Authors Note: First off, profuse apologies for it taking so long – I'm so, so sorry! Grovels I said it wasn't going to be a fun summer, and I was right. I had a lot of Uni work to get through, which I did and I ended up with a 2:1 on my degree which made me really happy. Still, it didn't leave me a lot of time for writing, or doing much else really! I also had a little bit of writers block for this chapter but once I got over that the thing just kept on growing! It's quite a long chapter so hopefully that'll make you feel a bit better about the wait. I did try to get this out earlier but I just got a new job – early mornings and long days, I've been absolutely knackered! Still, at least its out now.

This one goes out to Japonica, for persistence- hopefully it'll be worth the wait!

Standing Your Ground

Harry was woken up, as usual, by his owl – he was convinced she had been a mother hen in a previous life. She had to have been.

At the Dursleys she had often sat on his battered old alarm clock and hooted, erm, hinted, that it was about time he got some sleep. However, being an owl, she had absolutely no problems with a nocturnal Harry and so her hints didn't always correspond to what might be considered a normal timetable.

He couldn't count the times she'd flown over to him with a half-finished essay or a Potions book in her claws as a gentle reminder that he shouldn't be putting them off, although Harry personally felt that he was pretty conscientious about doing his homework. Or at least the parts that weren't set by Snape.

Once she had even swooped down and grabbed 'Flying with the Canons' right out of his hands and refused to give it back until his research into the Babbling Brew and its importance in the creation of Truth Serums was done. He hadn't gotten in back for three days!

When he ate up in his room, something he tried to do as often as possible in order to escape Dudleys atrocious table manners and his Aunt and Uncles scowls, she always carefully examined how much food he was given and always kept an eye on how much he ate.

If she ever figured out a way, he fully expected her to tuck him in and cook him breakfast in the morning!

Still, Harry didn't mind, Hedwig had been his constant companion ever since the summer before he started Hogwarts and he loved his faithful pet to bits.

He stretched his arms above his head, then groped around on the bedside table till he found his glasses and put them on. Smiling, he reached out to ruffle her feathers affectionately. 'I'm up Hedwig, honest,' he yawned.

Now that they were out of the Dursleys the Snowy Owl had decided to do her bit to ensure that he ate properly by making sure that he was up in time for breakfast. It wasn't as if Mrs Weasley would ever allow people to laze the day away under her roof, or in any way, shape or form allow anyone to go hungry.

Especially not Harry, as she was of the opinion he was far too thin for a growing boy and was determined to feed him up. Harry sometimes wondered privately how on earth her sons had avoided growing to Dudley's size, especially considering how much food the Weasley men were capable of packing away in one sitting.

Still, he appreciated his owl's efforts, and so dutifully got up when she decided it was time. Besides, she was an exceptionally intelligent bird and knew when her 'chick' needed his sleep.

Harry stumbled out of bed and staggered in the direction of the bathroom while his owl eyed Ron speculatively. She was obviously debating whether or not to try waking him up too. By the time Harry returned, feeling much more awake after a quick shower, his best friend was sat on the side of his bed getting dressed, while his owl was back on her perch looking decidedly smug.

'I get enough of this from Mum,' Ron complained with a sleepy glare at Harry. 'Without your ruddy owl getting in on the act!'

'Look on the bright side, at least you'll be first down for breakfast this morning. You'll get first dibs on the bacon for once,' Harry replied, knowing the effect that the mention of food would have on his friend.

Ron brightened noticeably and immediately headed for the bathroom. 'Good point!'

As it turned out they weren't the first ones to reach the kitchen table. Mrs Weasley was busily bustling around the stove, frying up eggs and bacon and tomatoes while a clearly exhausted Remus Lupin was slumped in his seat attempting to focus on the Daily Prophet.

'Professor Lupin!'

The werewolf raised his head and blinked sleepily at them as he remarked mildly 'One year. I was your professor for one year only, quite some time ago at that, yet it seems I am never likely to escape the title.' Mrs Weasley placed an overlarge mug of coffee in front of him and he smiled. 'Bless you Molly.'

'So where have you been?' asked Ron as he sat down and began helping himself to bacon and sausages.

