So here it is, chapter 2! Sorry for the long update time, and thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it. So I might not update for the next couple of weeks; I kind of started this at a weird time, and I'm sure I'll be swamped with even more homework than I already am as finals come up. Hopefully I'll have something for you all quicker than I was able to get this chapter out. Now, on with the show.

Disclaimer: HP universe is owned by JKR, and this is just for fun.

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"I swear to you, Dumbledore, someone was there." Ron paced in front of the old man, scratching absent-mindedly at the lump where the bandage was still wrapped around his thigh.

"And you have proof?" Albus Dumbledore sat behind the small desk, his fingers steepled in front of his chin. He looked older than ever, the skin under his eyes hanging in weary bags. Yet his eyes still shone with that same old light as he concentrated on the words of his past student.

"I don't know. I was half delirious, but I could've sworn I was following footprints. I thought maybe someone else had escaped the battle, since none of the death eaters were running away, but they seemed too small to be anyone in my group. And then, there was the writing on the log."

"And it told you not to follow the spiders?"

"Yes. It said 'Don't follow the spiders, Ron." And really, the only people who knew about that were Hagrid, you, Fudge, Malfoy, and Harry. Hagrid's not back from his mission yet, and there's no way he'd be able to sneak around me even if I was half delusional, Harry is dead, Fudge is dead, and Malfoy is dead. I know I didn't write it, and you didn't either."

"And were there spiders?"

"Yeah. I had been walking around, lost, just following those damn footprints, then they disappeared, so I set off in some random direction." Ron continued pacing, gesturing with his hands as he talked.

"I'd started to notice that there were quite a few spider webs around me. That's when I heard the scratching. The log the words were written on, that was the log that Harry and I went through back in second year before we found Aragog. I'm sure of it. That's how I found my way out of that damn forest."

Dumbledore was silent as he pondered the story, his eyes distant. "I do not know what to say at this time, Ron, other than be extra-careful and watch for any more strange occurrences. If anything else happens, bring it to my attention immediately and we will see where we can go from there."

The distant look in his eyes vanished as he stood. Stepping around the tattered desk, he placed a hand on Ron's shoulder, forcing him to halt his nervous pacing. Ron met his eyes slowly, his mind still racing.

"Ronald, my dear boy, you need to take some time and relax for a few days. This has been a terrible time for all of us, and we must all recoup what energy we have. Especially you. Spend some time with your family, and with miss Granger. I will contact you when I have any new information."

He squeezed Ron's shoulder for a moment, before releasing him and taking a step back.

Ron stood for a moment, uncertain, not quite able to meet his mentor's gaze.

"Is there something you need to ask?" Dumbledore's voice was quiet, reassuring. Still not meeting his eyes, Ron took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Sir, is there anything I could have done? I should have been able to save them. They were my men, my responsibility, and they're dead now. How—?" He cut off, unable to continue.

Dumbledore sighed, sitting lightly on the edge of his desk. "Alas, we will never know if things could have gone differently, and it does not do to second-guess yourself. If you wish, after you take some time to gather your thoughts and recuperate, I will go through your memories with you, and we will learn what we can from this experience so as to ensure it does not happen again. But do not imagine that this is entirely your fault. We were all shocked to find the treachery we were faced with." He stood and moved forwards, opening the door for Ron.

"Do not dwell overmuch on it at this point. Rest, relax, and find some joy to hold onto in these dark days."

~*~*~*~*~

Dappled shadows played across the soggy foliage strewn over the earthen floor, dancing in the slight breeze playing through the forest.

In the distance, a bird's shrill cry pierced the air.

A smallish figure in tattered clothes skirted around the trunk of a massive tree, running his right hand over the rough surface. He looked around himself, taking in the glorious afternoon. The sky was clear, perfect for flying, and everything seemed to be washed clear after the heavy rain of the previous night.

His bare feet stepped silently over the muddy earth, and he whistled softly to himself. At his side, his left arm hung motionlessly, the forearm twisted at an unnatural angle. However, he didn't seem to notice it, and if it hurt, he didn't show any signs of his pain.

A deer bounded out of a thick copse of trees ahead of him and he slowed down slightly, a smile crossing his face.

"Hello there!" He called, waving his good arm. "And how are you doing today?"

The deer ignored him, choosing instead to examine a berry-laden bush. He stopped walking, and after shifting the weight of a large backpack strapped to his back, he stood and watched the deer eat. He was in no hurry, and his goal was near.

"Ah, those look good. Might I suggest the blackberry bush about two minutes back? That thing was loaded with good fruit."

The deer paid him no heed, continuing to nibble.

Just as the boy was passing behind the quiet animal, a screech rent the still air, causing both the boy and the deer to jump in surprise. Before either could react, a massive black creature dropped through the tree canopy, its large jaws snapping down over the unfortunate deer.

Harry Potter stared at the scene, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. He could see the brilliant purple eyes of the black dragon, and he vaguely recognized the dragon as a Hebridian Black.

The beast was making short work of the deer, and the once fine berry bush was now covered in a spray of blood.

Finally, Harry blinked, and he shut his mouth with a click. "Well," he conceded, "that was certainly unexpected."

He started to chuckle, shaking his head. "I tell you. Only in the Forbidden Forest."

Stepping forward, he placed his good hand against the rough back scales of the dragon's side, and stared up at the razor-sharp spines running the length of its back.

"Hagrid was right, you know." He told the dragon conversationally, trying to ignore the wet ripping noises as the beast devoured its meal. "You dragons really are a great bunch. Well, wicked-awesome, at least. That deer was only enjoying its meal. You could have waited for her to finish."

