Chapter Forty: Plans for the Future

The Dark Lord sat back in his thronelike chair and carefully surveyed what remained of his inner circle. Within the past few months, far too many of them had found themselves killed or captured — largely due to their own incompetence. The Lestrange brothers were both permanently lost to him, as were Travers, Nott, and Selwyn. Goyle and Gibbon were two he could live without, but even he could not deny that losing a resource as valuable as Rookwood was quite the blow.

Of course, temporarily losing access to the Malfoy fortune while Lucius was imprisoned was nearly as much of an inconvenience. That problem would be rectified shortly, but in the meantime, he would simply have to continue taking full advantage of comforts offered by his Death Eater's palatial manor. After all, it was not as though the Malfoys had any use for it at the moment — not that it mattered to the Dark Lord one way or the other.

"What news from the Ministry, Walden?"

"It is as you suspected, my Lord," answered Macnair from the far side of the long, highly polished table. "Bones is guarded around the clock, both inside and outside the Ministry. We don't get too involved with the Aurors in my department, but from what I've seen, they're always paired up now. Won't be easy to catch any of them alone."

"That is…unfortunate," replied Voldemort. A tense silence followed as the Dark Lord appeared to grow contemplative. "Fear not, Macnair, for your efforts with the giants have already proven your usefulness."

"Thank you, Master…"

"Yaxley allowing himself to be captured has turned out to be more problematic than even I could have anticipated," Voldemort added thoughtfully, running one spindly finger around the rim of his wine goblet. "One that requires swift resolution," he continued. "At present, taking Amelia Bones is our highest priority. Then, not only will we have the answers we seek, but doing so will also open up our path to Scrimgeour — after which the Ministry itself will be ours for the taking."

"The Bones bitch has a niece at Hogwarts, don't she?" said the pig-faced Death Eater next to Macnair. "Why don't we just 'ave Snape take her and force her auntie to give us what we need?"

"I do not believe we have enough time remaining this evening to list out all the reasons why that is a terrible idea, Amycus," Snape drawled sarcastically. "And that is without even taking into consideration the utter failure that was the previous attempt to kidnap the child of a prominent family."

"Severus is correct," spoke Voldemort, causing Amycus to shrink back in his seat. "We cannot afford any more mistakes at this juncture." Shifting his gaze back to the man directly on his right, he asked, "And what new information do you bring us from the old fool's camp?"

"Dumbledore has apparently arrived at a similar conclusion to yourself and has rededicated the Order of the Phoenix into providing additional security for both the Minister and Bones, at least to the small extent they are being permitted," reported Snape, triggering a round of muttering from around the table. "On a more positive note, I can also confirm that the Order have completely abandoned their attempts to entreat with the werewolves."

"This does not surprise me," the Dark Lord responded. "The Order's efforts were futile at best, considering Fenrir already has the majority of Britain's packs firmly under his control. Anything else?"

"The muggle Prime Minister has also been assigned an Auror guard, though I am unsure of whether or not the muggle is aware of this."

"I see…how interesting. I assume you learned this from one of the Aurors in Dumbledore's Order?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Very well. It is of no concern at the present," Voldemort replied after a moment. "We shall take control of the muggle government in due course, but for the time being our focus is bringing the magical world firmly under heel. The time has come to move into the next phase of our strategy," he announced to the gathered Death Eaters. "Antonin, how long until our new recruits are ready?"

"They are eager to serve you, my Lord," replied Dolohov, a burly wizard with a long, twisted face. "Some of them will need a bit more time before they're fully in fighting shape, but Snape's potions seem to be speeding along the process."

"Excellent; inform them they will soon be put to good use," the Dark Lord instructed him, his red eyes flashing menacingly. "We have been active these past few months, but we shall now teach this country the true meaning of fear. We shall unleash the giants and the werewolves upon its citizenry, as scores of Death Eaters new and old cast the Dark Mark over their victims. By the time we are done, the country will be begging to submit to our rule!"

A round of cheers and applause broke out around the table at the Dark Lord's proclamation, the noise apparently disturbing the enormous python that had previously been slumbering near his feet. Hissing softly, Nagini poked her head up from beneath the table before climbing up the chair and draping herself around Voldemort's shoulders.

"What about Malfoy, Bellatrix, and the others, my Lord?" another Death Eater enquired. "Do you still intend to set them free, or are we to abandon them to the Ministry?"

