Forging the Sword

By: Myst Shadow

Fandom: harry potter

Summary: ::Year 2 Divergence:: What does it take, to reshape a child? And if reshaped, what then is formed? Down in the Chamber, a choice is made. (Harry's Gryffindor traits were always so much scarier than other peoples'.)

Fic type: Books/Harry Potter

Pairings/Main char.: Harry P., Ron W., Hermione G.

Published: 2007-05-26

Last updated: 2014-08-20

Words count: 152,578

Chapters count: 15

Converted using www.FF2EBOOK.com
Date: 2020-10-03

1. Part One: shatter

Author: M. Shadow
Title: Forging the Sword
Status: WIP.
Pairing: None. (They're twelve, people.) In fact, aside from crushes and some background romance, the focus of the story, in general, is not romantic at all.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.
Warnings: Canon-typical level violence, death, and other mature topics.

Summary: [Year 2 Divergence] What does it take, to reshape a child? And if reshaped, what then is formed? Down in the Chamber, a choice is made. (Harry's Gryffindor traits were always so much scarier than other peoples'.)

Notes: Because Harry shouldn't have been able to win against the most badass dark wizard of the century by luck and courage alone.

Forging the Sword
Chapter One: Shatter

He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…"

He raised the wand.

Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap – the diary.

For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still in hand, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him.*

Harry had already started to stab down into the diary when Riddle yelled "Wait!"

He wasn't sure what made him hesitate, what nuance of tone in the memory's voice made him pause, fang still held threateningly at ready only centimeters from the diary's surface. Cautiously, he asked: "Why?"

Riddle's voice was completely serious, "Because if you kill me, you kill poor little Ginny as well."

He went still as he glanced from Ginny's motionless body to Riddle's triumphant smirk. "No…"

But God, what if it were true?

"You 're lying," and his voice was edged, hard in a way he'd never realized his voice could be. "That'd be the Slytherin thing to do, wouldn't it? And you're so proud of your Slytherin blood."

"Yes, Harry. It would." The apparition's face was calm. "And I would gladly lie at any time to save my life. But in this case," its voice turned terribly, terribly cruel, "I don't have to."

Riddle took a step forward, and this time Harry could hear the soft footfall as it hit the stone floor. Realizing that, he looked sharply at apparition, stomach beginning to knot. When he'd first entered the chamber, Riddle had seemed somewhat insubstantial, for all that he could hold material objects. But with each minute that passed, Riddle became more solid, more real, as if he moved from another world into this one. Even as he watched, Tom's edges began to sharpen.

The process had to be almost complete.

Then following that thought: When it was done, Ginny would be dead.

Panic swirled through him. What should I do?

Movement snagged his attention as Riddle took another small, sliding step forward. "But speaking of houses, Harry, let's talk about you. How Gryffindor would it be, to kill your best friend's little sister? How noble, to murder an unconscious eleven-year-old girl?"

"No," he snarled back, furious. "That's your specialty." But talking to Riddle was just wasting time-

He didn't know how to break the charm or bond or whatever it was that was between the two of them. Even if he had known, Riddle held his wand. Harry glanced at Riddle's hand where his Holly wand was grasped deceptively lightly between long fingers- then shook his head. No way can I grab it without getting cursed before I even get close.

And even if he could get it back, what then? Would his own curses even affect a magical memory? Would he have to cast it on the diary?

And what if that doesn't incapacitate Riddle? Or what if it did, but the link still remained open, draining Ginny's life away?

It'd take at least fifteen minutes for him to get out of the chamber, find someone in charge, convince them to follow him, and get back down here. And that was if he could even get away from Riddle in the first place. And what about the blocked passageway? Or getting back up the pipe? No adults knew where they were, nor was there anyone who could be sent for aid - damn Lockhart! – so no help was coming.

No help was coming.

Ginny was going to die.

For one moment, everything in him seized up, rebelling. Refusing. Flat out denying, because bloody hell, little girls with red hair and shy smiles didn't do things like this; didn't die on cold stone floors, a parasite leeching their life away in silence. He wanted to cry. He wanted to fight. He wanted things to be different, damn it, because he didn't know what to do, and a clock was ticking down, and he was desperately afraid, and there was no way out.

(ginny was going to die)

He wanted to scream his defiance. He wanted to lunge for his wand. He wanted to be anywhere but there. He wanted Dumbledore. He wanted answers, wanted a saviour, wanted Tom Riddle's blood, and there was no one with him to give him any of that.

(ginny was going to die)

And there was nothing he could do.

The thought made him go cold, whispering through his mind. It echoed and twisted and caressed and sliced, sinking to his core. It soothed and pried and hurt, and it triggered everything that made him who he was, and everything that he hated. It was noon, hiding in the bushes from a gang of bullies, knowing there was no such thing as safety. It was midnight, curled in a cupboard, desperately hungry and cold. It was Christmas morning, watching a world of bright glitter and colour from the outside; and it was Quirrell last year, shrieking as he burned. It was the knowledge that, in the end, there are no heroes, and there are no saviours, and magic doesn't mean miracles, and maybe never did. It was desperation and despair and knowledge, and his grief turned into something colder, his rage to something brighter, something harsher, and in that arctic fire came a familiar resolve.

(because ginny was going to die)

(and there was nothing he could do)

There was nothing warm about it, nothing excited or righteous or adventurous. It was only the silent, bedrock certainty of this must be done and if none else will, I must do it.

It was traces of this cold resolve that, last year, had pushed him into his assertion to Ron and Hermione that he would attempt to stop Voldemort from stealing the stone and resurrecting. The calm of this cold that had allowed him to leave one injured, unconscious friend behind amid a field of shattered rubble, and to send another friend back as safeguard if he died, while he stepped through a wall of purple flames alone. And it was this cold he had wrapped around himself, one pre-dawn morning several days later, as he stared at the lake and pondered his first kill.

Above all else, it was that cold. The one he 'd known alone on a chill morning, known and confronted and accepted, staring at hands that had set flesh to flame.

Gryffindor, they said, was the house of the brave.

I don't want to do this. It was a miserable whisper from a corner of his mind; begging for reality to go away. But 'want' had never made his aunt and uncle love him, or his teachers believe him over Dudley, or brought his parents back.

Harry was coldly, bitterly acquainted with all the thousands of ways want meant exactly nothing.

But if he was going to do this, he had to know.

Not for peace of mind. If Riddle was telling the truth, there would be no peace of mind.

Because Ginny deserves this. His throat was tight. Even if- even if it turns out she'll never know.

Riddle had been watching him silently, expressionless save for the triumph in his eyes. Eyes that mirrored in hazel Harry's own. Eyes he now met squarely.

"Promise me," he began softly, asking for an oath he'd read months ago, flowery and wordy and antiquated, but binding by the very things that made a pureblood's pride. "Swear by your life and the ancestor's blood you hold so precious, that you are telling me the truth."

The triumph grew stronger. "By my life and Salazar's blood, I am."

He listened to Riddle's level voice, then nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. His eyes were burning. His heart felt like gravel; cold and in pieces. "Okay." He lifted his hand as if to cast the fang away-

- Riddle started to slash the wand down -

-and in a blur of movement, he slammed it straight through the middle of the diary.

Harry's Gryffindor traits were always so much scarier than other people's.

Riddle gave a long, piercing shriek and Harry cast away the diary as it bled ink out across his robes and the floor. His enemy was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing, and then he was simply gone. Harry watched only long enough to be sure it was over, then crawled over to where Ginny lay, reaching out to touch her skin. He was dimly surprised to notice his hand was shaking.

"Ginny?" He asked, hoping for a moan, a squeak, a breath…

Her unmoving silence made him terrified and hurt and nauseous.

"Ginny?" But the whisper was almost defeated.

And still no response came.

He knew muggles checked pulses - a brief flash of hands at wrist or throat on the telly, stolen glimpses as Dudley watched while he did chores - but he didn't have any idea how. But there were other ways to check. Carefully, he held his hand just above her mouth and nose, hoping above anything to feel a faint flutter against his hand.

Please, he begged silently. Please, please, please…

Nothing.

He didn't realize he was crying until he realized he could no longer clearly see her face. Didn't notice when it started, but couldn't make himself stop. He huddled on his knees by her cold body, and he cried. Above him, Fawkes was singing low, mournful notes of haunting beauty, but the phoenix did not fly down and cry for her. Not even a phoenix's tears, then, could heal a life severed so quickly.

He didn't know how long he cried, but eventually, he became aware of Fawkes' song coming to an end. When silence fell, he painfully pushed to his feet. Moving slowly, he gathered up his wand and the diary, rolling them with the Hat to stuff them all in his pockets. Then he made his way over to the dead Basilisk's head, not flinching as he passed the bloody sockets, silent testaments to Fawkes' skill and courage. Bracing himself, he reached towards the hilt and dragged the sword free.

He wished he could do something for Ginny right now – it didn't seem right to leave her lying there with the Basilisk's corpse and muck and water, not while he took away the remains of her murderer.

But I don't know a way to carry her other than the basic hover charm, and I've never held one that long. If I drop her-

Everything in him flinched from the thought. He settled for bowing his head and promising quietly to her spirit – wherever it was now – that he would be back.

Then he turned and, dry eyed and with sword in hand, limped slowly out of the chamber.

* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Paperback. Pg. 346.

Next Chapter:

Slytherin, the Hat had almost put him in, and his similarity to Slytherin's heir Riddle himself had commented on. But he was beginning to think that this wasn't because he had "un-Gryffindor" qualities that fit only in Slytherin, but because the two houses – normally pictured as opposites – were in some fundamental ways quite similar.

Ravenclaws in battle, he had no doubt, would coolly plan the sacrifice of distant strangers to achieve an important objective, though that cold logic could collapse in the face of sacrificing family instead. Hufflepuffs would sacrifice no one, though it means they sacrifice an objective in its place.

Only Gryffindors and Slytherins were good at sacrificing those they loved.

2. sharp edges

Forging the Sword
Chapter Two: Sharp Edges

God, he was exhausted.

Discovering Hermione's clue, hearing of Ginny's kidnapping, the long hours waiting, the confrontation with Lockhart, the cave in, fighting the Basilisk, Riddle, Ginny.

And Ron.

Telling Ron had hurt. And left him feeling utterly helpless. He'd known his best friend for almost two years now, and he'd never seen him go that white. Not last year when he'd offered himself as a chess piece sacrifice; not even earlier this year facing Aragog.

At least he'd been able to say yes when Ron asked if her killer was dead too.

It was a cold comfort, but it was something solid to hang on to. And Ron desperately needed something solid as his world started to shake.

He'd gotten Ron and Lockhart to the Hospital Wing doors, hoping Hermione might be unpetrified and awake by now. Ron could steady himself with cold comfort, but he hoped she would be able to give him a warmer one.

If only I could have stayed… But no, he still had things he needed to do tonight. So fearing Pomfrey might attempt to stop him, might dose him with potions or forbid adults to ask him questions, he'd seen Ron and Lockhart through the doors, then turned to do what he had to.

Which brought him here.

He watched the stone gargoyle finish moving aside, and entered the small room below the headmaster's office. Someone of authority would be there who he could talk to, even if Dumbledore was banished. He only managed a few steps up the stairs when he heard raised voices and stopped dead. A man whose voice he didn't recognize, Professor McGonagall… and Molly Weasley.

No.

Wasn't there a limit, on how many times a person had to inform someone a family member was dead? And to be forced to tell someone who'd taken him into her heart, worried over him through letters, hand-knitted a sweater and given him his very first Christmas gift…

I'd rather be back fighting the Basilisk.

But Mrs. Weasley deserved to know. And Harry was the only one who could tell her.

Closing his eyes he gathered the shreds of his willpower. Repeating his vow - this must be done, and if no one else can, I must do it - he ascended the stairs.

When he got to the top he saw the rest of the people in the room. The male voice he'd been unable to identify was Lucius Malfoy, a cringing Dobby crouching at his boots. Mr. Weasley was there, one arm around Mrs. Weasley, both of them radiating worry and fear. Dumbledore – Harry had no idea when he'd come back, but he felt a rush of gratitude at his appearance – calmly presided over it all from behind his desk, face set in an unusually grave expression.

Harry's entrance brought silence to the room.

He avoided looking at the Weasleys and simply ignored Malfoy, remembering all too well the venomous confrontation at the beginning of the school year. A brief glance and nod was all he could manage to Professor McGonagall. Mainly, he kept his focus on Dumbledore's face as he limped across the space separating them. It took the clang of the bloodied, ruby encrusted sword dropping on the desk to break their stasis.

He met Dumbledore's eyes for only a moment, before looking at the ground. He- couldn't. He couldn't meet their eyes and say this. "Professor Dumbledore, I need to talk to you. Can you send Mr. Malfoy away?"

"Harry…" The headmaster's voice was concerned and warm and comforting, and he wanted to close his eyes and just… let it go. Hand it all over. Tell Dumbledore, then let him deal with telling everyone else… "Are you sure?" Harry nodded without looking up. "Very well. Lucius, I ask you to give us a moment of privacy, please."

"I think not." Malfoy's cold, drawling tones reminded Harry of Draco at his most insufferable. "I'm a governor of Hogwarts. Nothing concerning this school could possibly necessitate my absence. From Mr. Potter's appearance, something of moment has occurred. Speak your news, boy."

Harry glanced in helpless appeal at the headmaster, but Dumbledore made no further protest. Upset that an enemy of theirs would hear this at the same time they did, he turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, unsure how to begin. Finally, he just said the only thing he could think of: "I'm sorry… Ginny's dead. Voldemort killed her."

Mrs. Weasley gasped and sank into a chair, eyes disbelieving, silent. Mr. Weasley's lips pressed tight together, almost white, and the man swayed as if receiving a blow. Harry looked on helplessly. "I wish I could have saved her." Then, again: "I'm sorry..."

He bit back all the other things he wanted to say. I wish it had been me instead. I swear I tried my best to bring her back safe. I killed him, and it wasn't enough.

Please don't hate me.

"Harry," he turned his head at the sound of his name, to look at Dumbledore. "Sit down." A chair appeared near the wall, which Harry hesitantly sank into. "I know it will be difficult, but I must insist you tell me all that has happened."

He began his recital with only a few fits and starts, feeling dazed in a way that didn't at all muffle the pain. He started with discovering Lockhart packing and moved on to heading down to the Chamber with Ron, then to the near obliviation. He briefly recounted his battle with the Basilisk, ignoring the assessing and somewhat disbelieving glances between himself and the sword. But when he got to Voldemort, he faltered, throat tightening in a way that threatened to cut off his words.

He closed his eyes, then took a steadying breath and began again. "So. The Basilisk was dead, and Fawkes had healed me from its poison while Voldemort stood there gloating, but he still had my wand. While he was focused on me, Fawkes retrieved the diary, and he dropped it into my lap. I grabbed the snapped off Basilisk fang and stabbed the diary with it. Voldemort shrieked, then disappeared. But the link between him and Ginny meant that when he died, she did too. I- " His voice wavered a bit, and he took a somewhat shaky deep breath before continuing, "I checked on her. She wasn't breathing and she wouldn't respond and she was so cold. Then I got Ron and Lockhart, Fawkes flew us all out of the Chamber, and I took them to the hospital wing. Then I knew I still needed to report what happened, so I came here."

Exhausted by his story, he sank back into the chair, waiting.

The first response didn't come from the expected quarter. "Harry," Professor McGonagall started gently, "I know it was an awful experience. But you can't blame yourself for Ginny's death. It's far more likely that You-Know-Who just drained her to death, rather than that your actions echoed through him to her."

He closed his eyes, feeling weak and tempted. Tempted to just… agree. It would be so simple to just accept the story she provided. And it would make everything so much easier; it would make his relationship with all the Weasleys so much easier. Leaving him the tragic hero, come to slay the Dragon but too late to save the lady. Not the knight's fault, not when others had caused his delay. Not his fault at all.

For one, brief moment, he teetered on the brink.

Gryffindor.

Then shook his head, looking up. "No," his voice was low, but clearly audible. "I knew. He told me. Trying to make me stop. But," he took a shuddering breath, "but he was killing her, and she was dying as each second passed and he had my wand. If he was telling the truth, I still knew I couldn't destroy him before he was fully alive. And after he'd killed me, he would have killed Ginny anyway. So if he wasn't lying, then she'd be dead no matter what I did, but if he was… If he was, it was the only way to save her. So. I did it. Part of me still hoped that he was just being a Slytherin, but I did it." A choked sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, escaped. "And the Slytherin was telling the truth after all."

He tried to ignore the look of shock, the touch of disbelief and revulsion, in Professor McGonagall's eyes. He tried to ignore the outright horror and hint of betrayal in the Weasleys' eyes as well. Easier to block out, though disturbing in its own way, was the assessing speculation that broke through the carefully controlled neutrality Malfoy's gaze had contained so far. As if sensing his need to have something – anything – else to focus on, Fawkes flew to his lap. Harry carefully fixed his eyes and attention on petting the resplendent plumage, avoiding the rest of the room.

From beyond his bent head, he listened as Dumbledore spoke, "A grave story, Harry, and a tragic one, though through no fault of your own." Harry winced. "What I can't help but wonder, however, is how Miss Weasley acquired the diary in the first place. When we consider whose diary it was, I fear the answer may be of grave importance. I know you are grieving, Molly, Arthur, but I have to ask if you have any ideas."

The conversation continued haltingly and broken, as Mrs. Weasley tried to muffle tears at the thought that their laxed vigilance might have allowed harm to come to their daughter. Sensing the attention had shifted away from him, Harry raised his head slightly to observe the room.

He, too, wished to know how Ginny had gotten the diary.

Watching the others as the discussion continued, Dobby's strange behavior caught his eye. The house elf deliberately locked gazes with him, then slid his eyes to his master, then followed this by hitting himself hard on the head. Then kept repeating the entire cycle. Granted, Dobby had always been weird, but this was a further step into the bizarre. What on Earth is he-?

His eyes widened, remembering a seemingly harmless past action which suddenly acquired horrifying significance. He looked at Mr. Malfoy, then looked back at Dobby. The elf nodded vigorously, then hit himself again.

Anger curled through him, and in some ways it was a welcome relief. He stood abruptly, interrupting the discussion and Mr. Weasley's grief filled reply. "Mr. Malfoy knows where she got it, doesn't he?" He stared at the man. The grey eyes flickered briefly, and Harry knew he was right. Rage ticked higher in his blood. "You put the diary in Ginny's textbooks while we were buying school supplies at the beginning of the year." And then, softly, certainly, accusation as heavy as the weight of Hogwarts itself: "You killed her."

He was furious. The kind of fury he might have felt toward Riddle, if fear and horror and the need to act had not crushed all beneath it. The kind of fury he would have felt afterwards, if grief had left space for any other emotion. But now, now there was no one left to attack him, for they were dead. And there was no one left to save, for she was dead too. He'd slayed the Basilisk, who'd only been following a parselmouth's orders. He'd stabbed Riddle, and felt nothing but satisfaction for his death. But Mr. Malfoy had started this, was responsible for this, and right now he wanted nothing more than to see Malfoy bleed.

Papers began to shuffle slightly, as if an unseen hand passed over them. The faint flicker of light only distantly registered. When Dumbledore's ceramic candy dish cracked clean through, he didn't even twitch. And the gasps as, behind him, the sword he'd killed the Basilisk with rose slowly off the desk and turned to point towards Malfoy, were distant, important, mere sound without significance.

"You," he repeated, "killed Ginny."

And the sword shot towards Malfoy as though banished at him.

His lunge to the side came in time to save his skin, but not his cloak.

The man kept his balance, though, and had managed to both unfasten his cloak's throat clasp and draw his wand, so that when he whirled to face Harry it was pointed at him. "No one tries to kill me, Potter."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both had their wands out, and so did Professor McGonagall, though she appeared to be trying her best to restrain them. Harry was going for his own wand when Dumbledore thundered, "Enough!" and a shimmering white curtain appeared between Malfoy, and the rest of the room.

Broken from his single-minded fury, Harry blinked, then shifted his gaze to see the sword still pinning Malfoy's cloak, embedded halfway into the solid stone wall where Malfoy had been standing.

That had to have been him.

But how?

Somehow, shrinking a sweater or turning his teacher's hair blue just didn't seem to be on this magnitude. Although vanishing the glass at the zoo just might have been something close.

Too bad it doesn't seem to work on living things.

Then he thought about the likelihood that he would have vanished Dudley by now, and was forced to – reluctantly – revise.

"Dumbledore." Malfoy looked somewhat ruffled, but he retained the entitled arrogance that made Harry's hands curl into fists. "That boy attacked a governor of Hogwarts. I demand he be expelled at once."

The bottom of his stomach dropped out. No, he thought, he can't do that. But the curling uncertainty fluttering through him belied that thought. Can he? Panicked, he looked at Dumbledore.

But Dumbledore seemed utterly unconcerned.

"Come now, Lucius," the Headmaster began, speaking lightly, cajolingly. "I understand you are upset. But as a school governor, you know we've never held the mishaps of accidental magic against the children who perform them." His easy, nonchalant tone turned Harry's actions into a minor bit of accidental mischief, and reframed Malfoy's demand for expulsion into a hysterical overreaction. "It's not fair to punish a young witch or wizard for something they have no control over."

"A mishap?" Malfoy almost choked, voice rising in furious indignation. "Harry Potter tried to kill me!"

"Indeed." Despite everything, Harry almost laughed at that serene acknowledgment. Malfoy's haughty, indifferent mask was well and truly shattered. The man seemed squarely caught between impotent rage and utter disbelief. "But he used no wand, as we can attest. And I'm sure Harry didn't banish the sword on purpose, did you my boy?"

He glared at Malfoy, "Not knowingly…"

Ignoring the dark menace in his student's tone, Dumbledore smiled. "Very good." He clapped his hands together. "In that case, I'm afraid it must be ruled accidental magic. As an esteemed governor of our fine institution, you know all about the unavoidable difficulties young witches and wizards encounter while struggling to train their magic." Dumbledore peered at the man from over his half-moon glasses. "Though you may wish to avoid Harry in the future." It was said offhandedly, almost an afterthought. "His powers do seem somewhat volatile around you."

Harry had never before realized that the headmaster's slightly absent-minded, grandfatherly calmness could be used as a weapon. It was… unexpectedly awesome.

But Malfoy recouped his poise quickly. "Headmaster, if you'll not expel him for attempted murder, I'm afraid I'm forced to take this to the Ministry. He is clearly a danger to others." The man didn't even bother with faking a tone of civic concern. "We'll hear what they have to say about the matter."

Dumbledore's face remained calm. "That's a serious accusation, Lucius. One I don't believe you wish to pursue. Undoubtedly, a major inquisition would ask why Mr. Potter was so upset that he hurled a sword at you with accidental magic. And his story would have interesting consequences for your reputation."

Grey eyes narrowed. "You have no proof of any wrongdoing on my part."

The barest breath of silence, as everyone in the room absorbed those words. Still walled away from Malfoy by the headmaster's shimmering barrier of magic, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were holding their wands at ready, a killing rage in their eyes.

"If I had," the Headmaster said, every word precise, "you would no longer retain possession of your wand. Or your faculties."

Harry shivered, although he didn't know why. Dumbledore's voice had been even, and perfectly calm. But for a second-

It felt like a shadow passed in front of the sun.

Malfoy was pale.

Unruffled, Dumbledore continued. "Yet we don't need a conviction to topple your reputation, and I find myself almost hoping you pursue this. Now, leave." Harry couldn't think of anyone who would disobey a command in that tone of voice. Malfoy was no exception.

Wisely, from the look on Mr. Weasley's face, Dumbledore did not drop the shield between Malfoy and the rest of the room. As the man gave a tight nod and turned to leave the office, Dobby scurrying at his heels, Dumbledore spoke one last time, pausing him. "And Lucius? See that no more old school things of Voldemort's end up in the hands of Hogwarts students."

He issued no threats. He didn't need to.

Malfoy acknowledged the directive with only a curt glare, but its strength was diminished by the pallor that had yet to fade.

The sight of Dobby, however, reminded Harry of the debt he now owed the elf. Without Dobby's help, he might never have learned who was responsible for the diary.

But how to-?

His eyes turned to Malfoy's discarded cloak, still pinned to the wall by the length of Gryffindor's sword.

That… might work. A cloak's just another piece of clothing, right?

"Mr. Malfoy," he called, pausing the man at the doorway as he left. Harry moved to the wall as Malfoy turned to him. Taking a deep breath, he smoothly pulled the sword out, catching the cloak as it fell and deliberately hugging it tightly to his chest, against his soiled robes. Setting the sword down on a nearby chair, he turned, walking towards Malfoy. The silvery shield flickered down in front of him to let him pass, although a glance over his shoulder showed it re-established behind him. "I've something of yours," he said, then unceremoniously shoved the cloak into his nemesis' hands.

In addition to the tear from when the sword had sliced through, the heavy cloak had picked up large streaks of blood, ink, and muck from his own clothing, all beginning to dry and exhibit a truly repulsive odor. Malfoy's face curled in disgust, and he tossed the cloak to the ground.

Harry flicked his eyes toward the pile, held off the ground by the outline of a small body. He held his breath as Dobby's head emerged from under the cloak, the house elf looking up at his - former? - master. The Dobby met his eyes- and beamed.

"Someday," Malfoy snarled into his face, jerking his attention back to the pureblood, "you'll be alone, with no one to save you."

Harry met his gaze. And smirked. "Maybe by then you'll have a new house elf."

For a moment, Malfoy's face showed only blank confusion. "What-?" Then comprehension had his head snapping down. "Dobby!" he barked.

But Dobby shook his head, eyes wide, backing up slowly. "Dobby does not have to obey. Dobby does not have to follow. Master dropped his cloak, and Dobby caught it. Dobby is… free."

This was apparently too much, and seeing Harry outside Dumbledore's shield made him too tempting a target. Malfoy went for his wand again. But Dobby bounced forward with a war cry of "You shall not hurt Harry Potter!" and a bang filled the air as Malfoy was hurled back across the office threshold to hit the wall with a glancing strike, then tumble down the stairs.

Remembering the length of the climb to the headmaster's office, the grin of thanks Harry gave Dobby was more than a touch feral.

Then he took a deep breath and turned to Dumbledore, "Sir, if it's alright, I'd like to go to the hospital wing. You probably still need to tell Percy, George, and Fred about Ginny, but I want to be there for Ron. And I'd like to see if Hermione's been unpetrified."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry. I think it would be wise. I've no doubt Madame Pomfrey wishes to check you over as well. You may inform your friends that none of you will be expected for classes tomorrow if you wish not to attend."

"Thank you, Professor." He slid one last, conflicted, glance towards the Weasleys, then, looking away, left the room. Malfoy was long gone by the time he hit the bottom, and he began his slow walk to the hospital wing.

Exhaustion weighed on him with every step he took, and his mind felt stuffed and foggy. Right now he was mostly just enduring the time between adrenaline spikes, and as the confrontation with Malfoy faded so did the remains of his energy. He hadn't absorbed the implications of everything that had happened yet; nothing felt like it had settled. But he did feel like he had made a decision, down in the chamber. One he didn't fully understand yet, but one well and truly chosen.

Yes, made a decision, and learned something – about his house, and about himself.

Slytherin, the Hat had almost put him in, and his similarity to Slytherin's heir Riddle himself had commented on. But he was beginning to think that this wasn't because he had "un-Gryffindor" qualities that fit only in Slytherin, but because the two houses – normally pictured as opposites – were in some fundamental ways quite similar.

Ravenclaws in battle, he had no doubt, would coolly plan the sacrifice of distant strangers to achieve an important objective, though that cold logic could collapse in the face of sacrificing family instead. Hufflepuffs would sacrifice no one, though it means they sacrifice an objective in its place.

Only Gryffindors and Slytherins were good at sacrificing those they loved.

But with one friend who had lost weeks to the hospital wing and who could so easily have lost her life instead, with another mourning a dead sister, with himself going into battles he barely survived, and making decisions he should not have to make, he dreaded what they might be called upon to sacrifice next.

And he decided: he would do much, to see that it did not happen.

Chapter End

Next Chapter:

Dumbledore had said that Voldemort was trying to resurrect when he went to steal the Philosopher's stone. And since Dumbledore had destroyed it – the philosopher's stone: immortality, unlimited wealth, the pinnacle of alchemical achievement – rather than see it fall into Voldemort's hands, that implied that Voldemort could come back.

A prospect that made him go cold.

He'd barely survived a disembodied spirit and the memory of a sixteen-year-old boy. He had few illusions about the outcome of a confrontation with Voldemort in his prime.

3. gather the shards

Forging the Sword
Chapter Three: Gather the Shards

The hospital wing was dark and quiet when he peeked in.

Carefully, and as silently as he could, he snuck along the beds full of sleeping students. When he found his friends, his throat tightened. Hermione's features were no longer frozen under the force of the dead Basilisk's petrification. Ron was on the bed to her right - no doubt dosed into peaceful sleep - but the faint light illuminated dried tear tracks on his cheeks. Ron was the second oldest of the three of them, but right now he managed to look even younger than Harry.

He shook his head. He couldn't wake them. He thought about staying, but his robes were beginning to smell truly awful,and he desperately needed a shower. He could come back when he was more properly dressed. He briefly touched Ron's shoulder, then Hermione's hand, and turned and left the wing.

He made the trip up to Gryffindor tower in a near-zombie state, and it took several minutes of staring blankly at the Fat Lady's portrait before he remembered the password. Only a few people were awake – dimly, he recognized that Professor McGonagall must have said something while fetching Fred, George, and Percy – and no one seemed willing to interrupt him. Silently thanking his head of house, he retrieved fresh clothes from his trunk and headed to the showers.

The showers were private and lockable - something else to be grateful for - and he relaxed for the first time in hours now that he was finally both safe and alone.

He reached into his pocket to remove his wand and hit a roll of scrunched cloth instead. He pulled the Sorting Hat out, realizing he'd forgotten to return it to the headmaster earlier. "Sorry," he said, gently setting it on the floor, out of the shower or reach of stray spray. "I'll bring you back to Dumbledore tomorrow." He wasn't sure if the Hat could hear him when not on his head, but he figured better safe than regretful.

Beneath the Hat was his wand and the diary. The wand he carefully set on the shelf inside the shower, the diary he tossed on the floor, kicking it slightly aside to make room for his robes. Leaving them in a dirty pile, he turned the temperature to as hot as he could stand, and slid under the spray.

He had to scrub hard to get fully clean, the ink having started to stain his skin and the dirt remaining stubbornly embedded under his fingernails. The blood and muck in his hair had dried, making it clump in places, and the clear saliva of the Basilisk required scraping remove from his forearm.

It felt like hours before he was completely clean.

Finally, patches of skin slightly reddened from scrubbing, and thoroughly grateful that Hogwart's showers didn't run out of hot water, he sank down the wall to sit under the spray. It'd been long enough that his bruises from landing on various hard surfaces were beginning to truly show, and his time spent curled kneeling on the cold stone floor of the Chamber had left his muscles stiffened. Massage and heat source at once, he couldn't find it in himself to leave.

Besides, he needed to think.

This was the third time he had been forced to stop Voldemort.

This was the third time lives were sacrificed for that cause.

My parents, when I was a baby, he counted off. Professor Quirrell, broken by Voldemort's possession. And now Ginny.

And Voldemort was still out there. Alive.

Will he come after me again?

Part of him desperately wanted to say no. Voldemort was supposed to be focused on taking over the wizarding world! What type of general in the muggle world would focus all his plots around, say, Eton? It made no bloody sense. Voldemort should be attacking government buildings and aurors, not going after a school child.

It was a comforting thought.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, twisting his fingers through the wet tangles. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it's completely wrong.

He remembered Voldemort's behavior last year, his preoccupation with discovering how an infant had been his downfall. Then, earlier this day, Riddle had told Harry that he'd forced Ginny to write her own farewell specifically to lure Harry down into the Chamber of Secrets.

Voldemort, he was beginning to realize, could not leave proof of a weakness unconquered.

So, what did that mean?

Voldemort will be back for me.

He squeezed his eyes shut, resting his head back against the tile wall, trying hard to keep calm. The implications of that, illustrated in the lives already lost, terrified him.

At the end of first year, Dumbledore had said that Voldemort was trying to resurrect when he went to steal the Philosopher's stone. And since Dumbledore had destroyed it – the philosopher's stone: immortality, unlimited wealth, the pinnacle of alchemical achievement – rather than see it fall into Voldemort's hands, that implied that Voldemort could indeed come back.

A prospect that made him go cold.

He'd barely survived a disembodied spirit and the memory of a sixteen-year-old boy. Wouldn't have, in fact, if not for the aid he had received. He had few illusions about the outcome of a confrontation with Voldemort in his prime.

Any incarnation of Voldemort might still attack him, but if Voldemort returned fully recovered- God, he would be hunted.

He had to keep Voldemort from coming back.

No. To truly be safe, for my friends to be safe, I have to get rid of Voldemort once and for all.

Which… he had no chance in hell of doing. Not anytime soon, at least.

More than anything else right now, he realized slowly, I need more knowledge. He hadn't known enough about the wizarding world to even understand that enchanted diaries could be dangerous. He hadn't known what could stop them. He hadn't known what spells would work on Riddle's insubstantial image, even if he'd managed to reclaim his wand. The list of things he hadn't known tonight could fill a trunk.

But that also meant he needed help. Both because he'd need protection while he was learning, and because he'd probably need help learning too. Not that he had to reveal exactly why he wanted the knowledge. He was vaguely aware that there was an expected healthy reaction to traumatic events like he'd undergone tonight.

And I'm pretty sure I'm not having it.

The night had been awful. Terrible. Terrifying. But even though he'd cried until he felt wrung out and spent, even though he had a slightly headache from the force of his tears but even now still felt like he wouldn't mind curling up in his bed and weeping some more…

At this second, what he wanted most was to figure how to make sure it never happened again.

I need some advice.

He didn't know what he was weakest with. Didn't know what he was best with. What he really needed to improve on and how he compared to Voldemort when he was younger. He might be able to ask Dumbledore, but he wasn't sure he completely trusted Dumbledore to give him a full answer. What if he pulled the "it's a secret" and "when you're older" idiocy as he had last year?

But who else had known both he and Voldemort?

Shaking his head, he opened his eyes. This was going nowhere, he realized, as he stood to shut off the water. Drying off with a quick charm, he stepped from the shower. When you have only one option, you don't have a choice. Dumbledore was the only one who could tell him of Riddle.

Except, he realized, pausing as he pulled on his shirt, for something else.

Slowly, he walked over to where he'd set the Sorting Hat in safety. Then, taking a breath, he leaned over, picked it up, and put it on.

The small voice was exactly the same. "Back again so soon, Mr. Potter? Really, I haven't spoken to a student as many times as I've spoken with you in decades, and you're only in second year."

"Er." He said intelligently. Is that a bad thing?

"Merely unusual. Now, you had a question for me. My question for you is if you're going to react like the last two times I've given advice. I don't sort you for my own edification, you know." Then, before Harry could ask what edification meant, the Hat supplied, "Knowledge, instruction, sake."

"Well, I don't-"

"Oh, good. I'm sorry for what you were forced to do down in the Chamber, but you've learned from it. If any comfort can be drawn from the events, perhaps that is it."

He was beginning to realize how aggravating an extended conversation with a mind reading entity could be.

"I heard that."

Determinedly refusing to acknowledge that one, he ventured, "So, can you tell me?"

"I can't give away students' secrets, even past students' secrets. No family patriarch or matriarch in the land would send their heirs off to have their minds picked clean. And to be honest, I probably wouldn't even if I could." The Hat paused while he absorbed this, then continued. "What I can do is give you a warning. Do you wish to hear it?" There was something almost formal in its tone.

"Yes!"

"Very well. When I first sorted you, I mentioned a great deal of talent, a fine mind, and a thirst to prove yourself. I considered you for both Gryffindor and Slytherin, with Ravenclaw as some place where you might exist, but would not really suit. Knowledge, cunning, and bravery – all will be necessary to ultimately accomplish what you've decided you must do. But to achieve what you hope to over the next several years, it is Hufflepuff traits you must pursue."

He blinked. What? Hufflepuff?

Not that he had anything against them, but they weren't exactly the first house he thought of when he imagined formidable or dangerous opponents.

"Oh, and you think Helga couldn't hold her own against Godric or Salazar? But in some aspects you are right. Hufflepuff does not at all fit your temperament, although you admire their ideals of loyalty. What you must take from your fellow house is their calm determination. You've asked me how to prepare to fight a dark wizard decades older, and there is a great deal of advice I could give. But right now what you need most is hard, steady work. Can you work, every day, to improve? Can you pursue difficult knowledge, not from love of it, nor for its immediate gains, but as a stepping stone for the future? Can you work and work some more, even when progress appears miniscule or fleeting? In short, Mr. Potter, what makes great wizards is not just ambition, or power, or genius, although all those help. It is their willingness to act rather than to react, and to work rather than play."

Harry frowned as he thought it over. It wasn't exactly what he'd hoped for. Part of him, though he resisted admitting it, had been sort of hoping for a rundown of Riddle's talents and weaknesses, or a secret passed down from the founder's time, or another magical weapon, or something. But maybe that was what the hat was talking about, he realized. It was natural to want to take short cuts, but some goals didn't have them. And he was beginning to suspect that learning "Hufflepuff" traits was going to be one of those things that sounded far easier than it was.

The Hat chuckled. "Oh, that it is, Mr. Potter, that it is. Now, thank me for giving you Godric's sword and head to the hospital wing. You need to sleep."

"Oh, thank y- wait. Godric's sword? As in, Godric Gryffindor?"

"No, Godric Slytherin. Yes, Godric Gryffindor!"

He was stunned. Wow. Who would have guessed that was left in a hat's keeping? Albeit a somewhat bossy one. (He hastily censored that thought). Which reminded him of its order. "Well, thanks. I mean, I really do mean it. It saved my life."

"Yes, I know." The Hat's voice was smug. Harry went to lift it off his head when it spoke one last time. "Speak to me again if you wish."

"Yes, sir." He pulled it off, looking at it as it dangled in his grasp, but it was once again silent and unmoving.

He made the trip back to the hospital wing in contemplative quiet, climbing into the empty bed on the other side of Ron. He was asleep almost before his head touched the pillow.

When Madam Pomfrey bustled in minutes later, alerted once again by her alarms that a new student had arrived in the hospital wing, she almost missed him. Shaking her head in fond dismay, she quietly ran her diagnostics. Dumbledore came by later, as did Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Through it all, the students slept.

Hermione woke him.

"Harry," her voice was a low murmur. "Harry, are you awake?"

"Ugh," he answered, slitting one eyelid open and blinking against the light. His eyes still felt gritty, and he could easily go for another couple hours of sleep. He propped himself up on an elbow. "Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry." And there was her familiar tone of exasperation. "I'm sorry, I tried to wait as long as possible, but it's almost seven - which means Ron will be waking up soon - and I need to know what happened last night."

He shook his head, kicking his brain into gear and sitting all the way up. "Wait. First, what happened after Ron came to the Hospital wing last night? How is he doing?"

"Not good. I hadn't been awake very long myself when he and Professor Lockhart came in. Harry, he was absolutely white. It was like he was in shock – he just sat there, staring at his hands. He didn't talk or react or anything. Madam Pomfrey eventually gave him a sleeping potion, and I managed to get from her that Ginny died, but she wouldn't really tell me anything! God, Harry, I just sat by him, holding his hand, and I didn't know what to do."

She's almost in tears, he realized. Then also realized how difficult last night must have been on her. Her last memory would have been the reflection of a Basilisk's eyes, and she woke to a grieving friend. "Hermione…" He felt awkward, and utterly unsure of what to do. Should he touch her? Try to comfort her? Or pretend to ignore the tears? "Look. It's great that you're okay. Er, I'm sure your presence did mean a lot to him. So, um, don't- don't feel sad, all right?"

She gave a small, hiccupping laugh, and dashed the tears from her eyes. "Oh, never mind me, what happened? You faced the Basilisk, didn't you."

And that wasn't even phrased as a question, he reflected wryly. I think she knows me too well. But he nodded and told the highlights of the story again. He also briefly recounted the events in Dumbledore's office afterwards, ending with: "Now I'm not sure how to tell Ron about Lucius Malfoy. I couldn't give him much when I had to tell him Ginny was dead, but I could tell him that Riddle and the Basilisk are both dead. How do I tell him that the man behind it all is currently walking free?"

She stared at him, aghast. "You can't think to keep it from him."

"No! Dammit, that's not what I meant. He deserves to know, and I can just imagine how I would react if he kept that kind of secret from me. He'd be justified in kicking my ass. It's just- he's hurting right now, and he's dealing with a lot just grieving. I'm not sure how adding fury and helplessness and a desire for revenge will affect him." He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "And Merlin help us if Malfoy – Draco, I mean – makes one crack about his family in general, much less Ginny in particular."

She gasped. "He'd try to kill him."

He looked up. "Might succeed, too. But I can't keep it from him. Merlin, it's a mess. And there's only a week left before summer hols."

"Harry… Are you doing okay? About not being able to save Ginny, I mean?"

He was seconds from making a cutting retort when the genuine concern in her eyes stopped him. Finally, he shrugged. "I'm okay. Not great, but okay. But I never want to feel like that again." Then, vehemently: "I hate feeling helpless.

The silence stretched for several minutes before he asked, "So, do you get some extra time to study for exams?"

As far as changing the subject went, it was a fairly graceless effort. But Hermione picked up on it, sliding into a lengthy disclosure about where she was in revising for all her classes. Grateful for the distraction, and for the normality of it, he listened to her chatter.

Madam Pomfrey showed up at around 7:15, and she brought breakfast for him and Hermione when she noticed them awake. The rest of the Basilisk's victims she started waking at around 7:30, and after a thorough checkout she sent them off to the great hall to find themselves breakfasts of their own.

Professor McGonagall passed the last one leaving as she entered. "I'm pleased to see you awake, Miss Granger. And you unharmed, Mr. Potter." Then she turned to Madame Pomfrey. "Poppy, after Mr. Weasley's woken up - and maybe eaten something - he'll be going home early this term. The house-elves packed his things for him, and we'll be shrinking and flooing his trunk on ahead. Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I have to ask you to come with me."

He started, surprised. "What? No. Please, professor, I want to be here when Ron wakes up." He looked at her, not above pleading, "Hermione doesn't have to leave. What can possibly be more important?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but they need to ask you to open the Chamber of Secrets. The aurors want to search all of it." Her expression remained stern, but a hint of concern softened her mouth. "And they need to retrieve Miss Weasley's body."

The words were said kindly, but not even the nicest delivery on Earth could have softened that blow. His stomach hurt and he looked away. "Oh." Then he turned back to Hermione. "I hope I'll be back in time, but if I'm not, tell Ron- tell him I wanted to be here, please? And that I'll write to him."

She nodded. "Of course, Harry." She reached out and grasped one of his hands. "It'll be okay. It has to be."

He wasn't sure how to tell her that things wouldn't be the same kind of 'okay' ever again.

He met the waiting group of aurors at the entrance to the headmaster's office. Professor McGonagall introduced him to the ten men and women, (one of whom, it turned out, was actually not an auror, but an expert from the department for the Disposal of Dangerous Magical Creatures) and only about three of whose names he remembered by the time the introductions were over. Then the professor rested her hand on his shoulder a moment before she murmured her best wishes and vanished up the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

He was left staring at the aurors, feeling just slightly abandoned, while most of them watched him passively back, and the remaining few stared.

"Um, this way, then. The entrance is in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, so it's not too far."

The head auror, something Peters, had salt and pepper hair, a commanding presence, and was attempting to be professional. Harry caught the edge of a whisper as Peters said something to the group behind him. Whatever it was, it was enough to jolt the two or three of them that had been staring at him into suitably blank faces. Actually, most of them had seemed pretty impervious to the normal hero-worship he was subjected to.

"So, Mr. Potter. Dumbledore said that there was a Basilisk down in the Chamber before you killed it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you think there are others still down there?"

"Mmm," he bit his lip, considering. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure Riddle – Voldemort – would have called upon them to fight, too. And I think there would have been more shed skins if more of them were about." He peeked into the bathroom, but it seemed empty of Myrtle. "I'm not sure if Basilisks are territorial or not. In here, guys. Er, sir."

It took him a minute to actually locate the exact tap again. Then he took a deep breath, stared at the scratched snake, and hissed out, "Open."

There were several intakes of breath behind him at the sound of the parseltongue, but he refused to acknowledge them as the sink smoothly sank away in a repeat of last night's events. "Um," he turned to them, "it's pretty dirty down there, so if you have some sort of clothing protection spell for the ride down, you might want to cast it. I'm not sure how much we cleaned it up on our slide down last night." The aurors all drew their wands and cast a spell or two, Peters was even kind enough to cast one on him. "Thanks," he said, then he turned and dropped down into the slide, a muffled shout echoing after him from the entrance.

The trip was as long as he remembered it, and he quickly scrambled out of the way once he hit the bottom. Peters missed him by mere seconds.

"Don't do that." The auror captain said, wand out as he stepped in front of Harry.

"But I thought I was supposed to be your guide down here?"

"Guide? Yes. Scout? No. Let us go first into danger. That's what we're here for, okay?"

He couldn't entirely mask his doubt about that command, but he shrugged and acquiesced. They did know more than he did. He just hoped Peters didn't seriously expect him to turn and run if the aurors found trouble. Especially snake trouble. The ramifications of having a parselmouth around couldn't be that hard to grasp, could they?

By now a third auror was emerging from the chute, so Harry moved a few feet down the passageway to leave more room. "There's a rock fall ahead where Lockhart almost brought the ceiling down on our heads. We might need to clear it out a bit; I could get through but I'm not sure you would fit. There's another parseltongue gate before the actual chamber of secrets, though."

To his considerable relief, they managed to clear the rock fall away without creating another one. Peters held up his hand to pause him when he moved to unlock the inner door.

"Just a minute, Harry. Alright everyone. Mr. Potter is fairly sure there's not another Basilisk waiting for us down there, but before now centuries of wizards would probably have been ready to swear that there wasn't one. You all got briefed on Basilisks before we came over, but it's recap time. Matheson! Dangers?"

One of the younger aurors, who looked like he couldn't be many years out of Hogwarts, straightened. "Fangs, highly venomous, a lethal gaze, spell resistant, large, and fast for its size."

"Excellent. Smith! Weaknesses?"

"Er, enough magic will overwhelm its natural defences and bring it down? Eyes are normally a weak point in creatures with spell-resistant hide but that doesn't work with a Basilisk."

Peters narrowed his eyes, "Anything else?"

Looking like a student suddenly aware he'd left an unanswered question on a pop quiz, Smith appeared to be thinking rapidly. "Oh! Also, the first crow of a cock at dawn, sir. Though... I guess that's useless here."

"Not useless, just not necessarily needed. If we do run into another Basilisk we'll be retreating immediately, then returning bright and early here tomorrow with one. Unfortunately, conjured animals don't work, or it'd be a handy back-up plan. Nor does any cry other than the first one at dawn. You're still thinking inside the box, but acceptable." Then those eyes shifted focus to him, "By the way, Harry, how exactly did you do it?"

He shrugged, uncomfortable with the attention. "Fawkes blinded it for me, then we had a bout of hide and seek for a bit. It found me and I found a sword at about the same time. When it lunged at me with its fangs open, well..." He shrugged again. "I didn't know what to do other than hold on and stab. The sword went through the roof of its mouth and into its brain." (He ignored the soft 'Bloody hell!' from Matheson.) "That pretty much killed it instantly, except one of the fangs went through my arm. Only Dumbledore's phoenix's tears saved my life."

Peters' eyebrows were raised. "The Headmaster didn't go into details. I'm not sure whether to be impressed by your bravery or appalled by your foolishness."

To that (familiar) observation-accusation, he managed to summon a wry grin. "Yes, well. The Hat put me in Gryffindor for a reason, you know. It's expected."

That got a small round of chuckles and the tension decreased a notch. Peters shook his head again. "Listen up everybody, Mr. Potter opens the chamber and the first team goes in ahead. I want three teams, divide by training exercise triads. I'll be with Smith, Matheson, and Brant, Mr. Potter will be with me. Questions?" At the negative replies he nodded, then looked to Harry. "If you would?"

He once again opened the chamber, although this time all the aurors seemed to be prepared for the sound of his talent. Then, obedient, he stepped back and allowed the first team through.

For the next several minutes he followed Peters like a small, silent shadow, knowing that this – the chance to observe aurors prepared for a combat situation – was part of what he'd realized he needed. The way they moved, how they kept in contact, the pattern of search they employed – all of it was fascinating. In other circumstances the impressed exclamations when they stumbled across the Basilisk's corpse would have been an ego boost, but his gaze had been inexorably drawn to Ginny's still form. He looked up to see the captain's face, but the man was already speaking. "I see her."

It took twenty minutes for the aurors to satisfactorily explore the side passageways – many which seemed to just loop back into the main chamber. An abandoned potions laboratory was found, as was what one of the aurors tentatively identified as a rituals chamber. A bedroom and a bathroom, too, were searched.

They all rendezvoused back in the great antechamber, and Harry spoke up loud enough to get the captain's attention. "Sir, the Basilisk was originally hidden in a chamber behind that statue. Do you want me to open it?"

A quick glance around assessing the assembled aurors' readiness, then the captain gave him a nod.

Harry turned to face the statue, hoping the password and not an actual blood or house connection was all that was needed. Hissing "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four," he mentally rolled his eyes at the size of ego Salazar Slytherin must have had. To make that a private password? But the passageway opened smoothly, and the first team levitated each other up seamlessly and disappeared through its mouth.

The sight gave him the slightest shiver.

Only a minute had passed before a blonde head popped out. "Looks to be all clean, Captain. I think this might have been an experimental snake-breeding workroom."

"Room for more?"

"Sure, Sir. Come on up."

She was right, Harry observed as he followed the captain up. There was space for all eleven without undue crowding. Harry absorbed the details of the room, fascinated. There were a variety of splintered metal cages flattened against walls or the floor. No way of telling what had happened to their original occupants, whether they'd died, or been eaten by the Basilisk, or been taken with Slytherin when he left Hogwarts. One of the large cages was probably where the Basilisk had been kept before it outgrew it. Dusty, dirty, surfaces bare, and smelling strongly of snakes, whatever secrets Slytherin had once discovered here, nothing seemed to remain.

It was only after he idly compared the size of the Basilisk now with what its size must have been in Slytherin's time (judging by the size of the largest cage), when he realized that the room – although by no means small – must have begun to feel tiny as the centuries passed and the Basilisk grew. There probably wasn't enough room for it to have stretched out fully, and if commanded to stay here to avoid discovery... he shuddered.

He didn't regret slaying the beast in the least, but he could almost pity it. He had far too much experience with being locked in to wish it on anything else, human or otherwise.

One of the aurors brushed by him, and he recognized that he had missed an order somewhere. Following the last two out, he hopped off the statue, feeling himself 'caught' almost immediately in the now familiar feeling of the levitation spell.

When all of the aurors were back down, Peters declared himself satisfied that no threats to student safety remained in the chamber of secrets. He then cast a spell which lifted Ginny's body, and solemnly gestured for Harry to lead the way out.

At the mouth of the chute he paused, but Peters didn't hesitate, carefully scrutinizing the wall besides it. A few careful taps eventually turned the slide into steps, and they began to ascend.

Harry wasn't the only one sweating slightly but the time they reached the top.

He took them back to the headmaster's office, said goodbye, and took his leave. He barely turned the corner before he was racing back to the hospital wing. That must have been at least an hour – Ron's got to be awake by now.

He skidded around the corner, coming to a walk just before he ducked through the hospital wing door. Ron was still there, subdued but awake and fully dressed, talking to Hermione. His entrance caught their attention.

"Ron," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I thought they might take you home before they let me go." His friend was no longer a pale, pale white, and life had returned to his eyes, but with life was an awful grief there, too.

"They almost did, but I asked for another five minutes. There was nothing else down in the chamber?"

He shook his head, "Just more muck and dust. We found where we think he'd been breeding experimental serpents, but either none of the other snakes were as long-lived, or the Basilisk ate them all. Ron…" and his voice held everything he had no idea how to say, concern and affection and guilt.

"Time for you to go, Mr. Weasley."

He jumped slightly when words sounded behind him, and when he turned he caught sight of Professor McGonagall waiting a few feet in from the entrance. He turned back to Ron and lowered his voice, "There are things you need to know, but I'm not sure if your parents will tell you." Then, in a normal tone: "I'll write to you over summer; I'll fight my Aunt and Uncle for it if I have too. Take care of yourself, alright?" He stepped back, clearing the way.

"Thanks, Harry."

Hermione's goodbye was more tearful but equally brief, then she stepped away as well. Together they watched Ron disappear through the hospital wing door.

Then they looked at each other, and in silent agreement made their way up to Gryffindor tower.

Chapter End

Next Chapter:

He'd grown up with all the same stories and rumors about the Boy-Who-Lived that every wizarding child grew up with, but when he'd seen him in Hogwarts the boy had seemed rather… ordinary. He didn't have an instinctive grasp of magic. He didn't excel at his studies. He didn't have alliances with all the houses, or a group of devoted followers. He didn't, in fact, appear at all different from any other ordinary Gryffindor boy.

Ordinary Gryffindor boys had not killed four people by the time they were thirteen.

4. into the fire

Forging the Sword
Chapter Four: Into the Fire

The last week of the term was not pleasant.

Professor McGonagall's injunction not to gossip might have held one eve while the situation was still so much in flux, not even her disapprobation, however, could quell the Hogwarts rumour mills for long.

No one was suicidal enough to try to interrogate him, nor had anyone actually said anything specific, but after two years of walking these halls, he knew when he was being gossiped about. Somehow – and he wasn't sure, but he was betting on the other petrification victims – Ginny's death had become common knowledge by the afternoon of Ron's departure. The Daily Prophet headline the next morning was all it took to set rumours aflame.

He sat through the interminable – and inevitable – announcement at dinner that night. Dumbledore kept the public story vague, alluding to 'remnants' of Voldemort that could still cause grief. The Basilisk's existence was announced amid gasps, and his slaying of it also touched on. According to Dumbledore, Harry had arrived too late to save young Ginny, and the headmaster asked they be sensitive about his feelings. No mention of the diary, or Lucius Malfoy, was made.

While other tables immediately erupted into gossip, his surrounding housemates at least made an effort to be circumspect. Hermione was to his left, shielding and distracting him as best she could. He was grateful, but all too aware of the empty space on his right where Ron would normally be doing the same.

The days after that were an exercise in restraint.

He could only be thankful that the whole 'heir of Slytherin' nonsense seemed to have been dropped. Even Hogwarts's rumours (he thought with a touch of bitterness) seemed to draw the line at believing he'd petrified one of his best friends, and killed the little sister of his other. The prevailing rumour spawned in its place – that it had all been aimed at Harry from the beginning, first to isolate and frame him, later to kill him – was probably inevitable.

At least that pompous little bastard Ernie Macmillan was squirming for 'promoting' an evil plot.

Harry might have accepted Macmillan 's apology, but the Hufflepuff had been partially responsible for making his life hell that year. If the other boy learned a little bit of what it was like to be the public target of malicious whispers, it'd probably do him some good.

Meanwhile, the exams started in earnest, and isolated from it all, Harry quietly made plans.

He 'd gone to Hermione first.

"Ordering books, Harry?" She blinked at him with clear surprise from across the table, paused a moment in double checking some of the facts slated to be made into Transfiguration note cards. He wasn't sure exactly why she bothered, since he was positive she had them all memorized anyway by now, but it seemed to be a comfort.

"Yeah," he sent her a smile. "I figured if anybody would know about ordering them by owl, it'd be you."

"Well, sure. I mean, I've got Flourish and Blott's standard catalogue. Four galleons and I get a new issue every month as long as the store's in operation. But, why?"

He gave her a level stare. "Because I want to order some books?"

"Harry! I got that part. Honestly. But what I meant is that, well," she floundered a second before continuing, "you've never been interested in academics before. And now you're ordering extra books for summer reading? What are you planning?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She made a sound a bit like a spitting cat, and he had to laugh. "No, I swear I'm telling the truth." He turned serious. "I've lived three years of my life in the wizarding world: one year as an infant with my parents, two years here at Hogwarts. My time at my aunt and uncle's doesn't count – they're about as far from the magic world as you can get and still be on Earth. Three years, Hermione, and I've been attacked three times. I don't think it's going to stop."

She was watching him closely, and he could see her thinking furiously behind brown eyes. "And you want to order a bunch of books on Defence, or, or curses? Harry… tell me you're not planning anything stupid. Practicing magic at home. Running off to kill Lucius Malfoy. You're only twelve - he'd kill you!"

He was shaking his head even as she spoke. "I'm not reckless, Hermione. The only way I'd try that was if I was pretty sure I could kill him. I don't even have a clue where to find him right now! Not that I would have been at all disappointed if he'd been just a little bit slower at dodging last Friday – I'd have been only too pleased if the sword had pinned him to the wall instead of just getting his cloak. But I'm not foolish enough to believe a book on curses and several weeks of practice casting them are enough to take on an adult follower of Voldemort. And can you imagine the reaction when the order came in, if the clerk gossiped and the newspaper got word of it?" He rolled his eyes and adopted a breathless, news announcer voice: "'Boy-Who-Lived Buys Books on Dark Arts!' Up next: 'Interview at Flourish and Blott's – Harry Potter Going Dark?'" He gave a snort of disgust, and shook his head. "No, I'm not saying I won't be requesting a book or two on Defence, but mostly I'll be ordering history books."

"History books?" She narrowed her eyes. "Explain."

He let his eyes unfocus as he struggled to put to words a concept he couldn't really explain even to himself. "It's… it's like." He sighed. "Right now, I don't even really know anything about Voldemort, or Dark Lords, or fighting at all, really. I mean, I don't know how Voldemort got followers, or power, or how he conducted his campaigns."

"Is that it? You just want to know how Voldemort fought in the past?"

"No, not quite. It's more like- like I want to know how Dark Lords of the past have usually gained power, and how they're usually defeated. What made some of them win for a while, and what made them easy targets for the ministry? Was it something about the Dark Lord's themselves? The way they were fought? And how were they fought? I'm not talking about dueling, more about…" he struggled to find the words. "About how the conflict is shaped. Armies or raids or spies and back dealing. Why did it end the way it did?" He made a sound of frustration. "I'm not explaining this well."

"No," She shook her head, sounding somewhat… impressed? "No, I get it. You're not talking about dueling tactics; you want to learn strategy."

"Yes! I mean, obviously it isn't enough just to kill leaders, not when it leaves people like Lucius Malfoy walking free. If it gets bad again, I don't want to leave behind any more of Voldemort's followers free to kill my friends or their family."

She was still looking at him like he 'd announced he was going to climb Mt. Everest this summer. Dubious, but a little impressed. It was somewhat aggravating.

"What?" he asked, a tad sharper than he'd intended.

"Nothing. It's just. Honestly, Harry, I didn't think you'd be this mature. You don't really like studying, and you're smart enough to know theory's not your strong point like practical magic is. I half expected you to dive into memorizing all sorts of curses and jinxes, and not pay any attention to a larger picture. In the past few days you've grown up a lot, Harry." Her voice turned just a little wistful as she continued, "And you were already one of the most adult twelve-year-olds I know."

He gave a last glance around and sighed. "You know I killed Quirrell last year." She took a deep breath, and looked like she was about to interrupt, so he shook his head. "No, I'm trying to explain things. You deserve to know since I'm asking you for help." She settled back in her seat, obviously willing to wait and listen, so he began again.

"Okay. Like I said, last year I killed Quirrell. I didn't like it – certainly didn't enjoy it! – but it didn't really hurt me. He was practically Voldemort's slave by then, even if he might not have wanted to be in the beginning. And he was trying to steal the philosopher's stone. We did not need an immortal dark lord with all the power, wealth, and influence a philosopher's stone could bring him. Besides which, he was trying with a certain degree of success to kill me at the time." He glanced at her to see how she was following all this, and at her encouraging expression he took a deep breath and continued. "I never had any real nightmares over it. I never hated myself over it. And the only thing I really feared from it – or was wary of, rather – was what all of that said about me."

Here she tried to interject again, but he cut his hand across the air, stopping her. "No. Like I said, I don't hate myself. But I look at Ron, or even you, or at some of the first years wandering around, laughing and playing and talking, and I know that my reaction isn't the same as most of them would have." He shrugged. "It isn't. I don't know why - if it's me, or something from the Killing Curse, or what, but I'm different. I mean, how would you have reacted? Or Lavender Brown? Dean Thomas? Or, God forbid, Neville? You see?"

Perhaps sensing he didn't want a really long answer, she only nodded.

"Okay." He took a moment and another deep breath, getting ready to say what he had to next. It seemed like he was continuously being forced to talk about Ginny, ripping off a scab each time the wound had only just begun to heal. "Down in the chamber, I had to kill Ginny to kill Riddle." He did his best not to acknowledge the look of pity in her eyes. "Yes, she would have died anyway. Yes, there was absolutely nothing I could do to save her. No, it wasn't my fault she received the diary in the first place. But I did do it, and I did it knowingly. Not my fault, but my responsibility. And next time it could be Ron. Or you." He met her eyes. "I think I can endure some hours of extra studying, if it means I don't someday find myself speaking the curse that takes your or Ron's life."

Because that was now his greatest fear. Ginny had proved that he could sacrifice his friends; now he would do whatever it took to see to it that he never had to. He might survive making that trade; he wasn't sure his soul would.

His attention was pulled back when Hermione started silently gathering up her books and supplies. "Hermione?"

She packed in her inkwell and stood. "Come on, it's almost time for lunch. I can go pick up the catalogue from my room after we eat. In the meantime, do you want to know what I know about Voldemort's rise to power?

He smiled as he slung his book bag over his shoulder and walked after her. "Sure."

"All right. First, you have to realize that he managed to get fairly far along before rumours of his existence reached the Ministry of the day. The defeat of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald, and the collapse of his power structure and allies, not only provided a smoke-screen of confusion for years afterwards, but lured the powers of the day into complacency. No one was expecting the rise of a new dark wizard so soon after the defeat of the previous one…"

Listening raptly, Harry followed her out of the library.

Their voices faded into the distance as they continued to the great hall. Left behind them, a figure hidden in the shadows of the stacks exhaled. He hadn't planned to eavesdrop, although once he'd heard part of the discussion there was no way he could have walked away. Now he had to decide what to do with what he had learned.

Not that he'd overheard anything that could really be considered too much of a secret. The Boy-Who-Lived was studying history? Send a notice to the Prophet! But it was the way Potter had talked; the reasons for his interest and the way he was approaching it.

Hermione Granger was not the only one who would have expected Harry Potter to head straight to the DADA shelves.

And those soft revelations at the end!

He'd grown up with all the same stories and rumors about the Boy-Who-Lived that every wizarding child grew up with, but when he'd seen him in Hogwarts the boy had seemed rather… ordinary. He didn't have an instinctive grasp of magic. He didn't excel at his studies. He didn't have alliances with all the houses, or a group of devoted followers or the teachers' unstinting regard. He didn't, in fact, appear at all different from any other ordinary Gryffindor boy.

Ordinary Gryffindor boys had not killed four people by the time they were thirteen.

And, he thought with just a touch of shocked hilarity, Potter still has a few more months to add to that count before his next birthday.

It would make more sense, he thought dimly, attempting to reconcile what he'd thought he'd known with what he'd just heard, if Potter's a raging psychopath of some sorts. But Potter really just wasn't. He was always polite. He would defend anyone from being picked on. He never started fights, although he didn't back down from them either. He'd chip in good naturedly in school projects. The parselmouth ability had been rather surprising, but he himself had, in fact, only been rather darkly amused at the whole 'heir of Slytherin' nonsense. Harry Potter was not the type to walk around petrifying other children out of childish spite.

At least I judged that one right.

He'd gone to some lengths to present himself as quietly apolitical in his house, and he'd consequently managed to avoid most of the power games a contemporary of Draco Malfoy would otherwise be forced to endure. He hadn't paid much attention to the Boy-Who-Lived other than his own casual curiosity, and for the occasional enjoyment derived from watching Malfoy fume helplessly. But if what he'd just heard was any indication, the public knowledge about Harry Potter and his exploits wasn't even half the true story.

He might quietly keep an eye out next year. He wasn't sure exactly why or what he was looking for, but he had a feeling Harry Potter might turn out to be more interesting than he'd expected. Might, in fact, one day become what his grandmother called a pegwyn, a pivot.

And in the meantime?

It sounded like Lucius Malfoy might want to start watching his back.

Harry 's books arrived at breakfast on the last day of term. He picked up the small parcel of shrunken books and tucked it in his bag without opening it. After breakfast he'd see if he could get an older student to cast notice-me-not charms on each of the books, maybe one of the prefects. He did not plan for them to stay locked in his trunk all summer, and hopefully the charms might prevent his aunt and uncle from noticing the presence of magic books in case of an accident. It'd be even easier if he could get a time-released unshrinking spell on them – he'd be able to just pocket them, avoiding the effort of smuggling them up to his room – but as the Ministry apparently couldn't differentiate between his spells and a house elf's, he wouldn't bet they could tell his spells from another student's either.

Thinking of which, he really should see about getting that previous warning cleared.

The train ride was long and uneventful. He 'd said his goodbyes to Seamus and Dean in the tower that morning, so they were having fun farther up the train. Neville stopped by to talk for a little bit, but for the most part he and Hermione had been left alone. His uncle's greetings had been as charming and convivial as ever, and the trip back to the house was made in silence. Harry found an opportunity to slip down and pick the lock on the cupboard while the Dursleys were eating dinner, and stashing his gains was quickly done. Really important things, and things he'd not thought to get charmed – his invisibility cloak, his album, and some extra food – were hidden under the loose floorboard. His school books and the books from Flourish and Blott's – all charmed unnoticeable by a friendly seventh year – were simply shoved out of plain sight under his bed. Since Petunia never cleaned his room, he figured they'd be safe enough from casual glances in the course of snooping.

At any rate, he was easily done in time to look perfectly innocent when his uncle came by to ensure he wasn't doing any "funny" business. Hedwig was padlocked inside her cage over his protests – a state of affairs he was determined to quickly rectify – and gave a quiet, mournful hoot when he gave her an owl treat.

Then he sat down on his bed, pulled out a blank sheet of parchment, ink, and a quill, and began to scheme.

When he 'd gone to Dumbledore to return the Hat – and to hand over the diary – he'd asked some questions about what he'd managed to do with Gryffindor's sword. Before, he'd sort of assumed that, once a wizard started training, accidental magic wouldn't happen anymore. This turned out to be an only halfway accurate summation of events.

Once a child entered training, accidental magic – magic the witch or wizard didn't mean to do, didn't even realize they were doing, often enough – did stop happening. But, Dumbledore had asked him with a serious gaze, had he truly not meant for Lucius Malfoy to be hurt?

Remembering his overwhelming desire to see the senior Malfoy's blood, he wasn't sure he could honestly say yes.

And that, Dumbledore had explained, was the difference between accidental magic and uncontrolled magic. A subset of wandless magic, uncontrolled magic was just that – magic that happened when, usually due to strong emotions, a wizard or witch lost control over their power.

The headmaster had laughed a little when he immediately burst into a flurry of questions, most of which boiled down to "why use wands?", but he had answered them.

The drawback to uncontrolled magic was that it wasn't strong. No, that wasn't quite how Dumbledore had put it; the problem was that it wasn't focused. His anger at Lucius Malfoy had flung a sword, but it could have just as easily only shattered windows, or have set his robes on fire, or have shoved the man back several paces. The point was that there was no way Harry could know. And if he got placed into the same situation a second time, the uncontrolled magic might manifest differently.

All of which meant it really was next to useless in a duel. As strong as it might be, scattered around a wizard or witch without direction it couldn't do the same kind of damage in the way a curse or hex could. A simple shield is all it takes to fend off most attacks from uncontrolled magic. If Malfoy had held his wand close to hand, that was all it would have taken to halt the Gryffindor sword. And it wasn't exactly fast or a surprise attack. It usually took a bit of time to build up, and it could manifest a variety of secondary magical effects as warning signs: flickering lights, a small breeze, tremors as if the wizard or witch stood at the epicenter of a small earthquake...

So it wouldn't be any use it fighting Voldemort or Death Eaters. Which is fine, he thought, smiling. Because I suspect I just might have another use for it...

When he'd inquired – in his absolute best tone of pure idle curiosity – whether Ministry monitoring wards picked up uncontrolled as well as wanded magic, (since they didn't seem to pick up - or at least punish - accidental magic), Dumbledore had paused, pulled down his half-moon spectacles, and looked at him.

He 'd looked down, fighting a blush, and made a note to work on his 'pure, idle curiosity' tone.

Somewhat to his astonishment, Dumbledore had told him that it might be picked up if strong enough, but there were no laws against it. A loophole, he'd added, and not a sanction.

Then, making a somewhat cryptic comment about the wisdom of judgment and restraint, he'd handed Harry a lemon drop and sent him on to his Transfiguration exam.

Sometimes, I really like that man.

Which all brought him to tonight, waiting for the Dursleys to retire to bed, so Harry could sneak out and see what he could accomplish.

For his plan to work, he didn't need his magic to be controlled, or predictable, or powerful. All he needed was to be sure that he could make something abnormal happen at will.

If he could, well, tomorrow would be Sunday, and his uncle would be home. It just might be time to negotiate.

1:07 AM.

He rolled off the bed, grabbed his wand, and tiptoed out the front door. Then he paused for a moment, thinking.

He didn't want to go too far from the safety of the house. Not that he was really worried about his ability to defend himself from a muggle mugger, but the whole idea behind this affair was to not get himself brought up on improper use of magic charges.

On the other hand, the neighbourhood around Privet Drive was undoubtedly one of the safer suburbs, and he was leery of making his first attempt at deliberate uncontrolled magic on his aunt and uncle's front lawn. He really, really, didn't want to wake them if noise occurred, and in plain sight of half a dozen muggle houses, minimum, was probably not the best place to work magic.

The park it is, then.

It was a short walk, no more than ten minutes, and it proved to be thankfully deserted. He settled down in a small alcove in the bushes. There, shielded from sight on three sides, he tried to figure out how to not only call his magic up, but to let it slip its leash enough to manifest. The opposite, after two years of Hogwarts studies, was second nature. Figuring out exactly how to reverse it would require some fumbling.

Twenty minutes later he tossed away the stone he'd been focusing on in disgust.

That had been splendidly unsuccessful.

What am I missing?

One hand twisted strands of grass together as he thought. Hadn't Dumbledore said something about it normally happening in times of strong emotion? He hadn't mandated exactly which emotion, but the only one that had worked for Harry so far appeared to be anger. It's worth a try, anyway.

He snapped off a branch from the bush beside him, and set it on the grass to give him something to focus on. Then, feeling somewhat reluctant, he closed his eyes and summoned images to the fore. Lucius Malfoy's sneering face, Hermione's petrified body, Riddle's taunting voice, the horror of knowing he had no choice, Ginny's death, Ron's pain, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's betrayed looks – he took his anger and he fed it his guilt and his horror and his pain, transforming fear and grief into tongues of fire that licked at his self-control. Distantly, he heard the brush around him rustle, as if a gust had come up, but only distantly. Higher and higher he built it, till anger flared to fury. Then he opened his eyes, and focused it all on the twig in front of him.

The wood exploded, splinters flying everywhere.

He flung his hands up as he turned his face away, but he wasn't quite quick enough to shield himself from the flying wooden shrapnel. He felt a sharp sting as a larger piece sliced his cheek as it flew by, and he hissed in pain as smaller splinters peppered his hands and forearms. After a few seconds of stillness, he slowly brought his hands down, wincing as he looked at himself.

Dumbledore could have mentioned that when he said uncontrolled magic was dangerous, he'd meant to both the target and the caster!

Alternating swearing, wincing, and hissing, he slowly started to pull splinters out. When he was finished, there were small beads of blood across his hands and arms, and he was becoming somewhat dubious about the project.

He definitely needed to try this another way.

First, because that had made him feel sick. Creating that much hatred and rage… he shuddered. He wasn't entirely comfortable knowing he could feel like that, and he didn't want to feel it too often. Certainly not when he was only trying to rattle the Dursleys! Besides, it felt like he was using his friends' pain, exploiting it. He could do that if he had to – would do it, if necessary – but pulling that out for what would be parlor tricks with his wand just felt like he was demeaning both them and himself.

Besides, he reflected wryly, that wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for.

He wasn't, after all, trying to kill his aunt and uncle. Nor was he trying to break their stuff, (although a small, dark part of him idly wished he could). All that would do is make his uncle more difficult. No, what he was going for was, what had Dumbledore called it? The secondary manifestations of primary magical phenomena. The flickering lights, the sudden breeze – not at all dangerous, but to a family who loathed his kind, positively unnerving.

Rage, it seemed, was more likely to make his magic try to incinerate them.

Usually strong emotion implied not always. Maybe emotion just made it easier? He closed his eyes again and tried to recall exactly what it had felt like, not emotionally, but with his magic. But as much as he sought back to that moment, he couldn't remember anything but the rage. He grimaced, raising a hand to tentatively probe the small cut on his cheek. All of which meant that, if he wasn't giving up on his idea, he'd have to try again.

But this time, definitely without the stick.

An hour and a quarter later, it was just beyond half past three in the morning when he rose and staggered home.

It had taken him five more tries that night before he'd been able to separate himself from the tempest of his emotions enough to find the comparative whisper of his magic being released. Three more tries after that, closely paying attention to the sensation, before he thought he understood fully what was happening.

And what was happening seemed somewhat paradoxical.

When he unleashed uncontrolled magic it was an act of both pushing and letting go at the same time, much like trying to move an object by hand without touching it.

The difficulty, therefore, was rather obvious.

Part of uncontrolled magic was instinctive – wizards and witches apparently grabbed for their magic when distressed. That's why Neville had bounced instead of getting seriously injured when he was tossed out a window, and was one of the reasons why magical people were far less likely to die in an accident than muggles. Quidditch played by wizards and witches was dangerous, if fun.

Quidditch played by muggles, if they could figure out how, would be fatal.

He remembered reading about it last year, in one of the earlier chapters of Introduction to Magical Theory, but until now he hadn't really understood what the textbook meant. And strong emotion – as a fairly good indication of significant distress – roused the magic normally held in quiescent discipline by the wizard or witch.

That was the first part of it.

The second part followed naturally. Normally, the wizard only calls magic when about to channel it into a spell. So there you have a furious or terrified wizard, pulling his magic up by the bucket loads, and not paying attention to it in the slightest. The magic, meanwhile, is active, and the control that normally moulds it into concentrated energy patterns is gone. So the magic just continued to gather 'til even vague, unspecified desires could give it form. Or more often, a target.

But before that point, that much magic - charged magic, active with anger or fear - concentrated in one place but with only the vaguest direction, usually had effects on the natural world around it.

Having figured out how it felt, however, actually attempting it without the fury was shelved for another night.

Right now his head was pounding, he felt like throwing up, he was completely emotionally exhausted, and at five hours past the time he normally went to sleep, he was physically exhausted too. He nearly tripped over Dudley 's discarded trainers, and a hasty grab at the hall table was all that saved him from a fall. A glass of water from the kitchen tap, and he headed up for bed.

Vaguely, he hoped the Dursleys might be so displeased at having him back that they were simply glad not to be forced to put up with his presence for breakfast.

Right now he felt like he could sleep for a week.

His prayers were not answered.

His aunt 's persistent rapping at the door at last roused him, and if his eventual "I'm up, Aunt Petunia," sounded less than amiable, at least it wasn't the snarl he'd almost greeted her with. And no wonder, he thought, blearily staring at the alarm clock. Three and a half hours of sleep is far too little to expect anyone to be human.

He checked his arms, but while the various pricks still hurt, none of them were obvious to casual scrutiny. The slice on his cheek was more problematic, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He ran his hands through his hair, changed his clothes, and, figuring he'd done all he could without a mirror, headed to the kitchen.

Breakfast was made quickly and without complaint, and his uncle's suspicious "What happened to your face, boy?" was easily satisfied by a fabrication about tripping over his shoes last night. Their obvious amusement over this he bore stoically.

His uncle's gruff orders about what was expected from him this summer – no freakishness, do whatever chores he was assigned, stay out of their way – actually dovetailed rather nicely with his own plans for studying. After six years of experience, washing and drying the dishes was quick work, as was mowing the lawn and weeding. He finished up at ten, took a fifteen minute shower, and headed back to his bed, setting the alarm to wake him in two hours to make lunch. After the lunch dishes were done his aunt didn't have anything for him to do – his uncle was taking Dudley to the movies, so he got out of washing the car – and he returned upstairs to his room, his afternoon his own. Pulling Insurrection: the history and tactics of Dark Lords from under his bed, he propped his chin on his hand and started reading.

And so the weeks passed.

His reading of history continued slowly, and he interspersed it with other subjects. He'd decided to go through his older textbooks, (or older portions of his textbook), making sure he understood everything where before he'd been happy to "get by." Back in primary school he'd pretty much been forced to teach himself math from the book, and he'd noticed that when he had a problem understanding a section, the answer was usually something he hadn't really understood a few sections back. He didn't see any reason why that should be different with magic.

Besides, quizzing himself as he attempted to memorize entries from 1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi - which was used up till NEWT level potions – was a welcome break from the monotony. (Magical theory, despite his new-found resolve, was still not his strong point.) He actually wasn't sure how well his resolution to totally change his study habits would have gone (determination versus a twelve-year-old's attention span, he admitted to himself, no matter how motivated, was chancy at best) if not for two things. One, he wasn't at Hogwarts. He didn't have any friends here. He didn't have any games here. He didn't have any freedom here. In fact, he didn't have anything here, except for his magic books. Memorizing magical plants might be boring (except, yeah, there was that section about the man-eating ones, and then the part about the acid spitting ones which was, well, kind of cool…) but it was still more interesting than sitting in his room, staring at the walls.

The second thing that kept him from slacking off was that he had started to find a lot of the stuff kind of interesting. Oh, not all of it. For every man-eating plant out there there were twice as many perfectly harmless ones, but history was actually kind of cool when you read it less like a history textbook and more like a military book. He still couldn't wade through all the various developments creating the International Confederacy of Wizards, or the names of the Ministers of Magic, or the creation of a regularized standard of wand production, without yawning and his thoughts starting to drift, (several of his books had found themselves shoved back under the bed, abandoned, despite his resolve) but reading about various battles? That was just wicked.

Some of the stuff some of these Dark Lords had come up with had been just gross (he shuddered, remembering a section on the torture techniques of one seventeenth century Austrian Dark Lord) but it had also been sort of sickly fascinating. And the next section, which described how it was because of the barbarity of that wizard's tortures that enough people rebelled, and comparing that act to several other incidents in history where Dark Lords had crossed over the line from being feared-more-than-hated to being hated-more-than-feared… well, yeah, he was finding it all unexpectedly interesting.

Which was good, because although he had, in fact, included a few more Defense books in his order than he'd perhaps led Hermione to believe, he'd held true to mainly focusing on subjects that didn't require casting. This way, he'd figured, when he got back to Hogwarts where he could cast spells, he wouldn't have to waste extra time on things like potions or herbology.

His nocturnal progress was somewhat slower, but he'd kept at it. He was, he thought, nearly ready. It'd been well and fine to simply do his chores and retreat to his room for the beginning of the summer, but he had to meet with Ron. Had to talk to him in person. For that he had to be able to move about freely. His relatives and he had existed in a state of happily ignoring each other, (save for when Harry took directions on various chores), but now he needed more. He'd never actually expect his relatives to help him with anything, but he needed to make sure they wouldn't hinder him, either. Which, he knew, they'd do for spite if given the chance.

So he 'd needed something to… convince them.

His uncontrolled magic was the key.

In the absence of emotion, deliberately calling on uncontrolled magic took a strange twist of thought and formidable power, but it wasn't tremendously difficult. Trying to tame it enough, once released, to ensure nothing happened he didn't wish to happen, and all that happened was what he did wish to happen, was what took ferocious strength of mind. Once he'd learned to call it up without emotion, (a feet of several weeks alone), it'd taken weeks more of practice before he learned enough control to make sure he could do the most basic of things – gather enough magic to force electric appliances to flicker, cause things around him to shake, or the air to begin feeling heavy. He wasn't positive how much more it'd take to shatter glass – thank Merlin he'd thought to get his glasses charmed unbreakable in his first year – but he was pretty sure he could do it without difficulty.

Tomorrow, he'd talk to his uncle about his new status of freedom. His letter to Ron was already waiting, and Hedwig knew to be back by tomorrow eve.

Part of him hoped there would be no need for… dramatics, but he knew his aunt and uncle too well to really expect everything to go smoothly.

The other part of him was looking forward to it.

But no matter what happens, he acknowledged to himself, after tomorrow, things are going to be different.

Chapter End

Notes:

- Harry knowing how to pick locks is in the book.

- No, Dumbledore did not use legilimency on Harry. He's been a teacher and the headmaster of a school for decades, you think he doesn't have a good idea what Harry is scheming towards?

Next Chapter:

Something had happened with his parents and Harry. Something that had to be related to his sister's death. What it was, he didn't know, but they'd grown subtlety uncomfortable with his mentions of his best friend, and his mother delicately discouraging of their friendship.

He'd started simply not mentioning Harry at all, and noted carefully their hidden relief.

In his mind, Harry's words repeated.

5. temper the steel

Forging the Sword
Chapter Five: Temper the Steel

"You want me to what?" The glass tabletop of the side table rattled audibly under the force of his uncle's mug as it was set down. Harry's eyes flicked down to it momentarily, then he returned his gaze to his uncle, reminding himself - again - that he wasn't trying to escalate this. However difficult Uncle sometimes makes that...

"I want you to sign the permission form to let me go to Hogsmeade, and to give me the money for a cab to King's Cross so I can go to Diagon Alley on Sunday."

Uncle Vernon's cheeks were turning ruddy. "We already make the trip twice a year just so you can go to that freakish school. Now you want us to pay for it whenever you feel like going shopping? Preposterous! And you can forget ever getting that formed signed. Now get back to your chores. The house better be spotless when Marge comes next week!"

Harry took a deep breath, wondering, for a second, if he was really going to do this. Really thought he could. Then he let the breath out, carefully controlled, and stared at his uncle's face. "Uncle," he said, "I'm not asking. I'm demanding."

His uncle stilled, and his face began to turn even redder, before he relaxed and let out a harsh bark of laughter. "And what are you going to do? You can't use magic during the summer, or you'll be expelled. No, I think you'll not be demanding anything. In fact, I don't think you'll be bothering us at all. A few weeks in your room ought to do you some good."

His uncle was looking entirely too pleased with the idea; if he didn't act fast, he'd find himself forcibly dragged to the room, and locked in till weeks beyond the day Ron said he would meet him. And that... That I can't let happen.

"Wrong," he said, and he was slightly surprised at how coolly it came out, because although he often baited his uncle, he'd never outright defied him.

"Wrong?" his uncle echoed dumbly.

"Wrong. It's not that I can't do magic over the summer, uncle, it's just that I can't use my wand. And now that I've figured a way around it, if you ever want any peace ever again, you'll comply to my demands." Please let this work. I don't want to have to find out whether or not I'm bluffing. Reaching out, he gathered his magic as he'd practiced for the past month, and as the lights began to flicker, he raised an eyebrow at the figure across the room from him.

"What the- boy! Are you doing this?"

"Sign the paper, and give me the money. I'll pay you back."

His uncle looked more upset than furious - and uncertain, which boded well, he thought - until the tableau was broken by an unexpected appearance.

"Vernon? Vernon! The power's gone out, I knew we should have switched over to British Energy, Ceilia and I were talking about it just this Tuesday..." As his aunt stepped into the living room, her words faltered. "Vernon? What's... What's going on?"

He spoke before his uncle had time to. "It's nothing, Aunt Petunia." He didn't take his eyes off his uncle. "Uncle Vernon was just going to sign my permission form, and lend me some money."

"What the... Vernon? Is he..." Her voice dropped to a horrified whisper, "is he doing this?" Harry twitched, upping the amount of magic he was gathering, hoping to end it quickly.

Several knick-knacks across the room started shaking, and a persistent rattling drew his eyes back to the side table, where the glass mug shaking on the glass table began to make noise. Unfortunately, the noise also seemed to shake his relatives out of their shock rather than shocking them further, and his aunt shrieked, "Vernon! Make him stop!"

His wife's presence seemed to propel his uncle forward. "Now boy, stop this immediately." In the battle between horror and anger, horror had lost, and his uncle's face was rapidly getting redder.

He gritted his teeth, refusing to back down. "Sign the paper."

"Boy!"

The shaking around the room got more pronounced, and the glass mug had begun to walk itself closer to the edge of the side table. His own temper was beginning to slip. "Sign it."

"If you don't stop now..." His uncle took one step forward, then another.

Don't let this turn physical. He watched the large man warily, "Sign. It."

Finally reaching the end of the table, the mug tipped over and landed on the carpeted floor, breaking in several pieces with a loud crack. His aunt let out a small scream. His uncle lunged, and he felt a start of alarm rush through him -

Every piece of glassware in the room exploded.

What? How-?

His aunt gave a louder scream. His uncle shouted as several shards of glass sprayed across his pants. Dudley ran into the room, then froze, staring.

Did I-?

"You, what, boy-"

"Uncle Vernon," He began, cutting across whatever his uncle had been about to say. "Sign the note, and have the money waiting tomorrow morning. Or it'll only get worse." Then he spun and stalked up to his room.

It wasn't 'til the door was closed and locked that he let himself slump against the door, shaking, as he stared at his hands.

I didn't mean to do that.

Come on, Ron. Five minute's past - and you were the one who picked the time and place. Green eyes flicked over the crowd visible through Foretscue's front windows, and he shifted restlessly in his seat as another customer entered the shop. Nobody was staring at him, but he was still twitchy from the previous murmurs that had followed him down the Alley, and the begged notice-me-not charm from Foretscue wasn't invisibility. If someone looked hard enough, they'd realize something was out of place.

And eventually, someone probably would. Subtle though the spell was, he was in a cafe full of trained wizards and witches. Too much to hope for, that the quiet blurring of the spell, the subtle twist that guided minds with a gentle nothing to see, nothing of interest, would not of itself rouse inquest. Wizards and witches were so bloody curious. They'd tickle a dragon to see what happened. Put a misdirection ward up, and they'd want to know why.

