CHAPTER 35: A Long Day At Hogsmeade (Part 2)

Somewhere…

Sometime…

"It's your one last chance," said Harry, "it's all you've got left. . . . I've seen what you'll be otherwise. . . . Be a man . . . try . . . Try for some remorse. . . ."

"You dare — ?" said Voldemort again.

"Yes, I dare," said Harry, "because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle."

Voldemort's hand was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Harry gripped Draco's very tightly. The moment, he knew, was seconds away.

"That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed —"

"Aren't you listening? Snape never beat Dumbledore! Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure. "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes! Its power is mine!"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard. . . . The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance. . . ."

Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly, and Harry could feel the curse coming, feel it building inside the wand pointed at his face.

"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone.

"But what does it matter?" he said softly. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone . . . and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy. . . ."

"But you're too late," said Harry. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."

Harry twitched the hawthorn wand, and he felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall upon it.

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does . . . I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them, as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!

A thundering bang erupted as both spells were cast simultaneously, missing each other by mere centimetres as they kept on their original path. Voldemort acted quickly, placing a shield that stopped the disarming charm from reaching him. Potter replicated this move, only it wasn't enough. The killing curse went through the shield, as if it was nothing but a layer of dust, striking Potter with a powerful force that blasted him across the Great Hall. His body crashed against several Hogwarts students on his path, sending them tumbling to the ground with him, as everyone gaped with shock at the scene unfolding upon their eyes.

Voldemort dispelled the shield absently as he analysed the wand in his hand. It was still fighting against him, but it hadn't yielded to Potter's pitiful spell, which meant the boy was wrong about his assumptions of the wand. He'd deal with the Malfoy spawn as well as his parents soon enough, he'd have to ensure the compliance of the wand. Potter's nativity at how the transference of a wand's loyalty had been his downfall, he wouldn't make the same mistake.

Taking advantage of the silence surrounding him, Voldemort slowly walked up to the corpse of Harry Potter, its vacant eyes staring at him, his face turned into shock and fear. A pathetic end to a pathetic individual.

"Fiendfyre," he whispered emotionlessly, and immediately, an enormous python snake erupted from his wand. Heat basted from it as it struck Potter's corpse, completely burning his body in a flash, leaving it a skeleton covered in liquid organs and muscle before it turned into ash. The snake didn't stop there, it went around the Great Hall, burning alive every Hogwarts student, teacher, and member of the opposition as Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters stood in the centre of the circle - protected from the effects of the fire.

"No resurrections this time."

Parkinson Cottage

1:00 p.m.

Bedivere watched the retreating forms of Potter and Nott as they stepped out the door, the memory locked ritual performed successfully on all of them. Once Potter had denied his offer, he hadn't pushed the boy further. Pansy and Kieran hadn't been fond of Potter's behaviour towards him, much less his outright denial of something they most likely considered an order rather than a proposition. His whole family were apprehensive of him, which meant his tampering with the Threads of Fate hadn't changed much in him as an individual from who he was in his original timeline.

Of course, after his experiences with the Dark Lord, he was a changed man. Humility was not something taught to him as the heir to a powerful, pure-blood family. As cunning and ambitious as he was, he was never modest, and he never hesitated with his treatment of people below him. However, once he realised the Dark Lord's true nature, his instincts of self-preservation forced him to adopt some humility - and in a short time period too. Those individuals who didn't subject completely to the Dark Lord's will, whether they were filthy countrymen or respected politicians, Mudbloods or pure-bloods, Members of the Order or Death Eaters, it didn't matter, the Dark Lord exterminated all of them with unnerving emotionless and horrifying efficiency.

It took the death of his entire family for him to realise the simple truth, he was no longer at the top of the food chain. In many ways, he had never been. And it had been that moment, in which his meekness towards the Dark Lord - for that is what he would always see it as, meekness. There was value in intelligence and survival instinct, but what good was to live when you lost all sense of respect towards yourself. His meekness, the very thing that allowed him to survive, was what drove him into seeking the Threads of Fate.