The room suddenly fell silent as the Dark Lord fixed his gaze on the questioner. "Now, now, Avery. Lord Voldemort would never abandon his loyal followers," the Dark Lord responded. His tone had not changed at all, but there was a hint of underlying danger in his words that had been missing up to that point. "But you know this already, do you not?"

"Of — of course, my Lord," Avery replied nervously. "I — I beg your forgiveness, Master…I would never think to question —"

"There is no need to apologise, Avery. It is not a crime to simply ask a question," Voldemort interrupted him. "Of course, I intend to free our captured comrades. It is, in fact, a top priority in my mind, which is why I am personally tasking you with obtaining their location."

"Th-thank you, my Lord," said Avery, suddenly appearing much paler, even in the dim firelight.

"You are most welcome, of course. See that you do not fail me."

"Of course, my Lord. I won't let you down."

Voldemort nodded and took a final look around the table while absentmindedly stroking the top of Nagini's head with a long, pale finger. While he had experienced several setbacks since his rebirth, it was only a matter of time until the few remaining obstacles in his path were eliminated. From there it would be a short march to victory, at which point he would finally claim his rightful place at the pinnacle of wizard-kind.

"That will be all for this evening," he announced. "I shall relay my instructions for the next round of attacks once I have decided on the appropriate targets. Severus, remain behind for a moment."

There was a shuffling of chairs as all of the Death Eaters except for Snape slowly got up and began filing out. Once the room had emptied, Snape bowed his head slightly to address the Dark Lord.

"How may I continue to serve you, my Lord?"

"The time to openly declare your true allegiance draws near, my friend," said Voldemort, speaking softly, but with conviction.

"My true allegiance is, and always has been to you, my Lord," Snape responded immediately.

"I am well aware," replied Voldemort, smirking ever so slightly. "You have played your part well, Severus, but even you must grow tired of serving two masters. Worry not, because soon, Albus Dumbledore will be dead, and you shall finally be free to openly serve Lord Voldemort."

"I look forward to it, my Lord," bowed Snape. "What would you have me do?"

"Have patience, Severus," said Voldemort. He dismissed Nagini with a quick gesture, and the snake slid from the Dark Lord's shoulders and slithered over to a spot directly in front of the marble fireplace. "First, what can you tell me about Harry Potter's current accommodations? Does he still reside with his muggle relatives during school holidays?"

"That is my current understanding," confirmed Snape. "Though he has also been known to spend time at the Weasley residence and the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."

"Yes, of course," the Dark Lord replied thoughtfully. "Harry Potter and his unnatural streak of luck have become quite a nuisance, but the true problem is Dumbledore," continued Voldemort, steepling his fingers in front him. "Not only did Dumbledore interrupt my vengeance against the boy, but it has become clear that removing him will all but guarantee the success of our other…endeavours. That is why I have decided to eliminate both Dumbledore and Harry Potter in one fell swoop — with your assistance, of course."

Snape's face remained stoic as Voldemort's red eyes locked onto his, weathering the Dark Lord's penetrating gaze without a hint of trepidation. Apparently satisfied with whatever he had seen, Voldemort's mouth twisted into a lipless grin.

"Tell me, Severus, when is Hogwarts' last day of term?"

oOoOoOo

Harry tried to stay awake during History of Magic, he really did, but between waking up early, his lingering exhaustion from a night of testing out the Elder Wand, and the droning, expressionless voice of Professor Binns, he honestly stood no chance. More than once during the lecture, he startled himself awake when his chin slipped off the hand that was propping his head up, causing Hermione to tut at him in disapproval.

"You really should try to get more sleep, Harry," she told him, as the Gryffindors filed out of the classroom and began making their way towards the dungeons. "How late were you up talking to Astoria last night?"

"I didn't talk to her at all," he yawned in reply. "I was with Dumbledore for hours last night, so I was positively shattered by the time I got back to the common room. I went straight to bed."

"You must've got back late, though," said Ron. "I don't even remember you coming in. What was Dumbledore showing you last night? Anything that'd work for us?"

"Nothing new," shrugged Harry, which was technically correct, as far as which spells were used. "Mostly just working on improving control, with a bit of duelling practice thrown in."

After speaking with Dumbledore, he had decided to hold off on telling the others about the Elder Wand — with one notable exception, of course. There was a good chance Ron and Hermione would figure it out eventually, but Harry was counting on them to understand his reasoning if they did.

"I bet it was still pretty wicked…you know, Dumbledore and all," said Ron, leaning in closer. "We are having Underground meetings this week, right?" he added in a low voice.

