harry potter and the gem of power by bretko written: 2003.12.09 last updated: 2004.06.

19 (110521 total words) chapter 1 : what happens to traitors i do not own any of characters and places. chapter 1: what happens to traitors rain was falling thickly from the dark grey clouds hovering above the capital of czech republic, prague. it was a dark, cold night. this summer was unusually humid, it had been raining for three weeks in a row now. some streets looked like rivers, gallons of water spilling through the town. the prague dark-there was no electricity in many parts of the town. the only lights came from headlights of cars, leaving the city because of floods, neon lights and flashes of curses, coming from the old town. karkaroff, former headmaster of durmstrang school, managed to duck another curse aimed at him just in time. the curse missed him by inches and shuttered a window above his head. glass shreds were falling on him, cutting deeply in every piece of his body, tearing his robes apart. he let out of yelp of pain and shook, so the glass would fell of him. but there was no time to waste. he had to keep running. he spun around. staying against him, on the other side of the small compound, nearly invisible in the darkness stood figure in dark robes, his face covered by mask, so only eyes could be seen through narrow slits. karkaroff recognised him as macnair, a member of voldemorts inner circle. he was eyeing him with disgust. how could you thought, that you can betray our master and live? he asked, raising his wand. but karkaroff was quicker. he raised his own wand and cried stupefy! a stream of red light erupted from the tip of his wand and hit macnair in the chest. macnair let out a grumble and collapsed on the ground, unconscious. karkaroff wanted to finish him of, just for sure, but then he heard footsteps closing in. at least three of them by the sound of it, he thought for himself. he ran to the nearest house and pointed his wand at the door. alahomora! he entered the building and locked the door again. he fell silent and placed his ear on the door. he could hear several voices.. look, thats macnair! is he dead? just stunned i think. enervate. macnair, where did he go? came lucius malfoys voice i dont know. damn you, macnair. lets split up. reiley, waterfield, take this path. macnair, come with me. dolohov, check over there. karkaroff didnt move for what seemed to be eternity. then he collapsed to the ground, panting for breath, exhausted. he closed his eyes, finally relaxing and drifted into uneasy sleep. he was dreaming about being in hogwarts on that fateful day, the day of the last task of triwizard tournament, when his dark mark suddenly throbbed. he rolled up his sleeve to look at it. it shone brightly, as if it was burned in only moments ago. this meant only on thing. the one, who he feared most of was back amongst the livings. he fled of immediately, not wanting anyone to know his destination. not that he knew it too. he went to london, where he stayed in the evil twins inn, where he wanted to lay down for a while, and think abou the future. the evil twins was not exactly the place, where one would want spend their vacation. it had bad reputation, mostly because of people, who could be met there. runaways pickpocketers, dangerous thieves and even murderers. there were times, when the death eaters would spend their money here, discussing their horrible

plans over a flank of firewhiskey or rum. anyone could end in pain, caused by cruciatus curse or killed in a fight by avada kedavra curse or just by a dagger.. many people came here and just disappeared. karkaroff decided to leave the country. he firstly thought about going back to romania, but that would be the most obvious thing to do. so he contacted some people from his past, people he wished he would never see again and asked them about quiet place, as far away from wizards as possible. some of them refused to help him, because they were afraid, some people refused to help him, because they were pissed with him until one old witch told him to move to prague. but isnt prague supposed to be place, where there are a lot of wizards? it is not called magic prague for no reason. it used to be, but during the medieval time muggles did very terrible things to anyone who was just suspected of wizardry. men and women were tortured and executed, only one witness was sufficient. many muggles were killed by mistake, also many people used this to get rid of their enemies. after that, magic community decided it was not safe there anymore and moved. so that would be where i would move to. now go away, i dont want anybody see you with me. the old witch was right. prague was excellent place, karkaroff soon found out. with enough money you could have what you wanted. he made himself a new identity, bought a luxurious apartment and thought his past would not catch up with him anymore. but he was wrong. somebody talked. he awoke with a start. damn, how long i have been asleep? he looked at his brand new watch. only twenty-eight minutes? he felt as if he hadnt slept for so long in ages. he got up, his every muscle aching from the pursuit and placed his ear on the door. nothing. as quiet as graveyard, except for the storm. he unlocked the door, opened them and walked outside, realizing that this was a fatal mistake. whole compound was surrounded by death eaters. and in the centre stood a tall figure in dark robes with no mask. he did not recognize the person until it spun around. he could see the face of man, who haunted his dreams for past 14 years. staring at him were two eyes that shone red. the figure spoke with cold, high-pitched voice. he would have recognised that voice anytime. voldemort. well, well, im glad you finally decided to join us. havent seen you for quite a long time, karkaroff. karkaroff quickly reached for his wand and pointed it steadily on voldemort. avada kedavra! he shouted. the acid green flash of light hit voldemort straight in the chest, where his heart should be.. nothing happened. or nearly nothing. voldemort touched his face, where a trickle of blood was oozing with a tip of his finger. ah, excellent karkaroff. you gave me a nosebleed. before karkaroff could react, voldemort drew his wand and aimed at karkaroff. expelliarmus! he cried. karkaroff was thrown back, his fingers lost the grip over his wand. he got up immediately and made a dive for it. impedimenta! he froze in the middle of his jump and was knocked to the ground again. accio wand! karkaroff watched horrified as his wand flew slowly, as if deliberately, to voldemort outstretched hand. voldemort caught it and touched karkaroffs wand with the tip of his own. karkaroffs wand snapped in two with a loud crack! noooo! karkaroff screamed. now we shall play a little. said voldemort with a sinister smile. wingardium

leviosa! karkaroff was lifted from the ground. the death eaters were laughing heartedly. voldemort let karkaroff hover ten feet above the ground, before slamming him into nearest wall. karkaroff realizing what was about to happen a moment before, managed to stretch his hand in futile defence attempt. he hit the wall in great velocity and heard a loud snap of his bone being broken. his head collided hard with the wall and he could see stars everywhere. the light was switched on in one of the windows. a muggle, man in his thirties leaned outside. hej, co se deje?! he called in czech. avada kedavra! the muggle fell on the pavement, dead as a green flash from lucius malfoys wand hit him in the face. shrieks could be heard from the flat, where muggle fell from. now, now, looks like i have to make it shorter than i would like, voldemort said coldly. finite incantatem! karkaroff hit the ground hardly, a few of his ribs broke by the impact. he was in great pain, he could barely move. he just wanted to stop it. you wish me to stop this, karkaroff, dont you? i shall in a moment. but now crucio! the pain increased hundred times, making it nearly unbearable. hot needles were piercing his skin, followed by an acid spilled on his face, then flames licking all over his body. his eyes were rolling in their sockets. he could hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing except the pain on every inch of his body. he was screaming without knowing it. voldemort lifted the curse. karkaroff could no longer move, he could only twitch. surroundings came into focus again, and he saw that more lights in windows were on and more muggles were lying on the pavement, men, women, even kids, some death, some being tortured by death eaters, who laughed openly. he could hear voldemort footsteps and his feet came into the view. now, you see what happens to those, who betray me, fool. karkaroff wanted to stop it, he wanted to die voldemort pointed his wand at him. i shall fulfil your wish. farewell. avada kedavra! there was a flash of green light and karkaroff knew no more. chapter 2 : bad news and good news i do not posses any of these characters and places chapter 2: bad news and good news the sun was about to rise and bath houses of privet drive, surrey in its light and warm. it promised to be another day with high temperature without any drop of water from the cloudless sky. swimming pool would once again become the most precious treasure, people would be sunbathing or eating meals outside, because it was unbearable to be in house during the day, even with air condition, everybody would be enjoying perfect summer. everybody except for harry potter harry was lying on his bed, still in unease sleep. streams of sweat were trickling down his forehead, as he was twitching, his mind still in his naightmares. i shall fulfil your wish. farewell. avada kedavra! he muttered. he awoke with a start, looked around him. realizing where he was, he let out a sigh of relief. knowing that it would be impossible to fall asleep again, he got up and went to bathroom. he washed his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror. his face was swollen, skin was as white as walls and his eyes were puffy. he barely slept lately and when he managed to drift to sleep, he was haunted by nightmares. it was always the same. cedric lying dead on the ground of graveyard, duel with

voldemort, sirius falling through the veil, the feeling when he was possessed by voldemort. sometimes another images appeared- ruins of hogwarts, hermione and all weaslys lying crumpled on the floor, dead and sirius, his face sullen, saying its your fault im dead harry, its entirely your fault. he would awake wet from sweat, his scar would throb uncomfortably. mercifully, he would almost forget the dreams instantly. oh, sirius, if i hadnt played hero, you would be alive. you are right. it is only my fault you are dead. if i only listened to dumbledore and learned to master occlumency. he said to himself. he missed his godfather very much. his parents had been murdered when he was one year old and sirius was the closest thing to parent harry ever had. and no he was gone too. he dressed himself in his shabby muggle clothes and went downstairs to have something for breakfast. the dursleys, the only relatives he had left, used to be mean to him and hadnt fed him properly, until last summer, when his former professor remus lupin and other members of the order of phoenix threatened them. from that time he could eat how many he wanted, but on the other hand the dursleys were ignoring him completely. he appreciated that at first, but after four weeks, when he had no one to talk he would be happy to hear uncle vernon yelling at him, just to assure himself, that he still existed. deeply in thoughts, he walked down stairs, but suddenly stopped. he could hear quiet voices. petunia, dear, i cant manage another night like this. that potter boy was muttering and screaming in his sleep again. i still dont understand why they are not police officers at our door, aiming at us with guns and demanding immediate relase of our hostage. uncle vernon growled. why cant we just send him to an orphanage? i told you hundred times that he has to stay. and dont ask me why, i am not telling you. came aunt petunias respond. petunia, be reasonable vernon started, but at that moment harry entered the room. morning he said gloomily. no response. harry went to a fridge, opened it and grabbed some food. he sat down at the table, ignoring hateful glances from his fosters. he was just about to bite from his sandwich when headline on morning newspaper caught his attention. he managed to read a mysterious deaths in prague, when uncle vernon turned to another page. latest newspaper were full of such headlines and harry knew why. it was now useless for voldemort to stay low and he again started his reign of terror. not hungry anymore, he abandoned his sandwich and left for his room again. when he entered his room, an owl was waiting for him with daily prophet tied to its leg. he untied the knot, took the newspaper and deposited a silver sickle to leather pouch tied to owls leg. he unrolled the daily prophet and gasped in horror. on the first page was picture of bodies lying on the street. he began to read an article. karkaroffs body found in prague today, in early hours, muggle policemen in prague, czech republic, were called to a scene of crime by many frightened muggles. they found a horrific sight. twenty one dead bodies were sprawled across the small compound in old town. apparently these persons just died for no reason, although according to witnesses, they were murdered by a group of robed people, wearing masks, killing with green flashes of light, erupting from what it seemed to be wooden sticks. representatives of czech ministry of magic were summoned to the scene of crime immediately and discovered, that you-know-who, and his supporters, known as the death eaters were behind this attack.

a team was dispatched to clear the scene and modify memory of all witnesses and policemen. this is by far the highest death toll since you-know-who return, that he is responsible for. it is also believed that karkaroff, former headmaster of durmstrang, wizard school in romania, is amongst the dead. harry flickered through the rest of the daily prophet. entire wizard world was in panic. many people disappeared, many muggle-born witches and wizards have handed out their wands and broke any relation to wizard world. as he was reading his newspaper he suddenly remembered his latest dream. he actually saw the death of karkaroff. this can mean only one thing. there is still connection between my and voldemorts mind, he thought. he immediately took some parchment and ink from his closet, dipped his quill and wrote a letter to dumbledore. dear sir im sure you are aware of recent incident in prague of death of mr. karkaroff. the reason i am writing you is that i saw it all, in my dreams. the connection between my and voldemorts mind is still active. im afraid something like last year can happen. please advice me. hope you are well. harry potter he opened cage, which stood on his table and a beautiful snow-white owl flew out. it was hedwig, his pet and the only company he had. hedwig, i need you to take this to dumbledore, quickly. he told her, tying the letter to hedwigs leg. she hooted reassuringly and took of immediately. harry was just about to close the window, when he spotted two owls closing in fast. the first one, a big brown one landed on his table neatly, dropping a letter with a hogwarts sign and taking of immediately. the second one was tiny and it zoomed around his room excitedly. harry snatched it and the owl hooted happily. pig, he thought for himself. he took the letter, recognising the untidy writing as rons. he released pig, who drank a little water from hedwigs cage and took of immidietly too. he opened the rons letter first. dear harry, havent heard from you for quite a long time from you, mate. we are really worried about you, hermione, ginny and me. i cant wait to see you again, but dumbledore insists on you staying there he says that you will know why. anyway, we are going to grimwald place tomorrow and we are going to stay there for the rest of our holiday, so we will meet you here. harry, i just want to let you know that we are here for you. ron harry reread the short letter thrice. tears were trickling down his face. he moped them moped with sleeve of his shirt. oh, how he missed them. but he was not talking to them for no reason. it was all because of that stupid prophecy. he was destined either a victim or a murderer. anyone who was with him was in danger, he thought, remembering the fateful night at the department of

mysteries, when sirius was killed and his friends were injured. he grabbed the second letters only to cone across another thoughts. he ripped it open, took out the letter and started to read. dear mr. potter, enclosed in this letter are your o.w.l.s results and the list of your n.e.w.t.s classes you will attend to in this year. you will find your list of needed books other supplies at the end of this letter. p.s. due to resignation of ms. umbridge you have been given back the position of seeker in gryffindor quiditch team. i would also like to offer you a position of captain. please, let me know as soon possible wheter you accept. o.w.l.s results defence against the dark arts: outstanding charms: outstanding transfiguration: exceeds expectations herbology: exceeds expectations potions: exceeds expectations history of magic: poor astronomy: acceptable divination: dreadful care of magical creatures: outstanding n.e.w.t.s classes defence against the dark arts charms transfiguration potions care of magical creatures herbology p.s. it was very hard to get you into potions without o mark. i told professor snape that you will get good marks. so do me a favour and study hard this year, will you? hope you are well, minerva mcgonagall deputy of headmaster harry groaned. this looked like a hardest year ever. chapter 3 : surprise i do not posses any of the characters or places chapter 3: surprise harry was lying on his bed, trying to sleep when he heard a knock on the door. enter, he said curtly. dudley dursley, his mean cousin entered his room. he looked at harry unfriendly. dudley has gained some weight over the last school, and was on diet again. the only thing that made dudley survive the diet used to be the fact, that the rest of his family, including harry, were eating the same food as him. but now, with a warning remus lupin gave his aunt and uncle, it would be unwise to starve harry.

what do you want, dud? harry asked him coldly. mum and dad want me to tell you that its about time you send another letter to your freaky friends, he said to harry the letters to lupin were the only thing dursleys cared about harry. well, look into my cage, stupid. it does not look i am sending a letter, when my owl is gone, does it. or are there any other owls in this house that i dont know about? harry asked. dont provoke me or, dudley said threateningly, raising his fist. or what? you are going to beat me out? asked harry. he reached for his wand and started playing with it, making sure that dudley could see it all the time. one day, i will catch you unprepared. and i shall enjoy that moment very much. dudley yelled at harry, slamming the door. harry let himself to slid down on his bed again. he sighed. teasing dudley wasnt any more. in fact everything had changed since he found out about his prophecy. he closed his eyes. why i cant live just another ordinary life, he thought for himself. what have i done to deserve this. everybody told him that he was meant for great things. but he didnt care. he would give all his possession for another life. as he was deeply in thoughts, something knocked on the window. harry raised his head and saw hedwig waiting behind the closed window, a letter tied to her leg. he got up, opened the window and let hedwig inside. she landed on his shoulder and extended her leg, so harry could get the letter. he untied the knot, stroking hedwig semiconsciously, unrolled it and began to read. dear harry, im sorry, but i cant do nothing about your problem right know, while you are still with your relatives. just try to free your mind of any thoughts before you go sleeping, when your mind is most vulnerable. but dont worry, you are perfectly safe at privet drive. once we will be able to pick you up, i will assign someone to give you occlumency lessons again. it will be soon. dumbledore harry crumpled the letter in rage and tossed it into a bin. even though he now knew the reason why he had to be here, it did nor make it more bearable. he was really looking forward to next year, when he would leave the dursleys forever. to ease some of his anger, he sat up at his desk and started writing a letter to ron. hey ron, im sorry i havent been in touch for such a long time, but im trying to sort my thoughts out. dont worry about me ill be fine. harry he hated to be so cold to his best friend, but he wasnt in friendly mood. after finishing this letter he took another piece of parchment and wrote another letter to lupin. dear remus im ok, the dursleys are civil with me. harry

he took the letters and walked over to hedwigs cage. hedwig, im sorry i have to send you away so soon, but i need these letters delivered. this one is for ron and this one is for remus lupin, he said as he was tying the letters to her leg. she hooted reassuringly, as he opened the window and took of from his outstretched hand. harry was watching her, until she was out of sight. ********** harry was lying on a field in the country, unaware where he was. he got up and looked around him. the surroundings were comforting. green grass grew up to his waist. he let his hand ran across it, enjoying its smoothnes. everything looked so peaceful. he could see a form of hogwarts in distance, bathed in the orange light of sunset. the sky was perfectly cloudless, the weather was warm. he inhaled the pleasant scent of the air, relaxing his mind at last. somebody has slipped hands around his waist and pulled him into tight hug. harry felt as the person eased her head on his shoulder. beautiful, isnt it? said a soft girl voice, which was familiar to harry. he was just about to turn his head to the girl, when his scar erupted with pain without warning. he collapsed to his knees, reaching for his forehead. no, please, not again, he muttered. he raised his head. the surroundings were no longer pleasant. the high grass was burned. there were bodies, lying all over the field. bodies, that lay still, their eyes wide open and unfocused. the hogwarts castle was in flames, smoke was rising thickly from it, covering whole sky. something grasped his shoulder viciously. he looked upwards, firstly at the skeletal hand, that was crushing his shoulder, then raising his head, he saw who to hand belonged to. the rotten face of sirius was staring at him with lifeless eyes. this is all your fault, harry. only your, he hissed. harry awoke with a start, sat quickly and looked on his shoulder. there was no hand there. easing himself on the bed again, he let out a sigh of relief. he checked his warch: 1:3o a.m. 7.31. hey, ive been sixteen for and hour and half. i wonder whether the dursleys would ignore my birthday as usual, he asked himself before finally drifting to peaceful and dreamless sleep. he awoke at 10 a.m., feeling totally relaxed. he tried to remember, if he had any dreams but couldnt think of any. he got up and put on his glasses and went downstairs to have some breakfast, snatching todays copy of the daily prophet from the table. the dursleys were gone. as he was expecting there were no presents waiting for him, no surprise party. he took some food out of the fridge, sat to the table and started to read the daily prophet. nothing fishy happened lately, the newspaper were full of vague reports of latest events and theories, what might be the voldemorts plans. he was on his way back to his room, when he heard a door bell. curious, he went to the door and opened them. surprise, harry! yelled ron, fred, george, ginny and mr. weaslys in union, as squealing hermione jumped on him and embraced him in a rib-breaking hug. why what are you doing here? he stuttered, as hermione let him go. well, i hope you are ready to go. we are here to pick you up. said mr. weasly, beaming. harry couldnt believe his ears. he was leaving! finally. hurry up, harry, i dont think you would like to be here when your uncle returns, mr. weasly said. why? not another imaginary lawn competition.? he asked mr. weasly with a grin. sort of.. fred, george take care of harrys luggage. we dont want to be late for harrys birthday party. a birthday party? harry asked unbelievably.

what, did you think, that we forgot about it? said ginny with a wink. harry couldnt believe this. a birthday party! where are we going? harry asked. to grimwald place, said ron. harry gulped. he would appreciate more if they would go to burrow, not to place, where everything would remind him of sirius. we are going to use a portkey. we could use floo now, when the order and ministry are on the same boat again, but dad doesnt want to ruin muggles living room again. mr. weasly left a note to dursleys on the dining room, and joined them again. meantime fred and george brought down harrys suitcase-he was always packed and ready to go, as if he was expecting something like this might happen. ok, are we ready to go? wait, i need to desillusion us, we dont want to make a commotion, do we? he cast the spell on each person in the group. shame we couldnt have stayed longer, i would like to see this house more through fully. ron rolled his eyes, and catching harrys eyes he grinned. as they stepped out, mr. weasly stopped abruptly. just a moment, we dont want to get your relatives robbed, do we? asked mr. weasly as he pointed his wand at the door. colloportus! but mr. weasly, would be the dursleys able to open the door with an ordinary key? harry asked him curiously. honestly, harry, i dont care. mr. weasly said with a wink. now gather around, everybody chapter 4 : the best birthday ever everybody who read this story, please reivew, even if you say "the worst fanfic ever". i just want to hear your comments i do not posses any of the characters and places. chapter 4: harry and the weaslys landed in the dark entrance hall of headquarters of order of phoenix. harry got up from the ground. filthy mudbloods and half-breeds, mugglelovers, disgrace of our kind, you dare to step into the noble house of black apparently, the members of order still hadnt found a way to dispose of shrieking portrait of mrs. black, siriuss mother. torches and candles all around the hall lit up as remus lupin emerged form the kitchen door. not again, he muttered to himself, as he marched to the portrait and closed the curtains before it. the shrieking stopped abruptly. he sighed and the turned to harry. hello harry, nice to see you again, he said, smiling rather gloomily. harry surveyed him through his glasses. the robes lupin wore looked more shabbier than harry remembered. apparently lupin had not found a job yet. he looked very pale and his hair turned greyer. but the thing harry was most concerned was that the sparkle in lupins eyes, which was there during times sirius was alive, was gone. err nice to see you to he stuttered. im sorry harry but there is an order meeting right now, and i need to be there. ill see you later in the evening. arthur, fred, george, you better come along too, he motioned to them. ron, help harry with his luggage, you know where your room is. stay there, ill call you when everything is ready, mr. weasly said. then he, the twins and lupin went inside the kitchen. ron and harry dragged harrys huge suitcase up to room, which they were sharing,

followed by hermione and ginny. the house looked as if was new, everything was clean and shining. when they entered the room,. something suddenly hit harry in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and he collapsed on the ground. harry potter, sir! came the squeaky voice harry recognised. hi dobby, he said, gasping for breath. he stood up and looked him. dobbys clothes were tidy and neat as usual, and his tennis-ball eyes were shining with excitement. what are you doing here? arent you supposed to be at hogwarts? yes indeed sir, but dumbledore came to see dobby and ask him whether he would not do him a favour. he said that harry potter is coming to grimwald place in the end of july and he wanted to house to be cleaned properly. he insisted on giving dobby a pay rise, but dobby refused. he owes this to harry potter, because harry potter set him free. i already told you hundred times dobby, you dont owe me anything. harry said. oh, harry potter is so modest and generous. dobby squealed, making harry turn red. dobby, how is winky? hermione asked suddenly. dobby turned his head to her curiously, as if realizing just now that they were other people in the room with him. winky is a lot better nowadays, young lady. she finally starts to understands that she is free and has no master anymore. but she still neglects her clothes and her appearance, dobby said. well, err.. say hello to her from me. hermione said, taken aback by sudden bitterness in dobbys voice. harry potter, sir, dobby has to go now, prepare everything for harry potters birthday party. i told you, you dont have to do this, dobby. harry said, but too late, dobby was already gone. harry looked at ron and they both grinned. so, had a good summer, mate? ron asked harry. harrys mind shifted to sirius instantly. hermione must have recognised it. ron, how could you say something like that? she said, rolling her eyes. what do you mean, hermione? why would a person be offended by this question? ron said, looking daggers at her. youll never change, ronald weasly, she said, fuming. now what was that supposed to mean, hermione granger? ron yelled at her. come on, ron, calm down. ginny pleaded. oh, dont you say me to calm down harry couldnt stand this anymore. he left the room, closing the door behind him silently, so no one recognised that he was gone. he walked over to a study, which he remembered from last year. he entered and closed the door behind himself, regretting that there was no lock. he wanted to be alone now. he looked around the room curiously. he recognised instantly that this room missed dobbys cleaning raid. it was small, but cosy. the walls were lined up with bookcases. harry let his finger run across dusty books, when he stopped abruptly. memories, which should never be forgotten. it appeared that this book was taken out and returned many times recently. he took it out sat on an old sofa, clearing the dust from it beforehand. he flickered through the pages of the book. they were full of photos. one shown sirius as a cute baby. there was another one, showing sirius on a broom, beaming, as he zoomed in and out around the picture. he turned to another page and his stomach gave an unpleasant jolt. in the picture, there were three boys, eleven or twelve years old, in hogwarts uniforms, wearing gold-red scarfs. they were beaming at harry. harry recognised them instantly as sirius black, remus lupin and james potter, his father. he turned few more pages and another picture alerted his presence. his father was carried on the shoulders of older looking boys, his eyes full of triumph,

raising the quiditch cup over his head in one hand and the golden snitch in his second. he turned a page again and there was another picture his father, carrying the quiditch cup, only this time there was a girl, standing next to him, kissing him on the cheek. he recognised her by her eyes-his eyes. it was lilly evans, harrys mother. tears were now trickling on his face, he simply couldnt help it. he turned to another page. the next picture was probably taken just after n.e.w.t.s test. james, sirius, and remus were standing in front, each of them wearing looks of triumph and happiness, each of them embracing a girl, which were beaming too. but there was one person who didnt look happy at all. harry felt a sudden surge of anger all over his body. peter pettigrew, the one, who betrayed his parents was standing next to remus and his girlfriend, his expression showed gloominess and perhaps envy. harry longed for a revenge. i will make you pay for what you have done, wormtail, he though for himself. there was a knock on the door and it opened. harry, are you here? ginny asked. go away, i want to be alone, he said, drying his face with a sleeve of his shirt. harry, you cant keep avoiding everyone for the rest of your live. there are people who care about you, you know, she said, coming over to the sofa and taking a seat. but thats the only thing i can do. see everyone, who gets involved with me is in great danger. it was my fault cedric died, it was my fault sirius died, it was my fault you and the others got hurt that night. the world would be so much better without me harry started. now stop self-pitying yourself, its no good. if it werent for you, the whole wizard world would be probably destroyed now. it was you who stopped you-know-w, well, voldemort eleven years ago. it was you who ruined his plans, not once, but five times already. it was you who saved my life in the second year, when voldemort possessed me she interrupted him. ginny, i dont know how much more i can bear harry said, his voice trembling. well, thats what youve got friends for. to help you carry your burden. ginny said, pulling, him into a tight hug. harry, mate, are you here? came the voice of ron. im here, ron. harry said, letting go of ginny ron entered with hermione. i just want to tell you, that me and hermione stopped arguing. we came here to apologize. no need. listen, i know that you want to help and i appreciate it, really harry started, but was interrupted by fred, who came upstairs. where are you everybody? the meeting is over, harrys party is about to what are you all doing here? he asked as he entered the room. nothing, just talking. harry smiled at all of them. shall we get prepared, then? ********** harry and ron went to their room to prepare themselves for the party. harry dressed up in his best muggle clothes and tried to comb his hair, but it wouldnt stay flat, no matter how hard he tried. sighing, he gave up. when the boys were ready, they went downstairs. harry just entered the kitchen, when he was embraced in tight hug by mrs. weasly. oh, harry, how are you? is there anything i can do for you? are you hungry, thirsty? oh, just look at how skinny you are, she fussed, leading him to the dining room, where everything was prepared for the party. she lead him to the table, which would almost collapse under the amount of food and drinks. take whatever you like, all is for you, she said, beaming. harry didnt need telling twice. he pilled his plate wit all his favourites and

took a bottle of butterbeer. looking around the room, he noticed there were only him and ron. mrs. weasly returned to the kitchen, not telling why. where is everybody else? he asked ron. ron, who had his mouth full of food, just shook his head, meaning that he did not know. the door opened and hermione, accompanied by ginny and crookshanks entered, hermiones cat entered. hermione was dressed in what appeared as her best muggle clothes, ginny as well. both were wearing some make-up. they walked over to a free table, where they put their presents for harry. ron, realising that he forgot his own in his room, left and returned a moment later. by then, more people started coming. fred and george came first, carrying an enormous present, lupin, dressed in his new robes, which he bought for this opportunity, tonks, her hair acid green, moody, his magic eye spinning excitedly, mr. and mrs. weasly with their eldest sons bill and charlie and even professor mcgonagall dropped by. harry greeted everyone happily. harry started opening his presents. there was his own golden snitch, given by ron. harry couldnt help but grin as he rembered seeing his father in the dumbledores pensieve, showing of with the golden snitch, which he nicked. what could he expect from hermione than a book- advance spells for gifted students. next came the present form lupin-another set of defence against the dark arts books. just thought they might come in handy, he said. when he opened the present from the twins, he couldnt belive his eyes. they got him a model of quiditch pitch, with a figures of quiditch player, that were actually moving. it was similar to the model oliver wood, former quiditch captain, had, only this was much bigger. ah, that might come in handy, when you would sometimes plan your strategies as the captain. did you consider my proposal already? asked him professor mcgonagall. actually, i have and i accept. it will be an honuor, he replied. excellent, im sure you would make an excellent captain, she assured him, then she left to talk to tonks about some recent science breakthrough on animagi and mathamorphagi. tonks gave him a book about the history of the aurors, moody gave him a flask. when harry eyed him curiously he just said: youll never now, when someone might slip something into your goblet. mark my words, youre going to find that useful one day. mr. weasly gave a set of muggle clothes, which he enchanted himself. underpants and socks, that were producing heat, shirt that changed colour, when touched by a wand and trousers, which would grow with him. mrs. weasly knitted him on of her usual sweaters and gave him an enormous box of various sweets. ginny bought him a rememberall, just in case he needed it sometimes. bill gave him a book about the history of egyptian pyramids and charlie gave him some special food for hedwig. thank you charlie, bill, these might come useful. he thanked for the presents. not at all, they replied in union. what about percy, has he already contacted you? harry asked. yes, he has, actually, we are going to see him tomorrow morning, dad, bill and me. he now lives on the outskirts of the town, he has been given a small house as a treat for his exceptional and spotless work record. charlie said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. he lives there with his girlfriend, penelope cleanwater. im sure you remember her from hogwarts. harry was just about to ask how could a normal person live with percy form more than one day, when another person entered the room- dumbledore. harry ran over to him. professor dumbledore, im so glad you could come, harry ran over to him, beaming. yes, im glad too, although i cant stay too long. important order business to

attend and im afraid ill have to take most of your guests along. i just came here to give you my presents. firstly, i was able to find a teacher for your occlumency lessons. after considering the possibilities, i think that i would be the most suitable person, dumbledore said. err yes, wonderful, harry wasnt really sure if he appreciated this gift. harry, i understand that you are suspicious toward occlumency, given your experiences with it. but its very vital for you to master it. my second gift isnt from me, rather from someone else. by sirius last will, this house and all the possession in is yours, when you become mature. also, remus lupin was announced as your guardian, till you reach your maturity. harry didnt know what to say. he looked over to lupin, who was in deep conversation with moody. im sorry, but you will have to wait to talk to lupin tomorrow. im afraid he has to leave with me. goodbye harry, see you soon he left. lupin, tonks, mr. weasly, bill and charlie went with him. fred and george left as well, they were saying something about some paperwork for their joke shop. mrs. weasly started cleaning. when harry and his friends told her that they would help her she refused, sending them to bed, instead. harry glanced at his watch, he couldnt belive it. it was past midnight. time was really going fast amongst his kind. perhaps he had too much butterbeer, but as he was falling asleep, listening to rons snores, he thought that this was his best birthday ever. chapter 5 : another betrayal please review! i do not posses any of the characters or places chapter 5: another betrayal harry was still in very good mood when he woke up. perhaps it was because of protection around the headquarters of order of phoenix, but he had slept peacefully whole night, undisturbed by any nightmare. he looked over to rons bed. it was empty, he probably had gone downstairs to get some breakfast. harry got up, dressed himself and went downstairs. he entered the kitchen. good morning. he said happily. nobody answered. there was no one there. harry was just about to start looking form someone all over the house, when he heard sobs, coming from the living room. at least, one person, by the sound of it. he opened the door and all of his happiness evaporated in an instant. mrs. weasly was sitting on a sofa, her head in her hands, rocking forwards and backwards, as she was crying hysterically. mr. weasly was trying to comfort her, and harry saw that he was on the verge of tears. the twins and charlie were standing in the corner, the sparks from their eyes gone. they were just standing silently. ginny was sitting in the armchair, tears were trickling down her face, as she sobbed. ron who, was sitting on the farthest sofa, his head in his hands also, was shaking uncontrollably. hermione was sitting next to him, hugging him and patting him on the head. she was the only one, who looked up when harry entered and there were tears in her eyes too. harry came over to bill, who was standing by the wall of the room and seemed the only one capable of communication. bill, whywh-what happened? he stuttered. why is everyone crying? bill looked at him. i have already told you that we were going to visit percy and his girlfriend this morning. well when we arrived on the place, we found the house on fire and the dark mark was hovering above it. he said. harry gulped. is everyone ok? i mean

percy and penelope, they theyre he suddenly lost control too and left harry. he kneeled next to his mother, trying to help his father to comfort her. dont worry, son, they will be alright, came growling voice. harry spun around. profess i mean mr. moody, is percy and his girlfriend alright? he asked him. moody sighed .no, im afraid theyre not. theyre dead. they were murdered by the death eaters. they left the servant, who was working for percy weasly alive. he told us, that they were interrogating. they used the cruciatus curse on him, and when even after that he refused to answer their questions, they forced him some verritaserum. they asked him several questions- where are the headquarters and what are the plans of the order of phoenix, your whereabouts and they asked him about the spells, that are protecting hogwarts. when they finished the interrogation, they put the imperium curse on him and forced him to kill his girlfriend. then they killed him and left. harry didnt know what to say. of all the weaslys he liked percy weasly least, but he couldnt help to be sorry for them. they were like his family, after all. mr. moody, percy knew nothing about the plans or whereabouts of the order, didnt he?. i mean he asked moody dont worry, dumbledore didnt tell him about the grimwald place. you and all inside here are perfectly safe, moody answered. thank you, he said. he looked around the room. nobody, not even hermione was no aware of his presence. he decided that best thing to do was leaving quietly. he ran upstairs to his room and locked himself inside. his entire body was shaking with anger. if voldemort was here no, he would strangle him with his bare hands. there was a knock on the door. harry, i need to talk to you, came remus lupins voice. harry did not response. lupin knocked again. harry, i know you are inside let me in, please. harry lay on the bed still, when suddenly he heard lupin muttering alahomora and the lock clicked open. harry stood up, furious. what do you want?! just leave me alone, will you? he yelled at lupin. im afraid i cant do this, he said, entering harrys room. you probably know now, that ive been proclaimed as your guardian until you reach maturity, which is not for another year. honestly, remus, i dont care. it would be better if you and the others left me alone. harry spat. harry, if this is because of the incident with percy weasly he started, but harry didnt let him finish. he took a vase from a table and threw it at lupin. lupin raised his wand. reducto! he cried and the vase broke into hundreds of tiny parts, just before it hit his face. he aimed his wand at harry. petrificus totalus. harrys legs and hands snapped together and he fell to the ground, rigid as board. if lupin thought this would calm me down, he couldnt have been more mistaken, harry thought. now you listen to me, boy. dont try to blame yourself for what have happened. few weeks after what happened at the department of mysteries, when fudge has realized, that voldemort is once again alive, he was afraid something like this might happen. because of this circumstance, several important employees of ministry of magic were given houses, which were protected by various spells. the location of these houses was known only by one secret keeper. those, who were given the houses, were told that it was for their exceptional work record and similar things like this. it appeared to be an excellent plan. but then someone, who is serving more than one master at the moment, told voldemort about this plan. the traitor apparently knew the identity of the secret keeper, because yesterday at night we found him dead in his house. that was the

reason, why everybody has left your party. we feared that the location of the houses were compromised. but nobody except for the secret keeper knew the locations of the houses, he said. it looked like all was lost and all the persons, who were supposed to be safe, would be death. but then we got a word from a spy, who is amongst the death eaters. he told us, what were the locations, where the death eaters left to. we saved many lifes tonight. unfortunately we arrived late to the houses of three representatives of the ministry of magic, including the house of percy weasly. so, as you see there is no way, how you could be responsible for this. harry, do not let make voldemort think that. the only reason why he let the servant alive was, that he would tell us what happened. lupin said. he pointed his wand at harry again. finite incantatem he muttered. harry could move his body again. he got up from the ground, anger still in his eyes. lupin turned and he was just about to leave harrys room, when harry called at him. he stopped, but did not face harry again. thank you, harry said to him. he just nodded and left the room, closing the door after himself. chapter 6 : troubles in diagon alley thank everybody for reveiws i do not posses any of the characters and place. chapter 6: troubles in diagon alley the time in grimmald place passed quickly, although after what happened to percy weasly, it was very miserable. the weaslys were grieving very much. they reminded harry very much of victims to dementor kiss-they were like soulless bodies. harry tried to talk to ron or ginny many times, but they refused to talk about what happened, as if they ignored it, it had not really happened. with all this harry was happy to come to his last weekend of holiday. harry was awaken by mrs. weasly on his last friday. whats wrong, mrs. weasly? he asked her groggily. we are going to diagon alley to get your stuff for this year, harry, she said. she looked very tired and harry suspected she was crying whole night again. she then woke ron and left. they got up and dressed themselves silently. ron dressed up in black robes, that harry havent seen before. then they went to kitchen to get something for breakfast. hermione was already sitting at the table, a bowl of cereals in front of her, todays daily prophet propped against the milk jug. she lifted her eyes as they entered. good morning, harry, ron, she greeted them cheerfully. morning, hermione, he replied. ron didnt greet her at all. she exchanged a look of worry with harry, when the door opened again and ginny entered the room. without any word she sat at the table. she was wearing black robes as well. her eyes were puffy, she was most probably wake for whole night too. harry was about to finish his third toast, when mr. weasly entered the room. hurry up, boys and girls, we dont want to be late, he said. harry did not understand mr. weaslys comment, but they got up anyway, ron and ginny barely touched their food.. they gathered around the fireplace, they would travel by floo. the weaslys went first, then hermione and then harry. he never really accustomed to travelling by floo-it had always made him sick. he leaved the grate on the other side, the leaky cauldron, brushing ash out of his clothes. mr. weasly came to him. well, harry, we need to take care about something before we go shopping, so why dont you and hermione order something? we will pick you up in a hour. mr. weasly said to harry.

