Harry Potter and the Power of Time

by RossWrock

Now AU, 6th Year, following OoTP. Tired of the way Dumbledore and the Order treat him, and ready to face his destiny, Harry dedicates long hours to muggle and magical training to take the fight to Voldemort for a change. Slight HPGW, not shippy though.

22. Duel in December

Harry Potter and the Power of Time

Chapter 22 – Duel in December

The days following the incident with Cho were grating on Harry. She avoided him at every chance she got, so he got no closure on the matter. He guessed he'd just have to wait until the D.A. meeting the following week, but didn't know what to do to get his mind off matters. Ron and Hermione sensed something was wrong, but when asked, Harry didn't say. It wasn't that he was trying to hide it from them, but rather he didn't want Ginny to know she'd been a major issue in his and Cho's fight. Harry knew he would feel bad if it were him in her place, and the last thing he wanted was Ginny feeling guilty for something she didn't do. She was no trollop, no matter what Cho said, and Harry swore to not let her learn she'd been called that.

Cursing his twin with the Cruciatus helped some, but not much. He threw himself into a few new books, but that was a waste too. Harry was too emotional to start studying a new subject, he realized after he had to reread a few chapters. Thankfully thanks to Hermione, he came up with an idea.

Hermione had asked to borrow one of his recording quills for her History class, so she could take better notes that week. Harry hadn't even used the quills yet, and lent one to her without another thought. Only after she left, did Harry remember what he originally bought those quills and the blank journals for in the first place. To record Seth's long lost spells and potions.

Seth had been quiet again lately, which wasn't much surprise. They still talked every night, and sometimes when Harry played Quidditch. But other than that, Seth seemed to be content to just watch Harry's life from the sidelines, and interrupt very little. After decades locked in a jewelry cabinet, not the mention the centuries before that doing Merlin knows what, Harry couldn't blame him. Even sitting though Professor Binn's history lessons must have been better than nothing at all.

So with a new task at hand, and one that he had more than a passing interest in, Harry set out to fill the blank journals with Seth's knowledge. The process wasn't as easy as he first thought it'd be, but after a few trials and errors, Harry found a way to dictate to the quill, so it would write correctly.

He had to do that by closing his eyes, and turning away from Seth. The problem was, whenever Harry tried to repeat what Seth had just told him, the quill would record him speaking Parseltongue without him knowing it. Harry still couldn't tell the difference between when he spoke it or English, and only after he filled in four pages in the first journal, did Harry realize. The entry was nothing more then an odd collections of phonetically written hisses, and Harry almost laughed before he realized the system wasn't working. He could have manually written everything down in the journals, but that would take forever. Plus, Harry was worried that his hand might fall off from the effort. It was hard enough just to complete a fourteen inch parchment for Transfiguration homework; let alone completely fill in multiple lengthy journals.

It took two hours before Harry figured out if he closed his eyes and concentrated on something other than Seth, he could speak English properly to the dictating quill. That solved one problem, but the next presented itself soon after.

Seth, it seemed, although having experienced and witnessed extreme amounts of magic in his lifetime, had virtually no understand or basic training in it. Therefore, while he could list spell incantations and their effects all day long, he found it quite hard to convey the theory behind the lost spells, as well as their wand movements. Quickly Harry discovered that the grimories he'd planned to make wouldn't be so easy to write.

After much deliberation, Harry just chose to dictate as much information about each spell that Seth could remember. Each was incomplete (often not including the all-important wand movements), but Harry thought that he could go back later, and through more trial and error, discover the missing parts to each spell.

The list of potions Harry got from Seth was likewise more challenging than he planned. Many of the ingredients that Seth described (often by appearance and function, not by name) were extinct or endangered. Even more had new cross-bred counterparts, with slightly altered properties. Harry knew he'd have to do some serious ingredient shopping and experimentation in the future because of all the complications. The potions too, to make matters worse, were often dangerous or life-altering, and required extreme amounts of care. Using the wrong ingredient, or the wrong ratio without taking precautions, could be disastrous. Not to mention the fact that if something did go wrong, because the potions were lost to the modern era, it's not as if Madame Pomfrey or even Snape could just whip up an antidote.

Still, the work was not only satisfying, but promising as well. Besides Quidditch practice and classes, Harry spent practically the entire week following Cho's outburst working with Seth. So devoted he was to filling his blank journals with as much of the ancient knowledge as possible, he completely ignored his friends until Ron confronted him about it. Ginny had just dismissed the team from yet another practice session, and instead of heading to the warm castle to get out of the cold, Ron marched right up to Harry with fury in his eyes.

Harry was still floating through the air, now that practice was over, once again planning out how he'd spend the rest of his weekend. There was only ten days left before the holidays, and besides the upcoming Quidditch game against Hufflepuff, and the Hogsmeade weekend that accompanied it, Harry hadn't planned most of his free time. So lost in his thoughts he was, Harry didn't hear Ron yelling his name from below. Not one known for his patience, Ron gave up after three attempts, and instead took a more direct approach. The first snow fall of the season had been just the day before, and Ron took advantage of the white blanket of snow to form a huge snowball. Packed real tight, like his brothers had taught him, Ron wound up his right arm and let the snowball fly. And just like a bludger to the head, it connected with Harry, and broke him out of his stupor.

"Ow, you prat! What'd you go and do that for?" Harry yelled down at Ron. The snowball didn't really hurt, but it had been large enough to almost knock him from his broom. Harry could have sworn he felt a chunk of ice in the center of it too. If he didn't know better, he might have thought Ron was trying to hurt him.

"Well, excuse me for interrupting your daydreams," Ron yelled back. "Practice has been over for five minutes, and I've been calling your name for just as long. You've been really out of it this week Harry, and Hermione and I are starting to get worried."

Harry deflated some at Ron's explanation, and floated his way down to address his friend eye to eye. Harry was aware that although he decided for himself to devote more time this year to his studies, Ron had not. And as in the past he and Ron had spent nearly all their free time together, Ron must really be suffering this year. Hermione could always fill in the extra time with studies of her own, but there was only so much extra chess and Quidditch Ron could play.

"Sorry Ron," Harry said, truly meaning his words, "it's been a strange week. Cho dropped one hell of a bomb last Wednesday, and to get my mind off things I've been working on a new project with Seth. He's not one for deep, meaningful conversations, so you can only imagine how frustrating it's all been"

Ron didn't know much about Seth, to tell the truth, except for the little Harry had told him and Hermione upon their first noticing the new jewelry. They knew he was sentient, and knew that Harry planned to divulge him of all the possible lost magics he knew, but that was about it.

"Yes, well, it's been strange trying to figure out your mood swings too, lately. One minute you're furious at Malfoy, then you're laughing at an article in the paper, then you go off by yourself for an entire weekend, and we only see you at meal times, if even that. Hermione still thinks you're grieving over that girl Amber's death, but I think that's a load of rubbish."

Harry started to fluster, and was about to set Ron straight, when he got waved off by an impatient hand.

"No, that's not what I mean, and you know it. I know you Harry, and I know you feel responsible for her death. No matter what, you'll always feel that way; about her, about Cedric, and about Sirius. But you've overcome those feelings before, and I just can't see how this time it would be different. It's been over a month now, and you've never been affected by things this long before; not even for Sirius. And if you can get on with your life after him, then I doubt any girl you only met a few times would be of greater concern to you. That's all I meant. I just know it isn't about you still being hung up about her. It's something else going on with you. What is it?"

Harry wished he could tell Ron about the pressures he was under. He longed to tell someone, as if sharing the knowledge would somehow lift the burden. But Harry knew that wasn't so. And if he did decide to let others in on the prophecy, Ron certainly wouldn't be among the first to know. Harry loved him like a brother; that was certain. He also trusted him with his life. But when it came to keeping secrets, or matters of keeping one's temper, Ron wasn't at the top of Harry's list. It was sad really, Harry thought, that Ron would just as likely blow up and storm off to the Headmaster or his brothers, then to stay calm enough for Harry to explain why the prophecy's content was so important; and why it was imperative that Voldemort not get hold of the information.

"It's nothing Ron, nothing at all." Harry knew he sounded lame, and hastily added on, "I'm just nervous about a few things. The holidays are coming up, there are more Dementor attacks on muggles by the week. Not to mention the upcoming Hufflepuff match; and Summerby was really good last game. And Hermione's promised me a pop quiz in Potions before the term ended. I think her questions will be worse than Snape's, honestly."

Ron had to smile at that last bit, mostly because it was true. Hermione would be unbearable in determining Harry's Potions skill, and would drastically overcomplicate the matter, like she did with nearly everything else left to her own accord.

"Alright then," Ron said, "I'll let you off the hook for now, but you've got to ease up a bit. Holiday's are coming up, and Mum's really excited to be visiting wherever you call home these days. It's funny you know. We've all heard you describe the place, but no one can picture you living anywhere other then with us at the Burrow, or with those bloody muggles. It'll be odd to see you with your own place. I just hope Mum doesn't try to take over once she gets there. She'll insist on cooking and cleaning the place, if I know here. And face it; I do. She's my Mum!"

Harry and Ron had a good laugh on the way back up to the castle, and Harry promised to himself he'd try to live up to Ron's suggestions. He did need to let loose a little. It was the last week of term, and where most students were winding down and fooling off more often, Harry had been doing the exact opposite. He'd been throwing himself into filling his journals with Seth's teachings, not to mention his other weekly tasks. But vacation time was fast approaching, and Harry swore he'd try to enjoy them when the arrived.

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True to his word, Harry put away all his extra readings and training material, and tried to enjoy the last week at school. He canceled both D.A. meetings that week (partly due to the still uneasiness he felt in Cho's presence), joined in some snowball fights and pick up games around the common room, and even made a trip to the kitchens with Ron, just for old time's sake. Harry did make the concessions of creating more prison cells in his trunk's compartment, but he swore off trying to fill them. Even though he had the names of more than two dozen confirmed Death Eaters he could go after, he decided to wait until after the holidays to continue his quest. Besides, the Hufflepuff Quidditch game was only days away, and if Harry got injured beforehand, both Ron and Ginny would kill him.