'We haven't seen you since the night of the party,' added Harry. 'Was it anything to do with Voldemort? He's been awfully quiet lately.'

Mrs Weasley winced slightly at the name while Ron paused in shoveling down his breakfast. Amber eyes met emerald in a long, considering stare. He seemed to find what he was looking for as he finally sighed slightly and leaned back in his chair.

'Understand, Harry, I cannot tell you everything,' he began.

'Remus!' exclaimed Mrs Weasley hotly. 'How dare you...'

'Molly,' he said seriously. 'They are hardly children any longer, they deserve at least some of the truth! And we've all seen that too little information can be just as harmful as too much.'

It was Harry's turn to wince.

'As I was saying, I cannot tell you everything. It would be far too dangerous. For you, for me, for the Order, the people I've been dealing with and potentially for the war itself. You must begin to understand that knowledge can have dangerous consequences. We do not generally choose to keep things from you merely for our own amusement.'

Harry nodded seriously and he continued. 'Despite everything that happened, the night at the Department of Mystery was a huge blow to Voldemort. He lost his main advantage, the Ministry's disbelief of his return, he failed to take the prophecy he wanted and you once again escaped his grasp. Most importantly, however, he lost a significant proportion of his Inner Circle.

Malfoy and the others were some of his most loyal and experienced Death Eaters. You took out, for lack of a better term, many of his generals and left him with mostly raw recruits.

The headmaster feels that he may at first have hoped that public opinion would not have swung back in your favour so very quickly, giving him more time to plan, but obviously that didn't work out. We think he is probably concentrating on retrieving his followers and possibly making some grand gesture against the wizarding world to mark his return.

That is as much as I will say on the subject and while I don't doubt that you will share this information with the others I expect all of you to content yourselves with that. Make no mistake boys, I will not be pleased should I find out that you have been trying to learn more.'

The werewolf's tone was level but there was no mistaking his feelings on the matter. Both boys nodded seriously.

'I have most recently been to America, for the Order, doing much the same thing as your brother did in Romania,' he said, glancing at Ron. He turned back to Harry. 'Voldemort is not likely to be content with simply the Giants and Dementors as allies. It was hoped that I could provide an, ahhh, unique viewpoint on the benefits of joining the light.'

'The werewolves,' Harry realized. 'You've been talking to the werewolves.' He shot him a concerned look. 'I hope you had better luck than Hagrid did with the giants.'

Ron looked up suddenly. 'You didn't find any long-lost brothers and hide them around the place somewhere did you?'

Lupin laughed, having heard a great deal about Grawp over the course of the holiday. 'No,' he smiled, then sobered slightly. 'They listened, at least, but the British stance on lycanthropy hasn't done us any favours.'

Ron scowled. 'I bet loads of it was that cow Umbridges fault. Wish we could've fed her to Norbert or something.'

'Ronald Bilius Weasley!' his mother said sternly. 'I will not have that sort of language under my roof!'

Harry broke in, scowling even more fiercely than Ron. 'She deserves to be called a lot worse than that Mrs Weasley. And personally I'd like to give her to Fluffy as a chew toy!'

'Thestrals,' said a cool voice from the doorway. 'Considering how afraid she is of horses, and the forest, I think tying her to a stake there and leaving her for the Thestrals to find would be...fitting.' She paused a moment to consider. 'At night.'

'Hermione!' Mrs Weasley gasped, looking at her in wide-eyed shock.

She walked over to the table and sat down. 'It's the least she deserves,' she said firmly. The boys nodded. Mrs Weasley simply stared at the three of them, speechless. Remus raised an eyebrow and pushed the newspaper forward.

'You might just be pleased at this then,' he said, tapping the front page. The headline screamed 'Undersecretary Umbridge to Answer for Crimes.' 'It seems Fudge is trying to pin much of the Ministry's misdeeds on your former teacher.'

Ron sneered. 'Fudge is trying to pin the blame on anyone except himself. Did you hear that interview when he blamed Harry and Dumbledore for not being convincing enough?'

