Intersecting Realities

by rightous malestrom

Voldemort is back, he can be stopped but all things come at a price. Someone called for a hero but he said no, ripped from his own reality he jumps again. Will he be more helpful this time? AU femHarry.

2. Hogwarts

The Hogwarts Express was always a beautiful sight. Something about the glorious red train warmed my heart but this year it was slightly dulled. Normally that train was the thing that truly took me from the Dursley's and put me firmly into the magical world. The symbolic journey it makes at the start of each year is a high point for me but now I had something to leave behind. It wasn't I'd want to stay with Harry and Fleur forever or anything but it was I was part of it, it was my family. The Weasley's were always willing to share theirs but we all knew that deep down I wasn't part of it. Standing on the platform at Kings Cross, Harry and Fleur arm in arm behind me as I stopped to take in the view I couldn't help but feel this time was different.

I was quickly onto the train and had stowed my trunk in a compartment near the back of the train. You weren't meant to but I put a locking charm on the door as I left so I could be a bit picky as to who sat with me. While much had changed for me this summer everyone else would have had weeks to gossip and if I got through an entire journey without someone asking about what happened at the end of the third task it would be a miracle. I returned to the platform to say my goodbyes to Harry and Fleur who wanted to leave before the rush and avoid too many questions. Fleur was wearing her enchanted clothing with their repelling effects but even without any kind of supernatural pull she was beautiful and some people would stare if they noticed her.

The goodbyes were short. Harry gave me a couple of final reminders or warnings. The first was to be subtle and avoid arguing with the new defence teacher, it's a fight I could never win. He when as far as to say I should try and use her. The second was that I should ignore everything and everyone that would be unlikely to be relevant. For most Hogwarts, they went to Hogwarts to go to school, I went to raise the chances I would survive the coming storm. Fleur gave me a hug and reminded me to write often and include the dates for Hogsmeade if I wouldn't mind the company. After they left I stayed on the platform. I wanted to meet the Weasleys and everyone else to show I was still alive and to stop them panicking. It was unlikely that Dumbledore saying I was fine would be enough for Mrs Weasley. It was quite a boring wait, the Weasleys being the Weasleys were running late. They burst through the barrier with less than five minutes before the train was due to depart.

In the end, I didn't have time to do much more than wave at the Weasley parents before we got onto the train. Ron seemed annoyed with me, I suspected he felt betrayed I had spent my summer away from him. He was always sensitive about Hermione or I having other friends. Hermione was too busy polishing her new prefect badge to notice the tension. If she was in anyway a people person and had her nose out of books long enough to observe people I would suspect she had noticed and was using the badge as a way of either distracting her or hiding from a possible confrontation but knowing her as well I do I knew she was in her own way as oblivious as Ron. Being prefects they had to rush to the front of the train for a meeting and stashed their trunks in a luggage rack at the end of a carriage where they could collect them later and find a compartment. It stung slightly that they were leaving me now but it wasn't their fault and I had chosen not to spend much time with them over summer. Instead I returned to my locked compartment alone, it seemed my locking charm had held and I recast it once I was inside so I could have some peace.

I rooted around in my trunk and ended up pulling out my disguised defence text which I sat to read. I was interrupted after only a few minutes. The door slid open and I was left looking at an amused blonde.

"Locking charms are naughty Potter." She reminded me in a mocking tone. She was already in her school robes, green lining giving away her house affiliation. I must have come across as a bit of an idiot because I was sure I recognised her. She was in my year, I think her name was Greengrass but I was sure there was more to it than that. She moved to leave before I got it. This was the girl from Harry's photo, younger but her.

"Wait, did you want to sit?" I asked, wanting to learn more about the person Harry had been so close to. I knew she'd be different and she was my age meaning she really was too young for him now but I wanted to get to know her a bit.

"Well Tracey got pounced on by Pansy already so I guess I could, might be interesting if nothing else." Greengrass stated before levitating her trunk into the compartment and onto the shelf. Wanting to talk to her but knowing that Ron might not take it well I threw another spell at the door as she shut it. "That wasn't a locking charm." She observed.

It wasn't, it was a mild compulsion to leave the compartment alone. If someone really wanted to open it they could but otherwise they would think of something better to do. Harry's favourite spells were very useful at times. People could find us if they really wanted to or needed to but otherwise they'd leave us alone. "You proved they are more than beatable." I remarked.

"You're not actually reading that, are you?" Greengrass asked horrified as she saw the cover of the book I was reading.

I smirked slightly and saw an opportunity to build some trust and openness. "That depends. Can you keep a secret?"

"I am a Slytherin." Greengrass replied contemptuously.

"That's not a yes." I pointed out.

"Of course I can, but why do I need to. What have you done Potter?" She enquired.

"Me, nothing. What has been done to the book however, that's another question." I pointed out, enjoying the word games.

"You're not like Malfoy claims." Greengrass observed. "So will you share or do I have to guess?"

"Malfoy 's an idiot and if you're trusting his judgement on anything my opinion of you has plummeted."

"Indeed he is but I stated what he said. I never said I had agreed with it." She retorted.

"True." I conceded, I could understand why Harry liked her. She would challenge him even if not academically. "Do I have your word that you won't tell anyone?"

"About the book?" She questioned. I nodded and she smiled. "You have my word as a Greengrass." Old families lived and died by their name so I assumed that was binding to her.

"A friend took one look at it and tore off the cover and replaced the innards with the text of another. I have the original copy in a transfigured cover somewhere in my trunk just in case."

"That sounds clever. I might have to do that to my own if I want to pass the OWLs. Father said that this year I would need to do a lot of private study, he seemed less than impressed with the new defence teacher."

I took a moment to consider what she had said. I pondered my reply before offering her my book.

"Want to have a browse?" She took the book and flicked through it.

"This looks far more interesting and informative." She observed "I think I might need my own copy."

"Confronting the Faceless." I supplied. "My friend said Umbridge is awful. Dumbledore wasn't happy with her at all but the ministry backed him into a corner."

"Oh, tell me more." Greengrass instructed her eyes lighting up and the thought of interesting news.

"Well, I saw Dumbledore briefly over summer. He was upset about her appointment. He didn't pick her. Everything I've heard suggests she's awful, and judging by the book she's set she isn't going to be teaching us anything."

The blonde girl fixed me with an intense look as she seemed to judge what I had said and was assessing if she felt she could trust it.

"Father says Fudge is on the warpath against Dumbledore and he has stripped him of many of his titles. I suppose this teacher is likely meant to watch Dumbledore and control him more than teach us." Greengrass remarked.

"I saw some of that in the Prophet but mostly I'm a bit out of touch." I admitted.

"Oh yes. It is said you live with muggles." She couldn't quite contain her sneer but I could tell it wasn't directed at me, more the Dursley's and I couldn't find it within me to defend them.

"Normally I do but this holiday I got a bit of a break. I ended up staying with a friend but he dislikes the Prophet." I wasn't sure if Harry wanted me to say anything about him but I doubted that I could keep everything from Ron and Hermione so why bother hiding it at all. If I tried to hide it and it leaked it would look suspicious whereas if I was open with it people wouldn't think much of it and move on.

"Weasel?" She enquired. I bit back a retort. Ron and the twins weren't exactly popular in Slytherin circles. I couldn't imagine how much they might be disliked by the regular victims of their pranks. I shook my head and she took a moment to look out of the window and ponder what had been said.

I turned and looked, countryside was flying past. It was likely that Ron and Hermione were out of their meeting so either they would be looking for me or they had sat somewhere else.

"What do you think of Dumbledore saying you-know-who is back?" Greengrass asked carefully, there was a forced casualness to it but I could see she was listening with keen interest.

"I think that its irrelevant for now. He either is or he isn't. Does it matter while we're in Hogwarts?" I replied as neutrally as possible. She might have supported Harry but I don't know the details nor how different she was now so I didn't want to say too much.

"That was almost a good answer. Don't worry, its basically an open secret within Slytherin. Too many brats with fathers branded like cattle for it not to have leaked out. Have you ever known Draco not to boast or attempt to wield the power he assumes his father grants him?"

"I take it you disapprove of their choices." I chanced.

"Regardless of my feelings towards their cause and ideals I'm disgusted by their methods." Greengrass confirmed.

"If you already knew, why did you ask?" I asked her.

"Dumbledore said things on your behalf. The Prophet has attacked you both for it but you have not been quoted saying anything. You haven't committed yourself to either side, at least in the public arena." Greengrass explained.

"So people don't think I want to stop him?" I checked.

"I'm sure all of those that matter know, but the chattering masses. Those who will watch and gossip but never stand up for either side have no proof."

I nodded in acceptance. "Which part do you fit into?"

"That's rather a personal question, isn't it?" Greengrass remarked with a smirk.

"Perhaps." I conceded but I waited. There was a long pause before Greengrass felt the need to say anymore.

"I've already said I don't agree with their methods. My family has stayed out of this conflict the best it can. Father is already shifting much of our business interests abroad. I suspect we shall join the winning side which mean, for now at least, I have no side. I hold those who wouldn't stand up for their beliefs in contempt but accept that we must at times be pragmatic whenever we are not completely committed."

"And if I promised, on my word as a Potter not to say anymore would you be willing to tell me how you feel?" I asked, willing to offer the promise she made earlier. "Regardless of how you and you're family act I'd be interested."

"You're far more interesting that I expected Potter. We haven't even got into the rumours of your adventures and this is more fun than Pansy ever is."

I stayed quiet and let her think through if she wanted to reveal her feelings. I'd offered my word and I would keep it because I doubted that I could use her views at all nor could I see a reason for using them.

"I guess I find some muggleborn offensive. Not muggleborns or muggles as an idea but some of them make it difficult not to dislike them. They come into our world and expect us to change for them when they should be the ones adapting. I'm not saying we're perfect but we are the way we are and they can adapt or leave. We were here first, it's our world that they are coming into."

I was surprised that Greengrass gave her opinions after a pause that long. I thought the moment had passed and we were waiting for another topic to crop up.

"Thank you." I felt I needed to acknowledge that she had shared something very personal and depending on how extreme other people's views were it could be dangerous to hold certain views. I took the time to think through what she had said. Frankly it was rather moderate and if more people were like her thinks would probably be much better. I suspected this was rather similar to Harry's views.

"If Death Eaters come after me I'll haunt you Potter." She joked but there was a slightly nervous undertone to it.

"I can't say I find much to disagree with. So long as you agree that there is room for improvement."

"With Fudge and Malfoy Sr involved it couldn't get much worse, could it?" Greengrass asked with a genuine smile. Smiling like that, like she was in the photo I could see she was beautiful. I would have felt bad were he not seemingly happy with his new French friend. Harry would never admit to sulking, he would claim to have moved on as much as he could. To him she was dead, the girl opposite me was someone completely different.

"Does Snape give secret potions lessons to Slytherins?" I asked suddenly. It was rumour that had gone round Gryffindor more than once.

"No, he does however, put up the syllabus in the common room and drop heavy hints about reading up." Greengrass answered with a smile. I couldn't help but grin in return. "Would you tell me about your adventures?" My grin lessened but I suppose it wasn't unreasonable.

"Looking back I can see why some people call them adventures. At the time they were far more terrifying, I just always felt I had to do it. It was always the right thing to do. What do you know, I don't know what the rumours are?"

"In your first year Quirrel tried to steal something. Nobody ever saw him again and he wasn't tried in court. In second year you found the Chamber of Secrets, oh and flew to school in a car. Third year you fought a hundred dementors and possibly Sirius Black. Fourth year, well you probably don't want to talk about that." Greengrass supplied. I sighed deeply before giving her some more details. It was dark by the time she ran out of questions and I quickly changed into my robes. It was strange, if you'd told me a year ago I'd have had an enjoyable train ride alone with a blonde Slytherin I'd have laughed at you.

We even shared a carriage up to the school together along with a couple of second year Hufflepuffs who seemed terrified of us. We split up in the Entrance Hall so I could find Ron and Hermione, I now considered Greengrass a friend but there was a chance we wouldn't speak again given house tensions and I wouldn't want to make things uncomfortable for her. Maybe we'd catch up some time in the library but otherwise we would be rivals.

Ron and Hermione came into the hall with Neville, Ginny and a girl in Ravenclaw robes who looked like she might be on some rather illicit substances. That or she'd lost her gobstones somewhere along the way. Why on Earth Wizards thought they were improving marbles by making them spit goo I don't know but oh well.

"Rose, where have you been?" Hermione asked, her lips thinning as she tried to channel McGonagall. Instead of looking severe she just looked part nervous part plain silly.

"I was on the train, I had a compartment but you guys never showed up." I said, speaking nothing but the truth, perhaps not all of it but I told no lie.

Ron and Hermione shared a slightly guilty look.

"We found Neville, Luna and Ginny. We thought you'd have sat with them. When you weren't we thought you were brooding." Hermione attempted to explain. Considering how often she comments on Ron's lack of tact with the emotional range of a teaspoon she might want to think about how she is often as blunt as one.

"I had a compartment since before you were on the station. I went back there after you went to your meeting." I had to bite back adding that if they weren't so late they could have stashed their trunks with me.

"Yes well," Hermione flustered trying to think of someway of moving past this without admitting she had been wrong.

"Leave it, I'm hungry." Ron instructed and started to walk towards the Great Hall. We followed as we were meant to be going in there anyway. I got a kind smile from the Headmaster as I walked past. I had to wonder how he was going to help me this year. As I sat at the Gryffindor table I glanced along the staff table. There was a pink blob that looked like a failed human transfiguration project sitting up at the table. It definitely had toad like features and a sneer that I suspected promised only bad things. Given what I've heard I concluded this was our new Defence teacher. I would have to wait until class to see what she would actually be like. Harry had made it clear I couldn't fight her in anyway because I couldn't beat her and if you can't beat them you join them. I would have to do my best to work with her not against her. I doubted my friends would take it well but objectively I would rather have the ministry backing me than two school children regardless of how friendly we were.

The sorting was thankfully quick and the ministry witch interrupted Dumbledore's welcome speech. The way she spoke grated on my ears but it made me more determined to speak with her. I had been planning on observing for a while but she had sent me a malicious glare midway through the speech. I use my cloak to speak to Dumbledore tonight and then over the weekend before class started I would approach her. It would catch her by surprise. I could then come out in support of the Ministry and sell out Lockhart and the like to support her. Maybe I could say I was hoping to join the aurors and would been keen to train with one, maybe I'd even get one of Dumbledore's pet aurors. Of course, she could be suspicious so I'd have to do it slowly. Get on her side for a while before requesting anything.

The feast was as delicious a normal but the hall seemed slightly quieter than normal. It seemed the hall was divided in those that believed me and those that didn't either way there was a tension in the hall. Hagrid didn't show up at all during the meal which was strange. I didn't want to ask Ron or Hermione as if they knew about him being on Order business they couldn't exactly said it in the middle of the hall, or at least Hermione wouldn't, Ron might and that could be worse.

The walk back to the common room was quiet. Hermione was trying to tell us that the ministry was planning on interfering at Hogwarts. I didn't say anything as all I wanted to do was point out that they already had. Ron was indulging her and allowing her to speak. At times I wondered if he was cleverer than people realised and tended to ask dumb questions just to let Hermione feel good.

Inside the common room I became very aware of the number of eyes on me, almost expectant expressions as if they expected me to give some kind of speech. Instead I walked straight up to my dorm. I wanted to grab my cloak and visit Dumbledore before anything else. Nobody else was up there so I drew my curtains around my empty bed hoping that the others would respect my privacy and leave the bed alone. A desperate hope with Lavender and Parvati but they might be a little bit scared of me after everything that's happened and that might buy me some time.

Sneaking out of the common room was easier than expected. Normally we waited until everyone had gone to bed but my return to the common room luckily coincided with a couple of seventh years who had the first prefect rounds of the year. I was therefore able to bypass having the portrait open itself. It was still too early for the professors to be roaming the halls so I had no trouble getting to the headmaster's office.

"Fredo." I tried. Thankfully the password hadn't changed so I was able to slip past the gargoyle and onto the rotating staircase up to the Headmaster's office. I took off my cloak assuming he wouldn't have any guests. Most of the heads of houses would be managing their houses and there was little reason for anyone else to want to see the Headmaster. I knocked on the door and was quickly invited in.

"Good evening Miss Potter, I admit I was expecting to speak to you but this is earlier than I predicted." Dumbledore greeted me from behind his desk.

"Professor." I replied sitting opposite him.

"What can I do for you this evening Miss Potter?" Enquired the Headmaster.

"I have some questions and a few ideas I'd like your input on." I explained.

"Then by all means, ask awake and I shall endeavour to aide you." Replied Dumbledore.

"Over the holiday you'd said you would help me. Could you explain what you meant?" I started. It wasn't the only thing I wanted to ask about by any means but it might affect my plans.

"Your tutor is likely to have expressed doubt that you could become Tom's equal with a wand without years of practice. I doubt you want to hear this but I believe that too. The prophecy mentions a power the Dark Lord knows not. I knew Tom as a student and forgive me but he far surpassed you academically which leads me to believe this power is something simple, something that cannot be researched or studied in the manner at which Tom is so adept. I believe this power to be love." Dumbledore stated.

"Love?" I questioned. I couldn't help but wonder at what he meant by it. I knew little of love, I had observed it like a scientist. From the outside and without directing it but since that Halloween night I doubted I had been truly loved nor had I loved.

"There is a room, deep within the department of Mysteries that stays locked at all times. There they once tried to study love but the power was too much. No magic can equal love, as your mother proved all those years ago." Dumbledore explained.

"How does that help me?" I asked confused.

"If you remember my original plan, questionable I admit, you were to willingly sacrifice yourself allowing the soul fragment within you to die will blessing everyone else with the same protection your mother gifted to you. Now I think we can agree that this is not ideal anymore, too many things can go wrong and the soul fragment has been dealt with. I would like to spend this year exploring some of the more vague, esoteric magics of the world. Things Tom would deem pointless and would have overlooked. Powers, he would know not." Dumbledore continued.

"So, you're looking for a free-win spell?" I questioned. Harry had convinced me there was no such thing.

"The sort of magic I would like us to explore is far less about spells, far more about feelings and intent. I hope to find much, I hear the doubt in your voice and I understand. You have been mentored by someone who, from what I can tell, is the quintessential Slytherin. His approach will be more pragmatic and less grand than mine. He will stick to what can be understood and what can be planned around. I admire that and doubt I could aid it and therefore will help explore alternate options."

I nodded in understanding. It would either work and make things easier or we'd go with Harry's methods. This was a plan B that if something good came up could be a new plan A.

"Okay, I have some more questions." Dumbledore nodded and gestured for me to continue. "You once told me we would, at times, have to choose between what is right and what is easy."

"I did. Alas with your knowledge now I suspect it sounds like I am pushing you towards the sacrifice I had planned you to make." Dumbledore sighed.

"I hadn't thought about it that way." I admitted. "Anyway, what should I do if something seems right and is easy but there is another option that would be much harder and arguably less righteous but perhaps gives a better chance of success?"

"Rose, my dear, it seems we have spoken too much together. We speak in vague hypotheticals that answer nothing and allow others to find their own meaning, tonight I shall do my best to be more direct and up front. Tell me what you are thinking." Dumbledore offered.

"Umbridge." I explained. "Is here because of the statements you've made about Tom." Dumbledore nodded in confirmation. "I haven't said anything. People have assumed I'm supporting you but I haven't said anything."

"You wish to tell Professor Umbridge that I have taken liberties and you have not said anything. You wish to direct her against me and in doing so shield yourself." Dumbledore surmised.

"If you've read the text she's set then you'd know she's not planning on teaching us anything. I was thinking that I could tell her I wanted to be an auror. If I didn't argue with her, if I dangled the idea of the-girl-who-lived as a ministry minion in front of her, then maybe I could get tutored by an auror instead of regular classes." I said trying to justify myself.

"I understand. I also understand why you feel so conflicted. Your friends will feel betrayed, you are a Gryffindor or at least you have always been. They will all expect you to stand your ground and fight. If you outmanoeuvre her then it is unlikely they will understand. Fighting back might seem right but it is the easy option is it not? If you were successful in getting an auror tutor it might well help you stay alive and perhaps I could get Kingsley or Miss Tonks assigned to you. That being said, it hinges on Madam Umbridge requesting one for you. She may feel confident in the task herself. You will also have both sides of the school against you. Your friends will feel betrayed and those that support Tom will not change their mind, you are an obstacle for them, nothing more." Dumbledore responded as he stroked his beard absently, clearly thinking.

"Am I trying to be too clever?" I asked. Dumbledore smiled kindly at me.

"Possibly but it is an idea worthy of consideration. What of those on the fence, those who are willing to listen to your words? If they hear you denying it then they will lose their faith in me and be unprepared. It will also hurt you were Tom to go public with his return. You may be the one to defeat Tom in the end but your legacy might be what defeats his supporters."

"So you would advise against it." I checked reluctantly. Dumbledore smirked, I'd never seen the expression on his face before so confused for a moment.

"Oh no, I think it merely needs an additional layer. I think you should approach Professor Umbridge with the idea but instead of supporting her you tell her you want to but I will not allow it. You must appear to support me publicly since I control your education. Hopefully you will never have to publicly support her and where she was likely to previously punish you and try to make you crack through multiple detentions would be a perfect cover for tutoring. If the deception works then everyone will think you stayed strong and fought for what you believed in. You would get all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. The risk is she and the minister oust me before Tom is outed and you have then to lie."

I nodded, that plan seemed better. I would get all the benefits but none of the drawbacks in theory.

"Is that everything Miss Potter?" Dumbledore asked when I said nothing. I took a moment to think about if there was anything else I wanted to ask.

"Have you managed to make any progress on the hunt for Tom's trinkets?" I asked wondering if he'd got the goblins to cooperate.

"I am unsure." Dumbledore admitted. "Currently they agree that such a thing should not exist and would willingly aid in its destruction were it to exist. However, they will not open the vault and destroy the object without proof of its existence. Short of removing Bellatrix LeStrange from Azkaban and giving her to the Goblins with a vial of veritaserum I am unsure how to prove what lies within."

"Have you thought of asking Harry what the other you did?" I didn't know if they'd spoken at all other than when they first met but I was sure Harry would be willing to talk. The Dumbledore from his world had been a friend not just a mentor.

"I have not. He gave the impression that he sees this as a task for us to accomplish. I wonder if we approached him about this if he would doubt our competence." Dumbledore replied.