Harry was in such a good mood in fact, that during his Thursday DADA class, he decided to throw all caution to the wind, and take Professor Rofordit up on her offer of a duel. It wasn't a planned action on Harry's part, but he was feeling so relaxed and stress-free, and no one else had answered her challenge.

Once he stood to take his place in the center of the marked off dueling area, and the class realized that he wasn't joking, excited whispers broke out everywhere. Ron and Hermione were positively giddy with themselves, and refused to share their quiet conversation with any of their classmates. No doubt, they were discussing all the advanced spells Harry might know, and what his strategy was going to be.

Even Rofordit, normally so stone faced before the onset of a duel, seemed a bit surprised. Honestly, she had expected him to be one of the first to accept her challenge at the beginning of the year. But when he didn't accept, she figured he must have had enough fighting in his life to be happy just critiquing from the sidelines. After one month, then two, and then three had passed, she didn't even look his way anymore. Now though, if only admitting to herself, she was a little excited not to mention intrigued at what the Boy-Who-Lived had to offer.

"Alright class, back up further than normal. If the rumors I've heard are even half right, I want everyone back as far away from us as possible." Professor Rofordit was only half joking, using her dry humor, but the tables were turned on her when the class practically jumped from their seats to comply. She had only bee around for a few moths, but his year mates had seen Harry in action more than once before. Not even the Slytherins were willing to stay so close to the action.

All this time, Harry was calmly standing to his side of the dueling arena, watching Rofordit direct the class. After she erected the protection spell that encircled the area, she turned to face him, an each bowed deeply in respect. Although the circular dueling area was a more modern and informal venue then the traditional dueling platform, proper dueling etiquette was still required. After bowing to each other, they each bowed to the class (a poor substitution of a judging panel), and then presented themselves in the ready position.

With eager voices, the class began to count down from five, as had become practice those last few months. Normally there would be a spark signal from the senior judge to begin combat, but thanks to a few false starts earlier on in class, Rofordit had adapted the easier solution.

"Five, four, three, two...."

Harry had his eyes locked on his opponent's, wand to his side, his body slightly turned to present a smaller target. Rofordit likewise was in an older version of a ready stance, which was more than she'd done for any of her other students.

Then all at once, every student (even Malfoy's group of Slytherins) screamed out "ONE!" in a loud, singular voice.

Harry made a small move to raise his hand, but Rofordit moved faster then the class had seen her yet. Either she'd been holding back, or she was using up all of her energy to try and get an early win. Either way, it was the first time she'd started the offense, and just the deviation from normalcy cheered the student onlookers on.

Harry didn't know what the curse she fired from her wand was, nor did he care to find out. He had learned long ago not to try and block an unknown spell with a shield, if it was possible to dodge. So Harry moved out of the way just barely in time, and missed the indigo light by mere inches.

After that, Harry had his wand fully raised, and each combatant eyed the other curiously. Each was waiting for the other to attack, and neither did.

Starting to circle to his right, Harry began to finalize a plan in his head he'd been thinking about for weeks. Actually, Harry had been tossing a few strategies around, but hadn't decided to use one over the other until just then. With the way they were both circling each other, without a lot of spell fire, Harry decided it was perfect.

Without the slightest hesitation, Harry began to fire curses nonstop at Rofordit. His aim however, seemed off, as all of them flew past her left side, as she continued to circle right. Harry knew from watching her with the others that she also preferred to dodge when able to, and Harry made sure to purposely make his aim far off enough not to worry his teacher.

Rofordit continued to circle, and instead of returning fire, fell back to her old game plan of waiting and watching. She didn't yet know what Harry had in mind, but she wanted to have some idea before she committed herself to a plan of attack.

Luckily for Harry, Rofordit never once thought to look behind her, otherwise she would have seen some of Harry's spells hitting discarded student desks, and them being transformed into large stone slabs. Each was at least eight feet tall, three feet wide, and nearly half a foot thick. If she had managed to hear his spells, she might have known to look behind her. But because Harry was speaking so softly, so had no idea. Not every spell conjured a stone slab, though. Harry made sure to space them out only once every few feet. The other spells he used were just filler; low level jinxes than he knew Rofordit had to make the effort of dodging, but served no real purpose.

It wasn't until they made one entire lap around the dueling space, and Rofordit began to focus on the large objects behind Harry, that she noticed the slabs. Not sensing any immediate danger, she refocused on Harry, and was surprised to see him in the middle of casting a complex animation spell. She couldn't hear his exact words, but the large circular wand movement he made above his head was familiar enough. Hermione and a few other students laughed at Harry's gesture as he looked like he was miming using a lasso, but the laugher stopped a second later when all eight stone slabs jumped from the resting positions against the wall, and formed a large circular barrier around both Harry and their teacher.

Suddenly, things got a lot more interesting. The class could still see both duelers, but only barely. There was a two foot gap between each stone slab, and Rofordit was currently directly in the middle of them. Harry had been to a side, but slipped out of the circle once all the confusion began. For not only did the large stone slabs form an almost pen-like enclosure around Professor Rofordit, but they started to rotate in a clockwise motion, opposite of the direction Harry had been traveling not too long ago.

Not liking the new situation one bit at all, Rofordit leveled her wand to a stone slab and began to utter a curse. Having so many blind spots and losing sight of her opponent made her nervous, and she planned to blast the slabs out of the way as soon as possible. She almost got that first Reductor curse out of her mouth too, before a jelly legs jinx fired at her from behind made her jump to the side, and in the effort, forget about her spell.

Harry it had seemed, after slipping though a gap in the stones, hid behind one so that he was completely hidden from her view. As it continued to move in a circle, so did he, and there was no way for Rofordit to know in which direction he was attacking from. The class could tell from their unobstructed view outside the stone circle, and a few had smiles on their faces at what many sensed to be an upset against the teacher's winning streak.

After that first jelly legs jinx, all hell broke loose inside the dueling arena. Both Harry and Rofordit shot spells at will. And while all Harry had to do was peak around a corner and fire towards the middle of the circle, Rofordit was at a huge disadvantage because she had to pick a random direction, and get her spell past the gap in the stones. She tried moving from the center of the circle as well, but for some strange reason, the stones moved with her. Unknown to her or the class, Harry had animated the slabs to encircle her, no matter where she went. So anytime she moved, the conjured stones would track to follow her, leaving her in a most vulnerable position.

Once she realized that getting out of the circle wouldn't be so easy, so returned to attacking the stone slabs again. She didn't have the time or concentration to start figuring out how to negate Harry's animation spell, so with a few more Reductors, she let off a barrage of curses aimed at the imprisoning slabs.

You can imagine her surprise when the spells failed to destroy the stones, but instead bounced off them, and heading back her way. Harry, in between running between stones, sometimes in either direction, had made sure to cast a reflection charm on each slab, just like he'd done with Dumbledore's floor when he used the restraining spell on Snape. The counter spell was easy to cast, but Harry didn't plan on giving Rofordit the opportunity to figure out what was done, much less cast the counter charm on all eight stone slabs.

No, instead Harry kept firing spells towards Rofordit, sometimes not even looking where he was aiming. It was good enough though, for even if his spell didn't come close to hitting her, it would almost always hit one of the revolving slabs, and be reflected back at an angle. Then the rogue spell would ricochet off numerous other slabs, until it finally slipped through a crack, or was deflected upwards by Rofordit. Most times he was quick enough to catch Rofordit with her back to him. But sometimes he wasn't that lucky, and had a few close calls. It was only the sheer speed he was running in a circle outside the stone slabs, and the small gap between them, that afforded him some cover. It was easy for him to stop and fire a spell between them, as he knew his movements, and could control where he stopped. But Rofordit had to guess where Harry would turn up next. Sometimes he'd run complete laps around the circle, and other times he'd travel one slab at a time, taking a long pause between each jaunt. The long breaks made Rofordit assume she'd missed him moving on to a new position, and he was able to jump out form behind her in surprise.

In truth, Harry was amazed that she managed to last so long. It was hard to defend yourself from a full three hundred sixty degrees, with the enemy firing from behind strong barriers. In fact, by the time Harry finally decided to stop playing, she had managed to partially destroy three of them. Knowing he couldn't loose more cover, and than if he did she'd possibly get the upper hand in the duel, Harry made one more run around his circuit, this time making sure to be discrete enough to not let on where he was hiding. Then, not even coming out from behind the stone, Harry used the same refection charm on the ceiling of the classroom, right above the where Rofordit was standing. She didn't notice a thing (she was busy setting traps in case Harry decided to rush in), and without another delay, Harry quickly switched wands. What he had in mind required a little more power than he could normally provide, and Hedwig's wand was just the thing he needed.

None of the students saw him reach in his boot for his alternate wand, because Harry was at the far end of the room, on the complete other side of the circle than the class was watching from. And Rofordit clearly had no idea, as she was taking the brief pause in activity to reevaluate her position, and to formulate a more productive game plan. She never got the chance however, as in the next instant, she caught sight of a huge blast of light shoot from her left, towards the ceiling. Not directed at her, she didn't move immediately. But once the spell bounced off the ceiling the same way the stone slabs had reflected spells, she tried to raise her wand, realizing she was too late. The wide bright light hit her before her wand was even raised halfway, and then she knew nothing. Rofordit lost consciousness the second the light reached her, and she got blasted across the room. Luckily, Harry had stepped around the corner right after he shot his debilitating spell, and was in time to catch Rofordit's body just before she would have crashed into a stone slab. At her age, Harry shuddered to think of the amount of Skele-Gro she'd have to drink if an accident like that had happened.

When Rofordit regained consciousness, the stone slabs were gone, the classroom was rearranged back to its normal setting, and Harry was sitting in his front row seat, with a slight smirk on his face. He knew he'd done a good job, and all the students around him knew it as well. Ron, Dean, and Seamus were conversing about how much fifty extra points would help them in the running for the house cup. Hermione had a clear look of approval on her face directed at Harry, and behind that one that Harry was sure was pleading to have the duel explained to her in detail later on. All the other students were talking loudly as well, and the two Ravenclaws who hadn't challenged Rofordit yet to a duel were jokingly complaining that now they wouldn't get the chance to earn the fifty points themselves.

"Ah, I know it's not normally my place to ask as a professor, but would someone mind telling me what happened?" Rofordit directed her question to the entire class, but was starring at Harry. He just smiled back, and grinned.