Hermione had quickly skimmed the report and let out an unladylike snort. 'Ha, as if she did all that without the Ministers knowledge and support.' She sniffed. 'It doesn't even mention her real crimes.'

'Like that bloody quill of hers,' Harry said darkly, rubbing at the faded white lines on his hand.

'What about when she authorized whipping for Fred and George?' asked Ron

'Whipping!' exclaimed Mrs Weasley.

'What about when she sent those dementors after you Harry?' said Ginny as she entered the kitchen. Neville, who was right behind her gave a glare that was almost worthy of Snape, and completely at odds with his usual placid demeanor as he said 'Or attempting the Cruciatus Curse on you.'

There was a moments shocked silence, which was broken as Remus Lupin slowly leaned forward in his chair and fixed them all with an incredibly sharp stare. Ginny actually gulped as he asked softly 'what was that you just said?' Remus Lupin was not a man much given to shouting or other loud and expressive demonstrations of anger. Instead he tended to get very, very quiet and very, very polite. It was quite unnerving.

It was at times like this that you could see the wolf behind the usually gentle amber eyes. This time Harry could almost swear he heard its silent snarl of rage behind the abnormally soft timbre of his professor's voice.

'Umbridge is a toad.' Harry said, still looking at the faintly legible marks, which spelled out 'I will not tell lies.'

'She especially hated me, saw me as a 'threat to the ministry.'' He laughed shortly, but it was completely devoid of humour. 'She sent those dementors after me, that day on Privet Drive, wanted me out of Hogwarts for good. Dunno what she'd have done if I'd been kissed, she couldn't claim that was due to my overactive imagination and attention-seeking personality. When she became a teacher she went out of her way to make my life hell.'

He rubbed at his hand again. 'I must have had more detentions with her than the rest of the school put together, her and that bloody quill. She had me 'writing lines.' Hagrid told Malfoy once that lines weren't much of a punishment but then he probably wasn't thinking of using a quill that actually carves the words into your hand.'

He fell silent and Ron suddenly spoke up. 'Lee had one. I think the twins might have had a couple but you know them, they don't usually get caught. 'I will not disrespect authority' it said.'

'Dean had one too,' added Ginny. 'For saying werewolves weren't all bad. 'I will not question authority.' Luna said a few of the Ravenclaws got that one too, for pointing out when she was wrong in class.'

'Ernie MacMillan had one for questioning the fairness of having an Inquisitorial Squad,' said Hermione. 'But most people stepped pretty carefully to avoid getting any more.' She sounded as if she wasn't sure whether to despair of Harry for not having the sense to avoid antagonizing her, or be proud of his actions.

'But having us write in our own blood wasn't quite enough for her,' Harry continued. 'After the twins pulled that stunt with the swamp they were caught. She gave Filch the authorization to whip them. He was ecstatic, finally having the chance to use those chains he loves so much.'

Mrs Weasleys eyes were as round as saucers. It was clear that the twins had glossed over one or two things when they told her about why they'd suddenly abandoned Hogwarts.

'She was convinced I was hiding something. Dumbledore's location, or the weapon he was planning on using against the Ministry, some big secret. She slipped a whole vial of Veritaserum into my tea once, asked where he and Sirius were hiding.'

'You never told us that!' said Ron.

'A whole vial!' Hermione gasped. 'That kind of dose could cause permanent mental damage, and that's only if it didn't prove fatal!'

Harry continued on as if he hadn't heard them, his gaze fixed into the distance. 'The day, the day I had my vision,' he stumbled, swallowing hard. 'The day I contacted Kreacher in the fire,' his fists clenched, knuckles turning suddenly white, 'she caught me. She ordered Snape to give her Veritaserum but he said she'd used the lot on me the last time, he didn't have anymore. He said poisoning me wouldn't do much good, it would give him some satisfaction, he said, but none of them would give her enough time to get the truth out of me. So she decided I needed to be 'encouraged' to talk. She thought the Cruciatus would loosen my tongue a little,' he trailed off, still staring into space. He sighed and blinked, bringing his focus back to the present. 'In a way I could have understood it better if she'd been a death eater but she wasn't. Sirius, Sirius once said the world wasn't made up of good people and death eaters. I guess he was right. She's one of the few people in the world I'd like to feed to a bunch of Dementors.'

