General A/N: Okay good people, I know its been AGES since I last updated, but here it is! Chapter Nine of this story. And don't worry. I'd like you guys to spread the word that this bus don't stop, because a lot of other updates will start hitting the screen real soon!
Specific A/N: Okay so, it seems that we've finally gotten to the second arc of the story: The Militarization Arc. This is where the reluctant are called upon to pick up their swords, characters will be revealed as both old and new, and the silent war is now being waged on four fronts. And just so we can keep up with the characters, here's a list:
Harry Potter: Sephiroth
Ron Weasley: Angeal Hewley
Hermione Granger: ?
Draco Malfoy: Genesis Rhaposodos
Ginny Weasley: Cissinei
Fred and George Weasley: Reno & Rude
Severus Snape: Tseng
Neville Longbottom: Zack Fair
Luna Lovegood: Elena
Cho Chang: ?
Colin Creevey: ?
Susan Bones: ?
(? = Because I hinted at them being reborn, if anyone's memory needs refreshing)
AND STILL MORE SUPRISES TO COME!
Chapter 9: For the Electric Company!
"You don't understand, Clou-" a gentle female voice pleaded before an enraged male interrupted.
"No! You two don't understand!" the male snapped, "Things are different this time around! There is no danger, no one's causing bad things to happen behind the scenes! We're safe this time around, and you need to get over the past!"
"But Cloud, we-" another girl called with patience.
"Don't call me that! That's not my name!" the boy snarled, and with a heated glare, abandoned the two girls in who were left gaping in his wake.
"How could he…" the younger girl started in disbelief before her expression turned to one of utter annoyance, "be so stupid?!"
"I don't know," the older one muttered with a shake of her head, "Hopefully he'll wake up and see that this isn't some fairytale where everything ends up nicely in a cute little bow-tied ribbon."
"So, what're we gonna do about Sephiroth being back around?" the younger girl asked as the older one sighed.
"I'm not sure…" the older female confessed with a hand raking through her long dark hair, "but we need to get help in order to take him down. He's not hurting anyone this time around!"
"Right!" the younger one agreed readily.
"I think I know who Barret is, but its kind of a stretch." the long haired girl said, making the gesture with her hands.
"Oh yeah, who?" the shorter girl inquired as the older one bent slightly to whisper it in her ear. The girl's eyes grew wide as her mouth hung open. "Oh, no damn way!"
"Yeah, I think it is." the elder of the two said with a nod as the younger continued to gape.
"But… he… now-"
"Yup."
"But… how…?" the older girl shrugged to the younger one's question.
"Minerva moves in mysterious ways sometimes…" she offered lamely as the younger gave her a deadpan, but then, the shorter girl began to giggle.
"Ohh, when he finds out after his awakening!" she said with barely contained amusement. The older shook her head with a sigh while crossing her arms.
"Lets hope he doesn't find a machine gun beforehand…" the older muttered as she began taking the path that their male cohort had stormed down. The younger followed her, in so good a mood that she began to half-skip after the long dark haired girl.
"I hope he does. Hogwarts is so boring this year with Toad Woman around," the younger sighed with much drama.
"I'm sure once Sephiroth shows his true colors…" the older girl's face took on a dark determined look as she palmed her fist with a thunderous clap, "we'll have all the excitement we need."
"Can I bring out the pointy guns when we confront him?" the younger, more bubbly, girl asked with barely contained excitement as she stood on her tip-toes while giving her cutest puppy look.
"… Hmm… maybe…" the calmer of the two offered with half a shrug as she flipped her long hair over her right shoulder, exposing the pink ribbon she had tied to her bicep.
"Hmm… Do you think we can talk to his friends?" the bubbly one asked, calming down now that she was serious.
"Whose friends? Sephiroth's?" the long-haired one probed as the shorter nodded.
"Yeah, they seem like sensible people."
"Well, they're sharp ones too." the older girl assured with a severe look. "Don't let your guard down around them. One of them is the person that taught Zack Fair. In fact, one of them is Zack Fair."
"Ohh! When I get my hands on that dumb-faced jerk!" the younger promised with stamping of her feet and huffing.
"Yeah, but don't go flying off the handle just yet." the more mature girl advised. "Hermione seems like the most sensible one out of the group. I'm not even sure if she's a reincarnated one. At first she was just a smart girl, but now there's this motherly aura about her…"
"Do you think she's-?"
"Maybe, but lets hope not." the older girl cut off swiftly, afraid of what such an answer could mean for both them and Hermione.
"Well, what do we do then, Tiff?" the younger asked as the older sighed once more.
"I'm not sure, Yuffie, but we'll need to bid our time." this Tiff answered with a thoughtful look. Then suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head as she hurriedly cast a look at the girl Yuffie. "Hey, didn't Hermione invite us to a thing in Hogsmeade?"
"Yeah, she did!" Yuffie answered, quickly catching on.
"Well then," Tiff said, a smirk overtaking her features as she placed a hand on her jutted out hip, "we best not be rude. Acceptance is the first step to a budding new friendship."
"Have I ever told you how we might secretly related?"
"Again!" a voice boomed as a body was thrown halfway across the room in a rolling heap.
The rolling heap sprang up quickly, the sword in the wielder's hand being brought back into the ready position. Grasping the hilt with two firm hands, the person's sky blue eyes widened in shock when the sword shattered like glass to reveal the severed broomstick it had been conjured from. The person, a young male, dropped to his knees in pure exhaustion while sweat lightly glistened from his forehead. His breathing was labored, but still he tried hard to gasp out his words in an effort to not show total weakness.
"Angeal… we gotta stop…" the boy wheezed as he wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve, "You're killing me, man…"
"Not yet I'm not," Ron returned as he walked over on sore legs, standing in front of the kneeling Neville proudly with a large broadsword easily held across his shoulders while one hand rested loosely on the hilt to keep it balanced in such a position. "Now get up. If you have time to complain, you have time to train yourself out of the chubby meat sack you are now."
"I'm trying man, okay?!" Neville argued as he clamored clumsily to his feet, using the broomstick for support. "I'm sorry if I'm not some image of muscle like you or the twins!"
"Calm down, will ya?" Ron breathed, giving Neville an almost deadpan expression. But Neville saw it, the small glimmer of apology in Angeal's eyes that twinkled like a star in the distance. Angeal just didn't have a poker face, no matter how hard the guy tried.
"Just gimme a minute, 'kay?" Neville huffed, taking in large gulps of air. Ron gave a sigh as he allowed the large broadsword to flip from his shoulders. But right before it pierced the ground, the giant sword shattered to reveal a sickly looking twig with tattered leaves.
