Harry's Future

by swissdog

A possible continuation of the last book of the Harry Potter series suggested by event in the last chapter and the epilogue

4. Chapter 4

Harry's Future, part 4

Harry stood behind the podium in the Great Hall looking out over an assemblage of most of the student body, a fair number of the faculty and a few visitors from the Ministry of Magic, including the now official Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. It was Tuesday evening of the second week after Halloween. Bill Weasley had arranged for Harry to give a lecture to his older Defense Against the Dark Arts students. It was mandatory attendance for all fifth through seventh years, voluntary for lower grades and requests had been made for certain guests to be present. Harry could see all his first years there, as well as Ron and George Weasley, Angelina Johnson and several other already graduated members of the DA, including Neville Longbottom who had returned from his first field trip just last week. He was feeling more then a bit nervous but he could also see a certain redhead looking up at him with pride and love in her eyes so he took a deep breath and began.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. For those of you who were required to be here, well, school can be difficult. For those of you here by choice, I hope you won't be too disappointed. As part of my assignment as assistant to Professor Weasley, I was asked to, well, provide some lectures on my experiences in dealing with the Dark Arts these past seven years. I know it's normal practice to hold questions until the end but I thought I might break the ice a bit by taking one question up front. Anyone want to be first?"

A number of hands shot up and Harry looked around and then saw a fifth year Slytherin girl with a very thoughtful expression tentatively raising her hand.

"Yes, Miss..?" he indicated with his hand.

"Middleton, sir. Um, I was wondering, what would you consider to be the best defense against the Dark Arts, I mean, it's what we call the course. Is there one?"

"Well, Miss Middleton, I don't know of one single charm or spell if that is what you mean, but there is one thing that would provide the most benefit I think. And that is…love."

Harry could see that the girl was surprised and he was getting some odd looks from the audience. Ginny's look was quizzical. Harry gave a lopsided grin.

"I know it's not the answer you might expect or want, but let me explain. I think we can all agree that Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, was just about as dark a wizard as you could expect to find. At his height there near the end he embodied pretty much everything we think of as dark. But who was he in the beginning? He was Tom Riddle, the son of a muggle father and a witch who had fallen in love with a muggle, who bewitched that muggle into believing he loved her and when he discovered what happened he abandoned them both, her to die brokenhearted, and Tom to be sent to an orphanage. What might have been the future if this boy had been raised by people who loved him and he could love in return? What if he had found within himself the power to love others despite his harsh situation? It's not unheard of."

Harry looked down and saw Ginny looking at him as if transfixed. He gazed around and made eye contact with Abagail who smiled and nodded.

"Let me tell you something and I get arguments about this but seeing that I'm up here giving the lecture, it means it's true," he smiled and got a laugh from the audience.

"Nothing I've ever done, no matter how spectacular or noteworthy, was done without the help of friends or family. Family and friendship is all based on love of one sort or another. My very survival is the result of love. The final defeat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters was the result of love. Love for and from family, friends and community. Children raised with love find little reason to stray to the dark side. Friends who truly care can usually keep you from taking that first fatal step. All those things that drive a witch or wizard to the Dark Arts looking for power, riches, or whatever they feel they need to put meaning in their lives have a difficult time getting a foothold in a soul that's full of love. So yes, that would be my answer. Now, having completely ruined your evening with all that sentimental fluff lets get to the things you really are interested in."

Before he could start however applause began. He could see Ginny, Hermione, Ron and his DA friends all standing and clapping. Abagail and many others likewise were cheering for Harry and soon the entire Hall rang with the sound. Harry did he best to stop them but it wasn't working. He looked helplessly down at Bill who just shrugged as he himself was applauding. But he took pity on his assistant and he took out his wand and shot some sparks into the air and called out for the audience to settle down. When the Hall was once again quiet, Harry coughed and began again.

"Thank you very much. So, what practical aspects would I consider best? I would say that a strong grounding in the fundamental aspects of magic. Charms and wand work are very important when confronted by a dark witch or wizard. It really is amazing just how effective a well chosen, well placed charm can be when it is used quickly and effectively. So I would strongly recommend that you concentrate very hard on making sure that you have command of the basics of magic and find ways to safely practice them until it becomes instinctive."

Harry noticed Neville trying to attract his attention.

"Yes, Neville?"

"Umm, I know this is your lecture Harry but I just thought I'd mention something you might not."

"And that would be?"

"Well," Neville turned more towards the audience, "when we had our first DA meeting or class you might call it we were all kind of expecting Harry to reveal some really, I don't know, I'd guess you'd say cool secrets that had helped him with all his encounters with Voldemort. What he started off with was Expelliarmus, a basic disarming charm. Today, I don't think there is a DA member who can't do that spell in his or her sleep. But it was the perfect start. We all got really good at something so basic and by the time Harry had to leave a lot of us were up to doing the Patronus charm. I think we're proof that what Harry's saying is right. That's all."

"Thanks, Neville. You're right, I wasn't going to mention that," Harry laughed.

The rest of the lecture went well. Harry laid out how various encounters had developed, what had been done and what the results had been. He never failed to give credit to those that had helped either in preparation or during the actual event. He also made sure that he talked about the consequences. He didn't want anyone to confuse the fact that just because he didn't look like Mad Eyed Moody that there wasn't pain and injury associated with what he had been through. This wasn't because he was looking for sympathy or to make his actions more heroic, but as a caution to anyone who might think to romanticize what he and others had been through. Through out the entire presentation he repeatedly came back to the theme of teamwork and preparation. If the number of thoughtful expressions and head nods were any indication then Harry appeared to have made a good impression on many of the students and nearly all the adults in attendance.

"Well, that's pretty much all I have for tonight. Are their any questions?"

There were many and Harry did his best to answer them as honestly as he could. After an hour, Bill Weasley had to call a halt as it was getting late.

"First of all, I'd like to thank Mr. Potter for his efforts this evening. As I've mentioned on more than one occasion his depth of experience is fairly unique and unheard of for one so young. Yes, Minister?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt stood up and his deep voice carried through the Hall.

"If I may, Professor Weasley, I would like to add my thanks to yours and I'm sure the rest of us here tonight for Harry taking the time to discuss his experiences with us. I can imagine some of the things he discussed with us were not easy for him to dwell on. And I think he has the right of it saying that friendship, family and a sense of community are so important in defending what is good in the wizarding world from the Dark Arts. I can tell you that based on what we've learned from our investigations in to the whole dire business of Voldemort is that if he didn't have the dividing line between so called 'pure bloods' and 'muggle borns' he never would have been able to sway so many to his cause. I suggest that we take what young Mr. Potter has to say to heart. It may just be what saves us from a next time. Thank you, Professor."

"No. Thank you, Minister. I think we've been fortunate to hear some true wisdom tonight. Well, I think that's it for tonight, ladies and gentlemen. Class dismissed," he finished with a smile.

There was another, although shorter, round of applause and the crowd began to stream out of the Hall. A group of people gathered at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the dais. They offered Harry handshakes and congratulations and a few special hugs from Ginny and Hermione and Angelina. Bill was looking especially pleased.

"Well, Harry, I think that went exceedingly well. You'd better be careful. Once Professor McGonagall hears about tonight she may have you chained so you can't escape her."

"I dunno, Bill, I mean Professor. I think we've an arrangement worked out," Harry said with a smile.

"Harry, I'm so proud of you. To hear you talk about all those hair raising situations so calmly. I had shivers and goose bumps half the time. You should write a book about your adventures."

"Well, I don't know about that, Ginny, who'd want to read about an orphan wizard at school," he said with a laugh.

Everyone around him raised their hands, then laughed.

**********

The period from Halloween to Christmas break was busy for Harry with his studies, teaching and Quidditch practice. He, Hermione and Ginny had found a good rhythm and were making the best of their time. Harry's confidence in his magic skills was increasing exponentially as he and Professor Flitwick worked on his control and visualization techniques. His command of his power was becoming such that he could levitate the most fragile of objects one moment and lift heavy stone blocks the next. Quidditch practice continued although Gryffindor wasn't scheduled for another match until after the holiday break was over. Ron and George were doing quite well at both stores and there was even some talk that by next year they would outstrip Zonko's in sales. Contracts had been signed with the owners of the two shops in Diagon Alley that made Harry a silent partner with a quarter stake in the businesses. As before, his share of the profits would go into the Ministry fund. A message from Gringotts just after Halloween informed Harry that the Ministry had made an inquiry into the source of the additional funds that were showing up in the account. When it became obvious to them that Gringotts was not going to reveal the source, the Ministry asked that the 'source' be informed that the Ministry was extremely grateful and that the additional monies were a very great help. Harry was all in all a very happy young man. Ginny made mention of this fact one night in the Gryffindor common room after they had finished a study session. Harry and Ginny were snuggled up together in one of the overstuffed chairs. Hermione was in the next chair, jotting down some notes on a piece of parchment.

"Yeah, Ginny, I guess I can't help myself. Life is about as perfect as it can be for me right now. You're the biggest part of it, but all the school stuff is working so well too. I've got no reason to be anything but happy. I hope it lasts a very long time."

But it wasn't going to, not entirely. The Holiday break arrived right on time and Ginny, Harry, and Hermione were all heading home. There would be no holiday trip for Hermione and her family this year since they were still recovering from the year in Australia and needed to be a bit more frugal this year. Harry had been half tempted to offer his help but he stopped himself, knowing that you could be too generous. It worked out well as the Grangers were invited, and accepted, to spend Christmas day at the Burrow. It would be crowded but a lot of fun they all said.

The ride on the express was back to normal with the three friends sharing a compartment in one of the forward cars and having a relaxed trip chatting and playing cards. Hermione knew all about Gin Rummy and was giving Ginny a run for her money and poor Harry was getting drubbed mercilessly. About half way to London, someone knocked on their door. It was the Slytherin fifth year, Miss Middleton. Harry waved her in.

"Hello. Miss Middleton, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir. Maddie Middleton. Can I speak to you for a moment, sir?"

"Sure, please, sit down."

The girl sat down, looking uncomfortable but resolute. She looked at the three Gryffindors and then began speaking.

"I've been thinking about what you said at the lecture in the Great Hall when you answered my question. I've been in Slytherin house for five years, sir. I've heard a lot of things said about you and Gryffindor house. I didn't always believe it but I kept it to myself. I guess I was afraid of what might happen if I said anything. You know not everyone in Slytherin is like those…well, you know, the ones who were in the Inquisitorial Squad and the Death Eater types but we were all so afraid, you know."

Harry simply nodded. The girl took a breath and went on.

"I guess we can't all be brave like you all are. Isn't that what the hat says about Gryffindors, brave? Anyway, there's been a rumor floating around the Slytherins about you. Apparently there are still some supporters on the loose and there's been talk about getting back at you for what you did. One version of the rumor is they want revenge; another is that someone might be trying to set himself up as the next big dark wizard, although no one knows who that might be. I don't think Professor Slughorn has caught on to it yet, or he would have told you. He's been giving little talks about cleaning up Slytherin's reputation, that sorta thing. But after what you said that time, I just kept thinking and thinking. It's not right and it's got to stop. Most of us agree although there are a couple of people who still say things about you but I think they are just jealous and figure your going to get Gryffindor the Quidditch and House cups this year. Anyway, I thought you should know and I wanted to tell you to be careful," she finished saying with her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her.

Ginny and Hermione were looking very upset, but Harry was calm. He reached over and took hold of Maddie's hands and spoke quietly to her.

"Thank you, Maddie. It was very brave of you to come to me like this. I can promise you that I'll be careful and I have very good friends, you included now, who will help me."

"You're welcome, sir. I think I should get back to my own compartment now."

As she stood up, Harry stood as well. Ginny and Hermione got up and gave Maddie brief hugs and words of thanks. After she left they sat back down again and Ginny exploded.

"I can't believe this. Those idiots out there can't get it through their thick skulls that they lost and its over," she practically yelled.

"Calm down, Ginny," Harry said quietly. "Haven't we been saying that there will always be those that will take up or continue to use the Dark Arts? At least this way we know they are out there and we can be ready."

