LAST TIME
And then, there was anticipation for the first of November. The plan to storm Azkaban and kill the Death Eaters was ready.
Tomorrow, they would levy a huge blow to Voldemort and his forces by killing off his most loyal followers. The day was very important for Harry and the Order of the Phoenix. This was going to be their first move in the war against Voldemort, and a move which could win them the war.
They had made a lot of preparations for tomorrow to ensure their mission was a success. If anything went wrong, the order had made two fallback plans as well.
As he got ready for bed, smothering his anticipation of what was going to happen the next day, Fawkes flamed into his dormitory and squawked urgently, hoovering in the mid-air.
"Dumbledore wants to see me urgently?" Harry asked and the phoenix nodded.
"Alright, take me to him," Harry said, and immediately Fawkes flew on his shoulder and flamed him straight to Dumbledore's office.
As soon as Harry opened his eyes, he saw Dumbledore was panicking and pale.
"Sir?"
"Harry, Azkaban. Azkaban has been broken into. Voldemort has freed all his Death Eaters!"
Ch.59 Profiting from Peril
31st October 1995
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts
"What?" Harry asked, staring incredulously at the Headmaster.
"Voldemort has broken into Azkaban and freed his Death Eaters. The Aurors in the prison along with the warden have been killed. All the dementors have joined him as well."
Harry breathed deeply, trying to calm his raging inferno of emotions. A month of rigorous planning had gone to waste. Complete utter waste. And worse of all, the most dangerous Death Eaters were free. Voldemort's most loyal, most lethal followers were by his side once again, ready to wreak havoc across the wizarding world.
"What… what do we do now, professor?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore sighed. "We are doing all we can, my boy. Training the Order members, readying ourselves, making plans, and whatnot. I would say that we are better prepared for this war than we were in the last one. Much better prepared. All we can do is proceed as we were going to a month ago. The Azkaban raid was never in the initial plan, was it? It was just an addition, which, unfortunately, failed. This was a win on Tom's part and a loss on ours. A loss whose consequences we were prepared to bear a month ago as well."
Harry slowly nodded, finding wisdom in Dumbledore's words. A month ago, they had almost resigned themselves to the fact that Voldemort was going to, sooner or later, break his Death Eaters out of Azkaban. The security lapse during shift change time was information they had accidentally stumbled upon and acted on.
"Sir, when are we going for the prophecy? To lure Voldemort to the ministry and expose him?"
"I am thinking that we should wait for at least a month. Tom has just made a big move on Azkaban and freed his Death Eaters. As far as I know him, he won't move to perform a big move, and a dangerous one at that so soon. He will bide his time and rebuild his force to what it was before the end of the last war, now that he has his best death eaters at his side again."
"So, we will move for the prophecy in December?" Harry asked for confirmation.
"Yes. Near Christmas, I would advise. The ministry would be empty and no innocent bystanders would be caught in the crossfire between our and Voldemort's forces. On the night of the boxing day or the day after that should be good for the task."
"Yes, the ministry would be empty near midnight, especially for Christmas. And we can't do it before yule because of the ministry ball anyway."
"True. And, this will give time for the Death Eaters who have been freed from Azkaban to heal enough to go into battle but they won't be able to at full strength."
"And thus, it will be easier for us to finish them off," Harry said, completing the line of thought.
"Precisely."
"You do realize that the plan is based on a lot of assumptions, out of which the biggest assumption is that Voldemort would actually come to the ministry to get the prophecy orb from me as soon as he is informed of it by his Death Eater."
"It is not an assumption, Harry. It is a scheme hatched on a very much educated guess."
"A guess nonetheless. We are assuming literally everything here, sir. From the very fact that Voldemort will come to take the orb to the fact that the ministry employees will come on time to see Voldemort. Also, we are assuming that as soon as Voldemort would see them, he would not slaughter them and instead flee from there. Or even perhaps, flee before they all can see him."
"That is what we will be there for, Harry. To ensure that everything happens on time and that he doesn't kill anyone from the witnesses before being forced to flee. And this is war, Harry. The best you can do is prepare and improvise as it goes on. The final result is in neither party's hand."
Harry took a deep breath before nodding. "Alright. I will use this situation to our advantage in the meantime. To discredit Fudge and turn more people to our side."
"Then, I will inform the Order of this development in the meantime. You do not need to attend this meeting. Plan on how you are going to discredit Cornelius and spread the word. Use your words like weapons, Harry. And I know that Miss Skeeter would do the rest." Harry nodded. That was the plan he had formed.