The adults were silent, obviously horrified by this recitation of events.

'Someone ought to feed her to a basilisk,' said Ginny, and Harry was pleased to see how casually she could mention the horror of the Chamber of Secrets. He knew she had had nightmares about it for quite a while, but she was a much stronger person for having come through it. Harry could barely remember the stuttering girl she had once been around him.

'Whatever those centaurs did to her, she deserved it and more.' Neville said bleakly. 'Dumbledore should have just left her there.'

'Harry suddenly smiled. 'Of course then we'd have missed Peeves escorting her out of Hogwarts.' Neville and Ginny grinned at the memory.

'And we missed it, stuck up in the hospital wing,' Ron groused. 'Still, those pictures Colin sent you were bloody funny.'

Hermione looked up from the picture of Umbridge on the front page and gave Harry a significant Look. 'Rita Skeeter,' she said, laying the slightest of stresses on the name, 'is certainly putting her own vicious pen to better use these days.'

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly and he gave her a barely perceptible nod. Ron looked over at the two of them as he caught on. 'Yeah, just imagine what she could do with the real story.'

Remus opened his mouth to say something but Hermione swiftly changed the subject. 'What were you saying about werewolves and America?' she asked. 'They're treated a lot better over there aren't they?'

Remus shut his mouth with a distinct click, eyes still hard and angry. He allowed himself to be diverted but not before exchanging his own significant look with a clearly distraught Mrs Weasley. Harry would have bet any number of Galleons that their conversation was going to be the main topic of a heated Order meeting as soon as one could possibly be called.

'America may make much of their Equal Rights policies,' Remus was saying 'but truthfully, it isn't as different as you might think.

Young werewolves do have a right to magical learning and there is a Werewolf Affairs Committee in the Magical Congress which gives them at least a small voice in the running of the magical community but known werewolves are still treated as second-class citizens by most of the populace.'

He changed the subject abruptly, asking how they felt about beginning their NEWT studies. Hermione, naturally, was ecstatic, and began talking with great enthusiasm.

'It's all very exciting, especially the new lessons, they sound so interesting! I can hardly wait. I just hope the booklists come soon though or I'm never going to be prepared for the first lessons! I'm just glad I got all my homework out of the way already.'

Ron snorted. 'As if there was any chance of you leaving your homework till the end of the holidays. You start getting twitchy if you put it off for more than five minutes!'

The other Gryffindor's laughed, while the adults smiled. Everyone knew about Hermione's obsessive study habits.

Remus decided to distract her from glaring at a completely oblivious Ron by asking about her homework.

'I wouldn't have thought you would be given that much. Not at the end of your OWL year.'

'Well Snape set everyone something just 'cos he's an evil git,' said Ron.

'Actually Ron, I think it's done to prepare the students starting the NEWT course so that they're ready to get started right from the very first lesson.' Hermione's tone of voice made it clear that she thought this was a very sound idea.

'That doesn't explain why everyone has to do it, everyone isn't taking potions!'

'Yes, but there might be more people like Harry, who didn't really expect to get in and now they'll be ready.'

'What about people like Neville who never wants to see another cauldron in their lives then? Why do they have to do it?'

Hermione looked momentarily stumped and Neville quickly stepped into the momentary lull to end the argument.

He looked at Ron. 'Like you said, Snapes a git. I bet he never even bothers reading the ones from people who don't get into his NEWT class.'

Hermione started to interrupt but he turned to her and continued, saying 'and it prevents them from doing more productive studying. Like for the classes they're actually taking.'

Hermione closed her mouth and looked thoughtful. Harry sent Neville a discreet thumbs up and took up the conversation.

'The rest of it's mainly Umbridge's fault. After the exams we're supposed to have some 'bridging' lessons or something, to prepare for next year. That's not easy when you your Transfiguration teacher's in St Mungos, your CoMC teacher is on the run and everyone else is being watched so they don't step out of line and end up fired like your Divinations teacher!'