The Dark Lord could not be allowed to be victorious, and he would do whatever it took to defeat him before it was too late. It had been Potter's foolishness, his belief in his blessed Dumbledore, that doomed the Wizarding World. To think that, the boy thought he had garnered the Elder Wand's allegiance after ripping an entirely different wand from Draco Malfoy's hands would have been laughable if it hadn't been the mistake that allowed the Dark Lord to take over the magical world.

Once he had reached this new reality, he had never intended to recruit Harry Potter, of all people, into his crusade. The boy he had witnessed and heard about from his timeline was not one who would ever be ready to face the Dark Lord. He had been too influenced by Dumbledore, by families like the Weasleys and the rest of the Gryffindors. Despite his experience and many near-death experiences in which he had managed to escape the Dark Lord, he had never proven himself to be capable of anything other than leaving the battle with his life. His protection from the brother-wands, one Bedivere theorized had been due to Fate's interference, as well as his quick reflexes and a powerful magical core had been enough to put him above the average wizard and help him survive. But he would never be someone who could outright defeat the Dark Lord - not even with the advantages of the Elder Wand and the destruction of all the Horcruxes.

And yet, once he started discovering more information about this new world, the likelihood of cooperating with Potter grew larger and larger until it became the best option. The Longbottom boy had taken Potter's place as the recognised Boy Who Lived, as the one who went over the same trials as Potter - only in a much more inept manner, as he wasn't Harry Potter. He hadn't learnt to appreciate Potter until he witnessed Longbottom's iteration of being the chosen one. Potter, in his original timeline, had a Slytherin side to him, much more than Longbottom could ever have. He was ruthless when he needed to be, there were moments of cunning and resourcefulness that allowed him to survive - even if he still relied on external help from luck or Dumbledore. And his skill at quick thinking was something countless wizards these days lacked.

Longbottom had none of this, all exchanged for a full Gryffindor mentality as he bumbled into danger with nothing but his courage. In his first-year, Dumbledore had to interfere before the Dark Lord revealed himself to Longbottom. In his second year, while he did manage to kill the basilisk, it had been because Dumbledore's phoenix had been much more involved in the battle, removing any danger from the boy as the basilisk focused on the phoenix. And while he did manage to cast a corporeal Patronus in third-year, it has been nothing like what Potter's Patronus had been described as, and only capable of being able to fend off two or three Dementors at once. His showing at the Triwizard Tournament had also been much poorer, with him ending solely on last place, even with Crouch Jr's aid, and only survived his encounter with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters due to the fact that all four champions had decided for a tied win and were all brought to the Graveyard - where Cedric and Krum were killed in order for the Delacour girl and Longbottom to escape with their lives.

But while he grew to respect the Potter from his timeline, that wouldn't have changed his view. No, it had been Potter's own experiences in this timeline that gave the boy the grit and character he needed. While he didn't appreciate his lack of decorum, he couldn't help but admire his lack of meekness, especially when compared to his own grandchildren. The Nott boy wasn't as bad as Pansy or Kieran, but there was still a hint of submissiveness from the boy. But not Potter, there were times when there was a shred of fear in the boy's eyes, as he realised there were bigger predators than him, but that didn't stop him from losing his attitude or changing his demeanour. Some Slytherins would argue this as foolish behaviour, but he wasn't one of them because Potter radiated with power, and was trained by Crouch Jr himself - not only trained by, but he managed to impress one of the most skilled duellists within the Death Eater ranks.

Potter was not someone to bow down to others, not even him, Dumbledore, or the Dark Lord if it came to it, something that was necessary for his role. But at the same time, he wasn't stupid like Longbottom, besides a few impulsive reactions, he wasn't idiotically antagonistic or set in his ways. This meeting, even if his proposal had been rejected, cemented his view of Potter being necessary in this mission, for Longbottom would never be able to do so, not even with Dumbledore's help. However, his work with Potter was far from finished…

"Kieran," he finally spoke as he realised that his two grandchildren were waiting for him to speak. "You will take residence here in Parkinson Cottage. You are still expected to perform your duties as the Parkinson steward, however, I will leave you other duties that will be confidential under the House vows."