"Oh man… you're really good at this magic stuff, Angeal…" Neville wheezed. Ron shrugged his broad shoulders.
"It's just like this; practice." Ron assured before going on, "Besides, everything I've learned is mostly thanks to Hermione's help, Zack. That's why we're here; to help you."
"I know, I know." Neville assured with a pointed glance at Ron, who had barely broken a sweat tossing him around for the past hour. "I'm outta shape and need a diet program."
"Actually… that's not really it," Ron revealed reluctantly after a pause. Neville looked up at him quickly, wondering what else it could be.
"It's true; you aren't in the best of shape." Ron agreed making Neville's shoulders sag, "But," to which Neville's hopes rose, "its also because of what happened a few days ago, and at the first Quidditch practice almost two weeks ago."
"You mean-" Neville breathed as Ron nodded firmly.
"Yes," Ron confirmed, "we're here to see what extremes we need recreate in order to draw out your latent energies. The very same energies you used to survive a sixty foot fall and walk away without a scratch."
"Whoa…" Neville gasped, almost as though he didn't believe a word Ron said.
"A few days ago, Harry returned from detention." Ron said, though the way he stretched 'detention' was almost as though he knew that wasn't the case, "When he got back, it was around midnight, and he had a few scratches. I asked him where he got them from, and he replied that he obtained them on a late night stroll with Genesis."
"So those two have been train-"
"Not so fast." Ron interrupted the excitable boy, "No, they weren't out training. The three of us have been through too much for them not to have included me in on that. However, Genesis did get his precious sword back, so there's the reason."
"So they were out training!" Neville exclaimed, connecting the dots.
"Didn't I say not to be so quick to jump to conclusions." Ron scolded, crossing his arms over his expansive chest. "They obviously went out to reclaim the sword, but ran into a problem. Harry promised to have the three of us sit down and talk about it later today, but Genesis has been spending the last few days of his free time trapped in his dorm room. Never the least, we'll talk about it."
"So what did happen when they went out?" Neville asked, giving Ron very curious look. Ron shook his head, scarcely suppressing his grin. Honestly, the boy really was just a puppy at heart…
"Like I said; they must have run into a bit of trouble. But that's not the point," at this, Neville looked very curious while Ron's expression hardened.
"The point is the way Harry carried himself when he got back. He had a few scratches, yes, but he stood strongly, almost proudly. He walked straighter, his pace was more firm and less flustered than before. His expression was casual instead of the bored one he always wore since we got to Hogwarts. Then there was the glow in his eyes."
"The glow?" Neville echoed in bewilderment, "But that's natural. It's been happening for a while now. You said so yourself before this session."
"That I did," and with that said Ron's mouth turned to frown, "But with Harry's glow… it was still there this morning."
"Huh?" now Neville was truly confused.
The glowing in their eyes was supposed to be only when they were remembering things, or using their latent powers. Hell, it could even come when they were experiencing a particularly strong emotion. For the glow in Harry's eyes to remain must have meant something to Angeal , who had his face all drawn up the way it was. Angeal's face always got all scrunched up that way when he was thinking on something particularly hard. The question was; was Angeal thinking this was a good thing or a bad thing? Really, that's all that mattered to Neville.
"That glow remaining brings a whole new wave of questions to mind," Ron announced to Neville, who stood up a bit straighter at the tone of Angeal's voice. "It could mean that the glow will be permanent after a battle… but as we can see here…"
Ron gestured around the room they were sparring within. It was torn apart from floor to ceiling. Sections and chunks of stone were blown apart, or just scorched black while other parts had slash marks through them or hole piercings.
"… that is not the case. If the glowing stayed because of such an action, then the battle would have to be between two who didn't know the outcome, or even two completely uninhibited people. So many possibilities…"
"Yeah, and they're making my head spin, Angeal." Neville admitted as he scratched the back of his head.
"No matter," Ron announced, ignoring Neville's comment in favor of dismissing whatever science mumbo-jumbo was running through his mind, "for now, all we have to worry about is getting you in shape and seeing if we can't jump-start things a little."
With that said, Ron stuck out his right hand, the twig jumping to it. As soon as the branch made contact with his palm, it transformed from a sickly twig into a shiny broadsword. Ron swung it around a few times, testing the weight of such a heavy-looking weapon before he grinned, holding it in the ready position and doing so one-handed.
Neville gave a sigh as he brandished his broomstick once more. With a bit of concentration on his part, Neville's broomstick slowly turned its shape into that of a shiny new standard sword. He slashed the newly created blade through the air, enjoying the gentle hum it created as it dispersed air molecules around him. While he might not be a big-worded smart guy, Neville could appreciate the finer aspects of his former studies on magic and materia.
"Ready for round two, Pup?" Ron inquired, giving a brief smirk as Neville nodded, returning the smirk with one of his own.
"Oh yeah! Lets see you take this!" and with that, Neville launched himself at a highly amused Ron, who gave a bark of laughter as he slashed upward, driving Neville into the air when their blades briefly clashed right before Neville was thrown backward by Ron's superior strength.
"Damn him…" Neville grunted mentally as he regained himself and flipped to the floor, landing in a crouch, "How does he do that? He's normal right now, so he can't be that much stronger than me. And yet, he's been throwing me around for the past hour or so. Oh well… No time to think now! Only time to go with the flow!"
"Bring it on!" Neville shouted as he ran back toward his former mentor. There was no time for words. Only actions remained between the two warriors on their battlefield.
The morning of the Hogsmeade visit dawned bright but windy. After breakfast they queued up in front of Filch, who matched their names to the long list of students who had permission from their parents or guardian to visit the village. With the slightest lament, Harry remembered that if it hadn't been for Sirius, he would not have been going at all.
When Harry reached Filch, the caretaker gave a great sniff as though trying to detect a whiff of something from Harry. Then he gave a curt nod that set his jowls aquiver again and Harry walked on without another wasted moment, out onto the stone steps and the cold, sunlit day.
"What's with Filch?" Seamus Finnegan asked, hurrying after Harry with Dean Thomas at his side.
"Yeah, why was he sniffing you?" Dean inquired as well.
"I suppose he was checking for the smell of Dungbombs," Harry replied, a small smirk on his face while Ron shook his head up ahead and Hermione sighed. Seamus and Dean were having trouble keeping up with the brisk pace in which the three friends set off at once they were all down the wide drive to the gates.
"Huh? But why?" Seamus questioned, forcing Harry to recount the tale of his sending off a letter Filch's bursting in moments later, demanding to see the letter.