On the street outside, sunlight glinted gold off hair a distinctive red-orange hue. Weasley hair, he thought, and Ron hadn't been joking when he called it one of the more distinctive wizarding family traits.

He kept his seat, waiting, as Ron stepped into the shop, eyes scanning for him. The notice-me-not charm served as a thin veil, but it would not hide against someone who knew exactly what he was looking for, knew that it was there to be found... Ron's blue eyes met his, and under focused attention the charm's influence burned away like morning fog touched by sunlight.

He nodded to his friend, and Ron crossed the floor to sit across from him.

He wanted to say hello and I was worried and I'm sorry, but he didn't know what Ron knew. Almost two months since he'd seen Ron last, and no letters during the summer. The terse reply he'd received from his missive of a few days ago had offered little hope, although he took it as a good sign Ron hadn't simply told him to go to hell. His stomach was in knots about what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley might have told him - how they might have told it. So instead he only asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything." The word was flat. Demand and plea in one.

Which meant- "Your parent's haven't told you anything?"

"No." The short reply carried an universe of emotion within it, halting the wave of relief he'd felt in its tracks. In Ron's voice bitterness mixed with hurt, betrayal touched pain, and all of it was almost buried under the fierce thrum of an anger that burned. "They're not ready. Or I'm not ready. Someone's not ready. They weren't very clear." One hand clenched hard on the table, knuckles white. "But I went to them and asked them who gave Ginny the diary, and they said they couldn't tell me. Couldn't. It's not can't, it's won't. They lied to me - for almost two months, they've lied to me. They buggering well know who." Ron's gaze shifted to meet his straight on. "And so do you." Blue eyes burned into him and it was - hard - not to flinch.

Ron had always had a hair-trigger temper; quick to take insult, quick to jump into a fight. Prickly, protective and defensive at turns, and God knew he could hold a grudge over the silliest of things. But this, this was different. This wasn't anger. This was rage. This was the urge to strike out, to hurt as he was hurting, to ease your own suffering with the suffering of others. It was something he'd never seen in Ron before, and for one second he almost doubted the wisdom in sharing what Lucius Malfoy had done. Almost doubted because, God, he could almost understand now the decision Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had made. Because the tone in Ron's voice scared him; because he was afraid that, with Ron feeling like this, he was more than capable of doing something very, very, stupid.

Almost.

But he had his own memories of rage. He'd felt it on a cold stone floor, as Ginny's life drained away. He'd felt it in an office later, staring at Lucius Malfoy's contemptuous face. He'd called it and chained it and used it in the weeks past, twisting emotion into a weapon to rouse magic within him. If he was an adult maybe Ron would scare him, maybe the idea of a kid angry enough to kill would scare him.

But he was a kid, too. And he had his own body-count.

And this was Ron.

"Okay," he said finally. "Let me start from when we separated..."

My best friend killed my sister. Ron stared down at the wizarding chess board, pieces temporarily in suspended sleep, their quiet and frozen figures a fierce contrast from the lively personalities the animation charms gave them. He reached out a freckled hand and picked up a pawn. Or sacrificed her. The result was the same. And knowing this, he was supposed to do... what?

He had a good idea how he'd have reacted if he'd learned about it at the same time he'd learned of Ginny's death. He'd have gone for his friend with his fists. But he wasn't the same Ron he'd been, those last few weeks of last term. Not after the past two months.

Months of silences, of catching his mother crying when she thought he couldn't see. Months of an emptiness at the table, of a subdued father and older brothers who were acting wrong. The twins spent more time with each other than ever, and they'd stopped playing pranks since their first one had resulted in their mother screaming in fury before breaking down into tears. She'd apologized, but everyone had seen the cracks, and no one could forget.

There'd not been a prank since.

And Percy... he didn't know what was going on with Percy. His brother had always been a stuck up prig, and although the arrogance seemed partially intact, the pompous self-importance was gone. So was the overbearing nosiness that had prompted an older brother to look unwanted into his business - and just occasionally help him with it, albeit with an attitude that had made Ron want to deck him.

He'd never thought he'd miss it.

But he'd spent most of the summer alone, out in the field or in his room. Playing chess against the Black King, wondering, waiting. Needing to know what happened. Wanting to forget. Feeling betrayed. Knowing his parents were lying to him. And with every broken tradition in his family, every silence, every tear, hating. Hating so hard and fiercely that he scared himself sometimes, because he was beginning to wonder if soon he'd be nothing but hate. The days passed and weeks turned to months, and he didn't know who to hate, didn't know what to target, and the rage had only burned brighter instead of burning out.

There'd been a few weeks in there that he'd hated Harry too.

He'd been furious at him for failing, for walking away unharmed when Ginny was dead, furious at him for living. But he had remembered tear tracks, and exhaustion, and black robes that didn't quite manage to hide the blood. He had remembered a limp, and a quiet voice, and a sword that gleamed like silver, even in darkness. And as a few weeks had passed, the hate had faded.

And now, now when otherwise he might have expected to find loathing there where once he'd felt love for his friend... it wasn't. He'd forgiven Harry months before he ever learned the details of the matter, and now that he knew...

He also knew other things.

He was the only one willing to tell me the truth. Willing to tell me who was responsible. Willing to swear vengeance.

No, he didn't need to hate Harry. (And there was relief in deciding that, because he thought it might have broken him, had he been forced to shatter his friendship with the only person he'd still been sure he could trust.) Not when Harry had given him the thing he wanted (second) most in the world.

(The killer of) his sister.

Harry sighed as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. He'd come so close to not coming back after his brief freedom in Diagon. Especially since, from the looks his aunt and uncle had been giving him as they shoved money into his hand earlier that morning, he wasn't entirely sure he'd not wake up one night to his uncle trying to smother him with a pillow. The only thing that had forced him back was not seeing any other option. Somehow, he thought even in the Wizarding world a thirteen year old living entirely unaccompanied by an adult in a hotel would raise eyebrows. He didn't want people thinking he'd run away. He especially didn't want people talking to the Dursleys, trying to figure out why.

Not until he figured out what had happened. Or why, rather, the what was obvious. Too much power, too little control. But I could have hurt somebody - really hurt them. Which would be acceptable if I meant to do it, but... not just because I was surprised while holding onto power. Not when I might be surprised when my friends are around. He'd come within minutes of writing a panicked letter to Hermione - Hermione, who always knew the answers to his questions, or would work tirelessly to find them until she did - but he'd come to his senses at the last moment. Or chickened out. The descriptions were probably equally valid, as he considered Hermione's likely opinion on his tactics to force his uncle's compliance. The thought of that lecture was enough to make him wince.

But... well, he hadn't noticed until yesterday's wake-up call, but he wasn't sure his experiments in uncontrolled magic weren't having a bad effect. He'd spent the first months of his first year learning control, discipline, and how to channel and shape his magic to his will. Until the incident in Dumbledore's office with the sword, he hadn't manifested any accidental or uncontrolled magic in over a year. But now...

Now when he got too unsettled, his magic swirled. Startle him too badly while he was working with it, and things got broken. He felt like he could work with his magic easier, but he didn't like being this out of control. It was dangerous and it was stupid- and he only had a few weeks to get it under control before the start of the term.

Otherwise, well.

The moment he shattered every potion vial in Snape's potion labs on accident, Hermione's lectures would be the least of his worries.

Rolling over on his side, he propped himself on an elbow, and stared at the wadded half-inch ball of paper he'd set on the bed stand, visualized goal firmly in mind. He grinned as it lifted into the air by the barest increments... but it lifted. And slowly, slowly, it moved. Even the half hour it took before he'd been able to finish negotiating five painstaking circles around his desk lamp (an improvement from the four he'd been able to manage last week) couldn't dull his spirit. The surge of excitement he felt on it finding its way back to where it started made him grin... and set the ball on fire.

He swore as he dropped his sweater on top of it, putting it out.

Right, let's try that once more.

Taking a deep breath, he began the exercise again. He'd be at Hogwarts in two weeks, and lack of control was not an acceptable option.

Not when he'd be around his friends.

Her friends had changed.

Peeking around the edge of the large tome in her lap, Hermione bit her lip and watched them worriedly. Well, of course they'd change, she reminded herself, after Ginny's death, we all changed.

Even me.

Not so much because of Ginny's death - it was a horrible tragedy, but truthfully, she'd barely known the younger girl, aside from a vague awareness of her as "Ron's little sister." Yearmates in Hogwarts - especially during the younger years - tended to be tight-knit within their own circle. She shared neither dorm room nor classes with Ginny Weasley, and the younger redhead had been far too shy to approach Harry Potter or his best friends.

But Ginny's death...

She glanced up again. Ron was scowling out the window at the passing countryside and Harry was brooding over a book. She'd glanced at the title earlier: "An Analysis of Auror Actions in the Grindelwald Conflict." Four months ago, Harry would never have picked that book up. Four months ago, Ron would never be so quiet.

Four months ago, she wouldn't have been just sitting there, afraid to break the silence.

They're hurting. They're hurting and they're furious, and I have no idea what to do.

And there's something they're not telling me.

Hermione was smart. She knew she was smart. It was a fact, determined by her genes, and her high IQ was as unremarkable to her as her bushy hair. A gift from her parents, born of them. Nothing for her to be proud of. The use she'd put that intelligence to, however... The way they greeted each other on the train. The way Harry's not pushing Ron to talk. The way Ron isn't demanding an explanation from Harry... sometime over the summer, they talked. Letters or a meeting, they talked.

Something neither of them had done with her. Despite the letters she'd sent to them.

She absentmindedly flipped a page, wondering if her aggravation was irrational. She didn't expect them to tell her everything but.. darn it, one of them could say something to her! Why the hell didn't she choose females for best friends? If Harry and Ron were girls, they'd already have talked everything out months ago. What had happened, how they felt, what to do next. Instead, she got... silence.

A whole summer of silence.

The sliding of the compartment door interrupted her brooding, and she dropped her book on accident. Wincing - her book!- she leaned down and scooped it up, then sat back up. Ron was sitting right across from her, so she had a direct view of his face as he registered who was standing in the doorway - and rage flashed across his it. Surprised, she whipped her head around.

Draco Malfoy and his minions were standing in the doorway. "Well well, look who's here. Scarhead. Mudblood. Weasel."

She glared, setting her book on the seat compartment next to her, leaving her hands free. Ron already had his wand gripped in his hand, knuckles white from pressure. Harry was staring at Draco coolly, face otherwise expressionless. She spoke up without much hope, "Go away, Malfoy. No one wants you here."

He stuck his nose higher in the air and continued on, drawling and snooty at his best, "Why so down? Mourning the littlest Weasel?" She gasped, astonished that even he would dare bring that up. Ron's hands clenched.

Harry slowly stood. "Back off, Malfoy. Back off right now." She glanced at his face, then shivered. His eyes were like green chips of ice. Which is why she could barely believe Draco's stupidity when he opened his mouth again.

"I don't know what you're crying about, I'd have thought the Weasels would be happy. One less mouth to feed. Unless, perhaps, they'd made other arrangements?" It's like watching a train wreck, Hermione thought, as Malfoy's voice turned slyly insinuating. "Is that why you're so worked up, Potty? Had you and the Weasel worked out an arrangement for when the girl grew up? Something for her to earn her keep? Though the family's poor enough, probably wouldn't take more than a few galleons... "

The last word was practically drowned out by Ron's bellow of rage. She was still staring in shock when Ron's fist hit Malfoy's face.

Blood literally flew. Malfoy dropped his wand and stumbled backwards out of the compartment, shrieking like a child. Ron followed him. She watched, not quite sure what to do. On the one hand, she probably should stop this, but the things Malfoy had said... Then she saw Crabbe going for his wand, and the decision was suddenly very easy. "Stupefy! Stupefy!"

The hours of practice in her room paid off. Her pronunciation was perfect; her flick precise. The additional difficulty of actually channeling her magic into the spell was minimal. Two beams of light flicked out; two bodies hit the floor.

Harry's surprised glance felt good. She met it with narrowed eyes. The smallest of smiles touched his face, then another strangled shriek brought their attention back to Ron and Malfoy.

She winced, seeing the blood on Malfoy's face, and stepped forward to interfere-

Harry's arm shot in front of her. "No. Don't, Hermione."

She met his gaze squarely. "He's taking it too far."

"Hermione, there's things you don't know." She wasn't surprised by the information, but neither was she pleased. Nor did that change her opinion. Her expression must have communicated that, because he sighed. "Hermione, trust me. Please."

Trust him. After the last two years, how could she not trust him? But... "Two minutes. After that, if you don't do something, I will." Looking back at the pair on the floor, she winced again.

It was a slaughter.

Ron was taller, heavier, and meaner. He'd also been raised with five older brothers. Without a wand, Malfoy never really had a chance.

The commotion was starting to catch attention, though, noise dampening spells on each compartment or not. A small crowd had begun to gather. Malfoy was curled around himself, barely fighting, and down the corridor Hermione could see prefect badges. "Harry!"

He nodded and stepped forward. "Ron." The redhead didn't turn. "Ron!" A wave of something thrummed through the room, then a gust of cold air. It caught the redhead's attention; blue eyes dark with fury glanced back. Green met them unflinching. Then, quieter: "Ron, enough." A glance at the worried and furious faces approaching, some bearing badges, and he added, "Besides, authority is here."

Ron followed his glance, looked down, then rose and stepped back. Looked down at the unmoving Malfoy again, gaze poisonous. "If you ever call Ginny a whore again, I won't stop here." Ignoring the gasps around him as the comment carried, he whirled and strode back into the compartment, stepping over Crabbe and Goyle's stunned bodies without pause.

"Hermione." The word was enough to let her know what Harry wanted, and she stared at him hard for a second before she decided making sure Ron was okay was more important than raking Harry over hot coals.

But as soon as this was over, they were going to have a talk.

Rue touched his expression, and he nodded. She just narrowed her eyes and sniffed, then stepped carefully around the bodies in front of the door to the compartment, sliding the door fully closed behind her as she entered.

She looked at Ron, who was back to staring at the countryside.

A long talk.

Watching Hermione imperially dismiss him with a sniff, he shook his head. I'm going to pay for that, I suspect.

Trust me, he'd said. And she'd been willing to follow his lead, aware he had information she didn't. But if he didn't justify himself sufficiently later...

All of Hogwarts knew that he and Ron had tempers. Far fewer realized Hermione did too.

And in defense of what she thought was right, she could make even Ron back down.

Although speaking of Ron in a temper, it was time to face the results of his friend losing his. And – the thought occurred to him in a lightening flash of realization – possibly help his redheaded friend's plan along. If he could pull it off. Mind hurriedly calculating what he needed to do; how best to set the tone, as it were, he turned to face the gathering student crowd.

Distracted, concentrating, he was unmindful of the picture he made: wand held in one hand with unconscious ease and three bodies on the floor behind him, face filled with neither trepidation or anger, only calm expectation. The sight checked the prefect who'd just pushed to the front for a second – but only for a second. Then the rising murmur of the gathered crowd behind him seemed to recall him to business, and the Prefect regained his composure.

"Harry Potter, what is going on here?"

And why, thought Adrian Greengrass, isn't our resident celebrity third year more concerned?

The gaze that met his inquiry was not dismissive, but it was coolly unconcerned; as if having been caught in the midst of a fight - one that apparently resulted in two unconscious students, and one groaning on the floor in pain - was of no importance. An impression strengthened by the calm way Potter met his eyes and spoke, half to him and half to the gathered crowd: "Malfoy came into our compartment without permission, refused to leave when asked, and insulted us. When he accused Ginny of being a whore, the Weasley family of participating as her pimp, and myself as one likely to buy her services, Ron had enough. Unfortunately for Malfoy, his wand wasn't able to back up his words."

And he consequently got what he deserved. The younger boy was smart enough not to say it out loud, but it echoed in the silence, and in the hushed whispers between watching students. If it truly had played out as Potter was imitating, the consequences to Malfoy's social position would be far reaching. That sort of blatant insult could only be considered gauche coming from one of the House of Slytherin, and, had they both been of the age of majority, would likely have resulted in a formal challenge to a duel. Young as they were, if Malfoy had handily won the scuffle, he could have passed it off as an attempt to goad a less self-controlled wizard into hasty action, and won a certain cachet of ruthless practicality. Such tactics might have resulted in appreciation within his house, even if others were more likely to have seen it as sheer cruelty. But to have tried such a maneuver, and been handily - and publicly - slapped down with effortless ease...

But the social consequences for the young Malfoy heir could wait. "That explains Malfoy. What happened to Crabbe and Goyle?"

Potter raised an eyebrow. "The moved to interfere."

He waited, but apparently, that was all the explanation Potter felt merited.

Adrian ignored the new whispers to that tidbit from the crowd, more concerned with the teen in front of him. Although the younger boy's tone was not insolent, the sheer unconcern for what had been a blatant violation of one of the strictest school rules, his apparent complete comfort in the face of disapproving authority, his total lack of anything that even hinted at regret, or even trepidation... Adrian had been a prefect for two years, though he'd not managed to snag the coveted Head Boy slot this year. He was a far cry from being inexperienced with his duties, and he knew how normal boys reacted to the unsaid threat of the wand of authority coming down. Sarcastic, contrite, blustering, scared, defiant, insolent, cowed - he'd dealt with them all. Calm acceptance was something new.

But not, he thankfully realized, something that was likely to undermine his authority, or something he didn't know how to deal with. And, in any case, a violation of this magnitude merited referral to one of the professors anyway. In the meantime... "Very well. You will discuss this with the professors once we arrive at Hogwarts. Until then, you are confined to this train compartment. Abigail," he nodded to one of the Ravenclaw sixth year prefects, "will stand guard outside the compartment until we get to the castle, then escort you to wait in the Headmaster's office. In the meantime," he swept his eyes across the watching students, "no one else is allowed in. Darchart and I will take the Misters Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe to another compartment, also to be separated. You will have your chance to tell your story whenever the professors decide to deal with you. Understand?"

"Yes, Prefect." Harry Potter nodded, deepening it, somehow, into the slightest of bows, acknowledging the crowd without being flashy or awkward looking, then without waiting for further dismissal, turned and opened the compartment door. Watchers caught a glimpse of Hermione Granger, looking up from her book, wand in one hand, and Ron Weasley's profile turned out the train window as Potter stepped through, murmuring something too soft to be heard. Then the door slid closed without so much as a backward glance. After a moment's hesitation, Abigail moved to take up position next to the door.

He sighed, then turned his glance to Darchart, a seventh yeah Hufflepuff prefect he knew to be both sharp as a tack and unflappable. "Looks like a simple Stunning Spell for Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy's the only one who appears damaged. Let's take them up near the Prefect's compartment. We can evict students from one of the nearby rooms, and Smithers knows a few healing spells. As for you all," he addressed the still staring crowd, "Clear off. Anyone still here in thirty seconds will lose ten points for their house."

The students scattered like leaves in an autumn wind. Two innervates and a mobilicorpus later, and he and Darchart had two complaining boys, and one still insensate one, on the way to the front of the train. He tuned out the whining protestations of innocence - seeming all the more disgusting contrasted against Potter's calm acceptance of his actions and their consequences - one thought uppermost in his mind.

That this year wasn't beginning any quieter than the last one had ended.

And – surprise, surprise – the Gryffindor Trio were at the centre of this, too.

It'd been at least ten minutes since the door clicked shut, Abigail leaving them alone in silence.

Harry watched Hermione staring around at the Headmaster's office, and for the first time in hours, actually felt like cracking a smile. He'd forgotten - unlike Ron and himself, Hermione had most likely never had cause to visit this hallowed center of educational authority.

The portraits looked down on them - some in suspicion, some in curiosity - and the murmurs were somewhat intimidating, as past headmasters speculated on their crimes, looks, and general character. Ignoring them, Harry glanced around. Having been in the headmaster's office before, he wasn't just marveling, but rather looking for two things in particular.

Or people, perhaps. If they were both sentient, was that more correct? Lack of two legs and arms notwithstanding, it somehow seemed a bit wrong to call those who had helped him just things. Still, scanning his surroundings, he didn't see the Sorting Hat - then shook himself, realizing that, of course, the hat would be down in the great hall tonight. As for the other... it looked like Fawkes, too, was out and about somewhere. Feeling just a touch disappointed, he shrugged and turned toward Ron. He was about to make a comment on one of the various spinning gizmos on Dumbledore's desk, when the office door opened.

Dumbledore entered first, clothes merrily riotous with colors and sparkles. Behind him, clothing and hair tailored severely, McGonagall strode in. He watched, dreading it, but the billowing black robes of his most hated professor failed to make an appearance. Nor did Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Dumbledore moved behind his desk, unusually solemn, and sat, watching them across the desk with a grave air. To his right McGonagall stood, lips pressed together firmly. Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron, then faced forward. Staring down the prefect, he hadn't felt ill at ease, but faced with Dumbledore's grave mien, he began to feel a trickle of apprehension. For a few seconds the office was silent, then Dumbledore leaned forward, robes making an audible rustling sound in the quiet.

"I'm afraid we have a serious incident to deal with. Abigail Carstairs and Adrian Greengrass have already given me their impressions of the events, as has Rafael Smithers - who, I will note, because of his knowledge of healing spells, was the one to tend to Mr. Malfoy on the train. At this point, I ask that you tell us your side of the story."

Since Dumbledore seemed to address the question to him more than the others, he took a deep breath, then responded. "Malfoy came into our compartment without us asking, then immediately started calling us names. When Hermione asked us to leave, he called Ginny-" Under Dumbledore's level stare, he faltered at actually saying the word. "Anyway, he implied that the only reason I was upset that she was gone was because we'd had an arrangement for the future.." he trailed off, desperately hoping the aged Headmaster understood what he was trying to say. "You know?"

Dumbledore pressed his lips together, but nodded, face still calm. "Yes, Mr. Potter, I understand. Then what happened?"

"Ron hit him." The silence after he said it seemed loud, so he hurried into his next sentence. "Anyway, Malfoy dropped his wand, then tried to hit Ron back, then Crabbe and Goyle started moving toward them, and Hermione did this spell-" Here he paused, turning to look at her. "What was it, Hermione?"

"It was the Stunning Curse, Headmaster. Stupefy."

He nodded. "So Hermione cast the spell on them, and they dropped, and meanwhile Ron and Malfoy were fighting. Then the prefects arrived and separated us, and took Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle off somewhere, then confined us to our train compartment. And that was pretty much it."

"I see. Succinctly put, Mr. Potter. Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, is there anything you want to add?"

"No, Headmaster."

"No, Headmaster."

"Very well, we will be speaking to Misters Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle momentarily, as they were delayed by waiting for Mr. Malfoy to be checked out by Madame Pomfrey. Assuming their story collaborates yours, we will probably not meet again on this matter. If the discrepancies are significant, you will be called to another meeting tomorrow. Professor McGonagall will give you your punishment after we have interviewed the Slytherin students, and I and the heads of both houses have conferred."

"Punishment?" came Ron's unbelieving question. "After what they said?"

The headmaster looked down at Ron above his half-moon glasses. "Regardless of how you were provoked, it was you who still decided to initiate the first act of violence. According to even yourselves, Mr. Malfoy was only using words, albeit ones clearly aimed towards being hurtful. Nonetheless, it was your decision to escalate, rather than to find a prefect, or respond also by only using words. This is a school - fighting among yourselves is not acceptable behavior. But should events have turned out as you describe, never fear - Misters Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle will have their own punishment."

Harry couldn't decide what he wanted to protest first, and while he was trying to decide, Hermione spoke up, "Sir, you keep saying if it turns out the way we described, isn't there a way for us to prove what happened magically? Like a pensive?"

"Yeah," added Ron. "Everyone knows Malfoy's a lying weasel."

"Mr. Weasley!" McGonagall remonstrated, and Ron flushed.

"Well, he is," he whispered to Harry. Then, louder: "Sorry, professor."

Aside from a glance, Dumbledore seemed to ignore the side-play. "I'm impressed, Miss Granger. Where did you read about pensives?"

She flushed. "I was reading about the wizarding justice system over the summer, and they were mentioned regarding applicable evidence."

"Ah. Well, I don't think such will be necessary in this case. I assure you, Professor McGonagall and I are very good at judging when a student is telling the truth. Is there anything else?"

"Yes!" Harry spoke up, "Look, even if Ron did throw the first punch, you can't argue that Malfoy didn't deserve it. Not when Malfoy's father was the one who killed Ginny!"

"Mr. Potter!" Unlike Ron, he just ignored Professor McGonagall's scandalized rebuke, keeping his eyes locked on the headmaster's, demanding he concede the point.

"Ah." It was said softly, then the headmaster sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, but there's no proof that Draco Malfoy is aware of his father's sins. Young Miss Weasley's death is unfortunately public knowledge, and it's entirely possible Mr. Malfoy simply seized on such a weapon intending to be cruel, but without realizing quite how deep the spell would cut, coming from him."

Hermione spoke up, "But sir, if he did know, then surely usingthat knowledge is much worse than Ron merely hitting him? And Malfoy brags that his father tells him all sorts of things..."

"No. I'm sorry Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, but the facts stand. Mr. Malfoy's cruelty is undeniable, and will be punished as it merits. But you three chose to escalate the problem, and you three were the ones to attack first. Under the circumstances, I can do no other than to assign a punishment also. Now, you should head down to the great hall; if you hurry you might be able to catch the tail end of the sorting, and will be able to enjoy the feast."

Harry stared at Dumbledore, feeling somewhat betrayed by the man's attitude, and more than a little irked by the assumption that attending a meal would placate them, but the man's expression didn't change. "Fine." He turned and made for the stairs, aware of Ron and Hermione following.

Outside the office, watching the gargoyle jump back into place, Hermione hissed, "I can't believe this!"

Ron opened his mouth to respond, when they spotted Snape turning the corner around the far end of the corridor, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle in tow. Harry grimaced, and shook his head. "Come on, let's go. Before they get here. But tonight." He met their eyes. "After the feast - tonight we need to talk."

Hours later, settling into the cushions scattered around the far corner of the armory floor, Harry leaned back and smiled.

The thing about Hogwarts, was that most people forgot it was a castle. Or rather, they forgot what being a castle meant. To the current students, the teachers, even the Wizarding population, it was a school. But it had, once, been a fully functioning fortress built for defense as well as education. And when an invading force had threatened, the entire population of Hogsmeade found shelter within its walls.

All of which meant that - despite the increase in population over the past thousand years - empty nooks, crannies, storage closets, dormitories, and abandoned storerooms were not in short supply.

Crammed close together for seven years, boarding schools had their own etiquette about private territory. Although clutter, trash, or signposts all magically disappeared, over the years students had developed their own ways of subtly staking claim on "unoccupied" portions of the school.

He, Ron, and Hermione had found this place at the end of second year, buried away from the main population and throughways of the school. Because it was so isolated, even they didn't tend to use it that often, what with the library, common room, or even the great hall available as close and convenient common space. Last year had been a practical demonstration, though, that sometimes they just wanted to be alone. Now, if they needed to talk, work, or just hang out uninterrupted, it was a good place to come, and it certainly beat Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for illicit polyjuice brewing, should the necessity ever reoccur. At that thought his smile faded, and he glanced at Ron. Besides, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets... I don't think either of us could stand the memories, to work there again.

The Hogwarts armory was a pretty cool place, though. Unlike a muggle armory, it wasn't filled solely with steel, though there were more than a few swords and axes stored. Even those weren't exactly the same, seeing as muggle weapons weren't spelled and enchanted in their crafting to - once animated - seek out invaders and dispatch them on their own. Suits of armor stood by, waiting in quiescence, and their self-made comfortable little corner (through an admitted bit of creative rearranging) was completely screened from the door by a combination of those suits of armor, a stack of self-firing longbows, several barrels of a dry, iridescent green powder Hermione had never managed to identify, and a pile of mirrors designed to ensorcell any unwary invader who looked into them.

The last had nearly caused a great deal of trouble when they caught him and Hermione unaware. Ron's magical heritage had saved them all, as he'd heard of them in the stories his parents told him as a kid, and he'd managed to pull them away in time. Hermione had since researched the proper technique in dealing with them, and he himself had carefully angled them to be perhaps just a touch more visible and likely to catch an unwary interloper's eye.

It's not like it'd hurt them, after all.

And as the whispers following the revelation of his parselmouth ability had grown more malicious, he'd found himself more viciously defensive of any private territory he'd manage to stake out.

Hermione flopped down, finally finished rearranging her book bag, now filled to the brim with books she'd stopped to check out of the library on the way. "Well! That's done, then. Now," her eyes were determined, "talk to me."

He glanced at Ron, then back to her, "About what?"

She huffed. "Something's going on. You both practically disappear over the summer, then when you come back..." She shook her head. "Something's up. I want to know what."

Ron looked at him, and he shrugged. He'd never thought to hide it from Hermione anyway. "It's Lucius Malfoy."

Her eyes flicked to Ron, then back to him. "What about him?" Her tone was cautiously guarded.

Ron shook his head, incredulous, "What do you mean, 'what about him?' You can't imagine I'll let him get away with it, can you?"

"No! But..." She paused, then continued. "Look, I don't know what you've been doing over the summer, but I've been studying wizarding law and politics. And, among other things, what evidence is considered admissible in court. Memories don't count. Not enough to convict, anyway. There's too many ways of tampering with them. And I don't think we have anything else on him, right?"

That was Hermione. Intelligent, caring, and already researching the problem before he and Ron even approached her on it. But it'd also never occur to her to approach the problem from a less... legal standpoint. "Hermione. We weren't planning on trying to take him to court."

"Then what?" She glanced back and forth between the two of them, "What do you intend? You can't intend to..." Perhaps reading something in their eyes, she shook her head, voice raising, "You can't really be... Harry, Ron, tell me you aren't planning on assassinating Lucius Malfoy. We can't just take things into our own hands! We're kids, Harry, we can't just do things like that! We can't just make him disappear-"

"No," interrupted Ron. "We can't." This time when Ron looked over to him there was a question in his eyes, and he met the gaze evenly. Looking back at Hermione, Ron continued, "Harry already offered. I turned him down."

I don't see her this speechless often, he reflected. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, as she looked between the two of them, clearly trying to gather her composure. Meanwhile, he was remembering the conversation he and Ron had had two weeks ago at Diagon Alley.

He had offered. Sworn to it. Somehow, someway, the instant Lucius Malfoy turned his back to him in an empty place... He hadn't been studying many actual curses over the summer, but he'd made sure to learn at least one lethal one. And all it took was a moment.

And Ron had said no.

"It's not enough," Ron continued, fist clenching on the table, echoing words he'd spoken weeks earlier. "It's not enough to just kill him, letting him vanish mysteriously. Ginny deserves better than to have her death a dark secret, one we can't even talk about, 'cause then people will realize we had reason to get rid of Lucius Malfoy. She deserves justice. And that won't happen if Malfoy just disappears one day. No, he's going to die, but not until after every member of wizarding society knows he murdered a first year girl like a coward."

"Harry, Ron, I-" She stopped, shook her head. "I don't- Just." She shook her head again, one hand rising to run through her bushy hair. "Just. I can't- Give me a second, okay?"

"Hermione," he spoke softly, not wanting to push her, but... "I know this all seems sudden, and maybe we should have written you over the summer. But Ron and I had to talk first, and that didn't happen until just a few weeks ago. And after that," he sighed, "after that, well, we wanted to tell you in person. We're not asking you to agree to do anything Ron and I come up with, but we need to know if you're willing to help us take him down. We need to know: are you with us on this?"

Her eyes sharpened, temper breaking through the tangle of confusion and trepidation on her face. She spoke sharply: "Don't be stupid, Harry." Then a grimace passed across her face, and she looked down at the papers in front of her, clearly thinking. He wondered if, perhaps, she was recalling their meeting with the Headmaster and their head of house only a few hours ago. Was recalling the outcome. Seconds passed, then a minute, and she sighed, and looked up again. "Look, I'm not agreeing to- well, to do anything right now, but you're right, he needs to be stopped. I mean, he killed Ginny, and all the adults - Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley - they all know about it. And they're not doing anything. And we are still kids, but maybe..." she trailed off, swallowed, then continued, "maybe if the adults won't do something about it, we have to. I mean, he committed a crime, and we're not supposed to just be silent and stand by when someone does something bad, so doing something… that'd be the right thing to do, right? But..." She clenched her hands, then opened them again. "But this is serious, guys. Really, really, serious. And I just... I don't want to rush into anything. Okay?"

Ron looked to be about to say something sharp himself, then looked at her, pale faced and bitten-lipped, and stopped himself. Nodded. "Okay."

He met their eyes, then nodded himself. "Okay."

She let out a long exhale, then leaned back. "Okay." She nodded. Quieter, glancing away from them: "Okay." Then back up, facing them again, "Okay. So, what are we going to do?"

Leaning forward, he began to recount their plan.

Chapter End

Next Chapter:

The thing about wandless magic, was that it was a parlor trick, really. Oh, it had a certain mystery to it - and many wizards who couldn't so much as summon a spark without a wand might be impressed at the lighting of a candle by a wave of one's hands - but savvy wizards and witches knew better. A powerful wizard with wandless magic could do somethings a wizard with a wand could do, but no wizard - no matter how powerful -could ever achieve wandlessly things that a wizard with a wand couldn't do.

Wandless magic, then, was nothing more than a sub-optimal tool in a wizard or witch's potential arsenal. The ability, when one came right down to it, was only useful if one had lost their wand.

And a wizard or witch who would lose their wand... well, then it didn't matter how strong they were in raw power. At that point, victory or escape relied on his or her opponent screwing up. Far better for the intelligent wizard to win victory through practice and knowledge turned to talented dueling, rather than spend months of time on a skill that relied on an opponent's idiocy.

So experienced wisdom held. And so, of course, Harry Potter was determined to ignore them all and master it.

6. quenching the blade

Forging the Sword
Chapter Six: Quenching the Blade

Sitting in the great hall for breakfast the next morning was like being an exhibit in a museum. Interspersed with the common laughter, talking, eating, studying, and teasing, glances and whispers landed on their corner of the table more than once. Clearly, news of the fight on the train had gotten around the school already - and just as clearly, speculations were occurring.

Harry sighed, looking down at his toast as he buttered it. Some things at Hogwarts never seemed to change.

But Ron was a reassuring presence on his right, eating with his usual enthusiasm. Hermione was across from him, notebooks and colored quills piled next to her. She was clearly ready to start inking in her schedule and study times as soon as Professor McGonagall came around.

Speaking of which, he could see their head of house down at the far end of the table, where the seventh and sixth years congregated. The exchange of words was fairly brief - and far too far away to be heard - but the looks down the table toward him and his friends were hard to miss. He quirked a brow. I wonder what they're saying?

He'd bet sickles to a nut that it involved the three of them.

Instructions done, McGonagall continued on, handing out schedules as she went. When she came to them, she stopped instead of merely setting them down besides the trio. He twisted, looking up at her as she handed them their papers. "You three are to come with me to the headmaster's office. You have until I finish distributing your housemates' schedules, so finish up." Since they were sitting practically at the end, that meant soon.

"Yes, professor," came back in treble.

She nodded and moved on.

He looked over at Hermione. "Our punishment, you reckon?"

She nodded, already packing away her school materials. "In all likelihood."

Ron scowled. "If they want to assign me a detention, fine. But no way am I apologizing to that prick."

He shook his head. "I still can't believe we're getting punished over this." He didn't say it loudly, but wished he'd spoken quieter still, when Professor McGonagall spoke from behind him.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Potter, that you must learn there are consequences to your actions." The words themselves were only mildly reproving, but her tone was – not heavy – but... layered with hidden meaning. Harry sucked in a breath. Ginny... He hunched his shoulders slightly, staring down, hurt. Feeling faintly betrayed. Besides him, Ron muttered a curse, low and harsh. Hermione gasped.

"Professor?" Hermione's voice had been surprised, disapproving - faintly horrified. He looked back up, trying to force emotion away. He thought he saw McGonagall's expression soften slightly, but he couldn't be sure because at that moment she turned away, walking toward the Headmaster's office.

"Come along," she commanded, over her shoulder.

The three of them exchanged glances, then followed as she bid.

He forced himself to pretend everything was normal as he followed behind. Tried not to be bitter. Of all people, he'd thought McGonagall wouldn't blame him. Wouldn't be angry.

But she does and she is. He clenched his fist against his book bag, then forced himself to relax. It hurt. It hurt. But Ron and Hermione were with him. And besides...

He looked up and glared at her back, a flash of anger overcoming him. Fine. Blame me if you want. But you should have saved her. You're the adult. And you should have stopped Malfoy. And if you'd rather blame me than do either of those things...

Hell, he didn't need her anyway. He didn't need a head of house who wouldn't stand up for him. Wouldn't stand up for what was right. Wouldn't even talk to him.

I have Hermione. I have Ron. I have a plan.

It would be enough.

He'd make it enough.

Later, listening to Dumbledore speak, Harry simply felt grimly determined. Unlike their visit of the evening before, this time Snape and the three Slytherins were there as well. Perhaps from some misguided notion that they should all know each others' punishments for fairness's sake. Still stinging from McGonagall's words earlier, Harry didn't care. He'd do what he was supposed to do, but he wouldn't be sorry. And if they didn't like it, too bad.

Ron and Malfoy had both been assigned four weeks of detention with Filch so far, although thankfully not together. Both had been sternly warned against a repeat of the events. Crabbe, Goyle, and Hermione had all gotten two weeks, for participating in the fight, if not starting it. Both houses had lost seventy-five points. He guessed that meant it was his turn next.

Dumbledore watched him from over his half-moon glasses, still serious and a little disappointed. "Mr. Potter, I hope that you have taken to heart this lesson as well. Fighting, regardless of provocation, is not allowed at this school. Now, you are all dismissed."

Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, puzzled. But what was his punishment?

Malfoy - of course - asked the question uppermost in their minds. "But what about Potter?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Mister Potter, as the only one of the six of you who did not draw his wand, nor participated in verbal taunting or attempted to participate in the fight, is excused from punishment. I cannot assign him a detention for not interfering sooner when half that train car simply watched as well. And from what the prefects say, he was the one to step in and stop the fight. Nonetheless," his tone was a warning, "if he is found in such a situation again, a punishment will be assigned."

Malfoy looked outraged, and Snape had his lips pressed together so hard they'd turned white. McGonagall looked somewhat disapproving, but whether that was specifically aimed at Harry escaping punishment, or at the three of them for getting into a fight in general, he didn't know. Ron and Hermione were both surprised, frowning a little bit. Neither looked mad at him - there was even a touch of glee in Ron's expression - but he could clearly read their thoughts. That Harry of all of them was getting off scot free, seemed unfair.

And really, it is, he thought, frowning himself. Yeah, when Dumbledore said it like that - that he'd not fought, where all the others had - it sounded fair. But he hadn't not fought because he was staying out of it. It was just that Hermione had taken care of Crabbe and Goyle, and Ron had been handily wiping the floor with Malfoy. There'd been nothing for him to do.

And in other circumstances, maybe he'd just gloat at getting off when others were punished. But he couldn't gloat at getting off when his friends were. It wasn't that he felt guilty for going free, but that they had sworn just last night that they were together in this, now. Good or bad. He poked the thought for a moment, then nodded. It felt right. Besides, four or six hours a week for a few weeks wasn't going to hurt him. "If it's all the same," he said, voice steady, "I'd rather have the same punishment as my friends."

"Mr. Potter!"

He looked at her, feeling cold, remembering her words from earlier. "Professor McGonagall?"

She seemed to falter for a second, and Snape moved in, voice malicious, "You heard him, Headmaster. The boy's asking for it. Such insolence deserves a detention, surely?"

Dumbledore waved his hand in negation. "My ruling stands as it is, and it is final. Now, classes starts in fifteen minutes, and you had best be getting to them." It was a clear dismissal.

They shuffled to the door, silent under the eyes of the still watching professors. Harry stood back, letting the Slytherins go first. Watching professors or no, he didn't want them at his back right now. As he started to descend the stairs, McGonagall spoke, "Miss Granger, please stay behind. There's a matter we must discuss about your schedule."

He and Ron automatically paused, waiting, but the Headmaster shook his head. "Off with you two, Miss Granger will be joining you in class momentarily."

He hesitated for a second longer, but what could they do? Shrugging, he nodded at Hermione, then headed down the stairs, Ron following. Herbology was first, and they'd have to hurry to get out to the greenhouses in time.

After Herbology came charms with Flitwick, a subject Harry was actually looking forward too. He's always been somewhat fond of charms, it just seemed so, well, magical. Astronomy had charts and memorization, potions its stirring and chopping, and History was, well, history. But in charms... In charms, he twisted his wand, and said a word, and things happened. And even after two years at Hogwarts, there were times when he just had to stop what he was doing for a moment, and grin, because magic was so incredibly cool.

The first day back, however, was always a quick review. Instead of starting something new, the professor had them running over charms from previous classes, warming them back up to the subject after summer break. Flitwick had written a list down on the board, the class assigned to go through thirty or so of the common, easy charms they'd picked up over the past few years. Harry rolled his eyes as Hermione finished the last one, having run through them darn near flawlessly, and indicated it was his turn. Carelessly, he flicked out his wand, intoning, "Wingardium Leviosa." And the wooden block, instead of obediently floating up to hover a foot or so above the desk as he'd envisioned... lay there.

He frowned.

Flicked his wand again, this time actually concentrating on what he was doing. And when his magic was summoned it - twisted - away from his wand. The block remained still, a silent condemnation.

Glancing up, he looked at Hermione. She was staring at him, worried.

He was getting pretty damn worried himself.

This time, he focused, forcing his magic to respond as he willed, channeling it through his wand. Hell, he could do this without a wand, now that he had a wand in his hand the damn block would float-

The block shot up at speed, hit the ceiling, glanced off at an angle, and spun down and across the room, forcing Neville to dive off his chair to avoid being hit. It continued past him, hitting the floor with a loud clatter, momentum driving it spinning across the stone floor. It came to a rest against the classroom's right wall with an audible thud.

He looked around, to see everyone staring at him. He slunk a little lower in his chair.

Flitwick laughed, and with a flick of his wand the wood was floating back to Harry, the professor's spell a sharp contrast of perfect control. "Perhaps a bit less enthusiasm next time, Mr. Potter?" Harry ducked his head, blushing, and the tiny professor smiled. "Now, back to work all. You've only forty-five minutes remaining, so one of your pair should be done or almost done."

The students turned back to their work, the average volume of the classroom slowly returning to normal as students incanted various charms. Around the room things floated, changed colour, appeared, shrank, whistled, and otherwise descended into controlled chaos, but he just stared down at the block, deposited where Flitwick left it, feeling cold.

This... this was a problem.

When Flitwick came by at the end of class to check up on them, Harry smiled at him. "Sorry about the levitation, sir."

"Oh, no worries, Mr. Potter. You're hardly the only one to get to enthusiastic on casting their first spell after a few months away. You got through the list without any trouble then?"

Harry glanced down at the list which, in truth, he'd barely gotten a quarter of the way through. Smiled back across his desk at the diminutive professor. "Yeah, not a problem."

"Good! Then off you go, I'm sure you young people are looking forward to lunch." Flitwick moved down the row to the next pair, inquiring of them the same. As soon as the professor's attention was off him, he stuffed his notes into his book bag and stood, determinedly ignoring Hermione's curious and worried eyes. He had to get out of there.

He hurried out the door, past where Ron waited for them without pausing, not stopping at the exclamation behind him, nor slowing as Hermione and Ron caught up with him.

"Harry?"

He shook his head, glancing around. She had kept her voice low, but he was all too aware of the interested glances, drawn by Ron's exclamation when he'd first swept by the redhead and out the classroom door. "Not now, Hermione. Not here."

She followed his glance, then nodded. Looking a touch ticked off and a touch worried, Ron checked the time, then spoke. "Grab some food from the Great Hall then head out by the lake?"

He calculated the chances of getting away from them for several hours on his own to quietly freak out over his magic not working - then glanced at Ron's determined expression. Sighed. Gave it up. "Grab some for me. I'll head down to the lake."

He was thankful they didn't argue, just peeled off towards the tables even as he continued on, striding through the castle doors. Headed down, across the courtyard, through the portcullis, then across the grass. Jogged to a meadow they were all familiar with, near the water and shaded by trees, out of casual sight from the front of the school but not so far away as to be near the forbidden forest. There, he dropped his bag, then shucked off his over-robe and draped it on the grass beneath him. Flopped down. Glanced around to confirm he was alone. Slowly reached out one hand, concentrating-

A branch from the forest floor wobbled a second before it obediently rose to hover before him. He stared at it a few moments, as it hung there steadily, not moving even as he dropped his hand back to his lap. Pulled out his wand. Stared at it. Looked back at the branch, still silently floating motionless in the air. Then dropped his head in his hands.

And now what?

"It started as a way to force my uncle into letting me see Ron." Crumbs from their sandwiches scattered across his lap and legs tucked under him, Harry looked at the two of them seriously. "I sorta scouted out the idea with Dumbledore - well, not exactly, cause I didn't tell him what I wanted it for, but he looked at me, so I figured that meant he knew..."

"Harry?"

He stopped. "Yes Hermione?"

"From the beginning."

He sighed, "Right." The beginning. Well, technically the beginning was Lucius Malfoy and the sword of Gryffindor... he glanced at Ron who looked focused and a little concerned, but was otherwise relaxed. Not brooding; not angry. And somehow, he just really didn't want to bring up Lucius Malfoy right then. So he shrugged and reached out a hand toward the book that had served as an impromptu sandwich tray. Following the same course as the fallen branch earlier it rose - albeit slowly - a foot into the air.

Ron choked on his juice. "Blimey, Harry! When'd you learn to do wandless magic?"

He shook his head. "Not wandless. Uncontrolled."

Ron looked at the book still hovering between the three of them. "I don't know, mate. Looks pretty controlled to me."

He opened his mouth to refute that, then stopped. Yeah, he still had trouble with larger objects, and if he was transporting something fragile or valuable, he'd choose to carry it or use his wand. But he wasn't blowing things up or setting them on fire anymore. And there were implications to that. But later. For now, he shrugged. "Yeah, well. You should have seen me when it started."

"Harry." Hermione's finally broke in. "How are you doing that?"

He fumbled for words to explain a process he'd only felt. "It's- well, you take your magic, and you sort of tell it- Well, order it, really, but obviously not with words, and then you use it..."

"What do you mean?"

"It's sort of like seeing what is and what you want to be, then you just... make it happen. Using your magic. See?"

She was staring at him with utter incomprehension.

"It's hard to explain!"

She rolled her eyes, "Never mind - I'll look it up."

He slouched down, sulking.

Ron shook his head. "Look, it's really cool Harry can do wandless magic - I know some adults can do it, but I've never heard of a kid able to - but what does that have to do with whatever happened in class?"

Harry straightened up, glad he'd had some minutes to himself, groping for words to explain a concept he barely understood, most of what understanding he did have intuitive. "I'm not sure. But, I think... Working without a wand - it's not at all like casting spells with one. Maybe that's why not many people do it - not when wanded magic is so much easier, quicker - more powerful. But it's - well, you call it differently. Use it differently. And I just spent three months doing nothing but using magic without a wand. And switching back was just-" he shrugged.

Hermione was watching him. "You're telling us you spent three months retraining yourself - entirely on your own initiative and without guidance from a teacher or even a book - to access and use magic in a way completely foreign to the steps and technique necessary to performing wanded magic, and now you're having problems switching back?"

He met her eyes guiltily, "Er, yes?"

"Harry!"

"I thought Dumbledore would have said something if it wasn't safe!"

"He probably would have," Ron broke in.

Harry looked at him "Except Ron, he kinda didn't."

"No," the redhead refuted, "I mean, everyone knows he's a bit batty, but he never does anything to let a student get hurt-"

"Like storing at the school a fabulously powerful and wanted stone with the power of immortality and unlimited gold?"

Hermione shook her head. "Well, to be fair, if we'd left it alone we'd never have gotten injured..."

Which may have been true, but Harry wasn't really feeling charitable toward Dumbledore at the moment. "We should have just ignored the fact that Voldemort was after an item with the power to convey eternal life? Because that sounds like a great idea!"

"Anyway," Ron continued in a louder voice, ignoring the two of them, "It's not like it hurt you, right? So it was safe. Technically. Maybe not smart, but safe. And I mean, I saw you performing some of the charms Flitwick assigned. How'd you do that?"

"It's not that I can't do the charms, it's just- I never had to actually think about using magic before - not after I got the first few spells down. I mean, making sure I had the spell right, or the correct wand movements, but other than that? Flick the wand, say the word, perform the magic. Now I have to actually think about what I'm doing. Force myself to work it the old way, to channel the magic through the wand, into the structure of the spell..." And not to sound like he was whining? But it'd used to be so simple compared to now.

"Well mate, maybe all you need is practice?"

And he wanted to embrace Ron's optimism, but it sounded just a little too easy - and nothing in his life had ever been easy for him, aside from magic. And now that too was gone too. "Practice? You think that's all?"

"No, he's right." Hermione nodded. "You just got so used to trying to do things without a wand - all you need is to get used to doing it with a wand again!"

He sighed, slumping. "Yeah, maybe you guys are right. But, what do I do until then? I don't want anyone to know about this."

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances. "Well," Hermione said, "you got through charms without Flitwick realizing something was wrong. I'll do some research tonight, after detention..."

"That won't help me period after next."

Ron pulled the crumpled schedule from his pocket, studying it as he spoke. "Why? Who's after next per- Oh."

"Yeah." He said grimly. "Oh."

He gloomily contemplated the incoming pain. Flitwick's teaching style was anarchic and engaging, and he held his classes with a cheerful disorder. In the chaos, it was easy to deliberately slip between the cracks. McGonagall however...

McGonagall ran her classroom with the precision and sternness of a drill instructor. And had as much patience for disruptive students.

And transfiguration spells - converting, as they did, matter into other forms - tended to go spectacularly wrong when they went wrong.

He groaned into his hands. He was doomed. Unless...

He looked up as Ron spoke with a philosophical tone, "Well, you wanted to do detentions with us anyway. Uh, why are you looking at us like that?"

He grinned. He was saved. "I have an idea."

Hermione tilted her head. "An idea on how you'll make sure you don't disrupt the class?"

He smiled at them warmly - because he was saved! - and ignored how they edged back a few inches. "Well, that's where you two come in..."

Trying not to sneeze from the strong incense floating around the room - and contemplating the professor's unfortunate resemblance to a bug - Harry and his friends listened to Professor Trelawney's opening lecture.

He'd been looking forward to the divination lesson. Knowing he'd signed up for the class last year, several of his ordered summer books had covered the topic. In addition to the class textbook "Unfogging the Future" - which seemed more like a "how to" manual at times than an overview of the subject - he'd also read three others. Of them all, he'd only really enjoyed one: "Divination's Dividends: an Overview of its Opportunities and Limitations." The others had been kind of interesting, but also very confusing, and filled with conflicting and vague opinions, (sometimes within the book itself). If he hadn't ordered the Divination's Dividends book, he was sure he'd have been completely lost. Actually intended as an introductory textbook for adults, it did what Unfogging didn't: gave an overview of all forms of divination, dispelling rumors about what was and wasn't possible with it while also giving some sort of order - and underlying principles - to what even the author had admitted was an imprecise and varied art.

He was already planning to order away for the author's other book: "Forget the Future – Finding the True Treasure of the Diviner's Discipline."

But the fact that Professor Trelawney was starting her class with trying to get them to scry something of the future - not even explaining the basics! - was filling him with a very bad feeling.

And... He glanced at Hermione's slowly narrowing eyes, and winced. I don't think Hermione approves of Trelawney.

Then Neville tripped over his own feet, shattering a cup, blushing as Trelawney swooped in, and Harry sighed. I've not even looked into the tea leaves yet, but somehow I have a bad feeling about this. And then transfiguration is next.

His earlier feeling of doom was rapidly returning.

They were coming out of transfiguration and headed down to the Great Hall for dinner when Hermione spoke. "Guys, we need to have a Meeting."

They could both hear the capitals. Not just a study date, then.

Ron shook his head. "Can't be tonight - you and I both have detention till 10."

"We could try sneaking out after curfew...?" Harry half asked, half suggested, contemplating the merits of the plan.

"No," Hermione asserted. "It's not urgent. Stupid to get in trouble over it. But it should be soon - tomorrow night?"

Harry shrugged. "Sounds good to me. We should be able to slip away after dinner - everyone will assume you're either at detention again, or that we're studying."

She nodded. "Tomorrow then." Her voice was firm, but there was a touch of something in it...

He frowned, but didn't push. If Hermione said it could wait, then it probably could. Maybe she was still just angry at Trelawney's stunt earlier trying to predict his death. Not that he'd particularly enjoyed that either, but it'd been worth it to watch Ron loose his cool at a professor - and get away with it. Apparently, predicting his best friend's death was a great way to get Ron pissed.

And they were almost to Gryffindor table anyway.

Dropping the topic, he sat and began filling his plate, starting with the mashed potatoes. Across the table from him, Fred grinned. "Enjoy divination, Harry?"

Wondering if the topic was already all over the school - given the way Hogwarts gossip worked, probably - he rolled his eyes and just focused on eating, leaving Ron or Hermione to answer. They both had detention tonight, and the three of them were planning on meeting tomorrow night, which meant he'd have all tonight to practice every wanded spell he knew. If there was any truth to Ron's suggestion that all he needed to get back to normal was practice, he wanted to get it over with.

With both potions and defense on his schedule - plus whatever Hermione was worried about - he wanted to be back up to speed as soon as possible.

She didn't have a choice to make.

Twisting the fine gold links of the hourglass's chain through her fingers, dorm room silent around her, Hermione rolled her eyes at how stupid that sounded, even to herself.

But it was true. She didn't have a choice to make. She'd already made her choice two nights ago, listening to Ron and Harry talk about killing someone, huddled together in a room filled with weapons of war.

She'd put conditions on it, of course. Reserved the right to tell them when they were being stupid, when they needed to revise their plans. But Harry had asked... and she'd said yes.

She felt again that flash of anger that had burned through her that he'd had to ask, and maybe Ginny's death had changed her more than she'd thought. Because she wasn't hurt that they doubted her, wasn't relieved that they'd given her a chance to back out. No, what she'd been was mad. Because they should have known. Because they shouldn't have needed to ask. Because, among other things, if she'd planned on ditching them, it would have been during the summer, when both of them were pretending that she didn't exist. The only reason she hadn't given up on them, that she'd kept writing, kept reaching out to them by mail instead of just waiting to smack them over the head when they met up come the new school year, was that her letters were never returned unopened. And that their owls kept coming back. Empty taloned, but still there. Waiting.

So yes, she'd made her choice. She made it first two years ago, lying to the professors after the two of them had come between her and a mountain troll, when they could have run away. Had made it again when sneaking out with them to a duel in an effort to keep them out of trouble, made it when she helped them plan how to smuggle a dragon. Made it when she'd followed Harry after the philosopher's stone, sneaking by a three-headed monster she recognized from her readings of Greek classical myths. She'd made it the next year, standing with them against parseltongue inspired rumours, and again, brewing polyjuice in a deserted bathroom to break school rules. Had made it when she gritted her teeth that summer and picked up a book on offensive and defensive magic, forcing herself to practice curses that could injure and incapacitate, when she'd never hurt anyone in her life.

It was, in the end, a choice she'd made not last night, but years ago, and made in all the years since, again and again, the same choice in a hundred different guises. It was a choice she wondered now if she could ever not make.

She clenched her fingers, feeling smooth glass and cold metal between them, then relaxed. All of which didn't mean she never doubted. Never hesitated, never worried. A witch could be bound to her word, but magic had to be invoked to do it. And she wondered at the trust Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore had in her, to bestow such a priceless artifact when she was too young for such a working to be demanded. To only ask for her complete silence, no guarantee but her given word, no safeguard but her promise of secrecy.

She'd lied even as she'd sworn, looking at their grave faces. Lied because something in her had died a little, since she'd first woken in the hospital months ago, into a world where everything had changed. Something that had urged her to trust, and respect, and obey, to be good and quiet and follow the lead of adults. Something that had been broken, when she saw how the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to let this go, how Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were going to let this go. Were going to punish them for not doing the same.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath. Exhaled. Stood up, dropping the chain over her head, tucking the hourglass safely away under her robes. Gathered up her books, ready to head down to meet Harry and Ron for breakfast. She'd already made her choice.

And if Dumbledore and McGonagall would have preferred she make a different one, they should have done something years ago.

Every student at Hogwarts knew that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was cursed. Few really thought about what that meant, other than having gotten used to a revolving door of professors as they moved through their school years.

But Harry, Harry had chosen his summer reading last year with an eye toward what sounded both dangerous and interesting. And so, written on the order form under "Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three," (because really, he could see the pattern there already), and above "Beyond Propaganda: History as Written by the Losers," he'd carefully inked in his eighth request: "Malice in Magic - a Study of Curses Through the Ages."

The book he'd received was nothing like the dueling text he'd expected.

Which was probably a common occurrence, given the lengthy introduction he'd paged through, describing the etymology and evolution of the usage of the word "curse," changing through history until it had arrived at today's understanding of the word, where it was commonly used for a wide variety of harmful spells, either cast on a person or imbued into an object.

The introduction had finished by informing the reader that those modern spells were not what this book was about, and if that was what they were looking for, here were a few books to look up. (Harry had noted down the names quickly, then continued reading.) What the book was about, the author had continued, were curses in the old sense of the word. Magic called down by blood or death or bitter grief, human will and human hate twisting wild magic with emotion, creating something that lived, not sentient but far more complex than a mere spell. Emotion and intent creating a hook that anchored itself in the power of the natural world, a true curse was both subtle and dangerous, pervasive and persistent, because it was no mere spell to be blocked, or object to be purified and destroyed. Old curses were malice embodied in magic - and it was a magic that could and would and did kill.

And defense practitioners, better than any other, would know the danger of such.

Little wonder then, he'd realized, that Hogwarts' defense classes had been staffed with fools for years.

So what, he wondered, is Sebastian Aesalon doing here?

Harry studied their new DADA teacher carefully, screening his investigation behind lowered head, bent to quill and parchment. He'd already finished the test the professor had handed out at the beginning of the class. ("Not graded," the man assured them, "just something to help me judge where you're at.") And if his knowledge of the Dark Arts and ways to defend against them was still nothing to brag about, he knew solid satisfaction that he'd have done far worse had this test been administered at the end of his second year. Knew that his classmates, unless they'd been doing extracurricular studies too, had done far worse than he.

He'd thought about pretending he knew less than he did, for secrecy was one of the things the three of them had agreed was necessary, that night they arrived and slipped away from the welcome back party to talk privately about what they'd so desperately needed to settle. But of all the classes he could sabotage himself in, this one was the one he needed to get the most out of. So he'd answered all the questions he knew and did his best to guess intelligently at what he didn't - and vowed to be careful about revealing what he'd learn in the future, but not so careful that he didn't learn at all.

Besides, if his Boy-Who-Lived status could help anywhere, it was here. He hadn't missed that everyone had expected him to be good at magic when he'd arrived here, though how they could believe a muggle-raised eleven year old could excel at any magic, he'd never understood. It'd been part of the reason he'd hated his fame - knowing that they looked at him, judged him, whispered about him. Knowing what some of them thought, every time he fumbled a new spell. But it also meant they didn't look too closely when he performed well at other ones. Once he'd figured out how to cast his first spells, he could beat Hermione in practicals if he did his homework. But he'd never earned Gryffindor half the points in those classes as she did.

He told himself he wasn't at all bitter about it.

But he'd use it. The less questions the better. And if people believed him excelling at Defence Against the Dark Arts was some natural Boy-Who-Lived gift, not a necessary preparation to taking out Lucius Malfoy... well. All the better. He didn't know why everyone had decided that letting Lucius Malfoy live after he'd - incited - Ginny's death was a good idea, but he wasaware how they'd respond to Ron and his plans.

And this was too important to fail.

"Time's up." Said Aesalon from near his desk, and Harry lay down his quill and passed his test to the front, still contemplating the man standing before the class.

The professor was of medium height, dark haired and dark eyed. Slim and neat, clad in blue and black robes, he had no trace of Lockhart or Quirrell's separate flamboyances. Of course, given that both Lockhart and Quirrell had been living two - albeit very different - lies, maybe that was a good thing. Still, it seemed odd having a teacher so quietly self-contained. Snape's drama, Flitwick's exuberance, McGonagall's stern intimidation, even Dumbledore's maddening cheer- Harry was used to a certain flair in the professors of Hogwarts, and Aesalon seemed - so far - to be entirely too ordinary.

Papers collected, the professor moved to the centre. "We still have twenty minutes left, and so we'll be talking a bit. I'm sorry to have forced a test on you on your first day, but the previous defense teachers didn't seem to leave behind very complete notes on what they covered, if they left behind notes at all. I already have various lesson plans drawn up, and the test will let me know where to start with you. But it's never too early to begin learning, so - any questions about things asked in the test?"

Harry only shook his head, smiling, as Hermione's hand shot into the air. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Professor Aesalon, one of the questions asked what the difference between a defense ward and a defense protection was. I thought they were the same?"

The following discussion was surprisingly lively and engaging, skipping from topic to topic as more students brought up various questions that had intrigued them. The twenty minutes passed far more quickly than any defense lesson he could recall from before, and when the Professor at last wrapped it up, he actually found himself rising with a feeling of excitement. Cautious excitement, but excitement.

Maybe this year they'd actually learn from their defense professor.

Not that he planned on being anywhere near the man without a wand and possibly Ron or Hermione to guard his back.

The first potions lesson of the year was as unpleasant as he'd expected. Snape had been in his best form, mocking students' character, abilities, future potential, breeding, and general competence. A great deal of it directed at the last Potter scion. Harry gritted his teeth through it, forcing himself to calm. Learning to wield magic without his wand had taken ferocious willpower, and ruthless control over his emotions. Snape would not make him fail that control.

He repeated that to himself - twice - before he calmly looked up to answer the professor's question - the fifth asked of him that lesson.

"During the new moon, Professor."

Snape's eyes narrowed and he sneered, contempt glittering. Fed up with this - with Snape being in a bad mood because Harry wasn't screwing up - he refused to avert his own eyes as he had the previous four times.

He didn't know how long the stare down would have lasted. Snape drew himself up, looking about to say something cutting and probably point taking, but behind him a potion began to boil over, and he spun away to attended to the frothing green bubbles beginning to spill down onto the floor.

Harry sighed and turned his attention back to his own potion, glowing a bright lime green. God, he wanted this lesson over with. He gave the cauldron's contents a quick double stir clockwise, then once counter-clockwise. Cast a spell to alert him when two minutes had passed, then sat back, waiting.

Movement from the corner of his eye grabbed his attention, and his hand shot out, snapping closed around a bundle of orange-leafed plants before it landed in his caldron. Followed the trajectory back, where Draco Malfoy was scowling at him. Raised an eyebrow as he sniffed, pulling back at the pungently spicy odor characteristic of firebloom.

Adding that would have created an explosion that would have put Neville's usual contretemps to shame. It might even have sent Harry to the hospital wing. Again.

He briefly contemplated sending it back, but while he had a seeker's reflexes, he unfortunately didn't have a chaser's arm. Besides, he knew who Snape would believe in the ensuring argument.

So he smiled at Malfoy and mouthed a "thank you" at the infuriated boy, dropping it into his potions kit with a mocking smile.

Firebloom was difficult to acquire, after all, its most common usage in several borderline illegal potions. There was no reason to waste potential resources.

That night they flopped down on familiar cushions in the back corner of the armory, and Harry watched Hermione eagerly, a day and a half's worth of curiosity about to be satisfied at last.

"Alright, Hermione," Ron said as they watched her organized papers from her satchel, one of his hands searching through his bag blindly, pulling out a bottle of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans even as he kept his eyes on his friend. "What's up?"

She took a deep breath and took something from under her robes, then reached up and pulled it over her head. Away from her, they could see it was a necklace. One they'd somehow not noticed - despite the fact that, in the two years they'd known her, they'd never seen Hermione wearing jewelry - until it was in her hand.

Interesting.

She reached out and placed it on the table in front of them, where he could see it clearly for the first time. A small gold hourglass glinted in the light, the sand at rest in the bottom half of the glass. "This," she said, "is a time turner."

And just the name suggested so many possibilities.

"It's the reason Professor McGonagall asked me to stay behind in the Headmaster's office," she continued. "I've been careful not to pull out my class timetable in front of you guys, but. Well, here." And she scooted it across the table at them.

He picked it up and felt Ron leaning in towards him, so he tilted the paper to allow Ron to see even as he read it over. At first glance, it didn't look much different than his own, but-

"Hermione?" Ron's voice was an odd combination of resigned and curious, like he had to ask, but wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, "Why does it say you're scheduled for Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Arithmancy at the same time?"

And their studious friend - blushed.

"They just all sounded so interesting! I couldn't choose only two. So I asked Professor McGonagall if there was a way for me to take more classes, and she said she'd have to think about it over the summer, and there might be, because I was such a responsible student. And I thought I'd end up with private study, maybe. Or taking classes with another house, because I was sure the scheduling would be kind of odd. And I've done both those before in primary school, but then she kept me after she told you guys to go to Herbology, and she and the Headmaster gave me this."

It was said with only a few pauses to breathe. Harry was impressed.

"Hermione," Ron said, apparently able to put aside the mind boggling implications of having multiple courses scheduled for the same hour - and being given an object named a time turner to deal with this contradiction - for the even more mind boggling Hermione-type craziness of trying to take every course Hogwarts offered. At the same time. "You're muggleborn. Why are you taking muggle studies?"

"Because I want to see how wizards perceive us! It'll be a fascinating insight into wizarding society."

Of course.

He watched Ron drop his head onto the table, muttering something he could only vaguely make out, with words in there like 'crazy' and 'should have known.' And smirked.

Because yes, it was crazy. And so incredibly Hermione that really? They should have known.

"I assume," he spoke, because Ron had given up trying to induce self-amnesia via table-force trauma, and was now doing a good impression of trying to instead self-medicate into that state via Bott's jellybeans, "that time turners can, well, turn back time?"

She grinned, eager and smug, eyes alight with possibilities. "Exactly."

And he had to smile back, just a bit ferally, because, because this had so much potential.

He reached out and picked up the necklace, glinting gold in the light, such a tiny thing to hold power over time itself, and grinned. "So. How can we use this?"

Lumos charm providing light, Hermione closed the book she'd been reading and dropped it besides her on her bed, thoughtful.

She hadn't had as much time to research wandless magic as she would have liked - and had been forced to use her time-turner last night after detention to squeeze the second book in as it was - but if two books were hardly a complete research list, at least they'd been thorough and relatively simple ones. And from her initial foray into the library, there actually weren't many books dedicated to the subject.

The thing about wandless magic was that it was a parlor trick, really. Oh, it had a certain mystery to it - and many wizards who couldn't so much as summon a spark without a wand might be impressed at the lighting of a candle by a wave of one's hands - but from the tone of the authors of the books, savvy wizards and witches knew better. A powerful wizard without a wand could do some – very, very basic - things a wizard with a wand could do, but no wizard - no matter how powerful - could ever achieve anything wandlessly that a wizard with a wand couldn't replicate. Replicate more easily and more strongly, at that.

Wandless magic, then, the books continued, was nothing more than a sub-optimal tool in a wizard or witch's potential arsenal. The ability, when one came right down to it, was only useful if one had lost their wand.

And a wizard or witch who would lose their wand... well, then it didn't matter how strong they were in raw power. At that point, victory or escape relied on his or her opponent screwing up. Far better for the intelligent wizard to win victory through practice and knowledge turned to talented dueling, rather than spend months of time on a skill that relied on an opponent's idiocy.

It was a conclusion that made sense, but still... she frowned. The book had mentioned how a trained wizard might spend years learning to do even the simplest of things on demand. And Harry had spent months on it, yes. But not years. And she had a sneaking suspicion why.

Wizards don't usually make serious attempts at learning magic without a wand till they're fully trained. It's a curiosity, something to explore or play with after they graduate. After they've had seven years of nothing but wand magic. And Harry said that trying to do it was completely different from trying wand magic - different enough that it messed with his control when he tried the old way. Maybe switching back and forth from wanded to wandless would have kept him from having problems with wand magic... but I can't imagine it would have been good for his speed at learning wandless magic.

From what Harry had said, it'd been two months of practicing every night before he really learned how to use his magic at will - two months of teaching his magic to function in an entirely different way than it had previously. Two months without wand magic muddying the effort. She tried to imagine an adult wizard going two months - probably double or triple that, if not more, given that they had more than triple the amount of training in wanded magic than Harry had - without using magic once... Shook her head. No way. Wizards use magic for their jobs, for travel. To cook their food and clean their clothes, to play their games and weed their gardens and call their friends. An adult wizard giving up magic for a year just to learn how to levitate a feather or light a candle?

Only a kid would do it, really. A kid forbidden from practicing wanded magic anyway. Oh, there undoubtedly werewizards out there who would be willing to go without magic for months or years, if the prize at the end was great enough. But for the ability to do a weak version of first year spells?

She shook her head again, marveling. No wonder wandless magic is rare.

No wonder it was written off as a curiosity of little import. Centuries of wizarding experience told everyone who looked into the subject that it involved great sacrifice for virtually no reward. And the ambitious usually invested their efforts in more time effective pursuits.

Not worth the effort, was the general conclusion.

So experienced wisdom held. And so, of course, Harry Potter was determined to ignore them all and master it.

Chapter End

Notes:

- Having reread Deadly Hollows, is anyone else amused by a story and a war - seven books long! - that ends without anything actually being resolved? Blood prejudice is still there. Bias against magical creatures is still there (and likely to get worse, given some creatures' involvement on the side of Voldemort.) Even an inefficent schooling system (hello, Trelawney, Binns) is still there. And as far as we know, a corrupt ministry and judicial system is still there too. It's like Harry spent seven books fighting a war that, in the end, accomplished absolutely nothing. Except for the lives he saved killing Voldemort, of course. But he'll probably be ticked when he has to do it all again in twenty/forty years. Or move to Majorca.

I'm not sure if I admire the realism, or find it incredibly frustrating. Probably both.

Next Chapter:

"You're not even half way through your schooling, Mr. Potter, I'm going to be your defense professor for a long time. You don't think you'll ever learn to trust me?"

Harry looked back to where Aesalon stood besides his desk, and he thought about what to say. Thought about saying, I faced both my previous defense professors at wand point, and was forced to kill one and hospitalize the other. Or, I don't trust Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore, and they have a two year head start on you. Or even, Answer any questions I have, teach me anything I ask, and I'll consider it.

But all of those responses revealed far too much about himself to be safe.

So he met Aesalon's eyes steadily, and said instead, "I don't think you'll still be here next year."

Then he turned, and slipped out the door.

7. crafting the pommel

Forging the Sword
Chapter Seven: Crafting the Pommel

Ron tilted his head to the left and frowned. Tilted it back right. Brushed a lock of hair back from his eyes and squinted. Frowned again. Tilte- "Oh for God's sake, Ron, what the hell do you see?"

He looked up at that impatient comment, meeting his best friend's exasperated stare. "Mate, I've no bloody idea."

Across from him, Harry raised an eyebrow and reached to pull the tea saucer from his unresisting hands. "Not like you. Granted, some of the shapes you've come up with aren't in the textboo-" Stopped. Blinked. Looked back up at him. "Ron, how much tea did you use?"

He sighed, recalling the single pile of sludgy tea leaves clogging the bottom of the saucer. "Too much, I reckon."

Harry snorted, and pushed away the crockery in disgust. "Unless it's predicting your coming death by a sludge monster, Trelawney won't be interested."

Surprised, he stared at Harry.

"What?" the younger boy asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing." And it probably wasn't, but...

I've never heard Harry use that tone of voice before. It had been... contemptuous. And Harry didn't do contempt.

Anger, mockery, and sarcasm, yes. Frustration, frequently. Condescension occasionally, though Hermione tended to have a monopoly on that. Disgust even, sparingly, and mostly in regards to the Slytherins. Who deserved it. But contempt, much less contempt towards a teacher...

I know he's unhappy with McGonagall. And Dumbledore. And hell, we all loathe the greasy git. And Trelawney's about as genuine as a leprechaun's gold, but if anyone was going to be upset about it, I'd have bet a galleon that it would be Hermione.

So why was Harry so... so...

So something.

He's acting like Trelawney's actually wronged him, he realized. And I still can't believe the barmy old bat had the gall to predict his death Monday, but he acted more amused and long suffering than anything else, especially after McGonagall confirmed it was a lie. Not happy, but not this... complete and utter dismissal. Like he's starting to discount everything Trelawney says.

And it wasn't like Ron had a great deal of faith in their divination professor from what he'd seen so far, but she had to have been hired for a reason, right?

A quiet, scraping noise had him turning his head, distracted from his thoughts, and he goggled as he watched Hermione drag her low, overstuffed chair across the small gap between their table and the one she'd been sharing with Lavender. Any other classroom and the professor would have pounced; with Trelawney, there was a fair chance she wouldn't even notice, especially given the tiny 'aisles' and over-crowded feeling of the room.

It's a damn good thing I'm not claustrophobic. And what is Hermione doing?

"She's a fraud!" Hermione announced her arrival with the outraged hiss, dropping her book on their table.

Ah.

Harry rolled his eyes without looking up at them from his study of Unfogging the Future. "Tell us something we don't know, Hermione."

"A morbid fraud!"

"Still with the already knowing."

"Harry!"

At his name, Harry finally looked up. "What?"

She stared at their black haired friend. "Is that all you have to say?"

Harry looked around; by long habit he followed suit, at last locating Trelawney in the far corner of the classroom, standing over a vaguely terrified looking Neville and a starry-eyed Pavarti. Assured of their apparent safety, Harry turned back to them and closed his copy of the textbook, then shrugged. "Look, I'm trying not to judge too harshly - this is only our first week with her - but yeah, right now? It looks like Divination's going to suck."

Hermione looked heartbroken. "But I was so looking forward to this class!"

"Hermione," he said, speaking up since Harry didn't seem to know what to say to this, "You look forward to every class." Even history of magic, for Merlin's sake. And that's got to be a feat of magic right there...

"Well, yes. But all my other new classes have been so much better than this!"

"So one bad class with a slightly barmy professor shouldn't be too much to endure, right?"

She slumped. "Maybe it'll get better as we learn more advanced stuff."

He met Harry's eyes. Harry shrugged. He looked back at Hermione, who was staring beyond them at Trelawney, frowning in contemplation. "Yeah." He finally said. "Maybe."

But from the look on his friend's face, Harry didn't believe that any more than he did.

The second transfiguration lesson of the year wasn't going well for Harry.

He'd been able to get Hermione and Ron to cover for him Monday, and one of them would be turning this pillow into a teacup for him - assuming one of them got the spell before the end of the class - as a fail-safe today if he couldn't, but even if it'd save him from McGonagall's notice, that really wasn't what he wanted to happen. What he wanted was to be able to do his own bloody transfigurations himself.

Right now, he thought grimly, it's not looking good.

It was even worse than charms class. And charms class had been bad enough.

He was quickly learning that, when you were completely and utterly failing at things you could do effortlessly last year, class could really, really suck.

It probably didn't help that he refused to show any weakness to Professor McGonagall. It made him wary of experimenting too wildly while still in the classroom, afraid of explosions or other side effects. But his traditional way of casting transfiguration spells (pointing his wand at the object and carefully enunciating) wasn't working.

Not that he'd ever been the most talented student of their year when it came to transfiguration. Most of the time, his first attempts would leave remnants going from one object to another - a box that retained its floral patterned button antecedents, a cup that looked like silver but still retained the feel of wood - but at least there'd still been some changes. Some signs that, yes, he actually was getting closer. It might take him a dozen tries before he'd be comfortable with a spell, but eventually he'd get there, gradual progress or no.

He glared down at the innocent looking pillow in front of him. Hell, I'm not even getting it to change texture.

And he couldn't even understand why.

With charms, it'd been frustrating and concentration demanding, but he'd at least had an idea of what was going wrong. He was learning to direct his magic through a wand again, and was forced to be extremely careful of how much magic he fed into the spell (and that still felt weird, really weird, because before the summer he'd never even noticed being able to feel his magic like that during spell casting) but all that had been, well, not easy, but still understandable.

With transfiguration, it was like he was missing part of the spell. Which was ridiculous, because he had the swish down, and his pronunciation was bloody perfect, and he was making sure to use his wand...

Besides him, Hermione's pillow blurred, then slowly morphed into a simple teacup, slightly lopsided but entirely serviceable. She made a sound of delight, then glanced at him and bit her lip, looking guilty.

Ah, hell. He forced himself to smile at her, and his heart lightened when she smiled back, relieved. It's not her fault I screwed myself up. And she hasn't lectured me about it at all - which had to be a strain. But I'm kicking myself enough for both of his.

Not that he was sure he would have made a different choice, even knowing then what he did now.

Talking to Ron... it was important. And I didn't know at the time what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had said to him about me. If they'd... blamed me, I didn't want to find out in the middle of Platform 9 and 3/4. And if they hadn't told Ron the whole story... he deserved to know.

No, he couldn't regret it. Not yet. But if he didn't figure out how to fix himself soon, he might start.

Care of Magical Creatures was in a classroom on the second floor. None of the three of them had ever been in it before, but Hermione had announced it was close to her Ancient Runes class, and led the way with some confidence.

The teacher... was not what he'd been expecting.

The man looked like he'd been through a war. Or several. Short gray hair revealed a left ear appeared to have been sliced away at some point, and his right hand was missing two fingers. Something in the way he stood seemed off, too, like he had some kind of old injury hidden beneath the robes. Besides him, Ron was staring at the battered, scared visage in a mixture of awe and horror. He had a feeling his own expression wasn't that far behind.

"I'm Professor Kettleburn," the professor's voice was tough and no-nonsense, his gruff Scottish accent seeming to lend gravity to his words, "and welcome to Care of Magical Creatures. Due to recent events, I don't think I need to emphasize to any of you, the importance of this class."

Around the room, students exchanged glances. He frowned. Is he talking about...? "I was scheduled to retire at the end of last year," the professor continued on, "and I was all set to do it. Kind of looking forward to it, to tell you the truth. I've spent the last thirteen years trying to drill the basics of magical animal care into teenagers, and I was entirely ready to retire someplace warm and sandy, and children free. At least, I was until the tragic events at the end of the last school term." Harry set his jaw. He is. "It reminded me of the importance of teaching you budding young sources of chaos the dangers - and more than ever now, reminding you of the joys - to be found in magical creatures."

He looked at Ron, worried. The red head was grim, his fists clenched, but that was the only outward sign of distress.

"So, on to the format of this class. You were probably surprised to see your first class with me wasn't til Thursday, and I'm equally sure you noticed Care of Magical Creatures is the only class that meets on a Saturday. The reason for both of these things is simple: I believe that the best way to get familiar with a wide variety of magical creatures, is hands on experience."

Neville went sheet-white. Lavender squeaked. Several other students in the class looked pale. The professor frowned. "What's the matter with all of you?"

Pavarti raised her hand, "Er, professor, you're not actually going to make us meet a Basilisk...?"

Kettleburn stared at them. "Where on Earth did you get a maggoty-brained idea like that?"

"Well, you were talking about Basilisks, and then hands on experience..."

"Hah!" The professor laughed. "What do you think this is, Defense Against the Dark Arts? We're learning care of magical creatures, not how to kill them. Unless any of you are planning on becoming magical creature breeders... and I think in that case I should warn you that Basilisk breeding is prohibited by the Ministry."

Hermione raised her hand. "Then what type of magical creatures are we going to be learning about?"

"Not a bad question, Ms. Granger, and the answer is: for your first year, non-dangerous ones. Unicorns, salamanders, bowtruckles, kneezles and the like. Next year we move on to more advanced creatures," Kettleburn continued, "and if you decide to take Care of Magical Creatures at a NEWT level, then yes, we will be covering the potentially lethal kind, like Dragons and Griffins."

Hermione's hand shot up again. "Why would we learn about Dragons and Griffins, but not Basilisks?" Harry raised an eyebrow. That was actually a good question

The professor sighed, "Care of magical creatures is a basic class for a whole host of future careers, from simple things like pet shop owner or a department of magical creatures officer, to more exotic fields like potions ingredient gatherer or dragon-keeper. The point of care of magical creatures is not to teach you how to kill them, but to teach you how to keep them alive. You will be learning things like habitat, lifecycles, diet, mating habits, grooming, potential uses, and common problems encountered with magical creatures. Basilisks - rare snakes created by dark magic - have neither marketable ingredients nor do they make good pets. And granted, their hide has a similar spell resistance to dragon hide. It is also, however, varied shades of a bright, poisonous lime green. And by its very nature, impervious to dyes." He raised an eyebrow. "Not a huge market for that, even if the Ministry was crazy enough to allow it. Now, no more questions please."

Looking sheepish, Hermione lowered her hand. Harry hid a grin.

"As I was saying, we have this two day format for a reason. Each Thursday I will be introducing you to the magical creature we are studying for the week, and assign you whatever reading is required. On Saturday - when at all possible - you will be meeting a live specimen of said creature. For now, that will mostly happen here on Hogwarts grounds. In later years, that might include field trips; I've always found the seventh year's daytrip to the Romanian dragon preserve goes over very well." He smiled at the whispers that broke out. "Exactly. And with that taken care of, I think it time to introduce you to the first of our animals - the ashwinder snake."

Harry leaned forward as the professor drew a pattern in the air with his wand. Glowing fire hung in the air behind it - he flinched, forcibly shoving down memories of when he'd last seen that trick - then slowly a thin, gray snake with glowing red eyes solidified from it.

"Ashwinder's," Kettleburn began in a lecturing tone, "are not really dangerous on their own. They are born of magical fires, and live only long enough to lay eggs in some dark and secluded spot. These eggs, while valued as potion ingredients, are very dangerous..."

Students scrambled at quills as he began the lesson. Picking up his own, Harry pushed aside the last unsettled memories brought on by the professor's lecture. I wish he hadn't mentioned Ginny, he thought, glancing at Ron, and I wish the first creature we're learning about isn't a snake. But at least it looks like this will be an interesting class. And Professor Kettleburn is certainly no Trelawney.

Still... if he's not all about killing dangerous magical creatures, how'd he end up so battered?

Lunch had been subdued for the three of them. Ron ate his food with a studied concentration, and Harry mostly just toyed with his own, not feeling very hungry. Hermione was clearly excited about the care of magical creatures class they'd just had, but had clamped down on her energy in deference to their own more subdued mood.

He was glad they had history of magic after lunch. It was one class that could be counted on to always be tame.

They'd ended up leaving for it early, and Harry found himself as one of the first students to arrive. Slowly, other students trickled in, then Binns floated in and began his lecture.

It'd been a while since Harry really bothered to pay attention in history of magic. He certainly hadn't Tuesday, the first lecture they'd had this year. His mind had been far too occupied with other things: freaking out about his magic, stewing over professor McGonagall, wondering what Hermione had to share with them. But today he was, well, still freaking out over his magic, if not as much, but he knew about the time turner, now, and he'd decided he didn't care about McGonagall.

So when Binns started talking, he actually tried paying attention. Tried being the operative word. Binns is still the most boring professor ever. And how can he make something that was so interesting when I was reading it in the books seem so incredibly dull now?

The thing was, some of the stuff they'd studied in History of Magic was actually kind of interesting, on the surface. They'd been moving forward steadily through time as the years progressed, first years learning the basics of everything up til the founding of Hogwarts, then in second year they'd covered through the 1300's, and the founding years of the Wizard's Council. One of the items of summer homework had been discussing the topic of witch burning in the fourteenth century - a topic with the potential to make a fascinating debate, if Binns had ever held debates - and they were scheduled to start the 1400's this year.

It could all be fascinating, like a fairy-tale story, if only he taught it differently. Instead he just floats up there the entire class, reading from his notes, with about as much enthusiasm and vocal expression as a non-animated stone wall.

Sometimes, Harry suspected that Binns didn't even like teaching. Which seemed really twisted considering he was still doing it even after he died. When the ghost coupled that uncaring attitude towards students with his absolute loathing of anything that couldn't be taken as proven, historical fact... No stories of daring adventures. No accounts of battlefields, or intrigue or scandal. Just... facts. Half the time, facts on various government bodies, because no one seems to record the minutia type details of life like they do.

He sighed and rested his chin on his hand, tapping his pen against his history book as he thought. For that matter, the class might be called 'history of magic' but really, it isn't. It's more like 'history of magical Britain in the last two thousand years - with a few side-trips into the rest of Europe, and a focus on the government's development.'

Well, it was true that 'History of Magic' was a shorter title...

Wait. He looked up, tuning in to Binns' lecture long enough to realize he was discussing the committees the witch burnings had inspired in the young Ministry of Magic at the time. History of the magical government. That's... that's what we need to know.

The majority of the information would in all probability be useless for their purposes. Most of it would be out of date. But it'd start to give him an idea of what laws there were, and, most importantly, the story behind them.

He scanned the classroom, noting the glazed eyes of virtually every slouching student - not even Hermione seemed completely immune, though she soldiered along gamely. Most of them had long ago learned that simply doing the required reading from their textbooks was enough for a passing grade - and a great deal less agonizing than listening to Binns' drone.

This is going to be boring. And annoying. And probably frustrating, because there's so many more interesting things to learn about than the Ministry of Magic and the various ways its expressed or abused its authority throughout the centuries. But maybe... maybe it's a good place to start.

He bit his lip and opened his notebook, flipping to an empty page and scribbling the date and topic in the upper right-hand corner. I told the Sorting Hat I was willing to work, even when the work was boring, or seemed to go nowhere. I told Hermione the same. And I told Ron I would help with bringing Lucius Malfoy down, no matter how long it took to get him convicted by the Ministry. I promised all of them... and I promised myself.

And Gryffindors keep their promises.

He dipped his quill in the ink and started taking notes.

"I reviewed your tests Wednesday," Professor Aesalon announced, "but it's still going to be a few days before I'm ready with a finalized lesson plan for this year. I'm afraid a day and a half wasn't quite enough time, especially not when I'm evaluating six different years. Which means today's class is going to be a little unorthodox."

Unorthodox? He tilted his head, watching the professor. This sounds interesting.

"Now, we can't actually commence with a full scale lesson, but I'll take this opportunity to give you an overview of what I hope we will accomplish this year. To begin with, do any of you know what third years are expected to have knowledge of by the end of the year?"

