Ch. 11 — The Future's So Bright . . .
After perfecting the armour, Lee and the twins had started to make protective clothing. George and Fred had made enough to dress the entire Order of the Phoenix, and used up their allotted replicator credits in the process. Harry's, Ron's, and Ginny's credits had mostly gone to the same purpose, but for their families. The very first pieces made — vests, jackets, trousers, robes, gloves, and so on — had been sent to the Weasleys and to Sirius. Then the three had helped Lee and the twins with credits. No one objected to that priority.
Susan demanded that her aunt be the next recipient. As a result, Harry had decided they should provide the items on a highest need basis.
While not as strong as the heavy armour that worked with the spacesuits, the general protective clothing they made was almost better than dragon hide, and lighter, too. It was just as non-flammable and resistant to both magic and physical damage. Dragon-hide clothing, however, was not something the average person could afford. The recipients of their largesse, of course, demanded to know where the children had acquired such high-quality items.
But none of them revealed the source, not even Harry, who almost daily spoke with Sirius either through the two-way mirror, or the comm-links.
"Does it really matter where we got it, so as long as it works?" was what they decided to say in answer to the demands for explanations. The argument Sirius and others used, that, "We need to know in case the spells in them fail — we need to know how to fix them," was dismissed with a "There aren't any spells in them, they're all muggle. Just tell us if anything breaks and we'll replace it. And for Merlin's sake, wear them, please. Don't leave them in the closet until a last-minute emergency."
It was hard to tell if any of them did, or if the clothing had done anyone any good. The Order still refused to share information with Harry and the others. Even with Mr. Weasley's increasingly worse odds of survival, the Order refused to include them. Harry was getting somewhat irritated with the whole thing but couldn't really do anything about.
Fortunately, they were able to glean some information from the comm-link in Dumbledore's office. From some of the conversations they had overheard, the vests and jackets had offered a bit of protection as Dumbledore remarked that they were requiring far less of Madam Pomfrey's services than in the past. So, at least, some of the Order's members were wearing the protective clothing the replicator had made.
And the others they sent the items to were rarely in a situation where the things were needed. Which was good, but still frustrating.
As it was, though, Harry decided he had better things to do than fighting with Sirius in a battle the older wizard was going to lose. So, he just clammed up.
The Ministry removed Umbridge from Hogwarts by the next Monday. Students, their parents, their relatives, Hogwarts teachers, and, eventually, even the board of governors, demanded her removal, and trial. Considering that most of the student population had now stopped following her orders or even attending her classes . . .. Well, her position had become useless. Even the Inquisitorial Squad was disbanded — probably under the sheer overwhelming power of the rest of the school, now unified against Umbridge.
In the end, the Ministry had to remove her or have the entirety of Hogwarts rebel. School or not, after the Ministry itself, Hogwarts had the largest concentration of magic users in the entire United Kingdom. Worse yet, from Minister Fudge's point of view, Hogwarts wasn't just the students and teachers — it was also the students' families. Nearly a thousand students, plus their parents? Plus, what about their friends who might have children about to enter the school? Then there were their other friends who listened to their complaints and might be convinced? That added up to a rather large portion of the wizarding public. And such a large and unified block of the public opinion was frightening to a politician.
An auror named Rufus Scrimgeour took her place. He took one look at Umbridge's curriculum and, according to the seventh year Ravenclaw-Slytherin class, spent the entire class looking like he wanted to kill her.
Things changed in the class room. They changed a lot.
It was both terrifying and intensely gratifying. The D.A. members, who'd by now gotten used to the pace of learning on the D.S.S. Requirement, and Harry's own lessons, were pleased to discover that the D.A.D.A. lessons were finally being competently taught. Unfortunately, it was all material they had already covered.
Professor Scrimgeour quickly took notice. He was astonished to see that they all could cast the patronus spell — a N.E.W.T. level spell — to some degree, and were well ahead of their peers. He quickly assigned the D.A. members — not that he knew that that's who they were — to be his assistants in the classes, teaching others their skills.
