Unknown Castle
The Dark Lord was still in a coma. The healers said that they were finished mending his body and they were on to administering the necromantic potions to him but there was no way of knowing when he would wake up. They had assumed he would wake up in a week but when he did not wake up on the 7th day, they left it to the fates. This was the first case where a patient had been brought to them in such a condition and not already dead. There was no knowing what the result would be. They hoped that the Dark Lord would wake up soon and the potions would be helpful for it. That was the most that they could do.
Meanwhile, Severus was taking stock of the Death Eater numbers, looking for chinks in the armour. He knew that the ministry had captured portkeys from the death eater casualties. But, showing his shrewdness, the Dark Lord had put their destination in a forest from where they would be able to apparate to the castle. He had foreseen that perhaps some of them might be taken captive. If the portkey with them was confiscated, it would bring Aurors to his hiding place. In fact, the ministry had tried sending a team led by Alastor Moody which had landed in the forest. It was found that all the portkeys were made with that destination as the end point. Investigations had been made in the surrounding areas but it yielded nothing for them.
Meanwhile, Severus had stopped organizing or authorizing any followers from carrying on raids of any sort. True he could have got many more of them killed if he encouraged them to go out and act foolishly. But Voldemort would have been suspicious if he found that his followers kept acting idiotically and Severus did nothing to stop them thereby getting them killed. However there was almost always a raid or an ambush somewhere in London undertaken by some over-enthusiastic death eater on their own volition. In the last 5 days, 10 Death Eaters had been killed or taken prisoner apart from those involved in the battle in the Ministry Atrium or in the battle of Diagon Alley.
Dumbledore had asked him to see if Nagini could be killed or abducted from the castle. Severus had asked the reason from Dumbledore. He told him that while Nagini lived, Voldemort could not die. She was his tether to this plane. Severus had tried to find a way to do it but to his woe, she was always around Voldemort in the Master Bedroom and there were Healers around him all the time. Maybe later, he could get a chance at killing the great snake.
Ever since Severus had come to live in this castle, he had started to think about what his life had been reduced to. He was a brilliant student. He could have made a name for himself as a Potion Master but he could not resist Voldemort's view of the perfect world where wizards would not have to hide. He had been ensnared by those dreams, even killed for him. There was no guarantee that he would have changed if it had not been for Lily's death. If the prophecy had not been made, he might have gleefully cast the killing curse at James Potter and all his friends. Severus loathed his older self but knew in his bones that he will have to answer one day for Lily and James's death. He would accept whatever fate may bring for him.
"Mr. Snape", said the healer who had just entered his chamber, "Have you brewed the potions as we required you to?"
Severus nodded, "Indeed I did. What is the condition of the Dark Lord now?"
She said indifferently, "He should be back in the world of the living within a day or two but I must accept that I was shocked with the amount of damage that was caused to his body. I mean he is the greatest Dark Lord and a mere child did that to him".
Severus frowned in anger for her benefit, "He is no ordinary child. He is a menace to us. I must agree with you a bit though. I had not expected him to be so powerful".
When the healer left, his musings changed to the teen. When Harold Peverell came to Hogwarts 4 years ago, Severus had some perverted pleasure for a moment or two seeing him looking so malnourished. But as time passed, he realized that the boy was a wonderful child who had been dealt a cruel hand by fate. Sadly, that did not stop Severus from being vindictive towards the boy. He still looked very much like his father, James, who had been his nemesis during his time at Hogwarts. By ill-treating him every way possible, he was getting back at a man who had been dead more than 14 years now. He still looked out for the welfare of the boy. Even though he had realized his mistake some time ago, he still had a part to play. That involved continuing to mistreat young Lord Peverell in every situation where word might get back to Voldemort.
There had been a lot of change this year. The brat showed what he could do with proper guidance and people to look after his interests. From the first class this year, he had been unstoppable. He did things which Severus could not even begin to imagine. With his performance in academics at Hogwarts, he had thought that Draco would face a worse fate than he did in the duel. Compared to what Harry could have done, Draco really only got a reminder of who the new Lord Black is. What his capabilities were could be known only by asking either Dumbledore or Voldemort. Dumbledore liked his secrets. That left only Voldemort i.e. is when he woke up from his coma.
He had been to the cottage outside of Hogsmeade, a few times during the summer, for the training program that was being held for the students but he had not seen Harry there. Dumbledore had told him that Harry was being hidden somewhere that Voldemort could not find him. He had not probed further. Now, he was beginning to realize that Dumbledore was forging the weapon to kill Voldemort, a weapon which was effective and deadly. Merlin forbid, if it turned towards Severus then there would be no one who could save him. He could not wait for Voldemort to wake.
Ministry of Magic
The War Tribunal under the new regime was going to have its first meeting today. There were a lot of prisoners who were to be brought to trial this day. Frank had decided to first deal with those who had been granted amnesty under the previous regime. Then they would move to those who were caught in the Atrium of the ministry. There were a lot of names which sounded familiar to him but the most prominent were Lucius Malfoy, Thaddeus Nott, Rawle and Gibbons.
The tribunal sat to judge the prisoners. Dumbledore had arrived to witness the proceedings, along with a few other wizards, as he had done during the previous war. There were a few more people in the witness stands who had come to see what the ministry did to them.
For security reasons, the ministry had made a few changes. There were no floos connected to any of the chambers of the Houses in the Wizengamot or to the offices of the ministry officials. Every floo was redirected to the Atrium. There, without exception, every visitor, employee and official was frisked with the probity probe. It was custom made to check for the dark mark or any concealed item such as an extra wand.
No one was allowed to carry their wand inside the chamber except the Chief Warlock, Minister of Magic, the Head of DMLE or the head Auror. The Aurors who were on security could stay just outside the doors. Since no apparition was possible within the entire ministry, there were not that many threats.
There were Aurors placed at the lift entrances and in the corridor which gave access to the lowest level where the court rooms were. Access to the Department of Mysteries was completely restricted except for the Minister of Magic, the Unspeakables and a few visitors who had to be approved in advance.
Narcissa and Draco Malfoy were present in the chamber this day in anticipation of the hearing for Lucius Malfoy. There were family members there for other prisoners who would likely get their hearings today, filling up the seats of the spectator's gallery. It was not easy to find barristers to represent accused death eaters with the current political climate. But with enough gold, a reputable lawyer, Jenna McCormick had agreed to take their cases under certain conditions.
At the designated time, the judges arrived at their places. Frank rapped his gavel, "Let the first session of the War Tribunal commence.
A moment later, he started addressing the gathered people, "The first matter listed today is that of Lucius Malfoy. Aurors, bring the accused in".
