Author's Note: First, thank you for reading and reviewing. Second, I made it to 100K words! It took a lot longer than I had expected it to, but this year has just been so busy and this summer is only going to be worse. Just wanted to throw that out there in case a few months go by without an update. For the moment, it is far easier to edit something that is already written than having to write new material so at least there should be consistent progress on Soul Magic. In theory.
Standard disclaimer about not owning anything; I am so thankful for JKR and all that she did for us. She gave us one of the greatest gifts, and so many people have taken to this site and played brilliantly with her creation. We should have a JKR day and it should be a global holiday!
And just like that Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was over.
It had certainly been quite the year and Harry's head was resting up against the cool glass as the train sped away from Hogsmeade. The hum of the vibrations created the perfect lull in which his mind drifted away from the present and began to replay some of the highlights of the year.
Not all of them managed to catch his attention for very long, however.
The mass outbreak from Azkaban barely fazed him given everything that he had faced during his previous years at Hogwarts. From battling a Basilisk to rescuing his Godfather from Dementors to facing off against Voldemort - not once but on two separate occasions – this was merely something else that had happened in his short life that he would have to deal with in his future.
One that simply had far too may unknowns to do anything more than shrug at.
Plus, he had quite quickly chosen to focus on his ongoing exams instead. Frankly it had been much more important to ensure that he excelled on the tangible things in front of him, and in retrospect he was confident that he had earned nothing less than an Exceeds Expectation.
However, many of his classmates – even those visibly stressed by O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s – had been affected by the announcement in the Daily Prophet. They were on edge and it seemed like the former residents of the notorious prison were all that anyone could talk about during mealtimes or as they walked through the castle's halls on their way to classes.
And sadly, that meant that poor Neville also had to overcome one more thing as he took his all-important exams after a year of finally understanding what had been holding him back. The knowledge that Bellatrix Lestrange was out roaming the countryside could have derailed all of the progress that he had made; however, Neville was able to use the newfound confidence and determination that he had discovered within himself and, if possible, became even more focused on continuing his change into the person that he had always wanted to be.
He was becoming more like his parents with each passing minute.
Which made Harry happy to see, especially since he himself had changed so much over the past year.
Just thinking about how much growth he had undertaken made him feel like a different person. And in many ways he was a different person. It had been more than a year since he had found Cedric and made a huge leap forward into the person that felt so different from the small boy who had left Privet Drive to make his way to a magic castle for the first time almost five years ago.
Before the events in the cemetery, life had been hectic and he had always felt like there had been something preventing him from making that final link so that he could stay ahead of everything going on around him. But then he had gotten hit with the killing curse for a second time, and that had somehow allowed him to meet his mum.
After that, and even with the tragedy that was soon to come, Harry's mind finally felt like it was keeping up with current events and for the first time he thought he was ahead of the game.
It wasn't just his mind either, for controlling his magic over the past year had never been this easy. He could feel it pulse outwards from the center of his magical core and flow along his skin, and with each passing minute it became easier to shape it with his will.
So Harry knew that he was a changed person, and he would need to keep working on having even better control over his mind and magic to face what was to come. The reality of the prophecy hung over his head like a black cloud, and no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he never really could escape from underneath its shadow.
Though, in truth it only served to develop his comprehension and understanding of magical theory even more. Which would give him a chance when he finally met Voldemort for the final battle, whenever that was destined to happen.
But he knew that he wouldn't face that fateful day alone, for as much as he didn't want more people getting hurt on behalf of him, he knew that there was little that he could do to prevent his friends, Ron and Hermione, from standing by his side.
He may not have like it, but he was resigned to accepting that it was their choice – and he had to respect that. Though, even though he no longer felt much guilt about his friends, Charlie Weasley was a completely different story.
After what happened to Cedric, Harry had trouble acknowledging that it was Charlie's choice as to whether or not he would be involved with Harry's ominous future. He supposed that part of his feelings on the matter stemmed from his guilt over whether Cedric had really known what he was getting into by being with Harry – even though he knew that Charlie was really well-informed of the danger of being in his presence.
Additionally, Harry had grown to care for Charlie; in many ways his feelings were much stronger than they had ever been for Cedric. And a part of the problem was that Harry didn't want to see Charlie hurt, partly because he cared a great deal for him, and partly because he was unsure whether he could make it through another loss.
Just thinking about something happening to Charlie made his stomach give a slight lurch as the train rounded a corner before spanning one of several bridges on its way to London.