I laughed, "Harry will always question everyone's competence, he knows he's talented and sometimes wonders why everyone else isn't."

"We are not judged by how we treat our equals but those we believe ourselves to be above." Dumbledore sighed.

"I'm pretty sure Harry doesn't really care how others judge him. He knows what he's done and how good he is, he'll likely ignore everyone he doesn't care about."

Dumbledore nodded, he seemed tired so I wished him goodnight and snuck back to my dorms. Thankfully its seemed nobody had noticed my little adventure and I was able to drift into a peaceful sleep.

Saturday morning I woke and after dealing with the horrifying realisation it was still the morning I rolled out of bed and made my way to the showers. It seemed my late night sneaking wasn't as clean as I'd thought judging by the annoyed looking Hermione sitting on my bed when I returned from my shower.

"Rose." She greeted. I tried to shoo her so I could get dressed. She stood and walked back to her bed allowing me to get dressed. "Where were you last night and over summer? Dumbledore said you were fine but he never told us where you were."

I quickly pulled on some of the clothes Fleur and I had picked out in a muggle shop and were much nicer than anything I used to wear. It raised Hermione's eyebrows but she was waiting for other answers before she asked about my clothes.

"I was talking to Dumbledore." I confessed.

"Really, he normally sends you a note? Why didn't you tell us?" She demanded. Her voice on the edge of shrill.

I sighed slightly as I slumped onto my bed, fighting the urge to slip under the still warm covers.

"I went to see him because I had some questions. I didn't get sent for."

"Why not tell us?" Hermione pushed.

"You and Ron seemed busy. It was more of a spur of the moment more than anything else." I answered. I looked to the ceiling but could feel her judging eyes on me. The disapproval was oozing from her.

"You still could have told us. Now where were you over summer?" Hermione retorted.

I knew I wouldn't be getting out of this so I'd have to phrase it carefully. The girl was a bloodhound with information. She was often oblivious with regards to human things like feeling if I gave her too many details she might learn stuff I'd rather not have her know.

"I had a flat for a while. You remember how Dumbledore wanted you all not to write to me? He wasn't happy at first but eventually he agreed I could do with some space to get myself back together."

Hermione looked deep in thought at that. "So the headmaster knew?"

"Why else would he tell you I was safe?" I asked back with a forced smile. I knew that if she thought it was Dumbledore's idea then it would be fine.

"So long as the Headmaster knew I guess it couldn't have been too bad. You do anything, interesting?" She asked. At first I wondered if she was asking so she could tell me about her own holidays like she had in previous years but she had been shut away in that miserable house of Sirius' so she might just want to live vicariously through me.

"I spent some time with Fleur Delacour and her boyfriend. She's a much nicer person than she seemed last year." I offered. I would likely be getting letters from Fleur and when one took a moment to consider Hermione's habit of snatching things combined with her complete lack of understanding with regards to boundaries or privacy meant she would learn about Fleur soon enough.

"Oh, what's her boyfriend like, Bill mentioned him once or twice." It seemed even Hermione Granger wasn't immune to gossip.

"Medium height, dark hair scruffy look most of the time but with a sense of class. He's smart, callous at times. I don't think you'd like him much, his attitude towards others tends to be much less tolerant and more cynical." I provided.

"Bill is handsome and sounds nicer, I wonder if she knew he was interested." Hermione mused to herself as much as anything.

"Bill is alright but Fleur seems happy which is what matters isn't it?" I responded as I got up. I'd had enough of lounging around and wanted to get a few things done. I wanted to speak to Umbridge tonight or tomorrow so I'd need to do a few things to shake off Hermione and Ron. Maybe I'd want to go to the library after dinner followed by some flying. Ron would hate the idea of going to the library before term officially started and Hermione would get hooked on something in there and would rather stay in the warm and read than fly or watch me fly. Before that I wanted some time to prepare, maybe practice some spells.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked as she got up too.

"We're ignoring Ron up here aren't we?" I offered.

"Uh," she sighed. "I've spent almost every hour with him over the summer. Ginny's alright but I never know how much she knows about some stuff so its always a bit awkward."

"Well I've barely seen him." It was true. He was still my friend, he might have been a bit of a prat last year and be an idiot at times but he's our idiot.

"Fine." Hermione relented as we descended the stairs to the common room. Ron was sat with Seamus talking about some league quidditch which I couldn't care less about. As I came over I saw Seamus sneer at me slightly, stand and leave. I was surprised for a moment before deciding he must be a fan of the Prophet. That or I'd done something to annoy him which I couldn't remember doing. Maybe Lavender or Parvati had said something to him.

"What's with Seamus?" I questioned as we sat.

"He's being an arse; his mum is a big Prophet reader and so he's not a big fan of yours at the moment. Ron replied as tactfully as ever.

I nodded in acceptance before asking about how the rest of his summer was after I left. As we settled back into our friendship I couldn't help but feel like an outsider looking in. I'd changed so much and had a whole new approach to things. I'd probably relapse at times but I couldn't help but think about how I was planning on ditching them after dinner.

The meal wasn't a feast but the volume seemed better. Whatever tensions built up over the summer seemed to slide away, or at least for now. The halls of Hogwarts were a safe haven and that feeling let people relax and talk as they settled back in. I spied Umbridge at the staff table meaning she wasn't visiting the ministry. From hours spent helping Lockhart answer his fan letters and learning the patronus with Remus I knew where the Defence teacher's office was. Now I had confirmation she was in the castle I could work on my plan.

Ron as I predicted was horrified with the idea of going to the library before term started. Hermione leapt at the chance and was commending me at my new attitude the whole trip. I slugged through a hour of hard magical theory having not thought up an specific thing I wanted to research. Next to me Hermione was lapping it up even though I suspected she didn't really understand it she would learn it so she could recite it if it was needed. I told her I my mind was feeling fuzzy and made a joke about only being an amateur bookworm next to her mastery. The compliment eased her worries when I claimed I wanted to fly. She was quite happy to keep reading and prove her mastery leaving me with a clean get away. Maybe I would even go flying after meeting Umbridge to tie off any loose ends. Its not like anyone is going to want a minute by minute summary of my evening.

I could feel the nerves building within me as I knocked on the door to Umbridge's office but I filtered them out. I needed to be object and think clearly for this. She was uglier up close than I'd realised but I filtered that out, I wasn't here to judge her but use her.

"Miss Potter?" She questioned. "This is a surprise." Her voice was sweet but nasty, like marzipan really. I looked around as if I was being sneaky before saying anything.

"Professor, I was hoping we could have a private word before term started." Her piggy little eyes lit up. I could see the gears turning in her head. She wasn't a cunning Slytherin merely someone who thought they were. I just had to set the board and she'd play my game.

"Very well, come in then." She replied after a moment's thought. Her office was as hideous as the woman who inhabited it. Pink everywhere, kittens too. How something normally so adorable could see so awful I wasn't sure but she'd managed it. Umbridge walked over to a side cabinet and started to make us some tea.

"Thank you." I replied. It was mostly sincere too.

"I assume that the Headmaster does not know you are here?" She enquired sweetly. I nodded, it seemed my not so subtle acting had paid off. "What do you have to discuss that you wouldn't want him to know about?" She asked putting a cup in front of me and heaping sugar into her own.

"Its about what he's saying. I've not said anything myself but he's said things for me." I offered.

"Oh, so the headmaster is lying on your behalf?" She asked. I felt dirty just interacting with her but I kept going.

"Not really on my behalf. Not at all if you look at the trouble he's got me into." I replied trying to act nervous and yet resentful.

"So, you aren't saying you-know-who is back after all?" She asked smugly as if she had put all the pieces together of some great puzzle.

"I have to if anyone asks." I explained. "He controls where I live and what I can learn. If he expels me I get my wand snapped."

"Cornelius will want to know this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention Miss Potter." Her grin was evil but it seemed to be going the way I wanted.

"Professor, if I may, could you pretend I haven't told you all this. If you're nice to me in class and stuff, then Dumbledore might get suspicious. I was hoping to join the Ministry in a few years and was hoping for some advice. Could you maybe pretend to give me detentions and help tutor me so I can help the Ministry better when I join?" I was sure I was laying it on too thick but she seemed to be lapping it up.

"Hmmm." She was clearly thinking hard as she sipped at her tea. "You don't want Dumbledore to know?" She checked. "Do you not think the Ministry could look after you?"

"I think they're great." I protested. "but you can't deny that at Hogwarts Dumbledore is king."

"For now," she spat. I was concerned with the venom in her voice. It did confirm that she and Fudge were looking to remove Dumbledore as he had suspected.

"Well I was thinking that maybe I could be an auror or hitwizard one day. You know, I'm the girl-who-lived people will expect me to keep them safe for the Ministry." I added.

"I see, with all the nasty were-wolves and half-breeds out there we could always use good people. I might be able to arrange a chat between you and some of our best." She offered smiling sweetly. I returned her smile and thanked her while wanting to curse her. I suspected Fleur fell under half-breeds and Remus was one of the nicest people I knew.

I didn't stay long after that, instead rushing to the dorms to grab my broomstick. I wanted to clear my head a bit and nothing did that better than flying. I'd got everything I'd wanted but having to agree with a woman like that left me feeling ill. Voldemort was insane, evil incarnate almost, a clear enemy but Umbridge. She seemed like the worst sort of person. A self-righteous bigot, someone with bad prejudices and in a position to act upon them. Dealing with people like her where the reason Harry had told me there was a difference between surviving and winning. In my mind until now I'd had a clear image of the Death Eaters as the bad guys and everyone else as the good guys, perhaps it was naïve but it kept things simple. The idea that every part of the Wizarding world would potentially need cleansing it was scary. If that many people were bigots, then maybe there was a point? No I couldn't accept that.

I spent about an hour in the air. Just leaving the ground and my worries behind. I needed it, I hadn't really accepted the enormity of the issues facing me. I didn't have to just stop Voldemort but I had to purge the society that allowed him to rise to such heights. Harry might have warned me and I might have heard him but I never listened. How was one person meant to change so much? Dumbledore hadn't and I wasn't even close to his level of influence.

Neither Hermione nor Ron said anything about my evening when I returned with my broom. Ron had mentioned something about trying out for the team but I don't play chaser and perhaps selfishly didn't want to help him practice so I was surprised he didn't comment. Instead they seemed to be talking about the Order. I rushed up to my dormitory to drop off my broom before I headed back downstairs to join them. It seemed in the last few weeks of the holiday the direction of the Order had changed and none of them where sure why. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all trying to work it out. I suspected the change coincided with the revelations made by Harry. I mostly kept quiet not having the same level of knowledge as them and what I knew, I couldn't say.

Going to sleep that night was a tougher prospect than last night. In my head I was still struggling to deal with the idea that there were potentially hundreds of bigots in positions of power and it seemed that nobody was prepared to do something about it. I fell asleep to the thought that maybe it wasn't my job. If I dealt with Tom then I could throw my name behind someone who'd deal with it and I could live in peace.

Sunday, the last day before term began was a mad panic in Gryffindor as a few people scrambled to finish their summer assignments. Others had a lazy day pottering around the castle. I spent much of the day practicing a few of the spells I'd learnt with Fleur making sure I was ready to start dominating class even if I still struggled with the theory.

We got our timetables at breakfast on Monday. It could have been worse. It was OWL year after all, after NEWT year this was the hardest we would be worked. Luckily it was an easy start to the year. History of Magic and Divination in the same day, just in case you had a wild weekend and needed a nap. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by double Potions and double Defence. All in all the day was dull and likely awful, I'd have preferred to start with Charms or Transfiguration something I knew I would do well in and start the year strong.

History of Magic was as dry an as boring as normal. I used the opportunity to flick through the year's potions textbook. Snape seemed to pick from random which made preparation hard. Greengrass had told me that they had a syllabus posted in their common room. Maybe I'd have to get a copy of that. I also gave a quick flick through the book Fleur got me just in case.

The Dungeons were as gloomy as normal, Ron and Hermione were bickering about how little attention Ron had been paying in History of Magic which let me dawdle along behind. We weren't in danger of being late and I felt no need to get there early. Snape would never like me, I could accept that. OWLs and NEWTs were examined externally so I just had to keep my head down and try to learn whatever I could. The Slytherins were already lined up in the corridor outside the class when we arrived. I wished every year that we were paired with the Hufflepuffs or someone else not dedicated to ruining our work but no, for some reason the two most antagonistic houses were paired for one of the more volatile classes.

I saw Malfoy spot me and start to make his way over but possibly for the first time in my life I was pleased to see Snape. Normally he showed his greasy, hook nosed mug just after Malfoy set up Ron for an argument, just in time to catch Ron pull his wand. This morning however he merely gave us a scathing look and ordered us into the classroom.

The lesson started with a mildly insulting talk about the OWLs and Snape's low expectations of us before he set us making a Draught of Peace. It was a fiddly potion with little flexibility and a high level of precision needed on the measurements making me glad I had my new tools. So long as I followed the instructions carefully I should be fine. It was also one of the rare occasions we weren't partnered meaning I could work on my own. I set up on next to a wall as far away from the Slytherins as I could be. Ron and Hermione were in front of me with Neville filling out their row. Seamus and Dean were at the back with Lavender and Parvati next to me in the middle. They tended to chat and weren't known for their expertise in potions but they weren't as awful as Neville nor did they share Seamus' tendency to make things explode or catch fire. All in all, I could focus on my own work with little distraction and a low chance of sabotage.

I choose to prepare and measure my ingredients beforehand, nothing would spoil left out and while it would cut my time close it meant that the ingredients would be ready when I needed them which was the key in this potion according to the textbook. Snape looked at me disapprovingly but I had long since given up caring what he thought. Knowing that he was responsible for setting Voldemort on my parents and still having to endure his 'teaching' was hard. I only managed it by reasoning that my parents outright opposed Voldemort to begin with and would have always been targets even if not ones Tom felt needed a personal touch.

My potion wasn't perfect but Snape hadn't found a good reason to vanish it unlike Neville's sludge. While I never expected to be marked fairly I knew that this would exceed Snape's expectations. Then again, I didn't melt my cauldron so I certainly exceeded his expectations. It probably wasn't an O. I think I messed up a few changes of direction when I was stirring but otherwise it was fine, passable even, which meant it was better than anything I'd produced before at school.

The lesson ended with Snape merely glaring at me. For what had to be the first time ever I hadn't lost points in potions nor had Snape said anything too scathing. Either Dumbledore had spoken to him about his behaviour or I'd managed to do so well he couldn't complain. Perhaps Neville and Ron had simply messed up enough that he'd got tired moaning today. Others had tanked Snape's disapproval for me. I had been cleaning up my equipment during any simmering stages so I was able to rush out before Snape remembered how loudly I'd been breathing.

Divination, before this year I would have said I hated it but now it was merely an irritation. I strongly disliked it and after potions it was my least favourite subject but I don't think I hated it. Ron slid into his seat next to me looking slightly sheepish.

"Hey?" I greeted him confused.

"Hey." He responded. I could see him gathering the will to add more. "Hermione wants to know why you're avoiding us."

"I'm not." I protested only for Ron to interrupt anything I would have added.

"I never said you were, I'm telling you what Hermione wants. Even if you were you'd have a reason and eventually you'd tell us. After all we've been through I trust you." Ron spoke. I felt slightly guilty and I felt badly for wondering how much of what he was saying was guilt for how he acted last year when my name came out of the goblet.

"I guess I might be. It's not deliberate, just, you know after what happened I've wanted some time to think." I tried to explain. I didn't have time to say much more before the voice of our teacher called across the room as she began the lesson.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was something I was nervous about. I knew that I had spoken to Umbridge but I wasn't sure how I was meant to behave. I would try to keep my head down, maybe half-heartedly protesting when I was supposed to. If I got punished for it then I could always confound her or something if she had changed her mind about what we had agreed to. Heck if I was desperate I could stun her wait out the detention then obliviate her but I think that counted as excessive and I still hadn't practiced by memory charms so there was a real risk I could damage her.

The classroom was as horrific as her office. Pink everywhere, definitely more creepy and scary than the Dark Arts themselves. At least I could understand the appeal of them even if they horrified me, this much pink however, there was no justification. Even the Slytherins sharing the class with us looked traumatised. What followed was one of the worst lessons to have been given in my time at Hogwarts, a time that included Quirrell's stuttering, Lockhart's story time, Hagrid's successive lessons on Flobberworms and having my death predicted every divination lesson.

For this lesson, I'd brought my real textbook just in case. Having been instructed to merely read from it and make notes I began to regret not bringing my modified version. It seemed however, that the lesson couldn't progress in the manner of Binns' dull lessons where we just ignored the teacher and napped. Hermione had taken it upon herself to argue for our education. Why she was bothering I wasn't sure. After all the trouble the Ministry had gone through the words of a teenage muggleborn was not going to deter them. Umbridge had been treating them as children so far so it wasn't a surprise when she dismissed the class' protests. It was unpleasant news to hear that we would have no practical practice before the exams and I felt the eyes of the class on me at times clearly expecting me to speak out. I knew I should, even Umbridge might be expecting me to protest for appearances sake if nothing else but I just couldn't bring myself to care enough. It was clear what she was doing and there was no way we could change her mind. It was pointless. I couldn't help but feel this was a case of Gryffindor's fighting the good fight, standing up for what they believed in but what was right? To work around her and do what you needed to do or fight a fight that couldn't be won, for the sake of appearances? Surely protesting because you could was the easy option. Swallowing their pride would be the right thing to do. If ever you needed to see how much the Mind Arts and Harry's tuition had affected me it was this.

I left the lesson the moment we were dismissed. I knew Hermione and Ron would have wanted me to speak up. I was sure had I then they would have warned me about arguing with her despite them both doing it. It was a scenario I couldn't win but it wasn't something I really cared about. Dinner was quiet. Either side of me Ron and Hermione seemed to be exchanging glances that I was doing my best to ignore.

"Rose." Hermione started, having crumbled to the pressure of the silence.

"Yes Hermoine?" I replied, my tone was sweet. I knew it was bitchy but we could have had a normal chat about something unimportant but I knew this would be about my behaviour.

"You didn't say anything to Umbridge?"

"I did not." I confirmed trying to focus on my dinner in front of me.

"People will look to you to make a stand. If you're letting her say these things people are going to lose faith." Hermione explained as if I was an idiot.

"Hermione, what does arguing with her achieve?" I asked.

"But." She protested.

"Look if I argue then I get detention. If ignore her then I can study by myself in the time I would have been in detentions. If it bothers you so much if she implies I murdered Cedric again, I'll throw a hissy fit but I don't know what it's going to achieve."

"I know you hate it but people look to you. If you're not standing up for Dumbledore then people won't believe you." Hermione argued. "You-know-who is back and people aren't ready. You have to warn them." She whispered. I sighed and looked to Ron.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"I don't know. We're not going to learn anything with Umbridge so she's basically helping You-know-who. That's not right but what can we do about it?" Ron replied shrugging. It was oddly mature for Ron in a typically simple, blunt package.

"We should do something. Maybe McGonagall or Dumbledore." Hermione started before she was interrupted by Ron.

"Look if they could do something they would have done it already." Ron argued.

"We have to do something then." Hermione protested. Normally when things went wrong we had to persuade her, so it was strange for the roles to be reversed. Was it bad I was finding this display mildly entertaining. Neville opposite us had been silent but I knew he was listening. Luckily nobody else was near us at the table giving us what passed as privacy in this school.

"What can we do. This isn't like normal, there isn't a day to save, no evil to be stopped. Its worse, its politics." Ron argued oddly insightful. I began to suspect I wasn't the only one who'd grown up a lot this summer.

"So we do nothing?" Hermione hissed.

"I don't know. I want to but I don't know what." Ron replied his temper flaring slightly. "Can we talk about something else."

"So, Neville how was your summer?" I asked the boy opposite in an attempt to move the conversation onto safer topics.

"It was good." Neville replied. "I got a new plant." His face lit up as he began to talk enthusiastically about his greenhouses at home. I could almost hear Ron roll his eyes at Neville's love of plants and Hermione mashed her food as she worked out her annoyance.

"My Gran believes you, I do to for what its worth." Neville offered. I smiled in return and felt a little guilty about not standing up to Umbridge if it meant letting Neville down. It was much easier to let down people when I didn't know them. When they were part of the background and I could pretend they weren't real. I knew even now there were whispers all around the hall about me and Dumbledore but I was ignoring them. They didn't matter to my survival.

"Let's get out of here." Ron offered. We stood leaving Neville to finish his meal while we headed up to the common room. I knew there was an argument brewing. It probably would have no winners but both Ron and Hermione would need to scream and make some noise to get their thoughts out there even if they agreed with each other there would be shouting I suspected.

"I can't believe Dumbledore is letting her teach here, in our OWL year too." Hermione screamed the moment we arrived in the common room. I held my tongue on how selfish it was that she seemed to only care about her OWLs, I'm sure NEWT students would have it even worse.

"Its not like we've ever had good or safe Defence teachers." I offered trying to calm her down.

"She's trying to get people to spy on us. Remember, she told us to come to her if anyone was saying You-know-who is back." Ron added.

"Of course, she's spying on us. That's why she's here." Hermione snapped back at him as if he was an idiot.

"Right, can we work on the Homework we got given." I asked. "We've got loads already."

"Yeah, lets get Snape's out of the way. That looked nasty." Ron suggested. Hermione, it didn't seem was listening as she'd left to shout at the twins who seemed to be trying to get first years to act as test subjects in whatever they were up to now. I smiled at the sight of Ron preparing to work while Hermione went off to do something else. Yet again small things this year were backwards.

Hermione continued to defy expectation and not do her homework instead she seemed content with knitting what she claimed were hats for house-elves. Without her input Ron was quickly becoming frustrated with the homework. I was able to use Fleur's ingredients book to provide a few more details about moonstones but I didn't put too much effort into it. It wasn't like Snape would grade it fairly. Hermione seemed to be done for the night and was hiding her hats under piles of rubbish leading to another argument between Ron and Hermione. It ended with Hermione headed up to the dorm and Ron removing all the rubbish from the hats.

"They should know what they're picking up." Ron explained. For all his occasional stupidity Ron did always have a sense of fair play and decency. "Right, I can't do this without Hermione, I'm off to bed. Night." Ron packed away Snape's homework and headed up the boy's staircase leaving me to finish it. I couldn't bring myself to do anymore so I too went to bed.