It took a full twenty minuets to fill Rofordit in on what she missed, and to discuss the duel in detail. It was much easier, in retrospect, to analyze each person's tactics and efficiency. Even Rofordit could properly dissect what Harry had used, and why, now that she had her full capacity to think clearly. Somehow, it was never the same when in the middle of a virtual war zone of spells.

The only thing Rofordit didn't believe, and even the class didn't understand, was the last spell Harry used to knock her out. Harry claimed it was a standard stunner, but they had all seen the spell, and it wasn't like any stunner they'd ever seen before.

Even Hermione had her doubts, and she had seen first hand against the practice dummies how successful Harry was with his casting.

In the end however, it took the brave motion of Neville volunteering to be stunned, to prove his point. Harry didn't want to hurt his friend, but knew he had to repeat his success if he wanted Rofordit to believe him. And since he still hadn't switched his wands back to their usual holsters, Hedwig's was still strapped to his right wrist.

"Are you sure Neville? You don't have to do this." Harry wasn't sure why he was asking, but it felt right.

Neville didn't mind though. Merlin knew he'd been stunned enough during the last five years of classes and the D.A., and he was used to it by now. He even got up to stand next to Harry, and play taunted him with mock-insults.

"Come on Potter, can't stun little ol' me? I think you tired yourself out too much dueling Professor Rofordit. I bet I could take you on now. My Gran is tougher than you!"

The class laughed as a whole at Neville's remark (they all remembered the Snape-boggart incident), and Harry decided to just get the demonstration over with. Raising his wand, he smiled back at the once timid boy, and said, "I don't think so, Neville."

Neville's smile faded for an instant, and the next thing he knew, he was flying across the room, nearly five feet in the air.

All Harry had done was utter a simple, quiet, "Stupefy."

Because he was so close, they spell seemed to have more power then when he used it on Rofordit, but Harry was still able to catch Neville with magic before he could splat against the opposite wall. So enthralled was the professor, that she didn't even notice the two other students in the front row. Lisa Turpin and Hannah About were both unconscious in their seats, having caught some of the backlash of the spell, as it hit and partially bounced off Neville. After Harry revived them all, no one doubted Harry's stunning ability again.

The class tried to pry facts out of Harry about how he'd done it all, but Harry just shrugged and said he'd been practicing. Rofordit herself didn't comment, but smiled and didn't hesitate to award fifty house points to Gryffindor for the win.

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"Crike Harry, when the hell'd you learn to do all that?" Harry was pleased that Ron had at least waited until they were back in the privacy of the common room to bombard him with questions. It was only a few minutes before lunch, but somehow Harry knew that he wouldn't be heading down to the Great Hall soon. Ron was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement, and Hermione had been biting her tongue the whole way up to the seventh floor, just waiting to begun her interrogation. Neville was pleased enough to just sit back and listen, although even he admitted to himself, that he wanted to know a bit more about Harry's new abilities.

"You know I've been reading a lot, Ron," Harry replied. He didn't want to get into full-explanation mode, but he knew he'd have to tell his friends something. "Well, that's just some of the stuff I've been reading about. And practicing, of course. You all saw the practice dummies in my trunk; what else did you think they were there for. None of the stuff I used in the duel is much beyond seventh year curriculum, I just made sure to have a sound plan. Some of the books I've been reading are on dueling tactics, and they help loads."

"Harry," Hermione interrupted Ron's retort, "there's no way you got that level of practice with only those dummies as partners. You must have been practicing with at least one other live person to have perfected those spells."

Harry had of course, but he wasn't ready to tell his friends about his time-traveling double yet. So instead, he just asked, "Why's that, Hermione?"

She got a blank look on her face, and Harry had to explain.

"I mean, the only real effective spell I used against Professor Rofordit was the stunner. Yes, it was real powerful, but that's only because it's one of the ones I've been practicing on." It was the truth too. Harry had been practicing both the normal stunner, and his personal one on the dummies for the past two weeks; since he'd finished his spell modifications. Harry had even almost used the modified spell against his teacher, but at the last second changed his mind. He wasn't sure he was ready to use it against a person for the first time yet, with such a large audience.

"If you think about it," he continued, "the only advanced spells I used, were animation and conjuring. And those don't require a person to practice with. Besides the stunner, the only other spells I used directly against Rofordit were small jinxes and light curses; more to distract her than harm her."

"But Harry..."

"Hermione, please, just leave it at that. Now, we're going to be late for lunch as it is, and I don't want to get between Ron and his food. So let's just drop this, and go down. I'm hungry."

"Bloody Hell!" Ron yelled out. "We're late? Good call Harry, let's go."

Ron didn't allow anyone to make up their own minds, as he immediately jumped up from his armchair, and herded them all towards the Fat Lady's portrait. Ron almost ran down the stairs, with Hermione walking briskly by his side. Harry was hanging back, but he could clearly hear Hermione lecture Ron about his manners.

"Honestly Ron, if we had just asked a few more questions, Harry might have let up on what he's...."

But Ron's stomach grumbled, he ignored Hermione, and they walked faster, out of sight around a corner. Harry smiled, and was content to take a more leisurely pace to lunch. Neville must have felt the same, because he fell in step, with wrinkled lines on his forehead.

"Something the matter, Neville?" Harry asked. With the exception of being in some of his harder classes, this year Neville was becoming a much different person. His new wand really did help his confidence, and Harry supposed it had something to do with that. Not to mention his developing physique, thanks to all the exercise done in the team's small personal gym. It was rare these days to see Neville without a smile on his face.

"Not really Harry, I just....um. Do you think maybe you could work with me on my spells some more?" Harry paused and turned to look at his friend, but wasn't given the chance to comment back. "I mean, the D.A.'s a big help and all that. I really do appreciate it. But that stunner you cast today was amazing! I can't ever picture myself casting a spell like that. I just thought you'd be able to give me some pointers. In the D.A., you don't really get a lot of time to work one on one with people, and I know you're busy. But I would really like to improve more. I'm still getting used to my new wand, and I think I can do even better with it than I am now. And I want to make sure I'm ready in case something like last year ever happens again."

"Sure, Neville." Harry didn't know what else to say. He was already tight on free time, but he also knew that Neville wouldn't have asked such an imposition if it wasn't important to him. And considering that Harry hardly spent any time with Neville outside of Quidditch practices, Harry thought he might even enjoy it. Neville was fast becoming a good, dependable, and capable friend. Much different than the person he'd been the first time Harry had met him, all those years ago.

"It will have to wait until after the holiday break though. I'm pretty busy right now. We've got the Hufflepuff game this Saturday, the Hogsmeade trip, plus I've got to get things ready at home. I invited Ron, Hermione, and their families over to my place for Boxing Day, and they're the first house guests I'll have. I have to make sure I've got everything I need, or else Mrs. Weasley will push me out of the way, and take over my own home."

Neville's face fell as he asked, "You're going home this year? But I thought you never go home for Christmas?"

"Well, that's because in years past, it was the Dursleys I would have been going home to. Thank you, but no. This year though, I've got my own place that's Dursley-free. I can't wait for Christmas this year! It will probably be my best yet."

Neville swallowed his grimace, and nodded. "Yeah, sounds like fun. And yeah, after the holidays is fine with me. I don't think I'll have time either beforehand. Besides Quidditch practice, I promised Professor Sprout I'd help her get all the plants in the greenhouses ready for the break. Without the student classes, some of them will be sitting unattended for three weeks. That requires some special tending, so they don't die or go wild."

Harry didn't know that, but he supposed he might if he had kept on with NEWT level Herbology. Still, he asked Neville to explain more, and the two made small talk the rest of the way to lunch.

Walking to the Gryffindor table, Harry found that his friends had saved him and Neville seats. Luna was also joining them today, and was seated across from Ginny. Harry took his usual seat between Ginny and Ron, and Neville sat down across the table, between Hermione and Luna.

"What took you all so long?" Ginny asked. "Lunch is almost over, and we wanted to ask you what happened in your Defense class today.

Harry choked on the potato salad he was eating, and after being enthusiastically thumped on the back by Ron, managed, "What?"

"Rumor has spread about the duel you had today, Harry," Luna answered. "I've so far heard three different versions of what has happened, but I'm positive the one where you became invisible and turned the whole room into a mirror, so spells would bounce off the walls, is the truth. Nicely done. I always thought that your second wand would suit you better."

Harry choked on his food again and coughed, but thankfully he didn't have to answer, because Hermione had.

"Luna, that's ridiculous. Harry used a reflective charm; he didn't transfigure the entire room into a mirror! And he doesn't have a second wand. It's illegal to own two. Honestly, this isn't an article from the Quibbler!"

Luna nodded in agreement, perhaps just to appease Hermione, but she smiled secretively. After that though, she and what she had said were dismissed as the normal bunk that she often talked about. For that, Harry was glad. He didn't know how she of all his friends; the one he spent the least amount of time with; could have noticed his second wand. He hardly ever used it in public, and even then, he took care to make sure nobody noticed the switch. In the future, Harry knew he'd have to be more careful around Luna.

The rest of lunch passed uneventfully, with the exception of a few students coming up to Harry to congratulate him on his victory. Most were Hufflepuffs and a few envious Ravenclaws (they were the ones who thought they'd get the points; thanks to their smarts), but even a few of the younger year Slytherins ventured over; led by the Flint twins. It was hard to miss the sour look on both Draco and Snape's face, but somehow Harry thought their dislike made the victory that much sweeter. At that staff table, some of the others were also surprised by the show of school unity. None looked as pleased though as the Headmaster, whose eyes were positively glowing.

So busy trying to finish his quick lunch, and thank the persistent students, that Harry didn't notice Hermione was even gone until she retook her seat.

"Oy, where've you been? And pass the pudding."

Hermione passed Ron the platter with a disgusted look on her face, and turned to address Harry.

"Harry, I've gotten permission from Professor McGonagall for us both to miss Transfiguration today. She heard about your duel, and agreed that neither of us will fall behind for a single missed class. She said she was very proud, by the way, that we both thought to use advanced transfigurations in our duels. I don't think the fifty points to Gryffindor hurt either."

"Cor, we've all got the afternoon off then. My remedial Potions teacher canceled our class because of the holidays, and neither of you have other afternoon classes either. This is great! What shall we do?"