"Yes, Harry, but you'd think that they'd at least wait a while to rebuild or whatever," Hermione suggested.

"We don't even know if it's any of his old crew. For all we know it could be someone just talking big or looking to make a name for themselves. It might be like in those American western movies where the cowboy goes after the famous gunfighter to make a reputation for himself."

Hermione nodded, but Ginny didn't have a clue and her two friends spent the next half hour explaining. When the train pulled into King's Cross the three of them got off the train and were met by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They didn't have to worry about baggage and they made for the exit to the mundane world. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were waiting just opposite the wall between platforms nine and ten. There were hugs all around and before they went their separate ways reaffirmation of the invitation and acceptance for Christmas day was made. Once again a Ministry car was made available and the ride home was pleasant and uneventful.

Safely home Ginny prodded Harry to reveal what they had learned from Maddie Middleton. When her parents noticed the quiet but emphatic exchange Harry had no choice.

"A fifth year Slytherin told us on the train home that there are some rumors floating around her house that someone is out to get me. Either out of revenge or as a way to establish themselves as the next big dark wizard."

Molly Weasley looked concerned and angry. Arthur looked thoughtful. He nodded then said,

"Well, Harry, I understand the Magical Law Enforcement office of the Ministry has been picking up some talk of that kind although it was never tied to you directly. Just that there was something up, so to speak. This might be useful information and I'll pass it on. Of course we'll keep an eye on things here while you're with us. But I wouldn't get too worked up about it. They'd have to mount something pretty major with all the wizarding might we could muster here. They'd have to be crazy, really, especially after what your mum did to that Bellatrix Lestrange."

Harry saw the look that crossed his adopted mother's face at the mention of her killing the twisted witch in the final battle at Hogwarts. Harry had completely forgotten about that. He gave her a smile and took hold of one of her hands.

"I'm a lucky guy to have had such protective mothers."

Mrs. Weasley still looked far from happy. With only a few days until Christmas, she didn't need this kind of distraction and worry. The first night passed quietly. Harry, Ginny and Ron were home. George was due to arrive the next day. Percy was now living in a small apartment in London and would come for Christmas Eve and day. The day before Christmas Eve a number of packages were delivered to Harry from several shops in Diagon Alley. He took them up to his room and said everyone would just have to wait until Christmas to find out what they were. Everyone pitched in to get the house as spotless and orderly as possible. All the while everyone was keeping an eye on one another and the grounds around the house. No one expected any trouble during the day but they were still a bit apprehensive.

It was close to midnight when Harry awoke to the gentle prodding by Kreacher.

"Kreacher? What is it?"

"Master Harry must awake. The garden gnomes are most agitated. The gnomes say that someone is out behind the garden wall. More than one. Should Kreacher wake the house?"

"Not yet. Let me go see. Where is my Invisibility Cloak?"

"In Master Harry's closet."

Harry got up as quietly as he could and slipped on his pants and shirt, grabbed his jacket and his cloak from the closet and slipped out of the room and down the stairs. He slipped on his shoes, then wrapped himself in the Invisibility Cloak.

"Kreacher, did the gnomes tell you where these guys are?"

"They are behind the stone wall nearest to where the old shed is."

"Ok, I'm going to go out the front door. They won't see me from there, and then I'll go into the back yard. Can you get up on the roof without being seen and let me know if anyone else shows up?"

"Kreacher can do that, Master Harry."

"Good, let's go."

Harry went out the door first followed by Kreacher. The little elf went to the left and Harry to the right. As he moved into the backyard he could sense that indeed something was amiss. The garden gnomes were very agitated. Their hiding spots in the hedges were evident from the shaking leaves and branches. It was a cold night and Harry could see steaming breath rising from behind the far section of garden wall. It looked like there might be three but before he roused the house he wanted to make sure. Slowly he moved forward, placing each step carefully so as not to make noise on the frosty grass. He was glad there was no snow to crunch through. He was perhaps a dozen yards from the wall when he was able to pick up voices.

"So tell me again why this is such a smart idea, Alf."

"It's simple, Sid. We 'ide out 'ere until midnight. Then we throw some spells and such at the 'ouse. Then Bennie let's loose with that Morsmorde spell 'e learned from that Death Eater before it all went south on em all. Then if any of 'em come out we take down the first few then we Disapparate out of 'ere. Everyone thinks it's the Death Eaters come back for revenge on that Potter kid. The Ministry puts all kinds of people out 'ere to guard the place and we 'ave the pick of places to knock over for the next few days. Piece o' cake. That's why we started spreading them rumors so's everyone would take it serious like."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this worrying about a few house breakers looking to cause an uproar to cover for some petty thieving. His friends and family worrying for the last two days over something this stupid and petty. Suffice to say Harry was angry. It was more accurate to say he was enraged. He let the cloak fall to the ground and he stood up straight and pointed his wand at the wall just to the left of where he thought the three bandit wizards crouched. To call them dark wizards would have been too much of a compliment.

"CONFRINGO!" he bellowed.

A section of wall about three feet wide was blasted out into the field beyond the yard. The three would be burglars were thrown sideways into each other and stunned. Harry rushed through the gap and turned on them with his wand ready. As the three scruffy looking wizards began to untangle themselves he pointed his wand at them and said more calmly,

"Petrificus Totalus."

The three men went rigid, only their eyes, wide in panic, could move. He could hear a commotion begin in the house. He was shivering, not from the cold, but from a fire burning inside him. He had never been so angry before.

"Lumos," he said and the tip of his wand blazed bathing the criminals in bright white light.

"Do you know who I am?" he said.

One of the petrified wizards shifted his eyes back and forth to indicate a negative.

"Does this help?"

He held his blazing wand over his head to illuminate the clearly visible patch of forehead that held the famous scar. All three sets of eyes went as wide as they could go.

"That's right. Do you idiots have any idea the anxiety and worry you've caused my family and friends with this stupid stunt? I should burn you three right down to the ground for that."

The three men were clearly in a state of panic. Their bodies were literally vibrating as their fear waged war with the binding effects of the spell.

"But I won't do that. When the Ministry finds out that at least one of you has had contact with a Death Eater they'll have lots of questions for you and maybe a nice dark spot in Azkaban when they're done. I think you fellas are in for a very bad Christmas."

He could hear the back door slam open and Mr. Weasley, George and Ron hurrying out into the yard, their wands at the ready.

"Harry, what was that? Are you alright? What's going on?" Mr. Weasley fired the questions at him in rapid order.

"I'm ok, and I have our so called threat over here. We'll need someone from the Ministry to collect them."

As the three Weasley men joined Harry outside the wall Mrs. Weasley called out.

"Arthur, what is it, is Harry alright?"

"Yes, Molly, everything is under control. We need to get a message to the Ministry though."

At that moment Kreacher popped into view on top of the wall.

"Does Master Harry require anything of Kreacher?"

"Yes, can you go to the Ministry of Magic and tell them we need someone here to pick up some criminals?"

"It is done," was all the elf responded and he popped out of sight.

"What's this all about, Harry and why were you out here alone?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Kreacher woke me up and told me that the garden gnomes were acting nervous and that they thought someone bad was outside the wall. And no I don't know how he was able to talk to them. Kreacher and I came out the front way. I had on my Invisibility Cloak and I had Kreacher go up on the roof to look for anyone else. I snuck up to about ten yards or so and I could hear them talking. They're just a few common burglars. They thought if they made a big scene out here it would draw most of the Ministry's magical law enforcement department out here and they'd be free to break into houses or shops or something they had planned. One of them knows how to conjure up the Dark Mark and they thought that plus if they could curse a few of us as we came outside would keep the Ministry busy for a while. They were the ones that started the rumors, too, or so they said."

"Why the hole in my wall, Harry?"

"Um, well, sir, I was trying to distract them so I could bind them somehow. I was pretty mad when I heard what they were planning and why. Guess I just lost my temper. I'll fix it in the morning."

"We'll all fix it in the morning, Harry. That's what family does. Just like we should have all been here to deal with this. Don't argue with me, young man. You are not an Auror yet and your days of free lancing are over. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said, feeling abashed.

A rapid succession of pops announced the arrival of a half dozen Aurors and Kreacher.

"Hello, Arthur. What's all this then? This house elf told us Harry Potter was in danger or some such."

"He may have been, Maxwell, but it looks like he's got it in hand. Apparently these three are common housebreakers who were looking to create a diversion by putting up the Dark Mark and then cursing whoever they could as we came out of the house."

"The Dark Mark? Which one knows that accursed spell?"

"Whichever one is called Bennie," Harry answered.

Two of the three rigid perpetrators looked sideways at the third whose eyes were flying back and forth in denial.

"Yes well, all right gentlemen, let's get these three in hand and back to the Ministry. We're interested especially in anyone who claims they can conjure the Dark Mark."

With that two Aurors lifted up each of the three paralyzed wizards and held them up between them. Maxwell looked at Harry.

"We'll need a statement from you, Mr. Potter. If you could write out a description of what occurred and send it by owl we'd appreciate it. Someone may come out after the holidays to talk to you."

The Auror smiled at Harry.

"Word is you're looking to join up. If this is a sample of your work, we'll be glad to have you on board. See you after the holiday, Arthur."

With that each pair of Aurors popped out with their miscreant in hand.

"Alright, everyone inside," Mr. Weasley was still visibly upset.

On the way in Harry stopped and picked up his cloak. For a second he seriously considered slipping it on and going off and hiding somewhere but that would only make matters worse, so he trudged inside to face the music. It was very loud music, discordant, moderately incoherent with plenty of sharp and flat notes thrown in.

Mr. Weasley couldn't believe that someone as smart as Harry would be so foolish to venture out alone like that. Mrs. Weasley had been scared out of her wits and thought all manner of things when she was startled out of her bed when Harry blasted the wall. Ginny hadn't said a word; her fury was silent and all the more worrisome. George and Ron were upset because Harry didn't ask them to go along. Harry stood in silence while his family raged around him. When they finally realized he wasn't going to argue back they began to settle down.

"Don't you have anything to say, Harry," demanded Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes, but I thought you deserved the chance to talk first."

He took a deep breath.

"You're right to be upset. I probably shouldn't have gone out there by myself but I thought that until we knew what was out there it would be better if I went alone and not risk losing another member of the family. And if it turned out to be nothing then I wouldn't have gotten everyone upset without a reason," he said quietly.

His quiet acceptance of their chastisement took much of the heat out of their collective anger. Ginny took this moment to have her say. She walked up to Harry and took his face firmly in her two hands and tilted his head down to look him square in the eye.

"You are done, now and forever, with solo heroics. You are part of a family of very capable witches and wizards, Harry. You're the one who made such a point at your lecture in the Great Hall about teamwork and all the help you received doing the things you've done and then you go and do this. No more, my love. Do you understand me? No more."

Then she pulled his head down and gave him a brief, warm kiss. Harry realized at that moment that this beautiful young witch was determined to go through life as his full partner. His mind flashed on the image of Ginny going with him on his assignments as an Auror. He quickly forgot that thought.

"I think I got the message," he said looking around as much as Ginny's grip on his face allowed.

"It's time to practice what I preach and remember that I have others to count on and to be considerate of." He gave Ginny a rueful smile. "This family stuff takes some getting used to, doesn't it?"

She smiled back at him and slapped him lightly on both cheeks.

"Yes, my dear, it does, and it looks like you need lots and lots of practice."

"Alright, family." Mr. Weasley broke in. "Let's all try and get back to sleep, we have a wall to repair in the morning."

To a chorus of 'yes, sir's, the Weasley family went back to bed. George made a detour to Harry and Ron's room.

"Alright, Harry, out with it. What the heck did you do to that wall? Even in the little bit of moonlight I could see stones from the wall way out into the field."

"I guess I lost my temper and that meant I lost control and just put everything I had into the 'Confringo' spell. Professor Flitwick'll be really disappointed. But what they had planned was so petty and they were going to us the Dark Mark and hurt as many of us as they could."

"I appreciate your reaction, mate, but if you want to be an Auror, you better control your temper. They test you for that sort of thing you know," Ron said.

