Another Thursday, another chapter ^_^. Hope you enjoy!

Mythic Alliance

by Jendra

A small alarm sounded.

Harry got up from the chair he was sitting in and picked up a spoon. At a second tone he dipped the spoon into the potion, stirred it one time clockwise, followed by a figure eight and a full stir counter-clockwise. He then removed the stirring implement from the potion, tapped it three times on the edge of the cauldron to shake off any excess, and placed it into the nearby sterilization solution. The entire routine took exactly fifteen seconds and it was only about half a minute from the time he stood up until he was seated once more.

He sighed as he rested the side of his head on his clenched fist. He had things he could be doing, things he should be doing, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was tired; a bone deep, too exhausted to sleep tired. When they had made up the schedules, they had made sure that they would get as much sleep as they always did. But somehow they didn't take into consideration the facts that not only were their days six hours longer, but also, repeated use of a time-turner took a toll on the body.

He was snappish, ill-tempered, and currently not talking to Draco. He'd prefer not to talk to Snape either, but unfortunately the professor was in an even worse mood than either of the two boys. Detentions were being handed out like candy at Halloween, and the absolute last thing Harry wanted was the extra work that he'd be sure to get at the first sign of disrespect.

To make his already 'grand' life even better, just a few hours ago he'd been called up to see Dumbledore! That had been an interesting conversation... not!

Well, okay, it hadn't gone *too* badly.

~*Flashback*~

After standing around for five minutes trying to guess the password, Harry finally was admitted, and mounted the moving staircase to the office. Personally, he thought there was no password on the gargoyle, or at least, not one that was the name of a candy. His opinion was that Dumbledore had a way to watch the door and would open it when he chose; he just liked the power trip, that he could make people waste their time guessing.

"Ah, Harry, my dear boy," Dumbledore said jovially. "Do have a seat. Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you," Harry said, in as polite a tone as he could manage for the mood he was in.

"How is everything going for you?' the Headmaster asked with obvious concern.

Harry shrugged. "Everything's fine," he informed him.

"You've been spending a great deal of time in the dungeons lately. I hope Professor Snape isn't working you too hard."

"Snape's being Snape," Harry shrugged again.

"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore said reprovingly.

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered. "Lately he's been in an even worse mood than usual."

"You seem to be having a bit of trouble with attitude of late, yourself. In fact, I believe you got into a row with Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy just this morning."

"They were both being utter prats," Harry said unashamedly. "They delight at getting in each other's faces and I'm tired of being stuck in the middle."

"So you made them get a little closer?" Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling madly.

Harry grinned back for the first time in a while. "I figured they were suppressing. After all, why would they be getting in each other's faces *that*much unless they wanted to kiss?"

"Considering how fast they rushed off to the nearest bathroom to wash their mouths out, I would say you might have been a trifle incorrect."

Harry dutifully looked sad. "Especially as they made sure to rush off to separate bathrooms." He chuckled as he remembered the looks on their faces as they had kissed, with tongue, no less. He hadn't been aware it was possible to look *that* revolted while kissing.

"I don't believe that particular hex is part of the curriculum," Dumbledore commented. "Did Professor Snape teach it to you?"

Harry's eyes opened wide. "Snape? Teach me anything on purpose? Much less something as utterly worthless and frivolous as a *kissing* hex?"

"It does seem unlike him," Dumbledore admitted.

"I'd say," Harry agreed. "Actually, I got the idea from Sirius last time I complained about them," he remarked truthfully.

"That boy always did have a good sense of the absurd," Dumbledore said fondly. "Did he ever tell you of the time they changed the words of the song at the opening feast to some muggle song? YACE I believe."

Harry blinked and thought for a moment before he started laughing. "Do you mean, YMCA?"

"Perhaps that was it," Dumbledore agreed.

Harry laughed some more. "Did they get people to do the movements, too?"

"Is that what they were doing? A sort of dance that is done with the song? I had wondered."

Harry practically fell out of his seat, laughing. A vision of hundreds of students in black robes trying to spell out YMCA was simply too hilarious to contain, especially when he suddenly imagined the teachers dressed as the Village People. Then he took another look and blanched as all the humor fled. He really needed to control his imagination. That picture was just *too*... too... ugh.

Once Dumbledore noticed that Harry had himself under control again, he brought the conversation back to one of the topics that was the meeting's intended purpose. "I notice that you've been spending a lot of time in the dungeons lately. Should I have another talk with Professor Snape?"

Harry shook his head. "I can handle it. Besides, by the time he's through with me, I'm usually so tired I can get to sleep without help. Madam Pomfrey won't give me any more sleeping potions. On the days I don't have detention, I usually can't sleep, so I wander the halls, he finds me, and I get more detentions. It's a never-ending cycle."

Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully. "So you get detention on purpose?"

Harry nods. "Most of them anyway. And well… do you promise not to tell?"