Not phased by Ron's enthusiasm, Hermione just shook her head. "No Ron, that's not what I meant. You don't think Professor McGonagall would just let us ditch class to do nothing, do you? No, I said I wanted the afternoon to test Harry on his Potion skills. The Headmaster asked me to make sure Harry was keeping up in his studies, and I've only checked up on him a few times. Today, I plan on spending the whole afternoon going over both out notes."

Harry gave a big theatrical sigh of disappointment, but he wasn't really that surprised. He knew he'd been let off the hook for too long already when it came to Hermione's supervision of his Potions' studies, and he'd been expecting something like this for weeks. That Hermione had thought to ask out of another class, so Harry would waste as little of his free time as possible, was just an unexpected bonus.

"See Ron, I told you she'd get her hooks into me. Don't worry though," Harry said, "she can't keep me forever. We've still got to be done in time for dinner tonight. I'm just glad I canceled the D.A., or otherwise I'd be asleep on my broom for Quidditch practice tonight.

At the mere mention of Quidditch, both Ron and Ginny turned to face Hermione, and gave warning glances.

"You better not tire him out Hermione, or else! We need him at top form this weekend. So no exploding cauldrons or dangerous potions, OK?"

Hermione almost laughed at their exuberance, but knew not too. She quickly promised, and as everyone filled out of the Great Hall on their way to afternoon classes, Hermione ushered Harry upstairs to the common room.

"Where do you want to do this?" Harry asked. "I don't think Snape's got a class this period, so I guess we can ask to use his classroom. Although, I think I'll leave the asking up to you. If I did it, I think we both know what the answer would be."

"I think you're right," Hermione smiled, "but it doesn't matter. We've got out own potions laboratory, remember? We'll just use your trunk."

That one caught Harry for a loop, as he hadn't had any of his friends inside it since he originally showed it to them. But he knew he couldn't refuse, as it really did make the most since. Thankfully, Hermione bought his excuse that he needed to clean up a bit first, and he was able to warn his double to hide with the time tuners before Hermione crawled down the ladder.

"This place really is wonderful, Harry. You could do so much with it! And look at all the extra space you still have. Why, you could get some of those really rare cauldrons and ingredients, and make NEWT level potions. Professor Snape hasn't let us start on those yet. Crabbe and Goyle each lost a finger in an accident last month, and you weren't around to blame. So since then, all we've been doing is going over theoretical recipes. If you think the class was bad before, you should see it now. Still, it's interesting, and once we're allowed to actually make the potions, it will all be worth it."

"Crabbe and Goyle each lost a finger?" Harry was thinking about what Hermione had said about the extra space, so he almost missed the confession. Dobby and Winky had been much scarcer the last few weeks, and as opposed to the illusion he set up last time, this time their quarters really were emptied. Dobby had been going to the Black family vault everyday, sorting the contents for Harry, while Winky had been doing most of the house chores like cooking and cleaning. Harry had special Christmas presents for them both to show his thanks for their hard work, and couldn't wait to see their reactions. Still, Goyle and Crabbe each lost a finger? How dense were they?

"Well, the fingers are back now, aren't they? It took a full week for Madam Pomfrey to do it though. Still, it's nothing I'd want to happen to me."

Harry nodded. Re-growing the bones in his arm had been bad enough, but Harry couldn't imagine actually losing a body part altogether, and then having that re-grown. Ouch!

"So Hermione, how do you want to do this? I could show you the potions I've brewed since the year started, or I can show you the potion texts I've read, in addition to the class material. I'm already done with those. I'm about halfway through the seventh year material in theory, plus I'm doing the ancient potions research with Seth. That's coming real slowly, but I expect it to be a big payoff when it's finished."

Hermione's mouth dropped open as she listened to Harry ramble on. He had been straightening potion vials and ingredient stores while he talked, and was acting like what he said was no big deal.

"Harry! You've finished the reading for sixth year already, and are halfway through seventh? And you're doing more work on top of that? That's not possible!"

Turning back around, Harry grinned, "Sure it is! Without Snape holding me back, I've found Potions isn't that hard of a subject. I don't think I'll ever be able to be a true Potions Master, but I'm sure I'll be able to get an Outstanding on my NEWT exam if I continue at this level of study. It's just that Snape's been such a rotten teacher these past years, I think we've all suffered from it. The stuff we were learning when I left class is more like forth year material, really. At least, it has been in other countries, and in the past. But just like with so much other magic, people have gotten lazy over the years, and have lost knowledge."

With a look of determination on her face, Hermione pushed up her sleeves, and said, "Show me what you mean."

For the next two hours, Harry brought Hermione into his study chamber, and showed her all the potion texts he had. No longer was he scared of her finding a questionable book, because he knew now that he'd peaked her curiosity.

He started off with the simple stuff, and showed her all the tables and charts that would have helped tremendously if they'd been seen years ago. Snape had insisted they learn it all through trial and error, but it wasn't really necessary. Even the NEWT's Potion practical exam didn't require that students had to recall every single fact from memory. After all, how often was it that a person had to brew an unfamiliar potion, without at least having a reference book handy?

After the charts and tables, Harry quickly flipped though the textbooks of his first five years, and showed Hermione all the notes he'd made in the margins. They were all notes about how the potion might have been taught easier, and reference points directed to other books, that although rare to find or more costly, better explained the potion making process.

The advanced stuff was what interested Hermione the most. She had already borrowed a good deal of Harry's books for reading, but hadn't before been able to read his separate notes along with them. The cross referencing and theorizing he had done was remarkable, and even Hermione got a little jealous at the time and effort that must have been involved. She was also fascinated with the journals Harry showed her. He kept the spell notes to himself for now, but he didn't mind showing her the potion recipes that he'd been working on recreating with Seth in his spare time. None of the recipes were complete yet, but already a few of them were taking shape. And if Seth's recreation was even close to the original, Harry was sure to bring Potion Masters from around the world to his doorstep, each asking for a copy.

A full inventory of his stock potions was next on Hermione's list, and although she lifted her eyebrow at some of the concoctions, she praised his diligence. Harry argued that he only made the truth serums and pain relief potions because of their difficulty level, and that he planned to donate them all to the hospital wing at the end of the year. Veritaserum was the only potion that Harry didn't tell Hermione about, because it was so tightly controlled by the Ministry. There was no excuse for Harry to have a vast quantity in his possession, so Harry just passed it off as distilled water. It was a clear, odorless liquid, so Hermione never batted an eye.

With only an hour left before dinner started, Hermione insisted that Harry brew at least one potion in person for her. In so little time, there weren't many options, but thankfully Hermione had come prepared. The anti-venom of a Streeler was one of the most advanced sixth year potions on their curriculum that year. And although it didn't take very long to brew, it demanded intricately prepared ingredients and a steady hand in stirring.

Harry had never made the potion before, but had studied it, and was confident that as long as Hermione didn't break his concentration, he could perform well. Hermione agreed to keep quiet, and sat in the corner with a book, while Harry began to work. It took thirty minutes to fully prepare the ingredients, and then the brewing began. That only lasted another twenty, but it had to be constantly stirred. Lastly, the potion had to be cooled to specific temperatures in stages, which took up the remaining time.

Harry already knew he had done well when he turned his vial over to Hermione. She said she planned to test it the next day with some real Streeler venom, but she gave Harry a preemptive congratulations. The color was near perfect, and although a Potion Master like Snape could no doubt brew a better sample, she knew Harry's attempt would be satisfactory enough to meet normal standards.

Once they cleaned up and stored the excess potion, both Harry and Hermione made it to dinner with only moments to spare. Ron was amazed that Harry spent the whole afternoon doing potions with Hermione, and was still in such a good mood, but let the matter drop when Hermione kicked his shin under the table for making some off-color remarks.

In fact, almost everyone was in a good mood. The Hufflepuff game was only days away, and the Gryffindor team was eagerly awaiting the chance to show the school their much improved skills. The exercises Harry had shown Neville and Frank had all but ended their endurance problems, and all the boys on the team (they had all used the equipment somewhat) had become a little stronger.

Ginny, Natalie, and Connie were also working together flawlessly. They still didn't speak together during meals, but it was at the point now where no one even noticed; they were so in-tuned with each other. Not having to rely on hand signals all the time would free up their hands for more intricate maneuvers on the field, and Hufflepuff hadn't shown anything of that caliber in their last game.

Ron too was doing better. Just like Shelby the Hufflepuff announcer, Ron managed to get all the jitters out of his system during that first game. It was his goal to play in one lockout game this season, and he was off to a promising start. Practice sessions with him lately were amazing. Harry thought it was helped some by his new attitude towards Ginny. Before, Ron had been a little worried about her being in the air with the Slytherins. But against Huflepuff, he knew he didn't have to worry about any dirty tactics. So leaving Ginny to her own merits, Ron could concentrate fully on guarding the hoops.

And while Harry didn't detect any noticeable improvement in his skills as seeker, that was hardly surprising. He was still in top form, and with his new broom, privately he thought he was unbeatable.

The only flaw in the team Harry saw that night, was surprisingly Neville. Not flawed because of his skill, but because he still looked like someone had killed his pet toad. Even since before lunch, Neville's mood had become dour, and Harry didn't know why. Hopefully, some mind-distracting flying that night would cheer him up.

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"Alright everyone, that's it for tonight. We've got one more practice before the game, Saturday morning. It's bright and early at nine, so don't be late! And you all better be over this slump. Now get lost!" Ginny dismissed the team, while Harry still floated above them, trying to ferret out what had gone wrong.

After the encouraging thoughts Harry had during dinner, he was severely shocked when the team all but fell apart during practice. At first everything had gone fine, but then one bad apple had spoiled the bunch, and they were back to playing like a group of second year rookies. The bad apple: Neville.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Harry tried, Neville never got out of the funk he was in, and his beater game wasn't up to par. Frank had been forced to take over almost all beater responsibilities, but without his partner, he started to make simple mistakes out of frustration as well. Phillip did what he could to alleviate the strain, but he wasn't used to working solely with just Frank.