Harry couldn't go through a loss like that again, because even though Charlie and him technically weren't together, it was obvious that there was a deeper connection between them then he had ever had ever shared with Cedric.
For they had been exchanging letters over the course of the entire year, sharing secrets and their personal thoughts and feelings that brought them closer with each delivery of the morning post. It was something that Cedric and him had never really been able to do. Their relationship had been too brief and had been born over a traumatic event that in retrospect had perhaps made them feel closer than they otherwise would have if things had developed naturally.
Still, he would forever treasure the time that he had with Cedric. And even though he couldn't avenge what had happened to him – losing to Voldemort just wasn't an option.
While Harry may have been used to his sometimes lengthy, internal deliberations, his friends still hadn't gotten used to Harry's silence being a good thing.
Because for Ron and Hermione, so much of their fifth year at Hogwarts had been spent associating Harry's retreat into his mind with escaping the reality of what he needed to deal with instead.
Of course, a good part of their year had also been spent dealing with their own developing relationship and opening up about how they really felt for each other – so it hadn't been entirely fixated on Harry or their ever-important O.W.L. year.
However, from time to time, they would find themselves interrupting Harry's thoughts to bring him back to reality, which was probably a good thing in retrospect.
"Everything okay mate," Ron asked from the other side of the compartment where he sat shoulder to shoulder with Hermione.
Harry lifted his head off of the glass and faced his friends.
"Yeah," he said, shaking off the residual thoughts.
"Just thinking about this year – last year – the future," Harry said pointedly.
"We've come a long way," he concluded with his eyes looking off towards the distant landscape.
"A lot has happened," Hermione agreed softly.
Her brown eyes looked at Harry warmly; glad to see that her friend had made it through.
Harry nodded his head and shifted his attention back to her, but it was Ron who spoke next.
"I don't think this summer will be for games anymore… or relaxing too much. We have things to do… to prepare for."
Harry smiled, though there was a pained look in his eyes. Something which Hermione noticed and was quick to nip in the bud.
"Don't even think of trying to going this alone, Harry."
Harry shook his head.
"Already came to that conclusion, Hermione. And if we are being honest, I think that was decided years ago when we faced a troll on Halloween."
Ron's face blanched somewhat at that forgotten memory, but he quickly shook that off as the realization hit him that that had indeed been the night in which all of their future adventures had started.
Next to him, Hermione just simply smiled at the thought of how these two boys had come to save her – and how different of a person she had become with their continued presence. It was nice to know that the bonds that connected them to each other were very strong
However, they were talking about life and death issues
"After everything that has happened, I think you have just as much to fight for as I do. This fight belongs to all of us, even though we might not all make it."
The mood in the compartment blackened, though no one shied away from it.
"But it doesn't matter whether we want to be a part of this or not," Ron said with a quiet determination.
"A war is coming; things have been set in motion and the only way that we are going to get through this is by sticking together."
Ron turned to Hermione.
"And by making sure that we are prepared as we can be."
Hermione blinked and then looked at both of them in turn and then added to what Ron said.
"As prepared as we can be," her voice echoed softly.
Harry watched the exchange between his friends, looking at how their eyes connected and in doing so he couldn't help but think of Charlie again.
That was the one thing that had been more or less lacking as they had grown to know each other. While Harry would always be grateful for the letters, he couldn't deny how much different it would feel to be able to just be in the older boy's presence.
But he didn't have that much time to dwell on his growing crush because Ron broke away from Hermione's gaze and turned his attention back to Harry.
"So the plan is still the same?" Ron stated more than asked.
Harry began to nod.
"Yeah, I think weekly meetings will be good. Hermione, are you sure that you will be able to come over on the weekends for training?"
She nodded.
"My parents weren't thrilled with that prospect; they were planning on taking me to Italy this summer – but I managed to convince them that it was important to prepare for the N.E.W.T level classes."
She saw the look on their faces, which in the past would never have happened. However, both had become much more able to think about the situations that they found themselves in and to be more aware of what people said by not saying anything.
"You haven't told your parents any of this, have?" Harry asked gently while Ron put his arm around her shoulder.
"What's to tell?" she shrugged and sank into Ron's embrace.