Harry glanced around but no one looked like they had a clue, not even Hermione.

"Ah, not surprising. You were likely never told - indeed, the vast majority of wizards and witches are never explicitly told - that Hogwarts has a standard curriculum, established along guidelines developed in concert between the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors. The professors here at the school are welcome to teach more than these established basics, but by the end of the year, certain minimum standards of proficiency are expected. Graduating into fourth year, for example, you will be expected to be able to identify, contain, defeat, or escape from, most dangerous magical creatures and plants that fall in the class 3X to class 4X categories on the Ministry's classification scale. Understandably, they put a particular emphasis on those native to Europe. You'll be given an overview of the category 5X creatures near year end, enough to at least recognize them, hopefully. However, since the prescribed response to encountering one of them is apperating away very fast, you won't be called upon to demonstrate." There were a few hisses of quiet laughter at the professor's wry tone. The man smiled and continued.

"It is not a coincidence," Aesalon admitted, "that you are to learn this in your third year of defense. Second year should have been teaching you basic survival skills, basic orienteering, and how to handle category 2X to a few, low danger, category 3X rated magical animals and plants. This would have given you a good grounding for the more dangerous creatures we are to be studying this year, and would also have been a felicitous introduction for those of you who elected to take Care of Magical Creatures among your optional courses of study. Unfortunately, from the answers I've been evaluating on the submitted tests, I've been forced to conclude your last year's defense professor was of woefully inadequate standards. Which necessitates attempts to remedy these holes in your education, and these remedial lessons will be interspersed in between your normal third year lessons as we are able."

So Lockhart wasn't being a total idiot with the pixies? he mused, surprised. Well, he'd been a total idiot, but he'd been an idiot at least trying to do his job right. Too bad he was also a spineless coward, a traitor, and a thief. If he'd been worth anything, maybe Ginny wouldn't have died...

Shaking the thought away, he turned his attention back to their teacher.

"First year, in case any of you are curious, covers basic magical theory, a few almost harmless hexes and jinxes - such as jelly legs, or minor petrification - their counters, and various methods of summoning aid, such as the conjuration of sparks. At one time it was hoped to teach first years a basic illusion spell, but they've never found a spell of sufficient simplicity as to be within the capability of the majority of first year students. Now, does anyone know, or have a reasoned opinion, why those spells are the standard skill set taught first years?"

To Harry's surprise, it was Draco Malfoy, of all people, who raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"Those are all you need to escape muggles, sir. And non-magical wild animals too, I guess."

"Correct, Mr. Malfoy; three points to Slytherin." The man looked out over the surprised class. "Indeed, although a jelly-legs jinx would do little against another wizard, it is fully capable of incapacitating a muggle, or even a boar. By the standards laid down at the founding of the school, by the end of their first year, any children sent back to their homes over the summer should be able to protect themselves from a single muggle attacker, or summon aid if there should be a need. It's a tradition continued to this day, although we have, if possible, even less interaction with the muggle world than our ancestors did centuries ago. You have a question, Mr. Zabini?"

"Professor sir, how do you know all this? I don't think either of our previous two defense professors did."

Aesalon smiled. "You might be selling them short, but in any case, I am unlikely to fit the archetype of a defense professor that your previous instructors - in all likelihood - embraced. In fact, by both training and inclination, I'm a historian."

Harry stared. The best defense professor it seems like we've had so far... and he's not a defense professor?

"That doesn't mean I'm useless at spells," their professor continued, "and I like to think my repertoire is at least respectable. But indeed, I've never won a dueling championship in my life. And my travels have mostly been supplementing my historical inquiry, not journeying about defeating various magical dangers. Which means your education will not just be in various curses and counter-curses, but rather I hope to instill in you some awareness of the world, and the present dangers therein.

"Now, unless someone else has questions, I think it time to begin your practical lesson. Today we leave off investigating magical creatures or plants, and I will instead be teaching you three spells you should have covered in basic survival skills last year. We'll start with the charm to tell if water you run across in the wild is potable, then move on to a warming charm, designed to keep oneself from freezing if lost outdoors overnight. Finally, we'll cover the compass spell, supremely useful if you're not sure exactly where you are, but know a large settlement lies nearby, somewhere, say, to the north east. Please bring your wands to hand."

Surprised, Harry pulled his wand from his pocket. He wasn't sure if he ever would have any need for this in real life, but it wasn't often they had a defense lesson where their teacher had them actually casting spells.

I think... I think I might like this guy.

But he's a historian. And since he chose this year to become a professor, chances are it was something that happened recently here that convinced him to teach. I can only think of one news worthy event at Hogwarts last year.

So he's either here about the Chamber of Secrets... or he's here about Ginny.

And either way... either way, I was involved.

Harry sighed, luxuriating in the feeling of having no deadlines, having nowhere to go, and having nothing to do now that it was past three in the afternoon, and his essays were finished. Smiling, he remembered Hermione's firm declaration yesterday, that they would not be time turning on Sunday.

Lazily, he moved his pawn forward on Ron's chessboard, not even wincing as Ron's knight promptly massacred it, and had to admit Hermione had probably had the right of it.

Not that either Ron or I fought too hard...

He'd made a few protests, not exactly token, but more out of the feeling that he should be working his hardest every single day than from anything else. They'd only had a few days use of the time turner, but he was already learning how tiring it could be.

And he could still remember Hermione's response. We need some down time, she'd argued. Human brains aren't meant to handle non-stop learning. When Ron had looked like he might protest, she'd shaken her head, adamant. We'll study in the morning, then take a break and be social in the afternoon. Remember - we're not just going to have to do this for a few days. We're planning to use the time turner indefinitely.

Both good points.

The first week of the term had been far more busy than he could have imagined it would be, and it felt like he'd packed a month into a single six day period. Meeting the new professors, planning things out with Ron and Hermione, trying to get his magic working again, and dealing with the after-effects from the fight with Draco Malfoy...

When he wasn't in class he was studying, when he wasn't studying he was practicing wandless magic, and when he wasn't practicing he was talking with Ron and Hermione.

Hermione's right, he thought again, leaning back against the cushions, stretching as he enjoyed the way the sun poured in, languid and dreamy, from the windows set against the common room's wall. One day off a week isn't a bad thing.

Because if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that, as busy as the first week of the term had been, the next few were going to be interesting.

It took a month of pounding his head against the wall before he got it, and by then he'd begun to get more than a little desperate. He shuddered now to think how long it might have taken, if he hadn't happened to have been absently staring at Professor Flitwick earlier in the morning as he passed out the materials they'd be needing for the day's charms class.

Well, he reflected, I say 'passed out' like he did it by hand, but he did it by magic. He usually does.

He'd watched the familiar show without interest, slouched down in his seat as the small, silver bells had floated out into the classroom, idly wondering, as they set themselves neatly down in front of each row of students, what they'd be learning that day. It'd actually taken him a moment to realize what he'd seen, and when he did it sent him bolting upright, astonished. He'd recognized those wand movements. The professor hadn't actually said anything out loud, (and how did professors do that, anyway?) but that familiar swish, with that little, characteristic flick at the end... the levitation spell had been the first spell Professor Flitwick ever taught them, and he sometimes thought the wand movements for it had been burned into his brain.

He remembered still, with a hint of discomfort, the way he'd stared at the professor hours earlier, confused, because that had been the levitation spell... but those bells had done far more than just float.

They'd floated, but they'd floated to each row. And yeah, he was used to the professors being able to do tons of things he couldn't, but he'd kind of always assumed they were using advanced spells - spells they'd be teaching the students in fifth or sixth or seventh year - to do it.

He'd only paid half attention to the lesson on altering the sound the bell would create when struck, (which he'd probably be regretting a little when he worked on the homework assignment tonight), because the other half of his mind had been busy wondering how the professor had done that.

Luckily, Flitwick was one of those professors with a true love of knowledge - appropriate, given his house – and a genuine joy in passing that knowledge along. Harry'd headed up to his diminutive professor at the end of the class, intent on getting answers. What those answers had suggested to him...

He stared down at the (familiar) pillow-nemesis sitting in front of him.

It's actually very simple, the professor's voice seemed to echo in his memory. The hover charm, at its most basic, does cause things to float. But even while you were practicing it in your first year, surely you noticed you had some control over it? That you could choose how high the feather soared, or how long it did so, based on what you were thinking of when you cast it? The simple charms you learn in your early years at Hogwarts might be nowhere near as dependent on focus, intent, or visualization as even basic transfiguration requires, but I dare say one can't claim to have mastered a charm until they've gotten beyond the basics. In fact, it'd be a good exercise for you; try sometime to make an object not just float, but dance.

Sneaking away at lunch, he'd tried it. In a way it'd felt strange, since most of the levitation he'd tried recently had been done wandlessly, but it was true that, wandlessly, he could do a great deal more with a feather - or a branch, or a book or any similar object- than to just make it float in mid air. And since things were always easier with a wand than without it... well, what could it hurt?

It'd been both oddly similar and dissimilar to his wandless exercises, and it'd taken a bit of practice, but he'd done it. And now...

Focus. Intent. Visualization.

He lifted his wand and closed his eyes, focusing himself as he would before he'd attempt wandless magic, working from that quiet, balanced stillness he'd found most facilitated his control. He took his time, painting the image vividly across his mind, crafting the desired form, piece by piece. He filled in details, sharpened the edges, forced himself to see it, until every inch and curve and detail was crystal clear, like a portrait etched into his brain-

Took a deep breath, and holding it, he murmured the words of the inanimate to inanimate transfiguration spell.

Then he opened his eyes, and stared.

He'd never particularly thought of himself as gifted with transfiguration before, but the cup from his mind sat glittering before him, no mere lopsided teacup but a finely etched goblet, elaborate in its details and brilliant in its colors, with sinuous knot work along the edges, sparkling silver and looking exactly like he'd imagined it.

He looked on in wonder at the delicate, perfectly balanced cup sitting before him, remembering how clear it'd all felt; the feel of magic touching and learning the pillow, then the twist of the spell as it reached for his input and his will triggered the shift, whirling atoms into the new form he held in his mind, following the pattern he imposed on the magic as if it'd been drawn in ink and parchment, rather than painted as an image in his head...

It'd been like- like feeling the click of a last puzzle piece finding home. Like diving faster than freefall, knowing the snitch was ahead of him, one twist to the right away. Like that last breathless moment with wandless magic, as pure concentration shifted into action, and everything in the universe went right.

It'd been perfect. And aside from the extra focus he'd been forced to use, holding the visualization and delicately spinning out only so much magic as to fill the pattern and no more...

Aside from the extra concentration, it'd been effortless.

He reached out with one hand - not even feeling a flicker of embarrassment when he realized it was shaking slightly - and awe and relief and triumph flooded through him as he picked up the cup.

Bloody hell.

I did it.

There is something very wrong, he thought with a mental snort a few days later, when possessing power over time itself isn't enough to keep you from being late to class. He lengthened his stride, sending a dark glance at Ron, who had seemed to gain quite a few inches over the last summer, along with an accompanying increase in speed - when he wasn't tripping over his own feet.

Not that Hermione was having any problems keeping up with the two of them, despite being the shortest of their number. She was leading them, in fact, irritation speeding her along. "If we're late to Defense I'm blaming you, Ron."

"What?" He smirked. Ron's response had contained a distinct squawking undertone. "I had nothing to do with this!" his friend continued. "It was your spell, it was Harry who cast it-"

"I didn't know that would happen," he interrupted. They were not blaming this on him.

"-Harry who cast it," Ron continued doggedly. "So how do I get the blame?"

"Harry," she said with exquisite precision as they ascended the next landing, "was not the one who thought putting his all into it was a good idea!"

"I just said he should try putting different levels of effort into breaking the protection! He was the one who wanted to throw everything he had at it. And it's not like I knew he'd blow up the classroom."

"I did not blow up the classroom."

They continued as if they hadn't even heard him. "It's Harry," she said. Apparently, in their code that was short for You should have known.

"Hey," he said, mildly insulted because really, he wasn't that bad. And it'd barely taken any scrubbing to remove the scorch marks from the stone.

"True." Ron shrugged.

"Hey!"

"It's okay, Harry," Hermione said as they approached the last corner, soothing tone a deliberate patronization. "We've known each other for years now; we understand. With you, these things just happen."

"For the last bloody time," he said, voice rising, because they'd been teasing him nonstop about this, ever since they started scrubbing the evidence away, "I did not blow up the bloody classroom!" Then they turned the corner and screeched to a halt, narrowly avoiding a collision with the professor as he came the opposite way."

"Professor Aesalon!" Hermione squeaked. "Er, are we late?"

He studied them for a moment, dark eyes thoughtful, and Harry resisted the urge to fidget, uncomfortably sure their professor was taking in every detail, from the small burn on Ron's sleeve to the damp patches on his robe from Hermione's conjured water. But he responded to Hermione without commenting. "You have thirty-five seconds left, Miss Granger. I suggest you hurry."

"Yes professor," she said, then dodged around him, and over to the classroom door. Harry followed, Ron trailing behind him, as he tried to convince himself that he was imagining the feeling of the professor's eyes watching him as he went.

But despite the somewhat ominous start, the class was an interesting combination of practical and theoretical. Following the professor's warning that they'd be learning about dangerous magical plants and animals, they'd started with aquatic creatures native to Scotland, and the day's lecture had been on hippocampi - some of which, the professor assured them, inhabited Hogwarts' lake.

The lesson wrapped up a few minutes early, and Aesalon dismissed them off to potions with homework assignments in hand. Harry was packing up his book bag when the professor paused by his desk. "Stay for a moment after class please, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, professor."

The classroom slowly emptied and he waved Ron and Hermione on without him. Ron did a brief pantomime, complete with a few hand gestures between him and Hermione that looked vaguely obscene, but probably meant they'd wait for him by the door. He quirked an eyebrow at them, then shrugged and nodded, turning and walking towards the front of the class where Aesalon patiently waited.

He had a feeling he knew what this was about, so he took a deep breath and centered himself, the way he would if he was about to try something intricate wandlessly, then looked up at the older man. "You wanted to see me professor?"

Aesalon steepled his fingers, and looked at him with a direct gaze. "You understand, Mr. Potter, that when a professor overhears a young wizard, still in his schooling years, protesting most vigorously to his compatriots that he has not, in fact, committed a magical act of widespread destruction, that there will be... concerns."

Hermione, I'm going to kill you. And possibly myself. "Professor, Ron and Hermione were just teasing me. It was nothing."

"I see. And the scorch mark on Mr. Weasley's sleeve?" And Ron; Ron's dead too. Prat should have moved faster anyway.

"It really was nothing, professor." He made his best attempt at an airy wave. "We were just testing some flame-oriented protection spells on some conjured blocks, and apparently we didn't cast them strong enough."

The professor raised an eyebrow, and Harry tried not to twitch at a mannerism he associated, almost exclusively, with his least favorite potions professor. Although at least with Aesalon no sneer was forthcoming. "Protection spells. I see." The professor's eyes flicked past him, to the door, where Ron and Hermione were probably still waiting. "You do realize that we introduce warding objects in our sixth year of defense studies? You three are rather precocious."

And actually, he hadn't, because they'd been coming back from one of their Care of Magical Creatures classes - one which had involved salamanders, and the fire spirits had gotten a little blisteringly close to him - and he'd observed that if Professor Kettleburn was going to keep bringing dangerous fire creatures, they should probably start doing research in the name of self-protection, and then Hermione's eyes had lit up and she'd said she had an idea...

He shrugged, the flash of humor breaking through. 'Cause with Hermione, it was really fifty-fifty whether she'd realized it was that advanced and decided not to tell them just to see if they could do it, or if she'd realized it was that advanced at all. "Probably that's why it collapsed when I put enough power into the incendio. But for minor sparks and stuff, it held up pretty well."

"That it held at all it to you three's credit." Silence for a few moments, while the professor studied him. Still in that place mentally where he was balanced, he waited without impatience. "Mr. Potter," the man said at last. "I will not offer insult by warning you, of all children, of the potential dangers in deeper magics. I do, however, offer some aide and guidance. If you three run across a spell of high interest - and high risk - I'd ask you come to me before you try performing it. I can not only facilitate your learning of the spell, but also ensure adequate safety... and security."

He felt his eyes narrow at the last add on, then tried belatedly to smooth out the betraying gesture. He stared at the man, wondering if he'd misunderstood, but the professor just looked back at him, waiting. Hell with it, he thought, and went with his instincts. "Any spell?" He wasn't even sure what he was asking, but...

The man answered obliquely. "I've heard about you, Mr. Potter."

"Yeah," he said, disgusted, "you and everyone else in the U.K."

"If you are speaking of wizarding Britain, all of it above the age of six would be a more accurate summation of the population." Aesalon replied crisply. "But the newspaper articles and books are not to what I refer. I've listened to what the other professors will say about you, and to what the student body will share." And wasn't that a creepy thought? He was used to the other students gossiping about him, but he'd never thought the professors would... "If half of your rumored exploits are true, you will not let doubt, dubious safety, or official disapprobation deter you from a course you are set on. Turning away your request for supervision would result not in a cessation of activities, but merely drive you to covert ones. Knowing this, simply refusing aid is not a denouncement of your aims, but a hypocrisy that tacitly accepts any harm that falls upon you as justified, denying culpability because you were denied sanction. It is a stance I would reject with any child to which I had a responsibility."

Harry blinked at the flow of words, half wishing Hermione was right next to him, half simply thankful for all the extra study he'd done over the past months, without which, he'd be completely lost rather than partially. He's saying... If I asked for help with something and he refused, and he knew I'd still do it anyway, then if he didn't stop me he'd be responsible for any bad things that happened to me because of it?

Which was... kind of a slippery stance to take. Because if, say, Crabbe was going to do something stupid, and for some reason he warned him, but then the Slytherin went on to do it anyway, Harry certainly wouldn't be feeling guilty. Well, maybe a very little, if the other boy was killed or something, but if he just ended up in the hospital wing, he'd probably be laughing about it with Ron.

But if the professor really meant it...

For one moment, he could see all the possibilities opening up; guided instruction rather than he and Ron and Hermione scrounging through their syllabi and the library index for topics to study. Help with learning new spells just from instructions in books, a demonstration of perfect pronunciation and wand movements in real life, as well as the tips and tricks adult wizards acquired. The ability to just ask, on any topic, and not to be told not to ask questions, or that he was too young, or that it was none of his business. This was far more than Professor McGonagall had ever offered...

The thought of his head of house jolted him, and the gathering excitement faded away. It was far more than McGonagall had ever offered. McGonagall, who'd taught his parents. McGonagall, who headed his house, and was supposed to be the one he could go to for any problems he had at Hogwarts. McGonagall... who'd turned away.

So he met his professor's gaze and smiled. It was a smile his friends probably wouldn't recognize, guileless and a little slow, with just a touch of gratefulness. It was a smile the Dursleys would have known instantly. "Of course I'll come, Professor." Then he turned, and headed toward the door.

"Mr. Potter." Aesalon's voice carried clearly.

He turned back, "Yes professor?"

The man studied him in silence for a moment, then spoke. "You're not even half way through your schooling, Mr. Potter, I'm going to be your defense professor for a long time. Do you think you'll ever learn to trust me?"

Harry looked at Aesalon where he still stood besides his desk, and he thought about what to say. Thought about saying, I faced both my previous defense professors at wand point, and was forced to kill one and hospitalize the other. Or: I don't trust Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore, and they have a two year head start on you. Or even: Answer any questions I have, teach me anything I ask, and I'll consider it.

But all of those responses revealed far too much about himself to be safe.

So he met Aesalon's eyes steadily, and said instead, "I don't think you'll still be here next year."

Then he turned and slipped between Ron and Hermione, leaving the classroom behind him.

"What did he want?"

At Ron's question, he turned from away from the view below them, and looked at the two of them. "I'm... not sure."

He watched as they exchanged glances, Hermione's worried and Ron's suspicious, and wondered when they'd all started assuming adults were a source of potential interference to be wary of. Wished he himself could believe that it wasn't true. But the professors talk of truth and loyalty and fairness... then they aren't willing to help those who will take a stand. We really can't trust them, because if they knew what we were doing, they'd try to stop us. Ron can't even talk to his parents, and I'd be willing to bet Hermione hasn't said anything to hers, either. And if you can't trust those who are supposed to love and support you above anything...

And it wasn't like he had any practical experience at families. But he knew what he'd be willing to do for Ron or Hermione. What they'd be willing to do for him.

Frankly, none of the adults around measured up.

"We couldn't hear most of it from the door, mate," Ron said. "But we definitely heard him at the end. Why was he asking if you'd trust him? That seems kinda..." The red head made a vague, wobbly gesture in mid air.

"Odd," he supplied, and Ron nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, all the professors just expect us to trust them, but, you know, as professors. Not as, well, anything else."

"It's not out of place for a teacher to want his students to trust him," Hermione added, looking thoughtful, "But what brought this on? What on earth happened that made him think you didn't?"

He looked at her askance, "Uh, Hermione? I don't."

"Oh, honestly." She rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't. For that matter, neither do I. But my point is, how does he know that?"

"Oh." He frowned. "He heard us talking about the, er, overpowered incendio. And, you know, it really wasn't helped by you guys making it sound like I'd started world war three on the classroom. I guess he was, I don't know, maybe worried? Maybe interested?" He made a throw away gesture. "I still can't pin that one down. But anyway, he implied that we - the three of us - impressed him. Then he told me that he wouldn't insult me by warning us about the dangers of magic, but that he was available for help if we needed it. And I told him I'd come to him if we ran across something we thought might be dangerous, but..." He shrugged. "I guess he didn't believe me."

Hermione nodded. "So the question is, was he just interested in helping students? Or was he interested in helping you. Or, I guess, if he's even interested in helping us at all. He might just be wanting to know beforehand so he could stop us from trying things."

He shook his head. "He made the offer to all of us. Well, he seemed to treat us as a unit, anyway. And as to if he wanted to help us at all, I don't know. But I think he realizes that if we did go to him once, and he stopped us, we'd never go to him again. He even said something kind of about that."

It was Ron's turn to shrug. "Doesn't really matter in the end though, does it? Whether he's offering 'cause Harry's the Boy-Who-Lived, or if he's just offering because he's concerned... either way, we don't trust him enough to take him up on it."

That was... surprisingly insightful of Ron. He really has grown up a lot.

If only the price hadn't been so high.

"Not yet, anyway," Hermione put in, apparently unwilling to scratch off any source of knowledge entirely. "Maybe someday..."

"We'll see." Who knew? Maybe Aesalon would break the curse. "We're agreed, then? We still do this on our own."

"On our own." Hermione nodded. "It's safest that way."

"On our own," Ron agreed.

He smiled at the sight of them, framed against the tower's backdrop, determined, fierce, and willing to take on the world to do what was right.

On our own, he echoed silently. He couldn't think of better company to do it with.

The time turner was a godsend, but it wasn't a miracle.

Harry flipped his book closed and sighed, leaning back against his chair as he stared out the window and pondered the difference.

There are restrictions, Hermione's voice came from memory. You can't go back further than six hours. You can't repeat more than six hours in a given twenty four hour period, even split up into multiple trips. And, most importantly, you can't unmake events.

All of which was, yes, disappointing in a way. Because he'd wondered, for a moment, when he'd first held that seemingly fragile construction of metal and glass and pure magic in one hand, if the time turner was the answer to all their problems, gifting them with literally as much time as they could ever want. But on the other hand... well, in practice, the hours they had been given hadn't exactly turned out the way he'd imagined they would.

Really, he thought, reflecting over the past weeks, extra time sounds great in theory - but then you have to figure out how to use it. Because the problem wasn't the limited number of extra hours in a day the time turner could give them. The problem was that the time turner gave them time... and nothing else.

It didn't make them smarter. It didn't help them learn faster; didn't make it easier to concentrate when they were tired, or frustrated, or just plain burned out. It didn't allow them to memorize things quicker, or to remember things more completely or clearly. It didn't do anything, other than give them an extra four to six hours in a day.

Yesterday, they'd spent half of those hours sleeping. It hadn't been the first time.

He was still grateful they had it. He figured, at the very least, they were getting an extra two or three hours in of "study" time more than even the most dedicated of Ravenclaws might have each day. He was beginning to really start to get a handle on effortlessly switching from wanded to wandless magic - then back again. Ron had pretty much finished up solidifying his grasp on subjects he'd only coasted through in the past two years. Hermione was keeping up with a course load that was, frankly, flat out crazy. The three of them were making top marks - enough that the professors were commenting. And they were studying extra projects on their own, as they found time. They'd managed this even as Ron and Hermione served out the detentions from the fight on the train, and he attended about that much time in Quidditch practice. All of which had only been possible with the time turner. But so far, they hadn't really had much time to put towards their goals.

We've needed this month, he acknowledged to himself. We started term with all these grand ideas, and no real plan how to do it. I'd almost screwed myself magically, Hermione might have agreed to help with Malfoy, but flinchingly, and Ron... he shook his head, remembering Ron as he'd met him in Diagon Alley, all burning rage and aching fury, then the Ron he'd met on the train, focused but still angry, not healed, but no longer a bleeding, open wound. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did him no favors, lying. Ron's not always the quickest kid in the class, but he's not thick, either. Making it clear that he couldn't trust his own family... forcing him, however accidentally, to choose between them and Ginny, while all the while he knew their response was false...

He had a feeling that had almost destroyed his best friend. Ron was better now, but he'd never be exactly the same.

He sighed, shaking off the tangent, eyeing the book he'd discarded. Still, it's been over a month. And we need to start actually accomplishing something. I'm still pretty much clueless about the wizarding world government and justice system, and what I'm learning in History is both too slow and lacking modern insight. We don't really know any more about Lucius Malfoy than we did at the beginning of the term. And I know Voldemort's still out there. Somewhere. Maybe making more items that will kill little girls who were only lonely, or possessing someone and hurting them until they'll do whatever he says. Getting ready to try to come back again and kill me. And maybe kill Ron or Hermione.

There had to be something more they could be doing. They were thirteen now, and getting top marks, but that wasn't enough. They had to keep learning stuff beyond their year. On top of regular schoolwork and social activities. Andgathering info on Lucius Malfoy in particular, and the wizarding world government in general. Any two of those could be accomplished easily enough just with the extra hours in a day gained from time turning. Trying to accomplish all three...

Well, he thought with wry humor, I have all the time I need to think about this. Then he groaned and let his head thunk down on the desk. And now I'm just going in circles. I need to ask the others if they have an idea.

God knows he didn't.

"Ron, is there a way to make yourself smarter?"

Sitting around their study niche in the armory - a place they'd found themselves using more and more this year, between keeping the secret of the time turner, and keeping their other secrets - Hermione and Ron both looked up from the transfiguration assignment they'd been working on.

"Uh?" Ron asked, uncertain at the nonsequitor.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, eyes flicking over his practically untouched parchment. "I hear studying's good for that."

"No," he said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, magically, is there a way to make yourself smarter?"

"What," Ron asked, "like a charm or something you mean? I don't think so..."

"A charm, a potion... I don't know! But I mean, with all the things magic can do, there should be tons of ways to make learning easier. There's magic that lets people do everything else. Change hair colour, change eye colour, change into cats, fly..."

"Harry," Hermione said, and she sounded slightly exasperated with him. "Think about it: if there was a charm to make us smarter, don't you think that'd be the first thing the professors taught us? Or performed over us? It'd make their jobs a lot easier."

Which was true, but... "Well," he said, unwilling to give up just yet, "what about a potion, then?"

"It'd be the same thing though, wouldn't it?" interjected Ron. "They'd be lacing the pumpkin juice at breakfast with it or something."

"What if... what if it was made of really expensive ingredients?" he asked, grasping at straws in the face of their unrelenting logic. "So the school couldn't really afford to dose everyone every day."

"In which case the rich purebloods and halfbloods would be flaunting it to make fun of everyone who couldn't afford it," Hermione retorted. "Seriously, what brought this up?"

He forced himself to put words to his frustration, trying hard to be careful not to imply his thoughts were in any way a criticism. "It's just, we're working so hard - and learning a lot too! - but, well, we've still barely scratched the surface of all we need to learn. It'd be a lot easier, and more to the point, faster, if we had something that let us remember better, or pick up new ideas quicker. And seriously, this is magic. It can do anything."

"Mate," Ron said, "I've never heard of a potion that will just... make you smarter. Or anything else, for that matter. They don't have potions that will make you beautiful, either, not as a permanent thing. Or better at transfiguration. Or more skilled at quidditch. It just... doesn't work like that. You can do a lot of temporary stuff, like glamour charms, or, or, a love potion will make you beautiful to the person you use it on, but it all wears off eventually. And it's all... well... surface stuff. Not changing what really makes you, you."

"Okay," he said. "Forget about easy, temporary stuff, like a charm we could pick up or a potion we could order away for. What about harder, long-term stuff?" Not that they didn't already have enough projects on their plates...

"Like what?" Hermione asked, half puzzled, half challenging.

"Like," he said, "like, I don't even know what like. Like the kind of magic that does let you turn into an animal, easy and natural as breathing. Like the kind of magic that could change you. Dumbledore said, last year, when we were talking about Voldemort, that he'd-" he frowned and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember, "he'd undergone some sort of magical transformation. And maybe, whatever he did, I figure that's probably one of the reasons he was so powerful, and maybe even why he didn't die-"

"Oh no," Ron shot straight up, interrupting. "You don't want to go that way, Harry. There's all sorts of stories and tales about dark wizards, who try to find ways to circumvent death, or gain more power, or any number of things. It always ends badly. Always."

"Well, I don't care about being more powerful, or immortal, or anything like that," he said, this time feeling like it was his turn to be exasperated. "I'm just saying, we know that it is possible for wizards to change themselves..."

"It's dark magic," Ron said flatly. "Not just dark; evil. Sacrificing children and tearing power from magical creatures - hell, Harry, you saw what came of Quirrell drinking Unicorn's blood! What you gain in power you lose somewhere else. It's not natural; it's corrupt."

"But," he said, confused, "that... really doesn't make any sense."

"Harry," Hermione suggested cautiously, "Ron's the one who grew up in the wizarding world. Don't you think he's the one who knows best?"

"I'm not doubting that, Hermione!" He gestured sharply with one hand. "And I'll say it again, I don't want to steal anyone's power, or life, or anything else. But it doesn't make sense that there'd be a high price for any and every change you make to yourself. I mean- Ron, most of these stories, it was a dark witch or wizard, right? Who was probably making a deal with dark creatures, or, or, like you said, sacrificing someone else for their goals. But, don't you think maybe the way they were going about it, or what they wanted out of it, had something to do with how bad it went? We don't pay a price for conjuring water, or floating objects, or flying, and none of that is natural either!"

"I don't know," Hermione replied while Ron seemed slightly confused, and it occurred to Harry that, maybe for Ron, floating objects and conjuration and flying was natural. "In fairy tales, and fantasy books, there's usually a price. And the more you gain, the bigger the price it seems to be."

"Maybe it's just that I never had the time or opportunity to read a lot," he countered, God knows my aunt and uncle never encouraged it, "but I still don't find it entirely convincing. I mean, what do muggles really know about magic? The few books I read seemed to put a lot more limits on magic than there really are. People getting tired casting simple spells, and stuff. I mean, it's magic. By definition it should be a lot more flexible than that."

"Even if you're right, we're still back to the point we made about charms, and potions. If it was that easy, everyone would do it."

"I'm not saying it would be easy," he said, looking at them both. "Hell, I'm not even saying it's doable in a non-evil way. I'm just saying it's worth it to find out more."

"I just want to ask," Ron put in, "when we started talking about using You-Know-Who as a role model."

"I'm not! Not exactly, anyway. I just-" He threw up his hands. "Never mind. Look, Hermione, you're the best at research, even though I know you also have the busiest schedule of the three of us school wise. Can you look for items, or potions or charms or any other way to make someone smarter? Even if there's a limited use aspect? I know you both think I'm barmy right now, but I still feel like I'm right. Or at least partly right. Isn't that worth checking out?"

"If it doesn't require eating someone's soul or something," Ron muttered, looking at Hermione.

"All right," she replied, a little slow, and he watched the two of them exchange glances. "Since you feel that strongly, I'll look for examples of magic being used to make someone better or smarter. Now that we no longer have detentions three times a week, that frees up almost six hours. I'll see what I can find."

"Good. Thanks." He sighed, and sat back against the cushions, running his hand through his hair. "And Ron, whatever Hermione finds - if she finds anything - we'll talk about before we use. I'm not exactly anymore eager to turn into Voldemort than you are. But we're going up against wizards decades older than us. No matter how much time we've had to learn a few extra spells? They've had like a hundred times more than that."

Ron met his eyes steadily, then sighed. "I know, Harry. I know. But most of those spells are evil. And..." his voice broke for a second, the Ron continued, "And You-Know-Who's diary was a perfect example of such things. Setting up a trap like that," Ron's hands fisted, "there are only so many reasons for it. Wherever he is, the bastard's probably stronger than he was. Because of what he took from Ginny."

It felt like ice had congealed inside him. "What?"

"You didn't know?" Ron was grim. "Never mind; stupid question. You wouldn't have had your parents telling you stories growing up, and I know we haven't covered things like this in History of Magic. The way you told me that the diary-image of You-Know-Who was coming back? Like, turning into a real person? That's beyond anything I've even heard about, but there are things like it, things evil wizards can do. I told you they steal life… what did you think they did with it? It's power. Not exactly power they can just add to their own, like, I don't know, adding a cup of water to your pitcher, but it's a power that can be used for- other things."

"I-" Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't know. But. I don't think Voldemort got anything from Ginny. I'd think destroying the diary would have prevented it from, I don't know, finding the real him and passing the power along."

Ron just frowned. "Maybe."

They stared at each other, not sure what to say, for several minutes. There wasn't hatred between them, or even anger, and Harry knew, by all that was holy, that everyone else would have thought there should be. But there was weight there, weight and ties, oaths spun from death and silence and an anger that would not forget. He wasn't sure if it was justice or vengeance they were seeking, anymore.

He wasn't sure either of them cared.

It was Hermione who broke the silence. "It's awful," she said. "And Ron, Harry's right, none of us will be doing anything similar. But it'll probably take me a few weeks to even find anything, and in the meantime, we should get back to our essays. This time turn will be over in about twenty minutes, and we should be finished before lunch."

"You're right," Ron muttered, and at last turned away. Harry bent his own attention back to his parchment.

No, he thought, still cold with the horror Ron's information had brought. I don't think I do care. Not when the outcome will be the same either way.

It has to be done. And since no one else will do it...

We will.

Chapter End

Canon Notes:

- It really doesn't seem like there are a lot of canon ways to use magic to improve yourself, does there? We have all sorts of fanon ideas about occlumency and animagi - and there's brief mention of a 'wit-sharpening potion' in GoF and a 'memory' potion in SS, but JK Rowling seems to have oriented her series less around improvement of self, and more about victory through luck and self-sacrifice.

Not that there's anything wrong with luck and self-sacrifice. But being in a situation where you don't have to rely on them would seem to be the preferable choice.

- The basilisk is CoS really is described as a "bright, poisonous green" – which is why I always find myself giggling slightly, reading stories where uber!badass!Harry has commissioned an entire "battle robes/dueling outfit" made of Basilisk hide. I just imagine him striding onto out into the fray, clad in robes and boots a brilliant, eye searing green. And dying a material prized for its super-toughness and impermeability can't be easy, right?

Other Notes:

- To answer a question raised in a few reviews regarding the absence of Sirius and Remus, Arthur, in mourning, doesn't toss in a galleon for the Daily Prophet's drawing. Which means he doesn't win the contest, and the Weasley family never have their picture taken. No picture means no Pettigrew revealed, and thus no impetus for Sirius Black to break out of Azkaban.

I tend to agree with those who find the timing of Remus Lupin's employment as entirely too auspicious to be coincidental. I decided that without Sirius loose, Dumbledore was unlikely to have deliberately set out to secure Remus as the defense teacher for Harry's third year.

Next Chapter:

One of the most aggravating things about Harry, she decided, staring down at the list before her, was his habit of being frustratingly, intuitively right, even when it seemed like all logical indicators should point to a contrary conclusion. Sometimes, it almost seemed like a magical gift in and of itself.

Well, she reconsidered, scanning the familiar items, he was sort of right, anyway. She'd been right too: although there did exist items and potions that would convey mental benefits upon the user, they were definitely not common. And certainly weren't the type the school would be supplying every student with.

Even including things of great rarity, she'd still had trouble. Three weeks of research had yielded half a page.

Now she set that precious half page before her, and looked up into Ron and Harry's expectant faces.

8. affixing the hilt

Forging the Sword
Chapter Eight: affixing the hilt

It made it easier for them to keep track of each other - and the amount of time they spent turned - if they all time-turned together, so he and Ron stuck to Hermione's schedule. Which meant they waved her off to her Ancient Runes class, then headed to the armory together.

Flopping down on the pillows, he cocked his head as he stared at his friend, considering. "Ron, how's your course load?"

Across from him, his red-headed friend groaned as he took the opposite side of the table, already pulling out his own books. "Merlin, don't make me think about it. You know, I never thought I'd be putting this much work into school. I'm turning into Hermione."

"Hermione actually likes learning all this stuff," he pointed out. "I mean, some of it is really interesting - more of it than I originally thought would be, anyway - but we're still doing this for a goal, you know? She just… likes it."

Which he understood better now than he had last year, but still… He winced as he recalled the last book he'd seen her reading. It'd been about six inches thick, and the type font he'd glimpsed over her shoulder had been small enough to make his eyes hurt. Hermione's great, but she takes it to bloody extremes.

"Well, she always has been a bit barmy." Ron nodded, comfortably assured with his read on their friend. "We've known that from first year. Anyway, what's up?"

"Something that needs to be researched," he answered. "I can do part of it; but it'd be easier if you could take some of it, too. And I know Hermione's better at fact digging than both of us, but she's already working on her crazy schedule and that list of magical items or abilities that'd help us learn faster. And I don't want to put this off any longer than we already have."

Ron's smile faded as he frowned, apparently shuffling things in his head. Finally, he shrugged and nodded. "I think so. Is this a quick thing, or an ongoing project?"

"Definitely an ongoing project," he answered, a certain wryness infusing his words. "Originally I was going to do it - but after that discussion a few days ago… Anyway, it made me really realize how much more about the wizarding world you know than me."

"Well, duh." Ron rolled his eyes. "Magical parents, remember?"

He rolled his eyes in turn and flicked out his hand and a focused twist of will. Ron yelped as invisible magic poked him in the forehead. "Hey, no wandless magic on your friends, remember?" He rubbed his hand across his forehead. "Prat."

"Arse."

Ron grinned at him, unrepentant. "No, seriously. If you're just now realizing I have a better grasp of the wizarding world than you, you deserve mocking. There will be mocking on a grand scale. You will be mocked like you have never been mocked before. It might drive you to tears-"

This spell, he couldn't do wandlessly. But that was okay. The silencing spell had seemed so incredibly useful, when he'd first run across it, that he'd made certain to learn it immediately. Capable of shutting down cold any opponent who had to actually speak his spells; and since it didn't actually harm or stun, far less likely to get him in trouble with the teachers.

Also, useful on someone he'd never want to actually hurt… even when his best friend was at his most annoying.

He raised his wand with a smirk, as Ron glared at him impotently. "Can I continue now?"

The gesture his friend threw at him good naturedly was definitely obscene, but he nodded. Harry cancelled the jinx with a wave of his wand, and continued his previous train of thought. "I knew you know more about the magical world in general, yes. But I didn't think about things like… legends. Stories. Fairytales. Whatever you want to call them. And you don't even realize how much background information you know, 'cause it's just natural to you."

Which was, usually, not even noticeable. But, sometimes? Incredibly frustrating.

This should have been my heritage too.

"So you want me to look up a legend for you?" Ron was still smiling, but taking him seriously now.

"No." He shook his head. "I want you to research immortality."

Ron stared at him. "Uh, what?"

"Voldemort did something that let him live even as a… I don't even know what the right word for him would be. He's not a ghost. But he's not alive either. Not as I think you count living, anyway. He doesn't bleed, or breathe, or have a body of his own. Except he apparently can take others'. And Dumbledore said that he was trying to come back. That's why he was after the Philosopher's Stone in the first place. And I don't know the headmaster that well, but if he's worried about it? I figure there's a good chance it could happen. And we can't stop it until we know why he's not staying dead."

Ron's smile was completely gone now. "So you want me to see if I can discover, what? How he did it? Harry… that's…"

"Going to be really, really hard," he broke in. "I know. I'm not expecting you to do it alone. But I've never heard of anything that's commonly taught around here that lets you - exist - after you've been killed. Have you?" Ron shook his head. "Then - unless Voldemort invented it wholesale - it's probably something you only hear about in stories or legends, right? I mean, being un-killable - that sounds like a legend to me."

Ron ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah, I guess. So, what, you want me to find out if the legends are true?"

"Well, if you want to go that far, you could. But I was thinking more if you could make a list, maybe. Collect every single legend or story or whatever of immortality you run across. And Voldemort apparently went traveling for a decade or two, so… Foreign legends too. Ask your friends or family, if you need to. Read children's books. Remember bed time stories. Whatever. Once we have them all, we could probably start going through them, weeding out which ones might have some sort of truth to them, and which are just… useless. That we can do together. But someone has to make the original list, and since you actually grew up with all this…"

"It makes sense that it would be me. Right." He sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples as he groaned. "You did say it'd be an ongoing project."

He gave a sympathetic smile and shrugged. "Sorry?"

"Sweets. You will owe me sweets. And don't think you're getting out of helping me."

"Hell, Ron." He shrugged again, "You put all that work into helping me discover the key to killing Voldemort? I'll buy you a broom. Even if it turns out later that we're wrong and we find out he did something else entirely."

Ron's eyes popped open, unhappy. "Harry…"

Oh, hell. Don't tell me I poked his pride again.

He frowned. "If you dare try telling me a broom is too much repayment for doing so much…"

"I'm not doing it for a reward!"

"Neither am I." He squashed his annoyance before it could bloom. "And I'd like to think you see a difference between me saying 'thank you' and me trying to bribe you." He raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Is this a charity thing? 'Cause I'd like to remind you - I got my broom as a gift. Certainly didn't pay for it. You're saying you're better than me?"

A heartbeat passed, as Ron seemed to struggle. Then another. Finally, he shook his head and relaxed, a smile touching his face. "Of course I'm better than you. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Harry smiled back, happy. There was a time not too long ago, he thought, Ron would have adamantly refused the broom. And Harry felt an undeniable gladness that things were different now. Not trying to hide his pleasure, he hauled his book bag up to the table, pulling reference books and unfinished essay out. "Embrace your delusions. I've got homework to finish."

Ron's agreement was a hum as he opened his own books, and bent his head to work.

He circled the skies as, below him, Oliver barked orders and the chasers swirled in response, switching directions in a tight curve, quaffle making a complicated dance between them.

Quidditch was a time sink. With the first match of the year coming fast, it was even more of a time sink than normal. Especially since Oliver seemed to have gone just a little bit crazy at the prospect of not achieving the Quidditch Cup on his last year of school and captaincy. Extra practices had been mercilessly scheduled.

He felt a little bit guilty about spending so much time playing, sometimes, but he couldn't bring himself to give it up.

Each of their group tried to keep at least one side project going on besides schoolwork, in addition to the general extra work they put into just acquiring knowledge. Ron was looking up immortality myths. Hermione was studying magical items and skills. So far, he'd been focusing on defensive magics, but between quidditch and wandless magic practice, he wasn't able to put as much time into it as he wanted to.

On the other hand, I think I'd go flat out gibbering insane if I couldn't fly occasionally.

Because that's really what he loved most.

Oh, he loved quidditch, too. Loved the competition, and - he wasn't ashamed to admit it to himself - loved winning. And being cheered on by a stadium full of student fans was a different kind of recognition than the Boy-Who-Lived fame; a type he enjoyed much more. But flying was a release all on its own. Problems, worries, the complicated tangle of thoughts and Oh my God, how do I do this all seemed to just… fade away.

Usually.

"Heads up, Harry!"

The warning from behind sent him down into a spiraling dive; a small ball whistled by, and then George sped through the space he'd occupied seconds before in pursuit of the bludger that was making a slower, wider reverse to come back after Harry. The older teen met it on the way and his bat made a loud crack, sending the bludger down across the field to where Fred waited.

"Thanks, George."

He grinned back, "Can't lose you so close to the game, right? Oliver'd kill me."

"Gee, how kind of you."

"Anytime!" The twin turned to head back downfield, "Mind catching the snitch soon, though? Oliver said we could stop practice soon as you grabbed it, and I've got a date." Red eyebrows waggled outrageously as he glanced back, and Harry had to laugh.

"Why not?"

He'd actually located it a few minutes ago, but he'd been content to circle lazily, enjoying the flight. Now he dropped into a dive, plummeting toward the earth and his tiny, golden target.

Time to get back to work, then.

That night, he sighed, staring up in the darkness at the canopy of his bed. He was tired - these days, they were all tired - but he couldn't fall asleep. His mind was too busy, buzzing after the conversation he'd had with Ron and Hermione earlier that evening.

Wandless magic wasn't like wanded magic. He'd realized that as soon as he really started using it. And even if he hadn't, the trouble he'd first had, trying to merge the two styles once school started up again, would have clued him in. But what he hadn't realized was that everyone else thought it was.

He'd been trying - once again - to explain it to Hermione, who hadn't been quite satisfied with the dry accounts she'd dug up in books. But she, and Ron for that matter, had been under the impression that it was exactly like casting spells silently… only without a wand. But it really, really wasn't.

When he floated a feather, he didn't think wingardium leviosa at it. He didn't try to cast a spell. It was nothing so… so ordered. And he hadn't realized spells were ordered, until he could wield magic another way. But the way spells worked - the almost mathematical precision he'd felt, transfiguring one item to another - it was so much easier, so much more precise, than essentially reaching out and twisting the world to his will.

Which had, in the end, been the best way he'd been able to explain wandless magic to Hermione.

Her nonplussed expression had been, itself, very eloquent.

And if I was, oh, a few thousand times stronger than I actually am, it might even be as impressive as it sounds.

His thought sounded rueful even to himself, but there was no way of getting around it. Brute force versus delicacy, but there the irony: brute force was not stronger. The careful control of magical energy and the corresponding focus of raw effect into intended channels rendered blunt force sadly ineffective in comparison... even applied in greater strength. A raging bonfire or a blowtorch - when it came to cutting through steel, it wasn't the bonfire one chose.

He could lift and move things, now, with considerable speed and precision. Could even - after the last month of work, spurred on by memories of the Chamber - pull things to him with almost no hesitation. Which, he figured, would come in damn handy if he was ever stupid enough to drop his wand again.

The funny thing was, when he'd first started all this, he hadn't really been looking for a weapon. All he'd wanted was to be able to freak his aunt and uncle out enough that they'd leave him alone, and let him come and go as he needed to. He'd kept at it partly to keep in practice, and partly to see how good he could get, but mostly because he had to. His summer of undoing all the careful, measured control he'd learned over the first two years had been - it seemed - irrevocable. Shattering all the glass in the Dursley's living room had been the biggest sign to him that he needed to get better control immediately, but even before that, things had started happening if he got upset. His magic wasn't tamely chained, anymore.

Which makes it sound like its got its own mind.

Which it didn't. And darn Hermione for making me start to analyze all this anyway.

But it wasn't so much a question of… of control or non-control. Well, it was, but not in that he was fighting some sort of- of battle. With his magic. It was more like-

Like as if, before, his magic had been deeply buried. He had to feel strongly in order to call it up without his wand, and he'd hardly even really felt his magic itself at all. He'd say the words, flick the wand - and things would happen. He'd sort of vaguely had a feeling about how to push harder at a spell, how to put more of himself - his magic - into it, but it'd been… fuzzy. Sort of half-instinct, half-desire, and liable to work only intermittently, albeit more and more often going from first year to second.

And now…

Now I feel my magic all the time. I feel it when I cast something - feel how much I use. Feel it as it shapes itself into spell, feel it being channeled through my wand. Feel it stretching if I get angry, feel it moving as I use it to wandlessly pick up objects.

It was bloody distracting.

He had to focus every time he cast a spell, now. At least, he did if he didn't want explosions, or to accidentally do things like incinerate a candle instead of lighting it. Or, even more embarrassing, not light it at all.

It sucked, and he might have started really, truly regretting letting this genie out of the bottle, if not for one thing which had given him hope.

When I transfigured that cup, finally, and everything I've transfigured since… I have to be careful. And delicate. And control and precision are practically becoming my motto, now. And it takes forever to concentrate enough to build that sort of clear, detailed picture in my mind. But when I do…

It took him longer to do one of his transfigurations than most of his classmates. But increasingly, he was getting them exactly right on his very first try, no matter how complex.

It was a tradeoff, right now. Speed for precision. Quickness or control. More of one meant less of the other.

But he was getting better.

And maybe, someday, it wouldn't be.

Days later, he didn't quite understand how he found himself arguing with his best friend. He knew the sequence of events, could recount point by point the topics of conversation, but that didn't really explain why Ron was now staring at him, horrified. He stared back at Ron, disbelieving. Then forced himself to think.

Most of the time, wizards didn't seem that different from muggles to him.

And wouldn't that observation piss Malfoy off?

But it was true.

They were crazier - and who decided cards that blew up in your hands were the perfect way to liven up a game anyway? - but not different. They were just... people. People with magic. And at first the whole magical world had just seemed so incredible - brooms and wands and robes and cauldrons, unicorns and phoenix and dragons - an entirely different world. But once he'd stopped staring and started living, it was just... normal.

The whole quill and parchment thing was annoying in the beginning, but really, quills were almost like pens - self inking and enchanted not to drip or smear - rather than anything that'd have required a lesson in calligraphy. Sure, his first attempts at using them had been comparatively messy, but daily practice writing essays had been all it took to re-adjust.

The robes had also been kind of... Well. But they were surprisingly comfortable, and durable, and seemed oddly - magically - resistant to dirt and stains. And he'd never liked muggle clothing - never had a chance to, always wearing Dudley's old clothes - so switching over to wizarding wear had been painless (and even appreciated).

Quidditch, of course, was just brilliant. And probably always would have been, even if he hadn't loathed muggle sports in primary, what with continuously being picked last on teams, and Dudley deciding anything that allowed physical contact was a school sanctioned opportunity for Harry Hunting.

The stories - from what Ron said - well, they were different. But there were still princess and princesses and dragons and wizards. And even if witches were now the heroines in addition to the villainesses, well, that didn't change the battles against giants and trolls, or the good versus evil aspect, or the happily ever after.

And the wizards celebrated Halloween, and Christmas, and Easter, just like muggles did. They valued the same things: money, and good food, and nice clothing, and playing games, just like muggles did. They had police and schools and a minister, just like muggles did. They laughed and joked and got angry and sad and scared, just like muggles did. So Harry had slowly gotten used to being a fledgling wizard - and really, had pretty much just considered himself a muggle... with magic. Which worked.

Because most of time, Wizards didn't seem that different from muggles to him.

But sometimes, sometimes, he was reminded that yes, there was a culture gap. Because sometimes, wizards decided on the most incomprehensible, stupid, bat-shit crazy opinions.

Professor Aesalon had mentioned Unbreakable Vows in defense last week. He'd been thinking about it, on and off, since then. Because binding up ten or fifteen percent of your magic into a vow? Didn't seem like a great deal to sacrifice compared to a society without murders or theft.

"Please explain to me," he forced out, through gritted teeth. "how making all wizards or witches swear to never cause deliberate harm to another sentient being, would be a bad thing. Except, you know, in self-defense. And while you're at it, stop looking at me like I just advocated child sacrifice."

"Harry." Ron shook his head. "Don't you see - it's wrong."

"For the love of God, Ron. Why?"

"It's- You can't bind peoples' magic like that. You can't. That's- It's just- It's our right to use magic freely. It's what makes us wizards. You're- Binding every wizard like that, it'd be a violation." Ron's eyes were bright, utterly convinced, and almost capable of convincing him by sheer force of his certainty, but Harry just shook his head. Almost. Because what the hell?

"It's just an oath not to do bad things!"

"It's an insult, Harry! It's an insult and it'd be an atrocity! Wars have begun when a wizard or witch made a request for an Unbreakable Vow for a reason deemed insufficient. An Unbreakable Vow is a sacrifice. An honor. You- you'd demote it to a form of mind-control - you'd cripple every member of our society!"

Their voices raised as they tried to talk over each other.

"Cripple? It'd save people-"

"By destroying part them-"

"How can you possibly-"

"How can you not-"

"It's stupid!" Harry finally shouted. "It's stupid and wrong and all wizards are apparently idiots. Because maybe if you'd all sworn not to hurt each other, Voldemort wouldn't be running around! Death Eater's wouldn't be around. My parents would be alive! Ginny would be alive! But apparently, you'd rather have an extra ten percent of your magic than a living, breathing, sister!"

Then he stopped, abruptly. Ron was staring at him, eyes wide. Then Ron's eyes went hard, and he realized what he'd just said. Because he knew, knew that that had been utterly untrue - and consequently unforgivable to say. Oh my God. I didn't mean-

"Muggleborn." Ron said. His voice was flat, and cold. It was the first time Harry had heard Ron say it like a curse.

It wasn't mudblood. But for all intents and purposes, it could have been.

There was a spark of answering anger, but of the two of them, he knew which of them had crossed that line first. "Ron-"

"No." Ron stood, and picked up his books and satchel. "No." He stared at Harry, then shook his head. "For the first time, I understand some of the pure-blood bigots. And I can't believe that it's because of you."

Then he turned and walked away.

And Harry just... watched. Feeling like he'd been punched in the gut.

For a long time, he stood there. Watching the entry-way. Waiting for Ron to reappear. Or for himself to wake-up. Or something.

Waited in vain.

So eventually, he ran a hand through his hair, then turned to gather up his pack.

He needed to think. Away from everyone else.

Dear God, how could I have been so stupid?

But he wasn't convinced he wasn't right.

That was the crux of it.

So now he sat by the lake, hiding under his invisibility cloak, trying to think. He didn't usually come here. The first time he'd come here... that had been on the day after he'd killed Quirrell. The last time he'd been here... he forced away the memories.

This wasn't a happy place for him. But it was quiet. And isolated. And he could think about whether he'd actually been wrong.

Not about having made that remark about Ginny. He shouldn't have said that. Should never have said that. He'd just been so- So angry. And frustrated. And Ron wasn't even listening and apparently the whole world was crazy and for the past few days the only thing that'd been in his mind, like a record set on auto-replay, was: my parents didn't have to die. Ginny didn't have to die.

So in one moment, aching and haunted and furious, he'd claimed Ron valued himself above his sister.

It hadn't been true. It hadn't been right.

I meant to hurt him, he acknowledged to himself, grimly. To hurt Ron. His best friend. His brother in all but blood. The one he'd sworn to help, had sworn vengeance with. The one he'd kill for. Die for. Defend to his last breath against anyone else.

But apparently, not against myself.

It was- It hurt. To acknowledge that. He felt guilty. And angry still - with himself. With Ron. With escalating arguments, and the stupid wizarding world, and Unbreakable Vows, and Voldemort, and his parents.

With everything.

But especially, with himself.

And it was all tangled up together, the anger and guilt and helplessness, (because how did he fix this?), and twisted through everything else: the confusion.

Because he still didn't understand.

Because fifteen percent - hell, even fifty percent - of his magic ability seemed like it'd be a small price to pay, to have never lost his parents.

But he couldn't just say "The wizarding world is stupid" anymore. (Although they were, were, were.) Because Ron deserved better than that from him.

He needed to apologize. He wanted to apologize.

But he couldn't do that, until he understood.

"I'll leave you to think," Hermione said, voice soft. "But Ron - when he comes to apologize… please let him."

He listened to the door close quietly behind her as she left, then stared out across the forest once more.

When, not if. Hermione, at least, was confident Harry would regret what he said. Which was more than he could say.

No. He forced himself to stop. Think. Be fair. Even if he didn't want to. Even if all he wanted to do was rage and rage and rage…

I saw his face, as soon as he realized what he said. He regretted it.

He wasn't sure that was enough.

He couldn't believe Harry had said that. Didn't understand why the other boy wanted to hurt him so bad. What Harry could have thought Ron had done that would justify his using his sister against him. And now… He clenched his fist.

He'd been furious when Hermione had first come to find him. Furious, and expecting her to try to convince him that he was wrong. But she hadn't even had a clue what had happened - only that he and Harry both hadn't been at their usual study spot - and when she'd prodded he'd…

Well.

If he did talk to Harry, the black-haired boy would owe Hermione a hell of a lot. It'd been close, earlier. Between walking away - or going for his wand. And he'd still been angry when she found him. He hadn't wanted to speak about it; hadn't wanted her analyzing and questioning and poking. But when she'd refused to let the topic drop…

His tirade against Harry had made her flinch, but she hadn't jumped in to interrupt. Or defend the other boy. She'd just… listened.

And when he'd finally run down, spoke.

She had… some points, he admitted to himself. Reluctantly, grudgingly, admitted. And, even smarter of her, she'd never tried to convince him he'd been wrong. Pointed out a few things, but never tried to pretend he didn't have a right to be pissed as hell at the bloody bastard who was his best friend.

That thought made him pause.

Hell.

Because he was angry at Harry. So angry. And he could chose to keep being angry. Could choose to hold onto it and revel in it - he was good at being angry. But…

But.

He sighed. Unclenched his fists. Harry was… important to him. A brother. More than that, one of the only people he trusted. And using Ginny against him…

He broke that trust. But at least he knows it. Regrets it.

He couldn't forgive Harry. Not now. Not when he hadn't even asked for forgiveness. But Hermione was confident that he would.

I can't let it go. He hasn't earned that.

But for all that Harry had done in the past. Sworn to. Promised. For all of that…

I'll listen.

His fists clenched again.

But damn it, Harry. It'd better be good.

Hours later, Harry groaned, dropping his face in his hands.

He'd come to few conclusions.

It was obviously a wizard-born thing. So he needed to talk to someone wizard-born about it.

But who to ask?

He'd like to ask someone he trusted, but the only person he trusted, aside from Ron, was Hermione. And she was as muggle-raised as he. Failing that, he wanted someone who's judgment he trusted, so he started thinking about all the adults or older wizards or witches he knew.

He thought about asking Professor Dumbledore, but. No. Not after that last scene in his office. McGonagall - no. Binns - no, he didn't know the ghost well enough. Sprout - he didn't really know her at all. Same with Kettleburn. Trelawney; he snorted. Snape - hell no. Mr. or Mrs. Weasley. His heart twinged as he remembered Ron's comment about their... discomfort... with mentions of him. No. Professor Aesalon? Mr. Oddly Interested in him? No. Hagrid?

For a moment he thought about Hagrid. Because weirdly enough, he did trust Hagrid, in a way he wasn't sure he'd trust McGonagall. But Hagrid's judgment? He thought about that for a second, then winced. No.

Not Hagrid, then.

And he didn't want to go to students. And this obviously wasn't something he'd be finding in books. Which really... left one person. Who he wasn't close to, but who had helped him before. Had answered his questions before. Hadn't violated his trust yet. And it's probably pretty sad, he realized, that I'm choosing whose opinion I want to hear not based on if I trust them, but on whose left after I've eliminated everyone untrustworthy.

He stared over the lake a little longer, then sighed, and rose.

It was time for office hours. And he had a professor to go see.

"Back again, Mr. Potter?"

There was a weird second of deja vu, then he shook his head. "Professor Flitwick?"

"Come in, come in." Cheerful, welcoming; the small professor almost made him smile. "I was just in the middle of answering a few questions for Mr. Jodher here, but if you're willing to wait, I'm sure I could be with you shortly?"

He nodded an acknowledgment to the student sitting in front of Flitwick's desk, and turned his attention back to Flitwick. "That'd be fine, professor."

It was maybe fifteen minutes later that Jodher thanked the professor and left. Flitwick turned to Harry, expressive face questioning. "So what's the problem, Mr. Potter? The animation charm giving you trouble? I dare say they can be a bit difficult before you get the hang of it."

He shook his head, "No, Professor. In fact..." he paused, feeling awkward. Fiercely resenting McGonagall, because hell, he shouldn't have to go to someone he barely knew with this. "Professor? Can I ask a question?"

Flitwick raised an eyebrow, but nodded, settling himself against the desk. His madcap, excited energy seemed to dampen, just a bit, the professor's dark eyes focused and intent. Here was the scholar who could sit for hours, researching the arcane fields of magic. Or, it was rumored, annihilate an opponent in the dueling field. "Of course you can ask. That's what we professors are here for, after all. And if I don't have an answer, I'll either tell you why, or go find it."

He looked down at his hands, then looked back up, "Even if it's... sensitive?" A truly interesting expression crossed the diminutive professor's face, and he blurted out, "Not like that! It's just... Ron and I got into a fight... and I don't even understand why."

"You fought... because you asked him a question?" Flitwick asked him in a careful tone.

He shook his head. "No. I mean, I wanted to ask you if you knew why he got mad? I think..." he lowered his voice a little, "I think it might be a wizard-born thing?"

The professor studied him for several moments, then spoke. "I promise not to get offended if you ask a question respectfully, and fully desirous of enlightenment. Even an uncomfortable one. I may not answer, but in that case I will, as I said before, at least attempt to explain why I will not or cannot do so."

That... seemed pretty clear. "Alright. Then. The thing is... Professor Aesalon mentioned Unbreakable Vows. And I thought - I said, well, why don't they make everyone take a Vow not to hurt anyone else?"

"Oh dear."

He watched Ron from the doorway, remembering Flitwick's words.

It's cultural. The free practice of magic - muggleborn don't always understand. For us - wizards - magic is everything. One of the worst punishments in our society, is to have your wand snapped. To have such done to you... it's saying you're incapable. Irresponsible. Completely and utterly unworthy of trust.

Criminals don't have their wand snapped. Failures do. Those who prove themselves incapable of taking up the mantle of an adult magic user.

Wizards and witches have killed themselves over such disgrace.

And even those who suffer such a fate - they're not asked to bind their own magic. They might no longer be able to properly channel and use it through a tool, and that's their punishment for their failure to master the power magic gave them, but they're not... crippled.

Crippled. There had been that word again. When he'd inquired about it...

Squibs - rare muggles born to wizards - were once quietly killed. Or abandoned in the wilderness. Particularly loving parents might abandon the child in a muggle village or orphanage, instead. To be without magic in our society... yes. Crippled is how most tend to feel over the issue. And to do that to ourselves - or our children - it would not find favor.

Then, finally:

Remember, most go through life without ever having violence touch them. Of your classmates, do you know anyone else who lost parents or family members to another's wand? You would gladly sacrifice part of your magic to keep loved ones safe, but most never think that a tradeoff to be made. And for lesser offenses... ten percent of your magic - or never being stolen from? Which would you choose?

So. That was it.

He wasn't sure he agreed with the wizard-born. Because he was one of those who had lost someone to violence. Lots of someones to violence. And part of him still said that Ron - because of Ginny - should agree with him, no matter how he'd been raised to think. Should realize the rest of the world was wrong. But...

He's my friend. Not my slave. He has a right to disagree with me.

I didn't have a right to use Ginny against him.

"Ron."

His friend looked up, eyes still cool. "Harry."

He made an awkward, helpless gesture with his hands. "Can we talk?"

Ron's face was still remote, but his eyes narrowed. "I don't think we have anything to say to each other, do you?"

Damn it, Ron. Give me a chance. "I need to apologize."

That seemed to pause his red-headed friend. The other boy studied him carefully, then nodded, still cold. "All right."

The dorm room was deserted at this hour - and probably would be for at least another thirty minutes. Dinner was not something most young adolescent males wanted to miss.

Except us.

He took a deep breath. "I want to apologize. I had no right to use Ginny against you. And I know what I said wasn't true."

There was icy silence for a few seconds, then Ron finally cracked. "Dammit, Harry. Why? Why the hell would you say something like that?" Beneath the anger, there was betrayal. That hurt the worst.

"I don't have an excuse! I was angry and frustrated and I just... I was raised- Hell, Ron. I didn't realize wizards were-" Do not say crazy. Do not say crazy. "That serious over being able to practice magic. I didn't realize it was-" He cast about for words, "Was, like, holy." He took a deep breath. "I didn't realize I was disrespecting your religion. Didn't realize that's why you discounted my words in turn."

Ron stared at him for a second, then shook his head, like he wasn't quite sure of what he'd just heard. "Religion?"

"It kinda is, Ron. At least, that's what it feels like to me. Magic's... one of your founding principles of society. And informs what you know about the afterlife. And... anyway. That's not the point. The point, is that I didn't listen to you about why you thought I was - wrong. I just made assumptions and I got pissed because you weren't listening to me, and all I could think was that Mom and Dad would still be alive if someone had forced that Vow on Voldemort's ass when he was a student. So I was just, mad and upset, and I felt like you should be agreeing with me, and that you were discounting my parents' deaths and... I'm sorry."

"You were an ass."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I don't have to agree with everything you say, Harry."

"I'm know. And I'm sorry. I'm not saying you do."

Silence. Ron looked at him, and he met his friends eyes steadily. It felt like minutes, before Ron sighed, and the tense shoulders loosened slightly.

"Don't do it again."

He exhaled, a whooshing breath of relief. Thank you. "I won't. Never." Then he took a cautious few steps forward, and held out his hand. "Friends?"

Ron's hand in his felt like a second chance. "Always."

Later, working side by side on their transfiguration homework, he had to ask. "I was surprised you weren't... harder to convince. I was afraid you wouldn't even talk to me."

Ron didn't look up from his scroll. "I almost didn't."

"Can I ask: why, then?"

"Hermione."

Harry winced. Ah. "You told her?"

"She wanted to know why we both weren't there, why we weren't talking, and what was wrong."

He hadn't really seen Hermione since the last time-turn of the day, as she'd gone off to her class and he'd escaped to the lake to think. "And she said?"

"She said you're an ass." Ron looked up at last. "But she guessed about that part about your parents. And pointed out that, to you, it probably sounded like I didn't care at all about their deaths, if I wasn't willing to embrace such measures as would have prevented them."

He gave Ron a squint-eyed glance at the last part.

Ron shrugged. "That's a quote."

"Hell." He looked down at his transfiguration book. "She's going to tear a strip off me next time she sees me, isn't she?"

Ron's smile was just a trifling smug. "Consider it restitution."

He made his wince extra theatrical, then hid a smile at Ron's smirk. Turned back to his homework.

Never again, Ron. I promise.

She cornered him in the common room the next morning, as they waited for Ron to finish getting ready for breakfast. In retrospect, it was a tactical error to come down without reinforcements. And she might have been practicing ninja magic skills, or something, because he didn't even see her coming until she had a grip on him, and when she dragged him towards the far corner she was surprisingly strong.

She whirled to face him, opening her mouth, and he cut her off before she could speak. "I was an ass, Hermione."

She mouth clicked shut and she narrowed her eyes at him as he continued. "I was an ass, and I've apologized to Ron. For saying that about Ginny. For getting that mad in the first place. And I want to thank you for talking to Ron for me, because otherwise he probably wouldn't have been calm enough to let me apologize. And to apologize to you, for pulling you into our fight. And I promise to never, ever, do something like that again."

She studied him carefully for a moment, and he began to worry about the potential pain infliction possibilities of ninja magic, when she nodded. "Well. As long as you know. And fixed things. And your apology is accepted."

Then Ron came down the stairs, and met Hermione's worried, questioning stare with a nod and a faint, reassuring smile...

She smiled back, then turned, expanding the smile to include him, before gesturing to the door. "Shall we?"

It was too much to hope that his and Ron's short fight would be erased so easily, but as days passed, the last remaining tensions eased. Forgiveness was augmented by laughter and teamwork, and November passed in a whirl of studying. When the month died so too did the last, lingering, memories that stood between them.

Ron had forgiven him. Hermione had forgiven him.

He had even forgiven himself, but only after swearing to himself that he would never, ever, be so stupid again. And then started proving it.

He practiced wanded magic, and wandless magic, and above all else, practiced controlling his temper. He sat quietly in classes, the only notes he wrote those that recorded his professor's words, no longer his own to pass to Ron or Seamus or Dean. (Neville had always been just slightly too terrified of the professors to participate in the casual rule-breaking of note passing the rest of them enjoyed.) Malfoy's gibes seemed more and more pathetic as the weeks went by, particularly since he flinched if Ron made any sudden moves, and he never mentioned Ginny again. Older students were nodded to with polite restraint, teachers quietly minded.

Even those he was quickly losing all respect for.

Turning a page in his notebook, he watched Trelawney with a contempt he carefully hid. She might be a real seer - who knew? - but he doubted it. Doubted it very strongly. And even if she was…

She was still a shitty teacher.

He didn't swear a lot - never got into the habit at the Dursleys, where it wouldn't have been tolerated, and never did at Hogwarts, since Hermione would disapprove - but Trelawney was worth swearing over. At least in his head. Because it wouldn't matter if she was the greatest Seer to walk the planet, at this point. He loathed her as a teacher.

Divination was the art of discovering - divining - information through magical means. It's most famous - and infamous - branch was predicting the future. It was also the most imprecise, difficult, and in his opinion, flat out useless, form of it.

One of the first things Rebecca Discern's book had said on the subject was that if you were asking "What happens in the future?" you were asking the wrong question. It made one a passive observer of their own fate.

And I've never done passive very well.

Better to ask, the author continued, "If I do this, what will happen?"

And as she pointed out, you didn't need fortune telling to guess that. You just needed a firm grasp of logic, analysis, and information on the current situation. The logic and analysis was up to the individual to supply. But the information… When it came to gathering information, divination could help.

His copy of Unfogging the Future sat on the table in front of him, nearly pristine, bookmarked to the current section they were covering in class. Back in his trunk, secure in his dorm room, Forget the Future - the True Treasure of the Diviner's Discipline was dog-eared and worn.

Scrying and other such methods of gathering information weren't really easier to learn than future telling, but they were possible to learn - at least in the basics - without a native gift. And if there was one thing Discern had been clear about - one thing even Trelawney agreed with - it was that you needed some native talent to be a seer. Oh, everyone could probably pick up little things, simple predictions that could be read in tea leaves and cards, like if they were likely to have a good day that day, or maybe even - if they were really lucky - if there was a troubling event upcoming that month. But to predict the specific actions of individuals? Forecast the movements of a battle? See into a future years down the road?

The only ones who got even close were prophets, and they were just glorified channels. They didn't prophecise at will. Which meant whatever information they might receive, wouldn't necessarily be the information they wanted.

Harry didn't know if he had that native talent, in minor predictions or great ones. He wasn't sure if he cared. Everyone grabbed at seeing the future like it was this great, shiny treasure, endlessly fascinating and a mark of high status. Harry didn't give a damn about status, and knowing you'd have a bad day or have a friendship break up, without knowing why - and thus having a chance to prevent or fix it - just seemed like an exercise in masochism to him.

Painful and pointless.

Painful he could deal with. Pointless was worth spitting on.

He'd make his own future.

He glanced around the classroom, from Lavender's enraptured face to Hermione's disgusted one, and forced himself - again - to keep his face neutral.

And to think - if I hadn't ordered those books on Divination over the summer in order to prepare… all I'd know would be Trelawney's obsession.

"Hi Harry."

He looked up in surprise from his book, then smiled. "Hey Neville, how have you been?"

The slightly chubby boy blushed, but looked determined. When he glanced around - and if the other boy was trying to be circumspect, he failed miserably - Harry's eyebrows rose. "Neville?"

Apparently satisfied that the common room was empty - understandable, since it was almost midnight - he spoke. "I just-" He stopped. Took a deep breath. Started again. "Are you guys - you, Ron, and Hermione - okay? You really just... seem to not be around a lot."

He blinked, not sure quite what to say to that. "You're… worried about us?"

Neville ducked his head. "You're different. All of you. And even when you're here, you're not here."

"What-"

"It's like you're in your own little spell." Neville interrupted, rushed. Almost babbling. "The three of you - you might be in the common room, but there's this bubble of space. And you're talking about something or studying something and just generally being very involved and studious and making other people not want to interrupt, which is fine, of course, and school is important, but you don't just sit around and laugh like you used to, or play games - except on Sunday - and I'm not trying to say it's bad, of course, and I don't think the others have really noticed as much as I do, but-"

"Neville. Breathe."

"Sorry."

There was a few moments of silence - uncomfortable silence. Then Harry ventured to say, "We're okay. We're just… taking school a lot more seriously."

Neville sent him a look. Harry's eyebrows went back up. He hadn't known the shy boy had it in him. Unfortunately, the other Gryffindor ruined it by immediately ducking his head and hunching his shoulders, as if embarrassed by his own audacity.

"Okay," he admitted. "We're taking it all a lot more seriously. But Ginny died, last year. And we couldn't stop it. And we tried. So now… now we're making sure that if something like that happens again. We win this time."

Neville looked up again, and studied him closely. He held the other boy's brown eyes. Finally, the boy nodded. "Okay, Harry. I won't bother you again, then. Just…"

He trailed off and Harry spoke into the silence, as Neville seemed to grope for words.

"It wasn't a bother," he said.

"Oh. Well, good." Another moment of silence, then Neville shifted his feet. "Um, goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight, Neville."

He watched the other boy turn and head back towards the staircase, then called out as he set foot on the first step.

"Neville?"

The brown haired boy turned back. "Yes?"

He smiled. "Thanks."

Neville smiled back, relief lighting his face. "Anytime." Then he turned and headed up the stairs.

Still sitting in his chair, Harry watched him go.

Huh.

One of the most aggravating things about Harry, Hermione decided, staring down at the list before her, was his habit of being frustratingly, intuitively right, even when it seemed like all logical indicators should point to a contrary conclusion. Sometimes, it almost seemed like a magical gift in and of itself.

Well, she reconsidered, scanning the familiar items, he was sort of right, anyway. She'd been right, too: although there did exist items and potions that would convey mental benefits upon the user, they were definitely not common. And certainly weren't the type the school would be supplying every student with.

Even including things of great rarity, she'd still had trouble. Five weeks of research had yielded a page.

Now she set that precious page before her, and looked up into Ron and Harry's expectant faces.

"I broke my list up into two categories. Things - items or potions or such - and permanent magical skills or abilities we could acquire. Which do you want to hear about first?"

Harry leaned forward, eyes intent. "Which are the quickest to get results?"

"Well, since most of the self-done stuff is years of work..."

"Years?"

She sighed. "Yes Ron, years." Oddly enough, Harry seemed more resigned than surprised. She raised her eyebrows at him and he shrugged.

"Like anything else has been easy?"

She conceded the point with a flick of her quill, and returned to her list. "The first thing I ran across is the Wit-Sharpening Potion. It's fourth year level brewing, one of several mental agility potions, most of which use Runespoor eggs. On its own, it seems to speed up your thinking process for a limited amount of time - three to six hours. In conjunction with the Memory potion - you remember, we brewed that toward the end of first year - you can absorb a ridiculously large amount of information very quickly." She glanced down at her notes, more habitual check than any real doubt that she'd forgotten a single iota of all her research these past few weeks. "It's most often used to aid the learning of a new language. The memorization capabilities temporarily conveyed can significantly increase a student's vocabulary in their new language."

"Sounds great." Ron sat, slouched, head propped up on his fist and an interested expression on his face, "So what's the catch?"

"Well..." she said, grimacing. "There are several."

Harry sighed. "Limited use?"

"Among other things." She shrugged. "Try to use it more often than about once every two months, and it'll have no effect. Or poison you, depending on how much residue from the previous use is still in your brain. Also, it lets you absorb a lot of information very quickly, but like I said: it's best for rote memorization. Not something like spell incantations, which require a more intuitive mastery - how it feels - or something complex like high level warding. Just because you've memorized a complex mathematical equation doesn't mean you understand it, after all, or know where and when to apply it. That... building of connections... just doesn't seem to be something magic can substitute. It goes faster, since you have the information stored in your head ready to access, but you still have to go over everything you've just learned - it's not instantaneous knowledge.

"But it is faster," Harry said.

She nodded.

He looked thoughtful, but across from her, Ron frowned. "Wait a moment. Hermione, you said it's most commonly used to learn a language, right?"

"Yes. It can cut learning times in half - or even a quarter or a sixth - depending on how much native talent you have with language learning, and how well you react to the potion."

"Okay. But - isn't ancient runes a language? Why aren't you using this potion to learn it?"

"Technically, ancient runes is a general category which includes the study of a variety of runic language variations: elder futhark, younger futhark, anglo-saxon Futhroc, gothic runes, and-" she cut herself off under their stares and heaved a sigh. Intellectual curiosity. Surely someday they'll develop it. "Anyway, who says we don't? Apparently, they start in fourth year. Something about safety risks and developing brains and children's bodies reacting differently than teenagers and adults." She shrugged. "How else did you think we pick up six different - if overlapping - dead languages in five years of study?"

There was a few moments of silence as they all contemplated the information, then Harry shook his head. "Okay... it's going to take a while before we know how we want to use the potions, then. What else did you find?"

"There's the Pick-me-up Potion - a sort of mild version of the Pepperup potion - rather like coffee, actually." She bit her lip. "It's not huge, but it might help our nightly study sessions. It's supposed to wake you up a bit; help you focus. And since it's milder than pepperup, there aren't any dosage restrictions on its use."

She looked down at her notes again, sighed, and looked up. "That was pretty much all I could find as far as useful potions go. There are a variety of lesser versions of the wit-sharpening potion available, created before the current version became widely accepted as the best. There's a potion which lets you remember everything you read for the next five hours with perfect clarity - but then you forget it all. That one is banned during tests, by the way. There's a potion which solidifies into a candle once it cools, and when burned it's supposed to make you relaxed and more receptive to the environment - although what exactly "relaxed and receptive" means I couldn't pin down. Honestly, there really isn't much. And that doesn't surprise me. I mean, we're talking about brain chemistry. I don't think even wizards really understand how the brain works. Muggles certainly don't.

"Spells - charms, I mean - were pretty much a flat no-go.

"I did find a few enchanted objects and artifacts that might be what we're looking for. The problem is, most of them were the equivalent of masterworks. Unique. So they're the valued treasure of an old wizarding family, in the ministry's custody, or they're lost to legend. In any case, I don't think we'll be getting our hands on one any time soon."

Harry leaned forward. "If we can't buy or find one of these items, could we make one?"

She wasn't surprised at the question. Stubborn, she noted, seems to be Harry's default setting.

"Mate," Ron spoke up while she was trying to think of a tactful way to reply. Contrary to what some people thought, she wasn't completely oblivious to social skills. She just tended to forget a little bit when she was excited about new things. Or when strangers or new acquaintances wanted to talk about the most boring, trivial things. Did anyone actually care about the weather? Or what someone wore last week? "Even I heard her say 'masterwork.' We're not stupid - and Hermione's a bloody genius - but we're not up to that."

"But polyjuice was pretty advanced-"

"That was following a recipe, Harry. I'm betting the creators of this stuff didn't leave instructions behind, right Hermione?"

She met his eyes. "Right." Then she looked back to their black-haired friend. "Sorry, Harry."

He waved it off. "You did say masterwork. I just wanted..." The sound he made was less a sigh than an exhalation of frustration. "Well, what items did you find? Just in case."

"Well, there's Aredenti's earrings. They were supposed to make the wearer more perceptive - it wasn't clear what that means - but they disappeared sometime in the 1600s. In 1497 Percival Rosier was said to have created a ring which made the bearer both insightful and a skilled reader of people. I'd assume it's in the hands of whoever the latest descendent is. Ian MacCullen had a torc that was supposed to amplify a wizard's "instincts" - there wasn't really any more information on where it currently is, or if the family ever sold or lost it. Byrnjar Nótt was gifted in tribute an armband that would help him keep a clear mind. There was another ring that supposedly made one lucky in their endeavors, but no one is sure who has it now. The owner was murdered in 1326, and the ring disappeared with his murderer. There's a dagger that's supposed to convey some sort of increased combat ability to the one who holds it - rumored to be confiscated by the ministry sometime in the 1800s."

"You weren't kidding," Ron interrupted when she drew breath to continue. "Lost, in pureblood hands, probably the same, confiscated by the ministry... And nothing that seems to be exactly what we're looking for, anyway. Useful, I reckon, but not what we're looking for."

She consulted her list, then looked back up at them, skipping ahead. "Really, the only thing I've found that seems to do exactly what we want - increase general intelligence - is the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw."

Ron looked glum. "Lost?"

"Almost a thousand years ago."

It was apparently too much for her friend: he made a sound akin to air wheezing out of a deflating tire and flopped backwards, sending cushions tumbling. She leaned around the table to check - there'd been a surprisingly solid thunk sound that might have been his head hitting the floor - and found him lying limply, expression defeated. The situation was a bit depressing, but she had to restrain a slight smile. Ron did dismayed disgust with such enthusiasm.

She straightened back up and turned to look at Harry, wondering how he was taking this, but his eyes were far-off, the look he'd get when he was thinking hard about something.

"Harry?"

His gaze snapped to hers like a snake, striking. She almost flinched.

"What about Gryffindor's Sword?"

She frowned, not tracking his thoughts. "His sword? I didn't find any mention of it increasing the intelligence of the wielder-"

"No," he interrupted. "I mean, do you know if there was anything special about Gryffindor's sword? Was it a lost masterwork too?"

She blinked, taken aback. "I... have no idea."

"It is." Ron's voice brought their attention to him, and he sat up in a rush. "It was enchanted to always strike true, and to gain strength from its fallen foes. And in the hands of a master swordsman - and Gryffindor was, you know, since back then we didn't have obliviate and swords let us discourage muggles without sending an entire district into a tizzy about magic - in a master's hands, it was almost always lethal."

Harry was looking impressed, and she suddenly remembered that Harry had wielded this legendary sword in battle. He'd skipped over the details in his first, rushed explanation of what had happened, because - at the time - the important part had been Ginny, the slaying of the basilisk almost an afterthought. ("The sorting hat gave me Gryffindor's sword; I killed the basilisk with it.") And she hadn't brought the topic up again - she could be oblivious, yes, but you'd have to be an idiot not to realize the whole night had to be painful - and beyond that, she could admit to herself that she hadn't wanted to think about it.

She didn't think either of her friends realized - really realized - how stressful last year had been for her. Ron because he was pureblood, even though he never boasted of it - or, even more to his credit, never even seemed to notice it - and Harry because... Well, Harry just didn't seem to have the normal sort of survival instincts most people came equipped with. Those things that told people to run away when confronted with things like a Dark Lord adults spoke of in whispers even today, or a millennia old monster of legend. But she - she was muggleborn, and almost a year older than the two of them, and a girl, and she was too smart to think she wasn't a target.

And she'd known - and thinking about it too hard, even now, brought an echo of that icy feeling that'd haunted her last year - known that many in the school didn't like her. Specifically didn't like her, rather than just not liking her blood or background.

In retrospect, she couldn't believe how little the professors had penalized Malfoy and the like's taunting crows. Hadn't they realized how terrifying it was? It wasn't so bad between classes, when the halls were busy, or in the evenings, Ron and Harry's presence a warm comfort as the trooped from place to place, too boisterous and confident and alive to let her worry. But when she'd had to go places alone, returning books to the library, walking the quiet corridors of the school...

It'd been a familiar nightmare by the end of the school year: sneaking through endless hallways, feeling a presence behind her growing with every step.

It hadn't been until after she was petrified that her dream self had started running into the basilisk. But in her dreams there was no mirror, or pool of water, or ghost or lucky, lucky trick of chance, and when she saw those yellow eyes...

Her parents wanted to know what brought her awake, screaming, sometimes. After their reactions to her stories of Quirrell her first year, she hadn't dared to tell them the truth.

So no, she hadn't thought much on the basilisk when she could help it. But for the first time, she found herself curious about how Harry's battle had played out.

Even as she wondered, though, she'd kept part of her attention on Ron, and she broke into his story, impressed. "You know a lot about Gryffindor, Ron."

He blushed, looking slightly embarrassed, but also pleased. And proud. "Weasleys have a tendency towards Gryffindor," he admitted. "It's not absolute - Grandpa was a Hufflepuff - but we've been telling bedtime stories about our house's founder for generations."

"Any similar stories about Ravenclaw?" Harry asked.

Ron shook his head. "No, why?"

"It could have come in handy."

The comment was enough to finally give her an idea of what he was thinking. "Harry, you can't imagine we can find it. People have been looking for centuries - it's been lost since practically the founding of the school! A fair amount of researchers have decided it might even have been a myth."

He looked at her steadily, and even before he opened his mouth, she realized that yes, he was deadly serious about this.

"The same thing," he said, soft but implacable, like the first snowflake of a winter blizzard, "was likely once said of the Chamber of Secrets."

Ron looked amazed. "Blimey Harry, you mean - you think it might still be here? At Hogwarts?"

"The Chamber of Secrets is here," he answered, green eyes intent, "hidden. The sword of Gryffindor is here, once hidden in the sorting hat. Why wouldn't Ravenclaw hide her diadem here too? I've never heard anyone mention the Ravenclaw family other than her, maybe she didn't have anyone to leave it too. Hermione called them masterworks - surely Hogwarts was one of the greatest masterworks of all? Why not hide lesser secrets and enchantments inside it?"

Ron glowed with enthusiasm and Harry burned with purpose like a miniature star, and she opened her mouth to explain why not. To speak of things like logic, and coincidence, all the factors against it being true, the numbered list she could see in her head, scrolling out a multitude of reasons, everything on it from the thousand years people had spent fruitlessly searching to the fact they had no claim on the legacy if they did find it - not the parseltongue connection to Slytherin, nor the house connection to Gryffindor - and they shouldn't waste time and effort on an enterprise doomed to fail - then closed her mouth.

She had a hundred reasons. Good reasons. Logical reasons, Enough reasons to convince an assembly - and one thought that stopped her.

Or rather, a memory of a thought.

...frustratingly, intuitively right, even when it seemed like all logical indicators should point to a contrary conclusion...

They were staring at her mulishly, expressions set, and she knew they were waiting for her to try to shoot them down. And that was the final push she needed, because really, it wouldn't do to seem completely predictable. So she smiled at them instead of frowning, and asked: "Where do we start?"

The smile threatened to turn into a full-fledged smirk at their expressions - more gob smacked than merely surprised - and she bent and pulled a fresh notebook from her book bag to hide it. By the time she'd straightened up and looked at them again, she'd managed to rearrange her expression into simple curiosity.