"Alright sir, see you later!"
"Oh, Harry!" He shouted, just as Harry called Hedwig mentally and the phoenix flamed on his shoulder.
"Yes?" Harry asked.
"This Sunday evening, I want you to meet me in the wonderful room of requirements that you use. It is time that some of my knowledge is passed to you in time. I will teach you a few things… things which I intended to teach you once your apprenticeship began."
"Alright, sir. Anything else?"
"No. You may leave. Good night, Harry."
"Good night, sir," Harry said, before flaming away.
1st November 1995
The Great Hall, Hogwarts
The next morning, the Great Hall was in a state of uproar as the News on the front page of the Daily Prophet spread rapidly through the school.
MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN!
DEATH EATERS WHO ONCE SERVED HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED FREE!
In a ground-shaking announcement, the Ministry of Magic reported that Azkaban, the supposedly inescapable prison, witnessed a mass breakout late evening last night as the country celebrated Halloween. That is right, dear readers! The Death Eaters who once served He-Who-Must-Not-beNamed are free and walking amongst us once again!
Out of the many escaped convicts, readers may recognize names such as Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange, the Carrow twins, Antonin Dolohov, Matthew Travers, and Charles Selwyn. All of them were convicted of heinous crimes ranging from arson to torture and killing, all under the banner of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
In her statement last night, Madame Amelia Bones, Head of DMLE informed the Daily Prophet that not only did a mass breakout happen but during it, all the Aurors stationed to protect the prison were ruthlessly killed along with a few prisoners. No eyewitnesses were left to give an account of who led the mass breakout. The DMLE is certain that the breakout was led and performed by outside help, not by the prisoners themselves.
This is indeed worrying news dear readers. But, what is even more worrying is the fact that Dementors have also abandoned the prison. You read it right! Dementors, the soul-sucking demons whom we entrusted to guard the prison, no longer do so! In the past, prominent authorities, including ex-chief warlock, Albus Dumbledore had raised concerns about the demons guarding the prison but were brushed aside by the Ministry of Magic.
Now, it seems that their worries have indeed been proven true!
While there is no concrete proof that the Dementors have turned against us, it certainly seems to be the case given the current circumstances.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for magic, however, said, "This is certainly a grave incident. One of the worst that my administration has faced. But I assure you all that we will have the situation under control soon and there is absolutely no need to worry. But, till then, I beg the magical community to remain vigilant. These criminals are highly dangerous and on no account should they be approached. Please cooperate with us in light of this perilous event and you shall be safe."
In addition, Minister Fudge is offering a reward of 2,500 Galleons for anyone who provides information on the whereabouts of the escaped inmates, leading to their capture.
The Muggle Prime Minister and relevant authorities have also been informed of how dangerous these convicts are.
We at the Daily Prophet urge everyone to be cautious and alert for their own safety while we keep you updated on the latest happenings regarding this situation.
For the full list of escaped convicts and more information regarding them, turn to page 3
For more Information on Dementors and Azkaban Prison, turn to page 5
For more information on Death Eaters and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, turn to page 2.
Harry quickly flipped through the pages to read what had been published. It wasn't of much importance to him, except for the full list of escaped convicts which the prophet had published, along with their photos and the crimes for which they were in Azkaban. Harry noted that a total of Fifty-seven inmates had escaped, some of whom were nothing more than petty criminals before with no relation to Death Eater activities previously.
So, Voldemort had likely persuaded the prisoners who weren't already Death Eaters to join him. Those who refused had been killed along with the Aurors.
But the fact was, Fifty-seven more Death Eaters had joined or re-joined Voldemort's rank. The Order of the Phoenix was already outnumbered. Of course, most of the order consisted of high-level fighters by now. Several members would give Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange and Dolohov a challenge or in a few cases, even defeat them.
For now, he had one important task. Taking out his moleskin pouch, Harry removed a Galleon from it before tapping his wand on it, calling an Emergency meeting for The Dragon Legion.
1st November 1995
The Room of Requirements, Hogwarts
Harry once again lounged in the Room of Requirement, waiting for the members of the Dragon Legion to arrive. Most had arrived much earlier today than usual. The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Some, including Susan and Neville, were seething looking at the group with a fire in their eyes.
Hearing that the murderers/tormentors of their parents were free had ignited their fury. Neville, on reading the news had set the Daily Prophet in his hands aflame in the Great Hall. Susan, on the other hand, had her magic swirling all around her. Harry had pulled them aside and told them to blow off their steam in the Room of Requirements, right before the classes began. Thankfully, the fifth years had their first period free.