The Chasers suffered from this naturally, and the too-many and too-hard hits they were receiving from the bludgers affected their play as well. A half hour into the practice session, even Ron in goal was yelling out commands to his fellow players (which were being ignored), and he was totally ignoring his own position. Harry hadn't even attempted to find the snitch, as he was too busy conversing with Ginny about what was happening. Once they decided to halt practice and take Neville out temporarily (in hopes that the rest of the team would get back in form), Harry hoped things would show improvement. But the damage had already been done, and the practice session might as well of been a write-off.

"Harry," Ginny said once the team had already left the pitch for the castle, "we've got to talk to Neville. I don't know what his problem is, but this is very serious. The game is less than two days away, and we're playing worse than we ever have before. Do you have any idea what's wrong with him?

"No!" Harry threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Sorry Gin, I just don't understand. He was in such a good mood earlier today. Then all of a sudden, he pulls a complete one eighty; and he's sulking. And I was there when it happened, and I don't even know why. It doesn't make any sense!"

Ginny cocked her head as she listened, and tried to put herself in his shoes. "Well, did you say anything that made him change? Or was it because of your demonstration on him today. You did curse him, right? Maybe he's feeling embarrassed, or resentful?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "Neville was fine with what happened in class today. In fact, we talked about it some, and he asked for some private help with his spells. He seemed really appreciative at the time even; almost relieved. If I said no I could understand why he might be in a bad mood, but I said yes! I told him that I don't have time before the holidays arrive, but once we're back in school, I'll meet with him no problem."

"What do you mean, when 'we' get back to school. You're not going anywhere for the holidays, are you Harry? You stay here every year."

"Not this year," Harry said. "In the past, I've only had the Dursleys to visit. Now I've got a place of my own. Besides, I've got a lot of errands that need to be done while I'm home. I've got to look through Sirius's vault more thoroughly, and I'm sure you've heard by now that I'm trying to sell Grimmauld Place. Plus, your family's visiting for Boxer Day."

At the mention of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, Ginny's eyes went wide, and she immediately scolded Harry. "Quiet, do you want someone to overhear!"

Realizing his mistake, he looked frantically around, using his magic lens, making sure there weren't any prying ears. Luckily there were no blond haired spies, or anyone else for that matter, in hearing distance. Once he knew he hadn't screwed up, Harry cursed himself. He really did need to be more careful. This was the third time that he'd talked about private matters in public, without checking first to see if he'd be overheard.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

Ginny gave him a smile, "That's OK, but just be more careful next time. And yes, I did hear from the twins that you threatened to sell headquarters, but I thought they were joking. And why didn't anyone tell me we were visiting on Boxing Day? Never mind, you can tell me later, but I think I know why Neville's all sour now. Don't you know Harry? Neville's staying at school this year for Christmas! His gran and uncle Algie are off for the entire year, visiting relatives in Australia. I bet that Neville was looking forward to having you around to keep company; possibly even working on those spells you mentioned. Now he knows that he'll be the only Gryffindor staying over for the break. Three weeks is a long time to spend by yourself. I bet that's why he's so miserable."

Forming a plan in his mind, Harry started jogging to back to the castle. "Come on Ginny, I want to get back to the common room before Neville turns in for the night. I think I know a way to cheer him up. If I can do that, perhaps we won't totally suck for the game on Saturday."

Running right behind him, Ginny called out, "Harry, there's no way we can beat them back to the common room. They must have a five minute head start on us, and it's not like Ron doesn't know about the same secret passages that you do."

"We'll fly then. I'm sure there's someone in the common room to open a window. That way, we can be there waiting when the team arrives." Harry didn't even wait for Ginny to agree before he mounted his broom. He was about to take off when he glanced over his shoulder, and saw Ginny broomless.

"Sorry," she said, "Ron took it, because he was going to polish and repair both of them tonight. You go though, and I'll just catch up."

Harry didn't want to leave Ginny behind alone, but he also wanted to get back to Neville before he could retire to the dorm rooms. Once he had his bed hangings closed around him, the privacy spells wouldn't allow Harry to wake or bother him. And since Harry didn't want the problem to fester all night long, he was in a real hurry.

"Quick," Harry said, not thinking of anything else, "jump on my broom. I'll fly us both up."

Ginny involuntarily shuddered at the mere thought. For years as a young girl, she had daydreamed about flying on the same broom as Harry Potter; even before she had met him. It was just one of those thoughts that nearly every young witch with a crush had at one time or another. And although now she had admitted to herself that she no longer had a crush on Harry, Ginny couldn't keep the small tingle of anticipation and pleasure away at the thought. More than a thought really, because not wanting to hold Harry up any longer, Ginny slipped onto the back of his broom without an argument.

"Hold on," Harry warned her, not that she needed his advice. She'd been on the back of a broom with her brothers before, and knew she would certainly fall off if she didn't take a tight hold of the rider in front of her. Still she was nervous, but Ginny mentally scolded herself, saying that she'd touched Harry plenty of times before, and this was no different. If anything, she should be more embarrassed about the massage sessions the two had had. Over the months the two had gotten to know each other better, and each was familiar enough with the other's body to not be embarrassed by a simple broom ride. So, wrapping her arms around his waist, and pressing her chest against his back, Ginny was just glad Harry couldn't see the blush that crept all over her face as he took off into the starry night.

The flight took less than a minute, and indeed there was a third year girl eager to jump from her seat, and open the common room windows, once she saw Harry outside on his broom. The window opening was large enough for him to make his way inside, and soon he and Ginny touched down near the warm fire, in the midst of some curious looks.

"Um, Ginny? You can let go now." Had Harry not been so worried about Neville, he probably would have realized the slightly compromising situation they were in. His mind was far away from such thoughts though, and he didn't notice the embarrassed squeak from Ginny either, as she quickly let go of her grip, and dismounted from the broom.

"We beat them; that's good," Harry remarked. "I had no idea Neville was planning on staying at the castle alone. I was so excited about being home for a change, and all of you coming to visit, that I guess I didn't realize it."

Thankful for the distraction, Ginny asked, "Yes, you mentioned that my family was coming to visit. Did you mean just Ron, or everyone? I haven't heard a thing."

"Everyone," Harry said. Then thinking of Bill and Charlie being out of the country, and the last conversation he had with Percy, he added, "Or at least, everyone who's home, and willing to come. I invited your parents months ago in a letter, and then again in September. I also told Ron about it last month, when I invited Hermione and her parents as well. Sorry I didn't tell you too, I just assumed someone let you know."

"I'm surprised Mum hasn't said anything yet," Ginny admitted. "But it doesn't surprise me that the twins or Ron haven't said a word. They'd just assume like you that I knew. Believe me, I'm used to it! Mind telling me when I'm coming over though, and for what?"

Ginny had added a little of her special brand of attitude to her teasing, and picking up on it, Harry decided to flirt back.

"Well, you're all coming over for Boxing Day. I'm picking everyone up at the Burrow at noon, and you'll be spending the entire afternoon and evening with me, while we'll eat the splendid food I prepare, and exchange the wonderful gifts I've bought. And if you'd like to sample the scrumptious desserts, you'd better present me with a great gift yourself."

Ginny giggled at the extreme attention Harry was directing her way, and decided to continue with the flirt.

"And what, pray tell, is one of the many magnificent gifts you'll be adorning me with this year? Diamond earrings? Silk robes? No, don't tell me. I know! Perhaps a pool full of gold galleons to swim through at my leisure?"

Harry was laughing with her now, and dropped the pretentious act, as he'd run out of ridiculous things to say.

"Sorry Gin, but you'll have to wait and see. But I think you'll be pleased. Your gift is the one I've been working on the longest, getting together. Don't tell Ron, but I haven't even bought his yet. I know what I want to get him, but haven't had the chance."

"That's OK," Ginny assured him, "as long as it contains chocolate, I'm sure he'll be happy."

Harry laughed again. "Too true." He was saved form having to say anything more, by the portrait swinging open, and the Quidditch team marching in. Connie and Natalie went straight upstairs, no doubt to hit the showers, while Ron, Frank, and Neville plopped down in front of the fire to warm up. Hermione was with them as well, and Harry thought she must have met them in the hallways, coming back from the library. Whenever Ron and Harry weren't around to bother or entertain her, she often used the free time for more school work.

"How'd you two get back so quick?" Frank asked. Harry and Ginny just looked at each other and smiled, but said nothing.

"Doesn't matter," Harry said. Sitting down across a small table from the group, Harry looked directly at Neville, and came right out with his proposition. "Neville, earlier today when we spoke, I had no idea that you weren't going home for the holidays. I didn't know you were expecting some company either. Now that Ginny's been nice enough to point the obvious out to me, how'd you like to come to my place with me. It's a large house, and the only other person who'll be there besides me is Remus, and only part time at that. I could use the company. I could also show you some of muggle London, we could visit Diagon Alley, and even visit your parents at St. Mungo's. I still have some stuff to take care of after Christmas, but by then I'm sure you'll be comfortable to spend a few hours alone. So, what do you say?"

"Re...really Harry?" Neville had lost the sour look on his face, and in its place was one of hope and excitement. Harry thought he might have detected a look suspecting of something else, and he spoke real quick to address it.

Leaning close, so only Neville could hear him, Harry said, "Neville, this has nothing to do with pity. I've been at the receiving end of those acts before, and I don't like it. Honestly, except for Boxing Day when the others are visiting, I'm going to be all alone. I didn't even know that you were planning on staying at Hogwarts this year, until after practice. And Ginny wasn't the one to tell me to invite you. I really want you to come. She just explained to me that when you asked about extra practice earlier, you had probably meant during the holidays. So, how about it?"

Looking around, as if asking for permission (and seeing only a bunch of nodding heads), Neville smiled and agreed quickly. He didn't want to be an imposition, and promised to not get in the way. But really, that's what Harry wanted; someone to spend his time with. The two had been dorm mates for nearly six years, and Harry knew that no matter what happened, Neville's worries about getting underfoot were not only silly but near impossible.

The group talked about the upcoming holidays a bit more, and half an hour later, went to retire for the night. The boys and Ginny still had to take showers, and Harry just knew that the team would be playing spectacularly on Saturday. Only one more thing was left to do before they all climbed the dorm stairs, and Hermione pointed it out.

"Hey Neville, don't forget to cross your name off the list for students staying during the break. Goodnight, everyone!"