The next morning was grey and bleak however as Ron put it, with Charms and Transfiguration at least classes weren't going to be as dull as the sky. Hermione had a strong sense of smugness around her at breakfast. This wasn't overly unusual so I kept quiet. Ron didn't, it turned out all of Hermione's hats had gone missing which led to yet another spat between Ron and Hermione about whether elves wanted to be free. I kept very quiet and thought of Jeevesy and Hermione's potential reaction to him.

Charms began with a speech about the importance of OWLs before revising some of last years charms. The refresher was nice but I'd been able to do magic for a few weeks now so wasn't as out of practice as most people. The class flew by and Transfiguration began the same way many of our lessons had, with a talk about OWLs. Instead of a revision lesson we dived right into the new stuff with the vanishing charm. Sort of a reverse conjuration. It was one of the spells Harry and Fleur said was extremely useful in everyday life and Fleur had made sure I could perform it. I got 15 points from McGonagall for doing it on my first attempt. Hermione got 5 for getting it on her third attempt but the outline of the snail we were vanishing was still there for her. I was surprised to see she wasn't smiling at my points, instead she was glaring. We were the only two to be exempt from homework, in this case, practicing the spell.

At lunch Ron wanted to go to the library to finish Snape's homework and Hermione, either still annoyed at Ron for breakfast or at me for whatever it was I'd done this time, chose not to come. Still, Ron wanting to go the library and Hermione not, par for the course this year. I used the chance to browse the history section of the library, more specifically I tried to find a good book on the war I ended. I'd say it was my mother who did the hard work but the books said otherwise.

The rest of the week passed calmly enough, I kept thinking about visiting Umbridge to see if she wanted me to shout more, or Dumbledore to start his lessons but mostly I kept my head down and settled back into the rhythm of school life. My peace was interrupted rudely on Friday morning when I found myself waylaid by a familiar house elf.

"Master and Miss Fleur are most annoyed they are. Miss Rose hasn't been writing and its been a whole week." Jeevesy informed me as he passed me a letter. I had class so I stuffed the letter into my bag to read later and thanked the dutiful elf before rushing to class hoping that I wasn't now late to transfiguration. I arrived with a minute or two to spare and hurried into the room and set about vanishing a conjured bird having progressed to more complicated animals. I was competent at simple ones and at most inanimate things but I was struggling to get all of the bird in one go.

The rest of the day progressed similar to the rest of the week. Hermione was getting progressively more annoyed with me and Ron. I knew she was annoyed with Ron because of the house-elves but she was denying she was angry at me. The common room was far less homely than before, Ron. Hermione and I all silent and working hard to get as much of our work finished as we could so we could have the weekend free.

"There's an owl at the window." Someone announced. It wasn't unheard of to get owls to the common room but the vast majority of the post arrived at breakfast.

"Hermes?" Ron asked surprised as he made his way over to the window. I scribbled another few lines about the moons of Jupiter before looking up to see what the fuss was about.

"Ron?" Hermione checked seeing Ron's confused expression.

"It's a letter from Percy." Ron explained as he took the letter and began to read. "I don't believe it. He's such a git."

"Of course he is but what has he done this time?" Asked one of the twins walking over and plucking the letter from his younger brother. "He's such a git."

"I don't know if I should laugh or cry." The other twin announced having read over the other's shoulder.

"You do one, I'll do the other." Offered the one I think was Fred.

"Sounds like a plan." Replied the one I dubbed George.

"Can someone explain?" Hermione demanded impatiently. If it was a family thing then that might be considered rude but Hermione often considers herself above tact.

"Here." The letter was thrust towards us. Hermione snatched it away and began to devour its contents. After finishing it she passed it to me. I laughed at it.

It seemed I was a person to avoid. Ron getting the prefect badge apparently meant he was on the path of responsibility unlike Fred and George. It seemed Umbridge would be looking at my friends and it implied she would be getting new powers.

These powers were announced in the Prophet the next morning at breakfast. Umbridge had been named High inquisitor. A role that seemed to be to inspect the other teachers and to ensure they had minimum standard of teaching. I could work with that. I knew enough about the bad teachers that I could point her in the right direction and get myself further into her favour. I'd have to meet up with Dumbledore and chat to him about all this but then I could tell this to Umbridge and spin it as him putting pressure on me to speak out.

After breakfast Ron wanted to head out and fly. It seemed he wanted to get onto the team this year. Hermione had to catch up on the homework she had overlooked to knit leaving me to finally read the letter from Harry and Fleur.

Dear Rose,

You haven't written to us. That's disappointing. Fleur especially was looking forwards to your letter. How can you hurt Fleur like that, she's so nice to you. Write soon or you won't enjoy Hogsmeade and don't think you can just hide in the castle

Regards, HJP

The missive was shorter than I had expected. I suspected that I'd get a longer one if I continued to not write, not that I was planning on not writing, in fact I really should do that now. I also needed to write to Sirius and remind him I was alive and well. The letter Hedwig carried off to Harry later that evening contained a summary of all the events of the year so far and some I expected to happen. I also added a separate note for Fleur containing the expected but not confirmed dates for Hogsmeade and a thank you for helping me prepare for the school year and how helpful it had proven.

After that I made my way to Dumbledore's office. The headmaster seemed happy to see me. As did Fawkes who flew over and perched on the back of the chair I was on with a happy trill.

"Good morning Miss Potter. What brings you up here today?" The aged professor asked as he steepled his fingers and gave me his full attention.

"Umbridge is the High Inquisitor. That and Percy Weasley sent a letter confirming that they're trying to remove you."

"Ah, that." Dumbledore accepted my reason for being here. "How have your lessons with our new High Inquisitor been?"

"Dull. She wants us doing a pure theoretical course." I answered suspecting he already knew the answer. "Do you know why she doesn't want us to do any practicals? Unlike some I haven't bothered to complain. If she came in with this plan us not liking it isn't going to matter. At first I wondered if she was just so incompetent that she couldn't demonstrate but that doesn't feel like a solid answer."

"The Minister seems to believe that I am preparing to seize power from him. To him it makes more sense than the truth which he will do anything to avoid. As I control Hogwarts he believes I am preparing a student army. A strange situation when they also decry the quality of the very subject that an army would focus on but alas Cornelius has seen little of sense in recent times." Dumbledore replied.

"I thought you turned down being Minister, several times?" I asked.

"Indeed, that is so but the memories of some are shorter than others. I'm sure your friend Harry would tell you that the truth is what you make it and Cornelius has most certainly constructed his own set of truths." Dumbledore explained with a gentle smile as if indulging a child.

"So he believes it and sends Umbridge to interfere and oust you?"

"Indeed, I am unaware how she is to divide her time between Cornelius' agenda and the role of High Inquisitor however."

I paused thinking fast wishing I had Harry here to advise me but I knew that I had always wanted to control my own destiny and that came with some responsibility that I had to accept. Dumbledore seemed happy to let me think as he unwrapped a boiled sweet of some kind. He offered me one but I declined.

"Professor, I was wondering, some of the teaching hasn't been too good recently and I was wondering if I could use that to get into Umbridge's good books." I suggested.

Dumbledore sighed deeply and pushed away from his desk to stand. As he walked to look out of the window Fawkes flew the short distance to land on Dumbledore's shoulder.

"I understand the temptation and I believe it would be relatively simple. I am not blind to the flaws of some of the staff we have employed over the years. Cuthbert for example was considered dull and pointless in my time and I'm sure you can describe that as a large amount of time. Severus isn't known for having the best manners but it is important to the war that he and Sybil remain at Hogwarts. So long as I remain in charge of the castle they can stay even if they are removed from teaching. I have a request, something in return for you making the lives of my teachers more difficult."

"What is it?" I asked, my mind racing with possibilities.

"I originally did little to oppose the Ministry interference. You see I had expected to be ousted by the Minister at some point. The freedom that would provide would have allowed me to search for clues regarding the objects Harry has already found. Now my plans are in flux but I think perhaps it is best for your education that I remain. My request, therefore, is that you hint that I have preparations to usurp the Minister outside of the castle. That I will only act once I am ousted so I can ride the wave of sympathy and support that brings."

"If she reports back then they'll stall until they can find out what your preparations are." I realised.

"Indeed, a good idea if I say so myself. Even better when one remembers that they will worry more when they find nothing. At this point their paranoia will tell them my plans are deep and strong rather than non-existent." Dumbledore confirmed turning back to me.

"Can I tell her you want me to spread the truth more actively?" I asked. "Hermione keeps telling me how people are losing faith in me for not fighting a fight I can't win."

"I believe the last time we spoke I recommended you did oppose her and blame it on me." Dumbledore remarked gently.

"I know but I don't see the point. It might be more true to say I don't want to see the point. I can believe that I have to stop Tom, he'll keep coming after me until one of us dies. What I struggle with is why so many people care if I argue with a teacher."

"The burden of leadership weighs heavily on you as much as on me this time. Whether or not you consider yourself a leader is irrelevant to the fact people do look to you for guidance and leadership. It is often said that those who do not seek power are the best to hold it and I hope that is true and that you are a better leader than I."

I sighed. It was true, I was figurehead, a national icon. I could ignore it all and do what I needed to do but there was always the aftermath. If I wanted a say in the future I would need support, which necessitated supporters which meant they had to believe in me and my cause.

"Why is our world so screwed up?" I asked, not really expecting an answer but using the chance to vent my frustrations.

"Ah, I have a theory on that." Dumbledore offered with a wry grin. "It is my belief that we allow ourselves to be governed by the ideas that govern magic. The rawest form of magic is to wish it to be and through our power make it so."

"Harry says that." I commented idly.

"It appears that I did indeed teach him something." Dumbledore replied. "Now our will allows us to do magnificent things but there are mistakes too. Tell me about some of your incidents of accidental magic." Instructed the Headmaster.

"I remember I was being chased by Dudley's gang and the next thing I know I'm on the roof of the school. Some form of appartion I guess. Another time I turned a teacher's wig blue." I confessed. There were some other incidents but they were the obvious ones other than the glass in the zoo. There might have been more times but I couldn't remember. I had been raised to not ask questions or believe in magic so its possible I did something then wrote it off as something else.

"I assume the intent for the first was to escape, the second, perhaps you felt humiliated by the teacher and wished revenge upon them." Dumbledore offered. "Do you believe a child should be punished for accidental magic?"

"No, it's accidental." I replied quickly. Dumbledore looked slightly disappointed in me and I realised I hadn't bothered to stop and think. I just replied automatically. I had been doing so well at not doing that.

"We call it accidental but very rarely is it so. We might not wish for the outcome in such specifics but we want something similar to happen. The only accidental part is engaging our connection to magic to give form and power to our wishes." Dumbledore explained.

"So we don't treat it like an accident?"

"We judge the indecent on the original intent. Intent is everything in our world. It is what we are all judged on and in my opinion one of the biggest failings we have. Consider the idea of a child wanting their toy, they employ accidental magic to summon it. In the process the toy trips a person and they are hurt and an expensive vase is broken. Do you punish the child?"

"I wouldn't. It didn't want those things to happen, they were accidents." I replied.

"You judge the act on its intent, not the result. If my old friend Gellert wished to improve things for muggles and means well are the unintended consequences to be brushed away. I have no doubt that the Dark Lord Grindelwald always had good, albeit misguided intent. The muggles have a phrase, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Dumbledore's tone was sad.

"I thought people fought against Grindelwald. If he was judged on his intent alone then surely everyone would have ignored him?" I questioned.

"Ah, but he wanted to help the muggles. He wished to rule them as he felt he knew best but at its core he wanted to help them. Some of the most valuable help we received in the fight against him was from the Blacks, the Malfoys and other families who do not want the muggles helped. Their reasons to fight are part of why I was reluctant to enter the fray for so long, I did not want to endorse them. Had I known then what I know now about what his forces were doing to their prisoners I would have intervened much earlier but alas I did not want to face my old friend for it would mean truly accepting what he had become. Had the incident with my sister not happened it is entirely possible I would have been alongside my friend not opposed to him."

The idea that Dumbledore was one argument away from becoming a dark lord was staggering. There would have been no stopping them. If Dumbledore was the only one capable of stopping Grindelwald then what could stop them if they worked together. It was humbling.

"I don't know what to say." I confessed still slightly stunned.

"You don't need to. Always remember that there are consequences to all actions. Gellert was willing to look past these, the ends justified the means and so on. Ignoring the history you know, what difference is there between Gellert's intent to help the muggles and someone like Arthur Weasley's, it might seem like a ridiculous comparison but on intent alone they are rather similar. It is only when we apply the arrogance of myself and Gellert in our youth, the idea that we always knew best that leads us down a darker path. The results were horrifying but to so many in our world his intent was pure. He only really earnt the title of Dark Lord when he defied the Blacks and the like. He had a fascination with power, dark magic is the quick and easy path to power and so he took it. Never forget that he was, like Tom once simply the most brilliant student of his time to come from his school. He was expelled for experimenting in dark magic but to him they were trying to hold him back. When we met, it was a meeting of equals. It is so rare to meet a mind that matches my own and in my youth I was far more arrogant than now. Together we dreamed of righting the wrongs of the world, of doing what others were afraid to do all in the name of the Greater Good. We were young, we were fools. Unfortunately, he never grew out of it. Perhaps I overlooked his lust for power but either way remember the story of a man who wanted the best for everyone and was willing to go to any lengths to achieve it. Although, I suspect if I went to speak to him now he might have grown out of it."

"He's alive?" I asked.

"Indeed, confined within the very prison he once created." Dumbledore admitted. "I have never visited him, too afraid to face him but I always feel I should." That was, interesting.

"So people don't oppose Tom because they feel he has good intent?" I asked trying to find the meaning in the Headmaster's story.

"Tom's intent simply is. Good or Evil while I wish were absolute are cruelly not. People either agree with his intent or not and I often suspect Tom has lost sight of his own intent. The horcrux creation involved carving apart his very soul, his own humanity." I felt a shiver of fear when the Headmaster said this but calmed myself at the knowledge that Harry had done the same and seemed fine, I guess really we hadn't carved our souls more, surgically removed a tumour. "Those that follow him subscribe to his mission to purge our world of those he deems unworthy. Often hoping for a fragment of his power or to use his power against their own enemies." Dumbledore continued.

"I think I understand. I just don't understand what this means." I confessed.

"What I am attempting to show is that intent allows us to justify appalling acts that, if judged on the act alone would be damming. You might have heard the idea that power corrupts, it is not untrue. Be careful Rose for you will be coming into a lot of power. See to it that you do not allow it to control you. With regards to Tom, it is more difficult. I have always believed that a child cannot be evil, that our choices define us and therefore we must be given the freedom to make our own choices lest we become someone else's puppet. I first met Tom when I delivered his Hogwarts letter. He was already a bully of sorts, abusing the power gifted to him by magic to get his own way. I have never understood Tom, his goals, his aims are beyond me. What intent he has seems mere whims. He has been utterly corrupted by his power and has no real direction other than to seek more power and lash out at those that deny it to him. I struggle to define what evil is, but Tom comes close simply because there seems so little reason behind his acts. He simply is and I struggle to relate or understand that in any way." Dumbledore explained.

I nodded not really understanding all that he was telling me. In years to become these nuggets of wisdom might be helpful but I couldn't afford not to focus on the short term right now. I had to survive before I could win.

"I should go." I suggested wanting time to process what was said before telling Umbridge an alternate version of events.

"We shall begin our lessons soon. It may provide proof to our High Inquisitor that I am trying to pressure you to speak out more." Dumbledore replied.

The common room was nearly empty when I returned. People either catching some time outside before the weather took a turn for the worse or were in the library finishing work they'd collected over the week. I was able to nab one of the comfier armchairs near the fire and curl up with a book for a few hours before anyone else returned.

I'd made it way through a couple of chapters of studies regarding the behaviour of transfigured animals before people started to trickle in hinting that dinner would be soon as they passed by to the staircases so they could deposit their bags. Ron came and sat with me while we gave Hermione some time to show before we left for the Great Hall. With dinner starting in five minutes we decided that she'd meet us there and made our way down. Ron chatted absently about quidditch and his desire to become the next Gryffindor Keeper. I nodded in all the right places. I hadn't given much thought to quidditch this year. Somehow the resurrection of a Dark Lord who really wants you dead tends to take over your life a bit.

Angelina was captain this year. She'd asked me to be at the try-outs for some reason. If she was as dedicated to her captaincy as Wood was then I doubted she'd take my new priorities well. In someways I wish Wood was still my captain, he'd deal with Voldemort in an instant for daring to interfere with his quidditch team. Dinner was superb as always. Hermione showed up halfway through looking flustered having lost track of time in the library. It seemed things might be going back to normal.

I went to Umbridge's office the next morning while most people were enjoying a relaxed Sunday morning. She welcomed me in and sat me on a settee so soft I felt I was slowly sinking into it while she made a batch of tea.

"So my dear, what brings you to my office today?" She asked in her sickeningly sweet tone.

"Firstly, congratulations on becoming the first ever Hogwarts High Inquisitor. It's about time the teachers were held to some kind of standards. Secondly I met with Dumbledore yesterday." I paused to sip my tea, using the time to judge her reaction. She visibly swelled with pride under the praise and her eyes lit up at when I mentioned meeting Dumbledore. "Is it true you're planning on removing Dumbledore?" I asked. She'd hinted at it before but I wanted confirmation.

"That is the end goal. The Minister feels Dumbledore has been overstepping his bounds for some time and this is the first move." Confirmed Umbridge.

"Dumbledore knows. I don't know how but he is preparing, while I was waiting outside his office I heard voices. I think it must have been a floo call because nobody else was there when I was allowed in but he said something about having the preparations ready for when he is removed. Something about riding a wave of support and sympathy." I offered hoping Dumbledore's plan would keep him in place.

"It is as Cornelius suspected." Umbridge whispered to herself. It was disturbing the almost reverent way she referred to the Minister. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Now was there anything else. I must send word to the Minister?"

"That was what I overheard. I just wanted you to know that he's heard how quiet I've been in your lessons while my friends argue with you. I told you about how until he's gone I have to listen to him so I was hoping you would understand if I complain a bit more." I explained doing my best to look pathetic and helpless.

"I understand. For your help I could look into finding an auror or hit-wizard to come in once or twice a week for you to converse." Umbridge offered.

"That would be fantastic, thank you. If you want me to write out anything about the professors we have or have had since I've been here just tell me. That or I can tell you in one of our 'detentions'." I suggested. It seemed everything was going to plan. I had to say this whole preparation malarkey had made this year so much easier than the previous years of just winging it.

"I think we'll save that for one of our chats. Now if you wouldn't mind running along I have to speak with the Minister." Umbridge's manner reeked of self-importance so I was pleased to leave.

"Thank you for your time and congratulations again on your new position." I said getting up and leaving the room as quickly as I could without seeming rude. That woman was awful and her taste in decorations might be worse than her views on half-breeds.

The first weekend of November marked the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. We'd been at school for a couple of months now and people wanted a break. Umbridge had been rampant and I had played a part in setting her on certain teachers. I now had tea with Umbridge most night which were officially called detention and honestly at times I longed to be scrubbing caldron bottoms or something, anything but spending more time with that awful woman but I had made my bed and I would sleep in it. Kingsley had volunteered to be my auror contact and was quietly tutoring me in practical Defence and general magical combat. It was tame, neither of us could afford to get injured but he had me doing series of exercises designed to improved my accuracy and the speed I cast. The interesting parts were when we played a strange form of magical duelling cross chess where we would cast a spell of some sort and then the other person had thirty seconds to counter it and hopefully find a way to return fire. It was emphasised that this was something to take with a grain of salt as it could encourage bad habits and I knew that Kingsley would soon be reducing the time window to get me working faster. It was all about creativity and taking advantage of the surroundings. Ron and Hermione had calmed down and were working together well once again. Ron had also found out that the reason Hermione had initially been annoyed at me was for beating her in classes. It was petty but we all have petty things that bother us. Thankfully she seemed to approve of how much more dedication I was putting into my studies but there was still a slight bitterness to it. I suspected she knew I had help over summer and felt it was cheating. I couldn't bring myself to care.

I was looking forwards to meeting Fleur, she had announced she would be visiting me but unfortunately Harry was busy. I felt slightly put out by that but he had reminded me I was welcome for Christmas and he would try to attend Hogsmeade if there was another one before the holidays. I was slightly disappointed that Hemione had organised some sort of gathering at the Hog's Head meaning that I wouldn't be able to spend the whole day with Fleur unless I took her to the meeting. I knew that a disappointed Fleur would be easier to deal with that an aggravated Hermione. I didn't share a room with her, or at least I didn't, Harry was technically and alternate version of me so perhaps I was sharing with her. Thoughts like that were best ignored, they gave me headaches and images I couldn't purge from my mind. Wanting to spend as much time with Fleur as I could I was up early and on one of the first carriages while Hermione stayed behind to finish whatever preparations she had for this meeting.

"Potter?" I was greeted as I climbed into what I had thought was an empty carriage.

"Greengrass, how are you?" I asked seeing the blonde Slytherin.

"I'm as well as can be expected. This year is difficult, I already hate the OWLs and I believe I'm going to fail Defence this year along with the rest of the year." Greengrass remarked. "Funny how we only chat when travelling."

"Its not like we get to talk too much normally. I'd work with you in potions if you want but Snape hates me and I don't know how either of us would explain it." I replied.

"Don't worry about it. Think of our friendship as concentrated, compressed into small but strong measures."

"So if you don't mind me asking why are you out here so early?" I asked. Wondering if she too was wanting to see someone not in school.

"Avoiding people. Draco is even more obnoxious than normal this year. As his and unfortunately many in the house's view the return of the Dark Lord has upped his father's power and influence through which Draco gains the impression of more power. Its perceived rather than actual power but nobody really wants to explore the conversion rate. Pansy however finds all this fabulously attractive and spends hours describing Draco's magnificence and its as awful as you're probably imagining. I wish I knew how to perform the memory charm just to remove the conversations from my mind. I'm scarred Potter and I didn't even get a cool lightning bolt just endless descriptions of a scrawny ponce who looked better as a ferret than a human."

"Yuck." I commented

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Greengrass commented.

"I know the theory behind the memory charm but was told I should get some practice if you're feeling brave." I offered.

"I hate the memories but I have no doubt even if you removed them Pansy would give me new ones. By the end of the year you'd have turned me into a vegetable for my own good." Greengrass stated sadly. "What about you, you Gryffindors rarely emerge from your tower before midday on a weekend?"

I considered making something up but there was no drawback to telling the truth short of Umbridge taking offence to me meeting Fleur.