Kingsley Shacklebolt went out. He returned a moment later with two trainee Aurors bringing Lucius Malfoy between them shackled in chains. They sat him on the chair where chains shackled his wrists, ankles and chest, holding him securely in place. The Aurors went out again.
Frank turned to him, "Lucius Abraxaus Malfoy, you have been brought before this war tribunal to be tried on the charges of being a death-eater, of harbouring known offenders, aiding, abetting, of attacking the Ministry of Magic with intention to overthrow the rightfully elected government. How do you plead?"
Lucius still had some stubbornness left in him. He sneered rigidly, "Not Guilty".
Frank took a moment before he started saying again, "Since you have pled not guilty, you will be questioned under the influence of Veritaserum in the presence of your attorney". He turned to Gawain who was sitting on one side, "Chief Investigator Robards, you may proceed".
Robards forced Malfoy's mouth open. He shoved three drops down Lucius's throat. He waited for a few moments to ensure that he was properly under the influence. He asked Malfoy, "Is Draco Lucius Malfoy your nephew?"
Lucius shook his head, "No, he is my son".
McCormick stood at her place, "I object to his line of questioning. This question has no bearing on this case".
Frank turned to Robards, "Investigator Robards, in order to test if the accused is under the influence of Veritaserum, please ask relevant questions".
Gawain nodded, "I apologize. Do I have permission to proceed?"
Frank waved his hand telling him to proceed. He turned to Lucius again, "Mr. Malfoy, are you a death- eater?"
Malfoy replied in a monotone, "Yes".
"Mr. Malfoy, did you take the mark willingly at Voldemort's orders?"
Malfoy fought to avoid answering the question, but the potion had done its work, "The Dark Lord did not order me. I begged him to give me the dark mark".
Robards wrinkled his nose in disgust. He said, "What offenses did you commit under his orders?"
Lucius started telling, "I used to torture his captives for information. I was sent on scouting missions. I was sent to bribe coerce and intimidate others to further his plans. Thus far, I have not had to kill anyone".
Robards continued, "Did you ever cast any of the Unforgivable curses in his service?"
Lucius replied, "I used to torture his captives with the Cruciatus curse".
Robards asked him again, "What happened on the night when Cedric Diggory died?"
Lucius started retelling, "I was summoned by the Dark Mark just after the Dark Lord had already regained a body. He tortured Potter with the Cruciatus curse. Then they duelled. Something unexplained happened. Potter escaped and took Pettigrew with him".
Robards continued, "What happened on the night of Yule when you attacked the Ministry with Voldemort and his death eaters?"
Lucius replied, "I was summoned by the Dark Lord to gather his faithful. The plan was to prepare for a campaign at the Ministry of Magic to obtain a prophecy orb from Potter. The ministry was waiting for us. I was disabled by Sirius Black who amputated my wand hand with a cutter which also destroyed my wand. Not long after that, a bone crusher disabled my other hand while I was trying to stop the bleeding with my back-up wand".
Robards continued, "Where is Voldemort hiding now?"
"I do not know. I suppose that he is hiding in a location which is secured under a Fidelius Secret. He is the secret keeper. There are many death eaters with him in hiding".
"Is there any way we can get in the castle?"
"No, the Dark Lord has placed nasty wards at every entrance and exit of the manor which only allow one with the Dark Mark to enter. Anyone else would die a horrible death if they tried to enter the place without his leave".
Robards then turned to Frank, "I am done questioning him. I rest my case here".
Frank turned to McCormick, "Do you want to ask any questions or tender any evidence of his non-complicity in the entire affair, Miss McCormick?"
She stood at her place and said, "Yes, I do have a question or two for the accused.
Frank said, "Very well then. Ask your questions".
She proceeded to stand in front of Lucius, "Lucius, have you ever regretted entering into the service of Voldemort?"
His eyes went wide at this question. Of all the defenses she could have come up with… Did she not know what would happen to him if word of this ever got back to The Dark Lord? But he had to answer, "Yes".
She asked her next question, "Please then, tell the court about when you have regretted serving Voldemort and why".
Lucius shivered then began to weep, "He plundered our family vaults. He threatened me and my family with torture, death and worse. He tortured me to amuse himself. He spouts pure-blood propaganda while making up one excuse after another for murdering pure blood families. By the time I realized what he really is, it was too late. And now, when any of this gets back to him", he scanned around the spectators, "and it will, he will kill me... and likely my son and wife too".
She shook her head, "Thank-you Lucius. That will be all". Then she turned to the tribunal, "For mercy's sake, I ask the court for leniency. Once engaged in the service of Voldemort, these people have no choice but to continue to serve him, even if it costs them everything and everyone. I rest my case".
With the accused being interrogated under the influence of Veritaserum, there was nothing else that she could do. Lucius himself had admitted his wrongdoing. He would be punished according to that. For the number of crimes that he was accused of, life imprisonment in one of the maximum security cells in Azkaban was the punishment which could be inflicted on him. She decided to intervene if he was sentenced to something worse than that. That was the deal that she had made when she was hired by the Malfoys. She would save him from being sentenced to execution through the veil or the Dementor's kiss. That was the most she could promise to them with Veritaserum being used so abundantly on the accused.
The tribunal debated upon the degree of punishment for a few minutes. Moody was of the opinion that they should just chuck Malfoy through the veil and be done with him. Amelia wanted him to be sentenced to the Dementor's kiss. Frank said that they would not stoop to the level of the death eaters. They would award punishment according to the law.
After they were done deliberating, Frank pronounced the judgment, "Lucius Malfoy, on the basis of the evidence, that being your statement under the influence of Veritaserum you are found guilty of being a death-eater, of attacking the ministry of Magic and casting the unforgivable curse. The maximum punishment is incarceration for life in Azkaban in one of the maximum security cells. There is no other punishment which befits you than this, your disillusionment with Voldemort notwithstanding. By this judgment, you are sentenced to incarceration for life in Azkaban and a penalty of 2 Million Galleons is levied on you which shall be payable within a period of 1 week starting from today. Should you fail to pay this fine, your estates and vaults will be confiscated. Aurors take him away".
Thaddeus Nott was also sentenced to the same punishment with the same amount of penalty. The same was with Rawle and Gibbons. In one stroke, the ministry had successfully gained 8 Million Galleons for the war while stripping the death eaters of the same resources. What was even better was that if they failed to pay, the ministry could seize their estates which would be bought by others, preferably lords of the light faction.