The boys all wished her and Ginny goodnight as well, and waited patiently as Neville walked back over to the notice board by the portrait opening, and used a quill left out by another student to cross out his name. When he came back, he was smiling again, and the four boys laughed their way up the stairs. Frank left the group at his dorm, and once at the sixth year door, Harry began to get ready for his shower. He still used the one in his trunk, and Ron graciously let Neville have first dibs at the dorm facility.

An hour later, they were all in bed, fast asleep, and eagerly awaiting the end of term.

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Needless to say, after Neville's improved mood, Friday went by in a blink, and soon the Quidditch match was upon them. Hufflepuff could have been real trouble if the team was still in a slump, but their previous troubles were a thing of the past.

Even with the practice Summerby had done over the summer with Puddlemore United professionals, and the advantage of Huflepuff having their own house member as the announcer, Gryffindor won the game easily. From the moment the balls were released, their chasers were a bit faster, their beaters a tad stronger, their keeper a little more accurate, and Harry was playing his best game ever.

In just the first few minuets, Ron had blocked his first goal, and Ginny and Connie had each scored once. Feeling so confident, Harry called out to the team to practice some of their more advanced plays. Most didn't result in a goal, but Gryffindor got valuable experience using the tactics against another full team.

Ron also got a few more great saves, although he didn't get his wish of playing in a shut-out game. Hufflepuf managed to scores twice against him, but only one could be counted as a real goal. That had been made by Ernie Macmillan, and had been a great throw. The other goal had been made another, but not because it was a great shot. No, that one had been made because Ron was too busy laughing to try to block the quaffle. Zacharias Smith, as team captain and leading the play, had passed the ball, and then proceed to fly directly into the center hoop post. Ron had felt the vibrations beneath him from the hit, and had a great bird's eye view as Smith dropped like a fly to the earth below.

Still, less than a half hour into the match, Harry had spotted the snitch, and took off after it. Summerby gave a good chase, but in the end he was still to slow and too cautious to outperform Harry. He did have a few opportunities to foul Harry away from the tiny golden globe, but thanks to Hufflepuff's beliefs, Harry knew he didn't have to worry about that.

The end score was 200-20 in favor of Gryffindor, and like before, Ginny and Ron made sure to sneak to the kitchen and bring back plenty of food for one hell of a party. McGonagall had to break it up herself sometime after midnight, and Harry went to sleep happy with his performance, and eagerly looking forward to the Hogsmeade trip the next day.

The trip too, went off without a hitch. This time the group didn't break up, but went around together. A few of Luna's Ravenclaw friends joined them for awhile, and Dean and Pavarti joined them for a drink at The Three Broomsticks. Cho was there at another table with Marietta and some other girls, but even when she turned her back to him, Harry was in far too good a mood to take much notice. He even went so far as to buy the table a round of drinks, to show that he held no hard feelings. Harry and Cho obviously weren't meant to be together, and it was still debatable whether they could be friends or not. There was no reason however, that they had to be rude or unfriendly.

Ron stocked back up on candy, and unashamedly purchased a few select items around town that Harry knew were last minute Christmas gifts. Hermione and the girls were more considerate, and when they had to pick up preordered packages, they made sure they were wrapped and put away out of sight.

Harry picked up some stuff as well, but most of his gifts he either had already ordered, or would pick up later. Having access to muggle London before the holidays, insured that he could make unique purchases away from the prying eyes of his friends. For himself though, he bought another few books, some candy, a pair of ear muffs, and a large pot of floo powder. He knew he had some left at his Hideaway, but it wasn't nearly enough for the number of visitors he'd have in the weeks to come.

The only bad experience Harry and his friends had the whole day was the unavoidable run-in with Draco Malfoy. On the way back to the castle, he and his goons stopped to gloat about their holiday shopping, as if Harry, Ron or the others really cared he was getting Professor Snape a size twenty eight gold cauldron.

"So you've got to buy your grades, as well as your friends, huh Malfoy?" Ron spat. "That's pathetic, even for you!"

"What's it to you, Weasel? I wonder what you'll be receiving for Christmas. A dirty, torn, used cloak, perhaps? Of course you'll have to share it with your dozen other siblings, but I dare say you'll be happy with it."

Ron almost pounced on Draco as normal, but was held back by Ginny and Hermione. They had grabbed him as soon as Draco had begun to speak, as they knew Ron would react badly.

"Don't mind him any Ron," Harry said, "he's just jealous we've all got loving families and friends to spend the holidays with. His father probably just tosses some money at him, and spends the rest of the day licking Voldemort's boots. He'll never know what it's like to have a mother who sacrifices hours of her time to knit a jumper for him, or one that even says 'Happy Christmas.' Maybe we should all chip in this year and get Draco a gift; something proper for a change. After all, his dad can only purchase so many new broomsticks, which still can't outfly mine, before he runs out of things to buy." Harry knew he was being mean, but Ron needed the ego-stroking, and Draco really did deserve it. A smart man by now would have learned just to leave enough alone. There was no way Draco could get the best of Harry, especially with all his friends around.

Draco looked furious, and Ron laughing in the background didn't help matters. "Why you little shit, Potter! What do you know about family or gifts? What, do your dead parents send you presents from whatever hell muggle-lovers get sent to when they die?"

Harry knew he was being baited, and didn't rise up to it this time. "No Draco, they don't. But I've got other friends and family to take their place. I'm spending the holidays with Neville and a friend, and Hermione, Ron and Ginny, and their parents are coming to visit. Now if you'll excuse us, you're starting to ruin my Christmas spirit. If you'd like to return a gift to us all Draco, you can consider not returning in January."

Luna laughed hysterically at Harry's joke, and the others' normal laughter was cut short out of embarrassment. Even Harry cringed, because his corny comeback sounded all the more pathetic at Luna's overenthusiastic outburst. Still, Draco had stormed off in a huff, and that was always a good thing.

The group had a few more hours of good times before they had to retire for the night, and Harry had all but forgotten about Draco's short interruption. When the time came to use his time tuner, and repeat the week from inside his trunk, Harry didn't even mind.

That was the quickest week he'd ever spent in solitude. The promise of a holiday away from work, school, and unwanted pests made the time fly by, and Harry got a lot of work done. He kept up with Seth's translations, and made a lot of progress on the anti-Dementor spell as well. Harry took another shot at meditating on his animagus form, but after five hours of nothing new, gave up.

The Cruciatus training was unpleasant as always, but after his experience with the curse in November from the naked Death Eater, Harry was glad he'd been through the painful training, and had no intentions to stop. He used his pensive to review all the Death Eater captures he had made as well, looking for flaws in his strategies. He found some most of the time, and reenacted in his mind the way he could have done things, and hypothesized on how the results could have been.

When Sunday rolled around for the second time, Harry had been very pleased with himself. He'd had one of his most productive weeks in the trunk ever, and he was still looking forward to the upcoming vacation. After all he'd done, Harry felt he deserved it.

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Three days later, Wednesday morning right after breakfast, all the students were packed and gathered in the Great Hall, awaiting the arrival of the school carriages that would carry them to Hogsmeade's train station. No Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs were staying at the castle, and only a handful of Ravenclaws and Slytherins had signed the final list, so the Entrance Hall was jam packed. Trunks and pet cages lined all walls, and the distinct smell of B.O. was starting to fill their nostrils.

Not much had happened Monday and Tuesday of that week. Classes were held as normal, but not much work was done. Try as they might, the professors couldn't get the kids to concentrate properly, and even they themselves anxiously awaited the holidays to arrive. Little homework was assigned as well, and most of the students didn't worry about it, or even think to bring home their texts. Like every year before, most of the homework would be done scrambled together on the return trip on the Hogwart's Express, or the first day back at school.

Mr. Filch was even attempting to order some of the students around, not that anybody was listening to him. There wasn't enough free room to mop the floors of wet snow like he wanted, nor could he single out just a few offenders for the punishment, out of the nearly three hundred students. Finally, Hagrid opened the great double doors, announcing that the carriages had arrived, and like a mass exodus, the students rushed for the exit.

Harry managed to snag a carriage for himself, Ron, Neville, and Frank, and trusted the girls to situate themselves. They had been pushed away in the crowd, but Harry knew that Hermione and Ginny could handle themselves. With any luck, they'd even arrive at the train first, and reserve their usual compartment.

Once the carriages arrived in town, it was a mass rush all over again, only this time in reverse; out of the carriages. All the packed luggage and cages were being loaded by the house-elves unseen, so there was no heavy lifting to slow anyone down like on the normal Hogwart's Express trips Harry had taken. He himself had his own trunk, but that was only because it was shrunk down to size, and comfortably stuffed in his rear pocket.

"This is insane!" Harry yelled over the noise to Ron, motioning with his hands at the out of control behavior of the others. "Is the trip home at Christmas like this every year?"

Ron nodded. "Just about. I haven't gone home in awhile, but this is what the twins and Percy always described. I guess everyone's too excited to see their families, to care much about manners. For once, I'm glad I'm not the only one!"

Harry and Neville laughed as the climbed on the train. Frank had said his goodbyes to join his own friends, and Harry led the way to the back o the train, where his group usually sat. Sure enough, in the third to last compartment from the back, Harry found Hermione, Ginny, and Luna already inside, looking out the windows at the scattered students.

Each boy took their seat, and joined the girls in watching a few last minute goodbyes between friends and classmates. It was interesting, really, to see just who got on with who. Everyone became a little emotional during the holidays, and it was entertaining to see some of the normally more reserved students hug and kiss their friends goodbye. Perhaps the funniest thing they saw, was a tearful Pansy Parkinson sobbing all over Draco's shoulder, and a look of absolute horror clearly written all over his face. Crabbe and Goyle were snickering behind Pansy's shoulder making kissing noises, and that made the scene all the more funny.

"Hallo, you lot! Didn't think you'd be off without saying goodbye, now did you?" Hagrid had just stepped in front of their window, and his sizeable frame blocked out all the other sights.

"Not at all," Hermione said. "Have a Happy Christmas Hagrid! We'll see you when we get back." Hagrid thanked her, and all the others made similar sentiments. Harry could have sworn he saw a few tears in the giant's eyes, until he turned to face Harry himself, and Hagrid blinked twice.