"Uh..." Harry replied, brain still apparently having trouble switching gears. The smirk threatened briefly to reappear, but she beat it down, and he quickly pulled himself together. "Well, could you see what you can find out about it - and Ravenclaw in general - in the library? And Ron - maybe you could write your parents? Or brothers? They might know something about Ravenclaw like they do about Gryffindor. The two were friends, after all."

"What are you going to be doing?" Ron beat her to the question.

Harry smiled. "I'm going to talk to the one person still around who remembers the founders personally."

It took her a moment.

"Can you?" she asked disbelievingly.

The smile turned into a grin. "I have a standing invitation."

Ron looked between the two of them. "Uh, mates?"

"He's going to see the same thing that gave him Gryffindor's sword," she replied for Harry, still amazed, because this was a tack she would never, ever, have thought of.

"He's going to talk to the Sorting Hat."

Chapter End

Canon Notes:

Wit-Sharpening + Memory Potions: How else do we explain people picking up 22 to 200 languages over the course of their life? Especially since it's not mentioned as a magical talent a la parseltongue.

Ancient Runes: I had to make a choice this chapter. Ancient Runes has alllll sorts of incredibly fun possibilities. Runic magic as a conduit for blood magic! Or ritual magic! Or soul magic! Warding magic! Enchantments! In short, it lets the imagination run wild. Especially since actual information about the class is really scarce in the books. All sorts of extremely creative fanfiction writers have come up with their own twist on ancient runes; but when I went into canon research for it, I found that all ancient runes really seems to be is the study of ancient languages. That's it. Disappointing, but true.

Divination: I've expanded a little on divination, because it - as opposed to prophecy - as it is presented in the Harry Potter universe is basically completely useless, and I have a hard time believing something so pointless would be a major elective in the primary educational institution of the magical UK.

Plus, I never saw anything in the books which contradicts the idea that there might be more to divination than Trelawney's - admitted - obsession with being a great seer. Or the centaur's habits of staring at the sky and making vague remarks.

Next Chapter:

Sometimes, he'd look up from the current assignment and catch McGonagall watching him with an indecipherable expression. (Sometimes, he even thought that expression might be regret.) But if he met her eyes she'd turn away, expressionless, the utter blankness a message in itself. The first time it happened, he'd felt his heart twist, despite his anger. Then, for awhile, he'd only felt anger. Now, he could almost feel indifferent to it all. Not to her - he didn't know how long it would be, before he could look at her and not feel that bite of betrayal - but to her disappointment?

Repeated exposure had worn away the shame he had felt initially. There was only so long that unfair disapproval - even from someone you highly respected - could sting.

9. whetting the edge

Forging the Sword
Chapter Nine: whetting the edge

His excitement over looking for the diadem almost made him forget the rest of Hermione's list. Almost. "So, what are the long-term skills or abilities you can learn?"

He was surprised when she visibly hesitated.

"Hermione?"

"Harry..."

And that wasn't her 'I'm sorry, Harry' voice. That was her 'this could be dangerous' voice. For a brief moment, he wondered at the fact that he knew the difference. Then he sat up straight, realization flashing through him. "You found something."

"I- Maybe..."

"You found something! What is it? How long does it take to learn? What do we have to do?"

"Harry."

"What?"

"Easy, mate," Ron interjected. "Give her a chance to talk, yeah?"

"Right." He drew on the past few months of practice and forced himself to controlled calm. "Sorry, Hermione. Go on."

He shoulders slumped slightly. "I found something," she admitted, though she didn't look quite happy with it. "I just don't know if we should pursue it."

He stared at her. "Why not?"

"Because it's dangerous, Harry," she said. "Because the first time I ever saw it, it was referenced as a skill criminals tended to pick up. And because it's illegal to teach it to anyone under the age of seventeen."

He blinked. "I think you better start at the beginning."

"It's called Occlumency," she began. "I ran across it when I was first researching the wizarding justice system over the summer. I was trying to figure out- Well, a lot of things, actually. I mean. Harry, did you know wizards have a truth serum that works?"

It took him a moment. Then: "What?"

He couldn't even begin to describe all the emotions that flashed through him, but it started with pure disbelief, and ended with betrayal. "Then why the hell-" he began, thinking of every unfair punishment, or malicious rumor, or desperate, fruitless attempt he'd ever made to get an adult to listen to them... If all it would have taken was a potion, I might kill someone.

It was the realization that he'd wasn't entirely sure he didn't mean that, as much as Ron shouting his name, that jerked his attention to the room around him. Then he swore, and clamped back down on his control, hard. Forcing himself to calm wasn't as easy the second time around. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, then opened them again. "Sorry."

"Blimey mate," Ron looked impressed, even as he combed back wind-ruffled hair. Hermione straightened up from where she'd flung herself down over her notes, and gave him a considering look.

"It's not what you're thinking," she said. "It's not that easy. Veritaserum," and his Latin was good enough, now, that he didn't have to ask, "forces you to tell the complete and total truth as you know it. If you're convinced the sky is red and they dose you up with Veritaserum?"

"You'll tell them the sky is red?"

"Exactly. It is used in court cases sometimes, and it can be strong evidence, but it's not enough to convict on its own."

"Okay," he said. "I'd understand that if you're questioning witnesses or whatever. It might be hard to understand what happened from a long way away. So why not dose the bloke who committed the crime? He's not going to be confused."

"No," she said. "But he might be lying."

Even Ron caught that logical inconsistency. "Um, Hermione...?"

"He might be lying," she continued, "and not even know it. If he knows Occlumency."

Do not strangle one of your best friends. Even if she deserves it. "All right." Clearly he was missing something. "What, exactly, is Occlumency?"

"And why haven't I ever heard of it?" Ron asked. "When I asked Mum why they didn't use Veritaserum in court cases, she mentioned confundus charms and the imperious."

"Some of my knowledge is sketchy," she cautioned. "If there's any information on it available in the Hogwart's library, it's in the restricted section. Some of this I had to ask Professor Binns about."

"And he answered? Even though it was illegal?" He raised an eyebrow. Maybe Binns is less boring than I thought.

"Don't be silly," she shook her head. And maybe not. "It's illegal to teach it; all I did was ask him why it was listed as one of the reasons veritaserum isn't automatically used in all court cases. I told him I read about it somewhere and was curious." She smiled at them. "Everyone knows I'm curious about everything, even obscure facts or oddments. There was no reason for him not to answer."

He eyed her, admiring the blithe innocence in her voice. Oh yeah. Anyone who thought he and Ron were the only ones to watch definitely didn't know Hermione.

Ron grinned, "Good one, Hermione."

Her smile widened. "Anyway, as far as I can tell, Occlumency is about controlling your mind."

He shared a blank glance with Ron. If she'd said controlling your magic, he could relate. Or maybe- "What, like watching your temper? Count to ten and all that?" Although that doesn't sound very magical. Or dangerous.

"More like manipulating your own memories. Apparently, an Occulumens master can make himself or herself forget things, temporarily or permanently. So a master who killed someone then blocked that knowledge off from himself, could answer that he was innocent, because as far as he knows, he is."

"Well that sounds..." He searched for words, then shrugged. "I give up. How would editing our own memories help us?"

"Wait." Ron leaned forward. "Hermione, you're a genius. We've got a time-turner. We know how to make polyjuice. If we could also fool truth potions..."

He saw where Ron was going with this. "An unbreakable alibi! Anything happens while we're in class with twenty other children... But Ron, you said you didn't just want to kill-"

"I don't. Not yet." Ron's smile was dark. "But if we could frame him-"

"Impersonation? A fake confession?"

"Too easy. And probably easily disproved. But if we could get the MLE to start investigating him..."

He nodded. "No, no. I get it. Ruin his reputation now. And God," his mind flicked back over every time he'd met the blond bastard. Rich. Controlled. Proud and icy. "He'd hate that."

"Guys!" They stopped and turned to Hermione. She stared them both down. "Framing him for anything is not the answer. Ron, you said you," she paused a second, eyes flicking to meet his, then back to Ron, "turned Harry down because revenge wasn't enough. You want justice? Get Malfoy for what he did do."

"I want both," Ron snarled. "Revenge is justice. A quick death is too good for that child-killing bastard."

Ron's eyes were bright and almost feral, and Hermione didn't even flinch. He was impressed; Ron was intimidating like that. "Then get both. You turned Harry down," she repeated. "You know revenge without justice isn't worth it. It's not, Ron."

He wanted to protest that killing Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be about revenge for Ginny. Not... completely. The older man was a threat. He'd killed Ginny. He'd tried to help Voldemort - wherever he was - gain power. Harry saw no reason whatsoever to keep him alive, where he could possibly hurt someone Harry cared about again.

When he was no doubt planning to hurt someone again.

But he forced himself to wait for Ron's decision. As long as Lucius Malfoy was neutralized, he could deal with the Death Eater living. I'd hate it, but Ron has the stronger claim.

And if he spends his entire life in prison? Well, at least he'd have a start on paying his debt.

"Fine," Ron growled at last. "But we keep it in mind. And why did you bring it up, if you didn't want us to use it?"

She looked exasperated. "Well, for one thing, I didn't think that the first place your minds would go to is how to commit a crime. You're justifying those who want to ban the knowledge of Occlumency completely, you know."

Ron looked as worried about that as he himself felt.

"I give up," she said. "Back to Occlumency. Editing your own memories isn't the main part of Occlumency. It's the part the Ministry objects to, but it's not the intended purpose. Occlumens tend to have slightly better memories - and focus - than those who've never mastered it. They're usually more decisive. They tend to have better control of themselves and their emotions. They can work better in times of stress, fatigue, drugs, emotion-effecting spells, or around certain magical creatures and devices with mental effects. Or, in general, any other time where a lack of clear thinking might cause a bad decision."

She'd had him at the better memories part, only slightly or not. "Sounds dead useful. How do we start?"

"And why would it be illegal?" Ron looked curious. "Like Harry said, sounds useful in all sorts of situations. I can't believe they'd try to take away a magical skill like that."

He considered reminding Ron about the part where this magical skill was one of the biggest reasons that a truth serum didn't work. That it was one of only a few reasons why innocents might go to prison or the guilty go free... then bit down on it. He remembered the fight they'd had in October. He remembered why. To Ron, to wizards, apparently, it was a trade they were willing to make.

And what does it say about me and my principles, that I'm willing and eager to learn it as well?

But he pushed the thought from his mind, because Hermione was still talking, (because he had sworn, once, kneeling on cold stone while ink and blood stained his hands, that he would do whatever was necessary), and they needed any advantage they could scavenge, wrestle, or steal.

"It's not illegal to learn it," Hermione corrected. "It's illegal to teach it, or facilitate the teaching of it, to those under the age of majority. Which makes sense, because, as I've said before, it's dangerous."

"You did say so before. But dangerous how?"

She stared at him. "Occlumency lets you manipulate your own memories. Block away knowledge you don't want. Force yourself to focus when you need to. Tie your own mind in knots. we don't learn it the right way - and we'd be learning it on our own, with no guidance, and no one to check on us - they forbid people to teach it to children and teenagers because you can twist yourself."

He blinked at her. "And?"

The sound she made was something of a cross between a roar of frustration and a whimper. It was very... odd.

"Er, Hermione?"

She dropped her head in her hands. "Of course you don't see a problem with undertaking a potentially dangerous meddling in your own mind. I forgot who I was talking to for a moment. First your magic. Then your mind. Any other dangerous magics you'd like to dive into? Your soul, perhaps?"

Really, she made it too easy sometimes. He perked up, plastering an interested expression on his face. "Oh, are there magics that affect the soul?"

Her head shot up and she glared at him. "Never. Mind."

He grinned.

After a moment, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, you. Honestly. So it's decided, then?" She looked at Ron, then back at him. "You want me to look into this more?"

"Unless there was anything else better on your list?"

She shook her head. "Not at our skill level. This might be tough, but apparently, while Occlumency is the most dangerous to children, just because they tend to "use it unwisely," it's also easier to learn it when you're younger. Kind of like how kids are fluent in new languages while adults are struggling to carry a normal conversation. Adults learn differently than kids do. We're actually almost too old - twelve to thirteen is right at the limit for it to be natural to just pick up."

"So it's something very difficult to learn now, but doable. Which, in a few years, would be extremely difficult to learn, but safer?"

"Yes."

"I say we go for it. Ron?"

The red-head nodded. "Sorry Hermione, I think it's worth it."

"Okay then." Harry went over their schedules in his head. "Ron, you're still researching immortality legends, right?"

"Yeah. I think I might be ready sometime after Christmas break." He grimaced. "Maybe."

"So Hermione works on finding Occlumency information, and you're working on legends. Which leaves preliminary research on Ravenclaw's diadem for me." He smiled. "Which works, because I'm the one the Hat said could come back and talk to him again." He paused, "Anything else we need to do?"

Hermione pulled out her textbook. "Charms homework?"

He sighed and Ron made a face, but he shrugged, and pulled out his as well. He did ask.

You'd think I'd know better, by now.

"Dragon's breath!"

The exclamation pulled his attention away from Hermione just in time. He looked up - What?- and jerked himself to a stop. Took a careful step back, aware he could now personally testify that Seamus needed a shower after their last herbology class.

"Watch it-" he began.

Dean cut him off with an admiring sound.

"Will you look at that?" Seamus' voice was deeply impressed.

He scooted a few inches to the side, and scanned out across the lawns to see what had caught his housemates' attention. Down by the lake, a group of students stood near a bonfire while another figure stood some meters away, gesturing.

"What is it?" Lavender pushed towards the front and stared. "Is that a... bonfire?"

He squinted. "I'm not sure," this far away, it was hard to tell for certain, "but I think that's Professor Aesalon."

"Seeker eyes," Ron muttered, and he shrugged.

"That's got to be the seventh year class," Hermione spoke up. "Oh, look. Something's happening."

Aesalon – if it was Aesalon, though who else could it be? – beckoned two students towards him. A few seconds of nothing much happening, then one student raised his wand, and a stream of fire uncurled and rose. The second, after a few more seconds, followed suit. This time water followed in a ribbon, ascending from the lake. Both gestured, and the two elements seemed to rise and curl about each other, over the lake. It was - impressive.

How are they doing that? And how could I learn it?

"I wonder why they're out here, though," Hermione put in, sounding thoughtful. "The flame freezing charm – and various protective charms, would have let them practice in the Defense classroom."

"Why risk it if you don't have to?" Neville asked, sensibly, even as they all continued to stare at the ribbon of fire and water that seemed to be twinning itself in a circle.

"I suppose," she answered. Then something seemed to go wrong – from this far away it was hard to tell, but it looked like either the fire or water lost control and crossed – and an explosion of steam boiled out.

Safely twenty meters away, both students dropped their wands, and headed back to the group. Another two moved to take their place.

"That," Dean said, "is bloody amazing."

The third year Gryffindors were silent for a moment of united respect for the sheer coolness of what they'd just seen. Then Hermione spoke again. "We have to get going. Charms starts in three minutes."

No one really wanted to explain later to McGonagall why an entire year was late to class - and it'd be especially hard to explain given Sprout had dismissed them a little early - so they got moving again. He was close enough, though, to hear Seamus' comment to Dean, "Amazing's right, mate. Hope he stays."

He glanced back in time to see Aesalon beckon a third student to the fore, and watch the three seventh years begin braiding their streams of water, and had to agree.

That Wednesday afternoon, for the first time in months, he willingly sought out Professor McGonagall.

Since that day at the beginning of the term, when she came to lead them to the Headmaster's office, he and the professor had reached a oddly civil standoff. Polite distance, rather than hostility, set the tone of their interactions. In class, he quietly took notes and listened attentively, but did not raise his hand to answer questions despite - thanks to his increased search for knowledge - usually knowing the correct response. He never sought her out after class or during office hours for help with something he was struggling with, and the remarks that came back on his homework were utterly neutral; pointing out any mistakes - and those were few - but refraining from the more personal comments regarding growth or insightfulness or a telling point.

Sometimes, he'd look up from the current assignment and catch her watching him with an indecipherable expression. (Sometimes, he even thought that expression might be regret.) But if he met her eyes she'd turn away, expressionless, the utter blankness a message in itself. The first time it happened, he'd felt his heart twist, despite his anger. Then, for awhile, he'd only felt anger. Now, he could almost feel indifferent to it all. Not to her - he didn't know how long it would be, before he could look at her and not feel that bite of betrayal - but to her disapproval?

Repeated exposure had worn away the shame he had felt initially. Unfair disapproval - even from someone you highly respected - could only sting for long.

Still, all Gryffindors knew her office location and hours, though they were rarely used, except right before a test or right after. The transfiguration classroom might have felt more neutral, but he needed this request to be private.

Taking a deep breath, he centered himself, and knocked on her opened door.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw him standing in the doorway - the most expression she'd directed his way in weeks.

He tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Professor McGonagall."

"Mr. Potter." She set down her quill. "Come in."

He stopped before her desk and glanced at the chair, but didn't take a seat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, professor." And he was, though probably not in the way she thought he meant. "I just have a quick request. Could I have the password to the Headmaster's office, please?"

There was a moment of silence as she regarded him carefully. "Why do you need to talk to the Headmaster, Mr. Potter?"

He sighed, but kept his expression calm. "I don't, actually. Not really. I want to talk to the Sorting Hat. It said I could come back anytime," he added quickly, as she looked a little nonplussed.

Her lips thinned. "Is this a prank?"

That caused a surge of anger. She thinks that I- With her of all- "No." He hid a wince, registering the emotion in his own voice, and forced himself back to calmness. Calm and distant and don't let her see she gets to you... He spoke again, it was with the same polite, calm, tone he'd adopted in her classroom. "It is a serious request."

"Mr. Potter... the Sorting Hat is not a toy. It is a valued and valuable artifact handed down from the founders of our school, and is over a thousand years old. Never have I had a third year student request this in seriousness."

Was that supposed to be an apology? "Is it against the rules?"

She pursed her lips, like she'd bitten a lemon. "Very well. The password is Marshmallow Marmots. It will only work between the hours of eight in the morning and seven at night, and will only work if the Headmaster is in his office and willing to receive you. I suggest you head straight there."

"Thank you," was all he said. Then, angry, and hurting, and abruptly so very tired of it all, he turned and left.

He had a Hat to talk to.

The gargoyle moved aside without protest, and he ascended the stairs with determination. He hadn't talked to Dumbledore since the day after term started, either, but at least that wasn't a case of deliberate coolness. He'd just never interacted with the Headmaster all that much.

The door was open at the top, but he stopped at the threshold and peered in. "Professor?"

"Come in, Harry." Dumbledore looked up, smile warm, robes a brilliant maroon with gold stars. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, sir, last year, the Sorting Hat said I could talk to it again. If you'll let me have – it?" It still felt kind of weird to call something that had saved his life – and talked to him – an it when he conversed with others. That just felt… rude.

The headmaster's smile widened. "Did it? Quite extraordinary. You seem to have a knack, Harry, for gathering positive attention from all sorts of beings." As if to underscore the point, Fawkes flew from his perch to land on Harry's shoulder, warm and surprisingly solid.

"Hey Fawkes," he greeted. Then looked back to Dumbledore, reflecting on Moaning Myrtle, and Dobby's life threatening favors, and wondered if indifference wouldn't be such a bad response. "I like it," was all he could think to offer. "The Hat, I mean. And you too, Fawkes," he added, when the phoenix rubbed his head against Harry's neck.

"Well, if the Sorting Hat invited you, I certainly can't keep you two apart. Go ahead." He nodded towards the shelf where the Hat sat, to all appearances nothing more than an inanimate piece of fabric.

"Thank you, sir," he said, and crossed the room. He gently picked it up, then paused. Around the room dozens of portraits stared down, some curious, some blatantly disapproving, others merely watchful. Oh, great. "Uh, sir, can I…" he made a small, uncomfortable gesture towards the surrounding audience.

"Oh, of course," Dumbledore stood, and addressed the portraits. "Please give the boy some privacy, if you would." After a certain amount of grumbling – and one or two protests, the loudest from an older lady with a 17th century vocabulary – the portraits vacated. Dumbledore came around to the front of the desk and held out his arm to Fawkes. "Shall we?"

It wasn't until the phoenix hopped from his shoulder to the headmaster that he realized what was going on. "Sir! It's your office, you don't have to…" In truth, he'd prefer to be alone. But this was the Professor's office.

"Nonsense, I'm in need of a good break anyway. And Fawkes certainly approves." Blue eyes twinkled at him. "Just avoid touching anything but the Sorting Hat, if you please. It took nearly a month to return the last student to human form." Then he turned and swept down the stairs, maroon robe trailing him.

He gulped and eyed the various shiny, moving, or interesting artifacts and ancient-looking objects on various surfaces, and edged closer to the center of the room. He wasn't sure Dumbledore had been serious, but…

Stay away from the third floor corridor unless you wish to die, floated through his memory.

Right. He thought. No touching.

Then he took a deep breath, and dropped the Hat onto his head.

"No," it said.

He blinked. "No?"

"No," the Hat repeated, "I can not tell you the current location of the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw."

A wave of frustration washed through him.

"Really, Mr. Potter, I thought I told you last time that short cuts aren't the way."

And that was just so blatantly unfair, when he thought of the months and months of studying. Almost half a year, now. And he wasn't looking for a short-cut, he was gathering information, which the Hat itself had encouraged! He opened his mouth, but the Hat was talking again. "And why would I tell you the location, anyway? You're not a Ravenclaw. In house or name. And do you really imagine yourself the first to ask?"

He glowered at the wall, silently, thinking that if one more person told him that-

"It's not that easy."

"Argh!"

Laughter drummed through his mind.

Briefly, he contemplated his chances of arguing the Hat around through sheer stubbornness - he was good at stubborn-

"I once had a Headmaster put me on for three hours a day, for two decades, trying to gain the knowledge you seek."

He sighed. Right, then. Because he was stubborn, but he wasn't two decades worth of stubborn. Or maybe he could be, but not if there was a better way. He sorted through other options, aware that the Hat knew them even as he considered them. Which made any form of trickery difficult, and maybe he should be ashamed for thinking it, even if it had been er, accidental. He thought about apologizing, but then, the Hat would have felt his embarrassment over thinking of it in the first place, so... He frowned, distracted. In fact, he almost thought he could feel it feeling his embarrassment, like a faint flicker in his mind…

"Oh, that is interesting. You weren't lying when you said you'd worked hard."

Startled, he rolled his eyes up in useless reflex. "What do you mean?"

"Let me assure you," the Hat said, apparently ignoring the question, "that I do not hide Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem within me."

A straight answer at last. He sighed. Just not the one I was hoping for. "Is there anything you can tell me?" he asked, because the Hat's advice had served him well so far.

"I'm not the only one in Hogwarts who remembers the Founders," it said with an air of finality.

"That's all?"

It felt like a ping against his brain. Like getting gently hit inside his head.

He winced. "Hey, what was that for?"

"If you desire Ravenclaw's legacy, you would do well to prove yourself worthy of it. Rowena always did approve of questing after knowledge."

"Right. Sorry." He sighed, and lifted his hand to the Hat. "I'll just go prove myself worthy, then. It's not like I'm not trying to save people."

"Come back again," the Hat said.

His hand hesitated. "Why?" Had it changed its mind?

"You provide amusement," it said.

Harry growled and pulled it off, glaring. It was always a little disconcerting, that something so lively while on his head, dangled so silent and inert off it. Great. Now even animate objects are laughing at me.

He returned it to the shelf carefully, though, despite his ire, then paused. "Thanks," he said, then turned and left the office.

He found the Headmaster in the corridor outside the bottom of the staircase. He watched, bemused, as the aged wizard conjured a brightly colored piece of parchment, then carefully folded it into the form of parchment airplane, and launched it. Fawkes sang and swooped down, catching it in his talons. It burnt to ash between them, and Dumbledore sent another airplane.

"Um, sir?"

"Ah Harry." A flick of the wand and the parchment sheets disappeared, as did the ash on the floor. "Did you have a good conversation?"

He shrugged. "I guess? Thank you for letting me talk to it."

"Fawkes and I quite enjoyed the break." The phoenix burst into a trill that sounded like laughter, and it was impossible not to smile when he heard it.

"Still. Thanks." He turned to go, then paused. "Professor? Can I ask a question?"

"Always, Harry."

"Why make parchment, then fold them into planes? Why not just conjure the planes in the first place?"

The Headmaster peered at him from over his half-moon glasses. "Sometimes the journey gives us as much as the final product."

He stared. Okay…?

"Besides," Dumbledore continued, "A muggleborn student taught me how to do this a few years ago, and I find it great fun. Now, you'd best head down to the Great Hall. It's almost time for dinner." The headmaster turned and paused as the gargoyle silently jumped aside, then ascended the stairs to his office.

He stared after the departing figure, watching the last sparkles of gold and folds of red disappear, and wondered what it would take to hold a normal conversation with the man.

Then he sighed, stuffed his hands in his robe's pockets, and headed to dinner.

Down the table, Malfoy is crowing about how subdued the Boy-Who-Lived is this year to anyone who will listen. Parkinson watches him with adoring eyes, and Crabbe, Goyle, and Lachlan nod along dumbly. Ashton's eyes are more calculating, but no more clear-sighted.

Fools, he thinks, and takes a sip from his dinner goblet.

He's been watching Potter.

Not that that's unusual. Half the school watches Potter on any given day of the week. Depending on the rumors, that number might surge to anywhere between two thirds of the population to everyone (excepting some of the most isolated seventh year Ravenclaws preparing for their N.E.W.T.s).

Unlike most of the school, he's just better at being subtle while doing it. Still. Watching Potter. He could hardly claim to be alone in that.

But he's not just watching Potter. He's watching Granger and Weasley.

And he notices things that seem to slip by the others.

No one seems to question their impossible schedule: the classes taken at the same time in opposite sides of the castle, their appearances in two places at once. Carefulness and notice-me-nots and chameleon spells only go so far, and as a silver armband heats beneath his robe, stamped runes flaring from their previous quiescence, he knows the signs.

Time smoothes itself out, glossing over the edges of disturbances, and blurring the unnatural passage through it.

He doubts even those who first gave the time-turner - for what else could it be? - realize how often it's being used. He wouldn't either, but there's a protection wrought nine centuries ago circling his arm, warming against his skin as it throws off foreign influences. Sought by a Scandinavian ancestor for protection during raids against the druids' shores, it wards the descendents who settled on them.

The three Gryffindors have always been close, but there's a focus, a purity of purpose now, that was not there before. Weasley is studious. Granger is fierce. And Potter sits in the middle of it all, pushing and pulling and balancing, as he and his companions acquire a strange gravity, by turns holding the eyes of the entire school, and at other times sliding away.

He watches, and yet there is only so much one can learn from simply watching. So he wears his family's treasure through school hallways, and he wonders at what the three of them are doing, that he feels that burn so often.

(And in the back of his mind, a conversation accidentally overheard in the library last year, repeats.)

"What, exactly, did the Hat say to you?" Hermione asked. Dinner finished, they'd hustled to their corner. Now they regarded him with hopeful expectation.

He sighed, and looked back at the two of them, resigned and puzzled. "That it's not the only thing in Hogwarts that remembers the Founders."

Her eyebrows rose. "You think… a professor?"

"No, a professor might know something, but he or she wouldn't remember. The Hat…" he trailed off, trying to put into words his encounter with a magical object that Hermione and Ron had only touched briefly. "It's very exact," he said, finally. "I didn't notice it the first few times I talked to it, but I think I kind of got back - not an echo, but maybe the ghost of an echo? - when it was going through my thoughts. It doesn't think like a human."

"Well, it couldn't, right?" Ron pointed out. "Imagine a human sitting on a shelf for years and years. No friends. Nothing to do. He'd go mad."

"What makes you think it's sane?" he muttered. "But yeah, the Hat's very… precise. I think it says exactly what it means."

"What, then?"

He looked around helplessly, then frowned. "Hermione? How old is the oldest painting in Hogwarts?"

She paused, then smiled. "I'll find out."

"Immortality legends." Ron sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Bloody hell, Harry, not like you ask a lot or anything, right?"

Frowning, he looked down at his notebooks. He actually had three of them, for this project alone. It was vaguely mind-boggling.

Last year, I think I used two notebooks across the entire year. And seriously? How many immortality legends are there?

He had Celtic legends and Norse legends and Russian legends and even a few legends from the Orient. He had legends from Africa, and legends from Persia, and many, many legends from the tangle of countries and cultures that made up Eastern Europe. He'd gotten Indian legends from Pavarti, muggle Irish ones from Finnegan. He had bedtime stories from the UK and Prussia and Spain and France and Italy; everything from the Tales of Beedle the Bard to The Adventures of the Lizard Wizard. He had folklore and family lore and ghost stories and historical stories, and stories probably just plain made up.

He hadn't yet had the luck to run across a book in the library with a handy scrawled comment that read anything like: "I think I'll try this one. - Signed, You-Know-Who," but he lived in hope.

Because it was no wonder You-Know-Who had disappeared for years after he graduated. It probably took him so bloody long just to run through a list of likely possibilities. Much less, he paused, and squinted down at the book in front of him, figure out how to swim a river of molten lava, spin a diamond into a ladder, steal the last light of a star, and forge an amulet that held the dawn.

He snorted. I think this one goes into the "unlikely" pile.

He'd felt guilty about allowing Harry to buy him a broom in thanks? He was starting to consider demanding two.

He flipped closed the notebook on "invincible" immortality, and opened the one for "eternal youth." There was that redeeming feature, at least. Most of the legends involved some form of artifact, or divine gift, or prophesied power, to make the wearer invincible to harm. The list of those which would allow the wearer to die was much smaller.

The subset of those which allowed the wearer to come back?

Smaller yet.

He stared down at the bowl of clear water in front of him, hope and trepidation intertwined. Hermione was looking up magical portraits. Ron was compiling information on immortality as fast as he could. And he was here, trying one last trick to locate the diadem.

The use of scrying magics - usually magical information gathering spells, or spelled objects - were actually pretty common. From every day items like Neville's remembrall in first year, to the complex enchantments on the Mirror of Erised, (which had shown him his parents before he even knew what they looked like), many items actively gathered information. They just - excepting artifacts of great power or with a guided intelligence - tended not to be that specific. He'd heard of Foe Glasses, which could tell you when those you knew as your enemies neared. But if you didn't know someone was an enemy, the glass wouldn't either.

The less you knew, the less you could learn by scrying. It didn't seem fair, that if you had nowhere to start and needed an idea the most, you were the least likely to succeed.

So he started with something he knew well.

He'd read the book. He'd practiced the exercises. Now he closed his eyes, and thought of his invisibility cloak and all it meant. Gift of a father, passed on to him. What it looked like: fabric a rich warmth in the sunlight, a mysterious gleam by candlelight. How it felt: the silky slide of the material through his hands, the weight of it rolled up into a surprisingly small parcel. The feeling of peace and safety when he wore it, knowing all who might search for him would pass over him unremarked. It smelt like shadows and moonlight, and flowed like mist, and he held it all in his head: weight and scent and sight and touch, and the taste of its magic most of all, held it with the visualization skills he'd first learned wielding raw magic, with the skill refined over this year with transfiguration, held and summoned and spoke the words and reached-

It didn't feel like a spark. It didn't feel like a snap. A picture didn't fade in, or flash in, or appear at all. It felt like he was reaching out blindly in a darkened room, knowing the cloak was there to touch, hovering just beneath his fingertips, just out of reach, and he murmured the second spell his book had taught-

In his mind's eye he touched his cloak, grasped it, held all that he knew of it and all that it meant to him, and he spoke a third spell, trying desperately to link that shadowy image in his mind to the still patience of the waiting water before him-

There was a second of dissonance, of resistance, but he pushed-

And the image was gone, the construct flowing down the link, dispersing into the water he'd readied.

Hardly daring to breath, he opened his eyes.

A picture of his cloak, lying on his bed in the third year Gryffindor dorm, reflected back up at him.

Yes!

He spent several minutes grinning, giddy over his success. This was - awesome. Like the first time he'd made a feather float. Like the first time he'd grasped a broom. It was so easy to get used to magic, so easy to fall into that comforting song in his soul, so easy to forget the magnitude of the gift he'd been given. It wasn't something he'd had to learn – the spells, yes, but not that reflex towards magic itself - not when it felt natural, like breathing, like something a part of him had always known. These days, he went for a warming spell as easily as he went for a sweater; would as soon summon a book as retrieve one. He moved through a world of magic as if he had always lived it, and then something new would come along, and he'd be struck breathless all over again.

At last, he disposed of the water and cleared the lingering magic from the bowl. Filled it with fresh purified water, untouched by the previous scrying. Prepared to try again.

This time, at a far more difficult task.

He pushed down his previous exultation. There was no guarantee this would work with the diadem. In all honesty, it probably wouldn't. The more you knew, the better your chances, and of Ravenclaw's lost treasure he knew almost nothing at all.

He'd never held the diadem. Never worn it. Didn't know its weight, or feel, or scent. Was it patinaed with the soft glow of heirloom silver? Did it shine, fresh-worked, protected still by the magics that forged it? Was it blackened by the ravages of time? Was it's metalwork beautiful? Delicate? Bold? Did it still hold echoes of the magic of its maker? And if so, what was it like? Patient wisdom? Sharp wit? Lively excitement and a spirit of curiosity?

All he had was a picture of it on a statue, one that supposedly still stood in the Ravenclaw common room even today.

Still, he had to try. So he closed his eyes, and tried to visualize and reach…

Minutes later he swore, shook his head, and opened his eyes. Stared down, frustrated but unsurprised, at the clear bottom of the bowl in front of him, where no image was reflected.

"Okay. Plan three."

He watched the carriages roll up from the second floor window, assembled students an excited, teeming mass below. At the sound of footsteps he and Ron turned, greeted by the sight of Hermione approaching, bag of schoolbooks carried over her shoulder. He smiled, because some things were more predictable than sunrise. "Have enough books for the break?"

"It's winter holidays," Ron cut in, sounding vaguely affronted. "How can you be studying over winter holidays? Two weeks, with nothing to do but relax. That's more than we've had in four months!"

She rolled her eyes, pushing back unruly bushy hair with one hand, then dug into her bag, pulling out one of Ron's notebooks and shoving it into Ron's hands. "Here. You forgot this; you'll probably need it for Aesalon's winter project."

At the reminder, Ron sulked, looking a bit like he'd bitten into a nasty flavored jellybean. "And what's up with that, anyway? Holidays!" he repeated. "We're supposed to be off!"

Harry sent Ron a glance, wondering how much of this was just to rile Hermione. He'd been there when Ron packed - he'd seen the texts slid into his holiday bag.

She favored their friend with a reproving look. "Professor Aesalon said at the beginning of the year, that we were dreadfully behind where we should be. You shouldn't be surprised if he didn't want to lose two whole weeks."

True enough, Harry reflected. Still: "What I don't get? I mean, it's cool he's giving us a choice of topics, but all the options are strange. What does the history of the development of concealment spells have to do with Defense? Or the reasons behind the International Statute of Secrecy? Or the biography of the wizard who first invented memory charms? Shouldn't that be history class?"

She shrugged. "Some of it, maybe. But questions like the historical evolution of concealment spells? It's not exactly the type of things Binns would cover, is it?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But why is it important? I mean, I think it'll be interesting, but..."

It was Ron's turn to shrug. "I expect we'll find out, mate. Aesalon isn't the type to do things at random."

"No," he reflected, "he really isn't. You guys ready?"

"One last thing." Hermione sighed, and hitched her bookbag higher.

He tilted his head, attention caught. "What?"

"Our idea about the Hat's advice? It's no good. Wizarding portraiture was invented in Vienna in the 1500s. Before that? Mostly statues."

He flashed back on the statue of Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets. And according to the books on the diadem, the statue of Rowena in Ravenclaw Tower. "We've tried asking the Hat. We've checked the library. I've tried scrying. Ron's interrogated family and friends. Flitwick is clueless. We've crossed off portraits. What's left?"

They looked at each other, helpless. Then he sighed, and shrugged. "Ah well. We'll figure it out. You guys enjoy break, okay?"

He endured the hug from Hermione, slapped Ron on the back, and waited to wave them goodbye, watching as the horseless carriages rolled away. Then turned and headed back to the library.

He had a few things he wanted to get done over the break.

It felt almost odd, to be without Hermione and Ron. They'd been, well, not constantly in each other's presence - because no matter how much they all liked each other, one of them would probably have killed someone - but a day didn't go by when they didn't at least spend a few hours together. With breakfast, lunch, and dinner, shared classes, extra study... it was only four months into the term, (although, for them, it was really more like five), but he'd already gotten used to their steady presence at his side.

And Ron hadn't had to tell him that it would be a bad idea to go home with him to the Weasleys, hadn't been forced to explain why he neither asked Harry along nor offered to stay over Christmas as well. Hermione had, but he knew she saw her parents so rarely anyway...

So here he was, spending Winter Holiday alone.

It's so quiet, he thought, wandering through halls suddenly deserted, so very different from the continuous activity of the normal semester.

Then a positively unholy wailing sounded, followed shortly by mad laughter.

He blinked. Did Fred and George decide to stay over...?

At the other end of the corridor, Ms. Norris came fleeing around the corner, soaked, mewling, matted fur tinged a brilliant orange. Behind her came a cackling Peeves, wizarding water balloons floating in ghostly hands.

He blinked a second, staring, then- oh hell. Evasive maneuvers!

The dive to safety came just in time to remain unnoticed. Gryffindor or not, he wasn't too proud to hide behind a tapestry - especially since wizarding water balloons, unlike muggle ones, tended to have minor jinxes inside them. He didn't really feel like spending the next hour green, or speaking in rhyme, or skipping every fourth step.

He waited for Peeves to pass, then hurried in the opposite direction. No way was he going to be anywhere near that cat when Filch found her. Not that that will be the end of it, unfortunately. The caretaker would no doubt be in a particularly nasty mood for weeks. It was a pity none of the ghosts besides the Bloody Baron could control the school poltergeist.

His steps slowed at the thought.

Ghosts.

He turned the thought over in his head for a few minutes.

"Bloody hell," he finally announced, voice echoing in the corridor. "I'm an idiot."

Sitting in the library minutes later, he eyed the book ahead of him. Hogwarts, A History was emblazoned proudly down the spine.

He'd managed for two and a half years, to avoid the tome. It felt vaguely like defeat to read it now.

But he was not waiting for Hermione to come back, just because he didn't want to read a book.

Sighing, he cracked it open, looking for a section on the ghosts of the castle. The first edition of Hogwarts, A History hadn't been published until the mid 1700s, but the current one supposedly covered everything from the founding up to present decade. He should be able to find out who the oldest ghost in the castle was.

It didn't turn out to be quite that easy, because apparently there wasn't enough information for ghosts to get their own chapter in the book. He had to sort through a variety of listings, including the oldest plants on the grounds, and a list of portraits, their subjects, and the dates that they were added. Still, fifteen minutes later he was running his finger down a page, looking for the oldest ghost-

He blinked. He groaned. He dropped his head on the table, and thumped it a few times. He raised it again, and peeked back at the book, vainly hoping to see a different name inscribed.

No such luck.

He dropped his head again, and closed his eyes. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to erase the memory. There, in cheerful green script, it floated before his closed eyes: The oldest ghost in Hogwarts Castle is the Bloody Baron, Slytherin's house ghost.

"Whatever I did to deserve this," he said to the empty library, "I'm sorry."

Then he sighed, gathered his books, and headed for lunch.

It came down to this: he was not going to approach the Bloody Baron alone. No way. Even Slytherins were apparently somewhat afraid of him. He didn't want to know what the ghost would do to a Gryffindor.

But reading about the Slytherin House ghost had reminded him that Gryffindor had a House ghost too. Nearly Headless Nick hadn't been around much this year, but the Gryffindor ghost was cheerful, kind, and over 500 years old.

Which meant he'd known the Baron for at least five centuries.

It was as good a place to start as any.

Tracking Nick down took a little bit of work, but unlike most of the other ghosts, Nick was outgoing and friendly. A fair amount of the portraits were willing to help, once asked politely.

In any case, it didn't take more than a day, and by late afternoon he was standing before his House's ghost.

"Sir Nick."

"Harry!" The ghost smiled widely, flourishing his hat in a bow, before replacing it on his abundant curly hair. "It's good to see you. How have you been?"

He smiled back. Nearly Headless Nick was always so... ironically enough, the only term he could think of was lively. And willing to cause a spot of trouble - he hadn't forgotten the way the ghost had saved him from Filch and a prospective detention last year. "I'm well," he said. "And you?"

"More than tolerable, Harry. More than tolerable. Have to say, my standing with the other ghosts has gone up notch. None of them can claim to have looked into a Basilisk's eyes!"

He winced at the reference, but he couldn't resent the ghost for finding some good from the event. Although... how do you un-petrify a ghost anyway? The mind boggled at the idea of feeding a spirit a potion, so he shook the thought away. "That's great, Nick. But look, I wanted to ask you a question."

The ghost's face lit up. "Then out with it! Anything for the Basilisk Slayer."

He winced again. Oh, God. Not another title. Hoping it would go away if he ignored it, he got straight to the point. "The Bloody Baron. Is he truly the oldest ghost in the castle?"

Obviously surprised, Nick raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Indeed he is."

Darn it. "Then," he paused, considering; finally just went for it: "What can you tell me about him?"

Nick looked regretful. "Apologies, Harry. Alas, I'm afraid I can't tell you much at all. The Baron is intensely private, always has been. We've traveled in the sphere, as it were, for half a millennium, but I don't even know how he died. Just that he lived in the same time as the founders. Why, Harry?"

He sighed, disappointed. "I... need to ask him some questions. About, er, that time period. I was hoping you could, well, provide me an introduction?"

Nick looked more than a little discomfited. "Oh dear, I don't believe that to be a good idea. No, not a good idea at all. I'm afraid we're not exactly friendly. Oh!" He perked up. "You should talk to the Gray Lady - Ravenclaw's House ghost - instead. She's nearly as old as the Baron. Very mysterious, but not nearly so..."

Seeing Nick floundering, he volunteered: "Forbidding?"

Nick drew himself up. "I am a Gryffindor, Harry. The Baron would hardly be the most intimidating of those I faced at court!" He paused, just a second, then continued a touch more subdued, "He is simply not the most... loquacious of people. And I, being a most outgoing and friendly chap, do not find his company a joy."

Right, he thought skeptically. But if Nick didn't want to admit to being scared by the Slytherin ghost, it wasn't his issue. "So, talk to the Gray Lady?"

"That would be my advice."

"Er, what does she look like?"

"Young. Beautiful. Long hair down to her waist, and she wears a cloak."

"All right," he shrugged. "I'll give it a try. Thanks, Nick."

"Anytime, my young Gryffindor. Any time." Then with another flourishing bow, he dropped through the floor.

Harry studied the flagstones through which Nick had disappeared for a minute, then shrugged. The Gray Lady, huh? Well, at least it's not the Bloody Baron.

He sighed.

Now to find her.

Despite his determination, he couldn't spend all his time doing nothing but wandering school corridors in search of an elusive Ravenclaw House ghost. So he sat, thinking, as he watched the snow drift down and relaxed in the warm safety of Gryffindor's common room.

I'm not sure what to try next.

When it came to wandless magic, he was almost completely on his own. It wasn't a topic deemed worthy of serious pursuit: guides were non-existent. So where did that leave him in developing skill with it?

He could lift and move things. He could occasionally shatter things, though he'd backed away from those experiments, as they tended to be rather messy... and completely ineffective compared to an actual curse. He could, if in a somewhat 'hit or miss' way, cause shaking ground around him. Less an earthquake than a minor tremor, and he couldn't think of anything that'd be good for, except for freaking out his aunt and uncle. Interesting in its own right, had been accidentally finding out that when he pushed his magic into his voice, the words seemed to grab more attention. Not more respect, acceptance, or agreement, but attention. Kind of advantageous when you were trying to break up a fight, but not so much use otherwise.

So what now?

He doubted he'd ever be able to use wandless magic to do anything very intricate. It was just too unstructured. And yeah, he could compensate for lacking that structure spells provided – could mould force with sheer focus and visualization - but that wasn't enough to allow for anything complex or delicate. Changing the color of something, transfiguring things, enchanting an object to sing or dance – it just didn't work without the fine channeled control of a spell and a wand. Raw force, not finesse, was wandless magic's strength.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. So, again, what now?

He cast his mind back, over every time he could remember deliberately using magic without a wand. Most of it he'd already considered and discarded, and he was half tempted to give up. Not wandless magic itself - never would he forget how to call a captured wand to his hand again. (He shoved down memories.) But there didn't seem to be much more he could do with it. Maybe his time would be better spent researching new branches of magic in the school library. Something like they'd all seen that day at the lake, when the final year students were practicing playing with fire and water under their defense professor's direction.

Something sparked in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to pin down that nagging feeling of an important event forgotten. It'd been... back, over the summer. After he'd destroyed part of the living room. He'd been practicing wandless magic, trying desperately to learn control...

He frowned, eyes still closed. Trying, trying-

Following the solidifying chain of events, the memory snapped into place. Finally managing his fifth circle around the desk, he'd set the ball of paper down with a grin... and set the ball on fire.

He opened his eyes. Looked at the fireplace thoughtfully. He had incendio. As the memorable day when he, Ron, and Hermione had been late to class proved, he had a rather powerful incendio. But he couldn't help but remember the way the flame had guttered and died, when he tried to cast the spell on objects they'd fireproofed. Well, until he overloaded the spell and it – object and fire both - almost exploded. The entire effect had been very different from the streams of fire and water the seventh years had guided.

Maybe, he thought reflectively. Unless I come up with something better to work on.

Sighing, he set the issue aside, and forced himself to reach instead for his scrying bowl.

His next step in wandless magic might be uncertain, but this he knew: he still needed a lot more practice with divination.

It took almost four days of wandering, total, but he finally caught a glimpse of his ghostly quarry, turning down another hallway in the deserted upper corridors of the castle. He quickly broke into a run. "Excuse me! Gray Lady? Please, wait!"

She drifted to a stop, and turned, watching coolly as he neared. "Yes?"

He paused, thrown a little at the remoteness of her voice. Nick might have been right when he called her pretty, but her expression was haughty and unimpressed. Great, she looks as welcoming as a acromantula. "I'm sorry; are you the Gray Lady?"

"Yes."

He waited a second, then shrugged. Okay... "Look, I was wondering if I could ask you for help."

"In what matter?" Still detached, unconcerned.

"I'm looking for Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem."

Her expression, already cool, turned icy. "I cannot help." Then she turned away.

"Look, wait!" She paused. "This is important."

She turned back, but the glance she gave him was cutting. "You are hardly the first student to covet the diadem," she said disdainfully. "Generations of students have badgered me. I did not aid them. I will not aid you. Begone." She turned to leave again.

"Bloody hell," he muttered to himself, and darted around in front of her. "It's not just for me!"

At this, she halted again. Raised one eyebrow. "You claim you have no wish to wear it?"

He stumbled. "Well, I mean. Yes. But only because we're planning to do something important!"

"As I thought." She started floating away.

"Wait!" This time, she did not pause. He took off after her. "Bloody hell, wait! Please!" She flew faster, outdistancing him. "We're trying to stop Voldemort!" he shouted after her.

"It does not concern me," came floating back, her voice indifferent as she disappeared through a wall.

Leaving him to fume helplessly behind.

Well that was an utter disaster, he thought bitterly. The Gray Lady obviously had no intention of being any help whatsoever. And yeah, maybe she was tired of being asked about the Diadem, but still! She didn't have to act like such a- such a-

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Released it. Breathed again. Practiced centering himself, the calming technique almost reflexive by now.

He opened his eyes and glared after her. Fine. Whatever. I'll just go back to plan A. It's not like the Baron could be any meaner, right?

Although... I think I'll wait for Ron and Hermione to come back. Just in case.

He nabbed them as soon as they got off the train, drawing them away from the crowd.

"Harry!" Hermione grinned, hugging him. He sighed and endured.

"Hermione. Ron. How was the break?"

"Not bad," Ron shrugged. "Bill couldn't get away - he's on a dig somewhere in Egypt - but Charlie was there. You, Hermione?"

"Splendid!" She bounced slightly in excitement. "We did a tour of museums, including the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Imperial War Museum. It was great."

He and Ron turned to look at her. "This is what your family does for fun?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Just because my parents don't want me to loose touch with my muggle cultural heritage-"

"Fine," he replied, raising his hands in surrender. "It's a grand idea. I'm glad you had fun. Glad both of you had fun."

"And what about you?" she asked. "How was winter break here? Did you enjoy Aesalon's assignment? Oh, speaking of assignments! I was thinking: We've been focusing on magical items left over from the era of the founders, but you know who we should ask?"

"The ghosts?" he supplied dryly.

She looked surprised. "You too? I can't believe we didn't think of it earlier."

"Ghosts aren't exactly friendly, mates." Ron put in. "I mean, how often do we even run into Nick? Once a year at the welcoming feast? And maybe one or two more times than that?"

"Nick's friendly," Hermione put in. "He invited us to his Death Day Party as well..."

Remembering that event, all three of them shuddered in unison.

"Right." Ron said. "And don't we wish he hadn't."

"It was still nice of him," she said, although her tone was dubious. "Anyway, I doubt Nick would know anything - he's much too young to remember the Founders. And he doesn't seem the type to have any deep dark secrets. But he might know who to talk to-"

"The Gray Lady was his best suggestion," he interrupted.

A second passed as they processed the information, then clearly just decided to run with it.

"Ravenclaw's House ghost?" Ron asked.

"Makes the most sense," Hermione agreed.

"I tried," he informed them. "No good." He grimaced. "And she wasn't pleasant about it at all. Hardly let me even raise the topic, and didn't give a newt's eye that it was to help stop Voldemort."

Hermione frowned. "You think she might change her mind?"

He remembered her coldness. "No."

"Hmmm..." she looked thoughtful. "Maybe someone else?"

He looked at both of them. "Well, I figure the best choice is to go for someone who does seem the type to have deep dark secrets. And who, incidentally, is the oldest ghost in Hogwarts."

He wasn't surprised when Hermione's mouth dropped open. She knew Hogwarts, A History, far better than he. "You can't be serious."

Ron looked between them. "Who is it this time?"

"The Bloody Baron, Ron," Hermione replied. "The oldest recorded ghost in Hogwarts is the Bloody Baron."

He waited for an outcry, but Ron barely blinked. Instead, he calmly turned to Hermione. "Clearly, we shouldn't leave him alone too long anymore."

"Hey!"

She looked him over. "Yes, Ron. I'm beginning to figure that out."

He crossed his arms over his chest, sulky. "No one appreciates me."

"Mate, if Ravenclaw's House ghost wouldn't talk, why would Slytherin's?"

"Well," he shrugged. "I figure, this time, maybe we can set it up through an intermediary? And, like you said, Nick is friendly."

They were both still staring at him.

"What?" he asked. "It doesn't hurt to try."

Ron groaned. "You had to say it, mate."

He sniffed, and turned to lead the way to the great hall for the winter feast.

Nobody appreciates me.

The next week he sat in class, watching Aesalon wrap up their defense lesson. Anticipating the dismissal, he quietly capped his inkwell and started to put away his notes.

Nick had been somewhat wary of accepting their request, and somewhat dubious about the outcome. Still, Hermione had appealed to his sense of Gryffindor pride, and while the ghost hadn't really seemed enthusiastic, he'd at last agreed to undertake the task. He'd warned them, though, that it might take some time to accomplish.

Which was okay, because with school back in session, they were once again with barely a moment's respite. Transfiguration was always challenging, and he was having trouble with the new unit in emotion-altering Charms. Not so much in the casting of them, but as the recipient. He didn't like the feeling of a Cheering Charm, not at all, and lately they'd begun to stop working almost immediately. Lavender had been getting very frustrated, until they switched partners and Hermione found herself no more able to make them stick.

He was already anticipating a lack of partners when they started confusion charms next week.

Kettleburn, meanwhile, had actually taken them all into the lake to study Grindylows, claiming that since the most terrifying aspect of the minor water demons was the swarms they attacked in, merely bringing one in a cage for them to meet would be a disservice. And it was true that they were far more petrifying in the water: fast, vicious, and everywhere, so that the eyes could barely keep track. Dumbledore hadn't been pleased - Madam Pomfrey even less so, after treating an entire group of shivering third years - but Kettleburn shrugged it off. Something about how he'd just been waiting for his sixty-third probation anyway. Which had made the third years exchange not entirely disbelieving glances.

Last words spoken, their Defense professor dismissed them, and he headed toward the door. Aesalon'd finally finished grading their assignments from over the winter holidays, so they all picked theirs up on the way out the classroom. Navigating the hallways with long familiarity, he unrolled the scroll a few inches and checked the grade. Outstanding. Expected, but that didn't prevent a sense of pride.

To his right, Hermione made a strange, choked, squeaking noise and dropped her bag, coming to a dead stop in the middle of the corridor. He glanced over, and blinked. She was staring fixedly at her homework assignment, and looked queazy. And disbelieving. And horrified.

He watched her carefully. "Hermione? Are you okay?"

"I got an Acceptable," she murmured, still staring blankly down at her scroll.

For a second, the words didn't make sense. Then he elbowed Ron in the side.

"What?" the redhead said, looking up from the comments scrawled across his own scroll.

"I got an A," Hermione repeated dully, apparently in shock.

He and Ron exchanged glances, then went into emergency mode. Ron took her by shoulders, and started to gently steer her into a nearby unused classroom. He grabbed Hermione's bag and flicked up the noise dampening charm behind them.

"I got an A," she repeated a third time, starting to come out of it. "I got an Acceptable. Why did I get an Acceptable?"

"Breathe, Hermione." Ron advised. "Just breath."

Her hair appeared to be getting bushier, almost bristling. "I've never gotten an Acceptable in my life!"

"So once shouldn't hurt."

"In my life!" Bristling now. Definitely bristling.

"First time for everything?"

"In. My. Life!" Somewhat like a hedgehog's spikes.

He made desperate throat cutting gestures, hoping Ron picked up the non-verbal message to shut the hell up. Because that was almost the comically incorrect approach towards this. Behind her back, Ron met his eyes, and tossed up his hands in a helpless movement, then gestured for him to take the lead.

Right. Thanks, Ron. Because as bad as Ron was handling this, that didn't mean he wanted to step into the line of fire.

Gryffindor, he reminded himself, and took a breath. "Did Aesalon say why he gave you an acceptable?"

"He says I 'misapplied current situations onto past circumstances.'"

He blinked. "That's it?"

"Also, that he'd expected me not to make such a fundamental error in logic, given the quality of my past work. And that he'll be covering the topic briefly on Thursday's class. And I can see him after that during office hours, if I need further clarification."

"Oh." Finally, he timidly asked, "Er, Hermione? What topic did you pick?" He'd chosen the historical development and improvement of large-area concealment spells. It'd been unexpectedly fascinating.

"The reasons behind the Statute of Secrecy. I basically said it was an entirely understandable undertaking, given the threat muggles posed, and that I was surprised it wasn't enacted earlier."

He thought it over, and shrugged. "Sounds pretty right to me."

"Uh, blokes?"

They turned to Ron. He was staring at them.

"What?" He and Hermione spoke at the same time.

He looked between the two of them. "What threat?"

Now it was their turn to stare at him.

She massaged her forehead, because they'd been at it for half an hour. "Muggles have guns, Ron," she said. "They're easy to make, easy to use, and kill a whole lot quicker than the Killing Curse. They have video cameras that automatically record suspicious activity, for later review. They have bombs that can destroy whole cities. They've walked on the moon. They've explored under the oceans. They can talk to each other instantly, all across the world. They outnumber wizards by - I don't know how much, but I know it's a lot. How do you not consider them a credible threat?"

Ron shrugged, "They don't know about us."

"But what if they did," she said, trying to get her point across.

"We'd obliviate them, of course."

He's not getting it. "What if too many people knew about it to obliviate them all?" she persisted.

"Hermione." Ron looked at her. "It's not like they can even see us, if we don't want them to. You've explained what 'bombs' are, but what are they going to do? Blow up random pieces of the countryside in hopes there might be invisible wizards living there?"

Argh. She turned to meet green eyes. "Harry. You explain it to him."

"I don't know, Hermione," he said thoughtfully, shocking her. "I think I kind of agree with him. I mean, maybe if they did know, and somehow the wizards didn't know they know, and then they spent like, I don't know, ten or twenty years coming up with stuff just to counteract wizards. Muggles are clever with technology - I could see them being dangerous in a fight. I could see them being really dangerous in a fight. I certainly don't want to get near a muggle with a gun."

He leaned back, took a sip of pumpkin juice, and hummed a moment in thought, then continued. "But even if muggles find out about magic, it's not like we'd get into a war with them." He shrugged. "The wizarding world doesn't fight muggles. They just disappear and go about their business. Like they did when the statute of secrecy was passed in the first place. Hard to fight when the other side won't show up for a battle."

"Okay," she closed her eyes and thought. "You're saying that it doesn't matter who would win in a straight fight. Because it'd never come to that. But why would wizards make sure it'd never come to that, if they weren't thinking about muggles?"

"Oh, they were thinking about muggles," Ron said. "They just weren't thinking of them as a threat. Harry, you said you wouldn't want to face these 'guns.' But do you think you could if you had to?"

Harry looked thoughtful. "Maybe. Before this year, I'd not have been sure. But that shield charm we found..."

Blue eyes turned back to her. "And you, Hermione, said that the reasons muggles are dangerous is because their Artificers continue to improve. So four hundred years ago, wouldn't these 'guns' not have been very good?"

"Yes," she agreed. She didn't know much about weapons, but she'd seen the Three Musketeers; those hadn't been machine guns they were carrying.

"So if a shield charm is enough now, against better artifacts, why would we be scared back then?"

"But- the witch burnings-"

"You did the same essay I did, right?" asked Harry. "Wendelin the Weird, and the flame freezing charm? She made it a game. The only reason wizards would have been killed by muggles is if they were untrained..."

"And Hogwarts was opened hundreds of years before these 'guns' showed up," finished Ron.

"But, if you lose your wand-"

Ron snorted.

"What?"

"Well, yeah. Lose your wand and you'd be in trouble. Why would you lose your wand? When's the last time you didn't have your wand on you?"

She cast her mind back - came up blank. She'd slept with it nearby since she'd gotten it; in fact, she'd literally slept with it when she first got it, curled around that almost imperceptible warmth and comfort, inexplicable in what should be nothing but a stick of wood. Magic and potential and shimmering possibility, a whole new world that called for her to explore. She woke up, she put on her wand. It was automatic. Forgetting it would be like- like- Like forgetting a watch. Or her shirt.

"I give up," she said. "Fine. They weren't scared, if you object to that adjective. So why did they separate?"

"All the wars?" Ron asked. "The jealousy and suspicion and nasty looks? The continual turmoil and marching and killing muggles did to each other? I mean, sure, wizards and witches don't need anything more than their wand to escape unharmed, but that didn't mean they enjoyed having to evacuate. Leaving behind houses or potions gardens or anything like that. Honestly, it'd probably have happened a lot sooner, if they spells were there. The first memory charms were invented by Mnemone Radford on the Ministry's commission, in the early 1600s. Muggle repelling wards were part of the same project. It was just..." he shrugged. "Easier. Muggles fight too much."

She took a deep breath. Let it out. "Fine." She said. "So you're telling me, I got the first A in my life, because I called muggles a threat, instead of an annoyance?"

They exchanged glances. Ron spoke up, with the air of someone attempting to placate a dragon. "To be fair, that's a pretty big difference?"

"I'm going to hex him."

Harry choked. Ron stared.

"Acceptable." She bit out grimly. "That's like a C. For the first time in my life."

"Maybe you should go see him," Harry suggested. "But, you know, not now. And we'll come with you."

Ron muttered something under his breath. She pretended she didn't hear him say 'And take away your wand beforehand.'

"Fine." She repeated, eyes narrowed.

And he'll explain exactly what 'fundamental error in logic' I made.

"Ah, Harry."

He looked up, surprised to see Nick in the great hall. "Sir Nick?"

"Have you finished?"

He looked down at his plate - almost completely empty - than did a fast sweep of Hermione's and Ron's. Hermione's was as bare as his - Ron still had a few rolls and some mashed potatoes. Close enough. "Yup," he said.

"Then if you'll come with me?"

He stood, ignoring the curious glances from his housemates, and Ron and Hermione followed, Ron grabbing one last roll to take with him. "Lead the way."

They trailed Nick, and he concentrated on trying to suppress his nervousness. He wasn't exactly sure how to approach this. Especially since this was one of the last options he could think of. Fail at getting some hint or clue from the Baron, and he didn't have any idea who or what to turn to next.

It didn't help that he'd never had a real conversation with Nick, or any other ghost. Nothing of substance, anyway. They tended to be more 'hi, how are you?, how did you die?' not 'what do you think on this topic?' or 'what was your greatest accomplishment?'.

He wondered what the Baron would be like, in person. No one had ever really said why some ghosts were considered House ghosts. It wasn't that they embodied the House's prized virtues more than any others – the Gray Lady certainly hadn't cared to spread knowledge or learning. Nor was it ghosts of those with splendid accomplishments, who could pass on inspiring life lessons and stories. He liked Sir Nick, but of all the silly reasons to die, execution because of a minor transfiguration spell gone wrong had to be one of the worst. The Fat Friar, at least, seemed as friendly a soul as his founder would wish, but he was also a monk. Not exactly a slayer of dragons.

So what would the Baron be like?

They followed Nick down into the dungeons, through the twisting corridors. It was a fairly unfamiliar area – the potions classroom was on the other side of the castle, and their one foray into the Slytherin common room has also been in that general area, near the lake. It was even colder down here, and he vaguely hoped that Hermione and Ron were keeping better track of their turns than he was.

Getting lost in the dungeons was never a wise idea.

Nick floated to a stop outside a closed door, then turned and looked at them, perhaps a touch nervously. "If you're sure...?"

He took a deep breath. Exchanged glances with his friends. At last, Ron nodded silently, but with determination. Hermione's nod was slower to come, but sharper, eyes keen and already calculating.

He looked back at Nick. "We're sure."

Their House ghost's disappointment was clear. "Well, if you insist," Nick said, and floated through the door.

He steeled himself, and opened the door to follow.

The Baron was not any less daunting closer up.

"Baron, I have the honor of presenting three of my Gryffindors: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. They have requested to speak with you. Harry, Hermione, Ron – the Baron."

They nodded an awkward acknowledgment of respect. The Baron just stared at them, grim features chilling in the dim dungeon lights. Silence stretched for a moment, then Nick spoke. "Well, I'll leave you four to it. Harry, will you need a guide back...?"

He thought back to the twisting corridors. "Yeah. Thanks, Nick."

Their House ghost paused, looking as if he might add something. Shook his head. Bowed, first to the Baron; next, to them. "I take my leave, then."

He watched Nick depart, then turned back to the intimidating ghost lounging in the armchair in the corner.

"I am mildly intrigued," the Baron spoke, voice coldly composed. "In one thousand years, you are the first third-year Gryffindor students to seek an audience. Much less through the envoy of de Mimsy-Porpington."

He swallowed, briefly centered, and focused on keeping calm. Somehow, the Bloody Baron's arrogant aloofness was more disconcerting than Snape's sneers ever were. Maybe because he hated Snape for unfairness, so the professor's opinion never mattered. Maybe because the Baron was dead, eerie air unblunted by the lively cheerfulness of ghosts like the Fat Friar. He searched for the proper response, and finally decided on: "Thank you for agreeing to see us."

The Baron ignored the niceties. "Why did you come?"

He took a deep breath. "I - we - were hoping for some information."

"Regarding?" Cold patience touched the Slytherin's voice.

"Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem."

The ghost stilled, slightly, he thought. He wasn't sure. It was hard to read ghosts. He'd never realized – not when Myrtle and Nick were both so open with their expressions. But the pale, silvery shades made it had to differentiate, and the translucence masked the more subtle expressions. He had no idea if the Baron was getting ready to reject them out of hand, or help them, or- well, anything.

At last, the Slytherin spoke again, voice empty. "And you believe I have this information?" The ghost's gaze was edged. "Surely I am not the first with whom you've made inquiries."

"No," he admitted. "The Sorting Hat told me it wasn't the only one that remembers the Founders. I went to the Gray Lady first." By way of Nick, but better to keep the explanation linear.

The faintest flicker of expression. Bloody hell, if only I could read it!

The Baron shifted, to the quiet clink of chains. Ghostly hair fell into his face, obscuring his profile for a second, before he shook back his hair. "Ah, yes. The- Gray Lady. And was she helpful?"

"No." And he didn't mean to, but some of his resentment over the encounter bled into his tone. The Baron looked at him sharply, the faintest flash of – surprise? interest? – cutting across his sardonic expression. "Not at all." He hesitated on whether or not to share some of his musings, but. Why not? "The way she reacted. She wasn't willing to answer any question. Just- the flat no." He studied the Baron, while the ghost studied him back. "She's hiding something," he concluded.

"How unexpected," the specter said, apparently to himself. Harry wasn't sure what was unexpected. The Baron certainly didn't look surprised at the thought of the Gray Lady hiding information. If anything, the ghost looked – contemplative.

He remained silent, not wanting to break the other's chain of thought. At last, the Slytherin smiled, slightly. A chilling curve of the lips. The sight sent a shudder down his spine.

"I will assist you," the ghost announced. "What did you wish to know?"

The Baron's mien was darkly amused. Something had caused a shift in the atmosphere. A shift apparently to his benefit, but- I wish I knew what triggered it.

"Wait." For the first time, one of his friends spoke up. "Why would you help us when the Gray Lady wouldn't?" Hermione's voice was challenging.

The ghost gave the smallest hint of a smile, there and gone almost to quick to be seen. He wasn't sure – it'd been very quick – but that smile. There was something about it. "I'll help you because she wouldn't," the Slytherin replied. "She's forgotten the purpose of House ghosts. We are here to offer some guidance, wisdom accumulated over a span of time no living person can match. What other purpose do we have here, all these centuries from our deaths?"

"And that's all?" she pressed, skeptical. "Duty to the school is enough to make you aid Gryffindors?"

The Baron's eyes returned to him, the ghost's expression – not warm. Not anything close to warm. But, possibly, just a touch less cold. "I am, perhaps, slightly more charitable with you than I would be with others. Your gift is clear indication of Salazar's blood; even after so much time, that does have some significance."

He blinked a little at the use of the first name for the founder – then realized belatedly that this ghost had probably actually known Salazar Slytherin. And all the other Founders. Maybe – apparently – on a first name basis. Then, he focused on what had actually been said, and Dumbledore's words about how his parseltongue was an effect of Voldemort's actions – rather than blood connection – ran through his head.

He should correct the ghost's wrong conclusion. It'd be the decent thing to. But if the only reason the Baron was willing to help was his supposed Slytherin blood...

His thoughts clashed. It'd be the decent thing to do – but they needed this information – it wouldn't be nice, exactly, but it wouldn't hurt the ghost – they had no where else to look – the information was necessary-

He kept silent.

The Baron surveyed the three of them, features blackly mocking. "My information is somewhat out of date," he pointed out dryly. "All I can tell you, is that the last I heard of the diadem, it was in Albania."

"Albania?" Ron asked. "What was the diadem doing there?"

"They say it was stolen by Rowena's daughter. The girl had always been jealous – she disappeared with it, and spurned her mother's deathbed request to return."

He slumped. Albania? Albania? He'd pinned so many hopes on the diadem residing in Hogwarts.

"How sure are you that the diadem is in Albania?" Hermione's voice was interrogative. He winced, already knowing how that tone would go over.

The ghost's glance at Hermione was cutting. "It was one thousand years ago, girl. Draw your own conclusions."

Albania. He sighed. Another country and a thousand years? They weren't going to be able to head anywhere that far away, not unless they could do it over the summer. Even then, an entire country? It'd be near impossible to find.

He paused. Something about that thought...

Finding. Scrying. The more you know, the more likely you are to succeed. He hesitated, but. Again, why not? He met bleak eyes squarely. "How clearly do you remember it?"

"Do I remember what?"

"What the diadem looked like."

The Baron raised a ghostly eyebrow. "Quite well."

He smiled. "Well enough to help me make a model of it?"

Nick was waiting patiently outside the room. The Gryffindor ghost took them back into areas they knew, then departed. He, Ron, and Hermione headed to a quiet nook, eager to discuss the evening.

"Albania," Ron said, voice disgusted. "Well there goes that plan. And that was one of the creepiest conversations in my life. That ghost is not right."

He shrugged at the insult to the Baron, somewhat inclined to agree. "We had to try."

"At least he was willing to help," Hermione pointed out. "You said that was more than the Gray Lady was willing to do. Come to think of it, I've never heard of him ever being cruel to any student. He's just so- reclusive and scary. People probably never try to talk to him."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Bloodstains. Rattling chains. A terrifying expression? He doesn't make himself approachable."

He thought about it. "No one knows how he died. It might have been something nasty. I mean, if I was murdered by my brother or something, I might be pretty sour afterwards."

"It's odd, though," Hermione said. "I did a ton of research. We all did. Did either of you ever hear anything about the diadem being stolen by Ravenclaw's daughter? At all? A single allusion? Anywhere?"

He and Ron shook their heads in unison.

"Hmmm..." her brown eyes were thoughtful.

Ron's face lit up with hope. "Do you think- maybe- the Baron said rumor-"

"It's possible," she said.

"Wait," he glanced between the two of them. "You're saying, maybe he was wrong?" Hope was a painful gift. If it was only a rumor... God knew how many false rumors about him were circulated in a week. It was possible the Baron's information was nothing more than hearsay.

"It's possible," she repeated, stressing the uncertainty.

"If it is at Hogwarts-" he paused. "I might have the ability to find out, one way or another."

Two pairs of eyes zeroed in on him.

"What do you guys know about scrying?"

Later, lying in his bed and staring up at the dark canopy, he replayed the conversation with the Bloody Baron, trying to pin down what exactly bothered him.

It'd been when Hermione was challenging the Baron over why, precisely, he was aiding three thirteen-year-old Gryffindors. And for all of Ron's hissed comments later about looking a gift Abraxan in the mouth, it seemed like a valid question. The Baron's response – his claim of responsibility to the school that'd been his home for a thousand years, coupled with fondness for a bloodline he thought Harry possessed – it made sense.

And yet- That spark of interest he thought he'd seen, when he mentioned the Ravenclaw House ghost. He might have been imagining it. He probably was.

And yet...

"Why would you help us when the Gray Lady wouldn't?"

"I'll help you because she wouldn't."

He wasn't sure, but something in the ghost's tone... something in that flash of smile, far more malicious than amused...

"Why would you help us when the Gray Lady wouldn't?"

"I'll help you because she wouldn't."

He found that answer far more ominous than Hermione had.

Chapter End

Notes:

- Yes, if Dumbledore realized exactly how much time the Trio is Turning, he'd probably be concerned. Also, it should have been obvious to everyone that something strange was happening when Hermione was sitting two classes at the same time. But during an entire school year, no one noticed. Not even her best friends. So maybe this is why.

- The population numbers for wizards are a bit screwy. The population numbers for wizards will always be a bit screwy, because there are significant cannon discrepancies between various numbers given in the books. J.K. Rowling herself admitted the entire issue of the wizarding population is sticky, contradictory, and something of a plot whole. Knowing that, I decided to go for what seemed a fairly reasonable number - one in ten thousand - and moved on.

- "Generations of students have badgered me..." Reading the conversation between the Gray Lady and Harry in book seven, the only reason Harry gets anything out of her is because his vehement denial that he cares nothing for actually wearing the diadem shocks her into slipping up over the identity of her mother. Without that refutation, it's possible that the conversation would have gone quite differently.

- Canon Notes: Kettleburn being suspended 62 times in his tenure at Hogwarts is canon. So is occlumency being capable of fooling veritaserum. And so is obliviate being created – by the first Ministry Obliviator - shortly before the statute of secrecy was put into effect. Also: Abraxans are winged horses.

- P.S. Next up: Academically!Riled!Hermione, and innocent Slytherin wizarding children finding dark age muggle child rearing practices brutal and evil – 5,441/12,000 words done. And we finally start wrapping up third year.

Next Chapter:

He wanted the pain to go away.

"Harry! Harry!"

He wanted the voices to go away, too.

"Please, Harry. You're starting to really worry us."

But there was a reason to return. There was a reason to wake up.

"Mate, you're not bleeding, but if you're not up in another five minutes, I'm getting Pomfrey."

A reason the voices were familiar. A reason that was important.

It was so hard to think past the pain in his skull. But he knew how to. He'd practiced it. Just shift it sideways and focus-

Wakefulness snapped into place.

10. etching the blade

Forging the Sword
Chapter Ten: Etching the Steel

The next day, they sat in Defense, listening to Aesalon approach the topic of the Statute of Secrecy from a different angle.

"In a large part, it comes down to population," their professor lectured, leaning against his desk, deep blue robes a bright contrast to the lighter wood. "Does anyone here know the average number of children per couple in the wizarding world?"

Everyone glanced at each other, because what?

Finally, Neville raised a hand. "Um, sir. Two or three?"

Aesalon favored Neville with an approving stare. "Correct. Now, can anyone tell me how long that's been the standard?"

More glances exchanged among the students. Parkinson shrugged and raised a hand. "Practically forever, sir."

"Again, correct. For a third question: does anyone know the average number of children muggles used to have, say, five hundred years ago?"

This time no one raised a hand, not even Hermione. Which didn't really surprise him. Hermione might be interested in practically everything, but this isn't exactly the type of thing you usually spend time on. Although I think it was more?

"No one? Very well. Then you may be surprised to learn the average muggle family had between seven and ten children. It was not exceedingly unusual for that number to climb past twelve."

A fair amount of suppressed choking occurred throughout the room. Aesalon smiled at his student's goggling disbelief. "It does indeed sound like an impossible statistic. Still, the population did not expand as quickly as you no doubt are imagining, due to the high mortality rates of their children at the time. Muggles had numerous offspring because - among other reasons – children were an economic necessity, as well as what allowed the parents who lived long enough to become feeble to survive their old age. Children, then, were not simply a source of joy and way to uphold the honor of their house, but a necessity for the continuation of the species."

"But that's insane," Greengrass blurted. "The parents relied on their kids for survival? And so they simply had a lot of them, even knowing a lot of them would die? Instead of just having one or two and protecting them? That's... evil."

And he wanted to object, because a Slytherin calling muggles bad? It was almost a reflex to come to the muggles' defense. But this time? Greengrass had a point there.

"Evil?" Professor Aesalon raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps so, from our point of view. And yet, what course of action would you have advised them to take? Simply die out?"

"Sounds fine to me," was a mutter from the back of the room. That he took objection with. And oh the non-surprise: it definitely came from the Slytherin's side.

Aesalon bent a reproving stare on the offender, but continued the lecture. "It has been a very, very, long time - if it ever, in fact, happened - since there were as many wizards as there were muggles. Not for thousands of years before Merlin's age of wizardry. But until relatively recently, we were not outnumbered by so high a proportion as we are now. When Hogwarts first opened, and for a few millenia before, we averaged approximately one wizard for every thousand muggles. That number actually rose a few times due to various calamities, such as Justinian's Plague in 541, or the Muggle's Thirty Year War in the early 1600s. The ratio peaked most recently during their Plague of Black Death with one wizard per every five hundred muggles in Europe. Currently, there is one wizard for every ten thousand."

Their professor paused, allowing the class to absorb his words and their ramifications. Personally, he was fascinated. He'd always known there were a lot less wizards than muggles; but no one had ever given him any numbers before.

At last Aesalon continued. "In other words: while our population has tended to hold relatively steady, with a slight, although statistically significant, growth rate, the muggles have had an exponential growth rate - particularly since their so-called industrial revolution. It is this relentlessly increasing growth rate that has partly made maintaining the Statute of Secrecy far more important than it was before. When it was first implemented, it was merely an option, albeit one that has surely proven to be fortuitous. It is now a necessity if we wish to avoid a period of possibly dangerous upheaval. Miss Granger."

He resisted the urge to cover his eyes as he winced in anticipation, but Hermione only calmly asked: "I'm sorry, Professor, but what does this have to do with defense?"

Aesalon nodded. "A question I'm sure many of you share. You will have noticed, that all the essays assigned over winter break dealt with the Statute of Secrecy. I believe knowing the reasons for the Statute in the first place, as well as the spells and methodology that were developed to actualize it, and the current tactics the Ministry employs in maintaining it, are all relevant to today's remedial topic. To wit: what you should do if you break it." A pause, as they were all subject to a piercing look. "Via accidental magic or otherwise."

He straightened in his chair, interested. Until now, they'd pretty much just been told "Don't do it." Even the notes they'd been given at the end of their first year had pretty much just said: don't do it. He'd never realized there were procedures for if you did.

Come to think of it, Aesalon just said this was a remedial class - which means it was something that was supposed to be covered first or second year. Probably first.

And if Dobby had decided to pull his little levitation trick in front of the Dursley's dinner guests, instead of in the kitchen? What would he have done? Actually, come to think of it, he'd been careful practicing wandless magic over the summer. Careful as possible, anyway. But raw magic could be unpredictable at the best of times. If something had happened, if he'd accidentally done... something. What would he have done? Run away?

Right. Because that would solve the problem of someone who wasn't supposed to know about magic knowing about magic. Brilliant plan.

Still, if I felt threatened enough, and didn't know what else to do...

The more he thought it through, the more relevant today's lecture seemed.

"First," announced Aesalon from the front of the room, "stay calm, and evaluate the situation. Are you in danger? Is anyone else in danger? If your physical safety is at risk, your first priority is to get to a safe place. The Ministry Obliviator Squads and the Accidental Magic Reversal Squads are both very good at their jobs; do not put your life at risk unnecessarily. If you are not in immediate danger, ask yourself these questions: One, is there an adult wizard or witch nearby who can aid you? Two, is the action or item that broke the Statute a single event or continuous anomaly? Three..."

Belatedly, he scrambled for his quill.

Outside the classroom, the three of them came to a stop.

"So." He looked at Hermione. "Are we still going to his office hours tomorrow?"

She nodded sharply, eyes narrowed. "Oh yes."

The search for a source of Occlumency instruction was not going smoothly.

"It's no use," Hermione shrugged. "There flat out aren't any books about it in the Hogwarts Library. Not even in the restricted section. Which makes sense, really - restricted doesn't mean banned to non-adults. Students under the age of 17 can wander at will, if they have a permission note from a professor."

Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair. I'm not even surprised. "And what about the idea of owl-ordering away?"

She held up two fingers, ticking off points. "First, we'd have to get there. And I don't think we should try it at Hogsmeade - where they'd automatically be suspicious of student access - so that'd mean Diagon Alley. Which would mean all the difficulties of getting to Diagon Alley. Not that it isn't doable – we could just slip away next Hogsmeade weekend – but it might be noticeable. Second and more importantly," she shrugged again. "They'd still want to verify whoever picked it up was an adult. They have to, or they get in trouble with the Ministry. Fooling an adult witch or wizard might be... chancy. I mean, I think we could do it. Especially with planning. There are... things, I've read about. And I've already brewed polyjuice once. But..." she trailed off.

He grimaced, filling in the unspoken point. It'd be a risk. And with something like this, we'll probably only get one chance. Getting caught... would be bad.

"Okay," he said, considering. "How about going through someone else?"

Ron looked interested. "What, like getting someone else to buy it for us?"

He nodded, and Hermione considered it. "I don't think I could get my parents to do it," she said. "They believe, ah, firmly, in obeying the law."

Which really explains so much about Hermione, he thought. Although Ron and I seem to be doing a fair job of corrupting her.

"Actually," she said, continuing thoughtfully, "I'm not even sure they could buy a book on Occlumency, even if they were willing. I don't know the rules about giving muggles free access to wizarding spellbooks, but I imagine there have to be some."

"Which would mean my aunt is out as well," he added in. Not that he ever would have asked her in the first place. He briefly thought about the reaction he was likely to get if he'd asked his aunt to purchase a magic book for him... ha.

They both turned to look at Ron. His shoulders hunched under their gaze.

"I don't know..." his friend began. "The twins would probably have done it, but they're not legal either. Mum and Dad definitely won't. Bill and Charlie... maybe. I mean, they're both pretty cool. But I'd kinda want to sound them out first, you know? And probably would have to talk to them face-to-face. Which is hard to do when they're thousands of miles away. Which means the only one both old enough and close enough to talk to, would be Percy."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, it was a good thought."

"I'm not sure..."

At the contradiction, he looked back to Ron, who was apparently thinking hard. "I mean, yeah, a year ago, you'd be right. No way. But... he's changed, some. After Ginny. And, well, everything else."

Harry raised an eyebrow, because he hadn't really noticed much of a change. Well, some. Percy wasn't annoyingly overbearing like he used to be. But it's a long step to go from 'no longer a priggish jerk' to 'will help in illegal activities'. Still, Percy was Ron's brother.

"You know him best," he said aloud.

Hermione looked skeptical, but nodded in agreement.

"Let me think about it," Ron said. "I'm not promising anything. But... maybe."

"Well, it's better than nothing," Hermione said wryly.

"Hopefully," he agreed.

As long as it doesn't backlash into the professors or parents getting involved.

"Okay," he nodded. "That's settled until Ron talks to Percy - or decides not to. So, next question would be: what do we need to make another diadem?"

"Can't we just transfigure one?" Ron asked.

"I... don't know." He tried to put words to the instinctive rejection he felt at the thought. "I'm not sure it'd be a good idea. I imagine the original diadem was real silver, not transfigured. And while my transfiguration is pretty good, I'm not sure I could make authentic enough silver. Besides, transfigured items aren't exactly the same as original items. I think I'd prefer to buy a bit of silver, then shape it. But... I'm not where to buy it." He looked at their wizarding expert.

Ron shrugged. "Like I'd ever have a reason to buy silver bars?" Which, yes. Point. "Hey," Ron continued, "why not just melt down some sickles?"

"Sickles aren't made of pure silver," Hermione interjected. "Not to mention all the anti-copying, anti-counterfeiting, anti-tagging, and anti-alteration charms on them?" She shook her head. "If we can buy it, it'd definitely be simpler."

They exchanged glances, finally he turned up his hands and sighed. "Well, I guess we ask some housemates, then. Someone has to know. We'll just tell them it's for an experiment of Hermione's." He paused. "Um, if you could, Hermione, could you come up with something that sounds good?"

She sighed. "Of course."

He grinned. "It's not my fault everyone knows you're a brain."

"Which is better than not having one," she rejoined archly.

Ron laughed, and they turned their attention to other things.

At breakfast, discreet inquiries yielded the name of an artisan supply store. He wrote the name down and slipped it into his book-bag with a significant look to Ron and Hermione, then returned to his meal.

Later, done with classes, they headed for their defense professor's office.

There were a few other students waiting, when the three of them arrived. Unsurprising - Aesalon was a fairly popular Defense teacher. They hung back, more than happy to let others go first. When the last student had left, Hermione led them inside.

"Miss Granger." Aesalon nodded to her as she entered, clearly unsurprised. Then his eyebrows rose. "Messrs Potter and Weasley."

"Professor," they acknowledged respectfully.

"Sit," he swept one hand out in a graceful gesture, indicating the chairs before his desk. "I imagine Miss Granger is here because of her grade - but what of you two?"

"We're just interested, professor."

"Very well." He folded his hands together. "Shall we begin, then?"

"Professor," Hermione sat straighter in her chair. "Ron and Harry convinced me that muggles weren't so much an actual threat to the lives of wizards and witches - in the middle ages - as they were a bother that occasionally became something more. They had good points; I admit I was probably wrong. But did you really mark me down to an Acceptable because I made a mistake in gauging the magnitude the obstruction muggles were?"

"Of course not," Aesalon responded with a negative shake of his head, "that would be a drastic overreaction, especially in a paper otherwise well organized, well thought out, and - uncharacteristically - concise. I assure you Miss Granger, my note was forthright - I penalized you for making a fundamental error in logic."

"But what error?" she burst out.

"Miss Granger. You are muggleborn - you are far more familiar with the muggle world today than your wizarding raised classmates are likely to ever be. Modern wizards and witches do not think much on muggles; they have no reason to. Interaction between our two worlds is strictly controlled, and - for the average magical being - relatively rare. Which means you perceive all the most dangerous aspects of muggle culture - the rapid innovation, the continually evolving technology, the pursuit of knowledge without regard to safety - quite clearly. You looked at what they've accomplished comparatively recently, and projected forward what they might accomplish in the future, and from that, concluded that muggles were a viable threat. But although the situation now is of almost no similarity to the situation of the 1600s, you wrote as if it were."

He tilted his head as he finished. "Current cultural biases have no place in historical analysis. It was a fundamental mistake in your methodology. That is why you were downgraded."

She frowned, apparently processing. "I see... But, you do agree muggles could be a threat? In current times or the future?"

Dark eyes surveyed the three of them. "I believe their discovery of magical beings would cause a great deal of unnecessary effort at best, and some amount of grief at worst." He waved his hand in a gesture of flat negation. "In any case, I do not see how a real confrontation could ever happen. What would going to war gain us? Territory? Gold? The muggles have nothing we want. Even if certain - political elements - were to gain influence, I doubt wizarding response to muggle hostility would be anything similar to the fighting you seem to imagine cropping up."

Hermione was still thinking, but that last sentence made him curious. "What then, professor?"

Aesalon spread his hands. "We have a variety of methods - and magical creatures - by which muggles can be killed without their ever seeing their opponent. If it was an isolated problem, the ones instigating it can be quietly obliviated, controlled, or otherwise contained. If it was widespread, and for some reason their military did discover a method by which they were a threat..." He shrugged. "Honestly? I believe we'd start with assassinating every general, then work our way down. By the time we reached captains, their organizational table would be severely compromised. If we hadn't moved on to the members of parliament first."

They were appalled into silence.

"It won't happen," he assured them. "Yes, it's occasionally a bit worrying, when they make a leap in technology. The Unspeakables responsible for keeping abreast of new inventions - and keeping our wards a match for them - have had to occasionally scramble a bit, such as when satellites first came about. Still, that's why the Ministry has tasked them to devote time and funding on the issue in the first place. Did that answer your concerns about your assignment?"

She nodded and rose. They quickly followed suit. "Yes, Professor. Thank you."