In the room of requirement, the two had unleashed their wrath on poor unsuspecting dummies by tearing them apart. Thankfully, it did calm them down enough to get their emotions under control for the rest of the day. Seeing them tear apart dummies, Harry realized how remarkably alike they were. All orphans (technically anyways as Neville's parents were alive but as good as dead) who had lost their parents to Lord Voldemort or his followers. All three were the last remaining heirs to their respective Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses. And powerful magically to boot. Heck, their birthdays weren't much farther from each other, all falling within a week's time.
When the last member of the Dragon Legion arrived, Harry willed the door to close and lock itself after doing the customary check for any intruders in the group. He stood up and cleared his throat, interrupting conversations about the hottest topic in Hogwarts at the moment: The Death Eater escape.
"Good Evening. As you can see, I have called an emergency meeting, whose topic you might have already guessed." Harry said grimly, making people around the room nod in agreement. "But just to be clear, today's meeting is called in light of the mass breakout from Azkaban. A total of fifty-seven prisoners have been broken out. Out of them, some were High-profile prisoners. Dangerous individuals who are a part of Voldemort's inner circle. His most loyal, his most ruthless, and most dangerous Death Eaters."
Many flinched at the name but the reaction was much more subdued than it was a month ago.
"In addition to this, the Dementors have abandoned the prison. I now feel that it should be clear, to those who doubted the fact that Voldemort had returned, that what I told was no lies as the ministry is insistent on saying. Dumbledore and I had warned Fudge, having predicted such a possibility back in June. He decided to ignore us and still does. I feel that now it is high time that he should've listened. But he didn't, increasing the danger Voldemort poses exponentially."
"What do you mean?" A third-year Gryffindor asked.
"Simply the fact that the ministry refuses to prepare for war is a huge threat to the country. The ministry will be massively underprepared when he strikes which may lead to the Ministry's downfall. Even if Fudge is sacked from his position as soon as Voldemort comes out into the open, the ministry is fucked already."
The tension in the room seemed to increase with his words.
"Now, it falls to us to prepare ourselves for the war if we intend to make it through it alive. Many of you," Harry said, pointing at the group of seventh-years, "Are going to be out in the real world in a few months. And, we all will one day. We are the future of this country. What is happening now will directly affect our futures when we are adults. It is up to you to decide if you want to step out and raise a family in a world ruled by Voldemort, or a free world."
Harry looked around the room meeting everyone's eyes. "From today onward, I will increase your training. Training for you to survive and fight. I will be teaching you spells not only to defend yourself but those which could be potentially lethal under certain circumstances or at least, grievously injured. Your workload will increase. I'll give you things to read up on. And you must do it as if it is homework. We'll also meet twice a week from now on."
Angelina cleared her throat, "Harry, I hope you will keep Quidditch Practices—"
"Quidditch practice? Quidditch PRACTICE?" Harry roared, making her flinch. "We are in the middle of a fucking war, Johnson, and you care about the stupid Quidditch cup?"
"I agree," Justin Finch-Fletchley said. "This is more important than Quidditch or anything else. If we don't learn, we might be killed, which is something I would like to actively avoid."
"Thank you, Justin. Now, as I was saying, if anyone has a problem with this, you are free to leave this room."
No one moved a muscle. Not even Smith or Edgecombe.
"Good," Harry said after a minute's pause. "Now, as I said, we will meet at least twice a week from now on. Schedule everything else around the sessions. I will start by teaching you an advanced shield, right now, namely, the Protego Aegis. It won't be tough to learn as you all can do the Protego shield perfectly by now. Rest of the session, once everyone gets it down, we will work on improving accuracy, speed, and dodging."
A sixth-year Ravenclaw raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Ashley?"
"I was wondering if you could tell us what all we will cover in the near future. If you tell us the spells, we will read up on them and be better prepared. Thus, we will waste less time and learn more."
"Well, I was going to touch upon this at the end, but now is as good a time as any, I suppose. For the record, I will be giving you a couple of spells at the end of every session from now on which I would ask you to read up on before the next session so you are prepared. As for what all I aim to cover, off the top of my head, two shield charms, the piercing hex, the bone-breaker curse, a couple of cutting curses, a few standard counter-curses, a powerful version of the stunner, and of course, the Patronus charm which I will take at the end of this month." Many perked up at that and Harry smirked.
"Let's begin."