"I'm meeting Fleur Delacour." I confessed.

"The French champion from last year?" Greengrass asked surprised. I nodded in confirmation. "I didn't know she was in the country. Is Krum here too, a sort of post-tournament get to get together?"

"No, Fleur is dating the person I stayed with over summer so we spent a lot of time together." I explained. "Fleur was basically living with us by the end of summer."

"What's she like?" Greengrass asked. "I only saw her from a distance and she seemed not to really have any friends."

"Fleur is one of the nicest people I know. She helped me so much getting ready for school this year its crazy. She hated Hogwarts, she hates the attention she gets so tries to ignore it. Other people tend to envy her looks so it's hard to make friends." I explained. Greengrass seemed content with that and was looking out of the window.

We passed a few minutes in silence just watching the world roll by. It was so strangely peaceful. I couldn't help but feel wrong in these little moments, we knew war was coming and here we were playing nice. I filtered out the thoughts quickly lest I start to feel to guilty and get a horrible bout of angst.

"I got a copy of the book you showed me on the train." Greengrass announced breaking the silence. I shifted to face her slightly and smiled.

"Its good but it doesn't help too much without actually being able to practice some of the spells." I stated.

"I know. I can't help but wonder how the ministry will react to an entire year failing the course. Their flagship scheme in ruins as its own incompetence is revealed. I don't know what they're playing at but its on a clock. Either they're fools who don't realise how awful Umbridge is at teaching or they're deliberately sabotaging our year's grades."

I nodded in agreement.

"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity." I stated. "Of it you prefer, cock-up before conspiracy. Its likely Umbridge and the Minister actually think this approach will be fine. Malfoy is too close to Fudge for Fudge to risk harming his son's education."

"Susan Bones' aunt wouldn't take it well. We have several people in our year with powerful families, its not like other years aren't suffering either." Greengrass added.

"The test will be if people like Malfoy are offered additional tutoring. If they get permission to practice when others aren't then we can call it deliberate." I suggested, I hesitated for a moment before reaching a decision I knew could come back to bite me but might be worth the risk. "Hermione is organising a meeting of some sort concerning Defence in the Hog's Head just after noon. That girl will not let people fail her if she can do something about it. I know word has spread but I doubt anyone told the Slytherins. Remember this is being organised by Gryffindors so it will try to be subtle and stand out like a sore thumb and some will resent your presence even if I personally invited you. I don't know what Hermione's plan is but she'll have a plan of some sort."

Greengrass nodded in acceptance and went quiet, clearly thinking hard. I left her to think knowing how irritating it can be to be pestered. Being a Slytherin, a cunning and ambitious one she would understand that discretion was implied and I wouldn't need to tell her to not tell anyone. She would likely weigh out the value of telling against the possible benefits and I just had to wait. It was likely her presence or lack of would be her answer. As she had told me on the train, sometimes it pays to be pragmatic and pick the winning side. She had to see if she could predict a winner.

We said our goodbyes as we left the carriage. Greengrass was headed off to buy some small presents for some upcoming birthdays while I headed to the Three Broomsticks where I was due to meet Fleur. Her beautiful face lit up when she saw me and she made her way over. I was soon wrapped up in a hug, it was so different to Hermione hugs or Mrs Weasley hugs, it didn't leave me feeling bruised and struggling to breathe.

"How are you?" She asked. I noticed immediately that she was using Harry's perception spell and likely had her revulsion enchantment on so she could go out in public without drawing too much attention.

"I'm good, how are you, how's Harry?" I asked. I knew that they were fine, or at least they were in their last letter but it was still polite to ask.

"I am well and Harry is fine. I wonder at times if he is bored but he always seems to have a new book or a caldron bubbling away. He keeps himself busy and he likes that. He has made a few more business moves but nothing too big." Fleur replied as we walked around the village.

"Is there anything you want to do today?" I asked. "My friend Hermione has asked me to come to a meeting after lunch in a pub in the village. I don't know what its about but you're welcome to come to that."

"Its fine. I hope that you will spend Christmas with us to make up for that." Fleur said, her smile was genuine though and I knew that she wasn't offended.

"Of course I will." I replied, I had always planned on spending Christmas with them.

"Good, I haven't done it yet but I plan on inviting Harry and you to spend a few days with my family in France. We can spend much of the holidays in England but a few days with my own family." Fleur added.

"I'd love that and I'm sure Harry would too if your family wouldn't mind." I replied. I was amazed. The Weasley's had always treated me like family but I'd met Mrs Wealsey so long ago and I was friends with many of her children. This felt different. I wondered slightly how much of it was she wanted Harry to come and I was merely part of the package. I bit down on that. Fleur was my friend in her own right and I hoped that even if she and Harry split I would remain her friend.

"My family will want to meet the man I spend my time with. I have no doubt they will hog him for the whole time. I therefore need you as a friend to keep me sane. I have grown used to the freedom of living away from my parents and I might chafe under them no matter how much I love them." Fleur explained casually as we reached the end of the village having simply been walking in a direction with no direction in mind.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"I do not know this place. You will have to show me all there is to see." Fleur instructed. I smiled and led her in the direction of the Shrieking Shack, one of Hogsmeade's most famous buildings and I knew more of its secrets than almost anyone else.

The rest of the morning was hugely enjoyable. It was a break from Umbridge and the constant power struggle between Dumbledore and the Ministry all while Tom lurked in the shadows. Fleur chatted about work, some of the interesting things she'd had to access for the Goblins and a few stories of people trying to ask her out including one where she was arm in arm with Harry. In return I relayed stories about Umbridge and her inspections. I'd told her about the lack of practical material from the course in my letters but everyone loves a little rant to get it off your chest and Fleur made a good audience.

We grabbed an early lunch in a quiet café mainly used by locals. Far less busy than the Three Broomsticks and far less awful than Madam Pudifoots. I was surprised to see Greengrass come in just after we'd received our drinks.

"Who is that?" Fleur asked after she saw Greengrass and me exchange small nodded of recognition.

"Daphne Greengrass, she's a friend but in another house so we don't get to talk very often." It was a bit of an understatement when outside of the occasional times when we ran into each other in the library or in potions' ingredients cupboard our friendship consisted of two conversations. Barely a friendship at all.

"Does she want to sit with us, she looks like she's alone?" Fleur asked. I had a slight chill go through me as I considered the meeting of Harry's past and future but shrugged and went to invite Greengrass to sit with us. I couldn't think up a good enough reason to deny her and I didn't want to answer if she asked why. I may be a better liar than I was this time last year but I didn't want to lie to Fleur, she was my friend. In the end if Harry told her where he really came from that was up to him.

"Fleur Delacour meet Daphne Greengrass, Daphne you remember Fleur from last year?" I introduced them and sat as Daphne joined us.

"What are you doing now you've finished school?" Daphne asked Fleur.

"I work at Gringotts." Fleur answered. "I do assessments and handle transactions for important clients."

"What's it like working for the Goblins?"

"They are okay, it was worse when I drew more attention, people found me distracting but now they are demanding but fair." Fleur replied. "They were also happy when I improved my English."

"I can tell, I only heard you speak a few times last year but your accent seems to have completely gone." Remarked Greengrass.

"Ah, I cheated." Confessed Fleur with a smile. I smiled to as I knew we were about to move onto one of Fleur's favourite topics. One which sometimes made me feel a touch uncomfortable but it made her happy.

"Oh, do tell." Greengrass encouraged.

"Well I haven't improved at all. My boyfriend, Rose's cousin, he knows many obscure spells. He found a spell that affects other people's perceptions. I think it was originally used to make better first impressions but I use it to change how people hear me." Fleur supplied happily.

"You have a magical cousin?" Greengrass asked me. "I was told all your remaining family was muggle."

"I only met Harry this summer, he'd been elsewhere before." I explained hoping that she wouldn't push further. "Did you speak to Krum at all last year, he sat at your table for meals but did he actually speak at all?" I asked before she could ask for more about Harry, Fleur could answer a few questions but where he had been before he met me is something I don't remember if we ever worked out a cover story for.

"No, he always kept to himself. I wasn't sure how much English he actually spoke. You probably spoke to him far more than any Slytherin did. Well, Malfoy spoke at him rather than to him but I don't think Krum ever said more than a few words back." Greengrass answered.

"Viktor didn't say much at all." Fleur added.

"Did you lot ever have little champion get togethers?" Greengrass asked amused.

"No, until after the second task we were still competitors in every way. After the first we realised how dangerous this really was but after Rose helped everyone in the lake we all reached an understanding of sorts." Fleur answered for me. I wasn't sure if the other three, being so much older had gone drinking or anything without me.

"I don't think anyone really said anything before the events either. From what I remember in the tent before the first task we were all just sat there terrified and doing our best to pretend we weren't." I added.

"I remember when Madam Maxine told me about the dragons, I was so scared." Fleur said as the food arrived.

We chatted about charms as we ate. Fleur as usual was a fountain of knowledge and useful tips. Daphne had been struggling slightly with the unbreakable charm and Fleur was more than willing to talk about the intricacies of the charm throughout the meal. Fleur stuck to her decision not to come to Hermione's meeting but Greengrass, no Daphne, would come provided I stuck with her to prove she wasn't a spy or whatever else Ron would accuse her of. Fleur said goodbye to us outside the Three Broomsticks where she would use the public floo to leave which she preferred to apparition which always carried the minor risk of splinching.

The Hog's Head was as dingy and grimy as it was over the summer. The dirt itself seemed to have become part of the walls in places and Daphne's disgust was clear.

"Hi Aberforth." I greeted the owner and less famous Dumbledore brother. He grunted in reply but didn't bother to say anything.

"You know him?" Daphne asked shocked.

"He's the headmaster's brother." I said quietly.

"Really, I'd never have guessed." Daphne replied equally quietly as we made our way to a booth near the back before one of us would leave to grab drinks.

"They don't get on very well. Dumbledore's history isn't as clean as everyone thinks." I stated before dropping my cloak and turning for the bar. "Butterbeer okay with you?" I called back.

"Yes but you are explaining that later." Daphne replied.

As I walked to the bar I looked around the place but it seemed we were the first students here. A wise choice really as this place couldn't be good for your health. Abe looked at me for a long time before reaching for some butterbeers which he passed over with a scowl. I took a moment to blow the dust off the bottle to check it was the right stuff. I wasn't sure when or where he got it but it had butterbeer written on it. I made my way back to the table thinking about how not subtle at all Hermione's meeting was going to be. A normally empty bar suddenly full of students. If Umbridge didn't hear about it I'd be amazed. Maybe I'd have to sell them out. They'd hate me if they learnt it was me but someone would and I'd be the one to benefit. We'd have to wait and see what Hermione would say but I doubted Umbridge would like it. Maybe I could manage the fall out but short of her only telling a few people this was going to get a lot of attention. One person who was on the ministry side at the meeting and this ends badly. Hermione wouldn't tell only a few, if she thought this was a good idea she'd tell everyone she thought she could trust and if it was going to help their defence grades then they would tell their friends. This secret meeting would be not so secret after all.

"So Dumbledore's dark and mysterious past?" Daphne asked the moment I sat down.

"I don't know everything." I admitted. "Over the summer I said I met Dumbledore, well Harry, Fleur's boyfriend was with me."

"Your cousin?" Daphne checked.

"Right." It wasn't strictly true but it would do. "Anyway, Dumbledore was the one who put me with my muggle family. The person I was meant to go to was Sirius Black and well you can imagine what people thought about that at the time. Well since I was going to be staying with a relative that Dumbledore didn't know about Harry headed off any potential arguments by going straight to Dumbledore. Now I don't know exactly where he learnt it all but Dumbledore didn't deny what Harry said."

"What did he say?" Daphne asked in an excited whisper.

"Dumbledore has admitted some of it to me in our Dumbledore the greatest wizard alive, girl-who-lived special meetings but the main point is Grindelwald was Dumbledore's best friend when they were younger."

"The Dark Lord?" Daphne checked, "No way."

"Yeah well, he and Dumbledore had this idea that magicals were better than muggles and it would be good and kind to lead them. To look after them as was our duty as the superior species. Then Abe over there, Dumbledore and Grindelwald got into a three-way argument that escalated into a duel and into the middle of it wades Dumbledore's little sister who gets hit by a stray curse and is killed. None of them knew who did it but Aberforth blames Albus. Even if it wasn't his curse then it was his friend starting the fight." I explained.

"Wow." Daphne replied.

"Yeah, that was my reaction when I found out."

"I'd never have guessed." Daphne repeated slightly stunned. I gave her a moment to reassess her views on the Headmaster while I glanced around to see if anyone else had arrived. I think I could see a few Hufflepuffs from our year now lingering over by the bar. It was Hermione's meeting and I was chatting with Greengrass so I didn't feel the need to go fetch them. Instead I looked back to Daphne.

"I don't think Dumbledore has ever tried to hide this but as far as I know I'm the only student who he knows is aware of this, so please don't spread it." I asked. I trusted Daphne for the most part but it was just to be sure, but Harry had explained to me that in Slytherins secrets were both weapons and currency.

"Don't worry, its not like most people would believe it anyway. Not to mention, you'd know exactly who said anything and then I'd have the all-powerful Girl-who-lived and her fans after me, it's too much effort for so little gain. It's a nice story, but what effect does it have, I gain nothing by telling people." Daphne replied. I still found it disturbing how everything in that house had value and a cost but I guess if it worked for them then it was fine and if it was how the house worked you'd learn quickly. Adapt or be pushed around and taken advantage of. It seemed like more effort than it was worth but maybe there was a reason that Slytherins tended to rise to the top outside Hogwarts.

"Two butterbeers please." I heard a familiar voice ask. Hermione had arrived, I could probably assume with Ron.

"What time did you tell people to be here for?" came Ron's voice.

"About now." Hermione replied. "Ah here they come."

From our booth we could see a steady stream of people come in. Definitely not subtle.

"Well whatever this is I doubt it's a secret anymore." I whispered to Daphne whose lips curled at the edge into a small smile.

"No, if anyone outside looked they'd have seen most of the fifth year, and a bunch more students march, on mass, into a pub everyone avoids. I wouldn't be surprised if a few people just followed to find out where everyone else was going." She whispered back.

Hermione rounded the divide and spotted me. She grimaced slightly when she saw Daphne but marched over anyway.

"There you are Rose, I've been looking for you everywhere." Hermione declared. "I didn't know you knew Greengrass?" She added on the end in a suspicious tone.

"Of course you didn't know, it's the real world, not in a book Granger, something you have to experience, you can't just read about it." Daphne replied scathingly. I couldn't help but be irritated by their bickering and decided to end it if I could.

"Right, anyway Hermione, I think all these people are here to listen to you." I interjected before Hermione could reply. No doubt she'd have been fine to argue but that wasn't why she was here.

"Yes, yes they are." Hermione commented before turning around and looking to the group. It seemed Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to sort everyone out with a drink. This had given everyone time to gather round the booth. I could see people looking at me and Daphne and hoped Hermione would give them something else to talk about.

"Well, go on Granger, they're here for you. Don't disappoint them." Daphne added. It could be taken as encouragement but the tone was mocking.

"Right, well hello everyone." Hermione's voice higher than normal from nerves. "You know why we're here. Well, I had an idea, we thought that if Umbridge isn't going to teach us defence we should study by ourselves. We should learn to cast the spells for real, not that rubbish Umbridge is teaching."

"Will this help us pass our OWLs?" One of the Ravenclaws called out.

"Of course it will, but more than that we need to learn how to defend ourselves because," she paused and took a moment to gather herself before continuing. "Voldemort is back."

As could be expected there was a mixture of reactions. A shriek was heard somewhere whereas others seemed to steel themselves.

"Where's the proof?" Called one of the Hufflepuffs.

"Who are you?" Ron asked rudely.

"Zacharias Smith," said the boy "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes her say You-Know-Who is back." Gesturing towards me making sure everyone knew who he meant by 'her'.

"Look. That's not what this meeting is really about." Hermione tried but I felt the need to interrupt.

"Hermione, let me." I looked at Smith for a moment, using my occlumency to ignore everything else while I stared at him till he began to feel uncomfortable and twitch slightly. Internally I grinned at that but outwardly I turned to face the assembled crowd. "Look, I can say he's back or I could not. You can believe me or you could not. At the end of the day what difference does it make, we live in a dangerous world. There is a reason we are taught Defence as a core subject. Each one of us carries a stick and knows some words that can kill each other, there are creatures out there that would happily tear us limb from limb or devour our soul. Regardless of who provides the threat or where it comes from you should know how to defend yourself. I sincerely hope we never have to use what we learn but its wishful thinking to believe that it will never be needed."

"Is it true you can cast a patronus?" Susan Bones asked. The one with the important aunt going by what Daphne had said in the carriage on the way. "I heard you used it to fight off a hundred dementors in your third year." Whispers went round the room.

"If I cast it will that make you all happy?" I asked

"Is it true you killed a basilisk with a sword?" Terry Boot from Ravenclaw asked. "The one in the Headmaster's office."

I didn't have time to answer before Daphne spoke up behind me.

"If you're all going to ask about her feats just think back to last year. We all saw her take on the Dragon, merpeople, acromantulas and more. Rose has done it all but let's be honest with each other, we all know she has talent and power so story time later and Defence talk now."

"Who invited you, you filthy snake?" called someone. I really hoped it wasn't Ron. I looked up and saw a Gryffindor in the year above me.

"Who are you?" Daphne asked, contempt clear in her tone.

"Cormac McLaggen." Came the slightly pompous reply.

"Right," Daphne commented in a dismissive tone. "Now, take a moment to observe who I was sitting with before you all arrived and I think you'd have a simple answer. Perhaps from now on you might take a moment to think before you speak. Better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and prove it."

I could see why Harry had loved this girl. If I swung that way I would. I could still here mutterings here and there, some likely wondering what I was doing with a Slytherin. This could get rough for her for now since there was no way for her to hide her presence and the other Slytherins might hear. She either had a plan or was stuck with me for a while.

"Why don't you tell us if he's back, your parent's were probably kissing his feet last time, are they doing it again?" McLaggen pushed.

"Enough!" I shouted. "Stop being an arse. If you dislike her then maybe if you both do some practical defence, then you might get to practice against each other and settle some of it that way. Now shut up and listen to Hermione."

"Right, well thank you for that Rose." Hermione said trying to get back on point. "Now we should get together and learn."

"Wait, it can't clash with our Quidditch practice." Angelina Johnson interjected.

"Nor ours." Cho added.

"Yes well, I'm sure we can work it out." Hermione stated before everyone else could call out their various hobbies. "Now I think that's enough for now. If everyone will sign this then I can get in contact with everyone when we arrange everything. Now I think its best if nobody says anything about this since I don't think Umbridge would like this." Hermione produced a scroll from her bag and a quill and handed it to Fred and George who immediately signed it. There were a few protests to signing it but they gave into peer pressure and crumbled.

Rose noticed that Daphne had stuck by her side and Hermione hadn't demanded that I sign it so Daphne hadn't. Now everyone had left leaving the four of us. Ron was not looking happy at Daphne's presence.

"Why is she here?" He asked. He'd done well to hold it in during the meeting but Ron despised Slytherins.

"Because she's my friend." I replied.

"She didn't sign the list." Observed Hermione.

"Of course not, I don't sign anything until I know exactly what it is. That could easily be a magical contract you've just tricked them all into. You could have all kinds of penalty clauses in that and I wouldn't know what triggered them." Daphne spat. Hermione paled.

"Hermione?" I questioned at this reaction.

"It was a contract. I knew it." Daphne hissed. "They all signed it and none of them know it. That's low even for a Slytherin."

"Oy." Ron interjected. I'm sure in his mind that insult was likely one of the more insulting things he'd ever heard.

"No, Hermione, after how much I complained about the Goblet of Fire doing that to me how could you?" I asked. She looked guiltily around. Before slumping slightly.

"Its where I got the idea from." She confessed. "It means we'll know exactly who did it if someone tells on us."

"Tricking someone into signing a magical contract is illegal. Highly illegal, they could have signed away their magic and wouldn't know what triggers the penalty." Daphne insisted coolly and I knew why.

"Its just a minor curse." Protested Hermione.

"You still tricked them into a magical contract and this meeting was not subtle at all. Anyone could talk about how many people were meeting in the Hog's Head and how strange it was. Once Umbridge hears this how long until she tries to find out more. They'll keep quiet because they have to but if she finds leverage then this whole group is doomed." Daphne said reproachfully and I couldn't disagree with that assessment.

"Well..." Hermione trying to argue but was interrupted by Ron.

"Leave it, what's done is done. Now you said you wanted some new quills. Let's leave Rose here with her new friend and we'll catch up later." The amount of distant he put into the word friend was rather impressive.

They stormed out of the pub leaving me alone with Daphne.

"She's an idiot. What defines a betrayal? If someone accidentally overhears people talking about this group then does that trigger the contract? I bet she just thought it was a great idea and never stopped to think." Daphne spat. "Errrr stupid Gryffindors."

"Well, as Ron said what's done is done. Now how likely is it that people will hear about you being here? Is that going to cause you problems?" I asked, concerned.

"Oh people will likely hear but I can get around them. I can tell them I saw the group and followed to find out what you lot were up to and my name isn't on that list so if they do get caught with it then I can get out of it. I am a Greengrass, my family is old and powerful, most people wouldn't dare question me. Only someone like Draco could. Now Rose, be honest with me, you don't seem as much of an idiot as that lot, what angle do you have?" I hesitated, before remembering that she knew Hermione had done something highly illegal.

"If I tell you then you tell nobody what it is and you tell nobody what Hermione has done." I demanded.

"I swear it as a Greengrass." She replied after taking a second to think it through.

"We both know He is back. I'm working with Dumbledore a bit but he's letting me sell him out in small bits to Umbridge. She thinks I'm her spy because Dumbledore can expel me, snap my wand and send me back to the muggles. I don't have real detentions with her because she thinks Dumbledore is making me tell people You-know-who is back. She thinks I want to join the Ministry as an auror after school so to make me love the ministry and as a motivator to keep me on her side I get tutored by an auror every now and again." I revealed.

"Well at least you can teach us something if Granger can't." Daphne sighed. "How is Umbridge going to take news of this meeting."

"Poorly." I replied instantly. "I have to tell her about it or else she'll suspect me and it compromises the other stuff. I just have to spin it somehow."

"Alright, I want in. If you have her protection then I want in, she wouldn't dare touch me but she might protect those who could." Daphne added.