"Yes, grandfather," Kieran nodded.

"Every weekend, you are to receive Mister Potter and educate him in certain areas."

"Certain areas?"

"A basic course of everything your parents were meant to educate you on, politics, sociology, psychology, wizarding history and culture, as well as magical branches such as Healing, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions. I'll also ask one of my old friends to tutor him in duelling and Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"But where am I supposed to learn all of that?" Kieran whined. "I don't know anything about Healing, much less psychology and sociology!"

"Then learn."

"Why don't I teach him duelling? I'm good at DADA, Pansy could pick up the slack with the other subjects."

"Oh, please," Pansy rolled her eyes. "Harry would destroy you in a duel. You have nothing of value you can teach him there."

"You are also to keep an eye on him whenever he is outside the castle," Bedivere continued, bypassing anything Kieran might have said. "Meanwhile, Pansy, you will remain by his side and reporting everything to me. You are to stop him from making any rash moves to avoid events like what happened in Halloween, anything to remove the attention off him from the outside world."

"Yes, grandfather."

"I am not saying restrict the boy from anything, as that would only serve to bring anger and resentment towards you and our family. However, if you think something will escalate, resolve it on your own in a quiet way. You were always good at de-escalating situations, that will be an important skill when dealing with Potter."

"Thank you grandfather," she blushed at the praise.

"You can't be serious!" Kieran exclaimed. Bedivere turned slowly towards him, raising an eyebrow. "I mean- it's just- with all due respect, grandfather, are we really going to waste more of our resources and time on Harry Potter? The boy has proven himself to be nothing more than a malcontent brat. I get he was born in time for the prophecy, but is he really worth the investment."

"I had hopes that under my tutelage, you would learn something," Bedivere said conversationally. "Unfortunately, you keep proving me wrong, You aren't looking at the bigger picture. Mister Potter, while having an immense lack of respect, a complete lack of decorum, a problem with authority, and an arrogant, challenging attitude that leads to him pushing everyone away, will be one of the most formidable individuals in the future of magical Britain. He is a diamond in the rough, someone who has not been given the guidance and tutelage to develop his lacking areas and allow him to reach his full potential. That is what we will do."

"Why do you suddenly trust this boy so much?" Kieran asked derisively.

"Because, whether you like it or not, Harry Potter will be the determining factor in the failure or success in our upcoming war for the Wizarding World."

Hogsmeade Village

4:15 p.m.

Harry's date with Susan had been unlike anything he had expected during the past twenty-four hours. He had known girls were enthralled with Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, and he had begun dreading the date earlier in the morning as he realised, he wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that. He would've rather have a massive argument with Susan than entering that establishment, and he had been mentally preparing himself for that. Thankfully, Susan shared his view as she gave a slight mock at how tacky and cheesy the place was.

Susan had done her shopping earlier in the morning, when he had been busy 'helping Theo out' with his own purchases. Hannah had volunteered to helping Susan by safeguarding her bags whilst they were on their date - something Harry had been thankful for because, if she hadn't, he knew he would have been expected to carry them around.

They ended up walking around the village, sharing some candy Susan had brought with her from her earlier purchases, until they came across an ice skating rink created on a large, frozen pond near the centre of the village. Harry, who had never done anything of the sort, had failed miserably, depending on Susan and her mercy to help him around. Susan, though, showed as much mercy as he did to his students in the DA. Except, she took so much more delight of his failure rather than being a hard-arse like he had been.

A part of him had wanted to be angry, but her reactions immediately pushed all of that away. Her laughter was intoxicating, and the way she smiled at him, what he would do to be able to stop that moment and gaze at it forever. The mischievous glint in her eye as she proved herself as better than him in something, even if it was something as inconsequential and recreational as ice skating. All of that sent his stomach jumping like never before, and he felt his eyes draw to her lips more and more as he vaguely wondered what they would taste like.

So, yes, perhaps falling on his arse a couple of times wasn't that bad. Not when he had her looking at him as if he were nothing short of divine.

"I finally found something you're bad at," Susan laughed as they left the establishment a little past four. "Who would've known it was ice skating of everything!"