"I still want to know who could have possibly tipped Filch off to your sending out a letter." Hermione said with a glance back at Harry. Ron and she were walking in front of Harry, who strolled down the path in front of Seamus and Dean.
"Might've been Malfoy," Seamus suggested, "He'd be the type to get a laugh out of it."
"Maybe once upon a time," Ron muttered, shaking his head, "but now he's more into grandstanding. He'd do something with a bit more flare to it than that."
"What about our theory from before?" Harry inquired disinterestedly, though the sharp look his eyes took on did not go unnoticed.
"Umbridge seems to be the only logical suspect," Hermione agreed, "But until further evidence is presented, we must keep our options open."
"Agreed," Harry and Ron breathed in unison while Seamus and Dean watched on as the three friends appeared to be even more in sync than usual.
And that was saying something.
The group of five walked between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars and turned left on to the road into the village, the wind whipping their hair into their eyes. All except for Dean, who wore his hair extremely short.
Silence reigned over them all the way into the outskirts of Hogsmeade, two members of the party deep in thought while two others seemed awkward in the silence. The last lone member enjoyed the silence as it was peacefully dull.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Harry asked in a slow purr as he came out of his tranquility to inquire as to their destination. "The Three Broomsticks? Because if so, then I'm not going in."
"Oh no," Hermione said, coming out of her reverie, "The place is always packed with people, and it's really noisy in there. We've told the others to meet us in the Hog's Head, that other pub." at Harry's delicate brow arch, Hermione gestured minutely, "You know the one, it's not on the main road. I think it's a bit… you know… dodgy… but students don't normally go in there, so I don't think we'll be overheard."
"Well," Harry drawled after a moment of thought, "if we're holding some form of meeting, then I would have to begrudgingly admit that it would be safer in the noisily bustling Three Broomsticks since it's harder to overhear somebody in a crowded room."
"I would, too," Ron said, casting a glance over his shoulder at Harry, "but not for the numbers we have."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it would draw suspicious if a lot of people met together in a place as popular as the Three Broomsticks." Ron alleged. Harry shrugged dispassionately as they walked down the main street.
Harry peeked to the side, seeing in the back alleys past Zonko's Wizarding Joke Shop, were Fred, George and Ginny all with Lee Jordan . They seemed to be carrying heavy craters of metal wires and other things. Harry allowed his gaze to waver from them and whatever activities they were up to under Tseng-Snape's command. From his peripheral vision, Harry saw several nondescript black suit-wearing people roaming the back alleys and shadows in the wake of the known Turk agents as well as a few mulling atop roofs and watching their movements like mother Chocobo. No matter, they were merely flying that he needn't worry about since they too were under Tseng-Snape's orders.
Returning his sight to the main street, Harry saw they were passing the post office, from which owls issued at regular intervals before they turned up a side-street at the top of which stood a small inn. A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture on it of a wild boar's severed head, leaking blood onto the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached.
All five of them hesitated outside the door.
"Well now, that's interesting," Harry commented as Ron scowled while crossing his arms.
"It's sorta revolting," Ron sneered lightly as Seamus shrugged.
"I think it adds character, yeah?" Seamus said to Dean, nudging his taller friend. Dean, however, looked slightly nervous about entering.
"Yeah, mate." Dean said slowly, "Loads of… loads of morale fiber going on here…"
"Well, there's no since waiting out in the wind," Hermione said promptly, using a hand to take her hair from out of her face to behind her ear.
"Right you are," Harry agreed easily enough, leading the way in.
As they glanced around the establishment, all five could tell that this place was a stark contrast in comparison to the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog's Head bar comprised one small, dingy and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats.
The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor seemed at first glance to be compressed earth, though as Harry stepped onto it, he realized that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of a past few centuries.
Harry scantily recalled Hagrid mentioning this pub from his first year.
"Yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hogs Head…" Hagrid had said, explaining how he had won a dragon's egg from a hooded stranger within this very rundown establishment.
Thinking on it now and even back then at the time of the story, Harry had wondered why Hagrid had not found it odd that the stranger kept his face hidden throughout their encounter. Now he saw that keeping your face hidden was something of a fashion in the Hog's Head. There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty grey bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth. Glancing over to his left, Harry saw two figures shrouded in hoods sat at a table in one of the windows. He might have thought them to be badly made Dementors… well, if not for how they were talking in strong Yorkshire accents. And in a shadowy corner beside the fireplace sat a witch with a thick, black veil that fell to her ragged heels. He could just make out the tip of her nose because it caused the veil to protrude slightly.
"I really don't know about this…" Dean muttered as he stood beside Seamus, both of whom made an attempt to hide behind the fairly built Ron Weasley.
"Anyone of these people could be a spy," Harry said, glancing to his side where Hermione stepped forward, "Now don't you think the Three Broomsticks would be better?"
"Yeah, at least no one would know what was said, Hermione." Dean piped up as Seamus slapped his arm.
"Come on, mate." Seamus said, gesturing around, "Loads of moral fiber. Remember?"
"I think I'm about to show you moral-" but Dean was interrupted when Hermione raised a hand to quiet him, a gesture that went obeyed even while she was still not facing him.
"I have double- no, triple checked the rules." Hermione said softly, a gentle glow in her eyes as they moved further within the bar. "We are allowed here, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop us."
"Yes, but," Harry purred as he leaned down to whisper in Hermione's ear, "has it occurred to you Umbridge might be under that?" Harry said, pointing discretely at the heavily veiled witch.
Hermione cast an appraising eye over the veiled figure, then a sharp glance up at Harry as he smirked down at her.
"Enough of your jokes, Harry." Hermione said sternly, "Besides, Umbridge is shorter than that woman." she added quietly.
"Alright," Harry said dryly, "But I still don't believe it a good idea that we parade what we're doing. Asking numerous people to meet us here is nothing short of attracting attention. It simply occurred to me that a bunch of school teens coming into a dump like this is hardly making things inconspicuous."
"My place may be a dump, but at least I'm not so rude as to make such callous comments aloud when owner of said establishment is within spitting distance." a voice grunted throatily as Harry and the others looked forward to see the barman sidling towards them out of a back room. He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long grey hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar to Harry. The familiarity of such appearance making Harry's good mood turn sour and his mouth drop into a frown.
"So, what'll have?" the grumpy old man grunted.
"Five Butterbeers, if you'd please," said Hermione, giving a small bow of grace. "And please, ignore my friend's remarks. He has a sharp tongue and wit which he can't seem to keep to himself."
"Indeed," Harry added as Seamus, Dean and Ron went to get a table, "It's a problem I've yet to rectify because I seem so distracted making smart-aleck barbs."