5th November 1995
Room of Requirements, Hogwarts
Dumbledore pushed the ornate doors of the room of requirements open and Harry followed him inside, only to arrive in an open ground. Harry recognized the scenery well enough to know that it was the open area near both the black lake and the forbidden forest. In the distance, he could see Hagrid's hut as well.
"You configured it like Hogwarts, sir," Harry stated as the doors closed behind him.
"Indeed. This was the place I used to practice magic when I was your age, Harry. Ah, the old memories it brings back! Back in my sixth year, I tried a fire spell once and nearly set the forbidden forest on fire. Thankfully, I knew a powerful water spell and immediately doused the flames before they could spread and burn the whole forest to ashes. Unfortunately, my Potions professor, Professor Cambrick, witnessed it and put me in detention for a month." Dumbledore chuckled.
Harry smiled as well, imagining what Dumbledore might've looked like being scolded when he was sixteen.
"I, unfortunately, didn't have this wonderful room at my beck and call as you do back in my day. I didn't know about its existence until a few months ago."
"Yes, this room is rather useful," Harry agreed. "What are you going to teach me, sir?"
"If you want me to classify it into a field, I would say battle magic. I will be teaching you a few spells today. Spells that would make an average wizard tired by just using them… if they can master the spell that is. Some of what I am going to teach you are the spells that Gellert and I made foolishly when we had dreams to conquer the world. They are meant for slaughter and nothing else. And, I will request you to keep these to yourself. Do not teach this to anyone. Even to Ms. Greengrass or Ms. Bones who are your girlfriends."
Harry froze. "How do you know about Daphne and me?"
Very few people apart from their families knew that Daphne was a part of Harry and Susan's relationship. Namely, only Hermione, Neville, Cedric, and Ron all of whom Harry had sworn to secrecy.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Harry, I am first and foremost, a teacher. You will be shocked to know how much I can interpret about children from the smallest of things. I have spent more than eight decades teaching my boy. I can recognize two teenagers in love easily despite how much you try to hide it."
"Ah… err…" Harry stammered.
"Nurture them, Harry. I made the mistake of never finding love after losing my first one. You make sure that you do not make the same mistake that I did. Love is a wonderful thing, Harry. It is magic on its own. And you have two wonderful-wonderful ladies loving you. I see how they look at you.
Cherish them. You do not know how many would kill to be in your place." "Of course, sir." Harry nodded.
"Alright, let us begin. The first spell I am going to teach you is called the Ray of disintegration. It is a powerful, very powerful blasting curse of sorts which will reduce any sizable object to nothing more than atoms."
"Atoms?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Atoms," Dumbledore confirmed. "The more power you put in the spell, the more matter it is capable of disintegrating. I would demonstrate the spell first. If you would be so kind to cast the terror of terra spell and form a construct for me to demonstrate the spell upon."
"Of course, sir," Harry said, walking a little distance away before turning to face the Headmaster who was ready with the elder wand clutched in his hand.
"Terroro Terranus!" Harry intoned, jabbing his wand towards the ground channeling his magic, making the power of the Earth submit to him. The ground rumbled and cracked before a Rhinoceros made of dirt rose from the ground. The construct was as tall as Harry and much wider. With a flick of his wand, it started running towards Dumbledore.
The wizened headmaster immediately sprung into action, waving his wand in an intricate pattern and jabbing it at the construct, shouting, "Ekriksi Aposyntheto!"
Harry sucked in a sharp breath, as a golden beam of light surrounded by a spiral of the same golden energy shot from the elder wand and impacted the Golem, creating a golden explosion, nearly blinding him and making him stumble back. When the light cleared, only small pinpricks of small golden light could be seen floating down to the ground and disappearing.
There was no sign of the fact that a huge Rhinoceros construct had just stood there a moment ago.
Dumbledore took a moment before smiling. "Powerful, isn't it?"
"Very much so, yes." Harry agreed. "The only spell remotely capable of stopping it is the mage shield. It cannot be stopped till all its power runs out. To do so, it will penetrate through several objects if needed as well. I know this spell."
"You do?"
"Yes. It was a part of the Potter Family Grimoire. My great-great Grandfather, William Potter, had gotten the spell from somewhere and noted it down. He called it the destroyer beam. I recognized it when you intoned the spell."
"Ah, this saves us precious time. The next spell I wanted to teach you is this," Dumbledore said, as a dummy popped up a little distance away. "It is an elemental spell. Watch closely."
Dumbledore waved his wand again, and intoned, "Ternus Fulgur Percutiens!"