"The less they know, the better. I'm old enough to make this decision for myself and I don't think they would understand why it has to be us. I'm not really that sure why it has to be us, only that I know it is given what everything else has been building towards. I couldn't leave you two to face that alone if they decided on a different course of action…"
Her voice was low and they all sat in silence as the train continued on its journey. Each were thinking about the immediate future and how they had been spending the previous months in the Chamber of Secrets practicing as much magic as they could while beginning to plan out their summer training schedule.
Harry would lead the pair in any practical application since he had the most experience with applying it while Hermione would sift through book after book and mark which advanced charms and curses they were most likely to go up against.
For his part, Ron would contribute by looking at the big picture and trying to think of things that were unlikely to occur but that a skilled opponent would throw at them. The fall of Azkaban had been one of those things, but it was hardly in their wheelhouse of duties to try and prevent from happening.
All of his years of Wizard's Chess had helped to prepare his mind to become more tactically aware.
Ultimately, it was Hermione who broke the quiet contemplation as the train approached the station.
"We are going to make it, aren't we?"
There was a weakness in it, but she knew that she couldn't afford to hold anything from her friends. They needed to be honest with each other and the truth was that she was scared about the unknown.
"I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we do," Harry said with his eyes meeting hers.
"We all are," Ron said.
Then, without a word needing to be spoken, they extended their hands and joined them in the space between them.
The contact was comforting and it gave each the strength to separate and go their own way until a week later when they would rendezvous at Grimmauld Place.
Harry had been at Grimmauld Place for two days when Charlie was finally able to find a time to come over.
The older Weasley had planned on being there to welcome Harry home, but he had been needed on the reserve to help with the birth of a Dragon. Since Charlie was one of the more competent and "gentle" of the Dragon Tamers, the owners of the reserve preferred to have him be at all of the births ever since one of the other Tamers had gotten charred by foolishly using magic too close to the just-birthed Dragon.
It had been a miracle that he hadn't been killed, and Harry wasn't that bothered with Charlie having to be there. After all, he had been able to make Charlie promise to spend an extra day with him afterwards and so he had something better to look forward to.
Plus it gave him the time that he needed to unpack and to get reacquainted with the ancestral home of the Blacks – and spend some time with Sirius. In the evenings the two spent the time after dinner playing cards and talking about small stuff, which was welcomed by both of them.
Additionally, Harry had needed to start preparing a place for him and his friends to train and Sirius had even offered to put them through an abridged version of the bootcamp that the Aurors went through over their first three years as a trainee in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
While it didn't exactly thrill Sirius that Harry was going to be at the forefront of the fight, he would be damned if he didn't do everything in his power to make sure that his pup came out of it alive. However, taking three years and putting it into a few months – because obviously there wouldn't be time to go through and cover everything – was no easy task and Sirius had estimated that it would take him about a week to work through all of the lesson plans for the rest of the summer.
Which suited Harry just fine as that would give him a few days to spend with Charlie. The only problem with that was the unexpected bout of nerves that hit him the hour before Charlie was due to arrive. Harry was not familiar with this sensation in his stomach and had a hard time sitting still as he waited in the library for the doorbell.
Though, if Harry had been unprepared for the nerves in waiting for Charlie, then he was completely over his head with the hormones and doubt that flooded through him as he made his way to the door to let Charlie in. Those short steps were some of the longest in his life because no matter how much he had been looking forward to seeing Charlie, the intense feelings that he had for the other boy in that moment scared him.
Harry hesitated as he reached for the door and took a moment to calm his riotous nerves. He had not been prepared for this sudden influx of emotions and wondered what it meant.
While he was deliberating the doorbell rang for a second time and only made his pulse quicken even more.
But he knew that he couldn't sit there and ignore Charlie, the boy that he had been looking forward to spending time with.
The best that he could figure as he bravely turned the door and opened it was that for a brief second he had worried that Charlie may not be as interested in him. It was stupid, this he was well aware of, but it was the only thing that made sense.
"Hello …." Charlie began with his patented and winning smile.
However, Charlie paused mid-sentenced when the door fully opened and he saw Harry with an uneasy expression on his face.
"Harry, what is it?"
Charlie soon had a matching expression on his face as Harry opened the door wider so that he could enter.
Once inside, Charlie leaned in closer to the younger boy and grabbed his shoulders. Harry's chin rose and his eyes met Charlie's and there was so much that he wanted to say, needed to say, but didn't quite know where to begin.
After several seconds where their eyes remained locked and the silence continued, Charlie just brought Harry into his chest and gave him the hug that had been requested several times in their most recent letters.