"Most definitely," confirmed Harry. "Combat team tomorrow night, and then Thursday will be everybody."

"Sticking with 'combat team', are you?" Ron grinned back at him.

"I told you all from the beginning I'm not calling anyone elite," countered Harry, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Calling us the combat team just makes more sense, and besides that, it's way less pretentious."

"I guess the name does line up better with our new focus," conceded Ron.

"Well, whatever you want to call it, you need to be careful, Harry," offered Hermione. "It's only the first day of term and you're already exhausted, plus we're only weeks away from our O.W.L.s. If you're not careful and take some time to rest, you're going to burn yourself out."

"I rested all holiday," he argued.

Hermione turned towards him with a disbelieving expression. "Harry, you had to do battle with an army of dementors," she reminded him, almost scoldingly.

"That was just the one day though," he shrugged, causing Ron to start snickering.

"Ugh, you can be so frustrating sometimes," she groaned.

Harry just smiled and shook his head. "Yeah, I know," he admitted, and the three of them continued on to Professor Slughorn's classroom.

The overall atmosphere during Potions had changed significantly over the past two months, one of the primary reasons being the expulsion of Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were responsible for a fair portion of the friction between the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Now, between losing those four and Daphne, the Slytherins only had a handful of fifth years left in their House, all of whom had mostly been keeping to themselves — even Pansy Parkinson.

On top of that, after a few awkward exchanges in the days following Harry cajoling him into giving up the memory, Slughorn had completely reverted to his early, semi-preferential treatment of him. While Harry found it an overall improvement, one less than desirable side-effect was the emergence of the social gatherings Dumbledore had warned him about. So far, he had only attended one of the Slug Club events — along with everyone who was present for the assault on Chateau Lestrange, Astoria included — but Slughorn had regularly been hinting that he expected Harry to grace them with his presence again before long.

By the time they reached the dungeons, Slughorn had already opened the door. The students began filing into the room and moving towards their usual tables, and within seconds of Harry setting down his bag, the portly Potions master had already sauntered over to greet him.

"Harry, m'boy!" exclaimed Slughorn, a huge grin peeking out from beneath his walrus-like moustache. "Just the man I've been waiting to see. I noticed you've been unable to attend the last few of my little dinners," he continued, wagging a finger in mock admonishment.

"Well, I've been really busy, sir," attempted Harry, although he had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"Quite understandable, of course," Slughorn returned jovially. "Your calendar must be fuller than any fifteen-year-old's I've ever met. And that was before you started popping in to have regular chats with the Minister!"

Harry cringed inwardly. Part of the reason he was so tired was that Scrimgeour wanted to have the second of their little morale-boosting meetings that very morning, which forced Harry to get up way earlier than normal, and even caused him to miss breakfast.

"In any case, I wanted to let you know that I'm planning another small get-together for this coming Saturday. More of a party than a formal dinner, mind you…just a little something to kick-off the summer term, you know," Slughorn continued to explain, and Harry could have sworn he saw a Dumbledore-esque twinkle in the professor's eye as he readied himself to deliver his final bit of news. "Well, as luck would have it, I happened to mention it to Miss Greengrass during my third-year class this morning," he continued gleefully. "She seemed very interested in coming, so I do hope you're available."

Slughorn had him dead to rights, and judging from the man's expression, he knew it, too. There were worse things than being made to go to a party, of course…it was more the principle of the thing, if he were being honest. In any case, if Astoria really did want to go, then Harry figured he could suck it up for one night.

"You know what, sir? I think I'm actually free that night."

"Splendid, m'boy, splendid! There are several important people coming that I simply cannot wait to introduce you to," said Slughorn, much to Harry's dismay. "Just be sure to keep an eye out for your invitation. The same goes for you, Mr. Weasley. Miss Granger and Longbottom as well, of course," he added cheerily, before making his way back up to the front of the class.

"Bad luck, mate," said Ron consolingly, though he was smirking as he said it.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess," sighed Harry. "That first dinner wasn't all that bad I suppose, so we'll see."

"It sounds like there might be some famous people there this time. Hopefully it's someone good — maybe even someone from the Cannons!"

Harry didn't find that likely, but he didn't want to dash Ron's hopes, so instead, he gave his friend a noncommittal grunt and turned his attention back to Slughorn. Before long, the class had gathered their ingredients, and the sounds and smells of a dozen bubbling cauldrons slowly began filling the dungeon. Fortunately, he and Ron managed to pull together a respectable Invigoration Draught, which was a good thing, seeing as how Slughorn had hinted the potion might come up on their O.W.L.