err ok, he replied, wondering what was mr. weasly talking about. the weaslys left them and he and hermione went to leaky cauldron. the place was packed with wizards and witches as usual. harry bought them two bottles of butterbeer and they sat at the table in the corner. they sipped their butterbeers silently at first. i wonder where the weaslys have gone he said, breaking the silence. oh harry, isnt that obvious, she said with a sigh. harry just gaped at her stupidly. they went to percys funeral. harry suddenly remembered that all the weaslys were wearing black. how could he be so thick? im very concerned about all of them, mainly about ron and ginny. this is so unfair, why it had to be them? theyre so nice, she said as a huge tear appeaered in her eye. life isnt fair hermione, harry said bitterly. hermione was now crying openly. harry moved over to her bench and sat by her. he hugged her and patted her on her head. come on, hermione, its gonna be fine, he was saying, nothing is going to be fine. not until voldemort is still alive. then he must be killed, he said. finally, he managed to cope with his prophecy. what do you mean? hermione eyed him curiously. nothing, he said quickly. he still wasnt entirely sure if he wanted to share his prophecy with someone else. look, the weaslys are coming, he said. hermione ceased the hug and moped her tears away with the sleeve of her robes. mr. and ms. weasly came to their table. shall we go, harry, hermione, asked mr. weasly they finished their butterbeers in one gulp and got out. ron and ginny were standing by the wall which lead to diagon alley. they didnt say a word to ron and hermione. mr. weasly tapped the wall three times with his wand and the passage opened. they got through and harry once again found himself standing in the crowded diagon alley. they went to the gringotts, the only wizard bank, to get some money first. harry would enjoy the neck-breaking ride by the cart, which took them to their valuts, if he hadnt noticed the look on rons face. harry withdrew enough money for his year. then they went to weaslys valut. ms. weasly took some money, for once in her life she didnt look embarrassed. hermione changed her muggle money for coins back at the counter and they left the bank. then they went to various shops. firstly they went to buy their books and supplies for potion hours and then they scattered. hermione wanted to buy herself a new quill and ink, ginny wanted to get new robes, because she grew a lot during the summer and ron wanted to buy some treat for his owl, pig. hey, harry, ron, came the voice of hermione, when they were standing by the shop window of quiditch best supplies. they went through the street together. they met some of their fellow students on the way. seamus finnigan and dean thomas, who was walking hand-in-hand with ginny. she looked oblivious to the fact, that her boyfriend was with her and was gazing nowhere. they met also hannah abott and susan bones from hufflepuff and luna lovegood from ravenclaw, who looked like lost. unfortunately, not all the people they met were their favourite. they were passing olliwanders wand shop, when a cold familiar voice said. well, look who it is? famous harry potter and his foolish friends. harry, ron and hermione spun around. standing against them were malfoy and his sidekicks crabbe and goyle. what do you want, git? harry spat. careful potter, watch your mouth, or ill show you, said malfoy. come, harry, ignore him, hermione said, tugging on his robes. and look who is talking, that i-know-all mudblood. ron drew out his wand quickly and pointed it at malfoys face. what, you fool. you want to hex me? well be my guest, but dont forget you are

still underage, weasly. malfoy smirked. but were not, came the voices of fred and george, who appeared out of nowhere, their wands drawn. george, fred, stop it, hermione said. then she faced malfoy. how does your father enjoy his stay at the azkaban, malfoy? and she spun around and walked away. boys were following her lead, when malfoy suddenly called after them. they stopped. it was very entertaining watching your pathetic brother, begging for his quick death and for life of his girlfriend. i personally enjoyed using cruciatus curse on him. first time is the best time, malfoy said with a smirk. ron launched himself on malfoy and he hit him in his face. malfoy collapsed to the ground. crabbe and goyle tried to attack ron, but they were hit by two stunners, aimed from george and fred. ron ran over to malfoy and kicked. ronald, what are you doing?! impedimenta! came the voice of ms. weasly. ron froze in mid-air and fell to the ground. ronald weasly! what are you doing?! its this the way how i raised you up? she moved over to him and malfoy. i apologize for my son, mr. malfoy. your words mean nothing to me, pathetic fat cow, he said to her, as he got up and walked away, leaving stunned crabbe and goyle on the ground behind. ms. weaslyloooked after him in disbelief. then she sighed and picked up ron from the ground. she looked very disappointed. people all around were staring at ron, their faces full of fear. and you two! you should have stopped him, you are mature, and you degraded to his level instead. what would your father say when i tell him? we go home now, all of you!!! yelled ms. weasly the weaslys, harry and hermione, went to leaky cauldron. mr. weasly was waiting for them by the grate, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. gnny was standing by him, a bottle of butterbeer clutching in her hand. everybody ready to go? he asked his face falsely cheerful. they moved over to grate and flooed back to the grimmald place. chapter 7 : jouirney to hogwarts sorry i havent updated for so long but my final exams in school are closing fast. thank you all for your reviews hope you like this chapter, i am not very good in romance. i do not posses any of the pesrons or places. chapter 7: journey to hogwarts harry got up early on his last sunday on grimmald place. finally, he thought for himself, ill be going home today. he tried to fall asleep again but couldnt. he got up, dressed himself and went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. the kitchen was deserted when he came. there was an empty bottle of firewhiskey on the table, harry knew that mr. weasly was drinking a bottle a day since death of percy. he sighed and sat at the table. harry was sipping his tea, staring at the wall opposite of him, when the door opened and ginny came in. oh, sorry. i didnt realize that somebody was here, she said, and was just about to leave again. wait ginny, i think this room can hold both us, harry said with a grin. ginny grinned slightly, poured herself a cup of tea as well, and took a seat opposite of harry. harry surveyed her thoughtfully. her eyes were not puffy, as they were lately, she looked like she managed to get some sleep finally. harry noticed that

she had grown up a lot during the summer indeed, she was now as tall as him. she was not the small, shy girl anymore-she had grown up to nice girl. harry was still watching her, when he realized she was saying something to him. um sorry, ginny, my mind drifted somewhere else, what did you say? he asked her. i asked you why you were staring at me like that, harry? she asked him curiously. umm no reason, i think im just tired thats all, he said. stay cool, dont blush, he thought to himself. half an hour passed in utter silence. i dont see how you manage to do this harry, ginny said suddenly. huh, he let off, not knowing what she meant. i mean how you can through this all. you lost your whole family, even your godfather too and you manage. look at me, i lost one brother and im a nervouswreck, she said. ginny, if you think that im not grieving you are very wrong. this summer has been hell for me. but you always seem so cool, always above the thing, she said, on the verge of tears. yeah, i was definitely above the thing when you found me at the study on my birthday, he said bitterly. oh no, harry, please, i didnt mean to offend you. dont worry, you didnt. ginny, look, what had happened happened, and you can do nothing about that. all you can do is go on with your life, he said. harry, why it had to be him? he said suddenly. he wasnt important, he knew nothing. goddamn, he even wasnt member of the order of the phoenix. voldemort doesnt mind if he is important. only he cares about is if he is worth his life. there was another awkward silence. harry, im very concerned about ron. i dont really know what happened in the diagon alley, but it had to be dreadful. ive never seen him like this before. im afraid he might do something very stupid. what malfoy said would make anybody angry, he said silently to himself. what did you say, harry? ginny asked him. uh, nothing. listen ginny, me and hermione tried to talk some sense into him. but he wasnt listening. in fact, you werent listening to us too. you are more similar than you would think-both of you are really good friends, i can rely on you but both of you are awfully stubborn, he said. im sorry, i really tried and i dont know what can i do fro him anymore. i know, i know. but i cant just stand and look at how he gets into trouble, ginny said, sighing. dont worry, i wont let it happen, harry said reassuringly. she got up, walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. thank you, harry, and without further ado she left. harry was looking at the door for a long time. then he got up, washed the dishes and went upstairs to pack his things to hogwarts. ********** the morning was very chaotic. it appeared that whole order of the phoenix and many aurors came to supervise the departure. people kept bumping on the stairs and landings, muttering words of excuses. harry tripped over someone feet twice, dropping his suitcase once, which fall down the stairs, opened and his things spread all around the grimmald place. he managed to pack his things with a little help from tonks, who he told what he was missing and she summoned it by summoning charm. accio socks! she said and a pair of socks zoomed to them. well, harry, is that

all? yeah, thanks a lot, harry said with a grin. no problem, she replied, winking at him. two cars from the ministry of magic were waiting for them before the headquarters of the order. harry couldnt see how would they all fit to two what looked like ordinary muggle cars, but then he remembered how all the weaslys and him fitted in old ford anglia, which was enchanted, comfortably in his second year. he, the weaslys and hermione took the first car, while tonks, kingsley shackbolt, hestia jones and few others aurors and members of the order took the second. they arrived at the king cross station few moments later with plenty of time left. they walked through the secret passage between platforms nine and ten and found themselves on the platform nine and three quarters. the platform was crowded with many wizards and their children. some of them wore their hogwarts robes already. hey harry, his fellow gryffindor neville longbottom greeted him. he was standing by a very old witch, who was his grandmother. ah, here are your friends, neville. nice to see you again, mr.potter. and the weaslys, of course. i just wanted to tell you how our family commiserates with yours, she offered her hand to mr. weasly, who shook it, nodding. thank you, he muttered. tonks walked over to harry. now harry, go and find you a seat, we will be at the front of the train, next to prefects compartment if you need us, tonks told him what? i didnt realize you were travelling with us. why is that? he asked her curiously. oh, nothing to worry, just a precaution, she waved her hand and went to the front of the train with kingsley, hestia and a pack of another aurors and order members. ms. weasly hugged each one of them and looked at ron. ron, promise that you wont get yourself into any trouble. please, avoid draco malfoy. she pleaded him mum its ok, malfoy is just stupid git, he means nothing, when his father is in prison. ron, please, promise me. ok, i wont get into trouble with the stupid git. fine. i love you all. have a nice term, she said. something about the tone, which was she using talking about malfoy didnt felt right for harry, harry, ginny and neville went of to find themselves a free compartment in the train, ron and hermione went to the front of the train, where the prefect compartment was. harry and the others found themselves free compartment and took their seats. moments later the door of the compartment opened again and seamus and dean came inside. dean took a seat next to ginny and placed a kiss on her cheek. harry couldnt help but to recall the kiss ginny gave him that morning hey harry, had a good summer? seamus asked him. yeah, it was ok. harry said, not looking at ginny. the journey was uneventful. the boys were talking about quiditch, ginny occasionally piped up, but most of the time she was staring out of the window silently. moments later ron and hermione came from the prefects compartment. they were talking about the quiditch again, hermione was rereading her school books for the second time. the time went on and on and harry suddenly felt that the train was slowing. they arrived at the village of hogsmeade. they left the train, when harry recognised a familiar voice. first yers, ovr here, come on, first yers. hagrid was calling, swaying his large lantern. hello, hagrid, harry greeted him happily.

all right there, harry, he replied with a wink, as he left with a bunch of terrified looking first years. harry and the others moved over to the carriages that would pull them up to the castle. harry shivered as he saw that the therstrals were still pulling the carriages. threstrals were huge, skeleton, reptilian-like horses, which you could see only when you saw somebody die. ginny entered one carriage in lead. harry, ron, hermione, neville, dean and seamus went after her. they arrived at the castle moments later and went to the great hall, which was already packed with students from other carriages. they sat at the gryffindor table and harry looked over at the teachers table. professor snape, teacher of potions was sitting on the left end, eyeing the students dangerously, next to him sat professor flitwick, a tiny charms teacher, who was speaking to professor sinsitra, teacher of the astronomy. firenze the centaur and professor trenlawey, teachers of divination were there too. hagrid and proffesor mcgonagall werent there yet, they were still taking care about the first yers. in the centre sat proffesor dumbledore, who was talking toharrys jaw dropped. sitting at the table, next to dumbledore was no other than remus lupin. harry couldnt belive this. what was he doing here. then he scanned the table once again. wait, there is no new teacher for defence against the dark arts, he thought for himself. and than it suddenly hit him. he looked over to hermione, who was gaping at the teachers table as well. their eyes met. yes! they yelled in unison. what? asked very confused ginny and ron. look at the table! hermione said. ginny looked over there and her jaw dropped too. no way, she managed to say. what is it? what are you all so shocked about? ron asked, not understanding. lupin is going to be our new defence against the dark arts teacher. hermione told him. ron eyes shone with happiness for the first time harry saw from the death of percy weasly. look over to malfoy. oh, he is definitely not very happy abou this! he yelled happily. true, malfoy was looking at the table with hatred. harry was suddenly distracted from malfoy, as hagrid and mcgonagall entered the great hall, the terrified looking first years were tailing them. gather over here. when i announce your name you are to come and sit on this stool. i will then place the sorting hat on your hat and you will be sorted into your house. the houses are gryffindor, slytherin, ravenclaw and hufflepuff. during your study here, your house would be like your family she talked for a very long moment before she stopped and looked at the list. avery, douglas she announced. a mean-looking boy came forward and mcgonagall placed the hat on his head. slytherin! the hat announced the slytherin table erupted with cheers. harry was curious if he was related to one of the death eater harry knew about. aureily, emilly! gryffindor! the sorting went on for another twenty minutes. gryffindor had six fresh yearsfour boys and two girls. dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. the whole great hall fell silent. to those who are new, welcome. everybody else, welcome back. before we begin the feast i have a few announcements to make out. firstly, i would like to remind all students, i mean all new and old too, that the forbidden forest doesnt bare this name for no reason. also i would like to remind you that the list of things which are prohibited in the corridors is posted on the door of mr.

filch, our caretaker. also i would like to introduce you to our new defence against the dark arts, some of you might remember him as he was teaching here three years ago. now, enjoy. the golden plates filled up with food. harry was eating like he hadnt before. also it appeared that rons taste came back as well, he was showing the food into his mouth with incredible speed. harry merely smiled. when everybody finished their meal, dumbledore stood up again. and now, off to bed all of you. harry groaned in disappointment. he wanted to speak to lupin, but his questions will have to wait. chapter 8 : the darkest time ever thank you for reviews. i do not posses any of the characters or places. chapter 8: the darkest time ever harry was sitting on the throne in a dark room. it appeared to be some sort of dungeon. walls were made of great stone boulders. the room was very damp. harry looked around him. kneeling in front of him were many figures dressed in black robes, their faces were hidden under masks. death eaters. and behind them, in rows, stood tens of creatures harry feared most-dementors. tall, cloaked figures, that suck happiness out of the area around them and made everyone miserable. even the death eaters, harry thought as he saw that several of the death eaters were shivering. he got up to his feet and walked over to one of the persons. he drew his wand. lucius, you remember what i told you would happened if you would disappoint your master again, he said, his voice cold as ice. he pointed his wand at the death eater. no, my lord, be merciful, came the voice of lucius malfoy from under the hood. harry merely laughed. crucio! he cried. malfoy collapsed to the ground and started to twitch. he was screaming for his life. voldemort lifted the course and laughed again coldly. lucius, none of this would happen, if you brought me what i wanted, he said. but, my lord, its impossible crucio! malfoy was screaming of pain again, as harry woke up and fell from his bed. he reached for his scar, which throbbed painfully. he stood up and looked around the room. everybody was sleeping deeply. thank god, at least i havent screamed this time. he tiptoed to his chest and opened it with loud creak. damn it, he whispered silently and looked around the room once more. everybody was still sleeping.. he leaned over his chest again and withdrew his invisibility cloak and maradauer map. he got to talk to dumbledore immediately. he went downstairs to the gryffindor common room, opened the portairt door and stepped into the corridor. he tapped the map and said i solemnly swear that i am up to no good.. lines started to spread on the blank parchment and in a moment a map of hogwarts appeared. harry checked, if the coast was clear-the map was showing persons too. filch-in his office, snape as well. he tucked the map into his robes and threw the invisibility cloak over himself. he was walking the corridors silently, careful not to bump into the prefects, who were doing there routes, or make any sound, which would be most suspicious. moments later, harry was standing in front of the door to headmasters office. suddenly he came across an obvious fact- he didnt know the password. damn it. open up. why dont you just open up, i need to speak to dumbledore its really urgent.

the gargoyle which usually sprang aside given the password stood still. harry suddenly remembered how the map showed him how to open the secret passage to hogsmeade in his third year. he took the map from his pocket and surveyed it. on the spot next to the door to the dumbledores office, written in tiny black writing was word zonko. zonko, harry said. the gargoyle sprang aside and let harry pass. he ran up the circural stares, taking two steps each time. he reached the door and opened them. proffessor dumbledore, i he said, but stopped abrubptly. sitting at his desk, proffesor dumbledore was talking to remus lupin,. they both smiled as they saw harry, but their smiles evaporated when they saw his face. harry, is there something wrong? asked dumbldore. proffessor i just now had a dream, which was another vision from voldemort. he was gathering with his death eaters and sir there were the death eaters, who are supposed to be in custody. lucius malfoy, for instance. and there were dementors too. sir, i think that azkaban has been overran! harry said in one breath. dumbledore didnt move, nor did lupin. dumbledore just sighed. please sit down, harry. dumbledore said calmly. what do you mean by sit down? you must alert the ministry and the order! you cant just sit! harry yelled at him, suddenly full of anger. im afraid that the ministry and the order are aware of the fact. i regret to tell you that we lost control over azkaban during the first week of july, said dumbledore harry sat, lost for words. but thats impossible i mean why didnt you tell anybody? are you telling that only the ministry and the order are aware of the fact that the most dangerous death eaters are on the loose again? harry said. im afraid thats true, said lupin. but why keep it secret, everybody has the right to know the truth harry said. indeed, but not this time harry, dumbledore said. the wizard world is already in great panic, because of the recent attacks. imagine what would happen, if they found out that their only hope of safety azkaban had been overran. imagine what would happen, if they found out that the azkaban guards are now serving voldemort. imagine what would happen, if they found out that giants joined voldemorts ranks what?! the giants joined voldemort? yes, most recently, said lupin harry was lost for words. this cannot be happening,, he thought. im afraid that it is harry. harry, i would be honest when i say that we have the darkest times before us. but dont give up, there is always a chance, dumbledore said with a wink, like he knew something harry didnt. now please, remus would you be so kind and escort harry to his dormitory? he said. harry stood up and was just about to leave when dumbledore called after him. oh harry, this incident reminds me of your occlumency lessons. tommorow, six oclock, transfiguration classroom, he said yeah, goodnight proffesor, harry said gloomily. harry and lupin were walking silently through the corridors, which were now completely deserted. remus, i mean professor lupin, why didnt you tell me that you are going to teach us this year? harry asked lupin curiously. dumbledore wanted to keep it secret until it was school year. you probably know why, lupin said bitterly. yeah, harry said. not many parents approved werewolf teaching their children. well, here we are harry, hu turned to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. harry dont worry. everything is going to be fine. no, its not, harry said as he said the password to fat lady and stepped inside.

chapter 9 : n.e.w.t.s classes to everyone who reads my fanfic regulary: i am sorry i havent updated for so long. you know christmas, schol etc. but do not worry it should be ok now. next few chapters might be bit dumm but do not worry- lot will happen soon. i do not posses any of the characters or places. chapter 9: n.e.w.t.s classes harry was awoken next morning by ron. whats up? he asked groggily. hurry up, harry, you dont want to be late for your classes, ron said, beaming. it looked like he was very happy about something, more happy than he was since august. harry looked up at him. what are you so happy about? he asked him curiously. oh, no reason, he said quickly. harry dressed up and they went downstairs to great hall for breakfast. the great hall was already packed with students, who were enjoying their breakfast, talking about the classes they would have. harry and ron sat next to hermione and ginny. good morning, harry, ron, hermione greeted them. she looked at ron and smiled at him. ron blushed at him. what is it? harry asked, eager for answers. oh, nothing, she just said and returned to her daily prophet. harry loaded himself a bowl of cereals, still curious what was going on between his two best friends. at the teachers table, proffesor mcgonagall stood up and started to hand out the timetables at the slytherin table. oh, i forgot to ask you how many o.w.l.s did you get. which n.e.w.t. classes would you attend, harry asked his best friends. happiness disappeared from rons face instantly. well i got o from defence against the dark arts and care of magical creatures ron said. thats excellent! and how about the others? ee from transfiguration, ee from charms, p from potions, astronomy and herbology, d from history of magic and divination. i will attend defence against the dark arts, transfiguration, charms and care of magical creatures, he suddenly buried his head in his hands. oh, why didnt i study more. im nearly as bad as fred and george were. oh, come on, ron, hermione comforted him. this doesnt mean anything. look at fred and george- they got only three o.w.l.s and no n.e.w.t.s and now theyre rich. hermione, how about you? harry asked. well i got o from all, she said, blushing furiously. mcgonagall just came to their table, which was perhaps lucky, because ron opened his mouth and was just abou to say something. she handed them their timetables. harry and the others scanned through it. oh, weve got defence against the dark arts today! hermione said excitedly. and potions in the afternoon, harry added gloomily. you are in potions too harry? hermione eyed him suspiciously. yes, mcgonagall got me there. i received only ee in potions. they got up and went to their first lesson of the day- defence against the dark arts. they arrived first to the classroom. come on, weve got to grab decent seats, said hermione as she hurried over to the desk in the first row. harry and ron looked at each other, shook their

heads and grinned. they took their seats, hermione in the middle. the class began to fill up soon. harry was really happy and proud that everyone of his club, the dumbledore army managed to get to defence against the dark arts n.e.w.t.s class, even neville, who appeared to be squib, a wizard with no wizard power at all. harry remembered how bravely he fought with the death eaters at the department of mysteries and for the first time he understood why was neville sorted to gryffindor. ah, i cant wait for class to begin, its supposed to be really interesting with proffesor lupin, he said to dean and seamus, who took their places next to him. the door of the class opened again and proffesor lupin strode inside. the chatter died instantly. hello everybody, id like to welcome you all to the defence against the dark arts n.e.w.t.s. im happy to see that so many of you managed to get inside. now this year will consists most of theoretical classes. wands away, please. open your books on the page 28, chapter how to recognise a death eater, he looked around the class, smiling. the class was staring at him. nobody couldnt belive what lupin said. im just kidding. books away, get your wands and follow me, he stood and went out of the classroom. where are we going? asked very confused ron. probably another practical lesson, like with the boggart, said hermione. youre right hermione, ive managed to get another boggart. i just want to see how much from my classes you forgot, said lupin, beaming. they went to the dungeons. harry wasnt feeling very comfortable in the dungeons since snapes classroom and office were there. lupin opened the door and the whole class stepped into some kind of storage room. a big wooden chest was next to the fartherest wall. it shake as they entered. so everyone remember what to do? imagine your worst fear in your mind and then give it comic appearance the incitation is riddikulus. neville, i remember you were quite good, why dont you start? said lupin encouragingly. harry remembered how neville was afraid in their third year. but he has changed a lot since then. neville moved to the chest confidently. ready? asked him proffesor lupin. neville nodded. alahomora! a tall figure rose from the chest. but it wasnt snape anymore. the figure was woman, dressed in dark robes, her face was covered under hood. it was a death eater. ah, longbottom, how i was looking forward to this moment, she said in cold voice. harry recognised it instantly. it was belatrix lestrange. she raised her wand slowly. riddikulus! neville cried loudly. nothing happened. belatrix raised her wand and a green flash erupted from the tip of her wand, but hit her instead of neville. she collapsed to the ground. she ripped of her mask and started to vomit slimes. whole class laughed heartedly. excellent! now pavarti, your turn. she stepped in front of the boggart. with a crack like from a whip the figure of vomiting lestrange changed into the green skull with snake as a tonguethe dark mark. ri-ridikullus, she yelled. with a loud crack the image changed, the dark mark changed from the acid green to warm yellow, and it was smiling and sticking a normal-looking tongue out. the class laughed once more. very funny. now dean, of you go. dean stepped in front and the boggart changed again. this time it was a giant. he was lying on the ground, because he was too big and was just about to grab dean viciously, when he cried ridikullus and the giant was suddenly as small as goblin. he started to cry.

excellent, dean, excellent. and now harry, your turn. harry stepped forward. an image of stumbling dementor was in his mind and he raised his wand, when boggart suddenly changed. but it was not dementor this time. it was dead sirius. everything is your fault, harry, he said. harrys mind froze. this cannot be happening. harry, use the spell, he heard lupin from somewhere. ridikullus, he said, not too confident. nothing happened. the hogwarts will be destroyed. all your friends will die and it is only your fault, sirius said again. ridikullus, harry cried again. the image changed to voldemort. yes, harry, everything is your fault, he said in cold voice and laughed. ridikullus, came lupins voice. the boggart shifted to the shape of moon. lupin waved his wand once again and the boggart exploded into thousands tiny silver bits. harry collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. what happened? lupin asked harry. i dont know it always shifted to dementor harry said as he got up. he looked around the room. everyone was staring at him. he could hear pavarti whisper to lavender. why would anyone be afraid of sirius black? and what was he talking about? well now, i think well return to the class now. nice job everyone, said lupin and left the room. the class was following his lead. they were writing down notes for the rest of the class. were finished for today. class dismissed. harry, id like to have a word with you. harry waited until the rest of the class left the room. then he walked up to the teacher desk. i dont want to talk about what happened, harry spat. neither do i. i wanted to ask you if you kept the information we gave you yesterday for yourself. harry nodded. but i still dont agree with it. i know, harry. belive me, its difficult to me also. now i wanted to ask you another thing. me and dumbledore would like you to reinstate the da, lupin said. harry didnt now what to say. but proffesor wouldnt it be futile to have da, since we have proper defence against the dark arts lessons now with you, harry said. on the contrary harry, i feel the opposite. you know maybe i can show you some spells and practical things, but most students need to cope with the fact that im werewolf. people belive in you harry. they think you are their only hope in this dark times. naturally, if you would like me to help you supervise the lessons, i would be very glad to do that, lupin said. ill think about that, harry said finally. all right. now of you go, you dont want to be late for your next class, lupin said with a small wink. harry managed to get into his next class, transfiguration, just in time. he took his seat next to ron, who was talking about something to hermione, but stopped abruptly, when he saw harry. good morning students, let me welcome you in your transfiguration n.e.w.t.s classes. as everyone of you proved, that you can handle with transfiguration we will proceed to something more difficult this year. during our normal classes we were doing just minor transfigurations. this year we will do mayor transfigurations. for example, she said and touched her desk with the tip of her wand. with a flash of light the desk disappeared. mcgonagall kneeled and picked up something very small. it was a needle. ill tell you the truth: this is going to be your hardest year ever.

everyone was staring at her with disbelief. now, well start with something more simple. ms. granger, come over here and give every student one of these pillows. i want you to change them into pins. it was the most difficult task harry was given. all he managed to do was turning his pillow into feather. mr. potter, this is not satisfactory. i expect a lot more success from you. essay about what mistakes you did and how to avoid them next time, to be handed on wednesday. mcgonagall said. harry wasnt the only one who was given extra homework-only hermione managed to transfigure her pillow. well, time is up. mr. potter, i would like a word. ill see you in the great hall, harry called after his friends as he gathered his things and moved over to mcgonagall. what is it proffesor? harry asked. mr. potter, i wanted to tell you that quiditch captain meeting will take place next wednesday, in lockers, at six oclock. please be punctual. o.k. goodbye, proffesor, harry said as he left the room. he entered the great hall and took a seat next to his friends. what did mcgonagall wanted? ron asked him. oh, nothing just something about quiditch. ginny came from her classes and joined them at the table. hey guys, how were your first classes? she asked them. exhausting harry said. hermione, lupin just asked me to reinstate the da. what do you think? but harry, thats excellent idea. in fact i was thinking the same way. i think everybody could use some extra defence classes, after what happened recently, hermione said. what do you think, ron? harry looked over to ron. what? ron said, his mouth full of food. oh, nothing, he grinned as hermione eyed ron in disgust. harry, we have to go now, or well be late for snape. right, harry replied gloomily. good luck, mate. dont kill him, ron said encouragingly. like its not going to be the opposite. harry and hermione stepped down to dungeons and entered the potions classroom. they took a place at the back of the class, as far as possible from snapes desk. harry looked around the others who were in this class. dean thomas, seamus finnigan, susan bones, ernie mcmillian, hanaah abbot, some slytherins harry didnt knew and what are you staring at potter? malfoy said. he was at the first desk, his bodyguards crabbe and goyle were sitting next to him. how such stupid morons managed to get into this class harry didnt know. ignore them harry, just ignore them, hermione muttered. the door banged open and snape strode inside the classroom. good afternoon, students, let me welcome you to the potion n.e.w.t. class. some of you deserve to be here, some of you dont, snape said as he looked at harry. now this year is going to be the most difficult ever. if i see that some of you is falling behind, he will be thrown out immidietly. now lets start with something easy. instructions are on board. you may start. they were making the sleeping draught, which was indeed quite easy. harry was confident for the first time in his life with his potion. now fill your flacons, everyone and hand them to me. snape said. harry walked over to his desk, not really looking at him, dropped his potion and left the classroom immidietly. he and hermione went up to the common room afterwards. how was snape? ron asked harry. not up to his usual standart, said harry as he collapsed to his armchair. now, the only think i will do now is get some nap, than dinner and than a nice

long sleep, he thought for himself. harry, hedwig brought you something, when you were on your classes, ron said, as he handed him a letter. harry opened it. harry, i just want to remind you about our occlumency lesson. tonight, six oclock, transfiguration classroom. dumbledore harry groaned. well this spoils everything, he though for himself. chapter 10 : accident to everyone who reads my fanfic regulary: i am sorry i havent updated for so long. you know christmas, schol etc. but do not worry it should be ok now. next few chapters might be bit dumm but do not worry- lot will happen soon. i do not posses any of the characters or places. chapter 10: accident no! stop it, i cant do it, harry shouted as he once again collapsed on his knees. the stone floor was cold and his knees were hurting from continuous falls. he opened his eyes and the transfiguration class came into focus again. harry, are you alright? dumbledore asked him in soft voice. no, he said. i cant do it, im too dumb please harry, you have to keep trying, there is no other way. belive me, i wouldnt have put you through it if i hadnt thought that its essential. now please, stand up, we will try again. harry stood up unwillingly and pointed his wand at dumbledore, as dumbledore pointed his own at harry. legillimens! dumbledore yelled. images ran through his mind- cedric, lying on the ground, his eyes empty and unfocused; cho was approaching him the room of requiments, her eyes were full of tears; sirius, falling through the veil; sirius emerging from the wooden chest, yelling at him enough! harry yelled. dumbledore lifted the curse, sighing. would you like to rest for a while, harry? he asked. yeah, harry said and lay on a desk in the first row. dumbledore conjured a comfortable armchair for himself and sat. harry glanced at his watch. quarter to nine, i cant belive we are here for nearly three hours. nearly three hours of images i would rather never see again, he thought. although occlumency with dumbledore was much more bearable than with snape it was uncomfortable nevertheless. after five minutes of silence dumbledore stood up. harry, are you ready to continue? he asked harry. im not, but it wont get any better he said as he stood up from the desk. now harry, concentrate. try to free your mind of any emotion. thats essential. he raised his wand and pointed it at harry. legillimens! again images started to appear in harrys mind. uncle vernon, yelling at him. dudley forcing him into a dustbin and once again cho, cho approaching him in the deserted room of requiments, closing her eyes. no, i wont let anyone see this. but cho continued to approach him nevertheless. she was now inches closer no, get out.

the image of cho started to dissolve and dumbledore, standing in front of him, muttering something under his breath became visible again. do you hear me? get out! the image changed instantly. harry saw himself destroying dumbledore office last year. the image changed and harry saw an old castle and felt a wave of coldness ran over him. the image changed again and harry saw a high-security valut door at gringotts, being opened and very small stone on the ground harry, stop it! the shout distracted him and the transfiguration classroom came into focus again. dumbledore was lying on the ground, panting. horrified, harry ran over to him. proffesor dumbledore, are you o.k.? what what happened? he asked him as he helped dumbledore to his feet. dumbledore turned his head to face harry gasped in horror. this face was not surely dumbledores. this face belonged to some old man, who just looked abou to die. yet when the man spoke, it was clearly dumbledores voice. i dont know. it seems that you have beaten the spell by will and then unwillingly rebound the spell on me these images these images were yours? harry asked him in disbelief. yes, indeed. curious, dumbledore muttered. proffesor, i didnt mean to do that, i swear harry started, but dumbledore just smiled. do not worry, harry. i cerantily do not blame you. things like this happen, although with older wizard, he winked at harry. i think we are done tonight, we both had enough. one last thing, he said as he withdrew a vial from his cloak. i want you to take this before you go to sleep. harry recognised the potion instantly. he had seen it before. the sleeping draught. sir, why do i have to take this? he asked dumbledore curiously-. harry, im sure you are remember from the last year, that until you master occlumency, your mind is very vulnerable, while studying it. especially when you are asleep. this sleeping draught will provide you with deep, dreamless sleep. now, off you go, harry. good night, dumbledore said. harry walked out of the room. at the door he shot a backward glance at dumbledorehe was sitting in his conjured armchair, his head in his hands and he was shaking slightly. apparently what happened left him more shaken then he would admit. harry took his route to gryffindor house deeply in thoughts. what just happened? how i managed to penetrate dumbledores mind? where was that castle i saw? it looked quite familiar. and why would dumbledore think about the philosopher stone, when it was destroyed. for harry recognised the gringotts valut and the stone lying on the floor ouch! watch it, young boy, came the voice of fat lady. ummsorry. threstral. harry said and the portrait swung open. he entered the gryffindor common room. it was quite empty. the creevy brothers were sitting at one of the tables. younger dennis, third year, was trying to comfort his brother colin, fifth year. harry caught few words from the conversation- youll do fine you have nearly one year come on its only o.w.l.s. harry couldnt help grinning. seamus finnigan, lavender brown and pavarti patil sat with neville longbottom at the large table. it seemed that neville was giving others some advices on their essay from herbology. dean thomas was sitting on the sofa, staring into the fireplace and cradling sleeping ginny in his arms. harry moved over to the table in the corner where ron and hermione sat. well? hermione asked him, as he sat down. how was your lesson? harry told them what happened. both ron and hermione were staring at him, ron mouth was wide open. hmm and you say that you broke into dumbledores mind? and you saw some of his

own memories. but how is that possible? she asked him finally. i dont know, i really didnt mean it to happen, it just happened. wow, you must really have strong will. but you ought to be very careful. you should really practice it or you might maybe hurt someone. oh, for gods sake ron, behave yourself, hermione yelled at ron, who shut his mouth instantly. now harry, i was thinking about the da since you told me about it on lunch, she continued. and? what do you think? harry asked her. well, considering the recent events i must agree with what proffesor lupin said. i say we should call a meeting as soon as possible. wellif you say, harry said uncertainly. great, how about tomorrow? she asked him. what? harry yelled. the entire common room turned their faces to him. ginny stirred, opened her eyes and stretched. all of the people eyed him curiously. oops, sorry, he managed to choke out. then he leaned over to hermione. so soon? he whispered. harry, belive me, the sooner the better, she said. he sighed. alright, he said. than he got up and searched his robes for his purse. he withdrew his magic galleon, the way how the members of da would now about every meeting. he touched it with his wand and it glowed brightly as he sat the date.. there was an instant answer-nearly everybody searched their robes immediately. they withdrew their galleons and looked at harry eagerly. he just nodded. cool, was the only comment from colin creevy who was suddenly cheerful again. well, im off to bed, im exhausted. good night, harry said and walked to his dormitory. he washed himself, dressed up his pyjamas and then went to his bed. then he suddenly remembered about the vial. he got up, took it from his robes and layed again. he drained it in one gulp, when suddenly one think hit him. hagrid was the one who took the philosophers stone from gringotts not dumbledore. harry fell asleep. chapter 11 : da reunited i would like to thank everybody who reviewed my story. i do not posses any of the characters or places. chapter 11: da reunited harry woke up extremely early next day, but felt as he had not slept so good for years. he tried to remember if he had any fishy dreams but couldnt think of any. he washed himself, dressed and went downstairs to common room to get started on his transfiguration essay. a new message was pinned on the notice board and harry went over it to read it: attention next hogsmeade visit will take place in the last weekend of october. no students without the permission or under fourth year are permitted. minerva mcgonagall deputy of headmaster fourth year?! it used to be since third year. probably just another precaution after the recent events, harry thought for himself. harry sat at his usual table, unrolled a roll of parchment, dipped his quill in ink and began to scribble. he worked for half an hour before he stopped. he couldnt concentrate, not with all things that happened yesterday.

what is the thing i saw yesterday in dumbledores mind if its not philosopher stone? his thoughts were disturbed by hermione who came downstairs, probably to do some of her schoolwork. oh, good morning harry. trying to study? hermione asked him cheerfully, as she took seat next to him. yeah, you got the right word-trying.. harry said gloomily. listen harry, did you think about todays da meeting? like what you are going to show us? hermione asked him. harry gulped. in fact, no. i think today should be just organising meeting-we should agree if we still want to meet, everyone should give their ideas what we should study this year etc. yes, that would be wise. but there is another thing about the da, which you should consider. hermione said. what? harry asked. since the da is no longer illegal organisation well, since dumbledore approved, i think its time to tell about the da to other students and maybe recruit some new students, hermione started. harry gaped at her. well, i think everyone has the right to learn how to defend themselves and hermione, do you realize what you are saying? new students? perhaps slytherins? i would rather die than teach slytherin how to fight! harry spat angrily. harry, please be reasonable, hermione said and a huge tear appeared in one of her eye. at least think it over, please, she pleaded him. alright, ill think about that. but not today. today i want to have just old crowd, right? right, hermione said, smiling. now, if you could help me with this harry started, but hermione just rolled her eyes and snatched the paper out of his hands and started scribbling furiously, occasionally asking harry questions. great, are you doing homework for us again? ron asked cheerfully, as he appeared in the common room. hermione shot him a furious look. just joking, he said, beaming. they were studying for another hour before the common room started to fill up and they decided to go for a breakfast. after the breakfast they went to theirs today classes- charms, herbology, care of magical creatures. all of the teachers, even hagrid were talking about how would this year be difficult, although none of them resembled to the pep talk mcgonagall and snape gave. whole day passed in one blur, and harry was surprised to see that he was facing his final class of the day- one period of defence against the dark arts. harry wasnt to eager to sit in the first desk because of the incident of the last class, but sat there nevertheless. todays classes were interesting, although as not interesting as last time- they were studying ancient monsters, which were mostly extinct- medusas, which resembled to basilisks because of their petrifying glare (harry remembered the basilisk as much as did not wanted, for he killed one in his second years, sirens, beautiful woman, who lured travellers by their sing and then they ate them, harpys, half woman, half eagle reptilians and many others. excellent job today, everyone. twenty points to gryffindor. harry, please, id like a word, said proffesor lupin in the end of class. harry waited till he was alone with lupin and then came to his desk. what is it, proffesor? is something wrong harry asked him curiously. nothing, i just wanted to ask you about the da. did you think about it? lupin asked him. oh, yeah, we are going to have a meeting today. would you like to come? seven oclock, do you know where is the room of requiments? harry asked lupin and was slightly, surprised when lupin nodded with a wink. ok, seven oclock. i must go now, i have another meeting to attend, he said hurriedly as he

swung his bag over his shoulder. he left the room quickly, not really wanting to talk to lupin, afraid that dumbledore might have told him about their occlumency lesson. ********** how many will turn out do you reckon? ron asked harry in the room and requiments. harry and ron were there alone for the moment- hermione had arithmacy in the afternoon and they havent seen her since. i dont know, harry replied. he wasnt sure all of them were eager to come to da after what happened to several of its members at the department of mysteries last summer. ron shifted uncomfortably. harry, i have got to talk to you about something he started, but the door of the room suddenly opened and a pack of people entered. dean hand-in-hand with ginny, neville, seamus, colin, dennis, lavender and pavarti. they barely said hello when the door opened again and another people entered. this time it was rawenclaws- padma patil, luna lovegood and michael corner hand-in-hand with harrys stomach gave unpleasant jolt cho. chos friend marietta was nowhere to be seen, perhaps she was not so keen to see them again after hermione turned her face to one red fleck. hello harry, padma, luna and michael greeted him. hi, harry replied. erm hi, cho, he greeted her nervously, blushing a bit. hi, harry, she answered, smiling at him. harry went over back to ron. not a bad turnout, ron said, looking around the room. huh.. yeah, not bad, harry replied. the room opened once again and hermione entered, followed by another pack of people (ernie mcmillian, hannah abbot, terry boot, even zacharias smith turned up) and finally proffesor lupin came precisely at seven, locking the door behind himself. few heads turned to him in curiosity. dont worry, im not going to give you any detention for this gathering. ill sat over there and pretend that im not here, he said as he moved over to the corner and conjured himself a chair on which he sat. right, it seems nobody else is coming, harry said, mainly to himself. thank you everybody for coming. i called you all here today because i would like to hear from you what do you think about the da- whether you want to continue it of course, you though you would get rid of us so easily? colin creevy said and few people laughed. come on, im trying to be serious here, harry snapped at him. but so am i. harry, we need to learn how to defend ourselves. and im sure that i can speak for all when i say that you are the best teacher we had up till now, colin said (all of them nodded, even zacharias smith) no offence, proffesor, colin shot a nervous glance at proffesor lupin. none taken, he replied with a grin. harry felt himself flushing with pride. ok, now when we agreed on that our meetings will preserve, there are few other things i would like to discuss. for instance, hermione here thinks we should involve more students there was a quiet muttering going on and harry could say that nearly none of them felt very enthusiastic about the idea. you mean slytherins too? ernie mcmillian inquired. i dont think thats a very good idea, granger, zacharias said. ron hands curled into fists again. but it wasnt ron who spoke. on the contrary, i think thats an excellent idea and i would propose it myself, if hermione here hadnt beat me. everybody has the right to learn how to fight, zachary. imagine how it would be if you faced death eaters and didnt know how to fight, lupin said.