"Merlin Harry, is that you? I didn't know you were going home to the muggles this year? Well ain't that a surprise!"

Sheepishly, Harry said, "Well, I am going home, but not to the muggles. Hopefully, I'll never have to go back there again. Truthfully, I'm looking forward to my first real Christmas away from school."

Hagrid should have been happy for his friend, but instead he looked nervous. "Er, right then Harry. I'll see you all later then, alright? I gotta go now. I gotta catch someone before the train leaves. Bye! And Happy Christmas everyone."

With Hagrid gone, and most of the students aboard the train already, the group settled down to await the trip. Ron had already unpacked his chess set in hopes of a game, and Luna had her head buried in the latest edition of the Quibbler. Harry and Ginny were talking possible Quidditch strategies against Ravenclaw for the next game, and Hermione was asking Neville about some of the preemptive treatments he had used on the plants in the Greenhouses for the long winter break.

The train should have started to move by then, but yet is sat still. It all made sense a moment later, when Professor McGonagall entered their compartment, looking directly at Harry. Harry had a feeling he knew who Hagrid had run of to suddenly, and he had a similar feeling that he knew what Professor McGonagall was going to say.

"Mr. Potter, what are you still doing here? The train's about to leave, if you don't know, and you're still on it. I understand wanting to say goodbye to your friends, but enough is enough already! It's time to go."

Without waiting for a response, she opened the sliding door and left, obviously waiting for Harry to follow her. Imagine her surprise when Harry didn't even so much as stand, and instead called her back into the cabin.

"Er, Professor, what makes you think I'm only saying goodbye to my friends? I'm actually going home this year, and I'm pretty excited. I thought that was obvious when I didn't sign up on the sheet for students staying over the break."

"You're going home? To the muggles? But I thought they didn't allow you to visit them during the year?"

"They don't," Harry said. "But I'm not going there. I'm going home, I said. I've got my own place now.

Beginning to get flustered, McGonagall crossed her arms over her chest. "Harry, your home is with your relatives. As you know perfectly well, you must live there to access the ancient protections Professor Dumbledore has put in place. If you're not returning to the Dursleys, then I'm afraid I can't let you leave Hogwarts.

Harry somehow knew this was coming, but was still angry. 'At least Professor Dumbledore isn't here for this,' Harry thought, 'otherwise it might be harder.'

"Why?" He asked. Harry was tired of explaining himself to "adults" about his situation, especially when the answers were obvious.

"What do you mean, why?" McGonagall shot right back.

"I mean, why aren't I allowed to leave Hogwarts?" Harry answered very curtly. "I've told Dumbledore for months now what I think of the Dursleys and his supposed rule over me. If it doesn't involve schoolwork, then he's got no say in the decisions I make. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself, and I'll have Neville to watch my back if things get sticky. Right Nev?"

It took a second for Neville to wipe the surprised look off his face, but he gave a strong nod in McGonagall's direction.

"I'm sorry Harry, but that's not good enough. Unless you're going to your relatives, you're not allowed to leave. I don't make the rules."

"What rules?" Harry yelled. "Seamus went to visit with Dean's family two years ago, and nobody said he wasn't allowed. Are you telling me you're positive that everyone on this train is going to their guardians' home, and nowhere else? Because only then, and only if you can point out a school rule that says I must go to the Dursleys', and no where else, will I get off this train.

"Mr. Potter! You're a special case, and you well know it. We cannot afford to take that kind of risk, and the Headmaster has specifically informed me that you are to stay at Hogwarts this Christmas." McGonagall was beginning to lose her composure now, and Harry was sure it was because not only wasn't she getting her way, but because she had to scramble with all of Harry's friends in witness.

Harry's friends, speaking of which, who were starring dumbfounded at the two. They'd never seen Harry stand up to a staff member before (unless you count Snape), and they'd never seen Professor McGonagall get so flustered.

"Well, I never asked to be a special case! And I don't think there are any specific rules written about me in the Hogwarts' bylaws. What Dumbledore thinks what I need is his own opinion, and nothing more. And I won't follow his opinions as rules unless they apply to everyone else. I won't hear otherwise, and I'm not getting off this train. And if Dumbledore's not happy with that, then he can come down here and explain it to me himself."

"That's Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Potter! And unfortunately the Headmaster is unavailable at the moment, tied up with Ministry business."

Harry laughed, "Well, isn't that convenient. It's obvious to me at least, that Professor Dumbledore knew I wouldn't stay at school, and sent you because he was too cowardly to beg me himself. Face it Professor, I'm traveling on this train to London, and there's no school rule that says he can make me stay."

Outraged now, McGonagall drew her wand, but only to casti a silencing charm with it. "Mr. Potter! I cannot allow you to remain, and I'll have to remove you by force if you leave me no choice!"

For the first time, Harry stood, and drew his own wand. Calmly though, opposite to how Professor McGonagall was acting he said, "Professor, I feel bad that you've been put in this position. You can blame Professor Dumbledore for that later, because he shouldn't have made you try to enact his own will against me. But I don't think it's right to set a double standard for the rules when they apply to me, and if you try to remove me by force, then likewise I'll try to defend myself. I'd rather not see that happen, but if it's a choice between my freedom and rights, and bowing to the wishes of an old man who has no legal right to interfere with my life, then I choose fighting for my rights. And even if you do manage to move me back to the castle, you can be sure I'll try to get home anyway. I can walk to The Three Broomsticks and floo to Diagon Alley; I can use a broom to fly away in the cover of night; I can even have Hedwig teleport me away in a flash, and no wards or spells can stop her from that."

Hedwig hooted her agreement from a corner, where she was perched in the luggage rack. None in the compartment had noticed her since the argument had started, and by the look in her eyes, and the tilt of her head, Harry could tell she was enjoying it immensely.

"You'd really use your wand against me, Harry?" McGonagall had a surprised and hurt look in her eyes, as she had let her normal passive face drop long ago.

Harry nodded. "In order to stop you from using yours against me; to uphold the wishes of Dumbledore, who has no right to ask you to do this; yes, I would."

Sighing, Professor McGonagall put her wand away. "Very well then. I don't agree with you, and I can promise this action will have some unpleasant consequences when you return, but I'm not about to duel you in a train compartment over this. The one thing I agree with you on is that the Headmaster should have enforced this himself, instead of dropping the problem in my lap. You two clearly have issues, and addressing them is not part of my Assistant Headmistress responsibilities. Just be safe, Harry. You have no idea how dangerous You-Know-Who and his followers can be. If they find out you're alone and unguarded, they will certainly attack."

"Pocketing his own wand, and returning to his seat, Harry replied, "If you're referring to Voldemort Porfessor, then yes, I do know how dangerous he is. More so, I'd say, then you realize. I can take care of myself though, and I promise I'll be perfectly safe. You all couldn't find me this summer, and neither could the Death Eaters. I'll be at the same place, and it remains just as safe as before. I'll see you in January."

McGonagall nodded, not saying another word, and left after removing her silencing charm. Two minutes later the group saw her enter a school carriage, and the train began its long trek.

"Harry Potter!" Hermione hissed. "Are you insane! You just refused to obey the order of our Head of House, and threatened her with your wand as well. You could be expelled for that!" Ron and Neville were nodding their agreement, but Ginny spoke up in Harry's defense.

"Relax Hermione. Like Harry said, whatever was going on there, was obviously between him and Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall shouldn't have had to play referee. That was unfair of Dumbledore. I'm impressed that Harry stood up for his beliefs, and I think he's right. He shouldn't be treated special if he doesn't want to be, and Dumbledore can't force him. Only his guardians have any legal say, and I doubt the Dursleys would care one way or another what Harry does."

Harry smiled. "Thank you Ginny, and you're right. I wonder if Dumbledore will try that; going to the Dursleys to try to convince them to put me in his custody. It won't work, though. The second they hear my life would be in danger if I did what I wanted to, they'd throw him out of their house so fast his beard would smoke; wizard or no wizard. They'd do anything to see me get hurt; especially if the thing they had to do was nothing at all. Unless Dumbledore resorts to using the Imperious on them, there's not a chance in hell I'll have to do what he says.

"Blimey mate!" Ron said. "But still, did you have to talk to her like that? Even if nothing happens because of it, McGonagall's sure to punish you when we get back to school. Have you ever suffered through one of her detentions? It's torture! I thought scrubbing cauldrons and cleaning suits of armor was bad enough. But no! She makes you grade first and second year transfiguration essays. The one time I had to do that, I thought my eyes were going to fall out! I had to search dozens of textbooks to see if their answers were right, and then I had to summarize both their work, and the grades I gave, before she was satisfied. It was horrible!"

Hermione almost looked excited to get a detention from the Transfiguration teacher, and the look caused Harry to laugh, and lighten up some.

"Look, I'll send her a note in a few days to apologize for my attitude, alright? But I'm not going to apologize for my decision. I shouldn't be forced to stay at Hogwarts if I don't want. The problem exists totally outside of Hogwarts business, and I can treat it as such. She should be able to as well, and hopefully we'll be on OK terms once classes start again."

Ginny thought it a wonderful idea, Luna suggested Harry send Professor McGonagall roses as well as an apology, Hermione congratulated Harry on his maturity (where was it ten minutes ago?), and Ron still thought he was loony. Neville still couldn't believe Harry had stood up for himself so adamantly, and was more intrigued about where they'd be staying for the next three weeks then before.

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After the confrontation with McGonagall, the train ride was uneventful. Ginny left to spend some time with Dean, Seamus and Lavender joined them for an hour while Ron slept off his chocolate-induced coma, and the Flint twins from Slytherin came by to wish Harry a Happy Christmas. Unlike the rest of the school, they weren't looking forward to returning home, as they knew they'd have some explaining to do. With Death Eater parents, Harry had talked to them weeks ago about a possible cover story. He told them that if they tried to stand up to their parents, and it looked like they might be hurt or punished, then they could instead admit to spying on Harry. Thinking like a true Slytherin, Harry told them a few small details about his summer, that while wouldn't comprise his security or talents, would let on to some unknown facts about Harry's previous summer activities. Hopefully, it would be enough to convince the twins' parents and fellow Death Eaters, that they weren't siding with him. Perhaps Draco would lay off them in the future as well, if the news got to him that the Flints' were loyal to Voldemort, and not to Harry, like they acted.