'Even when Dumbledore came back everyone was so distracted and so busy trying to sort things out that not a lot of actual teaching got done,' Ginny added.

'Instead they went and lumped us with extra homework,' finished Ron, morose.

'Professor?' began Hermione. 'Do you know why we were offered all these extra NEWT's? I mean, I thought they only offered NEWT's in OWL subjects.'

'That is how it usually works,' he replied. 'but it isn't always the case. The headmasters of most magical schools have a great deal of leeway in deciding what subjects to offer. For example, Headmaster Dumbledore was considering dropping the teaching of Divination altogether at one point...'

'Wish he had,' Ron muttered.

'...While most American schools have compulsory Muggle Studies from first year. Generally though, OWL's are limited to the same sort of subjects that you were offered. Hogwarts, and most other schools, then offer the same set of subjects at NEWT level, along with a number of BAT's.'

'BAT's?' asked Harry, looking blank.

It was clear that Lupin was enjoying acting as a professor again as he continued with his explanation.

'Basic Aptitude Tests, a sort of taster course, allowing you to explore new areas and perhaps help you decide on your future career paths.

For example you might be offered Alchemy as a BAT's course and enjoy it so much you decide that's what you want to do with your life or you might hate it passionately and give up on your idea of being a famous Alchemist. That's the thinking behind them anyway.

And they always look good on a CV. Someone wanting to enter St Mungo's as a trainee Healer who not only had all the required NEWT's but had also taken Medimagic at BAT level would obviously stand a better chance than someone who only had the required NEWT's.

It's left up to the schools to decide what to offer, though it often depends on what subjects they can find teachers for of course.

However, every so often, generally when there is some sort of crisis, the school offers full NEWT level courses instead of BAT's. Then the workload is somewhat heavier, and the lessons taken a lot more seriously.

I believe that the last time they were offered was during Voldemort's last rise.'

What did you take?' asked Harry eagerly.

'Why didn't the Headmaster offer them last year?' queried Hermione.

'I,' Remus smiled reminiscently. 'Took Dueling, Medimagic and Enchantment, as did Sirius and James. They also took Ritual Magics but I decided against joining them there – it would have been a trifle suspicious if I had to miss all the ones which required the full moon.

As for why Dumbledore failed to offer the extra NEWT's after the events of the Triwizard Tournament you would really have to ask him, though I would venture to guess that he was trying not to further antagonize the Ministry.'

'Quite right, dear boy,' said the Headmaster himself as he walked into the kitchen beside Mrs Weasley. Harry had been so caught up in the discussion he hadn't even noticed that she'd left. He wondered if the headmaster had come for any particular reason or if Mrs Wealey had fire-called him and insisted on a meeting.

He sat down and conjured up a purple tea set with yellow polka dots before he continued. 'Cornelius would have been most annoying if he had thought I was moving against him, as he later proved, in fact. And it was not a time when I felt I could afford the distractions he would no doubt have caused.

I did, however, have a few words with the teachers to ensure that they, ah, 'pushed' the students a little further than is customary for a mere BAT's course.' He took a sip of the steaming brew and smiled.

'Ah, Lemon Tea, nothing better for a bit of pep in the mornings. Does anyone care for a cup?'

Everyone shook their heads.

'How come we weren't offered Dueling?' asked Ron suddenly.

The headmaster eyed him over the rim of his teacup and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling in a highly disturbing fashion. 'I think you will find a Dueling class somewhat unnecessary this year Mr Weasley,' he said. 'And that is all I have to say on the matter at this moment. At my age, you find that there is a great deal of joy to be had in such things as surprising people.'

He dug a sheaf of papers out of a red satin pouch bedecked with sequins that hung from his belt. 'And now we come to the reason behind my little visit,' he announced. 'Your booklists. I left the quills addressing the other students as we speak, they should go out with this evenings Owl Post. '

Harry reached for his eagerly and began to read.

Dear Mr Potter,

We are pleased to be welcoming you back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for your Newt studies. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. We remind you that term begins on 1 September and that the Hogwarts Express will leave Platform Nine and Three-Quarters from London's King's Cross at eleven o'clock promptly.

