AN: Hope everyone's ready for the next chapter. I'm clearing up one thing since I have had an outpouring of complaints on not having revealed if Mad-Eye was being impersonated. Rest assured, Jr. did not capture Mad-Eye or Sirius.
Jet22345 - Thanks, as always!
Arctic Wolf Fury - Gotta keep you all on your feet with my twists and turns. Thought it would be fun to twist the Black family a bit. Obviously those of culture like Ms. Delacour would acknowledge the glory of the Doom Puppy. All should bow and praise the Doom Puppy. Hopefully you'll enjoy the new tasks.
scrappy8 - Thanks! Perhaps a little heavy on the Black history. Good critique.
GreengrassRebel - Thanks! This site can be weird. I was struggling to post earlier today. It wouldn't let me add new docs. Good to see you appreciate the change of number. Three is a powerful number, but if I'm going to add tasks, I have to go to the next magically powerful number, which also fits with the whole horcrux thing.
Mewpagano - Thanks! Harry/Ginny/Katie is my plan, so you will definitely get Harry/Ginny moments.
DictatorPerpetuo - Nice to see you're enjoying the story. Hopefully my overall authors note clears up your one main critique. I received it from a fair few people (a lot), so I decided that it was all fair and felt I should clear the air. Yeah, I struggle to see how Barty and Wormtail ambushed Moody in canon. Maybe Wormtail's animagus form helped, but at the same time, did Moody not have any protections? At the very least, you are right in that my Moody has not been captured/impersonated. Him arriving alert with Sirius scared Jr. and Wormtail off.
Guest - Thanks! Happy to see people appreciate my OCs and my stories.
Hogwash137 - Thanks! Yep, I do enjoy Harry/Ginny, though I have found a recent appreciate for him with some others.
Chapter 29
Harry was climbing the marble stones, depressing thoughts running through his head. Mad-Eye's words had helped a lot, but he still hated everything about what had just happened. Besides, it was clear that people were going to assume that he'd done this. While he hoped his vow to his patrons would clear that up, he knew that some people just wanted to believe the worst in others, and him in particular. He'd experienced that as a second year. Who would believe him? He was sure Ron and Hermione, but who else? Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Fred, George? Would everyone else think that he wanted the glory? Needed the fame? Would anyone wonder why he would claim otherwise, think why someone else might have entered his name? Or would he be Harry Potter, and having two or three years less magical education wasn't a problem?
Was this Voldemort's doing? Harry wanted to assume so, but Voldemort and Wormtail should be far, far away. Or was this someone else's doing? Perhaps on Voldemort's orders or for other reasons? Maybe a Death Eater from this past Quidditch World Cup? Maybe it really had nothing to do with Voldemort, or at least not directly. Maybe it was revenge, either for Voldemort or for something else Harry had done?
Harry was surprised when he found himself facing the Fat Lady. He had barely noticed where his feet were carrying him. It was also a surprise to see that she was not alone in her frame. The wizened witch who had flitted into her neighbor's painting when he had joined the champions downstairs was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She must have dashed through every picture lining seven staircases to reach here before him. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at him with the keenest interest.
"Well, well, well," said the Fat Lady, "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"
"Balderdash," said Harry dully.
"It most certainly isn't!" said the pale witch indignantly.
"No, no, Vi, it's the password," said the Fat Lady soothingly, and she swung forward on her hinges to let Harry into the common room.
The blast of noise that met Harry's ears when the portrait opened almost knocked him backward. Astra growled softly, but only Harry heard it over the noise. Next thing he knew, he was being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling.
"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.
"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.
"I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how -"
But Angelina had now swooped down upon him, hugging him tightly; "Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's you -"
"You're going to be brilliant, Harry!" shrieked Katie.
"I swear, I didn't enter myself," Harry said, with a hint of panic, as he was shuffled away while people exclaimed about having food and how happy they were, which meant he missed the shocked and concerned looks that came from Angelina and Katie.
Nobody wanted to hear that he wasn't hungry; nobody wanted to hear that he hadn't put his name in the goblet; not one single person seemed to have noticed that he wasn't at all in the mood to celebrate . . . until Astra growled deeply and loudly, which made those around him shrink away, giving him a path to the boy's dorms.
With one last repeated, "I don't know how it happened, I didn't enter myself," Harry bolted for his dorms, hoping to see Ron or Hermione, to find a bit of sanity, and while he hadn't seen either in the common room, he suspected he could find Ron up in their dorm.
To his great relief, he found Ron lying on his bed in the otherwise empty dormitory, still fully dressed. He looked up when Harry slammed the door behind him.
"Where've you been?" Harry said.
"Oh hello," said Ron.
He was grinning, but it was a very odd, strained sort of grin, more like a grimace. Ron lay on the bed without moving.
"So," he said, "Congratulations."
Astra growled, but Ron ignored her. Harry however, took her growl as a stab to his chest.
"What d'you mean, congratulations?" said Harry, staring at Ron, hoping Astra was somehow wrong.
"Well . . . no one else got across the Age Line," said Ron. "Not even Fred and George. What did you use - the Invisibility Cloak?"
"The Invisibility Cloak wouldn't have got me over that line," said Harry slowly.
"Oh right," said Ron. "I thought you might've told me if it was the cloak . . . because it would've covered both of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, did you? That Shadow Magic of yours? Maybe Moody showed you a trick?"
"Listen," said Harry, "I didn't put my name in that goblet. Someone else must've done it."
Ron raised his eyebrows.
"What would they do that for?"
"I dunno," said Harry. "Maybe to kill me or get back at me or something."
Ron's eyebrows rose so high that they were in danger of disappearing into his hair.
"It's okay, you know, you can tell me the truth," he said. "If you don't want everyone else to know, fine, but I don't know why you're bothering to lie, you didn't get into trouble for it, did you? That friend of the Fat Lady's, that Violet, she's already told us all Dumbledore's letting you enter. A thousand Galleons prize money, eh? A task a month means you'll probably get away with not doing much homework, and you don't have to do end-of-year tests either."
"I didn't put my name in that goblet!" said Harry, starting to feel angry, and Astra's hackles rose. "I'm not being allowed to enter, I'm being forced to compete."