The man grunted once more, going behind the bar counter and reaching beneath it. When his hand became visible once again from it's journey below, the appendage held up three very dusty, very dirty bottles, which the elderly man slammed on top the bar.
"Twelve Sickles," the man said, ignoring Harry completely aside from a passing narrow-eyed look.
"I'll get them," Harry said, giving the old man a smirk as he held out a galleon for the barman to take. The man's eyes traveled over Harry, resting for a fraction of a second on his scar.
"Well now, ain't that somethin'…" the old barkeep muttered before turning away, depositing Harry's single gold coin in an ancient wooden till whose drawer slid open automatically to receive it. Harry waited to receive his change, but the old man went on about his business, so Harry shrugged and walked away after collecting the five bottles.
Harry was seriously beginning to like the Hog's Head tavern. It truly did have character.
With the bottles in hand, Harry moved over to the table his friends had gathered at, one he noticed was the furthest table from the bar. He sat down, looking around as Seamus and Dean quickly snatched up a bottle each, but looked disgusted when they found them rusty and aged. The man in the dirty grey bandages rapped the counter with his knuckles and received another smoking drink from the barman.
"You know what?" Seamus murmured while looking over at the bar with enthusiasm. "We could order anything we liked in here. I bet that old guy would sell us anything and he wouldn't even care."
"You're probably right." Ron agreed as he took up a bottle.
"If you're thinking of trying anything stronger than you are at present," Hermione began as she handed her bottle to Ron, who opened it easily, "Then please remember that you're with two Prefects at the current time."
"Oh," Dean said, the smile fading from his face. "Yeah…"
"So, who did you say is to be meeting us?" Harry asked, wrenching open the rusty top of his own Butterbeer and taking a swig. Hmm, aged good like a fine wine…
"You know," Hermione muttered, making a vague hand gesture, "Just a few people."
"Which means more then you'd care to be expecting," Ron chuckled as Harry scoffed.
"As I've said before," Harry shrugged, "I'm not expecting much."
"Then you'll be in for a surprise…" Dean mumbled into his drink after using his cloak to clean the opening.
Five minutes passed in pleasant conversation as the five friends drank and spoke, mostly making observations on the bar and Harry's lack of interest in the number he expected to be in the lows.
Hermione checked her wristwatch, nodding to herself as she steeped her hands atop the table, "I told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it-" with a quick glance out the dirty window, Hermione hummed, "Oh, look, this might be them now."
The door of the pub had opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people.
First came Neville with Luna, who was followed by Lavender Brown and the Patil twins. Directly after them were Cho Chang, who walked in confidently with a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry could not connect with her enthusiastic face whilst a rather flustered-looking Colin Creevey was shoved inside the bar right behind them by his younger brother, Dennis Creevey. Then came in Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and a very brutish Angelina Johnson.
Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley swaggered in with Hannah Abbott. Behind them came another Hufflepuff girl with three Ravenclaw boys he was pretty sure were called Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot. Ginny, closely followed by a tall skinny blond boy with an upturned nose whom Harry recognized vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team came in to the dusty bar while the twins Fred and George brought up the rear with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were now carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise.
"Isn't Dennis Creevey a Second-year student?" Harry asked as Hermione nodded.
"Yes, but someone must have helped him along." the calm girl replied after taking a sip from her drink.
"And this is your idea of a few people?" Harry inquired dryly as he gestured to the crowd that was still pouring in now that he glanced back at them.
"Well," Hermione sniffed, "You won't believe us when we said how many were interested."
"I still don't believe you," Harry sighed, "How many of these poor dullards have you bribed?"
"None so far, and I'd like to keep it that way." Hermione answered dutifully.
"Yeah," Ron snorted, crossing his arms as Neville came to sit beside him while Ginny and the twins took up other spots at the table, "We don't have much money anyway, Mr. Moneybags."
"Well for all my money is worth," Harry purred, glancing over at the bar counter, "I don't think even a bag of galleons could get that expression on the old man."
The others looked over to where Harry's line of sight was, seeing that the old barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed.
"It's quite possible he's never seen his pub so full." Luna commented as she moved forward to stand behind Ginny and the twins.
"Nah, just not so full of students, yo." Fred winked.
"So there are around thirty people, including myself, in this little group." Harry said, a small smirk on his face, "And you've even gotten a fair amount of people from the other houses too."
"Yes, Commander." Luna expressed dutifully as she stood at attention, "Right now there are seven Ravenclaws including myself, seven Hufflepuffs and sixteen Gryffindors including all present at this executive table."
"Aye! Oi, Aberforth!" Fred shouted, rapping his hand on the table as he leaned his chair back on its hind legs, "Lets get some drinks for these people, yo! All on Harry, man! Twenty-seven Butterbeers!"
The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty Butterbeers from under the bar. Harry gave one of the Ravenclaws he didn't know the golden coins to pay the old barkeep.
"You've ordered two more than necessary," Harry remarked casually as Fred took the two extras, kicking back once again as he chugged one of the three drinks down like there was no tomorrow before answering.
"I'm feelin' extra thirsty, yo." Fred shrugged as Harry gave him an annoyed once over, but smirked none the less.
Harry watched dispassionately as the large chattering group took their beers from the countertop as they were produced, some rummaging through their robes to present Harry with coins as repayment, to which Harry allowed to clatter atop the table untouched while they dropped them in front of him. Fred wasted no time in collecting the coins as the last kid came forth. Fred thanked them all cheekily for their generous contribution to the charity that was him and his wants. Others looked at Harry for his reaction, but were sorely disappointed that Harry found his nails more interesting that a friend stealing money that was by all rights his to take.
"Well now," Harry finally spoke after everyone was settled in, "shall we get on with this… study group, as you called it?"
Hermione said nothing at first as they rearranged their seating so that they faced the crowd like a panel of superior executives giving a meeting on product production. Harry found it rather distasteful that he was made to be center attraction with Hermione and Ron at his sides, but said nothing of it when Hermione whispered to him, "You don't have to do anything just yet. Ron and I will address them all first."
In rows of three and four, the new arrivals settled in front of the table. Some like Colin Creevey were looking rather flustered and excited as they sat in the rows while others like Luna stood off to the side up against the walls with a thoroughly detached expression, seeming as though to stand guard on the off chance someone would be assassinated. When all were seated or standing guard, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon Harry as he sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his middle while his expression revealed nothing but disinterest to anything that was within his line of sight.
"Attention," Hermione called for, her voice steadily calm as her tone quieted whatever whispers had been passing. The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry.