yes, but allow a slyth zacharias opposed. i dont know why are you all prejustied to slytherin. not all the bad wizards are from slytherin, you know. trust me, i know one gryffindor, who chose to serve lord voldemort very well he said angrily. harry knew who he was talking about-peter pettigrew was in gryffindor as well. zacharias didnt oppose, but anger was still in his eyes. so i take it you all agree, harry said. all of them nodded silently, but not all of them willingly. ok, now we shall decide what do you want to do this year the meeting went on for some time. they agreed on some revise and simple curses, such as expelliarmus or stunning, then on some hexes, patronuses and defence spells. they were just arguing about asking dumbledore to drop to one visit to show a bit of occlumency, when harry looked at his watch-half past nine. wow. weve been here for two and half hours, the curfew is in half an hour. hey, listen everybody. im sorry but i have to dismiss this meeting. we have half an hour to curfew, harry said. oh, who cares, colin groaned. i do, came the voice of lupin. harry nearly forgot that he was there. by the looks on other faces he wasnt the only one. harry is right, you know. lets agree on next meeting and then we go, lupin said. i will tell you all abou the next meeting the usual week, harry said. all of them nodded and started to disembark, proffesor lupin in the lead. harry, ron and hermione were staying behind, waiting for everyone to go before them. no, you go ahead, i will meet you in the common room, harry heared chos voice. he gulped. come on, ron, hermione nudged ron in the hand, taking the point. we will meet you at the common room, harry, she said. harry shot them pleading look, but ron merely winked at him as he closed the door behind himself. the only people left in the room were harry and cho. there were few moments of arkward silence, deja v? Cho said, with a slight smile. yeah harry said nervously. harry, i wanted to apologize for how i was lets say emotionally unbalanced last year she started, but harry interrupted her. no, its me, who should apologise you wanted to talk, you wanted to sort thinks out and i wasnt there for you. i was such insensitive harry said. no, i was the insensitive one, always talking about cedric, how he died, she stuttered. harry suddenly remembered their date in the hogsmeade teashop. yeah he let out, regretting it instantly, because tears appeard in chos face. no, cho, i didnt mean it like that but it was too late, cho was crying now. harry didnt know what to do. he could think of only one thing- he moved to cho and hugged her tightly. i am sorry i didnt want to make you cry. look, can we forget what happened and start again? he asked her. she broke the hug, extended her arm and smiled at harry, still sobbing slightly. friends? she asked. friends, harry said as he took her hand and shook it. they smiled at each other. we better go or we might meet someone. i think snape would love to take points from both of our houses for no reason, harry said. they left the room together, harry could hear how the door sealed behind him. they walked to their common rooms, talking normally. how was your summer, cho? harry asked her. oh, quite normal i managed to finally sort my things and feelings. i wanted to write you many times, but perhaps i was afraid you would refuse to write back, she said nervously. and yours? oh perfectly normal, he said quickly, hoping that she wouldnt hear the note of

lie in his face. ohnice, she said, but she didnt look at him when she said that. they reached another fork where they stopped. well, my common room is this way, she said. well, goodnight, and she took her route. harry was staring suddenly, when a sudden idea struck his mind. cho! hey, cho, wait! he yelled at her. she stopped, looking puzzled. are you happy with michael? he asked. why do you ask this? she asked him. umno reasonsorry, he said and was just about to go yes, i am, cho said. im glad to hear that. goodnight cho, see you around, he said and walked away. chapter 12 : slytherin taunts thank everyone who reviews my story, you are great. im sorry that these chapters are still bit borning but dont worry and be patient... chapter 12: slytherin taunts harry, ron, hermione and ginny were enjoying their breakfast in the great hall next day, when suddenly a school owl landed on the gryffindor table and stretched its leg to which a letter was tied to harry. harry took it curiously and unrolled the letter. he began to read. dear harry, its time fro another occlumency session. same time, same place, today. dumbledore harry looked up at the teachers table, but dumbledore wasnt there, perhaps he was on some order business. whats that? ron asked him curiously. nothing, just a letter from dumbledore, about our next occlumency lesson, harry said. you are still gonna do it? even with what happened last time? ron asked him. of course, ron. harry has to master it or another think like the last time could happen, hermione said. you are going there, arent you? hermione turned to harrys direction and her eyes flashed. of course, even tough i am not very enthusiastic about that. i wish i had never heard the word occlumency, harry said gloomily. dont worry, youll do fine. now we better go or snape will kill us. see you, ron, hermione said as she stood up. yeah, see you, harry said, as he got up and went after hermione. they entered the classroom and sat at their usual places- as far from the teachers desk as possible. snape strode into the class moments later. now, class, i thought i would never say that, but your last work has been satisfactory, especially yours mr. malfoy, he said, malfoy swelled with pride, now the only one who was unsuccessful in the making of the sleeping draught is potter, he said as he faced harry and shot him icy smile. draco was looking at harry, smirking. harry stared at him in disbelief. he was sure he had done everything correctly, he double checked his potion. potter, essay on the correct procedure and uses of sleeping draught, two parchments, to be handed on monday. now, due to potters incompetence we wont start anything new today. now who can tell me the use of they were revising on potion ingredients and mixtures for the rest of the double period. snape clearly enjoyed giving harry difficult questions and draco the most simple, always comparing them. he was ignoring hermiones hand steadily.

by the end of the class, he had managed to strip gryffindor for thirty points, adding the same amount to slytherins. when snape dismissed the class, harry left as quickly as possible, not giving snape another chance to take points from gryffindor. their next classes was charms. harry sat next to ron, hermione on his other side. that bastard, he muttered. what happened? ron asked him curiously. oh, nothing, just we have our old and loved snape back, harry said sarcastically. what do you mean? he gave me zero and embarrassed me in front of the whole class again, and i even dont know why, i thought i did alright, harry said. but harry, are you sure that you made it alright? hermione said. of course i am!!! he yelled at her. come on, harry, calm down. dont you see? hes trying to make you angry, he did that on purpose ron inquired, but hadnt finished as tiny proffesor flitwick entered the classroom. they spent their double period on healing spells. now, healing spells is very advanced magic and it can go terribly wrong, when performed by laic. therefore we will learn only theory and how to perform the simplest here. the rest of them depends on which career you chose proffesor flitwick squeaked. the iniciation is therapheus minnimus by the end of class harry was so exhausted from continuous tries he was glad that he now had a lunch and then break- next class was history of magic, which he didnt attend. harry, maybe you should start on your potions essay during the break, two parchments are long and hermione started but stopped at furious look harry shot her across the table in the great hall during the lunch. granger is right potter, you know. you should study harder, or youll be kicked, which i would be most delighted, came the cold voice of draco malfoy. get of, malfoy, harry spat at him. now, now, manners potter, remember im prefect and i can put you into so much detention that malfoy said smirking, but then he suddenly spotted the look on rons face. harry had never seen that look on ron before. it looked like he was just about to kill malfoy. ron, please, ignore him, hermione whispered in rons ear. luckily, malfoy noticed that his bodyguards crabbe and goyle were sitting at the table already and he dared not to provoke ron without them. he left without another word. ill make him pay for what he had done to my brother, ron said, got up and left the great hall, his lunch untouched. harry changed a worried look with hermione and they both got up and went after ron, their lunches untouched as well.; they both hurried after ron, but it was too late, he was gone. harry, we have to find him, before he will do something stupid, hermione said. the map! harry shouted suddenly. they both ran up to gryffindor common room. threstral, come on hermione, keep u- ouch! ow, harry watch it, ginny smiled at him, rubbing her forehead. her smile evaporated instantly when she saw the look on harrys face. whats wrong? where is ron? no time to explain, come along, harry called after her as he ran the stairs to his dormitory, taking two steps at a time. he reached his door, opened them quickly and went inside. hey harry, whats the rush? neville greeted him. harry didnt bother to answer, he dashed to his chest, withdrew the maradauer map and left, leaving the confused neville behind. i solemnly swear that i am up to no good, he said and tapped his map on the way to common room, where ginny and hermione were waiting for him. they put

their heads together and searched the map for a dot labelled ronald weasly. oh no, ginny said breathlessly. what? where is he? harry asked her. the astronomy tower, she looked at him, horror-struck. they sprinted out of the common room as fast as they could. what is he doing? hermione called after harry breathlessly. harry checked the map. nothing, he isnt moving, harry yelled after them and gathered even more speed. moments later he banged the door of astronomy tower open and searched the room with his eyes. ron was sitting on the floor near the huge telescope, his head in his hands, and was shaking slightly. harry could hear his quiet sobs. he moved over to him slowly as hermione and ginny ran into room, panting. ron, are you alright? harry asked him quietly as kneeled next to him and put his hand on his shoulder, hermione and ginny doing the same on the other side. how does he even dare to come so close to me, after what he had done? after he said what he had done? and what did i do to avenge percy? i merely sat there and stared at him. i could have done something ron said angrily. come on, ron, life isnt only about revenge. besides, the malfoys are danger malfoy means nothing, when his father is in prison! ron spat. harry gulped. ron, azkaban has fallen. all the imprisoned death eaters are free once again and the dementors joined voldemort, he said gloomily. everyone was staring at him in disbelief, even ron raised his head. preposterous, ginny said, belive, me its true. dumbledore told me three days ago but howwhen? hermione stuttered. i dont know how. it happened in july. dont tell anyone, you shouldnt know too but why they keep it secret? those stupids hermione said. so, ron, dont get involved with malfoy, at least for now, please, harry pleaded him. we will have our revenge, dont worry, ginny patted him on the head. hermione, you are going to miss your history of magic lesson, ron said stupidly. to hell with history of magic, hermione said as she stroke rons cheek. ginny nudged harry in the ribs and leaned over to him. i think we should go now, she whispered softly in his ear. harry took the point and got up. dont worry, ron. everything will be all right, harry said. ron raised his head, tears still trickling down his face. how can you know? ron said. just belive, harry said not very confidently and shot him a nervous smile. then he and ginny went away. they went back to the common room in awkward silence, it was for the first time their were alone since that kiss. listen, ive got to go now transfiguration, you know, ginny said. right. see you. ********** harry had not seen ron nor hermione before their last lesson transfiguration. ron looked slightly more cheerful, although there were still traces of cry on his face. harry was tactful and didnt ask them what have they been talking about for so long. transfiguration was hard as ever. even hermione looked like she couldnt concentrate- she wasnt able to change her needle into sword up to the end of the class. proffesor mcgonagall was so furious when even hermione failed her that she gave extra homework for the whole class. after quick dinner, harry faced the transfiguration door for second time todaythis time for his occlumency lesson. dumbledore was already waiting inside

when harry entered. hello harry, how are you? dumbledore asked him cheerfully. fine, sir, harry lied. well, shall we start immediately, he said as he drew out his wand. it was worse than ever, even worse than with snape. images of unpleasant things swirled in harrys mind- deaths he saw, new boggart form, crying ron harry, there is no point in continuing todays lesson. you seem totally distracted. i understand that you are worried about your friends, but thats the thing voldemort is waiting for. he is waiting that you will show him your weakness. dont give up so easily, dumbledore said with a small smile. now, i have another sleeping draught vial for you, please, take it, thats very important. now, goodnight. harry to his dormitory at once and laid on his bed. he looked over to rons bedthe curtains were closed and harry heard loud snoring. ron was asleep, now a little nice nap and then i should get on some studying, he thought and fell asleep. chapter 13 : the spy thanks to everyone who reviews my tory, it makes me feel good, even if it is bad. chapter 13: treachery harry found himself in the cold dungeon room once again. once again the hooded pictures were standing in front of him, kneeling. harry stood up from his throne and walked over to one of the death eaters in the first line. my dear macnair, you have done really well. now tell me, when will the first giants come, im very anxious to meet them. harry said in cold voice. first of them are to arrive this morning, my lord, macnair said, his voice shaking slightly. excellent, you have really done well and lord voldemort rewards highy his most devoted servants. thank you my lord, thank you, macnair said, as he bowed so his head touched the floor. harry walked over to another death eater, who looked somehow familiar. and what about the gem? voldemort asked the familiar death eater. my lord, dumbledore withdrew it from gringotts after our last attempt. he hid it somewhere else, most probably in hogwarts, but i have been unable voldemort drew out his wand very quickly and pointed it at the death eater. crucio! the death eater collapsed to the ground and started shrieking. harry was pacing around him and talking as he was screaming. my dear severus, you have returned to me year and half ago, claiming that you were waiting for my return, gathering information. though some of the information you provided were very useful, i must confess that your incompetence of getting me what i most desire is somehow disappointing, and i must question your real loyality my lord, its true, im your the death eater managed to say between the shrieks. enough! harry spat and lifted the curse. legillimens! the room felt silent for a moment, as harry was searching the death eaters mind. then he suddenly stopped. you are hiding something from me. tell me what is it! nothing my lord, nothing crucio! harry shouted once again. the death eater was twitching on the ground and screaming once again. as he twitched the hood slipped off and reveald the face of severus snape. harry was laughing, his laughter was full of insanity.

mate, wake up! came rons voice. harry woke up suddenly and sat upright. there were a lot of people gathered around his bed- ron, dean, seamus, neville, hermione and ginny. nearly all of them had their robes still on. apparently he has slept for a short time only. are you alright, harry? hermione asked him worriedly. yeah, he lied. what happened? harry asked them. i dont know, ive just had another dream oh, harry, dont tell me you forgot to take your potion, hermione groaned. harry looked over at his bedside table. the vial was still on the desk. damn it, he thought. he suddenly remembered what he witnessed in his dream. ive got to see dumbledore, now! he yelled. harry, what did you see? hermione asked him softly. i was in that dungeon again, the death eater were there, snape harry stuttered. snape? everyone yelled. ive got to go now, he said, as he stood up and searched his chest for his cloak and map. harry, its half an hour after the curfew hermione fussed. i dont care, he spat and left the room, leaving all of his friends staring after him. he walked down the staircase and exited through the portrait door. he threw his cloak over himself and tapped the map with his wand. i solemnly swear that i am up to no good, harry said and the map started to draw itself. harry checked if the coast was clear. filch was on the first floor, running after dot marked peeves. the teachers were in their offices, snape snape was nowhere to be found. so he is the traitor, harry thought to himself. he managed to get in front of dumbledores office in record time. zonko! he spat. the gargoyle sprang aside. he ran the stairs up and didnt even bothered to knock, he banged the door open. harry, what he stopped as he saw harrys face. you neglected your potion, didnt you? harry stared at him in amazement. then he remebered why he came. yes i did and i had a dream again and and harry tried. harry, calm down. now take a long deep breath and tell me what you saw. i was in voldemorts mind once again, i could see through his eyes. i was in that dungeon room once again and the death eaters were gathered around me. voldemort was talking to some of them. macnair, he told him about the giants-they are coming, sir, they are coming tommorow, and than i saw snape, snape! voldemort was asking him abou something he mostly desired, something snape told him you removed from the gringotts earlier, snape said you probably hid here, in hogwarts. and then voldemort tortured him and used the legillimens curse on him for some reason. dumbledore was looking at him through his spectacles calmly. you didnt hear me?! snape is the spy! why are you looking at me like this? harry yelled angrily. harry, severus snape, proffesor snape for you, is indeed a spy, but for our side, he is the one who saved those people, who lived in the safe houses and he is the one, who told us about the defeat of azkaban. it changed from prison to voldemort fortress and you say they were torturing him and interrogating him? dumbledore asked him a not of concern in his eyes. yes, they were, harry said quietly. proffesor dumbledore, how can you be sure snape is really on our side? harry asked him. as i told you before, that is between me and proffesor snape only. sir, voldemort can read minds harry said quietly. i am aware of that fact. but you think that i assigned proffesor snape as your occlumency teacher before for no reason. he is one of the most gifted in this discipline. his lies can be very persuasive. proffesor dumbledore, voldemort was talking about something he longed to have, something you took from the gringotts harry suddenly put two and two

together. i saw you took when i broke into your mind, didnt i. it was some kind of gem and voldemorts wants it, harry muttered mainly to himself. he faced dumbledore once again. what is it? dumbledore sighed. alas, i cant tell you that, not yet. do you remember what happened last time you hid something from me? harry spat hatefully at him. yes i do. but belive me harry, this doesnt concern you. at least for now, he said. now, i want you to go to bed and take the potion before sleep. the link was too short today, but remember that every time you are connected to him he is connected to you and he can get some information you would like to conceal. good night harry. dumbledore said. harry left dumbledores office, still furious that dumbledore was hiding some information from his again. was he afraid my mind might slip, he asked himself. he found himself in front of the portrait of fat lady earlier then he thought it would be possible. threstral, he said and the portrait swung open. harry entered the room and spotted the group of his friends sitting at the fartherest corner. they motioned him to come to them. listen, im tired harry tried, but was cut by anxious ron. is snape really a spy? he asked harry. no, harry said and told the whole story. i still dont see how can dumbledore trust that bastard, ron spat angrily. come on, weve been over this for several times- snape is on our side. now im more curious about that think voldemort longs for and you have no idea, harry? no, i just know that its some kind of gem, but dumbledore wouldnt tell me more, harry said, still a bit angry with dumbledore. hmmgem, you say? hermione muttered and without any ado she went to her dormitory, probably to look into some book. chapter 14 : brooming and snitching i do not posses any of the characters and places chapter 14: brooming and snitching the rest of the week passed quickly and harry was glad to face his first weekend. he got up on saturday very late, dressed himself and went down to breakfast. nearly all of his friends were there already, enjoying their meals. ron, ginny, dean and seamus were chatting enthusiastically about the quiditch, while hermione was reading the daily prophet. hey harry, had a good sleep? ron asked him. listen we were just thinking it would be nice to get some flying on broomsticks, what do you think? yeah that would be nice. harry said. you havent started on your on your potion essay yet, hermione said, without raising her head from the papers. oh, give him a break, hermione, ron said, smiling. so harry, what do you say? let him have a breakfast at least, ron, ginny said teasingly. harry loaded his plate with his food. who else is going? me, ginny, dean, seamus, maybe neville if we could wake him up. we might also tag along someone from hufflepuff and ravenclaw, ron said. what about you hermione, would you like to go? no, im lousy with broomstick, dont you remember that? hermione said, rolling her eyes. harry finished his meal quickly, he couldnt wait to get on his fireball again and practice some flying before the trials on wednesday. he and his friends got up and walked to the common room, ron went to ask the hufflepuffs and ravencwlaves. they changed their clothes, woke up neville and then went to the lockers room to gather their broomstick. ron came moment later, with large group

of people tailing him-cho chang, michael corner, zacharias smith, ernie mcmillian, justin-finch flitchey, hannah abbot and some more third and fourth years harry didnt know. pity we dont have any balls, we could do with a bit of practising, cho said gloomily. harry put his hand into his robes and withdrew the tiny golden snitch he got from ron and showed it to cho. oh, you got your own snitch! how nice, she said, looking at the ball with awe. the rest of the group changed their robes and then walked to the grounds. they all mounted their broomsticks and kicked off from the ground. harry felt the familiar feeling, it was so great to be on his firebolt again. he zig-zagged around the grounds, laughing madly. he was just imaging how would they win this year again for the third time in the row, when suddenly he saw a blur circling him. the blur stopped and harry saw cho chang hovering on his level, riding a brand new firebolt. when did you get that? he called after her. i got it in july, for my exceptional results in my exams. first at the astronomy tower gets a butterbeer in three broomsticks, she said cheerfully and sped off. harry leaned on his firebolt as flat as he could and flew after cho at the greatest speed he could muster. he was slowly gaining on her but the astronomy tower came closer and closer, but cho was still ahead. faster, faster, faster, he urged his firebolt. he was behind chos ankles, the astronomy tower was closer, he was level, the astronomy tower inches away he touched the tip of the tower. he stopped suddenly. ha, ha, im still better! he called after cho teasingly, grinning. well see, harry. release the snitch! she called after him encouragingly. he searched his pocket and withdrew the tiny gold ball. he held it up to his palm, not really knowing what to do. suddenly, it released its wings and hovered inch over his palm. ready? he asked her. she nodded. he leaned his face over the tiny ball. go! the snitch disappeared immediately. harry and cho, were circling around the air, occasionally shooting each other a grin. suddenly she dived, her eyes focused on the spot near the ground. harry didnt see the snitch so he sped after her, hoping that he will spot it. they were close the ground, when cho suddenly ceased the dive. harry couldnt help to grin, as his feet brushed the grass as he pulled from the dive-he was tricked by one of the famous moves- wronski faint. he heard cho laughing and when he looked up he saw the struggling golden snitch in her right hand. now you dont feel that confident with you winning the cup again, eh? she asked him teasingly. lets try it again, he called after her. she nodded and released it again. this time it took them much more time to spot it. they were speeding through it, when suddenly third blur appeared out of nowhere. it got the snitch and then sped away. hey, stop, thats mine! harry yelled. the blur stopped and the snitch appeared again, held by draco malfoy. this one is yours? how nice. draco vs. potter, hundred fifty to zero! malfoy said, laughing. hand it over or ill knock you off that broom, harry said angrily. and how do you propose to do that? harry sped to malfoy suddenly, hoping to catching him unprepared, but malfoy ducked easily. you are gonna have to do better than this, malfoy laughed and flew away. harry was tailing him, but couldnt catch him. how come his nimbus if so fast, he asked himself. malfoy was laughing loudly, he was clearly enjoying this. youre so pathetic, he called after harry, when he missed him for what appeared to be tenth time. something was definitely wrong with malfoys broom.

this isnt nimbus for sure, he thought as he missed malfoy once again. damn it, im fed up with this, he said as he checked the height. they were around eight metres above the ground. he should survive that, harry said to himself as he drew out his wand. malfoy! harry called after him. are you going to give me that or not? are you kidding, ive never had so much fun in my life, malfoy called. as you wish. stupefy! harry cried as he pointed his wand at malfoy. malfoys face changed from happiness to horror before the beam hit him in stomach. he clutched it and then fell to the ground, unconscious. he was just about to hit the ground, when harry suddenly heard hermiones voice. mobillicorpus! malfoys body stopped inches from ground and hovered in the air. harry landed nearby, outraged. he got of from his broom and saw the others flying towards him, cho in the lead and hermione running to him, her wand drawn and pointed steadily on malfoy. why did you do that?! he deserved it, he yelled at hermione, who stopped abruptly. what do you mean? do you know how much deep you would be in trouble, if i hadnt done that, hermione said taken aback by the anger in harrys voice. no one asked for your help, harry spat at her coldly. tears appeared in hermiones eyes. she stared at harry for a while and then ran back to the castle. harry was staring after her realising how mean he was. hermione, wait, i didnt mean what i said he called after her but it was futile, she was gone. ron, cho and the others landed near him. ron looked after hermione and then turned to harry. what was that about? he asked harry. what happened? malfoy stole my snitch, so i went after him. i couldnt catch him, i still cant figure out why. so i stunned him and he fell to the ground. hermione caught him and i yelled on her. she just wanted to keep me away from troubles. oh, im so stupid. harry groaned. dont worry, mate. lets go now, we dont want to be caught now, lets go talk to her, ron said as he placed his hand on harrys shoulder and lead him off. wait, harry stopped suddenly and returned to malfoy. he searched and found his snitch and pocketed it. they were just about to leave for lockers, when harry saw malfoys broom lying next to him. firebolt. now im not definitely very confident about the cup, he thought. *********** shes probably in her dormitory, ron said, when there was no trace of hermione in the common room. well, lets go, harry said and was just about to climb the stairs when ron stopped him. what? he asked him, slightly annoyed. the slide, remember? ron told him. right, harry answered. he withdrew his wand and pointed it at himself. wingardium leviosa. his feet left the ground and he was hovering few inches above the floor. it wasnt as comfortable as with the broom. he slowly managed to fly up to half, when suddenly a honk sounded and the charm ceased. harry was still hovering for a very short time, before his feet touched the slide and he slipped, sliding all the way down back to the common room. he gathered himself from the ground and brushed the filth from his robes. all the people in the common room were laughing and pointing at harry, even ron. harry shot him an angry look and he stopped immediately. its no good, ive told you that girls dormitories are well protected against the

boys, came voice of hermione, as she sided down the slide. she got up and looked at harry, traces of tears still on her face. listen, hermione, i want to apologize for what have i said. you had done right think preventing malfoy from the fall harry said. her lips slightly twitched, but then she returned her strict face. harry, that temper of yours! it will get you into trouble sometime, she said. i know, he said staring at the floor. he raised his head and faced hermione again. do you forgive me? hermione just smiled. what about malfoy? what have you done with him? she asked. we left him there, ron and harry said at once, staring into the floor again, afraid hermione might yell at them again. serves him right. i hope he wakes after the curfew and is caught by one of the proffesor. oh, how id love to see that git put into detention. chapter 15 : not all the slytherins are bad hi everyone, here is finally some action. please review! thanks to all who reviewed my story. i wont be able to update up to weekend now beacause semestral exams are coming and i need a lot of study. i don not posses any character or places chapter 15: not all the slytherins are bad harry and the others spent the rest of the weekend studying, harry finally got something written about the sleeping drought for snape, although he managed to fulfil the two parchment quote by enlarging his writing a bit in the end then all of them had done the extra homework on transfiguration- it was very odd, watching hermione doing extra homework. with all what happened and with all studying the weekend ended very quickly and harry and the others were eating their breakfast facing their second week of classes. harry and the others enjoyed interesting double period of defence against the dark arts when lupin provided them with a short obstacle course. it took place in the dungeon, where the students were fighting against various dark creatures. harry was very relived when he finished the course and found no boggart on his way. excellent harry, full marks, proffesor lupin called after him cheerfully, when he finished. when the class finished, harry went over to the teachers desk. hey, harry. how are you? lupin asked him. ok. and you? well, full moon is coming soon, you can imagine how i feel now. do you need something? actually, yes, harry answered him and handed him a galleon. whats that for? lupin asked him, confused. thats how we told each other about the da meetings. when i will decide the next meeting, ill set the date and the time of the meeting on the coin. it will warm up so you can notice. harry, who made these? hermione, she said its protean charm or whatever the name was harry saidlupin just shook his head and smiled, as he pocketed the galleon. proffesor lupin, i wan to ask you a favour, harry said nervously. yes, what is it? lupin asked him. well since not anybody is aware of the room of requiments, i was wondering whether we could could use your classroom? just for the first meeting, harry asked of course, harry, no problem, lupin replied, beaming.

next came transfiguration, as hard and exhausting as ever. at least by the end of the class harry managed to transfigure his bottle of butterbeer to small barrel of firewhiskey by the end of the class and he was not given extra homework from transfiguration for the first time harry could remember. next came the lunch and then double potions. they were doing practical classes once again. cheering drought this time. harry wouldnt belive he would do this particular potion with snape. he double-checked every step, careful not to spoil anything and by the end of the class even hermione admitted that harrys potion looked ok. he corked his vial and put it on the teacher table, returning snapes glare as he left. harry and ron spent the rest of the afternoon studying, while hermione was on her ancient runes classes. then six oclock came and harry was once again facing one of his most unpopular subject- occlumency. despite his opinion on it, he managed to protect his mind twice, giving dumbledore only few images. excellent harry, you have done very well tonight. but remember, every image could give out your weakness. now harry, remember practising, clearing your mind and taking your potion every night before you go to sleep, dumbledore told him, as he handed him the vial. harry, returned to the common room, exhausted but happy, that he at least managed to do some progress with the occlumency. he sat at the table, where ron, hermione and ginny were studying. and dont neglect the simplest spells such as levitation or light, they came up on the last o.w.l.s too, hermione told ginny. hello, harry, how was your lesson? it was o.k., i seems i finally start to handle it. at least nothing happened like the first time harry, since you have your occlumency lessons on monday and wednesday night, what do you think about setting regular basis in our da meetings for tuesday? hermione asked him. well i cant see no reason against, he said and set the time on his galleon. right, but i think that wont do it this time. we wanted to involve more students, remember? hermione asked him. im still not very enthusiastic about that idea, hermione? me neither, ron piped up. to harrys surprise ginny spoke not hermione. harry, what would happened if i hadnt attended the da and met the death eaters, like on the night in the department of mysteries. everyone has a right to learn how to defend themselves. you wouldnt be at the department of mysteries, if you hadnt attended the da first place harry said gloomily. thats not the point. what i say that if it wasnt for you i would face the death eaters with nothing more then expelliarmus or rictusempra curses. i mean look, at what neville was and now what he is, ginny said nodding towards the table on the opposite side of the room. neville, dean, seamus, pavarti and lavender were sitting there. harry remembered how neville was shy, not very confident and not able to perform the simplest spells. but he changed that night at the department of mysteries, as if finally facing his greatest fear started a change in him. that night he faced belatrix lestrange, the woman who made his parents insane with cruciatus curse. neville was chatting with others now and it seemed that lavender was sitting closer to him than she would before. you are right everybody has to face their fears prepared. harry said finally ********** the first think harry did next morning when he got up was making a note he would pin on the notice board. todays world is dangerous.

do you want to know learn how to defend yourself? then come to the defence against the dark arts classroom. tonight at seven in the evening. this has to do it, he thought for himself. then he woke up ron and they went to breakfast together, harry pinned the notice on the way. hermione came few minutes later. i saw your notice harry, great. some of the students are talking about that already. hermione said happily. and it was true, indeed as harry saw on his way to his first class, double period of charms, a large people was gathered around the notice board, people were pointing at the note and talking excitedly. i wonder whether the lupins classroom would be sufficient? harry said curiously. lets hope, hermione said grinning. harry had hard time to try to concentrate on the classes, his mind always drifted to upcoming evening. he was given extra homework from every single class, even hagrid gave him some. probably he was bit angry to harry, since harry hadnt came to see him this year. see ye all on thursday, he said to them, when he dismissed the class. harrys classes finished for today, but there was still lot of time left, so he and ron went to play a game of chess, while hermione was on her arithmacy class. harry barely ate that dinner, he was merely playing with his food. why arent you eating? hermione asked him. no reason, im just not hungry i guess, harry said quickly. dont be nervous, you are going to do fine, she said, as she glanced at her watch. we better go now. hermione, weve got an hour left, ron moaned. somebody has to set up the classroom, dont you think? ron sighed, but they got up nevertheless and went to the classroom. they moved desks and chairs along the walls, which took them quite a long time- harry fears of the size of the classroom vanished as he looked around himself. the room was at least five times bigger than the room of requiments. locotomor desk, hermione said as she moved the last desk to the wall. well, now we should just wait, she looked at her watch: quarter to seven. the room of the classroom opened and ginny, dean, seamus, neville, colin, dennis, lavender and pavarti entered. thats odd, colin said as he looked around the class. the rest of them nodded in agreement, everybody was fond of the room of requiments. the door opened again and the hufflepuffs and ravenclaws entered, only the old crow. but moments later the door opened once more and nervous looking first-years, whom harry remembered vaguely from the sorting. are we here right for the dueling club? emily aureily asked nervously. well, not for the dueling club. this is dumbledore army, but if you came to learn how to defend yourself, you are on the right place, hermione said, smiling. time was running on and at seven oclock, harrys fear returned. the whole room was crowded, there were at least eighty people, even five or so slytherins, who looked slightly terrified at the sight of so many gryffindors, hufflepuffs and ravenclaws. harry could harldy imagine how they would fit into the room of requiments. harry i dont think anybody else is coming, hermione said at five past seven, when the door remained closed for a while. ok, he nodded nervously and walked to the centre of the room, the chatter died instantly and all the eyes turned upon him. err hello everyone, let me welcome you in the dumbledore army my name is harry potter, but im sure everybody knows that, he chuckled nervously. no one was laughing, all of the people were eying him interested. now, the dumbledores army or da, as we call it is here for your harry started but never

finished because the door opened with a bang. another group of older-looking slytherins entered the room, draco malfoy in the lead. malfoy was eyeing harry dangerously, apparently he was still furious about the incident on the brooms. he eyed the whole room with a disgusted face. crabbe, goyle, pansy parkinson, nott and some of the other older slytherins were in the group also. traitors, he spat at the five or so slytherins first and second years. this is so pathetic malfoy, youre not welcomed here. those are, so go away, harry said as he pointed his finger at the slytherins, and drew out his wand with his right hand. are you gonna make us or what? seventh year boy asked. who are you? harry spat at him. oh, how impolite of me not introducing myself, the boy said in mock voice, which sounded somehow familiar and made him goose flesh. my name is andrew lestrange. you arent related to that death eater, are you? came the voice of neville, who stepped on harrys side. in fact, i am. im his nephew. and you are longbottom the squib, arent you? my auntie had the pleasure of meeting with your parents hadnt she? lestrange said sarcastically. neville turned deeply red in anger. if you came here to here to insult us, you can go straight away, harry said. and who is gonna make us? you and the squib, alone? lestrange said. he will not be alone, said hermione, ron and ginny as they drew out their wand and stepped next to harry and neville. you are still only five and we are twelve, malfoy sneered. at this colin, denis, luna, cho, dean, seamus and even zacharias drew their wands and stepped next to harry. harry looked around himself in disbelief. i wont fight squibs and kids, potter, malfoy laughed at the sight of neville and denis. you have no other chance, neville said. the boys and girls formed two lines. they were staring at each other in hate and anger. it happened suddenly. malfoy shot a stunner on harry, who ducked easily. ginny put pansy parkinson in full-body bind. hermione and ron stunned crabbe and goyle, who collapsed to the ground unconciouss. colin and denis shot two stunners at two of the slytherin boys, who deflected it upon them by shielding charm. neville shot impediment jinx at lestrange, but missed him by inches and one of the seventh year collapsed to the ground. the only one who were standing were neville, harry, ginny, hermione, ron, malfoy, lestrange, not and avery. harry was amazed how furiously the first year fought. have you had enough? harry yelled at malfoy. no, im just warming up. now ill show you some tricks fat mother taught me over the summer. you first mudblood. kniveous! a silver beam erupted from the malfoys wand and grazed hermiones face, leaving a deep cut. hermione yelled in pain and collapsed to the ground, surprised. hermione! ron kneeled next to her. he faced malfoy furiously. "she saved you! if she didn't save you, you could have broke your leg. or neck!" "i don't care," malfoy said, a look of utter staisfaction on his face. arghus! lestrange cried as he pointed his wand at ginny. the red beam hit her in stomach and she collapsed to the ground, clutching her belly and shrieking in pain. impedimenta! neville shot the jinx at lestrange. protego! lestrange deflected it and the curse hit one of the slytherins between the spectacors. petrificus totalus! harry put him in full-body bind. potter you and me only, now, malfoy spat, through his gritted teeth.