"Yeah, okay," said Ron, a very skeptical tone, similar to Karkaroff's "Only you did say it would be cool to enter. You certainly looked interested in making your own name. You certainly enjoy the dueling tournament this summer for the same reason. You hate your moniker and would do anything to move past it. I'm not stupid, you know."
"You're doing a really good impression of it," Harry snapped.
"Yeah?" said Ron, and there was no trace of a grin, forced or otherwise, on his face now. "You want to get to bed, Harry. I expect you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo-call or something. "
He wrenched the hangings shut around his four-poster, leaving Harry standing there by the door, an angry Astra at his side, staring at the dark red velvet curtains, now hiding one of the few people he had been sure would believe him.
**HP**
When Harry woke up on Sunday morning, it took him a moment to remember why he felt so miserable and worried. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over him. He sat up and ripped back the curtains of his own four-poster, intending to talk to Ron, to force Ron to believe him - only to find that Ron's bed was empty; he had obviously gone down to breakfast.
Harry dressed and went down the spiral staircase into the common room. The moment he appeared, the people who had already finished breakfast broke into applause again. Astra growled again, which stopped some of those who were beckoning for him to join them, but it had to be better than being in here. He walked resolutely over to the portrait hole, pushed it open, climbed out of it, and found himself face-to-face with Hermione, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina.
"Hello," Hermione said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. "I brought you this . . . Want to go for a walk?"
"Good idea," said Harry gratefully, glancing at his three Quidditch friends with a hint of unease, since last night they had seemed so happy for him being in the tournament.
Did that mean that Hermione believed he'd entered himself? Were they here to offer to help him get through so he could do better for Gryffindor? He cut his uneasy look off though when he saw flashes of hurt and regret cross all three older girls' faces, though that just made him more confused.
"Harry, we want to apologize for thinking you'd entered yourself," Alicia started off. "As soon as you said you hadn't entered, we realized our mistake, and regretted our words, since we realized it meant you had to compete, not that you were allowed to compete."
"It's not fair that you're being forced into something you don't want, especially since this tournament will be really dangerous," Katie said seriously. "We're beyond sorry that we hurt you."
"We just got caught up in thinking how well you would do, and that you were a good choice for a champion," Angelina admitted to Harry's shock. "We're really sorry, Harry."
"I . . . I . . . thank you," Harry finally said, glancing at the three girls, warmth and relief moving through him. "That means more than you know to me."
"Harry, we've known each other for a long time now, and we all consider you a really good friend, if not more," Alicia said with a soft smile "We've gotten closer over the last couple summers and years in school, and while we know you generally sequester yourself with Ron and Hermione, we're hoping that you'll open up and let us help you now. We hope you'll trust us enough to tell us things as they're happening rather than after they happen. We really admire you, and care for you, and enjoy your company, and we're hoping you feel the same and will let us in."
"Honestly, Harry, over the years, you've sort of become like the little brother I never had," Angelina said, with a hint of nervousness, "and while I know I'm not Dora, I still care about you a lot, and want to help you, if you'll let me."
"I feel the same way," Alicia said with a warm smile.
"You're one of my best friends, Harry," Katie said firmly. "We want to be there for you, not just on the Quidditch pitch, and during fun times in the summers or at meals or in the common room, but through the hard times too. We want to help you through your trials you seem to go through every year, though I hope with all my heart that this will be the last time something odd or terrible happens to you."
Harry glanced at the three girls in surprise, not thinking that the girls saw him in those various lights. Now, he honestly felt a bit bad for not thinking of it like that himself, what with the friendly and almost familial pictures, support, and friendship over the years and summers. He certainly felt like Ron and Hermione were like family. Ginny and the twins too to an extent. Why not Alicia and Angelina? He did enjoy spending time with Katie, as much as he did with pretty much anyone else.
"It's true," Angelina said with a fond smile. "You were this cute little firstie when we met, but you were also Harry Potter. Honestly, most of us were worried you were going to have this big head and be too cool to deal with us, especially with you getting on the team as a first year and without a tryout, but you showed up all humble, nervous, and opposite of what we expected. You were worried that we wouldn't want to deal with you!"
"Instead, we grew close," Katie said, smiling. "We worried about you, with all the mysterious and dangerous things you were somehow involved in, and that's what makes us sorry about judging you yesterday because it's the only time we feel we judged you unfairly since that incident late your first year."
"Norbert," Harry said in remembrance. "You were cold with me after we lost all those points, but then asked what really happened and then apologized after I was truthful with you."
"Yeah, you were honest, and we believed you, and agreed you lost points for the right reason," Katie agreed. "We were sorry then, and even more sorry now."
"And yet you tried to apologize to us for missing the final match to stop You-Know-Who!" Alicia said with a shake of her head. "It was humbling and very sweet, and well, you burrowed your way into all of our hearts."
"So, now, we just want you to know that we're going to support you, we want to help you train for this, and we're hoping you'll open up a bit more and allow us to help you through all of your crazy adventures," Angelina said. "No matter what."
"Y-you really want to help me?" Harry nearly gasped out, still a bit shocked.
"We do," Alicia said firmly. "If you'll have us."
Katie smiled, looking a bit nervous, and he realized that they thought he might actually turn them down.
"I'm beyond grateful," Harry said, definitely feeling it. "I'd love the help."
He focused on Angelina.
"I'm really sorry you didn't get in, Angie. You deserve it much more than me and would have been a much better champion than me."
Angelina shook her head fondly, and reached over and pulled him roughly into a hug, which was added to by the two other girls.
"I'm going to have to disagree, squirt," Angelina said finally, "but I thank you for the belief."
"Alright then!" Hermione said, breaking up the touching moment. "Let's take this conversation away from here."
They went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking in at the Great Hall, and were soon striding across the lawn toward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored. It was a chilly morning, and they kept moving, munching their toast, as Harry told the four girls exactly what had happened after he had left the Gryffindor table the night before. To his continued relief for the morning, Hermione accepted his story without question.
"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself," she said, causing the three Chasers to grimace, when he'd finished telling her about the scene in the chamber off the Hall. "The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is, who did put it in? It had to have been someone fairly powerful and skilled to fool the Goblet and get over Dumbledore's -"
"Have you seen Ron?" Harry interrupted.