As soon as the trial was over, Narcissa rushed home to pack her belongings. She was planning to go to Switzerland this same day. She would meet with the Gnomes. They would pay the penalty that was needed to be paid so the manor would not be sold. She had already decided that they were done with Wizarding Britain until the war was over. They would hide in a small country in Asia Minor where no one could find them. When the war was over, she would return. Draco however would have to return in a week for Hogwarts. At least he would be safe there while she sorted out living arrangements and protection for them in Europe. May be next year, she could ask Durmstrang if they would take a transfer student. Their arrangements to go into hiding had been prepared months ago. Lucius had made the arrangements in advance so that if they needed to make a getaway, they could do so at a moment's notice. The Gnomes had seen to the arrangements. She was content that he had fulfilled his obligations towards his family.
There was also something that she needed to ask of Lord Black. she decided to come back under the cover of night. Ask the boon she desperately needed. May be, if she succeeded then her son would be spared.
What she did not know was that when the death eaters came calling at Malfoy Manor to deal the Dark Lord's form of justice to Lucius's wife and child, they would find the Aurors waiting for them. Amelia and Mad-Eye would never pass up such an opportunity.
The next day, the Daily Prophet carried the news with glee.
"LUCIUS MALFOY CONVICTED
-by Alexis Stellar
In the first session of the newly formed War Tribunal, the infamous Lord of the House of Malfoy Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was convicted of being a death eater, casting the unforgivable curses and attacking the Ministry of Magic. He was sentenced to life incarceration in Azkaban. He was also fined for two-million galleons. Failure to pay the fine within a week will result in seizure of the Malfoy estates and vaults. (See page 6 for the trial transcripts)
Under the influence of Veritaserum, he gave a detailed account of his crimes while acting under the orders of the wizard otherwise known as Lord Voldemort. (Continued on Page 8)"
This however was not the crème-la-crème for the day. There was news in a box on the front page which excited people while making them anxious at the same time.
"Coming soon: An account of the life of Voldemort- the self proclaimed Dark Lord, as narrated by the Boy-who-lived, verified by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Penned by Martha Hughes, Professor of History of Magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, assisted by Luna Lovegood, Special Correspondent for the Quibbler."
People were excited to know what the duo of the boy-who-lived and the victor-of-Bavaria had to say about him. Of course there was no one else who could know as much about him as Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. to top it off, the Daily Prophet had ceased publishing any story without a memory or a source to back it up so it would be authentic.
The Quibbler had just published its weekly edition this morning. it was grabbing the attention of people with the same news that the Daily Prophet was going to publish soon.
"VOLDEMORT's ORIGIN REVEALED
By Luna Lovegood & Martha Hughes
A few days ago, I was invited to a lunch by Harold Peverell-Potter-Black-Rosier-Weber, aka Harry Potter, aka The-boy-who-lived, aka The-boy-who-stole-witches-hearts, along with Professor Martha Hughes, the newest member of the faculty at Hogwarts. She teaches History of Magic succeeding Professor Binns who finally passed on to his next great adventure.
In the said meeting, my Byangoma told me that I would be told earth-shattering news. what was revealed is indeed a slap in the face for the purebloods who pledged their loyalty to him without knowing his origins.
As Lord Peverell told us, his real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, a half blood descended of the House of Gaunt. He is the son of a Muggle and a squib. Yes, you read it right. The said Dark Lord is son of a Muggle and a squib. Our esteemed pure-bloods kiss the hem of his robes.
What is more is that his mother gave birth to him after she had bewitched a muggle using a love potion. The muggle left her after she stopped using the potions. he grew up in a muggle orphanage surrounded by muggles. For all intents and purposes, he was no better than a muggle raised. Yet our esteemed purebloods bowed to him.
If the above does not sound hypocritical to you yet then you would be disgusted to know that he killed his muggle father and grand-parents when he was a student, then framed his uncle, Morphin Gaunt for the murders.
In a clash with Lord Peverell a few years ago, he confessed that he did not believe in blood purity but power. All he wanted was to grab power. He showed those rosy dreams to his followers who followed him like mindless sheep funding his campaign, pledging their loyalty to him. They served his interests with mindless devotion.
For more on the interview, please see P. 20).
That edition of The Quibbler sold out. it was going to reprint. Barnabas Cuffe was hoping that the story that they were going to print would garner more attention, bring in more Galleons for the Prophet. Their story would contain quotes from Dumbledore. may be some evidences which would make it more desirable than the story which was published in the Quibbler. It was a pity that Martha Hughes was insisting that Luna Lovegood's name to be included as one of the writers.
Azkaban
Lucius Malfoy was given a cell in the upper-most floor of the dreaded prison. The cell was dreary, far too small for a man who was used to the comfort of manors.
The room was hardly 10 by 10. There was no bed for him to sleep on either. There was a straw mattress on the floor with a thin, worn-out blanket. There was only a hole in the floor to do his business. The most dreaded thing about the top floor was that the dementors visited there every day for an hour in the dead of night.
As the Aurors brought him in, one sneered at him, "Now you are in your proper place, death eater, Right with your brethren. I hope that you perish here".
The other was laughing for some reason and it irked Lucius. He snapped, "What are you laughing at, mudblood?"
The Auror gave Malfoy a hard poke in the ribs with his truncheon, and said, "Mind your manners, convict". Then slammed the cell door shut, leaving the erstwhile Lord Malfoy to meditate over his sore ribs.
As they were leaving, the first guard asked the second one, "What were you laughing at anyway?"
The other replied, "Peter Pettigrew was in the same cell when he was kissed by Dementors".
Of course Pettigrew had been portkeyed out of there by Sirius and Remus to meet his fate with the werewolves on the night of a full-moon. But Lucius did not have to know the truth. What they said would keep him fretting all night.
As Lucius was trying to fight the chill which was in the air due to the constant presence of dementors nearby, while lying on the straw bed in his cell, someone from the adjacent cell asked him in a whisper, "Is it true that the dark lord is back?"
Lucius replied, "Yes, the Dark Lord is back. I had the fortune to see him return".
In response to his answer, a cackle was heard. A cackle so nefarious and full of malicious glee that it shook Lucius's bones. He shuddered. He recognized the master of that voice. It was Bellatrix Nameless who seemed to have gone mad. "Master will soon come to release me! Time for blood traitors and mudbloods to die".
That night, Bellatrix kept cackling, shrieking that her lord would come to free her soon. That she would have her revenge on them.
Chief Auror's Office
Moody called Rufus Scrimgeour into his office. When Rufus entered, Moody was grumbling about something incomprehensible. Rufus did the formal salute to him as his superior, "You called, Head Auror?"
Moody pointed him to a chair, "Take a seat, Rufus".
As Rufus sat, he could see Moody was lost in contemplation, "What has got you worried, Alastor?"
Moody showed the Quibbler to him, "Did you read the story printed today?"