"I know, Ron, and I hardly ever lose my temper. You've been around me long enough to know that. I guess I just never had something so important to me threatened like that," Harry said.

"Come on, Harry," George cut in. "Voldemort threatened to wipe out half the wizarding world. That wasn't important to you?"

"Well, I guess it was a different kind of important. Besides, in those situations I was always too scared to get angry."

George's snort indicated just what he thought about the idea of Harry being scared. Shortly afterward George went to his room and left Harry and Ron to try and get to sleep. It wasn't a particularly long sleep as Mr. Weasley had the boys up at seven thirty for breakfast and then out into the yard to begin the wall repairs. Harry, Ron and George had the job to scour the field and levitate the stones back to the wall where Mr. Weasley worked with some sort of mortar mix he whipped up in his shed. It took them all morning but by the time Mrs. Weasley called them in for lunch they were done.

"Well, boys, a solid job if I may say so. I may have to do some touch ups come spring but we're done for now."

"Umm, I was just wondering, Mr. Weasley. Isn't it too cold for that mortar to work? Won't it just freeze up?" Harry asked.

"Ah, well, Harry, if this was ordinary muggle mortar then yes, it would. However, this is a very special formula handed down by Scandinavian wizards who couldn't afford to wait for winter to end to make repairs to their stone towers. It came to England when the Vikings first invaded. So, let's get in for lunch and see if your mum needs any help for tomorrow."

So they had their lunch and yes, Molly did need plenty of help, doing the last of the cleaning and hanging decorations. There were plenty of evergreen garland, mistletoe and holly berries. To that were added gold stars and crescent moons and a Christmas tree that had been cut from the nearby woods and floated to the house. Around mid afternoon Charlie arrived and Percy wasn't far behind. Bill and Fleur made it just before dinner was to be served. The atmosphere was taking on a festive air although Harry did have a bit of a rough patch when Bill and Fleur heard about Harry's adventure the night before.

"Harry," Bill said a bit reproachfully, shaking his head. "As your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher I'm afraid I'd have to fail you on this if it was a practical exam. Going out there, out numbered and not knowing your adversary's strength was a foolish thing to do."

"Sorry, Bill," was all Harry could think to say.

Fleur was standing next to her husband and her face was like a mask set in stone. She stepped forward and looked at Harry. Looking at him the way she did Harry was reminded of the actual veela that had been at the Quidditch World Cup and how they looked when they were angry. He could see a touch of it in her eyes.

"'arry, mon ami. I love you like the brother I never 'ad. I understand your desire to protect your, our, family. But I say thees to you 'ere and now, that eef you ever do somesing theese stoopeed again I will feenish what the Dark ones 'ave tried to do by strangling you weeth my bare 'ands. Do you understand me, mon frere?" she said, her voice practically vibrating with anger.

Harry stepped forward and pulled her toward him. He held her tightly and whispered something in her ear. She pulled her head back to look at him and said,

"Oui, yes, you 'ad better be, dear boy. Now, we shall speak of theese no further and 'ave a 'appy 'oliday, yes?"

Then she kissed his cheeks and his forehead and then smiled at him warmly. Ron was looking at his friend and he couldn't help but laugh. Harry looked at him, one arm still around Fleur.

"What's so funny, mate?"

"Oh, it was just a thought, Harry. Do you remember the trouble we had coming up with dates for the TriWizards Tournament Ball and how that turned out, then the way things turned out with Cho Chang?"

"Yeah, what's your point?" Harry said suspiciously.

"Well, look at you now. You and Ginny are madly in love, you spend almost as much time hugging Fleur as Bill does, then there's Gabrielle, that Abagail girl that Hermione told me about and then that girl on the train. Your Harry the Heart throb now," Ron said laughing.

Before he could move Ron took a hard shot from a pillow wielded by Ginny that almost knocked him over. Fleur added a second shot and Ron was forced to flee to safe haven.

Presents had been placed under the tree and there was a fair pile. The fortunes of the Weasleys as individuals and a family had improved substantially and it looked like it was going to be a very good Christmas. Dinner was a large ham, roasted potatoes, a variety of vegetables, warm rolls and a pudding for dessert. They sat in the smallish parlor, with the fireplace roaring. Ginny was perched on Harry's lap, as was Fleur on Bill's, the rest were tightly packed in on chairs and the couch. A toast was made in honor of the one who was not there, Fred. Mr. Weasley offered it in a strong voice, but sad. They spent some time recalling Fred at his worst and best. Depending on who was telling the tale, the worst and best were sometimes applied to the same episode. But each remembrance was done with fondness. It was approaching midnight when Mrs. Weasley suggested that they get to bed for tomorrow was going to be busy and that guests were due. Bill was going to bunk with George, Percy had his room and Fleur would sleep with Ginny. Nothing more was said of Harry's adventure of the previous evening.

**********

Christmas dawned bright and cold. But the Burrow was a place of light and warmth. Breakfast was more or less a buffet affair as Hermione and her parents had arrived just in time. Plates were filled and any place to sit down was occupied. Harry was looking forward to the exchange of presents. Not because he was looking to get some particular gift, but instead to be able to give significant gifts for the first time in his life. He had given a fair amount of thought to what he would give to each of his family and friends. His poor owl had spent plenty of time on the wing between shops in Diagon Alley, Gringotts and Hogwarts. When everyone had finished with breakfast Mrs. Weasley shooed them all into the parlor.

"Now, where should we begin? There are so many of us and so many presents," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Um, may I begin?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry, dear. Go right ahead."

"First of all, I'd like to say these are intended to say thanks to all of you who have in one way or another gotten me to where I am today, alive, healthy and happy, and after the other night's adventures, wiser," he said with a little grimace.

"I'll start with Ginny. She dropped a lot of hints that I shouldn't get her anything to fancy or expensive after the broom, but I figured what the heck. So here you are, my love. Thank you for so much happiness," he said as he handed her a sizable package.

She took it from him with a quizzical look and then she tore into the wrapping. What she found was a deluxe care and accessory set for her Nimbus 2001 from the Quidditch Supply store. It contained everything to care for her broom, a new streamlined foot rest, a pair of goggles and a booklet on tips and tricks to get maximum performance from her broom. She was ecstatic and gave Harry a big hug and kiss.

"Now for my two best friends. It would take all day to list all the things I have to thank you guys for so I'll just say, thanks for being there when I needed you, which was pretty much always. Ron, here's yours, and Hermione."

Ron unwrapped a beautiful Wizards' Chess set. The board was made of maple and walnut. The pieces were hand cast pewter with enamel accents. The Wizard kings were at least three inches tall. Hermione was speechless. Harry had found for her a rare first edition History of Hogwarts that included several pages of handwritten commentary by the author. Ron put the set down and shook Harry's hand with both of his. Hermione couldn't find any words and just hung on to Harry and squeezed him till he thought he'd stop breathing. For George it was a bound collection of comedy sketches that only a Wizard produced book could do justice to since the comedians spoke and moved on the pages.

"Thanks, Harry, this is great. All my favorites are in here," George said gleefully.

Harry handed George a scroll, "This is for Fred, George."

George had a strange look on his face as he unrolled the scroll and read it. He then handed it Mr. Weasley, who read it and then looked at Harry.

"Thank you, Harry, this is wonderful," Mr. Weasley then looked at the others. "It's a scholarship for a muggle born wizard that provides for all their books and supplies for a full seven years in Fred's name. That's a wonderful remembrance, Harry."

"Percy, this is for you, I'm sure you'll put it to good use."

It was a complete set of desk accessories in leather and rosewood. As Percy looked at each item his eyes lit up.

"Wow, Harry, this is terrific. I've always wanted one of these but…well, wow. Thanks."

Bill received a three volume set that contained every known Dark Art curse, counter curse, potion and creature. Bill was thrilled.

"This is brilliant, Harry. I've heard about this set but I've never actually seen it."

"I thought it would be a real asset for the advanced classes, Bill. As for finding it, Flourish and Blotts has some pretty extensive contacts and it's amazing the kinds of things Gringotts is willing to help me with."

"Fleur was a bit of a challenge. To be honest, I don't really know all that much about her and the things that she likes but I thought this would be something special."

He stood up and went to the front door and opened it.

"Merry Christmas, Fleur," Harry said as three people walked into the house. It was Fleur's mother, father and her sister, Gabrielle. Fleur squealed and bolted from her chair and threw her arms around her mother and father. Gabrielle was hugging the three of them all the while casting glances at Harry and giggling. Ginny looked over at Hermione and rolled her eyes and shook her head. Fleur pulled away from her family long enough to pull Harry into a one armed embrace and kissed his face with vigor.

"Thank you, 'arry. Thees ees the best present I could 'ave 'oped for."

Harry could only manage a smile in return, since she was close to strangling him with her arm around his neck. It was a few minutes before the Delacours untangled themselves and Harry was able to come back up for air. The younger celebrants wound up on the floor on pillows to make room for the new arrivals.

"Let's see," Harry continued. "Charlie, you took a bit of figuring but I think I came up with something that's perfect for you."

He handed Charlie a small package that proved to be a simple cardboard box. Charlie looked at Harry with a cocked eyebrow and then he opened the box and his jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out. He looked at Harry and said,

"Harry, are you kidding me? This has to be a joke."

"Nope, it's for real, Charlie."

"What is it, Charlie? Out with it," Mr. Weasley chided.

"It's a certificate for the first production Firebolt II. Harry, this is too much, I mean it was one thing to buy a broom for Ginny, I mean she's your….well, this is ridiculous."

"Charlie, relax. First of all, it didn't cost me a thing, except maybe a favor or two. Since they started advertising the Firebolt II with my endorsement they've been booking all kinds of orders. Practically every pro team in England has ordered them, plus a number of national teams. And since they went public with the donations to the Ministry relief fund they've been selling loads of the Nimbus models. They were more then happy to do this, Charlie. The only thing is they may ask you to offer an endorsement for their advertisements. Apparently your name is still well known in the Quidditch world,"

Harry said the last with a wry grin.

"Harry, I don't know what to say, this is just incredible. Thank you."

"You're more then welcome, Charlie. I still remember how much help you were with Norbert," Harry laughed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, this is something I had made up for you. I'd suggest you keep it under wraps since any non wizarding folk who see it might not understand."

Hermione's parents looked at Harry in confusion. The took the package and Mrs. Granger said,

"Thank you, Harry, but you shouldn't have done this. Helping Hermione bring us back home was more than enough. What are you thanking us for?"

"That should be obvious, ma'am. For giving us Hermione," he said with a smile.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger smiled back at Harry and then they opened the package. It was a photo album similar to the one Hagrid gave Harry at the end of his first year. It contained a number of photos of Hermione with various friends from Hogwarts. They were typical wizard photos and the people in them were looking back out at the Grangers and waving or mugging and generally having a good time.

"Oh, Harry, this is just wonderful. We'll cherish this always," Mrs. Granger gushed. Hermione smiled at Harry misty eyed.

"And this brings me to you, Mum and Dad," Harry said.

"You can't give me anything better then what you just said, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said quietly.

"I'll try. It's my hope that as the years go by that there'll be a number of grandchildren for you both. As today proves, this house can get a bit tight when everyone is here and if we bring grandkids into the picture it's going to be like a sardine tin."

"Yes, Harry, we know the Burrow tends to be a bit snug, but what are you going on about?"

"Your present is this. On the first of March, a crew from the Marvel Wizard Home Remodeling company will be here to begin renovating and expanding the Burrow to include guest rooms, a bigger kitchen and enlarging the parlor. They'll take down the old shed and put up something with more room and equipment."

Harry's 'parents' looked at him in astonishment. The Weasley children were looking back and forth between Harry and their folks. They couldn't remember a time when their mum was at a loss for words. But she was the first to recover.

"Harry, dear, this is much too extravagant. We couldn't possibly..." she began but Harry cut her off.

"You could, you can, and you will. None of this is about giving flashy presents or showing off. You've each given me something that not to long ago I didn't think I'd ever have, family and friends. So I just tried to find something for each of you that fit somehow with what you've given to me."

The room was silent for a few moments, broken only by the occasional sniff from one of the ladies. It was Mr. Weasley who broke the silence.