"Oh, hush," he replied morosely, knowing it was an act, as he could still feel his insides dancing In some weird joy. "I liked you better when you weren't so cocky."

"Please," she rolled her eyes with that smile. "You love it."

Harry, thinking discretion is the better part of valour, didn't say anything.

They began walking around the streets again, as they made idle talk he could only have with her. It was a combination of small talk, teasing, and a weird energy around them that made him feel as if they were being pushed closer and closer together. And then it happened, their hands brushed against each other, sending a jolt of electricity through his body. He immediately yanked his hand away as discretely as possible, and noticed Susan's face reddening, if only slightly.

Harry gulped, suddenly regretting removing his hand as an awkward silence developed between them. Mustering his Gryffindor side, the part the hat had singled out, and he'd long denied, he quickly brought his hand towards hers and grabbed it, intertwining their fingers before he could chicken out. Susan blushed harder, but there was a small, pleased smile adorning her face.

The feeling of her hand in his was… strange. It wasn't something he was accustomed to, and, if he was honest, the position of their two hands linked was mildly uncomfortable due to the angle. The thought of it swiftly went away as he realised he didn't really want to remove his hand from hers, there was a quiet comfort in having it there, one that shaved off some of the loneliness he had felt earlier.

He had thought himself above such silly notions of romance and fawning after girl's like his classmates did. He could still vividly remember his stint with Blaise and Theo in the rec room as they gushed about girls while he was left mildly puzzled over their interest. Even the fact that the boys thought Pansy fancied him had been more of a quick spark of curiosity rather than anything prevalent for more than a couple of days. But with Susan it was different, it had been happening for a while now, but it had only increased ever since that day in the Room of Requirement, when she simply asked for an explanation as to why he did what he did.

Who could've known something so small could have had such an effect on him?

And now, he was acting as idiotic as all the other boys, going on a date right after being asked to join a war, having to confront an object that he had been sure he would never see again in his life, and be told that the prophecy for the one destined to defeat Voldemort was about him.

"haveyoueverkissedsomeone?" Susan suddenly squeaked, breaking Harry out of his trance as he realised how far they had walked in silence already.

"Err… what?"

Blushing profusely now, Susan blushed before she removed her hand from his, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards a dark alley in between of Dominic Maestro's Music Shop and The Magic Neep, two stores that were usually vacant besides two or three people.

"Do you mind?" She asked vigorously, waving at the space that led to the village.

"What?" He asked, suddenly puzzled, how had they come to this?

"Privacy charms!"

"Oh! Err… I don't know any."

"But you're a Slytherin!"

"They don't exactly give us a manual with basic spells exclusive for us, do they," he retorted. "How come you don't know any?"

"I've never had to use them," she murmured, somewhat shyly now.

"What are we doing here, Susan?" He asked with a hint of exasperation.

She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes before looking straight into his own. "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

"Ummm…" Harry stumbled, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "No."

That seemed to relieve her, as she took a step towards him. "No? How come?"

"Err…" This had to be a trick. He had heard the boys talking through the years, girls were supposed to be extremely complicated, they liked to play games, ask cryptic questions where a wrong answer would get them the cold shoulder for several hours. He'd mocked such unimportant conflicts and now, here he was, agonizing over finding the right answer. "I dunno," he blurted out once he had spent too much time silent. "Never had wanted to do it before."

"Oh,"

"Not that I don't ever want to do it," Harry blurted out quickly as she didn't continue moving forward, and God did he want her to. "Just… err… well…"

Susan contained a laugh, raising an eyebrow at him.

"What's so funny?" He demanded, suddenly defensive.

"You," she said as directly as one could. "If others could see this now, Harry Potter, fumbling for words."

"Even if you try telling someone, they'll never believe you," he threatened without any resentment behind his words.

"Why would I ever tell anyone?" She asked roguishly, taking another step towards him as she brushed her French braid behind her head. "It would be much more fun for this to be our little secret."

Her words landed on his face with a hot air, she was suddenly so close. Moments ago, he had felt her so far away and now, she was but a few inches from his face, looking up at him like no one ever had.