"Then I wish the three of you a good day."

Outside, as they walked away, he asked Ron about the one part of the conversation that he hadn't quite understood. "Who are the Unspeakables?"

Ron shrugged, "Almost no one knows, for certain. Who they are, or what exactly they do. They work somewhere called the Department of Mysteries. It's very top secret - no one who works there can talk about it. Magically bound to silence - hence the name."

"Huh." He said. It makes sense, though, that they'd have people keeping track of muggles. "Wait," he said, suddenly realizing: "If no one is supposed to know what they do..."

They stared at each other.

Hermione swallowed. "I suddenly find that entirely preconceived and ruthless plan to destroy the military a little more disturbing."

They exchanged glances. "Yeah..."

He sat on the tower wall, watching Hedwig retreat into the distance, carrying his letter to the artisan supply store. With luck, depending on how fast they got back to him with a catalog, then how long it took to fill his order... he was hopeful they'd have the raw silver in a week or two. Sighing, he turned his head and stared out at the setting sun.

Elsewhere, the hours younger version of him was leaving Aesalon's office with Ron and Hermione, on their way to dinner. Which left him free for some much needed solitude. Reaching down, he picked up the candle he'd brought with him, staring at the unlit wick. Learning to call fire with his wandless magic... the more he thought about it, the more he flinched.

And he knew why.

He'd told Hermione he didn't regret killing Quirrell - and he didn't - but that didn't mean he didn't wish it hadn't been necessary. And it definitely didn't mean he didn't wish he could have done it a different way.

Burning a man to death...

He shuddered, the sense-memory still strong when he thought too long on it. The smell of burnt hair, acrid and unmistakable. The charred odor of flesh even more repugnant. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, quickly, as the images flashed across his eyelids. Quirrell burning. Quirrell screaming.

He set the candle down, and looked again at his hands.

Dumbledore'd said he'd lived because his mother had sacrificed for him. Lived because of the protections she'd left on him - in him - wound through his being. Lived because she'd loved him.

He'd looked up fire, once. Wondering why the protection had manifested as such. Why it'd been so... violent.

Surely a protection wrought of love should be more... gentle?

He flexed his hands, feeling restless, recalling what he'd found. Fire was, apparently, the purifying element. Across numerous cultures. Across different belief systems. Fire burned, and in burning, cleansed. Toxins broke down in fire. Curses broke, as the items they were cast on were immolated. And in natural ecosystems, what burned left behind an ash rich in nutrients, to nourish what would later grow.

No wonder phoenixes were beings of flame.

His mum must have loved so fiercely. He'd bet she would have kicked ass.

He wished he'd had a chance to know.

So. Fire. He'd done it before. By accident. He'd even found a certain affinity for it, as his experiment with the incendio charm had proven.

And... just because I learn how, doesn't mean I'd ever use it on a person. It's... an exercise. Not a weapon. Never a weapon.

He closed his eyes, and tried to pretend his hands weren't trembling. Opened them, and stared hard at the wick, concentrating.

Concentrating.

Concentrating...

When it lit, he jerked back, then took a deep breath. Breathed out, carefully, as pride mixed with terror. Tipped his head back, staring past the sun into the twilight, as stars started to appear.

Reminded himself to calm down. It was okay. Just because I can do it, doesn't mean I have to.

It was an exercise.

Just an exercise.

He tried to ignore his clammy skin, and the faint shivers as winter air froze cold sweat into ice.

Just an exercise.

(Please God, just an exercise.)

Tracking down Percy had been... difficult.

Ron sighed and scowled, staring at his brother where he sat in one of the more abandoned corners of the library. Well, not the tracking down part, so much. Head Boys were never invisible. But finding Percy somewhere quiet, and alone... that'd been the difficult part.

Since when is Percy popular?

And not just with Gryffindors. He'd found his brother with Ravenclaws. Hufflepuffs. Slytherins, of all people. It was weird.

He narrowed his eyes, and huffed. Something was up.

He pulled his wand, and carefully cast a spell Hermione had spent days practicing with him on. The noise-containment shield went up around the table, and he nodded, satisfied, then put away his wand and strode to the table, sliding into a chair across from his brother. "Okay. What's going on?"

Percy looked up and blinked for a second. "Ron?" Then his brows furrowed the slightest bit. "Excuse me?" He looked mildly perplexed, but otherwise unruffled.

"That!" He exclaimed in frustration, pointing at his brother and his calm composure. "You're always so-" He faltered. Distant wasn't the right word. Controlled, maybe? No, not even that. Unflappable? Poncy Percy had been the twins' nickname for him for years, and he'd never stopped getting flustered by their teasing. Turned red, sputtered, took off in a huff.

Not anymore.

Not that the twins were doing much teasing towards him, these days.

"Ron-" Percy began.

"Is this because of Ginny?" he interrupted.

For once, his older brother looked startled. "What?"

"This." He gestured. "This new you. Is it because of Ginny?"

"Ginny's murder hurt us all," Percy began, oddly gentle. "It changed us all, to greater or lesser extent. You're certainly not the same little brother you were a year ago."

"Don't call me little," he muttered. He looked at Percy, wondering. Because yeah, I might have changed a lot, but-

"Then what's up with your new friends?"

"Ron," Percy said, finally sounding exasperated. "I am Head Boy; I graduate this year. Next year, I should be working at the Ministry."

He barely refrained from rolling his eyes, because like that needed to be spelled out? It was a wonder his older brother hadn't been stuck in Slytherin, ambitious as he was. Ugh. Percy's always wanted to be Minister of Magic some day. Ofcourse his first job will be at the Ministry.

"Some of the books I've been reading have pointed out that networking doesn't have to wait til after I graduate," his brother continued. "And it's never too early to work on one's C.V.."

Some of the books he's been reading? "Wait a minute. Is this from that Prefects Who Gained Power book of yours?"

Percy tilted his head. "Some of it."

"Well, you're less annoying than you used to be," he grudgingly admitted. His brother looked caught between amusement and offense. Done with the subject, he moved on. "If I ask you something, will you keep it to yourself? Like, really to yourself? And not tell Mum and Dad?"

Percy abruptly looked wary. Studied him closely. "I'd think so. Unless it's something that'll get somebody hurt."

Not exactly the yes he'd been hoping for, but probably the best he'd get with this older brother. He thought for a second, weighing it- "Fine." He decided abruptly. "But you have to listen to me. I mean, really listen. Not just make a snap judgment."

"All right, Ron. I'm listening."

One last moment to reconsider, then: "Ever heard of something called occlumency?"

Percy's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Yes..."

And here goes nothing... "I want to learn."

"No."

Narrowing his own eyes in turn, he settled in for a fight.

The argument between him and his older brother got long.

Then it got loud. (Thank Merlin for noise-silencing charms.)

But in the end, he won. Because he had one truth that Percy couldn't deny, and he'd use it even if it hurt them both: "If Ginny knew occlumency, she might be alive right now."

Clearer thinking and resistance to magical manipulation of emotions... maybe it wouldn't have saved her. You-Know-Who was terrifying. But maybe it would have.

"Fine." Percy said at last, defeated. "I actually do have a book on it already in my trunk. But I cannot legally lend it to you."

What? "But Percy!"

"Ron." Percy's tone said he was being thick. His older brother carefully enunciated "I cannot legally lend it to you. From my trunk."

It took him a second. Oh. Oh!

"Right." He said. "I understand."

"Good. Now," his brother continued, standing, "I have a Prefect's meeting in twenty minutes. I imagine I'll be pretty busy this week - too busy to work on an extra side project- until, oh, next Tuesday."

He scrambled to his feet in turn. "Right." he said again, faintly in shock. For all he'd planned it and fought for it, he'd never actually expected to win. "Um, Percy?"

His brother paused, "Yes Ron?"

"Thanks."

Percy gave a faint smile, but his eyes were troubled. "Don't mention it." A pause. "Literally. But... you're welcome. And be careful."

He watched his brother go, then hustled toward Gryffindor tower. He needed to be in and out before the end of that meeting.

When he met up with Harry and Hermione, he was grinning. "I've got good news and bad news," he announced.

Hermione was watching him with an indulgent smile. Harry was harder to read, though his eyes showed amusement. "Yes?" The black haired boy inquired.

"The good news," he told them, "is that I am now in possession of an occlumency textbook."

Harry grinned outright at that, then sobered. "And the bad news?"

"Um," he rubbed his neck. "We only have it til next Tuesday. And since I doubt we can learn it by then... we'll have to make copies." He looked down at the book. "And since it's restricted material... probably by hand."

Hermione's mouth fell open. The three of them stared at the book in his hand; not exactly a tome, but no light bedside reading either.

"So..." he looked at the two of them... "Who wants to start?"

She set aside her quill and flexed her fingers, trying to rid them of the faint developing ache. The occlumency text sat partly copied before her, but her mind for once wasn't one what she was reading. Copying wasn't geared for comprehension; couldn't be, really, when the goal was to transcribe information as quickly as you registered it. Which left part of her mind free to wander, even as she transferred words from one page to another.

In this case, to wander back to the issue she'd been thinking on ever since the talk with Professor Aesalon.

People thought she didn't understand the reasons behind pureblood prejudice.

They were wrong. She understood all too well.

The thing was, for most of recorded history, the pureblood bigots had been right. Partly, anyway. Not in their innate superiority; they'd been wrong about that. But in their conviction of their civilization's superiority.

The muggles might have lost the wonders of ancient technology when they fell into the dark ages, but the wizards never did. Crete had possessed flush toilets, three thousand years ago. Medieval towns had been filthy midden heaps; cesspits of brewing disease and sewage. Bathing was not a priority for peasants - for many centuries being too clean was downright dangerous, associated as it was with something destructive, like being a witch... or a Jew.

Wizards, meanwhile, were scrupulously clean. Disease free. Well fed, healthy, with good teeth and an easier life - and consequently, one and all, much better looking than the average muggle. They lived longer. They lived longer even now, with the average age muggle life span about seventy years, but they'd especially lived longer compared to back when the average muggle might expect to live until their early forties.

That wasn't even out of mid adulthood for wizards.

It hadn't been just blind prejudice that said wizard kind were better. At that time, wizards - insofar, at least, as you judged a people by their culture, and the benefits it conveyed upon their citizens - were better. They lived longer. They had a far lower infant mortality rate. They were better educated. They were prettier, healthier, and had more leisure time.

She got it. She did. She'd rather be a witch than a muggle, and she was muggleborn. That was true even today. Six hundred years ago? Magical powers would seem more a divine miracle than an unexpected opportunity.

So yes, she understood where the prejudice came from. What she didn't get was how it seemed to stop there, for all of wizardkind. Acknowledging their superiority, then going their merry way.

Granted, not everyone today who lived in a first world country cared about those in undeveloped countries, or even those in worse circumstances in their own country. But some did. Enough did, that it was at least an issue of popular awareness. People talked about it. There were organizations out there dedicated to helping.

But wizards? As far as she could tell, they'd just pulled away and ignored the less fortunate muggles.

That muggles had, on their own, created a civilization with all those things wizards possessed – education, health care, philosophy, leisure time, arts and sciences, sexual equality, democracy - she was proud of it. Proud of all that her parents, and grandparents, and great-grandparents all the way back had accomplished.

But part of her couldn't forget that the wizards never helped their muggle cousins. And when Draco Malfoy sneered, or Zabini sniggered, or she ran into a cultural barrier that wizardborn didn't even see...

She heard the slurs of inferiority, and she remembered. That at least muggles cared when they could.

And quietly (very quietly, in the back of her mind), she wondered just who was better than whom.

It was just as well, Harry decided, nibbling on his quill, that we didn't have the raw bars of silver on hand. The scramble to copy Percy's occlumency book left little time for their usual side projects as it was. Not that I'm helping as much as I should, he admitted guiltily to himself, eyeing the thick section of the book he'd yet to do. It was somewhat embarrassing, but of the three of them, he'd proven to be the slowest at copying.

Mostly because he kept getting distracted, slowing down to read and think, rather than copy by rote. But... occlumency really wasn't what he'd been expecting.

He'd thought maybe it was a spell. That it was advanced, and complex, and required fine control and lots of power... and that wasn't it at all. Because apparently, the Chinese fortune cookies were right. The first and most lasting thing you needed to do, was know yourself.

Not the superficial type of knowing – what annoyed you, what your favorite food was – but really knowing. Knowing truly, deeply, and without prevarication, all that you were: good and bad, temper and faults, virtues and vices. It was about knowing yourself so completely and reflexively that anything that wasn't you... became instantly noticeable.

Because the truly insidious part of most emotional attacks, was how the victim usually only realized what was happening to them too late to fight back. If they ever realized at all.

There were two possible approaches outlined in the book, and he, Ron, and Hermione would have to discuss which one to take, but he already knew which he favored. The one approach was quick but painful. The other, longer, but less traumatizing. For once, he wasn't on the side of speed.

The faster way was to forcibly subject the learner in question to mental violation. Curses, charms, select predatory creatures... there were a number of ways to do so. Repeated trauma built up a sensitivity to mental intrusions, much like allergies or rashes could spontaneously develop after too much exposure to a substance. It did work... but then, you could teach someone good shielding charms eventually too, if you spent enough time throwing curses at them. That didn't make it a good way to learn.

The other way – the one that focused more on knowing yourself consciously than traumatizing your subconsciousness – took longer. But he suspected it had more benefits in the long term. And hard as such a thing was, there were methods to find guidance. Or pointers, at least. The book listed things to try, to find information you weren't sure about. Something called a Boggart apparently showed you your greatest fear. There were other – albeit weaker – mirrors than Erised which showed you hidden – or not so hidden - desires. Amortentia gave you the smells of who you found most attractive. The Taedium Draught took on the smell that most disgusted you. There was a curse which whispered taunts (fed by your own mind) to make you angry. There was a curse that dropped you into one of your least favorite memories, (and tried to hold you there). There were spells mind-healers knew, to test your mental balance.

There were so many ways to gain knowledge of yourself, if you were willing to put in the work. And more importantly, to not flinch away – and deny – what you found.

That wasn't all there was to it, of course. But is was the largest part. And apparently, for most, the hardest part. Once you could recognize when you were being targeted, learning to block the creatures that did it was supposed to be far easier to learn.

But weirdest of all, some of what the book says... it's familiar. Very familiar. It reminds me of what it's like when I center myself, before I try some difficult wandless magic, or divination, or transfiguration.

He tried not to let himself hope, but...

Abruptly, he shook himself from his wandering thoughts. It's appealing, yes, but I'll never find out if I don't finish this.

Sighing, he flipped the page.

At least it's Ron's turn come eight.

A week or so later they were sitting round a table in the common room. It was the middle of January, and the fire was every bit as welcome as the more passive warming enchantments threaded through the castle. He was working on his potion's essay, frowning over a comparison of helbore with felfever, when Ron spoke.

"We should get involved in a club," his friend announced.

Hermione looked up with the slightly glazed expression of one who had been pulled from deep concentration, and was replaying the last thing they'd heard. "Ron?" she asked.

His own reaction was more immediate. "Are you crazy?" he asked their friend. Then he paused for a second. "Wait a second. Does Hogwarts even have clubs?"

"There was that dueling club last year," Hermione put in doubtfully. "And I think Flitwick has a choir?"

"I'm not joining a choir," he said. Just in case, you know, there was any doubt. "Also, seriously. Are you crazy?" He expanded his arms in a wide gesture. "We're straight-O students. We're looking into the efficiency of silver in divination mechanisms." Which was their cover for anything to do with the diadem. "We're scheduled to start learning defensive mind magic charms." And they needed to come up with a better cover for occlumency. "Hermione's taking every class Hogwart's offers. You've got three notebooks full of your 'folklore research.' I've got divination and defense and quidditch. Even if we wanted to join the choir, when would we have time?"

"Will you stop nattering on about the choir?" Ron asked irritably. "And," he continued, grumbly, "It's something Percy said."

He blinked, a little surprised. Ron's taking advice from Percy? When'd that happen?

"He said we should join a- club?" Hermione asked. And that minute hesitation was totally where she'd wanted to say "choir" instead. He was sure of it.

"No," the red-head shrugged. "He's got, well, all sorts of books on gaining power and influence and stuff." Ron shuddered. "Seriously, the entire right side of his trunk is like a library of 'How to take over the world' books."

"Well, that's..." he searched for words, then settled on: "Disturbing." Dark Lord Percy, he tried mentally. Nope, didn't quite have the necessary ring to it.

Ron rolled his eyes. "It's Percy," he stressed. "Anyway, he said it's never too late – or too early – to start making... contacts?" He tried the word out as if it were something arcane and mysterious, possessing unknown power.

Right. He thought, not quite managing to contain his huff of disbelief. "Contacts with thirteen-year-olds?"

"They're not going to be thirteen forever," Hermione defended.

And yes, true, but- "Maybe it's something you and Ron should do."

She looked somewhat puzzledly disapproving. "Why not you?"

He quirked an eyebrow, then looked around and lowered his voice. "Have you really not noticed that I don't actually like most of the kids in this school? They watch me and whisper about me and spread nasty rumors. Most of Gryffindor is okay, but everyone else?"

Her eyes softened in sympathy, but she shook her head. "Harry, the Gryffindors are okay because they know you, at least a little bit. If you want the rest of the school to act like them, you have to let them get to know you as well."

"Besides," Ron threw in, "I think it'd help us not look so... different... to normal students."

He grimaced and slouched down, unwilling but reluctant to fight over it. "I'm still not joining a choir." He crossed his arms. "And I really do think we're too busy to take on anything more."

He watched Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

"Look mate," Ron began. "How about we just look around and see what's available that's not choir, then come back to it?"

Hermione nodded. "No need to make a decision now."

He sighed, feeling outnumbered. Hell, he was outnumbered. "Fine," he agreed grudgingly. "Can I go back to charms homework now?"

She sniffed, and Ron raised his hands in a "hands off" gesture. He stared at them both suspiciously for a few seconds, then bent his head back towards his potion's essay.

Choir, he thought to himself, and shook his head.

The silver arrived at January's end. He'd put the time waiting to good use, practicing divination and occlumency every spare moment. Even his normal research into defensive magics had taken a back seat to the two subjects.

A month hadn't made the Baron any less creepy, but the ghost had kept his promise to help. The intricate partial reshaping was different than any transfiguration he'd done before, but he could do it. Barely.

"Too large, shrink the entire tiara slightly."

Hermione and Ron were watching him worriedly, but his world had narrowed down to a cool voice issuing commands, and two images: one on the table before him, one within his head. He concentrated, sweat running down his face despite the coldness of the dungeon room, as he tried to match exacting instructions.

"Thinner, and it should have more of a curved edge."

He envisioned the change, and flicked his wand through the spell.

"Not that much of a curve, and the lacework needs to be more delicate."

He took a deep breath, concentrated, flicked again.

"Good, keep it that thick. You need to extend the peak a quarter centimeter, and the bottom curl on either side should be a touch longer. The wings should be balanced; elegant."

It'd taken forever, to get this close. He was just thankful Hermione had insisted they do a life sized sketch of the front and sides – as best they could tell from the pictures and the Baron's comments – before he had to start with the actual transfiguration. He held the image, and cast.

"Good. Now, you need to inscribe her favorite saying – 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' – on the front."

Flick.

"Shift all the words about one fingerswidth to the right."

Flick.

"More calligraphic."

Flick.

He wouldn't have been able to do this last year. Hell, he wouldn't have been able to do this three months ago. And part of him wanted to crow in validation of how far they'd come in just half a year, except that even with all his practice, this much fine transfiguration was draining him swiftly. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. And that the baron knew the diadem so well... It was their good fortune, but honestly, it was also a bit creepy. Or stalkerish.

"Smaller letters."

He flicked, trying to ignore the faint trembling in his limbs. The Baron circled the tiara a few times, eyes thoughtful.

"Perfect."

He was so involved, for several seconds the comment didn't make sense, as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to alter. Then he looked up. "You mean-?"

Dark eyes stared down at him. "It's as close to an exact copy as you're likely to get."

He groaned and slumped back, aware now of a faint dizziness. "Oh, thank God."

"Harry!" Hermione stepped closer, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied, trying to resist the urge to ooze boneless down the chair. "Just- wiped out."

"No wonder, mate." Ron leaned over and stared at the diadem, fascinated, "You've been transfiguring for almost two hours."

He blinked. "Really?" Because he'd known it'd been a long time, but he hadn't known it'd been that long of a time.

The red-head rolled his eyes. "Yes, really. It's a good thing we saved." He stopped abruptly, glanced at the Baron. "I mean, brought your cloak. Curfew started an hour ago."

He took a deep breath, then carefully pushed himself to his feet, and picked up the diadem, and gently settled it into the case they'd made. Turning, he faced the Slytherin ghost. "Baron. Whether or not this works... Thank you."

The Baron stared at him, to all appearances expressionless. He resisted the urge to fidget under that dark gaze. At last, the Baron inclined his head. "Go," was all he said.

"Right." He said, discomfited. He glanced and Ron and Hermione, then jerked his head toward the door. He gestured them ahead of him, and they slipped from the room. He followed then gently closed the door behind him, still feeling the weight of the Slytherin ghost's spectral eyes on the back of his neck.

Long practice had the three of them smoothly huddled under the cloak, and Hermione spun them back to just after they'd entered the room. He closed his eyes as time blurred around him, the box holding the diadem tight in his grip.

Let this work, he thought. Please.

Caution called for them to wait til the weekend, and the days passed both quickly and all too slow. Come Saturday they ate with their housemates then disappeared off to one of the unused classrooms on the second floor. It was as close as they could get to the center of the castle while staying in the uninhabited parts. Now that the moment of truth had arrived, they sat there staring at each other.

Hermione looked somewhat disbelieving, even though she'd been with them all the way. "Are we seriously trying this?"

Ron shook his head. "We talked to the Bloody Baron for this. We bloody well are doing it."

She still looked unconvinced.

"I told you, Hermione," Harry said, going through the motions of setting up his scrying tools. "Not all divination is like Trelawney teaches. You've read my book."

"I did." She nodded. "And Discern seemed far more – lucid – than Trelawney's ever been. But like you said, I read the book. She made it pretty clear how important knowledge or familiarity was for an undertaking like this..."

He shrugged at her objection. "According to the Baron, this is as close to an exact replica as we're likely to get. And we don't have a better idea, do we? If someone who was there when it was lost doesn't know where it is, no one does. We have to find some other way."

She was looking at him with one arched eyebrow. He sighed. "Look, I know it's a long shot. I mean, I'm sure people have tried scrying for it before. But unless someone got more out of the Gray Lady than I ever did, then no one's tried scrying for it with an exact replica as a focus." He shrugged. "It might be enough. And if it's not? Not like it's going to hurt."

"Come on, Hermione," Ron interjected, "like Harry said – we all know it's half chance. So let's get it started."

"Fine," she said. "Sorry. I just – don't want us to have wasted all this time and-" she waved her hand, "everything, on nothing."

"It's not going to be a waste," Ron replied. "Even if Harry doesn't get so much as a glimmer, well, at least we now have some idea of what it looks like. Will be more than we had before."

He poured the purified water into his bowl. "Quiet guys," he said. "I need to concentrate.

He unwrapped their copy of the diadem, and held it in his hands. He'd handled it quite a bit, over the past few days. His fingers could map the dimensions with his eyes closed – he was sure he could replicate another from scratch if needed. He'd worn it and held it and even – furtively, and feeling more than a little silly – licked it. Without actually having touched the real diadem, his chances weren't going to get any better.

He gently placed the copy into the water, centering it in the middle of the bowl. Then closed his eyes, and visualized. Sight and touch and taste and weight and what he knew of its crafter, he murmured the spell and reached-

-felt that familiar feeling that said the connection was starting to form-

And slammed into a wall.

Blackness.

"Harry?"

He wanted the pain to go away.

"Harry! Harry!"

He wanted the voices to go away, too.

"Please, Harry. You're starting to really worry us."

But there was a reason to return. There was a reason to wake up.

"Mate, you're not bleeding, but if you're not up in another five minutes, I'm getting Pomfrey."

A reason the voices were familiar. A reason that was important.

("Ron, are you trying to threaten him into consciousness?"

"Come on, Hermione, it might work – you know how he hates the hospital wing.")

It was so hard to think past the pain in his skull. But he knew how to. He'd practiced it. Just shift it sideways and focus-

Wakefulness snapped into place.

"Harry?"

"Hermione." He groaned and opened his eyes slowly, blinking upwards into worried sets of brown and blue eyes. "Ron."

"Oh thank Merlin," Ron exhaled in relief. "I was afraid we'd have to get a medi-witch. And wouldn't that be hard to explain."

Hermione gave Ron a glare. "I was afraid we'd have to get a medi-witch, because I'm pretty sure scrying spells aren't supposed to do that."

You and me both, Hermione, he thought, ignoring Ron's somewhat indignant protests. ("It's not that I didn't care-"). Cautiously, he attempted to sit up, wobbling a little.

"Whoah," Ron steadied him. "Careful, Harry. You okay?"

He blinked, the light felt bright, the pain was - shifted away but still present - and he was dizzy. The last time he'd felt like this, Dudley had shoved him over a tree root – on the way down his head had hit the trunk. Is it possible to get a magical concussion? "I... think so. Just... hurts, a little. Feels like I ran into a wall." A second of reflection. "Headfirst. Into a wall. What happened?"

"Nothing much, at first," Hermione still looked worried, but had lost the air of panic. "Then you gave a kind of yelp-"

"Grunt." Ron amended.

She favored Ron with a disbelieving glance. "Grunt?"

"Yelping is not manly," Ron said. "I'm looking out for Harry, here."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. You gave a manly grunting yelp, stiffened, then collapsed."

He frowned. "That's it?"

They both glanced at the overturned scrying bowl. He followed their gaze. Make that: the pieces the overturned scrying bowl.

He swallowed. "Yikes."

Ron shook his head, "I'm not sure what happened, but the last time I saw anything like that, it was when Charlie tried to apperate into Gringotts. It wasn't quite this bad, but he ended up dazed and on his butt in the middle of the street. Dad said that's what happens when you go against strong wards."

Hermione looked at him, "Did you get anything?"

He snorted, "Other than the knowledge that the diadem is – apparently – protected?"

She simply met his gaze levelly, ignoring the sarcasm. "Yes. Other than that."

He frowned, thoughtfully. "I'm not sure..." He winced. "Everything still hurts. I'm pretty sure I started to feel- something. A connection? It's still blurry. I think- Maybe. Give me a day or two."

"All right." They exchanged glances. Ron turned back to him. "You think you can handle standing?"

He tested his dizziness, looking around carefully. "Yeah," Ron stood, then reached down. He accepted the hand up. "Ow."

Hermione looked worried, "I think we should head straight to the dorms."

"Yeah," he admitted, not daring to step away entirely from Ron's steadying hands. "I think that might be a good idea."

Ron sighed and looked down at his notebooks. Immortality's far more complex than I ever thought. But I think… I think I've really done all I can. A little more sorting, a few more details… and it'll be finished. At least for now.

It would be good to be done with the project. But he hadn't exactly found anything that screamed 'Voldemort used this!' despite his hopes.

Frustrated, he pushed his work to the side, almost burying Scabbers under it by accident. His pet rat wiggled out from under the edges of his notebook, squeaking in indignation. "Whoops," he murmured. "Sorry Scabbers." But his attention was pulled back irresistibly towards the reason he was still on his bed at eleven in the morning.

Harry was sleeping. Harry had been sleeping for the past seventeen hours, ever since they'd gotten him back to their dorm room, and his friend collapsed on his bed. At this point, he was more than a little bit worried. He and Hermione had been taking shifts, just in case.

Seamus had been taken aback a little last night, to come into their room and find Hermione sitting on Harry's bed. When she'd said Harry was feeling a little sick, and she would be watching over him while Ron went to dinner, the other boy had backed down rather than argued.

Wise of him. Hermione was kind of terrifying sometimes.

He stared at the sleeping features. Harry didn't seem to be in pain, at least. But he was getting really really tired of sitting around, waiting, while friends and – others – might be hurt.

Might be slipping away in front of him. And he wouldn't even know.

He gritted his teeth, then forced himself to relax. He doubted it was anything that bad in this case.

Wake up soon, Harry. You're a git for worrying us like this.

He woke up Sunday afternoon, groggy, but feeling otherwise fine. He carefully sat up, his last memory one of dizzying pain. A rustling noise had him looking to the side, where Hermione and Ron sat on Ron's bed, Hermione reading, Ron practicing – he squinted at the misshapen, blue-patterned mouse – transfiguration. He hoped.

"Hey," he greeted them, blinking.

Hermione's eyes were worried. "How do you feel?"

He took careful stock. "Okay, I think. Ah." He rubbed his forehead, trying to clear away the cobwebs. "My head doesn't hurt anymore." He frowned, taking in the sun spilling in through the dorm windows. "How long have I been asleep?"

"You slept almost twenty hours," she said, still watching him carefully.

"Bloody worried us, mate." Ron added.

"I'm fine," he repeated with more emphasis, now mostly sure of it himself. "So what happened?"

The two of them exchanged glances. "We were hoping you'd tell us that. You collapsed, the bowl shattered... when you woke up you were talking but migraine-ish. We figured unless we were involving Madame Pomfrey, sleep would be the best bet." The red head shrugged. "You remember talking about running into wards, right?"

The memories were painful, but clear. "Yeah," he acknowledged. "I think I felt... something. I'll have to experiment."

Hermione's face was disapproving. "Is it going to knock you out every time? Because I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

He shook his head, and was grateful the movement raised no twinges. "It was painful, but that's all. It's not like it really hurt me, or anything." Her face was still skeptical, so he changed tactics. "Look," he explained, "I could swear I did feel, okay, maybe not an actually connection, but maybe a direction towards one? Or... something?" She raised an eyebrow. "I can't- We've come so far, Hermione. I don't want to give up now. Not when there's still things left to try."

He looked to Ron for support, but Ron's eyes showed indecision, so he looked back to Hermione. "Come on, guys. Trust me. I wouldn't do this if I thought it'd really hurt me."

Her sigh was one of resignation. He made sure not to display the victory he felt, because he was pretty sure Hermione would hit him for it if he did.

Still, ow, he thought. Please don't let it hurt that much every time goes wrong.

It did get better. A little bit.

He also got very, very, familiar with the feeling of a backlash migraine.

Eventually, he learned to walk in the direction that didn't leave him unconscious. It was a slow process by necessity. He could only try once or twice before the headache left him sweating, hurting, and needing to sleep it off. Gradually, his resistance improved. He went from trying on Saturday, and sleeping twenty hours, to being able to try Saturday and again on Sunday. Eventually, after more than a month of knocking himself out, he'd learned how to pull away before the wards back-lashed. After that, the task became more exhausting than painful, although concentrating too long still left him with a headache.

Two more weeks, and they had their answer.

Such as it was.

This was not what I was hoping for.

The three of them stood together, staring. The others didn't seem to know what to say. And Harry sure as hell didn't either.

At last, Ron broke the silence. "And behold," he said, voice filled with a kind of frustrated amusement, waving his arm in a grand gesture, "the secret hiding place of the great diadem is... a wall."

Harry rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to bare stone.

"Obviously, a secret room of some kind," Hermione murmured. "I think? Or maybe we're just on the wrong side of it?"

He raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay," he said. "Hermione's right. We could just be on, like, the backside of it. Let's try coming from the North."

A half hour later, he sighed. A wall. Again.

Hermione looked determinedly hopeful. "From the east?"

They glared at the stone, then Ron said desperately, "Try west?"

He sighed, and slid down said wall in helpless resignation.

On either side of him, Ron and Hermione did the same.

Across from them hung a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls. Down a ways, two suites of armor guarded the stairs up to the eighth floor. He looked around in frustration, again, but the feeling was clear. They'd circled around it, over it, under it... mapped out a space roughly nine by nine by nine meters across. Three months of aggravation and research and searching, and it led them here.

To a blank wall.

Chapter End

Notes:

- To everyone still reading; thank you. I'm glad you haven't given up. If I managed to miss replying to your review, I still read and treasured it.

- Canon Notes: The diadem's appearance was created based off the description of the books instead of the more recent version seen in the 7th movie. Flitwick's choir, on the other hand, is from the second movie, I believe. Whether the Unspeakables, in addition to researching death and life and time and love and brains, also research how to keep muggles away, is never discussed in the books. I, however, find it plausible that someone is keeping up with new technology.

- Also, someone more talented than I needs to write a sci-fi AU, where wizards and muggles team up to fight an invading alien/extradimensional menace. Wizards have the spec-ops missions - scouting, spies, assassination, infiltration, sabotage - and muggles provide raw firepower and bodies.

Because there are endless debates on the whole "Who Would Win, Wizards or Muggles?" topic, but I can't help but think it'd be so much more fun see them working out each other's strengths and weaknesses - and idiosyncrasies - against a common foe. Because both sides would be absolutely sure the other was composed of lunatics, but glad to have them anyway.

Next Chapter:

"What's the first step in destroying a curse? Can it even be done?" Harry paused. "I mean, with our level of training."

"There's a reason Gringott's hires professional curse-breakers." Ron frowned. "Some of the tombs... really nasty stuff. Bill tells us stories sometimes – when Mum's not around to hear. And he always said, if they had no clue what was protecting a tomb, the first thing they'd do is figure out what type of curse it is. After that, you have a better chance of disarming it. And are less likely to kill yourself by setting off a trap with the wrong counter-curse."

At the mention of fatalities, their eyes were drawn back to the diadem, still lying innocently on the floor. He swallowed then looked up again to meet their eyes. "No one puts it on. I don't think it can influence us unless it's already got a hold, but... we don't risk it. And we lock it, so it takes two of us to open it up."

11. final sharpening

Forging the Sword
Chapter Eleven: Final Sharpening

"Have you noticed something… off… with Harry?"

Hermione froze in the act of reaching, head turning by instinct and ducking slightly as she peered through the gaps between the books and the shelves in the direction from which the words had come. Through the space between, she could see Parvati look up from her beauty magazine and raise an eyebrow at Lavender's hesitant question. "You'll have to be more specific."

It probably wasn't the politest for their year mates to sit around the library and gossip about Harry – Hogwarts' most famous current student - during free period. But it definitely wasn't the politest to listen to them.

Not that she had any intention of leaving.

This is going to be so incredibly awkward if they realize I'm here…

Blindly and half by instinct, she slowly reached down to retrieve her wand. Holding her breath, she carefully wove a notice-me-not charm about herself. Only after she felt the shimmering veil drape around her, did she relax again.

Seamus dropped down onto the seat next to Lavender. "You two talking about Harry?"

Lavender appeared temporarily flustered, and Hermione barely refrained from rolling her eyes at that distraction. Of all the boys Lavender could have chosen to start developing a crush on, this is the one she chose?

Parvati tossed perfectly coifed hair over her shoulder and eyed Seamus like an uninvited bug. When the boy showed no sign of noticing, she sighed, sounding much put upon. "Who else? For more than a month he's been walking around all pale and pinched looking, come weekend."

Seamus nodded. "I remember. About a month and a half ago, right after that big transfiguration assignment? Ron and Hermione practically carried Harry back to the dorms one Saturday. And then refused to leave. They said it was just a headache, but every week?"

Hermione felt her eyes narrow at that last observation, not so much at the fact that one of Harry's dorm mates had noticed, but that he was sharing it freely. And in public.

Note to self: don't trust Seamus to keep something confidential. Not without specific instructions or incentive, anyway.

Lavender looked puzzled. "I wonder what he's doing?"

Parvati shrugged. "Maybe he's sick?"

"Only on weekends?" Seamus rebutted.

"It's Harry," Parvati said flippantly. "And Hermione and Ron, for that matter. They're always up to something." Her tone conveyed clearly how little she cared, and she flipped her Witch Weekly magazine to a new page. "How about we talk about something that's actually interesting? Look Lavender, a new facial cream came out; says here they've added trace amounts of Bundimun secretions. It's supposed to supply an extreme deep cleanse."

"And that's my cue to go…" said Seamus. "We still trading notes on Flitwick's next charms quiz?"

Parvati waved him off dismissively. "I'll have my copy to you by Wednesday. Now buzz off."

And that's probably my sign to leave, too, Hermione thought, watching Seamus flee from the prospect of girl-talk. Still – we forget sometimes, as busy as we are with all the research and watching we do on everyone else… people are watching us as well. Idly, maybe. But that doesn't mean they're not thinking.

And comparing notes, apparently.

Maybe Ron really did have something, with his idea about widening their social circle. Even if Harry would apparently rather be hexed than join in.

Although speaking of Harry and hexes – I wonder how his practice is going?

Harry sat on the bare stone of the castle battlements – because he'd rather avoid both people and flammable items if possible – and took a deep breath, focusing on fire. A bare moment's hesitation, and the candle lit.

Alright. Now concentrate…

He remembered, months and months ago, standing with the other Gryffindor third years, watching the final form defense students plait fire and water with nothing but wands and willpower. He might not ever get that far, but it was something to try for.

He set another unlit candle down a few inches from the first, and tried to focus on the image he painted in his head, of the flame growing and stretching as if a living thing, reaching towards the unlit wick of the other…

Almost an hour later he found himself staring, baffled yet pleased, at one lit candle. Okay, so I was aiming for one lighting the other, instead of the flame jumping from one to the other…

Still. Progress was progress, right? At least something had happened. So he grinned, pinched the candle out, and started again.

He lost himself in the practice, and wasn't sure how long it was or what broke his concentration, but when he looked up a phoenix was watching him, perched on nearby stone.

He blinked. "Fawkes?"

The dark gold raptor eyes had an odd weight to them, and seemed to take in the scene of scattered candles and dancing flames. He shrugged, feeling strangely compelled to explain. "Wandless magic practice? I'm trying to get them to light easily and quickly."

Fawkes beat his wings - once, twice - and lifted off the stone crenellation, hop-flying the few short feet to Harry's knee. The phoenix was a surprisingly heavy weight, and he leaned back slightly to give Fawkes more room. Sharp talons pricked at his skin through his robe, but the firebird was apparently being careful, for which he was grateful. Others might regard the phoenix as "just a bird" – albeit a very magical one. He remembered the bloody, eyeless sockets of the basilisk, trailing gore down the sides of its head. Fawkes hadn't just taken out the most lethal weapon of a supremely deadly dark creature; he'd made it look easy.

Anyone who angered this magical bird did so at their peril.

"Not with Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

Fawkes looked at him, then looked at the candles, and trilled a low note that seemed to echo with command.

The candles went out.

He stared, surprised. I didn't know phoenixes could do that. Wait. Why did Fawkes just do that?

Tightening talons broke his train of thought. "Ouch! Fawkes!"

The talons loosened again.

"Um, are you saying I shouldn't?" he guessed hesitantly.

Fawkes mantled his wings. Then shifted, and sang again, this time a rising scale that rippled through the air. At the high note, both candles burst back into flames. A few seconds of silence, and Fawkes trilled that low note again. The fire vanished. Golden eyes stared into his.

Okay… obviously there's something he's trying to tell me.

He wasn't sure how smart phoenixes were, but his basic guess was very. Fawkes had, after all, been the one to bring the Hat and the Sword it contained to him in the chamber. The firebird had also zeroed in on the diary as what had to be destroyed to destroy Riddle, and made sure to bring it to Harry quickly. Then had managed to convey to all of them that he would fly them back out of the chamber. So no, Harry didn't doubt that Fawkes was trying to show him something.

Which means I better figure out what he's trying to tell me. Er. He sneaked a glance between the candles and the phoenix. "Okay, you're not just telling me to stop, because you lit them again after they went out. Um, are you showing me you can do it too?"

Fawkes slowly raised one wing… and whacked him with it.

"Hey!" he yelped. That had been a surprisingly solid blow. Birds looked so delicate and graceful in flight – you forgot just how much solid muscle wings were composed of. "Okay, okay! Geeze." Fawkes seemed to… sigh? Was he reading too much into a bird's body language? Then the phoenix repeated his earlier demonstration, lighting and quenching the candles, and stared at him again.

He had to resist the urge to hunch his shoulders.

Fawkes made a sort of chirruping noise of encouragement. Slowly, Harry opened his mouth, thinking it through. "Okay, you're not telling me to stop; you're not just joining in or playing. You watched me light them with magic, then you lit them with magic…" He shook his head, frustrated.

Fawkes released another encouraging trill, and Harry tried to ignore the vague suspicion that he was being treated like a slightly addled fledgling. Fawkes was acting surprisingly similar to Hedwig when she seemed to think he needed mothering. I lit the candle, then he did. They were the same actions right? Except- "No, wait. The very first thing I was doing was lighting the candles. The first thing you did was put them out! You could do both with magic. You're saying-" he stumbled to a stop as his brain caught up to his words.

Oh.

Ruefully, he lifted one hand a smoothed it down Fawkes' feathers, feeling a little solemn all of a sudden. "You're saying, if I want to start fires with magic, I better be able to stop them too, right?"

A trill of – satisfaction? – rewarded him. Harry bit his lip, but smiled. "Thanks, then. For the advice. You're right. If I'm going to use fire, I need to be able to control it, too." He bent his head, trying to hide the sudden surge of emotion. Fawkes shifted, nuzzling his neck briefly before lifting away, and Harry felt another small smile cross his lips as he got himself back under control. Carefully, he gave the bird one last stroke, then pulled his hand back to allow the Phoenix room to take flight.

The bird paused one last second, to sing the candles back into flame, then took off, winging past the battlement to wherever phoenixes went when they weren't saving young idiot wizards from themselves.

He watched Fawkes go, sighed, and then turned back to the dancing flames. Right. Let's try it then.

And after that… I think I have a few questions for Ron.

"Fawkes taught you to put fires out?"

Harry felt his eyebrows draw together, puzzled, because that level of incredulity seemed all out of proportion to the topic. "Um, yes? Sort of? I mean, he showed me I needed to know how to do it. Which isn't exactly the same thing…"

"Harry. A phoenix. Taught you something."

He glanced over at Hermione, whose brow was furrowed, but so far wasn't saying much. He didn't understand why of them all, it was the wizardborn who was having trouble with this concept. Although wizards do seem to have some kind of weird ideas about other magical creatures... Maybe that's it?

He frowned at his friend. "Fawkes isn't stupid, Ron. He saved me in the chamber. He's at least as smart as Hedwig – he understands when you talk to him."

"I don't- That's not-" And wow, Ron wasn't always the smoothest talker, but the sputtering was unusual. Ron threw his hands up. "Gah! That's not what I meant. Harry. Do you have any idea-" In the middle of what seemed like the start of a rant, Ron abruptly stopped. Inhaled slowly, then exhaled. "Never mind. Muggle-raised. Of course you don't." Another slow, inhale, exhale repetition. "Harry," Ron's voice was level, the way it only got when his friend was being dead serious about something, "phoenixes don't do that."

And he knew Ron wasn't accusing him of lying, but he couldn't help that defensive flash of emotion – too many people accusing him of doing things he hadn't. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and Private Drive neighborhood residents and his elementary school teachers and Hogwarts students and Professor Snape and he was so sick of it all - and he had to shove down the flare of emotion, borrowing the control he'd hard-learned with wandless magic. "Well, Fawkes did, so obviously they do." Then he winced, because that had still come out a touch snappier than he'd intended.

"I think what Ron means to say," came Hermione's voice, and he glanced over at her, "is that he's never heard of that happening before."

"What, really?" he asked, head twisting back towards the other boy.

"Well. Not exactly, but." Ron pinched his nose. "Right. Look, there are legends about people who learn from magical creatures. I mean, it's rare enough you can get information from other races who speak: the goblins don't share their secrets of weapons forging with anyone, people stopped asking the centaurs to tell them the future once the survivors started coming back with arrow holes in them, the merfolk drown wizards who poke their noses into treasures they've claimed from the seas! But, the really, really, old stories, like the girl who learned to weave starlight from the unicorns, or the sage wisdom from the augureys. They exist, but everyone knows they're just stories. Myths. No one takes them seriously these days."

And… he didn't know what to say to that. What can I say? he wondered. Because there was no answer he could give, that wouldn't sound arrogant. So instead he just spread his hands, hoping they got it, and under that, tried to ignore the flash of panic and oh god, not another thing that sets me apart….

"Maybe people just don't talk about it," Hermione suggested.

Harry seized on that chance with eagerness, because: "That makes sense. I mean, if it's, I don't know, the wizarding equivalent of a fairy tale, than anyone who actually claims to have been taught will just be regarded as mad. Or a liar." He nodded. "I'm certainly not going to tell anyone else about this. Besides – it wasn't. I mean, it's not like he gave me a lesson, or anything. Just…" he groped around. "Advice! Yeah, he gave me some advice." He nodded again with conviction, feeling his emotions settle out. "I'm sure he gives advice to Dumbledore all the time, too." He even managed a smile. "Don't read anything into it, Ron."

And… Ron was staring at him, with a strange expression on his face. One Harry couldn't read. It looked a little like frustration and a little like disbelief, and maybe some exhaustion or calculation or something else, but it was just….

Disturbed, he looked away. He didn't know what he'd seen. And he was so very done with this conversation.

He grabbed his bag and stood. "I've got to hit the library real quick – I need another book for my charms essay."

Then before either of his friends could say anything, made his escape.

Ron watched him flee, then turned to Hermione. "It's not just common but secret," he said flatly.

Hermione's brown eyes were rueful. "You know that. I know that. But Harry?" A graceful shrug moved slim shoulders. "Harry never believes he's anything special. Different, maybe. But not special."

Which wasn't the same thing at all, he knew. Still… "I don't get it," he finally confessed, frustrated. "The quidditch skills, the parseltongue, the Sorting Hat, the entire mess with Quirrell in our first year and You-Know-Who in general – he's not stupid, Hermione. But he sure as hell acts like it sometimes!"

That was the worst part, really. One of the things that had always bugged him a little about Harry. It could be frustrating, occasionally, to see all the special skills Harry seemed to have been born with – no matter that some were double edged as a goblin's gift. But it was infuriating that Harry didn't even acknowledge what he had.

Because there was modesty, and there was this. And Harry's stubborn insistence that he was "just Harry" had gone from charmingly humble to a boldfaced lie.

He felt his fingernails bite into his flesh, then forced himself to push away the bitterness. You aren't supposed to lie to your friends. Especially not your best ones.

So why won't Harry give it up already?

"Isn't that part of his charm, though?" Hermione's voice drew him back, as she set chin on one hand, staring back at him challengingly. "Don't pretend you'd like him more, if he strutted through the halls like Malfoy, crowing of his successes."

Ugh. He felt his mouth twist in distaste. "Bad image, 'mione."

She arched one eyebrow in a gesture he'd learned meant she felt she'd proved her point.

"You don't get it," he said forcefully. "It's not about bragging, it's about... He presents himself as really just a misunderstood, ordinary wizard, and he's not. That's not being humble, Hermione. Humble is about acknowledging your skills without being overly proud or pushy about them. Confront him about it, and he denies what he is. It's-" his words stumbled to a halt, as a faint thought grabbed at him, trying to come to the fore. Like looking at a chess piece; that moment when he'd survey the game, and see, and know, as if the board itself could speak: this piece is important. That formation is the shatter-point. Here is the play where the possibilities can change.

This wasn't chess. It wasn't exactly the same. But this was Harry, and his best friend was every bit as complicated as the game once known as the territory of kings.

So what do I see, that I still don't know?

He denies what he is, he thought again, past incidents coming to mind, shies from his fame as You-Know-Who's defeater. He hates his fame, but not just because he hates attention or praise, no matter what he claims. He never minded the recognition he gained from quidditch victories, or the twins' celebration of points scored against Snape or Malfoy…

Hadn't loved it either, mind, but that was just Harry for you.

Argh. Why won't it make sense?

The basilisk. The wandless magic. The adventure with smuggling the dragon in first year. Riding a centaur, when everyone knows they'll kill a wizard before kneeling to one. Calling the sword of Gryffindor from its resting place. Bargaining with a thousand year old ghost, famed for his malice and still clad in the chains of his crimes. Set, even now, on the path to recovering a lost diadem of legend.

He's not fooling anyone, so why is he still pretending? If I didn't know better, I'd swear he didn't know… himself… Thought came to an abrupt end, because, no. It couldn't- but it explained- but there was no way… The realization was breath taking for sheer improbability. But he searched again through the memories of almost three years...

"Hermione," he said, amazed. Disbelieving. Because how could they have never noticed? "Hermione. Harry doesn't know he's the Boy-Who-Lived."

He stared at her, because this was huge. …and why is she staring at me like I'm the mad one?

"Ron," she said, voice tinged with gentle sarcasm. "He's only been complaining about it for the last three years. I think he knows."

"No," he shook his head. "No, he knows that we call him the Boy-Who-Lived. He doesn't know he is the Boy-Who-Lived."

Hermione might be muggleborn, but she was wicked-smart. Harry still hadn't read any of the books he was mentioned in, but Ron remembered their first meeting on the train. Hermione knew what the Boy-Who-Lived was, to the magical world.

He could almost see the moment she got it, got the distinction he was making. Because it wasn't just a baseless title. Harry'd proved that, in the time they'd known him. And if he didn't realize it himself…

He thunked his head against the table, welcoming the small flash of pain, and resisting the urge to repeat it, because seriously? "Alright," he straightened up. "So what do we do?"

Another week passed, and Harry found himself glaring at the familiar stone wall, by now both memorized and absolutely loathed.

Slytherin's secret chamber password didn't work. (It was worth a try, right?)

Spells didn't work. (Not even… destructive ones.)

Scrying didn't work.

Going over, under, around, or through didn't work. Nor did asking, commanding, begging, or attempts at bribing. (Hermione had looked at him strangely that time, which he didn't get at all. It wasn't like they hadn't run into multitudes of other things that should have been inanimate, that later started talking, moving, or trying to kill him. This was Hogwarts. Walls pretended to be doors. Doors pretended to be walls. Stairways moved while suits of armor walked. It'd be weirder if the secret wasn't guarded by some sort of limited sentience.)

All that work. Months of it. The diadem was right there. And it might as well be on the moon.

He glared at stone in balked fury. It's like a puzzle with invisible pieces!

How's he supposed to solve it, when he can't even see its full shape?

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair, then stepped back, regretfully conceding defeat. Again.

Maybe Ron or Hermione would have a new idea.

He certainly didn't.

Two weeks later, Hermione sighed as she slid onto the bench at Gryffindor table. She was early - food wouldn't be appearing on the tables for another twenty minutes - but she'd given up another attempt at searching the library in frustrated disgust. Whatever secrets were hidden on the seventh floor, they seemed to have remained stubbornly undocumented.

She tangled the fingers of one hand through her hair as she dropped her forehead down to rest on the other. It felt like she was failing. Harry was crazy ideas and stubborn willpower and both the best and worst luck in the world. Ron was wizard culture and obvious common sense that somehow managed to slip past her or Harry in their excitement. ("Are you a witch or aren't you?" rang through her memory.) She was supposed to be the research member of their triad. Book knowledge, magical theory, history – when the boys had a question, she found the answer.

But I can't find it now.

Even though both Harry and Ron had drastically improved their schoolwork this year, she knew they pursued it for what it gained them, not for the joy of learning itself. The Hat might have chosen Gryffindor for her in the end, but she was sure Ron had never even been considered for Ravenclaw. Harry might have, but she had her own suspicions about which secondary house fit him best.

And both of them still found her love of knowledge baffling at times.

She'd never told them – never would tell them – but love alone wasn't the reason she spent hours upon hours in the library nowadays, long after her homework was done.

Well, she amended ruefully, not love of knowledge, anyway.

Because Ron and Harry were brave, and quick, and smart enough – for boys, anyway. But they never looked before they leapt, never thought before they stood up for what they believed was right, never backed down, even when saner wizards would have fled long before.

Sacrifice yourself to a giant stone chessman – why not? Walk through fire to confront a professor intent upon theft – of course! Sojourn merrily into a forbidden forest at night to be nearly eaten by giant spiders; head into a hidden chamber to confront a legendary monster; plot to take down the most powerful dark wizard of the past century – why bother to hesitate? Or look for outside help?

Too often, her knowledge was all the failsafe they had. So she got perfect scores on her homework, and lived with the nightmares of failing. Of freezing. Of not knowing the answers, because she missed some little detail in a class lecture, or didn't read that one crucial book.

Because those wonderful, idiotic, impossible boys were hers. And by God, no monster, wizard, or forgotten magic was going to take them away.

She heard the scuffle of someone settling across the table, and she straightened up, opening her eyes. Then frowned. "Ron! Honestly? Dinner's starting in five minutes – how many of those have you had?"

Three-quarters of the way through opening another chocolate frog, blue eyes looked shiftily back at her. "Um, not many?"

She raised an eyebrow, then switched her stare over to Harry. Although given the smudge of chocolate near his mouth, he'd clearly been an all too willing conspirator. "You're going to ruin your appetite."

"Hah!" Harry's eyes twinkled. "As if anything could ruin Ron's appetite."

Package open, Ron ignored them both with lofty disdain, and bit the head off the chocolate frog.

She sighed. Idiotic, impossible boys.

"So, who'd you get?" asked Harry. His chocolate frog card collection was a great deal smaller and more sporadic than Ron's, but given the zany characters that the creators had decided were worthy of commemorating, reading them was usually an entertaining way to familiarize yourself with some of the more bizarre aspects of wizarding history.

Ron flipped the card over. "Huh. New one, I think. Carletta Pinkstone."

Hmm, she thought surprised. I don't know that one. "What did she do?"

Ron lifted the card, reading. "Let's see… born 1922; still alive today... Ah! Here it is. 'Famous campaigner for lifting the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy and telling Muggles that wizards exist.' Sounds like a real nutter."

"What?" Harry's eyes were wide. "She wants all muggles to know about magic?"

Hermione blinked, more than a little surprised herself. Given how xenophobic wizards and witches were…. "That can't have been a popular opinion."

Ron shuddered. "You got that right. Telling all the muggles. Can you imagine?"

A little offended for the muggles she knew, she arched an eyebrow. "I don't know – think of what we could accomplish collaboratively. And besides," she remembered a conversation from a few months ago, after coming back from winter holidays, "didn't we concur that muggles aren't a threat to wizards?"

"Well yeah," Ron shrugged. "So? Just 'cause they're not a threat doesn't mean we should be friends. We leave them alone, they leave us alone. We're both happy."

"He's got a point, Hermione," Harry put in. "When I first met Hagrid, he said that everyone would want wizards to use their magic to solve their problems."

Which, yes, that was probably true. But… "So?" she echoed back to them. "You use magic to solve your problems."

Ron shook his head. "But they're wizard problems! Not muggle ones."

Her amused good humor faded. There it was, again. She'd understand not wanting to help because they were afraid of exposure. Less nobly, but still understandable, not helping because there's only so many wizards to go around, and the muggle demands would be insupportable.

But not helping because they just didn't care? They're not wizards, so they're not the wizards' problem?

"So because they're muggles, they're not worth helping?" she challenged.

"I didn't say that!" Ron protested.

"Oh, I think you did." She just barely kept her tone from confrontational. "Maybe you didn't think of it like that, but that is what you said."

Harry looked a bit uncomfortable. "Come on, Hermione… I'm sure he didn't mean it the way you make it sound."

Maybe it was her frustration with not being able to find answers earlier in the library. Maybe it was aggravation at Ron's diminished but still present ability to open his mouth before thinking. Maybe she was just fed up with it all: every time she'd been called mudblood by arrogant purebloods she could outthink in her sleep, every unthinking assumption of superiority she heard touted in muggle studies, every time a wizard seemed to be certain that, just because they'd been lucky enough to be born with magic, it automatically made them better than some muggle, who might be twice as brave, or intelligent, or compassionate. As if the ability to turn a pillowcase into a teacup meant anything, compared with how someone lived their life – what they believed in and what they did with those beliefs.

"Muggles think." She said, flatly. "They love. They create and destroy; write, listen, and learn; laugh and hate and live and grieve and grow. And you think their problems aren't worthy of solving – the child dying of an incurable disease, the innocent man being tried for a crime he didn't commit, the family trapped in an earthquake or hiker lost in the wilderness – because they're not wizards."

Ron's mouth was open, but he was obviously lost for words. Harry looked like he was listening, but reticent.

"Oh, get off your high horse, Granger."

The words came from behind her, and she snapped her head around. "Smith," she acknowledged the Hufflepuff levelly. "This is a private conversation."

Every inch the arrogant ponce, Zacharias Smith sniffed haughtily from across the distance between the two house tables. "Then don't have it in a public place."

"Nobody asked you to contribute," she retorted, trying to tamp down on her temper before she said something she'd regret. "I don't butt in to your conversations. Why don't you return the favor?"

"Hmph. I should have known. Just like a muggleborn: so eager to pontificate, but along comes someone who knows better and contradicts their view, and all they can do is sulk."

Ron went red. Harry's eyes went cold. And she-

Why that little, unmitigated bastard!

Well. She was good and truly furious.

She spun on her seat to face the Hufflepuff table. "Honestly, Smith? That's the best you can do? Not "just like you, Granger" but "just like a muggleborn"? As if we're all the same?"

"You are all the same, Granger. You might not want to concede it, but that doesn't change the facts. Muggleborns just don't want to admit that maybe we're justified in keeping away from muggles, because then you'd have to acknowledge that your family is of inferior stock."

Some of the other faces at the Hufflepuff table were disapproving of what Smith was saying, but some of them… weren't.

She was almost speechless with anger, and he took the opportunity to conclude: "It's not your fault they're flawed, of course. And muggles certainly don't deserve to be hurt for the failings they were born with, and can never change." His voice would be almost kind, if not for the overpowering thread of condescension. "But the sooner you accept that maybe you don't have all the answers - that maybe we're separated for a reason - the better off you'll be."

He… really believes that.

It was a different kind of magical bigotry than she was used to. Smith… he didn't seem to look down on muggleborns. He didn't want muggles subjugated. But he took it as given, that they were lesser, because they couldn't wave a stick around.

"What's the reason, then? Why not help? Look at muggles here in the U.K. now – near universal literacy, a high standard of living, free health care, free basic education – wizards don't do better with any of that. And if wizards had always cared, maybe we'd have achieved this centuries ago."

"You seem to forget the last time we tried to live together with muggles," Smith said. "Merlin and Morgan le Fay? Merlin was betrayed by the very muggles he befriended, in the end. And Morgana! Queen of Avalon, one of the most powerful healers to ever walk British soil, but the muggles remember her as an evil, incestuous witch who brought about the downfall of their righteous king."

For a moment, listening to him, his reasoning made perfect sense. Except-

"That was almost two thousand years ago!" She protested. "Honestly, you're still holding a grudge?"

He sneered. "They've done nothing to prove they've gotten more tolerant since. Witch burnings, remember? Racial prejudice, sexual prejudice – you name a way for muggles to indulge in unthinking hatred, and they'll be doing it far and wide. Nothing different is accepted. Tolerated at most – until the day something goes wrong, or someone needs something to blame, and then the mob is at the door."

He had a point. She hated to admit it, but she couldn't refute everything he said. But at the same time, his perspective was so unbalanced. Muggle society was still changing, still evolving, but even in the course of her parents' lifetime, there had been positive change. Slavery was long outlawed. Diversity was beginning to be embraced. Gender equality was rapidly catching up. Maybe the first female minister of magic was elected hundreds of years ago, but England had elected Margaret Thatcher in 1979. And wizards traded discrimination against skin color for discrimination against species; bigotry from the rich looking down on the poor for bigotry from purebloods looking down on muggles.

Muggles weren't better than wizards. Wizards weren't better than muggles. And if they had the same problems, then maybe they could share solutions. But as she started to point this out, a Hufflepuff prefect intervened.

"Right," the older student said, tucking brown hair back behind one ear. "That's enough out of both of you. If you want to debate this, do it later." Dryly, she added: "Preferably where you're not shouting back and forth between tables."

Hermione glanced around guiltily, and realized their argument had become a center of attention.

Oops.

Still, if I stop now, I'm tacitly letting his points stand…

"Can I just respond to what he said? It won't take but a moment."

The prefect shook her head. "Uh huh. And then he'll want to respond to your response. After which you'll want to respond to his response to your response." She raised her eyebrows. "I think you see where I'm going with this. Nuh uh. Respond later. Privately."

"But-!"

"Later."

The tone of voice said the prefect wouldn't be swayed. Furious, but knowing she could do nothing, Hermione turned back to the Gryffindor table.

To see Ron and Harry staring at her.

"What?" she snapped, stabbing at her broccoli with her fork.

The two exchanged glances. "Uh. Nothing."

Right, she thought sarcastically, but turned her attention back to thoroughly mutilating her vegetables.

She couldn't wait for this day to be over.

Harry glanced nervously at Hermione, noting that she was still hacking vegetables into bits. He looked sideways at Ron, who was also eyeing their friend warily. Which just proved that, no matter what some people thought, Gryffindors did notice danger when they were staring it in the face. "Hermione, what was that? I mean, I get being stressed, but that was…"

Out of character, to put it mildly. Hermione wasn't shy about her opinion, but she also wasn't usually the type to get into a loud argument in the middle of the great hall.

She shook her head. "Not now, Harry, okay? I'm just stressed over some of my research projects."

He frowned. Since I doubt the homework's been invented that could upset Hermione this much… He glanced at her again, noting the frustration in her brown eyes. One of our special projects. Has to be.

Which also explained why she didn't want to be discussing it here. He surreptitiously surveyed the rest of the table. Especially since half of Gryffindor is still listening.

Aimlessly, he cast for something else to talk about, looking for something that would be interesting enough to grab Hermione's attention. Finally, he settled on a thought that'd been vaguely bothering him since he first realized that – while he didn't trust the new defense teacher one bit – he nonetheless respected the bloke. Maybe even was distantly fond of him.

"You ever wonder why we still have a "Defense Against the Dark Arts" class?"

Ron choked on his half-eaten mouthful of potatoes. A few seconds of rather unpleasant sputtering later, and the redhead managed to speak. "Mate, why would you of all people ask that?"

He shook his head. "I'm not doubting that the knowledge is necessary. I'm just saying… look, how many Defense teachers has Hogwarts had over the past few years? It's got to be over forty – or near enough, yeah? They've had a new teacher every year since before my father started Hogwarts."

"Right," said Ron. "Everyone knows that the Defense position is cursed. Something bad always seems to happen to the professors."

"And curses are really dangerous," Harry continued. "I'm pretty sure several of the professors have been seriously injured. I don't know how much of Lockhart's fate was related to the curse – but Ron's wand blowing up at exactly the right time, when Lockhart chose a spell that would do the maximum amount of permanent damage if it backfired…"

Ron was looking a little disconcerted, possibly unsettled by the idea that his wand had been the unknowing implement of a malicious curse.

Hermione was looking far more lively and alert, though, and Harry gave himself a mental pat on the back when she bit her lip and looked considering. Ha. I knew it – give her an interesting intellectual problem and she can't help but get absorbed.

"It might have just been the power of the spell…" she offered. "Ron's wand had been periodically backfiring. Remember the slugs?"

Ron looked disgusted. "Hermione, I don't think I could ever forget the slugs." He gave a full body shudder.

Harry barely repressed his own. Vomiting up slugs. Ugh.

"The point," she emphasized, "is that we'd already seen the wand miscast before. It wasn't something new. The timing was… suspiciously good. But it still could have been a coincidence."

"Maybe," he admitted. "But none of that's my point, really. The fact is, defense instructors have died. Or been maimed. Mentally incapacitated. Suffered financial, personal, or political mishaps." He waved his hands. "The main reason we ended up with Lockhart in the first place is that no one competent wants the job. Who would? It's a death trap!"

At this, Neville – who had cautiously sat down only a few feet away from Hermione – spoke: "I don't think anyone could call Professor Aesalon incompetent."

Harry arched an eyebrow at that quietly offered yet extremely accurate point. But the follow up question – then what is he doing here? – was one that had been bothering him for months with no sign of resolution.

"He said his main trade is as a historian," he offered instead. "Hogwarts has a pretty awesome library, and it's not open to the general public. Maybe he's just teaching here to get access to the resources."

Neville nodded thoughtfully, and seemed to accept the explanation. He, Hermione, and Ron traded glances, but silently agreed to let that topic die.

"I don't see what all this has to do with why we have a Defense class?" Hermione asked instead, returning the conversation back to his starting point.

"Well, we all think anyone who accepts the job is a little bit crazy. Or has some serious incentive." Everyone nearby – friends and eavesdroppers alike – nodded. "But why does Hogwarts keep hiring them? I mean, employing someone they know is going to get hurt – maybe killed – because they accepted the offer, doesn't that seem kind of… malicious… to you?"

Ron looked thunderstruck. Several other Gryffindors looked uncertain. Neville looked surprisingly upset by the insinuation – glancing at where Professor Aesalon sat among his colleagues at their high table. Hermione…

Looked like she had found a new puzzle.

Whoops, he thought. I wanted to distract her, not give her something new to research!

But it was probably too late to avoid it, now.

He sighed, but didn't say anything. If Hermione had one flaw, it was her complete and total inability to let a question lie unanswered.

Come to think of it, he reflected, Ron and I probably haven't been that good an influence in that matter. Sure, academically, neither of us has a spot on her. But I'm not certain Hermione would have started doing things like lying to a professor in order to get a signed pass to the restricted section, if the two of us hadn't taken a somewhat… relaxed… approach to the letter of the rules.

And possibly the spirit, on occasion. Especially if it was Snape's spirit.

Although then again, she may have, he acknowledged. She might have been the most rule-abiding of us all, but she doesn't let anyone tell her what she's capable of learning.

Which was all sorts of handy sometimes.

The next day, he and Ron cornered her in their study spot.

"All right, Hermione," he said. "I ask again – what was last night all about?"

She sighed, and shook her head. "I'm sorry for losing my temper – although I don't really think anything I said was a lie." She looked directly at Ron. "I definitely shouldn't have snapped at you, though. I do know that you don't look down on muggles."

Ron looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, I still think the idea of letting them know about us is barmy. I don't think they could handle it." When storm clouds started to gather in her eyes, he continued hastily. "That doesn't mean I think less of muggles like your parents! They have to be intelligent if they raised you."

Harry smirked at that line as Ron, apparently entirely inadvertently, mollified the brewing danger.

"We have different problems, though." Ron continued. "Muggles have to regulate food production – we regulate new spell creations. Muggles regulate hunting of creatures; we raise wards so wizards aren't hunted. They don't know our stories: what's been tried, what failed, and why. Maybe if they had an answer we needed – you know, like a way to end hatred or some other big stuff like you talked about – it'd be worth it. But they haven't found a solution to that stuff either." He paused, and then continued with surprising insight: "I don't think they ever will, either. I mean, some of that stuff's just what being sentient is about, yeah?"

And the wording of that said a lot, Harry reflected. A muggle, he was sure, would have said that hate and love and other emotions, good or bad, was just part of what being human was about.

He shook aside the thought and looked at Hermione. "So what had your temper on a hair trigger?"

"I feel like I'm failing," she admitted. "I've spent days in the library looking for something about the seventh floor corridor. Literally days, I mean. I'm sure I've got over seventy two hours of research on it."

"And…?" he asked.

"And I can't find the answer!" she burst out. "I always find the answer. It's what I do. And now I can't." She took a deep breath. "And I don't think that will change on its own.

He ran some quick calculations. "We've got, what, two months 'til end of term?"

"More like one and a half. Probably one, really - I doubt we'll be very productive in the last week or two. We'll be busy with tests."

Ron shook his head. "Come on, you know we'll have the material down cold by then. I don't think they'll distract us that much. Well," the boy amended with a faintly teasing smile. "Maybe you. Tell me, have you already started reviewing?"

She sniffed in mock affront, then smiled, surprisingly sly: "Yes, and so have you, actually. Why did you think I was asking those questions about inanimate to inanimate transfiguration last quiz session?"

He snickered at Ron's faintly affronted mouth gape. You'd think Ron would learn.

Turning his attention back to the problem, he ran through what they'd done previously when stuck, but was unhappy with the answer. "I don't think the Bloody Baron would be any help, this time. He already gave us his best knowledge of the diadem, and that was wrong. Or the Hat, which flat out refused, whether it knows anything or not." He nodded to Hermione. "I'm sure Hermione's scoured the library. If the answer is at Hogwarts, I don't think it's in a book. So if the people alive at the time don't know, and no one alive now knows, and it wasn't written down anywhere we can get to…"

He trailed off, vainly hoping for the thunderbolt of inspiration to strike as it had occasionally before.

Nothing.

Bugger.

Hermione looked physically pained to have run into a problem she couldn't answer, that she didn't even know where to look to start finding an answer. Ron…

Hmmm… maybe someone else got the lightning strike instead.

"You're thinking of something," he said.

"Okay…" the red head said slowly. "Harry, hear me out here." Ron took a deep breath. "I think we should start a club."

What.

Maybe seeing something in his face, Ron slammed his hand down. "Start a club, I said. And not another bloody choir!"

Harry glanced at Hermione, who was watching the two of them with rounded eyes.

"Explain, then."

"You know I've been interviewing a lot of people for the Immortality Project."

Harry acknowledged that, because yes, Ron really had been.

"I'm almost done, by the way. And I know I've said that before, but this time it's really true. I should be done by Friday." Ron paused, apparently having sidetracked himself, then shook his head and continued. "Anyway, the whole reason I did that was because you suggested the answer might be hidden anywhere, right? Some myth or bedtime story or legend that's been forgotten by most of the world. Some key piece of knowledge that the wizard or witch doesn't even think has any significance, something they've run across or their parents told them or they just read somewhere in passing."

"Yeah…" he said, beginning to get a feeling where Ron was going with this. And feeling disgruntled, because he suspected that meant the other boy was going to win.

I don't want to join a club. Or start one.

"Well?" Ron spread his hands wide. "Aren't we in exactly the same position here?"

He crossed his arms, feeling sulky. Slid his eyes toward Hermione. Saw agreement in them. Sighed and closed his eyes.

This must be done. And if no one else can do it…

Finally, he snorted, and opened his eyes. "Well, when you said we should join a club… I'm not sure a history club was what you originally had in mind."

Hermione looked intrigued. "Not exactly history. More like… knowledge. Maybe cover current event questions… Specific historical questions…"

"Questions that we just happen to have an interest in?" he asked wryly, although without any real objection. He'd thought it before: Hermione was surprisingly ruthless when it came to the acquisition of knowledge. "So we basically use them to hunt for information we can't find?"

"I wouldn't say using them…" she said, primly. "We're expanding their educational horizons. It's mutually beneficial. Just," she hesitated, possibly searching for more palatable wording, "maybe not equally so."

Ron shook his head, apparently impressed. "Step away from the dark side, Hermione…"

He was vaguely impressed himself. With both of them.

I choose awesome friends.

"So, scavenger hunt club?" he asked.

"Niffler hunt!" Hermione put in.

"I'm not sure how popular it'd be, though," Ron said. "I mean, except for with Ravenclaws."

True, Harry thought. But there are ways around that.

"We could have some sort of semi-build up competition," he suggested. "Theoretically, to see if there'd be enough interest from the student body. Announce we're asking, hmmm, three questions. And give a few galleons as a prize for the winning answer." He shrugged. "I've got more than enough left over, and this is definitely a worthy cause."

He sighed again, bidding sad farewell to his life of quiet isolation. It'd been a good year, without outside distractions. He'd gotten so much done.

"Sounds like we have a plan, then." A thought struck him, and he grinned. "I vote we make Ron the Niffler Club President."

And if there was just a bit of malice to his smile… who could blame him?

Friday had arrived, and Ron Weasley was ready.

"Wizards, witches, gentlebeings," he said, waving his arms in a grand gesture and carefully ignoring the funny looks Harry and Hermione were giving him, "I present unto thee the fruit of my labors, the flower of my most harrowing task… the Project!"

With that, he dropped his three notebooks in front of him on the table. They made an impressively solid whumping sound. Harry and Hermione looked at them, then returned to staring at him. Hermione had her eyebrow arched. Harry's head was tilted about twenty degrees to the left.

He pretended not to see it, treasuring the glow of satisfaction for a job finally – finally! – finished. Truthfully, he was proud of himself. Yeah, the secret to You-Know-Who's immortality was no laughing matter. And yes, he hadn't found out exactly what You-Know-Who did – that signed note had proved frustratingly elusive. Still. This was the largest, longest running project he'd ever completed.

Over eight months of effort. Questions asked of probably two-thirds of Hogwart's foreign-descended population, (and Merlin, had it been hard to come up with plausible excuses for his curiosity, sometimes!) Three notebooks.

Bloody right I'm proud.

Hermione leaned forward, eyes bright with curiosity. "You're done?"

He collapsed down into the cushions on his side of the table. "Well, no promises we find anything useful," he admitted. "But I asked everyone I could think of. And read all I could find." He paused, then added with a grimace, "Including some I kind of regret." He shuddered, recalling some of the… darker… textbooks that had no doubt just barely managed to avoid the restricted section. Probably because they'd been history texts, but still.

Ick. What's wrong with some wizards?

Harry was staring at the notebooks. Green eyes looked back up to meet his. "So why three? Just find that much?"

He shook his head. "Yes and no." He laid the stack out carefully in a horizontal row in front of him, and moved his hand over the farthest right. "Immortality is apparently not as simple as a bloke would think. I call them the Dead," he moved his hand to the middle, "the Undead," another shift, this time to the far left, "and the Undying."

"…the Dead, the Undead, and the Undying." Hermione repeated, deadpan. "That's how you categorized them?"

He shrugged. "Hey, I figure by separating them like that, we can get rid of two-thirds of 'em in one sweep." He hesitated, then shrugged and added: "If we know what category to put You-Know-Who in."

Harry looked surprised. "Obviously, the Undying."

Unfortunately, that had been exactly the same moment Hermione spoke. "Oh, honestly. Dead, of course."

Two heads swiveled to face each other.

Harry looked challenging. "He's wandering around a bodiless ghost. He's Undying. Does not die."

Hermione shot their friend a look Ron recognized all too well from quiz review sessions before tests. "He died, Harry. Everyone agrees about that. No more blood, no more breath. Therefore: Dead."

They both turned to look at him. "Ron," asked Harry, "how exactly did you define Dead?"

"And Undying?" Hermione added.

He looked back at them, feeling vindicated. "See!" he said, triumphant. "Not as simple as you'd think."

Harry sat, reflective, as Hermione finished reading the last page of the third notebook. When Ron had dropped his completed Project – and you could hear the capitals in the way the red-head said the word – on the table, he'd been eager to hear the results. Now he was… thinking.

Because he knew the next question they had to ask. And it was reminding him of things he normally didn't dwell on.

Hermione looked up from her notes. "So we have Undying for those you say literally cannot die – they're basically invincible. Eternally young. The true meaning of immortal."

Across from him, Ron nodded. "I don't think any of those are actually real," the wizardborn confessed. "Even with magic, there's no such thing as truly eternal life, not even phoenixes, and they're the closest wizards have ever come. Everything that's born, dies." The four words had the faintest hint of rhymed poetry to them, somewhat out of character from his friend. At his glance, Ron shrugged, notably embarrassed. "It's something we learn early – rules of magic so fundamental we get them from bedtime stories and spirit-tales."

Hermione looked interested, but continued. "Undead for things that died, then came back. Vampires." She frowned. "Sentient portraits?"

Wait, what?

Ron shrugged. "Well, they come to life after the wizard painted in them dies. I thought about putting them in Dead, but they're not really the same as the wizard who died, you know? They don't technically fit in any of the categories. But you said be thorough, so I figured I might as well be thorough."

Hermione seemed caught between praising his diligence and critiquing his work. "I doubt the You-Know-Who that Harry fought in first year is just a magical construct," she finally settled on, fairly diplomatically. "Still, good thinking. And finally, Dead for things like ghosts. Things where the body has been destroyed, but - something - lives on without it."

He watched Ron nod, then gave voice to the disturbing thought that had first come to him when he listened to Ron explain his categories. "Was there a body?"

At the blank looks, he rolled his eyes. "Voldemort. When I was a baby. Everyone always says I killed him. We know it's not true, or at least not completely true. But I'd always assumed, you know, that there was a body. Otherwise all the celebration of his disappearance would have been a bit premature, right? So how do we know?" He looked between the two of them.

Hermione had been the one to say she'd read about him in books, after all. And Ron was wizardborn.

Ron looked unsure. "I… don't know. I mean, blimey, I'd think so. I don't think he just… transfigured… into a spirit/ghost/remnant thing."

"I'm inclined to agree with Ron," Hermione said, slowly. "Books speak of celebrations on the day after his defeat. Not a day a few weeks later when they decided he'd gone missing. But it's not like they announced what they did with the corpse – if there was one."

Ron snorted. "Are you joking? Of course not. The Ministry probably cremated, purified, warded, then vanished the ashes. No one wanted an inferius You-Know-Who - or his spirit - summoned back."

He absorbed the information quietly, going over the few things he did know about that night. "Well, we all agree his body was almost certainly killed. But I don't think 'almost certainly' is good enough." He met their gazes levelly. "For this, we need to be sure."

Ron knew him well. "So how do we find out?"

"Ask Dumbledore?" Hermione suggested.

He shook his head. "I don't want to bother him."

"Well, I don't know another way," she admitted.

He smiled grimly, remembering words spoken in a shack on a small island, by the first wizard he'd ever met. Stamped indelibly into his memory – just like everything else from that night; that wondrous, terrifying, amazing night, when he'd first learned of all the lies that threaded through his life.

Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot.

"I do."

Harry smiled as held the page up in front of him.

New Hogwarts Club!
The Niffler Hunt Club

Looking for a more exciting way to study? Have an obscure question you'd like to ask?

Want to earn some prize money?

We're running a competition to gauge student interest in our potential new club. Drop your best ideas to these questions into the box outside the great hall before the end of the month. Winning answers will get five galleons. Come up with a better one than we did, and you get ten!

1) What is the most useful spell ever invented and why?
2) Who knows Hogwarts Castle the best?
3) Who was the most influential wizard or witch of all time?

Competition ends the week before finals starts, so get your answers in early!

I had to split this chapter into two parts – possibly three, we'll see - because the length was approaching frankly ridiculous dimensions. Which means, alas, that last chapter's original teaser is still upcoming.

Canon Notes: J.K. Rowling actually has King Arthur and Merlin existing after the founding of Hogwarts. (Merlin, she says, was sorted into Slytherin.) This is patently impossible – the timelines do not add up. At all. There is no English King Arthur who fits the required time period, and there certainly wasn't one with a widely known wizard adviser, knights of the round table, or a kingdom named Camelot. I try to keep as close to canon as possible, but I'm going to chalk this one down to Rowling's infamous math skills, and ignore her revisionist dates for Arthurian history.

Other canon items of interest: According to the chocolate frog cards, Morgan le Fay (AKA Morgana) actually is noted as a skilled Healer, in addition to being "Queen of Avalon" and a dark witch. The first female minister for magic was Artemisia Lufkin, elected in 1798. Seamus and Lavender went to the Yule ball together in fourth year. Carletta Pinkstone really did campaign to abolish the statute of secrecy. Bundimuns are a magical creature that takes the form of greenish fungus with eyes, and an infestation of them can destroy a house as their secretions eat away the foundations. Finally, Hermione's third year boggart was McGonagall telling her she'd failed her test – I've always assumed this was actually symbolic for a greater fear.

Other Notes: It always kind of vaguely bothers me when people bash Fawkes indirectly. You know, like in all the indy!Harry stories where he starts calling the Order of the Phoenix the Order of the Flaming Chicken/Flamingo/insert-clever-insult here. I mean, you can dismiss the Order itself all you want, but Fawkes is a genuine badass. He retrieves a horcrux, blinds a basilisk, saves Harry's life, whisks Dumbledore anyway from Ministry aurors through Hogwarts's wards, and intercepts a killing curse. Also, his tail feathers find their match in Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. He should get more appreciation.

Next Chapter:

From the dais, the Headmaster continued speaking, to all appearances oblivious to the whispered speculations filling the great hall. "Places are available for up to twelve students who wish to accompany our delegation to the northern school of Durmstrang. Requirements include parental permission, endorsement by at least two teachers, completed O.W.L.s, and success in the preparatory competitions that will be taking place at Hogwarts over the next two months."

Preparatory competitions? Harry echoed silently. Wonder what those will be?

"An impartial judge will make the final decision regarding which Hogwarts student is most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money." Excited whispering rose once again among the students. "But please note, this is not a decision to be made lightly. Students who elect to participate but are not chosen as the champion, will nevertheless be spending the entire year at Durmstrang. As this will be N.E.W.T. year for most candidates, you are advised to weigh your decision carefully.

"The first competition will be a test of your transfiguration skill, and will take place in two weeks. Additional details will be supplied beforehand. Now, the elves have prepared a delicious feast for us, so why don't we all dig in?"

Dumbledore had barely taken his seat when the hall erupted into loud conversations.

12. don your scabbard

Forging the Sword:
Chapter 12: Don Your Scabbard

That Saturday afternoon, Harry made the trek to Hagrid's hut in silence, Ron and Hermione following behind.

Hagrid was still Hagrid – a mountain tall, with long tangles of bushy black hair and beard, and a touch of whiskey on his breath. His tea was strong enough to curdle Harry's tongue, his biscuits rock hard, and his honest enjoyment at seeing the three of them at his doorstep was unmistakable.

Here, Harry had to push down a touch of guilt. While he'd remembered to send Hagrid a Christmas gift, he'd barely seen the older man this year. And the only reason I'm here now is to interrogate him… Next year, I've got to remember to visit more often.

"Now then." Hagrid set down his offering of said rock cakes, then settled into his chair like an boulder coming to rest. The chair creaked under him, but otherwise seemed to bear its burden well. "What brings the three of yeh here? Harry, yer note said it were sommat important?"

"It is," he agreed, looking down at his tea as he played with the cup. "Hagrid, the day we met…" Harry looked back up. "You said you were the one who found me after my parents were killed. Does that mean you were the first one there?"

Hagrid abruptly sobered, looking older and sadder. "Yeah, Harry. Got yeh out just before the muggles started swarmin' around. Dumbledore was in some sort o' meetings a' the Ministry, but he had monitoring charms o' some type up at yer parent's place. Since I were still at Hogwarts a' the time, he'd left the alarms ter me. Lily an' James were dead, but it told me yeh were still alive. Well, I sent a message ter catch up ter Dumbledore whenever he got free, and took the floo ter the pub a' Godric's Hollow. You were a poor little thing with a great slash across your forehead... an' cryin' fit to break me heart."

Harry swallowed the sudden lump in his throat at Hagrid's description, and pushed on. "Was Voldemort… there? His body, I mean?"

Hagrid's eyebrows jumped up. "Gallopin' Gorgons, Harry. Why'd yeh want ter ask a question like that?"

"Voldemort's not dead," he replied defensively. "But you said yourself some people say he is. And Hermione said there were all sorts of celebrations and stuff on the day after it happened. So I just - why'd people assume he was gone that quick, if there wasn't a body?"

He glowered at the tabletop, uncomfortable with Hagrid's discomfited stare. It wasn't like this was just morbid curiosity. "It was my parents and me – I have a right to know what happened!"

"Easy, Harry." Hagrid sighed like a billows exhaling. "I'd no' say you were wrong. But it were a dark time, an' it's no' an easy tale ter tell." A pause, then Hagrid continued: "An' truth ter tell, I don't know what happened ter him that night. No one does. There'd bin some sort o' explosion, Harry. That entire side o' the house… it was jus' gone."

That… wasn't what he'd been hoping to hear. But- "If there was no sign of him, then how did people know so fast that something had changed?"

Hagrid's eyes were solemn. "Have yeh three covered the imperius curse yet?"

Imperius. The mind-control curse. He shuddered. "Yes." Not in an official Hogwarts class, mind, but they'd run across it early on in their studies. The idea that you could be made to do things like that – kill your family with your own wand, commit acts against your deepest beliefs and not even know… it was terrifying. A sort of creeping horror that took the very thought of trust and splintered it down the middle. Your best friend could be an assassin. Your boss at work. Your own mother.

God, taking a step outside your door would be an act of bravery itself.

"That night, when he disappeared, it broke on some people. The one's You-Know-Who had put under personally. And then on the ones those themselves had imperio'd on his order."

At his side, Hermione gave a small gasp. "Really important people?"

Hagrid nodded. "Some of them. They couldn't figure it out, a' firs'. What'd happened. People were in hysterics. Some who'd vanished – thought dead – were back. Some people no one had realized were cursed were breaking down. Aurors, Wizengamot members, the chief editor for the Prophet… Well. There was no hiding summat had happened. And since no one figured You-Know-Who had jus' let 'em go… Only one other explanation for the curses ter be lifted. And then, o' course, someone jus' couldn't keep his mouth shut when Dumbledore explained abou' you."

Hagrid of all people complaining about someone spilling secret information was unintentionally hilarious.

"So, you took me away from there?"

"Abou' the time I was carryin' yeh out o' the ruins, Dumbledore got a message ter me through Fawkes. Told me ter take yeh to a wizard friend o' his ter get checked out, where yeh could stay for the day while Dumbledore sorted things, then ter take yeh on ter yer aunt and uncle's place tomorrow night. I flew yeh ter the safehouse, then wen' back ter Hogwarts, and later flew yeh ter Privet Drive. An' that was the last I saw o' yeh, 'til I took yeh yer letter."

"Flew me?" He raised his eyebrows, imagining Hagrid crouched precariously on a desperately laboring broom, his toddler-self stuffed in one of the man's overlarge coat pockets. Considering that the first time they'd met, Harry'd seen Hagrid pull a live owl out of a pocket, it wasn't unlikely. Still, the idea of Hagrid scrunching himself onto a broom was somewhat hilarious.

Apparently picturing the same image, Ron grinned, then nudged him. "Explains why you're so good on a broom though, mate. Got your start early."

"On a broom?" Hagrid slapped his knee. The sound was rather like a small thunderclap. "Nah; I used Black's motorbike." Then he looked horrified.

Harry felt his attention come to a point. That was… a familiar kind of horrified. The one that said Hagrid had said something he didn't mean to. A glance at Ron and Hermione proved he wasn't the only one seeing it.

"Black?" he inquired idly.

"Ah. Bloke I knew," Hagrid said gruffly. "He had a flyin' motorbike."

Momentarily diverted, Harry grinned. "So that's where it comes from!" To Ron and Hermione, he explained: "It's a dream I've had several times. A flying motorbike." He looked back towards Hagrid with a smile. "It's always been a good dream."