"Well, son, I can't, and won't, argue with that. We were very fortunate the day you stumbled across the boys at King's Cross. I say, a bigger, better workshop…I wonder if I could find another Anglia."

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

This broke the tension and for a few minutes Harry was exchanging hugs and hand shakes all around. Other gifts were then handed out. Some of the highlights included Mrs. Weasley's baked goods, a variety of Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, clothes and from Gabrielle to Harry, a mounted print of the Rita Skeeter article on Harry that had been reprinted in French from their local wizard weekly. Around the edges were the signatures of a number of Gabi's classmates, apparently all of them girls. Harry smiled and thanked Gabi saying,

"Wow, this is really great, Gabi. Um, are all the people who signed it friends of yours?"

Gabi's english wasn't very good and she looked to Fleur for a translation. She nodded vigorously with a wide smile and spoke quickly to her big sister. About half way through he heard his name and Fleur looked startled. She said something and Gabi again nodded vigorously and his name was said again plus a lot he didn't understand. When Fleur turned toward Harry she was smiling but it looked pained. Softly she said,

"Just keeping smileeng, 'arry. No matter what I say, just keep smileeng."

"What?" Harry managed through a grin.

"Gabi said that all those names belong to the members of the Beauxbaton 'arry Potter fan club. Gabi ees the president."

Harry's face froze and his grin looked almost maniacal. In a choked voice he squeezed out past his clenched teeth,

"You've got to be kidding."

"No, 'arry, but pleeze do not get upset. I know 'ow you feel about such theengs but eef Gabi thinks you are un'appy with 'er eet will break 'er 'eart."

Harry fought down the panic and managed to unfreeze his face and get a real smile back on it. He looked at Gabi who was trying to understand what was going on between Harry and Fleur.

"Please tell her that I am very honored and flattered that she and her friends would go to all this trouble just for me."

Fleur began to speak quickly and by the time she was done Gabi's smile was almost ear to ear. She ripped off another barrage of French which Fleur translated.

"She sez that you are more than welcome. That eet all started soon after she returned 'ome after the TriWeezards Tournament. She was telling anyone 'oo would leesten about you and 'ow you risked losing to make sure she was safe. Then when the article that 'orrible Skeeter woman wrote telling your true story was translated and appeared een the Weezard Weekly of France they decided to form the club."

"Wow, that's really something."

Gabi added something, blushing to the roots of her silvery hair.

"She wonders, 'arry, eef you would be so kind as to 'ave your picture taken weeth 'er?"

The pleading look on Fleur's face which her sister couldn't see made it impossible to refuse so Harry nodded and Gabi jumped up and began talking like a machine gun to her father. Mr. Delacour gave Harry a 'we don't speak the same language but I know what you're going through' smile and dug a camera out of his overcoat pocket that was hanging on the wall. Harry posed for three pictures in fact.

One was with Gabi alone, his arm around her shoulder. She looked like she couldn't decide if she should become hysterical or faint so she settled for freezing in place which made for a much better picture. The next was with Harry sandwiched between the two silver haired beauties. It was all he could do to keep his smile in place because behind the camera Ron was mugging for all he was worth until Hermione gave him a sharp elbow to the midsection that nearly doubled him over. Harry's smile became a bit wider and a good deal more authentic at that point. Then it was Harry with the whole Delacour family. Gabi was absolutely giddy until Harry gave her a big hug and had Fleur translate for him that he was glad he could make his new little sister so happy. At that point she slumped in his arms and they had to sit her on the couch and get her a drink to revive her.

As Harry sat himself down next to Ginny who was giving him a wry smile and shaking her head, Hermione leaned across and said,

"Harry, I was wondering what you got for your godson, Teddy."

"Well he's only a year or so old, so I figured toys or anything like that would be kind of a waste since he wouldn't really know what they were, so I set up a trust fund that will help support him while he's growing up and then pay for all his stuff at Hogwarts."

"That's wonderful, Harry," Hermione replied.

Harry shrugged and said,

"It will help take the pressure off his grandmother. She's got enough to deal with."

Hermione just smiled and gave his arm a squeeze. At this point Fleur came over and crouched down on the floor next to where Harry and Ginny were sitting and said quietly.

"Merci beaucup, mon frere. Gabi says thees es thee best Christmas she 'as ever 'ad. She can't wait to return to Beauxbaton to tell everyone that 'arry Potter is 'er new big brother," Fleur said with a grin.

"Well, how could I say no, Fleur? Especially with you looking at me that way. Besides she really is a sweet kid and maybe this way she'll get used to the idea of me as family that way and not…well, ya know, the other stuff."

"Oh, 'arry. You bad boy," she said laughing.

"Look at it this way, Fleur. You know how they say you can pick your friends but not your family?"

"Oui."

"Well, I can pick both. I was an orphan and only child. Then I got to pick the Weasleys as my family. Well, we sorta picked each other. Now I can add you and Gabi as sisters. Doesn't get much better than that."

Her smile grew soft and her face took on a thoughtful expression. She looked at her sister-in-law and said,

"You are a very smart girl, Geenny. You were right to wait until 'e, 'ow you say, came around."

Ginny smiled at Fleur and said,

"I know. I think I knew it that day on the platform when he and Ron went off to school together. I knew for sure that day in the Chamber of Secrets," she said and smiled at Harry.

Harry smiled back and then exclaimed,

"Holy cow, I almost forgot. Hey, Kreacher," he called.

With a pop the little house elf appeared standing on the back of the small chair Harry was sharing with Ginny. Both the Grangers and Delacours looked startled at his sudden appearance.

"Yes, Master Harry?"

"I have a present for you, Kreacher. Merry Christmas," Harry said as he handed the house elf a small package.

"Master Harry does not give Kreacher clothes?" the little elf asked apprehensively.

"No, Kreacher. Although I'm still waiting for your answer."

Kreacher did not respond but opened the package carefully. He withdrew a small tea towel that had been dyed in the Gryffindor colors. It was embroidered so that when he wore it Hogwarts read across the top front with the school emblem centered underneath. On the back was the word, 'Coach' across the top and a broom stick underneath. In addition, there was a small silver whistle on a chain. The little elf fingered each item and looked at them with a funny, almost sad look on his face. He looked down at Harry from his perch on the chair and said,

"All house elves should be as lucky as Kreacher."

Then he popped out of sight. Harry smiled as Ginny hugged his arm.

"I think he was very moved, Harry. That was a wonderful gift."

This was seconded by most of those in the room. There was another pop followed by the sound of a whistle being blown. Kreacher was standing atop the empty fireplace mantle wearing his new tea towel, the chain of the whistle around his neck and the whistle held in his hand near his mouth.

"Merry Christmas, Master Harry. Kreacher's gift for Master Harry is to say 'yes'."

"That's great, Kreacher. In that case, here, catch."

Harry pulled something out of a small bag and threw it to the house elf. Kreacher let go of his whistle and caught the object which turned out to be a small sweatshirt done up exactly the same as the tea towel. The little elf smiled widely, the first time any one of them could remember seeing that and then popped out of sight. Harry sat back with a very satisfied smile on his face,

"Now this is what I call a perfect Christmas."

**********

The remainder of the holiday break passed quietly. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley spent a good deal of time walking through and around the Burrow, discussing what kinds of changes they would like. A representative of the renovation company would be out to the house right after the beginning of the new year to discuss it with them. Harry and Ron spent a fair amount of time playing wizards chess on the new set. Ginny split her time between watching them play and going through her broom kit. Since the broom was back at Hogwarts it was about all she could do.

Then it was time to get on the train and head back for the second semester. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there to see them off of course and they met the Grangers as they were bringing Hermione. Mrs. Weasley gave them each a hug and for Harry she said,

"Thank you, Harry, for a Christmas none of us will ever forget."

"Thank you, Mum, for all the Christmases I have to look forward to."

The ride back was relatively quiet with just the three of them in the compartment playing Gin Rummy and talking about the holiday. Ginny commented on how very generous Harry had been but also how thoughtful and how appropriate the gifts were. She thought he had gone to such an awful lot of trouble.

"It's not trouble if you're happy doing it, sweetheart. I know you know what my life story is and the idea of growing up in the Dursleys house. But I don't think you know, really know, what it was like. You grew up in a family full of people who loved you. Sure, your brothers would pick on you from time to time or maybe tell you to get lost. But if you were ever in trouble they'd be right there for you. I grew up in a house where I was despised for who and what I was. I couldn't have any friends because the kids knew that Dudley didn't like me and they couldn't risk him making them a target for his gang of bullies. Then I get thrown into a new and very strange world, alone again until I ran into your mum and five of her red headed kids. You helped me find my way to the train and you're still helping me find my way. Ron was my first friend, my first real friend. You know the rest; you were a big part of it. So don't ever be surprised at what I do for this family, my love. It will never ever be enough."

*********

The first Quidditch match of the new year was held on the Saturday after the start of the new semester and it was cold, bitingly, bitterly cold, with wind driven snow that was more projectile than precipitation. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Due to their diminished ranks the infamous house had not been able to field a very respectable team but they were more than willing to let cunning replace talent and several opponents had already been put out of action. Combined with weather that could easily turn the tide of any match the outcome was far from certain.

"Ok, Harry, here's the strategy for today's game. You catch the bloody snitch as soon as you can. Nothing fancy, no letting us run up points. Get us out of this miserable excuse for weather otherwise we'll be ice cubes flying on icicles pretty quick," Bee said.

"Got it. I just hope the visibility improves. Can't see the end of your broom stick out there," Harry replied.

"Ok, there's the signal, let's get out there."

The seven Gryffindor's mounted their brooms and zoomed out into the storm. The boundaries of the pitch, the stands and end goals stood out as gray shadows in the white snow. Between the wind and the speed of the brooms, the snowflakes felt like cold fire on his exposed face and the ends of his fingers that protruded from his gloves. He was glad he had his own goggles. Madame Hooch signaled all to readiness and she then released the balls. Harry saw the snitch take off toward the Slytherin end of the arena. He was after it in a heart beat and soon had it just off the tip of his broom when he was forced to veer to avoid a Slytherin beater that loomed into view from the swirling snow. He cursed under his breath as he barrel rolled to avoid the other flyer. The snitch disappeared. The snow and wind made it hard to hear the announcer, the same Slytherin fifth year as last time but he thought he heard that Gryffindor had scored already. Probably Ginny.

This was impossible, Harry thought to himself. How can you see that damn snitch in snow this thick? It was worse then during the match when he fell off because of the Dementors. He had to continually wipe his goggles to keep the snow from blinding him. At this rate he'd only find the snitch if it ran into him. Which at this point a bludger nearly did and he again had to swerve. This was doing him no good so he put some air underneath him and climbed a bit. He slowed as much as he could and remain stable in the air. He heard the crowd roar and he figured someone scored again, or made a good save. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought about the snitch and it seemed as if he could see it, buzzing madly against the wind at the midfield line near the sideline. Harry opened his eyes and looked down but couldn't even see the field. But when he closed his eyes and concentrated it was there again.

He nosed the broom down in a shallow circling dive as if he were searching, as he was indeed but by different means, and with eyes closed he sensed the pesky little ball come closer and closer. He could see it begin to move off against the wind along the sideline toward the Gryffindor goal. Harry couldn't see anything else but the snitch as he concentrated hard on where it was and staying on its tail. He wasn't sure why he continued in this way other then to say it felt 'right'. As if it sensed him coming up behind it, the snitch darted off but Harry was able to track it now. As it sped off he followed, kicking up his speed. The snitch began a series of dizzying maneuvers made all the more difficult due to the ever shifting winds tossing it all about. Harry seemed to be making instinctive adjustments and as they continued to duel at a high speed he was closing on it. Finally within striking distance Harry urged his broom to one final spurt and he caught hold of the golden sphere and his eyes flew open. They opened just in time for Harry to see the shape of a VIP seating tower loom up out of the snow and he yanked hard on the broom to turn it but all it did was cause him to hit the wall broadside instead of head on. He crashed into the tower just below the railing in full view of members of the faculty and other important wizards and witches who were often invited to matches. He felt the jarring shock and then the blackness washed over him.

