"You're late Potter" the cold drawl voice of Snape filled Harry's ears as he stepped into his office. Snape stood with his back turned, removing specific memories and placing them carefully into a pensieve. He dropped the silvery strand into the stone basin before he finally turned around making eye contact with Harry.
"I hope you have been practising Potter" Snape said, his eyes searching
"Of course" Harry said putting his cloak and bag down "I think i've made some great strides since our last lesson"
"We will soon find out, won't we" Snape said smoothly "into position, Potter"
Harry quickly withdrew his wand and got into position, his heart was still thundering from his rendezvous with Daphne before the session had started and the anxiety that was now building in the pit of his stomach at Snape seeing those memories.
"Prepare yourself" Snape said "One- Two -" the door banged open and Harry swung round catching Malfoy who was panting obviously winded from his run here
"What is it Draco?" Snape snarled
"Montague sir, he's jammed inside the toilet on the fourth floor" Malfoy said, gasping in copious amounts of oxygen.
"How did he get in there?" Snape asked
"We don't know sir, he seems a little confused"
"Very well, Potter we will continue this tomorrow evening" Snape sighed as he strided out of the office with Malfoy on his tail, who gave him a sneer before following his Head of House lead. Harry sighed, putting on his cloak and school bag. He began to turn towards the exit, until the stone basin that lurked in the corner of the office caught his eyes, almost as if he were in a trance he began to move slowly towards the pensieve. He moved closer and closer until he was staring straight down into the silvery liquid and began to lower his head. A scream came from outside the office breaking Harry out of his stupor as he barreled out of the dingy room, the same scream echoed again from his left as he continued to sprint down the hallway almost tripping over in his haste. Harry's heart thundered in his chest as adrenaline surged through his body, his legs moving faster than ever before. Cackles now joined the scream as he turned the corner and saw Astoria surrounded by Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Parkinson who seemed to be enjoying kicking the wailing girl. Harry was filled with unbridled rage as he crashed into Nott sending the boy sprawling onto the floor.
"What are you doing!" Harry cried unsheathing his wand from his holster and aiming it at the four students
"Showing Greengrass here the meaning of house unity" Pansy said with a sneer that made her only uglier. She opened her mouth to laugh but was quickly silenced as Harry banished her down the hallway. Nott sent a cutting curse at Harry who had just managed to bring his shield up in time to block the attack which dissipated along the blue wall that was his shield. Harry went to retaliate but quickly changed targets as Crabbe and Goyle both charged him with malicious intent. Harry instantly shot a stunner at Goyle who fell down to the ground unconscious while Crabbe was quick enough to land a hit on Harry. Pain exploded in his jaw as Crabbe crabbed the collar of his robe as if he were trying to lift him in the air, without thinking about it Harry threw his head forwards crashing it into his nose. Crabbe quickly released Harry as he stumbled backwards clutching his face. He was stunned immediately after. Harry looked up at the sight of Astoria struggling with Nott who seemed to be winning as he threw her to the floor. Harry quickly threw a chain of hexes and spells at Nott who with surprising agility dodged the first two but had to throw up a shield for the last one (which groaned underneath the onslaught of the attack.) Nott threw his own spells back but Harry swatted them away as if they were nothing but an annoying nat that continued to pester him. The fight lasted a total of thirty seconds, the battle becoming more and more one sided as Nott began to get more and more fatigued. It was over, Nott kneeled on his knees gasping as his wand laid disarmed beside him
"Now you've done it" Nott chuckled, sounding exhausted. Astoria quickly ran over to Harry's side, away from the rest of the Slytherins
"What were you thinking? Attacking a second year, are you insane?" Harry shouted
"Not as insane as your new group of friends" Nott said sounding extremely happy
"What? What the hell are you talking about? Harry asked now extremely confused
"Greengrass, Potter!" Nott shouted "and Davis too"
"What about them?" Harry shouted back just as loud
"I'm trying to protect them!"
"Clearly" Harry said sarcastically as he put an arm around the shaking girl
"You don't understand, the moment he finds out they have any connection to you… he will slaughter them" Nott said with a crazed look
"And by jumping them, you're protecting them" Harry asked bewildered
"Yes!" Nott shouted "if they cut contact with you now, the dark lord may just forgive them"
"You're insane" Astoria mumbled "The headmaster will expel you for this"
"That is if you tell him" Nott said with a satisfied smirk "Which i don't think you will"
"And why's that?"