When he asked where they had learned the spells they knew, they all merely said, "Independent study," and pointed at The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 5). Or grade six or seven if he asked an older D.A. member. Plus, they cited the dementors in third year as the reason they all had learned the patronus.
Harry himself enjoyed it greatly — it was very satisfying finally to have a teacher who was actually competent! Especially one who was willing to teach additional spells when Harry showed him he had mastered the normal ones. Spells which Harry promptly passed on to the others. Harry was pretty sure the auror knew he would do that. Harry knew that he was getting the extra attention merely because of who he was. In this situation, that was all to the good, as far as he was concerned.
Scrimgeour might be a political animal — he, too, had an agenda to push, which sometimes made an appearance in class — but he was a very good auror, first and foremost. As a result, he could recognize talent when he saw it, and do what he could to foster it. It was pleasant to have an afternoon meeting with a professor that wasn't a detention! And a meeting where he got to learn new things.
"Of course, there is no actual threat currently," Scrimgeour announced, and then grimaced, to the fifth year Gryffindor-Hufflepuff class. "If there is any threat of organized dark wizards, then the Ministry knows nothing about it, yet. But there are always criminals and dark creatures about. They seem to have picked up in activity, lately, though. So, you should always know how to defend yourself." He glared at everyone in class. "And take what I'm teaching seriously!"
If the wizard noticed the gloves and neck pieces that were the only noticeable parts of the spacesuit's most members wore daily, he never mentioned it. It probably helped that the colour-matching on the visible parts had been improved with the programmable nanofabric Lavender and Luna had developed.
He also never mentioned that the D.A. members never seemed to react when hit with a mild curse of one kind or another.
It made the actual D.A. lessons a bit of a moot point. That didn't stop them, though. If they'd been just a study group dedicated to learning defence that might've happened. But they weren't. Instead, Harry shifted their late-evening lessons to a . . . different style. One that incorporated the benefits and advantages that their new, high-tech equipment gave them. Which meant not just the armour, the hoverboards, and the tech invisibility cloak, but also the other gadgets they'd invented.
"You strap it on your arm, activate it, and . . ." Hermione attached the shield-generator to her armour's vambrace and turned it on. A shimmering, almost-transparent, shield of white energy, oval in shape, reached way above her head and nearly touched the floor.
"I thought you wanted a complete-coverage shield — like Terry's invisibility cloak," Harry said as he examined the shield. It looked like, well, an actual shield, just made of energy instead of magic. Not that anyone looking at it could tell the difference between the two.
"We tested it — it was really too much trouble," Hermione explained. She held the shield up in front of her. "Unfortunately, you can't cast magic through it, it stops any magic that hits it. And if we made it thinner to allow for casting magic through, then it wouldn't stop hostile spells, either." She shook her head at the disappointing discovery. "Plus, the shield affects your surrounding environment, and a fully enveloping shield would make it hard to move as it held onto the ground or floor. Not to mention cutting off air flow. Leave it on for too long and you suffocate. With this sort of shield, you can move it around and cast magic past it, like so," she demonstrated, shielding herself with the one arm, and aiming her wand just past the edge of the shield with other.
Harry nodded. "What about your back?" he said. "Your back's pretty open, the shield doesn't cover it."
"Nothing says we can't put a shield generator on your armour's back-plate. And have it adjust on the fly for whether you're standing or crouching. I can see about making it curve to cover your sides, too." Hermione shrugged and deactivated the shield generator before handing it over. "Just a few more tests and adjustments, and I think it'll be ready for production tomorrow."
Harry nodded.
With the increasingly advanced equipment, Harry concentrated the new D.A. training, now each night after curfew for an hour, on taking advantage of them. Including taking advantage of them at speed for the more advanced fighters among them. The shield and the invisibility cloak were fully incorporated into the armour and spacesuit, and could be verbally controlled. Shielding and invisibility were just a word away, and it made for some very interesting fighting tactics when combatants could go invisible nearly instantaneously.