As the air got saturated with magic, a dark cloud formed over the dummy a moment later, and three bolts of eldritch purple rained down on the dummy with a deafening clap, reducing it to ashes and rubble.
"Wow," Harry breathed. "That was not normal lightning."
"No, it wasn't," Dumbledore agreed. "It has more… force for the lack of a better word than electricity making it more destructive than electric. Do you know this spell?"
"No, sir."
"Excellent!" Dumbledore beamed. "Let me teach you then. We'll follow it with a special spike producing spell."
"A spike producing spell?" Harry asked. "That is conjuration, sir."
"Ah, that is not what you think it is. Instead of you conjuring the spikes directly, it will be the spell that does it, so to speak. A ring of magic will be formed through which spikes will shoot upon your enemies at a high velocity similar to how those muggle firearms shoot bullets rapidly."
"Machine guns?" Harry asked.
"If that is what they are called, yes. And there is one more specialty about these spikes. Unlike normal conjured spikes, they cannot be turned back on their caster. If the opponent tries to do any magic on them, they'll turn to dust. This spell was invented by Pernell Flamel, and you're the fourth person in the world to know about it."
"Interesting."
"Indeed. Let us start with the lightning spell. We'll move to the spike spell later"
11th November 1995
Hogsmeade Village, Scotland
The mood in the castle had changed drastically over the past few days. There was only one topic of conversation in the corridors now: the escaped Death Eaters. Rumors were running rampant around the school ranging from the Death Eaters being spotted in Hogsmeade to them, impersonating students in school.
Those who came from Wizarding families had grown up hearing the names of these Death Eaters spoken with almost as much fear as Voldemort's; the crimes they had committed during the days of Voldemort's reign of terror were legendary. There were relatives of their victims among the Hogwarts students, who now found themselves the unwilling objects of a gruesome sort of reflected fame as they walked the corridors.
Harry was the target of renewed mutterings. Some of the idiots who had refused to believe him were coming to their senses slowly and realizing that he and Dumbledore were indeed telling the truth. It seemed that in their confusion and fear, they had finally turned to the only explanation available to them, the one that Harry and Dumbledore had been expounding since June.
It was not only the students' mood that had changed. It was now quite common to come across two or three teachers conversing in low, urgent whispers in the corridors, breaking off their conversations the moment they saw students approaching.
"They obviously can't talk freely in the staffroom anymore," said Hermione in a low voice, as she, Harry, and Ron passed Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout huddled together near the carriages. "Not with Umbridge there."
Indeed. Umbridge had passed one more of her ridiculous decrees proclaiming that the Teachers were forbidden to give the students any information that did not directly pertain to the subjects they taught.
This latest decree had been the subject of a great number of jokes among the students. Lee Jordan had pointed out to Umbridge that by the terms of the new rule she was not allowed to tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in the back of the class.
She had given him detention for a week for that, but it was worth it, considering that Jordan would be writing with the blood quills that would use Umbridge's blood and carving lines in her skin, causing pain to her.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Susan boarded a Thestral-pulled carriage which took them to the gates of Hogwarts.
Hogsmeade was a sight to be seen. The town was covered with fresh snow, which decorated the streets and the rooftops as well. Students and citizens could be found milling around, wearing thick clothes and sweaters to protect themselves from the cold.
Harry, on the other hand, was comfortably walking around in a normal, cyan-colored robe, courtesy of heating charms. Susan, Hermione, and Ron were in the same boat as him, all wearing normal clothes instead of several thick sweaters. Neville hadn't come with them, instead choosing to do an extra credit project for Herbology with Professor Sprout. Same with Daphne who was doing it for Runes instead of Herbology. Cedric was going to go on a date with Cho, and the Twins had gone to Gringotts for their business which was already flourishing. Ginny and Astoria were with their respective friends.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Susan were going to spend the day together roaming around Hogsmeade before going to three broomsticks for Lunch and later, a private meeting with Rita Skeeter and Luna Lovegood.
Harry knew that the editor of the prophet was too scared to publish something so blatantly against the ministry as an interview with him.
So, they had elected to go with the Quibbler, the magazine run by Luna's father.
Harry had gone as far as to buy all shares of Quibbler available on the market, which had come laughably cheap. The stock value of the Quibbler was going to quadruple at the very least once his interview was published… likely even more.
At exactly half-past two in the afternoon, Harry, Susan, Ron, and Hermione went up to the private room reserved in the name of Rita Skeeter. Harry knocked on the door before entering.