Hermione hesitated. The three other girls scowled.
"Erm . . . yes . . . he was at breakfast," she said.
"Does he still think I entered myself?"
"Well . . . no, I don't think so . . . not really," said Hermione awkwardly.
"What's that supposed to mean, 'not really'?"
"It means he's being a git," Katie muttered, and Hermione winced before she plowed on.
"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said despairingly. "He's jealous!"
"Jealous?" Harry said incredulously. "Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?"
"Look," said Hermione patiently, "it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault," she added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously. "I know you don't ask for it . . . but - well - you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous, now you're a dueling champion - he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many . . . and even if you are being forced to compete, he still thinks you're going to enjoy it and that it's going to be one big adventure that will earn you more fame."
"The problem is though, that it isn't fair for Ron to be jealous about much of what he is," Angelina said firmly, and Hermione glanced at her in surprise. "What? He shouldn't be jealous of the fame that came from Voldemort's defeat . . . that just isn't right. Harry doesn't ask for people to fawn over him, and in fact hates it. I don't think Ron would enjoy the negative parts that come with fame. He gets embarrassed enough by his brothers and Slytherins as is, and that's without any special attention."
"I think we can all agree that he's allowed to be jealous of Harry's flying abilities," Alicia said, with a slight grin, and Katie and Alicia both nodded in agreement, grinning sardonically.
"Just not fair how much talent you have there, but oh well," Angelina conceded with a sigh. "Still, can't be jealous of your dueling abilities. I know you've worked hard to polish your skills, and I'm sure you would have helped Ron learn more and compete if he'd been interested."
Harry and Hermione both winced at that.
"Whether you want to admit it or not, Harry," Katie said, "you've become quite the exceptional wizard since you've come to this school. Few at this school have even thought of touching elemental magic."
"Plus, last year you were helping all three of us," Alicia said, pointing to her, Angelina, and Katie, "in defensive magic, which puts you two years ahead of your peers, not even factoring that most people in my age and even above aren't great at the subject with how lousy some of the professors have been. While I don't know Ron all that well, I have seen that studying is not exactly his favorite thing. Honestly, most people wonder how Ron would do if you two weren't forcing him to do better. The twins certainly aren't singing his academic praises."
"She's right," Katie said, heading off Harry's argument. "Harry, even when we talked things like transfiguration or charms, you may not have known how to do what we were doing, but you have a much better grasp, fundamentally, on both subjects, and you were often able to help us figure out what we were doing wrong, or help us to understand the theory we were working on. And again, you're a shadow elemental. Is Ron? I'm sure you would have taught or helped anyone interested in learning how to do so if they had asked."
Harry winced at that. He had invited Ron, but Ron had decided he didn't want to work that hard.
Almost like she was reading his mind, Angelina nodded sagely.
"Exactly. He wouldn't put in the effort. You've told us about some of the workouts Professor Moody has put you through over the past year and a half, and we've joined you for the ones you've been doing this school year. They're bloody hard. Ron's certainly not going through them with us. Would Ron be willing to go through those to train? I'm not saying he's not a good wizard because he's brave, generally loyal, and he's helped you a lot in your adventures, but I doubt he's quite as capable of keeping up above his year group as you are. Maybe in defense, especially with his experiences with you, but still not to sixth year. You certainly would have shared what Moody and Tonks taught you about dueling if he'd asked, but he never did."
"Are we wrong?" Katie asked Hermione, who had to shake her head sadly. "You have faced danger, Harry," Katie said. "Most others haven't. Trust us, you have an edge, and you may have been forced into this, but we believed you'd entered and been chosen, not because any of us believed you crave glory and attention but because we all believed you're capable of competing."
Harry exchanged glances between the four girls, and to his surprise, even Hermione seemed to agree with the three girls.
"Thank you," Harry said with a sigh, slumping forward in defeat. "I'll try not to let you all down."
"Do your best and you couldn't let us down, no matter the outcome," Alicia said firmly. "Besides, I'm sure Ron will come around, and after he apologizes, he might even have matured."
"Well, if we're going to start training, we need to have a discussion on what we should study," Hermione said, once again breaking the touching moment, though Harry was rather happy at that. "First, Harry, you should write to Tonks, Sirius, and Professor Lupin. Professor Moody might have already done so, but I'm sure they would like to hear it from you."
"Great," Harry said bitterly. "I get to make Dora's life hard all over again."
"You know she doesn't hold it against you," Hermione said softly and Harry nodded.
"I know, but that doesn't make it easier," Harry muttered.
"Let's go to the Owlery and you can write to Tonks," Katie said. "It will make you feel better. You know it."
Harry smiled and nodded.
"While we're going there, you can give us a rough idea of how you stand magically, so that we can start thinking about what to work on," Hermione said. "We have a general idea, but I'm sure you know more than we realize."
Harry didn't truly care about winning the tournament anymore, but he was extremely grateful that his friends cared this much and were willing to help him this much. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to repay them.
**HP**
Harry had hoped things would improve but that was dashed when he finally stopped avoiding the rest of the school the next day and returned to the Great Hall and returned to classes.
Dumbledore announced that Harry had not entered himself, but few seemed to want to believe the Headmaster, choosing to believe that he'd played some part in getting himself in the Tournament.
While the majority of the Gryffindors were impressed and happy with him getting in, the rest of the school was not the same.
The Hufflepuffs were extremely cold towards all Gryffindors, but particularly unfriendly and angry towards Harry. They felt that Harry had stolen their champion's glory, and unfortunately he couldn't completely disagree even though it wasn't intentional, and it was a bit hurtful having Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley acting cold towards him, since he would have hoped after second year they'd have learned their lesson about trusting in rumors about him. He guessed he was wrong.
The Ravenclaws were similar to the Hufflepuffs, though less angry and cold, and more unimpressed and cold, though they were pretty divided. Many of them had logically taken Dumbledore at his word, not having much of a stake in the Tournament with Cedric or Harry, but those who didn't seem hostile hardly seemed friendly. The one exception seemed to be Marina Witcher, who shot him an apologetic nod, and told him, "Good luck."
The Slytherins . . . the Slytherins for the most part were their normal terrible selves, so that at least was right on par with what he expected.