Rufus nodded, "Indeed I did and I found it hard to believe. If it had not come from the duo of Peverell and Dumbledore, I would not have believed it. What an irony".
Moody smirked but then schooled his features, "Xenophilius does not know that he has invited trouble in his home".
Rufus asked him, "How so?"
Moody looked at him as if he was talking nonsense, "You are a senior Auror. Use your brains. Voldemort does not want his true identity known. He will definitely go after Xenophilius and his family for publishing the article".
It dawned on him what Moody was saying, "So what should we do, Alastor? You know Lovegood does not view us with favor".
"Keep two Aurors posted in Ottery St. Catchpole all the time. They can keep a watch on the Rookery and the Weasley Home. If they notice anything out of the ordinary, we can apparate in with a strike team to round up any would-be trouble makers. Do not waste a moment to go to their aid. Is that clear?"
Rufus nodded. He said authoritatively, "Yes Sir".
With that Moody dismissed him. His next plan was to visit Barnabas Cuffe to see to the security of the Daily Prophet. If Moody thought their security needed some help, he would assign a couple of Aurors there.
Ireland
Unaware of the happenings in Wizarding Britain, Harry Potter and his friends were planning a hike in the woods. For a change they were going muggle or as much as they could manage to do without magic like lighting a fire with a matchstick, living in a perfectly muggle tent, sleeping in a sleeping bag without warming charms, cooking by hands etc.
For food, the elves had produced enough for them to eat for a week even if they ate at their normal rate. Most of it was already cooked except for a few things. They left Remus and Nymphadora at the manor, telling them to take a day for themselves. Harry would call Remus on the mirror if something was amiss.
They had two chaperones between the six of them. if it came to escaping, Harry could apparate. So could Neville, Bill and Fleur. If a situation came up, each of them could take a person side along and two of them could take an extra and apparate away.
As they were making their final preparations, Hermione looked through the gear then asked, "The snow is pretty deep out there. Do we have any snow-shoes or cross-country skis?"
The rest of the group looked at her like she had just grown another head. Then Terry said, "I think I know what you're talking about, Hermione, but I don't think that any of us have ever used them".
Hermione explained, "They are two different ways of travelling through deep snow without sinking into it. Muggles use them. Cross-country skiing is a popular winter sport. The skier is propelled by means of poles and either fish-scale texture on the bottom of the skis or by wax that sticks to the snow under load or slides over the snow with lesser load. Snow shoes are light-weight frames with webbed material to spread out your weight and prevent you from sinking into the snow. Of course, there are also snow-mobiles, but they are smelly, noisy and we don't have any".
Harry piped up, "The muggles I lived with never did anything like that, Hermione".
She answered Harry, "Well, of course they didn't. They lived in the south of England and the snow almost never gets deep enough for the really good winter activities".
Neville spoke next, "It sounds like we could cover ground more quickly with the cross-country skis. What do you think?"
Hermione said, "Either one is a lot easier on you than plowing through deep snow. Yes, you can travel faster on the skis, but I must warn you that it takes a lot more getting used to than snow-shoes".
Hermione must have forgotten who she was talking to. None of these people ever backed down from a challenge. It didn't take five seconds for everyone to agree that cross-country skiing was the way to go.
It took a while for her to transfigure the skis, bindings, boots and poles out of some bits of firewood. It took considerably longer for her to explain the structure of the skis, how they had to be sprung for the weight of the skier and gear that they had to go flat under the full load of the skier's weight and be curved under half-load or no load. Then she told them about the age-old pros and cons of fish-scale vs. Wax, that fish scale gripped when pushed backward and slid forward while wax gripped when it was pressed down but slid under half load.
Finally, it was settled. They decided to go with the cross-country skis with fish-scales. They set about the work of transfiguring their skis, poles, boots and bindings. The skis were the trickiest part. At first, they just copied what Hermione had done. That worked out pretty well for Fleur, Hannah and Mandy except that Hannah got the fish scales going in the wrong direction. Susan, being more petite, needed a lighter spring to her skis. The boys all needed heavier springs to their skis and Harry heaviest of all. Hermione made the rounds, inspecting everything and helping them make corrections until they all got it right. When they were done, Harry placed permanency runes on everything.
With the gear sorted, Hermione took them all outside and started teaching them the basics. They were all enthusiastic students. It didn't take her much more than an hour before they were able to make good progress on their skis without falling over. She took only a few more minutes to teach them how to go down hills while controlling their speed with the snow-plow manoeuvre. After a break for lunch, they all piled on their camping gear and headed out into the hills.
Harry led the way, making clear tracks in the snow as he went. The rest of the teens followed him in a line, staying in his tracks. Bill took up the position as the rear guard. Going this way, they made rapid progress. They found a spot someway up a hill from where they could see nothing on the floor of the valley. While Harry was reminded of the deep valleys of the Himalayas, these had nothing on them. They were endless depths but here, the manor was situated on the valley floor.
When they found a spot big enough to pitch their tents, They all removed their skis and stuck them, tails down and tips crossed, beside the poles, in the snow. Harry and Neville started to erect their tents while the others started on their own. After putting in the fifth pole, they were frustrated with the slowness of the work. Neville asked him in an undertone, "Would you complain to Moony if I hastened the pace of our work?"
Harry smirked, "Did you just read my mind? I was going to ask the same of you".
They turned to find that the others were all digging holes to erect the poles. Harry whipped out his wand and cast, "Erectus". The tent started pitching itself. Within a few seconds, they were done.
They turned to find the others looking amused. Except for Hermione, who was frowning.
Harry asked her innocently, "What's wrong, Hermione?"
She scowled, "We were not supposed to use magic for any of the chores".
Harry shrugged his shoulders, "Fine, you and the others can do it the way you want. I am here to have a look around and enjoy this place, not to labour in erecting a tent".
Hermione asked him, "How can you get away with using magic anyway? I mean won't the ministry find out about it? We will be issued warnings for this".
Harry smirked then started saying, "Hermione, do you mean to tell me that you have not read about how the trace works? What the Ministry knows is what spell has been cast in an area where there is an under-aged witch or wizard. If there are adult witches or wizards in the same area, they cannot tell who cast it without an on the scene investigation. That is why I got a warning when Dobby cast the hover charm at the muggle's home. What's more, they don't worry themselves about it because they assume that any adult witches or wizards in the same area are supervising them. Bill and Fleur are here. We won't get any warnings for using magic while they are about. Besides, since my participation in the Triwizard tournament, I have been considered to be an adult by the ministry. I do not have the trace on me anymore".
Ronald did a face-palm and said, "That's how Fred and George have been developing their products all these years".
Hermione turned to him, "What do you mean?"