Harry didn't fight it and let himself be swept up in those strong arms that he had fantasized about more than on just one occasion, and his chin came to a rest right atop Charlie's left shoulder. Like with Cedric, Charlie was taller than Harry – who had stopped growing in the middle of fourth year – but his muscular physique was the perfect complement to Harry's lithe frame.
They fit together perfectly as far as Harry was concerned and it helped to assuage Harry's earlier nervousness to the point where he was able to speak.
"Sorry about that," he whispered into Charlie's ear.
Charlie pulled himself out of the hug so that he could look into those dazzling green eyes.
"Is everything all right?" he asked.
Harry nodded though took the opportunity to rest his own hands on top of Charlie's, which where on his shoulders.
"It just hit me all of a sudden…"
Harry started but Charlie finished for him when Harry took another pause.
"Are your insides doing summersaults too?"
The look in Harry's eyes told Charlie everything that he needed to know and he simply continued now that he knew what had happened.
"It is intense; I won't pretend that I know what I am doing though."
Harry nodded this time, and after a few more seconds realized that they hadn't moved from the foyer and led Charlie into the library where they sat side-by-side on the couch.
"I just never expected to feel this way," Harry said in a soft voice as Charlie's hand squeezed his.
Harry's cheeks grew red and his heart began to pound; he had been foolish to worry about Charlie not liking him. Though, he was still surprised that his body had reacted this way to Charlie's visit.
Perhaps it was the realization that something could happen, and that it was more than likely that something was in fact going to happen. Furthermore, as Harry sat there on the couch rubbing his thumb over Charlie's fingers, he realized that this was a very different relationship that he would be getting into than what had developed with Cedric.
This wasn't a relationship that could be entered into on a lark, and both Harry and Charlie would have to be sure that this was something that they each really wanted.
However, Charlie was already at the point where he had made up his mind, the only thing that was even an issue for him was Harry's age. And even that was becoming less and less of a point of contention as the number of letters that they had sent increased in both frequency and importance.
"Harry, I don't think either one of us was looking for this. It certainly wasn't something that I imagined was ever a possibility when I sent that first letter. But I want you to know that I care about you very much and, with everything going on, we don't have to rush into anything."
Charlie tugged Harry's hand so that Harry turned his face to look at him.
"We can take this as slow as you want or…"
As the older individual, and someone who knew the hardships that weighed on Harry's mind, Charlie wanted to make sure that Harry knew that there was no pressure.
"Or just remain friends – the important thing is that you are comfortable."
"I am comfortable," Harry replied quickly.
"I don't think I have ever been this at peace around someone else before."
Which was the truth and even as he said it he could feel his body returning to normal.
His green eyes were shining at Charlie.
"I didn't expect to feel anything after Cedric – especially like this. But I don't think that is what my issue is. I can only be grateful that you gave me an outlet to get my life back."
A small smile graced Charlie's lips, though his pulse began to quicken after hearing about an issue.
"I think my nervousness just then had to do with finally being face-to-face with you after spending so much time getting to know you through pen and paper. I think it scared me how different this would be and knowing that this," he pointed back and forth to both of them," was going to change because of it."
"Possibly for the better, but now that I think about it, I was afraid that it was just going to change. Does that make any sense?"
Harry had finally been able to put his feelings into words and it explained why he hadn't been this nervous about meeting with Charlie over Christmas; for that had been so centered over seeing and then saying goodbye to Cedric that there hadn't been much room to think about anything else.
Charlie thought about what Harry had said for a second.
"I think it makes perfect sense, Harry. Now that I think about it like that, I should have expected it, especially after going through a similar situation myself. We started out developing a wonderful friendship with these letters and they were a source of strength for you, an outlet if you will, and now that our feelings towards each other may have changed from friendship to … whatever … that will inevitably change the nature of the relationship."
Harry nodded along to Charlie's words, though he did lower his head somewhat and his smile faltered.
"Am I over thinking things? Did I ruin things?" Harry asked, demonstrating that he was younger than the other boy.
But Charlie couldn't, wouldn't, fault him for being honest with him. It was one of the reasons why he liked Harry so much and had such an easy time talking with him because he always knew that anything could be exchanged between them without reservation or fear.
"No, Harry. Of course not. It is perfectly reasonable to have those thoughts, and like I said, it's not like I have all the answers. We can take this one step at a time and continue on like we have been doing all year."
With that, Charlie pulled Harry closer to his body and hugged him.