"Good day to you all. I would just like to start by saying that you all know why you're here." Hermione said as she stood gracefully from her chair, despite the cramped space in which they were seated, "Some of you came because you heard the idea that we wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts. Some came because they simply dislike the way Umbridge handles classes. Others came," it was here that Hermione gave a sign cant look to a few in the crowd, but the look passed so quickly that Harry couldn't be sure whom she had truly focused upon, "because you wanted to help in taking matters into our own hands."
Hermione paused, looking sideways at Harry and Ron before moving on, "And by that, I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells, and real prac-"
"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL too, though, I bet?" said Michael Corner, who was watching her closely.
"Be silent while an Executive is speaking." Luna said sternly, to which Michael and some others rounded on her, but at her cold look, they quickly turned back in their seats and bowed their heads as Luna moved back to stand behind the panel. Harry allowed himself a tiny smirk as his eyes left his fingernails and moved to glance over the crowd.
"More so than that," Hermione regained control of the room gently and fluently as soon as Luna was in place, "I want us to be properly trained in defense because Lord Voldemort has indeed returned, Michael."
"And here comes the shutters…" Harry muttered as he returned his apathetic gaze to his fingernails.
Undeniably the reaction was immediate and predictable, Ron and the others at the table found. A girl with curly red hair who had followed Cho's group in earlier shrieked and slopped Butterbeer down herself. Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch. Padma Patil shuddered, and Michael Corner gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. All of them, however, looked fixedly, even eagerly, at Harry.
"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice.
"Bastard…" Neville muttered, clenching his fist tightly at his side.
"Well, Dumbledore believes it, so-" Hermione began, but was interrupted.
"No, you mean Dumbledore believes him," said the blond boy corrected nodding at Harry who lifted a brow. But Ron reacted first, leaning forward on what was deemed the Executive table between Hermione and Neville.
"Who are you?" Ron inquired, trying hard to keep his tone pleasant but still coming off as rather rude.
"I am Zacharias Smith," the Hufflepuff said as he proudly displayed his house robes, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's come back."
"And what gives you that right, worm?" Ginny asked coldly as another voice arose from the back.
"Well, we're here to hear him out, yeah?" it sounded like it might have been Colin, but Harry saw that Dennis' lips were the ones moving. "I mean, we all came because we don't like Umbridge, but we're staying because we want to hear him out and make our decision."
Ginny looked visibly deflated, probably not expecting such a thought-out response. "Hmm… That sort of makes sense… Though Smith is still an annoying prat." Ginny smirked at the end of this to the chuckles and giggles her comment was rewarded.
"I'll take that, but we still want and deserve answers," Zacharias said, though didn't look happy to be laughed at.
"Look," Hermione said, intervening swiftly and regaining control and attention, "we understand your concerns and inquiries. However, that's really not what this initial meeting was supposed to be about, and-"
"It's okay, Hermione," Harry spoke for the first time, the entire tavern falling to deathly silence as the murmured words left his lips in a suave purr of both amusement and reluctance. He stood tall from his chair, watching as all eyes followed him until he stood at full height with Ron and Hermione seating themselves neatly once he was on his feet.
"It has occurred to me that some, if not most of you, have come here today in the hopes of hearing my story firsthand." Harry announced to his attentive audience as not one dared breath too loudly, for fear of missing a single word. "You have my apologizes then, because I should have foreseen such a situation coming."
Harry glanced around the bar, taking in each face as he smoothly articulated every word which left his mouth. He had learned time and again that public speaking was a powerful thing to master. He glanced up at Aberforth, who had stopped pretending to clean in order to focus all his attention on Harry's speech.
"You all wonder what makes me say that Voldemort…" here Harry paused as nearly all of his audience winced upon hearing the name of the darkest of Dark Lords to date. Harry allowed his gaze to settle directly on Zacharias. "… has returned? The answer is simple: I have seen him first-hand. I battled him the night of the Third Task last year."
Harry still stared at Zacharias, though gave a small smile and shrugged nonchalantly.
"However, Dumbledore told the entire school this before we departed last year. Believe what you will, for I am not here to waste away an afternoon trying to convince anyone of anything. But do know this." Harry cast an especially sharp look around, a few of people shuddering under his emerald gaze. "I am not a crazy attention-seeking liar. If you wish to call me anything, call me uninterested. I don't care what you all think. I don't care what you all say. In fact, I care very little for any of you here in the first and last place. The only thing that strikes my interest at the moment is for you all to know the truth. I don't care about rumors nor what our magical government says. All I care for are facts. Voldemort lives, he will be dealt with, and he is not your concern at the moment."
The whole group seemed to look stricken as Harry seated himself fluently with his legs crossed at the knee and impassion dancing within his eyes.
Then a hand raised from the back where Cho and her Hufflepuff girl companion were sitting with Colin and Dennis.
It was Colin who raised his hand.
"Yes, Colin." Hermione called on him as everyone's notice turned toward the back row.
"Wh-What," Colin started in a soft mutter, that even in its quietness was heard grossly within the silence of the bar, "what is our concern at the moment, s-sir?"
"Equipping yourselves to deal with the threats already present." Harry responded at once. "Preparing to deal with people like the still at large Death Eaters from last year's Quidditch World Cup or perhaps the creatures in our world which we are made to encounter in our lessons. The most prominent being the stout pink toad which masquerades itself as an educator. You all know of it to go by the name of Dolores Jane Umbridge, correct."
Everyone aside from Dennis shuddered as they remembered the Blast-ended Skewrts from last year, but even more so as they recalled their most unanimously hated school teacher.
"Yeah, that's all fine and good. Getting Defense lessons under our belt and whatnot," Zacharias said dismissively while many were begin to roll their eyes at his pompous and self-entitled attitude, "But we want to know more about what happened during the Third Task. All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details. He didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, and I think we all have the right to know how one of our classmates ended up dead."
"It was Voldemort, you numskull!" Ginny slammed her fist to table as she thundered, "You don't have any rights here, and I'll be damned if you sit there and make it seem like you're the one running things here!"
"Gin, calm down." George said, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her back into her seat. Fred turned his attention away from irate sister as he focused a large grin onto Zacharias.
"Listen up, Zach Bell. If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when someone gets murdered by a follower of the Dark Arts, then we can all take a dandy fucking field-trip to Durmstrang and watch a few of their Final year guys go at it over a slice of Bulgarian cheesecake." Fred then lost the grin, his face set in such a serious manner that Zacharias shifted in his seta under the stern gaze, "Other than that, we can't help your dumbass, yo."