"Harry? Harry? Are you in there?"

The voice of Madame Pomfrey began to filter through to his consciousness. The best answer he could muster was a weak,

"Mmmmmphff."

The blackness welled up again and he heard nothing for a while. After that while was up, he again heard the familiar voice calling him from the other side of the darkness.

"Harry, can you hear me at all?"

"Uhhh, I think so, it's Madame Pomfrey, right?"

"Yes, Harry it is. How are you feeling?"

"Don't know, haven't checked yet," he replied from a long way off.

He tried to check on how he was feeling. His head was ringing. He felt like how a burlap bag full of broken glass should feel. His whole right side felt like one long, deep toothache. He was sure he had some sort of knot on the right side of his head. He knew that he hit something hard and logic told him he hit it with his right side. Ah, the tower. Now it was making some sense. He remembered chasing the snitch and right after catching it he tried to avoid the too close tower and only managed to change how he hit the wall.

"Um, I feel like one big bruise," Harry replied weakly.

"Ah, well, that's appropriate since you are one big bruise, at least your right side is, from head to ankle. Harry, didn't we talk about you staying out of my hospital wing this year?"

"Yes, ma'am. I said I'd try. Guess I didn't try hard enough."

As he talked and exercised his brain more he found everything around him becoming clearer if not finely focused as yet. He wondered how long it had been. Oddly, he remembered Oliver Wood telling him that he was unconscious for a week after his first match.

"How long has it been, Madame Pomfrey?"

"About eight hours, Harry. It's just after sunset."

Harry opened his eyes and tried to focus on the area around him. The lighting was dimmed and he could make out the vague shape of Madame Pomfrey. He blinked a few more times and she started to assume a more regular appearance. He let his eyes sweep around his bed. He thought he saw something perched on the top rail of the bed's footboard.

"Kreacher? Is that you?" Harry said, sounding a bit perplexed.

"Yes, Master Harry, Kreacher it is," the little house elf replied.

"He's been there since they first brought you in, Harry. Hadn't said a word or moved a muscle until now. Just sat there and watched you."

"Master Harry will get better now?"

"Yeah, I think so, Kreacher. I'll be stiff for a while I guess but I should be ok, shouldn't I?" the last being directed at Madame Pomfrey.

"Yes, Harry, I'd think so but since you did take a nasty knock on the head, I've sent world to St. Mungo's. Dr. Medford will be here tomorrow morning. So you are to stay here and get some rest. I'll have a little something for you to eat soon."

"Alright, Madame Pomfrey," Harry said but he did wince at the sound of Dr. Medford's name.

It wasn't that he didn't like the tall older wizard. It was just that he expected the doctor to be none to happy being dragged all the way out here for something like this. He looked back to where Kreacher was still perched at the foot of his bed, those big sad liquid eyes staring back at him.

"Kreacher, can you do me a favor? Can you go find Ginny and Hermione and let them know that I'm awake and doing ok, please?"

"Kreacher can do that most easily, Master Harry."

But instead of disappearing he simply hopped down off the bed and went to the door between the ward and the waiting room. He opened the door and said,

"Master Harry tells Kreacher to tell Miss Ginny Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger that Master Harry is awake and doing ok."

Within seconds the door was pushed open and Ginny and Hermione were hurrying in. There was a babble of voices in the hall way. Madame Pomfrey scurried down the aisle between the beds and said,

"Here, now, what's this?"

"I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey. I wanted Kreacher to let them know I was okay. I thought they'd be in the tower," Harry said apologetically, his voice still low.

"Well, Mr. Potter," the nurse said in her best stern voice, "truth be told, that waiting room has been full to capacity all afternoon. And you weren't my only patient, just my worst and last. As you can see, Miss Weasley is somewhat worse for wear."

Harry turned his head sharply, too sharply in fact, and as his eyes swam with the pain he could see that Ginny had a bandage on her cheek and her right arm was bandaged at the wrist. She gave Harry a weak smile as she came to sit at his side.

"It's not much, Harry. Had a run in with a bludger I couldn't see in all that snow. But we did win Harry. It was fifty to thirty when you grabbed the snitch so we won by a hundred and seventy points. We have a commanding lead for the cup. Jerry had a mid-air collision with a Slytherin chaser. He got some bruises and the chaser broke a couple of ribs, but Madame Pomfrey got him sorted out already. You got the worst of it, as usual. Most of us didn't see it but we all heard the people in the VIP box shouting when you came out of the snow and went sideways into the tower. You went through the bottom of the railing and wound up at the feet of the spectators in the first row. Madame Hooch flew in and whistled the game over when she saw you had the Snitch in your hand. She must have bewitched the whistle because it sounded like the Hogwarts Express it was so loud."

Ginny said this all in a rush as if she was afraid if she stopped she'd start to cry. Her eyes were watery and her hand was lightly resting on Harry's arm. She looked at the floor and then back at Harry's bruised and scratched face.

"There's something else, Harry," her face a mask of dismay.

"Oh no, please tell me I didn't lose another broom," Harry said in a panicky voice, remembering what had happened the last time he flew in weather this bad.

"No, Harry, you didn't lose it, but it did get pretty banged up. A lot of the bristles were snapped or missing and the handle is all scratched up. The footrest is bent up pretty badly too."

Harry just let out a groan. The broom meant a lot more to him than being a valuable possession. It was the only thing that his godfather, Sirius Black, had given to him as a present, something he had selected himself.

"It might not be too bad though, Harry. It just happened that two men from the Nimbus Company were there in that box. Professor McGonagall let them take it and they are going to try and fix it. One of them told Bee that if you wanted to they'd replace it with a Firebolt II but we all thought you'd want that one back."

"Too right I do. I'm surprised they'd want to do that after that fiasco. Not exactly a poster boy for flying their broom with that crack up," Harry said a bit ruefully.

Ginny was dumbstruck but Hermione let out an exasperated sound and fixed Harry with a glare, her fists on her hips. She kept her voice low out of deference to Harry's condition.

"Are you kidding me, Harry? Now I may not like to fly or be any good at it, but I know good flying, no, let me correct that, phenomenal flying when I see it. Nobody could see everything that went on but we saw enough to know that you were on that snitch's tail like you were using radar."

Ginny looked at Hermione with a quizzical look but Harry knew what she meant.

"You looked like you knew exactly where you were going all the time and making all your usual moves. Everyone else was floundering around out there, half blind and bumping into each other. Most of the goal points were scored by accident, I think."

"I know two of my three goals were," Ginny said. "I'd just try and figure out where the goals where and wait for a break in the snow and let fly. That had to be the worst ever, but Hermione is right, Harry. Everyone who saw you said the same thing. Bee said you went zipping right past her at one point and she swears your goggles were covered with snow and you might as well have been flying with your eyes closed."

"I was," Harry said quietly.

"What?" the girls said in unison.

"When I was chasing the snitch I was doing it with my eyes closed."

They both looked at him in disbelief.

"What do you mean, with your eyes closed?" Hermione asked.

"You know, eyelids down, can't see out," Harry replied.

Then he took a breath, but not a deep one since the ribs on his right side ached.

"I was having as much trouble as everyone else seeing in that bloody snow. I couldn't figure out how to see the snitch so I went up higher and sort of hovered trying to think of what to do. I closed my eyes and thought of where the snitch might be in weather like this and I got this picture of it in my head and it looked like it was down by the sideline near center pitch so I headed down that way. I still couldn't see it with my eyes open so I closed them again and there it was about thirty feet ahead so I just kept them closed and went after it like any other match. Problem is I can't see anything else. I think I know when I went by Bee but of course I didn't see the tower coming and…"

He shrugged.

Hermione looked at Ginny, both of them shaking their heads. Ginny was the first to speak,

"You know what drives me crazy about him? He can talk about doing something no one else has ever heard of so casually and then just shrug. Oh, I just climbed Mt. Everest bare footed but it was no big deal," the last she said in a bad imitation of Harry.

Hermione began to giggle and then laugh as did Ginny. Harry was looking at them through slitted eyes.

"Alright, ladies," Madame Pomfrey said. "That will be enough for now. You can go and spread the word that Harry is whole if somewhat battered. Say your good byes and then off with you."

Ginny leaned in and gave her bruised hero a brief kiss.

"I'll see you in the morning, Harry. Try not to hurt yourself any more, ok?"

"I will if you will," he said looking meaningfully at her forearm.

She smiled at him and then got up, giving Hermione room to give Harry a little hug and then looked at him closely, her hand brushing back his unruly hair.

"It is an amazing thing you've described, Harry. You know, if you live long enough to become an Auror, you're quite likely to stand the wizarding world on its ear. See you in the morning, Harry."

"Guess I'll have to send an owl to Mum in the morning. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear about this, Harry. And just wait till Fleur gets word of it," the last was said with a nasty little laugh.

Once Ginny had come to understand and accept the relationship that had developed between Harry and Fleur, one of a mothering big sister, she took a perverse delight in teasing Harry about it whenever possible. He just groaned and rolled his eyes.

The two young women just laughed again and blew Harry kisses and then left the ward. As they entered the waiting room they were barraged with questions so loudly that Madame Pomfrey had to shoo them all away. As she came back in she looked down on her most frequent charge and smiled,

"Well, Harry, it does appear that you have acquired quite the fan club."

At those words Harry groaned again and said,

"Please don't say those words again, Madame Pomfrey," his face going red under the bruises.

"What words, what did I say, Harry?"

He proceeded to explain what he had found out about his fan club at Beauxbaton. By the time he was done the kindly healer was doing her best to hide her amusement.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I don't mean to make light of your situation, but considering your usual unassuming nature it is funny in a way. Well, let me get you something to eat. I'll be right back."

Kreacher, who had been standing quietly by the door this whole time looked at Harry and said,

"If Master Harry has no need of Kreacher at this time, Kreacher will go and tell the Hogwarts house elves that Master Harry is well. There has been much concern."

"Ok, Kreacher, that's fine. See you later."

Harry noticed that Kreacher was wearing his Quidditch themed tea towel. Most of the Hogwarts elves were still not big on the idea of freedom and clothes. The little elf bowed and popped out of sight. Harry's dinner was similar to the ones he had during the latter stage of his last stay in the ward, a good stew with some bread and cheese washed down with pumpkin juice. It wasn't more then a half an hour after he had finished and he was laying there thinking of nothing of much importance when there was a timid knock on the ward door. Madame Pomfrey bustled down the aisle and opened the door. Harry couldn't see past her but he could see that Madame Pomfrey was looking down at whomever she was speaking to. She looked back at Harry,

"Are you up to seeing a visitor, Harry?" she asked him.

"Sure, Madame Pomfrey."

She turned back to the visitor, "You may come in but not for long and please speak softly."

When Harry saw who walked into the room, he knew speaking softly wouldn't be a problem. Softly was the only way she could speak. It was Abagail Westwood. She came to stand next to Harry's bed and looked down at him with those big dark eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Hello, Miss Westwood. It's very nice of you to come and see me."

"I saw what happened to you at the Quidditch match, sir. It was the scariest thing I'd ever seen. When I heard that you were feeling better I thought I'd come up and visit. That's what family does for one another, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is and I'm very glad you did. Would you like to sit down?" Harry asked.

The diminutive girl sat down and looked at Harry. She saw the scratches and bruises on his face and right hand.

"Does it hurt a lot, sir?"

"It's pretty much a dull ache right now, Miss Westwood. I imagine Madame Pomfrey will give me something later to help me sleep. Tomorrow should be ok I hope."

"Your flying was really amazing, sir. Everyone around me was yelling and acting really amazed, at least when they could see you. We were in the stands near the wall you crashed into. You just came out of a big swirl of snow; it looked like you had already caught the snitch, which no one could figure out how you did it, and then you went sideways into the wall. Everyone screamed at that though."

"Well, I guess that's what happens when you focus on just one thing and don't pay any attention to the other things around you. A lesson learned the hard way, I guess," he said with a smile.

"I made this for you, sir. It's a get well card. It's a muggle kind of thing."

"Yes, I know about those. Thank you, it was very nice of you to do that for me."