"Because if you do, i will tell the Dark Lord personally to hunt down your blood traitor girlfriend and torture her until she begs for death"
Harry's face whitened significantly as he took in the implication of what was said, he turned to Astoria who looked ready to tear the boy to shreds but was stopped as Harry put an arm in front of her.
"There are other means of keeping you quiet, for example i could cut out your tongue" Harry's attempt to intimidate the boy was futile as raucous laughter was followed
"Then what about the rest of my house, we all agreed to try and forcefully persuade them, but if they continue to resist then they will be at the Dark Lord's mercy… you wouldn't want that for them would you"
"It doesn't matter what he wants, it's what we want… and we choose to stand by Harry" Astoria said defiantly as the sound of Crabbe and Goyle waking up made its presence known
"Think about it, Potter. Can you afford to lose them too?" Nott said sneering before he span around making his way down the hallway towards the slytherin common room
"Don't listen to him, he's just trying to get into your head" Astoria said holding her side and wincing
"I'll walk you back" Harry mumbled as he took the second years hand and made his way with her towards the common room "Tell Daphne what happened, she will be able to protect you better than i ever could"
"Thank you, Harry," Astoria said as she embraced him into a tearful hug. Harry closed his eyes savouring the feeling, hoping it would ease the knots inside of his stomach "Goodnight" she whispered before she entered the common room
"Night" Harry mumbled to himself as he trudged down the hallway, his thoughts muddled together as he ascended the marble staircase and entered the Gryffindor common room and up to his dormitories. He immediately entered the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth, the mirror shined out of the corner of his eyes and he glanced into it. Harry had never seen himself so pale and sweaty, the bangs on his forehead stuck to his skin, slick with sweat. His breath came out in shallow gasps as he felt the bile in his throat rise. He quickly left and climbed into his bed, pulling the blanket to his chest and closing his eyes.
'The moment he finds out they have any connection to you… he will slaughter them'
'They will be at the Dark Lord's mercy'
'Can you afford to lose them too?"
Harry opened his eyes and violently threw his blanket off himself and stomped down the stairs towards the common room. He threw himself down on the armchair and stared into the blazing fire, his eyes reflecting the flickering flame as a lone tear fell down his cheek
"Thought i heard you coming down here" Harry turned and saw Ron standing at the bottom of the stairs rubbing the sleep from his eyes
"Its fine, go back to sleep" Harry said returning his gaze back towards the blazing fire place
"You've never been very good at lying have you" Ron snorted as he took a seat opposite Harry "Come on, tell me what happened"
Harry considered keeping it to himself but he knew it was futile, talking would help clear his head and there was no one he trusted more than Ron. He turned his gaze back to Ron and sighed, he began to tell him about how his Occlumency lesson was cancelled and how he had ran into the Slytherins that were beating Astoria
"-and now i'm questioning everything… Do I stop what I have with Daphne if it means keeping her safe or do i just risk it and hope for the best" Harry said putting his face in his hands and sighing
"Are you happy?" Ron asked
"Of course i am"
"Then there's your answer"
"But it's not as simple as that, i wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to Daphne, Tracey or Astoria"
"Harry, i've known you for five years and out of those years i have never seen you as happy as when you are with her"
"Which is exactly why i need to keep her safe" Harry said nodding
"And how do you plan on doing that? Breaking up with her isn't going to solve anything, at the end of the day all you're going to do is hurt her and more importantly yourself. Besides if she found out the reason why you were breaking up with her, she would beat you to a pulp" Ron said chuckling
"And if something does happen to her, how will i live with myself knowing im the reason for it"
"Life is full of what-ifs Harry, it doesn't do well to do dwell on them and miss out on what could have been" Ron said giving Harry a tired smile
"That is actually really good advice, when did you get so wise?" Harry asked astounded
"I think i saw it on a poster somewhere" Ron shrugged "But the advice still stands, think on it Harry and for once in your life do what makes you happy"
"Thank you Ron, i really needed to hear that"
—-
The darkness of the night sky departed as the blazing fire of the sun rose up and expelled the shadows that lurked over the castle, the hoot of passing owls signalled the beginning of the morning as luminous rays shone over the fifth-year boys dormitories. Harry's eyes slowly began to creep open as he put a pillow over his head and enjoyed the few minutes of sleep he could still retain. Eventually the sound of the other boys getting changed caused him to follow their example. He and Ron quickly freshened themselves up and trudged down the stairs, meeting with Hermione on the way towards the great hall
"What do you two think of me quitting the DA?" Harry asked nonchalantly
"What? Harry, you can't… you were really brilliant, we all learned so much from you" Hermione said
"And you will learn a lot more from Dumbledore, face it with Umbridge gone there's no need for it anymore and quite frankly i'm glad, i get to spend more time with my studies or doing what i want to do" Harry shrugged making his way to the entrance hall
"Well atleast think about it, the DA isn't just about learning spells, it's about gaining confidence and socialising with other houses. Look at Neville he could barely utter a word in front of us and now here he is mopping the floor with half the DA"
"Fine, I'll have a think about it. Happy?"