"Indeed," Harry interjected as eyes turned to him quickly. "We aren't here to defile the memory of such an upstanding student. We're here so you all don't end up like him next." and it seemed Harry's words had the profound effect of making quite a few sit up straight and pay very close attention as they stared at him in subconscious fear. Cho and the Hufflepuff girl next to her, however, narrowed their eyes at him.
As he stopped speaking, no one dared move, not even Zacharias Smith, though the boy continued to gaze intently at Harry.
"Well… there's the time, anyway." Hermione said with a clap of her hands. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to do this. We need to hammer out details like; how often we're going to meet, where we'll meet, and what will be taught- Umm… yes, Susan?"
"Is it true," interrupted the girl with the long plait down her back. She was sitting next to Cho and Colin while looking at Harry with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, "that you can produce a Patronus?"
"How would you know that, Miss…?" Harry trailed off as he gazed at her.
"Name's Susan, famous Mr. Harry Potter sir." Susan said, fluttering her eyelashes at him in a cute fashion.
"Well then, Susan, I believe you'll find out soon enough." Harry said while crossing his arms.
There was a murmur of interest around the group at this.
"So that's a yes?" another Hufflepuff asked.
"Yes, it's a yes." Fred answered for Harry as the group seemed to get more excited.
"Is it a corporeal Patronus?" Dennis asked, "I heard those are really hard to make, but then you're Harry Potter, so-"
The phrase Dennis had first uttered stirred something in Harry's memory as he swapped his gaze from Dennis to Susan. Susan… He remembered Hermione mentioning the name along with Cho's and Colin's. She was Susan… Susan…?
That was it! Susan Bones!
"Susan was it? Related to Madam Bones, correct?" Harry asked, ignoring Dennis for a moment.
The girl smiled coyly.
"Maybe…" she said playfully, but Cho elbowed her, and the Hufflepuff girl got serious. "Okay, fine. She's my aunt." she said. "Yes, I am the one and only Susan Bones! She told me all about your hearing. So, is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"
Harry stared at her for a few long moments before nodding, "Yes, this is correct."
"Blimey, Harry!" Lee Jordan exclaimed, looking deeply impressed. "I never knew that!"
"Of course you didn't, yo." Fred said, grinning between Harry and Lee. "Mum told us not to spread it around and other such lark. Said Harry got enough attention as it was."
"Well she's not wrong," Ron mumbled beside Neville, and a couple of people laughed as they heard him.
The veiled witch sitting alone shifted very slightly in her seat as Harry cut his attention to her movements. Something in the air reeked of an unpleasant familiarity.
"And did you really kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Terry Boot demanded, forcing Harry to readjust his gaze from the veiled witch. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year…"
"Yes," Harry nodded.
Justin Finch-Fletchley whistled; the Creevey brothers exchanged awestruck looks and Lavender Brown said "Wow!" softly. Harry was feeling slightly bored now. With everyone focused on his accomplishments, the meeting was getting them nowhere fast.
"Just endure," Hermione whispered to him, "We'll get more supporters this way."
"It seems cheap." Harry muttered back while Hermione shrugged.
"You guys have no clue what Harry and the gang get up to, do ya?" Neville laughed. "Like how in our first year at Hogwarts. Harry saved that Philosophy Stone -"
"Philosopher's Stone, Neville," Hermione corrected passively.
"Yeah, that thing. He protected it from Voldemort back then. That means he's been fighting old Voldy since the very beginning!" Neville finished loudly, with a lot less cheers than he would have thought. Though his audience more concerned with flinching at Voldemort's name and worried for Neville's life as he so blatantly disrespected the Dark Lord. One Hannah Abbott looked especially worried for him as her eyes were as round as Galleons.
"And that's not to mention," Colin said, his voice with more confidence than before, "all the stuff Harry did in those tasks last year to get through the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He got past dragons, battled Merepeople, Acromantula, Blast-ended Skwerts, and all sorts of other things. He's amazing."
There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the tavern. Harry sighed as the people got themselves all worked up.
"Though some people would enjoy this kind encomium greatly," Harry began, looking thoroughly unimpressed with them all, "Let us stick to facts here. The glaring fact, as it was, is that I had a large amount of assistance with each of those things.
"But not with the dragon, you didn't," Michael Corner said at once. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying…"
"Perhaps, but-"
"And nobody helped you get rid of those Dementors this summer," Susan Bones said very loudly, to which Cho quieted the Hufflepuff girl by calling her name.
"Correct, but the point being made is that only with the help of others was I able to conquer such daunting tasks."
"Sounds to me like you're trying to weasel out of showing us anything." Zacharias said with a sniff and his arms crossed.
"Here's an idea," Ginny said sweetly, her anger flaring into existence directly after as she loudly bellowed, before Harry could speak, "why don't you shut your damn mouth for five minutes?!"
"Geez, who invited this dick-waffle?" Fred asked impassionedly as he jabbed a thumb in Zacharias' direction.
Zacharias flushed and bowed his head as some of the people around him giggled and laughed. Then, he raised his head, a look of anger burning on his face.
"We all turned up to learn from him," he gestured toward Harry, who now had his hands steeped in front of him, "and now he's basically saying that he can't really do anything himself."
"That is not what has been said or implied, Mr. Smith." George responded quietly, causing everyone to remember his presence at the other side of the table beside Ginny.
"Would you like me to clean out your ears for ya, dipshit?" Fred enquired, pulling a long and lethal looking metal instrument from inside one of his Zonko's bags. "Or any other part of your body, really, I'm not fussy about where I stick this." The grin Fred gave, combined with what was just implied scared many in the front row to back their chairs a few inches from the crazier of the Weasley twins.
"Yes, well, orifices aside," Hermione said hastily as even she cast a nervous glance at Fred, "We must be moving on… Now then, are we all in agreement that we want to take lessons from Harry?"
There was a babble of general agreement. Zacharias folded his arms and said nothing, though perhaps this was because he was too busy keeping an anxious eye on the long metal instrument in Fred's hand.
"Right then," Hermione clapped, looking relieved that something had at last been settled. "Next order on the agenda is how often we meet. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week."
"Hang on," Angelina said, frowning severely, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."
"Yeah, no," Cho said, "nor with ours."
"Nor ours," Zacharias added, though he kept his gaze locked on Fred's hands.
"Yes, we wouldn't want that." Neville said, nodding seriously while Ron dropped his head to the table in exasperation over his former student.
"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," Hermione said, slightly impatiently, "but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against Death Eaters and all manner of dark creatures."
"Well said!" Ernie Macmillan barked, who Harry had been expecting to speak long before this, "Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our OWLs coming up!"