Rita Skeeter was sitting on a chair, wearing a lemon-colored robe with matching spectacles and a handbag. She looked horrendous.
"Good Afternoon, Rita. Don't you look wonderful?" He greeted, making the reporter beam.
"Oh, you're a flatterer, Harry. Welcome. Please have a seat. And you all must be his friends!" "Yes," Hermione nodded.
"And you Susan! I have heard so much about you! You're Harry's Girlfriend, right?"
Susan raised an eyebrow before nodding. "Yes, I am."
"Oh, so would you mind telling me—"
"Yes, she would mind," Harry interrupted. "Your interview is with me. Not with Susan. You do remember our deal, don't you?"
"How could I forget?" Rita replied stiffly.
"Good," Harry said. "Now, shall we start the interview?"
"Yes, Of course."
"Harry, we need to wait for Luna," Hermione reminded.
"She is right outside the door humming a song," Harry said, as he wandlessly opened the door, revealing Luna staring dreamily, humming a song to herself. A moment later, she skipped inside and took a seat beside Harry.
"So, you want me to interview you about the recent Death Eater escape, I assume?" Rita asked.
"Yes, it will be a part of it."
She frowned. "What is the main topic of the interview then?"
"The return of Dark Lord Voldemort," Harry replied, making the reporter flinch violently.
"The prophet would never print such a thing," She stated.
"You mean the Prophet won't print it because Fudge won't let them," said Hermione irritably.
Rita gave Hermione a long, hard look. Then, leaning forward across the table toward her, she said in a business-like tone, "All right, Fudge is leaning on the Prophet, but it comes to the same thing. They won't print a story that shows Harry in a good light. You were not there during the first war, girl. People do not want to believe that you-know-who is back. And it is absurd. Dead men do not just return to life."
"So the Daily Prophet exists to tell people what they want to hear, does it?" said Hermione scathingly.
"Isn't it your responsibility to report the truth?"
"The Prophet exists to sell itself, you silly girl," Skeeter snapped.
"My dad thinks it's an awful paper," said Luna, chipping into the conversation unexpectedly. She gazed at Rita with her enormous, protuberant, slightly mad eyes. "He publishes important stories that he thinks the public needs to know. He doesn't care about making money."
Rita looked disparagingly at her. "I'm guessing your father runs some stupid little village newsletter?" she said. "'Twenty-five Ways to Mingle with Muggles' and the dates of the next Bring-and-Fly Sale?"
"No," said Luna, "he's the editor of The Quibbler."
Rita snorted loudly. "That rag? I won't use it as manure for my non-existent garden."
"Well, I do not care what you think of the Quibbler, Rita," Harry interrupted. "The thing is, as the Prophet won't publish the article I want it to. So, the Quibbler will."
Her head whipped towards him. "The Quibbler!" she said, cackling. "You think people will take you seriously if the article's published in The Quibbler?"
"Some people won't," Harry shrugged. "But the Daily Prophet's version of the Azkaban breakout had some gaping holes in it. I think a lot of people are wondering whether there isn't a better explanation of what happened. Also, remember who is giving this information. My fame, as annoying as it is, has some wonderful advantages."
Rita snorted, "Fame is a fickle thing, Harry. I have lost count of how many famous personalities I have ruined with my quill. You should be grateful to the stars that I am not ruining yours."
"Well then, let me satisfy your urge to ruin someone's reputation. It just won't be me."
She looked at him inquisitively. "Let us assume for a moment that I write it. What will I get in return?"
"A promotion as soon as Cuffe is fired for aiding Fudge in high treason by the means of the Daily Prophet."
Rita looked shocked for a moment before grinning. "I am listening."
19th November 1995
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Harry looked at the latest notice nailed on the notice board before laughing uproariously.
— By Order Of —
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts
Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven.
Signed:
Dolores Jane Umbridge
High Inquisitor
"What has gotten you so happy?" Hermione asked as she walked toward him.
"Umbridge just ensured that everyone in Hogwarts will now read the article. She banned it."
"What? How?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Oh Ron, don't you see?" Hermione breathed. "If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it! If you tell a group of rebellious teenagers not to do something without a very solid reason, they would be tempted to do it more!"
"And well, I am putting your brothers on selling the Quibbler. Disguised copies at a small profit." Harry winked.
— — —
It seemed that Harry's assumption was bang on. By evening that day, though Harry had not seen so much as a corner of The Quibbler anywhere in the school, yet the whole place seemed to be quoting the interview at each other. Harry heard them whispering about it as they queued up outside classes, discussing it over lunch and in the back of lessons, while Hermione even reported that every occupant of the cubicles in the girls' toilets had been talking about it when she nipped in there before Ancient Runes.