The dragon ignored him, and Harry continued patting the dragon's side.

A shout from the trees drew his attention.

"Get it!"

Spell fire shot out from the cover of the trees, and the Black roared in annoyance at having its meal interrupted. Harry stood still, looking around with an eyebrow raised.

"This really isn't a good spot to enjoy a meal, is it?" He turned back to the dragon.

"I'd suggest either eating these idiots or taking off before they hurt you."

The dragon was already ahead of him, spreading its massive, bat-like wings. Scooping up the mangled remains of the deer in its powerful jaws, it took off with a few massive strokes of its wings.

"Go Willy!" Harry shouted, throwing his broken arm in the air. "Be free!"

His hand drooped down, his fingers pointing grotesquely towards his elbow. As the black disappeared over the tree tops with another muffled roar, Harry regarded his multi-jointed limb with a vague look of curiosity.

Glancing back at the trees as the men began to leave, he called out, waving his flopping arm around like a sick parody of a flag.

"Now look what you made me do!" No one turned back, or even acknowledged the strange boy standing in the previously dragon-and-deer-occupied clearing. They kept walking, grumbling to each other.

Harry let his arm drop back to his side, twitching the limb quickly and locking it back into place.

"You know I'm going to have to get you back for that."

He set off through the trees, following the small group.

He honestly couldn't figure out how this location had slipped past his notice. All the times he'd made his way through the forest, he ought to have noticed at least something. Some sign of wizard activity—after all, they weren't that great at being subtle. Scratching idly at a bit of dried blood that had been just under his ear for quite some time now, he shrugged it off as the death munchers having actually set up some half-decent wards around the place.

Sure enough, after about two minutes of walking, he felt the rush of magic announcing the ward line wash over him. Up ahead, the forest had been cleared of trees, and four massive greenhouses had been erected. A few men were walking around the camp, carrying out various tasks accompanied with gardening.

Harry laughed as a man tripped and fell, the bag of fertilizer he'd been carrying ripping along the seam and dumping its contents over the unfortunate wizard. A large man in death eater robes hurried over to the scene, berating the man for his clumsiness.

Still chuckling, Harry walked past the scene and headed towards the nearest greenhouse. It stood about seven meters high, and on looking through the door, he could see a variety of plants that the greenhouses at Hogwarts would have been hard-pressed to match.

Of course he had no clue what any of them were, as it had been nearly twelve years since he'd attended his last herbology lesson, and he hadn't been all that interested even when he had been attending. Though, he had to admit, the devil's snare and mandrakes did stand out in his memory.

"Ah, the wonders of hands-on teaching." He glanced at a short, balding man standing guard just outside the door. "Wouldn't you say?"

The man ignored him, staring over at the now dung-covered man and the death eater who was still chewing him out. Harry didn't seem to mind being ignored. He slipped his bag off his shoulders and made his way around the corner of the building.

At the far corner, of the outside building, he dropped his bag and dug around inside before pulling out a small round device. He took a deep breath as a look of concentration covered his features. Sweat beaded on his brow as he gripped the device tightly and stared down at the spot where the wall met the earth.

Finally, he set the device down and quickly backed away. Taking another deep breath to steady his now somewhat labored breathing, he leapt forward, swinging his leg out, and kicked the device.

His foot went straight through it.

A grin spread over his features, and he scooped up his bag, heading to the next corner. He continued moving around the compound, placing a device at all four corners of each greenhouse, always concentrating hard on the device before setting it down, and always trying to kick it afterwards. He was especially careful at the front of the buildings, where there were people standing around who might notice something off.

But eventually, they were all placed, and Harry walked to the center of the clearing in front of the buildings. Waving his good arms around, he addressed everyone who was working there.

"Excuse me, ladies and germs! I have an announcement to make! Please, gather round!" He paused for a moment to watch a tall thin bloke with a mustache push a full wheelbarrow past him.

"Or, just keep working. As you wish. Anyway, I just want to say it's been fabulous working with you all, and I have just one word before we part." He pulled out a wand from his pocket, and concentrated, staring at the buildings. Energy began building at the tip, a pale green that seemed to be sucking air into the wand, causing Harry's hair to dance like in a heavy wind. Once the energy had gathered enough, he grinned at his non-audience.

"Boom."

The energy was release with a hurricane-like gust, hammering into the workers, who kept moving, not even twitching. However, at the corners of the greenhouses, the gale reached the little metal balls, and they rolled over.

They each beeped once, causing the guard to look around in surprise before—BOOM!

The explosions ripped through the compound, throwing people back. Harry saw the guard's head thrown forward from the debris as the flames wrapped around him. He looked around in time to see a long thin metal bar get launched away from the building. It spun wildly, arching through the air straight towards him.

Harry assumed a keeper's position, and as it approached, he dove forward, grabbing at it, yet it passed harmlessly through him. A wave of molten plasma rolled over him as he looked back to see where it had landed. The dung-covered man appeared to now be a death-muncher-kabob, well done.

"Huh." Harry stared at the scene. "Fifty points." He turned back to the wall of fire in front of him. "Well played."

The compound was decimated. Carnage covered the landscape. Most of the workers had been killed, and no one had escaped without injury. The clearing was a mess, burning rubble and debris strewn everywhere.

Looking around at the mayhem, Harry grinned and placed his hand on his hip. "Well, I think I'm done here. Have a good day, all. Nice to meet you."

He chuckled quietly to himself as he strode away from the blast site and into the forest.