"Imagine an army with these capabilities," Ron commented admiringly as he watched how Ginny and Luna rushed at each other — those two were easily their best combatants. Ginny was basically a tank in her heavy armour and heavier shielding — she had a shield generator on her back and both arms, and could, if need be, bash a person between her shields. Luna had much lighter armour and she incorporated the lightning-fast manoeuvrability that the increasingly advanced hoverboard provided, invisibility, and the use of unusual spells to throw her opponent off balance in her fighting style. Equipment wise, they weren't very well matched at all. But using what they had selected? Their tactics were phenomenal, and to watch them fight was jaw-dropping.
"I am imagining it," Harry answered, frowning as he thought. The D.A. — no, the crew of D.S.S. Requirement — weren't actually an army, or any sort of military. They had unique abilities and capabilities, and were getting better and better at using them . . . but they were still only students.
They'd learned what he'd taught them first to pass a class, next to defend themselves. Not to fight a war. They weren't an army.
Unfortunately, they were learning on their own, discovering methods and skills by chance. They needed someone who was vastly more knowledgeable about fighting and war to train them — say . . . an auror. But who? None of the adults trusted them at all, despite the new protective clothing they had provided. They needed someone who was well-versed in both worlds, muggle and magical, to understand what they had just beyond their fingertips. Someone who would understand when they said something like "electromagnetic cushion" or "communicator link."
In the meantime, at least, they were something. More than just helpless students.
"Victory!" Ginny crowed after she'd managed to knock Luna off her hoverboard, and out of the ring.
"Bother." Luna sighed when she stopped rolling. "Invisibility was much more useful before they networked the suits." She was on her back and staring at the ceiling.
"Sore loser." Ginny grinned and held out her hand for Luna. "I can turn networking off if you want, though. Give you a fighting chance."
Luna eyed her for a moment. "I believe you are mocking me," she said disapprovingly, and took Ginny's hand to let the other witch lift her up. "But I will take the offer, and then I will proceed to kick you out of the ring."
"Oh, will you now? Well, bring it," Ginny answered. "Helm, turn crew-tracking off," she commanded, and got ready to fight. The second match was in no way less spectacular than the first. Luna won it.
It would probably be better to practice without networking, Harry decided, after all, their opponents couldn't get into the network. All the networking did for the user was make it possible to determine that no one fell to "friendly" fire by getting hit because no one knew they were in the way.
And when they started team exercises, they could limit the crew-recognition to current team-mates only.
██:::::██:::::██
With the personal shield and the energy projects done, Hermione and Lee had moved onto a new project — one that made everyone excited. Not to mention a little intimidated, too.
"Well, it occurred us that we're a bit vulnerable on one point," Hermione explained, when Harry questioned her about it. "The conjurator is an incredibly powerful tool, one we depend on. But we only have the one. Yes, it's ship wide, but still. If something were to happen to that, well . . . we lose . . . we lose pretty much everything."
"So, you want to make another one," Harry said slowly, and raised his eyebrows.
"Well, kinda . . ., sir," Lee said. "But not just the conjurator. Remember that mining platform we mentioned making for Jupiter last year? We want to make it here, at Uranus, instead. Except, we don't want to make just a mining platform . . . we want a space station."
"A space . . . station." Harry eyed the pair of them levelly. "Oh, only that, huh?" he asked calmly.
"It's just a little space station, Captain," wheedled Hermione and held up her right hand with her thumb and pointer finger barely separated. Then she grinned. "A teeny tiny thing. You won't even see it from Earth. We'll even put it in a close polar orbit so it won't cast any shadows. And match its orbit's precession to Uranus' solar year."
"You've been around the twins too much," Harry said, and sighed. "Okay, talk me through this station idea of yours."
Compared to the ship, the space station they proposed was a simple thing. Relatively. Or rather, as simple as a space station could be expected to be. It'd be only half the spaceship's size, with enough thrusters to maintain orbit and little else. No giant engines capable of moving something between planets or stars, nor a thousand or two inhabitants. Its main purpose would be mining, refuelling, and functioning as a back-up conjurator in case something happened to the one on the ship. Crew accommodations on-board would be a few hundred, at most.