The Durmstrang lot were cold of course, but they were a competing school, though the Beauxbatons lot weren't much better. Fleur was still friendly, much to Harry's relief, but her lot weren't so friendly, nor did they seem happy to see him and Fleur getting along. She had a couple of her friends that at least were cordial around him, but not great.
Still, Harry rarely found himself alone, unless he craved it, over the days, as he always had at least one companion in Alicia, Angelina, Katie, or Hermione, and often more than one.
Harry was walking out of the Gryffindor Common Room, planning to meet his now four good friends in the library for a bit when he suddenly found himself face to face with Ginny Weasley, who thankfully had come a long way since the days when she could only blush in his presence. It helped that she often came to him for help with lessons she struggled with. Honestly, it was a bit flattering since she seemed to prefer his help over Hermione's and had admitted that she thought he was a better teacher.
Now, she smiled wanly and gave him a note.
"This is from Professor McGonagal," Ginny said.
"Oh, thanks Ginny," Harry said a bit dejectedly, seeing that it was a summons to her office.
"I believe you, you know," Ginny blurted out suddenly, and Harry turned to her in surprise. "I know it probably doesn't mean much, since it's just me, but I believed you when you said you didn't do it, and I didn't think you did it in the first place," she finished looking a little red in the face, but he noticed the slightly sad look about her that told him she thought he'd just brush her off.
Harry stared at her for a moment.
"That means a lot to me, Ginny," Harry finally said quietly, "but we really need to talk about why you think I wouldn't care about your opinion. I really don't like when people talk bad about my friends, and that extends to them talking badly about themselves."
Ginny looked up at him, her mouth open slightly in shock.
"There's no "just you" about your opinions and why I shouldn't care. I may not be the best friend in the world to you, but I still think of you as a friend, and I hope you think the same of me, and to me your opinion matters," he said firmly.
Ginny's eyes widened further, and he smiled a bit at that, hoping that this might get through. He knew Dora had also been trying to help the younger girl with her low personal opinion of herself. Harry felt a personal stake in helping when he could, since he was sure the diary was a large reason that Ginny struggled with thinking positively about herself. Besides, he wanted her to have a happy life. She was his friend, and he'd nearly died trying to save her. Since he'd gotten to know her, she'd generally been more confident, bright, and warm, and he didn't like seeing these glimpses of low self-esteem that peeked through every now and then.
"Thank you, Harry," Ginny said softly, and she smiled back at him, "and you're wrong. In my worst time, you were the best friend I could ever ask for."
"And I would do it again in a heartbeat," Harry said firmly, not knowing how those words affected the youngest Weasley. "Now, can you do me a favor?
"If I must," Ginny said with a sarcastic sigh and a smile, and Harry grinned at the return of her more comfortable personality.
"I was supposed to meet Hermione, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina in the library. I know it's out of your way, but do you think you could let them know that I'll be there after whatever McGonagall needs me for?"
"Sure, that's no problem," Ginny said easily with a relaxed nod.
"Thanks, Gin," Harry said. "You're a star."
"Oh don't worry, I'm going to charge you a defense lesson for it later," Ginny said, smiling brightly at him, and then she turned and headed off towards the library.
Harry chuckled, feeling like he'd at least accomplished something good, and then made his own journey to McGonagall's office.
Once he got there, he knocked on the door, wondering what this could be about when he heard his Head of House call him in. He opened the door and barely was able to take a glance into the office before he was pulled into a fierce hug courtesy of one Nymphadora Tonks.
"Hey, sis," Harry said, feeling some stress leave his body, simply having her there and obviously still caring about him.
"Hey troublemaker," she said, pulling back, and Harry finally looked around, noticing Sirius, Remus, and Mad-Eye all present in the office as McGonagall walked out, leaving them to their privacy. "How are you feeling?"
"Not great," Harry admitted, taking a seat, while the four adults gathered sat around him. "Not many people believe that I didn't enter myself, and unfortunately, most of the school isn't very happy with me."
"Tell us all about it," Sirius said.
So Harry did. He explained about what went down when his name came out of the Goblet, about the Professor's reactions and how even some of the Hogwarts professors were treating him differently. He talked about Ron's reaction, the mixed reaction within Gryffindor and how the rest of the school was now treating him, and finally he talked about how grateful he was about the few people that seemed to believe him, and how his few friends were hell bent on helping him prepare for the tournament and their humbling belief in his abilities.
Finally, he felt like he'd vented and talked himself into silence, and he just looked around feeling a bit better, looking at Sirius, Dora, Remus, and even Mad-Eye looking at him with concern, while Astra laid at his feet, having traveled into the room while Harry was talking.
"Harry, we're going to support you, just like your friends have," Dora said. "Mad-Eye can't help you directly with the tournament, but the rest of us can, and we're going to help you in any way we can."
"Your friends are right though," Sirius said firmly. "You're a powerful and skilled wizard, and with some dedication, I think you can give everyone a run for their money, but our focus will be making sure you come out of this alive. Anything more is just extra."
"First, do you have a plan?" Remus asked.
"The start of one," Harry said with a shrug. "Hermione, Katie, Alicia, Angelina, and I sat down yesterday and sort of opened up with some ideas. We were going to really dig deep on some plans today, but it's hard since we don't know anything about any of the seven tasks. I was actually on the way to the library for that when I got McGonagall's note."
"Well then, how about you go grab your very good friends and bring them to the Transfiguration classroom?" Dora said. "We'll meet you there and between all of us, we can set up a practical schedule that they can help you with, and will hopefully help them learn quite a bit as well."
Harry nodded, smiled in appreciation and then made his way out of McGonagall's office.
**HP**
Dora waited patiently with Sirius, Remus, and Mad-Eye, but it was definitely a relief when Harry finally entered the classroom, with Hermione, Katie, Alicia, Angelina, and surprisingly Ginny behind him.
Ginny saw her and smiled and immediately made her way over and Dora happily pulled the youngest Weasley into a hug.
"Hey, babe," Dora greeted happily. "Glad to see you and Harry are getting along better. What brings you here?"
Ginny shrugged.
"Harry and I talked a bit when I gave him the message to come here, and he asked me to let the other girls know he'd see them afterwards. Well, I talked to them a bit when I found them, and soon they were asking me if I wanted to sit with them, and next thing I know, I'm here, determined to help Harry, just as he helped me once."