Soon enough, it was finally time to pack up and head to lunch. Having not eaten anything besides a single slice of toast since dinner the night before, Harry was absolutely famished, so he made a beeline for the Great Hall without even bothering to wait for Ron and Hermione.

"Usually, it's Ron who we have to worry about forgetting to chew," remarked Hermione, as she finally caught up and sat down across from Harry, who was already on his second sandwich.

Swallowing a huge bite, he looked up from his plate and glanced sheepishly across the table.

"Sorry — missed breakfast today."

"Leave him alone, Hermione," said Ron, defending Harry as he slid into the seat next to hers. "Sometimes, a man just needs to eat."

"You would say that," she replied, rolling her eyes at him affectionately.

Instead of replying, Ron simply shrugged and tucked into his own meal. Neville joined them a few minutes later, followed by the rest of the Gryffindor fifth years, which served to remind Harry that they were all supposed to be having their careers advice appointments with their heads of house that afternoon. Apparently, the sessions were supposed to help them decide what classes to focus on in their N.E.W.T. years, but based on the conversations around him, Harry wasn't the only one having trouble deciding what he was going to do after leaving Hogwarts.

A short while later, he noticed Neville and Seamus scooting away from him and realised he was about to have company.

"There you are," said Astoria, as she squeezed into the newly vacated seat next to Harry. "Where were you last night? I wanted to talk to you over the diaries, but you never wrote me back."

"Yeah, sorry about that," he replied apologetically. "Dumbledore really put me through my paces last night and I crashed as soon as I got back to my dorm," he explained quietly. Then, we had to go meet with Scrimgeour first thing this morning, so I really haven't had a free moment."

"Well, I suppose I can forgive you this time," she winked, helping herself to a pasty. "Did everything go all right with the Minister?"

"Fine, I suppose. We were only there for twenty minutes or so," he shrugged. "Scrimgeour and Dumbledore don't really get on all that well, so it gets pretty awkward. I'm thinking about asking if I can just go by myself next time."

"I don't know, Harry. I understand why you'd want to, of course, but is that really a good idea? It feels sort of…I don't know…unnecessarily risky?"

"You're probably right," Harry sighed in return. "Anyway, I'm glad you stopped by," he continued, changing subjects. "There's something else I need to talk to you about, but it needs to be in private. Do you think we can meet up in the Room tonight?"

"I don't see why not. Do you want to make a date out of it?"

While Harry wasn't sure how Astoria would react to his news, it certainly wasn't a bad thing, so there was no reason not to take the opportunity to spend some time with her.

"That sounds good," he agreed. "We haven't really had a chance to hang out together since before the dementor attack, so why not? I'll speak to Dobby later and ask him if he'll help us out again. Pick you up at your common room around seven?"

"It's a date," she smiled in return, and the rest of the lunch period was spent making casual conversation with the rest of the Gryffindors, the prevalent topic of conversation being their team's chances for hanging onto the Quidditch Cup for another year.

Eventually, everyone began leaving the table in groups and making their way towards the first of their afternoon classes. Harry was the lone exception, as he had his appointment with Professor McGonagall right after lunch, which also meant that he got to skip Divination. The professor's door was already open when he arrived at her office, so he invited himself inside and took a seat in the chair in front of her desk.

"I'll be with you in just a moment, Potter," Professor McGonagall said without looking up, continuing to scratch away at the parchment on her desk. Only a minute or so later, she sat down her quill and looked up at Harry.

"Well, Potter, as you know, the purpose of this meeting is to talk over any ideas you may have for a future career, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into sixth and seventh years," she began. "Have you considered what you might like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"

"I've really only started thinking about it this year," admitted Harry. "For a while, I thought about maybe becoming an Auror, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Oh?" replied Professor McGonagall curiously, picking a small, dark leaflet from the pile on her desk and perusing it. "Considering your areas of aptitude, I would say you have the makings of an excellent Auror. You would need to bring your Potions up to scratch," she said, looking up from the leaflet, "but otherwise, your recent academic record is well in line with their requirements."

"It's not that, so much," said Harry, a bit awkwardly, as he debated how much of himself to reveal. "At first, I thought being an Auror might help me against Voldemort," he sighed. "Until this year, I never really gave much thought to what I would do without him in the picture."

"I — I see," the professor replied in a strained voice. "And now?"