Uranus' north pole currently pointed along its orbital path, so a station orbiting over the North and South poles would not pass in front of the sunlit-part of the gas giant. If they made the station's orbit shift slightly every day, then it would never pass in front of the planet, even though the planet's orbit alternated the sunlit-portion from the North Pole to the South Pole and back every eighty-four years. The only way it could be detected would be if someone noticed a star passing behind it as it orbited the planet. Which was a possibility as that was how the rings were detected and confirmed in 1977. It was a reasonable risk, however, all things considered. "If you're really worried about being noticed," Hermione said, "we can add the invisibility shield and that would take care of that."
Harry shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary." He smiled slightly, "I don't think anyone's all that interested in the Uranus."
"We have pretty much all the patterns ready and everything," Lee explained. "There's like a hundred or so different space station designs in the library, probably more. This is one of the smallest ones, actually. And all we have to do is get the materials and just start conjuring the pattern, piece by piece."
"And we have most of the materials already — the rest we can get from Uranus's moons, if we need more," Hermione added hopefully. "Or drag a metal asteroid here, if we really have to."
"So . . . we just . . . press a button and a space station will be . . . conjured up?" he sceptically said.
"Ah, no, it will take about a month or two," Lee regretfully said and shrugged. "I mean . . . it's about the size of Hogwarts, but a quarter the size of this ship, sir. So . . . it's not that small, actually. Small in comparison to some of the other space station designs yeah, but . . . compared to things we've so far made, it's massive,"
"It'd give the ship something to do during summer break," Hermione added.
"Yes, Merlin forbid we leave the Requirement idle even for a single day." Harry snorted, and looked at the two of them. "So, a month or two and all we have to do is press a button?" He was still a bit sceptical.
"There's a bit of preparation we need to do first, actually," Lee admitted. "which is why we're asking now rather than, say, the day before holidays start." He glanced at Hermione.
"But once everything is set up . . . it'll be pretty much automated, sir," Hermione said brightly.
"And once we have it, we can use it to conjure other stuff," Lees added.
"We're pretty sure the space station's conjurator will be a more powerful version of the one we have now — I mean, a spaceship is a spaceship, it isn't exactly designed for factory work." Hermione explained. "The space station would be. And we're pretty sure we could make spaceships with it!" she said excitedly.
"Spaceships, sir!" Lee added, wiggling his fingers at Harry. "Personal fighter-style spaceships! Spaceships for everybody!" He pointed around the room. "You get a spaceship, you get a spaceship, you get a spaceship, you get a spaceship . . .."
And Hermione was nodding eagerly.
Harry shook his head at them in exasperation. "Alright, alright. If you're confident you can do it and make it work, and it won't blow up or kill us all . . . go ahead. Although we might want to get one of those metal asteroids you mentioned, just in case the stuff what we currently have on-board isn't enough. Maybe one of those carbonaceous ones, too."
The school days passed quickly as the term came to a close. Gryffindor, without Harry and the twins, but with both Ginny and Ron on the team managed actually to win the Quidditch game against Ravenclaw. And then it was into final preparation for the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s for the fifth- and seventh-year students, including most of the ship's crew. The entire last two weeks of classes before the exams focused on nothing else. The in-class revising demonstrated to them just how much they had missed while on the ship. Still, it was an opportunity for a last-ditch effort to catch up, for those that cared.
The others, though, had turned their eyes to another prize. One that was far beyond the Wizarding World. So far beyond that, that few besides themselves could imagine it — and many of them were drastically underestimating the potential.
Only months later, when they stopped to think about it, did they realize that the ship had managed to move two asteroids, both measuring kilometres in size, from the asteroid belt to Uranus, in a ridiculously short amount of time, without any sign of strain or stress to the ship.