harry raised his wand and was just about to throw another curse on malfoy, when suddenly another voice came. harry, what is going on her? lupin just entered the class. potter attacked us sir, he and his friends, look, malfoy said, motioning over to his friends, who mostly were unconscious or in full-body bind on the ground. is this true, harry? lupin asked harry, a note of disappointment in his eye. no, it was the opposite. malfoy came here and attacked us, harry said and motioned over to ginny, who was still moaning on the ground and hermione, who was bleeding from the cut very badly. can anyone told me what really happened? you? he asked the slytherin boy, who was lying on the ground, still effected by the impediment jinx. its as harry says, sir, malfoy started the slytherin boy said. traitor, malfoy spat at him. lupin released everyone from the full-body bind and revived the stunned. hermione, you should go to hospital wing, that cut looks nasty. ginny are you ok? lupin said. yeah, she said as she got up. now mr. malfoy fifty points from slytherin, plus twenty for each one in your group. month of detention to all of you. and you are suspended from the position of prefect, until further notice. please, hand over your badge, lupin said and extended his hand. malfoy was staring at lupin in disbelief. when have you joined potter fanclub, werewolf? lupin spat at lupin and left. lupin was staring after him, then he turned to harry. what god-damned curse malfoy and his band used on you. i dont really know, ive never seen something like that before. what was the curse lestrange shot at you, ginny? harry sked her carefully. i dont know. when it hit me, my belly exploded in pain. something like the cruciatus curse, maybe, but less effective, ginny suggested. are you sure you are ok? harry asked her. come on, lets see ron and hermione to the hospital wing, harry faced the spectators. tonights meeting is over. everyone who still wants to join us, meet us in the great hall same time next week. goodbye proffesor, harry said and supported ginny out of the room. chapter 16 : captains meeting hi everyone here is the chapter as i promised. i am sorry if its a bit dull but i am exhausted after the exams. i should update regulary from now on. chapter 16: captain meeting it was lucky that harry suggested going to the hospital wing, because halfway on the route ginny collapsed to the ground again, clutching her belly and screaming in pain. harry had to carry her to the hospital wing by himself. he kicked the door open, which hit the wall with a loud bang. mr. potter, why you make such a rack madam pomfrey started but stopped abruptly as she saw ginny in harrys arms, still moaning of pain. get her on the bed, quickly, she motioned over the nearest bed as she ran to her office. first ms. granger with a nasty cut on her face and now ms. weasly, she muttered under her breath. what happened, mr. potter? i dont know. andrew lestrange from slytherin hit her with some sort of pain curse in her belly. she was affected by it for a brief period and then it

ceased. we were on our way to see hermione, when apparently the pain started again. hmm i see. now, mr. potter, excuse us please. you can see ms. granger, she is to stay here this night, though she is in no serious danger she is in the next room, she said as she put curtain around the bed. harry entered the next room, thinking about the new curses he saw today. hermione was lying on the fartherest bed, her face covered with bandage, sleeping peacefully. probably under the influence of sleeping draught ron was sitting next to her on chair. as harry entered the room he jumped from the chair and drew out his wand oh, its you, harry. ron said as he pocketed his wand. is everyone alright? he asked him. well harry started. he didnt really know how to tell ron about ginny. what? what is it? ron asked her. ginny harry said. ron eyes grew larger in horror. what happened to my sister? he said and got up to walk to the first room. harry put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. you cant see her, madam pomfrey is examining her right now. the pain had returned, harry said, not looking in rons eyes. when i get to meet those two bastards again ron said, his fists clutched. how is hermione? harry asked him silently. ron sighed. madam pomfrey stopped the bleeding and mended the cut. the curse left a nasty scar, though, which madam pomfrey was unable to heal. she wanted her to stay here just as a precaution. she said hermione will be able to join us tomorrow on classes. they sat next to hermione again. the time was passing in silence. after what seemed to be an eternity, madam pomfrey entered the room, hovering a stretcher on which ginny laid, also fast asleep. she placed her on the bed next to hermione. ginny they both got up to look at her. its no good gentlemen, she wouldnt wake up until the morning, madam pomfrey said softly. what happened to her, madam pomfrey? ron asked her. well, mr. potter was indeed right, it was some sort of pain curse, although i have never seen one with a residual effect. what was the incitation again? madam pomfrey asked them curiously. argus, ron said. no arghus, more likely, harry corrected him. well, never heard of any of those ms. weasly will be alright, i will keep her for tonight just for a precaution also. she will have to take painkiller

potion for the next two weeks, however. now i want you two to go back to your dormitories, ten minutes to curfew, you know. but, madam pomfrey they both started dont even think about staying here for night, she told them. however, her strict face disappeared at the sight of harrys and rons concerned look. gentlemen, your friends will be alright. you will be able to see them both tomorrow, but they need to rest tonight. harry and ron left the hospital wing still furious a bit that madam pomfrey wouldnt allow them to stay. when they entered the common room, they were bombarded with questions by fellow groyffindors from the da. harry and ron told them the whole story. those bastards when i meet that lestrange boy again dean muttered angrily. bet malfoy isnt too happy with the slytherins who stood by us, what do you think? dennis asked curiously. ********** dennis was indeed right- when harry and the others went for a breakfast next day they saw the slytherins from da sitting at the table. all of them had puffy eyes and traces of tears could be seen on their faces. hello everybody, hermione and ginny greeted them as they sat at the gryffindor table. harry surveyed them carefully. hermione was sporting a very long scar on her right cheek. she apparently tried to cover it with some mapke-up. ginnys eyes were foggy, probably from the potion she was taking. hermione, ginny! are you alright? ron yelled cheerfully. yeah, just sad for missing the reason to skip classes. just joking hermione, she grinned as she saw hermiones patronising look. as they sat, owls started to appear, delivering the morning post. a barn school owl landed in front of harry. harry reached for the small piece of parchment, tied to its leg. harry, due to your quiditch captain meeting, we should postpone our lesson to eight oclock. dumbledore the captains meeting is today, harry suddenly remembered. finally, the quiditch season was coming closer. he was cut from his thoughts by hermione. that stupid bully, hermione yelled outraged. harry looked over to slytherin table. apparently, the slytherin children from da wanted to leave the great hall for their classes, but malfoy wouldnt let them go so easily. he put a jelly leg hex and the tripping charm on two of the boys, the only girl in the group started to cry again. lestrange merely

silenced her with the silencing charm. the rest of the table erupted with laughter. what is happening here? who had done this to you? mcgonagall said as she strode to them and performed counter curses on every single bullied slytherin. the first year boy looked at malfoy before answering. i dont know, proffesor. mcgonagall eyed him doubtfully. well of you go to your classes then. malfoy was laughing after the bullied slytherin and then turned his face to harry. his face shifted instantly- to the face of pure hatred. they were eying themselves for a very long time. come on, harry, classes, hermione nudged him in the ribs. harry and hermione gathered their things and went to the dungeons. snape strode in moments later, banging the door after himself. he walked up to his table very quickly. wow, he looks livid today, harry claimed. harry, imagine how would mcgonagall felt if someone stripped me or ron of my badge and nearly got me expelled but i was started a fight, which led to some injuries of many of my fellow students. please, harry, dont provoke him. i didnt think i would repeat myself, but your work was satisfactory again, especially the students fro slytherin. twenty points to slytherin. potter, yours wasnt, again. potter, as you surely remember i said that everyone who would slow down the class would be kicked out. twenty points from gryffindor, snape said, his eyes gleaming. he shot harry an ironic wink. twenty points for what?! for you failing me on purpose?! harry yelled at snape as he got up quickly. harry dont hermione pleaded. shut up, ms. granger. potter, another twenty points from gryffindor. sit down or it will be hundred next time. harry sat, still eyeing snape with hatred. potter, you know what i want from you. three parchments should do it this time. the slytherins were watching snape bullying harry looking extremely delighted. malfoy was laughing openly. the rest of the harry classes passed in one blur. harry was so furious with snape he barely ate, regretting it after the exhausting period of transfiguration. he got himself a quick dinner before he hurried of to the quiditch locker room for his first captain meeting. the locker room empty when he arrived. he glanced at his watch-quarter to six. he sat on the bench and tried to relax a bit. dumbledore wouldnt be surely satisfied with my performance on occlumency lessons, he thought for himself, his mind still full of anger. the door of the room opened and cho with hufflepuff boy harry didnt know, but

remembered him vaguely from yesterdays da session entered. hi harry, cho greeted him cheerfully. hi what are you doing here? harry asked her curiously. oh, havent i told you. davies graduated last year, im the new ravenclaw captain, cho said. the hufflepuff boy extended his right hand. hello, my name is christian connor, i am hufflepuff captain, we havent played against each other yet. nice to meet you, im harry potter, harry said as he shook hand with christian. harrys only match last year was against the slytherin before he was put on life-long ban by umbridge. that was some entertainment yesterday at the da, harry. those slytherins he started. not all of them are bad, you know, harry said as he remembered the scene from the breakfast. the door opened again and madam hooch and slytherin a mean looking seventh year boy harry hadnt seen before entered. good evening, congratulation you three for becoming the new captains. congratulations to you, connor, that you managed to keep your post. now this meeting will have only informative character. by next week, when we shall meet again i would like you to hand me your roosters. the tryouts will be held for each house separately. mr. potter, yours is tomorrow, ms. chang, yours is friday, mr. connor, yours is monday and finally mr. ogrady, yours is tuesday. now tryouts will start from the seven, be sure that your house knows about it. a sign on the notice board should make it. now, that is all for tonight. you will get your training and match schedules next week. goodbye, madam hooch said and left the room. how disappointing, harry thought for himself before leaving the locker room with cho. chapter 17 : tryouts hello everyone i know last chapter really sucked, but this should be lot better. i am really looking forward forward to few next chapters, lot is going to happen soon... chapter 17: tryouts harry tried once again to get rid of any strong emotion on his way to the transfiguration classroom for his occlumency classes, but for some reason image of ginny, lying on the ground and weeping from pain always came to his mind. and with that came the faces of malfoy and lestrange, who were laughing with insanity and shooting their new curses around themselves. and with that came the most obvious emotion- anger. but the anger he felt to malfoy was nothing compared to his anger to snape as he heard his voice from the transfiguration classes when he was approaching it. think there is no other person suitable for this person in my house. dracos

study results are one of the best on this school, he is natural with potions. headmaster, my house needs a prefect. i quite agree, severus. but you must understand, reinstating draco at this post would be like there was no punishment at all. and he deserves punishment for what he had done, came the voice of dumbledore. headmaster, why you have such a definitive confidence in mr. potters version. who knows what happened? how can you be sure he didnt threaten the witnesses, snape said hatefully. harry could bear no more. he opened the classroom door and strode inside the room very quickly. both snape and dumbledore turned their faces to harry, bearing the faces of surprise. snapes changed to the face of hatred in the blink of an eye. potter, i have a private conversation with headmaster, wait outsi snape started but never finished. so you think that hermione cut her face herself?! she would have a nasty scar for the rest of her life. and what about ginny? she has to take painkiller potion regularly! harry yelled at snape hatefully. snape faced dumbledore instead of harry. do you see, headmaster? look at his temper. headmaster i must insist on that will do, severus, dumbledore said calmly and raised his hand to stop snape. snape was staring at him, his mouth wide open. i belive in harrys version. madam pomfrey came to my office yesterday evening, demanding immediate explosure of young mr. malfoy for the injuries ms. weasly and ms. granger sustained upon her resignation. fortunately, i managed to persuade her not to go. also proffesor lupin was the first one to arrive at the scene and from his point of view draco was the one who started the fight. also, there were none students from your house, who required immediate medical attention. headmaster, you cant be serious im afraid i am, severus. i deny your request, dumbledore said silently, but with the matter-is-settled tone. snape was staring at him for quite a long period of time. then he wheeled on his legs and strode to the door quickly, glaring at harry hatefully and mouthing you will pay, potter. he closed the door with a very loud bang. harry turned his face to dumbledore. there was an awkward silence. harry, you have disappointed me very much tonight, dumbledore said with a sigh. i havent seen such a rudeness from a student for very long time. you must really control your temper. for your manners and for your occlumency lessons. dont forget, lord voldemort could use any of your emotion against you, he paused for a moment. harry, there is no point in studying occlumency tonight, it would cause too much damage proffesor, i am sorry, but i cant help it. its snape, he is always mean to me, he is failing me from his classes on purpose harry, i know proffesor snape favours students from his college a bit, but those words you say are very strong. do you have any evidence? dumbledore asked

him, surveying him through his half-moon spectacles. harry lowered his head and stared at the floor. he said nothing for very long time. no. then im sorry, but there is nothing i can do, dumbledore said and strode out of the room. harry was standing on the spot, staring at the floor for a very long time before he returned to his dormitory. ********** harry was still a bit furious with dumbledore when he woke up next morning. harry put on his glasses. it was still dark outside, only a few sunshine was visible on the sky. he tried to fall asleep for another half an hour before realizing it was completely futile. he got up and gathered his school things. at least i can start on my potion essay now, this would take surely more time. three rolls of parchment. next time i will curse that bastard, he thought to himself. on his way to common room he suddenly trials. he made a note first and then to work on his essay. he was doing it half a parchment when the common room students. remembered about the tonights quiditch pinned it to the wall. then he started for what seemed as hours, finishing only started to fill up with his fellow

hey harry, what are you working on? ron asked curiously as he entered the common room and leaned over his shoulder. he made a vomit-like sound when he recognised what was it about. so, quiditch tryouts tonight , i see? he said as he examined the notice board. yeah, harry said, erasing a word he misspelled. ron looked around himself suddenly, as if he was looking for eavesdroppers. then he leaned to harrys ear. harry, i wanted to tell you something for a long time ron started, when hermione and ginny entered the room suddenly. ron straightened up immediately, pretending like he wasnt talking to harry at all. morning, hermione, ginny, he greeted them nervously good morning, hermione replied. potions essay, i suppose he said as she saw harrys table littered with the crumpled pieces of parchment and opened books. yes, cant make it any longer now, though. lets get some breakfast, harry replied with a sigh, confused of rons behaviour. they got up and went down to the great hall, where they sat at their house table. harry looked over to snape and their eyes met for one moment. they shot each other a look of hatred before turning away. dumbledore was sitting at the table too, but was deep in conversation with proffesor lupin. anger suddenly flooded harrys mind once again. ignore it, he thought for himself as he stuffed his mouth full with his toast.

how many people will turnout for the tryouts you think? ron asked him curiously. i dont really know, but i hope enough of them will come we have many posts to fill up. three chasers harry started. and two beaters, ginny piped up. you cant really think about jack sloper and andrew kirke, theyre useless its easy for you to say that, youre not the one who is supposed to telling them that, harry said with a sigh and lowered his head. what if i screw up? i dont even know what should i do as a captain. mcgonagall has such faith in me, i dont want to disappoint her ginny patted him on his hand. dont worry, me and ron, were going to help you. arent we, ron? she said and kicked him under the table. what? ron said as he raised his head from his porridge. oh, of course, harry, you can rely on us, ron said and sprayed harry with bits of his porridge. disgusting, hermione muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. ron shot her an angry look. moments later another group joined them at the table- dean, seamus, neville, lavender and pavarti. morning, dean hailed them as he sat next to ginny and placed a kiss on her cheek. morning, ron replied, a note of bitterness in his voice. he still didnt fully accepted the fact that dean and ginny were dating. tryouts tonight, harry, eh? dean asked harry, not taking any note from ron. i might try for a chaser the more, the better harry said, grinning. the classes went for forever for harry that day, perhaps it was the vision of himself being on broom again that always kept him distracted from the them. he was very happy indeed to face his dinner and then at seven oclock he found himself at the locker room again, changing for his quiditch robes. he went to take the chest with balls madam hooch left him and then he stepped on the pitch, his firebolt shouldered. a pack of people was standing at the other end of the stadium. harry recognised ginny, ron, andrew and jack wearing their quiditch robes as well. there were other persons standing there, each of them holding a broom of some brand in his hand. dean thomas and seamus finnigan, holding a nimbus 2001 each, neville longbottom, clutching a cleansweep, dennis and colin creevy, holding cleansweeps, pavarti, sporting a nimbus 2000, and some other second year harry didnt know. he drew a deep breath and then he started nervously. hello, let me welcome you on the quiditch tryouts. my name is harry potter and im a new gryffindor quiditch team captain. i am also the seeker. ron, here, is the keeper so that give us three free post for chasers and two beaters, harry said nervously, not looking at jack and andrew, who stirred uncomfortably. now, the everyone please tell me your name and the position you would like to apply. that includes you too, jack, andrew, ginny.

dean thomas, chaser. seamus finnigan, chaser. neville longbottom, chaser. andrew kirke, beater. jack sloper, beater. ginny weasly, chaser. pavarti patil, chaser. dennis creevy, beater. colin creevy, beater. kimberly cook, chaser. harry wrote down the names and the positions. now, the chasers please step forward and mount your brooms. first i will test your speed, then passing, scoring and duding the bludgers. mount your brooms. ready, steady, go! it was easier than harry thought. they were circling the stadium testing their speed, of course no one really matched with harrys firebolt. harry stopped suddenly to look, how the others do. ginny and dean were in the lead, circling themselves and laughing heartily. then came kimberly cook, pavarti patil, finally enclosing with neville and seamus. great job, harry smiled at them encouragily. now comes the passing and scoring. ron! are you ready? he yelled at ron on the other hand end of pitch. ron waved his hand in agreement. now, ginny, kimberly, pavarti, i want you to take quaffle and pass it amongst you. try to score it through the hoops on the other end. they sped of towards the goal posts, passing the quaffle amongst themselves. harry was impressed by the girls performance, the only on who was falling behind a bit was kimberly. they all managed to score few goals. dean, neville, seamus, your turn, harry said, when the girls returned. he passed the quaffle to dean, who caught it neatly. the performance made by boys was worse, mainly because seamus and neville, who kept missing the quaffle and the hoops. dean, on the other hand, was natural. he didnt miss a single pass or shoot. harry couldnt understand why he hadnt tried earlier. right, come back everybody, harry shouted. they all returned, seamus and neville looking slightly disappointed. now last group. ginny, pavarti and dean. the three sped off again, this time harry released the bludgers. dean avoided one smoothly and scored immediately with his left hand. ron, eyeing dean with anger passed the quaffle to pavarti, who passed it to ginny, who flew fast to the goals, apparently to score, but when ron flew out to meet her, she passed the quaffle to dean who scored once again. all right we are finished, come here everybody. ron, come here, too, harry called. they gathered around him, eyeing him with anticipation. ok, youve done good, everyone of you. ginny, dean, pavarti you are in, dean punched the air

in triumph, while ginny and pavarti gave each other five. then he turned to kimberly. so are you kimberly, you will be reserve. sorry, guys, maybe next year, he faced neville and seamus who looked disappointed with themselves. they flew back to the lockers very slowly. dean, you will be the lead chaser, ginny yours is left wing, pavarti yours will be the right. now the beaters, up in the air, harry called at those who were still on the ground. they hovered into the air. now, we will practice aim and strength. aim at the goal posts. as harry expected jack and andrew were as lousy as they could. dennis and colin, on the other hand, worked perfectly as a team. firstly one would pass the bludger to the other, who shot it through the posts precisely, switching turns. andrew and jack tried to repeat the trick as creevys, which nearly ended in serious injury as the bludger missed jacks head by inches. all right, everyone come here, harry said. they all gathered around harry. dennis, colin excellent job, welcome to the team. jack and andrew, sorry, harry said gloomily. he imagined how he would feel if he was replaced with someone better. but jack and andrew took it very well. i thought that since beginning. thanks for letting to play us one year at least, jack said gloomily and they both disappeared. harry was looking after them for a while, still felling guilty. then he faced his new team. all of them were looking extremely proud with themselves, all were grinning. now we shall release all the balls and get on some more practice chapter 18 : krum strikes back chapter 17: krum strikes back harry was extremely pleased when he was spectating his new players- three fast and precise chasers, two enthusiastic beaters. they have been practicing for one hour since harry ended the tryouts and they already fit together very good. he was enjoying it so much that he barely checked the time and didnt notice the sunset until it got darker a bit. ok, everyone stop, he shouted. everybody stopped abruptly. excellent job everyone, but im afraid we will have to end this. oh come on, just another five minutes, ginny pleaded him. no, really, its getting dark and i dont want to lose the balls, harry said to her with a grin. they landed and gathered the balls, which took them quite a long time, because the bludgers werent easy to restrain and it took dean, ron, dennis and colin efforts to wrestle them back into the chest. when they had done it, they took the chest, shouldered their brooms and went to the lockers room, where they changed back into the school robes. harry was glad they finished the practice by now because when they left for the castle it was already dark. they all lit their wands and were chatting happily about the upcoming season. when they entered the common room a large eager-looking crowd welcomed them. it seemed that nearly everyone from gryffindor came to the common room to

congratulate every single team member. harry and the others fought their way through the crowd, they just wanted to get some rest. harry and ron sat at the table where hermione sat, writing something on very large piece of parchment, while ginny and dean sat at their favourite sofa in front of the fire. want a game of chess, harry? ron asked him. yeah, why not, harry replied. hermione rose her head and gave harry a patronising look. harry, youve got your potion essay to complete and you have only four days left. remember how long it took you last time and those were only two roll of parchment come on, hermione, he deserves a break. what are you writing, anyway? ron asked her and actually leaned to get a better view. oh, thats nothing, just my history of magic essay, she said too quickly and pocketed it. ron looked like he was thinking something over. then he withdrew his wand. accio parchment. the parchment slipped from hermiones pocket and zoomed to rons outstretched hand. hermione realized that too late and made a futile grab for it, but she merely brushed it with it fingers. ronald weasly!!! how you dare?! hand it over, now! hermione yelled at him, but too late ron was already reading it. his mouth thinned and his face become redder with every word he read. when he finished he thrust the parchment back on the table. another letter for your precious krum? ron asked her coldly. ron, victor and i are only friends, youre overreacting hermione said nervously. is that so? then why are you keeping the letters from me? ron, please hermione pleaded him as tears appeared in her eyes. hermione, be his girlfriend if you wish, im sure he would like that. i dont care anymore! ron yelled and got up. ron! hermione called after him, but too late, he was gone already. she faced harry again, crying now. excuse me, she said between the sobs and hurried to her dormitory. perhaps it was lucky that it happened today, at least nobody noticed, harry thought as he heard the whole common room still congratulating to creevy brothers, who were clearly enjoying themselves. harry was staring at the spot where hermione was sitting before, still not understanding the whole situation. suddenly, someone touched his shoulder gently and ginny sat opposite of him. are you alright, harry? she asked him. yeah he muttered, still confused.

dont worry, theyll get over it soon, ginny told him reassuringly. over what? harry said stupidly. he still didnt understand. over that stupid krum-thing, ginny said. harry was gazing at her. oh harry, you boys are really so slow when it comes to the feelings. isnt that obvious? ron is dating hermione. what? harry yelled, shocked about the obvious thing. they have been dating since that incident with malfoy in the diagon alley. hermione went to comfort ron that day and than it happened. did she tell you that? harry asked her. ginny merely nodded. but why would they hide it from me? ginny shook her head. isnt that obvious? since first year it was always you, ron and hermione. you three went together through everything. the philosopher stone, the chamber of secrets, sirius, department of mysteries but two is company, three is a crowd. do you see it now? harry suddenly remembered how ron had tried to tell him something throughout the last two weeks. now he finally knew what it was. but, ron knows i wouldnt mind, doesnt he? hermione is like sister to me, like you are. for a quick moment her face turned to disappointed one, but she shifted it to doubtful so quickly, harry didnt even it. you know my brother. harry, youve got talk to him let him know you dont mind, she said as she gave him sad grin. yeah, youre right. ill go straight away. thanks for your help ginny, he told her and got up. anytime, she replied with a sad smile. harry ran up to his dormitory. the curtain around rons bed was shut. there was no sound behind it, only breathing. ron, mate, are you awake? harry asked him softly. the breathing ceased for a moment then he returned. he was trying pretend he was asleep. ron, we need to talk. go away, he snapped from behind the curtain. ron, i just want to let you know, that im here if you wanted talk to someone. and he took a deep breath. i dont mind you dating hermione. the curtain jerked open and rons angry face appeared. who told you that ridiculous nonsense! im not dating her i just well, thats none of your business. anyway, if there was something between us, its definitely not going to last now, her precious little krum made sure of it. you know, hermione was right, you are an insensitive pig, harry snapped at him. you wanna stick with the girls? have it your way then! ron yelled at

harry and closed the curtains again. ********* breakfast was very silent one next morning, ron and hermione both hadnt said a word to each other since their argument, they occasionally shot each other an evil look. harry couldnt bear that no more, he got up and went to his first class of the day- herbology. he sat up in the deserted greenhouse, nobody other was there. he looked around himself to make sure nobody was lurking in the corner and then he withdrew his snitch, the gift from ron. he let it rest on his palm and it stretched his tiny wings. a little bit of training couldnt hurt, he though to himself and released the snitch. it was circling around him for a moment, before harry stretched out his hand quickly and closed his fist around the snitch. he couldnt help to grin as he remembered his father showing off with the snitch in dumbledores pensieve. he released it again, this letting it to fly farther away from him, catching it in the last second. like father, like son, came the pleasant voice of proffesor sprout. harry wheeled around blushing feverishly. proffesor sprout was standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest and she was looking at her, beaming. dont mind me, i didnt mean to interrupt you, she said and walked into the greenhouse, preparing things for todays classes. after few moments students started to assemble so harry pocketed his snitch again. hermione sat next to him, still looking rather gloomily. harry tried to engage her into conversation for several times but had no success. she didnt even wanted to answer the questions proffesor sprout asked and that was mark how frustrated she was. next came the care of magical creatures. harry was standing near the hagrids hut with hermione, when ron come. he paired with susan bones from hufflepuff instead of them, which made hermione weep silently again, no matter how she tried to conceal it. everybody, including hagrid had noticed the change in their behaviour. what happen to hermione, harry? nd ron? hagrid asked harry as they harry lingered to help hagrid tidying up the mess after todays classes. long story harry muttered. hagrid, im sorry i havent visited you up to now, ive got loads to do, harry told him. yeah, can imagin that. n.e.w.t.s and quiditch captain. how is yer team anyway? we had tryouts yesterday, dean, pavarti and ginny are now chasers and dennis and colin beaters hey, how is grawp anyway? harry asked him curiously. ah, nice lad he terned into. he finally understands basic english, tough i still think he feels lonely. but its hard ter find a decent giantess you see harry didnt push the subject any further, he thought that one giant was enough. he rushed into the great hall to get his lunch. hermione and ron were sitting as far from each other as possible. knowing that both were not the right persons to have a chat with at the moment, he sat next to ginny, dean, neville

and seamus. pavarti and lavender were sitting next to them, heads together over some work for their divination classes. still world war third? ginny asked harry with a smile, nodding her head towards ron. you know how stubborn he is. i wish he would stop pitting himself this and apologize to hermione, maybe she would forgive him. oh yeah, she would definitely. trust me, harry, theyre both in love, they just cant admit it so easily, ginny said with a grin. harrys class finished for that day so he decided to take a little stroll through the grounds. he walked around his favourite places- one circle around the great lake and the of to the whomping willow. he then returned to the great lake and lay into the shadow of a huge tree. he closed his eyes, relaxing. the light breeze was ruffling through his hair. everything around him was so quiet, so peaceful. he suddenly heard a sob from somewhere near. he got up and drew out his wand. hello? he called, his heart hammering. the sob ceased, but suddenly it came again. harry stepped slowly and carefully to the source of the sob. hermione was sitting on the grass hidden in a large bush. harry moved over next to her. she raised her head, her face bathed in tears, then she lowered her head again. harry sat next to her and put one of his hand on her shoulder. she eased her head on the harrys chest, sobbing into his robes. come on, hermione, its going to be alright, he said as he patted her on the head. he will come to you on his knees, begging for taking him back. she raised her head. how do you know? harry knew there was no time for lies now. ginny told me. please, just dont get mad at her. it doesnt matter anymore she said as she once again buried her head into harrys chest. tell me harry, why do i have to love that insensitive, stupid git? harry didnt answer he just hugged her tightly. chapter 19 : patronuses and confundus potion chapter 19: patronuses and confundus potion every place in the world could be boring, even hogwarts. harry could remember how it was last time when ron wasnt talking to him. it was in his fourth year when nobody but hermione and hagrid believed harry that he didnt entered the triwizard tournament by himself. ron was jealous to harry that timeharry get all the fame, and ron none. life was quite monotonous when you hanged out with hermione- there was mainly only studying in library. harry was once again sitting at one of the librarys table, finishing his potion essay. when he finished the line, he dropped the quill and collapsed to his chair, exhausted. it was sunday afternoon and harry was here since the

morning, pausing only to get some quick lunch. at least im finished now, he said as he rolled his parchments and put them in his bag. hello, ginny greeted him cheerfully. harry raised his head from his bag and saw the red-haired girl standing before him. oh, hello ginny, he greeted her. mind if i sit here? she asked him. yeah sure, no problem, he said and she took the seat in front of him. she surveyed him througfully. look, im sure if you just talked to ron ginny tried. ginny, im not going t be one who is going to apologize. he started the fight in the first place harry said to her angrily. harry, you know how can my brother be stubborn, ginny pleaded him. i dont care. look hermione is coming, we should change the topic, i think i couldnt stand another nerves breakdown, harry said to ginny as hermione appeared from behind the fartherest bookshelf, carrying the enormous stack of some books. they were talking about the o.w.l.s for the rest of the afternoon, both harry and hermione giving ginny advices on studying. in the beginning of the evening, they went to the great hall for dinner, all of them were starving from their studying. when they entered the great hall, harry spotted dean, seamus, neville and ron in the middle of the long table. harry and the others moved to sit there. as they came to the table, ron eyed them angrily and then got up and left the great hall, his dinner untouched. all of them were staring after him. all harry wanted to do now was run after him and punch ron between his eyes. what happened between you guys, dean asked harry his eyes full of concern as he faced harry again. i dont really know harry said with a sigh as he loaded his plate with food. ***** harry got up next morning, feeling miserable as ever. this will be the first lesson he would comfort with snape after that incident in the transfiguration classroom, ron wasnt talking to him, voldemort was after him he got up with a sigh and dressed himself. he then went to the great hall, noticing that ron was already gone. harry found ron sitting at the gryffindor table on his own, reading a magazine. harry took a seat next to hermione, who was reading the daily prophet, while eating her cereals. nothing, she said as she folded her finished newspaper. voldemort is too quiet. he is up to something nasty. hes after that gem, hermione, he said silently. what have you found out during

your research? how do you know i was doing that research? hermione asked him curiously. come on hermione, i know you, he said and smiled as he remembered as hermione ran to her dormitory, her face shining with excitement, when harry told her about that gem in his dream. hermione shook her head. then she took a deep breath. so, i have been trying to found something about gems, that voldemort might want. there are many records on gems with magical powers and some of them really scared me. for example, there is a gem, which will slowly suck the one who posses it soul out. the process is quite long. this gem isnt called dementor gift for no reason. then you have another gems with dark powers. for examples, centuries ago, the cult, which consisted of dark wizards, who wanted to get rid the world of muggles enchanted many gems, which would affect only muggles. these gems were popular for their flawless state and high quality and many pieces of jewellery was made of these. rings, earring, necklaces some of them brought the bearer instant or slow death, some made them bankrupt the ministry representatives gathered many of such pieces of jewellery and it is believed that most of these gems are gathered now. but im sure voldemort wouldnt want one of these. so maybe gems with positive magic powers. you have gems for luck, gems for love, gems, that will increase your magical powers, im sure voldemort would want one of these. but most of these gems are just nonsense she said in one breath. harry was staring at her in disbelief, his mouth wide open. what? he asked him with a grin. hermione, there is no way man could remember all of this, he told her. hermione merely blushed. harry returned to his cereals, shaking his head but still grinning. after they finished their breakfast they went to their first class of the daydefence against the dark arts. harry and hermione took their usual seat in the first row, while ron sat as far from them as possible. after few moments, proffesor lupin entered the classroom. good morning, class, he greeted them cheerfully. he sat at the table and surveyed them silently for moment silently. it looked he was thinking something over really hard. the excitement in the room could be sliced by now, proffesor never had problem with starting a lesson. lupin finally made his decision and got up. does everybody know what the dementor is? he asked his class. the class was staring at him suspiciously. ernie mcmillian raised his hand. yes, ernie? proffesor, were not done with the basilisk yet... ernie started, but lupin silenced him with a wave. this is more urgent, he said quickly. now, does everybody know what the dementor is?

few people shook their head (all of them from slytherin or those not from da), while the others looked around themselves uneasily and what appeared to be nauseated. hermione, can you tell your classmates what the dementor is? lupin said. hermione cleared her throat. dementor are the dark creatures, which guard azkaban. very little is known about their origin, but it is believed that they are the creation of dark wizards long ago. many dark wizards used them in their armies. the last dark wizard, who ordered them, was no other than lord voldemort himself, she said. few people flinched at the sound of voldemort name. hermione just shook her head and continued. after the first war and the downfall of lord voldemort, ministry found their, shall we say abilities useful and made them guards in azkaban. excellent, five points to gryffindor, lupin said. now, what are those abilities. dean, for example. their presence recalls the worst memories of those who are near them. also, they suck out happiness from you. the person who is infected by their aura feel like he or she would not be happy again. and there are other effects, like exhaustion, nausea, even faintness. right again, take another five points, lupin said, smiling. but there is another thing which makes dementor infamous neville, your turn. the dementor kiss. permanent loss of the victims soul. right, another five points. now, we know what the dementor is and what are its powers. now can anyone tell me the defence against them. garlic and cross? pansy parkinson said. silver? another slytherin said. no, wrong. ron? lupin shot him a glance. patronus, ron answered. correct again. now is everyone aware of the patronus charm? lupin asked. the same people who didnt know about dementors shook their heads once again. right, we shall practice that now. you dont know when it might come in handy, he said as he gave harry a look. so the incitation is expecto patronum. the patronuses are very advanced magic, it is hard even for the mature wizard, so dont be disappointed if you fail. try it now. whole class got up and drew out their wand. expecto patronum! came from whole class. a stag erupted from harrys wand, an otter from hermiones, a lion from rons, a huge bullfrog from nevilles, an eagle from deans, a horse from semauss, a rabbit from lavenders and on and on with the rest of the students form the da. the classroom was full of various animal forms, even sloth. the slytherins on the other hand had great difficulties- most of them managed to conjure a wisp of silver smoke, some werent able to do that at all. but this is excellent! lupin yelled happily as the stag stopped before him and lupin patted it on its head. one hundred points for gryffindor, hufflepuff and ravenclaw. great job, everybody, really.

the da members wore a faces of triumph on their faces. hermione smiled at pansy parkinson and shot her an ironic wave. the members of da were given a free-study time, while lupin tried to teach the patronus charm to the slytherins. excellent job everyone, class dismissed, lupin said at the end of the lesson. harry was just about to leave when lupin patted him on his shoulder. looks like the da is really worth your time, harry, he told him, beaming and harry noticed that the sparkle, which was gone was back. thank you, proffesor, he smiled at him. your father would be proud, so am i, he told him before leaving for his office. harry felt as happy as for not a very long time as he left the classroom. hermione was waiting for him outside. harry, we have to hurry, we will be late for snape, hermione urged him as she grabbed his hand and they ran to the dungeon. the happiness was replaced by sorrow. snape was already there when they entered the classroom. ah, finally mr. potter and ms. hermione honoured us with their presence, snape said ironically, his lips curling. lets see you are twenty seconds late, so one point per second for both of you. sit! he yelled at them, when they looked at him in disbelief. todays work- the confunds draught, snape said and made a swift motion with his wand. the instructions appeared on the table. potter, here to the first desk. lets see how will you do without ms. i-know-it-all, snape said. the slytherins laughed heartedly, while hermione blushed furiously. harry strode to the front desk quickly, fuming. he pulled his chair too viciously-it fell to the floor with loud noise. look at that temper. ts, ts, ts, snape shook his head. potter, thats another ten points from your house. now sit down and pay attention, snape said and returned to the board, explaining every single step. you may begin, he said. the whole class set their cauldrons and drew out the ingredients. snape surveyed them for a moment, pacing around the desks. when he walked around the whole classroom, he returned to harrys desk. he leaned to his head and whispered into harrys ear, so none other could hear him. that was the last straw, potter. now, it seems that even headmaster joined your fanclub, but i dont care about that. mark my words, i will make you pay, he said and rose again. potter, what are you doing? do you know how are the dragon scales rare? read second line aloud! snape yelled at him. harry stared at snape firstly, and if look could kill, snape would evaporate on spot. then he looked at the board. add pure dragon scales to the mixture, he read out aloud. then tell me, why you didnt put your gloves on? those scales are ruined now and

so is your pathetic potion. fifty points from gryffindor. evanesco! he said as he pointed his wand at harrys cauldron. the mixture disappeared instantly. potter, get yourself to the supplies closet and take another scales. and dont forget to put on your gloves now. by the end of the class the points which were added by proffesor lupin to gryffindor were subtracted by proffesor snape. he was constantly surveying harrys work, punishing him for every minor mistake. time is up, everyone brig a vial with your potion. potter, although for some miracle you finally managed to make a confundus potion, your classwork today was very unsatisfactory. i would expect more knowledge from the second year. so, another zero should do it, snape said with a sinister smile on his face. the thing harry most desired now was throwing his boiling mixture on that face. however, he knew that snape was egging him for reason to take more points from his house. ill try not to disappoint you next time proffesor, harry said, his voice shaking with rage. they were staring at each other for a long time, pure hatred in their eyes, not blinking. finally, it was snape who broke the eye contact. class dismissed, he said as he got up. they all gathered their things, got up and left the classroom. the slytherins were chatting enthusiastically about the snapes taunts. way to go, potter, harry heard malfoy behind him. harry wheeled around and drew out his wand, his rage finally set free. malfoy was pointing and laughing at him, surrounded by his gang. what, potter want to curse me? you mean to curse all of us? harry pointed his wand at malfoy and was just to shout the incitation, when another hand appeared from nowhere and forced his down. leave him, harry, hes not worth it. come on, came hermiones voice. harry turned his face to her and was just about to yell at her, when he spotted the scar on her face. she was the only one who had right to curse malfoy. youre right, he said and lowered his wand. he turned his face back to malfoy. one time we shall meet. and there will be no father or snape to fight for you, harry spat at him, turned his back on him and left. i cant wait, malfoy said silently. chapter 20 : new powers and new da a lot of thanks to those who reviewed my story it really means a lot to me. chapter 20: new power and new da harry once again found himself in front of the door of the transfiguration classroom. it was six oclock now and the beginning of his occlumency lesson. he knocked on the door. come in, came the voice of dumbledore.

harry entered the room and closed the door behind himself. dumbledore was sitting in the armchair he conjured for himself. another armchair was vacant, probably for harry. please, harry, take a seat. i want to discuss something with you before we proceed with our lesson, he said as he motioned to the other armchair. harry took the seat, curiosity surging through his body. dumbledore folded his hands and eased his head on them. he was silent for a very long time, apparently thinking something over. harry, tell me and be honest, when was the last time you had some of your nightmares? dumbledore asked him suddenly. harry tried to recall that, but couldnt remember any. the last time he had some of his nightmares was when he saw snape amongst the death eaters and that was the first wednesday in this term. well, since that dream about snape, i had none, he said. that is quite an achievement. and you say you had those dreams every night during summer holiday? dumbledore smiled at him. yeah, i barely slept since that night at the department of mysteries. dumbledore smiled at him. harry, the power inside you surprises me once again. in very short period of time you mastered the occlumency enough to repel your dreams and as long as you dont let your emotions control you, voldemort should not brake into your mind. so that means our lessons are over now? harry asked him a note of disappointment crept into his voice. he didnt like the occlumency at first, but now when he could control it he would like to develop it more. dumbledore smiled at him once again. quite the contrary harry, i want our lessons to continue. but since you know how to defend your mind, it is also necessary to teach you how to attack someones mind. harry, do you remember what happened during our second lesson? harry gulped. of course, how could he forget something like that. he penetrated dumbledores mind unwillingly. he didnt like it at all. two emotions filled him that time- fear and hunger. hunger for power. harry didnt like that feeling at all. without waiting for harrys answer dumbledore continued. harry, that time you proved you have talent for occlumency and other disciplines connected with it. that night you showed your talent for legillimency. harry stared at him with shock. so i can read others persons mind? harry asked him. well harry, i think nobody would agree on reading minds, but you can put it that way, yes. yes harry, with training you would be able to ehm read someones mind. but untrained, the legillimency is very dangerous for targets and also yours mind. i would say that we both were very lucky that night it could have been much worse.

proffesor dumbledore, what if i dont want to have these powers harry tried. im sorry harry, but there is no other choice. once again you are being chased by your own prophecy. lord voldemort has these powers, so have you. there is one very well known quote, which i want you to take to your heart. with great power come great responsibility. harry lowered his head, thinking. of course he would rather havent encountered with occlumency and legillimency at all. but then he remembered dumbledores face after that incident. he looked as old as ever, shaken badly. and dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in the world. he imagined what would happen if he used it against one of his friend hermione, lying on the floor, breathing but her gaze unfocused, ginny weeping on the floor, ron holding his head and screaming in pain he just nodded. thats the spirit, harry. i knew you would understand. are you ready to start? harry raised his head and faced dumbledore, note of determination on his face. he nodded again. dumbledore drew out his wand and harry did the same. then they both got up and walked over to the centre of the class, where they made themselves some space moving the desks. so harry im sure you know the incitation and the wrist movement now, dumbledore said with a wink. harry knew that indeed- he saw this curse performed against him much more than any other. harry, the most important think you must remember is staying concentrated and focused. once you linger around the mind mindlessly you put yourself and the target in danger. trust me, i have seen many victims of voldemorts careless legillimencing and it is not a sight you would wish to see. so concentrate. try it now harry drew a big breath and pointed his wand at dumbledore. his hand was shaking slightly. dumbledore nodded encouragingly. legillimens! harry said, not very confidently. the image of the classroom dissolved and another image appeared. he could see himself, lying on the bed in the hospital wing, sleeping. he prepared for another image, but it never came. instead the class came into focus again. dumbledore was standing in front of him again. he was smiling. well, done harry. harry on the other hand was disappointed. proffesor dumbledore, last time i penetrated your mind there were more images and you, you were harry started but didnt know how to continue. harry that time you werent aware something like this might happen. you released your power under no control, thats why it was so powerful and dangerous also. now, we learn how to control it, make it safe. also last time i underestimated the power of your will very much dont worry it will get better with practicing. now, harry again. harry pointed his wand at dumbledore, this time more confident. legillimens. the room dissolved once again. now there were more images- dumbledore lying a

sleeping baby in front of the doors of private drive, harrys back, as he sat on a three-legged chair, the sorting hat on his head, harry supporting neville, whose legs were jerking violently the room came into focus again. excellent harry. i told you it would get better, dumbledore said, beaming. you, let me, didnt you? harry asked him with a slight grin. dumbledore raised his shoulders innocently. suddenly harry remembered about the mysterious gem. he licked his lips nervously. proffesor dumbledore, what if i was searching for particular image? harry asked him curiously. that is too much advanced for now, harry. but dont worry that time will come, he said with a wink. now harry, you better go and think about some witty excuse if you met proffesor snape on your way to common room. harry looked at his watch. he gasped in surprise. quarter past ten- they have been here for four hours! yeah amazing how the time flows harry, isnt it? good night. harry turned around and walked over to the door. he was just abou to leave when dumbledore called after him once again. and try to forget about that gem, harry. ***** harry went to bed right after the lesson that night, feeling slightly irritated because of dumbledores last comment. he dressed himself, put on his glasses and went to the great hall for breakfast. hermione and ginny were already sitting there. so was ron, but on the other end of the table, alone. harry had to resist the urge to go to him and talk to him. no. im not going to be the one who apologizes. not this time. he sat at the table with ginny and hermione. hermione finally seemed to cope with her feelings, she smiled at harry as he greeted them. how was your occlumency lesson yesterday harry? she asked him curiously as he loaded his plate with eggs and bacon. harry told her everything that happened, hermiones and ginnys eyes shone more and more with excitement as he was talking. wow, harry, that is interesting, hermione breathed out when he finished. yeah, maybe you could probe rons mind and find what the hell is wrong with him, ginny said. you still have hope for him, hermione said sarcastically. ive lost mine already. hermione, he loves, its just about kr ginny started, but hermione raised her hand to silence her. i dont want to talk about them. ive finished with ron, hermione said angrily and returned to her breakfast.