"Let's go back to the castle and see if we can't work something out on the way. We want to be the ones to tell Umbridge about the meeting. Could we tell her that we were tricked into the contract and can't give her details until we learn more about the contract?"

"She'd think we were idiots to sign it." Daphne objected.

"Listen to the way she talks to us in class, she already thinks we're idiots. This just plays to our advantage." I commented.

"True. Who has the contract, if we tell her then she'll just go after them won't she?" Daphne pointed out.

"Damn. If we couldn't say who was at the meeting though we couldn't tell her?" I suggested

"If she hears its Granger she could still go after her. Depends on rumours not spreading at this is Hogwarts."

We swapped ideas on the ride back up to the castle before reaching a plan of sorts. We would have to be as vague as possible and tell her we couldn't confirm or deny anything until we knew the details of the contract. I knocked on Umbridge's door and together we were let in to the horrid office.

"Yes?" Umbridge simpered.

"Hypothetically," I started. "If you hear about a meeting this weekend in Hogsmeade then it would perhaps be hard to get details about it." I started.

"Oh?" Umbridge asked and I knew we had her interest.

"Hypothetically, they might have demanded everyone sign something that might have been revealed to be a magical contract of sorts meaning we couldn't say what the meeting was or who was there, really anything about it." Daphne added.

"Thank you, Miss Greengrass for bringing this to my attention." Said Umbridge sweetly.

"We can't say much until we find out exactly what we signed but rumour beforehand said it was about a Defence study group." I told her.

"I sense Dumbledore's hand in this." She hissed. "If you can, learn more. When the group is exposed I will remember your loyalty to the Ministry." We nodded and left her.

"That office is worse than her class room." Observed Daphne.

"I know." I groaned. "Good luck with the other Slytherins." I offered as we stood at the staircase I wanted to go up to the Gryffindor tower and she would descend towards the dungeons.

On Monday morning a new message went up on all of the common rooms. Umbridge, in her role as High Inquisitor had disbanded all clubs, societies and teams and they needed her permission to reform. I groaned and called Hermione over when I saw it.

"How did she know, this can't be a coincidence?" Hermione whispered.

"I don't know." I lied easily. "won't your contract tell us?"

"I don't think she has the names or else she'd have just come after us." Hermione deduced. "Ron, come look at this."

Ron walked over from where he had been talking with Seamus and Dean. Upon inspecting the notice he looked angry. He turned straight to me and stuck out an accusing finger.

"This is your Slytherin. It has to be. No Gryffindor would sell us out and Hufflepuffs are meant to be loyal. There was only one bloody snake there and she refused to sign the contract." Ron spat doing his best to keep his volume under control.

"I was with Daphne till she went to Dungeons. It can't have been her." I supplied.

"Well what about yesterday?" Ron urged.

"No, Ron." Hermione interjected. "If it was Greengrass she could have given names. We'd have already been expelled. I think someone told their friends where they were going and they told Umbridge. If anything, Greengrass has the most to lose. Imagine if Malfoy found out she was friends with Rose."

"Fine." Ron conceded. "But I still don't trust her." He ground out. I could accept that. I didn't trust her completely. She had already told me she wasn't taking sides where ever she could. If it benefited her then she could turn on us.

The rest week was fine. Ron was getting annoyed with Umbridge's inspections which always seemed to be in our classes and his mood was only getting worse as he was letting it affect him and he was performing poorly in class and getting extra homework that Hermione and I were avoiding. The quidditch team had been allowed to reform when Angelina went with McGonagall and it seemed Umbridge would not stand against the severe Scottish witch.

Jeevesy delivered a few more letters for me. Some had small tidbits of information in. Rumours of disappearances and the like but most were just general letters about life in the school combined with advice for the work. The most pressing issue we had was finding a place for our Defence group.

I had a meeting with Dumbledore on Thursday night, luckily, I had no quidditch and I had told Umbridge I was due to meet Dumbledore and she had released me from detention straight away. He greeted me in front of the gargoyle as we made our way up into his office. We continued our work on the influence of emotions on spells. The cause of intent as he described it. All intent had a root, a reason why it was our intent. Does casting a simple disarming charm when angry differ from when one is trying to bring peace? It was interesting for sure but it wasn't quite what I had been expecting from the greatest wizard alive.

"Sir," I asked at the end of our session. "I don't know how much you speak to your brother or if you have another source but I'm sure you've heard about Hermione's little club?"

"Something similar may have been mentioned to me. I think teaching is a noble pursuit and if the teacher is often the one who learns the most." Dumbledore commented.

"I don't suppose you could recommend a place for us to meet. Somewhere Umbridge couldn't find us?"

"Hogwarts has many mysteries. I have lived in this castle for many years and still she keeps many secrets from me. I can only think of a few people who know her better than your father and his friends." Dumbledore replied as he stroked his long beard absently.

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"Some people may not consider them people at all but they clean every nook, every space of this castle and have before I arrived and they will after I depart. If anyone knows of the perfect room they might."

"House-elves!" I realised.

"Indeed, beneath the notice of many they have generations of knowledge of the castle built up one simply has to ask. Myself, I do not simply because often I prefer the journey to the destination. At my age one takes joy in the small things and what can be gained if the answer is simply given to you? In this situation however, your journey is the group, this is merely preparation. I'm sure there are some in the kitchens who would be very happy to offer their assistance."

"Thank you." I said as I got up to leave. I would swing by the kitchens before I returned to the common room and hopefully Dobby could help me. The little house-elf bounced up and down with joy when I asked for his help. He told me of a secret room on the seventh floor that would become whatever I wished. That sounded like a room with potential. I also learnt that Dobby was now alone in cleaning Gryffindor tower as all the other elves were offended by Hermione's hats. I think I might take to burning them or something to make the elf's life easier. Either way I doubt Hermione would take the news well. Instead of accepting that maybe they were happy she'd merely argue they were brainwashed and double her efforts. I considered for a moment confounding her or obliviating the idea from her but that was too much of a betrayal for me to handle, unlike the Umbridge stuff I couldn't even pretend that this was for some greater cause, it would just be to make Dobby's life easier.

The room was perfect, of course it was, it became whatever I wanted. We'd managed to spread the word and now everyone knew where to be and when. I'd gone with my cloak to the Dungeons to collect Daphne and now we were waiting for everyone else to arrive. Repeatedly jaws dropped when they saw the room. Hermione seemed to be checking people against the list and I assumed we had everyone when she walked to the centre of the room. It seemed everyone else got the message and crowded around her in a rough semi-circle. I, Daphne and Ron were off slightly to the side and behind her.

"Right, first I think we should have a leader, someone we all listen to." Hermione declared.

"Rose." Cho Chang, the late Cedric Diggory's former girlfriend suggested straight away. I felt instantly wary. If I was known as the leader this would make my manoeuvring around Umbridge harder. Daphne picked up on this thankfully, and knowing her fate with Umbridge was tied to mine she interjected on my behalf.

"I think that works but it shouldn't be written down anywhere. We don't want any paper trail."

There were a few murmurs of agreement and nobody objected so Hermione spoke again.

"Is there anyone disagreeing, no? Alright then, now I think we should have a name."

What followed was both awkward and brilliant. The name Dumbledore's Army was chosen. I'd have to tell Dumbledore quickly and it we would have to consider what to tell Umbridge. If she thought Dumbledore was building a student army to use against the ministry, then they would try to remove him. If she remained thinking that his support was external, then he would remain.

"Alright, now if I'm the leader I want a quick vote. Can everyone who wants to start from the ground up and get skills, which while good for exams are more focused Defence itself stand on the left of the room and those that just want to focus on what's needed for the exams on the right." I instructed in an attempt to get an idea of what to do.

There was a pause before people moved, a few started to move right but seeing the direction the majority of people moved they all ended up on the left.

"Okay, that's good." I stated. "Now we'll start with the basics and move from there. Now if anyone objects I'll be more than willing to demonstrate the important of the basics. If this is as simple as everyone thinks then we'll move on quickly so don't complain. Now we'll start with a spell that features in OWL defence as an expected spell and also makes up part of fourth year charms. The disarming charm."

There were a few groans at this announcement but only Smith complained loudly. I called him out. I claimed I could beat him with first year spells while he was free to use whatever he wanted. It was a risk of sorts but a decisive win would do wonders for my authority.

We stood in the centre of the room facing each other. I could see in Smith's eyes that he was nervous but doing his best to pretend otherwise. I used a small amount of legilimency to have a look at his surface thoughts. He was planning a big curse, he'd only cast it successfully once before. It took a lot of wand movements though. An easy opening, he'd be slow off the mark. Ron was standing half way between us ready to officiate.

"Begin!" Ron shouted.

"Diffindo." I hissed, sending a first year cutting charm at the Hufflepuff, while mainly used to cut loose threads it could be altered by emotion to become something crueller. I didn't even expect it to hit him. "Flipendo." I stated forcefully as a follow up.

Smith aborted his first spell with the cutter coming at him and ducked which reduced his vision meaning he was unprepared for the follow up knock back jinx which threw him into the wall as if he'd been banished. In first year it had been the equivalent of a shove, now when I focused anger through it, when I wanted the spell to lash out it was positively violent. I used the first year levitation charm to relieve the crumpled Hufflepuff of his wand.

"First year spells, when used correctly are efficient, simple and fast. What Smith tried to do was beyond him and put him massively behind in tempo. He never stood a chance when he took so long to deal with my first spell and was unprepared for my second. Now I have his wand I could use a complicated curse like the killing curse and he couldn't stop me. This is why we learn Defence, so we are never helpless." I instructed to the silent crowd. I think there was a mix of awe and fear, I didn't really care so long as they were listening. "The disarming charm is quick and efficient, it gets us to this end point where our opponent has no way to stop whatever finishing moves we make, it is the simplest most efficient spell for this exact goal. If you are fast enough with it and accurate enough, who cares what horrible curses the other person knows. They can't cast them without a wand."

After that people were quick to pair up and begin practicing. I was able to move amongst them handing out tips. Several people were either lazy or to exacting, their focus so intense they were slow but they listened and there was noticeable improvement by the time we called an end to the session. I used my father's map to warn people of where Flich and the teacher were patrolling along with a guide to avoiding Peeves. I didn't reveal how I knew but Fred and George knew, everyone else just accepted it, likely as a quirk of the room. I didn't ask. Daphne would be going most of the way with the Hufflepuffs and it was late enough that most of her house would have gone to bed so I didn't feel the need to use my cloak to get her there.

Neville came over to me while we watched everyone else leave. Ron and Hermione lingered by the door but I waved them off when I sensed Neville wanted to say something privately. We watched them go and there was a pause before he spoke, his voice even more nervous than when he was talking to Snape.

"Rose, I wanted to say thank you for this, I got the spell right tonight and well, that's not normal for me. I was wondering if you have any tips for me. I know I don't ever talk about my parents but,"

I interrupted him before he could get any further.

"Neville, I have a confession to make. Last year when I was waiting for Dumbledore I fell into his pensive and watched one of the memories. It was the trial of the LeStranges and Crouch Jr."

"So you know?"

"I know."

"You haven't said anything." Neville pointed out.

"It wasn't my secret. If you wanted us to know you'd have said something. I think I of all people would understand how sometimes you don't want to be defined by your parents or their fate." I explained. "We both know I wish it hadn't happened but really what difference would me saying something make. I'm sure they were, no, are great people but you are your own person."

Neville sighed and a chair appeared behind him as he looked around. He sunk into the chair and slumped as if exhausted.

"Crouch is gone isn't he?" Neville checked.

"A dementor sucked his soul out before he could be interrogated properly." I confirmed.

"But the LeStranges still live. You say You-Know-Who is back." Neville stated his voice growing strong. "I believe you, my gran does too. He'll want his supporters which means he'll either bribe someone or break open Azkaban and they'll be back. I want to be ready."

"Neville." I tried to say something but timid, shy Neville asserted himself.

"No, I don't want to hear about it. Either I get vengeance or they'll finish the job and end the Longbottom line. I have to get better, I have to live up to my parent's legacy." Neville urged.

"I'll help you Neville but you have to help yourself. To stop someone like the LeStranges you either have to be supremely talented or willing to cheat and you are a Gryffindor, cheating goes against your nature."

"You say that like you're not one of us." Neville pointed out.

"The Hat wanted me in Slytherin. Over summer I had someone remind me of the potential of being cunning, I had the potential, I just had to accept that sometimes doing the right thing isn't the correct choice." I answered.

"Oh," Neville paused. "I still want to live up to my parent's legacy, they were some of the best aurors of the last war. I will strike down the LeStranges in my parent's name with my father's wand and then I'll find a way to help them."

"Your father's wand?" I questioned suddenly getting a strange feeling.

"Yeah." Neville said pulling out his wand. "Why?"

"Neville, where is your own wand?" I asked bringing a hand up ready to slam my face into it's palm.

"What do you mean?" Neville asked. My palm was employed.

"Oh Neville," I sighed. "you never went to Ollivander's?" He shook his head. "The wand chooses the wizard, most wands don't work for most people. I went through about fifty before I got this one." I explained. "You ever feel like you're doing the right thing but it feels slightly wrong, like something isn't working properly."

"I always thought that was me." Neville confessed. "I told you before how little accidental magic I did when I was young. I always thought I was just weak. My Gran told me I should use my father's wand to make him proud."

"Tomorrow we'll go to McGonagall and see if she'll take you to Ollivander's. If you need money just ask, I have plenty on me at the moment and I trust you to pay me back." I offered.

"But why doesn't my dad's wand work for me?" Neville asked confused.

"I don't know, you can ask Ollivander, but if I'm right you've essentially got this far with something holding you back. Imagine what you could achieve with a wand that works. Like the training weights taken off. If I had to guess I'd suggest that you're not your father, you're half of your mother too." I suggested. Neville nodded deep in thought so I suggested, "maybe you could set up a little shrine or something with your parent's wands and some photos. If you can help them then they'll be there waiting for them."

Ron and Hermione were waiting up when we returned to the common room but Neville marched straight up to his dorm a look of focus on his face.

"Everything alright?" Hermione asked.

"Fine, Neville just wanted to say thank you. You know how Snape is to him, even McGonagall gets fed up with him. To him taking the time to help him means a lot." I explained.

"I get fed up with him too in potions. He's ruined mine before when his stuff has exploded. Its hard enough already without him cocking mine up even more." Ron pointed out.

"Ron!" Hermione turned on him. "That's not nice, I'm sure Neville tries very hard and you know he doesn't do it on purpose."

"I know, it's still irritating though." Ron ground out. I couldn't help but laugh.

The next morning I was up early, I meant it when I offered to go with Neville to McGonagall. He wasn't in the common room when I got there so I had time to sit and write a letter to Harry. I thought he'd be interested in the DA. He'd done the hard work himself. He had worked harder than me though and was far more accomplished than me but I wanted to know his opinions on what was happening and ask for help in what to teach. I was able to call Jeevesy to me even though we were in Hogwarts which surprised me at first before I began to think of the possibilities. Harry was right, they really are useful. He popped out of the room just as Neville emerged looking determined.

"Do you want me to come?" I asked.

"Please, I know what I want but if you wouldn't mind." Neville spoke quietly as if ashamed to ask for help. Something I could empathise with. I simply got up and we walked toward McGonagall's office. We didn't have to wait long before the Head of Gryffindor answered.

"Yes?" She demanded.

"We have a request." I stated simply pushing Neville forwards slightly.

"Come in then." McGonagall sighed as she opened her door and let them into her office. "Well, out with it then."

"I need to go to Ollivander's" Neville spoke quietly but the determination was strong.

"What have you done?" Asked an exasperated Professor which I personally thought was a bit rude. I could see why I was here even if it was just for support.

"My Gran, she wanted me to use my dad's wand, make him proud you know? Only last night I found out I really should be using one of my own." Neville explained.

"Ah, in that case I believe congratulations are in order Mr Longbottom. You have successful passed years of schooling without the proper equipment. I do believe that you could be something special with a proper wand." McGonagall replied in a kind tone. "If you grandmother has any issues with you not using your father's wand send her to me. Augusta and I know each other well Mr Longbottom and I will convince her that being the best wizard you can be is the true way to honour your father." She turned to me. "Miss Potter, why are you here?"

"I was the one who told Neville to come to you, I was hoping that you could take him to Ollivander's so he could have his new wand for classes on Monday. We don't really have a wand based classes till Tuesday but if he doesn't go at a weekend he has to wait for the holidays."

"Well Mr Longbottom, do you wish to go now?" Neville nodded. "You have some money?" Neville nodded again. "Very well."

McGonagall sent a patronus to Dumbledore informing him that she and Neville were leaving the castle for the morning before escorting him to the Floo. I went back to the common room to make a start on my homework. A few hours later a very happy Neville returned wielding thirteen inches of cherry with a unicorn hair core. Neville sat ignoring his homework as he ran through years' worth of spells just practicing and getting used to the wand. He frequently over powered things and his levitation charm sent the book he was spelling crashing into the ceiling. I hoped that by Tuesday he'd have everything worked out or it could get messy.

Monday morning rolled around and with it came hours spent with Binns, Umbridge and Snape. If people ever wondered why people hated Mondays, then this year's timetable would be a good answer. As was normal on Mondays time stretched out as time proved it was as much of a sadistic bitch as fate. I kept my head down in Defence doing my best not to earn another detention. I had a Quidditch match coming up in a few days so we had increased training.

We won the match against Slytherin. Not that it was in any doubt. Despite Ron having one of the worst debuts in Hogwarts history the day I let Malfoy beat me to the snitch is the day I make out with a dementor. Unfortunately, being the petty bastard he is he'd wound up Fred and George so much they'd jumped him. Long story short they got themselves banned from quidditch by Umbridge. We had an emergency DA meeting that night where they learn the reductor curse. Blasting things into smithereens seemed like an effective form of stress relief.

The rest of the term began to blend together. With Dumbledore we continued our exploration of esoteric magics and the effect of emotions on the. We studied the formation of spells and how to use slightly more freeform magic when dealing with an unexplained problem. So much of it seemed to rely on feelings and gut instinct it was at times hard to remember it was magic at all until in a flash of light the mysterious problem was solved and whatever Dumbledore had attempted to hide was revealed. With Kingsley, we were now working much faster. Still everything we did was designed to practice skills and had to be non-damaging but I was becoming far more skilled.

The DA was moving along quite nicely. They were on track to catch up with the complete fifth year spell syllabus by mid-February at this rate which meant they would be ready for their OWLs. Their basic skills were improving too but we'd yet to incorporate any form of tactics. They could throw spells out but didn't know which to choose or when.

It seemed everything was going well which it perhaps why it all had to come crashing down on the last day of term. I knew things had been going too well for me. I didn't like Umbridge but she'd been marginalised for the most part as a concern to me. I should have known better that things aren't meant to go well for me which is why I was now wedged between Ginny and Ron, both crying as their mother and Dumbledore explained that their father had been killed while working for the Order. At some point in the night Nagini, Voldemort's snake had attacked Arthur Weasley while he was monitoring the Department of Mysteries, he hadn't been found until the morning by which point it was far too late. I knew what he had been guarding and it made me feel awful, it was the prophecy. We should have done something about it but I had grown lax. I could see this was weighing on Dumbledore as heavily as it was me. I was upset but I was relentlessly suppressing this as I tried to control myself. Arthur Weasley had been a good man, a kind man. He didn't deserve this and I wasn't sure how the family could cope without him. They were poor enough with his salary and now they were without. I didn't know what the wizarding world had for times like this. If it did do one thing however it confirmed that Voldemort was after the Prophecy. It gave us something to work with, a trap could be set and a one that didn't lead to the death of Dumbledore as it had in Harry's world. We hadn't spoken about Hufflepuff's cup in some time but if that could be dealt with then the only thing tethering Tom to this world was Nagini. If Snape could get to her while Voldemort came after us, then we could end this. 0

I was in a haze as I watched the Weasley's depart through the floo. I had been invited to go with them but they needed to be a family and I more than ever wanted to focus on vengeance. I couldn't manage the hatred needed to power the most violent of curses but righteous fury could be extremely destructive when channelled correctly. Hermione had hesitated but remained promising to be at the funeral like I had. It shouldn't have happened. The Weasley's were too good, too kind to suffer like this. If ever one wanted proof that life is not fair it was this. Hermione seemed to sense I wanted to speak to the Headmaster, for a moment or to it was clear she wanted to be involved but Dumbledore had asked her to leave.

"It pains me every time a former student dies. I know there cannot be a war without victims and the innocent are always the first to suffer but it never gets easier. Truly I hope it does not for it would mean I value each life less, every death is a tragedy. Too many and it can become but a statistic." Dumbledore sighed. Even Fawkes' trill was mournful.

"We have to end this soon. I'm not ready to do it by myself but we have to do this." I pushed.

"Indeed, I have a few things with which to buy the Goblin's favour. I have held out in hope it would not be needed but I shall return several goblin crafted items from the Hogwarts' collect to them. If you are unaware, the goblin's view the crafters of an item the true owner. Any purchase is merely a rental and when the buyer dies the item should be returned to the crafter or his family. In our society, what we buy we own. Neither is right, nor are either wrong but simply different. This should ensure the cup is destroyed." Dumbledore explained.

"Nagini will be all that's left." I pointed out.

"She will be hard to get to. I doubt we could lure her out like we might Tom."

"Snape can get to her though. If he tells Tom that I've broken out of school to get the prophecy, especially now Mr Weasley is dead he might accept I'm desperate. Tom would come after me wouldn't he?"

"Perhaps. If he does and Severus is left behind then Severus can slay the snake." Dumbledore answered realising the plan. "He might well send his Death Eaters in his stead. I think some of the Order chasing after you would ensure that he himself attempts to ensure victory. Even if he does show however I fail to see how you are ready to defeat him."

"Not yet, I won't be after Christmas either but there is a chance that I might be able to cheat. My cloak, how did you know where I was, will Tom be able to tell?" I asked thinking back to one of my earliest plans.

"Ah, I must admit that while it was in my possession I may have placed a charm on it letting me know where it is. It may hide you near perfectly but it doesn't hide itself quite as well." Dumbledore confessed.

"So I could hide under that and curse him in the back?" I asked.

"It would not be a noble way, but alas honour has little place in this conflict. I believe if he is sufficiently distracted it may work."

I felt good at that, still numb from Mr Weasley's death but now I had a purpose, might work was good. From there we could progress and refine it until we had a damn good shot.

"How long can you hold him for?" I asked.