Hagrid's face softened, and Harry almost felt guilty as he continued: "Maybe I could get this Black to show me it?"

"No!" Hagrid's voice was thick with alarm. "No, Harry. Black's, ah. He's no' around anymore. Sorry, Harry."

Harry took in the mulish stubbornness on Hagrid's face, and weighed the likelihood of getting more out of his friend. But the topic was apparently upsetting, and Hagrid looked uncomfortable but resolved, so he figured he'd let it go. For now.

They took the rest of the visit to catch up with Hagrid about what had been happening in the past year. Hagrid told them a little about some of the creatures he'd encountered in the forest, while he, Ron, and Hermione took turns talking about schoolwork and the professors. By the time they left, the sky was starting to turn dark.

Hiking back up to the castle, he considered what they'd learned. "Well, that wasn't quite as helpful as I'd hoped it'd be. Whether Voldemort just got exploded or what, I don't think there's any way for us to tell. But any idea what that bit with Black was about?"

Hermione shook her head, but Ron frowned. "I know there's an old pureblood family named Black," he said slowly, "but that's about it. I don't think there's a lot of them around anymore? Pretty sure I've never met one."

"Huh." Harry trudged a few more steps in thought, watching the ground as gathering shadows made the path tricky in dusk's light. "Hagrid seemed really alarmed to have brought him up, but I don't know why. Think it's worth looking in to?"

"I'm not sure we could find anything with just a family name." Hermione sounded dubious. "And that's assuming that this Black belongs to the pureblood Black family. Besides, it might not actually have anything to do with us."

Ron shook his head. "Hagrid was upset for a reason. Like, 'whoops-I-accidentally-mentioned-Nicholas-Flamel' level of upset."

"But it could be a lot of things, including something personal to Hagrid. A broken friendship, maybe. An unpaid debt. An argument from the pub." When Harry stared at her skeptically, she rolled her eyes. "Honestly, not everything in our lives is a conspiracy."

No, just half of it, Harry thought. But it was true that they had more than enough on their plates as it was, so he shoved the mystery to the back of his mind as they entered the portcullis and headed for the great hall for dinner.

Hermione sighed as the stands around her erupted loudly into yet another chanting cheer. ("Gryffindor, you're red and gold; Gryffindor, you break the mold-") Honestly, the things she did for her friends.

"Did you see that, Hermione?" Ron turned his head to look at her, face flushed, grinning from excitement at Gryffindor's most recent score. "If Harry catches the snitch now, we'll beat Slytherin for the cup!"

She smiled back wryly – impossible not to, in the face of his forthright enthusiasm – then slid her eyes back to the field. Abstractly, she could almost understand the appeal. There was a tremendous energy in the air, as practically every Hogwarts student turned out to watch the last match of the school year. The weather was decent again, and chasers danced in intricate, dizzying patterns through a crystal blue sky as Bludgers cracked against beater bats, and seekers circled and swooped above. It was a toss-up which was more amusing: Lee Jordan's commentary, or McGonagall's frustrated and largely ineffectual attempts to ride herd on him.

Still, I think I'll keep my feet firmly on the ground, thank you very much.

Safety charms and stabilizing charms aside, she never felt quite safe on a broom, with no handholds other than the broom itself, and nothing but miles of open air around her and hard ground below to break falls by breaking bones. Used to glass windows and seatbelts – and her mother's derogatory opinion on the intelligence of riding motorcycles that could leave one smeared across the asphalt in case of an accident – and brooms just felt far too wobbly and uncertain for her muggleborn sensibilities.

Plus, she admitted to herself, I think Neville's broken arm the first time I saw a broom being used probably left a lasting impression.

If she had to give up her free Sunday afternoon, though, at least watching the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match wasn't the worst use of her time. As long as the match didn't last for seven hours like the Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw one had.

The first time Ron had explained that some professional Quidditch matches could last for months before the snitch was caught, she'd been sure she was hearing things. Thankfully, Hogwarts' class schedules prohibited such from occurring.

Because Harry would be all for continuing the game until it was caught, and Ron would be right there with him. And so would their team captain, from the stories Harry's told about Wood.

Quidditch fanatics, the lot of them.

She glanced down at the book she'd brought, just in case. She'd struck a deal with Ron and Harry long ago: she'd come to the quidditch games, and she'd even watch. But after two hours, she was allowed to read in peace.

Although 'in peace' usually actually translated to 'until someone scored' or 'one of the seekers started diving' or 'Wood blocked a shot' or 'Slytherin pulled a nasty foul' or- hmm.

Well, for a certain measure of peace, anyway, she amended ruefully.

She checked the time, then fingered the edge of her book again. She thought she remembered a reference to a scandal about the Black family in it, and she'd been trying to track it down. Because while she might have told Harry that not everything was about him – and she believed it, too – she wasn't foolish enough to discount what the past few years had taught her about secrets in the wizarding world.

They're everywhere. And they're dangerous. Especially when purebloods are involved.

She smiled grimly, feeling the cool resolve she'd developed over the past week – since that debate with Smith in the Great Hall – strengthen. And it never hurts to be well informed.

Harry watched as Aesalon strode to the front of the class, all contained grace and smooth intelligence. The man had remained an excellent defense professor – and a friendly one, in his own, aloofly professorial way. But Harry'd never quite gotten over the feeling that their defense professor was watching him, (and his friends), just a shade more intently than he did others in their class.

"In this final month of defense," Aesalon began, "we start our last unit of new material. As you may recall, in the beginning of our classes together I stated that we would conclude the year with a comparatively brief module on category five creatures. Such creatures – sometimes more sensationally known as 'wizard killers' – are impossible to train or domesticate. They are also comparatively rare. Please remember that, despite their lethality, most of you are unlikely to ever see one of these creatures unless you take on a career specialty will bring you into contact with them."

That would be a lot more reassuring, Harry reflected, if I hadn't already encountered two different species of them on my own.

And for all that the basilisk had come closer to killing him than anything else on this Earth had, that nighttime chase through the Forbidden Forest by a bunch of voracious acromantulas was a recurring special in his occasional nightmares.

Aragog could talk to us. He had a conversation with us. And he still was okay with having us eaten. Even with a year of safety and stone walls separating him from the incident, he could still feel the edges of that paralyzing, slowly mounting terror.

It'd been like talking to a sociopathic cannibal. One with too many eyes and legs.

And Hagrid calls it friend?

Hagrid hadn't been guilty of Myrtle's death. And he hated that Voldemort had been the one responsible for framing and expelling Harry's monster-loving friend. But releasing that creature into the forest to protect it?

Maybe, just maybe, it was fair Hagrid was expelled.

(Because what else can you do with a student who deliberately helps a monster with a taste for human flesh escape?)

"Nonetheless," Aesalon continued from up front, and Harry pulled away from his train of thought with a touch of guilty relief. "It is important to have at least a basic awareness of the fundamental dangers and habitats of such creatures. To that end, I will be dividing the section on category five creatures into two subdivisions. In the first, we will be covering creatures perilous but straightforward, including dragons, lethifolds, manticores, basilisks, nundus, acromantulas, chimeras, and quintapeds. In the second," he paused, and dark eyes swept the classroom, "we will be discussing the more controversial issues of dementors and werewolves."

A slight rustle went through the classroom as students shifted or glanced at one another. Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Magical creatures hadn't been one of his, Ron, and Hermione's areas for extra advanced study, partly because they were just lower on priority, but mostly because both Aesalon and Kettleburn seemed to be covering them quite competently. What he knew about werewolves was probably – truthfully – muggle influenced. And all he really knew about dementors was that they were supposed to guard the wizarding prison of Azkaban. But from that small susurrus that'd rippled through the classroom…

This should be interesting.

The last gasp of winter faded as several weeks of studying went by, and Harry learned to turn a book into a rabbit in transfiguration, learned how to create a Confusing Concoction in potions, and learned, again, how utterly grateful he was that Hermione's time-turner gave him extra hours to nap. Now, flopped out along the grass by the Black Lake's shore, Harry luxuriated in the early spring day, warming charms making up the difference for Scotland's still anemic sunlight. Final exams started soon, and only two weeks total 'til end of term. He was already dreading returning to the Dursleys.

Wind skimmed across the lake to ruffle his hair, and he stretched, holding it for a long moment before he sighed, relaxing back onto the soft meadow ground. Eyes closed, he could hear the rustle of papers as Hermione sorted through the various scraps that had been dropped into the Niffler Club suggestion box. Ron was off working on basic occlumency exercises in the peaceful isolation they required, though he'd had said he'd be joining them when he could. "Anything awesome so far?"

"A spell to enhance sexual gratification. And endurance."

He choked and felt his face go red, as he heard the words placidly come from his female friend's mouth. "Hermione!" After a second of vainly wishing he'd heard anything else, he warily cracked an eye open, staring up at Hermione where she sat perched on the edge of a rock. "You're joking."

She raised a lofty eyebrow. "Not in the least."

"Someone actually put that down?"

"Oh, Harry. This suggestion box has been educational in so many ways. You have no idea."

He shuddered. "And I really don't want to."

Okay, so maybe he was a bit morbidly curious. But there was no way in hell he'd admit it in front of Hermione, who was both a girl and a lofty almost-year older than him.

Besides, I bet Ron and I can snag them and go over them together later…

"Anyway," he said pointedly, "I was more referring to the Hogwarts castle question. Although I'm glad you're finding… useful spells… from the other one."

She smirked. "I suspect some of them just wanted to anonymously scandalize the uppity-mudblood girl."

There was far too much dark glee in Hermione's voice for him to say anything about her using the word mudblood to apply to herself. Something had changed a little, since the confrontation with Smith almost a month ago. She'd started with simmering fury, then melancholy, then frustration. He was pretty sure there'd been a letter or two to her parents in there, too. But for the last week or two, she'd seemed… settled.

Not exactly like she was at peace with the prejudice, because that implied a level of acceptance with stupidity that Hermione would flat out not brook. But like… she didn't take it personally anymore. Water was wet, shit stank, and pure blood bigots were morons. So she'd take an umbrella, avoid the stables, and twist their little, limited minds into frothing fits of fury by shattering every expectation and assumption of superiority they made.

It was awesome. Also, vaguely terrifying. And he was kind of embarrassed, because he'd always known Hermione had untapped potential, but this was a level of badass he hadn't expected. In its own, mostly rule-abiding, book-loving way.

"So?" he prodded instead.

"Suggestions so far include: Dumbledore. Ghosts. Various professors. The founders. Binns, specifically and with surprising regularity – I guess because he's both a ghost and a history professor. House-Elves. The portraits. The writer of Hogwarts, A History. Hogwarts, A History itself. And something called Blibbering Humdingers – I have no idea what those are."

He was nodding along as she went, most of the suggestions already considered. "Wait, go back. House-Elves? Like Dobby?" A pause. "Blibbering Humdingers?"

"No. Idea."

"Right." Which either meant it was a solid lead… or someone was just messing with them.

Who am I kidding? The way our luck runs? Of course someone's messing with us.

"Well, you can always ask, ah…"

"Luna Lovegood. It's a memorable name."

"Yes. Well, you can always ask Luna Lovegood about them. Let's go back to the house-elves. I didn't know Hogwarts even had them."

She pursed her lips a little, looking displeased. "Neither did I. Hogwarts, A History doesn't mention them, which seems like a rather glaring oversight."

"I'm not sure how exactly knowing about them helps, though?" he questioned. "I mean, we've been here for three years, and we've never even seen one of them, so it's not like we can just walk up to one and start talking." He frowned. "I guess we could ask one of the professors about them…?"

"I've read that the mark of a good house-elf is that they're never seen." Hermione tapped the feathered edge of the quill against her lips. "I'm not sure the professors would say anything. They'd obviously want to know why we were asking."

And that wasn't a discussion Harry felt comfortable having with any of them.

Especially since we don't even know if it'd be worth it. I get that house-elves are apparently magically-bound servants, but how much about Hogwarts' secrets would they really know?

"Who would know the most about house-elves?" he asked instead. Hermione thought he was paranoid enough as it was.

"Hagrid?" Hermione suggested. "A book in the library? A student whose family employs one?" Something seemed to cross her mind. "House-Elves themselves?"

He blinked at the last one. That was… a marvelously simply answer. "You're brilliant."

"I am, in point of fact," she agreed easily. Then she tilted her head, and narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you thinking?"

He grinned. "That I know just the house-elf to ask."

I wonder how long it'll take Hedwig to get a letter to Dobby?

Harry sighed, staring at the familiar stone gargoyle guarding entrance to the headmaster's office.

He'd done it properly, this time. Instead of asking Professor McGonagall for the password, he'd sent Hedwig to Professor Dumbledore with a note, asking to speak to the Hat again. And promising, this time, not to kick Dumbledore out of his own office.

Well, that wasn't how I worded it. But the meaning was hopefully clear.

If Dumbledore had been surprised to receive the request by owl, he certainly hadn't shown any sign of it, instead promptly inviting him up for a chat right before dinner.

Which means I better get up there, or I'll make him late to the meal.

Not exactly an amazingly good idea, when it came to your school's headmaster.

"Ice Mice," Harry told the statue, then ascended the stairs after it moved aside.

"Harry," Dumbledore greeted warmly, blue eyes twinkling with good cheer. "I was quite pleased to get your note entreating access to the Sorting Hat once more. Dare I inquire if this will be a regular request?"

He shifted, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny considering what he was contemplating, and stared at Dumbledore's desk rather than meet his eyes. A marked up article held pride of place in the center, where it fairly bled red ink. And seemed to be from Transfiguration Today, if he was reading his upside-down journal titles correctly. Was the man still stuck grading homework papers?

Well, journal submissions. Which, from what Hermione said, was basically the grown-up version of homework for researchers, anyway.

"The Hat gives good advice," he offered tentatively. "And it said I could come back?"

Somehow, that last part had turned into the question instead of the statement he'd intended.

"Indeed it did," Dumbledore replied, "and indeed it does. The Sorting Hat has a long and noble history of advising the school in times of trouble. That it chooses to advise you as well is to your credit."

Harry felt somewhat awkward at the praise. "I think I just amuse it, sometimes," he admitted. He looked to where it sat. "May I?"

"Go right ahead." One white, bushy eyebrow lifted. "If you're not too uncomfortable, of course."

He smiled a little, and shook his head. "It's fine." He walked to the Hat, picking it up with one hand and raising it above him. Before the brim obscured his vision of the grandfatherly wizard whose office he was inhabiting, he added ruefully: "It's all in my head, after all."

Then he dropped the Hat, and let the rest of the world fade away as he concentrated. Because he had a sneaking suspicion-

Yes.

There it was. He could feel the Hat.

You return once more, the Hat said. And oh. Interesting. Yes, quite interesting indeed. You're using me as a test?

You knew I felt something last time, he thought back towards it, remembering that strange flicker in his mind. That was before I even knew what occlumency really was. But then when I read that book of Percy's…

Because those exercises and tenants had been about knowing yourself. Controlling your temper. Mapping the edges of your moods and thoughts and magic; the cartography of your being.

And Harry'd started working on such almost a year ago, when he sat in a deserted muggle park at midnight, and wrestled magic with raw willpower. Had worked on it even harder, after that fight with Ron. And every time he balanced, every time he calmed and centered and prepared for a difficult magical task or conversation: from divination to his elaborate transfigurations, from his deliberate emotional disengagement with McGonagall to his newest ability to spark fire with forceful concentration…

When he'd realized that cheering charms and confundus charms slipped away too quickly, and then recalled how he'd felt the magic of the Hat in his head last time he visited…

It'd been so hard not to hope. But he figured there was maybe one way he could test what'd he barely dared to propose even to himself.

Yes, the Hat said, cutting across his train of thought. You have indeed been developing the basis of occlumency from long before you ever picked up the book.

A riot of emotion swept through him: triumph and relief, and a touch of worry paired with satisfaction, as he carefully shaped and presented his request to the magical artifact on his head.

You want me to be your safety net? The Hat's mental voice was incredulous.

So he thought on the reasons, fast as he could switch from one to the next, secure in the knowledge he didn't have to vocalize and format for the enchanted object that paired with him as he moved through his thoughts. How deciding that the benefits outweighed the risks didn't mean he'd forgotten there were risks, how he worried even more for Ron and Hermione, if no one at all knew what the three of them were up to. The Hat had just confirmed that he was further along than his friends – if something was to start going wrong, chances were it would happen to him first...

It doesn't necessarily work like that, the Hat interrupted. I've been sorting minds from near the beginning of this school; I've seen thousands of them. This is all in your head, as you so aptly observed. And their occlumency is all in theirs.

It was an unexpected blow to a barely burgeoning hope.

I wouldn't worry too much about them, the Hat advised. Neither of your friends seem the type to repress things they don't want to deal with. Your ginger is too bluntly straightforward; your brunette too self-aware.

He quirked an eyebrow. You're referring to them by hair color now?

I am a Hat.

He wasn't quite sure what that had to do with anything?

It's a hat thing, the Sorting Hat replied. You wouldn't understand.

And now he was wondering about whether different hair colors mattered to the headgear that was covering them. Argh. Did the Hat play deliberately (crazy) inscrutable on purpose?

Well, I believe it's time you let me get back to my composing, and you down to dinner.

Wait, he thought, even as he obediently moved to lift it off, do you?

Just remember, young Gryffindor, the Hat said, apparently ignoring his query, my observation was that your friends don't seem the type to repress things.

That was… a somewhat chilling comment.

Which he would address right after he got his answer. But do you?

Farewell.

And just as he'd been able to feel it this time when the Hat flowed into his mind, he felt it when it melted away again. It might still be on his head, but it wasn't in his head anymore.

Argh.

Right, he thought sullenly as he lifted it back to his perch. It definitely does that on purpose.

"Finished, Harry?"

He started, having forgotten about Dumbledore's presence. "What?" He blinked a few times, refocusing on the here and now. "Oh, right. Yes. Thanks, professor."

"Then perhaps you'll escort an old man down to dinner?" Dumbledore stood, neatly capping his inkwell and laying aside his quill. "I hear the house-elves have outdone themselves with their roast tonight. And you can tell me what you think of the prospect of the Fifth Principal Exception to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration having been too hastily declared."

He stared for a moment, then decided to just go with it. It's not like he'd ever understood what went through the headmaster's mind. "Sure."

Bowing, Dumbledore gestured towards the door, and Harry preceded him out of the office.

As Defense Against the Dark Arts slowly filled, Harry noted an air of suppressed tension in the room.

"Dementors," Professor Aesalon said mildly. The classroom fell silent. "They are dark and fearsome creatures, and of their origins and physiology we know little. In regard to them, we have more questions than answers, so today I will not be revealing to you great truths. Rather, I'll be educating you better on what questions you should ask, when relevant matters of policy are raised."

Harry glanced around. Every student was listening intently. Last weeks' lecture on werewolves had been interesting, but there was a hushed weight to the air today.

"I will begin with what we do know." Their professor announced calmly. "First, dementors are not, strictly, actually classified as beasts. Nor are they beings. The best categorization we have for them is "non-being" – a set of creatures that cannot die, as they do not live. Like the boggarts and poltergeists we studied earlier this semester, dementors are not born, do not age, and do not exhibit the biological processes common to living creatures. They do not have cells, they do not breathe, and they have no blood. Their population grows or shrinks without visible cause and by inscrutable means. They are creatures that exist only through the existence of magic; creatures that in many ways are of magic, and in fact, without magic, they cannot even be seen. Remember that they cannot be eradicated by any means we have so far discovered, for this is a key point when we consider the question of how to deal with them."

The professor swept a piercing glance over them, then continued. "In appearance, dementors are flying, cloaked creatures, roughly humanoid in shape and three meters high, who alter the very atmosphere around them negatively with their presence. They are blind, but have some sort of ability or mechanism to sense their favored prey, which is humans. They feed on human happiness and hope, and to be near them is to be devoid of those things. Those Kissed by a dementor are left empty shells, bereft of their soul."

Wait. They steal souls? That's… he grimaced. So very wrong. And they can't be killed? Then how do you fight them?

As if sensing his question, the professor continued. "There are obviously ways to defend against them, else news of dementor attacks would be far more common. The most successful is the Patronus Charm; an ancient, enormously complicated spell that conjures a magical guardian formed of your positive emotions. If you are caught in the open, the Patronus Charm is your best – and possibly only – chance, as it will drive dementors away."

And what, Harry thought, if you don't know this 'enormously complicated' spell?

"There are also several other defenses that can be deployed," Aesalon expanded, "because while dementors are amortal, they are still solid. They cannot phase through physical barriers, so a well-fortified home – or castle," he added, with a gesture to the surrounding walls, "is impervious to them. Similarly, spells of concussive force hitting them will knock them back. The spell will not, however, actually harm the dementor, so such are a temporary measure at best. Dementors cannot be transfigured, set on fire, or drowned."

Right, so see them and run like hell to the nearest building, Harry concluded. At least until we get old enough to learn this Patronus Charm.

Professor Aesalon paused for a moment. "Any questions so far?"

Dean's hand went up. "How smart are they?"

"We don't know," their professor replied plainly. "They have at the very least a rudimentary intelligence, as they can be negotiated with. They recognize individuals, and are capable of undertaking the duties required to be guards of Azkaban, which includes escorting dangerous arrestees during trials, bringing prisoners their meals, and burying any who die whilst serving their sentence. They do not appear to have any written language, nor any spoken one. How they communicate with each other, how they come to consensus or decisions- we do not know."

This time, it was Hermione who raised her hand. "If dementors harm by their very presence, what about the prisoners they guard?"

Aesalon nodded to her. "And now, we come to the controversy." He looked back out over the classroom. "I have heard the accusation that Azkaban, run by our own ministry, where prisoners are forced to suffer the dementors unceasingly, is a barbaric and inhumane institution. That it ruins good wizards and witches who might have only made mistakes. That for many of the inmates, rehabilitation efforts would have been every bit as effective, and far more morally sound. That the estimated five percent of the population in Azkaban that scholars believe are falsely convicted, are put into an unceasing nightmare of torment for no righteous cause and no evil to their name." He paused for moment. "This is all true."

Harry blinked, surprised. Is he allowed to say that?

"But we have to ask: is this better than the other option?"

"The other option?" Hermione sounded outraged, and Harry wasn't surprised. Hermione believed very strongly in rules, yes. But correspondingly, she believed that rules had to be fair, and clear, and justly applied. "Like what?"

Professor Aesalon looked surprised to be asked. "Dementors stay at Azkaban for the convenience of easy access to free meals, Miss Granger. For safety from the Patronus Charm, and the promise of occasional souls to devour. If we did not provide these souls and emotions, the dementors would seek them on their own. If a portion of our population must suffer their presence, is it fair that the portion which must do so is those who have inflicted harm upon society? Some say that by their sacrifice, they make good their debt."

Watching their professor, Harry hummed in thought. Interesting wording, there. Some say so, huh? I wonder if you do?

"Morale dichotomies are usually false," the cool rejoinder came from the Slytherin side of the room. Surprised, Harry looked over. Theodore Nott was generally the quiet, loner type. It was unusual for him to speak up in class. "You present two options: feed them criminals, or feed them innocents."

"Couldn't we seal them away?" Parvati shrugged at the looks she got. "You said they couldn't pass through solid objects."

"But they don't die," Dean said. "So- if they got free sometime in the future, well they're not exactly going to go back to just hanging around Azkaban, right?"

Hermione shook her head. "A future risk that might not happen versus a harm that's definitely happening right now?"

Pansy sneered. "And what if that 'future risk' is the soul of your infant daughter? You'd be a little more concerned then, Granger."

He winced, slightly. Uh oh, looks like Hermione's getting ready to verbally eviscerate her. Which would be awesome to see, but in front of a professor might not be the best place. "Are we doing research?" he asked to the classroom at large, heading off the possible explosion. "I mean, do they have a dementor they're experimenting on, or a researcher assigned to maybe coming up with a spell that would get rid of them?"

Draco's haughty expression would have done his father proud. "And I suppose you think the rest of them will just sit around while we try that, do you?"

Lavender was frowning, somewhat thoughtfully. "It seems cruel." She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear, and glanced down, then back up again. "Don't you think? You said they have some amount of intelligence... it's not their fault they feed off emotions, just like it's not our fault we eat beef or chicken. It's one thing to kill them to defend ourselves, but to wall them away while they starve forever, or experiment on one 'til we find a way to kill it…"

"You've obviously never been near one," Millicent Bulstrode was magnificent in her disdain, "if you can feel even a knut of pity for those monsters."

"Not all of us have had reason to visit a criminal," Seamus said, coming to Lavender's defense. "And maybe not having met one just means we're not biased."

Bulstrode's voice was vicious: "If by 'not biased' you mean ignorant, you-"

"Enough." Professor Aesalon's voice cut through the rising tension. He gave a moment for everyone to compose themselves, then spoke again. "As I said: there is a significant amount of controversy involved in the topic of dementors. Supporters for the status quo come from all spectrums, from those like Miss Brown who worry about the ethics of genocide on what is acknowledged as at least a semi-sentient species, to those who recognize the sheer horror of Azkaban prison, but believe its cruelty a good thing which acts as an extra deterrent to those considering committing a crime. This is an issue which does not necessarily have a 'right' answer, but rather only answers you can live with for yourselves." His voice turned brisk: "Your homework for the day is to write an essay on dementors, explaining your ideal solution to the issue, and expounding on what difficulties must be overcome to implement your resolution. There is no minimum or maximum length; rather the essay should be long enough to answer the question clearly and with an implementable level of detail. Please spend the remaining time before class ends working on your outline. I will be available for questions."

Discussion clearly ended, Harry frowned down at his parchment. It seemed like everyone had a point. Starving them forever was cruel, feeding them was cruel in a different way. You couldn't transfigure them into something more harmless, and they were impossible to kill.

And we're supposed to come up with a solution?

He dropped his head down on his desk, already feeling the developing headache.

I think Professor Aesalon likes to see us suffer.

That weekend Harry was pouring over his transfiguration notes in a quiet nook in the castle's upper terraces. Tests started Monday and he was pretty sure he was ready, but he wanted to be positive. Like hell was he getting anything less than an O from McGonagall.

"Harry Potter, sir!"

He started, quill streaking jaggedly across half of his carefully written notes, hard enough to tear through the first layer. He whipped his head around, trying to get his heart back under control. Enormous, green, perfectly round eyes stared back at him from a small face with a pencil shaped nose and bat-like ears.

"Dobby?"

"It is Dobby, it is!" Dobby's voice was still as squeaky and high pitched as he remembered, and the house-elf fairly vibrated with excitement where he stood. "Harry Potter, sir, sent Dobby a letter. Dobby is so happy. Dobby has come to help!"

The bolt of sheer terror those words sent through him was perhaps uncharitable. It was also, he thought, rather justified.

"Ah. You have?" he said weakly.

"Dobby has! Dobby will answer Harry Potter's questions about house-elves!"

Still stunned from Dobby's sudden appearance, it took Harry a moment to switch gears. He'd kind of expected a reply by letter, but maybe he shouldn't have been surprised. It wasn't like Dobby hadn't gotten into Hogwarts on his own before. (He ignored the faint twinge in his arm.)

Okay. Right. He refocused. The diadem. "I'm… glad to see you again too, Dobby." When the house-elf's expression turned ecstatic, he continued on hastily: "Thanks for coming to help. Um, so is it likely that the house-elves who work at Hogwarts would know all the secret rooms and passages and stuff?"

Dobby nodded so hard that his ears flopped back and forth. "House-elves know all about our charges, sir. House-Elves would know!"

That was a rather stronger confirmation than he'd expected, but if Dobby was sure… "Any idea how to contact one?"

Dobby quivered in place. "Harry Potter asks Dobby for help. Dobby will get one!" Then he disappeared with a pop.

Left staring blankly at the space Dobby had vacated, Harry sighed. Of course.

Then, quicker than he expected, Dobby was back, this time with company. The other house-elf was dressed neatly in a pressed tea towel, one stamped with the Hogwarts crest and tied into a toga. The newcomer bowed. "I is Bandy, sir. Sir has a question?"

"Ah, yes." He took a moment to formulate his thoughts. "There's a place, on the seventh floor. It's somewhere near the staircase up to the eighth floor. On one side of it there's a wall near a tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy. Another side of it is by an empty classroom with desks. Another side of it is near a portrait of what's usually four women having a garden party-" he broke off, because Bandy was nodding fervently. "You know it?"

"I does, sir. You is talking about the Come and Go room."

That's… an intriguing title. "The Come and Go room?"

"It is a most amazing room, sir," Bandy replied, seeming happy to be able to answer a wizard's questions. "Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it is there, it always has exactly what you need!"

He caught on quickly. "So, if I needed a place to hide something away I didn't want to be found…"

Bandy looked down, looking… embarrassed? "House-elves use it to store items, sir." After a moment of what looked like struggle, Bandy burst out with: "Oh sir! It is not a fitting place for you! It is not neat and lovely! House-Elves did not know a wizard would want to see!"

"Whoa, whoa." He raised his hands, trying to calm the house-elf down. "It's okay. I promise I won't mind if it's a little messy."

When that still didn't seem to ease Bandy's distress, he added: "I prefer it this way, really."

Huge eyes peered back at him with doubt. "Sir does?"

"I do," he said firmly. And he wasn't even lying. The more disorganized and unused by wizards the place was, the better the chance that the diadem was hidden there. "So do I have to do anything special to get in? A password?"

"Sir would think of his need three times, as sir walked in front of the blank wall across from Barnabus sir's tapestry. Then the room would come."

"All right," he said, faintly dizzy with exhilaration. There'd been so many leaps of excitement since they first started looking for the diadem, and so many matching setbacks. To think this might be the last one…

"Thank you," he said, looking directly at Bandy.

Bandy squeaked and blushed. "I is most happy to help a great wizard like Harry Potter, sir!"

He smiled at the small house-elf. "Still, thank you." He paused, a thought coming to him. "If I have more questions, could I ask you?"

Bandy beamed, and nodded. "I is always happy to help sir! If sir calls for Bandy, Bandy will come!" Then the house-elf disappeared as suddenly as he'd arrived.

Staring at the empty space, Harry shook his head. Hermione swears no apparition is possible within Hogwarts, so it can't be that…

Smiling, he turned back to the remaining house-elf. "Dobby, thank you too. You've been an amazing help."

Dobby swayed a little in apparent pleasure, and grinned back at him happily. "Dobby is happy to help Harry Potter. Dobby will help anytime!"

"Thanks," he said, again, for lack of something better. Then, curious: "So, what have you been doing since last year?"

"Dobby has traveled the country for a whole year, sir, trying to find work!" Dobby squeaked. "But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!"

Harry frowned. "Not from anyone?" He couldn't imagine Dobby was asking for that much money. It was kind of surprising he hadn't had even a single taker in an entire year of looking.

Dobby shook his head. "Most wizards doesn't want a house-elf who wants paying. 'That's not the point of a house-elf,' they says, and they slammed the door in Dobby's face! Dobby likes work, but he wants to wear clothes and he wants to be paid. Harry Potter.…Dobby likes being free!"

"I'm glad you do," Harry replied, although he felt a smidgeon of guilt. He looked carefully at Dobby, but the elf looked much as he always had, small, somewhat spindly, with huge eyes and a marked inability to stand still. If the elf was starving for lack of work, Harry couldn't see it.

But I don't know much of anything about house-elves, he worried. Would I know if something was wrong?

He thought about asking directly, but looked again at Dobby, who was so happy and proud to be free. To be his own person, responsible only to and for himself. Would the elf admit it if he was hungry?

Did I?

"Look," he said, mind scrambling rapidly. "I was thinking. Maybe you could work for me as a sort of… part-time… thing? I mean, I don't have a house for you to look after or anything-" he stopped because Dobby's eyes were overflowing with tears.

"Harry Potter, sir, wants Dobby to work for him!" The elf was practically bouncing in place. "Dobby will be the best worker Harry Potter has ever has. Dobby will take care of everything!"

"Hey, hey. Wait a sec," he said, alarmed. Dobby stilled a little, but the house-elf's tennis-ball sized eyes were locked unwaveringly on Harry's. "I'm not sure how much you can do. I mean, I'd be glad to have your help, but remember that I live with my muggle relatives. If you do magic there…"

Dobby suddenly looked deeply ashamed. "Oh, Dobby is a bad, bad, house-elf! Dobby deliberately got Harry Potter sir in trouble! Dobby should have trusted Harry Potter's great wizard powers instead!"

The house-elf twitched, and Harry seized his small hands before the house-elf could start hitting himself. "It's okay!" he said. "You are not a bad house-elf. You're a good house-elf, all right? You were trying to save me." Then, thinking he'd best expand on that: "Just, you know, don't do anything like it again."

"Dobby won't." Dobby gave a small sniffle. "Dobby promises."

"So, you can't do my chores for me. But maybe I could pay you to, I don't know, run my errands, maybe? Buy food or new books or stuff?"

Actually, the more Harry thought of it, the more thrilled he was with the situation. I'll be able to adapt my study and plans as needed, instead of trying to make sure I have every single thing I need before the summer starts…

"Dobby can do that, yes. Dobby does not even need paying-"

"I'm definitely paying you," he interrupted, firmly. "How much do you want?" He had no idea how much money you typically paid a servant in the wizarding world. "Name a figure."

Dobby looked vaguely distressed. "Dobby will take a galleon a month. And," he continued tentatively, "a day off every two months?"

A galleon? he thought, incredulous. "Isn't that a little low? And you can do whatever you want, when you're not running errands. You could take a week off, if needed."

Dobby shook his head, vigorously. "Oh no, sir. Dobby likes freedom, but he isn't wanting too much, sir, he likes work better."

"Agreed then…" Harry said, slowly. "But you can renegotiate any time, alright? I promise I won't get mad." Then, remembering how little Dobby would actually have to do around Privet Drive, tacked on: "If you want to look elsewhere additionally, for more work, that's okay, too."

"Dobby is so happy, so very happy-" And then, as if the house-elf could no longer restrain himself, Dobby lunged forward, colliding hard into his midriff, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs would break.

When Dobby let go, Harry manfully resisted rubbing his aching torso. "That's it then, I guess. I'll see you at Privet Drive? And my relatives won't?" he added meaningfully.

Dobby smiled, a touch of something sly in his eyes. It was a familiar slyness. A slyness that usually resulted, however inadvertently, in Harry's pain. "Good house-elves is not being seen, Harry Potter. And Harry Potter says Dobby is a good elf."

Then like Bandy before him, he pop'd away.

Dazed, euphoric, and feeling vaguely bewildered, Harry had only one thought:

What did I just get myself into?

When Harry came tearing into the common room and snagged her and Ron in the middle of their study session, almost bodily hauling them back out - barely giving her time to pack up her notes! - Hermione had to admit she'd almost snapped his head off.

Does he have any idea how much work I still have to do?

Her study times were blocked out to the fifteen-minute increments. Time sleeping, eating, and showering were all ruthlessly budgeted. She'd been contemplating recently whether she could justify cutting her sleep time down to five hours a night instead of five and a half.

And he drags me off in the middle of review for potions?

Not that Ron and Harry were academic slouches, anymore. But she thought sometimes they didn't really realize what it meant, that she was taking three extra classes. As the school term wrapped up for the year, she was definitely feeling the strain.

Honestly, she'd have much rather dropped Divination by now. Possibly muggle studies, too. She'd do better to learn from a book – or Harry – than that fraudulent excuse for a divination professor they were saddled with. Meanwhile, muggle studies had been a year-long education in what kind of daft ideas and unthinking assumptions wizards – even those interested in muggle culture – could come up with.

And I can't just do decently, she thought worriedly. Because the professors wouldn't look at a student who took every single class Hogwarts offered, and did decently, and think 'well done.' No, they'd look at her previous record compared to her new one, and think 'poor dear must have taken on too much – look how her grades dipped. She used to get all Os.'

And then, of course, would be the gentle offer to reduce the course-load.

But if I attend fewer classes, I don't have any justifiable need for the time-turner. They'll take it away.

She couldn't let that happen. Not yet, anyway.

The time-turner wasn't a miracle. It didn't solve all their problems. But it helped. In the face of what the three of them were trying to do, they had to hang onto every advantage they could get, no matter how much work it was.

The temporary sacrifice is worth it, she admonished herself again. I just have to get through this last week.

God, the second she got off the Hogwarts Express, she was sleeping for a week. Then reading something just for herself. Just for fun. Something in no way related to evil wizards, academic subjects, or magical governance.

"All right, Harry," she said, once she judged them far enough away from the busier areas of the school corridors for it to be safe to talk. "What's going on?"

She recognized the route he was taking them, of course. After the past few months spent haunting the area, how could she not recognize the familiar route up to the seventh floor? But it was Ron who made the obvious leap quicker than her. (She blamed sleep deprivation.) "You find something out?" Ron's voice raised in excitement, "Did Dobby reply?"

Harry was grinning like all his birthdays had come at once, practically bouncing as he walked. "Dobby showed up. Just appeared while I was in the middle of reviewing." Green eyes slid a teasing glance her way. "I'd swear he apparated…"

I am not going to rise to the bait. I am not going to rise to the bait-

"Thought you couldn't?" Ron asked, sounding interested.

"For heaven's sake, Ron!" It just slipped out, so she continued: "I've told you before. Hogwarts, A History says apparation is impossible on school grounds!"

Harry shrugged. "Well, Dobby does something that lets him appear and disappear from place to place. All the house-elves apparently do. One moment there, the next pop."

It was kind of distantly interesting, but she was too tired to be truly curious.

"What'd he tell you?" she asked instead.

"It's called the Come and Go room." They tackled the stairs at speed, Harry's excitement spreading, and Harry continued talking in snatches as exertion made breath scarce. "House-Elves use it to store stuff. It's only there when you call it into being - apparently it can be anything. A lot of people find it, use it once, then go on, never realizing there was anything special about it."

"It's odd, though." Ron commented. "'Cause blimey, you'd think in a thousand years and forty times that many students, that at least one person wandered by thinking 'I wish I knew where Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem is' or some such."

"Well," Harry replied, "you have to think of what you want to see three times in a row. That probably helped prevent stray passing thoughts from triggering it."

"The number three's magical properties are well known." She put in. "I'm half surprised you don't have to do it seven times. But creating anything the user imagines… I wonder how they do it? Some form of conjuration is obviously involved." The prospect was fascinating. A magical room that was created from nothing, into whatever the summoner desired?

I wonder what sort of limits it has. If I imagined a vast desert, how big could it be? Space, like time, was a far more flexible concept for wizards than muggles, but there still seemed to be some limits on how much you could - fold? Make?

Could I create a place where there's no gravity? No sound? Where water ran uphill? Could it accurately create somewhere I've never seen but know only of by reputation?

Even fatigue-fogged and overworked, the idea was interesting enough to spark the curiosity she'd have sworn she was too worn out to feel.

They arrived at the stretch of blank wall just opposite Barnabus's tapestry. There, between the window on the far end, and the man sized-vase they stood beside, Harry began to pace, face screwed up in concentration.

"Harry!" Ron called excitedly as a highly polished door had appeared. Eagerly, Harry seized the knob, and flung it wide. The three of them crowded around the doorway, peering inside.

She couldn't help gaping, awed by what she was seeing.

Beyond lay a room the size of a large cathedral. High windows sent shafts of light down upon what looked like a city with towering walls, built of what must be objects stashed or hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhabitants. There were alleyways and roads bordered by teetering piles of broken and damaged furniture, probably hidden there by the house-elves Harry'd mentioned. There were untold thousands of books, and she felt an atavistic shiver of glee at the prospect of exploring them. She frowned at the chipped bottles of congealed potions – dangerous, that – and frowned equally at the corked, filled, bottles whose contents still shimmered. Hats, jewels, cloaks, robes, and all manner of cloth lay scattered, crumpled, or flung about. Several dinged, broken, or bloodstained weapons (and that someone had thought it necessary to hide away a bloodstained weapon said ominous things about the purpose to which it had probably been used) lay in various states of rust and ruin.

"Merlin's balls."

"Ron!" she reproved. Though truth be told, she agreed with the sentiment.

But his blunt exclamation had freed them from their moment of frozen awe.

"Right," said Harry. "Probably best not to stand around out here where anyone could walk by…" And leading the way, he entered the room.

When the door closed behind them, she looked around, still dazed at the sheer volume of illicit wonders surrounding her. Finding something specific in here would be like finding a needle in a haystack. And given that this involves magic, and probably the fruits of ill deeds or simple rulebreaking, she reflected, it's a haystack potentially mined with explosives.

"Now what?" asked Ron.

"Now," Harry began, reaching into his bag for a canteen and familiar bowl, "I try scrying one more time."

After the past few months, all of them were exquisitely familiar with the process. When Harry rose to his feet, face half dreamy-distant, half ferocious-concentration, she and Ron followed him silently.

Harry led the way as they passed by wonders, horrors (it looked like several things had died in here), and the simply bizarre. They walked by an enormous stuffed troll – and trolls had not gotten any prettier since the one almost killed her in first year – then turned left at what might be an armoire. Harry finally came to a pause by one small furniture-mountain, halting near an acid-damaged cupboard, a large rolled up carpet – possibly flying? – that leaned on it, a wig and several other beauty implements, and a crate with a bust of an ugly warlock sitting on top. She spotted the tarnished tiara – wedged half under the wig and besides a small pile of tattered quills – even before Harry reached for it.

It looks just like the model the Baron helped us make, part of her observed distantly.

Which had been the point. But it was still such a moment of disbelief, to see the real thing looking almost exactly similar, albeit tarnished with age and lack of care.

The three of them clustered round, staring at the comparatively small object sitting placidly in Harry's hands.

"I can't believe we did it," Harry admitted.

Ron crowed with triumph and Hermione felt her lips stretch into a grin. "You were the one convinced we could do it in the first place!" she rebutted, amazed at his audacity.

"Well, yes," Harry said, wryly. "But still, isn't this a little crazy? A millennia of looking, and we're the first ones to find it? It only took us a year."

"Forget about that, mate." Ron was grinning. "Let's see what it can do! Put it on."

Harry looked back down on it. "Hermione, did you ever find any instructions for this thing?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's a lost masterwork, not Zonkos merchandise with an instruction manual."

He looked down thoughtfully, and started to raise it to his head, then paused, lowered it, and abruptly held it out to her. "You worked just as much at this as I did, doing all the research. And Ron and I have noticed how hard you've been working these past few months. You keep up with classes and still find time to help us with whatever catches our attention- so here. You can try it first."

She swallowed hard, throat aching as she bit back sudden tears. That had been- one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her.

"You sure?" she asked, glancing from Harry, to Ron, then back to Harry.

Ron shrugged, looking fine with it, and Harry smiled, gently pressing it into her hands. "Go for it, Hermione," he said. "Besides, you're much more in line with the Ravenclaw house values of studying and pure love of learning and all that rot. Maybe it will work best for you."

"I would remind you both that you're straight-O students as well," she rejoined absently, attention all on the priceless, ancient, magical artifact in her hands.

Then slowly - curious, cautious, and barely breathing - she set it gently on her head.

She wasn't expecting the voice.

When Hermione started, expression morphing into shock, Harry felt a flash of horrified alarm. "Hermione!"

But her expression had already calmed again, and she signaled for silence. She tilted her head, for all the world looking like she was listening to something.

Harry exchanged glances with Ron.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this isn't it. "Hermione?" he prodded again, cautiously.

"It's odd..." she trailed off, obviously concentrating on something that neither he nor Ron could see. "Hmmm."

"What does 'hmmm' mean?" Ron burst out indignantly. Harry wasn't feeling far behind him.

Absently, Hermione replied. "It's talking to me." Her eyes fluttered closed. "It asked me what I needed help solving – says it's designed to be a magical aide to the thinking process. It'll enhance my own abilities, as well as work as a consultable receptacle of all the knowledge I, and any other users – now or ever – impart." Her eyes flew open, brown sparkling with glee. "This is brilliant. It must have interacted directly like this with Rowena Ravenclaw. My God, can you imagine the things it can tell us?"

He grinned at her sheer enthusiasm. After his repeated chats with the other intelligent, articulate, piece of founder's headgear, the idea of a circlet that talked in your mind – and gave advice – wasn't all that strange.

Please don't let it have the same personality as the Sorting Hat, though.

"Can I try?" Ron asked.

Hermione pouted, looking reluctant to hand over such an incredible object so soon. But Ron's puppy-dog eyes were surprisingly effective, so she half-heartedly handed it over.

Ron dropped it on his head with about half the caution Hermione had used, and twice the enthusiasm.

Harry watched several expressions pass over his friend's face, guessing Ron and the diadem were going through introductions. After a minute or so of silence, (while Hermione watched with impatience, looking like she might attempt to snatch the circlet back at any moment), Ron smiled, somewhat sheepishly. "I told it I wasn't the best at studying, but it says not to worry." Then he grew more excited. "Also, the more we wear it, the better it will be able to help us. If we wear it for several hours a day, whenever we study-"

The prospect captured the imagination.

Hermione was fairly humming with eagerness. Ron was obviously thrilled. "All right, you two," Harry told them both. "My turn." Hermione's expression fell and Ron sighed, then unenthusiastically passed it back.

He pondered it for a moment, then set it on his head, wondering how it'd feel to his budding occlumency. Would it be like the Hat?

Something slithered into his mind.

Hello. How may I assist-

He ripped the circlet off his head, shaking, as he hurled it away. It hit the floor with a clatter, bouncing as it skidded, before it came to rest at the foot of a dented shield and half of a broken bookcase.

Ron and Hermione were staring at him, shocked.

"I recognize that voice," he said, his own voice trembling.

"Whoah, mate." Ron stepped towards him carefully, even as Hermione's eyes darted between the diadem and Harry himself. "What do you mean?"

"It's his voice," he bit out, feeling violated. He'd had it in his mind.

They stared at him, uncomprehending.

"Voldemort's," he hissed.

Ron paled, and Hermione looked horrified. "My God," she said again. This time it sounded of terrified dread.

Neither of them did anything inane like asking if he was sure. He'd had far more interaction with that monster than either of them.

Then Hermione gasped, and clutched at his robe sleeve. "Talking." She said, rapidly. "Seducing. Trying to get us to wear it longer." In almost a whisper: "The diary."

Harry got what she was saying immediately. There was only one diary in their lives. Fury and nausea swirled in such a dizzying combination, he felt light-headed.

Ron, already pale, went first sheet white, then red with fury. "How many of these bloody things did he make?"

It was an appalling question. That they didn't know the answer was even worse.

"We need to destroy it." Ron bit out. "Now."

Hermione looked conflicted. "Destroy the diadem?"

He had to admit he understood how that felt. All that work-

We were so proud, he thought bitterly. A mystery of the centuries, and we – three third years – had solved it.

God. He thought of his earlier feeling of pride and felt sick.

Voldemort had gotten there before them. And true to form, had ruined everything he touched.

"Ron's right," he said, voice dead. "It's necessary."

"The diary was You-Know-Who's," she said, tentatively. "It was completely his creation. But Ravenclaw's diadem is older than whatever curse You-Know-Who put on it to create this magic-sucking construct. If we can destroy the evil magic without destroying the diadem..."

"He killed Ginny." Ron snarled. "Something exactly like that, killed Ginny. And you'd risk it killing again?"

She swallowed hard enough for Harry to see, but responded. "All the reasons we originally looked for the diadem are still valid. We're still decades behind You-Know-Who in knowledge and experience. We still need something to help us bridge that gap."

Ron's voice was poisonous with fury. "Like that's what you care about, right now? Don't pretend." Blue eyes were dark, murderous. "You were so eager to get your hands on the diadem, so happy. 'It must have interacted directly like this with Rowena Ravenclaw,'" he mimicked in savage falsetto.

"Ron," Harry said, warningly, because that was a little too far.

Brown eyes grew faintly watery, but Hermione lifted her chin with stubborn pride. "We were all excited," she said with careful dignity. "And if you're trying to ignore how eager you were as well-"

"That was then," Ron blazed back, voice like a cutting curse. "When we thought it was harmless." He gave a bitter laugh. "You-Know-Who booby-trapped this, and you still think we can somehow win?"

It looked like this might get ugly (it was already ugly) so Harry pulled magic into his voice, and projected-

"Stop." It echoed out, humming with the magic he'd gathered.

Both turned to look at him, Hermione teary-eyed, Ron's lips pressed thin in anger.

"Ron," he said, addressing his angry friend first. "Do you know how to destroy it?"

At that, Ron paused. "Diffindo?" he offered, suddenly uncertain. "Incendio?"

Softly, Hermione pointed out: "It probably has protection charms on it. I doubt something on the level of the general dispel would work."

Harry had to agree. Finite Incantatum was fine for a basic, all-purpose, dispelling charm for active jinxes or charms. He doubted it was up to dealing with protections formulated by Voldemort. And that was just assuming – unlikely – that Rowena hadn't imbued it with protections of her own.

"You remember what happened to the classroom when we were testing fire protections," Ron protested, referring to the incident earlier that year. His tone was already much less aggressive. "If Harry put his all into it-"

As much as Harry hated to disappoint Ron, he was already shaking his head. "I broke a protection we ourselves had created," he reminded Ron. "I think Voldemort probably did better than several third years."

"So we take it to Dumbledore!" Ron shouted.

"And explain how we found it how?" Harry shook his head again, sharply. "I want it destroyed," he said, flatly. "If we can't do it ourselves… yes. I'd take it to Dumbledore. But we do that, and we will never have the diadem."

Ron's face had crumpled, slightly. "It killed Ginny," he repeated again, sounding helpless.

"And it will be destroyed," Harry swore. "But we can't forget: it's not the only thing we need to destroy." Then, recalling his favored summer reading about Dark Lords patterns, he had a nasty thought. "Ginny was once," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen. "This is twice." He looked at the two of them, serious. "If this is a favorite tactic of his, we need to learn how to deal with it. Now. Before we run into it one day, in the middle of a disaster, when we have no time to figure it out."

At that, Ron closed his eyes, looking defeated. A silence of several minutes endured. When Ron opened his eyes again, they were tortured but steady.

Harry let out a slow, careful exhale. Thank God, he thought. That could have gone so much worse.

In all sorts of ways.

"What's the first step in destroying a curse?" he asked wizardborn and bookworm. "Can it even be done? I mean, with our level of training."

Ron's voice was gravelly, but focused. "There's a reason Gringott's hires professional curse-breakers." The ginger frowned. "Some of the tombs... really nasty stuff. Bill tells us stories sometimes – when Mum's not around to hear. And he always said, if they had no clue what was protecting a tomb, the first thing they'd do is figure out what type of curse it is. After that, you have a better chance of disarming it. And are less likely to kill yourself by setting off a trap with the wrong counter-curse."

At the mention of fatalities, their eyes were drawn back to the diadem, still lying innocently on the floor. Harry swallowed then looked up again to meet their eyes. "No one puts it on. I don't think it can influence us unless it's already got a hold, but... we don't risk it. And we lock it away, so it takes two of us to open it up."

There would be no reiteration of Ginny. Not again.

And once they learned how to break this-

Not ever.

After the shattering revelations of the weekend, tests for Harry passed in a blurry daze. Certain moments stood out with greater, crystal clarity – Flitwick's breath turning white as Harry's glacius charm froze the air; harvesting puffapods, the large, pink, seedpods overflowing in Hermione's cupped hands; watching his tortoise, previously a teapot, slowly crawl away in transfiguration – but most of the week seemed oddly distant and unimportant.

It was a very good thing he'd known all his subjects backwards and forwards, and hadn't needed any last minute cramming. Otherwise, his marks would surely have suffered.

But even after acknowledging that fact, he still felt somewhat removed.

Drained, he realized, leaning against the wall as he waited for Ron and Hermione to arrive. I feel drained.

The year had been a roller-coaster, and the high note that he'd expected to end it on had turned into a nightmarish drop instead.

Well, at least I know what I'll be studying this summer, he thought grimly.

Wandless magic. Occlumency.

And curse-breaking.

The last was a priority all three of them shared. Bill, he rather suspected, was going to be surprised by his younger brother's sudden ardent interest in his career.

Harry's eyes caught on a neatly robed figure who was staring out one of the windows looking down into the courtyard. Cocking his head, he took in Professor Aesalon's distant gaze.

Curiosity ate at him. He'd expected something spectacular or painful to happen to the man by now. That the older wizard had managed to avoid the defense curse so far was interesting.

He considered approaching and asking about it. And why not?

He quieted his mind, then slowly drifted toward the man, coming to a stop at a respectful distance. "Professor?"

Aesalon turned toward him without hurry and nodded in acknowledgement. "Mr. Potter."

Harry shifted on his feet. The impulse to approach the man had been only half thought out, but it was rather too late to turn and walk away now. "I guess I was wrong then, sir."

And I'm kind of wondering why.

Aesalon cocked his head, and his eyes sharpened. "Oh? About what?"

"That you wouldn't be here next year."

"Ah." Aesalon turned back, looking out the window once more. "I'm afraid I must tell you that you were, in fact, correct. I will not be returning to teach defense next year."

He rocked back on his heels, surprised. And somewhat disappointed. For all that Aesalon had been a little odd, he'd also been a pretty brilliant professor, if a demanding one.

And he, at least, hasn't tried to hurt or kill me in any capacity. So far.

"Is it because of the defense curse?" he ventured.

"Perhaps," Aesalon said, vaguely. "Such things work in mysterious ways. Let me just say that I wasn't surprised to have my plans changed."

Well that was clear as mud.

But whatever the real story behind Aesalon's departure, Harry had a feeling he wouldn't be getting it.

"Why the questions?" his professor – ex-professor? – asked.

"I'm interested in curse-breaking," he admitted, figuring that was a safe enough answer. "And the defense curse is, well, pretty relevant to us here at Hogwarts, you know?" He shrugged.

"Particularly given who is theorized to have caused it, I imagine," Aesalon murmured.

"What?"

"You don't know?" Aesalon raised an eyebrow. "It's all speculation, of course. But it's fairly widespread and accepted speculation, among those interested in such fields." Dark eyes drifted to his scar, then out over the castle. "There aren't many wizards powerful enough to stalemate Albus Dumbledore even once. Much less for years."

Voldemort, then, he thought darkly. Has to be.

The evil wizard had more than enough malice, too. Although he must have felt particularly strongly about the issue, to have birthed an old magic of such strength and lasting malevolence.

"I took this job for several reasons," Aesalon said, drawing him from his thoughts. "One of them – a small one – was curiosity about you."

He could pretend coyness, but what was the point?

"We'd guessed," he'd admitted.

Aesalon didn't question the plural. "Yes, your Miss Granger and Mister Weasley promise to be a formidable pair. Remarkable loyalty." A few seconds pause, and the older wizard sighed. "Titus Peters is a friend of mine."

The way Aesalon said that, the name should mean something to him. Harry was, however, absolutely drawing a blank.

A small smile quirked one corner of the professor's lips. "He led the auror squad who was here last year."

Oh. Oh. Aesalon's words brought the memory of the man back to mind. Salt and pepper hair, gruff, and an impressively commanding presence, but also quietly sympathetic when they'd found Ginny's body, and surprisingly protective. They probably hadn't shared more than a few hundred words and a half hour, but the captain had left a good impression.

"He talked about me?" Harry asked.

"Some," Aesalon said. "Nothing gossipy, or extensive. But it was enough to make me accept this assignment rather than another."

Harry scowled slightly, looking down at the ground. He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that Peters had been talking about him. I guess I should be used to it by now.

That didn't mean he had to like it. But at least, from what Aesalon said, the auror captain had been fairly restrained.

"Your friends have arrived," the professor said. Harry looked back up from the ground, turning to see Ron and Hermione walking down the hall.

"I should go, then," he said, and waved to catch their attention. Ron waved back and Hermione smiled, and they both changed bearings to head toward him. "Thank you for teaching us this year, professor. You were very good."

"It was a pleasure," the man said, simply. "Have an enjoyable summer, Mr. Potter."

Enjoyable wasn't likely, what with heading towards the Dursleys. "You too," he muttered back, then took off for his friends.

It wasn't until he was climbing aboard the train that he realized there'd been something odd about that last exchange with Professor Aesalon. At the time, he'd been distracted first by his discomfort over being gossiped over, then by the appearance of his friends.

Assignment? He wondered. Funny way to talk about a job offer.

But exams were over and Hermione and Ron were loudly debating the relative merits of starting an Exploding Snap game as soon as the three of them grabbed a compartment, so he shrugged, smiled, and focused on enjoying the last day he'd have with his friends until Hogwarts started once more.

Hours later, Harry sighed as he watched his pro-offered knight be ritually slaughtered, wincing when the black queen stomped on said knight's face with one delicately slippered heel. Helm or no helm, that had to hurt.

Ron's chess set was disturbingly violent sometimes.

Across from where he and Ron had set up their game, Hermione snuffled in her sleep from her sprawl over the other booth seat. The girl had only stayed awake through a few games of Snap before her eyelids were drooping. By now she'd been snoozing for the better part of two hours.

Exams must have tired her out even more than we thought.

Ron followed his gaze to land on their sleeping friend. "You ever find it amusing that everyone's convinced Hermione's just a nice, polite, girl we drag along on our crazy adventures while she tries to restrain us?"

He raised an eyebrow. "As opposed to an enthusiastic enabler always willing to help us in our search, and who set fire to a professor in her first year here? And started a brawl with another girl in her second, just to create an opportunity to snatch a hair from her for illegal polyjuice use?"

Honestly, the wonder was that Hermione hadn't been the one put in Slytherin.

"Exactly," Ron said, sliding his bishop several spaces.

He shrugged. "It is pretty impressive, isn't it?" He contemplated their sleeping friend. "She always follows the rules in class. I guess that means people assume she always follows the rules everywhere."

"More fool them, then."

He leaned back, staring at the board as he tried to figure out the significance of Ron's latest move. "Agreed."

Privet Drive was… Privet Drive. His aunt and uncle were unhappy to see him return, and happiest when he wasn't seen at all. Dudley continued to flee at the slightest hint that Harry might be casting magic – really, the pathological fear of magic his aunt and uncle had managed to instill in the boy was as extensive as it was uninformed – and Harry did his level best to spend as little time around his family as possible.

It seemed the best solution for all involved. And if the first few weeks of the school break didn't exactly speed by, well, he'd had worse summers.

And at least this time I'm getting letters…

He glanced down at the most recent news from Ron, skimming back over the contents. Amidst words about daily life, ("Mum's super proud: Percy got like five hundred N.E.W.T.S…"), information squeezed out of his brother regarding curse-breaking, ("Bill says he'll be visiting and I can ask him all my questions then,"), and response to Harry's latest query, ("I don't think my parents would let me accept a broom from you if you sent it by owl, maybe best hold on to it until we get back to Hogwarts-") had been bubbling excitement over the chance to attend the 422nd Quidditch World Cup.

Harry's breath caught as a pang of sheer want coursed through him.

There'd be wizards and witches from all over the world attending. Ireland had flattened Peru in the semi-finals, so they'd be matching up against Bulgaria, who had Victor Krum – widely regarded as the finest up and coming seeker in the entire sport. Even Hermione would be going.

He kicked his foot against the desk, feeling sulky. It's not fair.

"Harry Potter is sad?"

At Dobby's words, Harry looked over. Hiring the house-elf, part time, had been the best idea he'd ever had. Even within the restrictions of avoiding notice and use of magic, Dobby was surprisingly handy to have around. And was someone to talk to, occasionally, even if the house-elf wasn't exactly the best conversationalist. "A little, I guess." He sighed. "I really want to go to the World Cup. But my aunt and uncle would have a cow." He frowned. "A full grown one with mad cow disease."

Dobby scowled a little. Dobby, Harry had come to realize, did not approve of Harry's family at all. "Dobby thinks that Harry Potter is a great wizard, sir, and should do whatever he wants."

Harry smiled a little at the stubbornness in Dobby's voice. The house-elf was one being, he knew, who would always take Harry's side. "It's not quite that easy, Dobby. I mean, I'm pretty sure I could still get tickets – the match isn't for at least another month. Not very good tickets, maybe, but passable. It's getting there and back without my aunt and uncle noticing. Trying to hire a cab would be hideously expensive, and take hours."

"Dobby could take you there," the house-elf piped enthusiastically.

Harry stared, surprised. "What? You mean, like you do? With the appearing and disappearing? You can take people with you?"

Dobby nodded, looking thrilled to have a solution to Harry's problem. "Harry Potter must trust Dobby though. If Harry Potter's magic fought Dobby-" the house-elf's voice dropped to a whisper. "Very very bad things, sir. Very bad."

Well, if that was the only sticking point… "You know I trust you, Dobby."

Hopefully, exposure would make Dobby's star struck looks a little more rare. Or less disturbing.

One way or another, one of them was sure to acclimatize.

Then, just really realizing what had happened, he grinned. "You know what this means? I'm going to the World Cup!" He dove for the nearest writing implement. "I have to write Ron." Not that they'd probably be able to meet up at all, since Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were still pretending Harry didn't exist. (And if that ached still, Harry, in turn, would pretend it didn't.) But he still had to share the news. And who knew? Maybe Ron could slip away for a bit.

Then, just as he moved to put quill to parchment, he paused, and turned back to the being that'd made all this possible. "Hey Dobby?"

"Yes, Harry Potter sir?"

"Want a ticket as well?"

Huge eyes welled with tears of gratitude, and Harry smiled. He doubted Dobby was a quidditch fan any more than Hermione was, but Harry knew how much it meant to the house-elf, to be treated as if he had as many rights as any witch or wizard.

"Two tickets it is, then." It wouldn't be the same as watching elbow to elbow with his best friends, and the seats wouldn't be as good as the Top Box seats Mr. Weasley had apparently gotten from work, but it was more than he'd thought he'd have even this morning.

And on my own, he realized, I'll be able to explore as much as I want.

Ron was going to be so jealous.

He smirked. This is going to be great.

Chapter end

Canon Notes:
Regarding widespread instantaneous knowledge of Voldemort's defeat: Hagrid said to Harry about people on the night of his parent's death, "Some of 'em came outta kinda trances." – I assume this is a kid-friendly reference to imperious. Also, imperio'd people can apparently imperio others. I'm assuming (hoping?) there's some sort of diminishing returns involved in the chain…

Dementors, oh those lovable anthro-personifications of depression. Despite Fudge's quote about them "breeding" in HBP, we have Word-of-God statement from J.K. Rowling that they cannot be killed, and they do not breed, but rather "grow like fungus" where there is decay. Make of that information what you will.

Boggarts and poltergeists being amortal non-beings is also canon. There is a suggestion of the possibility (from the WOMBAT test from J.K. Rowling's site) that house-elves are actually equally (or possibly even more greatly) tied to the buildings families inhabit, than to families themselves. (Dobby describes the house-elf "enslavement" as "bound to serve one house and one family forever" in CoS.) A Puffapod is a magical plant that produces large, pink seedpods filled with shining beans.

Parts of Dobby's dialogue is lifted, word-for-word, from the books where appropriate.

Other Notes:
I really, really, tried – promise – to not have to break this chapter in two. As you probably noticed, given we haven't gotten to the Hogwart's Opening Feast, I'm afraid I failed. As it is, you got 14,000 words, (and the diadem located at last), so I hope it's not too big a disappointment.

Also, Hagrid and house-elves, why do you make me suffer with your dialects and queer verbal quirks?

Someone suggested Forging the Sword's summary was perhaps a bit too… opaque? You must tell me, dear readers, do you think there are ways my summary can be improved?

Next chapter:

Ron swallowed as the students all turned to stare at him.

There had been a time Ron dreamed of fame. There had been mirror, three years ago, that showed him as a prefect, as a quidditch captain, as adored and respected and fêted.

Watching the numerous eyes watching him, he took it all back.

Why oh why had he agreed to be Niffler Club President again?

Somehow, he was sure this was all. Harry's. fault.

(It might have something to do with the slightly malevolent giggles the other boy had come down with, when they'd planned out this first meeting.)

13. Part Two: and lift your blade

Forging the Sword (Book Two):
Chapter 13: And Lift Your Blade

As excited as Harry was at the prospect of attending the World Cup, nothing changed the fact that it was still more than a month away. The match would occur a scant week before Hogwarts' term started.

He still had a summer of studying to do. Ticking his fingers off, he went over his priorities again: Occlumency. Wandless Magic. Curse-Breaking.

Hermione's most recent letter had been enlightening in several ways, as she'd finally found time and energy to look up both Hagrid's Black bloke, and curse-breaking. The Black issue had gone nowhere. The only wizarding Black family members in the books were now deceased or in Azkaban, and it was still in question whether the one Hagrid knew was even from the same pureblood British family. In either case – dead or in prison – it was understandable enough why Hagrid hadn't wanted to talk about it.

An oddly unsatisfactory ending to a little mystery, but Harry was just as glad not to have yet another thing to investigate.

Curse-breaking, however. He picked up the book Dobby had bought for him earlier that morning. Curse-breaking is much more promising.

Bill wouldn't be visiting the Weasleys 'til closer to the World Cup, so for now the three of them would have to make do with books as their primary information source. But from what Hermione wrote, and from the reading Harry had done so far, it wasn't certain they'd be able to accomplish their goal of removing Voldemort's taint from the diadem. Hermione did have hope that the three of them would at least be able to figure out what curse Voldemort had used.

Whether they'd actually be able to break that curse without outside help… well. That would depend on which curse it was.

He turned the book over in his hands, feeling the solid weight of numerous pages. It was a pretty large book. The comprehensive introduction to the subject, according to Bill.

Underage magic restrictions mean none of us can practice casting over the summer. Not even the curse-breaking diagnostic or divining charms.

He sighed. So that leaves the part I like the least.

He dropped down on his bed, and cracked open the book, resisting the urge to sulk.

Reading.

Ron had always been dimly aware that Percy was one of those people. By which he didn't mean a ponce – although Percy had done a great job of that for years too – but one of those straight-O overachievers that every parent seemed to want their kid to imitate. The type that got twelve O.W.L.S., and top scores on their N.E.W.T.S.. The type with two years of prefect, then the head boy badge. The type that got promising, excellent, positions in the ministry right out of Hogwarts. That type.

Bill, for all that he'd also displayed most of those markers, was not – quite – that type. Bill was, Ron had to admit, just too cool for it. Too unwilling to conform.

Charlie, of course, had been mad for dragons from first storybook, and hadn't bothered with any subject that didn't get him closer to them.

The twins… enough said.

So, Percy.

Percy, who had started his job at the Department of International Magical Cooperation this morning. Who had returned with an expression that Ron had only started seeing on him since Ginny's murder. A kind of bland, unassuming blankness.

It'd been an expression that cracked more often than not, in the beginning.

It didn't crack much anymore.

(And if that disturbed Ron a little, as just one more proof of how his world had changed, he shoved it away.)

Still, the very fact that Percy was looking so nonchalant – instead of humming with suppressed excitement like when he left that morning – was proof something was up. So when Ron snuck down to the kitchen for a midnight snack and found his father and Percy taking tea in the kitchen, he didn't quietly retreat. Instead, he sank to the floor just out of view, and waited. Listening.

After a few long minutes, (Ron painfully resisting the urge to shift), Percy broke the silence. "Mr. Crouch keeps calling me Whetherby."

Ron winced at that, but their Dad just made a kind of noncommittal humming noise.

"I corrected him." Percy said. "Politely. Several times. And he just…keeps mangling my name." Emotion had made it into Ron's older brother's voice at last. Pure bewilderment suffused his next words: "I don't know why."

Their dad made another sound that could have meant anything. It was a pretty unhelpful answer, Ron thought.

Percy must have agreed, because his next sentence was tinged with frustration. "He's the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. His memory can't be that bad?"

From the sound of the question, Percy didn't know what answer he preferred.

"Crouch addresses me properly," their dad replied gently. It was answer enough. The man could hardly have missed the familial connection.

Another minute of charged silence. Then-

"Why is my boss calling me names?" Percy burst out. "It's…" Ron heard a soft swish of robes, as if a hand was groping through the air. "It's bloody unprofessional, if nothing else." Like a broken dam, the words poured out. "You warned me, last summer, about corruption. But this isn't corruption, or letting Death Eaters off completely free-"

(What? Ron thought wildly, jerking to attention.)

"This is just- I don't even know what it is! Him confusing me with someone else? Him being mean? Him trying to prove a point? Him protesting my hiring even though he must have approved it?"

A half-hitched breath, so quick Ron wasn't sure he'd heard it, and Percy continued, his voice a little softer, showing the effort it took to stay in control. "If… things had been different. I might have just assumed that he was testing me. That I had to be worthy. He seems to be stern but… respected. Sharp and by-the-book, but admired for it. He gets things done."

Wow, Ron thought. Percy sounds so… the thought petered out, as he tried to grasp what exactly he'd heard in his older brother's voice. Uncertain, he decided. But not just uncertain. Disappointed?

Like a dream had been snatched away.

Unseen by the pair in the kitchen, Ron made a face. Had Percy actually wanted a stuck-up, rule-abiding, bureaucrat boss?

Then again, this was Percy.

And, well, their Dad was a pretty good Dad. Easy-going, kind, and even with seven children, always able to make time if they needed to talk. But… sometimes Ron thought their Dad didn't really relate to Percy. Or at least, that Percy didn't relate back. An older bloke, who seemed to embody what Percy wanted to be: respected, admired, deferred to and acknowledged for his ability to get things done…

It was like looking at the world sideways, but Ron could kind of see, sort of, maybe, why Percy would want that.

"And if it's not a test?" their Dad prodded gently.

"I don't know!" A thud, and the sloshing of liquid, as – tea? – spilled over the rim of a cup set down with too much force. "I don't know." It was repeated, softer.

Helplessly: "This wasn't what I wanted."

Another sound like moving robes or a moving body – a hand reaching out to clasp a shoulder? A hug? – and Ron knew he wouldn't like the way they'd react if they caught him listening.

I'd better go.

He rose as silently as he could, holding his breath, and retreating back up to his bedroom, avoiding squeaky stairs and floorboards with the practiced ease of a decade of such trips.

But what was that about corruption in the Ministry?

Then, as his stomach growled: I never even got my snack.

Questions and hunger took a long time to settle into uneasy sleep.

Harry stared as he wandered, trying (and probably failing) not to gawk.

The World Cup campgrounds were awesome.

Huge, too. And crowded. And filled with wizards and witches from the far corners of the globe.

Harry'd been through Diagon Alley several times, but that neat zig-zag of colorful shops could hardly compare with the display in front of him. Early-morning light revealed grounds populated with a bewildering array of 'tents' that looked more like buildings. The dwellings ranged from fantastical creations like the miniature palace made of striped silk he'd passed a ways back, to the full house (complete with turrets!) on his left, to the tent up ahead with its own (in full bloom!) front garden attached.

He could recognize influences, if not exact origins, in some: the brightly colored rounded dome towers he'd seen in a postcard of Moscow, the curving upsweep of the roof corners that paid homage to was some flavor of Asian architecture, and those white pillars that brought to mind ancient Greco-Roman temples.

But others were harder to pinpoint: here, a tent that seemed to be not pitched, but grown from interwoven trees; there a triangular creation of silk and shimmering web-work. Taking up space enough for a half dozen normal tents was a vast open-air silk pavilion where wizards in foreign dress lounged on pillows around low tables. Farther back across the moor, he could even see sets of circular canvas-like tents (and animals that had to be horses, but with a flowing elegance that suggested a genetic kinship closer to unicorns than anything as mundane as muggle-bred mounts).

Everywhere he looked, there was something new, wondrous, or amazing to see.

He'd known, in a distant way, that the wizarding world was bigger than just Great Britain. But this was the first time he'd really understood what that meant. A dozen languages, a hundred sights and sounds, and – despite the apparent best efforts of an entire team of beleaguered ministry workers – magic everywhere.

He loved magic, and Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, but muggle-raised as he was, he'd have to have been blind to miss how, well, small the magic world had seemed. A tiny, cult-like community, almost.

But this was an entire people.

"Harry Potter, sir, is pleased?"

He glanced down to meet Dobby's eyes, and couldn't help smiling. "Yeah. It's awesome. I never really understood, you know? How many of us there are. Hogwarts is so small, compared to all this." He spread his hands wide, trying to encompass the whole of it.

Dobby's eyes followed the gesture, but the alien features were, for once, difficult for Harry to read. Harry felt his face flush, a touch of humiliation breaking through his amazement. "I guess I must seem pretty stupid to you. You've seen it all before, right?"

"Oh no sir!" Dobby shook his head so hard his ears flopped about. "Harry Potter is not stupid. Could never be stupid. And Dobby has never walked among wizards like this!"

Which doesn't necessarily mean you haven't seen it before, Harry noted silently. For all that Dobby seemed to be overly emotional, enthusiastic, and incapable of lying… Harry had begun to realize that there was a lot to be learned from what his house-elf friend didn't say.

Like how I learned that it's not what he did when given orders that is important, because he had to follow those. It's how he manages to do stuff he's not been specifically ordered to do.

But he didn't want to confront Dobby about it. The house-elf had been enslaved to a brutal master for decades, and managed to survive. Picking at what had let his friend do so…

It just seems wrong.

"Having fun, then?" Harry asked instead.

"Dobby is glad Harry Potter asked him to come!"

Which, again, isn't the same thing as a yes.

Biting back a sigh, Harry started up his wandering again, drifting through the magical hordes. He was still amazed by everything he saw – and the stuff that was being sold! – but he'd been shaken out of his wide-eyed daze.

So this time, he noticed the looks.

There was nothing hostile about them, really. Nothing unwelcome or aggressive or disapproving. But when the eyes skimmed across him, and then Dobby, and the two of them occasionally chatting back and forth…

Harry hadn't seen so many double-takes since the time that Fred and George Weasley had managed to enchant Gildroy Lockhart's hairbrush to turn the fraud's obsessively-cared for blond mane into multicolored afro-spikes.

That shriek of horror had been heard several floors away.

"You don't have to stick around, if you don't want to," he told Dobby.

Wide, perfectly round eyes blinked back up at him in surprise. Uncomfortable, Harry shrugged. "If you're not having fun, I mean. I can just… keep wandering. We can meet back up later."

Dobby frowned. "Harry Potter is not to wander around alone."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I think I can take care of myself. I get top marks in defense, you know. Besides," he waved a hand at the crowds, "it's not like I could be alone here, even if I wanted to. Can't go fifteen seconds without almost bumping into someone."

There was the quietest of mutters from Dobby.

Harry blinked. Did he really just say "That be what Dobby be worried about," under his breath?

"What?" he asked out loud.

"Dobby is remembering Harry Potter's stories. Harry Potter is great powerful wizard. But Harry Potter is most humble wizard too!"

As much as it was nice to be appreciated, he wasn't sure what the house-elf was getting at. "Okay…?"

Somehow, in a way he couldn't quite describe, the stare Dobby was giving him contained the slightest flavor of Hermione when she thought Harry was being unimaginably dense.

"Harry Potter be sure to beat bad wizards! But… how Harry Potter beat supporters of his amazingness?"

Supporters of my…? Oh. Urk.

His utter confidence vanished as quickly as it came. Monsters, incompetent teachers, Voldemort- maybe he wouldn't come out on top, but Harry had proven he was damned hard to kill as well. Harry might lose, but he would make it hurt.

But Harry Potter fans?

He shuddered, remembering previous trips to Diagon Alley. Getting almost swarmed in his first trip to The Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid. Lockhart grabbing him and pulling him up by the back of his neck in front of an entire crowd of middle-aged witches and reporters at the bookshop…

He glanced around again at the vast crowds of magical people surrounding him, pulling his hat lower down on his head. Oh God. I'd be crushed.

Still, he hadn't been recognized yet, despite the attention his casual friendship with Dobby was drawing. And Dobby had yet to say he actually wanted to stay.

I'm fourteen years old. I can handle myself for a day.

"Go ahead and get out of here," Harry told his friend. "Go do whatever you want. I'm pretty sure you're not comfortable with all the stares." When Dobby looked like he might object, Harry hurried on: "Dobby, I can't have fun if I feel like I'm dragging you along while you're not having fun. And I'm pretty sure that right now, you're not having fun at all."

Dobby appeared to consider him for a second, then beamed at him brightly. "Harry Potter proves he be great wonderful friend again. Dobby will do what Dobby wants."

"Sounds brill." Harry stared up at the sky, calculating outcomes. He didn't have a campsite, so he'd have to go back to the Dursley's to sleep, even if the match hadn't finished by then. But although he'd left a note for his Aunt and Uncle before he sneaked out of the house that morning, he was just as happy to put off any confrontation as long as possible. "Want to meet back up at 11 pm? At the exit to the Quidditch stadium?" That was one landmark he was sure he'd still be able to find, even in the near-pitch darkness that would descend come nighttime, this far away from city lights.

"Dobby will be there!"

"Brill," he said again, then smiled. "Ta then."

Dobby bowed, then pop'd away.

Right. Well, now that's taken care of… Harry turned a slow circle, trying to orient himself in the crowds. I've still got an hour before the match starts – so where do I want to go next?

Hermione followed along on Mr. Weasley's heels as they moved through the Quidditch World Cup campgrounds, barely noticing Ron's occasional gentle nudges and pulls as he kept her on track. Because how could she concentrate on where she was going, when there was so much to see?

"Is it always like this?" she asked Ron, feeling vaguely like Harry's owl as she swiveled her head from sight to sight.

"Dunno." She could hear the shrug in his voice, but her eyes remained fix on the fantasy-like palace made entirely of colored cloth in front of her. Were those peacocks in front of it? "We've never been before. England hasn't hosted the Cup since before I was born."

She turned her head to look at him at last. "So it's a pretty big deal?"

Ron's blue eyes were brilliant with excitement. "A very big deal," he confirmed. "The other ones were all out of the country, but even with the Cup being here in Britain, we might not have been able to come if Dad hadn't gotten tickets through work."

Which had been an interesting, if somewhat censored, dinner story. Something about someone named Ludo, whose brother got in trouble over a lawnmower with unnatural powers…

Why on Earth would a wizard enchant a lawnmower? And what did it do?

It was pretty impressive, though. Mr. Weasley seemed to know everybody. He'd kept up a fairly constant stream of comments all the way to retrieve the water and back. ("That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office... Here comes Gilbert Wimple; he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms; he's had those horns for a while now...")

She glanced at the small, tightly curled horns poking through curly hair, just like the Greek myths of fawns and satyrs. So does he still have the horns because he likes them, or because they can't get rid of them?

With wizards, who could say? Transfiguration should make vanishing them easy enough… but if he was on an experimental committee maybe it was an accident they couldn't yet fix. In any case, before she could decide if it'd be rude to ask, the man had already disappeared again into the sea of witches and wizards.

By the time they reached their camp again, Mr. Weasley had pointed out an obliviator, two unspeakables, an auror, a secretary for the improper use of magic department, a diplomat for the being division in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and a member of the Floo Regulation Committee.

Ron was apparently used to it, because he didn't seem all that captivated. But from what her friend had said, she'd gotten the impression that even though Mr. Weasley headed the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, he wasn't really that important.

That wasn't what she was seeing now.

Well, maybe he isn't important important, but he sure seems to know a lot of people.

Though come to think of it, hadn't he sponsored a bill a year or two ago? The one that Lucius Malfoy had been so determined to foil that he'd placed the Diary in Ginny's hands. And before that, she'd heard from Harry that Mrs. Weasley had said something about Mr. Weasley deliberately writing loopholes into one of the laws so he could make his magical car…

She stared at the man. He was kneeling by the fire, trying to light a match. The evidence of failed attempts lay all around him in splintered litter. Finally he managed to spark one into flame – and promptly dropped it in surprise.

She tilted her head.

It's like looking at one of those illusion drawings.

One way: friend's father, kind of silly about muggles, a good man. Another way: writes and sponsors his own laws with private loopholes, trades favors for favors, knows everyone in the Ministry by name.

Both are true.

Which meant seeing him only one way… would be false.

"Dad's been having fun with matches," Fred sighed.

At her side, Ron was rolling his eyes. "Want to help him, Hermione?"

"Of course." She shook herself out of her thoughts but tucked them away carefully for later contemplation, then stepped closer to the fire. "Here Mr. Weasley, let me show you how it's done."

An hour later, and she was reconfirming the odd but long known truth that making breakfast over a campfire guarantees it will taste twice as good as the same breakfast prepared in the convenience of your home.

They were halfway done with their sausage and eggs when Mr. Weasley leapt to his feet, waving a greeting towards the main thoroughfare. Curious, she turned to see who he was hailing.

Bouncing toward them was a wizard who was not even pretending to fit in with muggles. He was dressed in black and yellow striped quidditch robes, with a giant wasp stretched across a vast, flabby chest that might have once – a long time ago – been sleekly muscled.

"The man of the moment!" Mr. Weasley cried. "Ludo Bagman! Good to see you."

Hmm… the Ludo with the brother who got in trouble, I suppose? So he's the one who arranged for the tickets.

"Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily. He was walking as though he had springs attached to the balls of his feet, and charismatic enthusiasm radiated outward to all nearby as he bounced up to their camp all aquiver.

"Arthur, old man," Bagman continued, "what a day, eh? Perfect weather, a cloudless night ahead, everyone abuzz with excitement – I've barely anything to do!"

Hermione glanced askance from Bagman to the crowded chaos in the background. The assorted ministry officials on hand had utterly failed to restrain wizards into anything at all like orderly attendance, and their boss had nothing to do?

Right.

"Mr. Bagman," Percy said calmly, standing smoothly. "How wonderful to meet you. Since you've said you have a bit of free time, might I have a word? I've been trying to schedule an appointment with you on behalf of Mr. Crouch, my boss. I assure you it won't take but a moment."

"Ah." The middle-aged wizard's ebullience collapsed around the edges. He looked vaguely hunted. "Ah. And you are…?"

Mr. Weasley stepped forward. "My son, Percy," he introduced. "He's just joined the Ministry. Oh, and this is Fred - no, George, sorry - that's Fred - Bill, Charlie, Ron, and Ron's friend, Hermione Granger. Everyone, this is Ludo Bagman. I told you all, he's the one who got us these splendid tickets…"

"We're very grateful, Mr. Bagman" Percy spoke up, cutting short Bagman's attempt at a wave of benevolent nonchalance. Unashamedly blunt as only a Gryffindor could be, Percy continued with: "But about that appointment…?"

"Look," said Bagman, a little testily. "I know what this is about. I've already told him! Barty Crouch foisted Bertha Jorkins off on the rest of us in the Ministry years ago when he hired her then transferred her out of his Department. Now that her vacation abroad seems to have finally helped her get her head on straight, he doesn't get to poach her back." He jabbed his chin in the air, and turned back the way he came. "And tell Crouch that's my final word on the matter!"

It was rather more a flouncing off than a storming, but there was no mistaking his displeasure.

"Son," Mr. Weasley said, wincing a little, "perhaps this wasn't the best time…"

Percy was unrepentant. "If he knew what Mr. Crouch wanted, why didn't he just see me and say so? He wasted his time and made me look bad. I've been trying to make an appointment with Mr. Bagman for two weeks. Requesting Bertha Jorkin's transfer back to the Department was the first task Mr. Crouch assigned me. Even a flat refusal is better than trying to explain to Mr. Crouch, yet again, that I've not had the chance to ask."

Hermione had to wince at Percy's frustration. Two weeks without being even able to schedule an appointment does sound like the kind of thing that gets you certified as an incurable incompetent.

Mr. Weasley sighed. "I know, Percy. I know." He ran his hand through his hair, then shook his head. "Ah, well. No use dwelling on it." He sent them all a beaming smile. "After all, it's about time we get ready to head out for the Cup!"

She stood as everyone else scrambled to their feet, but as she stacked her dishes to take them into the Weasley's improbable tent, (to be magically cleaned later out of muggle eyesight), part of her wondered again at that seamless shift Mr. Weasley seemed able to employ at will.

From wincing at his son's tactlessness to grinning at the prospect of the upcoming match…

The World Cup was turning out to be even more interesting than she expected.

Ron felt his muscles trembling. Hermione's hand was digging so hard into his bicep that she'd probably leave bruises.

The stadium was amazing. The seats were amazing. They'd said hello to the minister himself! Everything was perfect.

And then he had arrived. Him and his snobby wife and his rat of a son.

"You can't!" Hermione was whispering in his ear. "Everyone's here. Watching. Recording. The aurors are all around us. That's the Minister for Magic!"

Ron didn't care. Malfoy was so close, and all Ron could think of was Ginny. Ginny should be here. And the man who murdered her dared to be here instead?

His hand twitched toward the pocket where his wand was stored. Hermione's other arm wrapped around it, joining her first. Dimly, Ron was aware that from a distance it probably looked like she was just one more girlfriend hanging on her boyfriend's arm.

"Please Ron," she hissed, sounding desperate. Scared. "Remember your plan."

The plan, he thought, almost emotionlessly. The one to prove Malfoy's crimes. To break his reputation. To take everything the man valued and grind it to dust.

Far away, at Hogwarts, it had seemed like a good plan. But Malfoy was right here.

In Hermione's quiet whisper, desperation froze into something sharper. "Do you want to get me killed?"

Hermione. Dead?

For the first time, he took his eyes off his target, meeting hers instead. "Hermione?"

Her eyes held a despairing strength. "If you attack," she said lowly, "I'll move with you. And when they take you down, they'll take me down as well."

The threat – the blackmail, he knew it was blackmail – jolted him.

"Please Hermione-"

"Let you do this alone?" she interrupted him quietly. And in the midst of her terror and despair, Ron could see the beginnings of cold anger. "Let you throw away a year and a half of ceaseless, grueling, work in the heat of the moment? My effort? Harry's effort? Your own? For a suicidal attack likely to fail?"

For one fraught moment, he hated her.

Hated her for her strength. Her determination. Her logic. For being right.

Then he closed his eyes, and tried to focus on the fledgling occlumency exercises he'd managed to complete. When that proved insufficient, he focused on his friend instead. The feel of Hermione's fingers digging into his arm. The warm strength of her. "Get me out of here."

It might have been a demand. It might have been a plea.

Ron didn't know what excuses she made. He rose when she tugged him up; he moved when she pulled him along. He couldn't look at the murderer without losing his mind, so he focused only on the one thing in the world with him that he could purely trust.

He breathed, followed Hermione's lead, and let the rest fade away.

By the time Harry finally found the row of his seat in the huge stadium, the announcer was halfway through introducing the Irish National team as they zoomed onto the field. ("-Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand -Lynch!")