ginny and harry looked at each other and shook their heads together. the classes were dull that day- revising on the healing charms first. at the end of the class harry was both exhausted and furious as he didnt manage to heal the small cut on his rat. next came the herbology, when harry got bit by some exotic plant. the bite was throbbing with pain and harry couldnt move his arm for a while, before proffesor hooch gave him some antidote. even the care of magical creatures, one of the most favourite lessons of harry were dull that day, because ron wasnt talking to him- it was hardly that fun with hermione only. the only lesson that was worth the time that day was one period of defence against the dark arts. they were revising on the dementors and patronuses for a while, which earned gryffindor, hufflepuff and ravenclaw another huge amount of points. and then proffesor lupin introduced new topic- the undead. who can tell me what are the undeads? to nobodys surprise hermiones hand shot into the air. yes, hermione? the undeads are called undeads because they are made from dead corpses, which have been reanimated by the dark magic. in the past, the undeads were used in the armies of the dark wizards for their advantages- they dont need regular food, they have no wishes and desires and their only purpose is to serve. excellent hermione. can you name us some species? hermione drew her breath. they are many. one of the simplest is skeleton. its just bare bones. they were very popular, because they are very easy to raise and they dont need food at all. but on the other hand, they are very vulnerable, mainly to crashing weapons, like mace for example. another specie is zombie, reanimated body, which has no memory of past time. it has only one needfood. their own brain is not used so they are very slow and stupid. on the other hand, they are never tired and they are determine to get food no matter what it takes. zombies are dangerous, because everyone who is bitten requires immediate medical attention or will become zombie themselves. there are other undead, like ghouls and mummies. but the most feared undead is definitely vampire. vampires are immortal and cant be harmed by any conventional weapons. they are harmed only by silver. garlic and crosses are nonsense. the only way to kill them is stab them with wood into their heart. very good. and do you know a spell that works on all undead? yes, the eclesium curse. and do you know how it wokrs? it brakes the magic, which is keeping the reanimated body alive. and it has nothing to do with the church as somebody might it connect it because of the incitation. once there was an order called the paladins, who were trained to fight against the undead and they had the faith in god. they were the one who invented the eclesium curse, and named it like that. hermione, you could stand right here instead of me, lupin said to her with a smile. twenty points to gryffindor. now boys and girls we are finished for today. we will practice eclesium charm next time. the class dissolved quickly, chatting about the undead excitedly. hermione was

swelling with pride as she was answering several peoples questions. then she remembered she had her arithmacy lesson and ran off. harry went to the common room instead, thinking what they would be doing today on the da. he sat himself in one of the armchairs and drifted to light sleep. ***** he was woken up later by dean and ginny. harry, do you want to join us for the dinner? hermione would be already there, we could wait in the great hall until the meeting starts. they went downstairs. hermione was indeed already there, reading from some book and eating her dinner. they sat at next to her. oh, harry you are awake? i wanted you to go with me for dinner, but you looked so sweet sleeping, hermione said. err, thank you hermione, harry said a bit uneasily, taken aback by her comment. so, how do you want to organize the da tonight? hermione asked him as he loaded his plate with food. i dont know. i hoped you would kind of help me with it harry said. hermione sighed. oh harry, what would you done without me? she said, but she was smiling. personally, i would divide the da into two groups- one the beginners and one the advanced, since they will be maybe first-years or secondyears coming. i was thinking that you might lead the advanced group and i could lead the beginners group if you didnt mind. hermione, thats an excellent idea. in fact from now i shall name you my deputy, harry said smiling. all the people around them laughed heartedly. hermione gave them all patronising looks. they all ceased immediately, even harry. the time was passing by quickly and students, except from the students from the da started to dissolve, while the hufflepuffs and ravenclaws da students came to sit at the gryffindor table. they were chatting about their lessons, ron chatting with the students from ravenclaw and hufflepuff mostly. at quarter to seven, the hall was deserted except for the members of the da. when did you said them to come? hermione asked, as she didnt hear him last time, because she was at the hospital. at seven, they should be coming any moment, harry said. if somebody will come ron said doubtfully. harry shot him an icy glare. at five to seven a pack of people appeared, wearing blue ties with their school robes- the hufflepuffs, a very tall and handsome boy in the lead- christian connor. harry noticed a badge with h on his chest. hello, harry, he greeted him cheerfully. i didnt realize you were a head boy, harry said with amazement. well it doesnt matter, does it? dont worry, its not contagious, christian said as he grinned. harry grinned back at him, when more footsteps echoed

from the corridor. three slytherin first-years, who were at the first meeting came into the great hall. harry noticed that the girl still had traces of tears on her face. apparently malfoy didnt drop his bullying habit. hello, my name is hermione granger, hermione said as she strode forward, extending her hand. and who are you? the slytherin first-years looked around themselves uneasily, apparently too afraid of speaking. dont, worry i wont bite you, hermione said with a grin. one of the boys stepped forward. im richard grady and this is my sister anna grady. and this is our friend bill reiley. harry frowned, that name reiley ringed a bell in his mind but he couldnt remember. ron stepped forward. how come you ended up in the slytherin? he asked them curiously. apparently he was not trusting them very much. stupid fool, hermione breathed. ron lashed her an evil glare. me and my sisters are what you call muggles. we knew nothing about the wizarding world or hogwarts. when the letters from hogwarts arrived, our parents thought it was some kind of bad joke. but then we went to the diagon alley out of curiosity. when we found out about the wizards, there was another problem. parents wouldnt let us go here at first. they said that they wouldnt let us study some freak school and that we deserved the best education on some independent school. but they changed their mind, when i got angry and all of the sudden the plates started to fly from the cupboards and attacking my parents, richard smiled slightly as he remembered this. anyway we ended up in the hogwarts train with no idea about the hogwarts. and then i overheard some boys talking about the houses. how the ravenclaws were i-know-it-all, how the hufflepuffs were stupid and lousy and how gryffindor was cocky, with you, walking around the place like you owned it, he said as he pointed to harry. they were saying that the only decent house was the slytherin. and so when proffesor mcgonagall put the head on my head, i prayed to be a slytherin. and thats how i ended there. and naturally, i wanted to be with my brother anna piped up. too late we found out how the most of the slytherins were. especially that malfoy and his gang. he wouldnt leave us alone since we came to your meeting and stood against him, he said as he motioned over to his sister and his friend bill. what about the rest of you who were at the da last time? hermione asked richard curiously. they begged for forgiveness. now they are serving him and his gang, richard said with bitterness in his voice. harry stepped forward. you are very brave to come here, he said as put a hand on richards shoulder and squeezed it gently. thank you, harry, richard said. his sister nodded. bill however stood silent and motionless.

harry was distracted as the lead. she smiled at back. and then came the aureily in the lead. at harry looked around the the houses. harry could requirements.

another students came- ravenclaws this time with cho in him as she passed him. harry returned the smile last group- gryffindor first and second years, emily five past seven, when nobody else came for a while, group and groaned. they were at least fifty from all of hardly imagine how they would fit in the room of

ok, everyone! harry yelled. every single pair of eyes turned to him. harry got slightly nervous at how much attention he got. we will now move to room where we will practice. hopefully it will be big enough. they moved to the corridor where the room of requirements was. harry paced around the corridor thinking hard. we need a room to learn how to fight, big enough for fifty people, harry though for himself as he prayed that the room would grow bigger. the new students were gazing at him stupidly and let out a gasp of surprise when the door appeared suddenly. harry opened them and stepped inside. the room grew bigger indeed- it was now a size of a large gym, but cosy nevertheless. harry sighed in relief. he turned around. all right, everybody come inside, the last one locks the door behind himself. every student entered the room and hermione and the former da members went over to harry. i want to welcome all of you in the room of requirements. this is the room we use for our meetings. if you ever need a good place to hang out, this would be it. just pace the corridor three times and think abou what you need, it will be here, harry started and the new students looked around themselves, still amazed. now, since there are much more of us then last year you were having such a meetings last year? but what abou umbridge? christian connor asked him, his mouth open. we didnt care. there are more important things than education and learning how to defend yourself is one of them. you couldnt count the lessons umbridge gave as defence against the dark arts, hermione inquired. harry was surprised to here that there were more important things than education from her. christian merely nodded. as i was saying, since there are so many of us this year, we would divide into two groups- beginners and advanced. the beginners and advanced would meet same place same time. i will be the leader of the advanced, hermione will be the leader of the beginners, he said and suddenly remembered that he didnt think how would the groups divide. then he noticed dennis creevy standing next to him. the only difference is in the level of knowledge, so i would assume first and second years as beginners and third year and above as advanced. naturally, if someone from advanced would be falling behind he would be moved to beginners and the opposite. next thing, the date of the meetings. through the week everyone will be given a galleon. those galleons are fake so dont pay with them. i will set the time on my galleon and yours will heat, so you know that i have made a meeting, harry said and glanced at his watch. now, we have like an hour left, so we shall do some basics only. divide into the two groups

now the advanced group gathered around harry. harry was thinking hard what would they do. he looked around at hermione who was already instructing her group on incitation and the wrist movement of the disarming spell. then it hit himstunning. i need cushions for stunning, he thought hard his eyes closed. when he opened them, the cushions were placed at his feet in five neatly towers. harry and the others used the locotomor charms to spread the cushions around, while the beginners were already disarming each other. the stunning spell is very useful. the incitation is stupefy and the wrist moving is like this harry begun the lecture one hour vanished very quickly, and nearly everyone wanted to continue, but harry insisted on the end. some of the students from harrys group wanted to stop as well, as their whole bodies ache because of the many stunners that were used on them. you will receive your galleon soon and i will set the next meeting as soon as possible, he said to the group of the students. the students dissolved in small groups, chatting amongst themselves, excited. time has passed and suddenly the only persons left were harry, hermione, ginny, dean and ron. this was really cool, dont you think harry? ron asked him happily. the rest of the group eyed him strangely and ron suddenly remembered that he was not talking to them. he turned around and left the room without another word. the rest of the group merely sighed. chapter 21 : questions arise hello, i am sorry to anyone who is reading my fanfic regulary that i havent updated for so long. i had lot to do- final exmas, preparing the graduation ball and death of my grandmother. thx to everyone who have waited. i know my story is bit dull, but i want to set the begining before the plot. chapter 21: questions arise harry was on his way to the potion classroom in the dungeon next day. it was wednesday and he started his classes with double period of potions. hermione and dean were walking the stairs with him, each of them on his side. harry became slowly used to the fact that he hang out with dean, seamus or neville instead of ron, who still stubbornly refused to apologise to him and hermione. well look, who it is? famous potter and two mudbloods, came the voice of malfoy they reached the classroom door. malfoy was standing already there surrounded by his usual gang. going to get another zero today now, potter? harrys fists curled up as he refused the urge to draw out his wand and curse him. he. hermione and dean just walked by the malfoys gang, ignoring him. harry and hermione took their seat in the back of the room, while dean sat next to seamus, who was already there, talking to susan bones. i wonder what are we doing today. probably something easy, so that potter wouldnt fall too much behind. i still see no reason why to keep him in this

classes, malfoy was telling his classmates from slytherin aloud. ignore him, ignore him hermione was saying silently to both of them. the door of the classroom opened, but not with its usual bang. they opened silently and proffesor strode inside, closing the door after himself. so what is going to be his todays first excuse for scarping gryffindor points? my cauldron is not standing in the centre of my desk? im not sitting straight?, he thought to himself as the proffesor strode inside. however, when the proffesor came into harrys focus, he gasped in surprise. it wasnt snape, it was sprout. harry wasnt the only one who was staring at proffesor sprout in disbelief. good morning class, she greeted them smiling. wow, its a bit chilly down here, isnt it, she said. where is proffesor snape? malfoy spat at her. manners, mr. malfoy. proffesor snape is momentarily incapable of teaching, he has some important business of his own to attend. i will teach few lessons for him. how long is proffesor snape going to be away? malfoy spat again. now, mr. malfoy, really. you raise your hand before you ask a question. i shall take five points from slytherin for that. the slytherins were staring at her in disbelief while the others looked quite pleased. now i was told that this class is very advanced, she said as she looked at the register. except for mr. potter? mr. potter, how is that possible? she asked him as she looked at him. i dont know, you should ask proffesor snape that question harry replied gloomily. well, surely it wont be that bad, she said as he shot him encourage smile. and this class holds some exceptional students as well, she said as she returned to the register. ms. granger of course and mr. malfoy, she raised her head once again as she looked around the class. hermione blushed with pride, while malfoy looked at her uneasily. so, we shall begin now professor snape told me you have covered sleeping, cheering and confundus droughts so far. today we shall continue with something very usefulthe sobering draught. now who can tell me what are the uses of sobering draught? hermione raised her hand. proffesor sprout nodded at her. sobering draught has various uses. as it name says it is used to cease effects on someones mind. it is used after alcohol, but also for example after the confundus draught or cheering charm. excellent, five points to gryffindor, proffesor sprout said beaming at hermione. now, the instructions are on the board. please, come over here and take your supplies.

it was the best potions class he had up to now. harry found it very much easier to work on his potion when he knew that he wasnt under permanent penetrating stare from snape. at the end of the class he managed to give proffesor a vial of what looked very similar to hermiones. next came the charms, where there proceeded with the healing charms. harry finally managed to cast the easiest healing charm, as he healed the minor cut on his rat. oh, well done mr. finally, now when shall proceed with is still very much potter, at last, proffesor flitwick squealed enthusiastically. everybody managed to perform the simplest charm, we more difficult one. this will mend bigger injuries although it far from mending bones or curing diseases.

they tried to perform the more complex charm for the rest of the lesson, nobody even hermione quite capable doing it. by the end of the lesson all of them were so exhausted from continuous tries that harry was glad that he had no lessons to attend after lunch, only transfiguration in the afternoon. he collapsed on the bench at the table in the great hall, hermione sat next to him a bit bitter, because of her failure. harry surveyed her for a moment. for gods sake hermione, nobody was able to perform that charm, he said to her, annoyed. hermione shot him a bit furious look. harry didnt want to get her angry any more so he loaded his plate with food and started eating. when he was halfway through his meal ginny came and took her seat in front of harry next to dean. she looked exhausted as well. binns? harry asked her, grinning. ginny merely nodded. well i thought i would never say that, but i would switch it with potions with snape anytime. looks like your wish would not be fulfilled, harry said. what do you mean? snape is gone and only god knows for how long, harry said, smiling at the thought. youre kidding, ginny breathed out. harry just widened his smile. ***** harry spent his break before the transfiguration classes just lying on the sofa in the gryffindor common room by himself. ron was sitting at the table by himself, reading some quiditch book, occasionally glancing at harry and sighing. when it was time for their transfiguration lesson they both got up and went to the classroom separately. harry sat at his usual spot next to hermione, who looked exhausted after her double period of history of magic. still think that history of magic is very interesting and very important subject, hermione? harry asked her with a grin. hermione glared at him. just after then proffesor mcgonagall strode inside and the lesson began. the transfiguration classes were always extremely difficult and this one was not an exception. harry left the room two hours later on the verge of physical

collapse, but happy that he in the end finally transfigured his spectacles to fully-functioning omniculars and back. he was surprised when madam hooch came to the gryffindor table in the great hall when he was halfway through his dinner. mr. potter, dont forget about the captains meeting. tonight at six oclock, which gives you about, she glanced at her enchanted watch ten minutes. right, harry nodded. he completely forgot about that meeting. suddenly he remembered that he had to hand over the rooster list. he took out a roll of parchment from his back and scribbled the names and the positions very quickly. dont tell me you forgot even your quiditch homework, hermione said sarcastically. harry didnt answer he merely grabbed his bag and ran to the quiditch pitch. harry, wait! a familiar voice called after him as he was on his way to the quiditch pitch. harry stopped and spun around. cho was running after him waving her hand. hi, she greeted him breathlessly. hi, he greeted her back. late as well? he asked her with a wink. cho merely grinned. when they got into the lockers room, madam hooch, christian connor and the tall slytherin captain were already there. harry and cho sat on the bench. christian mouthed greeting, harry and cho mouthed back. finally all of us are here, madam hooch said. please everyone give me the rooster of your team. harry noticed that all of the captains handed out their rooster on a neat piece of parchment, while harry gave madam hooch his ruffled piece of parchment with the names and positions scribbled. madam hooch gave him a stern look, before she pocketed it. and now, the practices ms. chang, the quiditch pitch will be yours on monday evenings and saturday mornings. mr. potter, yours will be tuesday madam hooch started but harry raised his hand in interruption. yes, mr. potter? im sorry but there is another err activity on tuesday that i need to attend, harry said nervously, thinking about the da. something more important then quiditch? madam hooch asked him, slightly offended by the idea. harry merely nodded. all right, lets have mr. connor on tuesday then proffesor, im attending the same activity as harry is on tuesday christian said, raising his hand. im not aware of any student or school activity which is on tuesdays, madam hooch said, even more offended. mr. blain, are attending this secret activity on tuesdays as well? no proffesor, the slytherin boy said. now here is someone devoted to the quiditch enough. so mr. blain on tuesdays

evenings and saturday afternoons. mr. connor, wednesday evenings and sunday mornings. and mr. potter on thursday evening and sunday afternoon. do you find that comfortable enough mr. potter and mr. connor? she asked sarcastically. yes proffesor, harry and christian said at once. and now, another think to take care off the matches. first match of this season will take place in the weekend before the hogsmeade weekend, so in four weeks. slytherin vs. gryffindor. harry shot slight grin to blain who snorted at him in contempt. the second match will take place a week after the hogsmeade weekend, first weekend of november. hufflepuff vs. ravenclaw. christian and cho nodded at each other. third, first week of march. gryffindor vs. ravenclaw. cho nudged harry in ribs and gave him a broad smile. and the last one, hufflepuff vs. slytherin, last weekend of march. the final matches will be set afterwards. any questions? madam hooch looked around herself as she finished her talk. nobody asked her nothing. very good, the trainings begin from next week. good luck, everybody. dismissed. the captains dissolved very slowly harry, cho and christian in trio, while blain w went on his own. cant wait for march, harry, cho teased him, as he nudged him in his ribs once again. yeah, well i have beaten you once i can do it again, he said, grinning. oh, we really never get to play with each other, only in the third year. do you remember what happened the first weekend.? she asked him teasingly. stop it you two, christian said, laughing. one would think you are flirting with each other you never know cho said, mainly to herself. harry felt his stomach moved uneasily. they spent the rest of the route to castle in silence. while everyone went to their common room, harry said goodbye earlier and went to the transfiguration classroom for his lessons with dumbledore. harry, nice to see you again, dumbledore greeted him. quiditch team alright, i presume. yes, harry said as he moved in front of dumbledore. im glad to hear that. we shall begin immidietly, dumbledore said as he drew out his wand, harry did the same. now, harry try the legillimency curse again. remember, concentrate. try to feel no emotion. harry drew a deep breath. he pointed his wand at dumbledore. legillimens harry became used to the familiar sensation around his whole body when the classroom dissolved again and the images from dumbledores mind appeared. the

great hall of hogwarts, decorated with red and gold colours during the leaving feast. james, sirius and remus, standing in the headmaster office, their heads lowered, were shuffling their feet nervously concentrate, no emotions, harry said to himself as he started to feel sadness for the maradauers. the image of maradauers luckily dissolved. next came the image of ms. weasly, bill weasly, ron and hermione gathered around someones bed a big black dog sleeping curled next to the bed. and then headmaster office appeared oce again. snape stood in front of the desk. the dark lord is calling us. i dont know how long i will be away this time, headmaster. he is planning something, snape said, but then the image dissolved. no, bring it back, harry thought furiously. snape came into focus again, but just for a moment. before harry could find more the transfiguration room came into focus again. dumbledore was standing in front of him smiling at him. ah, harry i left my mind linger for a while and your curiousity again seized the chance. harry fixed his eyes once again on his feet. harry, you look like your father more and more. you dont need to be ashamed. curiousity you got from your father, kindness from your mother, bravery from both of them. harry faced dumbledore again. proffesor dumbledore where is proffesor snape? what is going on? why is voldemort so quiet? and please be honest, im tired of those lies and false hopes. dumbledore sighed. alas harry, we know nothing of that. proffesor snape came to my office on monday evening and said but you saw that, didnt you? and i have had none contact with him since. it is true that voldemort is rather quiet now, compared to his reign of terror during the summer holiday. he is gathering his powers harry. more and more death eaters and dark creatures join him as we speak. giants, vampires sir, its even possible to beat him now? harry asked, depression cut in his voice. dumbledore smiled at him. there is still a hope. is this about that gem? harry asked him. dumbledore broke the eye-contact. im tired harry. we will finish our session here. goodnight, he said and left the room quickly, a look of guilt on his face. harry looked after him, his face not full of guilt, but full of anger. chapter 22 : voldemorts offer i would like to thank you all for your wonderful reviews, you make me really enjoy it. thanks to: oop_master dumbledave

chandee iwpotter ukasek happy_go_lucky chapter 22: voldemorts offer the routine on the hogwarts settled very soon and harry became used to his schedule of lessons and another activities very often. the rest of his third week past on very quickly and harry was looking forward to the next ones- there will be quiditch and his legillimens classes to attend and potions without snape for the time being. harrys life would be set back to old routes if ron talked to him again. rons mood changed slightly day by day. in the beginning of the week ron would always shot harry, ginny or hermione cold looks full of anger and evaporate from the place, where those tree were. by the weekend ron would be the same place harry was, shooting him short glances and sighing, though whenever hermione appeared he would disappear again. apparently he was waiting for some kind of apology from harry. but harry stubbornly refused to apologize and was waiting for ron to do so. harry spent the third weekend hanging out with dean and ginny, leaving always studying hermione behind. there are better times to spend the weekend than with studying, harry thought for himself as he rembered his last weekend. he got the feeling like he was the fifth wheel whenever he was hanging out wit them and would do nearly anything to get rons friendship back, but then he remembered he was not going to be the one who does the first step. ginny realized how he felt and tried to force him into talking with ron . harry found that so annoying after about fiftieth time, that he actually yelled at her. with this boredom, harry was eagerly awaiting the upcoming classes. when the potions came on the monday and instead for snape proffesor sprout would once again step into classroom, harry felt like christmas came earlier. i was deeply impressed by your performance from the last class, though some of you disappointed me a bit, she said and surveyed the class stopping at harry for a longer period. harry lowered his head. perhaps it was not snape, maybe im really useless, he though for himself. mr. potter, your work was satisfactory enough indeed, in fact i gave you two, she said, smiling. harry raised his head a note of hope in his eyes. ms. granger full marks, she continued as she searched through her notes. mr. crabbe four i would expect better work from someone marked three same goes for mr. goyle and mr. malfoy, your work was acceptable, your mark is three, mr. mcmillian, excellent work she babbled on. harry couldnt belive his luck. he managed to scarp a good mark, even better than malfoy. he looked towards him smugly. malfoy returned the most evil glare he could muster. when the class dissolved, harry couldnt stop looking forward to their next potion classes. they were much more interesting for harry, proffesor sprout appeared to know as much as snape about potions, although it was mainly the fact that she wasnt bullying him which made harry to be fond of her classes. then another thing that made harry extremely happy was when crabbe, without the

constant aid from snape, forgot to stir his shrinking draught which exploded and splashed crabbe, goyle and malfoy with the boiling potion. they were sent to hospital wing, sporting red boils and blisters. hermione looked after malfoy smugly-it was malfoy who sent her to the hospital wing last time. harry was the first one who managed to cast the eclesium curse during the defence against the dark arts. well, he was the first one after hermione, who already mastered the eclesium curse beforehand. nearly all of the students who attended the da have mastered the curse by the end of the mondays classes. harry found out that when he wasnt hanging out with ron so much, playing wizard chess or exploding snap or their endless discussions about quiditch, his class results improved slightly in other subjects than just the defence against the dark arts or care of magical creatures. he noticed that as he was not the last person master the more complex healing charm in charms or material transfiguration in transfiguration. excellent, mr. potter, five points to gryffindor, proffesor mcgonagall cried, when he managed to transform his chair to fluffy and comfortable armchair. harry was the first one who managed to cast the eclesium curse during the defence against the dark arts. well, he was the first one after hermione, who already mastered the eclesium curse beforehand. nearly all of the students who attended the da have mastered the curse by the end of the mondays classes. on the other hand harry had find it difficult to make any progress in his legillimency classes. if dumbledore concentrated with all his might he could repel harry quite easily. harry was bathed in swear from his continuous tries, but was unable to see more than two images from the headmasters mind. however, dumbledore insisted that harry was improving and that more progress would come. the da ran smoothly as well. all of the student who were at the last meeting reappeared including richard and anna grady and bill reiley. they still wore their sulky faces. richard, if malfoy is bullying you, you should tell dumbledore i mean malfoy cant think that he will get into no troubles for that, hermione said at one of the da sessions. that will be useless, most of the slytherins would stand up to him, richard said gloomily. cant you just err, switch the house? harry asked curiously. that never happened harry, i read about that in history of hogwarts, hermione inquired. there is only one way to make malfoy stop bullying us stand up to him, richard said, as he fired another impediment jinx, which he has just learned at his sister anna, who he always partnered. she managed to deflect it with the shielding charm. naturally, both of these spells were not very powerful, as anna and richard were first years only. however, they were showing a huge effort and they resembled very much to neville. harry looked at neville at this thought. he rembered what dumbledore told him about the prophecy, which would influence either harry or neville. harry was still curious whether neville would play some important part in his and

voldemorts destiny. harry was the one who was marked as equal, but still neville just managed to deflect the disarming charm lavender brown sent at him back on to her. her wand slipped from her fingers as she was thrown back. accio wand, neville said and lavenders wand flew to his outstretched hand. he then helped lavender to get up and handed over her wand. thanks, she said softly, beaming at him. harry realized that she let go of his hand not very quickly. he smiled at the sight of neville blushing furiously. nice view, ginny commented. harry didnt realize she was standing by him before she spoke. he turned red on the realization that he was caught up on staring at neville and lavender. yeah, he muttered. another think that made harry happy were the quiditch practice. harry became used to the duties of captain very quickly and enjoyed being one very much. the practices were the only time, when ron would pretend like nothing happened between them and would listen to harrys advices and ideas eagerly. he would participate with every other player in the creating of the new tactics and strategies. but as soon he changed to his school robes he returned to his old state. with the routine settled the time passed very quickly and harry was surprised when he faced the first weekend of the october, two weeks before their first match against the slytherin. he couldnt wait for chance to beat malfoy again. he insisted on hard practices and was offended when ginny told him that she remembered another captain, who she heard about, who behaved like harryoliver wood, former student of hogwarts, who graduated in harrys third year. harry was once again sitting at the table in the common room over a piece of parchment where his tactics were written. he was thinking how to implant a new beater move the creevys just invented to his tactics- the creevys path. the move was very simple, although it required two skilled beaters to perform it. the two beaters would concentrate on one player circling him, passing the bludger between themselves in case the target managed to dodge the bludger. he was distracted, when ginny joined him at the table. still working on that creevys path? ginny asked curiously as she glanced at the parchment. yeah, harry said slightly annoyed, hoping that ginny would take the lead and leave him working. she looked at her waatch. im supposed to meet dean in ten minutes in the great hall. why dont you come along? im not hungry, he said irritably. oh, come on oliver, she said in mock sort of voice. dont call me that, harry hissed. i need to finish this by tommorow, we have practice on sunday. oh, come on, harry. its friday, you should rest, ginny said. and no excuses, she said resolutely and took his hand as he opened his mouth to say something.

he sighed and dropped his quill, leaving the parchment on the table as he went to the great hall with ginny. he realized how starving he was when the smell of the food touched his nose. they sat next to hermione and dean, who were engaged in some conversation about the defence against the dark arts classes. honestly, do you all sixth years care only about school, ginny said as she planted kiss on deans face. you are the one who should devote you in the library for a very long not like your brother, she barely clear. ron was sitting three seats the time to the studies, i dont recall seeing time. you must take the o.w.l.s responsibly. whispered, after checking if the coast was from her, chatting with seamus and neville.

oh, come on hermione, ive got loads of time left, ginny said, rolling her eyes. suit yourself, hermione said and returned to her food. harry finished his dinner very quickly, he wanted to finish the quiditch tactic as soon as possible, he wanted to devote the saturday to nothing more than relaxing. he excused himself and left the great hall, walking slowly his thoughts back at the creevys path. suddenly, at the fork to the upper levels and dungeons a harry heard a familiar voice from the broom closet. dont mess up with me, grady. i had told you to stop attending the potters fanclub several times already, and what crabbe told me yesterday. crabbe? came cold voice of draco malfoy. i overherard you talking to your sister. you were talking about that club came the deep voice of crabbe, which harry recognised only vaguely because he barely heard crabbe or goyle talk. and how does that concern you?! richard yelled. me and my sister can do whatever we want to. nobody told us not to attend. am i nobody to you? malfoy spat at him. im sorry i meant nobody with competence and wit, richard said sarcastically. there was a tense silent. how you dare to insult me, mudblood?!! you and you sister, you are not worth for the slytherin house. harry wasted no more time, he banged the door of the closet open and ran inside. he stepped in front of richard just when malfoy sent his curse. arghus! malfoy cried and a red beam erupted from the tip of his wand. protego! harry waved his wand. the beam ricocheted off and hit the wall of the closet, leaving a scorch mark. malfoy glared at him in surprise. potter! this doesnt concern you. leave now and i shall forget. i concern about everyone from the da, harry said as he pointed his wand at malfoys face.

crabbe and goyle withdrew their own and pointed it at harry. harry was thinking furiously about the curse which would take three of them at once, when suddenly richard stepped at his side his wand drawn out as well. richard, go, leave it to me, harry hissed at him. no, he said with a look of determination on his face. harry surveyed him and then nodded. the five boys eyed each other for a long time. then harry drew his breath as well as malfoy to pronounce an incination. we arent fighting, are we, mr. potter, mr. malfoy? asked proffesor flitwick who appeared in the closet. they looked at him, before they faced each other again. very slowly and unwillingly they both pocketed their wands, richard, crabbe and goyle taking the lead. thats better. now everyone return to your dormitory, proffesor squealed again. malfoy and his bodyguards shot harry and richard evil glares before they left the closet. are you going to be alright? harry asked richard as proffesor flitwick left them. richard nodded. maybe hermiones right, you should tell dumbledore that would make no difference, richard said and proceeded to the dungeons. thank you harry. anytime, harry said, grinning. ***** harry went to bed exhausted that night. it was two oclock in the morning and the common room was desrted only for him when he left it. the last think he did before drifting to sleep was clearing his mind. he tried to clear his emotions, anger towards malfoy and flitwick, who stepped between them. he fell asleep, rage still surging through his body. harry found himself walking around the peaceful village of hogsmeade. the hogsmeade village was the only all-magic village in britain and harry found it somehow smoothed to be with the people from his kind. people around him were wearing robes of every colour possible. he passed around the three broomsticks from where he heard loud music and cheering- perhaps there was some kind of celebration going on. harry closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. the scent of the freshly baken cakes and various sweets from honeydunks made his mind totally relaxed. he felt as free and safe as ever. suddenly once again an arm in hogwarts robes slipped around his waist and eased her head on the shoulder. lovely, isnt it? came the voice harry recognized.

he turned around to face the girl. it was cho, beaming at him. but instead of happiness, harry felt as a surge of horror ran through his veins. cho was dead. her face was white and few bugs ran through her head, which were dirty from soil. she smiled at him sinisterly once again and he noticed there were some teeth missing. he wanted to ran away, to escape from this creature. he tug on the hand and released himself from the piercing grasp, drawing out his wand. avada kedavra! he yelled. green flash erupted from the tip of his wand and hit cho in the head. she collapsed to the ground ridiculously slowly, dead. harry felt as the surge of happiness and excitement. it was actually the first time he has killed someone and he enjoyed it very much. he looked around himself. the village of hogsmeade was not peaceful anymore- it was destroyed. all around him the buildings were partly destroyed or on fire. bodies were lying all around and harry saw few of them were dressed in hogwarts robes. he recognised the limp figures of ron, hermione, seamus, pavarti and lavender amongst the other students from the da. the only one person who was alive was ginny weasly, who was cradling a lifeless form of dean thomas. she faced him, her eyes shining with tears. what you have done? i cant belive i ever loved you! harry rolled up the sleeves of his robes. he pointed his wand at ginnys face and cracked another sinister smile. youll meet with your precious mudblood boyfriend in a minute, muggle-lover. avada kedavra! harry yelled. ginny slumped lifelessly, still hugging the limp form of dean. he looked around him and inhaled deeply. the smell of burned houses and bodies filled his body with excitement once more. very good, harry, very good, came the icy high-pitched voice and a hand patted harry on the shoulder. harry turned around and found himself face to face with person he hated mostvoldemort. he raised his wand to cast killing curse but voldemort merely outstretched his hand. harrys wand left his hand graciously. harry, youll never beat me. many have tried and died trying. you can only join me, there is no other possibility, voldemort hissed at him. ill never join you, ill never be like you, harry yelled at him. you wont? just look around yourself harry. it was you who caused this massacre, you have killed all the people. and i know you enjoyed it harry, i can still feel excitement running through your veins. once you taste the feeling of power and youll never want to get rid of it. harry looked around himself once again. the bodies of his friends lying around him filled his veins not with excitement this time, but with pity and guilt. how could i have done that? his eyes filled with tears. harry, there is no time to cry after spilled milk, voldemort said sarcastically.

we are more alike then you would confess. join me, he said and outstretched his hand. harry felt a strong sensation to take it, he actually raised his hand a bit. and then the realization came. ive never killed no one. this is just an illusion. voldemort is trying to turn me, but ill never do it. with that he lowered his hand again. this is just dream. none of it happened. im not that stupid to fall to your tricks again. this dream will end now and i shall awake in my bed at hogwarts. the smile on voldemorts face vanished, and the face of rage appeared. you may have mastered the occlumency, but i have other powers to beat you with. join me and i will spare your friends. refuse and ill kill every single one of them, not making it easy voldemort voice was angrier with every single word he said, but harry was ignoring it. the images started to dissolve as harry concentrated harder and harder. nooo! came voldemort furious scream and it echoed in harrys ears even as he woke up in his dormitory, his scar throbbing painfully. chapter 23 : victories hello everyone, finally comes a chapter with some action. i really looked forward to write this, hope you like it, it is my first quiditch fanfic thanks to everyone who reviwed my story regulary: dumbeldave ukasek oop_master chandee iwpotter chapter 23: victories harry had shared his last nightmare with nobody, he hadnt told dumbledore even. he thought that dumbledore might be angry at him because he let his incident with malfoy to disturb him so much. on the other hand, he was quite impressed himself how he managed to take control over the dream and brake the connection. he finally found some meaning in his occlumency classes. harry spent rest of the weekend thinking about some surprising quiditch tactics they would train during the practice on sunday. the upcoming match was only two weekends far and the tension between slytherins and gryffindors grew bigger and bigger through the last week. bunch of newbies on the team, dont know what potter is thinking, malfoy would mutter loudly every time he and harry passed in the corridors. he was always flashing his icy colds on gryffindor team members, snorting in contempt. harry on the other head was quite enthusiastic about his team. though it was right that most of his team consisted from new players, he hadnt any doubts in their skills. he felt very confident as he saw the creevy brothers performing their beater move and ginny, dean and pavarti were attacking the goalposts, which were protected by ron.

as the sun set, harry collapsed on the chair at the table where hermione was studying, exhausted but really pleased. hermione, on the other hand glared at him for some time, strict look on her face. o.k. hermione, what have i done? he asked with a sigh. hermione rose her head from she was reading. harry, you devote too much of your time to the quiditch, you should revise on potions. i have no problem with potions since sprout is teaching it, harry said. well in that case, remember that she is only filling in for snape. its not like she is going to teach us forever, she has herbology, you know. hermione, snape has been away for ages. what makes you think that he will appear tomorrow? be it as you wish, hermione, said rolling her eyes before returning to her book. harry was bit angry with hermione, but knew she was right same time. with a sigh he went to his dormitory and took his books. he laid on his bed and opened his potion textbook. he managed to read only few lines before he drifted into deep sleep. ***** harry woke up very late the next day, still wearing the same robes he was wearing yesterday. he couldnt really understand how he managed to sleep for so long. he washed and dressed himself very quickly and then he went to the great hall for his breakfast. finally i was starting to worry, hermione said as harry sat on the bench next to her. harry, would you mind looking over the teachers table? she said sarcastically. harry looked at the table and his heart missed a beat. sitting at the table next to proffesor sprout was none other then proffesor snape. harry gulped and gave an unease glance at hermione. harry dont you say you hadnt revised on potion yesterday, hermione scowled. harry found suddenly his feet more interesting then hermiones face. im so stupid, he thought for himself. harry spent the defence against the dark arts torn between lupins interesting talk about the other creatures who served dark wizards and the text about the sleepless draught in his potion textbook, which he was reading under his desk. by the end of the class harry thought he had read nothing for he couldnt remember anything. as the door of the potions classroom slammed shut and proffesor snape strode inside moments later, harry felt that his head was as blank as ever. as harry observed, snape looked very tired. there were huge circles around his eyes and his skin was much paler than usual. he was limping and acting like whole of his body was in pain. harry recognised that- the cruciatus curse. snape sat at his table, his eyes closed and lips trembling. he withdrew a vial of some potion and drained it in one gulp. it seemed to soothe his pain,

because when his eyes opened and focused on harry, his unpleasant glare was back on. he lowered his head and observed the class register before closing it. proffesor sprout, told me that during my absence you covered the sobering draught, shrinking draught and you just started on the sleepless draught but i would say that those potions are not worth the time, they are very much easy for this class that seems to be the reason potter finally got some good marks he droned on. yeah, probably the reason why malfoy got worse marks harry muttered under his breath. you wanted to add something, potter? snape hissed at him. harry faced him, but instead of his usual burst of temperament he merely shook his head. no, proffesor. snape looked somehow disappointed that he was stripped of the opportunity to scrap some points from gryffindor. so was malfoy and the other slytherins., who expected harry to yell at snape. but harry rembered what happened last time he lost control over his emotion. his scar throbbed up to now, though only a bit. snape withdrew his wand and waved on the blackboard and the instructions for mandrake draught appeared. is there anyone in this class who can tell the use of mandrake draught? snape asked. potter? harry remembered the mandrake draught from his second year. the mandrake draught is used for restoring the one who takes it to the original state. for example, it is used on those who were petrified by basilisk stare. snapes lip twitched, apparently he wasnt expecting harry to know the answer. and tell me potter, what is the most important ingredient for the mandrake draught? mandrake draught, by the name is made from mandrake, or mandragora, harry said, his voice shaking nervously. snapes face was got a bit redder. correct again, potter, he said and turned his head to face the class. the mandrake draught as you can see for yourself is very difficult. gather around here, everybody i will hand out the mandragora. everybody pay attention to the instructions, the mandragora is very rare. this goes mainly for you potter, snape said with a cold smile. harry silenced the sudden urge to curse him and with a sigh got up and proceeded to the snapes desk. ***** as the gryffindor against slytherin quiditch game approached harry found it very difficult to concentrate on anything other than on his captain duties. nothing could get quiditch out of his mind, not even the da. he would stay late up till night devising the new tactics, something to surprise his opponents with. each time harry and draco in the corridor they shot each other an icy glare or said something very rude.