Sixth years are allowed unrestricted access to Hogsmeade village but those who fail to return by curfew will be severely punished.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry turned to the other sheet and saw a surprisingly long list. It was probably as long as the one he had received for first year, rather than the usual lists, which generally mentioned the next grade of the Standard Book of Spells and whatever the newest DADA teacher had set.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY Uniform

Besides the standard uniform Sixth Year Students will require:

One set of Dueling Robes

One heavy-duty robe

One pair of protective boots, black (dragonhide or similar)

Set Books

The Standard Book of Spells Grade 6 by Miranda Goshawk

Advanced Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

More Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Dangerous Drafts by Francis Slug

More than meets the Eye by Cassandra Brothelwaite

A Beginners Guide to the Healing Arts by Poppy Pomphrey

Passing your Apparition Theory Test by Wilbert Gorge

Powers You Never Knew You Had and What To Do With Them Now You've Wised Up by Amanda Hunter

So You Want To Keep on Breathing by Acheron Parthenopaeus

Other Equipment

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 1)

1 set reinforced glass or crystal vials

1 set juggling balls

Juggling balls? What on earth was he going to need them for? Besides juggling. And why would they be teaching juggling at Hogwarts? He wondered where they were going to buy them from. He didn't remember there being a shop which sold juggling balls in Diagon Alley. Of course the last time he'd actually been to Diagon Alley was just before third year.

Still, this time there was no Quidditch World Cup or trouble with the ministry to distract him and he was looking forward to going shopping with his friends, especially since there was so much more on offer in London than there was in Hogsmeade.

He could look into Quality Quidditch Supplies and see what the best broom on the market was, though he had no plans to be getting rid of his Firebolt.

He was looking forward to having a really good look round Flourish and Blotts, especially their Defense section.

His mouth watered at the thought of stopping by Florean Fortescues. Even with the proprietor himself bringing him free ice-cream every half hour or so as he'd worked on his essays that summer he hadn't made his way through all the flavours on offer, and he was bound to have added some new ones in the last two years.

Best of all he could finally stop in at Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes and see for himself the Twins new shop. He couldn't wait to see what they'd done with the money he'd given them – he'd bet shopping there would be an experience and a half!

He grinned over at his friends. Hermione was already drawing up an itinerary, which she was rattling off to a clearly bemused Neville while Ron and his sister excitedly discussed brooms.

It was then that he noticed the strained look on Mrs Weasleys face. It was clear that Ron's Mum was gearing herself up to do something that she knew wasn't going to go down well and Harry had a sinking feeling that he knew what it was.

'Well,' she said bracingly. 'If you'll pass me your lists dears I'll see that Arthur pops in after work to pick everything up. I would ask the twins but I'm not sure I could trust them not to add a few 'surprises' to your shopping and I'm sure we'd all rather avoid that!'

'Mum!' Ginny cried out in shock while Ron stared at his mother in horrified disbelief.

'You can't mean we're not going!' he said. 'That's not fair!'

'I can and I do,' she said firmly. 'It isn't safe for you to be wandering around Diagon Alley and I don't intend to let anything happen to you before you even reach school. It's bad enough the trouble you all get into while you're there!'

'But Mrs Weasley,' Hermione practically pleaded. 'I have to go to Flourish and Blotts!'

'I'm sure the Order members can pick up everything you need dear,' she replied.

'Then why,' asked Harry quietly, 'can't the Order members keep an eye on us while we do our own shopping?' He locked eyes with the headmaster. 'People don't like being locked up.'

He thought he saw the light in the headmasters eyes dim slightly at this reminder of their conversation at the end of last year. Mrs Weasley, however, rounded on him.

'Harry James Potter! How can you say such a thing! We aren't locking you up, we're looking out for your safety! Merlin knows someone has to! You can't just forget that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is after you!'

'It's not something I'm likely to forget,' he snapped, thinking of the prophecy that told him he was fated to either kill the dark Lord or die at his hands. ' But I'm not about to let him run my life either! It's my life and I want to live it – not spend it hiding away from everything!

Voldemort isn't going to be hanging round Diagon Alley doing his shopping! It's not like the Death Eaters know we're coming – they're not going to be hiding in wait for us!