"Not as long as I once could, holding him perfectly still would be even more challenging. I believe my presence might have him on alerts. While transfiguration is my forte it can lend itself to a rather tricky style which means he will anticipate distractions and indirect methods of attack."

Well that wasn't promising.

"So we'd have to do it without you?" I asked. It could be done, it would just be harder.

"Unless you can think of a way for me to be there but for him to not realise. Tom is overconfident, he may not truly fear me but he does his best to treat me with the respect I have forced him to have for me. More than once our wands have crossed and I have reminded him that he is but a student to me. To anyone else though, he will not see the threat. You would have to hold against multiple Death Eater's until the Order can arrive, potentially Tom himself were he to not wait." Dumbledore cautioned.

I stood and walked to the window. In a few hours I would be with Harry and Fleur, I hoped me going to the Funeral wouldn't stop us going to France. Fleur had really wanted to spend some time with her family.

"Polyjuice." I shouted, startling Fawkes. "You come with me as Ron or Hermione, together we can hold of the Death Eaters. If Tom arrives I'll disappear and try and get a shot. The order can hold the Death Eaters. Or you could be Moody or Kingsley someone who might be expected to stand up to Tom but someone Tom thinks he could crush."

"That might well work. Well done Rose." Dumbledore's praise felt good but it was quickly washed away as were all feelings right now. It probably wasn't health but I was basically a child soldier, after the war I could fix myself, for now I just needed to be able to function. "I suggest you leave now. You go and prepare. I shall consult Serverus, this plan hinges on his participation. If he cannot get to Nagini then Tom may escape albeit without a body once more."

I did as I was told and left. Hermione and I shared a cabin on the way back. We couldn't have conversation, neither of us knew what to say and we both felt hollow. Harry and Fleur were a refreshing sight on the platform but he picked up immediately that something was wrong. We took a portkey from the platform to Oaken Retreat. I deposited my trunk up in my room and returned downstairs where Harry and Fleur were waiting with three tumblers and a bottle of firewhiskey.

"Do we need to ask or will you tell us?" Asked Harry sombrely. I sat with them and felt Fleur's delicate hand squeeze my own in a silent show of support. The warmth flowing through her hand doing its best the thaw the ice that had surrounded my soul since I was told about Mr Weasley. I started the story slowly. I rambled about Mr Weasley as a person and expressed my need to be at the funeral. I told them about the plan I and the headmaster had come up with. Throughout Harry was silent. When I ran out of things to say he removed the lid from the bottle and poured a measure into each of the glasses.

"To the innocent, always the first to suffer. To the good man that was Arthur Weasley." Harry toasted. The whiskey burnt on its way down. I could feel water in my eyes that wasn't tears of sadness and I coughed, spluttered at the burn drawing a small laugh from Fleur. Here in the Retreat with the warmth of the whiskey flowing through me I let down my walls. I stopped filtering and let the grief come. I don't know how long I cried for. I wasn't aware how long ago Fleur had wrapped her arms around me but I knew when I was done the righteous fury was back.

"Train me." I begged of Harry. "I'll need every dirty trick I can get. I don't want to go head to head with any of them."

Harry said nothing, instead drinking another shot of firewhiskey. He looked to Fleur, in the time I'd been away they'd progressed to the point it seemed they no longer needed words.

"If she wants to fight she will fight. Zhe only zing you can do iz 'elp 'er." Fleur stated as she released me. I sat straight refusing to slump, refusing to show any weakness.

"This is a dumb plan." Harry protested. You don't know how many Death Eaters will be there. After everything I told you about never picking fights you haven't already won this is the fight you want to take?"

"I can't let it happen. When you told me over summer I would have to let people die until I was ready it wasn't real. They were a statistic, a number of people but Mr Weasley he was real. I'm not you, I can't do this. I have to fight!" I argued. I needed him, he was the first to set me on my path. He couldn't leave now or he'd be pulling the foundations out from under me

"Fine." Harry conceded reluctantly. "Fleur is right, you'd take this no matter what."

"I would." I confirmed removing any doubt from his mind.

"We'll start in the morning." Harry stated. "Go to bed, we don't have much time and most of the hard work will be after Christmas."

The next morning I woke feeling motivated. These holidays would last a fortnight, four days would be spent in France. These would be my holiday, the funeral for Mr Weasley was tomorrow afternoon and then we would leave for France. Upon the return, I would have a week to prepare then shortly after returning to school we would try to stop Tom. Jeevesy was happy to provide me with a breakfast, the little elf happy to have an extra person to care for. I would never truly understand their desire for work but I could accept, unlike Hermione, that they were not Human, they didn't have the same human desires as us. Harry was waiting out behind the house. The same place he had taught me much during the summer.

"Your letters say you've been training with an auror and with Dumbledore. That will help you in a fight but against the numbers they might have it won't matter. If Tom arrives with the Death Eaters, you'll have to run and hide until the Order arrive. We can grab Fleur and practice magical variations on hide and seek or we can work on traps. Cursing objects which you can leave behind. These could hurt the Order but might buy you the time you need." Harry warned.

"What do you think will happen?" I asked. He and Dumbledore probably could predict Tom's behaviour better than anyone else.

"Tom will come. He's too proud not to. He will try to kill you but he wants to hear the prophecy to know he can. He will likely send his minions first. He likes to order people about but if they are held up, the prophecy is too important to him to leave it up to them. Remember he believes that everyone is incompetent."

"So you believe he will show later." I checked.

"I do." Harry admitted. "Nevertheless, I wouldn't be confident enough that I'd risk my life on that assumption. The thing that will keep you alive is Tom is likely to have ordered his minions to leave you to him. Remember he wants everyone to know that he killed you. Anyone you take with you however, is expendable. They can be killed or used as leverage against you. Just because they cannot kill you does not mean you are safe either, they would have no issues stunning you and carting you off. A week later Voldemort publicly executes you in the middle of Diagon Alley and the country falls to him."

I nodded in acceptance. His cold calculating mind helping shape my decisions. He knew that I would prefer the truth to a lie no matter how comforting.

"Do you have any advice on how to pick my fights once the action starts?" I asked trying to be rational and squeeze out as much useful information as I could.

"Divide and conquer. You need to split them up. Either by using some confusion enchantment or other methods. Alone they are weak and you can pick them off at will. Tom will duel you if you call him out, he might duel anyone if they dare challenge him. His arrogance and twisted sense of honour means that a worthy opponent deserves a worthy death which he thinks only he can bestow. If they trap you then it might be your only chance. Even if you don't win it might buy enough time for someone to rescue you." Harry replied.

"What about when the Order arrive, won't everything become more stationary?" I asked.

"It will. It will perhaps be the mentally toughest point. If you fight too well, if you cut through their lines then the Order will force Tom to retreat. He is overconfident but not stupid. I doubt it will be an issue but to isolate Tom the Death Eaters must be engaged and held, not crushed. Man to man the Death Eaters are the better duellists but the Order, currently has the numbers." Harry answered.

Fleur came out to join us later. Since it was my first day back they didn't want to do anything stressful so we played a magical game of manhunt. Harry claimed it was to prepare me for sneaking around and avoiding Death Eaters but really it was just to have some fun. I had to start in the woods and to win I had to get a trophy which Harry transfigured for the game that would be hidden somewhere within the house. The only rules were nothing damaging, apparition was allowed as were non-lethal spells. I was allowed my cloak which I thought would give me an advantage. Fleur and Harry working together posed a problem. They were both Triwizard champions for good reasons and Harry had won his fairly. They had five minutes to prepare whatever traps they wanted but five minutes on a place as large as the Oaken Retreat and its surrounding land was nothing. I knew that by the time I reached the house they would have had more time but I knew I had a chance. In the five minute preparation I used sticking charms to stick the cloak to me and then set about covering myself in silencing charms. Unlike the other two I wasn't confident in silent magic yet so from the moment the sparks went up I'd have to use as little magic as possible.

The game began with a loud bang and a shower of sparks. I began to creep forwards. I knew the Retreat, not as well as Harry or Fleur who lived here but well enough to know the best places to enter. I managed to creep to the treeline without issue and no sign of either of them. All of the doors and windows were shut, likely with detection and alert charms all over them. They would know if I entered that way. I could try apparating in but I wouldn't put it past them to have put up an anti-apparition jinx. I heard a snapping of a twig and span on the spot. Behind me were wolves. I knew they couldn't see me but they knew where I was somehow. They began to spread around me and as one sniffed loudly I realised I hadn't supressed any scents. These wolves were almost certainly some of Harry's transfigurations. Oh dear, every moment I stalled he had a chance to transfigure more things. Soon I would be forced to reveal my position just to progress. The wolves had began to circle, if I didn't do something soon then Harry and Fleur could cast spells inside the circle until they hit me.

Praying that nobody was listening I apparated to the other side of the house away from the wolves and broke into a sprint until I was pressed against the wall of the house. I was sure that they were both in the house now and had heard my arrival on this side. Desperately hoping that they had been watching the wolves and therefore had to hurry to the other side of the house I quickly cast a transfiguration on a section of the wall turning into a small section of glass much like Harry had done in that horrific raid of his. I couldn't see anything. Of course, they could just be out of view or disillusioned. Either way I cast an unlocking charm on the front door. Honestly, I was a tad surprised that it opened, I had expected Harry to have better security or maybe I was tied into it. Either way I didn't question my luck and snuck inside. My luck lasted the best part of thirty seconds. Reasoning that they'd put the objective as deep as possible and therefore I headed towards the staircase only to trip on something. I didn't fall quietly and then suddenly from the landing came a storm of stunners. I gave up all attempts at secrecy and cast a shield. My shield held under the thudding noise as spell after spell impacted my shield, whoever was on the landing was relentless though leaving us at a stalemate. Of course a stalemate favours the one with friends so I probably could have predicted the spell that hit me from behind and left me tied up on the floor.

On the second-round I repeated my trick from the Triwizard and instantly summoned my broomstick when the sparks went. I was in the air less than a minute later and headed for the roof. Harry and Fleur's room had a balcony but they might well be observing from that. I flew as fast as I could to make myself hard to hit. No spells flew at me leading me to believe that they had been inside planning or setting up their traps. Landing on the roof I drew my wand again and crouched, pressing the tip of my wand to the roof tiles. It didn't take long to create a small hole for me to drop through. Silencing and cushioning charms muted my decent. I patched the hole up before it could be spotted or worse forgotten about. Silencing charms and my cloak went on again before I moved again. This time I would go slower and be wary of disillusioned tripwires. The attic that I had dropped in was more a mezzanine it was like and internal balcony extending out over half of the second floor. There were large windows at one end making the whole place a second lounge but with a great view. Warry of Hogwarts-esque trick steps I made my way down sideways shuffling along the banister. It was slow and clumsy but I succeeded in never touching the steps themselves. Arriving on the second floor of the house I had to begin searching for the trophy. Left or right was my choice from the bottom of the staircase, the master suite would make sense for a place for the trophy so I headed towards it slowly. I stayed alert employing some of the techniques Dumbledore had taught me. Magic always leaves its traces if one knew how to look and I was looking for more disillusioned tripwires or other traps. I hadn't bothered on the stairs since I suspected they were supported magically and I didn't feel confident in being able to tell what spells were what. I reached the door to the Master suite with no problems. Kneeling before it I used the transfiguration trick to scout the room. I didn't see the trophy but I only had a narrow view. I entered the room slowly, I couldn't hear anything but having been taught silencing charms by Fleur I knew all too well that they both were proficient. A loud bang outside caught my attention, I moved to the window and could see something had exploded outside. I didn't know what had happened but it seemed like at least one of them was outside and if they weren't they'd be investigating what just happened. Another noise from behind me and I span only to get a face full of what I think was bright pink paint. The whole area around me and the windows was now coated. The smirk on Fleur's face looked strange on her normally gentle and kind face but as she raised her wand again I realised that the cloak I was hiding under had been rendered useless. I just had time to raise my wand for a shield before Fleur's stunner hit my rapidly erected shield.

Realising what was happening I threw off the cloak lest it hinder my movement and slow me down. I knew Fleur was good with a wand but I had been training with an auror and Dumbledore. We were likely even. I would have to beat her however before Harry arrived to support her. Fleur hadn't been idle while I shrugged the cloak off. She now had several pieces of furniture orbiting around her. I had seen her and Harry do this before over summer, they use them like floating shields.

Trying to seize the tempo of the fight I cast a tickling charm, incredibly simple but had such an extremely simple wand motion that it was one of the fastest spells you could cast. Fleur swatted it aside contemptuously but my next spell, a full body bind was already on the way. She allowed a chair that had been orbiting her to take the spells while she send a incendio my way. Fire, I couldn't counter it with water since if her fire was stronger it would just evaporate the water, instead I sent a strong gust of wind at the fire, blowing it back at her. She waved her wand allowing the flames to dissipate. I used the time that I'd bought to summon the rug out from under Fleur's feet. The wooden floor beneath the rug allowed the rug to slide without much resistance. The graceful French witch went down in an undignified heap. I quickly bombarded her with stunners and body binds before an expelliarmus finally slipped through her defence as I ducked under a poorly aimed retaliatory jinx from Fleur. Now disarmed she couldn't stop my incarcerous from binding her.

"Well done." She congratulated me. As I swept my wand around trying to repair the room.

"Thank you, where's the trophy?" I asked.

"Harry didn't tell me, just in case. I hid it last time so it was his turn." Fleur answered. I'd been using a small amount of legilimency just to ensure she was telling the truth and unfortunately, she was. I didn't want to stun her, instead I used a sticking charm to stick her to a sofa at the foot of their bed, at least she'd be relatively comfortable until the round was over.

I tried to vanish the paint off the cloak but it didn't go, a scourify just seemed to smear the paint. I couldn't help but suspect Harry or one of his friends had specially created this spell to be a nuisance to get rid of, it likely had an exact counter-curse. I could try to break whatever magic held it together using some of the techniques Dumbledore had shown me but I had no idea how long it would take and it would definitely leave me open to an attack. I didn't bother trying, I was already suspicious as to where Harry was. He'd been the one to suggest dividing the Death Eaters one by one so I could pick them off so I would have suspected he would have been ready to step in and help Fleur. Either that or this was meant to be a proof of concept. I knew Harry was out there, likely with the trophy but why, why had Fleur been here waiting without support?

I left the room wondering, it hadn't made sense. I came across a few disillusioned trip-wires but there was no real sign of Harry. There weren't even missing rooms hinting that Harry had set up a fidelius. After half an hour having checked every room in the house I was frustrated. I decided to go back to the master suite to see if Fleur knew anything. She was looking annoyingly smug when I returned. Still in the same spot.

" 'ow's it going?" she asked in a casual way. It was too casual, she'd knew exactly how it was going. Whether this was because I'd returned frustrated or because this was some part of their plan I wasn't sure.

"Poorly." I replied. I turned around looking around the suite again.

"Rose?" Fleur called.

"Yeah?" I asked as I went to check the draws of the dresser.

"Stupify." I paused, Fleur didn't have her wand? The hesitation was costly as the spell hit me and the world faded around me.

I was woken to the smug grin of the French witch. I almost growled.

"Feeling okay?" She asked. Harry laughed from her side.

"Where was the trophy?" I asked. "I checked the whole house." I might have sounded petty but I didn't care, I had lost again.

"I'd shrunk it and put it in Fleur's pocket." Explained Harry as he flicked his wand around the room repairing the damage and vanishing all the pink paint.

"So where were you?" I asked, confused.

"Under my cloak watching. I freed Fleur about thirty seconds after you left the room. We've been waiting for you to come back." Harry replied. I really wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. "Alright, me and Fleur defending, you against us. I didn't care about why he'd wasted so much time, I just wanted to win"

"Sure." Harry replied. He gave Fleur a quick kiss on the cheek on the way out as he headed towards the woods for the starting position.

"So, where do you want to 'ide zis?" Fleur asked as she removed the shrunken trophy and resized it. I took some time. To consider the best points to defend in the house.

"I'll put it by the bar." I replied. The lounge had large windows meaning I'd have a decent view of anything coming and it was open enough that hopefully there wouldn't be too many things that Harry could transfigure.

"What do you want me to do?" Fleur asked.

"Can you put up curtains along all the rooms, like just behind the doors and walls?" I checked. She nodded but looked puzzled. "Harry likes to transfigure a section of the wall to be transparent so he can scout it out. If we put something behind that then he can't see in."

"Ah, clever." Fleur praised before setting off to do just that.

When the five minutes were up I set off to the front door to send up the sparks and start the match. Fleur was disillusioned on the balcony outside their suite in case Harry tried to enter though that and to see if she could spot him on his way. She'd lightly shaken her head as if she thought it was silly but hadn't said anything. I agreed with her for the most part that it was unlikely but if she showed a presence there it might hide the trophy location and reveal Harry's location. I stood guard in the main hall. If he came through either the front of back doors he'd pass through here. The curtains covered everything but if they moved I could curse that spot for all I was worth. I listened for the crack of apparition but the only thing I heard was a muted pop which I took as Jeeves cleaning up anything Harry missed upstairs in the master suite.

Nothing happened for a while until I heard Fleur coming down the stairs. I turned wondering why she was here. She hadn't said anything nor was there any sense of urgency to her movements.

"Fleur?" I questioned.

"'Arry sent up sparks, 'e 'as won." She stated simply. There was no doubt in her voice, she was certain this wasn't a trick. I didn't even bother to check the bar.

Harry was outside, looking cold and bored with the trophy next to him.

"How?" I asked simply more than a little annoyed that he'd won so quickly.

"I asked Jeevesy to fetch it for me. Useful little blighters house elves are." Harry responded smugly.

"Fine. You win." I ground out.

"I like winning." He stated before looking to Fleur. "Have I won a prize?" She laughed making me wonder quite what they had spoken about while setting up the game.

"Maybe, but after you explain where she went wrong." Fleur replied with a smile.

"Alright, but inside, its bloody freezing." Harry responded taking Fleur's hand and with a crack apparated her away. I sighed at his laziness before concentrating on the lounge and twisting. With a crack I joined them. Jeevesy was handing out hot drinks and I couldn't help but think that was a great idea. "Right, were do you think you went wrong?" Harry asked after he had a fire roaring in the hearth and we were all seated with blankets and throws taking away and remnants of the cold weather.

"I didn't check Fleur's pockets." I answered knowing it wasn't the right answer.

"Don't be petty, well done though on beating her." Harry replied.

"I don't know." I confessed. "There's so much going on, so many possibilities and with magic, its stupid."

"Indeed it is. There were no rules about be burying the trophy or hiding it inside a wall. Without a way to track it you might never find it. Against a regular person, you could use legilimency to see if they know where it is but against me it's pointless. Fleur is learning but you could probably break into her mind." Harry supplied. I found it interesting he was teaching Fleur. That meant to me she was here to stay, he was giving her the power to keep secrets from her and he had to trust her word.

"So I couldn't win?" I asked.

"Obviously you could. I did." Harry answered contemptuously. Times like this reminded me as helpful as he could be, he was a dick.

"You had Jeeves do it for you." I protested.

"Why didn't you?" He threw back.

"I didn't think about it." I confessed. He gave me a look that indicated that answer was obvious and he expected better.

"Rose, you never used Homenum Revelio." Fleur reminded me softly as she put her drink down and her face turned serious. "I know that you want to fight but are you really ready?"

"Of course I'm not ready." I replied trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. "If I was ready this would all have been over already. I can't wait though, people are dying, good people. I'd rather have one deserving death on my conscience than hundreds of those that never deserved to die."

"But why does it 'ave to be you?" Fleur asked. "'Arry won't say, 'e tells me zat it is your zing to say. I understand 'e killed your parents but why does it 'ave to be you?" Despite the destress in her voice making me feel for her I was warmed by the fact she truly cared.

"Is her occlumency good enough?" I asked Harry.

"Even if it wasn't it would still be your secret and who'd think to ask her anyway?" Harry replied taking one of Fleur's hands and running this thumb along it.

"Right, before I was born a prophecy was made. It said someone born late July would have the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. This much Voldemort knows, its why he came after me and my family all those years ago. What he doesn't know is that he was meant to mark me as his equal and that I would have a power he knows not." I explained.

"Your scar, ze mark?" Fleur realised. I nodded in response. "So it 'as to be you. Fate and magic 'ave declared it so." I wasn't sure about that so but the end result was the same. It had to be me. "Zis is why 'Arry 'as been training you. I zhought zat it was just because of ze the tournament."

Harry shuffled a bit closer and put an arm around her pulling her close.

"It's not fair, but it's the way it is." Harry offered trying to comfort her.

"It's not fair at all." Fleur confirmed shrugging out of Harry's arm and walking to the bar and collecting yesterday's bottle of firewhiskey. She conjured three shot glasses and started to pour. "To fate being a bitch." She toasted. Hell, I'd drink to that. The burn didn't seem as bad this time but it did bring back a painful reminder that Mr Weasley would be buried tomorrow.

The rest of the day and evening was mainly spent practicing some easy enough spells. I knew that we would be going to Fleur's home soon and it was unlikely we could have more flat out combat related training. It might be considered a tad rude. It would be more about practicing trickery, about finding ways to utilise common spells and practicing them ready to apply them in a combat situation. Harry also spent some time revising my mind arts. Sitting down chatting away as we through little legilimency probes at each other. He also had be run through a spell recognition test. Confronting the Faceless had several chapters dedicated to counter-curses but they were only useful if you knew what was coming at you. Compulsions and confounding also came out but were thankfully neutralised. For dinner we had a Chinese take-away something glorious and oh so different from the cuisine served at Hogwarts. We spent the evening quietly reading. Fleur curled into Harry's side was reading some fiction novel while he seemed to be engaged with a text on transfiguration theory that I'm sure would have gone right over my head. I was doing some of the required reading in an attempt to get as much of my homework done as I could before we left for France.

The morning of the funeral I was awake early having struggled to get to sleep. At some point I just gave up and had started on my homework. Thankfully due to my improved grades in class the teachers hadn't felt the need to saddle me with a great deal. Jeevesy delivered breakfast to my room when I didn't come down. The little elf stayed as he began to pack a bag for me for the next few days allowing me to push on. Transfiguration was the only subject I had left by the time a sombre Harry knocked on my door and informed me it was time. I quickly changed into the black robes that Jeevesy had laid out earlier before joining Harry and Fleur in the lounge. Having not really known Mr Weasley the were only coming to get me there but they'd still chosen mourning clothes since I'd have no way to tell them when I was finished which required them to stick around. While I was capable of apparating myself it was best to avoid questions and if I arrived without an escort of any kind then the Order might get twitchy and I'd miss out on Christmas with Fleur's family.