I shouldn't have spent so much time at the stadium shop…

Still, his seat was far enough from the action that he would need the omnioculars to see what was going on, so he couldn't count the time as a waste, even if he felt rather embarrassed at his lateness now. Squeezing past the knees of various already seated wizards and witches, he felt a momentary flash of awkwardness (and why was there no option other than sticking either your butt or your crotch in the faces of people who were sitting?) Up ahead was an empty space that had to be his waiting seat. End in sight, he tried to speed up, eager to be done with it.

Which of course meant he promptly tripped over a bag sitting by one wizard's feet, and almost face planted in the lap of a blond witch, maybe a few years older than him. He barely caught himself in time, slamming hands out to the hard wood of the bench next to her.

His brain was still trying to catch up with his new spatial location when a grouchy voice intruded. "Well boy, you going to stay like that forever?"

At the sound of the elderly but imperious voice, Harry jerked back upright, feeling the burn of heat on his face. "Sorry! Really, very sorry." He cautiously straightened up, shaking out stinging palms which had borne the brunt of the impact. "I just… tripped."

"Do not worry yourself." Her accent was a faint lilt but nothing he could identify. "This is your seat?" She indicated the empty space next to her.

"Of course it's his seat," was the cranky comment from the wizard sitting on the other side of the open space. The voice matched. "Why else would he be here?"

The girl's face was the depiction of aggrieved longsuffering. "I was attempting to be polite."

"Yeah," Harry confirmed, not knowing quite what to say, but wanting to forestall any conflict. "This is my seat." Settled in safely, he turned to the outspoken man he'd most likely be sitting next to for the foreseeable future. And blinked.

Er. Is that a nightgown? A woman's nightgown? With flowers on it?

While wandering about in search of his designated seat, he'd noticed that the uniform of the attendees was as eclectic as it was eccentric. Some of the wizards and witches had discarded their muggle costumes entirely, in favor of robes in the colors of Bulgaria or Ireland's teams. Others (especially up by the commentators) were clad in fancier creations.

Probably the ambassadors and ministers and other rich people, he guessed.

But some people were – for whatever reason – still dressed as muggles.

Or, he thought, sliding his glance to the right, dressed like they apparently think muggles dress.

"I'm Archie," the man said, thrusting a wrinkled hand out at him. Archie looked pretty old – maybe as old as Dumbledore – and seemed to be every bit as stubbornly unusual. Or perhaps crazy was the right word.

"Harry," he answered, briefly shaking the proffered hand. Immediately after, he turned his eyes towards the pitch, where the teams were beginning to line up in front of the referee. Maybe if I look completely absorbed with the game, he'll leave me alone?

"Got distracted by the veelas, did you?"

And maybe not. "What?" He took his eyes off the sky, turning to look at Archie. "What are veelas?"

Humor lit ancient brown eyes. "Apparently not." The man cackled. "They're the Bulgarian mascots. You'll see." The older wizard suddenly looked entirely too gleeful.

Well, that sounds… ominous.

But Harry'd gotten to the stadium in time to catch the beginning of the Leprechaun's fireworks display, and that had been pretty awesome. If these veela had done anything similar, he was kind of sorry he missed it, and couldn't be too worried about the chance to see it in the future.

"Theeeeeeeey're OFF!" screamed the announcer, pulling his attention back to the game as the players rose like a cadre of butterflies taking flight. "And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!"

Harry needed to find a better word than amazing, because it seemed like everything he'd seen that day qualified. This was quidditch like he'd never dreamed – the complexity, the teamwork.

The speed.

If Hogwarts's teams played at a run, this was a sustained sprint.

Every time it seemed like this had to be the pinnacle of quidditch perfection, the match only seemed to get faster and more brutal. Ireland scored once, twice, thrice, (Archie cheered loudly each time), then Bulgaria at last managed a successful shot of their own.

And Harry finally found out what the big deal about veela was.

The pretty women below started to dance, and entranced by their beauty, Harry almost missed it. It felt like a silken net, at first, and he closed his eyes, (barely, regretfully, because he didn't want to stop watching) to try to figure out what he was feeling. Light, floating – it settled against his thoughts as gently as a loose spider web coming to rest, as it drifted on the wind.

It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't really comfortable either, and he tried to mentally shrug it off.

Which was when he realized the strands were sticky. And seemed to pulse.

A heartbeat?

But panic didn't have time to fully manifest before the strands were wisping away, evaporating into nothingness.

The whole thing couldn't have lasted twenty seconds.

Frowning, utterly confused, he opened his eyes. And nearly had a heart attack.

A furrowed face was peering at him closely. "That's it?" Archie sounded disappointed.

"What was that?" Harry asked, resisting the urge to shove the wizard away.

"Veela." Harry turned his head. The girl on his left looked faintly surprised. "Teenage males usually do not fare so well in their presence."

Harry wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but fortunately Ireland scored yet again, so he had an excuse to turn his eyes back to the game.

Ireland continued to pull ahead, and it gradually became obvious that no matter how skilled Bulgaria's lineup, they couldn't quite keep up with the peerless teamwork of Ireland's chaser trio. But Bulgaria was putting up a good fight, and for every two goals Ireland claimed, Bulgaria managed one. Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter. A brief break occurred after Krum pulled a defensive Wronkski Feint that left Aiden Lynch groaning in the dirt. Then the stadium fairly shook with the roar of the crowd's approval as the Irish seeker climbed back on his broom. Fouls were called, penalties shot, chaser's scored and keeper's blocked- and Harry was so very, very, glad he was recording this. He'd be able to re-watch this later for hours.

Still, no matter how brilliant, nothing could last forever. And as the sky slowly darkened with coming dusk, Krum caught the snitch to Ireland's victory.

The stands went crazy.

Harry didn't even remember jumping up with the rest of them, but found himself screaming and hollering with the crowd as he thrust his fist in the air.

The leprechauns were zooming all over the field even as the Irish team flew their victory lap. Then both teams rose in formation to head towards the top box, and the award ceremony commenced.

The crowd kept clapping and cheering for what felt like five minutes straight. The noise only began to ebb as wizards and witches began to flow back down the stairs, out to continue their celebrations at their individual campsites.

"Do you want to come to our party?"

He turned towards the voice: the blond witch he'd almost trampled hours ago, and spent the day trading occasional comments with. "Me?"

"Yes, you." She raised a challenging eyebrow at him. "You don't seem like you're with anyone, and neither am I. So if you want to go..." Despite the invitation, she gave the impression that she really cared less what his answer was.

He hesitated, unsure. He had a feeling the after-Cup parties were a bit wilder than anything Gryffindor tower ever got up to. Hermione definitely wouldn't approve. (Ron probably would.) But – he checked his watch – he still had hours before he was supposed to meet up with Dobby. And he could already hear the singing starting as campfires across the campgrounds crackled to life (some in colors not even remotely close to what a muggle would expect).

On the one hand, there's wandering around by myself for a few hours through other people's parties, and then back to Privet Drive. On the other hand…

He glanced back at the girl, who couldn't be more than a couple of years older than he was. Maybe three. She tossed her blond hair and smirked a little. She was very sure of herself.

Harry wasn't sure what he was going to say. He didn't get a chance to find out.

Archie cut in. "A pretty girl invites you to a party, and you hesitate? What kind of fool are you, boy? Unless you don't think she's pretty?"

Harry nearly groaned. Refusing now would be very awkward.

This might not be the smartest thing I've ever done. But it could be fun. And at least it'll get me away from Archie.

Harry smiled back. "Why not?"

Hours later and after bidding the partiers a friendly farewell, Harry finally set out towards the quidditch stadium for his rendezvous with Dobby.

The stars were glorious, this far from the city, and the occasional leprechaun sponsored fireworks continued to launch into the night. Around him singing, good-natured shouts, and banging sounds filled the air. The mood was mellower, but no less celebratory.

In every sense of the word, it had been a magical day.

Maybe it was because he was daydreaming over some of the quidditch moves he'd seen. Maybe he'd just tuned out the noise of the campgrounds in self-defense. For whatever reason, he wasn't entirely sure when he realized that the cacophony in the background had changed from shouts of joy to screams of fear.

But the screams were getting louder. Whatever was happening, it was close.

He stumbled as the byways filled with people running to get away. Occasionally, in the brief moments lit by the flashes of spell light, he could see figures disappearing midstride. Anyone who was old enough, clear-headed enough, or familiar enough with English soil was apparating away from danger.

Which left the foreign, the panicking, and those encumbered by young.

Barely a hard stone's throw across the field, he could see a group of wizards, tightly packed and moving in formation, wands out and pointed towards the sky. In the uncertain light of spells and campfires, it took him a moment to make out the hooded cloaks and skulled masks.

When he did, it felt like all the air left his lungs.

Two years ago, he wouldn't have recognized them.

Now, they triggered clashing waves of rage and disbelief so strong he nearly swayed.

Death Eaters?

But how-? Where-?

A sustained shriek – something more than a scream - pierced the air, and he realized that the wands were pointed upward because high above them, floating in the air, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes.

The world seemed to dim as he stared at those helpless, struggling silhouettes.

Two of the figures were… very small.

(Like Ginny had been small.)

He sprinted forward, not sure what he was going to do, but knowing he had to do something. Meanwhile, a small part of him was garbling in fear. He wasn't stupid: there had to be at least fifteen of them.

I can kill one. I can stun them one at a time. But how do I fight an entire group?

He threw a wild glance around the night, trying to make a coherent picture coalesce from mad impressions of chaos. It looked like he wasn't the only one who was moving to help.

But he was the closest.

He continued moving, wand gripped tightly in hand even as he hesitated over what to do. A few drunken revelers decided to join the fun, merging into the original pack of masked murderers, swelling their numbers even higher. Then one of the marchers flipped the hapless woman upside down with his wand. Her nightdress fell down to reveal her drawers. She struggled powerlessly to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee.

She was too far away – too high up – and it was far too dark for him to see any tears on her face. Any terror. Any pain.

But he didn't have the slightest ounce of doubt it was all there.

Snarling, Harry took aim (a brief flash of coherent thought: not at the center, what if that makes them drop the spell holding the people aloft?). He re-adjusted, targeting one of those gutless jackals just joining the edge of the pack, halfway through conjuring a mask to disguise his face.

"Incendio."

It was a hiss. It was a shout. It was barely a word at all, subsumed in the raging emotion that cast the magic out, arrowing towards Ginny's murderers.

(Because if Lucius Malfoy wasn't among them, these were still his ilk.)

Fire roared through the sky.

(Once, at Ron's urging and Hermione's sly poking, he'd thrown his all into testing the strength of a fire protection spell in an empty classroom. They had seen a small explosion result. (This bore no comparison.))

The backwash of heat scorched the surroundings, hot enough to burn the air he was trying to breathe. Bullets of flames arched across the field, impacting on the edge of the ranks and blazing into a wall of fire. Some dodged. Some shielded.

Some screamed: panicked or high-pitched and keening.

The screams cut through his hot anger like a drench of ice water. He faltered a second, and the flames faded away. Here and there, a few figures lay on the ground, robes on fire still. The ones rolling and screaming were horrible; the ones lying motionless were worse.

But most of them were unharmed.

His eyes widened.

A mass of lights slashed through the air towards him, green the most prevalent color. He threw himself to the ground without hope.

(He, Ron, and Hermione had traded the occasional duel. Nothing much more complex than jinxes and basic shields, when anything more dangerous could see them killing each other by accident. Healing is hard, once you get past fixing minor cuts and scrapes. Harry had told himself to be satisfied with practicing ducking. Aim. Reflexes.)

He could dodge a spell.

How do I dodge twelve?

All the promises he'd made that wouldn't be kept-

(Ron. I'm sorry.)

Small, spindly, green arms stretched to close around his body, and reality wrenched away.

Shock stiffened him for a moment, then he relaxed into the pull. Sky-ground-sky-ground, the world whirled and dissolved and reformed, and he landed skidding, rolling to a stop near a tree.

"Harry Potter be great and wonderful and stupid wizard!"

He coughed and propped himself up on his elbows, scanning first for nearby threats. He was in the middle of the woods. Distantly, he could still see the flashes of spell lights and cries, but it was a ways away.

Thin feet landed on his chest, and his breath woofed out as he sank back a few inches towards the ground. Dobby bent nearly double, staring down into Harry's face, pointed nose only inches away.

"Dobby?" He'd recognized the magic as it grabbed him, but adrenaline was still flooded through his veins, and his pulse beat in his ears. Clear thinking wasn't the easiest to achieve. "How'd you find me?"

Though thank God he did.

Dobby scowled down at him, poking one finger out towards Harry's face. Harry's eyes went crosswise as he tried to follow it from so close a distance. "Dobby never left."

"What?"

Tennis-ball eyes narrowed. "Harry Potter said Dobby do what Dobby wants. Dobby wants to make sure great wonderful idiot wizard not get himself killed!"

House-elf voices were squeaky on the best of days. Dobby was approaching a level that would probably shatter glass.

Then what the house-elf said sank in. "You mean, all this time…?" He took a breath as best he could. House-Elves were pretty small and light, but it still felt like he had a satchel of books on his chest. Hermione's satchel, at that. "And could you get off of me?"

Dobby surveyed him for a moment as a king might survey conquered territory, then hopped off, small feet lightly touching ground besides Harry in a soundless landing. Harry rubbed his chest and sat up. "Well?"

Part of him kept distant track of the noise of the fight in the background, but battle-readiness faded as time passed with no indication that the fight was getting nearer.

Perhaps the same thing was happening to Dobby, because when next the house-elf spoke, he sounded more like normal. "Dobby did follow Harry Potter all day. Harry Potter not see."

Harry blinked, then shook his head.

Part of him wanted to find that creepy.

Part of him was ruefully amused that he hadn't guessed what Dobby would do.

Most of him was stuck on the awareness: If Dobby hadn't, I'd be dead right now.

Suddenly, he was feeling very shaky and cold.

(Because now he was remembering again: The robed figures screaming as flames licked at them. The figures lying still. The massed bolt of green light as it swept down on his form.)

I really, really don't want to go back there. Not until I've had a chance to think things through. But…

"Dobby, do you know what's going on?" Harry took a deep breath. "Do they still need help?"

"Dobby will find out. Harry Potter will stay here."

Then the house-elf pop'd away before Harry could argue.

Minutes later, his friend was back. "Ministry wizards be here. They be taking care of bad wizards." Then, firmly: "Harry Potter be going home."

A small part of him wanted to argue just for the sake of arguing. A larger part of him wanted to go find Ron and Hermione. He wasn't too worried about them – the first thing the Weasleys would do if there was trouble was take care of their kids – but it'd be…. reassuring… to be in their presence. And a loud part said the threat wasn't finished, so why was he still sitting here?

But if I go back to fight, Dobby will go with me.

Harry had almost died to the Death Eaters. Dobby had almost died saving Harry.

Yet Harry couldn't regret his decision to stand up and fight.

(A memory of those figures helplessly twisting in air, marionettes to sadists who viewed a child's terror as entertainment for a celebration.)

I think I've had enough of wizards for a while.

"Sure," he said quietly. "Let's go home."

For Harry, the week between the end of the Quidditch World Cup and the start of Hogwarts's term inched along at an infinitesimal rate. There were letters to Hermione and Ron, of course, but that wasn't the same as seeing they were all right with his own eyes.

Now, as he latched his trunk for the last time until he arrived at Hogwarts, he could barely repress his excitement.

Dobby disappeared with Harry's trunk and Harry headed towards his open window, Hedwig on his arm. He stroked her head, feeling soft feathers and supple warmth beneath his fingers. "See you at Hogwarts, girl."

She hooted and took flight, winging up into the distance. Harry was confident that she'd be at Hogwarts, waiting for him when he got there.

He turned around at the quiet pop, to see Dobby had returned, waiting with hand outstretched.

The Dursleys had been pleased when he'd let them know he had other transportation arrangements, so he no longer needed them to drop him off or pick him up at King's Cross. Though he had a feeling they'd be considerably less pleased if they knew what he was doing instead.

Not that he really felt any guilt at his decision not to inform them of Dobby's frequent presence over the summer.

Harry took the smaller hand.

When his senses returned, he was standing on a familiar platform. He slowly inhaled a deep breath and held still for a moment, letting his disorientation fade.

I wonder if wizarding apparition feels like that too?

It'd be another two years before he could find out.

Once he felt steadier, he smiled down at the person, more than any other, who'd made his summer bearable. "I guess this is goodbye then. Until next summer anyway. Thanks for everything, Dobby. Including saving my life."

Dobby beamed up at him. "Dobby is happy Harry Potter is happy. Dobby would like to see Harry Potter sometimes at Hogwarts-" A brief hesitation, then almost shyly: "If Harry Potter wants?"

Harry blinked, surprised. "I… Sure. But, ah, do we need to get the headmaster's permission for you to visit or anything?"

Not that Dobby can't pop in and out at will. But if he's doing it regularly, someone might notice.

"Dobby works at Hogwarts now!"

There weren't a lot of people that could wrong-foot Harry Potter consistently.

Harry's only house-elf friend was, unfortunately, one of them.

"Wait, what?" Harry asked.

"Harry Potter, sir, did say Dobby should seek more employment if Dobby needs more work."

Yes, he did remember saying that, way back before summer even started.

But I'd kind of meant more, you know, the traditional house elf employment. Working for some pureblood family somewhere or something.

"But. Hogwarts?"

"Dumbledore agreed! Dobby is even being paid. Dobby will be seeing Harry Potter, sir, soon."

Pop.

Harry stared at the floorboards where the house-elf had been standing, bemused at his own bemusement.

Why am I even surprised?

Dobby had long ago proven himself perfectly capable of interpreting commands, comments, or passing whims into whatever the house-elf decided were the proper orders regarding Harry Potter.

Wizards, madmen, and beings of all types – and yet the one who ended up surprising him most consistently was green, and deferential, and not even as tall as his waist.

How does Dobby keep doing that?

Sighing, he turned and boarded the train.

Harry looked up as Ron slid open the compartment door and lugged his trunk into the room. Hermione had shown up twenty minutes earlier, but by mutual agreement, the two of them had focused on discussing the summer homework they'd completed, instead of plunging into the topic burning on their minds.

As Ron sat down, Hermione flicked a locking spell at the compartment door. "The Quidditch World Cup?" she asked, looking at them.

"What was that all about?" Harry demanded, glad to have someone to share his bewilderment with at last. "I mean, I recognized the Death Eater masks, but… thirteen years of absolutely nothing, and then they do something like that out of nowhere?"

Ron frowned. "They only caught a few of them – and the ones they caught were all berks who'd joined in when it already started. Maybe the leaders also just got drunk and were off their heads from the Quidditch Cup victory and Firewhisky?"

And isn't that a thought to make your skin crawl. Bad enough to know there were Death Eaters who had never been convicted. Worse was the thought they might have been in the stands beside you, cheering.

Then gone out to toss helpless muggles in the air, and burn down half the campgrounds?

Well, maybe not those besides Harry. Annelise had still been at the party when the attack started, and Archie didn't seem like the type.

Harry shook his head, frustrated. "It just doesn't make sense. Everyone who couldn't keep their heads down got sent to Azkaban with Voldemort's fall. And everyone who was in there for service to Voldemort is either still there or dead. Even drunk, why throw away a decade of safe anonymity for… what? That wasn't a raid. No one even actually died."

Not even the injured attackers the aurors had recovered. And Harry still couldn't figure out the emotions he'd felt when he'd seen that news report. A moment of pure relief, yes. But also the icy knowledge that it just meant those who'd escaped were free to attack again.

"And why at the World Cup?" Hermione asked.

…didn't follow that train of thought. "I'm not sure what you mean," he admitted.

But Ron was nodding. "There were ministry workers everywhere. You could barely go a minute without tripping over one. From how Dad was talking, it sounded like three quarters of the Ministry was on shift that day. You'd have better chances striking anywhere else, while everyone was distracted by the Cup."

For a moment their eyes met as an electric current seemed to jump through the air, and Harry knew Ron and Hermione were echoing his thought: Could that be it?

Then Hermione shook her head. "There was nothing in the papers about anything else getting attacked, stolen, or disrupted."

"Maybe it was something secret…?" Harry half suggested, half hoped. It was such an elegant theory; it hurt a little, to so easily discard it.

Ron shrugged, bluntly practical. "If so, then there's no way we'll find out anytime soon."

Hermione was looking thoughtful.

That's usually a good sign… "You have an idea?" he asked.

"Well, not about finding out the true target if this was just a diversion. But maybe – and this is just pure speculation – but… what if they weren't real Death Eaters?"

Ron stared at her. "They cast the Dark Mark," he said slowly.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, honestly. I know that. But how likely is it that only Death Eaters can conjure it? And know it? And have never, ever, passed on the knowledge, even to family or friends? Or even if all that is true, how hard would it be to create a really convincing fake?"

"Pretty hard, I'd think." Ron said.

"Maybe," she admitted. "But not impossible."

"But that just leaves us with more questions!" Harry complained. "I mean, Death Eaters apparently losing their mind and striking out after thirteen years of peace for absolutely no reason to achieve no benefit, that's weird enough. But why would non-Death Eaters pretend the same?"

"We're not the only country with conflict on the pureblood-muggleborn-muggle issue, you know." Ron put in. "We're actually better than a lot of them. In some countries, there's no conflict not because everyone gets along, but because it's just accepted that purebloods are superior in every way." Ron paused. "And some of those countries surely had citizens at the World Cup."

Hermione's expression chilled. "Imagine Draco Malfoy. In a foreign country, sure of his anonymity, high on a celebration, egging and being egged on by his friends, and with a defunct group that his parents probably told bedtime stories about available to take any blame…"

Harry made a face, because he could see that all too easily. Draco Malfoy was a cowardly little rat, but the Slytherin was just the type to do something like that. And despite what Malfoy's ego surely thought, Malfoy was far too odious to be unique.

Harry sat back, and sighed. "The whole thing – vandalizing and terrifying, but not actually really mass-slaughtering, and then running when the aurors came instead of just the occasional citizen fighting back – it does sound, in hindsight… juvenile." Although that almost made it worse for him in several ways: both the screams he remembered from his incendio, and the fact that Harry'd had to be rescued from them. "I'm not sure which I'd prefer."

"I think the muggles would say something about whether they'd been hurt," Hermione rebutted coolly. "If they could remember any of it." Then relented: "In any case, resurgent Death Eaters would probably be the worse option, but also the less likely one. Last time You-Know-Who was forced to flee, it took him ten years to return. It's only been two since the Philosopher's Stone."

"We can't count on that," Harry warned her.

"We can't count on anything," she corrected. Then raised one eyebrow. "After all, that's what all our hard work and preparation is about, right?"

By the time they'd reached Hogwarts, the weather was nasty enough to make further conversation near impossible during the carriage ride to the castle. Dashing up the steps into the cavernous, torch-lit entrance hall with its magnificent marble staircase, Harry had only one thought: Thank magic for drying charms.

He nodded a friendly hello to Nearly Headless Nick, who had put in his customary attendance at the welcome feast, but the majority of Harry's attention was on trying to get warm again. It took several minutes to completely de-soggify himself, and he, Ron, and Hermione spent the majority of the sorting likewise drying out the third and second years, as well as each first year as he or she arrived. The poor firsties, if anything, were even more soaked. (Including Colin Creevy's brother, who had, apparently, actually fallen into the lake and been promptly rescued by the giant squid.)

A second Creevey in Gryffindor was a gloomy prospect. What are the chances that Dennis Creevey is more… restrained… than his older brother?

But at last the procession of miserable, bedraggled eleven year olds finished, and Professor McGonagall carried the hat and its stool away. Students neatly sorted, Dumbledore stood, his demeanor summoning all eyes to him as he ran through the traditional announcements of the start of term.

The annual ritual of declaring their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was memorable mostly for how terrifying the man looked.

Scars covered every visible inch of skin, and a large chunk of his nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening. One was small, dark, and beady, but the other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking. It was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the more normal eye. Ultimately, it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.

Gross, Harry thought, somewhat fascinated despite himself.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the echoing silence. "Professor Moody."

The students just stared.

"What happened to him?" Hermione whispered. "What happened to his face?"

"Dunno," Ron whispered back, watching Moody with fascination.

When it became clear the Professor Moody would not be receiving the customary welcoming applause, Dumbledore cleared his throat, and resumed his start-of-term announcements.

Harry only half paid attention as Filch's list of banned items was predictably expanded, and students were – once again – reminded that the Forbidden Forest was named so for a reason.

But the next announcement caught his attention.

"This year Hogwarts is participating in the Triwizard Tournament, a friendly competition first established seven hundred years ago amongst the three largest schools of European Wizardry. For the tournament, a champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

Harry felt like his eyebrows were touching his hairline. Death toll?

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger."

And yet there's nothing like mentioning a death toll to get people talking, Harry thought cynically. Now I wonder if that will actually deter anyone from entering?

From the dais, the Headmaster continued speaking, to all appearances oblivious to the whispered speculations filling the great hall. "Places are available for up to twelve students who wish to accompany our delegation to the northern school of Durmstrang. Requirements include parental permission, endorsement by at least two teachers, completed O.W.L.s, and success in the preliminary competitions that will be taking place at Hogwarts over the next two months."

Preliminary competitions? Harry echoed silently. Wonder what those will be?

"An impartial judge will make the final decision regarding which Hogwarts student is most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money." Excited whispering rose once again among the students. "But please note: this is not a decision to be made lightly. Students who elect to participate but are not chosen as the champion, will nevertheless be spending the entire year at Durmstrang. As this will be N.E.W.T. year for most candidates, you are advised to weigh your decision carefully.

"The first competition will be a test of your transfiguration skill, and will take place in two weeks. Additional details will be supplied beforehand. Actual departure for Durmstrang will occur in early October. Now," Dumbledore clapped his hands in disconcerting glee, "the elves have prepared a delicious feast for us, so why don't we all dig in?"

The Headmaster had barely taken his seat when the hall erupted into noise.

"I'm going for it!" Fred Weasley hissed down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches. A moment of silent conference with his twin, then, "Make that: we're going for it!"

Ron snorted. "Right. Good luck with that. You have your O.W.L.S. and you may even get the professor endorsements. But no way is Mum agreeing to let you compete in a tournament people have died in before. Especially if enough died that the death toll is why it stopped."

Both twins grimaced.

"We'll see about that," said George. Probably George. Maybe. "A thousand galleons prize money!" The twin continued, sounding somewhat dreamy, "Think of what we could do with that."

I'd rather not, Harry thought with slight humor. If I did, I'd probably be terrified.

Because yes, the twins were awesome sometimes. Also: far too fond of explosions.

"Where is Durmstrang anyway?" Harry asked, curious. The World Cup had made him aware there had to be other schools of magic out there, but he still knew little to nothing about them.

"No one knows, actually," Hermione said. "Well, no one who hasn't attended. Although it's possible the students themselves don't know the exact location, if they take some kind of magical transport…" She seemed to get distracted by that train of thought for a moment, and feeling impatient, Harry poked her in the side. She swatted him lightly, then continued. "It's been speculated to be located everywhere from the Ural mountains in Russia, to somewhere in Scandinavia, to as far south as Hungary. The school uniforms are usually heavy and fur trimmed, but that could be a deliberate attempt to mislead."

Dean looked puzzled. "I wonder why they don't let anyone know where they are? That'd be pretty inconvenient sometimes, don't you think?"

Harry could think of a lot of times when it'd be pretty handy if no one had any idea where he lived, but he didn't say anything.

"They've kind of got a reputation," Neville put in, hesitantly. He glanced around, and lowered his voice. "For teaching Dark Arts."

Harry blinked, surprised. "What, like an actual class?"

Neville nodded.

Ron wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. Freezing cold and populated by mini-dark wizards. And the tournament competitors have to spend a year there? I think I'm glad I'm not old enough."

"Me too." Neville looked gloomy. "Otherwise Gran'd probably want me to try – she's always talking about upholding my family honor…"

Glances traded about the table. They'd all heard enough from Neville to get an idea of what Neville's Gran was like. Harry couldn't say he thought very highly of her.

And I don't really get the connection between honor and entering a school competition.

As far as Harry was concerned, honor was about doing what was right and necessary. Competing in a school tournament for glory and money didn't qualify.

"I wonder what the champions will have to do?" Lavender twirled a lock of hair around her finger. When the attention all turned to her, she had to raise her voice to be heard clearly from her position a little ways down the table. "If so many students have died before, how much will they have changed about the tasks?"

At the reminder of the death toll, Neville looked even more pale. "Right. Actually, I'm definitely glad I'm not qualified."

And despite the notable enthusiasm flowing throughout the Great Hall, in the little isle of fourth years at Gryffindor table, Neville's was a surprisingly common opinion.

"Well," Hermione said at last, "at least the preliminary competitions should be fun to watch."

"Yeah," Ron concurred, lifting another fork of mashed potatoes. Then he smirked. "Maybe McGonagall will make them fight a giant transfigured chess set?"

Hermione ducked her head to hide her smile, and Harry felt the corner of his mouth turn up. The other Gryffindors looked puzzled at where that suggestion had come from, but followed the conversational redirection. The rest of the dinner was spent speculating on the nature of the first test.

But if Ron's right, I'm going to laugh so hard.

The next morning, the favorite topic on everyone's tongue was still the Triwizard Tournament, only eclipsed once the schedules were distributed.

"Looks like Herbology with the Hufflepuffs," Ron said, running his finger down the Monday column. "And Charms... damn it, we're with the Slytherins…"

"Double Divination this afternoon," Harry said, not bothering to veil his disgust. By now, Ron and Hermione knew full well his opinion of their batty professor. And rather agreed with it. "Potions, History, and Transfiguration tomorrow… looks like we won't be seeing the new Defense professor until Thursday."

"That should be-" Hermione seemed to be searching for the right word. "Interesting," she finally concluded helplessly.

Ron snorted. "That's one way to look at it. Stinks that we'll have to wait so long."

"We'll have enough to do in the meantime," Hermione pointed out. "Before summer break, we told everyone that the first Niffler Hunt Club meeting would be the second Monday evening after school started again. That's seven days from now. We need to prepare."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we get our tentative agenda for this meeting all squared away over the summer?"

"For this meeting?" Ron laughed. "I'm pretty sure Hermione's got plans for the next six!"

"It's good that you remember that, Ron," their friend said primly. "Since you'll be conducting the meeting, we should make sure you go through what you're planning to say several times beforehand."

The laughter fled so quickly Ron looked pale. "Wait, what? I thought you were going to be leading – you're the one with all the ideas."

"I," she said haughtily, "will be far too busy to run a club."

Ron turned to Harry. "Come on, shouldn't you head this? That way everyone will come!"

Harry smirked, feeling a little vindictive. "But it was so obvious that the idea of joining a club was close to your heart. Remember? This was all. your. idea." He didn't even try to restrain his grin. "I couldn't possibly take credit for it."

Ron slumped, pushing his plate of toast crumbs away and dropping his face to the table.

"I think you'll make an excellent club chairman," Hermione said reassuringly.

Harry stretched, smiling. "And I think this will be funny as hell."

Ron groaned. Over the pureblood's head, Hermione frowned at Harry reprovingly. Harry just laughed, and rose to head towards class.

Herbology had seen them with the rather disgusting job of squeezing bubotuber puss, but charms had been fun as they did the annual new-year-warm-up/last-year-review. Divination was as utterly worthless as predicted. The next day, potions was… horrible. As expected. Transfiguration was educational, and that was the best Harry could say about it. Astronomy was simply more facts to cram in his head, and History was completely boring.

All of which only made the rampant but conflicting rumors from the students coming out of their defense lessons stand out even more. By Thursday, the fourth year Gryffindors had heard all sorts of exciting - if contradictory - reports.

They finished lunch quickly and hurried towards the defense classroom. Professor Moody was already at his desk, studying something written in front of him, and didn't look up when they entered. Several other students – apparently as eager as he, Ron, and Hermione – were there already, but there seemed to be a wide berth between the front of Moody's desk and the first inhabited seats.

Harry scanned the classroom, then lifted his chin and strolled to the very front, to the three chairs right in front of the teacher's desk. The three of them settled, then took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited. In the tense atmosphere of the scarred professor's presence, the classroom was unusually silent.

As more students trickled in by ones and two, Moody continued to ignore them all. He never even looked up.

Wait, with the way that eye of his rolls around – does he even need to look up?

That Moody didn't, was probably its own answer.

Then the clock hit the hour mark, and the grizzled old professor lifted his head. "That's time then," he said gruffly, and shoved himself to his feet, stumping from his desk to the center of the room.

"I've been told that last year Albus managed to lay his hands on someone who was actually competent for once, and I've got the lesson plans, notes, and evaluations for all of you that Aesalon did. Between the supplemental lessons and required subjects, he seems to have gotten you mostly back on track. You should now be able to deal with class three and four magical creatures, and you at least know all the class fives."

Heads around the room were nodding.

"You've been taught how to deal with animals." Moody barked a laugh. "Well then. Time to teach you how to deal with humans. Year four is self-defense. That means legal curses and counter-curses. Hex-deflection. Shields. Possibly dueling." Moody frowned, and on his craggy, damaged face, the result was terrifying. "We'll see. Some of you are likely to blow your own damn fool feet off. Might be good for you."

Did a professor just… swear? In front of us?

"Questions?" Moody growled.

When the professor's eyes roved over the seated students, (usually different students at the same time, given his eyes were rarely looking in the same direction at once), most kind of just hunkered down, shaking their heads. If it hadn't been for his experience at the Quidditch Cup, Harry might have done the same. But he'd learned that night that there was stuff he desperately needed to know. And he needed to know, now, if he could learn it in this classroom. He raised a hand.

The magical eye spun around to focus on Harry, so for a brief moment both of the professor's eyes were on him. Then the electric blue eye spun on. "Potter. What?"

"Dueling is one-on-one. What happens if there's a group?" Harry paused a second. Should I-? Yeah. "Like at the World Cup?"

"Hah!" Oddly enough, the man actually seemed pleased. "Looking ahead. Good." He shifted, turning to pace in front of the board. "Fourth years won't be able to fight a group of adult wizards. If you don't run away, you're an idiot." Another few limping paces. "Now, you're teenagers, so of course you're idiots." Turn, and start pacing back, apparently not the least distressed by the insulted expressions half the classroom wore. "Albus would hate it." A fierce grin. "Well, he owes me a favor for this, so." Moody stopped, and nodded decisively, facing the front. "We'll do basics. Real training in fighting with multiple targets is auror level, so plan for N.E.W.T.s if you find yourself with a knack."

Auror level would be past seventh year, Harry thought, dismayed. And we can't wait that long. But if Professor Moody can get us started on the basics…

"All right, enough time-wasting!" The sudden loudness of the command made him – and Ron and Hermione and probably everyone else – jump. "We'll start with chapter one. The book's not perfect, but I chose it for a reason, and it has a good way of dividing up the fundamentals."

There was a rustle of pages as some students opened to the first page of the first chapter. Harry left his book closed and focused instead on taking notes. All three of them had already read the first chapter, anyway.

Hermione had probably already read the entire book.

"The very most basic part of self-defense," Moody started, "is staying aware. Aware of your location and avoiding potentially dangerous situations. Constant vigilance! If you don't put yourself in a bad situation, you've half the battle done. If you know where the exits are before the fight breaks out, you're not going to get trapped! Attackers will be better prepared than you, because they're the ones on the offensive. They're the ones likely to have a trick, trap, or accomplice. So don't play their game! You're fighting to escape."

Fighting to escape, huh? As Moody continued with his first lecture, detailing the first process in developing a discerning awareness of ones surroundings, Harry smiled sadly.

Sorry, Moody. I don't think I'll be fighting to escape. I can't afford it.

I'll be fighting to incapacitate. Or kill.

Ron nervously eyed the gathering crowd waiting for the start of the first Niffler Hunt Club meeting.

The closer it got to eight'o'clock, the more students drifted in. A lot of them probably wouldn't stay: they were only here to check out the club that the Boy-Who-Lived was part of creating. Countering that, it was possible others who were not there tonight would come to later meetings, once word of the club's activities spread. In any case, there was probably a good thirty students present, and that was more than enough for a first night.

As planned, Hermione started the meeting by introducing herself and Harry as club officers, then Ron as the club leader. Ron swallowed as the students, most of them younger but many of them older, all turned their stares on him.

There had been a time Ron dreamed of fame. There had been mirror, three years ago, that showed him as a prefect, as a quidditch captain, as adored and respected and fêted.

Watching the eyes watching him, he took it all back.

Why, oh why, did I agree to be Niffler Club Chairman again?

Somehow, he was sure this was all Harry's fault.

(It might have something to do with the slightly malevolent giggles the boy had come down with, when they'd planned out this first meeting.)

"Hi," he said, feeling awkward under scrutinizing eyes. "Like Hermione said: I'm Ron Weasley. We kind of have an idea on how this will go, but it's going to be your club too, so it's not unchangeable. We named the club the Niffler Hunt Club because we want to be a club that's all about searching out interesting – shiny – pieces of knowledge. Right now, we're thinking we could raise a topic or several the group is interested in, with suggestions being collected biweekly maybe, and then find the answer to that suggestion as a group."

A Hufflepuff – third? – year looked puzzled. "So it's just another study club?"

"Not exactly," Ron said. "See, we were also planning on posting knowledge bounties."

"Knowledge bounties?" an older Ravenclaw asked.

"We'll have a list," Ron explained. "In addition to any official group research topic, individual members can add their questions – and these should probably be somewhat specific – to the Scroll of Bounties. On it, you put what you want to know… and what you're willing to give to the person who finds it out for you. What you offer can be anything: from sickles, to trading a book, to doing a service. Anyone can post a bounty, and anyone can answer it. The catch is, once that person finds the answer for you, the answer also goes into our Scroll of Treasure. Sharing the information with the entire club is the "finder's fee" of the club for matching up a person looking for an answer and a person who can provide it."

Some of the students still looked unimpressed, while others looked interested. Several looked down-right acquisitive.

"Does that include questions from our homework?" Dennis Creevey asked.

Ron was really glad he, Harry, and Hermione had spent a few evenings brainstorming all the issues that could arise from this. "The knowledge itself won't get you in trouble," he answered. "Unless a professor tells you otherwise, getting your information from a book or getting your information from a person telling you what was in a book is no different. That being said, asking: 'What happens when I harvest Foxglove on a full moon versus a new moon' is different than asking 'In essay format, please tell me what the potential effects of adding armadillo bile to different stages of brewing swelling concoctions are' because only one of those will give Snape an excuse to assign you a month's worth of detentions for cheating."

"Which is something no one wants to endure," Harry added.

"Right." Ron nodded, starting to feel more comfortable. He'd been afraid that there'd only be a little interest, and he'd be standing in front of a group of bored people feeling awkward. But a lot of students were interested, and it was easy to just keep the meeting moving by giving out the answers the three of them had already come up with. "Another question?"

This time it was one of the Slytherins. "Can people from outside the club also submit bounties?"

Ron hesitated. "We're not sure. Maybe. I mean, if we have too many people not doing any of the answering, only asking, then it's not going to work. On the other hand, the more bounties that get posted, the more this club proves its usefulness, and the more likely any random individual member will happen to already know or run across an answer to one of the bounties, thus snagging the reward. For now, we're saying yes, anyone can post a bounty, but that might change later."

More hands went up, and Ron just pointed at the Ravenclaw. "You."

"How do we know the answer is correct?"

"Good question." Ron waved his hand to encompass the three of them standing in front. "We figure that each time you answer a question, you also document where you got the answer. The book title and page number, the professor you asked… however you learned it. That way we officers – or anyone else – can double check it. If it's wrong and it's an honest mistake, you won't get the bounty, and you'll have a temporary ban on being able to claim bounties. If it's deliberately wrong, you get kicked out of the club."

"And if someone doesn't pay a bounty after they post it?" A Hufflepuff he didn't know.

Ron rolled his eyes, 'cause the answer was pretty obvious. "Then they get kicked out of the club."

This time it was Lavender, who knocked over a doxy nest by asking: "Can we post bounties on stuff outside of book knowledge?"

As people around the room looked surprised, Ron studied her carefully. "Like what?"

"Well," she shrugged. "What if we wanted to know a boy's favorite food? Or a boy wanted to know what type of flowers a girl likes? Can we post a bounty on that?"

His eyes cut towards Hermione and Harry, because that was one question they hadn't been expecting. Hermione looked displeased – probably at the distraction from schoolwork – and shook her head. Harry looked thoughtful, then slightly rueful. He whispered something to Hermione, and she made a face, then reluctantly nodded.

Huh. Wonder what Harry said?

But that nod meant they agreed, and Ron personally thought it wouldn't hurt anything. As long as it didn't backfire. So- "Don't be a prick about it," he said bluntly. "We'll try it, in the beginning, but don't forget one of the reasons the club has officers and the Scroll is being moderated, is so everyone knows they can trust the answers and we don't get shut down by the professors. Asking what type of flowers someone likes, fine. Ask what color of knickers they wear, and you'll get your ability to post bounties revoked for a month. For the first offense."

He narrowed his eyes as he looked around the room, trying to make them all understand how serious about this he was. No one seemed unhappy with the restriction, so he moved on. "Next?" Several hands went up.

Wait a second, is that-?

It was.

"Zabini," he said.

There was actually a fairly high amount of Slytherins in the audience, but he hadn't noticed any of the fourth years before. But standing next to Zabini were Greengrass, Nott, and Davis. They must have been in the back.

Zabini sneered slightly, but his tone was polite enough. "Can we post anonymous bounties?"

From the expressions around the room, that hadn't occurred to a lot of them. But it obviously had appeal. Ron raised his eyebrows. "Like if you have a girl you're interested in, but don't want to make it obvious until you ask her? Yeah, I can see that." He tilted his head. "When you post the bounty anonymously, you also hand over the reward with it. Me, Harry, and Hermione will hold it in trust until it's answered. Then, after verification, we'll take care of dispensing it."

Greengrass didn't even wait for him to call on her. "And if someone posts a bounty on something that doesn't seem disrespectful, but we still just don't want it known to all sundry?"

Confused, he stared at her. If it's not disrespectful, why does she care who knows? "Like what?"

"A list of every single boyfriend I've ever had," Abbot suggested. "What I said in defense during the debate about dementors last year. What I buy in Hogsmeade Village next visit. It's all public information, of a sort. Information that can be found out by others just by watching. But the idea of being watched like that is kind of creepy. My opinions on dementors might change when I get older, and I don't want people thinking I still believe whatever I said as a third year. And what if I don't want everyone in the school to be able to look up on whim who my past boyfriends were? Because that part still applies, right? That anything discovered goes on the Treasure Scroll?"

Ron stared at all of them. "Then you come talk to us," he enunciated slowly. "You guys are way too paranoid. This is supposed to be fun and helpful. Not-" he waved his hand, frustrated, "evil. We're trying to get people helping people," -more specifically, you people helping us- "not make them cry. You have an issue with a bounty, talk to me or Harry or Hermione. We'll get it resolved."

Skepticism and relief showed on various faces. He moved on to the next question, and the next after that, then on to talking about the actual mechanics of how it'd work: where the bounty request box was located, where the open bounties would be posted, how often the Scrolls would be updated, who'd be keeping the master copy and keeping both scrolls organized, and so on. But part of him was still thinking about the question Greengrass had raised.

Sure, Harry, Hermione, and I would just take the question down when asked. 'Cause we're not arses. But what if we didn't? I can see some of the Slytherins - or even the Ravenclaws - saying 'We gathered the information, so it's ours. And it's not like we're telling lies about people.'

Merlin, that would suck.

By the time the meeting broke up, and the three of them chivied the potential club members out of the room that'd been designated for their club, Ron had come to a conclusion.

"I'm really glad we came up with this idea, instead of someone else," he announced.

Harry looked at him, from over by the wall where he was attaching the – currently empty – open bounty board to the wall with a sticking charm. "The personal-information bounties?"

He shuddered. "Yeah."

Hermione finished straightening the last of the chairs, then picked up her satchel. "We'll have to be careful how we handle it. If someone gets really upset, it could ruin everything."

Curious, and remembering the discussion he'd seen between the two of them, Ron asked: "Then why'd you change your mind? When they raised the topic you were a no, then Harry said something, and you changed it to yes."

She looked regretful as they headed towards the door, pausing to grab his and Harry's book bags. "Harry reminded me: Now that we've raised the idea of exchanging money for personal information – and you saw how much interest there was in it – we can't stamp it out."

On the other side of Hermione, Harry's face was serious. "If we don't do it, someone else probably will. Hell, you know how pissed off Malfoy was when we banned him from our club – he'd organize it for spite. If one of the others didn't do it for a percentage of the profits first. And they may or may not be decent about it. So someone has to do it and do it right. If we can't count on anyone else doing so…"

Almost to the exit now, Ron stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait. That means we have to keep doing this for the rest of our time at Hogwarts? I thought we were just trying it out!"

The others had stopped with him. Hermione patted his shoulder absently in a comforting manner, but her expression was calculating. "By which time we'd have people used to going through us to ask and answer questions for four years…"

Harry looked at them both, then smiled, something the slightest bit sly in his expression. "They might even still send us occasional bounties after they graduate. Like we noted last year: Hogwarts does have an excellent library not freely available to the public. And if they're out working, they'd have more money available to put on their bounty. It'd make it more likely the question got answered."

Ron felt his jaw drop open. "Wait, you planned for this?"

Green eyes blinked innocently at him. "I don't know what you mean."

It might have been more convincing if the other boy wasn't edging towards the door.

Dawning realization had a thread of outrage. "This is the real reason why you were giggling when I said: 'How much work could it be? Sure, I'll try being chariman as a temporary thing,' isn't it?"

"I don't giggle," Harry said with careful dignity, taking another small shuffling step back towards the exit.

"That doesn't answer the question!"

"Come on, Ron," Harry's eyes were playful. "You wanted to join a club. Make contacts! Network! We can't do that if we only join one temporarily. This is what you wanted, right?"

Dimly, Ron became aware that his hands were clenching and releasing into fists.

"And on that note," the other boy concluded, "I'd best be off. I want to stop by and say hi to Dobby before bed. See you, Club Chairman!"

By the time Ron got his wand out, the other boy had darted through the door.

Laughter trailing behind him.

"That- that!" Words escaped Ron and he closed his eyes. "Argh!"

A gentle touch had him opening them again. Hermione's lips twitched, like she was repressing a smile herself.

He frowned at her. Traitor.

"It won't be so bad," she said, opening the door herself and gesturing him through. "It really is a temporary trial. If everyone loses interest in a few months, we can just let the whole thing quietly fade away."

"And if it doesn't?" he challenged her.

She glanced at him, eyes bright. "Well, chairman sir, then I guess you're stuck."

He groaned and rubbed his face with his free hand. Why was he friends with these people again?

End chapter

Canon notes:

Canon timeline of GoF summer: (since I've noticed from various reviews that people are misremembering events/causes.)

Bertha Jorkins goes on holiday, and meets Pettigrew in Albania in an inn at the edge of Voldemort's forest lair
Pettigrew takes her back to an (already embodied) scaly!baby!monster!Voldemort,
Voldemort interrogates her, breaks her memory charm, and learns:
1) Barty Jr. is alive.
2) The Triwizard Tournament is taking place at Hogwarts.
3) Moody was going to teach at Hogwarts
Voldemort kills Bertha, creating a horcrux in Nagini.
Voldemort comes back to England w/Pettigrew, inhabits Riddle Manor, kills muggle caretaker Frank
Two days later, Harry, the Weasleys, and Hermione arrive at World Cup
At World Cup, Barty Jr. temporarily breaks free of his father's imperius and steals Harry's wand from Harry's back pocket as the game is being played.
That night, the 'Death Eater riot' occurs.
During the riot, Barty casts the dark mark, causing the Death Eaters to flee
Barty is stunned (but still hidden under an invisibility cloak) by aurors who tracked down the dark mark; Winky is interrogated and freed/disowned.
[offscreen] Barty, still stunned, is recaptured by his father after others/aurors leave
[offscreen and sometime in the next 7ish days,] Voldemort+Pettigrew free Barty Jr, then imperious Barty Snr.
Roughly a week post World Cup, Moody is replaced by Barty Jnr.
Next day: Hogwarts Express leaves King's Cross.

FtS timeline of GoF summer:
(that would be telling)

Other notes:

The majority were fond of the summary, so for now it stays, although I'm toying with a few of the suggestions. I appreciate the input, as it was a concern only readers could answer.

Please remember that Harry, Ron, or Hermione's opinions are not necessarily my opinions. Also, they're not necessarily correct. Although they often are, especially when others are the least likely to believe them.

Finally, more in this book than ever before, there is a ton of stuff happening offscreen/beyond-Private-Drive/Burrow/Wherever-Her mione-Lives. If you can't figure out the origin of a change, (and dear readers, I invite you to speculate to your heart's content) then have faith it will eventually all be made clear.

Next Chapter:

"Potentials," McGonagall began, "the test is straightforward. It embodies the qualities I believe you will need to succeed in the tournament. Bravery," she looked at the flames, "grace under pressure," a glance at the drop into darkness, "ingenuity," the slightest tilt of her head at the mirror-smooth wall, "and quick thinking." The sweep of her arm seemed to convey the breadth of the entire course.

Okay, Harry could see that. But still- too easy. And looking around at the students lined up to try for the flag, he could see they thought so too. Alicia was smiling, looking utterly unworried. Katie whispered something to her quietly, then laughed.

"Oh yes," the slightest cat's smile curled at the edge of Professor McGonagall's mouth as she continued. "And of course: skill at transfiguration. Which, as this is the transfiguration trial, is the only magic you're allowed to use."

The would-be champions suddenly all looked a good deal less confident.

McGonagall's wand flicked out. Across the course, the stone statues of gargoyles and wolves came to life, color bleeding into them as they morphed from granite to flesh. One wolf almost as large as Harry met his eyes and snarled, saliva dripping down ivory teeth.

"Now. Who would like to try first?"

14. the training grounds

Forging the Sword (Part Two):
Chapter 14: The Training Grounds

The second week of school of school passed quickly for Harry.

The top scores that Hermione half-killed herself achieving had secured their use of the time-turner for another year. Which was good – was excellent, in fact – but it also meant the three of them were back to thirty hour days. And no matter how careful he, Ron, and Hermione were to make sure they got adequate sleep, nothing could change the fact that the human body was happier on a twenty four hour cycle. By Saturday evening, they were feeling the strain.

He rubbed his closed eyes tiredly, then forced them open again. If it's anything like last year, it'll probably be a month before we're fully acclimated again.

Across from him, Hermione looked sheepish, one hand over her mouth where she was covering a jaw-cracking yawn.

They shared a glance full of perfect understanding.

He tilted his head to the left, where he could hear vague thumping sounds. And the occasional clatter of objects falling. "I'm surprised you're not exploring with Ron."

Hermione shrugged, one hand lifting in a wave that encompassed the echoing, cavernous space that constituted the Room of Hidden Things. "We're not going to run out of things to explore anytime soon." Sighing, she turned her attention back to the table they were sitting at. While his half had his notes on divination as it related to curse-breaking, her half was covered with dusty, damaged books. "Besides, I haven't finished going through the last stack he brought back."

The table had originally been missing a leg, but they'd managed to fix that by shoving a column of books Hermione had deemed useless under that corner, and then applying a multitude of sticking charms to glue the whole thing together into a semi-solid pillar. As long as no one kicked it too hard, it should hold.

Harry smiled ruefully, and propped his chin on his hand. "No fascinating, exotic finds, then? Secret grimoires of powerful sorcerers? Handwritten journals left hidden by the four founders?"

She gave him a speaking look of disgust. "Unless you count thirteen different copies – so far – of An Accurate Account of my Exceedingly Exciting Excursions while Sojourning South Switzerland? No."

His lips twitched. "Not quite so exceedingly exciting as hoped?"

She glared.

He couldn't help laughing. "What were you expecting? I know we have good luck sometimes… but it's clear we're not the first ones to have found this place. Or even the hundredth." He sighed, sobering a little. "Despite what we first thought… we know, if nothing else, that Voldemort must have already picked this place over. Any books containing secret or powerful spells are long gone."

She huffed. "Well, I knew that." The slightest hint of sullenness in her expression, like a treat had been snatched away. "Still. I wasn't expecting what was left to be quite so mundane."

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is Hermione denied the prospect of Forbidden Knowledge.

I somehow didn't expect quite so much pouting.

Not that he was going to say so out loud. Hermione could be surprisingly subtle in her revenge. The last thing he wanted to do was give her a reason to support Ron in his current quest for payback.

Instead, Harry shrugged. "Well, there's probably a thousand books still left to go through." He surveyed the stacks of furniture and other items. "And that's just what we can see on the surface."

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a splintering sound. A pile to their far left swayed. There was an indistinguishable shout from Ron, a clatter, and the sound of a small avalanche.

Alarmed, Harry sprang to his feet and sprinted in the direction he'd last seen his friend. "Ron! You all right?"

A groaning noise that ended in a coughing wheeze.

He turned the corner and slid to a stop. Then burst out laughing.

Priceless.

Ron had gotten… mostly clear. He lay, stretched out on the ground, well away from what looked like a landslide of furniture blocking the alleyway between two furniture-piles as an avalanche might block off a mountain pass. In fact, the only thing that Ron had not managed to avoid was the large, stuffed taxidermy of the once living troll, which had fallen front-down to pin Ron to the floor with its outstretched arms.

Dead troll embrace was apparently not Ron's favorite thing.

"Your face," Harry managed to choke out.

"Harry," Ron's voice was gritted and muffled – and revolted – but showed no signs of real pain. "Get him off me."

Harry gave himself credit for trying. But apparently, it was hard to cast a spell when you kept snickering in the middle of it.

"Oh, honestly." Hermione sounded exasperated. "Let me."

A swish and a flick later, Ron was free. Harry reached down to help the other boy to his feet. He was relieved to see Ron was moving a little gingerly, but without strain or winces. Then Harry turned back to look at the impressive trail of destruction the pureblood had created. "What on Earth did you do?"

Ron rotated his arm cautiously, then shook himself out. "Grabbed the wrong thing, I reckon. Merlin, thought I was a goner for a second there."

Hermione shook her head and sighed. "I think maybe that's enough excitement for a night. How about we call it 'til tomorrow?"

"Hmmm." That actually might not be a bad idea. They still had at least an hour before curfew, but they could work on homework in the Gryffindor common room. "Start back up after we watch the transfiguration test?"

She nodded. "I can't imagine, whatever it is, that it will take the entire day."

"Let's go." Ron agreed, looking a touch nauseous. "I need a shower."

Harry bit back a laugh. "It's not like it was slimy or sweating or anything."

"No," Ron shuddered. "Because it was dead. I had dead troll skin all over me." Their friend turned and, without waiting for them, strode back towards the entrance.

Hermione's elbow connecting with his side cut off Harry's reply, then she started after Ron. Muffling snickers, Harry followed.

The next morning, just about everyone in the castle was gathered in the quidditch stands, impatient to watch the action that would shortly be occurring down on the pitch. No less eager, Harry frowned, puzzled, as he contemplated the testing grounds.

Well, it's not a giant chess set.

There was a twelve foot wide chasm, the bottom obscured in darkness. There was a wall, obsidian black and smoothly polished, far too high to jump and impossible to climb. On the far side of that, a rushing river (which appeared from thin air on one side and disappeared into the same on the other) barred the way, waters murky underneath the frothing white of the current. Further on, a barrier of blue flames – he flashed back to his first year, and the obstacles to the Stone – burned with no visible source. The odd grey shapes scattered around the course took a moment of squinting before he realized what he saw: a gargoyle sat on top of the ebony wall; granite wolves stood as motionless statues, one on each side of the path in front of the flame barrier. At the far end of the course, floating perfectly still in mid-air six meters up, was a flag in Gryffindor red and gold.

The goal seemed obvious, but far too easy. Granted – it'd be challenging. But some flame-freezing charms here, transfiguration paired with a levitation spell or creatively used sticking charm there, some conjuration, maybe a stunning charm or two if that odd glimmer in the water was what he thought it was… he, Ron, and Hermione probably could have done it easy enough. Shouldn't a test for champions be more difficult?

"Potentials," McGonagall said, voice carrying easily under spelled amplification, "the test is straightforward. It embodies the qualities I believe you will need to succeed in the tournament. Bravery," she looked at the flames, "grace under pressure," a glance at the drop into darkness, "ingenuity," the slightest tilt of her head at the mirror-smooth wall, "and quick thinking." The sweep of her arm seemed to cover the breadth of the course.

Okay, Harry could see that. But still- too easy. And looking at the students lined up at the starting line, ready to try for the flag, he could see they thought so too. Alicia was smiling, looking utterly unworried. Katie whispered something to her quietly, then laughed.

"Oh yes," the slightest cat's smile curled at the edge of Professor McGonagall's mouth as she continued. "And of course: skill at transfiguration. Which, as this is the transfiguration trial, is the only magic you're allowed to use."

The would-be champions suddenly all looked a good deal less confident.

McGonagall's wand flicked out. Across the course, the stone statues of gargoyle and wolves came to life, color bleeding into them as they changed from granite to flesh. One wolf almost as large as Harry met his eyes and snarled, saliva dripping down ivory teeth.

"Now. Who would like to try first?"

When the ninth would-be champion's transfigured bridge – the Hufflepuff sixth year had attempted to create a long wooden board on which to traverse the ravine – started breaking under him as he reached halfway across, Harry groaned.

To his left, Ron shook his head. "This is just embarrassing."

"He didn't account for the pressure of his weight load at the weakest point," Hermione said analytically as the wood cracked in half and the boy plummeted screaming into darkness, shards of his broken bridge following him into the depths.

"Wimp," Seamus said from behind Harry's left shoulder.

Harry grinned. "Right? The professors won't let anyone get hurt." He paused, remembering the fate of the seventh champion, who'd been dragged by the snarling wolves a good dozen meters before McGonagall had rescued her. "Well," he amended. "Not seriously hurt."

"I think the fifth guy was the worst," Neville said contemplatively from where he was sitting behind Harry's other shoulder.

Harry snorted. The Ravenclaw had managed the transfiguration of a metal plank bridge well enough. But he had then somehow managed to lose his balance and just fall off while trying to walk across it.

"I can definitely see why we're having preliminary trials," Hermione added. "Since they're taking place at Hogwarts – and there's no penalty for making the attempt – a lot of the students probably figure they might as well try. If there's any seventh years not lined up to have a go, I'd be surprised. And not more than a few sixth years could have decided to refrain from entering."

"In other words," Ron summed, "this is not the cream of the crop."

McGonagall had, by this point, retrieved the shaken, white-faced Hufflepuff, and was gesturing at the next champion to take her place at the starting line.

Harry squinted. "Is that Angelina?"

She managed a decent showing, crossing the ravine with grace, then getting over the wall through the use of a transfigured ladder and rope. The gargoyle guarding the top nearly got her, but she managed to slither over to the other side and slide down quickly – previous trials had proven that the gargoyle was limited in how far away from the wall it could pursue. The landing looked painfully rough, but she shoved to her feet and stumbled on, pausing when she came to the river.

The first champion who had gotten that far had assumed it was a new version of the ravine obstacle, and had simply made another bridge over the river, only to be swamped by the creatures hiding unseen in the water. His shrieking, panicked screams had certainly alerted the rest of the waiting potentials that something on the far side of the obsidian wall was dangerous.

("What are they?" Harry had asked aloud, fascinated by the three creatures which had shifted from scaled limbs and claws to a harmless human guise - once the shuddering, crying champion had gone limp in submission.

Hermione'd squinted at them. "Nøkken, I think." She'd raised her eyebrows. "Scandinavian. I guess they're taking this seriously.)

One or two of those waiting to be tested had actually slinked away quietly at that point, apparently figuring that whatever had caused those noises was nothing they wanted any part of.

Since then, there'd been a few different ways champions had tried to deal with the third obstacle. Most who'd noticed the creatures had made a enclosed pipe bridge, with solid sides and top. The fourth champion – who Harry recognized as a Beater from the Slytherin team - had eschewed finesse in favor of transfiguring himself a metal beater's bat, then laid to waste any Nøkken which tried to grab him. While Harry had doubts about the strength of that strategy in a genuine hostile encounter – the Nøkkens' claws all looked sharp, lengthy, and disturbingly well kept – it'd served well enough here. Probably because the Scandinavian imports didn't seem too interested in physically fighting – and risking injury - with prey they'd only be allowed to subdue, not kill.

Angelina looked like she was going for a distraction. She'd created an arching bridge over the water, but had yet to start crossing it, still casting more spells. Several minutes later, she'd manage to transfigure a small horde of goats into being and sent them ahead of her as decoys.

"Good idea," Hermione murmured. "Goats are one of their favorite foods."

For a moment it looked like it wouldn't work, when a Nøkken snagged her ankle mere seconds before she reached the other side. She managed to kick it off after a frantic struggle, though, and dove for solid ground. She hit grass and kept rolling, trying to get clear of the water as fast as possible.

Only to come face-to-snarling-snout with the wolves.

Her startled shriek was understandable, but the purely reflex blast of force from her wand – while it threw the wolves back – also marked her as disqualified.

"Ouch," Ron said.

Harry shook his head as Angelina gingerly stood up and started limping off the course. "She didn't plan ahead enough. She knew the wolves were on the other side of the river but she focused too much on just getting across it. She either didn't have a strategy ready for the wolves, or it was nothing she could do while off balance and short on time."

He caught Neville's stare out of the corner of his eye, and turned to face the other boy. "What?"

Neville blinked, a faint tint of embarrassment reddening his face. "Nothing. Just… you sound kind of. Um. Disdainful."

Seamus dropped an arm over Neville's shoulder. "Neville, my boy, you see there the scorn of professional pride!"

Harry gaped at Seamus, because where did that come from? "It is not! It's just that a lot of them are really, really, bad. Especially for seventh years."

Seamus shook his head dolefully. "Thwarted professional pride, I tell you. It's clear the three of them are secretly undercover aurors stationed here. There was that thing in first year we never got all the details about, then, well. Second year. And in third year the three of them were always disappearing somewhere." Seamus nodded firmly. "I bet they secretly run one of these courses every week, just for fun. At midnight. In blizzards."

"Uphill both ways?" Hermione murmured innocently.

Neville shoved Seamus's arm off. "Have you been trying to turn water to ale again?" Then, as the eleventh champion entered the trial grounds: "So, do they have to actually get the flag to pass? Or just make a good enough showing?"

"McGonagall didn't say." Ron scrunched his brows together a second in thought. "Dunno. But they probably just have to make a decent enough showing. Be kind of silly to fail them on one subject, if they're really amazing at all the others."

Thinking back over the performance so far, Harry shook his head. "Given how bad most of them are, they'd better be amazing at something else." A minutes later, watching the would-be champion as he transfigured a cage made of roots and vines, Harry added: "Oh look. This one actually managed to deal with the wolves."

Silently, they watched as the contestant then tried to build a bridge over the fire. The first was made of wood – Harry winced – and promptly caught flames itself. The second melted. The third was high enough over the fire not to be damaged structurally, but when the contestant tried to cross, he was forced back by the sheer heat rising from the wall.

Hermione sighed, sounding pained. "He just crossed a river. Transfigure a bucket and be done with it."

"Hmm." Ron hummed. "I was thinking vanish a tunnel into being under it. It looks magical – might not be doused with water."

Harry drop his head to his hands as the champion, for some bizarre reason, decided the answer was to ineffectually try vanishing the flames themselves. "Hermione, I think you jinxed us."

"I did not!" Then, finally realizing he hadn't meant it literally: "Wait, why?"

"You were the one who said 'I can't imagine it will take the all day,'" Harry paraphrased. "We've been here for more than an hour, and I don't think they're even a quarter way through." Harry ticked off the numbers on his fingers. "Five to twenty minutes per an attempt, about seventy people trying…"

Ron frowned, scanning the line for his brothers. "I want to watch Fred and George… we can head to lunch after that? Skip the rest of it?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "They're still convinced they can talk your mum around?"

"They're bonkers," Ron said, voice matter of fact. "But they should be fun to watch."

Having finally managed to cross the flames, the eleventh contestant was now trying to conjure a bird to retrieve the floating flag. The first attempt failed at flying at all, as the creature's wings appeared malformed.

The second attempt simply flew off towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Well," Harry said. "They certainly can't be worse than this."

"Cursebreaking," Harry said Monday afternoon, as they settled around their table in the Room of Hidden Things. "What do we know?"

"That it's bloody difficult," Ron moaned.

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione said primly, "but I think Harry was looking for something a little more precise."

"Well, he's not wrong." Harry turned his mind back to everything he'd learned over the months of summer. "So far all we've been able to do is theory, but from what I read, there's two separate approaches. Divination or painstaking analysis."

Ron nodded. "Right. Because the first part of cursebreaking is trying to figure out the curse. How strong it is, what type it is, what it might do, or what traps might be in it."

In their case, the last one was especially relevant. Harry scowled. Voldemort is just the type to boobytrap his curses. It not only would help keep his stuff safe, it'd punish anyone who dared to meddle.

Hermione propped her chin on her hand. "And you can either try to figure that out with analysis via careful spells in the school of arithmancy, and corresponding research of other clues the cursed item has – whether that be accompanying runic warnings on or near it, or mentions of it in books or research journals–"

"Or," Harry cut in, "you can use divination to gather information about the spell instead. Which has a great deal less charts and tables and graphs and notes, correlating this to the correspondence of that with the probability of the other…"

"But!" Hermione interjected, looking mutinous. "Arithmancy also has a great deal more certainty, thoroughness, and methodological virtue."

Ron was swiveling his head back and forth between the two of them. "Right."

"Divination will be faster," Harry said flatly.

"Arithmancy and research would be safer," Hermione countered, meeting his eyes with a determined stare.

"Look," said Ron into the crackling silence. "Why don't you both do it? Hermione looks into it with Arithmancy, Harry looks into it with Divination, and in the end, we see if your conclusions match?"

Harry quirked an eyebrow at her. "That does make sense," he offered.

"It does," she assented. "But you know that brings up something else. We're going to have to practice. I don't want to try my very first attempt at booby-trap detecting on something of You-Know-Who's. That strikes me as… unwise."

Harry snorted. That's one way of putting it.

Because there was being a Gryffindor, and then there was being a fool. And despite what Snape would say, the two were not synonymous.

But there's only one way to safely get practice. We start with cursed objects we know, ones that are relatively harmless. And to do that…

"So," he said aloud. "Which one of us is going to learn some dark arts curses?"

Two days later Hermione was putting away the updated Bounty Scroll when Ron asked, "So what do you want to do until curfew?"

She looked up briefly. "We still have those Potions essays to finish…"

From the middle of the room where he and Harry were straightening up the chairs left strewn about after the conclusion of the Niffler Club's second meeting, Ron looked like he'd bitten into a vomit flavored Every Flavored Bean. Once she would have assumed that was in response to the subject itself. Now…

"I know Snape's not anyone's preferred teacher," she admitted, "but Potions is important."

Harry was staring at her in disbelief. His eyes are very expressive.

"Not preferred?" Harry echoed. "Hermione. Monday, he sent two first year girls into a crying fit. One of them was convinced he was going to have her sent home in disgrace. The other one would have been happy if he did, as long as it got her away from him."

"Slimy, bullying, git," Ron added. "What kind of a grown man picks on eleven year old girls anyway?"

Considering that she rather agreed with that, (and she had memories, herself, of a time or two in first year that Snape's comments had made her bite back tears), there wasn't much she could say. But all that dwelling on it would accomplish is to make them hate the potions professor even more vehemently, which certainly wouldn't help anyone.

And might make Snape happy, given how he seemed to relish upsetting Harry.

"The homework still has to be done," she pointed out, avoiding the losing topic of Snape's personality deficiencies.

Ron grumbled his assent, but Harry shook his head. "Actually, I think I might go see if I can look up Dobby. It's been almost a month since I've seen him." Harry's expression turned vaguely wary. "I've learned to worry a little when I go too long without knowing what he's up to."

Hermione smiled to herself. Harry's wry and occasionally frustrated second hand accounts of the interaction between himself and his house-elf friend were comedic gold. Although speaking of Dobby, maybe it was time to bring up that vague thought she'd had…

"Harry?" she asked.

"Mhmmm?" It was a distracted hum as the boy gathered his things, quill temporarily held in his teeth as he ran out of hands to do his packing.

"How does the house-elf bond work exactly? Especially once it's broken?"

That had Harry pausing, and he spat out the quill, turning quizzical eyes toward her. "What do you mean?"

She included Ron in the conversation with a tilt of her head. "There isn't a lot of information available on house-elves. They've been with wizards for centuries but they don't seem to be very well written about." She frowned. "I did some research, but I couldn't get a straight answer. What I did find is pretty concerning. There's definitely some sort of obedience magic in the servitude – house-elves have to follow orders given by their masters, no matter how they feel about them."

The more she'd read, the more it seemed like the house-elves were slaves, and she'd felt deeply uncomfortable reading about it. But I have to be missing something - surely the wizards aren't really enslaving an entire sentient species?

But Harry was nodding. "Yeah. When Dobby was trying to help me, he worked around the orders he was given. He couldn't break them, but he surely could do anything else that wasn't forbidden." It was Harry's turn to frown. "And when he did something that he thought his owners would disapprove of if they knew about it…" He shook his head abruptly. "It was sick. He'd have to hurt himself. Some of the things he said: slamming his ears in the oven, hitting himself…"

Just hearing the words made her queasy. Desperately, she looked to the pureblood wizard of their group. "Ron?"

Ron looked disturbed but also uncertain. He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't tell you a lot," he conceded unhappily. "Our family home doesn't have a house-elf, and my parents have never really talked about them. I know they exist, but other than that…" He shrugged. "Harry's had more interaction with a house-elf than I've ever had."

"What brought this on, anyway?" Harry asked, eyes piercing.

She huffed at him. "If wizards are enslaving an entire species, don't you think that's important?"

Harry's eyes darkened. "Of course it is. Dobby's my friend, and I'm the one who saw him abused in front of my eyes. But something brought this to mind; something had you doing research in the first place."

She winced slightly, because that was true. Who knows how long it would have taken her to really look into house-elves if it weren't for the situation the three of them were in? "Touché. All right. We know Dobby worked for the Malfoys, and while he was bound to them, he had to follow their orders completely. If we want information on Lucius Malfoy – why don't we ask Dobby? That's why I was asking about how the ensorcellment worked – does it only hold as long as he's their servant, or does he have to keep their secrets forever?"

The two of them looked thunderstruck.

Then Harry cocked his head. "Let's find out," he said, and strode out the door. Exchanging glances, she and Ron hurried to follow as Harry led them down to the kitchen's.

Dobby wasn't actually there when they arrived, but one of the house-elves who was there had been happy to go in search of Harry's friend. Now, the three of them sitting around an out of the way table, she watched Harry smile warmly at the house-elf. "We had questions about house-elves, Dobby, we were wondering if you could answer?"

Dobby's large round eyes somehow managed to look even larger and rounder. "Dobby will answer anything the Harry Potter asks!"

Harry visibly hesitated. "Are you sure? It's about…" his voice dropped a little, "the Malfoys. And the enslavement bond between house-elves and wizards."

Dobby's thin, small body shrank in on itself minutely, his ears drooping and his expression going from happy anticipation to something that wasn't quite wariness or fear…

Hurt? Hermione thought. No, that's not quite it.

But Dobby marshaled his courage, lifting his chin a subtle micrometer. "Dobby will answer Harry Potter sir."

She watched as Harry's emerald green eyes intently meet Dobby's yellow-green, distinctly non-human ones, and something seemed to pass between the two of them. Finally, Harry nodded. "You're free, now," he said, driving to the heart of the matter. "Does that mean you're completely free? I know you don't have to do anything the Malfoys order, but do you still have to keep their secrets?"

"Dobby does not have to anymore," Dobby answered. "Tis part of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. We keeps their secrets and our silence; we upholds the family's honor, and we never speaks ill of them. But now Dobby can say whatever Dobby wants about his old masters. And Dobby is glad! They were bad- bad-" Dobby suddenly took two steps forward and slammed his head hard into the table they were sitting at.

She started, shocked at the sudden violence, but Harry lunged out of his chair, catching Dobby before he could do it again.

"Thank you, Harry Potter," the house-elf said shakily. "Dobby still finds it dif-ficult to speak ill of his old masters." Harry released him; Dobby straightened but stayed in Harry's reach.

"Can you tell us anything about Lucius Malfoy that would get him into trouble?"

Dobby looked droopy. "Dobby doesn't know. Dobby doesn't know what would get bad master in trouble. Although Dobby has… has heard-" the house-elf broke off and attempted to hit himself hard on the nose with his fist. Harry's hand barely intercepted it in time.

"I think we should stop," Hermione said.

Dobby stuck his chin up. "Dobby can tell!"

"Not stop permanently," she amended, meeting Dobby's eyes. Then she looked to Ron and Harry. "But maybe this isn't the right place for it? And maybe we could do this with more preparation? Or ease him into it gradually, so he isn't trying to hurt himself every other sentence?"

Dobby's eyes shined slightly with hazy tears. "Dobby should have known great good Harry Potter would only have friends as good as himself. Missy Granger ma'am is concerned for Dobby!"

"Honestly, well, of course I am. When I heard from Harry about how some house-elves are treated, I felt sick! I tried to look up more information about it, but there's not a lot of books on the subject." She yanked a curl of her hair in frustration. "How did this situation even come about in the first place? Why did you start working for them? Did they force you somehow?"

She blinked as she felt a change in the atmosphere of the giant kitchens. The hustle and bustle of a dozen house-elves at work was suddenly slightly muted. Looking around, she realized the house-elves near enough to hear must have been listening in, because glances were trading between them.

And Dobby… Dobby looked sadder than Hermione had ever seen him. "No, Missy Granger ma'am. The wizards didn't make us serve. We all agreed. Every house-elf alive is son or daughter to a house-elf that agreed."

"But-" She groped for words, trying to fit this seemingly insane decision into a world she could understand. That the house-elves would all, to the last elf, voluntarily sign up to be slaves in a bond they couldn't break- it was inconceivable. There's something here I'm missing. "But why would you agree?" she pressed Dobby.

Unexpectedly, Harry cut in. "Was it a trick somehow? Did your people not know back then, that a mistreated house-elf wouldn't be able to escape a bad master?"

Dobby shook his head, still looking so very sorrowful. "We know then what we are agreeing to. We know we would be helpless against our masters. But it be better than the alternative. It be better than that we be-" he shuddered so hard his entire frame quaked "-be Lost."

The house-elves around the kitchen all froze, still as a mouse while a predator passed by.

"What's Lost?" Ron asked quietly, as clueless as she and Harry despite the pureblood upbringing.

"It be the house-elves end," Dobby said. "House-elves be strong with magic. Too strong, sometimes. If we get bloodmad…" he shook his head, ears flopping.

"Bloodmad?" she asked.

"Mad," Dobby said. "More than little mad; more than big mad. Bloodmad is madmad. And if house-elf go bloodmad even once, house-elf be Lost." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Lost forever. And while bloodmad… terrible things done sometimes, Harry Potter sir. Terrible things."

She could feel the connections snap into place. "That's why you have to swear your servitude to your masters without reservation. The enslavement bond lets them keep you from going over the line even if you're infuriated. If you could snap the enslavement bond whenever you wanted to – when you wanted to escape a bad master, for example - then you could snap it to go into the bloodrage. The very thing you agreed to serve in order to prevent."

Wow. She felt a little dizzy at the scope of the horror of it. That's… incredibly unfair. Becoming a slave because a quirk of your biology means the only other choice is an ever present risk of going psychotically crazy? "And the required imbalance of power necessary for it to work inevitably creates a system open to abuse." She shook her head. "I ran across the Ministry's published Guidelines for House-Elf Welfare, so I guess some people are doing their best. But if no one can come up with a better system than what we have..."

Ron sighed. "It's kind of pushed under the rug. Like the dementors and the prisoners in Azkaban. Only with even less attention because house-elves are so rarely seen."

But Harry's brain was apparently on a different track. "Wait, was that why it was so hard for you to get another position? I just couldn't understand why no one would want a full, live-in servant who does as much as you do as well as you do for as little pay as you ask. If nothing else, I'd think a restaurant or inn would be positively thrilled to hire you." Dobby hunched in on himself, looking dismayed and terrified, but Harry didn't seem to notice, caught up in his realization. "But that's it, isn't it? Wizards might not remember why, but they remember they're supposed to be wary of unbonded house-elves." He shook his head. "They were scared of you?" His voice was incredulous, but Dobby curled further into himself, ears drooping.

She kicked Harry surreptitiously under the table, and when he looked at her, she nodded towards Dobby meaningfully.

"Oh," Harry's voice gentled as he took in Dobby's posture. "Hey. It's okay. I'm not scared of you; I promise."

Hope and disbelieving joy filled the small elf's face. He hurled himself into Harry's arms. "Dobby knew Harry Potter is great wonderful wizard. But every time Dobby thinks Harry Potter is greatest, Harry Potter does something even better! Dobby will always do anything great Harry Potter sir asks!"

While Harry was gingerly patting the back of the ecstatic but teary eyed house-elf, Hermione's mind had brought up another question. "Do you even like cooking, cleaning, and keeping house?"

"Oh yes." Dobby settled down and took a few steps backward, but his expression remained bright. "Yes very much! House-Elves do. Always have. We used to even do it for muggles sometimes, before the secrecy order. They didn't see us, but they appreciate it. Leave out food sometimes!"

Something was ticking away in the back of her mind. House-Elves liked doing housework. They used to do it for muggles. They could turn violent and be Lost.

"Brownies," she blurted out, as various bits of muggle mythology came together in her mind. "My God. You're the muggle's brownies. And serving wizards keeps you from going boggart."

The three others at the table were staring at her. She shook her head. "It's nothing. No relation to the boggarts Professor Aesalon taught us about, except that muggles apparently connected the word 'boggart' with a frightening magical creature." She looked at Dobby. "Muggles used to have stories about house-elves," she told him. "Back before the Statute of Secrecy. They called you brownies." She blinked, amazed anew at the world she found herself living in. "I didn't realize you were real."

Which was when their reminder alarm spell went off. The three students started.

"That's the ten minute warning for curfew," Harry explained to Dobby. "We have to go. I'll come visit you again, all right?"

Dobby bounced a little on the balls of his feet. "Dobby will be waiting!"

To the chorus of cheerful farewells from the rest of the house elves, the three of them sped from the room.

The Gryffindors are being interesting again.

He reclines against sheets of dark green, tastefully accented with silver, and thinks on weeks recently passed. The time-turner has been reclaimed for another school year; even now his armband's warding stands fast, heating as it casts off the soothing touch of magic that would blind him into complacent obliviousness. He might resent the frequency of the distracting sensation… if he didn't so appreciate the three Gryffindors' latest move.

This Niffler club is something new, and for that it is something fascinating. He wonders whose idea it was. Granger, who has always been fiercely brilliant, but has gained strength and edge to her quick wit: strong enough to endure, honed enough to cut? Weasley, who has proved unexpectedly capable as a club captain: eager and surprisingly charismatic, with good natured humor and a bluntly friendly approach? Or Potter, who quietly fades into the shadows, save for those rare moments and situations when he burns with presence and magic like living flame?

(The creature inheritance from his mother's blood is barely a trace, his resulting birthright heritage outwardly unnoticeable and inwardly only a touch above nonexistent: a few scattered gifts of inconsistent strength. But its maturing power grants him a perception others lack, and he knows one truth: the Boy-Who-Lived's magic is becoming a fearsome thing.)

Potter's magic is fearful not for ugliness nor abomination: it is instead clean, and swift, and mesmerizing as a solstice moon. Not dark, nor light; neither vortex nor void. It swirls through and around the other boy: inconstant and growing, changing from fluid to adamantine with Potter's needs and shifting moods. It is stunning to watch and terrifying in its implications; a lightning storm arcing across the sky in miniature, raw power best appreciated from a considerable distance.

But how he does appreciate it. He gets so little entertainment from his housemates. It is… pleasant… to have another source of intrigue.

And this year's show seems to be shaping up even more amusing than last's.

The Hogwarts trials for the Triwizard Tournament seemed to be scheduled every two weeks, so come a Sunday morning later, the school students again eagerly assembled to watch the second competition. Scrunched between a group of Ravenclaws on the left and some first-year Hufflepuffs on the right, Harry, standing with Ron, and Hermione, scrutinized the quidditch pitch below. At last, he shrugged, baffled. "Yeah. I've got nothing."

Down on the pitch green, the potential champions stood before a line of shimmering gold drawn on the grass. Across the line was a large rectangular space, at least twenty by thirty meters, populated by what might be a hundred pedestals. Most of them were pure white, with the occasional one colored jet-black interspersed seemingly randomly. On the far side of that space was another line on the ground, this one of blazing blue-green.

"What are those little pedestal-stand-column-things, you think?" asked Ron.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. I mean," he squinted, "I think there might be writing on them?" Squinting and straining his eyes was beginning to give him a headache, so he stopped, and rubbed them, then blinked until his eyes cleared. "I need to learn a binoculars spell. Hermione, why don't we know a binoculars spell? I find this a grave oversight."

Hermione quirked her lips. "Perhaps because we haven't needed one so far?"

"Impeccable logic," he said severely, "is not what I pay you for."

She made a delicate scoffing sound. "As if you could afford me."

Harry grinned, then turned his attention back to the course. "A little anti-climactic, compared to McGonagall's course though, isn't it?"

Ron snorted. "A little? McGonagall had wolves prowling around. And fire. And black abyssal chasms. And predatory creatures lurking unseen in the depths of a river, ready to pounce on the unwary and drag them to their deaths. Here?" He gestured down at the course. "I don't see anything alive. It's just… empty grass and pedestal things."

"Sshh," Hermione interrupted, elbowing Ron as she nodded toward Flitwick, who seemed to be striding with purpose towards the watching students.

"This is the second trial for potential Triwizard Tournament champions." Flitwick announced, voice amplified by a minor vocal enhancement charm. "It will primarily test potential champions' intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, and good judgment. As with Professor McGonagall's trial, the overall goal is simple: cross the line on the far side of this field. However," he raised one finger in caution, "the line will not let a trialee pass unless they have accumulated fifty points." Suddenly, everyone was looking more intently at the blue-green line on the far side of the course. "The points are won by winning challenges, which include solving puzzles, performing spells, and answering questions. In order not to unduly penalize students who specialize in different subjects, there are challenges related to all schools of magic Hogwarts teaches. On each white pillar, the name of the school of magic, and how many points the challenge is worth, is engraved. The black pillars show only the number of points that can be gained."

"Harder challenges presumably leading to a larger number of points," Hermione murmured. "And I'll bet the black pillars give more points in general than the white."

"But why wouldn't someone just chose all easy ones?" Ron asked. "Sure, it'd take a while, but still…"

"Two aspects make this challenge more complicated," Flitwick continued below. "First, this is a timed trial. The quicker you are to cross the finish line, the more points total you receive. The amount of points you have when you cross will be multiplied by a coefficient, and the quicker you cross, the higher that coefficient will be. Additionally, you only have a total of fifteen minutes. If you have not crossed the finish line by that time, you will lose all points gained, and fail the challenge."

"Coefficient?" Ron asked. "Hermione?"

"Say one champion has fifty points. If he crossed the finish line at the eight minute mark, he gets a certain coefficient to multiply that by - maybe an additional thirty percent - which nets him a total of sixty five points. The next champion also has fifty points, but she crosses the finish line at the ten minute mark, so she only gets a coefficient of twenty percent, which gives a lesser total of only sixty. I wonder what the time scale is, though? Linear, exponential, or some combination thereof?"

"Ah," Ron said knowingly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "The quicker they cross, the more points they get. Hermione's wondering if there's a direct correlation between time and points, or if the ratio changes depending on the time it takes."

"Right," Ron said, shiftily. "That's what she said."

Harry smirked, but Flitwick was still speaking. "The second complicating factor is that failing at a challenge loses you points. All champions start with five. The amount of points you gain for succeeding is how many points you will lose if you fail. If a champion's points go to zero, they forfeit, regardless of how much time they have left on the clock. For every point you lose, your finish time bonus coefficient is permanently reduced by a half percent. "

Harry blinked, then engaged in a silent stare down with Ron. The ginger just met his gaze loftily.

Right, note to self, Harry thought, do not tease Ron for doing something I'll need to do sixty seconds later.

"Hermione?" Harry asked plaintively

Below, Flitwick looked to be engaged in a complicated spell, his wand fairly flying through the motions. Large numbers slowly took shape in the air above the course. They currently read 00:00, 00, and more were forming as seconds passed.

Her eyes were twinkling in amusement, but thank God, she refrained from commenting. "My previous example had the champion crossing at eight minutes with his fifty points and a thirty percent coefficient. Let's say that he got one challenge worth four points wrong. That's a two percent decrease. Instead of multiplying his fifty points by thirty percent, he now multiplies his fifty points by twenty-eight percent, for a total of sixty-four points, instead of his original sixty-five."

Ron groaned, and buried his face in his hands. "Of course the Ravenclaw head of house creates a challenge filled with intricate maths calculations. Talk about sadistic."

Apparently Ron had spoken a bit too loudly, because one of the Ravenclaws to their left turned to face them. "You're kidding, right? Compared to Professor McGonagall's course?"

"Professor McGonagall," Ron said, drawing himself up with wounded dignity, "might set vicious, snarling predators with a thirst for blood on students, but at least she has the decency not to make them do maths."

Harry glanced around to see how the pronouncement was being taken. The first-year Hufflepuffs were round-eyed, staring at Ron with flat disbelief until one of the older Hufflepuff students nearby leaned down. "Gryffindors," she muttered in what was probably meant to be sotto voce. The firsties eyes got even wider, but the confusion on their faces cleared.

Harry smirked. And the Gryffindors once again successfully convince the rest of Hogwarts that we're all completely bloody crazy.

Because it's not like it was really hazing when there's seed of truth to it, right? Although honestly, the Weasley twin had been doing half the work for the rest of them ever since Fred and George hit fourth-year.