"I know he appreciates it," Dora said firmly, "and I know he could use all the help he can get, and I suspect you'll learn a hell of a lot and get a lot out of helping him."
Ginny nodded, and Dora looked to see Hermione politely talking to Remus, a smile on her face, while the three older girls were chatting with Sirius, which made sense since she and Sirius were the only two they'd really had any interaction with, outside of Remus being their teacher at one point and the group interaction at the Dueling Circuit.
Dora moved over to the three Gryffindor chasers while Sirius turned and greeted Ginny.
"So, I hear that I've got competition for being Harry's favorite sister now, do I?" Dora asked with a grin, glancing at the two oldest girls.
"Like there's any sort of competition," Angelina said with a scoff.
"We know Harry enough to know big sister Dora can do no wrong," Alicia said with a grin, and Dora smirked at that.
"He wasn't even mad when that prank of yours put him into a green dress!" Katie said, "Merlin knows he would have been angry at any of us who did that."
"Maybe," Dora agreed with a smirk, "but I do know he greatly values those pictures you girls have given him the last few christmases and he and I are definitely grateful for how much you've all been there for him, so I can safely say that I'm certainly happy to find some new sisters. Gods knows Harry and I love family more than anything, and I have no doubt that now extends to you three."
All three girls beamed, with a hint of a blush at that.
"Though, by the time pipsqueak fully develops in the next year or two," Dora said in a sly, conspiratorial voice which certainly carried over to Harry, "you may regret playing the sister card."
All three girls snorted at that, while Harry looked at Dora in horror.
"Oh don't we already know it," Angelina said with a teasing sigh. "If I didn't already have my eye on someone, and if he hadn't been such a cute little firstie that wormed his way in as the team's little brother, I would probably try to steal him myself."
"He definitely already gets his admiring looks since he started working out with you and Professor Moody," Katie said with a grin and a wink at Harry, while Harry turned bright red. "It's not just his flying that catches my attention on the Quidditch pitch, but then again, I'm not his sister."
The rest of the girls in the room laughed and Harry, managing to scrape some of his dignity off of the floor, just sighed and shook off the embarrassment.
"Can we get this meeting started?" Mad-Eye asked gruffly. "We don't have all day."
"Technically we do," Dora sang out, and Mad-Eye glared at her, while most of the rest of the room chuckled at that.
"Mad-Eye's right," Sirius said, though the grin plastered on his face showed his approval for good humor. "Let's get to it."
"Then we can tease Harry afterwards," Remus said seriously, and Harry scowled at the man who finally grinned.
Everyone got comfortable in chairs, making a circle so that everybody could be involved in the discussion, though she could see Harry's friends were a bit confused at what they would discuss.
"Let's talk about training," Dora said. "For starters, Harry, what are your biggest strengths?"
"I guess shadow magic, defensive magic, and flying," Harry said with a shrug.
"Add dueling, sensing, and real world experience," Mad-Eye said gruffly. "I know Diggory doesn't stand a chance against you in a duel, magical or physical, though you'll have to watch out for Delacour and Krum. I haven't heard much about Krum on the dueling side, but Durmstrang does have dueling as part of their curriculum and they learn dark magic, so he's dangerous. Delacour is a duelist and a good one. She's the biggest threat, in my opinion, so you can't get complacent. Constant Vigilance!
Harry blushed a bit as Dora, Sirius, and Remus all nodded in agreement, to Harry's friends' surprise.
"Fleur has dueling experience?" Harry asked.
"She's a French dueling champion," Mad-Eye said, "and she competed well in the European Open for the Under 18 bracket. Like I said, don't discount Krum either. He should be watched out for, simply because he's from Durmstrang, but his talent is flying, not necessarily his abilities with a wand. Still offensively and defensively, you probably lead the pack."
"True," Sirius said with a nod. "Merlin knows Harry's through OWL material on Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm sure he could take the OWL tomorrow and get an O on it."
Hermione in particular stared in Harry in amazement at that, not realizing that Harry was that far advanced in that subject, though she certainly wasn't the only one of the Hogwarts aged members of their little group that was impressed.
"Alright, then what are your weaknesses?" Dora asked, looking at Harry again.
"Age and knowledge," Harry said with a grimace. "Potions and I'm also not that great at Herbology, Astronomy, or History."
All the adults nodded slowly.
"Yes and no," Remus said. "You have a wealth of knowledge and abilities your competitors likely don't have, but yes there is a possibility your age and years at Hogwarts could be limiting factors. Thankfully, you have some marvelous friends, three of whom are older and further along in their magical educations, here to help you out.
"We'll certainly do what we can to help," Angelina said, speaking up for the trio. "Honestly, Harry, you're more advanced and better than all of us at defensive magic, so other than helping you research and practice spells and giving you opponents to battle, there's little I feel we can do to help you there, but all three of us are taking Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions, so we should be able to help you there, and I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures. Too bad my other NEWT electives won't help you much," she finished, glumly.
NEWT electives included continuing Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, Magical Law, Government, and the Magical World, Divination, and World Languages, if one chose to do so and received the required grades to continue (save for World Languages which had no OWL, and simply relied on students taking language WOMBATs as they progressed). Arithmancy, Magical Theory, and Ancient Runes ended after OWLs, and were continued slightly in other NEWT electives.
For the new elective options, pending OWL grades and prerequisites, one could take a healing class with Madam Pomfrey, which often featured guest lectures from St. Mungos personnel, and Alchemy class taught by Dumbledore, though there were many years that nobody took the class. Harry had heard people's potions grades stopped them from being eligible. For those that had taken Arithmancy, Runes, and/or Magical Theory, there were three classes offered: Enchanting, Ward Creation and Deconstruction, and Spellcrafting and Alteration. Lastly, there were three more classes that had no prerequisites but were designed to help people with life after Hogwarts: Domestic Magic and Home Governance, Economics and Accounting, and Gods, Goddesses, and Ritual Magic.
Harry knew Angelina was taking Economics and Accounting, Domestic Magic and Home Governance, God/Goddesses and Ritual Magic, and she had continued with Muggle Studies, and Magical Law, Government, and the Wizarding World.