You could get the Order to keep an eye on us all day if you had to so WHY CAN'T WE GO?'

'Harry,' she said with obviously strained patience. 'It isn't as if the Order doesn't have more important things to do.

And the Death Eaters know you'll have to go to London eventually to get your school supplies – where else would you get them from? They could very well be waiting for you.

Do you really want to put everyone else there in danger just because you want to get out of the house?'

That struck Harry. A part of him wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all, that he should be forced to the sidelines of his own life, made to miss out, just because he was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. He was sick of it! Sick of everyone dictating how he should behave, sick of everyone else deciding what was 'best' for him, sick of being treated like a little kid who couldn't stand on his own two feet.

On the other hand he remembered only too well the guilt he'd felt over Cedric's death, just because the two of them had taken the Triwizard Cup together. The guilt he still felt over Sirius, who had died because Harry just had to go to the Department of Mysteries. How would he feel if anyone else died because of his actions?

His shoulders slumped, he wasn't sure what the right thing to do was anymore.

Ron leapt to his feet, his chair teetering precariously as he shoved his way out of it, eyes blazing. As Harrys best mate he knew, better than anyone, how Harry felt. He was his dorm mate, the person he bunked with over the holidays and he couldn't begin to count the times he'd woken Harry from a nightmare or been woken by him.

Sometimes they'd talked late into the night, and while it wasn't exactly 'sharing their feelings,' which sounded uncomfortably girly, rather like something Lavender and Parvati would do, he felt that he understood the burdens on Harrys soul better than most, and certainly better than his mother! How dare she talk to him like that!

Ginny was barely half a step behind him, equally incensed. She had long since gotten over her crush on harry and without infatuation clouding her eyes and her judgement she'd come to some startling conclusions about him.

What her lovestruck young mind had taken as evidence of her tragic hero's deep and mysterious personality was actually the heavy burden of past sorrows and present responsibilities that weighed him down.

He was just a boy, an incredible boy, yes, but still just a boy. He didn't deserve to have to shoulder all those burdens. Didn't anyone other than his friends see that?

Even at his most light hearted, around Ron and the Twins you could still see it sometimes, the faint shadow of pain behind his eyes, a shadow that just wasn't there in someone like Dean, or Michael Corner.

She may not have been 'in love' with Harry anymore but he was like another brother to her now and she loved him. He didn't deserve all this happening to him and she wasn't about to let anyone make it any worse for him. Not even her own mother.

Hermione was busy gesticulating wildly, bushy hair flying. Her usual calm logic was momentarily lost in the heat of her indignation. Hermione was a smart girl and she'd done a lot of thinking over the summer. It just wasn't right how people treated Harry!

Before, she might have argued with him, pointing out that of course he shouldn't go, it would be far too dangerous, that this was the logical course of action, couldn't he see that? But her faith in authority had been badly eroded in the past year and she'd begun to see that logic couldn't solve every problem.

She'd seen Percy Weasley's blind devotion to the Ministry and had compared herself to the Gryffindor Prefect she had once admired. She had been almost as blind, in her faith, above all others, in the headmaster. She had found that he wasn't infallible or omniscient or all-powerful. He didn't always know the right thing to do.

She had seen first hand how Harry had suffered last year and while a lot of it he'd brought on himself, an awful lot more had been inflicted by the adults he knew and trusted. And they were doing it again! What right did they have to treat Harry like this? To say things like that? It wasn't right!

And Hermione just wasn't the sort of person to let such injustice lie – the one and only time she had ever been in trouble at Primary school was for braining a bully with her Children's Encyclopedia, she was a tireless fighter for House-Elf Rights and Harry was HER BEST FRIEND! She wasn't going to let them do this to him.

Didn't they understand that they were going to break him with this amount of pressure? They were trying to take his life away from him and she knew Harry, knew it would drive him crazy, just like it had Sirius. If this kept up he was going to snap.

Well they weren't going to get away with it! Not so long as Hermione Jane Granger had a say in the matter!