Harry took the card that she offered to him. She had made it out of a heavy piece of parchment and using several different colors of ink, she had drawn Harry flying on his broom in much better weather. The likeness was remarkable.

"You drew this, Miss Westwood?"

"Yes, sir. I like to draw."

"You're very talented, this looks just like me," Harry said as he opened the card and read what she had written.

Through the darkness of fright

against the shadows of fear

we prevail against the night

with strength of family near.

He was taken aback to say the least, he was expecting some childish words wishing him to get well soon. This was fairly dark and more then a little grown up for an eleven year old.

"If you don't mind my saying so, Miss Westwood, this poem isn't exactly what I expected."

"You don't like it, sir?" she said, her voice trembling a bit.

"That's not what I said, Miss Westwood. I would have expected something like 'sorry you got hurt, get well soon'. Would you like to tell me what inspired you to write this?"

The young girl hung her head down, her face covered by her long hair. When she looked up at Harry, her dark eyes were misted over but more then that they held a deep hurt. She took a deep breath and began to speak in that barely audible whisper.

"When I was six, my parents and I were driving in the car. I was in the back seat. We were coming home from visiting my granma and granpa. I guess I fell asleep because it was late and dark and misty. All of a sudden I heard my mum scream and my dad shouted and something hit the side of the car hard and we went off the road and down a hill and hit something really hard and then the car rolled over."

Harry watched the little girls face as she talked, seeing the tears roll down her cheeks, his heart in his throat.

"We were there a long time. It was a dark road with no houses or anything around. I was kinda ok because I was strapped into one of those extra seats but Mum and Dad must have been hurt bad, I could hear them groaning but when I called to them they wouldn't answer. After a while they stopped making any noise at all. It was getting light out when I heard someone outside the car. They shined in lights and called to us. I tried to answer but I don't know if they heard. Then they pulled the doors open and got me out and took me to an ambulance. I called for my mum and dad but they didn't tell me anything. I never saw them again. I used to have such bad dreams about it, too, the crashing, the sounds, the lights. And I felt so alone. That was the worst. Alone in the back of the car."

Harry was looking at this frail little child, nearly overwhelmed by her pain, but something she said caught his attention.

"Miss Westwood…Abagail, you said you used to have nightmares?"

"Yes, sir. I used to have them all the time until the night after you talked to me about being part of the wizarding family. That made me feel better and when I went to bed that night I actually felt kinda happy. I have you and Ginny as big brother and sister and I've made friends here and I don't feel alone anymore. So that's what I meant by the poem. And it kinda fits with what you've said about how to fight the Dark Arts in a way."

The look she gave Harry was sad but oddly hopeful and a little smile was starting to work its way through. His only reaction was to reach his good left arm out to her and when she took his hand he pulled her to the edge of the bed and then despite the pain he wrapped her in both arms and held her close, the top of her head against his cheek and he told her that she would never have to feel alone again. Then he released her and she sat up on the edge of the bed and the tears were happy ones. There she stayed for more then an hour as Harry described the Christmas holiday, leaving out the incident with the erstwhile housebreakers, and how much fun it had been. Madame Pomfrey came by at last and said that Harry needed to take his potion to help him sleep through the night and Abagail left in a decidedly better mood than when she arrived and Harry felt better too.

As Madame Pomfrey measured out the sleeping potion she looked at Harry with an odd expression but simply wished him good night. Harry was asleep in minutes. Sunday morning dawned bright but blustery and cold. Harry could hear that the winds hadn't died down much but at least there was no snow. It was around nine o'clock when a firm knock on the door announced that Dr. Medford had arrived. Madame Pomfrey admitted the tall wizard and he smiled when he saw Harry sitting up in bed.

"Well, Mr. Potter. I hadn't expected to see you so soon again. I understand you took a rather nasty knock to the head this time."

"Um, yes, sir, had a run in with a spectators' tower in yesterdays Quidditch match."

"Yes, I caught a complete run down this morning. I arrived early and had the opportunity to have breakfast with my nephew. I think you two are acquainted?"

"Yes, sir, Tom. We met the first night back last semester."

"Well, let's have a look, shall we. Hmm, the external contusion doesn't look too bad. A lot of bruising but at least the impact was spread out over a large area. That bodes well for anything internal."

As he had before, the healer took his hand and placed it on Harry's head, thumb on temple, finger tips at the rear. Once more Harry felt the tingling sensation. The healer had his eyes closed. After a few moments they opened and he released his hold.

"Well, young man, I'd say you avoided any serious trauma. Nothing seems to be disturbed. I do get the impression that you've been working on your control. The patterns I can pick up seem much more orderly, and stronger. That's good. Whatever you've been doing I encourage you to keep at it. Except for crashing into walls. That you should try to avoid whenever possible. Either that or start wearing a helmet."

"Yes, sir. I may do both, just to be safe."

"Good man. Well, I'm done here. Good bye, Harry. Do try and take care of yourself."

"Yes, sir. Thank you for coming all the way out here."

"My pleasure, Harry. It's always good to see the old place."

Madame Pomfrey came by and asked Harry if he would like to try and get out of bed. If Doctor Medford was satisfied he hadn't done any serious injury to his head she knew it was best to get him out of bed as soon as possible. Harry's side was still achy but there were no sharp pains. More like a dull throbbing ache. He managed to limp his way to the washroom and when he slipped off his shirt he winced at the sight of the black and blue bruises that covered his arm and side. He was sure his hip and leg were much the same. After taking care of himself he slowly walked his way back.

"Well, young fellow. How are you feeling?" Madame Pomfrey asked, looking Harry up and down.

"If you have no objections, I'd like to get dressed and go back to the tower, slowly."

"Hmmm, you do heal quickly and I gave you a little something that will help but with that much bruising nature will have to take its course. Ok, let's see how you do getting dressed."

It was slow going but Harry was able to get himself put together in reasonable fashion, although bending everything to get his right sock and shoe on was a trial. He stood up and walked around a bit more. It wouldn't be easy but he would rather be up and moving then laying on his back in the hospital wing, he'd had enough of that.

"Here, Harry. Try this, it should help going up and down the stairs," Madame Pomfrey said to Harry as she handed him a cane.

It was a twisted piece of wood with a knob on one end for a handle. Harry took it and thought about the conversations this would start. It was getting on toward lunch so he decided he would make his way to the Great Hall instead of the tower. Half way there he was glad he had the cane to lean on as he descended the staircase. As he was coming down the last few stairs he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Harry, oh I'm so sorry," Ginny said, her voice full of chagrin. "We got up to the hospital wing late and missed you. Madame Pomfrey thought you were going to the tower so we ran back that way. I'm so, so sorry." The last was said as she came down beside him

"It's ok Ginny, I probably should have waited but I was impatient to get out of there. Madame Pomfrey is a wonderful person but I'm getting tired of that place," he said with a grin.

"How do you feel, sweetheart?"

"Very sore, very stiff and very hungry. Give me a hand down these stairs, would you?"

Harry carefully slipped his left arm over Ginny's shoulder and leaned his weight on her using the cane for balance on the right side. Carefully they made their way to the bottom of the staircase. Harry had intended to make it on his own into the Great Hall but Ginny would have none of it. It was still a bit early so there were only a few students in the Hall but for those that were there Harry became the center of their attention. He did what he could to smile and nod as Ginny led him over to the table. He settled slowly on to the bench with a sigh of relief. Ginny smiled down at him.

"Don't we look the pair, Harry? Bruised and bandaged."

"Maybe, but even with bandages and bruises you're still the prettiest girl in the school," he said with a smile and a wink.

She just laughed and then sat down next him and waited as other students began to filter in. The Gryffindors all were thrilled to see Harry and stopped to congratulate him for his performance and ask how he was doing. A lot of the students from the other houses would give waves and offer well wishes but more then a few also looked at him with questioning glances and whispers to their friends. Hermione dropped down across from them and said,

"Harry, are you sure you should be here? You still look pretty beat up," she said with genuine concern.

"That's because I am still pretty beat up, but I couldn't stand being up there anymore. Dr. Medford said my head was ok, so Madame Pomfrey said I was alright to leave."

Right about then Abagail came in with several of her housemates. Her face lit up when she saw Harry.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. I didn't think you'd be out of the hospital wing so soon."

"Hello, Miss Westwood. Yes, I'm feeling a great deal better. A special visit and get well card helped a great deal," Harry said with a big smile.

Abagail went bright red and giggled.

"Hello Ginny, hi Hermione," she said between laughing.

"Hiya, Abagail. How's my little sister doing this morning," Ginny asked.

"I'm doing good, Ginny, thanks. Oops, gotta go get my seat, see you later," she said and then dashed off.

"What was that about a visit and card, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the carefully folded sheet of parchment. He handed it over to Ginny.

"Abagail came up after dinner last night to give me that."

Ginny looked at the drawing on the cover and then showed it to Hermione.

"Wow, Harry, that's a terrific likeness. She drew that? She's quite an artist."

"Read what she wrote inside," he said, a little subdued.

Ginny opened up the parchment so both she and Hermione could read it. When they were both done they looked at each other and then at Harry, both looking puzzled.

"She wrote that, Harry? That's pretty deep and dark for a child her age."

"That's what I thought. When I asked her about it, she told me how she became an orphan."

Harry told them the whole story. By the time he was done Ginny and Hermione were stone faced and silent. They both turned and looked down the aisle to where Abagail sat. Hermione was the first to break the silence.

"Kind of spooky when you think about it. The two of you have so much in common, Harry."

"I thought so, too," Harry replied. "I guess I'll have to keep my eye on her. It's what big brothers do, you know?"

"And so your family grows," Ginny said kindly.

He gave a little smile but any further comments were cut off by another wave of well wishers. Lunch passed easily enough although Harry had to contend with eating mostly with his left hand. After lunch was over Harry had to consider what he was going to do for the rest of the day. He didn't particularly like the idea of climbing all the way up to the common room, just to have to come down again for dinner. After some thought he called Kreacher who promptly went to his room and gathered up some books and supplies and Harry spent the afternoon in the Great Hall studying. He would have to get up ever half hour or so to stretch his sore muscles and he was frequently interrupted by the occasional student or staff member inquiring about his well being or commenting on his flying. All in all it was a good afternoon.

The following few weeks were generally good ones as well. By the middle of the week following his crash he was able to discontinue the use of the cane. On Friday, he received an owl from the Nimbus Company that his broom was well on its way to being repaired and he should have it by the following mid week. Included was a copy of the Daily Prophet that had a story about the match as the leading item on the sports page. No actual photo was available but a pencil sketch had been rendered based on eye witness accounts. Harry could only shake his head then he handed it off to Ginny.

"Well, Harry, its better than all those horrible things they used to print about you. I don't think much of the picture though. Abagail's was much better."

"Yes, it was, wasn't it? She's a very smart kid, too. Right at the top of my class. More and more she's reminding me of you, Hermione, in that way."

**********

The bitter chill of January gave way to the bone numbing cold of February. Harry had his broom back as good as new. A bit better in fact as they used the new finish that came on the Firebolt IIs to redo the handle. Practices had to be short as the danger of frostbite was a real consideration. Many of the portraits were commenting that this was the coldest winter they could remember, and for some that was a long time.

Harry was taking the time to drop in on Professor Dumbledore every couple of weeks or so to discuss some of the finer points of wand work and charm casting. He remembered what the charms examiner had said during his OWL test and he was hoping the former headmaster could help him sharpen his skills. Between the three of them, that is Harry and Professors Flitwick and Dumbledore, Harry was acquiring a precision and accuracy with his wand that was very impressive. It spilled over into his transfiguration efforts where the combination of wand work and visualization was making things almost easy. Almost. As Professor McGonagall assessed the extent of Harry's awakened capabilities she began to push him hard at every turn. Harry would swear she was lying awake at night thinking up tougher and tougher things for him to try. But so far he had been able to make the necessary transfiguration, although one or two did take him a couple of tries.