Honestly, prior to talking to Angelina, Alicia, and the Twins, Harry hadn't realized that Hogwarts offered quite a few different courses as NEWT elective options, though some, like the Domestic Magic, didn't actually have a NEWT qualification. It was simply a class to help people prepare for adulthood and utilize household and domestic spells for cleaning and cooking and other various things needed to survive on one's own. He also didn't realize how many of the courses he was currently taking, like Runes and Arithmancy, ended after Fifth Year, and he would pick up NEWT classes that involved one or the other as prerequisites, if he chose to do so, and if he managed to fill the other prerequisites.
"I'm doing Runes, Arithmancy, Magical Theory, Wizard's Studies, and Magical Law, and obviously, since I'm a fifth year, I'm still in all the core classes," Katie said with a grin.
"I continued Care of Magical Creatures and am taking Pomfrey's healing course and I'm also in spellcrafting, which comes from Arithmancy and Magical Theory," Alicia said, "and I also continued Herbology."
"We all know Hermione's at least a year ahead in every subject," Dora said with a smirk, causing the noted bookworm to blush slightly, "and I wouldn't bet against this firecracker either," she said looking at Ginny who also blushed. "Seems to me like you have a solid research and practice group, not to mention probably the best looking research group Hogwarts has ever seen."
Hermione and Ginny both blushed deeply at that, while Katie, Alicia, and Angelina all smirked and laughed.
"What you need to do is plan what you're going to try and learn and then divide up responsibilities to hopefully make it easier to learn the information from your various friends," Remus said.
Harry nodded in understanding.
"Do you have recommendations for what I should try and learn this year?" Harry asked. "Obviously it's hard to look forward since I don't know what any of the tasks are."
"We have a list of spells we recommend as well as specific topics of certain branches of magic, or even just specific branches of magic," Sirius said. "We doubt you can touch it all, but it's at least a fairly comprehensive list of stuff that could be helpful, and perhaps you'll wean the list down to more focused things as more details become clear."
"I can't help you like I want to, lad," Mad-Eye growled out, "but I already had plans to have you learn some of the spells that we're going to recommend, and you'll have time to learn them in class instead of doing the normal fourth year curriculum. I'm going to leave you alone in my class, and you can take the time to learn what you think you need to learn."
Harry nodded as Dora pulled out a sheet of parchment, used her wand to create six copies and passed them out to the six Hogwarts students.
"Bloody hell," Angelina muttered, staring at the very large list of spells and magical disciplines that had been written on the parchment, including small descriptions of each spell or each branch of magic.
"This is where I leave," Mad-Eye said with a pointed look at Harry who nodded in understanding, and the gruff ex-Auror walked out of the room.
"Gods, a lot of these spells have to be beyond NEWT level," Alicia said in shock.
"And extremely dangerous!" Hermione squeaked out.
"Extremely powerful though," Ginny and Katie both said at nearly the same time, before grinning at each other.
"Mad-Eye believes you're ready for some of the more advanced stuff, beyond just studying what you'd be learning in class," Dora said, a hint of pride in her voice.
Harry looked at the list, with a hint of apprehension, but also with a hint of eagerness. The girls were right. While some of the defensive or frankly offensive spells on the list were things he would learn in DADA sixth or seventh year, the vast majority of the defensive and offensive spells were what would be categorized as mastery level or Auror or Curse Breaker specialized. Beyond that, his guardians, family, and mentors had recommended he learn dozens of tracking and survival charms, advanced NEWT level charms like advanced summoning and banishing, concealment charms, and ward or enchantment breaking spells. They wanted him to try and learn as much healing magic as he could, attempt to get ahead in Arithmancy, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions, as well as researching the history of the tournament. That didn't include the little notes about continuing to learn obscure or smaller jinxes, hexes, and curses of various levels, studying magical creatures, continuing with Sensing which he had almost mastered at this point, finishing mastering Shadow Magic, and considering starting to learn the other Mind Arts: Occlumency and Legilimency.
"I'm going to have to see if I can get into the Restricted Section for a lot of these," Harry said with a sigh.
"Well, your two NEWT friends here should be able to more easily access that section," Remus said. "Though, it was expected that Champions would use the Restricted Section, so I'm sure we will be able to get you permission to access it. It would be unfair if you were hindered due to age."
"Additionally," Sirius said, "we bought you a ton of books, which will contain a great deal of what we have recommended you learn. Truthfully, the Hogwarts library should be of more use if you are able to narrow down what the first, second, or third task might be and thus need to focus your research outside of what we've recommended. However, you'll find dozens and dozens of books on advanced defensive and offensive magic, books on tracking, concealment, survival, and healing magic. Supplemental books that focus on specific uses of arithmancy and runes and other various other subjects, including the mind arts and books that broach other elemental magics. Mad-Eye is currently putting them into your trunk."
"Sirius . . ." Harry said in shock, while Hermione nearly drooled. "That must have cost you a fortune!"
Sirius shrugged but grinned.
"Good use of money. Honestly, I bought extras for anything we didn't already have in the library at home so that we can study for ourselves in areas we lack for our own professional development, and whenever you eventually move out, you'll have your own well stocked library."
"People with money are scary," Katie muttered, getting some giggles but nods from Harry's other friends and Dora.
"Now, we just need to divide up subjects," Dora said. "Granted, Sirius, Remus, and I won't be able to come see you like this, but we can certainly write to you if you need help, and we can see you on Hogsmeade weekends, if you are in desperate need of assistance, though I suspect you'll need those weekends for a bit of fun and relaxation."
"Well, for now we should just focus on some of the broad things that might help him," Ginny said, surprising even herself, as the youngest of the group took the lead. "Honestly, we should just divide up the subjects and then set up a schedule where we all try to do some of our own research during the day, and then after classes we can meet up and do our homework, study, and then help teach or learn with Harry how to do some of this stuff."
"Good idea," Hermione said. "I think we should try and divide the subjects based on strengths though. In addition, some of what we talked about probably can just be left for us to help out. Arithmancy and Runes are great, but the rest of us can help him research or do that type of prep work since he won't be doing that on the fly in the tournament. Normal classwork will suffice."
"Yeah, as much as I'm sure most of us would like to help, I don't believe any of us can really help Harry learn and master his elemental magic," Angelina said sadly. "That should just be left to him."