We arrived near the Burrow where we were meeting before making our way to the Weasley funeral plot. Even on the walk up to the crooked house I could feel an oppressive sadness, the house itself seemed to be drooping slightly and I would be surprised if inside there was any more energy. I led Harry and Fleur up to the kitchen door that functioned as the main way in and out of the house. Mrs Weasley answered the door, she looked pale and tired. Her normally jolly face seemingly broken, something within her shattered. She was happy to see me but even the greeting was hollow, we could all feel something was missing.

Harry and Fleur lingered around the edge while I made my way around the family members I knew. Ron was sad but there were tones of anger in him, he wanted to lash out, to get revenge but Hermione was at his side. Even Fred and George were serious, Mr Weasley had always tolerated their jokes better than their mother and they were respecting that this was neither the time nor the place for their antics.

Bill was standing strong trying to be a pillar his family could lean against but I could tell he was as shaken as the rest of them. Charlie was tired and not just from the late-night portkey he'd taken to return to England. Percy who last I had heard wasn't on speaking terms with the rest of the family was crying in the corner with Ginny next to him trying to provide support. The rest of the people I didn't know, they were family to the Weasley's but not immediate so I'd never met them. As I was floundering, unsure of the proper thing to do at a funeral Mrs Weasley announced it time to move to the funeral plot. A long rope was outside ready to act as a portkey. Harry and Fleur were either side of me as I took it and were able to keep me steady when we landed. They hung back as those who had been close to Arthur moved towards the location of the grave.

The next half hour or so was a moving tribute to a kind man's life. The Weasley's stuck together as a family and I was sure that together they would adapt and cope, maybe not soon but eventually. I didn't stay long, it felt wrong being there. Mrs Weasley's hug didn't even bruise my ribs, if ever you needed an indicator that something was wrong it was that. We apparated back to the Retreat and had a round of drinks before Fleur produced her international portkey.

International Portkeys I decided, are comparable to Voldemort with regards to how evil they are. I was doubled over on the floor for ages. The world had been spinning so long I still wasn't sure when the portkey ended but all I knew was this was a horrible way to die.

"She's being pathetic." Harry commented from above me.

"I'm dying." I replied from my spot on the ground as the world started to feel solid and stationary.

"I will apparate her the rest of the way." Fleur stated. "You 'ave the co-ordinates, yes?" I didn't hear Harry's response as I felt myself pulled to my feet followed by a horrible yet familiar squeezing feel. We appeared outside a pleasant looking farm house. This had to be Fleur's home, otherwise she'd abducted me and was about to sell me out to Voldemort. I was hoping for Fleur's home. I really hated magical transport, Floo, portkey and even apparition do not agree with me. Fleur supported me until my stomach stopped complaining and I could stand up straight. Harry had arrived while I was getting my bearings back and together we headed towards the house. Fleur was almost skipping with excitement by the time she reached the door.

"Do you speak French?" I whispered to Harry suddenly concerned, I'd allowed myself to ride Fleur's infectious wave of happiness with regards to coming here and now facing it I'd realised a problem.

"Some, you can't be in a relationship with a French girl for as long as I have without them trying to teach you a bit. I knew a bit before anyway." Harry replied, he smiled in what I assumed was meant to be a reassuring way. He wasn't as dismissive as he would have been if he'd expected me to speak French so I relaxed.

Fleur's family seemed as happy to see her as she was to see them. The inside of the house was full of Christmas spirt, I knew from primary school that the French did Christmas slightly differently, something about shoes outside on Christmas eve but I didn't really care. I was here to relax, decompress and enjoy myself. To be away from what was going on over the Channel and ignore the wider world for a bit. I hadn't been in the house long when a small blonde missile impacted my side, it seemed Fleur's sister was ecstatic to have me here and was happily babbling away in French. Looking around for someone to save me I saw Harry smirking at me. He wasn't smirking long as Fleur had finished hugging her parents and was now attempting to introduce Harry to them meaning he was on his best behaviour. Smug, charming git. He hadn't been lying when he'd told me he could be charming when it benefited him. Apparently, I just was never worth the effort.

The next few days were a haze of warmth, it was like the Burrow but without having to worry about what Fred and George had done to the food. At times I felt a bit uncomfortable about my lack of French but Fleur's parents were both fluent in English and little Gabrielle was trying her best. For the most part however it was the sort of family bliss I could only hope to achieve one day. This sort of thing was the reason I had to fight, everyone deserved the right to this, to be a happy family. The Delacours never hurt anyone but I knew that some people would despise them simply because of the Veela traits in their blood. It wasn't fair, I knew that life wasn't but isn't it our duty as living beings to try and make it more fair? Forever working towards an unachievable aim that might be as depressing and as soul destroying as merely accepting it. Then again, isn't that what fuelled Grindelwald? He thought he was doing his best to help people. He was going about it all wrong but some would argue him goals were noble. No people deserved freedom, freedom to be themselves. There shouldn't be any government trying to classify them or anything else, so long as they aren't causing other people trouble they should be left alone, to live how they wanted to live.

By the time we returned to England I was well rested and ready to work hard. Harry had been welcomed into their family as had I. They had certainly approved of Harry although I had seen Fleur looked amused at times when Harry's forced politeness overpowered his natural personality. The Oaken Retreat was home I decided, I knew that Harry still owned the flat and I could go there if I ever needed a getaway but somehow coming back to the Retreat felt right.

The next morning I was meant to begin my training but our breakfast was interrupted by two letters. They carried the same news but one was from Dumbledore, the other from Neville. Azkaban had been breached, the most loyal of the Death Eaters were free. According to Dumbledore, Snape had agreed to the plan and had informed Voldemort of the growing rift between myself and Dumbledore over the death of Mr Weasley and Dumbledore's worries I'd go after the prophecy. In response Voldemort had broken out his most loyal minions in preparation of seizing the prophecy when I went after it. Neville's letter contained a copy of the news article and he'd circled the names of some of the escaped. The LeStranges were free, the ones who had tortured Neville's parents into insanity. His letter was a request, he was almost begging to have more Defence training when we returned to school so he could get his revenge. I couldn't deny him, not when what was I doing if not training to get my revenge on the man who killed my parents? Then again, if the plan worked then maybe he'd never have to worry and kind, gentle Neville could stay in his greenhouses and not have to worry about fighting against evil.

"Well this makes things more difficult." Harry observed neutrally.

"I'm still going through with it." I replied shortly.

"I don't like it but the sooner it happens the better. The less time people like Bellatrix have to recover the better your chances." Harry commented.

After that we moved outside. Fleur came too and set about using a series of charms to make the area outside much more hospitable and remove the December chill from the air. Harry too was casting some spells that I didn't recognise. After a few minutes they were both ready. Fleur conjured herself a chair and a blanket to watch from while Harry stood facing me with his wand out.

"Are you certain?" He called. I nodded and he immediately cast a spell at me. Strangely it didn't seem well aimed and with minimal difficultly I let it pass by my side and cast a series of jinxes. He swatted them away easily and managed to squeeze out a window in which he replied but that spell was slightly wide on my other side. That should have given the game away but I was caught up in the moment and pressed the advantage I thought I had. I let loose a blast of water, something hard to simply shield, else I could have it swirl around him till he was trapped. He retaliated with sharp flicks, first freezing the water before blasting the ice fragments at me. Putting up a shield to protect me from the icicles I missed a step when he transfigured some of the icicles to snow which impacted my shield and stuck, I had to hold the shield as I could still hear icicles impacting on it but I'd lost all visibility. Before I could apparate or cast any other spells I felt something grab my legs. Roots from the ground were winding around my ankles while golems of snow seemed to be marching at me from behind. The air thickened as Harry cast an anti-apparition jinx preventing me from escaping. A couple of cutting hexes later and I was free but the snow golems were onto me. It was then that I realised that Harry hadn't missed, he hadn't been aiming at me at all. If I turned to face them I'd lose sight of Harry but I couldn't ignore his transfiguration. Employing one of Dumbledore's tricks I cast an incendio focusing on a righteous fury, defensive but heated. The flames bent to my will and whirled around me instead of pouring forwards. They continued to spiral outwards forcing Harry and his golems back but it did leave me open to Harry's hexes. I had to cancel the flames to deflect the spells which allowed his golems to advance again. I used the moment he reanimated them to send a stunning spell at him but he countered it before it was even close. Feeling trapped I send a jet of fire at Harry before heading towards one of his creations and blasting it with fire. Having been blinded by the fire I sent at him he couldn't stop me destroying the first golem. The second marched towards me ignoring the fate of its twin. I blasted it apart too but knew Harry hadn't been idle. Over the distance I'd put between us normal spells were too easy to deal with, instead he'd used the time to transfigure all of the loose stones in the garden into little stone spearman. He was rapidly casting spells over them, I suspected unbreakable enchantments and the like meaning they'd be hard to destroy. I wasn't close to his equal in transfiguration and I'd never manage to create my own force so I'd have to go on the offence before he could have them finished.

Marching towards him I began casting blasting curses, casting while moving was highly inaccurate but big explosions never needed to be precise. He rapidly transfigured a picnic table left from the days when the Retreat was an inn. It became metallic and was flung in between him and my curses deflecting them away from his creations and buying him more time. I sent another jet of water at him and his creations, he couldn't freeze it without trapping his soldiers.

Harry banished his makeshift shield at me which divided the flow of the water around it forcing me to abandon that plan before the former picnic table collided with me. Diving out of the way was frustrating but necessary, unfortunately it took me time to get back to my feet by which time a phalanx of spearman was marching at me. Harry supplemented them by unleashing a torrent of jinxes, some of which I recognised, some I didn't. Either way I was forced to defend all while his transfigured minions got closer and closer. I couldn't apparate away and I couldn't drop my shield. Either his arm would start to ache and I would have a chance or I would have to try something drastic. I dropped my shield and tried to levitate his minions into the path of the spells only to feel something resisting my magic. It took too long and soon my legs were locked together and I was fighting a constant tickling sensation. I was able to throw off the spells but found myself surrounded by the point ends of multiple shields. Harry had also moved closer meaning I would have less time to react if he stated to curse me again.

"Yield?" He asked.

"Fine." I conceded not seeing a way out of this.

"Jeevesy, some water please." Harry called as we headed back to where Fleur was seated. Harry conjured a pair of chairs for each other while we drank. "Comments?" He asked Fleur.

"You gave 'im too much time." She told me. "Transfiguration is powerful but slow. You need to close the distance and force him to act."

I nodded in acceptance. I agreed with that assessment. Harry had trained under Dumbledore himself for years, privately tutored in transfiguration. It was, other than the mind arts his strongest area.

"Your defence is poor." Harry commented.

"Pardon?" I asked making sure I'd heard correctly, my defence had been good, until I deliberately let the shield collapse I hadn't let a spell hit me.

"You didn't stop my first spells, you ignored them and it nearly cost you. Then you resorted to a wide shield which you needed to hold meaning you couldn't do anything else. I needed time and you gave it to me." Harry explained.

"But what else could I do?" I asked slightly annoyed, you kept throwing hexes at me. "I couldn't let any of them hit me and I can't swat them away as fast as you can cast them not to mention you can't counter things you don't recognise."

"You were behind in tempo early and that trick with the fire slowed everything down. Extra distance means more time which I made better use off. You were too content to defend when sometimes a counter attack that's more threatening can force an attack to hesitate. We cast small spells like leg lockers and tickling charms because they're fast and simple. Almost anyone can do them non-verbally and while they don't end a fight by themselves if they do hit they give you a window to end the fight, that being said, if you cast something huge like an unforgivable then you force a reaction and buy time to undo the small jinxes."

"I was told that unforgivable are too slow to cast, I think you've told me that before. Anyway I couldn't cast one at you." I protested.

"You just needed a spell to throw at me that was more dangerous to me that what I was doing to you. Something I had to deal with. Shielding everything meant that we were locked together while my transfigurations got closer and closer." Harry reasoned.

"How was I meant to deal with them anyway?" I asked. "After the anti-apparition jinx went up its not like I could just run them about."

"Don't let 'im create them. If you do 'e already 'as the advantage." Fleur interjected.

"There is another trick, a difficult and rare one that can help." Harry provided. "When you animate something, you must control it, to focus on its actions. Can you think of something that forces focus elsewhere?"

"Legilimency?" I realised.

"Indeed, you can sever the connection between the creation and its master by forcing them to respond. If they ignore or don't recognise your attack then you can simply inject feelings into their mind, make them weak and distracted. Anyone who has met a dementor when reminded of them automatically thinks of what they have been forced to remember. Anyone who can't throw you out, which is most of the population is also weak to compulsions and confounding. Those who can defend are forced to sever the connection to keep you out of their head." Harry explained.

"But what is to stop them cursing me while I try?" I asked.

"Nothing, its why you're constantly breaking their focus, if they can't focus their intent then their spells will fail."

"So legilimency wins duels by itself?" I checked.

"Why do you think Tom is so very good?" Harry asked. I could accept that. If all I could feel was despair and hatred, being forced to relieve my worst memories then I'd struggle to cast anything. It was the reason the patronus charm was so hard. Some people never understood it was much, much harder to produce in front of a dementor. Almost anyone with proper instruction could cast a decent patronus but only those with good enough focus and emotional control could cast a corporeal patronus when it really mattered. Heck I could get the DA casting a patronus in a few sessions but only a few would be able to use it against a dementor. Knowing you could helped a lot but you needed to be able to supress the effects of a dementor long enough to summon the happiness within you to fuel the spell.

"I used it against Smith," I remembered, "in my demonstration duel, I used it passively to know his opening move."

"Indeed, probably the quickest and safest usage. Be very careful though about what feelings you project towards Dark witches and wizards." Harry warned.

"Why, if I break their focus then they still can't cast anything? Feelings shaped intent Dumbledore says." I questioned.

"Do you know what makes something Dark magic?" Harry asked, his face serious. I was about to answer but then realised saying it was evil was the sort of incomplete Gryffindor answer. Reluctantly I shook my head admitting I didn't know the full details.

"Fleur, textbook definition please."

"It iz magic zat corrupts." Fleur answered succinctly.

"Indeed, it's about that corruption idea. Now it's an incomplete definition. One made by rich purebloods to explain away their heir's poor behaviour. Some curses, the unforgivables especially require a certain state of mind. You have to really want it, like my own curse you have to desire the effects. Now think of the type of person that wants that, either they're in a moment of extreme emotional weakness, for example a spouse catching his partner cheating might allow the casting of an unforgivable despite them normally being a mild and pleasant person. Or, or they can be a disturbed individual. Power corrupts and no spells give you a bigger rush of power than the unforgivable, that moment when you realise you hold complete power over another, whether they live or die, with the imperious you can gain complete control over them. It's dark magic if it requires a darkness within your soul to cast. A person corrupted by power or events. Some rich purebloods in charge of making the laws declared it the magic itself which does the corrupting but no, it's a requirement to cast the spells. That way their heir was fine and normal but was seduced by dark magic rather than being a cruel and evil little brat who wasn't brought up properly." Harry explained.

"Fleur, you up for a round?" asked, moving away from our tangent into magical theory.

"Sure, I owe you for ze round in ze bedroom." Fleur responded haughtily as she stood and flicked her long hair over her shoulder.

Facing Fleur was going to be different to Harry, less transfiguration, more charms based. Both of them liked an indirect way of attacking rather than just cursing me to the face.

"Begin!" Harry called from the middle.

"Legilimens." I hissed thrusting my wand forwards. Fleur was learning the mind arts in her spare time, she hadn't spent five hours a day on it like I had. I was the better at this. Immediately she attempted to focus on something, she ended up focusing on the Retreat. I used this, I pushed the feelings resentment and a lack of belonging, all the feelings I associated with the Dursley's towards her mind. This was magic, this was far more complicated than waving a stick around and saying a few words. As I suspected her filtering let her down and she shot to her feelings to Harry, I latched on and pushed the idea of family forwards. She couldn't stop herself as it formed the idea of a family with Harry and there, she thought of Gabrielle. I seized that thought. I made Fleur remember the second task, that sense of failure wondering if she'd ever get her sister back. I could feel Fleur's panic, her pain and her sadness. I cancelled my spell and unleashed a series of hexes. Fleur's focus was gone, she was slow to react and immediately forced to defend. Still she was a strong witch. She was resolute and now extra motivated. There was nothing nearby that I could use to shake her like I had in the bedroom, I would either have to overwhelm her or transfigure something. I'd eased off while I thought, casting school corridor jinxes that didn't require any thought or attention to cast. I'd relented enough that she had dropped her shield and was now retaliating as she combined the motions of swatting away my spells with slashing back in my direction with minor cutting curses in a way I knew Harry favoured. This is what they'd meant by my poor defence I realised, I never combined defence and offence I was far more binary. Either way I had cutting curses headed at me. I quickly summoned Harry's shield from our earlier duel to intercept the spells before banishing at Fleur. I ducked underneath it and sent a series of tripping jinxes under her eye line which was now full of the transfigured picnic table. A complicated wand motion from Fleur had the table fold in on itself as it became a metallic swan and flew up and over her. She failed to see the tripping jinxes however and stumbled, falling to the ground. I closed the distance and forced the issue bombarding her and forcing a strong but static shield. This is countered by flooding with a huge jet of water. Forcing her to turn her shield into a bubble. I focused my will and using no real spell I began to get the water to float and circle her, trapping her within. I was feeling smug, it was the second time in a row I'd beaten the best Beauxbatons had to offer. The red light shot from the water therefore caught me completely by surprise. I just had enough time to groan as I lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

I wasn't stunned long, all of the water that I'd conjured had lost what was holding it together and consequently it crashed to the ground and went everywhere. Cold water it turns out is almost as good as enervate at waking people.

"How?" I coughed out when Fleur came to check I was alright.

"I used ze bubble-'ead charm but I made it bigger, it was all around me. I zen stuck my wand out and cast at where I zought you were. I was lucky it 'it you." Fleur explained. I nodded in acceptance.

"What have you learnt?" Harry asked as we made it over to him and he gave us a quick look before gesturing us inside despite the charms Fleur and Harry had put up to make the outside more pleasant I was now cold and damp and wanted a hot bath to ease into.

"Fleur doesn't know when to give in." I grumbled. The French witch gave me a dazzling smile and looked pleased with herself.

"You haven't won until it's over." Harry corrected me. "She was losing and desperate. She might have been lucky but you could have been dead. When you have the advantage you end the fight." His tone was serious enough to remind me of what I was training for and the last of the adrenaline that had kept me excited and happy drained out of my system and I remembered how far I had to go in only a week and a half or so.

"I'm not even close to ready, am I?" I asked, my voice quiet as the enormity of what I was trying to do washed over me.

"As I've said before, killing a man is scarily easy. Living with it is harder. You only have to focus on the easy part first. What you've done with this plan however is make it harder. Tom is hard to kill because he's never out and about, never alone ready for you to pick off. He also has insanely good reactions and is paranoid when he isn't being massively overconfident. Your plan could work fine, you could get a cheap shot out from under your cloak when he's monologuing and it's all over. That being said, you could have to fight your way through Death Eaters to even have that shot. I don't like this plan because of the number of unknowns. There is too much possible variance and you can't control it. Anything that requires luck means you haven't prepared enough. You're already far better than the average adult but you're not going up against an average person, you're going against the best."

I understood his reservations. Heck I didn't think it was a great plan, I just couldn't think of a better one. I think that was the opinion of all the adults involved too. I doubted Dumbledore wanted something as dangerous as this but it was a chance to end this before it really began.

"I'm going to go have a bath and feel sorry for myself for a bit." I informed him. To think, six months ago, even admitting something like that would have never happened but Harry and Fleur were my own little family as new and fragile as it was, there was something about it that let me relax. Here I could be snarky and sarcastic when I wanted to be and I didn't have to fear anything but a sharper wit. Here I could be open with how I felt in a way I'd never before let myself, if I thought about how this year would have been without Harry and Fleur, it would have been awful I decided as I settled into the bath Jeevesy had prepared for me. If it wasn't for them I'd have been an emotional mess over Cedric, I'd still have the horcrux in my head making me feel like crap. I'd be more short tempered and righteous, I'd have resisted Umbridge completely. While the DA might still have happened, my detentions would have been real and I wouldn't be learning from Dumbledore. I might have been closer to Ron and Hermione than I had been recently but I'd be harder to deal with in general. Thoughts for another time I decided as I tried to relax and think about how not to be bested by Harry or Fleur next time.

I emerged from the bath in time for a late lunch before Harry set me a task. He reminded me of the disillusioned tripwires I'd fallen over in our manhunt game. His challenge was to work out a way of animating the cable so it would set itself up. If I could have it prepared in advance then if I needed to separate and slow down the Death Eaters having things like this prepared in advance would be extremely useful. I started with a length of cable, sticking charms on each end seemed like a good starting point. It would take too long to manually stick it so it had to be animated somehow. Making fruit dance on command was first year, trying to explain to a piece of string what the difference between the wall and the floor was something completely different. In the end I compromised, I had a small packet that when activated banished out the cable from both ends and they stuck to whatever they hit. It wasn't great enchanting but object enchantment was NEWT level so I was happy with this. It wasn't quite dropping it and leaving it to do the rest but this would take seconds. I also could disillusion the cable beforehand. Fleur helped me refine it a bit so it activated on a pull cord which was the only visible thing. When I removed that the whole thing was almost invisible. I spent the evening duplicating it before carefully placing them all in a bag. Hopefully they would never be needed but it was better to be prepared than to need them and not have them.

Fleur had to return to work the next day. I felt like I was intruding slightly as I watched Harry wish her goodbye but it did free Harry up for the rest of the day. We spent a lot of time working on my legilimency, working on the speed I could send something that would distract my opponent if they weren't prepared. Harry worked on this while sending occasional stinging hexes in an attempt to get me to split my focus. I could see the advantage, if someone was completely focused on what was going on in their own head then they were vulnerable in the real world. Regrettably I wasn't at that level yet. I lacked the years of experience in the casual use of the mind arts that Harry had. I could filter constantly and when used my occlumency was strong but I couldn't do that and focus on casting spells at the same time. The only thing I had going for me in defending against it was legilimency was a connection and it wasn't entirely one way. I could therefore get some warning before he attacked.