"Assuming I survive, I'm not sure I'll want a career that involves fighting more Dark Wizards…"

Professor McGonagall appeared to want to say something, but she seemed to be having trouble finding the words.

"Well, of course you'll survive," was what she finally settled on. "In any case, Potter, the current state of our world is no excuse to not plan for your future. Have you any other options in mind besides becoming an Auror?"

"Er — well, Professor Dumbledore said I might make a decent curse-breaker, since I'm getting pretty good at detecting magic."

"Hmm, that is a somewhat rare skill," she responded, now picking up a yellow leaflet. "Let's see…Defence Against the Dark Arts, obviously…you'll also need N.E.W.T.s in Transfiguration and Charms, of course. I would also recommend continuing on in Potions, and perhaps even Astronomy if you can fit it into your timetable." Professor McGonagall returned the leaflet to the pile and looked at Harry with a serious expression. "The only problem is that you are unlikely to find employment as a curse-breaker without a strong background in the Study of Ancient Runes," she informed him.

"Right, I guess I should've thought of that," replied Harry, deflating slightly.

"That doesn't mean you have to give up," said McGonagall. "It would require some self-study, but if you can familiarise yourself well enough with the third-year material over the next few months, you could potentially join the fourth and fifth-year classes during your final two years and at least get your O.W.L."

"Oh — er — I guess I'll have to think about it."

"Last year I would never have dreamt of suggesting such a thing," she continued. "However, you have shown yourself to be much better student as of late. Your improvement in Transfiguration alone is beyond anything I have ever seen."

"Well, those detentions definitely helped," grinned Harry.

"I should think so. It won't be easy, Potter, but I'm confident you could handle it, if that's what you choose to do. I am fairly certain Miss Granger would lend you her notes, should you ask."

"I'll definitely think about it," he said again, this time sounding much more confident. "You know, I wish we could've had a conversation like this before we chose our electives in the first place. That way, I wouldn't have wasted my time with Divination."

"While the concept sounds good in theory, in my years as a teacher, I have found that very few second years have reached the requisite level of maturity necessary to make such a discussion productive," explained McGonagall.

"Right, I guess you've got a point there," Harry replied sheepishly, thinking back to how he had simply decided to take the same classes as Ron, regardless of what they were.

"So, we have agreed that becoming a curse-breaker is well within your grasp, assuming you can get yourself caught up on Ancient Runes," said Professor McGonagall, steering the conversation back to the meeting's designated topic. "Are there any other career options you might be considering?"

"Just one, at the moment," he admitted. "Did you happen to see Oliver Wood at our last Quidditch match?"

"I did, indeed," replied McGonagall, the corner of her mouth twitching up slightly. "Are you interested in joining the professional leagues after Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded in confirmation. "I never thought I was good enough for that, but apparently I'm the only one," he explained. "If there really are teams interested in me, I think I have to at least consider it."

"I hope that you do," said McGonagall, giving him a nod of approval. "You certainly have the talent for it. However, I must warn you that if you join any team other than the Magpies, I shall be forced to root against you at least twice per season."

"I suppose that's fair," chuckled Harry.

"Wrapping up, I assume we are at least in agreement that you shall continue on with Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Potions?"

Harry nodded in agreement.

"May I also assume you intend to drop both Divination and History of Magic?"

"Definitely."

"Very well, then that leaves us with Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Herbology," said Professor McGonagall, reading off a sheet of parchment. "Your marks in all three have been consistently in the 'Exceeds Expectations' range, so no problems there. However, based on the rest of your workload and your additional…responsibilities, I would strongly advise against continuing on with more than one of those — especially if you also decide to also pick up Runes."

"Do I have to decide right now?"

"No, but the sooner the better. If nothing else, I ask that you let me know by the end of the term whether you intend to test into the fourth-year Ancient Runes class."

"I will," nodded Harry. "Thanks, Professor."

oOoOoOo

Later that evening, Harry and Astoria were just sitting down to dinner in a small, dimly-lit café. The walls were completely fashioned from hand-made bricks, which contrasted nicely with the dark wood of the ceiling. Aside from the moonlight shining in through the windows, the only illumination was coming from the blazing fireplace in the corner and the handful of candles burning around the room and on their table.

"This place is rather nice," remarked Harry, as he fingered the edge of the deep red tablecloth. "You said you went here once with your family?"

"While we were on holiday in Italy," she nodded, while looking about the room. "It was quite lovely; maybe one day I can take you there."

"That'd be brilliant. I've never actually left Britain before."