"You're a bit controlling, aren't you?" He breathed out.

"Just a tad," she leaned in, and he did as well.

His lips brushed up against hers. They were soft, too soft, and tasted like cherry. The sensation was… unexpected, if not slightly weird. He had never given any thought to how it would feel to kiss someone, but he never thought it would feel like this. Feeling bold, Harry grabbed her from the small of her back and pushed her against him. She leaned in, moving on of her hands around his neck while the other went to his cheek.

Susan pushed further into the kiss, turning it from a set of chaste brushes of their lips as she began fully locking her two lips on his upper lip. He returned in favour, kissing with more passion as his thoughts quickly began emptying from his mind. He acted on instinct he had no idea existed within him, his hands roaming around, slowly drifting downwards until he was cupping her bum, squishing it softly from time to time as he revelled in its texture.

He slowly walked forward, until he gently pinned her to the wall as they kept on going. Time lost any meaning, it was a truly unique experience, for time seemed to fully stop, go at a thousand minutes per second, and not advance at the same time. The only focus for him was her lips, her body against his as he could feel her breasts on his chest, her bum on his hand, and he was sure she could feel his fully grown erection on her pelvis.

Suddenly, Susan deprived him of the feeling of bliss she had brought him as she gently tilted her head backwards, away from his reach, and Harry realised he ought to gain some air.

"That was…"

"Yeah," Harry replied breathlessly when she trailed off. He looked at her hopeful, and she smirked.

"Wanna go again? Already?"

"That can't have been your first kiss," Harry stated, ignoring the teasing question.

"What, was I that good?"

"God, you're worse than me."

Susan giggled, drawing Harry's eyes to her lips once more. "It is my first time, I swear. Your first time, too? You weren't lying?"

"Fuck no," Harry laughed. "But God, if this is what I was missing out, I'm regretting not starting sooner." He leaned in and kissed her again, though this time it lasted much less, as she pulled back again.

"Let's go slow," she said gently. "I've never done this before with anyone, not just the kissing bit. Let's not rush into it, not until we're ready."

"Does this mean we're officially dating now?" Harry asked, his tone betraying a bit of hope, though he truly did not know how this worked.

"If you want to-"

"Yes."

"Then it's settled," she smiled before looking around them and grabbing his arm. "Come on, before some nosy third-year comes over and tells the whole castle about it."

"Butterbeer?" He asked as they began walking again, their hands immediately intertwining again.

"Definitely," She laughed, before leaning in and whispering. "Should feel wonderful after a good snog."

Harry smiled, keeping her as close to him as possible, basking in her presence beside him.

They walked in silence, each processing the kiss - and God, what a kiss. He couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop wondering when it would happen next, where it would happen next. It had to be soon, it was like a drug, and Harry had no intentions of getting clean of it just yet. It had felt perfect, as perfect as his cynical, cold heart could've ever imagined a kiss being. A part of him wondered how it would've been to have his first kiss, with someone else - he didn't think it could compare to this one, but at the same time, how could it differ? Kissing seemed natural, he had never been taught or practised, and yet, Susan seemed to like it. And Susan claimed she had as little experience as him, so how come he was already blown away? Still, he didn't think he'd trade this first kiss with anyone else, he doubted he would ever feel inclined to do so.

"Why did you ask me?" He broke the silence as they neared the Three Broomsticks. "Back in the Room of Requirement, you asked me to tell you it was necessary, that there was an explanation behind… why?"

Susan stopped abruptly, her face darkening as Harry immediately regretted asking that question.

"Have I ever told you I live with my aunt?" She asked quietly, leading them to a secluded area

"No."

"My family opposed You-Know-Who in the war, we were one of the few pure-blood families that outright opposed him rather than remain neutral or joining him. Your family was another one," she said with a sad smile. "You-Know-Who… he had expected my family to join him, contacted my grandfather about it personally. The Bones' used to hold various critical positions within the Ministry as well as a powerful presence inside the Wizengamot - and like I told you, somewhere around a third of my family were Slytherins. But when my grandpa declined, You-Know-Who didn't take well to it."