"Very" Hermione said with a sarcastic smile
They took their seats with the rest of the Gryffindors, exchanging greetings amongst themselves as Harry reached for the jar of jam and slathered it on his toast. He had woken up this morning in a much better mood than before and now seeing Daphne conversing with Tracey on the opposite side of the hall eased the ache inside of his chest. That was until she turned her tired eyes in his direction and sent him a concerned look. Harry nodded towards the door and she quickly swung her bag over her shoulder and left with Harry right on her tail. He grabbed her hand and quickly led her to an empty classroom, where they would be away from prying ears and eyes. Harry clicked the door shut and turned around, only to be quickly engulfed by a blonde missile.
"Thank you" Daphne said into his shirt
"It's okay" Harry said rubbing her back soothingly, they stood there for a couple of minutes just holding each other seeking solace in each other's embrace. He pulled back staring into her determined eyes, that was one of the many great things about Daphne, she was rarely weepy.
"Astoria told me everything, I can't believe Nott would do that… he's normally very quiet and keeps to himself." Daphne said with restrained anger
"Fear is a powerful motivator" Harry replied
"Well he got what was coming to him" Daphne said breaking apart from him "turns out the freezing charm is especially effective on a certain body part"
"Daph you shouldn't have done that, now he's going to make life so much harder for you and Astoria" Harry sighed
"I don't care, god help him, if he so much as looks at me funny i will castrate the pillock" Daphne snarled
"You know when you speak like that i just want to snog the hell out of you" Harry chuckled, causing Daphne to roll her eyes
"Come on be serious… Astoria told me what Nott said last night"
"Oh"
"Yeah, i just wanted you to know if you try to break up with me for my safety, you will suffer the same treatment as Nott"
"But Daphne sure-"
"That is my choice, Harry. If you want to break up because you're no longer happy then I won't stand in your way but if you're doing it because you're worried about my safety. That's when we're going to have a problem, okay?" Daphne finished, looking at him defiantly. Harry nodded as Daphne brought his head down, pecking him and putting his head on her shoulder.
"We will get through this" Daphne whispered in his ear as she stroked the hair at the nape of his neck
"I know we will…oh, I've got something to ask you" Harry said chuckling changing the subject quickly
"What's up?" She asked
"Tracey, what's her deal… is she single?"
"Bored of me, already Potter"
"What? No" Harry chuckled "Ron wanted to know, he seems interested"
"Really? Who would have thought" Daphne laughed "Well you can let Ron know, that she is single and in desperate need to mingle"
—-
"Sit down, Potter" Professor Mcgonagoll said as she sat behind her desk, her face hidden behind a clipboard as she began to scrawl on a piece of parchment. Harry took a seat opposite her, setting his bag down and beginning to fidget with his hands.
"So we are here today to discuss your career options, and the following steps you will need to take in your sixth and seventh year to achieve said goal. By the end of the day I hope to start you on your path to figuring out what you would like to do after school. Have you any thoughts of what you would like to do?"
