappearing into the night. Harry flew around the pitch several times searching for the snitch. He thought he saw something for a moment, but it was just one of the windows of Hogwarts, glowing in the twilight.
There was a sudden whirring noise near his ear as if something big and heavy was flying past. He spun in the air, squinting into the darkness. After a moment's hesitation, he dismissed it and continued his search for the snitch. Only seconds later, a patch darker than the night rocketed past his elbow. He pulled out his wand.
"Lumos Maxima," he shouted. An explosion of light erupted from his wand, illuminating the air around him for a hundred feet. That was when he saw them. Pelting towards him from different directions, were five overlarge bludgers. Remembering to dodge just in time, he hared off down the pitch, the bludgers in close pursuit.
"Reducto!" he roared, pointing his wand over his shoulder. In a flash of blue light, one of the bludgers was reduced to dust. Reaching the hoops, Harry shot around them and spun back toward the other end. The bludgers turned slowly, before shooting after him. Realizing there was not going to be a further chance to play, Harry summoned the snitch to his free hand with a quick "Accio". It came rushing out of the night into his open palm. He stuffed it unceremoniously into his cloak pocket before turning back to his immediate problem.
The remaining four bludgers were zooming toward him down the pitch, and it did not take a genius to realise that they had been tampered with. He pulled hard on the handle of his broomstick, so that it was facing straight up. The clouds became nearer, but the whirring of the bludgers did not get any fainter. Suddenly, he was in the clouds and soaking wet. He pushed onwards, feeling the pressure in his ears building and the water turning to ice.
Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, he burst from the clouds, gazing in wonder at the size of the full moon. But he didn't have long to admire the view. The bludgers burst out of the clouds twenty feet away and made a beeline straight for him. There was nothing for it. He turned his broom and charged straight at them. With a very gentle nudge, he managed to spin just enough to squeeze between the offensive balls and pelt back toward the ground. It was a very quick descent, the cold hurting his face and fogging his glasses.
The pitch reappeared beneath him and he abruptly realised there were cloaked people standing staring up at him. He waved frantically, trying to get their attention. One seemed to point at him. He chanced a look over his shoulder and saw the bludgers closing in. Turning back to the ground he almost froze in shock. A jet of green light was shooting straight toward him. Swerving, he heard the Avada Kadavra spell connect with the bludgers and blow them to pieces.
"STUPEFY!" he shouted, aiming at the cloaked figures below. A blast of red light shot out of the end of his wand and struck one of the three cloaked figures. In the distance, he could see the front doors of the castle opening up.
Suddenly, his Firebolt started to fall like a stone. He looked over his shoulder and his heart almost stopped. Where the tail of his broom had been, there was just a few smoking twigs. He tried to pull up, but it was too late. With a sickening thud Harry hit the ground, and a darkness blacker than night consumed him.
had that one ready. school assignments, so maybe no update until weekend