Bill answered her, "Most of their products are based on magic. If they did not work on them at Hogwarts, it is clear that they did so at the Burrow. That means they must have found a way around it years ago".
Realization was dawning on Hermione. Harry could sense a rant coming. To avoid it, he hastily said, "Anyway Hermione, me and Neville have erected our tents. We are going inside. You, Ronald and the others can try erecting it the muggle way, if that's what you want to do".
Bill and Terry had already erected their tents with magic. With all the other tents already up and a look from Ron that asked, "Are you really going to be the only one that does this the hard way?", Hermione gave in and set her tent up by magic too.
Is Harry a cook?
They had brought some cooking gear with them, but no camp stove. Hermione had done some camping with her parents, but her mother had always done the packing. She had no idea of what to do other than an open fire. It was Bill, with his experience from camping at dig sites that came up with a solution. In a few minutes, he had dug a hole through the snow and plant cover. Next, he lined the hole with stone, small rocks which he summoned from the surrounding ground. He built the back and sides of the oven out of more small rocks and held them in place with clay, leaving one side open to allow fuel and air flow. He built a stone chimney up the back to vent the smoke just above head level. Finally, he added a cooking surface that was arched underneath and flat above. The surface was made smooth and level by adding clay to the surface. This work would have taken a skilled craftsman days to complete and the choice of materials would have almost certainly have lead to a catastrophic failure, but Bill managed to fuse the whole thing into one functional piece of ceramic.
By the time the stove was done, Harry and Ron had gathered enough firewood to keep the stove hot for several hours. Neville and Hannah gathered edible fruits and root vegetables. Neville's extensive knowledge of herbology helped him to know where to look and how to gather them. Hermione and Bill worked together to set the fire and get it lit.
Fleur, Susan and Terry worked at dicing vegetables and making other preparations for cooking.
When they returned, Harry expressed his wish to cook. When everyone expressed astonishment, he shrugged saying that Mrs. Figg had taught him to cook when he was little. That he had cooked for the muggles for years.
That was the first time since he had left Privet Drive that Harry cooked food. Once he had asked Sirius if he needed to cook in Grimmauld Place. Sirius had threatened him at wand point to not even think about it. He had told Harry that it was alright to know how to cook, but he did not need to cook for anyone unless he really wanted to.
After a sumptuous dinner, they all decided to strap on their skis and go off in pairs. For some reason, Terry was showing a lot of interest in Hermione. It irked Ron. Terry was paying attention to everything that Hermione did or said. It was clear to everyone that he was hitting on her. Surprisingly, Mandy was not bothered by it.
Susan, who had noticed what was going on, asked him, "Harry, Terry has been flirting with Hermione all day long but you haven't said anything to him. Do you not care about Hermione?"
Harry laughed, "She does not need my help, Sue. If it came to it, she can deal with him herself".
They took their course through the woods. Harry spotted a Thestral and he started petting the boney, winged, horse-like creature.
Susan quizzically asked him, "What are you doing, Harry?"
Harry replied fondly, "I am petting a Thestral, Sue".
Her eyes were spread in surprise. She asked in a small voice, "Can you see them? How?"
Harry had a moment of pain in his eyes but it was gone before she could notice. "They are called the Horse of Death because only one who has seen someone die can see a Thestral. I can see them since the third task".
Susan was opening her mouth to say something but closed as she understood what he was saying. She asked, "But where can you find them, apart from the wild, I mean?"
Harry eyed her skeptically, "Have you never wondered how the carriages of Hogwarts move?"
She answered, "They are enchanted to move by themselves, Harry".
"No Sue, they do not move by themselves. Thestrals pull them. Since most of the students have never seen anyone die, they cannot see them".
She said, "Can I feel them?"
Harry took her hand and moved it across the Thestral's body making her feel every inch of it before he brought her hand near its nostrils. Susan shuddered lightly when it breathed out.
Leaving the thestral behind, they moved further into the forest. Finding a place to sit, Harry conjured two chairs. He removed his skis and set them up in the snow the way Hermione showed them earlier.
She eyed him, "Whatever happened to going Muggle?"
Harry raised an eye-brow, "Are you going to sit on the hard ground in this weather? Because I do not see that we have brought any mats".
Susan removed her skis and set them up the same way as Harry. Then she vanished one of the chairs and pushing him into the remaining chair, she sat in his lap then cooed in his ear, "This is the perfect seat for me, Mr. Peverell.".
Harry quivered with excitement. She continued, "It is so peaceful to stay like this, having no trouble. Why do people turn to evil, Harry?"
He took a breath before answering her, "When it gets right down to it, Sue, I think it's all about fear. People who give in to evil have let fear overcome love, hope and trust. Their hearts are empty because if they loved someone, they could lose them and suffer pain. By contrast, those who choose the path of light, we know that whatever loss we may suffer, it is worth it to have loved.
The way I beat Tom in our last confrontation was that I showed him what it is to love. His soul is so dark that the touch of light disabled him, stopped him and defeated him.
He has no friends. He loves no one. He has only minions which he controls and intimidates with his power. The more power he has, the more people he can control. He thinks that if he has enough power, nobody can hurt him. The quest for power at any cost has made him insane. And it won't do him any good because no matter how powerful he becomes, there will always be someone who can exploit his weaknesses and blind spots and defeat him".
She asked him, "Harry where will we be living once Voldemort is dead and we are done with Hogwarts?"
He eyed her, "What? You don't like Bones Manor?"
She chided him, "Sure I do, but I like Potter Manor even better".
He was opening his mouth to say something before she started to kiss him.
Neville and Hannah decided to stay in their tent. They talked about their life forward. While Harry had his life sorted, Neville was not even close.
Hannah had made him lie down with his head in her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair. Neville was intently looking at her saying nothing. Since the silence was getting heavy, she asked him, "Neville I assume that being Dumbledore's apprentice, you would not take an ordinary job. Being announced as his apprentice is like saying that you are his successor. So what have you planned for the future? Will you be entering into the political arena?"
Neville took his time to form a reply, "Han, I have not really thought about it. I mean I just started having the best time of my life this year. My parents being revived, you being a part of my life are the things that I am enjoying at the moment. In the near future, we have a war to fight. We will have to stay alive at the end of this war to think about the future. If we make it through the war, I would like to teach students".
She snorted, "You? Teach? Don't take this the wrong way, but you are a fighter, not a teacher".
Neville said sceptically, "Have you forgotten that Dumbledore is called the Victor of Bavaria? He is a teacher. Of all the wizards in the world Dumbledore was the one to defeat him. When Dumbledore stepped in, the war was over quickly. Fighters like Lord Black, Lord Potter and Lord Longbottom had been fighting him, leading the British contingent, they had at times been able to injure, cause considerable damage to his forces but he was bested by a teacher".