"Well i thought, maybe of becoming an auror" Harry replied
"An auror? A very noble profession. You're going to need top grades for that" Professor Mcgongall said as she opened a drawer in her desk and withdrew a leaflet. "They ask for a minimum of five N.E.W.T.S and nothing under exceed expectations"
"Right" Harry said meekly
"You will then undergo a series of tough and challenging tests to evaluate whether or not you have what it takes to join the ranks" Professor Mcgonagall continued "You'll want to know what subjects you ought to take"
"Naturally" Harry replied
"You will need to take Defence against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions and Charms. Those are highly recommended and I strongly advise you to take them… if you wish to become an auror of course."
"I need to be one" Harry said louder than necessary
"Need?" Professor Mcgonagoll
"Er- yeah" Harry said embarrassed, looking at Mcgonagall who met his gaze over her thin glasses
"Why do you need to be one?"
"It's my calling, Professor. Helping those in need; Protecting people who cant protect themselves; its what im meant to do, it's who i am" Harry said softly feeling a flash of his old self coming back
"Hmm" Professor Mcgonagall said as she looked at him thoughtfully "I have been doing this job for as long as i can remember and have had multiple students like yourself come into this meeting raving about catching dark wizards and witches. Not once have i had a student talk about helping the victims instead"
"Yeah well-" Harry mumbled leaving his sentence unfinished
"I think you would do well as an auror" Professor Mcgongall said proudly "But my next student should be here shortly and i will have to conclude this meeting, if you have any second thoughts or doubts, my office is always open"
"Thank you, Professor" Harry said picking up his back and exiting the office
—-
"Sirius Black" Harry said into the mirror he had received from his godfather for Christmas. The mirror began to blur until the imagine began to clear as a man with long dark-locks appeared, a big smirk along his face
"Harry, how have you been?" Sirius asked
"Good, better now that Umbridge is gone" Harry smirked, the elation at her sacking still reeked his mind
"She had her trial this morning, found guilty on accounts of torture and casting an unforgivable on a minor. It should be in the papers in the morning"
"I wish i was there to see it" Harry sighed
"I wish i was there to finish her off" Sirius laughed but stopped quickly when Harry remained quiet "Are you sure, you're okay?" Harry remained silent for a couple of seconds
"It's getting worse out there isn't it" Harry said quietly
"Yeah it is," Sirius said, the smile falling off of his face. "People have started to go missing, civilians are now being found dead in their homes and the Minister… Continues not to see reason"
"I should be out there fighting" Harry said "Not stuck here, where im not helping anyone"
"There's nothing you can do" Sirius said "besides you staying there, where your safe will sure as hell reduce the amount of time i have until i go grey"
"Well it's not like i've ever been exactly safe here is it?" Sirius opened his mouth to continue but the sound of footsteps coming up towards the dormitories made Harry say a quick farewell to SIrius before he jammed the mirror back into his bag. The door opened as Ron stepped into the room giving Harry a curious glance
"Oh, it's just you" Harry said relieved
"That's not a very nice greeting, where did the romance go?" Ron chuckled as moved over to his bed and pull back the curtains and began to rummage
"Probably when you decided you were so in love with Tracey"
"What- OW!" Ron said standing back up and hitting his head on the top of his four poster bed as Harry began to cackle. "Not funny, Harry. Besides i just said she was pretty, it's not like i got onto one knee and proposed to her"
"Whatever you say, Ron" Harry laughed, taking a chocolate frog from his stash and taking a big bite out of it as he laid down on his bed.
"DId you find out?" Ron asked quietly
"What?" Harry asked
"I said did you find out if Tracey is seeing anyone" Ron mumbled his cheeks a bright red as he spoke
"I did" Harry said hoping to prolong his friends embarrassment
"And?"
"What's this information worth to you, my friend" Harry said sitting up
"What? Come on Harry, I saved your life. Surely that has to count for something" Harry's eyes narrowed
"Fine, but you can't use that again… In Daphne's words she is single and ready to mingle" Harry chuckled
"Oh, thats cool" Ron said
"Really? That's cool… that's all you have to say" Harry said astounded
"Well what do you want me to do, jump around the room and whoop in joy"
"I would enjoy that"
"Not on your life, Potter"