Harry and the rest of his class wrote their O.W.L's. A lot of the D.S.S. Requirement's crew members expected to fail a significant portion of them thanks to all the time sacrificed to the ship rather than to studying. Not Defence Against Dark Arts, though, they all expected either an Outstanding or Exceeds Expectations on the practicals for that! The fall off from all their magical practice was that they did better in Charms and Transfigurations than they had expected. They did poorly on the theoretical sides, but not the practicals, giving them hope that they might have squeaked by with a low-end Average, for most of them. Runes was the other one in which they expected good results. They were all quite proficient in reading and writing runes, now. Having been immersed in them on the ship made that a must-have skill. The testers for the O.W.L.s were quite surprised at the turnout of students who hadn't taken the course in Hogwarts — and their apparent aptitude for the subject.
But Care of Magical Creatures? History? Divination? Potions? Herbology? Everyone universally agreed that they expected something in the range between Poor and Dreadful. Except Neville, naturally. He expected an Outstanding, or Exceeds Expectation at the least, in Herbology.
Their results were probably going to be the opposite of what the rest of the school experienced. Terrible in the D.A.D.A., and a continuation of what they had been earning in previous years as grades in all their other subjects.
For the crew of the Requirement the big question was, what would happen to the ship during the summer holidays? The door in the Room of Requirement, at Hogwarts, was the only way in and out as far as they knew. There was a chance, though, that the conjurator technology could be used to transport people from the ship to ground, or even planet to planet. The ship's library called it beaming — but they hadn't dared to test it. Something about being broken apart into separate atoms and put together again just made the wizards extremely nervous. Especially as the conjurator, itself, couldn't duplicate magical energy, as the incident with the brooms had proven. What would this beaming stuff do to their ability to manipulate magic? Did they dare chance it? How could they even test it to determine its range and what it might do to magical beings?
Being able to instantly transfer from the ship to the surface of a world would be wonderful, but not if it came at the expense of their magic! Obviously, there were no volunteers for that experiment!
Without any of their crew remaining on board the ship, however, and none of them present at Hogwarts? Plus, summer hols weren't exactly an insignificant amount of time, either, were they? Harry couldn't deny that leaving the ship abandoned for that long made him extremely nervous, too.
"But you'd need to leave, if you want to start a business front," Hermione pointed out. "You can't really do it from here, now can you?"
"True. But . . ." Harry's voice trailed away, and he scowled. With his luck the Order of the Phoenix would force him to go to the Dursleys' again. That . . . did not much appeal to him. "No, you're right," he said softly and resignedly. "I guess, if you program the ship to make the space station during the hols, there's not much I'd be able to do here, is there?"
"Well . . . not really. At least not with the conjurator, it'd be completely engaged. You wouldn't be able to move the ship either, not without ruining the space station," Hermione said and patted his shoulder. "On the brighter side, Harry, the tech we've made here isn't magic. So, we can use it as much as we want out of school. That includes invisibility."
But, if necessary, he was sure they could use their secret transportation system — otherwise known as Dobby and Winky. They just didn't want to use that method too much or someone might notice the traffic on the seventh floor for a school that should be almost completely vacant. And the elves would definitely notice, although Dobby and Winky might be able to deflect the Hogwarts elves' concerns.
"That is a brighter side," Harry admitted, then he sighed. He looked at the conjurator room, which was basically Hermione's and Lee's office now. "If . . . if I make this a viable thing, if I start an organisation based on this," he said thoughtfully, slowly. "Should I make it military? Like . . . Star Trek?"
Hermione considered that. "I don't know, actually," she said. "Chain of command and all that would make running the ship easier, especially if something unforeseen happens. But, on the other hand, . . . I'm not sure it's necessary. We've already got a chain of command. We've got our Captain." She grinned at him.
Harry frowned at that. "Is that enough? If we get a space station, if we start making more spaceships — if we start actually recruiting people . . .."
"Well," Hermione said thoughtfully, folding her arms. "I suppose a bit of order wouldn't hurt," she admitted, looking at him. "I don't know if military ranks would work for us, but I guess Star Trek might be a good guideline. We've got a Captain. There's Lee and me in engineering, sort of. Cho and Marietta are navigation. Angelina and her team do translation and general research, Hannah is researching medical . . . so some of us have jobs already, I guess." She looked down at the floor in thought for a moment.