"And then they spotted me, and obviously they know I know you, so they were bombarding me with questions," Hermione told Harry, her eyes shining, "and Harry, I think they believe you, I really do, I think you've finally got them convinced! And they now think that Fudge is up to something as well!"
Meanwhile, Professor Umbridge was stalking the school, stopping students at random and demanding that they turn out their books and pockets. Harry knew she was looking for copies of The Quibbler, but he was several steps ahead of her. The pages carrying Harry's interview had been bewitched to resemble extracts from textbooks if anyone but themselves read it, or else wiped magically blank until they wanted to peruse it again. It seemed that every single person in the school had read it.
As the doors of the Room of Requirement closed, Harry turned to speak to the Dragon Legion and to give them instructions, however before he could speak, the twins called for attention.
"Before we begin today's session," Fred announced.
"We must acknowledge something," George continued.
"Our very own Harry Potter—"
"— gave an interview which—"
"— The Quibbler published—"
"— Thanks to Luna Lovegood!"
"SO, THREE CHEERS FOR HARRY AND LUNA! HIP-HIP HURRAY!" They shouted together and the group mirrored the cheer.
Poor Luna blushed heavily, being unused to such a thing. "Daddy said he has never sold so many copies. We are reprinting already."
At that, another cheer went up.
"Thank you, Thank you," Harry said, spreading his arms. "Now, today we are going to start a very important spell. Namely, the Patronus charm."
If it was possible, the group became even more excited.
"Now, Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk on this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places. They glory in decay and despair. They drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Get too near a Dementor, and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life." Harry said, repeating the explanation Helga had given him.
"There is only one spell that truly works against them. The Patronus charm. It is a projection of extremely positive thoughts, like happiness or love. Most relate it to happiness, but love is the most powerful emotion there is. So powerful that the Ancient Greeks personified it as a goddess, Aphrodite. If cast perfectly, the Patronus takes the form of a guardian, most likely an animal. If not, it is a wispy shield of sorts. Let me give you a demonstration. Expecto Patronum!"
The Great Hebridean Black Dragon Patronus shot from his wand bathing the room in its silver light. The dragon roared to the heavens soundlessly, flying around the room before fading a minute later, snapping the attention of the transfixed students back to Harry.
"That was a fully corporeal Patronus. A true Patronus. For each person, the Patronus is different and you cannot choose the form it takes." Harry informed, walking around the room. "Now, I want you all to close your eyes and try to select your happiest memory. A memory in which you were happy beyond what you have ever felt. A memory through which you felt immense love for someone, be it your family or your girlfriend. Remember, the memory here is the most important thing."
The group followed his instruction. Harry glanced quickly to his left where he knew Daphne and Astoria were seated behind an illusion of a wall placed on a glass partition. They could hear and see clearly from their side.
This was the first spell he was going to teach his inner circle and the Dragon Legion together.
He waited for a minute before clearing his throat. "If you have found a memory, please go and stand in position."
Harry waited for everyone to take positions before beginning his instructions again.
"Now, the Patronus is a complex spell. It demands a high level of concentration and a powerful memory along with quite some magical power. The incantation is Expecto Patronum and the wand movement is this," Harry said, drawing the wand movement, which was similar to an inverted 'Z' sign in the air with a flagrate spell.
"Now, the Patronus is one of the spells which you cannot do silently. The incantation has to be spoken and the wand movement used. Now, I want you all to immerse yourself in the memory you have chosen. Once you feel it, you cast the spell. Remember, immerse yourself in the memory. Remember the feelings you felt. Feelings are very important. Try again and again till you get it, even if I don't expect you all to master it today. Begin."
As he gave the command, a few tried to do the spell only to fail miserably. Harry looked around waiting for others to try. To his pride, Susan successfully produced a wispy shield. It wasn't corporeal but at least it got results.
A minute later, Hermione managed to replicate her success to a lesser degree. But it was still better than the rest. They were followed by Cedric who managed to produce a puff of silver light from his wand.
"Good work so far," Harry encouraged. "Continue!"
An hour later, Harry decided that it was time to pack up for the day. He looked around the room.
Quite a few members had succeeded in producing a weak shield. Susan's Golden retriever Patronus was running around the room chasing Cedric's Badger and Luna's Jackalope. They were the only three who had successfully cast the charm so far. Hermione and the twins were near with a bright shield and yet did not have a corporeal Patronus. Ron and Ginny were in a similar state to the other Legion members.