"Well, he'll be learning some of these offensive and defensive spells in class," Alicia pointed out, before she turned to Dora, Sirius, and Remus. "Do you know which ones Professor Moody specifically intended for Harry to learn this year in class?"
Dora and Remus both nodded, and quickly used a charm to highlight the spells Mad-Eye specifically intended for Harry to have time in classes to work on.
"So, I'd say these should be our immediate focus, defensively," Alicia continued. "The others will follow, but with time in class, he should be able to have the time to learn these."
"Alright, so we should divide out the subjects or tasks," Hermione said, getting the focus back on assignments. "Everyone can start working on the specific subject or specific spells they need to start researching or revising, and then I say we divide all the subjects and try to touch on two or three per day for whatever time we have, rotating subjects each day."
"That's a good idea," Harry said, looking at the list, and thinking analytically like his guardians and mentor taught him. "I think I should take defensive and offensive magic, though maybe Katie could assist me?" he said, looking at his friend, who he knew was also talented in DADA and also had aspirations of possibly being an Auror someday.
Katie nodded eagerly and smiled.
"That works for me."
"Great," Harry said. "I guess Angelina's right. Elemental magic should also be mine, and then Sensing I think, since none of you have experience with the Mind Arts and I've really almost mastered it at this point. I just need to lock in permanence with it, and it will grow as I age."
"I actually have some experience with the Mind Arts," Ginny admitted to the younger crowd's surprise, and Dora smiled approvingly, glad to watch Harry's support team at work. "I've been learning Occlumency for a while now, and have had Legilimency used against me, so while I don't really know Legilimency, it's just the opposite of Occlumency and I might be able to help you figure it out, while helping you learn Occlumency. I've never done Sensing, but maybe we can set some time where you teach us all Sensing while you work on it yourself, and I'll start teaching Occlumency."
"That sounds brilliant, thanks Gin," Harry said, relieved that someone could help him with the very obscure arts. Athena's power, guidance, and the ring would help him learn quickly, but he still needed help starting off.
"Harry and I can do the research, but I generally do my Occlumency training in the morning and at night, so if you all want, I could help walk everyone through it," Ginny offered up. "Obviously, the priority is Harry, but everyone else learning won't really affect the speed at which he picks it up."
"I know I'd love to join you," Hermione said eagerly. "I don't know much about any of the Mind Arts and I think it would be wonderful to learn more. You're right in that Harry's the priority. He needs to learn things and then move on, but while he's learning, there's no reason why the rest of us can't try and learn at the same time."
"It'll probably help me a lot, you all learning everything with me," Harry admitted.
"Sounds good to us," Angelina, Katie, and Alicia agreed, looking rather eager to learn so much advanced and powerful magic.
"Moving on, I think in addition to helping Harry with DADA, I think I can help him get ahead in Runes or at least get through his normal work faster, when needed that is," Katie said. "I'm pretty good at Runes, it being my best subject after Defense."
"I think I know the three I'd like to do," Alicia said with a smile. "Healing magic, Potions, and Arithmancy. I obviously want to be a healer, so this will be good for both of us, and I'm good at Potions and Arithmancy. I know Potions isn't your strongest class, so we can work on that together, and I know you're brilliant at Arithmancy, but like with Katie, I can help you get ahead in it if needed, or at least hopefully understand the topics you're working on faster so that you can get through the homework faster."
Hermione scanned the frankly staggering list of topics and magic. "I'll do advanced charms, concealment and tracking charms, and I can research the tournament's history. I'd honestly already started doing that a bit when the tournament was announced."
Everyone chuckled at that last bit, not surprised in the least by the bookworm's thirst for knowledge.
"Well . . ." Angelina said, looking at the list before grimacing at Katie. "Will you take Herbology? I know it's not your favorite, but I didn't continue it for a reason. You'll be much better at it."
Katie nodded her assent.
"I can help with that," Ginny offered up. "My mum has been drilling plants into my head for years."
"Good," Angelina said. "Then, I can look up survival magic and charms, and research magical creatures. I'll be your transfiguration help, since that's my best class, and then lastly, I can help you learn nonverbal magic. I've started getting the hang of it."
"Much better than me," Alicia muttered.
"That's everything then," Dora said brightly, proud of Harry and his friends. "Obviously you should all work together as needed to focus on certain areas in certain subjects. Angelina, focus your efforts on dangerous or at least possibly harmful magical creatures, and hopefully after Hermione's history research, you'll have an idea of what creatures have been used historically, which may help you focus your efforts. I think you will find that you won't be actually able to focus on everything on this list, but I admire the efforts to consider it."
"Alright," Hermione said. "Harry, how often do you practice your elemental magic?"
"Three times a week," Harry said. "Usually for two or three hours with Astra, depending on the night . . . though I've started having dreams recently that I think are from Hades and have been helping me."
Everyone in the room focused on him.
"You mentioned them in your letter. They're like the ones you get from Voldemort?" Dora asked, causing most of the younger crowd to flinch, Harry and Ginny, to Dora's pride, being the exceptions. Hopefully Harry would eventually get the rest past the tosser's name.
"Sort of, but more like my meetings with Hades and Athena," Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I keep seeing visions of various people fighting various people and creatures, using shadow magic among other things. They're . . . they're incredible with how they all utilizes magic as a whole, but shadow especially. It's like watching Astra. It's like an extension of the ones using it."
"Can you describe any of these people?" Hermione asked.
"Not really. One of them's a man, maybe a bit taller than average, fit build," Harry said. "Black, wavy hair, kind of like Sirius's, and he has grey eyes. He's always wearing robes that I think are shadow robes, but I've noticed in many of the fights that certain areas look different. I think I'm seeing visions of the past. I've seen a woman, blonde, blue eyes, and always a fierce disposition. She's always wearing more of a bodysuit and robe. Another man with reddish-brown hair, bluish-grey eyes, usually wearing a tunic with battle armor. There's others, but those three have shown up the most."
Hermione looked thoughtful.
"So, some of the same people show up often?" Remus asked, and Harry nodded.
"I've seen a few others, but mostly it's been them," Harry admitted.