"Well, we'll just have to fix that," she smiled at him. "Maybe even this summer, if we can."

"Yeah…maybe," replied Harry, though he didn't see how that would be possible with the war going on.

Astoria seemed to detect the underlying sombre note in his reply, but the sudden arrival of Dobby and their dinner prevented her from commenting on it. As usual, Dobby was more than happy to help when Harry told him about their plans to have dinner in the Room of Requirement.

"And what do you have for us tonight, Dobby?" Astoria asked kindly.

"Dobby has prepared Miss Tori's favourite white fishy, with oysters on the side," replied Dobby, as he carefully set their plates down in front of them.

"This looks wonderful — thank you, Dobby. I take it you've been in touch with Flopsy?"

"Dobby has, Miss Tori," the elf excitedly confirmed. "Dobby asked Flopsy for a whole list of Miss Tori's favourites, so he is always prepared!"

"Thank you; that was very nice of you," Astoria told him gratefully.

"Thanks a lot, Dobby," added Harry. "I have some new socks for you up in my trunk. I'll call you later to come get them."

"Harry Potter is too kind to Dobby," he replied, his ears wagging happily. "Can Dobby bring you anything else, sir?"

"No, Dobby, we're good for now — thanks again."

"Harry Potter is most welcome," answered Dobby, and with a bow, the house-elf popped away.

As soon as they were alone, Astoria fixed her gaze on Harry. "We don't always have to try my favourites, you know?" she pointed out, with a hint of exasperation.

"I know. It's just that my favourites are all pretty boring," he responded, picking up his fork. "Our dinner wouldn't be any different from what they're having in the Great Hall. At least this way, I get to try something new."

"Well, when you put it that way…" she replied, taking a delicate bite of the fish before letting out a little hum of approval. After taking a few more bites, Astoria looked up at Harry.

"So, what's the big secret you needed to tell me?" she asked, with a teasing lilt in her voice.

Harry almost began answering her question, but then he quickly changed his mind.

"Actually, I think I'd rather have dinner first," he told her. "What I have to say can wait."

Astoria had no objections, of course, and so the two of them tucked into their meals while engaging in light conversation. Harry had never eaten oysters before, but once Astoria showed him how, he found that he quite liked them. Once they had finished up, Dobby came back to clear away their plates, reappearing a few moments later to serve them tea.

"I forgot to ask; how was your meeting with Professor McGonagall?"

"It was all right, I guess," said Harry, taking a sip of tea before setting down his cup. "Just talked about what I might want to do after Hogwarts and what classes I want to take next year."

"Did you decide on anything?"

"Quidditch is definitely an option," he replied with a slight grin. "Other than that, I've been thinking I might make a halfway decent curse-breaker. From what Ron's brother Bill told us, it's not all that different from some of what I've been up to with Dumbledore."

She tried to hide it, but Harry could tell by the slight wrinkling of her nose that Astoria was not overly enamoured with the idea. "Slightly less dangerous than being an Auror, I suppose," she muttered quietly.

"Only thing is, I would at least need an O.W.L. in Ancient Runes," continued Harry, ignoring her comment. "At least, that's what McGonagall told me. The good news is, if I can learn enough on my own between now and then, she said I can join the fourth-year Runes class next year so I can be ready for my O.W.L. by the time I leave Hogwarts."

"That would be brilliant!" said Astoria, her face lighting up at the prospect. "You should definitely do that, even if you don't want to be a curse-breaker. I'll even help you, if you'd like. The third-year class isn't hard at all, so I doubt you'll have any trouble."

"I probably will," he agreed. "Can't be any worse than Divination, that's for sure."

"I hope they don't change which Houses have the class together," she remarked pensively. "It would be nice to share at least one class with my boyfriend while I'm at Hogwarts — I mean, that's assuming…"

Astoria quickly looked off to the side, taking a sip of tea while avoiding his gaze.

"Assuming what?" Harry asked confusedly.

"Well…" she began, setting down her teacup. "Assuming we're still together by then…"

That was probably the last thing Harry had expected her to say. As far as he knew, things had been fine between them — more than fine — and he didn't like the way she so casually introduced the idea that they may not stay together.

"Why — why wouldn't we be?" he asked, attempting to keep his voice even.

"Oh, it's not that anything's wrong," she insisted, apparently realising how it must have sounded to him. "It's just that…" Astoria sighed in frustration at her inability to articulate her thoughts.

"Go on," encouraged Harry.