Hannah pacified him, "Alright, calm down. I was just yanking your wand but if you feel like being a teacher then I agree with your decision".
He asked her, "What have you thought about for yourself?"
She answered instantly, "I decided about that years ago, Neville. Susan and I decided that fighting was not for us. We wanted to be healers. More recently, Susan started enjoying fighting but I cannot fight like you all do. I think I will try to become a healer. When you are teaching at Hogwarts, I will convince Poppy Pomfrey to retire and take her place at Hogwarts".
Neville snorted, "She will outlive all of us, Han. I don't think that Madam Pomfrey will ever retire. But I do like your choice of a career".
Hannah pointed out, "You haven't told me what you intend to teach".
Neville turned to her, "Do I know anything better than Herbology? I am not that good in defense, I am really pants at Transfiguration, I bungle up my potions, and charms is too complicated for my own taste. Besides there are many people better than me at charms".
Hannah smacked him lightly, "Don't put yourself down. You are second only to Harry in defense. I have heard that Professor McGonagall has not had a single chance to berate you for any of your transfigurations this year. You have not bungled a single potion since Harry put Snape in his place. Charms is not hard. You could teach any subject you choose. I can sense that this war will leave places vacant for new recruits when all is said and done".
Terry had decided to tail Hermione for the time being. She was not one to sit in a tent and laze around. Hermione strapped on her skis and dragged Ron along with her. Taking a look at the direction Harry and Sue had gone, she struck out in a different direction, blazing another trail through the woods. Terry had decided to tag along with them saying that he wanted some exercise too. Mandy had opted to go with Fleur and Bill to ask them something.
When they had skied along for a while, they came into a clearing. The forest looked beautiful with the view around them. The weather had cleared for a bit so they could see down to the floor of the valley which looked like a picture on a postcard. In awe of the beauty of the place, Hermione muttered, "This looks like it has come out of a poem".
Terry nodded, "Do you mean the one where the poet walks into the forest, comes upon a trail which leads into the denser parts of the forest then sees a picturesque scene".
Hermione turned to him, "Do they have such poems in wizarding literature?"
Terry waved her off, "Not really. Wizards do not get involved in such things under their own name but many a wizard wrote poems or stories under pseudonyms. They were published in the muggle world. I have come across such poems besides a few written by muggles".
That sparked a conversation between them of literature which made Ron feel left out. He had never indulged in literature as the other two were doing. When he had heard enough, he snapped, "I did not know that Ravenclaw read anything other than course books".
Terry smirked, "Perceptions, Ron. They are dangerous things. Yes we Ravenclaws value knowledge but we prioritize things. We stop to enjoy little joys, unlike Gryffindors who believe in the head-on approach to any conflict".
Hermione who seemed to have been irked at the interruption turned to Ron, "Out of school, we all are just children".
When they returned to the manor, Ron was miffed with Hermione. She seemed to not care about it. Terry was jovially talking to her making animated conversation. Harry noticed that a rift had formed between Ron and Hermione. That was apparently noticed by others too.
Bill asked Hermione, "Did something happen between you two to set Ron grumbling, Hermione?"
She seemed to realize for the first time that everyone was gathered around, leaning to listen to her answer. She said bluntly, "Ron has no taste for literature. His mood was soured when Terry started talking literature with me. I did not know that Wizards liked things like this".
Moony had sensed the tension. He tried to diffuse it, "Enough about that. How was everyone's day?"
Harry replied dreamily, "I had the best day ever, Moony. I think I won't mind another day like this". He turned and winked to Susan who was blushing red as a tomato.
Ron was scowling, "We went skiing through the woods up in the hills. She spent the whole time talking to Terry about poems and stories. I think that she forgot that I was even there".
Harry asked him, "Why does it matter if she talks to Terry though? I mean she is free to talk to anyone, isn't she? It's not as if she is your girl friend or anything". Harry had deliberately said it to provoke Ron into admitting their relationship.
Before Hermione could say anything or stop him, Ron had snapped at Harry, "You know it Harry. Why are you asking?"
Harry asked innocently, "Ron, I don't remember you telling me anything. In fact, Susan who is with me all the time these days does not remember anything like that. Do you, Sue?"
Susan shook her head while trying to school her features into an impassive expression, "I do not remember anything like that, Harry. In fact, as far as I recall, Hermione came alone to the ball. Ron had come stag too".
It was all too much for Ron. He burst out, "We have been dating since last summer, Harry. How many times have you seen us together? Why are you asking?"
Hermione did a facepalm. She waited a few moments to see if Harry was going to say anything before she started to speak, "He was just egging you on, Ron. He wanted us to accept our feelings for each other. We did that". She turned to Terry, "Isn't that why you have been hitting on me the last few days? You were a willing accomplice in his devious plan, weren't you?"
Terry was grinning widely, "Of course I was though I had a hard time convincing Mandy to go along with it".
Mandy zapped him with a stinger as he said this. She scowled at him, "And you have never been quite so attentive towards your girlfriend as you were to her. You will pay for this once we are back".
Terry looked hopefully at Harry who shook his head, "Sorry mate, I don't get into sparring matches with angry witches".
This elicited a chuckle from all of them.
Unknown Castle
The healer who was diagnosing Voldemort was knocked backwards with a blast of magic as Voldemort suddenly regained consciousness and sat up. He started bellowing, "Potter! I will kill you! I will tear you limb from limb!"
One of the healers was tending to the one who got blasted. Another Healer scurried off to find Snape.
Voldemort had the last healer by the neck and was shaking him, as he growled, "How dare you touch me? Do you not know the wrath of Voldemort?"
Severus bowed low to him, "My Lord! He was only trying to heal you".
Voldemort released his grip and let the healer crumple to the ground. He turned to Severus, "Robe me, Severus".
Severus conjured a robe which he held up while Voldemort shrugged into it. The healers had done their job well. His body was as fit and functional as ever. There weren't even any scars.
Properly attired, Voldemort then asked, "How long have I been unconscious?"
Severus answered firmly while looking him in the eye, "Lord, it has been fully nine days. After the battle at the Ministry, you appeared outside the castle by means of the portkey which you carry. You were badly injured. The healers had to regrow many of your bones because they were crushed badly. They could not be worked on without vanishing them".
Voldemort winced at the memory, "I remember now. I was fighting Potter in the atrium. He turned out to be more powerful than I expected. We walked into an ambush that the ministry forces had laid for us. Did anyone else survive? How many returned?"
Severus lowered his eyes, "None, my lord. Of the 60 who went with you, only 10 survived. They were all captured. Nine of them are in Azkaban for life. The Ministry has made it an offense to have the Dark Mark. It is punishable with life in Azkaban now".