Potions and herbology were likewise going well. It was largely a matter of memorization from the text books and paying attention in class. Bill's advanced DADA class was for Harry the most interesting, not surprisingly, because it involved so many practical exercises. They were more along the lines of what the late Professor Lupin had been doing, only more so. Bill's assignments of hunting for treasure for Gringotts had given him plenty of experience at breaking curses and dealing with the nasty creatures that were often around old tombs and temples. The three books that Harry had given him for Christmas added a new dimension and all in all it was more like an adventure then a class.

The one class that seemed much like old times was Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, regardless of weather, would hold the class somewhere on the grounds near his house. Since this was an advanced class many of the lessons were conducted on trips into the dark forest. Hagrid was always Hagrid but with a few years of teaching under his very wide belt he had more confidence and without all the sniping from the Malfoy gang his classes were informative and interesting. All things considered Harry was feeling very good about his chances where NEWTs were concerned.

It was late in February when Bill had asked Harry to provide the sixth and seventh years with another lecture but in this case it was to be more of a discussion then anything else. There would only be a couple of dozen students in one of the larger classrooms. Harry suggested that they just pull all the chairs out and put them in a circle and he would just talk from there. Bill thought that was a good idea. So Harry and the students, with Bill sitting off to the side, held a wide ranging discussion of the things Harry encountered during his pursuit of Voldemort's Horcruxs last year. A great many questions were posed to Harry but the one that really seemed to get his attention was posed by a sixth year Slytherin, the only one from that house in the room.

"You know, we talk about the Dark Arts as if they are something real and tangible and evil. But is it? Are the spells and curses and potions in themselves the bad thing or is it really the practitioner that's the evil one."

"Do you mean can a good wizard use the Dark Arts for something he or she thinks is good and still remain good?" Harry asked, pursing his lips. Bill had leaned forward.

"No, I don't think so. But maybe not for the reason you might think. A witch or wizard could use the killing curse to try and defend themselves I guess. Or the Cruciatus curse to disable an opponent, I know I did that time in the Ministry but to really work well those curses need evil intent to give them real power. But I think the real problem lies with us, the witch or wizard. How good is a good wizard really? Is he completely free of evil or is it just that the good in him outweighs the evil and keeps it in check? Does the use of the Dark Arts help the dark side of us grow to overpower the good? I don't think I'd like to find out. Maybe that was what doomed Tom Riddle to the life he lived. The balance was too delicate and once he started to dabble on the dark side he just couldn't stop. It's a pity really. With all that talent, think of what he could have accomplished if he hadn't gone over like that."

**********

The cold of February spilled over into March with numerous storms buffeting the castle and keeping the grounds buried in snow. Even Hagrid was hard pressed to keep paths open for his students. He eventually admitted defeat and began conducting classes in a dungeon level room and limiting his discussion to the smaller creatures that he could bring along in the pockets of his moleskin coat. It wasn't until almost the middle of April that the first hint of warmth began to be felt on the spring breezes that replaced the winter gales. The last Quidditch match for the Gryffindors was played above a pitch that could be more aptly described as a bog. Puddles of standing water were in evidence all over the field which was much more brown with mud than green with early grass. But since the sky was clear and the sun strong, it didn't matter, as this was a flyers game. Based on the premise that Harry outclassed every other seeker in the school, the Hufflepuffs had devised a novel, if somewhat desperate, strategy. In addition to their own seeker, they placed one chaser and one beater at high altitude to try and help their own seeker spot the snitch.

The obvious disadvantage was that the two remaining Hufflepuff chasers would be hopelessly outclassed and forced into a delaying strategy, hoping to keep the Gryffindor goal point score low and giving their seeker a chance to win it for them. Harry would have none of it. As soon as he saw how their strategy was developing he simply closed his eyes and concentrated on the snitch. He 'saw' it just behind the Gryffindor middle goal post. Harry then dove toward the Hufflepuff goals. When he saw the three snitch 'seekers' try to follow he pulled another broom tip 'bootleggers' turn and rocketed off toward the Gryffindor end. He saw the snitch dart out from behind the goal and he took off after it. It made a series of zig-zags over the Gryffindor stands but Harry stayed right on it. It made a sudden ninety degree turn that took it out over the field at near ground level.

Harry could sense more then see a Hufflepuff flyer coming in on his right side to try and block him but he did a rolling loop up and over the flyer that so surprised her that she failed to recover and she hit the field in a spray of water and mud as she slid for yards. The snitch then pulled up and began to climb skyward passing through a pair of Gryffindors who peeled off in different directions as Harry went right between them. He could see that the Hufflepuff seeker had gained a lot of altitude earlier and was now power diving on the snitch as it tried to elude Harry. It was going to be close but Harry urged his broom with everything he had and it almost flew out from under him. He actually whipped past the snitch and he had to grab it from the left side as he went by. He was still accelerating upward with the snitch in his hand and he had to pull back and put the broom into a dive. As he got closer to the pitch he began a slow circling descent and he could see that his teammates had chosen to remain hovering just above the field to avoid going ankle deep in the mud. He came into a hover at Ginny's side and she was grinning ear to ear.

"Way to go, Harry. We were up forty nil. It's going to be nearly impossible for anyone to catch us up now. That was some beautiful flying, and with your eyes open too," she said laughing.

"Thanks, Ginny. Yeah, I figured I didn't need to go crashing into anything today. Um, I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather not start hiking through all this mud. What do you say we just fly back to the school?"

This suggestion was greeted with enthusiastic nods and so the Gryffindor team was the first back to the tower common room where the near certainty of the Quidditch cup resulted in a celebration that lasted all afternoon long.

With the completion of the Quidditch season for the Gryffindor's Harry began what he called his sprint to the finish line preparing for his NEWTs. The time that had been given over to practice now became additional study sessions. He did take time on Saturdays to go into Hogsmeade to visit George and Ron and more and more often, Angelina. It was during one of these trips in mid May when a solution to one of Harry's problems was found. While sitting off to the side of the store watching Ron and George deal with customers, Angelina had made a casual comment about how interesting she had come to find the idea of operating a shop and wondered how she might do that for herself. Harry looked at her for a moment and then said,

"What about an ice cream parlor?"

"What do you mean, Harry?" she asked.

"Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor has been closed since he was grabbed by Riddle's gang. I've had Gringotts looking but there's no trace of any relatives. The landlord has tried to rent the space but no one has taken it yet. If you're interested, I'll put up the starting costs and first years rent. Same deal as the others. Twenty five percent and once the initial investment is paid off it goes into the relief fund. What do you think?"

Angelina was very excited and she called George over to ask his opinion. He thought it was a great idea and didn't fail to mention they'd be practically neighbors. Ron wandered over and when he heard the idea he mentioned that it had great possibilities for some combined marketing. Some Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes on display at the ice cream shop and a freezer with some take away items in it in the joke shop. Angelina eagerly agreed. She had missed Fortescue's as well and was happy to be able to bring it back.

"Ok, I'll send an owl to Gringotts and you should go see them on Monday, maybe take George with you."

"Actually, mate, I think Ron should go. He's got the better head for business."

"Sure," Ron said. "I'd be glad to."

Harry left the joke shop feeling pretty satisfied. Ginny had been wandering the shops while all this had been going on and Harry caught up with her as she was coming out of the Quidditch store.

"Well, Harry, you're certainly looking like the kneazle that caught the garden gnome. What's up?"

When Harry explained his latest venture, Ginny got very excited and said,

"That's terrific, Harry. I know she was hoping to get picked up by a Quidditch team but it just didn't work out." She gave Harry a thoughtful look. "You know, dearest, if you keep going on this way, you'll wind up owning a quarter of all of Diagon Alley."

"Oh, no. Just the part that was shut down by Riddle and his gang."

Ginny smiled and took hold of Harry's arm and they began their walk back to school. As they strolled Ginny looked up at Harry.

"Um, sweetheart, I have a bit of a confession to make. I've been keeping a secret from you."

"Oh, really? And what would that be?"

"Since right after the second Quidditch match, you know, the one you got hurt in, I've been getting some feelers from a few Quidditch teams about trying out this summer. Mostly for reserve team spots but one is for an all girls team called the Holyhead Harpies that needs a chaser. What do you think?"

"I think if it's something you want to do, do it. And I'll be right there in the front row cheering you on."

Ginny pulled him down a bit to plant a big kiss on his cheek and then put her head on his shoulder as they walked along.

With that bit of business behind him Harry could now fully concentrate on the last few weeks of classes and study before the beginning of his NEWTs. The stress had been building up on the fifth and seventh years who were scheduled for their OWLs and NEWTs respectively. Madame Pomfrey was busy with students whose nerves had been worn down by all the work. Harry, Hermione and Ginny were sitting at their usual places in the Great Hall looking at the schedule of tests. Harry had one each day and Wednesday had an additional in the afternoon. Ginny was only taking three, which left her Wednesday and Friday off. Hermione was taking six like Harry but her schedule had her doubled up on two days and off on Thursday. Monday had all three of them taking their Charms test in the morning.

It was a scene reminiscent of their OWLs but with fewer students and a longer test time. Harry was put through a grueling series of tests, having to perform a number of spells both simple and complex and in some cases under duress as the examiners would throw spells at him to try and distract him. Others tried to curse him and he had to respond with appropriate counters. Despite their every effort Harry never missed a beat. His charm work was letter perfect and his counter curses were done blindingly fast. In several instances he managed to counter hex the curse thrower much to the amusement of the other examiners. He even pulled out his Patronus when one wiley old witch threw an illusion of a dementor at him. His stag ran right through the ethereal dementor and then ran a circuit around the room and then came to stand in front of Harry, tossing its huge rack of antlers before disappearing.

"Well, Mr. Potter. That was quite a display. I don't think we've seen anything like this in many years," the senior examiner told him.

The witch who had tried the dementor on him nodded and said thoughtfully,

"Puts you in mind of Albus Dumbledore, they way he uses that wand."

Harry was smiling to himself, knowing that the former Headmaster had a lot to do with how well Harry was using his wand now. When he came out of the room he didn't see Hermione or Ginny and figured they either were already done or had gotten a late start. He headed down to the Great Hall for lunch and found them there already. They waved him over.

"Good grief, Harry. You were in there forever. What did they have you doing?" Hermione asked.

"A lot of spell throwing, counter curses, that sort of thing. Why? How long were you in there?"

"We've been waiting for you for over an hour, Harry, and you went in first. Sounds like they were really putting you through the wringer," Ginny said.

"Well, they are from the Ministry. Maybe they knew I wanted to be an Auror and were seeing how much I could take."

"You might be right, Harry. I think you may be in for a tough week," Hermione said with a rueful smile.

The next day they had Potions together. While not as physically taxing as Charms had been, this one really tested their memories. A number of vials, jars and bowls were arranged on several tables with only numbers to identify them. Each student had to write down the name of the ingredient next to the number for the item on display. When they were done they had to take another sheet which listed various ingredients and write down what each ingredient was for. Next came the practical exercise. Each of them was given the name of three potions and they had to select the correct ingredients and brew up the required concoction. They had started at eight and weren't released until after two in the afternoon. This was partially due to a Hufflepuff student making a mistake and blowing up her work station. While there were no serious injuries it took time to clear the smoke and get everyone back to work. It appeared that at least for the practical the three Gryffindors were in good shape as their potions came out fine. They went to the Great Hall where a late lunch was still available and ate in exhausted silence.

Harry was dreading tomorrow. He had Transfiguration in the morning and Herbology in the afternoon. He had these to himself as Ginny and Hermione had not taken these courses.

When he entered the classroom for Transfiguration he saw that the room was set up in several stages. A series of objects were placed on tables at each station and a witch or wizard was standing behind each one. Students would be required to transfigure each item based on the verbal instruction of the examiner. Things were progressing well for Harry as he made his way through the array of items, each transfiguration coming out perfectly. He had just finished changing a fragile porcelain figurine into the real thing when a shout came from the far side of the room. A student was supposed to turn a vase into a koala bear but instead got a North American brown bear. The big bruin charged, knocking the student aside. Harry aimed his wand at the approaching beast and yelled,

"Stupefy!"

The bear went down in a heap. The examiner flicked her wand and the bear was a vase again. Harry's examiner looked over his glasses at Harry,

"We will annotate that to your Charms test score, Mr. Potter. Please proceed with the next task."