"What is going on in that brilliant mind of yours, Professor?" Dora said, grinning internally that her light, and slightly flirtatious tone had ruffled the man.
"Well, I would guess that Hades is showing Harry visions of his champions from past eras. The most powerful ones, so that Harry could see and maybe attempt to mimic or adapt his own style from those that were the most powerful or skilled."
"Any guesses on who these main ones could be, Remus?" Sirius asked curiously. "You were always the more studious and interested in history."
Remus shrugged.
"I never really focused on learning about or memorizing famous elementals or mages," Remus said. "They could be anyone. Depending on timing and location, we may not even have records of them, or at least not descriptions."
"Well, maybe we can spend more time perusing that book on shadow mages of yours," Hermione said diplomatically, though Dora noticed how eager she looked, thinking of the book, and hid her smile.
"Something to do later," Angelina said. "For now, if these dreams are helping, they're really not that important."
Hermione nodded, looking a bit put out at that, before she turned to the youngest member of their group.
"Ginny, how often do you practice Occlumency?"
"Every day."
"Harry, is Sensing the same?"
Harry nodded.
"Then we should practice both in one block in the mornings, and possibly in the evenings," Alicia said. "Any other subjects like that?"
Blank stares were all around the room and Dora laughed.
"No, the rest can be studied just like anything else. It is good to at least learn Occlumency and Sensing. You'll all get a great deal from both. I would hold off on Legilimency for now, and perhaps some friends and I can test you all over the Christmas holidays. Obviously, Ginny, you might learn it, since you have the best shot of doing so, but I wouldn't try teaching it. I think you're going to adjust your plans in the next few days, and I'm sure you'll eventually find your groove. Also, don't hesitate to write to some of yours and my other friends. Penny, Chiara, Lexie, and even Kinglsey and Savage wanted me to remind you to reach out to them for more than just an occasional letter like you do. They're more than happy to give you advice or help explain anything you might be struggling with."
"Cool," Katie said. "Then, let's just assign each of the subjects to a day and make a schedule for Harry's training. Any objections?"
**HP**
"Harry's a force of nature, but those girls are going to make sure he becomes the strongest student in this school," Dora said with a grin. "I can't tell if I'm jealous of him or feel sorry for him."
Sirius and Remus both laughed.
"A group of beautiful, smart, and loyal witches? Oh, James would have been so proud, but it would have been Lily claiming that Harry takes after her," Sirius said with a chortle.
"Oh, James and Lily would have loved seeing the friends Harry's gathered," Remus said wistfully. "Of those girls, I think only two have any possible interest in anything more than friendship, yet I doubt any of them have even thought that this could be how they attract his interest, and I doubt any of them would leave him if he doesn't express any interest."
"Hopefully Ron comes around," Sirius muttered darkly. "It's clear Ron is hurting him the most."
"I'm sure he'll come around eventually," Remus said sadly. "The question is whether it will be before it's too late or not."
Sirius, Dora, and Remus all exchanged a mixture of dark and sad looks.
"Mad-Eye knows what's going to happen in the First Task, perhaps all of them," Dora muttered. "I can tell."
"I'm sure he does," Sirius agreed, "but he'll find his own way to let Harry know. We just have to hope that whatever it is, Harry can handle it. Since that requires us trusting in Harry, I'm sure it will turn out fine."
Dora nodded, even if she wasn't happy with what Harry was being forced to do.
"Now, I believe it's time to go see Dumbledore," Sirius said with a sigh, though Dora could see the hint of eagerness in his bearing.
Remus nodded.
"I hope that Dumbledore is able to help you. You deserve happiness, and it would be good to see the Bella we all called "friend" once again," Remus said softly. "I hope you can free her of her curse."
Sirius and Dora took their leave and made their way through Hogwarts, finally getting to the Headmaster's office, and after giving the password (Butterscotch), they made their way up and into Dumbledore's office, finding the old man waiting for them, a tired look in his eyes as he stared down into a pensieve.
"I'm sorry if I don't seem completely present," Dumbledore said, glancing up at them. "I find my mind cluttered with thoughts after recent events."
Sirius and Dora exchanged dark glances.
"We understand," Dora muttered. "We have had a lot on our minds as well."
"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a nod of his head. "Now, how can I help you both this afternoon?"
"I've found some information that is . . . troubling," Sirius started hesitantly. "It's also dangerous, but it could also lead to something wonderful . . . and unfortunately, there is no counter to the dangerous magic I've found. I . . . I need help creating one," Sirius finished.
"What have you found?" Dumbledore asked slowly.
"I found Black family magic ritual that can be used to rewrite a person's personality, forcing them to become whoever the castor or castors desire," Sirius said quietly, watching the horror appear on Dumbledore's face.
"Has this been used?" Dumbledore asked quickly. "Such magic rivals or possibly even exceeds the Unforgivable Curses."
"Looking in the Black Family Grimoire, it has been used several times over the centuries," Sirius said darkly, "but only once in the last century . . . once nearly twenty years ago."
Dumbledore's eyes widened and then he sat down.
"Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black," he said softly. "She is who you speak of."
Sirius nodded.
"I wish to see if it's possible to save her . . ."
"I seem to remember the three people most hurt by her decision to join Voldemort and marry Rodolphus were yourself, Andromeda, and Lily Potter. I can see why you would wish to save her."
Dora shot Dumbledore and then Sirius a slightly startled look. Sirius had told her that Bellatrix and Aunt Lily had been very good friends, but Albus's words implied they were possibly even better friends than Sirius had told her. Then again, she had been Aunt Lily's Maid of Honor.
"You understand that to do so would mean releasing the knowledge of the existence of this magic to the world? Magic which should not exist?" Dumbledore asked slowly.
Sirius swallowed.
"I do. If we do this right, we will have to release the knowledge of that magic's existence, but only if there is also a counter to it, something which perhaps, if my thinking is correct, might even be a counter spell to the Imperius curse. I'm not saying it's without risks . . . but I believe it is at least worth looking into. It's also worth noting that the Black ritual is not something fast . . . like the Imperius. It takes time, resources, and skill. It will become something those captured might have to fear, in times of war, or something that young ones from darker houses might be wary of, but not something the average witch or wizard should ever fear."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.
"Very well then, Sirius, Nymphadora. I believe I will help you in this venture."