he was falling behind his studies once again, especially potions, which made snape look happy again as he had once again a reason to fail him. but the potions were not the only subject he had sudden problems with- there were herbology and charms, even defence against the dark arts and care of magical creatures. mr. potter, id like a word, came the stern voice of proffesor mcgonagall after the transfiguration classes on wednesday, right before the quiditch match. harry gave hermione an unease glance and then walked up to the mcgonagalls desk. mcgonagall waited for everybody disappear. then she stood up and walked over to harry. mr. potter, is there something you want to tell me? she said her voice full of concern. harry eyed her curiously. she started to pace around the class talking. i was told that you really started to fall behind your classes. even the defence against the dark arts. so i ask you if its there something you wish to tell me. mcgonagall said. harry just shook his head. good, so for your own sake i think you should be stripped of the captain post. harry stared at her in disbelief. why? he stuttered. mr. potter, the captain post comes as a treat and i noticed that your school results decline more as the match is closing in. i think quiditch distracts you but proffesor harry started. it took me a great effort to get you to the potions o.w.l. classes and proffesor snape is slowly insisting on your resignation. he was the one who proposed of stripping you of your post and i can only agree, she interrupted him. you know snape, he is doing half of this on purpose harry started, but mcgonagall silenced him with a wave. harry gulped. however, i have been observing the quiditch practices and i was very impressed. i didnt expect you to handle your team so perfectly in your first year as a captain and im afraid there is no other in gryffindor suitable for this post. therefore, you will remain the captain, but i assure you, that after the match if i will see no difference, you will be replaced. am i understood? she asked him, piercing him with a stern glare. harry nodded. you may go then, mcgonagall said. harry turned around and walked to the door. he was just about to leave when mcgonagall said something else. harry, if youll ever come across of some evidence that proffesor snape is failing you on purpose i would be most delighted to hear it. ****** harry woke up on saturday morning very early. he tired to fall asleep again, but after fifteen minutes of watching on the wall he got up, dressed himself and went to the common room. he expected it to be empty, but nearly all of his

team-mates were there already. the creevy brothers were sitting on the sofa, exploding snap cards lying on the table before them abandoned. ginny, dean and pavarti were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. the common room was silent and the tension could be sliced by knife. hello, harry greeted. all of the heads turned his way and smiled. they grunted something in response. harry sat in the armchair next to the sofa, where ginny, dean and pavarti sat. everybody ready to kick some slytherins asses? he said with a grin. they all nodded, grinning nervously. and then the silence fell again. the common room started to fill up with students, all coming over to the quiditch team and patting them encouragily. ron came later and sat next to harry without a word. in half an hour, harry could stand it no more lets get something to eat, everybody. they all got up and walked to the great hall very slowly. when they took their seats at the gryffindor table they were given a huge applause, not only from gryffindor but from some of the hufflepuffs and ravenclaws as well. everyone from the da came to wish luck to harry and his team-mates personally. luna lovegood was once again wearing her lion hat, which was chewing a serpent and roaring. i worked on that in the summer, she said vaguely. harry rembered this hat from the last year, when the chewed serpent was only a mere idea. christian connor and cho chang came to wish their luck too. christian shook harrys hand and cho gave him a small kiss on the cheek. harry thanked them both, blushing a bit. the students began to dissolve slowly from the great hall towards the quiditch stadium. harry waited for everybody to disappear and then got up and went to the lockers room. they walked silently and slowly, watching their feet. they met the slytherin team, malfoy in lead in front of the lockers room. they all booed and raised their fists as the gryffindor team passed, ignoring them. they dressed into their quiditch robes themselves silently, shooting each other unease glances. the stadium began to be louder as more and more students came to the stands, chatting among themselves excitedly. harry checked his watchfive minutes to game. he walked to the door to the stadium and faced his team. all of them were looking at him, prepared to listen. apparently they were expecting some kind of speech from him. err im not a very good talker, so do your best and well win, he gave them a smile. they returned it and nodded. harry opened the door and walked into the sunlit stadium. the cheering that proceeded made him nearly deaf. harry could see very much of red and gold colour in the stands. proffesor lupin and hagrid were waving at him from the gryffindor stand. harry raised his hand and gave a wave. the cheers went even louder. so the boos from the slytherin stands, where harry could see proffesor snape standing in front, wearing silver and green shawl. and here comes the gryffindor team, came the voice of ernie mcmillian. harry looked over at the proffesor stands. ernie mcmillian was commentating, proffesor mcgonagall sitting next to him. harry suddenly rembered that lee jordan graduated

last year. potter, weasly, weasly, thomas, patil, creevy and creevy. hail the gryffindor! the stadium erupted with cheers and boos once again as all of the gryffindor team waved nervously. and here comes the slytherin house, ernie mcmillian yelled, less enthusiastic. blain, malfoy, lestrange, nott, simmons, crabbe and goyle. hail the slytherin! more boos than cheers erupted this time. madam hooch appeared on the stadium, levitating the chest with the ball before her with locotomor charm. she came to the centre of the stadium, where the gryffindors and the slytherins already gathered. she put the chest down. captains, shake your hands, she commanded. harry and blain approached each other, glaring at each other. blain tried to crush harrys hand as he shook it, harry trying to do the same. they let go, both of them rubbing their hands. madam hooch gave them a strict look. i expect nothing but a clean game from both of your teams, she said and leaned over the chest, releasing the snitch and the bludgers. harry and blain came mounted their broomsticks and kicked off from the ground. blain joined the chasers and harry flew higher, over the other players on level with malfoy. they shot each other a glare. madam hooch took the quaffle and threw it high into the air. and the game begins quaffle is immediately taken by ginny weasly, new and promising player from the gryffindor anyway she is heading for a goal posts nott is closing in she passed the quaffle to dean thomas oh, he is it by the bludger aimed from goyle and drops the quaffle but pavarti patil got it and she is heading for the goals.. evades simmons and lestrange shoots scores! ten-zero for gryffindor! the stadium erupted in cheers as ginny and pavarti gave each other five. and the game continues slytherin is in possession, lestrange heading for the goals wow, nice acrobatics there, he evades ginny weasly and pavarti patil evades the bludger shot at him from dennis weasly only keeper now he misses, slytherin scores! ten to ten! ernie groaned. the slytherin stands erupted in cheers and snape smiled mischievously. harry, who was circling around the stadium in search for the snitch groaned in disappointment. the snitch was nowhere to bee seen, malfoy was on the other end of the stadium, searching for the snitch as well. gryffindor in possession dean thomas has the quaffle and flies his way towards the slytherin posts evades both bludgers evades simmons ah, lestrange stole the quaffle, on his way to gryffindor posts wait malfoy is diving has he spotted the snitch? harrys heart skipped a beat, malfoy was in dive and the tiny snitch was hovering few yards above the ground. harry urged his firebolt slower, cursing himself. he flew as fast as he could, but he already knew that he wont make it. malfoy outstretched his hand

draco, look out! came the voice of blain. malfoy looked to his right and ducked just in time- harry would swear that the bludger sent by colin creevy brushed his hair. the snitch disappeared meanwhile. harry shot colin thumb up and grinned. colin grinned back. but the grin disappeared as he heard ernie announce the second goal by slytherin. twenty-ten for slytherin. andrew lestrange shots his second goal another promising talent. and indeed he was. for a very long period of time during harry and malfoy couldnt find the snitch andrew lestrange managed to shot another two goals and blain one to ginnys one and deans one. fifty-thirty to slytherin and the gryffindor captain calls for a timeout the gryffindor team landed on the spot where harry landed gloomily, while the slytherins circled in the air, clearly enjoying the sight. whats the problem? how come the slytherin is in the lead? harry said, a bit angry. its that lestrange boy, i bet salazar slytherin would be proud with him, he is as slimy as snake ron exclaimed. ron, i dont find that funny right now, harry spat at him. calm down harry. hes just too agile and very precise, ginny said gloomily. harry was thinking furiously for a while. madam hooch was approaching them slowly. then he made up his decision. dennis, colin, its time for the creevys passage. but we were saving the move for a desperate moment this is desperate situation, harry said angrily. madam hooch came to them. is your team ready, mr. potter? harry nodded and then he faced his beaters. they were looking at him nervously. just do it, harry said and gave them encourage smile. they nodded. and the game continues as the gryffindor team kicked off once again and ginny takes the quaffle immediately, she is speeding towards the goal posts shoots oh, lestrange cut in and takes the quaffle he is heading towards the gryffindor posts ducks a bludger ducks another one he is in the middle of the pitch and another bludger is closing in he ducks and ducks again as another one approaches what is happening? ernie commentated confused. harry stopped in his search for the snitch to look at the game. andrew lestrange was heading towards the gryffindor posts, the creevy brothers on every side of him, passing the two bludgers between them. everyone in the stands were watching the scene. apparently lestrange noticed the tactic too, because he was looking at the creevy brothers. he dropped the quaffle and flew back towards the slytherin posts. but the creevys didnt let him alone. they kept shooting the bludgers on him.

leave it, mudbloods, he yelled at them, note of fright definite in his voice. crabbe cut in and whacked one of the bludgers towards dennis creevy, who evaded it graciously and then whacked it towards lestrange. lestrange just ducked another bludger and wasnt expecting this one-it hit him in the leg. lestrange yelled in pain and let go of the broom as he reached for his leg, lost balance and fell to the ground. luckily it was not very high. yes! harry yelled at dennis and colin. dennis and colin embraced themselves. look out! ginny yelled. too late- one of the bludgers shot by goyle hit dennis in his right hand. harry could swear he heard his bone crack. dennis was holding on the broom with his left hand. harry sped towards him. are you o.k.? harry asked. yeah, my arm just hurts land immidietly and go to the lockers, harry said. but land now! harry yelled at him angrily. and then he finally saw it- the golden snitch was hovering above in the middle of the stadium. he gave a huge burst of speed, noticing that malfoy did the same on the other side of stadium. harry urged his firebolt faster, malfoy as well. the snitch was between them, they both outstretched their hands not minding that if they hit each other in such speed harrys face was concentrated, malfoys teeth were gritted harry closed his fist around the tiny ball, laid flat on his broom and wheeled in the air, missing malfoy by inches. the stadium erupted with cheers as harry rose up, his right hand with the struggling ball raised as he was smiling broad smile. he circled around the stadium giving five with students he recognised and hagrid and lupin as well. then he and the rest of the team landed and hug each other, smiling broadly. the slytherin landed nearby, malfoy kicking his firebolt in anger. harry was looking at him delighted. something bothering you, malfoy? harry asked him sarcastically. piss off, potter, he spat at him and left the stadium. harry was looking after him grinning, when the students began to fill into the stadium. all the students from the da rushed forward and were screaming in delight. hermione hugged harry in rib-breaking hug then she went to congratulate ginny. somebody tapped harry on the shoulder and he spun around. ron was standing in front of him, his eyes fixed on his shoes. harry, i just wanted to apologize i know ive been really selfish and stubborn and stupid and harry at first looked at him confused. then he grinned at him and laid his hand on

rons shoulder, who was still naming the bad characteristics he had. ron forget it. apology accepted. but im not the only one you should apologize to, you know. yeah, i know, ron said with a sigh. chapter 24 : snapes decision hello everyone thanks for your reviews it makes this worth it. im sorry but i had to make a change in schedule on monday. i had to switch transfiguration and potion. chapter 24: snapes decision harry and the rest of the team were thrown inside the gryffindor common room by a sea of hands, when they returned from the lockers after their victorious match. the common room was packed with students from every single class, all of them cheering and patting all the players. everybody insisted on shaking their head with harry or taking a photo with the team. when harry looked around the common room, he gasped in surprise. every single table was filled up with all the snacks he could imagine. what looked like a hundreds of butterbeer was in a tub, which was filled with ice. who brought all of these? harry asked unbelievably. we dont know its already been here when we came. but who cares though, neville said as he opened a bottle of butterbeer. harry grinned as he saw ron, who was surrounded by a gang of fifth years girl and was clearly enjoying the attention he got. the portrait opened moments later and dennis creevy appeared, his right hand bandaged, grinning. its not broken, just splinted, he announced happily to the whole common room. even jack sloper and andrew kirke made their way through the crowd to congratulate the new beaters. although harry could still hear a note of bitterness when they congratulated him, he didnt mind. the party had lasted whole afternoon and would have lasted much longer if proffesor mcgonagall hadnt appeared at half past nine demanding the immediate silence. only half an hour to curfew, you know. now, if ill have to come up here one more time, ill put the whole house in detention, she said sternly, but harry could see it cost her a great effort to not smile. he knew she was as happy about the match as everyone else was. harry and ron were the first ones to go to bed after mcgonagall came. they excused themselves and went to their dormitory. so have you talked to hermione.? harry asked ron as he put on his pyjamas. rons face changed from happiness to sorrow. he shook his head. guess i shouldnt be in the gryffindor. im more afraid of what would her reaction will be than i would be afraid of pack of death eaters. what if she wont listen to me?

no, ill let her settle for a moment, he said. harry felt like yelling at him for what he said, but he didnt. now, when it happened, he was very happy to have ron back on his side. ***** the euphoria from the match still ran through harrys veins even on monday, when he was having his breakfast in the great hall. he was sitting at the gryffindor table in the great hall with ron, hermione and ginny. ron still hadnt apologized to hermione, so ginny sat between them. hermione folded her newspaper few moments later and returned to her food. is there something new, hermione? harry asked her. hermione swallowed and cleaned her mouth with a napkin. nothing, she said then. hes planning something bad, i know it. come on, hermione, you worry too much. as long we have dumbledore, voldemort stands no chance, ginny said. harry recalled what dumbledore told him last wednesday- giants, vampires and who knows what other dark creatures voldemort commands. he wondered if even having dumbledore still meant something. harry, is something wrong? ginny asked him a note of concern in her voice. nothing, he said quickly as he avoided ginnys eyes. we better go, the classes begin in ten minutes. the defence against the dark arts had not come up to the usual standard- proffesor lupin looked very tired, his eyes were puffy and his skin as pale as parchment harry was writing on. then he remembered that two days ago was the full moon. perhaps lupin hadnt still recovered from the transformation. i want your essays on the holeworms next monday, lupin said. holeworms were a kind of dark creatures who lived underground in tunnels they made. some of them grew to that size that they could mean danger to a man. holeworms were gathering their preys into their lairs when they would eat them very slowly. also they very much liked shiny items so their lairs were usually full of various kind of treasure. harry, i would like a word with you, lupin said as he dismissed the class. harry packed his things, shouldered his bag and then went to the teacher table. lupin smiled at him. harry, how are you? long time, no see, he said. yeah, harry muttered. im fine. and you? lupins smile faded a little. the full moon was two days ago, you can imagine how i feel, he sighed. anyway, i have message for you from dumbledore. there will be no legillimency lessons this week. dumbledore is off for some important order business. harry licked his lip nervously. proffesor oh, quit call me proffesor when we arent in classes. im your guardian for gods

sake, you can call me remus, lupin said with a wink. o.k. proffe... i mean remus can you tell me, has something happened that perhaps the daily prophet didnt write about? i mean everything is so quiet lupin surveyed him for a very long time before he answered. unfortunately harry, the daily prophet is concealing nothing at the moment, voldemort is unusually quiet. we no longer know what his plans are. but what about snape? hes right in the voldemorts inner circle, how come he found out nothing? harry asked lupin curiously. voldemort knows there is someone in his inner circle he can no longer trust, so he keeps his plans only to himself. fortunately snape is such a good occlumenist, or he would be surely dead by now. speaking about the snape, havent you got classes with him now? harry glanced at his watch and his mouth opened in horror. the classes began two minutes ago! oh my god, hes going to kill me, harry breathed out and turned to leave. harry, wait ill write a note for him lupin called after him. you honestly think he would take a note from you? harry said on his way to the door. goodbye prof remus. he broke into a sprint as soon as he left the classroom. he managed to get to the dungeons in the record time but was still six minutes behind when he reached the door. he knocked on the door and stepped into the dimly lit potion classroom. well, well look who have came? snape said sarcastically, glaring at harry as he entered the classroom. thirty points from gryffindor. take your seat potter, quickly. harry sat next to hermione a note of disbelief on his face. thirty points for six minutes? he wondered about the lupins note again, but then he thought snape might take some more points for rudeness. what kept you? hermione hissed at him. lupin, harry said as he prepared his cauldron. he glanced at the blackboard for instructions- the second phase of mandrake potion. he prepared his supplies and then walked up to the teacher table to get a flask with mixture he made the last lessons, but the tray where the flasks usually were was empty. harry raised his head and shot snape quizzical look. yes, potter? he asked him curtly. proffesor, im afraid i cant see my mandrake potion. oh, you would call that pitiful mixture of yours the mandrake potion? snape said with a cold smile. you will do the potion from the beginning and you wont leave out of this room until you can hand out a vial with your completed mandrake potion, even if it meant staying for lunch.

harry stared at him in disbelief for a very long time. potter i said start now. another ten points from gryffindor. harry was fuming. it took him great effort to not yell at snape. he returned to his place and started working on the potion. he was working very quickly, so the potion was not completely precise, but harry didnt care. he wanted it to be done as soon as possible. he indeed stayed in the dungeons over the lunch, while the rest of his fellow students and snape went to get their lunch. after he finished his potion he filled a vial and deposited it on snapes desk. then he hurried towards the transfiguration classroom. he sat down at his usual spot between ron and hermione who were still not talking to each other. a stack of toasts in napkin was waiting before him. harry mouthed thank you to hermione who smiled at him. he was just about to bite into his toast, when mcgonagall strode into classroom. no food in classroom, mr. potter. five points from gryffindor. but harry was eyeing his toasts hungrily. i said no. you should have done your potion properly, then you wouldnt miss your lunch, mcgonagall said sternly. apparently snape had a little chat with her during the lunch. now put that away, or it will be another five points. harry put the toasts in his bag and withdrew his transfiguration textbook and his wand furiously. he could hardly concentrate because of his hunger and failed to make his own set of moving pieces for the wizard chess. when the class ended, harry shouldered his bag and wanted to disappear as soon as possible, but mcgonagall called after him. mr. potter a word if you please. harry sighed and waited for everybody to dissolve. then he went to the teachers desk. mcgonagall laid her quill and surveyed harry through her spectacles. her stare was as stern as harry ever saw. mr. potter, do you remember what have i told you last time? mcgonagall asked him sternly. harry gulped. yes, proffesor. i thought we made a deal. then why proffesor snape came and was interrupting me during my whole lunch, saying how incompetent, reckless, spoiled and i dont know what you were. now, i know that proffesor snape always favoured students from his own house and i know him and his father had some difficulties, but this is too much. proffesor snape is giving you last chance. and so am i. harry licked his lips nervously. proffesor, if you would check my marks from proffesor sprout he started. i know, ive seen them and theyre acceptable. however, she isnt the potion master here. proffesor snape and you must solve your differences. end of the discussion. you may go. harry left the classroom furiously. for what he deserved snape he didnt know. he suddenly rembered about his toasts but realized that he wasnt hungry anymore.

***** nothing could raise up harrys mood during the week. not comforting words from hermione or ginny or games of wizard chess and exploding snap. even the only thing that harry was certain would improve his mood, the da seemed somehow dull. harry didnt care that if he failed from the potions he wouldnt be able to study for auror. harry had fought dark creatures and wizards since he was eleven years old and he became tired of it. the only thing that was troubling his mind was that if snape failed him form potion o.w.l. classes he would win. he didnt want to give snape another chance for failing him so he revised on potions so hard, that even hermione was surprised. as they sat on wednesday evening, hermione was writing essay for her arithmacy classes, while harry was revising on the enlarging potion. want a game of chess? ron asked, as he appeared from the portrait. harry dont listen to that idiot. you know what mcgonagall told you, hermione said and flashed ron one of her most dangerous look. ron instead of bursting out and yelling was suddenly more interested in surveying his shoelaces instead of playing a game of chess. harry looked at his half-read notes on the enlarging potion. the he thought that snape would find another reason for throwing him out of the classes and gathered his notes and put them in his bag. hermione gave him a patronising look, before she returned to her essay muttering darkly. harry got up and patted ron, who was still eyeing his shoes, on the shoulder. lets go, he muttered. they spent the rest of the evening playing chess, exploding snap and gobstones. when ginny and dean joined them for few games of exploding snap, harry noticed how much he was enjoying himself. after a few weeks with hanging out in the library with hermione and only studying or devising new tactics of quiditch, this felt like paradise. the students dissolved slowly from common room as the sun set and the sky grew darker and darker with every game they played. harry noticed that only when ginny and dean excused themselves and went to their dormitories. he glanced at his watch. eleven. wow, the time is flowing when one is enjoying himself, he thought. ron set the chess board meanwhile and was waiting for harrys turn. ron, its late. look around you we are the only one left, harry groaned. come, just one last game. only to round up my score, ron said with a grin. the score was nine-two for ron. harry moved his peon one squares forward. then one idea struck him. ron, when are you going to apologize to hermione? ron pretended that he was concentrating hard on his new move, but harry knew that emotional battle was reigning inside him. he moved one of his peon forward. i dont know harry, it wont do any good. she is finished with me. remember what she said today. idiot, ron sighed.

harry studied the game and moved another peon forward, not really noticing the game. ron, youve got to try. you dont want to throw away five years of friendship for one stupid thing you said. ron moved one of his peon immediately and harry wished he knew what was he up to. youre right harry, ill talk to her in hogsmeade this weekend. hogsmeade weekend, i almost forget about that one, harry thought as he moved his knight forward. ron made his own turn right away, he moved his bishop forward. are you going to hogsmeade with someone harry? i mean a girl? ron asked him, changing the theme abruptly. harry merely shook his head as he moved another peon forward to cover his knight, which was in danger by rons bishop. well, it looks like we are both hopeless, ron sighed as he moved his queen forward. yeah, harry muttered as he moved one of his peons to threaten rons queen. ron ordered his queen forward. it wrestled the peon who was standing next to harrys king and threw it out of the chess board. check mate, ron said, with a grin, which didnt reach his eyes. chapter 25 : the last hogsmeade visit hello everyone, i finally managed to get to the chapter for which i was waiting for ages. hope you like it. please read and review. chapter 25: the last hogsmeade visit the classes on thursday and friday passed very quickly and harry found himself with the great hall sitting at the gryffindor table and having his dinner with ron and hermione. they were eating quietly, when ginny joined them, beaming. harry couldnt understand, why she looked so happy. her last classes were double period of potions with snape that always made harry miserable. what are you so happy about? he asked her curiously. oh, its nothing, i just had another interesting lesson of potion, ginny said, still smiling. so then what are you so happy about? double period with snape, that would surely spoil my friday, ron piped up. ginnys grin even widened. who told you i had potions with snape? harry and ron gazed at her stupidly. proffesor sprout is filling for him again, he is away. harry cracked a grin too. i hope he wont be back too soon.

hermione on the other hand didnt look very enthusiastic about the idea. in fact, her looked suddenly changed and she muttered something darkly. come on hermione, sprout isnt that bad, harry groaned. its not this. only its odd snape was gone nearly for three weeks and now hes gone again well its obvious where he has gone i wonder whats going on hermione muttered under her breath. ginny, ron and harry looked at her, confused. oh, probably its nothing. guess i am a bit paranoid, hermione said and returned to her food. harry and the weaslys changed a question look and they returned to their food. ***** when harry woke up next morning and looked outside of the window, he thought that there was no better weather for hogsmeade than this. the sky was clear, despite the upcoming winter. there was a light breeze blowing and harry could only hope he would have weather like this during one of his remaining quiditch matches. he began to looking forward to hogsmeade as he ate hi breakfast with ron, hermione and ginny. what are you lot going to do in hogsmeade today? ginny asked them. rons eyes rested on hermione for a moment before he shot harry a nervous glance. nothing special, i guess, he said. yeah me too, harry added. im not still really sure if i want to go, its getting bit boring there, hermione said silently. ron looked horror-struck at the idea. as harry noticed his look, he faced hermione. come on, hermione, youve got to go, you cant rot in libr i mean the castle for whole year, harry pleaded her. hermione looked offended, but nodded nevertheless. thank you, ron mouthed at harry. harry grinned at him. after the breakfast all the students, who were allowed to go gathered in the entrance hall, where they formed a line. filch, the hogwarts caretaker was standing next to the opened doors, checking every student on his list. he glared at harry and the others as they passed him, muttering something under his breath. harry cracked a grin as the pack of students was approaching the village of hogsmeade on the dusty path. it felt so wonderful to be outside again. he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. the touch of warmth from the sun felt so relaxing. he opened his eyes again and saw ginny, who was walking hand-in-hand with dean grinning at him. he grinned back at her.

they got to the hogsmeade village soon and stopped in front of the three broomsticks. a sudden awkward silence arose. hermione, can i have a word with you? ron asked her nervously, looking at his shoes. hermione looked at him and harry was sure she would refuse first, but then she sighed. o.k. she breathed out and they both disappeared into the three broomsticks. another awkward silence arose as harry turned his face to ginny and dean. harry, you wanna hang out with us? dennis creevy, who appeared out of nowhere with neville, seamus lavender and pavarti asked him. yeah, sure, harry said in relief. well, i guess ill see you guys later, harry said to ginny and dean and walked away with dennis and the others. they walked around the village of hogsmeade for a very long time, looking into shop-windows, girls into robes shop and boys into the quiditch supplies shop. they stopped briefly at honeydunks to get some of their favourites and were walking around the familiar places, chewing their sweets. as they passed the hogs head, they remembered how they founded the da there and the funny stories from their practises. harry was laughing aloud and as much as he hadnt for a very long time. they met several people from the da from hufflepuff and ravenclaw. cho chang smiled at harry, when she passed them hand-in-hand with michael corner. although harry wasnt interested in her anymore, he could only wonder, why her smile still made him flush. they stopped for chat with christian connor, ernie mcmillian, justin finch-flitchey and other hufflepuff in front of the three broomsticks. they agreed on some butterbeer and were just about to enter the three broomsticks when hermione stormed out of the pub, looking livid. hermione, what harry started, but hermione passed him without a word, crying. hermione, wait! ron yelled as he emerged from the pub, but too late. hermione disappeared. harry faced ron. it didnt go well, i presume. mate, i have never seen her like this, ron groaned. its going to be fine, ron dont wor argh! harry yelled and collapsed on his knees. he reached for the scar on his forehead. it erupted in sudden pain, like his head was target of cruciatus curse. he felt like his head was about to burst. harry! what is it?! ron and pavarti kneeled next to him, while the rest of the group were watching him, trace of fear in their looks. lavender gasped loudly and neville drew arm around her. my scar something terrible is about to happen harry breathed out through his gritted teeth. the pain eased a bit, but harry was rubbing his scar nevertheless. harry, what happened?! came the voice of remus lupin. harry raised his head in surprise and found out that proffesor lupin was standing

next to him, flanked by a large group of members of the order of phoenix and wizards dressed in aurors robes. it looked like at least fifty of them. harry could recognise tonks, kingsley shacklebolt and dawlish in the front line. my scar what is happening? harry asked him. harry, voldemort is going to attack soon. hide in three broomsticks quickly and floo away. now! lupin yelled at him. what?! harry yelled. this cannot be happening, he thought desperately. and then he heard a scream from the distance. he got up and turned around. the surroundings became more darker every second and harry felt a familiar sensation like an icy shower. kill the spare! he heard a cold high-pitched voice he recognised in the back of his head. he shook his head viciously to get rid of it. dementors. and then he smelled a scent of rotten meat and when he looked in the distance he could see a huge group of figures staggering towards the village. alongside them four giants, tall as four storeyed buildings, were running towards the hogsmeade village in great strides. harry could see their faces even from the distance- rage and bloodlust. everyone brace yourself. harry, gather your friends and get inside the pub. now! lupin commanded and drew out his wand. harry saw that the rest of his companion did the same, as well as the villagers. there were many loud pops and many persons, dressed in black robes and hooded appeared. harry and his friends ran inside the pub, where madam rosmeta was already organising the evacuation. more and more people came inside the three broomsticks, mainly women and children or students dressed in hogwarts robes. harry, whats going on? ginny weasly said as she joined harry with dean. voldemorts coming harry said, still in disbelief. harry, hermione is still outside! ron yelled in frustration. weve got to do something, he continued and tried to get back on the street. christian connor tugged on the collar of his robes. let go of me! ron yelled. are you mad?! there are death eaters and dark creatures out there, christian yelled. they could hear another shrieks from outside and see flashes of curses behind the window. come along, hurry, harry could hear madam rosmeta yells. harry looked around on faces around him. they were looking at him like they were expecting some order from him. come harry potter its your turn, madam rosmeta said and tugged on his robes. harry faced her. im not going.

madam rosmeta snorted. of course, you are now quickly. harry shook her hand off his robes. im tired of running. im staying. are you completely insane, she yelled at him and tried to reach him once more. harry drew out his wand and pointed it steadily on her. im not going. dont touch me or ill curse you. you are as spoiled as your father was! she yelled at him, on the verge of tears. well, come on, she motioned towards the rest of the students flanked around harry. ron stood next to harry and shook his head. you are completely insane, all of you! she screamed in frustration and ran towards another group of people. harry turned around and faced all of his fellow students. im staying. you should all go. no way, ginny said and drew out her wand. ginny, move your ass towards that fireplace. you know what mum would tell me if ron said. sod off, ginny said a look of determination on her face. you thought you could fight some death eaters without us? cho chang said as she appeared from the bar, michael corner, luna lovegood and padma patil with her. all of them had their wands out. cho, ginny everyone you should go this is not your fight. harry tried, but all from the group shook their heads and stood still. i want to pay them back for cedric, cho said, her voice shaking slightly. cho, this is not some kind of game, you can be killed! harry yelled. forget it, im not leaving, she said stubbornly and folded her hands. harry, we are wasting time here hermione ron stuttered. harry could see this will do no good. he nodded briefly and went to the door. he shot last glance behind his shoulder. his friends were looking at him, determination in those faces, perhaps some fear in their eyes, but also excitement. harry opened the door and stepped out. imidietly a silver beam appeared from nowhere, missed harrys head by inches and hit the bar door, leaving a scorch mark. harry wheeled around at the death eater, who was preparing for his next curse. stupefy! harry yelled quickly. a stream of red light erupted from harrys wand and hit the death eater in stomach. he collapsed to the ground unconscious. come on, he yelled over his shoulder and they left the bar. the scene was horrid. the smoke hung thickly over the village of hogsmeade, shading the sky completely as several buildings were already on fire. bodies were lying sprawled in the streets. harry could see many bodies of death eaters

and villagers as well as few aurors and hogwarts students. most of them were lying motionless, their eyes wide open without a trace of light, some of them were moaning silently. harry, what are you doing outside?! lupin, who appeared from other street yelled at him. get your ass to hogwarts. im not leaving, he yelled at him. harry lupin started but never finished as one of the giant appeared. he made a grab for lupin and tonks who dodged quickly. dawlish hadnt so much luck. the giant grasped him in his huge hand and raised his into the air. dawlish dropped his wand and was waving his hands hopelessly, shrieking. the giant merely smiled viciously and tightened his fist. harry could hear sickening crunch and dawlish collapsed in giants fist. it tossed him aside viciously. conjuctivum! lupin yelled as he aimed at the giant head. the azure blue beam shot from the tip of lupins wand and hit the giant in its eye. he grabbed for it, howling with pain. it was stamping around himself in rage, blinded. stunners, on the count of three! lupin shouted. he, tonks, another five aurors and the members of order and harry and his friends pointed their wand at the raging giant. onetwothree, stupefy! all of them yelled in once. at least twenty stunners hit the giant at the time. he ceased moving and collapsed to the ground, crushing a small house and few bodies underneath him. harry felt a wave of triumph, which disappeared suddenly as he heard girls screaming. it was hermione. he ran towards the place from where the scream came. one of the death eaters appeared before him. petrificus totalus, he yelled without stopping. the death eater collapsed to the ground, rigid as board. harry ran and ran when he reached a small compound. he was horrified by the sight. several bodies lay around, some of them being a feast for zombies. hermione was covering a very young boy, who was cradling a lifeless form of some woman. her otter patronus was gambling around them in circles, but was unable to repeal all of the dementors which were approaching them. expecto patronum, harry yelled and was surprised to see not only his stag but also a lion, a bullfrog and a rabbit charging towards the dementors. eclesium! came the voices of ginny, dean, cho, michael and luna. several of the zombies collapsed to the ground in a heap of rotten meat and clothes as the silver orbs hit them. harry and ron ran towards hermione, who collapsed to the ground whimpering hysterically. harry ron im so sorry, i failed she breathed, and then she closed her eyes. whats wrong with her?! hermione! ron yelled as tears appeared in his tears. enervate, harry muttered. nothing happened, her eyes were still closed.

is she ron started, but didnt finished the sentence. he burst crying instead. no, she is breathing, harry assured him. come on, lets get out of here. ron lifted her body and cradled her in his hands. they were just about to run, when several death eaters appeared at the compound and started shooting curses at them. as a green jet of light passed over his head, he spun around. impedimenta! he cried. the death eaters fell to the ground, struggling against the jinx. run! he yelled at his friends. they broke into a sprint, ron slower then others as he was carrying hermione. they returned to the main road, when harry stopped abruptly. in the distance he could see lupin and tonks crouched behind a overturned cart. tonks was attempting to revive one of the aurors, while lupin was shooting curses at three death eaters, who were attacking them. theyre trapped, weve got to help them, ginny said. come on, lets flank them, harry ordered and they moved back to the narrow streets. they walked very silently, harry always checking around the corners. they stopped when harry could see the backs of the death eaters, who were still firing curses at lupin and tonks and were laughing in insanity. on my mark stunners, harry whispered. all of his comrades nodded. now! he yelled. they all aimed at the death eaters. stupefy! harry yelled. the familiar red beam erupted from his wand, but before it could reach its target it was deflected by another red beam. harry looked from where the other curse was fired. draco malfoy, flanked by crabbe, goyle, lestrange, nott and the rest of his gang emerged from a street between harry and the death eaters. he was sneering at harry. bad luck, potter, he spat at him and the rest of his gang smile heartidly. harry felt a rage like he hadnt before. he put all his anger to one single curse. stupefy! he roared. protego! malfoy cried, but the stunner shattered the shielding charm easily and hit malfoy in the head. malfoys turned to red for a while. then he began shaking and collapsed to the ground. crabbe, goyle and the others were staring at him in disbelief. then they turned their faces back to harry and pointed their wands at him, her faces furious. knive lestrange started. argh nott started. they never finished as about ten stunners hit all of them. the death eaters at the end of street were distracted by the commotion and wheeled around. they pointed their wands at harrys group.

crucio! yelled death eater. harry recognised voice of lucius malfoy from beneath the hood. susan bones collapsed to the ground screaming and twitching on the ground. kniveous! one of the death eaters yelled. the silver beam hit dennis creevy in his stomach. dennis yelped in pain as he collapsed to the ground. he touched his wand, which was bleeding heavily and then fainted. you bastards! stupefy! harry yelled. stupefy! yelled ginny, dean, cho, seamus, lavender and pavarti at once. the death eaters tried to hide behind the building to avoid the stunners. one of them was hit in leg with two of them and collapsed. quickly, hide in that building, harry shouted. and pointed at the nearest house. they all nodded and dean took the limp form of dennis creevy while ernie mcmillian helped susan bones. harry ran as fast as he could, when lucius malfoy appeared from behind the building. immobilus! harry couldnt move. he just stuck in the middle of his step. few metres from him, ginny stood froze, also immobilized. lucius malfoy was walking towards them very slowly. great friends you choose, potter. they abandon you in the middle of the battle. and look who is this. young ms. weasly well i should enjoy this very much. crucio! ginny collapsed to her knees as malfoy lifted the immobilus curse. she was shrieking in pain, rolling madly. stop! harry yelled. take me, leave her! dont worry potter, i will take care of you in a moment. but i shall finish with this scum first, he turned his face to ginny and lifted the cruciatus curse. i want you to know one thing before you die. you will meet with your family very soon. what do you mean? ginny sobbed. lets say bellatrix is visiting your house at the moment, malfoy said with a cold sneere. you lie! ginny yelled at him, but started crying nevertheless. malfoy just snorted as he raised his wand and pointed it at ginnys face. harry closed his eyes. he couldnt bare another death of one of the person he loved most. avada kedavra! something heavy fell to the ground. no!! ginny screamed.

harry opened his eyes. lying before ginny was a limp form of dean thomas. he was dead. ginny was cradling his lifeless body. malfoy was totally distracted by the scene, so he didnt notice ron and seamus emerging from the building. finite incantatem! seamus cried, pointing his wand at harry. he felt his body again. impedimenta! ron yelled pointing his wand at malfoy. he collapsed to the ground, struggling. harry, quickly, come here, ron yelled at him. harry ran to ginny. come on, he urged her. she didnt move, she was just cradling deans body and sobbing histerically. ginny, if you wont move you would make his dead futile, harry said. she ceased sobbing abruptly and raised her head. harry helped her on her feet and supported her as they went to the house. look out! ron shouted. harry spun around but was too slow. malfoy was already standing, he broke free of the impediment jinx. expelliarmus! malfoy cried. harrys wand flew from his hand. now, potter, you shall die. avada kedavra! everything seemed to slow down as the green flash was nearing harry. this is it, he thought. expecto patronum! came the snapes voice and a huge bear appeared before harry. as the avada kedavra curse struck it, it exploded into thousands pieces of silver vapour. harry turned around. standing not far away from him was none other than proffesor snape. run, potter! he spat at him. ah, we see where your loayalities are now, severus. lord voldemort will be mostly pleased. stupefy! malfoy shouted. prot snape tried, but the stunner hit him and he collapsed. harry was starting at the scene, unable to move. malfoy moved over to snape and spat at him. then he turned his face back to harry. now, potter, where were we he sneered and pointed his wand at harry again. avada a green flash of light appeared out of nowhere and missed malfoy by inches. he spun around. remus lupin was running towards him, his wand drawn. behind him harry recognised tonks and kingsley catching up. malfoy got a hold of snapes body and disappeared with loud pop. remus harry started, but then his scar erupted in pain again and he fainted. chapter 26 : the gem of power

hello everyone, i hope you enjoyed last chapter very much. things are going to get quiet for a while now, but dont worry there will be another action. chapter 26: the gem of power harry jerked his eyes open as he woke up with a start. the images of the battle he fought were still flowing through his head. dementors attacking hermione, zombies feasting on hogwarts students, ginny holding lifeless body of dean and finally a jet of green light nearing him. he didnt know where he was and what was the time. he even couldnt understand how come he wasnt that- the image of avada kedavra curse nearing him was the last he remembered. his eyes were foggy because he didnt have his glasses. he spotted his wand lying on a table on his right. he took it. accio glasses, he muttered and his glasses zoomed from nowhere to harrys hand. he put them on his face and scanned the room around himself. he was here and not only once, although he never saw it so crowded. harry was lying in one of the bed of the hospital wing. beds all around him were occupied by many persons. harry saw draco malfoy lying next to him and his face twisted in sudden anger. it was all his fault. if he didnt deflect harrys curse, lucius malfoy would never know harry was behind him and all could happen in different way. dean wouldnt be dead, colin wouldnt be injured and malfoy would be captured. but another voice sounded in back of his dead. no, its not his fault. you lead them, remember? harry shook his head and tried to get rid of that nagging voice. he looked around the rest of the room. several other figures harry recognised lay in the beds around him. there was susan bones, sleeping and hermione, who was lying also asleep. ron was sitting next to her, his hand holding her and he was whispering something under his breath. next to hermione was ginny, who was asleep as well. ginny how can i face you now, harry thought for himself. a quite large group stood next to the door to the hospital wing. dumbledore, lupin, madam pomfrey and minerva mcgonagall were talking amongst themselves, when dumbledore suddenly spotted harry was awake. he excused himself and walked to harrys bed very quickly. harry was afraid dumbledore would be angry with him. he disobeyed direct order from his teacher and put many of his friends in danger. indeed, dumbledore was not sporting on of his usual faces. he looked as old as ever, his face suddenly wrinkled more than harry ever noticed. harry, are you alright? dumbledore asked him quickly. well, i guess so profess harry started. no time to spare, harry, dumbledore interrupted him. can you walk? i think so harry muttered taken aback by dumbledores curtness. good, i need you to come to my office, straight away. i belive you do know the password. and take mr. weasley along, please, dumbledore said and marched

out of the room. at the sound of rons name, harry rembered what lucius malfoy said. i want you to know something before you die. youll meet with your family very soon. bellatrix is visiting your house at the moment, lucius told ginny. harry heart raced suddenly. no, not another weasley, he thought furiously. he got up and changed into his school robes, which were hanged on a chair next to his bed very quickly, thinking what he would tell ron. he walked over to where hermione lay and tapped ron on his shoulder slightly. he turned his head very quickly and harry saw that he was crying again. what is it, harry? he sobbed. is she going to be o.k.? harry asked as he kneeled next to hermiones bed, taking her other hand on his and rubbing it. it was very cold on touch, yes, she is sleeping now. we came on time, ron said a note of relief on his face. why are you crying then? he asked him silently. its the only one thing thats left. she could have died tonight, we all could have died. harry, i heard lucius malfoy speaking about bellatrix he sighed. harry gulped. they refused to tell me what is going on. do you know something, harry? no harry breathed out. he didnt know how to say this. umm, listen dumbledore wants me to speak with him and you also. a note of fear appeared in rons face. so its true then. harry took his hand and squeezed it in comforting way. i dont know what does he want. what other thing than this could be it, ron sighed but he got up nevertheless. they marched to the dumbledores office in silence. as they appeared in front of the gargoyle, which was guarding the entrance ron stopped abruptly. zonko, harry said, his voice shaking slightly. the gargoyle sprang aside and let harry and ron inside. they climbed the circular stairs and opened the door to the dumbledores office. it looked much alike like the last time. the portraits of the old headmaster and headmistress were chatting amongst themselves excitedly. when harry entered all of the heads turned to him. they surveyed harrys face and finally the portrait of headmaster armando dibbet spoke. i belive the rumours are correct, he said. harry barely nodded. then he felt as something landed on his shoulder. he turned his head and saw fawkes, the phoenix sitting on his shoulder. he felt as great amount of depression lifted from his body. he stroked its head and it started singing. harry could see rons face grew brighter as the tune sounded.