Harry leaned into the other man's chest and his head rested right over Charlie's heart. They sat like that for a little while, each getting more comfortable with this new physical aspect of having the other person in their presence.
"So," Harry started but never finished.
"So," Charlie responded with a smile on his face that Harry couldn't see.
"Does this mean what I think it means?"
Charlie's heart began to beat very quickly.
"As long as you are comfortable with it – just know that we can take this as slow as you want. Believe me when I say there is no pressure for anything."
In truth, Charlie was hoping that anything physical, save a kiss or two, was far off. After Geoff he had had trouble being intimate with anyone and preferred for Harry to come of age before anything like that happened between them. It wasn't like Charlie wasn't attracted to the other boy; it was just that he knew there were other, more important aspects to a relationship than just sex. And he for one was just happy to know that his chest felt a little lighter and that the air was easier to breath in Harry's presence. That was more than enough for him. For now.
"I am," Harry responded as his arms encircled Charlie's waist. He didn't know if they should kiss now, but he was too comfortable to move from his position and ended up falling asleep on the couch with Charlie instead.
Bellatrix appeared in the dead of the night outside the Longbottom Manor. Her eyes were crazed and she was giddy with a delightful malice at the orders that she had been waiting to receive from her Lord. Ever since she had been released from Azkaban, she had had her sights set on playing with the Longbottoms, again.
Even if she hadn't been given the type of free reign on this occasion that she would have liked – since her Lord still preferred to remain in the shadows while her and Barty did all of the ground work – she was thrilled at finally just being allowed to play.
However, she couldn't get too carried away for the Dark Lord had emphasized that it would strike fear into more people's hearts and minds with simple disappearances rather than gruesome discoveries of mutilated bodies.
Whatever the case, Bellatrix griped her wand tightly in her hand while it took her several long and arduous minutes of breaking the wards around Longbottom Manor.
Older families tended to have older, more powerful wards and unless a person excelled in that branch of magic they were near impossible to break. But Bellatrix herself came from an older family, one of the oldest in fact, and thus knew her way around some of the old magics.
The words that stood around this particular residence had been cast with blood magic and only a powerful sacrifice could sever them.
'Pity,' Bella thought to herself with hardly a look at the man whose throat she had just slit.
Not that she cared about the random muggle that she had plucked from the streets. In her mind, it was most unfortunate that some wizards never considered that the very wards that had been set to protect them could be so easily broken.
Blood was blood and in this case it didn't matter that it was unthinkable for the Longbottoms to be so callous with someone else's life; Bellatrix had no such moral qualms or dilemmas with the act of killing. The more the merrier if it benefitted her.
Which was why she thought it was a very silly thing – but was ultimately glad that it hadn't been harder.
Frank and Alice had been similarly foolish.
With the house now open to her, she crept along the back patio and quietly made her way into the back parlor.
She could hear faint talking coming through the kitchen and envisioned an easy time in overtaking the old woman and her useless grandson.
Just thinking about the screams that would soon fill her ears caused her to rush through making a proper entrance.
So she confidently burst through the door into the dining room next to the kitchen with her wand brandished and ready to fling curse after delightful curse; however, she had inadvertently picked a night where Neville had been showing his grandmother some of the charms that he had learned in Herbology.
And she was unprepared for the volley of spells that had been let loose at her with her own carelessness.
But Bellatrix was a fierce fighter and the Dark Lord's favorite for a reason and she recovered from her lost advantage to simultaneously put Neville and his grandmother on the defensive.
The boy would have been no problem to dispatch on his own, but he was much more advanced than Draco had led her to believe. Augusta, on the other hand, was much more competent and not as elderly as she perhaps led on the few times that she left the manor.
But the longer that spells flew every which way, and the more damage that the house took from deflected curses, the more that Augusta knew that this would end in only one way.
She couldn't take on Bellatrix for much longer and placed all of her eggs in one basket when she timed a flick of her wrist to deflect a purple curse just to the right of her intruder. The time that it took for Bellatrix to dodge the caved-in wall was all that Augusta needed to grab Neville by the shoulder and Apparate him out of there to the only place that she could think of: Hogwarts.
Again, Bellatrix hadn't taken the time to prepare, so caught up in her lust for playing had she been that she had not taken the time to cast an anti-apparition charm on the property.
And that would be the last time that she would ever act in such a rash manner after the punishment that the Dark Lord would give her when she returned that night with her mission unfulfilled.
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