Harry nodded thoughtfully. He looked around the room and at the massive machine that dominated it. Space, and Uranus, was not far beyond those walls, with all that that implied. "Would you stick with this, whatever this will be, after Hogwarts?" he asked softly.
"Without hesitation," she simply said.
Harry was quiet for a moment. "Good enough for me," he said, and stood up.
"And, I think," Harry said slowly, "we need to change the name. Calling this Dumbledore's Space Ship is . . . constricting, and inaccurate, now. We're more, much, much more than that, now." He looked at Hermione. "Our main objective is defence, so . . . how about Defensive Space Force? And this is the D.S.F.S. Requirement."
She slowly nodded. "That might be for the best. Calling us Dumbledore's Army is . . . misleading." She sighed. "Plus, he hasn't really done much this past year, has he?"
The last meeting of the newly-renamed D.S.F.S. Requirement's crew, all forty-five of them, was held just a day before the term ended. They gathered on the bridge in all their armour, a lot of them watched, fascinated, at the flashes of white light outside the window. Piece by piece, the ship's conjuration beams were creating the framework, and fusing the sections together, of what would hopefully be a finished space station by mid-July.
"Well, crew," Harry said, once all eyes were on him. "It's been one heck of a year. And I'm confident in saying I'm not the only one who's been . . . fundamentally changed by all of this," he added, and motioned at the ship. "We're different people now. All of us, even those who weren't here at the beginning. I don't know if we're better or worse, but we're different."
"Better, sir," Marietta Edgecombe said firmly, with a lot of murmuring agreement from the rest of the crew. "Definitely better."
"I hope so," Harry nodded. "Now, though, it's about time we close shop here for summer and leave the Requirement to its task. Some of us — most of us — will probably be back next term, and we'll see what the Requirement has managed to make. But now there is a question concerning those . . . who aren't coming back."
He turned to Lee, the Weasley twins and the rest of the former seventh-year D.A. members. "You guys have a choice now. Whether you come back, or find something outside, that's up to you. You're still members of the D.S.F.S. Requirement's crew," he said sincerely. "You're welcome at any time."
"Bloody hell," Lee said with a snort. "You can't keep me away from here. I'll probably sneak back in a couple of weeks 'cause I'm dying of boredom." He glanced around the Bridge. "There's just . . . so much here. I don't think I've ever had this much fun before while working."
"Hear, hear," Fred agreed, and nodded. Most everyone else seemed to agree, too, although there were a few with thoughtful expressions.
Harry smiled. "Glad to hear that," he said, and looked at everyone. He sighed and took a deep breath. "One last thing. You've all probably heard that I intend to start an organization based on what we've made and discovered here. I haven't yet figured out the details, but I intend to open a store in Diagon Alley and hire someone to be there. The idea is to use it to, hopefully, recruit new crew members, and advance what we've started. It probably won't change things just yet — there's an awful lot we need to figure out, first. Hiring policies, for one. But it will change things eventually. To that end, I have a bit of a summer assignment for all of you."
He grinned as everyone stood at attention and no one complained, or even looked reluctant. "We need a chain of command, and maybe a ranking system," he said. "We need clearly defined tasks, stations, and occupations. I want suggestions on all of the above. Got it? So, essays on a hypothetical rank system, chain of command, and occupations on board the ship." He considered the crew and then added. "And, of course, any and all suggestions related to the ship, crew, and the future organisation are also welcome. Any questions?"
"Yes, sir. Can we take the things we've made with us back home?" Colin Creevey asked. "The armour and stuff?"
"Oh, yes. Definitely yes. In fact, I'd prefer you wear them as much as possible," Harry said. "The Ministry says that Voldemort isn't back. We know better — you've all seen the memory in the pensieve. And I want you safe.
"To that end, Hermione and Lee have made spare batteries for all of us — enough to power everyone's suits through the summer hols, even if you stay invisible the entire time."
There was a bit of murmuring at that revelation.
"And, of course, I have an additional surprise," Harry said, and nodded to Lee.