the door of the headmaster office opened again and dumbledore, accompanied by mr. and mrs. weasly strode inside the room. mum, dad! ron yelled happily and ran to them. mrs. weasly hugged him tightly and started to cry. mr. weasly patted both his wife and his son and harry could see a huge tear appeared in his eye. harry! mrs. weasly cried as she released her son and ran towards harry to hug him as well. dumbledore was looking at the scene, a bit of the twinkle and the smile on his face back again. what happened malfoys father said ron started. oh, when ill lay my hand on that bastard mr. weasly muttered angrily, closing his fists. mrs. weasly took one of her husbands hand and squeezed it tightly. all of them looked at dumbledore. as you all surely know, we had one of our spy amongst the voldemorts inner circle. i belive that all of you are aware of the fact that this spy was none other than severus snape. it has been very difficult to make voldemort belive severus never betrayed him. thanks to occlumency, severus was able to convince voldemort a bit, but he never got back his lost trust. in fact, lord voldemort barely trusted anyone since his downfall and rebirth so it was very difficult to predict his plans, which he shared with no one. that is the reason why tonight events could happen. what do you mean by events? harry asked him curiously. dumbledore sighed and looked very old once again. harry, the attack on hogsmeade wasnt the only one. there was an attack on hogwarts also and many other attacks on muggle-born families and ministry representatives. harry and ron stared at him in disbelief. mr. and mrs. weasley merely lowered their heads yes, its true. the attack on hogsmeade was meant to be only a pure diversion. the purpose wasnt only to destroy the village, as much of professors as possible would come to aid the defences and the castle would be left defenceless. so, thats why i havent seen you in hogsmeade harry breathed out. yes, luckily i was alerted by severus beforehand. severus was assigned as leader of one of the groups who should do their killing raids amongst the wizards families all around the britain. when the death eaters got their orders and departed, severus managed to overpower the rest of his group. unfortunately, one of the death eaters managed to escape and his cover was blown. he flooed to hogwarts immediately and told us about the voldemorts plans providing us with the names of families which were about to be eradicated. one of the names was the weasleys. mr. weasly tightened his hand around his wife and son as dumbledore spoke and when he came to the part of the names, mr. weasly sighed. albus came to burrow just in time. we were just about to floo out when the death eaters came. if severus wouldnt found out we would all be dead, mr.

weasley took the lead. what about the burrow? ron asked sadly. destroyed the dark mark above the ruins, ms. weasley continued. then she faced harry. which is why we are here. harry, the burrow is destroyed and all the possession we had is lost. we wanted to ask you if we could err stay at the grimmald place. just for a while. lupin as the keeper of siriuss possession has already approved, but we wont move in until you approve, since the house will be yours soon mrs. weasley said blushing furiously. harry knew that the weasleys were very embarrassed about their poverty and he could imagine how mrs. and mr. weasley felt pleading him. of course, you can stay as long as you wish, harry said. oh, thank you harry, mrs. weasley breathed and launched herself on harry, hugging him tightly. mr. weasley extended his hand and harry shook it. he grinned at ron and prayed that the weasleys wouldnt find a new house to early. then he remembered about the attacks. what about the other families? he asked dumbledore with a fear in his voice. alas, not everyone was as lucky as the weasleys. we managed to save many lifes but harry, nevilles longbottom both grandmothers and grandfather are dead so is the family of luna lovegood. harry was thinking furiously. the weasleys the lovegoods the longbottoms and than a horrid idea struck him. sir, what about the grangers? what? what hermiones family has got to do with this? she is muggle-born, ron exclaimed. dont you realise?! luna, you, ginny, neville and hermione? voldemort avenges for the night at the department of mysteries, harry yelled and faced dumbledore for conformation. dumbledore nodded. indeed, youre right harry but dont be afraid, the grangers are safe for the moment. very disturbed, but safe nevertheless. where i finished? ah, yes proffesor snape told me about the prepared attack on hogwarts and hogsmeade i dispatched lupin to the hogsmeade and severus to alert the ministry. he was then to stay there, but he went to hogsmeade instead and the rest you know. harry suddenly remembered about dennis creevy. sir, what are the causalities? what about dennis creevy, i couldnt see him in hospital wing. dennis creevy is currently at st. mungos. he has sustained serious injury by the kniveous curse but is out of the danger for now. i would say he owes his life to young ms. cho. oh, how wonderful healer she would surely became. proffesor sprout received several bites from zombies, but thats nothing which would a week in st. mungo didnt take care of. alastor moody is at st. mungo as well, he was under the cruciatus curse for quite a period, dumbledore said and sighed.

we managed capture two killed, one kabazan. we

to capture several death eaters before they fled. we also managed to giant- a giant and a giantess to put it right. one giant was managed to flee with the death eaters. we have instated a new prisondevoted the control of the prison to more devoted guards.

however, we are to face many terrible losses. the hogsmeade village is destroyed. many aurors and members have died defending hogwarts and the village of hogsmeade. many villagers died as well. the estimated death toll for hogsmeade only is at least one hundred people. harry, seven of your fellow students have died. proffesor snape disappeared, most probably he was taken captive. harry closed his eyes as he tried not to cry. so much death and suffering. a great sorrow was feasting on his insides and then another emotion came- the anger. these deaths, now matter how they were sad there were only distraction. all these people died just to make sure everyone was out of the castle. the only thing harry wanted was to strangle voldemort with his bare hands, to crush his face with his foot. molly, arthur, i would like to speak with harry alone, dumbledore said quietly. of course, mrs. weasly said. come on, ron, she dragged disappointed looking ron out of the room. as the door of the office closed behind the weasleys, dumbledore faced harry. i can understand whats bothering you, harry. you want to know why are so many lives in vain. and i shall tell you that right now, dumbledore said calmly. harry raised his head. finally, i will get some answers, he thought. was the attack on hogwarts about the mysterious gem? harry asked. dumbledore put down his glasses and folded them. yes, indeed. voldemort was after this gem since he knows it was found harry, are you familiar with the lost continent the atlantis? i have only a vague idea. wasnt it destroyed during some flood or something. but that is only a legend harry said confused. i assure you, the atlantis existed, dumbledore said calmly. he was silent for a moment, thinking about something. harry, those who dont posses the magic powers will be always afraid of them. i dont know why this is, but i ca tell you that on the atlantis it was different. muggles and wizard and witches lived amongst each other peacefully. that is perhaps the reason for the high technological level of those from the atlantis i always said that magic always comes together with science and the opposite. some archaeologists believe that the people from atlantis even managed to contact the life form from another planet, but that is only nonsense. what is certain is that the people from atlantis were very gifted and peaceful. thats fascinating proffesor, but i dont know what is the connection, harry said already a bit dizzy from the information he absorbed up to now. patience, harry patience. now, the people from atlantis build a big city. and big city requires a lot of energy and their scientists spend years on developing the effective fuels but werent very successful. and then they found a new mineral deep under the surface. this mineral was scattered in some sort of cave. it proved to be full of energy and the people started using them. but the feeling of envy is inevitable. soon the demands, were to high and more of the

material was to be found. the people cut very deep, where they found a vein and also a rout to their doom. a plan for efficient mining was to be developed. and who knows, they would might find some if the demands werent so high. at the end, they decided to use the easiest route- some sort of think the muggles call explosives. the vein of the material absorbed the energy of the explosion and it energy increased beyond the maximum. the vein exploded, causing several earthquakes and other seismic activity. the whole island was destroyed and it sink, dumbledore said and paused. harry was staring at him with expectation. the mineral was presumed to be lost as well as the atlantis. it would be much better like this, dumbledore sighed. harry, does a name leonardo machello sounds familiar? harry shook his head, starting to get annoyed by the history lesson dumbledore was giving him. he didnt need another questions, he just needed answers. leonardo machello, was one of the greatest alchemist that ever lived and he was also my friend. he helped another friend of my mine, nicholas flamel, with the preparation of the philosopher stone. he died only recently. when i found out about his age i was very surprised. apparently nicholas was not the only one profiting from the properties of the philosopher stone. anyway, harry another secrets revealed after his death. alongside with many other things he left me a very strange parcel. when i touched the parcel, i felt like i was young again. as fresh and as full of power as again. leonardo machello left his diaries, which revealed many secrets about him. according to the diary, machello was great descendant of one of the only survivors who managed to escape from atlantis. only twenty of them survived. they promised each other that they would never tell anything about the atlis, thats what the mineral was called. they all saw the power of atlis and were afraid. all but for one, which was one of the machellos ancestors. he managed to save one piece of atlis, thought it might come useful sometimes. and so the machellos family became the keepers of the atlis. machello was very gifted alchemist and decided to make some experiments to understand the atlis. he came to one conclusion- the atlis gave the bearer extreme magic powers and as far as we know its the only thing capable making a most powerful wizard from squib or even a muggle. machello realised how dangerous atlis could be, so he kept the experiments for himself. up to now. "so this is how i became the keeper of the atlis. i realized how much danger is in that gem. iput it into the gringott's where i thought it would be safe. but voldemort has cunning and resourceful spies. he found out about the atlis.it was no longer save in gringott's so i took it." harry gazed at dumbledore confused. he was very tired and would change these information for a nice nap in an instant. harry, the atlis is stored here at hogwarts, dumbledore said. harry stared at dumbledore in disbelief. he suddenly understood why his scar hurt for the second time- voldemort failed to get the atlis. harry felt sudden pang of rage towards dumbledore. what do you mean? you cant be serious about this. it should better be destroyed.

dumbledore sighed. harry, i have another plans with the atlis. what are those plans? harry asked him calming slightly. alas, i cant tell you that know. oh, here we go again harry muttered through his gritted teeth to himself. harry, i cant tell you this for your own safety. but i promise you, you will find out soon. sooner than you think, dumbledore said. now, please i need you to return to your dormitory. its getting late and you should be in your bed resting. there will be gathering tomorrow during the lunch. until that dont leave your dormitory. in fact you wouldnt be allowed to, dumbledore said. now, i have an urgent order meeting to attend, he said and moved over to the grate. he took a pinch of floo powder from the pot on the grate and thrust it into the flames. the flames roared emerald green. see you tomorrow, harry. and harry... let's keep this between us, right? he said and stepped into the grate. grimmald twelve, the noble house of black, he said clearly and disappeared. harry stood up and left the headmasters office once again angry with dumbledore for concealing the facts from him. he walked to the common room thinking about what dumbledore told him, the attacks, the victims, the atlis. he still couldnt think about reasonable reason why to keep it when he reached the portrait of the fat lady. her eyes were puffy, apparently she was crying. pass-password? she stuttered. threstral, harry said and the portrait swung open. it was seven oclock and the common room was usually packed with people but tonight it was almost deserted. neville and lavender sat on one of the coaches. neville was crying, the news about his family disturbed him very much. lavender had her head on his shoulder and she was crying as well, holding nevilles arm. ginny was sitting on the sofa, which used to be her and deanss favourite alone crying. ron and hermione were nowhere to be seen. harry walked over to the sofa where ginny sat. mind if i sit here? harry asked her, feeling stupid. ginny raised her head and merely shook her shoulders. harry sat. there was a long pause of silence. ginny, im sorry about dean harry started. ginny started crying again hysterically. harry patted her on her hand slightly. if i havent stayed in first place harry muttered. oh, no dont you go blaming yourself for what happened. you havent killed dean. it should be i who should feel guilty. and not only for staying alive.

what do you mean? harry asked her, feeling he would like to be anywhere in the world but here. i wanted to break up with him. i never loved him, but he was so nice to me after michael dumped me for cho i felt like using him. and than this happens she breathed during her sobs and then she buried her face in her hand and started shaking hysterically. come on, its going to be o.k harry comforted her. oh harry, she wailed and launched herself on him, hugging on him tightly. please, i dont want be alone i wont leave you, harry said. she tucked her face under his chin and was crying into his robes. harry felt very sorry for her, but deeply inside he couldnt help to feel excited abou this. what is happening to me, he asked himself. instead of answering, he hugged ginny even more tightly. chapter 27 : back at grimmald place hello everyone, sorry i havent updated sooner i just couldnt get to the computer with internet. i have got a week of holidays now so you could expect a lot of updates now. :-) thanks to everyone who reviewed my story, im really looking forward to cross the 100 line. so please read and review. thank you chapter 27: back at grimmald place as the first rays of sunlight bathed the dark common room in light, harry yawned. he hadnt slept a minute this night. his eyes were stinging and he felt very tired, but still he was unable to sleep. at least i wont have any classes today, its sunday. then he remembered what happened yesterday. he wouldnt have any classes even if it was a weekday. he looked around himself. the common room was empty only for harry and ginny. lavender and neville went to their dormitories around midnight. harry couldnt remember seeing anybody else from his house in the common room yesterday. he sighed and lowered his head. ginny had still her had laid on harrys shoulder, her eyes closed. at first harry was afraid she might have died too, but then he felt a soft tickle of her breath on his neck. they had barely talked through the night. ginny had been crying for a long time before she was tired and fell asleep. despite what happened, she slept very peacefully. wish i could have done that, harry thought as he yawned again. harry couldnt fall asleep for whole night. he was afraid that if he fell asleep dead sirius or dead dean would appear in his dream, blaming harry for their death. he had been thinking for the whole night. about his parents, sirius, lupin friendshow he brought nothing but doom and misery to them. although ginny didnt blame him for deans death, harry couldnt do it himself nevertheless. many times he had managed to convince himself that he wasnt the one to blame, it was lord voldemort, who caused all this pain and misery. but every time he convinced

himself deeply inside a voice would accuse him again. and then there was a new threat- the atlis ginny stirred slightly for the first time since she fell asleep. for some strange reason, harry didnt want her to wake up. there was something very comforting about felling her weight on his chest and looking at her peaceful sleep. her red hair were ruffled slightly and harry felt an urge to tuck the strain of her hair behind her ear. he was very curious how it would felt to touch her face she stirred again and broke harrys flow of ideas. her eyes cracked open and at first a note of fear appeared until she realized where she was. she raised her head and looked straight into harrys eyes. harry couldnt think of anything else to do then smile at her. she smiled back slightly, without letting him go. harry felt blushing slightly. it felt different hugging her when she was awake and he suddenly wished she would straighten up, which she did moments later. she yawned and stretched her arms. then she turned her head back to harry. thank you for being for me, she whispered. harry gulped. dont mention it, he said, blushing a bit more. there was an awkward when they were looking at each others eyes. it was broken when the portrait door opened suddenly and about ten house-elves marched inside the room, carrying trays which were loaded with food. they sat the trays at the table and were just about to leave, when they spotted harry and ginny looking at them. they stopped in their tracks instantly and lowered their heads. we are sorry, sirs, an elf said in squeaky voice, her head lowered. something was very strange about the elf and harry suddenly knew why. all of the elves had a ragged piece of clothes on them a badge with h pinned to their chest. this elf, on the other hand was dressed in tiny blouse and blue skirt. her clothes were very neat and harry could have sworn she ironed them only a moment ago is that you winky? harry asked curiously. the elf lifted his head and nodded slightly. indeed, sir. im sorry. why are apologizing? harry asked. you is not supposed to see elf working. a mark of good elf is to work unnoticed, winky said. but i saw you in the kitchen and you didnt mind. that is different, sir. you is in the kitchen where you is not supposed to be. we do not care when you not care. harry smiled slightly. apology accepted. how are you anyway? winky is accustomed to the clothes and freedom, now sir and she is happy again, she said with a smile. all the other elves looked at her in disgust. winky must go, there is work to be done. can winky do something for you, sir? harry shook his head.

and for the young lady, she asked and turned her head to ginny. no thank you, winky. your name is winky, isnt it? ginny said. winky nodded and she and the rest of elves disappeared quickly. harry and ginny faced each other and grinned very slightly. she then got up from the sofa. im sorry harry, i must go to the bathroom, i can imagine how do i look, and she disappeared very quickly. harry realized how starved he felt when the smell of just made toasts and eggs wit bacon hit his nose. he got up and loaded his plate with food, wondering why they had their breakfast in the common room. as he sat at the table, the portrait door opened and proffesor lupin strode inside, followed by ron and hermione. harry abandoned his food very quickly and ran to meet them. lupin had black circles under his eyes, apparently he was awake for whole night. hermione looked perfectly normal again and ron was eyeing the food on the table excitedly. hermione, are you alright? he yelled at her happily as he hugged her tightly. hermione, looking taken aback hugged him back. yes, im, she muttered as he released her. and you remus? harry asked him. hermione looked offended as harry called remus his first name, the sign she was alright again. yeah, harry im alright, lupin breathed out and patted harry on his arm. i see the elves were already here. yeah why do we have to eat here? harry asked curiously. because you cant leave the common room. dont even think about it, the portrait was magiced to let in none but a proffesor. we will gather you for the lunch in the great hall, where dumbledore would make an announcement. what announcement? harry asked. be patient, harry. im sorry i must go now he have another order meeting, lupin said and left the common room very quickly. harry, ron and hermione sat at the table and started to eat their breakfast, talking silently about what happened. harry noticed that ron took hermiones hand, when she was telling them about the encounter with dementors. hermione didnt flinch and harry was almost sure she squeezed it slightly. have have you guys made it up finally? harry blurted out very quickly, taking them both unprepared. well, we had a long talk in the hospital wing and we kind of sorted our things out, hermione said after a long embarrassing silence. she squeezed rons hand again. harry, i hope you wouldnt mind err if we two spend a little more time together then we used to, she said, blushing furiously.

harry merely smiled. he needed some reason to feel happy in this time. hermione and ron were staring at him quizzically. of course, i dont mind. im happy you both came to your senses, harry said with a grin. they grinned back at him. ***** they spent rest of the morning trying to cheer up ginny, who was once again depressed. harry would have give up anything he possessed to make the youngest weasley smile again, but it was hopeless. the common room started to fill up with students. the mood in the common room could be sliced by knife. gone were the usual chatter and laugh, sad talks and sorrow replaced them. neville came to common room looking gloomy as harry ever saw him. harry got up and walked over to him. neville, im sorry about what happened, harry said, offering neville his hand. neville shook it reluctantly. thank you, harry, he said and walked over to lavender. as it was nearing lunchtime, the portrait door opened and proffesor mcgonagall strode inside. she was looking very tired. students, please move down to great hall, please, she said and went away. they all went downstairs, talking amongst themselves about the announcement dumbledore would make. when harry entered great hall, all the other houses were already there. dumbledore was sitting at the teacher table, talking to proffesor lupin. harry suddenly lost his appetite when he felt the atmosphere. even ron seemed to lack his taste suddenly, as he was eating slowly. all of the students were waiting for dumbledores speech and harry could remember only when time when the great hall was so restless- during the triwizard tournament when the goblet of fire was about to reveal the champions for each school. dumbledore noticed the atmosphere and got up. dear students, dear professors, i regret i ever have to said this, but we are facing the darkest time ever. never did a single person threaten the life of all of us so much. yesterday, lord voldemort has shown us what is he and his army of death eaters are capable of, dumbledore started. many students gasped, when voldemorts name was said. i regret to tell you that lord voldemort is more powerful then ever before. you may have noticed that the dementors and giants fought on voldemorts side. the azkaban prison has fallen and the guards joined voldemort. he had also made a truce with giants. but dont worry dear friends, theres always a hope. harry looked around the room. all of the students were staring at dumbledore in disbelief and were muttering among themselves darkly. we lost many of our beloved people yesterday- mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, lovers, friends and many more. today, let us honour those who fell and never let them be forgotten, dumbledore said and raised his goblet. everyone took the lead.

harry looked over at slytherin table to look what was malfoy doing, but he wasnt there. apparently he was still in the hospital wing. lets make a toast to those who we lost, dumbledore said and drank from his goblet. all of the students did as dumbledore. nearly everyone was crying, the attacks affected everybody somehow. luna was gazing into the wall, she seemed her usual lost state, but harry could see there were tears in her eyes. neville and lavender were holding each others hand and were crying together. harry looked to his right, where ginny stood. she fought the tears bravely but gave up very soon. harry felt urge to sooth her up, to hug her but it was pavarti who did this. you will all be given a week to attend to burial services. every student will go home, while the professors will install new security charms. the hogwarts express will arrive in the afternoon, but you can use other safe transport, floo or knight bus. those who still require medical in the hospital wing will be transferred to st. mungo hospital in london. all students should arrive next sunday, when the hogwarts express will be dispatched. i hope all of us will use this week of undesired holiday to grieve enough and we return fresh to new things to learn and to live. dumbledore was talking for another ten minutes about the transport. harry was horrified about the idea. home, it couldnt mean the dursleys, could it. harry saw proffesor lupin striding to him and he gulped. i dont want to go to dursleys, harry blurted out as soon as lupin closed in. lupin cracked a smile grin. youre not. you will go to grimmald place, its safer down there now. ron, ginny, your parents have already moved in. hermione, youll go to grimmald place as well, your parents are there also. harry completely forgot about hermiones parents, but she merely nodded, apparently lupin already told her about the other attacks. o.k., get your things packed, i will meet you at five here in the great hall. i will accompany you to the order headquarters, well travel by floo, lupin said and went back to dumbledore. harry and the other looked at each other and then they went back to their dormitories. it felt very odd for harry to go away so soon. when they packed their things, they met in common room and went back to the great hall, when students were already departing by a large grate. professor mcgonagall and professor flitwick were organising the transport, handing every student a pinch of floo powder. proffesor lupin was already standing by the grate, waiting for them. he smiled weakly as they approached. harry moved over to a grate, where proffesor flitwick handed him a pinch of glittering powder. he moved to the grate, dropped the powder. grimmald twelve, the headquarters of the order of phoenix, he yelled loudly and clearly and with a bang he was gone. ***** he appeared in the entrance hall of the grimmald place, expecting to see dark room, which would still reflect the previous owners of the place and hear

angry shouts from ms. blacks portrait. he was very surprised to see the entrance hall painted in nice warm paint. the serpents and the heads of the elves impaled upon the wooden splint were gone, instead many statues of lions and phoenixes could be seen around the room. the portrait of ms. black was gone as well. harry potter, sir, dobby is so happy to see you again. is harry potter wanting something to eat, drink? dobby squealed excitedly as he appeared from kitchen. dobby, how many times do i have to tell you that im not your master? harry started but dobby shook his head. harry potter freed dobby and dobby can do what he wants and he wants harry potter, he needs loyal servant dobby squeaked, but suddenly the grate erupted with green flames again. listen you should go, if hermione knew this harry urged and the elf vanished immediately. the green flames disappeared and hermione steep from the grate, brushing ashes off her robes. she looked around the room unbelievably. well, theres been lot done here, she muttered to herself. the door of the kitchen opened and mr. and mrs. weasley emerged, followed by mr. and mrs. granger. mum, dad, hermione yelled, all her dignity forgotten as she launched herself on them. ive been so worried, she said, sobbing. the emerald flames shone again and this time ginny and ron appeared. ginny ran over to her parents immediately. harry and ron observed the scene and smiled slightly as they looked at each other. the grate shone green again and lupin emerged from it. ah, its nicely quiet here without that hag, he said with a smile. why dont you get your things to your rooms and then you can come back downstairs from some dinner, ms. weasly said as she released ginny. harry and the others dragged their luggage upstairs to their rooms. when harry entered his room, he couldnt belive his eyes. the room was repainted as well and the polished furniture looked brand new. the windows were cleaned from the layer of dirt which were still there last time. although the view wasnt very spectacular, there were old buildings and dirty streets only, it gave the room at least some light. harry and ron unpacked their trunks and went downstairs. hermione was already sitting at the table, talking to hermiones parents. ms. granger looked very sick and mr. granger was holding her hand in his. harry could imagine what were they talking about. they stood next to them awkwardly. hello, let me introduce you mother, father these are ron weasley and harry potter, hermione said. mr. granger has raised on his feet and extended his hand. harry and ron both shook it. hermione just told us what happened to her in the village of hogsmeade. i wanted to tell you how we are grateful you saved her, mr. granger said and ms. granger nodded. harry and ron both blushed before they sat.

but mum what happened to you? hermione asked her curiously. ms. granger sighed. well, we had a lunch with your father when an old man suddenly appeared in our kitchen with a loud pop. he told us that he was alastor moody, member of the order of phoenix. i didnt understand the half he talked about but i understood one think- we were in great danger. we didnt belive him until another wizards appeared and attacked the old man. he shot some red stuff from his wand and they all collapsed to the ground. this convinced us enough. yes and then he withdrew an old hat and told us it was portdoor, or something, mr. granger continued. it is portkey, mr. weasly, who sat at the table corrected her. but what are you going to do? what about your ordination? hermione asked them worriedly. both mr. and ms. granger were dentist. we dont know, what will happen next. dumbledore told us to stay low for a while and then well see, mr. granger said. hope you get used to us, it could take a long time, mr. weasley muttered matterof-factly. mr. granger smiled. its not that bad, i just cant believe i will miss another episode of stargate, he said with a sigh. and another jerry springer show, ms. granger added. ron and mr. weasley shot them confused look, harry merely grinned slightly. they chatted about various other things as more and more people joined the at the table. tonks and moody appeared as well and when the meal started there were about twenty-five people at the table. dont really know how would i make it without that elf, ms. weasly muttered too close to hermione as she appeared with the huge pot of goulash. fred and george appeared behind her, carrying five loafs of bread and large bowl of salad. george grinned at harry as they set the food on the table and harry made a mental note to himself to not take any food the twins brought in. few moments later as they began to eat, dobby appeared with a large flagon with a tray of various drinks- butterbeer, pumpkin juice and wine. hermione flashed harry cold look when dobby called him master. the dinner went for a long time and when harry and the others went to bed later the evening, he felt that the last this weekend was just a bad nightmare. ***** the time at the grimmald place passed very quickly. the adults seemed to make it for harry and his friends as enjoyable as the could, but harry could feel the tension they really felt. the order meetings were very common, and two meets a day wasnt an exception. harry recognised many faces amongst the people from the order- tonks, moody, proffesor mcgonagall, proffesor dumbledore, lupin and many others. many ministry representatives and aurors came as well. harry and his friends were still forbidden to attend the meetings and he could

only guess what were they talking about. ron and hermione spent most of the time alone or with their parents so harry had none but ginny to hang out with. unfortunately, she was still grieving so harry spent most of his free time walking around the house or reading the books he got from his friends through the six years. one time they all travelled to diagon alley. they travelled by floo to leaky cauldron and spent the whole day walking around the shops. harry couldnt remember to see the diagon alley so deserted. harry remembered as was the diagon alley crowded during his first five years, now after the attacks they met barely twenty people. how come the shops wont bankrupt? harry asked lupin, who volunteered to look after them. lupin devoted much of his time to the order and harry was sad he didnt have a chance of spending time with his guardian, so he was glad for every moment they shared. most of the wizards send their orders by owl mail, hardly anyone wants to stick his head out this time, lupin muttered darkly. it was nearing evening and harry and the others had one last stop to makeweasleys wizard wheezes. when harry stepped inside the premises fred and george hired he was amazed by the size of it. there were many shelves, piled up with all jokes harry could remember. there were canary tarts, invisibility hats, fanged frisbees, ink that changed colours each second, so it made harry dizzy when he looked at it for a long time, portable swamps, weasleys famous fireworks, which made umbridge so mad, fake wands and much more. how, its going? harry asked fred and george at the counter as he placed his loads of jokes to pay. bad, voldemort will ruin our business, fred said without a trace of grin. oh, my brother, you are making a camel from mosquito. its not that bad, we saved a lot, but its true that the sells declined a lot since the attack, george said gloomily. well, im going to raise it for sure, harry said with a small grin as he reached for his money. no way, youre not going to pay for that, george said. are you shitting me? i wont take this for free, he said as he looked at his large pile of jokes. he really didnt want any of these, because he lost his taste for jokes recently, he just wanted to show fred and george he didnt forget about them. no, you its you who made this real. pity nobody cares anymore, fred muttered darkly. fred, dont be so pessimistic, george said, but fred had already gone to the back of the store. harry shot george confused look. im sorry, harry. its just fred had been going out with angelina even after the school, they spent two weeks on holiday

together. angelinas father was some sort of representative of ministry of magic in america. the death eaters killed whole his family, even angelina yesterday well ill better go after him, he said and left the counter as well. harry and the others left the store quietly, harry leaving five galleons on the counter. chapter 28 : henrietta susan sered as i promised, the last chappie was yesterday. :-) chapter 28: henrietta susan sered harry felt very relieved when he and the others faced the grate of the grimmald place on sunday morning. although the house looked nice now, there were still too much things that reminded him of sirius. on thursday night he bumped into another inhabitant of the house which he expected to never see again buckbeak, the hippogryph. he was still in mrs. black bedroom, which was now furnished to suit him. harry had spent many time with him since then, because he was the only one to make him company. ron and hermione were enjoying their new state of relationship and ginny was always locked in her room alone. harry felt angry about the situation and was expecting the return to hogwarts eagerly, naively hoping everything would return to its own tracks. but deep inside he knew the things have changed forever since the battle in hogsmeade. hogwarts great hall, he yelled aloud as he dropped a pinch of floo powder under him. the fire shone emerald green and harry disappeared. he was now accustomed to the floo travelling, although he still didnt approve it. he appeared in the great hall after few moments of roller-coaster ride. proffesor dumbledore and lupin were expecting him nice to see you back, harry, dumbledore welcomed him with a smile. thank you sir, he replied. the flames roared again and hermione and ron appeared. dumbledore smiled at them also, before he turned back to harry. harry, i need you all for tonights dinner. i have new restrictions and one new teacher to announce, dumbledore said. for snape? harry asked with a pang of guilt. if snape wouldnt save him, he would be dead. it was his fault that snape was somewhere being tortured. then he remembered how snape treated him for five he knew him and his guilt disappeared. yes, indeed now, excuse me harry, dumbledore said quickly and disappeared. ive got your new house passwords for you, lupin said as he came forward. what the password has changed? ron asked him. yeah, new security precaution. the password will be changed once a week. with that the flames shone green again and ginny appeared from the grate. what kept you? ron asked her curious.

mum, ginny said gloomily. apparently she wasnt very happy about being back at hogwarts. they all faced lupin again. the new password is butterbeer now you better go, were expecting another group. poor neville, this is going to be nightmare for him, ron said with a grin as they left the great hall and went to their dormitories, levitating their trunks in front of them. ***** the great hall began to fill up with students later that day for their dinner. harry could see that there were less students then normal. either they were still at st. mungo or their parents didnt let them come back. harry couldnt understand this, surely it was much safer at hogwarts than any other place. he was glad that everyone form the da was amongst those who returned. neville and lavender joined harry and the others. what will be the new restrictions you think? neville asked after they talked for a while about their undesired holiday. he looked very much calmer than last time harry saw him. i dont know, im more curious about the new teacher, harry said. neville and lavender looked at him curiously. new teacher? they asked in unison. harry told them what dumbledore said to him. the food appeared moments later and they began to eat. however, harry was so full of delicious feasts mrs. weasley prepared them and finished his dinner first in the hall and glancing over the teachers table. there was a new figure sitting next to lupin, but harry couldnt see his face, because the person was still eating. more and more students finished their dinner and popped their head up to listen to dumbledores speech. as all of them finally finished their meals dumbledore clapped his hands and the plates vanished. he cleared his throat. welcome back, my dear students. i hope you used well your week worth of holidays and you are all eagerly awaiting your classes. while you were out many new protective spells were put on the hogwarts castle and its surroundings. although i would say we are safe now, i ask all of you to fulfil our new restrictions. it is with great peril that i announce that all outdoor activities and classes such as care of magical creatures and herbology are cancelled until further notice. they will be reinstated as soon as we manage to transfer them inside the castle. im afraid i have to deprive you of another think- the quiditch. it will be cancelled as well. the final statement caused an instant uproar in the great hall. the students started muttering among each other or groaning in disappointment. harry groaned as well, the quiditch was one of the thinks he liked most on hogwarts. on the other hand, im pleased and honoured to introduce new teacher amongst our ranks. please everybody give a loud applause for ms. henrietta sered. harry was surprised when he found out that his new teacher was actually woman and was even more surprised when she raised her head and beamed at the students.

by her name harry would imagine her as some old fraud, but from under the hat, two young twinkling eyes surveyed the students and when they stopped on harry she gave him a tiny wink. harry couldnt understand why he merely grinned nervously. the momentarily silence was followed by polite applause, which ceased nearly immediately. harry could see that remus lupin ceased the applause as the last one and one was eyeing proffesor sered not only with professional look. the students began to mutter amongst themselves, shooting glances at the new teacher. harry looked next to him and found out that hermione was looking over the teacher table with excitement in her eyes. do you know her hermione? harry asked her curiously. hermione gave him a patronising look. of course i know her, she is legend! i just thought well, but dumbledore was always a bit strange about the staff hermione muttered to herself. both harry and ron shot each other quizzical look and shook their heads. i assure you that ms. sered is one of the most gifted person in her subject, which is potion. many of you have maybe noticed that there is one teacher missing. it is with great pain that i have to say that severus snape was captured by the death eaters and his whereabouts are currently unknown. ms. sered will continue with potion classes until proffesor snape is found, dumbledore continued his speech. i hope you will welcome your new proffesor heartedly and i expect nothing but good manners from all of you. now everyone, please return to your dormitories. prefects, head boy and head girl, i would like to call a meeting now, dumbledore said and got up. the students took the lead and they dissolved slowly. when they reached the common room, harry took a seat on the armchair which was nearest the portrait door-he would wait for hermione. he wanted to know more about henrietta sered. seamus took a seat next to him and engaged him in conversation. harry felt sorry for seamus- dean was his best friend. the portrait door opened after an hour or so and hermione and ron stepped inside the common room, both looking gloom. harry motioned to them and they took a seat next to him. bloody hell, they prolonged the prefects patrols up to two a.m. and we are going to have the first round with the hufflepuffs, ron groaned. harry ignored him and faced hermione as she sat. hermione, what do you know about proffesor sered? he asked her. ron was quite taken aback by harrys behaviour but leaned to listen nevertheless. oh, harry you dont really know? even the muggle-borns know the story, hermione scowled. im wizard and i dont know her either, ron piped up. hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. henrietta sered is an icon amongst the potion. she made her first functioning polyjuice potion when she was eight years. well, you made the polyjuice potion when you were twelve, whats the big deal? ron inquired, but shut up at look hermione gave him.

from what i read, she was very gifted but very energic as well. although her study results and exams were exceptional she always had problems with behaviour. thats why she didnt make a head girl. she was in gryffindor and graduated the same year as your father, harry, hermione continued. harrys body was suddenly filled with excitement. maybe she knew his father well. he nodded to give hermione sign to continue. she was on her best way to develop a very successful career. but her boyfriend died suddenly, some sort of accident. she disappeared and nobody knew where she went. that happened a year after school, even before voldemort was powerful enough to present himself. she was gone for nearly twenty years and everybody thought she just commit suicide or something. and then she appeared suddenly at the ministry of magic suddenly last year. what was she doing there? hermione gulped uneasily. harry, do you remember the veil sirius fell through? harry was taken aback by her question and felt furious suddenly. why was she talking about that? i did some research on it during the holiday to find if i could err bring sirius back. hermione i dont see a connection between her and the veil, harry spat at her angrily. harry, she was found next to the veil, hermione breathed out. ron and harry looked at her in disbelief, their mouth wide open. guys, what are talking about? seamus asked nervously. they all ignored him. and? harry asked eagerly. and? thats all she never told none where she was for those nearly twenty years. either she doesnt remember or she wouldnt tell. everybody thought she was insane, she was muttering and screaming in her sleep speaking in some unknown language she spent quite a long time at st. mungo. thats it. but one think is certain-wherever she was there is something wrong with the time. what do you mean? harry asked curiously. youll see tomorrow, hermione chuckled. ive got to talk to her, harry said. the mention of the veil made him eager. maybe she knows whats behind it i want to know her more. you will, mate. you have potions tomorrow, remember, ron said. harry was actually thinking about going to see her right now, but that would have been very odd. he decide to wait up to tomorrow. ***** harry would never admit that he was looking forward to the double period of

potions but he felt that as he sat in the dungeon classroom next morning. the previous lesson, the defence against the dark arts went very slow today, even it was harrys favourite subject. he just couldnt concentrate. when he entered the classroom he met with evil glare from none other but draco malfoy. apparently he just returned, because harry couldnt recall him seeing at the dinner last night. harry merely grinned sarcastically at him. looking forward to our new teacher. malfoy? well, if she will mark you the same as sprout did i cant wait. malfoy kept his glare for a while, then he changed some words with crabbe and goyle. harry, calm down, hermione told him as they sat. i think you might burst when she comes, she chuckled. harry shot her an annoyed look. how would you felt when you would find out that person who you thought dead could be saved. hermione looked taken aback by his reaction and didnt push the subject. as it was time of lesson, the door to the classroom opened and proffesor sered marched inside, closing the door behind herself. as she stepped in front of the class nearly all of the students gasped with surprise, mainly boys. hermione was right when she told harry there was something wrong about the time wherever she was. in fact, it looked like no time has passed. she looked like she just graduated from the school. she was very tall with perfect sporty figure. her face resembled to fleur delacour, one of the champions from the triwizard tournament. she had very long blonde hair with one ginny weasly red stripe, which shone so much in dimly lit dungeon that harry would promise that would make him blind on sunshine. but the thing which he noticed first were her eyes. one was emerald green, much as harrys and the second one was deep blue. she smiled at the class, showing them her white teeth. hello everyone, my name is henrietta sered, now dont laugh at the name i still hate mate parents for ruining my life with that, she said with a grin. few students laughed at the comment. she suddenly made a bubble from a gum she was chewing which exploded with a loud bang. oops, sorry, she muttered. harry cracked a grin. he recognised the bubble gum as the exploding bubbles gum, a product made by george and fred weasley. hermione on the other hand looked scandalized. so, shall we begin? i was told that this class holds many talented students and you have covered various potions up to now hmm. who is draco malfoy? she asked. malfoy raised his hand slightly. alright, draco could you i would prefer you calling me mr. malfoy, malfoy said with a sneer. henrietta looked taken aback by the comment at first, but then she merely smiled. as you wish, mister malfoy. now, when weve been introduced, could you tell me what are the ingredients of sobering potion? the sneer on malfoys face disappeared instantly. ah, mister malfoy doesnt know, henrietta said sarcastically. could someone other tell me? you? she asked pointing her finger at hermione. hermione

broke into a long speech, talking about from the ingredients and their purposes to the preparation of the potion itself. excellent. twenty points to gryffindor, henrietta cried excitedly. your name is hermione granger, isnt it? i was really looking forward to meet you. proffesor dumbledore said you are very gifted student. hermione blushed slightly. enough of revise, now we shall proceed with your classes. todays work- the anime potion. it will turn you to an animal you desire to be. unfortunately not for a very long time, those are animagus. this potion is very difficult, but i have a confidence in every single of you, she said as he surveyed the class. when she stopped at harry she gave him a little wink. the classes were very interesting. it was obvious that henrietta knew as much as snape did and was much more kinder. harry couldnt wait for the class to finish, he wanted to know his new proffesor more. as he went to the teachers desk, his vial filled of content which looked very similar to hermione he gave her a tiny smile. you are harry potter, arent you? could you stay behind for a while after the classes, she asked with a smile as he laid the vial on her desk. he nodded and returned to his desk and packed his things. the class began to dissolve as henrietta dismissed them and when harry was the only one left behind he approached the teachers table. professor henrietta laid down her quill and looked at him. harry felt blushing a bit as her eyes penetrated his. my god, you look just like your father, she said with a sigh. except for the eyes of course. harry didnt know what to say and where to begin. prof he started, but she silenced him raising her arm. you can quit the formalities when there is no one to hear, she said with a wink. and please, dont call me henrietta, i hate that. call me suzie thats my middle name. henrietta susan sered, oh what a pitiful name, she said with a sarcastic sigh. suzie, you knew my parents? harry asked her the most obvious question. she glanced at her watch. im afraid i dont have time for such a long story, well have to postpone this later. but there was one thing i wanted to talk with you about dumbledore told me that you were the leader of some sort of duelling club. i was wondering if i could drop by sometimes. yes, you can but if its about supervising, proffesor lupin drops sometime, dumbledore knows that. he just hasnt got enough time now. nah, i dont want to supervise. i think you would beat me with your right hand tied behind your back. you know i wasnt in contact with the magical world until recently and i lost my wand somewhere. i got my new one from ollivanders few days ago im not quite accustomed to it. maybe you and your friends could teach me few tricks? she asked him.