He looked around impressively, as though waiting for people to cry "Surely not!" When nobody spoke, he went on, "I, personally am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher on us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know- Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from both using and learning defensive spells? That's just madness!"
"Our sources suggest believe the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts is that she's got some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilize us against the Ministry." Everyone was once again surprised to see that it was George who spoke, and Harry got the idea that it was the most he had heard George say all year so far.
"Merlin, that really does sound crazy!" one of the kids burst out and laughed.
But no one else was laughing. Nearly everybody else looked stunned at this news; everybody except Luna Lovegood who stood firmly beside the executive table with an impassive expression.
"Hem, hem," Ginny cleared her throat, in such a good imitation of Professor Umbridge that had several people looking around in alarm and then laughing when they saw it was her. "Weren't we trying to decide how often to meet and have defense lessons?"
"Yes," Hermione assured with a single nod.
"Well, once a week sounds cool," Lee Jordan said.
"As long as-" began Angelina.
"Yeah, yeah, we know about the Quidditch, you slave-driver." Fred said with a roll of his eyes, "Lucky us, we might have something to remedy that soon, yo."
"Good," Ron said with a nod, then looked at Hermione, "Next item to attend to."
"We decide where we're going to meet…"
"I'm sure we'll find a place that can provide for all our needs." Ginny revealed with a wink at Hermione. Harry supposed that now that she had cooled down, she was back to her normally playful attitude. Though she kept shooting Zacharias looks that dared him to piss her off again. "Just gotta find it first."
"Right, and then we'll send a message around to everybody when we've got it, a time, and a place for the first meeting." Hermione said with a nod as everyone was satisfied with that.
With that all said, Hermione dipped down to rummage through her bag. She produced parchment and a quill, then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to say something.
"I- I think everybody should write their names down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she took a deep breath, "that we all had best agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell anyone of what has occurred here today or what shall take place in the future of this study group."
"I sense that there is something more to that parchment then what she's saying," Harry thought with a pensive look at the paper and quill which Hermione placed atop the executive table. To his eyes, the paper was faintly wafting an unusual purple glow. "Hermione… what measures have you taken to ensure security?"
Fred reached out for the parchment and cheerfully wrote his signature, but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.
"Err…" Zacharias said slowly, not taking the parchment that George was trying to pass to him, "Well… I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is."
But Ernie was looking rather hesitant about signing the list, too. Hermione raised a delicate eyebrow at him.
"I- well, we are prefects," Ernie blurted out. "And if this list was found… well, I mean to say… you said it yourself, if Umbridge finds out-"
"But you just said yourself that this group was the most important thing you'd do this year," Harry reminded him.
"I- yes," Ernie said, nodding, "yes, I do believe that, it's just-"
"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave that list lying around?" Hermione said, though Harry noticed how testily her tone had gotten. Ernie quickly shook his head, looking as though it would pop off his shoulders at any moment.
"No! No, of course not!" Ernie said, looking slightly afraid and less anxious. "I- yes, of course I'll sign."
Nobody raised objections after Ernie, most giving Hermione a wary look as they added their own names.
When the last person, that being Zacharias, had signed the list, Hermione took the parchment back and it disappeared from her grasp as soon as she had placed her hand within her bag. Harry's eyes widened slightly at that, wondering just what sort of magics Hermione was evoking. He himself had signed the list, and it left an odd feeling within him and the entire group.
It was as though they had just signed some kind of contract with the devil.
"Well, time's ticking on," Fred said briskly with a grin, getting to his feet. "George, Lee, Ginny, and my-beautiful-self have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase. We'll be seeing you all later."
In twos and threes the rest of the group took their leave shortly after them.
Colin made rather a slow business of fastening the catch on his bag and tying his trainers before leaving. Cho stood over him, her long dark curtain of hair swinging forward to hide her face while Susan practically bounced beside her and Dennis waited at the door. With a reluctant sigh, Colin arose from his seat and was given little choice in his leaving with the three. As they were going, Cho looked back at Harry, appearing caught between two worlds before she shook her head and went out the door.
"It really looks like she wanted to talk to you, Har." Neville said, patting Harry's shoulder as they got up.
"She shall seek me out if she needs me." Harry said quietly, not at all concerned with Cho's strange attitude.
"Well, I think that went rather well," Hermione said happily as they exited the Hog's Head and entered the into the bright sunlight a few moments later. Harry and Ron were clutching their bottles of Butterbeer.
"That Zacharias guy is something else…" Ron muttered, taking a good swig of his drink while watching after the figure of Smith, who was easily discernible in the distance.
"I don't like him much, either," Hermione admitted with a sigh, "but Ernie and Hannah brought him with them after he overheard me talking to them at the Hufflepuff table and he seemed really interested in coming, so what could I say?" Hermione shrugged at this.
"The more people the better, right?" Neville asked as Seamus and Dean were off ahead of them, going into Honeydukes. "I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny -"
Ron, who had been draining the last few drops from his Butterbeer bottle, gagged and sprayed Butterbeer down his front.
"He's WHAT?" Ron spluttered, looking shocked to his core. Even Harry's eyes had gone wide at this tidbit of news. "Why didn't I hear about this?"
"Well, that's why he and his friends came, I think." Hermione pointedly ignored Ron and Harry's questions and gazes as she turned to Neville, "Still, they're obviously interested in learning defense, but if Ginny hadn't told Michael what was going on, then who knows."
"When did this happen?" Harry asked, in a loud and clear voice as Hermione saw she could no longer ignore them.
"They met at the Yule Ball and got together at the end of last year." Hermione said composedly. They had turned into the High Street and she paused outside Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where there was a handsome display of pheasant feather quills in the window. "Hmm… I could do with a new quill."
She turned into the shop. Harry and Ron followed her as Neville also tagged along just because it would be funny.
"Which one was Michael Corner?" Ron demanded curiously.
"The dark-haired one," Hermione answer.
"Hmm… He's not good enough for her." Ron said after a moment's pause.
"Big surprise," Hermione said under her breath.
"He lacks honor," Ron explained, "He and she should have come forward about their relationship. It would have been the right thing to do."
"Yes, but if you'll remember, you were almost a completely different person as opposed to the calm and reasonable man you are now." Hermione argued as Ron scowled while they trekked along a row of quills in copper pots.
"You know," Harry said, "I used to think she had some sort of aversion to me. Ginny, I mean. She never spoke in my presence."
"No, she had a crush on you." Hermione said, though gave Harry a look over her shoulder, "Not that she doesn't still like you, of course," she added kindly to Harry before examining a long black and gold quill.