"Well, it's not all that common for relationships between people our age to last, is it?" she said finally. "We've already been together for longer than almost every other couple I know, and it's been brilliant, but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll last forever."

"Oh," he replied and leaned back in his chair. What Astoria had said wasn't all that unreasonable, but Harry would be lying if he said it didn't immediately put a damper on his mood.

"I'm sorry; please just ignore what I said," she offered apologetically, now fully realising the impact of her words. "It's just me being self-conscious again. I really am happy being with you, and I don't want you to think I'm anything but."

"It's all right," Harry assured her, as she reached across the table to take his hand. "It's just that…well, now I feel like I have to ask." Leaning forward again, he looked deeply into her eyes and chose his words carefully. "What do you want to happen between us? Do you ever think about…you know…the future?"

"Well, of course I want us to stay together," Astoria replied insistently, seemingly surprised that he would even ask such a thing. "You're my first boyfriend, Harry…my first kiss, my first love…" she continued, sighing wistfully. "But as much as I wouldn't be opposed to experiencing a lifetime of firsts with you, I know I shouldn't get my hopes up."

Harry's ears perked up slightly at her admission. Though she could barely look at him when she said it, with just a handful of words, the icy feeling in his chest had melted and was replaced by a warm, comfortable sensation.

"Get your hopes up?" repeated Harry, not bothering to hide his grin.

"I — I just figured it would be better…safer…to be realistic," explained Astoria, now sounding a bit flustered. "Even if it breaks my heart just thinking about it," she added quietly.

"Well, your sister did specifically warn me not to let that happen, remember?"

"I do," she smiled back at him. "If I could speak to her now, I'd tell her that so far, you've done a smashing job of keeping your promises."

"Glad to hear it," replied Harry, and then he hesitated for a moment, debating how much more he should say. Eventually, he decided that 'open and honest' was what seemed to work best for them, so there was no sense in keeping it secret any longer. "Do you remember me telling you how your dad was asking me all sorts of questions, the day we broke into Gringotts?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes…" she replied carefully.

"Well, one of the things he kept coming back to was if I would ever consider making our relationship more…permanent…"

Astoria simply looked back at him for moment, mouth agape in an expression of utter shock. "He didn't…" she finally replied, sounding completely mortified. She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose and shook her head gently. "I am so sorry, Harry," Astoria told him, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "I think I've told you before about how some of the old pure-blood families get when it comes to marrying off their children, and unfortunately, it sounds like my father is no exception."

"It's all right, really," Harry tried to reassure her. "He explained why he felt like he needed to ask. I was a bit bowled over at first, but by the end, I sort understood the position he's in — especially with…you know, Daphne no longer being with us."

"I — I see," replied Astoria, seemingly unsure how to respond. "Even so, it was wrong of him to ambush you like that," she said crossly, once again avoiding Harry's gaze.

She distracted herself momentarily by refilling hers and Harry's teacups from the pot Dobby had left them, before taking a sip and setting her cup back down. Neither of them spoke while she was doing so, but Harry could tell by the way Astoria continually worried at her lower lip that she was positively dying to ask him how he responded to her father's questions.

"You can ask, you know? I don't mind," Harry said finally, deciding to throw her a lifeline.

At first, Astoria seemed like she might deny that's what she was thinking, but then she quickly deflated and actually smiled sheepishly at Harry.

"Oh, all right," she sighed, appearing to steel herself for whatever Harry had to tell her. "What did you say to my father when he asked you those things?"

"I told him the truth," he began, echoing what he had told her the night he had relayed the abbreviated version of events. "I said I think we're way too young to be thinking along those lines, and that with everything going on, it's really hard to predict what will happen."

"That's…sensible."

"I also said that if all goes well and we do get to that point someday, then I would marry you in a heartbeat."

Astoria's jaw dropped momentarily, and before Harry even knew what was happening, she was in his lap and kissing him for all he was worth. After a few minutes, she pulled back slightly and adjusted herself into a more comfortable sitting position.

"You really told Father that?" Astoria asked breathlessly.

"Like I said, it's the truth," he grinned back at her, and she quickly leaned in to give him another kiss before looping her arms around his neck.

"I can't believe you said that to him," laughed Astoria, giving Harry a beaming smile. "He must have been pleased, though. He would never say it, of course — at least not to me — but I know he's been worried that no one would ever accept me with my condition."

"That would never have stopped me," said Harry emphatically, "but even so, I'm glad we don't have to worry about that anymore."

A look of confusion flitted across Astoria's face. "What do you mean?" she enquired cautiously.