Voldemort remembered something, "I took the orb of prophecy from the brat, Severus. Where is it?"
"I placed it with Parkinson for safe keeping, my lord", said Severus.
"Go. Send Parkinson with the prophecy to me, Severus. Make sure that no one disturbs me unless I call", he ordered.
As Severus went out, Voldemort could not help but think about the duel which he had fought. No, it was not a duel but a one-sided fight because he had not anticipated that the brat would be so powerful. He had not even duelled with him but played with him as one plays with a child. He had answered every curse or hex with one of his own. Voldemort had failed to even hit him once in a straight, fair duel. Then there were the spells that he had performed. Nobody had ever defeated him in a battle of wills like that. He had even quenched his fiendfyre. That was not an easy thing to do.
The firewhip which he had used was too powerful. Voldemort had to squander much of his energy to produce obstacles to avoid being ensnared or he was sure that Harry Potter would have beheaded him with the firewhip. Then the way he had trapped him in a ball of fire, it had even scared Voldemort. If the brat had used more power in his spell, there was no way Voldemort could have escaped it by over-powering it but that had been his undoing. To overpower the spell had consumed a lot of his reserves. Then the mage shield which he had used to block the lightning bolt had nearly finished him off. The intensity of the bolt was such that it had jolted him to his core with the impact. The high powered spells which followed had nearly broken down the mage shield. The boy had magically exhausted him while he looked like he could go on forever.
The boy had played with him. There was no bigger shame for Voldemort in the world than to have been played by a mere boy. For the next time, he would have to be at his best to stand a chance against the boy. The only spell which he got past the boy was the bone breaker which he had cast after he pulled the playing possum trick. Even that had not been able to stop him. Perhaps it was not even the extent of his powers but only a part of it. Every spell which he had faced from the brat was meant to kill. it was only after putting all his power in it that he had been able to stay alive.
The cage of water which he had formed to imprison him was such complicated magic that even he could not stop himself from being in awe of the complexity of it. If that was not bad enough, he had not anticipated that the boy would know anything about mind magics. And yet, he had trapped Voldemort in his mindscape so easily. Then injured his consciousness to the point of nearly extinguishing it all together. Voldemort despised love. The boy had burned him with that feeling. It was like somebody was burning him slowly. If he had to feel one more moment of that, Voldemort was not sure if his consciousness could take it anymore. The Horntail had been the worst. it had been the most agonizing experience that he had ever felt in his life. The boy... No, he was not a boy anymore. The other man had dealt with him so brutally that even Voldemort could not match it by himself. True that he was cruel but never so brutal. He had killed every one of his foes swiftly then moved on. It looked like the boy was making him pay for all the injuries he had ever given, for all the death he had caused, all the agony he had spread. The boy was making him live it tenfold. Perhaps that was what Dumbledore meant when he said there were worse things than dying. Suffering unimaginable torture, knowing you could not die was one of the things worse than dying. Voldemort was sure that the boy would not have let him die before he had finished torturing him even if Voldemort could die. At least with death, one could be liberated of the pain but being immortal, bearing the pain was too much.
For a moment during the fight, Voldemort had wished that he could die. The way he was being pummelled by a boy had been the most humiliating thing to happen in his life. He wanted to make sure that another thing like that would never happen again. He would have to be more careful next time they fought or the boy would make him kneel. There would be nothing more humiliating than that.
Once someone had told him that he would be a grand sorcerer power wise. Voldemort had never been more elated than at that moment. The boy's power felt like it was at another level altogether. When he was studying necromancy somewhere in Ancient Greece, his master had told him that a necromancer needed fear only a wizard who was his equal or better. A grand sorcerer's better could only be a Mage but the boy was more than that. He could have defeated a simple Mage by use of his repertoire of dark spells and dirty tricks. But the magic that this boy was using was not accessible to an ordinary wizard nor was the knowledge to use those magics so common. No, the boy had dabbled in his family magics or rather one magic i.e. the magic of Peverells or in some other magics which were just as ancient and deadly. As they say, introspection is the first step towards reclaiming what one had lost, Voldemort was ready to admit to himself that the other man was not an ordinary wizard anymore but his equal or may be his better.
The only bright star on the horizon was that he had got the prophecy. At least he had got the thing he had wanted. Now he would find a way to defeat the brat. But he would have to use every ounce of his cunning and all his resources to get at him. Even if it meant killing every death eater he had, then so be it.
Voldemort's musings were interrupted when Parkinson entered the chamber. He bowed low presenting the prophecy to him, "My lord, here is the prophecy".
Voldemort took the prophecy. He said coldly to Parkinson, "Leave me. Let no one disturb me until I call".
As Parkinson retreated, Voldemort found his wand on a bedside stand beside his table. He picked it up. With anticipation buzzing through his nerves, he tapped the prophecy. Almost instantly, he knew that he had been duped. The orb fastened itself to his hand. There was a male voice instead of the female which Severus had heard. It was a male voice full of hate and venom towards him.
A deep resonating male voice boomed out from it, "Did you really think that we would allow your scaly meat-hooks to touch the true prophesy? The unspeakables send their compliments".
From the moment that the voice began to speak, Voldemort tried in vain to hurl the orb from him. When that did not work, he tried to dispel the sticking charm. Then he ran out of time. The moment that the voice finished speaking, the orb exploded, spraying a fine mist throughout the room which quickly settled and covered everything. The acid fog had already eaten through his robes and the skin on his exposed hands and face. He screamed as the acid made itself felt, eating its way through his flesh.
Severus was the first to appear in the doorway. Yelling, "Aguamenti!", he quickly sprayed down Voldemort, diluting and neutralizing the acid. He then washed down the rest of the room to prevent further damage or a fire because things were beginning to smoke.
The healers arrived a moment later and started tending to the Dark Lord. They administered a draught of living death so that he would not try to kill them while they worked on his new burns.
Croaker had filled the orb with acid and enchanted it to stick, deliver its message then explode the moment it was tapped. He didn't think it would do the snake man in, but he was willing to give it a try. The added bonus that Croaker could not have anticipated but Severus saw was that the Phoenix feather wand was burnt and dissolved into nothing. The Dark lord's wand was destroyed!
The healer who was examining Voldemort reported to Severus, "That was a powerful acid in that orb. The dark lord has third degree acid burns to his face and hands and second degree acid burns to most of his upper body. It will take a day or two for us to re-grow the damaged skin".
Severus curtly nodded, "Do as you see fit, Healer but remember that this should be done with a minimum of inconvenience to him".
The healer reported further, "He will have to be moved to the infirmary. Most of the furniture in this room has been damaged or destroyed. The room will have to be emptied, repaired and the furniture replaced before this room will be habitable again".