In the afternoon, Harry produced his pensive and we tried a couple of memory transfers. The spells I picked up were big ugly things for use only under extreme circumstances. One was almost stupidly excessive. It was called the Light of the Morningstar, it was meant to be a beam of pure light that purged all darkness from the world. It set fire to anything it deemed tainted by darkness. The downside was it was so bloody bright it blinded the person casting it and everyone else. A last resort spell used when one was desperate or a complete idiot. The other was a multi-person stunning spell but it required all of the targets to be very close. It was a useful spell no doubt but it was very situational. It also didn't stun for long at all.

Fleur arrived back tired from her long day and I disappeared off into my room so Harry could do whatever he felt the need to do to make Fleur feel better. While it was likely completely innocent I still felt uncomfortable at times watching them interact. I spent the time before dinner just working through a bit more of Confronting the Faceless. I also re-read a chunk of the text book Moody had set in forth year. While we often worked without it, the book itself was good although it didn't seem to respect the nuances of the Dark Arts in the same way Confronting the Faceless did.

After dinner we were all gathered in the lounge, wizarding chess I discovered is a very different game when someone is constantly trying to rip you plans from your mind. Harry cheated was all I really learnt from the experience before refusing to play again. Fleur's amused laughter didn't make me sulk any less. After that we sat talking about my transfiguration homework. Fleur's feet were in Harry's lap as he absently massaged them while he spoke about why switching spells could be used on magical substances while they could not be conjured. I was scribbling down as much of his knowledge as I could, I'd go back and rewrite it later but it wasn't often you got access to Dumbledore's former apprentice for your homework. It might not be a citeable source but it was far more understandable than the textbook Hermione had recommended. A small part of me wondered if she had used a better one and was still being petty about me regularly beating her in practicals this year.

Fleur wasn't an expert on Transfiguration in the same way she was for charms but she had still got the equivalent of an O on her equivalent of NEWTs, she just wasn't a prodigy. She was however more than willing to talk about the overlap between charms and transfiguration. Turning wine to vinegar was a charm based around aging but it could also be achieved as a transfiguration provided you were skilled enough. Vanishing was also called a charm yet taught in transfiguration and her insight might get me a few more points in the theory side of the OWL. I became depressed when I realised that as useful has her knowledge was it could only be applied if I lived that long enough to sit the exams and for me that wasn't a given.

The next morning after Fleur left for work I asked Harry to conjure some targets and I worked through a few of Kingsley's exercises. Harry thought they were a tad simplistic so animated the lot of them and had then changing colours depending on if it represented friend of foe meaning I couldn't just curse everything I had to evaluate what I was cursing. Harry didn't want to duel without Fleur there in case something went wrong, so this was the best I was going to get unless I could convince Harry to have a guest over. Dumbledore might come for a day and if he duelled Harry that would be an interesting duel, I'd ask Harry about it later and have Jeevesy take the letter. Fleur might moan about missing it but I'd leave her a copy of the memory so she could watch in Harry's pensive.

I knew I only had four days left before I returned to Hogwarts so I wanted to make the most of Harry who was a resource I wouldn't have access to while I was at Hogwarts. In the afternoon I pestered him enough that he let me view a copy of his memory of his duel against Voldemort in his world. I watched it alone as Harry claimed he needed to tend to some of his potions.

Fleur agreed with me that Harry should ask Dumbledore to come over for a day, with the two of us asking he relented and allowed me to send Jeevesy out with an invitation. Dumbledore quickly accepted claiming he could do with a work out. I'd promised Fleur memories of everything that happened but I could tell she was reluctant to leave the next morning. It wasn't even concern for Harry, she had faith in him but even in France Albus Dumbledore was a legend of a man. The chance to see him in action was a rare and special event.

Standing outside the Retreat I could feel I was on the edge of something special. There was and energy in the air as if magic itself was watching in anticipation.

"Which wand are you using today Albus?" Harry called.

"Forgive an old man his crutch to lean upon." Dumbledore replied gently and yet his voice carried across the distance easily. I wasn't sure quite what they were talking about but they understood each other. Harry sighed and rolled his shoulders slightly checking his freedom of movement.

"You know, I haven't practiced with you since I was in fifth year myself. I owe a version of you for pulling me away from my world though." Harry commented.

"I would remind you that while he and I are the same we are also difference but I feel it would do me little good. Rose, my dear, I believe we are ready." Dumbledore responded before bowing to Harry who bowed in return. There was a moment when everything went silent, I could have sworn all of the wildlife had gone quiet to watch this.

"Begin." I called and stepped back to get a more complete view.

At first neither moved before with a crack Harry apparated he appeared behind Dumbledore non wand arm. Dumbledore with no sense of urgency what so ever lazily twirled and apparated away moments before a yellow curse sailed by. He reappeared where Harry had originally stood and sent out a curse which seemed to blow all of the grass around it away with its power. Harry thrust his wand towards the ground and some of the turf rose up and collided with the spell. As the remnants went into the air Harry transfigured them into snakes but with a wave of Dumbledore's wand and a sigh they became butterflies and dispersed. Dumbledore began to stroll towards Harry lazily as he whirled his wand above his head producing a huge flame whip which he snapped towards Harry. Harry conjured some sort of shield over his non-wand arm which he used to deflect the whip before swinging his wand like a club towards Dumbledore who apparated away before Harry's spell impacted the ground with a large 'boom' sending more dirt everywhere. Harry instantly apparated to where Dumbledore stood at the beginning of the duel as Dumbledore reappeared on the roof of the Retreat.

"You can't use my home as a defence Albus, that's just not right. How would you feel if I started tearing Hogwarts apart?" Harry shouted up to the man on the roof.

"I understand. Perhaps I was getting carried away." Dumbledore replied. With a crack, noticeably more muted and subtle than Harry's Dumbledore apparated to where Harry had stood in the beginning. "It seems our positions have been reversed."

"The student is now the master?" Harry asked as he waved his wand around conjured a huge gorilla which began to charge Dumbledore who with a casual flick transfigured it into a small chimp wearing a muggle suit who then wandered over to sit near where I was standing. In the meantime, Harry had cast a spell that had sent out a wave of smoke hiding his movements. Dumbledore swept his wand out and a gust of wind blew away the smoke, Harry had somehow vanished, not that it concerned the headmaster who walked casually towards the centre of our outdoors space. He began to wave his wand in small circles and had shut his eyes, I wasn't sure what he was doing but it seemed to work as he wheeled around just in time to deflect a yellow curse aimed at his back. The impact seemed to cause him to stagger slightly before Harry sent a set of conjured chains at Dumbledore who raised his wand ready to transfigure them.

"Legilimens." Harry cried out as he thrust his wand forwards. I could tell the headmaster was beginning to throw him out but it was a tad slow and a he hadn't left himself time to deal with the chains properly. They impacted hard against his side where he had tried to step out of the way. Harry had animated them as they tried to crawl their way around the headmaster but he transfigured them into curtains which covered him before falling to the ground as Dumbledore vanished. Harry used the time to summon all of the pebbles in the garden and have them orbit him as he stayed alert. Dumbledore gave away his position when he send out what seemed to be a bolt of lightning. Harry seemed to catch it on the end of his wand and absorb it until it launched itself into the ground singing the grass just in front of him. Harry's retaliation was immediate, every single stone launched itself at Dumbledore who seemed to be wheezing slightly. Somehow despite the blow to his side Dumbledore threw up a shield which seemed to turn the pebbles to dust as they passed through. The dust whirled around before launching itself back at Harry as a large cloud. A swipe of Harry's wand blew aside the dust only to reveal a curse following it up which Harry didn't have time to deal which. I could see him flinch just before he was transformed into a koala.

"I do believe I have won." Dumbledore declared. "That was quite fun now wasn't it." The headmaster send a bolt of light towards koala Harry who was untransfigured into a dishevelled heap. He looked less than impressed with the result.

It was a clear reminder that I was outclassed. They were on another level to me. Picking himself up from the ground Harry made his way over and we all headed inside. Harry heading straight behind the bar in the lounge and pulling out some firewhiskey.

"Anyone else indulging?" He asked but the headmaster declined and I didn't want to drink in front of Dumbledore. It didn't stop Harry pouring himself a measure which he quickly drank.

"Well, was that sufficiently educational?" The headmaster asked and all I could do was nod.

"Rose, you have your own pensive, show him your practice with Fleur and me." Harry instructed.

I nodded in acceptance as he left to do something. Being a version of me it was probably go shout at something or otherwise vent any frustration. I called Jeevesy to collect my pensive and I deposited the relevant memories. Dumbledore followed me down as we descended into the bowl. He said little as we watched the memories play out but I could see him smile at points. I was getting nervous as he said so little.

We emerged from the pensive with Dumbledore still quiet. I had to fight the urge to twitch slightly. I watched as Dumbledore slowly unwrapped a small sweet and popped it into his mouth.

"Ah the best things really do come in small packages." Dumbledore observed.

"Sir?" I asked.

"Oh yes, Rose my dear, I would assume you want some guidance based on what I just witnessed?"

I nodded. Sometimes the man did tend to just bumble around instead of getting to the point and it could be irritating. Luckily for him he was probably the most powerful and skilled wizard in the world so nobody ever called him out for it. Harry might but that was different, in Harry's world they were friends.

"Well, in my opinion, and if I do say so myself people tend to put great stock in my opinion, you are well above where you would be expected to be for someone your age." Dumbledore commented.

I felt like punching a wall. That wasn't helpful in the slightest and so I kept quiet hoping that he'd take that as an invitation to keep talking.

"You seem unimpressed with my observation." Dumbledore noted. "It is a pity but for all my years I have never discovered the secret to becoming a great duellist overnight. From what I saw you did well, you made some mistakes but you are far ahead of your peers. There is no substitute for experience I'm afraid. If I may be so bold as to suggest one thing, it is that you believe. An oft forgotten aspect of magic is belief. Compare your friends Miss Granger and Mr Longbottom. Both talented young students but which has more belief in themselves? Without belief, your intent falters. Belief powers magic, what is confidence if it is not belief in one's self. I cannot convince you that your plan will work nor should you pretend to believe that nothing could go wrong but you cannot succeed if you do not believe." Dumbledore cautioned.

I nodded in reluctant acceptance. While deep down I should have known better than to have hoped for some miraculous insight that makes everything easy when Dumbledore is involved there is an expectation that things will be special.

"You're still not happy." Dumbledore ventured. "Perhaps I can give you some information that may help but I fear we do not have the time for you to truly comprehend its importance. My dear where do spells come from?"

"People create them." I responded.

"Are spells created or discovered?" Dumbledore pushed.

"Invented." I answered, thinking back to theory lessons we'd had in class.

"Do you consider inventing the same as creation?" Dumbledore asked.

"I guess." I replied hesitantly as I wondered where this was going.

"Do you create new magic with a new spell or do you merely find a new way to shape what already existed, to use magic in a way not done before?"

"Magic has been around longer than spells."

"Indeed. Where do the incantations come from, why does magic listen to those words and act in the way we wish?" My lack of understanding must have been clear on my face for the Headmaster continued. "The words are often an offshoot of the language of the time. They mean something to creator of the spell, something that wouldn't come up in normal speech but it meant something to them. They believed in the power of those words and magic complied."

"But then where do mistakes come from? I still remember Flitwick warning us about pronunciation." I asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"I do believe Filius has made that up. How else would the French or anyone else with a strong accent have access to the same spells we do?"

"But then why?" I floundered.

"If you have to believe in magic for it to work then you need a reason to believe. If you have no doubt then you will be fine. Filius gives you a reason to believe, if you are sufficiently precise then you will succeed. Anyone who doubts has a clear reason, their wand motions and incantations are wrong, if they improve those then they believe will get it right."

"So incantations and wand motions are a lie?" I asked stunned as my whole view on magic changes.

"They aren't a lie, they have power if you give it to them. If you believe, if you practice with them and know they will succeed then they will not fail you."

"So why do advanced curses have such complicated motions?" I asked.

"Do you not think that it is only fitting that a complicated spell should have a complicated requirement. Remember, if you doubt then you are weaker, surely if you felt cheated by such a simple requirement you might doubt the spell?" Dumbledore replied with an amused smile.

I thought about Harry's custom curse. A deadly curse with a deliberately short and simple wand motion and incantation.

"Does this mean now I know this I don't need the motions or words?" I questioned.

"I do not believe so. You have proof that following the laid out steps brings results. Changing it leads to potential doubt but alas that is not what I am trying to teach you, it is merely a requirement for something far more practical."

Dumbledore talking about something practical made me sit right up and pay attention. He was a master of the esoteric which in and of itself often deviated from the practical.

"Rose what does incendio mean to you?"

"It's a fire spell." I replied. "It can be influenced by emotion to make it burn hotter and more viciously. Feeling of protection can make it act as a shield against some things."

"You're close to accepting what I am about to tell you." Dumbledore commented. "What are the limits of the spell?"

"I don't understand the question."

"What limitations does the spell have, you can use it for lighting fires, for sending jets of flames at your enemies, for burning things but what can't you use it for?"

I stopped to think. It was the simplest fire spell. It could be used for anything involving fire. Surely its limits stopped there?

"It can't do anything fire can't?" I checked.

"Perhaps." Dumbledore replied with a smile and his eyes twinkled with joy. "Why can you use fire to protect you when you channel certain feelings into it?"

I wanted to remark that it was because he had told me it could but I held my tongue and tried to analyse Dumbledore's lesson. He had a tendency to teach in a manner that gave you small pieces and it was piecing them together that gave insight and knowledge.

"Because those emotions shape your intent and give you a reason to believe that the magic will act like that?" I ventured.

"Precisely. The only limits on the spells you already know are those that you yourself impose upon them. An incantation means something to each of us. If you believe that you can find meaning in a spell, if you believe that it will do what you ask of it then you can use known spells to achieve great things." Dumbledore replied looking pleased. I think I understood what he meant by there not being time for me to truly grasp all of the implications of what this meant.

"Why doesn't everyone know this?" I asked quietly.

"They simply do not need to." Dumbledore sighed. "Magic to most is a tool, to one who studies its mysteries it is so much more. What you learn at Hogwarts, the curriculum taught allows you to go out into the Wizarding world and be a citizen. To function and to live, why question the how when it works. They can focus on things like their family and their business leaving the pursuit of greater meaning to those of us concerned with such things."

I could accept that I supposed. A shopkeeper in Diagon Alley would need certain spells to do their job. They never needed to push the boundaries of magic, to find the limits of what is possible. It likely never crossed their mind that they could do so much more because they didn't need to. Necessity drives innovation or whatever the saying was. Comfort leads to complacency but there was nothing wrong with it. In fact, I envied their normality. I envied the fact they never needed to worry about Dark Lords set on killing them. If their greatest concern was what was for dinner that night, then they were the luckiest people on the planet in my mind. Ignorance truly was bliss but not for the reasons that I'd been told before. If you could afford to be ignorant, then you already had bliss. Damn I'd spent too much time with Dumbledore over the past few months when I was basically thinking in idioms and proverbs.

"Rose." My name snapped my attention back to the present. "Think on what I have said. Do not fear death like Tom does and you will be able to face him without fear. Without fear one has room for belief which is the key to success. Tom has succeeded because so many do not believe he can be beaten."

With that Dumbledore departed leaving me alone with my thoughts. I walked over to the bar and grabbed a butterbeer. Going back to the sofa I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up as I tried to process what had been said. It was all stuff I could invest years into investigating afterwards but for now I had a war to end before it really began. Dumbledore had talked about the importance of belief and a lack of doubt. Maybe I should get Harry to confund me into thinking Tom stood no chance. I found myself thinking back to my first year, about what Percy had told me on the night of my own sorting. Dumbledore was a genius, the greatest wizard in the world but yes, he is a bit mad.

At some point I made copies of my memories for Fleur and for my own growing collection but the rest of the day seemed to pass in quiet contemplation. Harry hadn't reappeared and Fleur was working meaning I was alone. Jeevesy popped in at some point to take away my empty butterbeer bottle but other than that I was all alone.

Fleur's return seemed to bring life back to the house. She'd gone straight up to the room she shared with Harry to shower and get changed into pyjamas but when she came down she brought Harry with her. He seemed in a much better mood that when he had been around earlier.

"So, which speech did you get this time?" Harry asked.

"He told me about belief." I answered.

"Ah that one. If magic was faith, then Dumbledore would be the archbishop or Pope. You'll do what you have to do. Did he give you that rubbish about having no doubt?"

"He did." I replied smiling as he began to ease my worries.

"Having no doubt is impossible. Its like fear, he has probably told you all about how one cannot be brave without knowing fear and all that. How it's our actions that matter, so long as that doubt doesn't stop you then it doesn't matter if it exists or not." Harry continued.

I nodded in acceptance. Dumbledore had told me before it was okay to be scared, I'd been confusing feeling doubt with allowing doubt to influence my actions.

"Enough of zis." Fleur declared. "I 'ave been at work, I want to 'ear about something more relaxing."

The beautiful woman tended to get her way in this house and so we talked about her day and possible holiday destinations. It seemed Harry and Fleur wanted to travel a bit after this was all over and I was welcome to join them if I wanted. Just talking about having an after was relaxing me more than they knew.

The last three days of the holidays were a blur of training, making sure my muscle memory was fresh and that I was as ready as I could be. In those last few days we didn't dare try and cover anything new, instead we doubled down on my basics, the things I could fall back on when everything else fell apart. We also prepared a few more things that could be considered cheating but I was well past honour at this point. Dumbledore had sent me a portkey to get back to school, it seemed he wanted to talk to me instead of having me ride the train.

Waiting to take the portkey felt surreal. The Retreat, my home, this could be the last time I saw it. Harry and Fleur standing together, it might be the last time I saw them. If I failed Harry could just swap realities again, there was nothing holding him here.

"Rose, wait a moment, I have something for you." Harry declared as I reached out for the portkey, tears almost forming in my eyes. He produced a vial of golden liquid that seemed to be bubbling slightly.

"Er, thank you." I said not understanding what he had passed me. Fleur's eyes had gone wide at the sight however so I began to suspect it was much more than I had originally thought.

"Iz zat?" Fleur started before Harry interrupted with an explanation.

"Felix Felicis, liquid luck."

"What?" I flustered

"It is very expensive and highly toxic if taken in large amounts. Fleur would you give us a moment please?" He asked. Fleur looked a bit miffed but acquiesced. "It takes six months to brew. I had started this batch after I was pulled from my reality, I thought if I took it then did the ritual I might be lucky enough to get back to my home world. This is all that I brewed, it will take another six months and a small fortune in ingredients before I could make another batch. I ended up coming here because I didn't feel I had time to finish the batch in the first world I was pulled into. What you hold there was my hope of getting home."

The little vial felt very heavy all of a sudden as the weight of what this vial meant to him hit home.

"I don't know what to say." I replied honestly.

"You don't need to say anything. I'm starting to like it here. I think I like Fleur, at first I was just going through the motions, she was being used to fill the Daphne shaped hole in my life but now she's just Fleur and she's important to me. My longing for Daphne has passed, I've stopped filtering it out and accepted she's gone. This vial might mean you're successful. You will certainly be lucky and we can hope that luck will make up for whatever you're missing otherwise. If you take that it's a five year detox before you can take any more so be careful. Now I'm also going to tell Fleur the truth about me and where I come from, she's stuck with you through this and I hope she'll stick with me."

"Its about time." I interjected as I became uncomfortable with the influx of emotions. I'd longed for a family for so long but now I had one I didn't know what to do or how to feel. Harry smirked at that.

"It probably is. Now I'd wish you luck but I've bottled it and given it to you so it seems obsolete." He replied. "Fleur, she's leaving in a moment." Harry called out.

Fleur reappeared with tears in her eyes.

"Be brave, be strong and don't be afraid to ask for 'elp." She told me as she hugged me tightly.

I started to cry too as I stepped back. I took a deep breath to compose myself and picked up my shrunken trunk and activated the portkey. The world span and my stomach lurched. With a crash I found myself sprawled on the floor of the Headmaster's office.

"This is what we trust with the fate of our world?" Sneered Snape from a shadowed section of the office. If he wasn't so important I would have cursed him by now I thought as I picked myself up and made my way a chair opposite Dumbledore's desk.

"A few last details of the plan that you have created." Said Dumbledore trying to move on from Snape's less than helpful comment. "I shall be leaving the castle in a few days for an alchemy conference in Geneva. This provides you with a window of opportunity to escape me and learn of the prophecy. You will use your broom to fly to the Ministry in London. Professor Snape will then go to Tom and inform him of your escape and intent. He has told Tom that we have argued about me informing you of the contents. Professor Snape will then make to return to Hogwarts so as not to make people suspicious. In reality he will be doing his best to kill Nagini. When he is successful he will send a patronus to the Ministry and you will be free to vanquish Tom. Until that time we must stall. We do not know what would happen if his last horcrux is destroyed whilst he is a wraith. To be sure we must wait until Severus has completed his task."

A few more details were worked out but I was soon surrounded by other students as life returned to the castle. Ron and the Weasleys were subdued at the feast but the way Ron was glaring at Umbridge had me worried. If he was looking for someone to blame, someone to lash out at then Umbridge was an obvious target and I could do little to help him. I had soaked up a lot of her attention in class but if Ron was looking for a fight then Umbridge could hurt him. Hermione seemed concerned with their behaviour but had a book by her side. It was likely she was tired of arguments and had retreated to her studies.

The next few days progressed quietly. My performance in class dropped as I was too distracted to focus properly. I couldn't bring myself to care. A few days into term Dumbledore made the announcement to the school I was both waiting for and dreading. He would be leaving the castle for the next few days for a conference. Umbridge's eyes had lit up with glee but I didn't care, she was a small menace compared to Tom. I knew Dumbledore would really be leaving the castle. He would be going to Grimmauld place to organise the Order. Tonks would be taking his place at the conference. She was well trained in imitating people's mannerisms. If Tom had spies looking for Dumbledore then they would get the confirmation they were after. Tonks probably wasn't happy with her role. She was an auror, she would want to fight but it would have been made clear to her what her role was and its importance. She had been a Hufflepuff, she understood duty.

That night as I gripped my firebolt I did a quick check; my pockets were full of the goodies Harry and Fleur had helped me craft. I'd made a bold declaration in the common room that enough was enough before I left the room. Being Hogwarts the whole castle would soon learn of what I had said meaning if Malfoy or any of the other junior Death Eaters had ways of contacting their fathers then there would be supporting evidence to Snape's claim. I would have been seen at some point while I was carrying my broomstick stacking evidence. Tom would come. I was sure of it.