Harry unclasped her hands from behind his neck and held them between his own.

"I found it, Astoria," he said quietly. "I found the Elder Wand."

At first, it seemed as though Harry's words didn't even register. Astoria just stared back at him in silent disbelief, almost as if she was waiting for him to reveal that he was only joking, even though she knew he would never be that cruel.

"Are — are you serious? You really found it? How?"

"I wouldn't kid about something like this," replied Harry, letting go of her hands and reaching into his robe pocket, pulling out the Elder Wand. "It turns out Dumbledore had it all along," he continued, holding the long, pale bit of wood up to where they both could see it. "He won it from Grindelwald half a century ago and has used it ever since — that is, until recently, when I disarmed him against his will and won the Wand's allegiance for my own."

"Wait, you stole the Wand from Dumbledore? And what do you mean by 'won its allegiance'?"

"It's hard to explain, but no, I didn't steal it," he clarified. "Dumbledore actually wanted me to have it, but that's not the point."

Harry slid the Elder Wand back into his pocket and grasped Astoria's hands again. "The point is that we'll finally be able to break the curse," he stated calmly, taking care to look her directly in her eyes so she would understand. "We can cure you, Astoria. You and your family will finally be free!"

Astoria's eyes slowly began to water as her mind finally caught up with the reality of the situation. "I — you — you're serious? This is really happening?" she stammered, her complexion beginning to pale. Harry again confirmed the truth for her, only for Astoria to begin hyperventilating. Thinking fast, he guided her off his lap and into her own chair before kneeling at her side in an attempt to help calm her down.

"Just breathe, Astoria — everything is fine, just try taking slow, deep breaths."

Eventually, Astoria got her breathing under control, but it was obvious that she was still having a difficult time accepting everything Harry was telling her.

"I — I can't believe it," she said shakily. "I mean, it's not that I didn't believe you — didn't believe in you — it's just that I never expected it would happen so soon. Are — are you absolutely sure it will work? What if the counter-curse fails, or if it turns out Gaunt was lying to you?" Astoria asked him, almost desperately, as if she were afraid to allow herself to fully believe.

"It will work, I swear," vowed Harry, not a shred of doubt in his voice.

"Okay — all right, this is really happening," replied Astoria, mostly to herself. She took a few more deep breaths and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Looking down at Harry, she asked, "So, what's next? How are we actually going to do this?"

"Well, Gaunt said we have to cast the counter-curse under the light of the full moon, at a place of magical convergence," explained Harry. "I've already confirmed with Dumbledore that Hogwarts qualifies, so all we have to do is wait for the next full moon on the third of May."

"Third of May," nodded Astoria, as she attempted to count the days. "Let's see, that's —"

"Eleven days," said Harry. "Just eleven more days, and you'll be free of the curse."

"Eleven days…" she repeated quietly, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "I just — I can't even…I — I —"

With a laugh, she slid off of her chair and into Harry's arms, nearly tackling him to the ground, and for the next few minutes, they alternated between sobs and laughter, rejoicing in the knowledge that Astoria would finally be able to live her life without feeling like a clock was constantly ticking just over her shoulder.

A short while later, they both reclaimed control of their emotions and pulled themselves up off the floor. Next, Harry cleared away some of the café tables and asked the Room for a sofa where they could sit together and relax while they went over the next steps.

"I know you've told me not to thank you for things, but you've done so much for me," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "And it's not just me — our family will never be able to repay you for this. Once you finally cast that spell, you will be saving countless future generations from a heartbreak they will never fully understand."

"It's funny how things work out, don't you think?" remarked Harry, looking up at the ceiling. "I mean, if you'd never written to me last summer…"

"Don't," she replied sharply. "I don't want to even think about it."

"All right, forget I said anything," agreed Harry. "Anyway, there is one thing I could use your help with."

"Anything."

"We obviously need to inform your father what's happening, but we need to figure out how to tell him without mentioning the Deathly Hallows."

"Oh," said Astoria, sitting up straight to face Harry. "I never thought of that. Father is too smart to be fooled by an obvious lie, so it'll have to be something good."

"Right, that's what I'm afraid of."

Astoria thought about it for a moment, only to shrug and cuddle back up to Harry. "Honestly, I'm not all that bothered," she told him. "Ultimately, he'll accept the result without any explanation, if he has to. For now, though, let's not worry about things and simply enjoy the rest of our date."

Harry grinned and gave his girlfriend a one-armed squeeze.

"Who am I to argue with that?"