Inwardly, Severus wanted to dance the Conga seeing the condition Voldemort was in. He shuddered for a moment thinking what would have happened if he had given in to his temptation and opened the orb himself. He wanted to find the one who had pranked the Dark Lord, kiss his hand for the feat. He had hated Voldemort but he absolutely loathed that wand. Now that it was gone, Severus was gleeful. The Dark Lord was without his best weapon.
Severus nodded, "Very well, you shall have to tend to his injuries in the infirmary".
Ireland
With everyone's relationship questions settled, there was no more need for ploys and conspiracies. The week went by in a whirlwind of winter camping, cross-country skiing and romance. Just for variety's sake, they tried the snow-shoeing too, but it just didn't have the same appeal. Only one day remained before classes resumed at Hogwarts and it was time to pack up and head back to Wizarding Britain. They had every kind of fun that they could dream about within the rules set by Moony.
Speaking of Moony, he spent most of his time lost in Nymphadora. Harry figured that he would soon have to ask for Andromeda to marry off the two of them. Harry had a curious fascination with Moony having a kid. He would spoil him rotten but that was in the future. Nobody knew what the future would bring. All they could do was hope.
The thing that Harry did most nights was star gazing. It had started without planning to. He was in the kitchen getting some hot chocolate for himself when Susan came down from her room.
As he had prepared a cup for himself, she snatched it from his hands. When he protested, she cooed, "Be a dear, Harry. Make one for me too. I love when you make it".
Left with no other option, not that he did not want to, he made another cup for her. He found that Susan had put the first cup under a stasis charm so it was still hot.
They took their cups into the meeting room where they crashed on one of the mattresses. As always, she sat in his lap with the quilt covering both of them. He asked her, "Why are you still up? Could you not sleep because you were dreaming of me?"
She rolled her eyes, "In your dreams. Actually yes, I was thinking of you. I wanted something sweet."
Harry pulled her closer, "As it happens Miss Bones, I was craving some dessert. May I have some now?"
She melted into his arms. They broke it off after about 5 minutes when Harry disentangled himself from her embrace, "Sue if we stay down here much longer, Moony will come and put us in detention".
She snorted, "I suppose you are right. He has been looking for an opportunity to get even with you. What do you have in mind?"
He smirked, "Come with me". Pulling her by her hand, he picked up some blankets on their way to the roof. Once under the open sky, Harry spread the blankets. They sat arm in arm with each other, looking at the stars and talking.
When it got cold, their joints began to stiffen. Harry dug into his pockets and pulled out some leaves which he passed to Susan while chewing a few himself. They had applied the Impervious charm to keep their seats dry while they sat there. The snow had let up and the clouds had blown away. The ice crystals that remained high in the air created a rainbow halo around the moon.
After getting comfortable, Susan asked him, "Was there a reason to bring me up here?"
He smiled, "Indeed there was. I like the stars, the openness of the sky. It makes me feel free as opposed to being in a room. Perhaps having spent most of my childhood in a tiny cupboard had this effect on me but I like the open sky. I can see the stars and make up stories about them".
She asked curiously, "Stories?"
He replied, "Yes. You see I had no friends when I was little so I liked to think that I knew the stars. They were my friends. I would often name one and make up a story about him. My favorite star is Sirius".
She snorted, "Just because he has the same name as your father?"
He shook his head, "No but because he is also known as the Dog-star".
They kept talking until deep into the night. Eventually they both fell asleep. They woke up from their slumber when they heard Nymphadora saying, "Oh you two are in so much trouble".
Trouble as it turned out was that Moony had them grounded for the day. He kept them separated.
Moony told him, "Go to your room. Do not come out until evening".
Susan went on a hike in the woods with the girls. Harry spent the entire day pleading with Moony to let him go out with Susan but Moony was adamant. He had no problem with them spending the night on the roof. What he was angry about was that they did not tell him where they could be found, that made everyone worry.
It was not as if they were the only ones who were found out of bounds. Once Moony found Mandy and Terry snogging as if there was no tomorrow, to his consternation, just outside the door to his room. He had to tell them to find somewhere private where they would not be putting on a display for everyone else. No one had a problem with it but decorum dictated that they should at least try to be discrete.
Bill and Fleur were supposed to be their chaperones but after the first day, they were never seen performing their so-called duties. Since Nymphadora took most of his time, Remus could only pay attention to the students. He did not care about the other set of chaperones. Bill and Fleur abided by his rules but spent most of their time together away from others.
Once the students decided that they needed to find where the two of them actually went. So they followed the couple, of course. It turns out that Bill had enchanted a clearing into the perfect garden with fragrant roses blooming, the wind sweeping through Fleur's hair and the weak sunlight of winter making her skin sparkle. Bill produced a little radio from his pocket. He started playing wizarding songs on it while they both danced slow graceful dances. They looked so beautiful together that their radiance could blind the world. Others kept eavesdropping on them for sometime before deciding that it was time they too enjoyed the music. Without a word being said, every one led their pairs into the clearing. An impromptu dance party started. Bill was surprised when he saw the others but did not say a word. Later Bill would tell them that they were practicing dancing for their wedding. It turns out Monsieur Delacour had accepted the hospitality of the House of Weasley and the offer of the union of William Arthur Weasley with Fleur Isabella Delacour.
Hermione had been skeptical when others were expressing their joy about the news. Harry sighed knowing he had a long talk coming with the ladies in the House of Weasley pretty soon, if Bill and Fleur's marriage was to be successful.
Speaking of Hermione, ever since they had decided to come out into the open Ronald had started to show affection openly towards her. a peck on the cheek or a chaste kiss was becoming a common happening for them.
The peak of adventure had come the day when Harry and Susan had to face mortal peril. It so happened that Harry and Susan had snuck away from the others without letting Moony know. Moony usually set some time for them to report back. He wanted them to let him know where they would be but they wanted to take some alone time for themselves. This time they climbed to the peak of the hill, finding the perfect spot, they sat talking. The woods were sparse there. There were little to no wild animals roaming about. They found it slightly eerie but paid no heed to it.
They had brought blankets. Harry was lying on it, keeping his head in Susan's lap, talking to her. They had become so intimate with each other that they could talk through their eyes without ever saying a word. These holidays had done them a lot of good.
They were talking, planning a vacation where there would be no one else except the two of them. Suddenly Harry's senses started giving him distress signals. He sat up with his wand in hand ready to begin fighting if it came to it. It turned out that it was a pack of the most dangerous animals in the magical world, Nundus. Harry almost yelped at their sight. His mind was in over-drive riffling through information on Nundus that he was certain Pashupati had given him.