The Ravenclaw just sighed and shook his head, turning back to Flitwick. The numbers floating high in the air now read: 00:00, 00, -00, %00. Flitwick nodded with satisfaction, then lowered his wand. "The numbers, from left to right, show time elapsed since the challenge started, total number of points gained, the number of points a champion has lost, and the current bonus coefficient the champion would receive if they finished at that moment. And finally," his wand flicked out in a motion, and a blaze of light sparked through the golden line the champions were standing behind, lifting into a shimmering golden curtain that floated in the air. Cries of surprise echoed from the obscured students. "Champions who have not yet participated will not be able to see anything that's occurring on the course, nor hear anything that is announced. They can, however, still see the numbers as each undergoes the trial, that they might better make their judgments on how fast they need to go, and what they dare risk in order to achieve their times. To offset this advantage, the first ten who go will receive a three percent increase to their bonus timer coefficient. And now," he said, stepping back across the golden barrier, ignoring the start of the Slytherin student nearest to him as Flitwick seemingly appeared from thin air, "let the second trial for entrance to the Triwizard Tournament begin!"

"I want that one-way sound/sight barrier spell," Harry told Ron and Hermione, as Flitwick escorted the student back through the barrier and onto the course. Hermione made a noise of vague agreement, but was obviously more absorbed in watching the first champion begin the trial. Harry let it rest, but made a mental note not to forget about it. Magic that let something pass through in only one direction? He could think of so very many uses for it. Especially if there are variations that restrict different things…

The competition was fairly interesting to watch, both entertaining and informative. By the time the first contestant had gotten half-way through, Hermione had whipped out a notebook, and was busily recording several of the spells. Luckily, Flitwick was keeping a running commentary on what each would-be champion was facing, and how they attempted to tackle each problem.

Although one or two students failed, most of them were making it over the finish line before the fifteen minute mark. The fastest completion had been by one lanky Ravenclaw prefect at just under seven minutes. A Gryffindor squeaked by at fourteen minutes and fifty-two seconds. Most passed between the eight and eleven minute mark. By the sixteenth champion, though, Harry was starting to grow a little bored. The challenges didn't change, after all, and although there were still a few challenges worth a large amount of points that no one had yet risked, he'd seen most of them at least once by now.

The current challenger successfully solved his last challenge, the five points pushing him up to fifty one points at the respectable, if not impressive, time of nine minutes. He seemed to hesitate for a minute, then instead of heading towards the finish line, he turned and headed towards another pillar.

A murmur of surprise rustled through the watchers.

Hermione straightened. "What? Oh. Oh, that is clever. I didn't even think of that."

"Translation?" Harry asked. "Why not go to the finish line now?"

"He knows he doesn't have a good enough time to score top points if he finished now. He's betting an increase of accumulated points will outweigh a lower finishing time bonus coefficient."

"Will that work?" Ron asked.

She hummed, and her fingers twitched slightly, as if she was mentally working through calculations and ached for a quill. "It could," she nodded. "Depending on how many points he gets, how long it takes, and how many points he loses."

Harry shook his head. "Well, at least that means he might do some of the hard ones no one else has tried yet. I'm probably going to take off after he finishes, though. This is getting kind of repetitive."

"I'll come with you, mate," Ron added immediately. "Hermione?"

"Ah?" she sounded distracted. "Oh, no, thank you. You two go have fun."

Three minutes later, she waved them off with a smile. Harry led the way back towards the castle. "Want to grab our brooms then go do some flying over the lake? You haven't had the chance to play much with your new one yet."

Ron grinned. "Sure. Race you there?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, and folded his hands into his robe sleeves. "Really Ron?" he said primly. "Don't you think we're kind of old for-"

Which was when Ron tripped him.

And took off running.

"Cheater!" Harry yelled after him, scrambling to his feet and sprinting along behind.

"Like I didn't see you going for your wand?" Ron called back between huffs.

Harry reached out and carefully, carefully, snagged Ron's foot with a flex of will. The ginger's arms windmill-ed, and he tumbled. Harry sent a rude gesture at Ron as he sped by his friend's prone body. He had several gleeful seconds of celebration before his feet tangled and he found himself hitting the ground again.

That, he thought, trying to get back the breath that'd been knocked out of him, was definitely the feel of a tripping jinx.

He rolled over to see Ron, still outstretched on the ground, wand pointing toward him. "Oh?" Harry asked ominously. "We're going to play it that way, are we?"

By the time either of them reached the castle, they were out of breath, bruised, and their robes were covered with grass stains.

"Yeah," Harry said, leaning against Ron at the entrance hall, completely out of breath. "We're not telling Hermione about this, right?"

"Are you crazy? No way, mate."

"Good," Harry exhaled slowly, feeling his heartbeat calm. "Come on. Let's go change before we grab our brooms."

Harry left defense class with Ron and Hermione, his mind buzzing with ideas. They'd covered the basic shield charm that day, which Harry had already known how to cast. But Moody had also taken them through all sorts of scenarios and uses for the shield charm, some of them ways Harry wouldn't ever have thought of. From stunning spells to physical objects to poisonous potion fumes to elemental flame attacks – defense spells, just like transfiguration spells or charms, could be flexible in their uses depending on their caster's intent. A special shield oriented towards a specific threat would be stronger – both more efficient and less likely to break – than the basic shield applied in an enterprising way, but it was known as the basic shield spell for a reason.

Not because it was the easiest to learn, but because it had the broadest application.

Professor Moody might be able to give lessons to a professional paranoiac, but he knew his stuff. Harry knew they were lucky to have the him teaching, although he couldn't figure out why the ex-auror had agreed to do so. The man had to know the defense curse meant his days were numbered.

(Harry still hadn't figured out how Professor Aesalon had apparently managed to escape, by all appearances unscathed, even if he hadn't returned for a second year. Sometimes, that seeming impossibility bothered him.)

Still, Moody's twitchiness, harsh language, and bluntly pessimistic assessments of his students' abilities were all a small price to pay, in return for the knowledge he granted. Their first 'practical' class on Saturday was surely going to be interesting.

Harry still had occasional nightmares, and last year had added a new one to his collection of horrors. He woke up sometimes in a cold sweat, terror, grief, and guilt twisting through him. He had given the same thing that killed Ginny to Hermione with his own hands. And sometimes in his dreams, when he looked up from setting the diadem in her fingers, it wasn't Hermione's face that he saw.

Hermione had never seemed to blame him, but that only helped mitigate his horror a little.

Maybe someday he'd be able to think back on the moment with only calm equanimity at her close call. But he knew that day wasn't likely to be anytime soon.

The third trial started with the regulation of clockwork, two weeks after the second took place. One Sunday morning halfway through October, Professors Sprout and Snape stood in front of the assembled students. Two professors officiating was the first clue the students had that this trial would be different. And oddly enough, they'd also been told to report to the great hall, rather than the quidditch pitch.

The last remaining dishes several students were lingering over all suddenly vanished, and students turned their attention to the teacher's table.

"This is the last trial," Snape announced coldly, standing at the center of the dais with Professor Sprout besides him. "Gryffindor's trial combined transfiguration prowess with bravery, nerve, and poise. Ravenclaw's tested knowledge, wisdom, and judgment. This last, final trial, joining Hufflepuff and Slytherin, will test your perseverance, hard work, adaptability, and cunning." Coal-black eyes seemed to spear the waiting champions. "Because Professor Sprout and I have decided to combine our two trials, the trial itself will run over the course of almost two weeks, the majority of time during which you will be – if you are wise – preparing."

His sneer clearly projected his opinion on the likelihood of intelligence from the general Hogwarts population. Harry wasn't in the least bit surprised at his attitude.

"You were told," Snape continued, "that the tournament was dangerous, had been cancelled due to a death toll, and obviously despite the best efforts, is still dangerous enough that parental permission is required. Despite all this, I have no doubt that the majority of you empty-headed fools dream only of gold and glory. Very well," his lips took on a sadistic curve, "but we professors would be remiss, if we did not prepare you for the likely event that you will be competing while injured, and forced to carry on in spite of this."

Neville eeped.

"Easy, Nev," Ron laughed. "It's not like you're participating in his trial."

"I feel sorry for anyone who is," Dean said with feeling.

"We've been assured that all measures have been taken to ensure the competitors' safety," Sprout interjected, obviously trying to soften Snape's remarks. "But nonetheless, there is a high likelihood you might be wounded in the course of the competition. Success in this upcoming trial, therefore, will require mastering basic first-aid magics. As well as defensive ones."

"The headmaster," Snape added disdainfully, "has informed me that I am not allowed to actually injure the champions themselves."

"Yeah," muttered Ron, "you'd like that wouldn't you, you greasy git?"

"Instead, your task will be to rescue – and heal – a magical proxy of an injured wizard. In order to do this, you will be allowed to take into the trial anything you can carry that you have gathered or created yourself: plants, potions, or knowledge of healing magics."

"In general," Sprout added, "you should come prepared with knowledge of several basic defensive and offensive spells, and the ability to heal cuts, puncture wounds, sprains, bruises, burns, and broken bones. Or at least to temporarily splint and manage them." She smiled at them. "I'll be available for the next half hour if you have any questions. Good luck with your preparations."

Harry shook his head as Snape strode from the room, robes billowing. "I wonder," he announced to the table at large, "how much influence Moody has had on these trials? I mean, each of them definitely have the stamp of their house and creator, but Dumbledore always seemed a little too… hands off, for something like this. Moody, however, would be all for putting potential competitors through their paces."

"And two months of studying and preparing for the trials has probably really improved the spell work of the serious competitors, which he would be pleased about," Hermione agreed. "Interesting that they're requiring first aid. I remember looking at what you need to enter St. Mungo's Healing Academy. You have to score at least an ʺEʺ NEWT level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Blimey… don't want much, do they?" Ron asked. "Although…" his tone turned considering as he stared down at the wooden tabletop, "They are, at least, all core subjects. None of the electives… Though that would mean two extra years with the Git."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You interested?"

"Huh?" Ron looked up, then laughed. "Me? A healer? Not likely, mate."

"Hmmm," he responded noncommittally, wondering. Then he pushed the thought aside. "Time to go make that promised visit to Hagrid?"

Agreeing, they all headed towards the great hall's doors.

"What are you up to now, Harry?"

Guiltily, Harry started at Hermione's question. "Er. Nothing?"

Intelligent brown eyes scrutinized him. It felt vaguely like that feeling one acquired when a large predator was near. "Ron," Hermione said without looking away, "Harry has an Idea."

"What?" Ron looked up from the occlumency book. "Wait," he said carefully. "An idea? Or an Idea?"

Her brown eyes still hadn't looked away from his. "An Idea."

Ron closed the notebook. "Oh boy."

Harry felt a flash of irritated embarrassment. "Seriously you two?"

They traded glances. "That classroom thing with the fire protection spells," Hermione started.

"Visiting Aragog," Ron added.

"Wandless magic without supervision," Hermione continued.

"The Bloody Baron."

"Divination of a legendary artifact hidden behind stringent wards."

"Occlumency without supervision."

"The quidditch world cup."

"Last week, when you decided you wanted to check how many different things you could stop with a shield charm-"

"Okay!" he interrupted. "But no one likes dwelling on the past. And hey," he smiled at them winningly, "in my defense, all of those were awesome."

"Aragog!" Ron reminded him again.

"All right," he conceded scrupulously. "If not awesome, then certainly educational."

Ron buried his face in his hands. Hermione sighed, deeply, like her soul was in pain.

I probably shouldn't enjoy it this much, making them regret their unwavering support… Harry took a moment to contemplate. Nah. Then they'd think I was polyjuiced. And worry about me. So obviously, I'm doing them a favor.

Ron straightened up, fingering his wand.

On second thought- "Bear with me," Harry told them. "But I was remembering the first trial, and all the transfiguration we saw. The bridges and ladders and ropes and everything. It made me think." He hesitated a moment, then asked, "We make needles and hedgehogs and teapots and pillows, but Hermione, what's the largest thing we've ever created through transfiguration? What's the largest thing we could?"

She stared at him for a moment, then glanced around the room. Stopped, and met Ron's eyes. "We better take this outside."

A half hour later, Harry was panting, exhausted, and grinning enough to make his face ache. "So," he asked them, "what do you think?"

Ron's head was craned all the way back, staring up at the looming structure. "Bloody hell."

Hermione's tone was more analytical, even as she shaded her eyes from the dazzling reflection of sun bouncing off meters of ice. "Do you think it was because water and ice are already different states of the same substance? That's why you could transfigure so much of one into the other like this?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure. It'd seem like that should make this easier, but it's magic. It doesn't always correlate to common sense, you know?" He stretched, and sheathed his wand. "I'd have to try again, making a different substance. Not now, though. I'm pretty worn out. That was a lot of focused concentration at once." He was fine, but he could tell that if he pushed it much longer, a migraine would be his reward.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione." They turned at the familiar voice coming from behind them.

Hannah Abbot had decided to continue with the Niffler club, so they'd all gotten to know her in a peripherally friendly way. Now, she picked her way towards the shore of the Black Lake, Susan Bones and Megan Jones flanking her. Hannah came to a stop in front of them, and surveyed them with a pained, somewhat rueful air. The other two were just gaping. "Do I want to know," she began delicately, "why there is a giant, four meter high sculpture of a-" her eye twitched, "slightly lopsided Griffin behind you?"

Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione. I really shouldn't…

Then he recalled the conversation after he had first suggested this experiment, back in Gryffindor tower.

Actually, never mind. I regret nothing.

"Well," he said, smiling at their visitors. "Honestly? It's all their fault. You see, they had this Idea…"

October thirtieth arrived quickly, and the last Triwizard Tournament champion trial freshly concluded, the fourth-year Gryffindors returned to the great hall with the rest of the school, to sit around their table staring glumly at their untouched lunch dishes.

"So much blood," Lavender moaned, looking queasy.

Parvati groaned, face tinted slightly pale under her darker skin. "Please. Don't remind me."

Neville shuddered. "Did you hear that snap, when that Hufflepuff had to re-break the bone?"

Seamus looked sick. "It was that whistling gurgle sound every time that one breathed that got to me…"

Harry made a face.

The blood, pain, and other noises hadn't exactly bothered him the way it had his fellows, but he hadn't been expecting it either. "When Snape said that they'd be healing a magical proxy of an injured wizard, I was expecting something a little less.. lifelike."

The screaming had definitely been a surprise.

Also, whoever had decided that one of the proxies would take the form of an eight-year-old girl was a sadist.

(So, probably Snape.)

"They must have gotten some actual training dolls from the St. Mungos Healing Academy," Hermione said. "They're specifically designed to be… extremely realistic."

"Well," Ron said, cheerfully biting into his sandwich, "guess they can't have their trainees fainting on their patients come graduation."

And fainting had definitely happened to a number of the would-be champions. Including the tough-as-nails Slytherin beater who'd approached his task with a swagger, only to go pale and keel over when he got a glimpse of something that normally never saw air outside the body.

"What?" Ron asked, as all eyes on the table stared at him.

"How are you eating?" Dean asked.

Harry shook his head. "Come on, you know nothing puts Ron off his food."

Whatever Dean would have said in return was lost as the teachers filed in to take their places at their table.

Dumbledore moved to the front. "If I could have your attention… oh yes, very good. Now, we will shortly be announcing the students who have been selected to go to Durmstrang. After the announcement, those leaving will have three hours to pack and say goodbye to your friends. We will be departing Hogwarts this afternoon at precisely four o'clock, so you should be assembled on the entrance steps by three-thirty. And now, on to what you all are really waiting for…"

The entire room went silent, as almost three hundred students held their breath.

"From Hufflepuff, we have three candidates. Mr. Cedric Diggory, Mr. Gabriel Tate, and Miss Gayle Pocklington."

Whistles, cheering, sobbing, clapping, condolences, and congratulations erupted from the Hufflepuff table.

"From Ravenclaw…"

Harry leaned back, listening absently to the roll call of selected champions, all apparently eager to head off, risking life and limb, in a tournament that ultimately meant little and took place at a school of unknown location which was filled with students who had all been taught the dark arts.

And, he thought, glancing from Ron to Hermione, leaving most of their friends behind.

Thank God that's not me.

The next evening Harry stole some time alone before dinner, taking advantage of the quiet of his empty dorm room to think. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Harry closed the occlumency notebook and leaned back, contemplating the state of his magic.

It'd been… over a year since he'd first spent a summer in determined exertion, retraining his magic wandlessly from all it knew before. Closer to a year and a quarter, probably, with all his time turning. He could still remember vividly, from when he first got back to Hogwarts, how disconcerting the effects of that had been. The wizardry he'd been taught in his first and second years at Hogwarts had been a tame thing in comparison, and those early charms and transfigurations had pulled on Harry's own magic but lightly. He'd said the spell, twirled the wand, and things would float, or shrink, or change. It had almost seemed to happen like – hah – magic.

Then he'd come back to start third year, and discovered his magic seemed to have gone insane.

Okay, well, not insane. Just… sensitive. Active. Awake. Both far more eager to be used than Harry remembered, and far more wild.

He sighed, and traced a finger over the cover, which was deceptively titled 'Notes for History of Magic' across the front. The three of them had figured that'd be the least likely topic anyone would be interested in snooping through. The first ten or so pages were history of magic notes, too, in case anyone flipped it open. And that was after whoever it was managed to get through the charms barring anyone other than the three of them from opening it.

But this is why Ron and Hermione stare at me when I try to explain my situation. No matter how he groped for words, they always seemed to come out in a way that made it sound like he was fighting with his magic, or his magic had a mind of its own, and neither of those were at all true.

His magic wasn't separate from himself and his will any more than his arm was separate. But when he'd started at Hogwarts, it was almost as if his magic had been asleep. And now it wasn't. That had been… more than mildly overwhelming, at first.

(Also, there had been explosions. And even more embarrassingly: spell fizzles. Like he was a bloody first year again.)

I started to feel my magic all the time, he remembered, reflecting on those changes. Stretching if I got angry, moving as I used divination, or wandless magic. Sensing the way it shapes itself into spells, the way it's channeled through a wand. How much magic to pull when I need it, how it flexes when I use it.

In retrospect, Harry was probably lucky there hadn't been more accidents. But for months, even after he'd gotten the knack of doing wand spells again, part of him had despaired. Because casting spells now took so much concentration, when it hadn't before.

Such focus, and controlled precision, and I started to wonder how I'd ever be able to fight, when I had to pause for a second or two before each cast. When most of my concentration would be on my spells instead of my opponent. Sure, I could do more with each spell – my transfigurations were more complex, my charms more flexible, my hexes did greater damage – but always, always, the drawback of taking too much time, and too much focus.

But now…

He traced the cover of the notebook again. He'd been right – he'd been doing something very close to occlumency for almost a year before he'd ever heard learned the details of magical discipline. And the further exercises and tips the book had conveyed had been put to ruthless use over the summer.

He'd known occlumency was supposed to help you remember things a little better and think more clearly, even before you got into the benefits of sensing when subtle magic might be influencing you. He hadn't expected the other side effect, though.

Maybe 'side effect' isn't the right word? It's not really the occlumency itself, it's how it's interacting with the way my magic is weird now.

He still felt his magic all the time. When he was casting; when he wasn't. When he was furious; when he was relaxed. Always. Everywhere. Occlumency hadn't gotten rid of that.

But it had… helped him handle it better.

He felt his magic all the time, but it didn't distract him as it once had. Time and discipline had given him the edge he needed, to manage what he had transformed himself into.

By now, he'd cast more magic this way than he had in his first and second years combined. And if part of him could remember how those first fumbling years of Hogwarts instruction had been, where while the results were only mediocre, the casting had been so comparatively easy, and had regretted…

Well, he could finally let go of that wistful remembrance of ease. Learning his magic anew was hard. And it wasn't over. And it probably never would be over, because if he stopped paying attention and practicing, he'd start to backslide in fine control of his magic, (and really, that was pretty bloody annoying). He had some distant hope that maybe he wouldn't have to keep working as hard once he was an adult – surely magic stopped changing or developing when you were fully grown? – but that was a decade off at least.

Approaching footsteps broke his concentration, and he quickly stashed the occlumency notebook under his charms text. He looked up when the door opened, expecting to see one of the other fourth-year boys enter.

"Professor McGonagall?" he blurted out.

"Mr. Potter," she said seriously. "I need you to come with me."

"What? Why?" he asked, already rising.

"The headmaster will explain," she replied, shepherding him out the door, then leading the way down the stairs with a brisk stride.

Bewildered, he followed.

An hour later Harry stumbled, dazed, back into the common room. Ron and Hermione sprang from their chairs, rushing to meet him at the entrance, both looking worried. Ron got there first, long legs giving him an edge. "You alright there, mate?"

Hermione was staring at him, eyes searching his face. "What happened?"

He stared at Ron and Hermione, still feeling stunned. Blank. "I…" he blinked, then shook his head, and lifted his hands helplessly. "I've been entered in the Triwizard Tournament."

Canon Notes:

I didn't realize the first time I read the series, but more than just Dumbledore and his compatriots believed Voldemort still lived. There's Hagrid's words on the subject, of course, ("Some say he died... Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time.") but in PoA, Fudge says: "But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled."Fudge knew Voldemort wasn't dead. Also, there's the line about aurors still searching for Voldemort abroad after LV's first fall (GoF, graveyard scene).

Items from the room of hidden things: "There were thousands and thousands of books, no doubt banned or graffitied or stolen... Jewels…. Cups… A sparkling necklace." Also, yes, there was indeed a stuffed troll.

Vanishing and conjuration both fall under the "transfiguration" umbrella.

Other notes:

Brownies in European folklore, (from Wikpedia): "…it was believed that helpful household sprites, "silkies" or "brownies", could turn into malevolent boggarts if offended or ill-treated." There's also Slavic, German, and Scandinavian versions.

I have wrapped up a year-long project, so I should have (some) time to write again. Or more specifically, the free CPU cycles. Also, I've done some minor editing on the story so far. Hopefully for the better.

And on that note, holy italics batman. For everyone who suffered through the original versions of my earlier chapters, I'm sorry.

(see what i did there?)

Next Chapter:

Hermione's hand was in the air. "Granger," Moody acknowledged.

"Professor," Hermione's voice was respectful, but with the faintest edge of challenge. "You said all successful casts of the Killing Curse were murder. But I read that in the conflict with You-Know-Who before 1981, the aurors were given special dispensation to use it?"

Moody's expression hardened, and the gaze he cast over the classroom was cold. It stayed that way for a second, two, then– a sudden thaw. Their professor sighed. "What the hell; I'm retired. I can say whatever I damn well please. Including truths the Ministry would rather not admit, even now." Their professor's expression was odd. No longer the sternly imposing judge, jury, and executioner, handing down sentences from on high. But something more approachable, if no less weighted. "And the truth is, the day the Minister signed the decree allowing aurors to use the Killing Curse in combat with the You-Know-Who's forces, was the day the Ministry of Magic admitted – internally, whatever it might say to the public – that it was at war."

15. first steps

Forging the Sword (Part Two):
Chapter 15: First Steps

Harry's words had fallen like stones into the waiting silence.

"What?" Ron's exclamation had half of the Gryffindor common room turning to look at them.

"By whom?" Hermione hissed quietly.

"And how?" Ron added.

Before Harry could answer, Hermione shook her head, holding up a cautionary hand. "Wait. We shouldn't talk about it here."

Harry laughed without humor, feeling hollow. "What does it matter? They'll know soon enough anyway." Two years of work, to make sure I never felt this way again. And now here I am.

The sense of helplessness was infuriating. That it turned back on himself – for not being better, not seeing a way out – only made it worse.

She frowned and reached out, grabbing his sleeve, then towed him toward the corner table.

Still feeling numb, he followed the tug without complaint, sitting when she gently pushed him into the chair. A few steps away, he noticed Ron was carefully moving through the wand movements of what had to be a silencing privacy charm. Momentarily distracted, he asked "When'd you learn that?"

Ron sheathed his wand. "Last year. Hermione worked on it with me for a few days, before I talked to Percy. Now," he slid into the chair across from Harry. "From the beginning. What happened?"

"I don't know," Harry said, helplessly. Baffled. "McGonagall came and got me about an hour ago – took me to see Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?" Hermione's brows furrowed. "Shouldn't he be at Durmstrang?"

"He came back," Harry said dryly. "Durmstrang's a few hours ahead of us, time-zone wise. They'd already gotten the names from the Goblet. And… mine came out."

"That doesn't make any sense," Ron protested. "I mean, mate – you weren't even there."

"No," he agreed, raising his hands in frustration. "I wasn't. But somehow, my name was entered. And somehow… I got picked."

"So," Ron frowned. "You're the Hogwarts Triwizard champion?"

Harry scowled. "Not if I can help it."

"What did Professor Dumbledore say?" Hermione asked. "Is it-" She bit her lip. "They can't make you compete." She paused. "Can they?"

"Dumbledore said he's looking into it." The headmaster had looked so serious, when he was talking with Harry. As serious as the man had been two years ago, after the Chamber. "He said he's going to investigate all my options, and seems to be protesting it pretty fiercely. But, you know, it's not just up to him. And there was something about putting your name in the Goblet being a 'binding magical contract' – although he didn't explain it that much."

"But," Ron protested, "not to sound like a broken diction quill, but you didn't put your name in."

Harry rubbed his eyes. "And - I don't know. If I was bound into a magical contract, wouldn't I know? I mean, we learned last year that personal magical vows only work because you tie your own magic into them. And shouldn't I have noticed something if mine was tied up like that? I had no clue anything happened until McGonagall got me!"

Hermione frowned, looking serious. "We need more information. Quickly. Unfortunately, I've already read everything in the library that Hogwarts has about the tournament."

Despite the situation, Harry smiled at her words, because that was just so Hermione. "I'll check my Flourish and Blott's catalogue. But if they don't have anything… where else can we get it?"

"Well," Ron shrugged when they turned their attention to him. "Isn't this why we created the Niffler Club in the first place? To get answers for this type of thing?"

Harry felt a brief surge of hope, but hesitated. "Are we sure we should let everyone know?"

Ron's expression was vaguely pitying. "Mate, it's not going to stay a secret. The Hogwarts students at Durmstrang have probably already written their friends here."

"Right," Harry ran a hand through his hair, thinking. "Okay, two bounties. No - three. One asking if there's a better source of information somewhere, and if they'll share it or how to acquire it. It's a centuries old tournament; someone must have written a recent book or two on it. The second asking if there's any way to avoid becoming a Triwizard contestant once you've been chosen. And the third…" he swallowed. "If I have to compete, what exactly I have to do. Not just the tasks, but-" His words turned plaintive: "Do I have to spend the entire year at Durmstrang?"

Ron reached out to grip his shoulder, but none of them had any comforting words to share.

They posted the bounties that night after dinner. Judging from the whispers and stares that greeted their arrival into the great hall the next morning, the reason why had already spread.

Great, Harry thought.

"Forget them," Ron said, elbowing him when he paused. "Keep moving; I'm hungry."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she led the way to the closest open space near the end of Gryffindor table. "You're always hungry." She looked Ron up and down as she settled across from them. "It's a good thing you're sprouting so much vertically – or you'd surely be doing so horizontally."

Which is true, Harry thought, mildly disgruntled. He was now comfortably taller than Hermione, but Ron had continued to shoot up like an overfed weed, and towered over both of them.

Across the table from her, Ron worked through Hermione's words as he continued filling his plate with one of everything within reach. "Hey! Are you saying I'm going to get fat?"

She smirked into her morning tea. "I would never." Her expression was so innocent, it came out the other side at devious.

Ron was eyeing her suspiciously, evidently certain that she'd been implying something, but not sure what. "Well, good." And he lifted a forkful of potatoes to his mouth.

Their mundane banter had at least broken the ice at Gryffindor table, and Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief as the staring around him eased up.

"Morning Harry," Neville said, dropping down into the open seat on Harry's left.

"Neville," he nodded back, grateful. Neville wasn't the type to pry, and by sitting there, he'd kept anyone else who would at bay. "Thanks."

Neville just smiled briefly, then turned his attention toward breakfast. "Looking forward to Creatures today?"

"Not as much as I'm looking forward to Defense afterwards." Harry smirked.

Even nearly two months into the term, it felt a little weird to be having a core class on Saturday; Care of Magical Creatures aside. But since their first Defense class was on a Thursday, there wasn't much of a choice. And once the first two weeks of evaluation and theory were finished – what Moody had called 'How Not To Get Yourself Killed; an Introduction' – Moody had switched to an interesting twist on Kettleburn's 'theory first weekday, practicum second' style of teaching. Which had usually resulted in the Defense students not being in any shape to go on to their next classes at the changing of the hour.

Dean arrived at the table just in time to hear Harry's comment. He groaned, "What do you think he's going to be doing to us this time?"

Harry arched an eyebrow at him, because really? "Well, let's see. Five weeks ago he introduced shield charms. Then we spent three weeks desperately scrambling to shield against everything from jinxes to mud waterfalls to exploding stinksap traps."

Lavender shuddered. "Don't talk about the stinksap traps."

Harry grinned, because every single one of them had come to hate the floating, exploding, frankly predatory buggers with a deep and surprisingly burning passion, but some of Moody's students hated them with that extra, indignant edge that only came from having a perfect outfit ruined by the clingy, smelly, ugly green sap that had been magically altered to defy standard cleaning charms and even Mrs. Stower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover. That the traps exploded with a shout of "CONSTANT VIGILANCE" when triggered – in Moody's own voice – had to be the professor's own little sadistic twist on the spell.

On the other hand, everyone – and Harry meant everyone, including Lavender and Pavarti, who were normally indifferent defense students at best – could now cast a variety of shield spells at the drop of a hat.

Moody's sadism was an intelligent and inspiring thing.

"Then two weeks ago," Harry continued, "Moody introduced illusion, concealment, and anti-tracking spells, in case we ever need to escape and hide from a magical species or attacker. And we spent two weeks trying desperately to flee and hide from waves of floating, pursuing, stinksap traps… interspersed with transfigured hound constructs, because apparently Moody figured: why the hell not?"

The hounds had been charmed not to actually bite the students – because while Moody might be a sadist he wasn't a monster – but being pounced on and pinned under fifty kilos of slobbery transfigured dog while watching a floating stinksap trap float ominously closer…

"How did he make them slobber so much?" Neville, one of the first to go down, asked pitifully. "So. Much."

"I think he designed them that way deliberately," Hermione added thoughtfully.

The Gryffindor Fourth years all exchanged affirming glances that held nothing of disbelief.

"This last week," Harry continued cheerfully, "he started us on disarming spells. So today, bets are…?"

"The good news," Ron announced, setting his cup of pumpkin juice down with a decisive thud, "is that for once this requires us casting at someone, instead of us shielding or running or dodging some type of attack. So, thank Merlin's beard, there should be no stinksaps!"

Lavender perked up, and a quiet but spontaneous cheer erupted – the other House tables glanced at them, then looked away hurriedly – but Harry just exchanged knowing glances with Hermione.

For someone who grew up with the twins, Ron is surprisingly optimistic sometimes.

Hermione twirled her fingers in the same gesture as she'd use to cast the tempus charm, if she was holding a wand. It was, they'd both learned, the common wizarding equivalent to a muggle tapping their wrist where a watch would be strapped.

Must be time to go, then, if we want to stop by the Room of Hidden Things before class. Harry decided to allow Ron these few, brief hours of hope instead of mentioning his suspicions."Come on," he said, vacating the bench. "Let's go see a Fwooper."

Ron snagged a roll from the table before grabbing his bag to follow. "Well, on the bright side, if the Fwooper drives me insane, Moody won't get the pleasure…"

Hours later, Harry and Hermione were slogging their way up to the castle, covered in what else but stinksap? He could hear Ron behind them muttering to himself. ("Of course there was stinksap. Why not stinksap? Nothing Moody loves more-") And other variations on the theme.

"Someone," Hermione said, pushing gooey, sludgily dripping hair back from where it had fallen into her face, "needs to stage an intervention."

(The words behind them were approaching a snarl: "'Disarm them quickly', Moody says. 'The first cast off is the only one that matters,' he says. 'Let them get theirs off and you're done for,' he says.")

Harry raised an eyebrow. "For Professor Moody, and his frankly rather alarming love of stinksap traps?"

("Then we start practice and we're a fraction too slow disarming the practice dummy? What, just tell us we need to be faster? No! That'd be too easy. Why warn us when instead: boom! Stinksaps!")

Hermione cocked her head, a faint glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "Well, that too. But actually, I was talking about Ron."

Behind them, Ron's mutter transformed into a squawk. "Hermione!"

She sighed. "Well, really Ron. You've been complaining since class was dismissed."

"You," Ron growled, "didn't take one to the face."

"I'm not exactly unscathed," she pointed out, holding out a lock of hair for Ron's inspection. Already suspicious of Moody's teaching style, Hermione had been quick enough turning her head that the stinksap had missed her face.

"It got in my mouth!"

Harry snorted. Because as much as he'd defend Ron to the death – the spluttering shriek that had resulted from the incident had been magnificent. And then Ron'd gotten hit multiple more times while petrified by sheer shock.

"You both suck." Ron informed them with wounded dignity. Then he squelched on ahead.

Harry exchanged another glance with Hermione and tried not to laugh.

"Shower, lunch, then the Niffler club?" he asked.

"Agreed."

When they got to the club, it was to learn that at least one of their answers was waiting.

"Fast work," Harry murmured, surprised.

"Yes, well, I'm sure the entire school knows what you posted," Hermione pointed out.

"Right," Harry acknowledged. "So," he addressed the tall, bored looking girl he was told had been waiting for him. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name?"

"Samantha Hopkirk," she answered, tone cool but not necessarily unfriendly. "Ravenclaw. Final form. Future solicitor. Mother, father, and grandfather are historians. Both my aunts work in the Ministry of Magic, one in the International Magical Office of Law and the other in Magical Law Enforcement."

Harry blinked, nonplussed at the flood of information where he expected just a name. "Ah."

She favored him with an apathetic glance. "I'm explaining my sources. As required."

He felt himself flushing. "Right. Um. So, what do you know?"

Green-grey eyes swept him once, unimpressed. "You posted the question: Is there a way to avoid becoming a Triwizard Tournament champion once you've been chosen during the competition, yes?"

He nodded. "Right."

"The answer is no."

Silence echoed for several seconds. He waited, but she was apparently content to leave it at that. He looked questioningly at Ron and Hermione, but they both shrugged back. "Okay. Um, could you maybe elaborate a little…"

She tilted her head. "What part didn't you understand?"

"Why I can't just say no to competing!"

She blinked at him. "That's a different question than the one you asked."

Wait? What? "No, it's not," he refuted automatically.

"It is."

Harry barely refrained from dropping his face in his hands. He sent a pleading glance at Hermione instead, then took a deep breath and focused on centering and calming himself.

"I think what Harry means to say," Hermione offered, "is that we don't understand why they're two different questions. Could you explain more?"

Hopkirk looked vaguely exasperated, although mostly she still just looked bored. "Potter, you can't get out of 'becoming' a Triwizard champion because you are a Triwizard champion. Right now, you are one. Whether you ever compete in an actual task or not. Whether you ever set foot in Durmstrang or not. The sole criteria for being a Triwizard Tournament champion is to have your name come out of Goblet of Fire. Your name came out; therefore, you are a champion."

Well, that is… singularly unhelpful.

Not that it wasn't good to know – for future reference if nothing else – but it didn't really get him out of the tournament. "Okay, is there a way to get me out of competing?"

"You didn't pay for the answer to that question."

"Oh come on!" Ron burst out. "It's what Harry meant to ask."

Hopkirk arched an eyebrow. "But not what Potter did ask. I've satisfied my contractual obligations. If Potter desires to know more, he can make another contract."

"You sound like a Slytherin," Ron said, staring at her with distinct disfavor.

"I'm a Ravenclaw," she answered didactically. "Slytherin is into achievement, and winning by any means necessary. We're into learning - and often into benefiting from what we learn. Similar results, most of the time, but we have much more finesse. "

Ron made a face. "That's just saying you're even worse! Sneakier than the sneaky ones…" he grumbled.

And maybe in other circumstances Harry would be getting angry, but her patronizing attitude and this whole thing was just too ridiculous for words. "Future solicitor, huh?" he asked, eyeing her warily.

"Yes."

"Okay," he said, smiling almost against his will. "Since making repeated bounties will just get tedious, how about I pay you for the next twenty minutes of your time, to be spent answering questions?"

She seemed to consider it for a moment. "Twice the amount of the bounty."

"Done."

"Very well," she said as he dug out the extra coins. "What more do you wish to know?"

"Like Ron said, is there a way to get out of me competing?"

"I don't know," the Ravenclaw replied. "Possibly. Probably not, though."

"Why not? Can't I just… not show up?" And for all that every Hogwarts student who made it through the Trials but didn't get chosen would despise him for that, Harry was still thinking it might be his best option.

Hopkirk shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. If your name came from the Goblet, you'll probably be forced to compete. Simple forfeiture due to non-attendance would have intolerable consequences."

"Like what?" Harry growled, fed up with everything. "Is this about the 'binding magical contract' thing? The Goblet will do something horrible to me if I don't participate? Torture me? Turn me into a squib? Kill me?"

Hopkirk's exasperation was more pronounced this time. "Try not to be an idiot, Potter. If it were that easy to force people who didn't agree to it to turn up at a certain place and time, on pain of death or losing their magic, there'd be a tournament every week." She raised her eyebrows pointedly. "Submitting the names of anyone we had arrest warrants out for. They show up to be arrested or they turn into muggles – sounds like a winning deal to me either way."

Harry swallowed his first response to Hopkirk's withering scorn. Okay, it was a pretty stupid comment, he admitted to himself. "Then I don't see a problem. I don't want to be a champion, the Goblet can't make me be a champion, we're all good."

"She said 'intolerable consequences,'" Hermione interjected, "and I think I know why. It's because of all the treaties, isn't it?"

Hopkirk nodded. "The Triwizard Tournament may have started as just a friendly competition between the schools of magic… until the fourteenth century. That's when a scandal involving Beauxbatons' champion – who was from Lorraine – and Durmstrang's champion, from neighboring Burgundy, triggered a minor border war between the two duchies. It eventually spilled out into the non-magical world as well, although this was back before the Statute, so the separation was less stark than it is today anyways."

Harry was just confused. To him, Lorraine was a variety of egg pie, involving spinach, and burgundy was a type of wine favored by his aunt. If they were the names of countries, it was news to him.

Perhaps taking pity on his obvious befuddlement, Hopkirk added, "Both countries were eventually absorbed into magical and muggle France. Burgundy in the late 1400s, partly as a direct result of losing the conflict with Lorraine, and Lorraine later during the 1700s. But none of that is really important. The pertinent part of the whole matter is that the Durmstrang student – who was part of the noble family in Burgundy - withdrew from the competition. That resulted in accusations of cowardice from Lorraine's Beauxbaton supporters. Which prompted counter-accusations of foul play by Burgundy, probably spurred at least sixty percent by wounded aristocratic pride." She rolled her eyes, a gesture which fit oddly with her determinedly apathetic air. "Let's just say it got dirty, quick."

"And that resulted in a treaty?" Harry asked, trying to understand her point.

She nodded. "To prevent such a thing from ever happening again. It's why the Triwizard Tournament involves officials from the Department of International Magical Cooperation as well as the Department of Magical Sports and Games these days. That 'binding magical contract' you hear about. The other champions may be bound to the Goblet, for all I know. But there's no binding between you and the Goblet; that'd be impossible since you didn't enter the Tournament yourself. By definition – by the very fundamentals of contract law, magical or not – you cannot have a contract unless both parties agree to it. An enslavement, maybe, but not a contract. But there is a binding treaty - and make no mistake, treaty is just another word for contract - between the governments of the schools' champions. That treaty requires them to ensure their citizen will follow the rules."

"Wait," Harry said, incredulous. "You mean the British Ministry is going to make me compete? What happens if I say no?"

"If you defy all their persuasive efforts," she said, looking oddly solemn, "they will do the only thing they can to fulfill the contract. Since they must ensure that their citizens compete, if you refuse to compete, then they will exile you, and strip away your identity as a magical British citizen."

He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, and to his left, Ron swore softly but vehemently. Being exiled would mean leaving Hogwarts forever. Leaving Ron and Hermione. And Lucius Malfoy would still be living in Britain. For that matter, if Harry was exiled and Voldemort came back, Harry'd be helpless to interfere with anything Voldemort did on British soil.

"Well, I guess that's it, then," he said, quietly. "I have to go."

"Wait," Hermione broke in. "He has to compete. Does he have to attend Durmstrang for the year, though? Can he just show up for the tasks and then come home?"

Hopkirk shook her head. "The entire purpose of the competition is supposed to be closer ties between the schools. That's not likely to occur if the only contact between them is a champion showing up for a few hours to compete, then leaving again."

Harry exhaled. "This really, really, sucks." Which was possibly the biggest understatement in the history of understatements. And there were probably more questions he should ask, but right now he just felt too overwhelmed. "Okay, I'm sure it's not been twenty minutes, but I can't think of anything else right now. Thanks."

"In that case," Hopkirk said. "I'd like to claim another bounty."

Harry blinked at her. "What."

It wasn't even a question, Harry felt so confused.

"You asked: is there an extensive source of information on the Triwizard Tournament, and if so, how can it be acquired. Right?"

"Yes…" he said cautiously.

She pulled a book from her bag at her feet, and raised it to display the cover to the group. It was a plain journal, with 'A Complete Reference Guide to the Triwizard Tournament, updated 1994' printed starkly across the front. Underneath it read: 'Published by the International Magical Office of Law; Ministry of Magic.' Then under that: 'For internal use.'

"What," he said again as Hermione squeaked – there was no other appropriate description of the noise – and reached for the book.

Hopkirk pulled it away from Hermione's eager hands. "Ah!"

Harry raised an eyebrow as Hermione made an infuriated sound. Does Hopkirk have any idea what a dangerous game she's playing, doing that to Hermione?

Hopkirk spoke, apparently oblivious to the way Hermione was now thoughtfully fingering her wand. "The bounty was first, to let you know if there was an extensive source of information on the Tournament. Which I am doing now, by showing you this report. And second, to let you know how you can acquire it. Which I am doing now, by informing you that I will consider renting it to you. For a fee."

Ron was staring at her. "This is where you got most of the information you just told us, isn't it."

A shrug. "Some." She tilted her head. "Maybe most."

"And you didn't just claim this bounty first, because…?" But Hermione looked like she already knew the answer to her question.

"Because if I had, you wouldn't have needed to pay me for the other bounties, of course."

Hermione looked Hopkirk up and down. "You're kind of mercenary, aren't you?" Oddly enough, her tone was almost… admiring.

Which, okay, maybe he'd been thinking that himself. But Harry couldn't believe she'd said it out loud. "Hermione!"

His brunette friend blinked at him. "I doubt Hopkirk views it as an insult."

For the first time in the conversation Hopkirk was looking… amused? "I think of it as taking an opportunity to profit from my education," she replied. "So perhaps 'opportunist' is more apt. But no offense taken," she smiled like a cat.

The two girls exchanged a glance full of some positive female communication, and Harry felt a shiver go down his spine. "Right," he said abruptly. "Same price as the twenty minutes, and we'll return it to you in two days, sounds good?"

"Agreed."

Exchange made, the three of them were walking up to Gryffindor tower when Hermione made a considering sound. "I think I like her."

Horrified, Harry came to a dead stop and pointed at her. "No." She arched an eyebrow back at him, looking amused and terrifying all at once, silently asking what right he had to tell her what to do.

Hermione had very expressive disapproving eyebrows, sometimes.

"For the good of the world," Harry answered her silent inquiry. "Just. No." Then to Ron, who was looking between the two of them in confusion, and probably wondering why they'd halted. "Hermione's thinking of adopting Hopkirk as a role model."

"What?" It was a dismayed moan.

Hermione sniffed at both of them. "She seems very sensible to me. Confident. Sure of what she wants to do and capable of getting it. And in any case, it's my life to pattern as I wish." Then she turned back and resumed strolling down the hallway.

Ron stared at him. "She was joking, right? Right, Hermione?"

Hermione just kept walking.

Ron started after her. "You were just joking though, right? Hermione? Hermiiiiiione?"

Shaking his head, Harry followed.

The next afternoon, Ron was playing Gobstones with Neville when Harry dropped into the seat next to him. "I've got good news and bad news," his best friend announced.

Despite their normal rule of no schoolwork on Sundays, the three of them had spent the morning going over Hopkirk's borrowed Triwizard Tournament report. Unfortunately, nothing they'd found had seemed to contradict Hopkirk's summary. Looking stressed, Harry had left to go flying alone for a while after lunch. Since he was back – and sounded rather too cheery to be delivering bad news – Ron watched his friend somewhat warily. "What's the bad news?"

"That bad news," Harry began, still cheerful, "is that I won't be transfiguring huge, four meter tall, basalt Griffins to drop on anyone who annoys me out of thin air. Alas." Harry's face crumpled in an expression of – mostly – farcical sorrow. "And here I had so many plans. I was thinking I could branch out from just using Griffins, you know. Maybe add the Giant Squid to my repertoire. Or a three meter high statue of Professor McGonagall in her best disappointed face. You know, the one that says: 'You know what you failed at? Everything. You failed at everything.' I'd like to see any of her former students stand up to that."

Ron, by now intimately familiar with the questionable form that Harry's sense of humor was taking these days, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the news. And one glance at Neville – who knew at least vaguely what Harry was talking about because everyone knew what Harry was talking about it, (a three meter high ice-sculpture is hard to miss), showed that the other boy agreed.

All right, Ron acknowledged silently, so watching that Malfoy bastard apparating around trying to escape giant falling Griffins would be pretty hilarious. Unfortunately, if Harry really could transfigure stuff that'd big on a whim, I'd probably wake up one day to find he'd built himself a giant replica castle of Hogwarts – complete with crenelated towers. Not because he necessarily wanted to live in his own castle, mind. But just to see if he could.

"I think you'll survive," he said dryly. "What's the good news?"

Harry's expression brightened right back up. "The good news is that means it's pretty unlikely that anyone else will be doing the same thing to me." He looked earnest. "As I haven't learned apparition yet, you can see how I feel like I might be on the losing side of that game of tag."

Ron tried to glower severely at Harry, but it was hard to do when his lips kept twitching. Finally, he gave it up with a laugh. "Merlin's wand! Can you imagine what the battlefield would look like, by the time you got done with it? Giant zoological creatures everywhere."

"I'd be a hit with the garden statuary business," Harry agreed.

Still thinking about the sheer crazy Harry seemed to come up with – especially when left to himself too long – Ron blurted out: "Gulping gargoyles, but Durmstrang has no idea what's about to hit it."

Harry's expression fell, and he felt like an absolute berk. "Sorry, Harry."

The other boy shook it off, and smiled back at him. "Nah, Ron. No point in pretending, right?"

"It's certain, then?" Neville asked quietly. "I wasn't going to say anything, but since Ron brought it up…"

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I mean, no one has told me officially yet, but it's looking like there's no way out of it."

Neville winced. "Blimey Harry, I'm sorry. "

Harry fidgeted a little, looking uncomfortable. "Honestly, I'm kind of surprised how nice everyone's being. Competition for the spots was pretty fierce. And I didn't even qualify."

Ron was starting to wonder if Harry had a bit of a phobia regarding public attention. I mean, sure, second year sucked. But Harry seems convinced if he can be blamed for something, he will be.

"Are you kidding?" Neville eyed Harry askance. "After Snape and Sprout managed to traumatize the entire school with a bloody – and I mean that literally as well as emphatically – scary glimpse into what you might be facing shortly? Even the ones who failed at the Hogwarts trials – maybe especially the ones who failed – don't begrudge you."

Harry made a face. "Wait, is that why the sixth and seventh years have been staring at me with such gloomy expressions?" He wrinkled his nose. "Actually, I think I might have made one of the Hufflepuff seventh years cry."

Ron snorted. "Hufflepuffs. She's probably certain you're doomed."

Harry shrugged. "His condolences seemed quite heartfelt, so there's that at least…"

"If you need anything," Neville offered quietly. Ron glanced at Neville, who had an unfamiliar look of determination on his face.

Huh, Ron thought. Neville'd always been a decent bloke, but aside from his attempt in first year to prevent them from sneaking out aside, he was usually too timid to put himself forward much. Maybe that's changing?

Ron watched a smile break out on Harry's face, something quiet and warm. "Thanks, Neville."

"But that's all future talk," Ron announced, wanting to change the solemn mood that had abruptly descended. "Harry, Neville's about to beat me at Gobstones, want to play the winner? I have to go talk to Hermione."

Harry blinked. "Sure. Where is she, anyway?"

"Oh, you know her." He waved a hand. "She's looking something up."

Harry shrugged, and leaned forward to study the status of the game. Ron followed suit, sending one last thought to Hermione.

Please Hermione, be as clever as we know you are. Find a way.

We can't send Harry off alone to a school full of dark wizards and witches.

Monday morning, Harry found himself standing in the headmaster's office, listening to Dumbledore apologize. "I'm sorry, Harry. But I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do. We're still finishing out some last minute negotiations, but you should resign yourself to spending the year at Durmstrang. Probably no later than this Friday. Accordingly, we need to start you on learning Swedish – the official language of instruction at Durmstrang – today."

Harry blinked, surprised. There were so many things in that sentence he wanted to address at the same time, that he ended up asking instead: "Not German? You know, from the Sturm und Drang thing… Or even Russian?"

"Ah," Dumbledore laughed. "You have heard, perhaps, that Durmstrang is exceedingly careful to keep its secrets. The castle itself is Unplottable, most visitors are memory charmed before they leave, and even eight centuries after its founding, the exact location of the school is not public knowledge. It's founder, Nerida Vulchanova – an exceedingly clever Bulgarian witch – most likely gave it a German-sounding name at least partly as another red herring. And as to Russian – students from Russia usually attend Koldovstorits."

"I supposed that makes sense…" Harry agreed tentatively. "So then, is Durmstrang in Sweden?"

"Anything is possible, of course," was the serene reply.

"Which means you think not." Harry surmised. Unless the witch was running a double bluff… But thinking too deeply that way was the road to madness. Or Slytherin. Probably both."Why Swedish, then? Or the German name?"

"Perhaps she was merely fond of the language. Or the name. She already hinted at a Bulgarian location with the school's symbol. The Durmstrang flag has some early Cyrillic on it from Old Bulgarian. Which was what she grew up speaking, and itself evolved out of the Macedonian language…"

Dumbledore seemed to get lost in his thoughts, and Harry had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Sir?" he prompted, because Dumbledore seemed to be ignoring the important part. Mainly: "How am I supposed to learn an entire language in four days?"

"Ah," Dumbledore smiled at him. "To start with, you're excused from classes for the next three days. Which is fortuitous, as you'll be spending several hours each day speaking with me in Swedish, once you've learned the initial vocabulary and grammatical syntax rules."

Harry stared. "You speak Swedish?"

Dumbledore smiled. "As the lingua franca of the majority of eastern and northern European wizards and witches – that is to say, the wizards and witches who attended Durmstrang – a great many fascinating publications are written in Swedish. Consequently, I undertook to learn it in my youth. Memory dims with age, but I probably started learning it when I was not much older than you."

Memory dims, huh? Harry eyed Dumbledore skeptically. Sure it does. Bulgarian founder, German name, Swedish language. Durmstrang's pretty international, isn't it?

"I'm honored," he said instead. Because as confusing and occasionally aggravating as he found the headmaster, Harry knew the man had to be busy as well. "Wait, but all the other students who left, they left on the day they were chosen. When did they have the time…?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Harry. "You will find that all the students who were chosen as potential champions undertook - of themselves and on their own initiative - to research if they'd need another language of instruction, and then took steps to acquire the proficiency they'd need."

And there was something to the way Dumbledore said that…

It clicked. "Wait a minute," Harry asked, incredulous. Impressed. "Was that another trial? One that was never actually officially announced?"

That's actually… a really smart test. It finds the people who don't just know academic stuff, but can plan ahead. Even better: people who don't just learn what they're told to, but what they think they might need.

He boggled at Dumbledore a second before saying admiringly, "That's pretty sneaky, sir." Then Harry shook his head. "But that still doesn't explain how I'm going to cram so much into my head so quickly." He frowned, as that seemed to bring up the echo of a long ago conversation. "Wait, Hermione once mentioned a potion that's good for mass memorization…" he scrambled for the memory.

"Ah, Miss Granger. An astounding young witch. Yes, she probably spoke of the Wit-Sharpening Potion." Dumbledore pulled out an acid-green potion-filled vial from his robes, and held it up for Harry's inspection. "Consumption will allow you to retain almost everything you read for the next few hours."

Harry stared at it. It seemed to be bubbling – even inside the sealed container.

"And the vocabulary and grammatical syntax?" he asked gloomily. I bet that's going to taste awful.

And didn't Hermione say something about it being poisonous in too-large doses?

With his other hand, Dumbledore offered a book.

"Right." Harry sighed, and carefully took both objects. "Where should I-?"

A flick of Dumbledore's hand had a chair sliding into the corner. "I'm afraid you have to be monitored for the duration, so you'll be reading in here. The amount in this vial has been carefully calculated regarding your body weight, age and birth month. It should last a little less than three hours. After that, we'll hold a conversation in Swedish for half an hour. You'll be excused for a break and for lunch. At two o'clock, come back for the second – and last – dose." Dumbledore peered at him over his half-moon glasses. "And – I must stress this – do not take another dose of this potion for at least a year. It will kill you, if you do."

Harry untwisted the cap, and held the bubbling vial up to his face. It smelled of rotten eggs and- something sharp. He sneezed. "Not a problem," he said dryly. Then he held his nose and drank it down.

Afterwards, it was impossible to describe the moment the potion took hold. He could feel the magic unwind through his veins. Feel it when his mind shifted. Feel the absolute clarity of the world. His mind was processing a thousand things at once – the slant of sunlight through the windows, the dancing of each dust mote as it spun through the golden shafts, the sound of Dumbledore's breathing, the pulse of his own heartbeat, the color of the books on Dumbledore's shelves – all with absolute focus. It wasn't that he had better senses. His hearing was no sharper, his eyesight no clearer. But it was as if he could focus on all of it at once. As if the automatic filters in his mind – the ones every human had, that blocked out the majority of what was reported to the brain so focus was possible – had been removed. And his ability to handle the results enhanced.

"Harry," Dumbledore reminded him gently, gesturing at the book.

"Sorry sir," he said, absently, marveling at the feel of the leather in his hands. Then he cracked open the cover and set to work.

"My brain hurts," Harry moaned into the Gryffindor table, eyes closed.

He felt a gentle hand pass over the back of his head. "Wit-Sharpening hangover?" Hermione's voice was sympathetically amused.

"He's going to make me do this again. In a few hours."

The very thought intensified the omnipresent throbbing in his skull.

This is as bad as the first time I ran into those anti-scrying protections on the Room of Hidden Things…

"Maybe you should eat something, mate?"

"Not really hungry, Ron." He blindly reached out for his water glass, then turned his head to the side so he could press his forehead against it. The coolness provided welcome relief.

"You should eat something regardless," Hermione said bluntly. "It'll help. It may not feel like it, but it will."

Overhead he could hear Ron asking Hermione, "And all you Ancient Runes students do this voluntarily?"

"Half-doses twice a year," she informed Ron. Then: "Up," she prodded at Harry gently. "Just try some bread. Then you can curl into a ball for a quick nap before you have to be back to Professor Dumbledore."

A nap. He seized on the suggestion, gingerly lifting his head. "You always have the best ideas."

"I know I do," she said, handing him a lightly buttered roll. "Now eat."

When he woke up Tuesday morning, the migraine was gone, and he had an entire book of language in his head. He stared up at the canopy of his bed, marveling. Just taking a moment to feel awe at how amazing magic was.

"I know Swedish," he dreamily informed the world.

"Good," Hermione said, yanking his bed curtain aside. "Then you can help me practice."

Whatever Ron might say later, he did not shriek.

Harry scrambled at his bed covers. "What are you doing here?"

She looked him up and down. "You realize you're wearing pajamas, right?"

Still breathing heavily, he realized he was clutching his blankets to his chest like a Victorian maiden. Dignified, he released the covers. "Never mind that – how did you get here?"

She rolled her eyes, and drew back the curtains farther, revealing the empty boys dorm room. Well, empty except for one person.

"Sorry mate," Ron said from his bed where he was feeding Scabbers. "I tried to stop her."

"Next time," he answered, swinging his feet to the dorm floor, "try harder."

He looked around, but no, it really was as empty as he'd first thought. "Where are the others?"

"Transfiguration." Hermione shrugged. "We're time-turning. The boys decided to let you sleep in, since you seemed so badly off last night, and you're excused from classes anyway."

Harry rubbed his face. "What time is it? I'm supposed to meet Dumbledore at eleven."

"Ten in the morning," she replied. "You have an hour."

"Okay," he said, heartbeat finally settling from the rush of pure adrenaline that she'd given him a few seconds ago. "And what exactly was so important, that it couldn't wait until lunch?"

At that she turned serious, taking a step back to drop down onto the edge of Ron's bed. "We have a plan."

"A plan?" Harry scrubbed his hands through his hair. "Great. Plans are good. Um. A plan regarding what?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

"I couldn't go to Durmstrang with you, even if Durmstrang allowed it," Ron said, regretfully. "You know how protective my Mum is. She'd never give permission. Never. And Hogwarts would never let me go without it."

Harry waved away the unspoken apology, the wound caused by Mrs. Weasley's cooled attitude long healed. There'd been no sweater last year, and he wasn't expecting one this year, either. There was still… regret. But at least it didn't hurt anymore.

Hermione sat forward. "His parents would never give permission. But mine did."

Harry stared at her. "Hermione?"

She shrugged. "I told them it was an international student exchange program, which it is. That one of my best friends is going, which he is. And that the competition to get into the program was fierce, which it was."

"Hermione," he repeated slowly. "Even leaving aside why someplace as xenophobic as Durmstrang would invite anyone they didn't have to… you're a muggleborn."

"I am aware," she said wryly.

He looked at Ron for help. "Durmstrang doesn't invite muggleborns. Why would they make an exception for you? And if they did…" Harry winced. "Won't they be… rude?"

She raised her chin, eyes fierce. "They can try."

His heart warmed at her determination, but he shook his head. "Thank you. Truly. But I don't think it will work. And even if it did, it's too dangerous. We still don't know why I was entered, or how, remember?"

She sighed. "Why do you think Ron and I are so insistent that I go?" She held up a piece of parchment. Harry squinted at it. It looked like quotations from the Tournament's rules. "Ron has to stay here anyway, even if his parents would agree to let him go. If he disappeared the Niffler club would collapse. But he can run it as Captain without us for a little while."

Ron looked ruefully amused. "She's already left me with basic meeting agendas through April."

"The tournament rules," she continued, "say the hosting school is expected to provide 'reasonable accommodation for the comfort of the visiting champions.'"

Harry looked at her. "I don't think they'll count me missing my friends as serious enough that inviting one of them is 'reasonable.'"

"They probably wouldn't." She took a deep breath. "Which is why we're going to make a magical vow to stick together."

He just stared.

"It's a bit of a gamble," she admitted. "But look, we swear to stay within, let's say a kilometer, of each other, until the tournament ends. Or to attend classes together. Or some similar restriction. On pain of something unpleasant. Then if Durmstrang doesn't let me in for the year, they'll be-" she glanced at her parchment, "'deemed in violation of the sacred obligation of guest hospitality' which, long story short, they have to actually care about, because violating it means they'd forfeit the tournament."

He kept staring.

"A magical contract got you into this mess," she pointed out defensively. "It's only fair to use it to get you out of it. And you're young enough that we can probably get away with something like this; they'll just blame it on impulsive youth or such." A second or two passed. "Besides, I'm supposed to be learning Dark Arts curses for our cursebreaking on the Diadem. Durmstrang should offer plenty of opportunity there."

"…something unpleasant?" Harry finally asked.

She shrugged. "We decided on nothing lethal, of course. Just in case I'm wrong and they refuse."

Right, Harry thought. Nothing lethal. Of course.

He hadn't been aware something lethal was ever in consideration.

"In which case we both spend the entire year mildly miserable?"

She looked at him levelly. "I'm willing to risk it if you are."

He looked at Ron, but Ron just shrugged back at him. "Sorry mate, I'm with her."

Crazy, he thought. Both of them are completely starkers.

He tried to ignore the warmth, the sheer relief at the thought of not facing the future year entirely alone in a hostile school with no friends or even Hogwarts students his age-

"Okay," he said at last. "We can try."

She grinned, then lunged forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Harry!"

Harry looked up at the ceiling long-sufferingly. "It's okay to admit it, you know."

She pulled back, looking puzzled. "Admit what?"

"I heard that part about the Dark Arts curses." Harry looked at her knowingly. "You just want to go with me for access to their librar- oof." He clutched at his stomach.

"Next time, I make it hurt," she threatened, pulling back her elbow.

"What do you mean, next time?" he grumbled, straightening. "So how do we do this?"

Ron stood, and moved to them. "I'll be witness, and bonder."

"Okay." He looked at Ron, then back at Hermione, holding out his hand to her. "Last chance to back out."

She clasped his hand with hers.

Professor Dumbledore is staring at them. It's the first time Hermione's ever seen him surprised.

"…so that's why I have to go to Durmstrang with Harry," she wrapped up. She thought she was doing a fair job of hiding her nervousness, but Professor Dumbledore had a way of looking at you, like he could see right through you.

"Miss Granger," he finally said, quietly. "I am impressed. Such loyalty, bravery, and friendship is not easily found."

She could feel herself blushing up to the roots of her hair. "We couldn't let him go alone," she answered, glancing at Harry. "We couldn't. We don't know why he was entered; the headmaster of the school is a convicted former Death Eater!"

Even the memory of finding that piece of information sent a small wave of terror through her.

"And it is solely because of his status, that your plan holds some hope of success." The headmaster stroked his beard, considering. "Karkaroff's former loyalties allows us a unique amount of leverage in this matter that we otherwise would not have." He suddenly looked very serious. "Make no mistake, Miss Granger, Mister Potter. What you two did was extremely foolish, and with any other Durmstrang headmaster would have been a miserable failure." Dumbledore sighed lightly. "Furthermore, you both must be aware that while many of the students at Durmstrang are not prejudiced against muggleborns, the majority continue to be. Even those who do not disdain muggleborns will still likely never have known one, and have only the stories of their parents, or peers. It will be difficult for you." His gaze moved to Harry. "Both of you."

Less because Harry was a half-blood, Hermione surmised, than because his emotional response to threats against people he cared about these days tread the edge of reflexively lethal. And from what the headmaster is saying, there will be a lot of provocation.

"I've faced prejudice before," she said, her thoughts turning to a message written in blood on a wall, and a blond Slytherin crying out, 'You're next, mudbloods!' Remembering a debate in the great hall and being told she came from 'inferior stock.' "I'm still here."

And I'm still trouncing them in the academic rankings, she thought, with a touch of fierce satisfaction. She loved learning for its own sake. But she'd be lying if she said she didn't get a thrill out of beating all the naysayers who dared to think she wasn't up to snuff.

"As an Ancient Runes student, you will not be able to replicate Harry's regimen with the Wit-Sharpening Potion," Professor Dumbledore reminded her gently. "Another dose will not be safe for you until January."

But Hermione had already thought of that. "We started Younger Futhark in Ancient Runes first," she pointed out. "So I have some of the basics. I might sound like I got lost and wandered in off a Viking longship, but I can make do. I learn quickly. And Harry can translate until I fill in the gaps."

She was vastly, vastly, oversimplifying the difficulty she'd have – and knew it – but since she wasn't going to let it deter her, it didn't make sense to dwell on it.

Dumbledore shook his head ruefully. "Very well. I see that you will not be dissuaded. You will, however, be forced to leave your time-turner in my keeping."

At Dumbledore's words, she froze, then peeked sideways at Harry. None of her friends - or any other Hogwarts student - was supposed to know she had one. For Dumbledore to just say it like that, right in front of Harry, he had to know...

She swallowed, looking back at Dumbledore. Who met her gaze with faint curiosity, like he had no idea why - she was sure - her face reflected panic. "Now, sir?" It came out as a squeak.

"Thursday evening will be soon enough. For now, you are welcome to sit in on the language sessions with Harry. Which I believe it is past time to start."

She exhaled, feeling like she wanted to collapse, the relief was so strong. Both for being let off about the time-turner, and for the fact her mad idea to accompany Harry to Durmstrang would work. "Thank you, sir," she managed, sinking into the chair that appeared next to Harry's. She'd almost had a panic attack this morning before talking to Harry, imagining all the things that could go wrong with her plan. To have it over with – and a success – meant she felt like she could breathe for the first time in hours. She smiled at Harry, and his answering smile was as relieved as hers.

Not that spending a year with the constant, nagging awareness of where he was - and unceasing urge to get back to him - would have been unbearable. But that's still a discomfort I'm very glad to skip.

Then Dumbledore greeted Harry good morning in Swedish – one of the basic phrases she'd picked up studying last night - and she turned her attention to the lesson.

Wednesday morning, Harry pulled Ron off to the side of the common room while they waited for Hermione to arrive for breakfast. "Can you do me a favor?"

Ron nodded. "Sure, mate."

At the instant agreement, Harry grinned wryly. "You might want to ask what the favor is, first."

Ron rolled his eyes, before giving him a look of condescending amusement. "All right. What's the favor?"

The ginger's tone was patronizingly placating. Briefly, Harry thought about asking something truly outrageous to make him pay for it.

Nah, probably better to save that idea. For a more public setting.

"Dobby," Harry said, instead, and watched Ron abruptly sober. "You saw how he was when he tried to talk about the Malfoys. It's been more than a year, if not quite two. But he still reflexively tries to hurt himself when he says something bad about them – when he says something true about them."

Ron's face was sickened, even as he scowled. "Bastards. All of them. The number of times they must have hurt the little bloke for it to be that engrained…"

Harry pushed down the matching fury that rose in himself. "Exactly. But we could use the information Dobby has on them. And…" he hesitated, turning over his idea. Even over the entire summer, Dobby had never said anything about the Malfoys and the situation he escaped. But Harry had finally learned to pay attention to what Dobby didn't say.

"The thing is," he continued, "I think it would make Dobby feel better, if he could tell us something that would help us take Malfoy down. It would feel like he's managed to triumph over his former masters. He escaped, but that's all he managed. And… I can't help but think that must bother him, a little."

Ron's blue eyes were dark with some turbulent emotion. Harry could pick out some – disgust, anger, pain. But also what might be a hint of protectiveness.

Seeing it, Harry felt the tension he was hiding relax.

Harry'd been a little worried, when he first thought of this. Ron had recovered, a lot, since Ginny's death. He smiled more. Laughed more. Teased and relaxed and lived without regret. But mention the Malfoys to him, and his entire countenance seemed to darken.

I was a little afraid Ron might push Dobby too hard, Harry thought. See him too much as just a useful source of information on someone he hates. Ron's nothing like most purebloods, but the way wizards ignore their house-elves…

Harry shouldn't have doubted his friend. Ron might have a quick temper. But he also had a huge heart.

"So," Harry concluded, "if you could try to work with him, maybe? I was planning to do it, but since I'm leaving in two days… See if you can get Dobby to talk about the Malfoys, get him to the point he can talk about what happened to him?"

His friend looked determined, if a little unsure. "I'm not sure how, but. I'll try."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Ron." Abruptly feeling a little lighter, he added, "Of course, that assumes Dobby doesn't somehow manage to show up two weeks from now in my bedroom, telling me he's been hired at Durmstrang…"

Hermione showed in sight of the stairs at last, as Ron snorted in amusement. "You think he could?"

Grinning, Harry nodded good morning at Hermione, murmuring to Ron: "I wouldn't put it past him."

As they headed out of the common room, Harry smiled slightly. It's a bit of a gamble, but it might work out even better than my original plan of helping Dobby myself.

Ron regarded the house-elf as another victim of Lucius Malfoy's viciousness. But this time, it was a victim Ron could help. The way he'd never had a chance to help Ginny.

And maybe, if Ron succeeded in helping Dobby heal, he'd find he'd helped himself heal as well.

Thursday, Harry led the way into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, for the last lesson he'd have with Moody that year.

Possibly the last lesson I'll have with him ever, he acknowledged regretfully, given the curse.

He was surprised at how much dismay he was feeling. Loud, barking, and gruff, Moody had made it clear that he thought his students were, at best, lackwits who would get themselves killed if released upon the world from the tender shelter of their Hogwarts professors. But somehow, all his insults never cut as deep as, say, Snape's.

Though I won't be missing the stinksaps.

"Settle down," the man in question said harshly from the front, glaring them into silence with his natural eye.

Two months of exposure to Moody had lost him a lot of his original terrifying aura, but had cost him none of his students' wary respect. The classroom obediently quieted, and Moody shoved himself to his feet, moving to the center with his odd, thumping gait.

"You've done shields," he announced into the waiting quiet, meeting the winces of his students with a quick, mad, grin. "You've done escape, concealment, and evasion. You've done disarming." He slowly swept them with a serious gaze. "I told you all, at the beginning of this year, that fourth year was self-defense. Self-protection. But sometimes, defensive actions alone are not enough."

The class, already quiet, went silent. Not even the whisper of clothing as a student shifted positions.

"There may be times," Moody said, still sweeping them with that steady, piercing gaze, "when defensive spells will not save you. When you cannot get away. When your attacker will not stop." It felt like the entire classroom held their breath. "When your only choice, is to make them stop."

Harry's breath rushed out of him.

"It might be a creature which knows not better. It might be an intelligence that's bent on malice. You might be a target, or merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. But at that time, and that place, I will not have you killed because you didn't know what else to do."

Moody slapped a hand down on the desk. The students jumped. "I served my entire career as an auror. Decades spent in service. " He made a quick gesture towards his face. "You've seen the price. So if I'm to teach you young brats the offensive side of defense, then I will do it properly. Today, we are going to be talking about curses. Jinxes. Hexes. What you can legally do with them. What you can't." His gaze had progressed from piercing to mesmerizing. Chilling. "What the punishment is, for violating these rules."

Those basilisk eyes swept the classroom again. "If I ever catch wind of any of you using what I have taught you to break the law, you will regret it."

Harry believed him. Glancing around, Harry saw that the entire classroom believed Moody.

"As we start with our discussion of curses legal and illegal, we start with the three that you've all heard about. The three that are never allowed."

Harry blinked. Is he talking about…?

"The Unforgiveables."

A susurrus of whispers through the classroom. Moody kept speaking without pause. "Torture. Enslavement. Murder. I start with these three because undoubtedly, inevitably, you will have questions about them. Why, some of you ask yourselves, are these three Unforgiveable, when there are other curses equally bad, if not worse? Torture curses that also always do permanent harm. Enslavement bonds, in the barbarity of our ancestors' pasts. A hundred curses that kill as quickly – and far more messily and painfully – than the Killing Curse."

Harry forced himself not to hunch, conscious of the stares directed at his back.

"The Killing Curse is a lethal curse that, if used on a human, will buy its user a life imprisonment in Azkaban without the possibility of parole, and regardless of any mitigating circumstances."

Moody's voice was measured, "It does not matter, if you used it in self-defense. If you used it to protect a helpless child. If you use it to save your very own dear blind and crippled grandmother. If you use it on a human being, it is murder." He grinned, an edge of vicious amusement to it. "And I can see you all wondering why."

Harry nodded, almost imperceptibly. The Killing Curse had taken his mother. His father. Had marked him forever. The results of it had been his constant companion for as long as he could remember. To hear it discussed openly – not a whisper, not a sideways glace or a brief, terse entry in a book – was almost a relief. Horrifying. But a relief.

"The Unforgiveables all require intent. You have to want it." Moody narrowed his eyes. "Realize what that means. You can't cast the Killing Curse if you're thinking: 'just leave me alone!' You can't cast it if you just want them to stop attacking you. You can't cast it towards the ground in front of them, as a deliberate warning shot in an attempt to frighten them off. You can't cast it as a mercy stroke, with the desire to ease the suffering of the fatally wounded." He stared them down. "You can only cast the Killing Curse with one reason. You have to want them dead."

Moody smiled grimly out at the classroom. "You begin to see."

Harry wondered what expression the other students were wearing. He wondered what his own face showed.

"A defendant on trial for using the Killing Curse cannot argue that he just wanted to protect someone else, because protection does not fuel the magic of the spell. He cannot argue that he just wanted to escape an attacker, because a desire to escape would not empower his cast. He can't argue that he was just trying to intimidate his victim, that he didn't really mean to do it, or that he didn't know what he was doing. In short, successfully casting the curse is its own admission of guilt. It is also why the law is written as it is," Moody added conversationally, almost as an aside. "Any successful cast is an attempted murder, whether or not the spell actually hits the target."

Hermione's hand was in the air.

"Granger," Moody acknowledged.

"Professor," Hermione's voice was respectful, but with the faintest edge of challenge. "You said all successful casts were murder. But I read that in the conflict with You-Know-Who before 1981, the aurors were given special dispensation to use it?"

Moody's expression hardened, and the gaze he cast over the classroom was cold. It stayed that way for a second, two, then– a sudden thaw. Their professor sighed. "What the hell; I'm retired. I can say whatever I damn well please. Including truths the Ministry would rather not admit, even now." Their professor's expression was odd. No longer the sternly imposing judge, jury, and executioner, handing down sentences from on high. But something more approachable, if no less weighty. "And the truth is, the day the Minister signed the decree allowing aurors to use the Killing Curse in combat with the You-Know-Who's forces, was the day the Ministry of Magic admitted – internally, whatever it might say to the public – that it was at war."

Harry traded rapid glances with Ron and Hermione.

Moody continued. "Sanctioning use of the Killing Curse was when the Ministry acknowledged Voldemort had moved from a criminal to an enemy combatant – and thus our aurors were no longer keepers of the peace and enforcers of law… but soldiers."

"Did you agree with it?" The words were out before Harry realized he meant to speak them. For a second, he wanted to sink into his seat, expecting to be verbally annihilated. But Professor Moody just looked thoughtful.

"God's truth," Moody finally answered, "I don't know. I didn't know then, and I still don't. It was effectively conscription of the law enforcement personnel. None of us had signed up for the job we were handed. We were taught to investigate, to arrest, to keep the peace and enforce the laws. Those we arrested would have their legally mandated rights; the chance to prove their innocence, or at least plead the case of their circumstances in the court of law. We were taught the importance of that; to honor that."

Moody began pacing. "We didn't sign up to kill people – and with the horror of the Imperius, how could we know if those we were killing were simply unwilling slaves? Yet at the same time, we did sign up to protect people. You-Know-Who fought a savage and dirty war. If stopping him was the ruin of us aurors – was it still not better it fell to us than the innocent citizen on the streets?"

Moody's face was… Not haunted, Harry thought. It's far too at peace to be haunted.

But something to Moody's expression made Harry think that peace had been hard earned.

"In any case," Moody's voice returned to his typical lecture tone, "use of the Killing Curse against people is once again illegal in all circumstances. So I'm going to move on to the Imperius Curse. We'll finish with the Cruciatus, then talk about illegal – but not Unforgiveable – curses, then curses which are legal only for self-defense. We'll finish by walking through several scenarios, dissecting what defensive measures would be open to you in said situations…"

Harry could feel the tension in the classroom decreasing by the second, and he shook his head as he picked up his quill.

I still won't miss the stinksaps. But putting up with them would be worth it, to keep listening to Moody's lectures.

Friday morning came all too soon for Harry. The goodbye to Ron most of all.

They'd been instructed to leave their trunks for pick-up in their dorm rooms, so Harry and Hermione arrived at the Headmaster's office after breakfast empty-handed save for their wands. Leading the way up the steps to Dumbledore's inner sanctum, Harry swallowed down nerves. The butterflies in his stomach seemed to be breeding.

Entering showed them Dumbledore, dressed that day in robes of deep blue, with sparkling stars – and the occasional shooting comment. Next to him was a stranger, a tall, thin, man with short white hair and a curled goatee. The newcomer's blue eyes were both intelligent and cold.

He wasn't smiling.

As if to deliberately underscore the contrast, Dumbledore greeted them warmly. "Harry; Hermione. Did you enjoy breakfast?"

Harry might be getting used to the man, because he just went with it. "It was good. The house-elves did a delicious job."

"Excellent," the headmaster nodded. "I find a splendid early morning feed sets the tone for an equally splendid day."

The stranger looked impatient with Professor Dumbledore's easy pleasantries. "Dumbledore, some of us don't have all day." The man's tone was curt, and as cold as his eyes.

The headmaster's expression was all surprised chagrin. Harry was ninety percent sure it was fake. "Of course, of course. My apologies. You two, this is Durmstrang's Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff. Professor Karkaroff; Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

So this is a Death Eater, Harry thought. The first he'd met aside from Lucius Malfoy. Despite being convicted as a criminal, Igor Karkaroff had somehow managed to recover from that to become the headmaster of one of the world's only eleven high schools of magic within a decade of his sentencing.

I still wonder how he managed it?

Because school that teaches the Dark Arts or no, it was an impressive – almost mind-boggling – achievement. Surely there were plenty of Dark Arts masters who'd never had the indignity of being caught.

"Pleased to meet you, sir." Hermione said politely.

Harry watched Karkaroff's lip curl the slightest bit at Hermione's address, and immediately discarded all plans for anything more polite than bare civility. Harry inclined his head slightly. "Headmaster."

It was all the man was going to get.

The flare of his nostrils said he knew it. Karkaroff promptly turned to Dumbledore. "Well?"

"Ah," Dumbledore rubbed his hands together. "Time for the arrangements then. Today we will be taking a port-key to the outside of Durmstrang's grounds, where Karkaroff will welcome us to the castle's soil."

Harry had expected a port-key – they were the standard for international travel – but he was kind of surprised they'd not be arriving in Karkaroff's office. If Dumbledore could create a port-key that left through Hogwarts's protections, surely Karkaroff could create one that would enter his own school?

Maybe that's the point, though? Karkaroff's technically not responsible for us until he's welcomes us on and onto Durmstrang's grounds… and for the port-key to arrive there, Karkaroff would have to be the one to create it.

Since port-keys had started being strictly regulated by the Ministry after several incidents of merchants selling defective products (and the messy, lethal, and scattered-across-three-counties accidents that had resulted from using those products) it wasn't a surprise that Dumbledore would prefer not to take a port-key of Karkaroff's creation. Not when Karkaroff regarded the three travelers it would carry as either enemies or subhuman. It probably wasn't that difficult to activate a port-key remotely if needed. The Death Eater could send them off before he touched it, or simply let go in time to prevent being carried away.

"That does lead to an issue, however." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Arriving outside the school's extensive grounds and their protections also deposits you outside the obscuring barriers that would keep you from finding – or recognizing – your geographical location."

Right, Durmstrang's paranoid secrecy spells.

"Normally, this might be dealt with by memory charms on the two of you-" Harry felt an instinctive wave of revulsion and refusal so strong he almost flinched. No one is messing with mine and Hermione's head. No one. "-Or you can be stunned for the duration of the journey."

He glanced at Hermione to see how she was taking this. Her expression was calm, but her eyebrows were raised. "Won't that make holding onto the port-key rather difficult?" she asked rationally.

Harry's own brows lifted. Good point. Losing your grip on a port-key mid-flight was usually fatal.

"The safety spells on a proper port-key make that extremely difficult. But in any case," Dumbledore held up a pair of linked metal bracelets. "If you can't hold onto the port-key, the port-key will hold onto you. Fascinating things, the muggles invent. So ingenious don't you think, Professor Karkaroff?" The headmaster beamed at them all proudly.

Harry blinked at Dumbledore, then leaned over to his muggleborn friend. "Those are handcuffs, aren't they," he whispered.

It wasn't even a question.

Hermione looked like she wanted to hide her face in her hands. "And now I'll be able to tell everyone that I've been in 'cuffs. My parents will be so proud."

Harry shook his head. "Will you be stunned as well, sir?"

"Ah. No." Dumbledore coughed politely. "I'm afraid I already knew the location of the school, and am thus not required to yield it by the tournament's strictures. So never fear, I'll be watching over you the entire time."

Karkaroff looked murderous at Dumbledore's comment, which rather made Harry suspect that their professor's knowledge had been acquired without official Durmstrang approval.

And the man who'd be willing to try to memory charm Dumbledore was a braver man than Karkaroff.

He must hate that. Harry's thought was more than a touch viciously satisfied.

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, but he had a feeling they both agreed. "We'll take the stunning spell, Professor Dumbledore," he volunteered.

At least they'd have a good story to tell Ron about all this.

The ceiling had disappeared.

Harry blinked. Squeezed his eyes shut. Blinked again, reorienting himself.

Being stunned was weird. It wasn't the same as falling asleep. And being re-enervated wasn't like waking up. There was no sensation of time passing. No feeling of darkness. One moment things were one way, the next everything might have changed. The level of disorientation that could create was hard to describe.

He shoved himself up into sitting position, looking around. The open-sky above was a dark azure blue, and the dazzling sunlight bounced off the surrounding snow. Next to him, hair disheveled, Hermione was rubbing her eyes. Professor Dumbledore was smiling down at them both. Behind him, Karkaroff was looking impatient.

I'm beginning to suspect impatient and grumpy are his default settings. Except when he's busy being impatient and arrogant instead.

Harry pushed himself to his feet, grateful the area they had been deposited on was – no doubt magically – free of snow. "We're here?" Then he bent and held a hand out to Hermione. She grasped it, and he pulled her to her feet.

"Indeed." Professor Dumbledore smiled at them. "I took the liberty of applying a warming charm for you two. Feel free to request a refresh if you can't manage yourselves."

Looking around at the huge drifts of snow, Harry nodded. "Thanks."

Professor Aesalon had taught them a spell in their remedial survival course last year, but whatever Dumbledore had cast, it was keeping Harry toasty warm rather than simply keeping him from freezing to death.

"Professor Karkaroff?" Dumbledore prompted.

Karkaroff sucked in a breath. "Welcome to Durmstrang," he ground out. The he sneered at Dumbledore. "I trust you can find your way to that muggle monstrosity of yours."

"Of course, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore returned mildly. Unruffled. "I'd hate to keep you."

Karkaroff snarled, then turned and stalked off, apparating away after a few feet.

When Harry returned his attention to Dumbledore, three broomsticks had appeared in the headmaster's hands. Harry couldn't help it. He stared.

Okay, the Wit-Sharpening Potion's vial was pretty small. And I figured I'd just missed him picking up the book on Swedish from off his desk. But where the hell did he get those?

Granted, Dumbledore's floor length robes could probably conceal a lot. But brooms weren't exactly tiny.

"Durmstrang is known for the extent of its grounds," Dumbledore informed them. "Flying will save us a great deal of time. Although if the two of you are up for a pleasantly invigorating hike -"

"That's okay," Harry broke in, picking one. "Flying's fine."

Even Hermione, who found broom-travel a little intimidating, hastily took the other.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "As you wish."

Harry eyed the phenomena suspiciously.

"Shall we then?" their headmaster encouraged. Dumbledore alighted on his broom, surprisingly graceful for a man of his age, and rose in the air. Harry and Hermione followed, and Harry devoted part of his attention to keeping a careful watch on her.

The beautiful mountain scenery kept the fifteen minute flight from being boring. Everything was frost, snow, long shadows and clear blue skies. Finally, Durmstrang Castle came into view abruptly after they rounded a last mountain bend. Four stories high, built out of grey stone, it seemed smaller than Hogwarts, though admittedly not by much. Resting on the open plain at its front was a giant powder-blue carriage, as large as a house, and next to it, white smoke rising from its stacks-

"Is that-?" Hermione asked, voice filled with amazed disbelief.

Harry laughed, delighted, and shook his head at the same time. Muggle monstrosity, Karkaroff had said.

There, gleaming bold, brilliant colors against the stark contrast of wilderness and snow, sat the Hogwarts Express.

Notes:

This chapter was supposed to cover through the end of the first tournament task. At 20,000 words – and not quite there yet – I decided it was just getting silly. Next chapter ahoy!

Some thought Harry'd be at Durmstrang alone. Some thought the entire trio would go. I don't think I had a single reviewer suggest a split. So many of you guys write these really thoughtful, sharp, analyses of the story – it's good to know you don't see everything coming!

I'm both nervous and super-excited to be fleshing out Durmstrang next chapter. Creating an entirely new school, teachers, students… well, it was a bit of a challenge.

And don't get me started on deciding the tasks…

I seem to be holding steady at a chapter every slightly-less than three months. Sometimes two months. (Disregarding the three year break when I realized the magnitude of the story I'd started as a teenager, and panicked because oh god, what had I done?) But those of you who have been with me forever probably know that by now…

Canon Notes:

The Triwizard Tournament and binding magical contracts – a piece of canon that makes me cry. But the 'binding magical contract' part is straight from the books, so we know some sort of contract exists and is in force. ("The placing of your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract.") At the same time, if you don't agree to it, it's not a contract (at least not an enforceable one), and Harry definitely didn't agree to one. If it was that easy to bind someone into something they didn't agree to (and then turn someone into a squib, or kill them, etc, if they break it), I can't believe we wouldn't see much wider use of the magic. Because that'd be brokenly powerful. Although it's also possible that Barty Snr. simply lied (he was under Imperious at the time) and unlike all the other champions who entered the contest, Harry wasn't bound.

At any rate, I tried my best to think it through, although you'll be the final judge here. As a final note: remember how at what seemed to be a breach in the rules, Karkaroff was going to 'lodge complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards' – that seems to imply to me that there's arguably more going on than just a school tournament, and that official international bureaucracy could be involved.

Fwoopers: An African bird with extremely vivid plumage, the Fwooper has long been a provider of fancy quills and also lays brilliantly patterned eggs. Though at first enjoyable, Fwooper song will eventually drive the listener to insanity. Nerida Vulchanova was the founder and first headmistress of Durmstrang, before apparently being murdered by her successor. Durm und Strang – literally German for 'tempest and urge' or artistically 'storm and stress.' I have no idea what the official language of Durmstrang is, but as far as I can tell, it has never been stated. The Beauxbaton's carriage is indeed "powder-blue." There are eleven schools of magic (although I suspect that doesn't include in the count the equivalent of trade schools, apprenticeships, or local informal 'village' schools). Russia's was mentioned in Wonderbook: Book of Potions. Stinksap occurs in a variety of plants and trees, not just Neville's Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

Burgundy and Lorraine were real European "duchies" that were generally part of the French or German empires from the 10th to 15th centuries (more or less). With apologies to any actual scholar of European history. I did the best I could?

Next Chapter:

Harry rolled his eyes. "Given that no one even knows where Durmstrang is, I figure I'm pretty safe from Sirius Black. Maybe even safer than if I'd been at Hogwarts."