When the train stopped at the station, Harry could already see the mass of redheads outside the windows. And as desperately as Harry wanted to greet the Weasleys on the platform, Harry knew the security risk was too much if someone had written ahead that Harry was on the train.

"Ron, please apologize to you parents, but I don't want to leave the train. There's a chance me on the platform will cause some problems, so we'll just leave from here."

"Mum won't like that, Harry," Ginny admonished.

"I know, but there's nothing I can do. Like I told Professor McGonagall, I'm going to be safe, even if that means acting a bit like Moody. I'll see you all in a few days, and you can always write if you want. I've charmed Pig and Rowen to be able to break through the magical signature wards at my place, so you won't have problems writing like you did last summer. Just tell her I'm sorry."

"OK mate, it's your death wish if she doesn't like it and finds you!" Ron gave Harry a manly thump on the back, and wished him well. Then he did the same for Neville, and left the cabin, giving the others more room.

Realizing that they were saying goodbye, Luna gave each Harry and Neville a brief hug, and kissed the back of their hands. Hermione and Ginny tried not to laugh, but couldn't help it. Luna either didn't notice though, or didn't care, and went to join Ron in finding their trunks.

"Bye Harry! We'll see you on the twenty sixth, alright! And do be careful. Write if you need anything." Hermione then reached up and kissed Harry on the check, wiping away some of her lip gloss she left behind. Done with Harry, Hermione moved over to Neville, and Ginny took her place; now done with the other boy.

Ginny had seen the kiss Hermione had given him, and knew that she'd been doing it for at least two years. Ginny had never considered it before herself, but this year was different. He knew Harry much better than before, and considered him one of her closer friends. 'Hopefully,' she thought, 'he feels the same way.'

"Have fun with Neville Harry, and don't corrupt him too badly." Bravely, she too reached up and went to kiss Harry on the check. Her nervousness however caused her to shake, and she missed just slightly. Instead of his check, she landed her kiss half on it, and half on his lips. She was mortified!

"Er, thank Ginny. I mean, I won't corrupt him too badly. See you Boxing Day." He didn't know what else to do, as the kiss had stunned him just as badly, and could only offer up a lopsided smile.

The look Harry gave her caused shivers to run up her spine, and grabbing Hermione's arm, Ginny bolted for the exit. A last cry of "goodbye" over their shoulders was all Harry and Neville heard.

"That was weird," Neville commented. Harry wasn't sure if he saw the kiss between he and Ginny, or was merely referring to their departure, so thought best to avoid the conversation.

"Yeah, it was. Anyway, ready to go Neville? You've got your trunk, right?" Neville nodded, and patted his back pocket where his trunk resided.

Like Harry instructed, instead of letting the house-elves load it on the train, he had shrunk his trunk with his wand, and kept it himself. Because the spell wasn't a built-in design on the trunk like Harry's was, there were limitations, but they didn't pose a problem. Apparently, the normal shrinking feature didn't allow for live beings to be shrunk, like with Harry's trunk. But as Neville had gotten Professor Sprout to feed Trevor during the holiday, who was staying in the warmth of Greenhouse seven, Neville didn't have to worry. Convincing Neville to leave Trevor behind was easier then Harry thought it would be. Harry wanted Neville to have fun and enjoy himself; get lost in exploring muggle culture; and he knew that chasing down the elusive toad would be counterproductive to that. Surprisingly, Neville agreed quickly.

"Yup, you still haven't told me where we're going though, or how we're getting there. Won't we have to get off the train no matter where we go?"

Harry grinned, "No, we're traveling by portkey, if that's alright. If not, I suppose we could ask Hedwig to take us with her. That would be more uncomfortable though."

"No, portkey's alright, I'm just surprised. It doesn't sound as if Professor Dumbledore made it for us, and I don't know anyone else who would have the knowledge. Are you sure it's safe?"

Taking a stone out of his pants pocket, Harry said, "Yep, safe as can be. This portkey takes us right to the building I live in. There're some security precautions once we get there, but nothing we can't handle. Now, place your hand on the stone, and we'll be ready to go."

Neville did so without delay, and Harry was briefly taken aback at how much his friend really trusted him. Neville was about to take a portkey made by an unknown person, to an unknown place, with very little details about what he'd be doing for the next three weeks. Harry doubted he'd do the same in the other boy's position, even if it were Neville offering him the portkey.

Shaking his head clear, Harry spread his feet to prepare for the rough landing. "OK then, here we go. Hedwig, we'll see you at home girl. Three, two, one....Activate!"

Each felt the familiar tug behind their navel, and soon they were swirling though space. The trip didn't last long, and mere moments later, Harry crumpled to the ground in the basement of his apartment building, while Neville just appeared in the same stance he had been in on the train; standing fully upright.

"And people say I'm the klutz!" Neville jested, holding his hand out to help Harry up.

"Shut your trap," Harry answered. He'd been in the magical world six years now, and must have portkeyed two dozen times at least. But still Harry wasn't any closer to landing on his feet when arriving, then the very first time he'd used one at the Quidditch World Cup.

"Maybe I can teach you how to land on your feet, in exchange for the spell work you'll be helping me with. It's the least I could do."

"You mean there's something to actually learn?" Harry nearly yelled. "Why didn't someone tell me before?

"Well," Neville looked guilty now, "it's kind of been a running joke the past few years. Ron originally was going to tell you how to land firmly, but liked the fact that he was better at something that you; even if it was silly. Me and Seamus were let in on the joke, and eventually it just became our thing. The theory applies to landing when using floo powder as well, and even Dean's been told the secret, with all the visiting he does at Seamus's house during the holidays. It is kind of funny, you've got to admit, that the great Harry Potter lands on his arse whenever he travels."

"I don't think it's so funny," Harry muttered.

"What was that?" Neville asked.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure you didn't say anything?" Neville asked again.

"Yes I'm sure," Harry said. "And if you want a bed to sleep in for the next three weeks, you'd better be sure too!"

"OK, OK," Neville laughed, "I'm sure then. You didn't say a word. I'm positive."

"Right," Harry said. Walking over to the lift, Harry pressed the call button, and turned to explain to Neville what the contraption was.

"This lift is kinda like the one in the Ministry we took last June. OK, Neville? When we get on, there's loads of buttons for different floors, and all we gotta do is press the right one, and we'll be home. Ron got kind of freaked out when Hermione tried to explain muggle lifts, so I want to make sure you understand."

Neville frowned though, and his forehead creased between his eyebrows. "If it's muggle though, and not magical, then how does the lift stay up?"

"Wires," Harry answered. "Strong steel cables support the lift, and there's safety breaks and all sorts of stuff to make sure it can't snap or anything. That only happens in bad movies."

"You mean these things break?" Neville asked nervously. Harry was confused at first, until he realized that Neville had no idea what a movie was, and so didn't understand Harry's explanation.

"No, they don't. Don't worry, Nev. I only meant that it happens only in fiction; not in real life. These lifts can hold hundreds of kilos, so we've got nothing to worry about."

Neville accepted his answer that time around, and when the lift arrived, both boys entered, one more anxiously than the other.

"Now Neville, listen closely. I live on the thirteenth floor, but as you can see, there's no button for thirteen." Harry saw the button himself, but knew his friend couldn't yet. "To be able to get to my home, you have to think of this phrase in your mind. Harry Potter lives on the thirteenth floor. When you think it, and the button appears, press it. The ride shouldn't take long."

Neville closed his eyes, and a moment later opened them and pressed the correct button. If he was surprised about its appearance, he didn't show it.

"Fidelius Charm?" Neville asked, halfway up the lift ride.

That caused Harry to blink, as he expected he'd have to explain to Neville what had happened once they reached his Hideaway.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"My Gran and me were placed under the Fidelius, right after my parents were attacked. I don't remember it of course, but Gran talks about it all the time. Professor Dumbledore cast the spell, but Great Uncle Algie was the Secret Keeper. If Dumbledore cast this one too, but isn't the Secret Keeper, I can understand how he doesn't remember where this place is."

"I'm my own secret keeper," Harry explained. Harry was going to point out if he wasn't, then Neville never would have been able to see the button. He did add, however, "Dumbledore didn't cast the spell though; I did. At the time I didn't trust anyone else with my security, and I spent weeks learning and practicing the spell."

This time, Neville looked shocked. "That's rare magic though, Harry! Where'd you learn about it, much less how to cast it? I don't even think that information is in the Restricted Section!"

"I'll show you the book I found the info in sometime. But we're nearly there." And Harry was right, for not a moment later, the lift doors opened up, and Harry could see his home, as spotless and orderly as the day he'd left it.

"Neville, welcome to my Hideaway!"

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Author Notes:

I hope you all enjoyed Harry's duel with Rofordit, as well as the other stuff that happened this chapter. Writing the argument with McGonagall was personally a lot of fun, as she's a great character to write. There was a bunch of fluffy romantic crap in there too for the Harry/Ginny shippers. Well, not romance as you probably would wish it would be, but as romantic as I get anyway. All the quick glances they share; the nervous shivers they get when they touch each other. And the missed kiss on the check? Come on! How classic is that! Also, hopefully those of you who have been complaining about the lack of action and story advancement will be pleased now. The next three chapters will span the Christmas break, and each will have its own type of mini-adventures and drama. Trust me, a lot will happen, and I've been looking forward to posting these chapters for a long time. I'm going to try to post the next one before Sept. ends, but don't hold me to that. And of course, if you'd like current news about chapter progress, or would just like to talk to me and other fans of the fic, please join my Yahoo! Group. The link's on my profile page, and it really is worth it. I try to make the site as rewarding as possible, because I know that the hassle of joining (it's really easy!) doesn't always appeal to everyone.

And like the last update, I've decided to respond to all my chapter reviews in my Yahoo! Group as well. The file can be found under (coincidentally enough) the "Files" section in my group, and I encourage everyone who left a review to read them. If you don't want to join my Yahoo! group, but would still like to see the responses, then please let me know in an email. I'll email the file to you personally, although it may take a few days for me to get off my lazy ass. Honestly, joining Yahoo! would be faster.

That's it for now, and hopefully I'll be writing you all again in a few days. Later.

Ross