Surprisingly, Neville was utterly failing. Harry immediately hurried to him, feeling bad for not having noticed it before.
"Nev?"
"Huh? Hey Harry. I am unable to do it. Sorry." He said, his eyes downcast.
"Hey, hey. Now, don't feel like that. Let me help you. What is the memory you have?"
"Gaining yours and our group's friendship. That is my happiest memory," he replied and Harry felt touched. He smiled.
"Well, err… well, it is not powerful enough I guess… let us create one for you then."
"What?"
"Close your eyes," Harry instructed before beginning in a mystical voice, "Imagine you and your parents are on a picnic. Just imagine. You and your father are playing a game of catch as your mother sits and watches you both, laughing heartily. You can see the love brimming in her eyes. The grin on your father's face. Feel the happiness. The love they have… and now, do it."
"Expecto Patronum," Neville intoned, waving his wand through the air. A bright silver light glowed from his wand and started taking shape. First legs, followed by wings and finally, the head formed and a Pegasus flew around the room.
"Well done," Harry praised. "Good job, Nev."
"Thank you," Neville whispered.
"Anytime, mate. Alright, everyone! That is enough for today!" He declared, walking to the center of the room. "You all did wonderfully. Especially Luna, Susan, Neville, and Cedric. Please give them a round of applause."
Once the clapping calmed down, Harry spoke again. "Now, those who failed to do it, I suggest you try to pick a better memory or try to immerse yourself more. You need to feel the feelings in it. And, we will continue next time we meet. Good job, all! And good night!"
Slowly, the room emptied till only Harry and his inner circle were left. A moment later, Daphne and Astoria emerged with huge smiles on their faces.
"We both did it!" Astoria exclaimed happily.
"Superb! Show us!" Harry asked.
"Daphne, you go first."
"Alright," Daphne said before taking a deep breath. "Expecto Patronum."
A beautiful silvery fox flew out of her wand and prowled around the room. Everyone cheered.
"Now me! Expecto Patronum!" Astoria said excitedly and a moment later, a small fluffy bunny flew out of her wand.
"Oooh, A bunny! It is so cute!" Susan squealed as the Patronus ran around her.
Harry grinned. It was a very successful session.
19th November 1995
Gryffindor Dorms, Hogwarts
After finishing his tasks for the night, Harry got ready for bed. He pulled his curtains apart and the first thing he saw was a note stuck to his pillow. He immediately cast detection charms on it but they came up negative. Assured that it was not a trap, Harry picked it up and read it.
Remember the offer you made us at the start of the year in the Slytherin common room?
I, Theodore Nott, as well as Hestia and Flora Carrow wish to hear your offer further. We will come unarmed.
With Best wishes
TN, FC, and HC.
AND… DONE!
Hope you all liked the chapter and how I have shifted the canon timeline. Soon, it will diverge completely.
A huge thanks to I_amaSWITCHbot and Ultimate_Gamer for betaing the chapter.
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Ducky1776: Well... I didn't really think of that tbh. And I see no problem with keeping the same dorm for Harry. It is just a sleeping place tbh.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
mike3308: Soon. Not the immediate next chapter, ofc, but they aren't for long in the story. Their usefulness is almost over for me.
spitfyre1: Well, this is fanfiction. I can manipulate things according to my will. That is the whole point of fanfiction anyways. Lol. ;)
SynBen28: They did. But Dumbledore taught them school stuff and not what Harry taught them. Harry's was much more practical in approach while Dumbledore would've taught them theory first and followed it with a much more controlled practical as it was in a classroom. I don't know if you have ever studied with a friend but you might find that a friend can teach you better than your teacher most of the time.
Varsha Geethika: I am going with a coincidence for my story instead of the spy in the order arc.
llpi: Well, it was planned for the 1st cause, as Amelia Bones informed, there would be a shift change and thus a security lapse as far as the Auror force was concerned. Thus, they wouldn't have had to face the Aurors at least and harm them in any way or form.
Callum Runchman: Mysterious thing, time. Powerful. And when meddled with, dangerous. So, no meddling with time.
MOD29: Fleur will be there in the next chapter.
TheBluePilgrim: Well, I based it on Olympics and cricket tournaments... All take place every 4 years.
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Well, that's all. Thank you everyone for showering so much love on my story.
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At the moment, I have four main stories. They are:
1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.
2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly
3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.
4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.
(PLEASE READ THEM ALL)
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HPfanfictioner66