Only those who had joined after the Christmas hols were startled when a stack of gold bars appeared before them.
"Five for each member this time, use them wisely," Harry said and looked at everyone steadily for a moment. "I'm sure we'll see each other on the train, but if we don't . . . I'll see you all next term. Stay safe out there. And if you need help," he touched the edge of his link. "Remember, it's only moments away."
The next day, at breakfast, Alicia came up to him. She looked like she hadn't slept the night before. "Captain," she said, "Here. It's a prototype I put together last night." She handed him a book, "A Short English History."
He looked at her curiously as he took it. Hermione and several others looked interested, too.
She reached into her rucksack and took out several more, handing one to each of Hermione, Ron, Lavender, Seamus, Neville, Dean, Parvati, Colin, and Dennis. They had all taken to sitting together at meals after Pink Toad had been sacked.
"These are the Tricorders I did my essay on," she explained. "They've got the features of the comm-links, plus a whole lot more."
They stared at her slack-jawed. She smirked. "They've got the entire ship's library, plus all the Hogwarts books that Hermione scanned in."
Hermione stared at it, stunned. So did the rest.
"You can also use them to write notes, as a scheduler, send letters to each other, the full monty."
They looked from her to the books.
"If you open them, they look like regular books, but the nanocircuitry is wedged into the pages. To turn it on, tap it against your link. When you open them, the inside front cover and the opposite page become one big screen. The whole thing is touch-sensitive. If you select the option at that point, the front of the book becomes a screen and you can work on that with the book closed. I threw together a manual last night. They'll automatically open to that file when you first use them."
They still hadn't recovered.
"These are the prototypes, so I expect you to tell me how to improve them." She smirked again. "And you'll have the whole trip home to play with them." She headed over to the Hufflepuff table and started to give those crew members their tricorders.
Harry had to steer Hermione as she was too involved in the new book even to notice they were moving as they headed for the train.
The train back was rather quiet. They had all said their goodbyes the day before or at breakfast. The only real problem, as far as Harry was concerned, was that his scar began to ache and he knew he would just have to put up with it until September first. He feared his restful nights were going to be a thing of the past for the rest of the summer.
On the other hand, he realized, that this year he had not once been held at wand point by Voldemort, or one of his followers. No one had tried to kill him! And he now had a group . . . a group of solid friends who would stand by him.
And the . . . tricorder . . . would make it soo much easier to communicate with everyone.
His next surprise was when he stepped through the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten. That the Dursleys were there wasn't unusual. They usually were early just so they could complain about how long they had waited for him. What stunned him was to see his uncle smile at him, as did his aunt. Dudley looked confused, which wasn't difficult for him.
He barely noticed the Weasley family's sombre reunion, or Hermione tightly hugging her parents.
"Harry, my boy," the walrus said warmly. "Glad to see you here, safe and sound after such a long trip. How was your school this year?"
Had someone used polyjuice to replace the Dursleys?
Hermione stepped up beside him and leaned close. "It's amazing what offering someone a solid gold brick once a week for the hols can do to change their attitude, isn't it? It's almost as effective as hitting someone upside the head with a cricket-bat to get their attention." He stared at her, slack-jawed, as she smirked. "I think you're going to have a pleasant summer hols, Captain. And close your mouth before any flies go in." She turned and saucily walked away.
Dazedly, he turned back to his uncle. "Fine, sir." He said, "Just fine."
≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ██:::::██:::::██
A.N. * By not sleeping in the castle, except occasionally, Harry didn't have constant, terrible dreams. Without the dreams, he couldn't warn about Arthur Weasley. Without the warning, Dumbledore had no reason to suspect Voldemort could influence Harry. Without that discovery, there were no occlumency lessons, nor Snape telling Voldemort that Harry's mind was susceptible to visions. As a result, there's no vision of Sirius captured during the tests, and no midnight ride to the Ministry. Without that confrontation, Voldemort still doesn't know the prophecy, and the wizarding world is still ignorant of his presence.
≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ██:::::██:::::██