"That depends on what it is," was all Dumbledore would agree to.

"Well..." Harry seemed to be considering whether he should tell or not. "You see, when Snape is teaching Malfoy... he actually explains things. Clearly, even. And if I'm in there cleaning, they ignore me. I've learned more about Potions this year than I ever have before."

Dumbledore laughed, relieved. "Well, who am I to stand between a person and his education? However that learning might happen. I'll say nothing about it, if that is your wish."

"Thank you, sir," Harry murmured gratefully.

"That's quite all right, Harry. If I might ask, what lesson are they working on now? Is it the reason all three of you are... having problems with your tempers?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think healing potions cause nightmares. And those two have always been prickly."

"Are you sure it's only nightmares?"

Harry shrugged. "Mostly. He's been fairly quiet; or at least, whatever he's doing isn't happening much when I sleep. Even when he does interrupt my sleep, it's never any real information I can tell people about. That he's angry or annoyed is not a big surprise to anyone, and I'm not getting details."

"You would tell me if it were anything more, wouldn't you?"

Harry glared angrily. "Of course I would! If it could help or save someone's life, you know I'd be here immediately."

Dumbledore held up his hands in a conciliatory fashion. "Of course, of course, I never meant to imply you wouldn't. I know you would do all you could to save those Voldemort hurts."

Harry settled back down, though still frowning at the old man.

"You haven't been spending much time with Mr. Weasley or Miss Granger lately. Is everything all right between you?"

"Everything's fine. We still see each other all the time, but they're a couple now and need some private time. Besides, it'll take a couple of days before they forgive me for what I did this morning," he grinned.

"Wonderful to hear," Dumbledore twinkled. "And is there someone special for you? Young Miss Weasley perhaps?"

"Ginny!" Harry yelped. "She's Ron's *sister*!" he said as if that explained everything.

*~End Flashback~*

The conversation had turned to the innocuous and Harry left a few minutes later. It hadn't been the conversation that so disturbed him; it was the feeling he got while he was in the room with the Headmaster. As if there was this giant pressure not to lie, and to tell Dumbledore everything he wanted to know. He didn't like lying as it was, especially since he'd become a gryphon, but this was more than that… something pressing at him to not even shade the truth in the way he had been doing. The whole time, he had been fighting himself, wanting to confide in the older man and finding it harder to understand why he didn't just tell him what they were up to. After all, finding a way to destroy Voldemort was a good thing.

Still, he didn't think Dumbledore would approve of their plans. It wasn't Grfyffindorish enough for the old man. If they were lucky, there would be no pitched duel with spells flying and him standing alone against the monster. No tragic hero - no martyr. A frown furrowed his brow. Where had that thought come from? Surely that wasn't what Dumbledore wanted, was it?

"Heavy thoughts?"

Harry reacted instantly. He drew his wand even as he threw himself off the stool. The body bind curse was thrown before his back hit the ground and he immediately began to roll for cover, ignoring the effects of hitting the solid stone floor.

He was about to cast another spell when he was brought up short by clapping. He peeked over the edge of the bench he was using for cover. He caught a glimpse of blonde hair and dropped back down with a groan. Only one family had hair like that.

"Was there something you wanted, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Good reflexes, Mr. Potter," Lucius drawled. "However, your aim needs a little work."

"Well, excuse me for missing such an obvious target. You hair should have drawn my spell like the beacon it is."

"Testy, are we?"

"Well, I don't know about you. What reason do you have to be testy?"

"Having to listen to my son's expositions on your character and likely fate could make anyone testy," Lucius answered with a smirk.

"As enjoyable as that must have been," Harry bit out tiredly, "why are you here?"

"I should think that would be obvious," Lucius murmured. "I'm here for your stimulating company, of course."

Harry just glared and Lucius chuckled. He pulled a potion vial out of his cloak pocket. "I have already gone through this with Draco and Severus; I want no arguments out of you Mr. Potter. You will use your time-turner to go back five hours. Go directly to bed and take this. It's simply Dreamless Sleep," he explained in response to Harry's opening mouth. "Sleep as long as you can, get up and eat, then sleep some more. I will handle the potion until you three have slept yourselves out, or Monday morning, whichever comes first."

"But how will you stay awake that long?"

"I assure you, Mr. Potter, I am fully capable of staying alert and effective for more than 24 hours at a time. I have rested and prepared myself. I would not have suggested this if I didn't know I could do it." He handed Harry the bottle.

Now that Harry had the chance to get some real sleep, he could hardly keep his eyes open, but that didn't keep him from asking questions. "But what do I tell my friends... I had detention."

"Tell them that you don't care why detention was canceled; you're tired and anyone who dares to wake you before you're ready will die a most painful death. Tomorrow is Sunday, so you should have nowhere to be."

"M'kay," Harry agreed tiredly, before gratefully doing as he'd been told.