Even Neville was arguing - and he'd been raised on stories of the Boy-Who-Lived, this incredible, god-like figure. He'd been shaking when he realized that the boy he'd met on the train was Harry Potter. But that wasn't Harry.

Harry had stood up for him as a klutzy first year, had taught him defence and had given him a lot more confidence in himself than he had ever had before.

He remembered once, telling everyone that he wasn't much of a Gryffindor, wasn't even much of a wizard, and Harry, handing him a chocolate frog and telling him he was worth ten of Malfoy. Telling him he was worth something.

He'd always stood up for him, had taught him, had even trusted him, him, Neville Longbottom, at his back in the Department of Mysteries. Well, he wasn't about to let Harry down now.

It was time Harry knew he had people on his side, people who would stand up for him like he'd stood up for them. And Neville was one of those people.

The headmaster held up a hand for silence and looked solemnly at the assembled teens.

'Molly, I understand your concerns but we cannot simply wrap the children in cotton wool to prevent them from harm.'

Remus Lupin spoke up. 'Considering the Ministry U-turn on Voldemorts return, I believe it would be better if Harry went. The people need to know that he isn't hiding away, that he isn't living in fear, so they feel that they can live their own lives. Much as I hate to say it Harry is a public figure and the public need to see that he is confident of the future.

And it isn't good for him to have to miss what's left of his childhood. By all means take the necessary precautions, Albus, but let them go. We can't keep them locked up here forever.'

The Headmaster sighed. 'The rest of the students will not receive their letters until tomorrow, there is no reason for anyone to believe that you will appear in Diagon Alley today, especially as you did not do your own shopping last year.

You have a point Remus but at this point it might not be wise to send them into Diagon Alley as themselves. They will have to be disguised, for their own safety as well as the Orders peace of mind.' He eyed Molly then turned to the teens. 'Nymphadora is particularly skilled at appearance charms, she may be able to change you enough to make it less likely you are recognised, at least at a distance.

You have shown a certain amount of skill in defending yourselves if it should come to that but if we take precautions hopefully that will not be needed. However all of you do have a certain talent for attracting trouble.

You will swear to me that you will keep together, that you will obey the guards I send to keep you safe and that you will be careful. I will send other Order members to keep an eye on you as you shop. Should anything untoward happen you will obey them. I shall take other precautions to ensure your safety but, I will let you go.'

He met Harry's eyes and Harry could see the echo of the words he'd spoken in his office at the end of the last school year. About not wanting Harry to suffer any more than he had to, about how he had to try, as an old man, to remember how a young one felt; saw the echoes of how he had failed Sirius, how he had said it was 'almost entirely' his fault. Saw the determination not to repeat his mistakes warring with the knowledge that without Harry the war could not be won.

Harry nodded.

'We'll be careful,' he said. And they would. But he was through with sitting back and letting everyone else run his life. He knew how important the war was, and he wasn't going to take unnecessary risks but he wasn't just some weapon to be kept on a shelf until he was needed.

Mrs Weasley was still sputtering protests towards the headmaster but his friends were visibly delighted. Ron punched him lightly on the shoulder.

'We're going to Diagon Alley!'

Well, what did you think? This chapter was supposed to include Diagon Alley, etc, but I thought it'd be better to post what I had rather than keep writing until I'd covered everything. I don't know when you'd have gotten it otherwise!

Right, most important question: was everyone in character? When I wrote them speaking did it sound like them? Or was there any point when you thought 'such-and-such wouldn't have said that!' There's a lot of character development in this chapter so I need to know if it was done well or if it still needs work. Either way let me know!

I've heard they're cracking down on Review Responses at FFNet so I won't be able to reply to everyone anymore. Still, I'm not planning on stopping completely.

To Sara Ane: how can I resist the chibi eyes? Go ahead and use it. It's flattering to think you thought it so good that you wanted to borrow it. Good luck with the story!

Thanks again, especially to Tansy1354 and Kjkit for their advice on how to make the last chapter better and to everyone else who reviewed, I hope the long wait hasn't made any of you give up on the story.

Hopefully you won't have to wait this long between chapters ever again and I plan to try and get the next one out by mid-October. I'll see what I can do.

Cheers.