Susan stopped abruptly, a sob catching in her throat and Harry, who suddenly got the urge, squeezed her hand.

"He murdered my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, cousins- my parents. You-Know-Who himself took the personal task of murdering my entire family, and he would have murdered me and my aunt Amelia if he hadn't been stopped. I guess he didn't take our rejection very well," she laughed, though Harry could hear the sob she tried to hide with it.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Susan." He said weakly, not knowing what to say.

"It was a long time ago," she said gently as she scrubbed a tear that had fallen out of her eye. "I told my aunt I was going out with you, and she told me that… well… if anyone understands, it's you."

Harry nodded, not wanting to say something stupid.

"When I asked - pleaded, really - for you to give me an explanation… I did so because I didn't want to believe that you would just murder someone in cold blood. I needed to know that you had to do it. I do believe killing is wrong, regardless of the situation, you shouldn't have to drop to the Death Eater's level and be as evil as them to win - my aunt always tells me this, and she tells me the whole family, even the Slytherins, believed it. But now, given what happened… I can't help but wish some of them had crossed that line, just to save their own lives. Maybe, if they had, I could've had a family, uncles and cousins… brothers, sisters…. parents. Those are fleeting wishes, like I said, I don't think killing is right, and I will never do it myself. But if even I occasionally wish that my family had done so when their lives were at risk, it would've been hypocritical to not understand if you had done so under those circumstances."

Harry smiled, though only slightly. "Thank you."

"Why?"

"For asking."

There was a long silence as they just stood there in front of each other, his right hand intertwined with her left one as they gazed at each other's eyes.

"Come on," he broke it off as he began pulling her. "We really need some butterbeers now."

Susan laughed, and though there was still a hint of sadness behind it, there was also joy.

Harry held open the door for Susan as they stepped inside the Three Broomsticks. The place was packed, the complete opposite of the Hog's Head tavern, where there were more pests than customers inside. There were numerous familiar faces there, ranging from the youngest students in the DA to groups of seventh-years occupying a booth. Pansy and Theo were there, talking amiably with a small brunch in front of them - he also spotted Blaise, Daphne, and Draco sitting at a nearby booth. And as they stepped inside, Harry felt weirdly smug that Susan hadn't removed her hand from his,

Spotting a table for two near the back, the two of them were about to head that way before they were stopped by a voice from behind him.

"Really Susan?" Weasley said with disgust. "You're going out with that snake?"

"Why don't you find yourself a girlfriend, little Ronniekins," Harry said coldly, a fire suddenly lit inside him. "Oh, wait, that's right, you made too much of a fool in the Yule Ball that now no one will even look at you that way."

"Just leave, Potter," Granger ordered as she glared at Ron, whose ears were turning red.

"Come on, Harry," Susan said softly, trying to calm him down. "Let's just go sit down. Ignore him."

Composure, cool headedness, and control. The three main things Snape had tried to drill into him as he tortured him in those Occlumency lessons. Harry took a small breath, before nodding at Susan and turning.

"Yeah, do what your girlfriend says, Potter," Weasley sneered behind him. "Be a good little boy."

"Ron, Neville, don't!"

Harry turned, only to face both Longbottom and Weasley's wands only a couple of inches from his face, while Granger gaped at them, still sitting in the booth. With the wands that close, and his not even in his palm, Harry needed to gain some time. Susan, who began fuming beside him, was about to pull her own wand when Harry placed his hand over her arm.

"Am I supposed to be scared?" He asked in a bored tone, slowly shifting to place himself in front of Susan. "I could beat the two of you, blindfolded, while under an imperius curse prohibiting me from attacking anyone."

"Big talk for a murderer," Longbottom whispered, jabbing his wand at Harry's cheek. "Do you know what he is, Susan? This filth you're dating is nothing more than a Death Eater in training. No better than those who tortured and killed Cedric and Viktor."

"The only filth I see here is you - the both of you." Susan said from behind him, and her words, the fact that she was rejecting their slander of him, brought him more calm than he expected.

"I suggest you lower your wands before this gets ugly."

"Scared to fight us when you aren't the one taking us by surprise, are you?"