Fortunately the rest of the morning was far less exciting. He only had time to grab a quick sandwich and dash across the grounds to the hothouses for his Herbology exam. This was similar to Potions, with a theoretical and then a practical. One of the green houses was arrayed with a large number of plants. Each student had to indentify the plant and describe its major characteristics, dangers and/or uses. In another hothouse, work stations were arranged and each candidate was required to demonstrate the proper technique for trimming, harvesting or planting depending on the request from the examiner. It was close to dinner time before Harry trudged out hot, dirty and hungry. He was tired but he was more then half way home.

Care of Magical creatures was on Thursday and the examiners pulled out all the stops. The entire event was held out doors where a number of exotic and in many cases dangerous creatures were held in paddocks and cages and each student had to perform whatever was dictated by the examiner. Harry got a break when he was directed to approach a Hippogriff and if possible mount it. He knew this technique cold and as he approached the fierce looking beast he recognized it as none other then Buckbeak. After Sirius had died Hagrid had reclaimed the creature clandestinely and kept him hidden from the old Ministry.

Harry performed the required bow which was returned almost instantly by his old comrade. He approached the Hippogriff and as he got close he could hear an almost plaintive note as Buckbeak 'spoke' to him. He placed his hand on the feathered head and said quietly,

"Hello, old friend. Yes, I miss him, too. What would you say to a quick spin around the grounds?"

The proud creature tossed its head and knelt down so Harry could climb aboard. The examiners thought this was the end but Buckbeak took a few strides and launched himself with his massive wings. Harry could hear a few shouts but soon he was high above the school grounds and thoroughly enjoying the ride. They stayed aloft for perhaps fifteen minutes and then came in for a landing. As Buckbeak came to a stop, Harry vaulted off the creatures broad shoulders and took one of the dead ferrets off the nearby rack and threw it to 'Beaky'. He walked past the amazed group of students and examiners feeling oddly melancholy.

This left him with Defense Against the Dark Arts on Friday. Harry wondered if this was going to be similar to what happened in Charms. The candidate students, including Ginny and Hermione, were taken to the Room of Requirement which had been turned into what could only be described as a Wizard's Hell. Each student was required to enter a portal that began a series of traps, attacks and dark puzzles that made the TriWizard Maze look like a kiddie ride. Harry was the last to go in. There was darkness, there was fog followed by blinding sun. Doors had to be magically opened, traps disarmed or bypassed and there were more then a few nasty creatures including boggarts. Oddly enough his boggart became a crying Ginny. This startled him but when he recovered he simply pictured her the victim of one of George and Fred's jokes and he was able to laugh the boggart away. He also had to confront several illusions based on his confrontations with the Death Eaters and Voldemort. He had guessed right that the Ministry was really putting him to the test. But no matter what they put in front of him it didn't stop him. Each obstacle was overcome, each threat vanquished. It was a long, tedious and at times treacherous journey, but finally he was through. When he came out, sweaty and dirty, he found Hermione and Ginny waiting for him. Ginny flew into his arms, visibly upset.

"What's the matter, Ginny, what happened?"

"Oh, Harry it was horrible. The had one of those boggarts in there and..and…" she couldn't get herself to repeat it.

"Harry, Ginny's boggart was you dead, killed by some dark wizard."

Harry pulled her tightly to him and tried to comfort her. His first reaction was to be angry with the examiners but he knew that they wouldn't know what her worst fear would be. Unfortunately his worst fear had come true. His beloved Ginny in tears because of him.

"The examiners took her out but she was near the end so we're hoping she'll at least get an Acceptable. Looks like you were in there longer then anyone again, Harry. Do you think they're trying to make you fail," Hermione asked quietly.

"No, I don't think so. On the one hand I think they want to see just how much I can handle. On the other I think they don't want to leave themselves open to criticism about going easy on me to guarantee I'll get in."

Ginny had quieted down and from the circle of Harry's arms said softly,

"Who would want to say anything bad about you, Harry?"

"Probably more than a few people, love. I think I'm just getting a break for now. Once some peoples' memories start to fade I won't be quite the universal hero I am now," he said with a laugh.

She managed to laugh a bit with him and she wiped her tears away. He kept his arm around her shoulder as they walked out. They walked slowly down to the Great Hall. Everyone's exams were over and most were celebrating while others were just quietly decompressing. Harry heard a few of what sounded like Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes going off outside but the celebrating was pretty calm compared to the days of the Weasley twins and their pals. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny sat at their usual spot and they quietly ate while Harry did his best to sooth Ginny's shattered nerves. She had worked very hard all year to keep pace with Harry and Hermione and she had been holding up pretty well but being confronted with the sight of Harry's broken and blasted body was more than she could handle. She was still tucked up tight to Harry's side and he could feel her shivering.

They ate sparingly and tried to talk of nothing important to give Ginny a chance to pull herself together. She was starting to come around when Abagail Westwood came into the Hall. When she saw what was going on at the end of the Gryffindor table she walked over to Ginny and put her arms around her neck from behind.

"What's wrong? Why is Ginny so upset?" she asked in her quiet voice.

"She saw something that scared her during her Defense Against the Dark Arts test, Abagail," Hermione said. "It made her very upset."

Ginny had taken both of Abagail's hands in her's and tried to look back over her shoulder at her.

"It's ok, little sister. Something just took me by surprise."

Abagail rested her cheek on Ginny's head. She could also see Harry from where she stood. Her face took on a strange look and she said,

"You saw something about Mr. Potter, didn't you? Something terrible that scared you a lot. But it wasn't real. You shouldn't ever be afraid of anything that's not real."

"How did you know that, Abagail?" Harry asked her.

"I don't know, I could just feel it," she said.

"Have you ever had feelings like this before, Abagail?" Hermione asked.

"Sometimes. If I think about something, sometimes ideas or pictures sort of pop into my head. Is it a problem?"

Ginny had managed to reach around and pull Abagail up onto her lap. She had her arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Have you ever heard of something like this, Harry, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"This isn't something I know much about. Two years of divination was pretty much a waste except that one night when Professor Trelawney had that vision or whatever. Maybe I should go up and talk to Professor McGonagall."

"Is there something wrong with me?" Abagail asked, her soft voice sounding worried.

"No, no, not wrong," Ginny said soothingly. "But you may have a special gift that the school Head would like to know about."

It looked as if Ginny's concern for Abagail was pushing her own issues aside. Harry stood up and excused himself. He walked up to the faculty table and gestured to get the Headmistress' attention. She motioned for him to come up to the table.

"Yes, Potter, what is it?" It seemed that she was tired after a week of testing as well.

Harry leaned forward across the table so he could speak quietly. Ginny and Hermione were watching from the back of the Hall but they could see the Professor look around Harry to where they were sitting. They could see Harry continuing to speak and finally she motioned for Ginny to come forward. She put Abagail down and got up, took that small hand in hers and walked with her down the aisle. Many other students were already at their seats and they were watching the pair of them walk to the table.

"Hello, Miss Westwood. Mr. Potter here has told me something about you that's of great interest to us. I trust what he tells me is true?" the Headmistress said.

"If he said that sometimes I see things in my head that have happened to other people, yes ma'am," Abagail said quietly.

Professor McGonagall looked at the slight first year and then at Harry.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. You were right to bring this to my attention. I can understand your interest in this," she said with a small grin. "We will make sure we pay attention to this young lady. Miss Westwood?" she had turned back to the little girl. "I'd like for you to come to my office tomorrow morning right after breakfast. Miss Weasley, would you please come along with her?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, why don't we all enjoy our dinner then," the Professor said by way of dismissal.

Ginny walked Abagail back to her seat at the Ravenclaw table and then joined Harry and Hermione at their seats. Harry served himself and Ginny. Harry kept stealing glances down at where Abagail was sitting. Hermione could see the look on his face.

"What are you thinking about, Harry?"

"I'm not really sure, Hermione. What, or I should say, who have we found here in that little girl?"

"I don't know, Harry, but she's special to say the least. I also think she was lucky that you were one of her teachers. I don't know if any of the others would have taken the interest in her."

"Well, the regular Professors are pretty busy with all the classes they have to teach."

"Oh, please, Harry. You were studying for six NEWTs, teaching a bunch of clueless first years. Oh, don't look at me like that, Harry. I remember what we were like. Yes, yes, I know, I knew all kinds of things out of a book but I didn't know what actually being a witch was about. Not to mention your Quidditch practice. So you were plenty busy but you still took the time to notice a child who needed noticing."

Harry shrugged and leaned over toward Ginny and said in a mock whisper.

"I need you to open the air valve in my head, my love, it's starting to get puffed up."

Ginny almost spit a mouthful of food across the table as she started to laugh. Hermione didn't find it funny at all.

"Harry! I swear if you don't learn to take a compliment from me without making some snide or sarcastic remark, I'll…I'll…I'll never fix your glasses again."

"Wow, I better behave myself, because nobody does Occular Repairo like you do, Hermione."

"Of course. Hanging around you, I've had lots of practice."

Ginny gave Hermione a funny look and said,

"Snide? Who says snide?"

Harry and Ginny started laughing and Hermione couldn't help but join in. As if it was a relief valve from all of the tension and high emotion that had built up over the last year they kept on laughing long and loud, attracting a lot of attention but they didn't really seem to care. Tears were rolling down their faces as they looked at each other pointing fingers. Finally, probably because breathing had become something of a chore they wound down and managed to pull themselves together so they could enjoy their dessert.

When Harry went to bed that night he felt very good about how things were turning out. He felt his tests had gone well and that boded well for his future plans as an Auror. His relationship with Ginny was on a solid footing. Actually, he was madly in love with the girl and he was pretty sure she felt the same way about him. He was a little concerned about Abagail, but now that the Headmistress was aware of the situation she would be in good hands. And he was quite pleased with how his plans for helping the wizarding community at large were panning out. The two original shops that he helped get reopened were doing very well and Angelina was a week away from the grand reopening of the ice cream shop. An article had appeared in the Daily Prophet about the mystery investor who was helping revitalize Diagon Alley with guesses at who was responsible. They weren't even close.

Kreacher woke Harry up in time for breakfast. He wanted to be there when Ginny took Abagail up to the Head's office. As he watched those two special girls walk out of the Hall hand in hand Harry had a flash of his own, about a special red head walking with a young girl with dark hair she had inherited from her father, him. It brought a smile to his face.

"Penny for your thoughts, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, no, Hermione. These thoughts are worth far more then a penny."

When he told her, she had to agree. It was nearly lunch time before Ginny and Abagail returned to the Great Hall. Harry and Hermione had stayed there, discussing plans for the summer until they got their test scores and knew if their applications to the Ministry were accepted. Hermione intended to go to work in the Magical Creatures department to work on better conditions for the so called 'lesser' magical species. When they came through the entrance Abagail was looking very thoughtful. Ginny was giving nothing away and she walked the young Ravenclaw past them and down to her spot at the table. She stayed with her, talking quietly for a few moments and then after getting a hug, walked back up to take her usual spot next to Harry.

"So? What happened?" Harry asked anxiously.

"She was asked a lot of questions by Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore from his portrait. That kind of spooked her, but he was so calm and gentle about it she settled down and found it easier to answer. Some of the other portraits also asked her some questions. There was a lot of conversation about her parents, grandparents, things like that. She didn't know much past her grandparents but she said she'd check. I think they suspect she might be related to a Seer like Professor Trelawney is but with a genuine gift. Professor McGonagall asked her to keep a journal this summer and to record anything she 'sees in her head'. She's also to take an owl home with her so she can stay in touch. McGonagall wants us to communicate with her as well. She's very impressed with the bond that you've developed and she thinks it will help. Apparently Abagail has had these visions for as long as she can remember but never said anything because she was afraid it would make her 'different'."

Ginny looked at Harry and took his hand,

"She said she never really felt like she belonged until you told her about being part of the wizarding family. I'd swear that McGonagall is having second thoughts about you becoming an Auror instead of staying here to teach. You better be careful, my dear, I think she's planning on kidnapping you," the last being said with a smile.

Harry smiled back. It was nice be wanted.