Harry shrugged, not finding this subject of romance and relationships quite as interesting as Ron, who was stalking Hermione's steps as he tried to find out why Ginny had still not yet come forward about her secret boyfriend.
"… exactly," Hermione was saying, leaving a stunned Ron near a pot of quills as she took one up. "Yes, I think I'll have this one…"
Hermione went up to the counter and handed over fifteen Sickles and two Knuts, with Ron coming out of his stupor to breath down her neck about how much he had changed since last year.
"Ron, enough." she said severely as she turned and trod on his feet, "This is exactly why Ginny hasn't told you she's seeing Michael, even now! She knew you'd take it badly last year, and she knew that you'd get this way about trust and honor this year. So don't harp on about this, for Shinra's sake!"
"But, I'm not taking it badly. All I'm trying to say is that my sister should be able to come to me, now or back then, if she's interested in someone. I'm her big brother-" and Ron continued to chunter under his breath all the way down the street.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and then said in an undertone, while Ron was still muttering about the distrust and dishonorable relationship Ginny and Michael Corner were building while Neville laughed himself silly, "And talking about Michael and Ginny… what about Cho and you?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Harry asked as he glanced at her.
"Well, at the beginning of the year she couldn't keep her eyes off you." Hermione confessed, smiling slightly, "But now," and her small smile was gone, "now she seems to be conflicted on whether or not to be around you. Though from what I've observed, she's leaning more toward the not being around you part."
"What about our theory that she's been reborn?" Harry asked quietly, giving a heavy lidded look, "Perhaps she's come to hate me for my past transgressions?"
"Perhaps…" Hermione muttered, the four walking through the village of Hogsmeade while Harry had never before appreciated just how beautiful the small settlement truly was.
"Report. How did it go?" a shadowy figure asked as Fred, George, Ginny, and Draco stood before it.
"It went well," Ginny breathed with a slight smile, "Operation Restoration is now at phase three of the plan and way ahead of schedule."
"Excellent," the shadowy figure leaned forward. Black robes and dark locks of greasy hair hung limply in the desk light, the only source of light within the room. "Tell me, how did you manage to get them onto the idea so quickly?"
"We didn't, yo." Fred said, a grin on his face as he placed his hands behind his head. "Hermione's fine ass was all over that from jumpstart. All we had to do was provide a little… security, of sorts."
The shadowed figure gave a small quirk of his eyebrow. That was all.
"Never the less, the operation is moving quickly, and with our presence, it was steered toward the proper direction." George informed as the figure nodded.
"Good, we don't want this falling apart while we're still in the early stages." the figure turned to Draco, "The training? How goes it?"
"It goes well." Draco said loftily, "My own training has afforded me many of my former abilities. Angeal and young Zackary have been throwing their all into the few sessions they can get in. I'd say that Angeal is near a fourth of his former prowess while the Pup is only just finding out what a true First Class warrior is made of."
"And as for Sephiroth?" the figure asked, this time so anxious that he leaned forward in the light. Draco smirked at the man's curiosity.
"My friend, the fates are cruel. No honor-"
"I asked for a report on Sephiroth's progress, not a useless quoting of a long dead story."
"Fine, spoil sport." Draco muttered before loudly saying, "Sephiroth has not been training. In fact, I've only recently spied him sitting by the lakefront, simply staring at the Masamune as it gleamed in the moonlight. As though he were speaking to the sword. However, his sword is like no other, so who knows if he's training or simply being his usual strange self. One way or the other, he's nothing to concern ourselves with at the moment."
"That's fine. Keep watching him, all of you, but from a distance. Leave Sephiroth to his own devices."
"Are the rooms ready?" George aspired to know.
"Not quite, the techs are still hard at work on the last one before the synchronization. Then Room Alpha shall be used to commence phases four and five of Operation Restoration."
"Not bad… Not bad at all, yo."
"Yes, but we have parts to play until then, Agent Reno. I want you and Rude working on Room Alpha, beta testing it for the techs. Agent Cissinei, you will continue to report on all those that have been reborn within the school."
"I'm not one of your agents, so don't even look my way." Draco sneered haughtily. "The only reason we're working together is because I have want of you, and you have need of me."
"You'll get what you want so long as you provide us with what we need, Agent Genesis."
"Good," Draco purred.
"Yes, and all you have to do is continue to play the part of you that is Draco. Report on the Slytherins when I'm not around, continue gaining Umbridge's trust as a kiss-up, and report back to me on anything else that may be of use to us."
"It can and will be done." with that, Draco swept from the dark room. All four sets of eyes watched him go in silence and remained as such until he was well away from them.
"He'd make a good Turk, yo." Fred said as Ginny scoffed.
"You make a good Turk, so anyone else would have to at least be passable." Fred glared at her as she stuck her tongue at him.
"Enough, the Director wishes to speak." George silenced his siblings with those few words.
"Correct, Agent Rude, I do have something to say." Tseng-Snape leaned forward into the light once more. "We are getting to the rocky part of our plans. There are too many variables that could go wrong from this point onward. I'm giving each of you and your underlings full permission to act in the organization's best interest. However, realize the type of department we are."
"We will do so quietly," George intoned softly.
"We'll do so gently." Ginny finished with a small bow.
"The catalyze for the next phase is Umbridge's move." Tseng-Snape steeped his hands together. "She will play right into our hands as the mundane always do. Remember your parts, play them carefully. And give Dobby and Neville their little nudges in the right direction, but don't be so overt about it, Agent Reno."
"I'll be sure to be as subtle as dog shit!"
"… We can only hope…" George muttered as they all heard him. Ginny giggled while Fred fumed.
"None the less, we have our jobs to do, and our roles to play in this act." Tseng-Snape stood from his darkly lit desk. "Remember that all we do is for the glory of the company."
"For the glory of the company!" each of the three agents before him intoned proudly as they stood with rigidly trained attention before they departed. None had lost their touch, not one needed retraining. They were the company's best.
"And you keep tailing the First Class, Agent Elena. Make sure those rogues don't do anything to drastic, and please cover their tracks when they enviably do."
A girl separated herself from the darkest corner of the room, the stoic face she wore was like a mask of stone three inches from her normally dreamy facial expression.
"As you wish, Director." she gave a small bow before slipping back into the shadows. She knew that she'd be followed by another agent who was to make sure she did her job properly. She knew the price that was to be paid should she not act in the company and the department's best interests. She knew that failure could not be afforded in these critical stages of the third operation.
They all knew that failure was never an option for them.
Because what they did was all for the glory of the company.