"Not at all," he shrugged. "I just rather not get these clothes stained with your blood. Seven against two is never a good idea." Harry nodded behind him, on a complete whim, and he was glad to see Longbottom's and Weasley's eyes widen.

For once, he thanked Snape for placing those morons as his babysitters.

"Wands. Down. Now."

Without warning, a loud blast pushed the four of them down as a massive explosion suddenly blew up the roof from the entrance of the Three Broomsticks. Then, a bright, purple flame as wide and tall as the fireplace erupted, completely blocking any person wanting to enter or exit through there.

"Get off me!" Harry snarled at Longbottom, pushing the plump boy aside as he scrambled to his feet, helping Susan up with urgency. Making sure their hands were intertwined, Harry turned on the spot, feeling as his whole body was suddenly pushed through an infinitesimally small tube, only to abruptly be stopped and pushed back out from it, making him and Susan crash against the same spot on the ground.

"Ow," she moaned.

"What the fuck was that?" Theo asked urgently, helping Susan up as Pansy helped him.

"Dunno," Harry said. "Anti-apparition wards, maybe. Fuck, that hurt."

Everyone around the pub was panicking, students hiding under tables and within booths, as Madam Rosmerta was trying helplessly to fix the floo. Harry looked around the room, the windows had been darkened with some sort of spell, impeding them from seeing what was going on. The walls and ceiling were shaking violently, it felt as though they were being pushed into the establishment, hanged portraits and pictures falling as the structural boards creaked and chirred.

"Fucking perfect!" Harry exclaimed hotly, turning to Longbottom, who was being helped up by Granger. "Just bloody brilliant! I can't even have a normal Hogsmeade trip because fucking Lord Longbottom has to be in the same fucking pub as I am!"

"What the fuck are you blaming me for?" Longbottom snapped back.

"It's always your fault! Somehow, some way, your bloody Boy Who Lived bullshit finds a way to fuck over the whole school! This is just the latest in the long line of ways this has manifested. What the fuck am I even complaining about! I should just turn you over the second some lowlife comes around the corner and asks for the bloody Boy Who Lived."

"Over my dead body!" Weasley yelled, as he and Granger placed themselves protectively around them.

"That sounds more like a bargain than a hindrance," Harry said coldly before being pulled away by Pansy.

"What the fuck do we do?"

"Protect Susan," he ordered. "I'll deal with this fucking bullshit-"

"Harry-"

"Yeah, no killing or doing anything that puts attention on me, I know," he hissed. "Look, it's probably just some idiotic shamed Death Eater trying to take Longbottom away, that's nothing I can't-"

The window nearest the door suddenly burst, sending flying glass everywhere as five men jumped inside. They were covered by black hoods, hiding their identity and distorting their voices as they talked between each other. Whilst one of the men began fixing up the window, the other four roamed around the pub."

"Wands on the floor!" They yelled, their voices deepened magically by the hood. "Everyone, drop your wands and get on the floor now."

Harry raised his arm at his side, summoning his wand from his holster, but just as he was about to begin dealing with the pseudo Death Eaters, the floo exploded once more, with the purple flames parting leaving a spot free in the middle. Madam Rosmerta was sent flying, crashing against the nearest table with a groan before tumbling to the floor, unconscious.

The floo roared as a man suddenly appeared within the protected circle. He had spiky, ginger hair, deep blue eyes, and a demented grin as his eyes roamed around the room.

"HARRY POTTER!" The man exclaimed, jumping out of the floo, which immediately became overcome with purple flames again. "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!"

As the man descended into fits of maniacal laughter, Harry's blood ran cold, and he could feel everyone's eyes turn to him.

That's it for this chapter! Thank you all for reading!

Next chapter will be the Harry and Dolohov confrontation, so stay tuned for that!

By the time I'm posting this, I'm almost three chapters ahead. I'll post a new chapter every 7 - 10 days in FFN and AO3, but if you want to learn how to get early access to them, join my discord server using the following link: discord . gg / jyPfbGqhJT

As always, thank you for reading, favouriting, and commenting! I appreciate all of you! :)