harry felt very odd. him teaching a professor? if you dont want, i will understand, she said gloomily. no, its not like this, harry breathed out. im just not accustomed to instructing professors. dont worry, i am quite used to be the one yelled at, she chuckled. o.k. then, tuesdays are the regular session days. you dont know where is the room of requirements, do you? she nodded and smiled. harry was getting quite accustomed to old crowd knowing the place, it was clearly very popular that time. seven oclock, right? he said. ill be there. chapter 29 : settling new routine hi, seems i lost many of my readers. :-( well it doesnt mind, next chapter would be posted as soon as i can i promise. chapter 29: settling new routine the only think which kept harry out of boredom was preparing for the upcoming da meeting. due to the new restrictions the herbology and care of magical creatures classes were cancelled and the charms and defence against the dark arts, which harry adored most werent satisfying him neither. he spend nearly whole day in the common room flicking through the various books on defence lupin gave him. he wanted to make a good impression on proffesor sered. there was nearly no one but him in the common room. during the day, many students used to hang out in hogwarts grounds. now, when the leaving of castle was restricted, many new clubs were founded. many of the students hanged out in library, which was now packed with people to the annoyance of hermione. ron spend his time with hermione in the library. harry couldnt help to smile. there was no other think you could do in library and harry could imagine how much ron enjoyed this, but he knew a bit of revise wouldnt hurt him. he was just practising the binding charm on colin creevy (dennis was still at st. mungo), who eagerly volunteered to be the target, when hedwig suddenly tapped on the window. harry went to the window and opened it, leaving colin in ropes twitching on the floor. as he unrolled the parchment he recognised the writing immediately. he sat in one of the armchair, ignoring the colins pleads and began reading. dear harry, i finally scarp some time for resuming our mind classes. tomorrow, seven oclock, transfiguration classroom. hope you are well, dumbledore diffendo, came the voice of ginny who cut the ropes on colin. what did you get harry? she said as she helped colin on his feet. colin rubbed his hands

and shot harry hurt expression. nothing important, he said and tossed the letter to the fire. he didnt want to anyone other know that. fine, dont talk to me, she snapped and went back to her dormitory. its you who isnt talking to me, harry said with a sigh. they never talked to each other since the night of deans death. then he turned his attention back to colin. he was eyeing him strangely. o.k., your turn ***** harry had nothing to do after the dinner so he went to the room of requirements alone. it was half past six and harry thought nobody would be there, but he was wrong. when he entered the room a loud pop announced that there was already someone in the room. henrietta sered was sitting on a sofa, a book on her lap. she blew another bubble which exploded with particular loud bang. harry couldnt understand how she could concentrate on the reading with so much rocket. she raised her head and smiled at him. he returned the smile nervously, closing the door after himself. i thought none would be here, harry said nervously. obviously, she said returning to her book. harry sat on an armchair next to the sofa, looking at her. he didnt understand why she made him so nervous. it was unbelievable how it was hard to pick a good conversation topic with person you hardly knew. she raised her head. why do you look at me like that, harry? she asked him searching him with her different coloured eyes. oh, its nothing, he blushed. think of a topic, now. err why are your eyes different colours? oh you are so stupid, he thought for himself. henrietta smiled at him. funny you mention these, i wouldnt have those eyes and this hair, she touched the stripe of red hair, if i hadnt met your mother. harry first didnt know what she meant, but then he remembered what hermione told him. it was really hard to believe that this girl was nearly thrice older as harry was. hermione said that she graduated in the same year as his parents and henrietta was probably his mothers friend. he looked at her excited. what happened? he asked curiously. oh, no its a long story, you wouldnt care about that, she said with a wave of her hand and pretended that she returned to her book. oh, come on prof suzie, what happened? harry asked with a groan. henrietta gave him a smile and closed her book. well it was in ours seven year. your mother and i, we were the best friends since the first year. we sat in the same desk for whole seven years, attending the same classes. i met her on hogwarts express. god, i remember how she was terrified and nervous. i

understood her- muggle-born just entering a world she would never thought about, only in her dreams. so i sat with her and we became friends immediately. one would say we were inseparable- she always calmed me down and i was the one who stood up by her at any trouble. she was very shy and not very self-confident. harry frowned. he could remember seeing his mother in pensieve, how she stood up for snape. but the others told me something else. i remember err lupin told about her a lot, he said not looking into her eyes. oh yes she was like that since the fifth year. i was so afraid she might forget about me. so many new friends appeared by her side, so many boys she was so popular, she said with a sigh and fell silent. but what about you? you werent? harry asked her awkwardly. henrietta raised her shoulders. i dont know, people were afraid of me. they thought i was some kind of freak always buried in a book or thinking some new prank they were afraid of me, only lilly wasnt, she said. and then we met with maradauers. we knew them of course, being from the same house, but never talked to them. lilly thought they were so cocky, especially james, your father. and lets face it- he really was, she said with a grin. harry grinned back at her. oh, how he could make her angry. i remember one incident. it was in our fifth year, just after our defence against the dark arts o.w.l. exam. we were enjoying the free time before another exam by the great lake, when we heard your father and his sidekicks laughing and when lilly saw they were tormenting snape she ran to them and actually yelled at james to not be such show-off. he had a thing for lilly, everyone knew that although he tried to keep it secret. but she wouldnt notice him, she grinned again. and the in sixth year we, lilly and i, were walking around the grounds after our final exams. we were just chatting, the girl stuff you know, when suddenly a group of slytherins appeared. they were lead by snape. he yelled taunted us, mudblood and freak you now. we tried to ignore him, but then he and his gang put us into full-body bind and were enjoying themselves. can you believe it? your mother stood up to him and he did this? she said with a shook of her head. her eyes were sparkling with anger as she recalled this. and then the maradauers appeared. they were outnumbered by two to one, but managed to defeat the slytherins nevertheless. and thats how we became friends. we spent the rest of the school year hanging around with them and began to know each other better. finally, in the seventh year, lilly and harry solved their differences and made it up. suddenly harry remembered the photo he had seen in grimmald place. there were the maradauers, after the n.e.w.t.s all looking triumphant and sirius was hugging a girl harry was definitely sure it was henrietta. and you were going out with sirius, werent you? he blurted out. she looked at him, surprised. after a while she spoke. yes, we had an episode. but it didnt last long. after school we got separated and i met a new boy, she said softly. and then he died. i was crushed. lilly tried to support me, but none could. so i err travelled a lot. and than i lost two of my best friend that fateful night, she started but stopped abruptly as if she said

something she didnt want. lupin told you about my parents? harry asked her softly. yeah, it was lupin, she blurted out quickly. harry felt she wasnt completely honest with him. a huge tear appeared in her green eye. harry would hit himself in forehead. did you really need to remind her that? to prevent his proffesor from crying he asked her another question. you still didnt tell me about your eyes? he said hoping it would calm her down. she smiled bitterly. oh, yes well, your mother was excellent students, but there was one problem- she got really nervous during the exams, especially with potions. she could hardly conduct a simplest potion under the eyes of examiner. the potion master, that time it was mr. sniley was very kind and understood the problem. he didnt make a great fuss during the exams. however, during o.w.l.s she would meet an examiner she didnt know. now we desperately tried to make it better. we revised and revised but it was for nothing. a desperate situation needs a desperate solution. so i made a quick polyjuice potion and pretended to be your mother, she chuckled as she remembered. the polyjuice potion requires a long time to make and is very hard and i sort hastened the process in the end, the polyjuice potion worked, but left me lillys eye and a stripe of her hair, she said as she touched her hair again. there was no way you could restore that? harry asked her curiously. yeah, there is although we liked it that way and we felt even more connected so we left it. and nobody ever found out? harry asked her with a grin. well i think that proffesor sniley suspected something, he put two and two together when lilly got outstanding and proffesor dumbledore, of course. but none of them ever mentioned it, she said with another sigh. oh, we had so much fun back in there. they sat in silence for a while and then the door opened and students started to gather slowly. as every student came inside the room grew bigger and bigger. there were many curious stares at proffesor sered, some of them were full of awe as they switched at harry. harry realized that he sat at the sofa without knowing it and got up quickly. ginny flashed him a cold look. everyone, this is proffesor sered, he said as he motioned to her. call me suzie, i already told you, she said as she got up too. the very last students to arrive were ron and hermione. hermione looked very excited when she spotted henrietta amongst them and went crimson red when henrietta told her to call her by her second name. ron on the other hand looked more interested in henriettas face rather then words. as she spun around, hermione nudged him in ribs. ouch, what was that for? he cried loudly. hermione was rolling her eyes.

harry stepped forward. hello again, i hope you all practised during the week-off. now, in light of recent events it is essential to train as hard as ever. divide into the groups. suzie, where do you want to be? harry asked as the students began to divide. as henrietta observed the groups, she moved over to hermione. i think ill start from the basics, she said with encourage smile towards hermione, who looked horror-struck. you dont need to be afraid of me, henrietta said to her. forget about the age and focus on appearance, that will help. hermione grinned at her nervously and began instructing her group. harry could hardly remember when he enjoyed the da more. all the students have taken the recent events to their hearts and were getting better steadily. as the hour of curfew came closer, harry drew the attention to himself again. excellent job, everyone. we could even try some duel competition, i think all of us could use a form of fun, he said with a sigh. oh, how he missed quiditch. ****** harry could see himself crushing a silver instrument on in dumbledores office the image dissolved and another appeared- sirius black in his cell in azkaban and then the transfiguration classroom came into focus. dumbledore was standing in front of him. he was smiling at harry, but the smile didnt reach his eyes. that was excellent harry, very good. it seems you are improving with legillimency maybe we should try something more difficult. now i shall teach you how to found a particular image, dumbledore said. this can have even more devastating effect than simple legillimency. harry, focus on the idea or image you want to see. you must clear your mind of any other thing- idea, image, emotion. dont let your mind linger. lets try it, dumbledore said and braced himself. harry drew a big breath. he tried to clear his mind of every emotion but failed. he lowered his wand. harry i know it is difficult, but since i havent got many things to conceal from you now, it shouldnt be a great problem, he said reassuringly. the trick is in total focus, nothing more. harry nodded and drew his wand again. this time he managed to stay calm. he pointed his wand at dumbledore steadily. legillimens, he cried, thinking about the atlis furiously. the room dissolved and harry felt the familiar sensation as if he was leaving his body. he saw a gringotts valut door opening and on the floor lay a small heap of leather wrapped around the gem the image dissolved and another came in he saw a letter written in neat writing. as his eyes were scanning it and he recognised it as last will of leonardo machello the image dissolved and then came another- harry could see lupin, moody, fudge, mcgonagall and snape. they were in headmasters office. but why keep it, albus? why dont you want it to be destroyed? sounded a

concerned voice of mcgonagall. the vanishing potion powerful enough could be prepared in one day, if you gave me an order, snape said silently. i agree with minerva and snape, albus, alastor moody growled. the image was dissolving suddenly. harry concentrated his mind as hard as he could. he needed to know this. it came into focus again. minister fudge coughed to get the attention. i think we cant afford to lose such a wonderful chance. think what the atlis could do, it could be our only remaining hope and you all want to throw the chance away minister, come to your senses. do you have any idea what would happened if the atlis fell to the hands of lord voldemort. this would be end, he would be unbeatable, lupin inquired. he is already unbeatable, lupin. if it wasnt for the help from abroad, we would be already overwhelmed. i dont understand how he managed to gather such a huge army so quickly. and the truce with giants fudge said and shook his head. none of it would happen if you listened to harry in first place, lupin spat at him. fudge shot him a cold glare. gentlemen this leads to nothing. alastor, remus, minerva, severus i have my reason to keep the atlis. minister is indeed right that the atlis is our ace in sleeve dumbledore continued to talk but the image dissolved again and harry couldnt hear him any more. oh, come on, just a little bit longer. the image dissolved entirely and dumbledore came back into focus again. ah harry, that stubborn mind of yours. even if you found out the reason i would have to use oblliviation charm on you. harry glared at him angrily. why dont you want to tell me? harry, i have a confidence in you. but you must understand, we cant afford to let voldemort know about our plans. i honestly believe youre capable of concealing the information in your sleep, but a mere strong emotion- anger, hate, love could distract you. i know it happened already, harry. how do you know? harry asked him, taken aback. harry, when you use legillimency, you have to be very careful. if the target is more powerful the you, he can use the connection himself. that is another think you have to learn- using the legillimency and keeping your defences intact at the same time. only then you could know everything. voldemort knows im studying occlumency, surely he wouldnt try it for the second time, harry said silently. dont get too over-confident, harry. pride precedes fall, dumbledore said darkly without his usual smile. harry lowered his head and observed his shoes. surely he would need a lot of mind

cleaning today. he was as angry as he wasnt for a long time. chapter 30 : sharing the burden hello everyone, sorry this chapter took me so long, it was extremly difficult to write it but it will play a big role in future. i alos want to apologize. i shouldnt get so much sad because of the lack of reviews. i want to know you all that i prize every review very much and i want to thank all of you who reviewed. so big thank you. chapter 30: sharing the burden with all the new restrictions life in hogwarts has became quite boring. instead of spending their last day of sunshine students spend all of their inside the castle. it got much and much colder steadily and in the middle of november snow started falling, a sign of how would this winter be cold and cruel. prefects, head boy and head girl together with professors tried to find a new activity to replace quiditch and hogsmeade visits. they were unsuccessful for the time for everyone was proposing something else. ron and hermione would return from the meetings flashing each other dark looks, although they were hand-in-hand back in no time. as harry observed the common room he became sick of the pairing- ron and hermione, neville and lavender, pavarti and seamus and many others. there were only a few of them solitaire, even the first and second years seemed to build up some relationship. the herbology and care of magical creatures classes were reinstated very soon. hagrid wasnt very happy about having the classes in the castle. he preferred studying the creatures outside or in their natural habitat. also, the size of the room and corridors prevented him from bringing some big and little bit dangerous creatures he adored. harry couldnt remember spending more time over his books. his marks improved a lot once again and even mcgonagall told harry that she was happy that he had changed his attitude. harry improved in potion as well, although it wasnt a mark of more studying. harry has enjoyed a lot the potion classes with proffesor sered. at last they had some proffesor, which hadnt favoured slytherins all the time. the slytherins behaviour changed a lot. they were no longer walking around the hogwarts like they owned the place without the protection snape provided them. proffesor flitwick was instated on the position of head of slytherin house. the fair attitude wasnt the only thing harry adored about proffesor sered. they would meet regularly on tuesdays evenings at six, an hour before the da meetings. proffesor sered was narrating all the pranks and adventures she had done with his mother and maradauers. harry enjoyed this meetings a lot. he was listening to her eagerly, learning more and more about his parents. on the other hand, there was one thing uncomfortable about the meetings. there were periods when proffesor sered fell into uncontrollable fits of laughter that harry thought she would burst out. but there were also moments when she was on the verge of tears.

well, no one really knows what she has been through, hermione said when he told her about this. harry, she has been gone for nearly twenty years, thats long time. harry was waiting to get his chance asking her about sirius and the veil. he listened to advice hermione gave him and pushed her slowly. there were times when he thought he couldnt wait any longer and was just about to blurt out the question. the thought of losing her restrained him, though. the da meetings ran smoothly as ever, although some of the excitement vanished where there was no chance of being prosecuted. all the new members fit inside quickly and harry felt a strong bond amongst themselves. richard and anna grady didnt look sulky anymore and looked extremely pleased with themselves when they managed to conduct only a bit silver vapour of patronuses, naturally not corporal. actually all of them improved very much and put large amount of energy since the attack at hogsmeade. harry felt confused by only one member, ginny. she wasnt talking to him anymore and harry barely understood why. she eyed him dangerously every time harry spoken to henrietta for some reason. he tried to engage her in conversation several time, but she would only snap at him angrily. another thing which worried harry were the sessions with dumbledore. he had thought that he neednt to worry about the occlumency anymore until dumbledore told him about the dream. now he felt always alerted when he used legillimency and couldnt concentrate enough, which lead to his failures. once again he was clearing his mind every night before he went to sleep. and then there was draco malfoy. every time they passed each other in the corridors and classes they shot each other looks of pure loathing. malfoy havent said a word to harry since the hogsmeade, he just sneered and always whispered something to his gang pointing at harry and the others and harry would like to think what he was up to. as he know him, definitely up to no good. ***** it was nearly the end of november and harry was sitting in the common room by himself, reading from a potion book. the weather got utterly mad, it was still autumn and a blizzard was raging behind the windows. for the first time for a very long time harry was glad to be locked inside. the portrait door opened and ron and hermione entered, returning from another prefect meeting. to rons annoyance two meetings per week wasnt an exception. they sat at harrys table. so, did you agree on something at last? harry asked them. they have been arguing about the new activities for weeks. ron looked at him annoyed. why dont you ask here ms. what she and her crazy girl friends came up with? hermione shot him a furious look and then she faced harry. we didnt find out something to replace the quiditch. however, we thought about one particular event, which should have the same social character as the hogsmeade visits had. yes, and what it is? he asked with a note of fear in his voice. if ron didnt like it, he wouldnt like it as well.

we decided to have a dance on valentines day, like yule ball was, hermione said. harry looked at her unbelievably. he remembered very clearly how the yule ball was in his fourth year. it was complete disaster and harry wouldnt mind if he hadnt attended any other ball in his whole life. hermione folded up her arms at the look on harrys face. why are all the boys so sick about the idea? you dont have to come, if you dont want you know, she snapped at both harry and ron. i dont understand your attitude. you could use with a bit of socializing harry, you know. what do you mean? harry asked her annoyed. hermione sighed. harry, youre not the same person you were. you spent your times mainly by yourself now. well, my two best mates are dating now and i feel like a fifth wheel, harry spat at her. you were o.k. with that, mate, ron said angrily. besides, there are many other friends you could hang out with. ginny appears to be alone as well, he said as he motioned towards her. harry looked over where she was pointing. ginny, lavender and neville were sitting at the table. neville and lavender were whispering to themselves, oblivious to ginny who sat next to them, her arms crossed. well, in case you havent noticed, she isnt talking to me, harry said to them bitterly. what was the reason again? ron asked him. if i knew that i would make it up with her, he said bitterly. harry, please it wont hurt, hermione urged him. alright, alright, he said defeated. he got up and went to the table where ginny sat, thinking about what he would say to her. mind if i join you? he asked her nervously. whatever, she said without raising her head. harry sat already annoyed by her behaviour. ginny, could you tell me whats wrong with you? harry asked her nervously. theres nothing wrong, she said angrily. ginny, why have you been avoiding me? why do you always snap at me only now? i dont know, maybe you should ask suzie. harry looked at her confused. he didnt have a clue what was she talking about.

im sorry, i dont understand, he said. oh yeah?! suzie is the only one who are you talking to now. why do you never talk to me? ginny spat at him. how i can talk to you when you wouldnt listen? he snapped. harry knew she shouldnt get angry easily like this but hr couldnt help himself. he couldnt understand why she made him so furious. whole common room had their eyes on harry and ginny. hermione and ron looked at them uneasily. harry looked around himself, annoyed. why everyone was so eager on gossip. look, would you mind if we sorted this out somewhere else? he asked her. yeah, she muttered. they got up and walked out of the common room surveyed by whole common room. they headed towards the room of requirements automatically. we need a place to talk, harry thought furiously walking in the corridor three times. meanwhile ginny was leaning on a wall, her arms crossed, but she looked less angry than in the common room. the door appeared and they entered. the room looked like a study with a fireplace and a large comfortable looking sofa. they sat on it each of them seating at the other side. they fell into uncomfortable silence, harry surveying his shoes and ginny playing with red her hair. ginny, why do you mind me talking to suzie? he said nervously. harry, i dont mind you talking to suzie, i just feel you arent talking to me anymore about anything anymore. you are so distant and tense these days, ginny sighed. ginny, thats not true harry, im not the only one who noticed. its ron and hermione and also the others. you never shared the burden of sirius death with any other. we cared about him too, you cant pretend it only happened to you. and i know there is something other troubling your mind, harry, ginny interrupted him. yes, there is definitely another thing troubling my mind, he thought. that stupid prophecy- he would be either victim or murderer for the first time harry thought that he would like to have someone share the burden with. and here was a person who cared a lot about him and was keen to listen. however, he would put her in great danger if he told her. harry, what is it? ginny asked. he shook his head. i cant tell you, ginny. but why? she yelled at him frustrated. i dont want to put you in even more danger than i already did, he sighed, looking straight into her eyes. harry, would you quit trying to be my saviour? i can take care of myself, she

snapped annoyed. harry remembered how she fought in the department of mysteries. yeah, i know that, he said. then tell me, she whispered softly. this is it, harry thought. he drew a big breath. ginny, ever since i have known about how my parents had died one idea was haunting my mind. i couldnt understand why he chose to kill me. what was so special about me? i asked dumbledore about that in first year. there he said it was to early for me to know. he refused to tell me for a long time. and then after the fight in the department of mysteries he finally told me, harry spoke. ginny do you know the true story about peter pettigrew? ginny nodded slightly. only a bit sirius was imprisoned for his murder. but he was framed thats all i know. harry paused for a while, not really knowing how to continue. he lowered his head, afraid he might cry. my father, remus, sirius and peter were the best friends during their time at hogwarts. they called themselves maradauers, they were the creators of the maradauer map. ginny nodded she knew the story about them. my parents knew voldemort was after them. dumbledore did all he could to keep them hidden. finally they used fidelius charm, harry said gloomily. ginny nodded and shifted on the sofa nearer to harry. naturally my parents wanted sirius to be their secret keeper, but that would be too obvious. everyone knew sirius and my father were the best mates. the next option was dumbledore, but sirius thought about another distractive way. they made peter the secret keeper. everybody thought he was like fifth wheel and was weak. nobody with common sense would make him secret keeper. but what about lupin? ginny asked him. i dont know. by that time they didnt trust each other and sirius thought lupin turned and became spy for voldemort. but peter turned out to be one. he told voldemort about the whereabouts of my parents. voldemort came to our house and killed my parents. and then he tried to kill me, but the curse backfired. it was because the protection mother left in me when she sacrificed herself, harry found it harder to talk as a tear appeared in his eye. he began to shake. ginny placed a comforting arm on his shoulder. harry, go on. he nodded. so i was raised with dursleys and then i came to hogwarts. for five years the question was nagging me. and last year dumbledore answered it. fifteen years ago dumbledore went to hogs head where there was a applicant for the vacant post of divination professor. it was trenlawey. you know how thick she is, i think the real prophecies she made could be counted with one hand. but that night she made one. one that changed my life forever, harry whispered gloomily.

the prophecy told about a boy. boy born in july, born to parents who have tricked voldemort thrice, the one who will defeat voldemort or be defeated. there were two boys like this- me and neville. ginny was staring at him, her mouth wide open. you mean to tell youve been predestined to defeat voldemort? we cant coexist together, the prophecy told this. but the prophecy was about one boy. how can you be sure youre the one? ginny breathed out. harry didnt answer immediately. he brushed out a strain of hair from his forehead and revealed his scar. there was another part of prophecy voldemort didnt know about. and the dark lord will mark him his equal, he recitated the part. tears were streaming down his face, but he didnt care. this is the mark. when he failed to kill me, he marked me. thats why i have some things in common with voldemort. we are connected, both parseltoungs he wanted to continue, but he couldnt. instead he lowered his head to his hands and began crying openly. two arms wrapped around him and he heard ginny crying. im glad you told me, she sobbed. although harry felt as miserable as ever, he felt as if a heavy burden left his body. chapter 31 : still much to learn please read and review. chapter 31: still much to learn harry couldnt remember feeling so relieved for a long time since he had told ginny about the prophecy. the idea of sharing the burden with another person willing to help was very comforting. while ron and hermione became more distant to harry because of their relationship, ginny came nearer. since the night in the room of requirements they spent lot of time together. they talked a lot, mainly about professors, classes, quiditch, freds and georges pranks and so on. but they werent talking just about funny things- since the battle in hogsmeade quite a few another attacks happened and although voldemort went quiet again, they couldnt help to talk about what was voldemort up to. at least ginny, harry didnt tell her about the atlis. it was nearing christmas and the classes became more and more demanding and exhausting for fifth years and above. the fifth years were already nervous about their o.w.l. exams. ginny devoted the periods without harry to studying, she could bee seen with colin creevy and group of another fifths from gryffindor leaned over the books. although harry and the other sixth years were after their o.w.l.s already and n.e.w.t.s were not to come until their seven years, every single teacher seemed to be thinking among another lines. the pile of undone homework became higher and higher and even hermione had troubles to keep up, although harry suspected it wasnt only because of the amount of homework.

he never expected to get less work from transfiguration. when he used the materius charm too enthusiastically and changed to stone not only a chunk of wood he was given, but also a part of his desk. instead of feeling happy that he finally learned the spell, mcgonagall went crazy and gave him extra homework. he also never expected potions to be easy, even with professor sered. he got a feeling that his mind would explode if he tried to absorb another potion. but he never thought that he might start to detest the care of magical creatures, charms or even the easiest subject- herbology. the only class harry felt confident with was the defence against the dark arts. every single curse lupin showed them he already knew- with his advanced group from da they managed to cover every curse written in curriculum. this lead to many points for gryffindor, hufflepuff and ravenclaw and with no snape around, there was no one to honour the slytherins that much and they were falling behind. but harry and the other from da didnt feel competitive towards hufflepuff or ravenclaw. quite the opposite, they felt united. meanwhile, voldemort and his death eaters stopped their reign of terror. although they managed to kill many ministry representatives and hogsmeade was destroyed, they suffered great losses. many death eaters were killed and more were captured. the new prison kabazan was set up in unknown location and human guards were set instead of the traitorous dementors. however, voldemort army was still huge, no argue about that. the atmosphere in the castle wasnt tense anymore, people were smiling and talking again. on the other hand, no one became used to being inside the castle whole the time. students were looking out of the window sadly. a thick layer of snow lay around the castle and surroundings and only few trails were printed in it, mainly to hagrids hut. harry overheard many conversations about plans to escape, even for a while only. those were mainly from third year and harry felt an urge to yell at them. he remembered clearly what happened when he was out of the castle last time. from his point of view, hogwarts was the only safe place now and he wouldnt leave it. most of the students still hanged out in the library and harry found himself there studying with hermione and ron on one wednesday during the first half of december. harry felt immensely tired- his last lesson of the day was double period of transfiguration, when he managed to turn his desk to solid stone. harry raised his head from his potion essay which was due to next week and saw ginny, who just entered library and was striding to them. she sat next to harry, smiling at him. harry, you got a letter, from my mum, ginny said, handing him an envelope. harry reached for it, unrolled the parchment and began to read. dear harry, how are you? ginny said that you were acting strangely recently. harry, please dont blame yourself for nothing. we all really care about you very much and if you ever needed something ill be delighted to help you. but i have another unfortunate reason to write you because. harry, we were still unable to find a new house or flat. so i really regret to ask you this, but could we stay in your house a bit longer? i promise we will leave after christmas. say hello to ginny, ron and hermione. also say hello to hermione from her parents, they are still here.

p.s. tell my son to be nice to hermione. molly weasley harry folded the letter, feeling sorry for ms. weasley. he understood how this was embarrassing to her, asking him for this. he would give everything he possessed to weasleys if they accepted it. what did she want? ron asked him curiously. hermione shook her head. nothing important. looks like were gonna spend the christmas at grimmald place together, harry said, smiling. harry, did mrs. weasley mentioned my parents? hermione asked him. actually yes. i guess you theyre going to spend the holidays there as well, harry thought aloud. great, she faced ron. mum was dying to know something about my boyfriend. ron looked nauseated suddenly. you mean you didnt tell her last time? he asked uneasily. well, how could i? i mean, there was no time with all the commotion ron buried his face in his hands. hermione reached for him, took one of his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly with a smile. ron, dont you worry about this, im sure they will adore you, she said, rubbing his hand. he smiled at her weakly. harry and ginny looked at each other and smiled. and what are you two laughing at? hermione asked them with a scorching stare. nothing, harry said while ginny laughed even more. to prevent himself from smiling he took a scarp of parchment and scribbled short answer to ms. weasley. then he glanced at his watch- quarter to seven, it was nearly time for his legillimency classes. he excused himself and left the library, clearing his mind completely. he reached the class moments later. the transfiguration class was still empty, dumbledore wasnt there yet. harry checked his watch again. seven minutes to seven. and then something happened suddenly. he felt the familiar sensation like someone was probing his mind. his scar erupted with pain suddenly and he collapsed to his knees. he tried to rub his scar, although he knew it was futile but then a soothing voice sounded in his mind. harry, dont worry, its me albus dumbledore. relax, you have nothing to worry about. his scar throbbed painfully again. this means only one thing- voldemort. liar! stop it now! he yelled to the empty classes. the scar throbbed again, but the voice was definitely dumbledores.

but why my scar hurts, then? harry yelled frustrated. it is only after effect of the last voldemort attempt. relax, it will cease in a moment, dumbledore whispered calmly. and it was true indeed. the throbbing died away slowly and harry relaxed. where are you? harry asked silently. it would look odd if somebody would see him talking to himself. im in my office. i want to try a new technique with you today. how do you do that? harry asked him amazed. his breath became steady once more and he became calm. well, it is quite easy when you know the trick, dumbledore chuckled. and your mind is very gifted, im sure you will handle to do this form of legillimency in no time. yes harry, this is another form of legillimency although a bit advanced i would say. so you mean i could connect to every mind every mind in the world, harry asked softly. dumbledore laughed slightly. well, there are few things necessary for this form of connection. first thing, the person youre trying to connect with had to be in contact with you earlier. also it depends on the skill of occlumency of the target and on the level of legillimency of the caster. another thing is the strong of will of the target. and the last one and most essential thing is the distance, dumbledore whispered silently. so i can contact you whenever, harry exclaimed loudly. harry, you dont need to speak, just think. and youre right, as soon as you will develop this skill enough you could contact me. harry felt a wave of excitement ran through him, but then one thought occurred to him. but how come voldemort managed to contact me even though our mind werent ever connected? that is different harry. the bond between you changes the circumstances. im afraid to say that you will never be full resistant to voldemorts mind probing. and the same counts for voldemort. so are you ready to try this? harry nodded, wondering if dumbledore would notice. right, dumbledore nodded. now, try to remember how it feels, when im connected to you. when i break the contact, try to recall how it was like. and focus your mind on person you want to contact. and once and forever- concentrate. have nothing in your mind but the target. no emotions or another ideas. i will break the contact now. if you arent able to contact me for five minutes i will contact you again. but i think that wont be necessary, i have confidence in you. harry didnt know how could dumbledore be so sure but nodded nevertheless. the unpleasant sensation faded slowly and everything came back into focus again. he got up silently and sat himself in one of the chairs, brushing the sweat out of

his forehead. he went still for a while, before concentrating hard. he cleared his mind with difficulties, his body was bathed in excitement. he drew a big breath and then filled his mind with only one thing- dumbledore. at first nothing happened and harry thought that he would fail. he was just about to stop, when he felt the familiar seanstion and the transfiguration room dissolved into mist again. very good, harry, he said dumbledores voice in his head. now, try to concentrate on specific image. harry thought about proffesor sered before he knew what he was doing. an image appeared in his mind. he was in room of st. mungo hospital. the room was very small with white walls and a bed with a small table next to it. most probably it was isolated room. an auror sat next to the bed and there was one of the healer leaning over a figure in the bed. he stepped closer and recognised the person in the bed. it was proffesor sered and she finally looked the age she really was. her face was very pale and wrinkled. she was sleeping, but it wasnt an easy sleep. she was trashing madly, screarming in an unknown language. what is this, dumbledore? i never heard nothing like this before, the auror spoke and harry recognised it was kingsley shacklebolt. dumbledore conjured himself a chair and sat next to the bed before answering. i dont know kingsley, this isnt language im familiar with, he said and took suzies hand in his. tell me kingsley, how did she appear in that forsaken room? tell me what happened. well, the employees of the department of mysteries didnt know much. bode found her this morning next to the veil of death in the room of the dead. she was very lucky, this room isnt visited frequently and when bode found her she was on the verge of death. did she speaksomething sense yet? dumbledore asked her, rubbing her hand. no, the healer said she is in delirium. it will take a strong to will to wake up. albus, do you have any idea where she has been for those nearly twenty years? that im most curious about too. the image dissolved suddenly and as the room came back to focus and harry collapsed on the ground panting. he felt exhausted as after a day long quiditch match. see, this is when your own curiosity betrays yourself, dumbledore laughed. harry didnt respond. are you o.k., harry? he asked harry a bit of worry in his voice. yeah, its nothing. i just didnt think it would be so intense, he whispered.

harry, you wont stop to amaze me. it takes many hour of practice to manage your first contact. although, i knew you would succeed on the first attempt, he said with a tone of pride in his voice. what do you mean? harry asked curiously. nothing, dumbledore replied with a smile. chapter 32 : animemagi hello everyone, sorry i havent updated for so long but the final exams are closer than ever and i need to study more and more. but i promise you to update as soon as i can. i would also like to thank you all for your reviews they are really making my writing worth it. thank you all chapter 32: animemagi the time was flowing really fast and harry was dragging his suitcase to the grate in the great hall before he really realized that. it was the first day of the christmas holiday and most of the students were leaving to their homes. nearly none of the students stayed in hogwarts for the holiday, everybody was looking forward to leave the castle. everybody except for harry. harry didnt really like the idea about going back to grimmald place again so soon. it wasnt only for sirius, there was great danger lurking behind the walls of safe hogwarts castle. he actually would rather stay, but ron, ginny and hermione were nagging him so much that in the end he had to give up. harry, ron, ginny and hermione dragged their suitcases to the grate where professors lupin and sered were organising the transport via floo network. there was barely a student there, most of the people detest the floo travelling and went to their homes either by knight bus or the hogwarts express. harry spotted lavender kissing neville on the cheek and then walking over to grate, wearing old shabby robes. guys, do you have any idea where neville is going for christmas? ron asked curiously. he told me he is going to visit his aunt. he had never seen her, in fact he told me he had been really amazed when he got the letter from her. apparently, nevilles gran and aunt had some kind of row and were not talking to each other. he told me she was on the funeral but was too afraid to talk to him, so she wrote him just two days ago, hermione said. when neville disappeared in flames, harry and the others walked to the grate. lupin beamed at them as they faced him. hello, harry. ready to get back? nobody is there at the moment so just wait until someone from the order come. ill come to see you lot soon, he said. where are my parents? hermione asked nervously. they are on the excursion in the st. mungo with molly weasley. they were very curious about our medical methods and diseases. and arthur is in work, he

answered unasked question. have a nice christmas, harry. and you too, professor sered said. harry beamed at them both and then took a pinch of floo powder from the pot lupin offered him. grimmald twelve, the noble house of black, harry said out aloud and dropped the powder. he felt the familiar sensation as the green flames swallowed him. after the long roller-coaster ride he appeared in the entrance hall. as he brushed the ash of himself, he looked around the entrance hall and he froze in horror. there was a large banner posted on the wall. welcome back harry potter, it said. dobby, harry cursed under his breath and withdrew his wand, pointing it at the poster. evanesco. as the banner vanished the grate erupted in flames again and ginny appeared in the entrance hall. harry pocketed his wand quickly. ginny brushed the ash of her robes as well and smiled at harry. harry smiled nervously and was hoping there were no other banners like that hanging around the house. he dared not to think about hermione spotting one of these. it would lead into an unpleasant conversation for sure. there was a loud crack and dobby appeared in the entrance hall, immidietly bowing as he saw harry and ginny. dobby is pleased to see harry potter and young lady again. shall dobby take your luggage upstairs? he asked. no dobby, you really dont have to harry tried, but too late. dobby was already reaching for his and ginnys suitcases and disappeared with them. the flames erupted again and ron and hermione appeared. hermione looked at them curiously. where are your suitcases? she asked harry and ginny. erm harry started. dobby took them and stop nagging harry for that, dobby did this on his free mind, ginny said, slightly annoyed. hermione flashed her a furious look but then she barely nodded. shall we get something to eat, im starving, ron said. youve had your lunch three hours ago, hermione scowled. oh come on, we get the tea at hogwarts also, ron groaned. harry could hear tiny footsteps and dobby appeared again, panting. good day to you, mister wheezy and young lady, shall dobby take your luggage to your rooms? he squealed.

ron offered his suitcase immediately, but hermione refused to let go of it. she flashed the three of her friends angry looks and dragged the case to the stairs by herself. ron changed an uncomfortable look with harry and ginny and then he ran to help his girlfriend. they could hear them arguing all the way up. harry and ginny looked at each other and shook their shoulders. what about the tea, then? ginny asked him. o.k. harry said and they went to the kitchen. ginny set the tea and cups while harry searched for some snack. they sat at the table and began eating. hermione and ron joined them moments later, their hands locked again. apparently ron managed to talk some sense to her. harry, im sorry, i know you didnt really mean that, she said. forget it hermione, harry said with a smile. no, i forget it, harry said this time more loudly. the sound of opened doors reached their ears and they could hear footsteps in the entrance hall. are you lot here? came the cheerful voice of mrs. weasley. harry and the others smiled at each other and than they rose to greet with mrs. weasley and hermiones parents. ***** time was flowing like a water at the grimmald place. there was much happier atmosphere around. many known faces appeared amongst the guests that visited the headquarters regularly. fred and george would come from the store every night for dinner. they lived on their own now, but about one thing they knew nothing- cooking. fred looked more cheerful and told harry, although the shop still didnt get on well. another frequent guest to the house were bill weasley and fleur delacour. ron always grew nervous when she appeared, he very well remembered how he asked her out for the yule ball and what happened. he blushed furiously when fleur greeted him pleasantly one day. more people appeared- kingsley shacklebolt, nymphadora tonks, alastor moody and even some teachers from hogwarts appeared sometimes. lupin kept his word and tried to visit harry every day, although naturally he couldnt. professors mcgonagall and sered appeared also for a brief moment. the house still amazed him. he has been here many times already, but there was a new thing to find for every single day. he had spent one of the previous day all day by himself in the study where he found the photo album during his summer holiday. he spent hours flicking through those dusty volumes. one day all of this will be mine, so i have to know what i posses, he told himself

as he took another dusty book from the bookcase. he also visited buckbeak the hippogryph regularly. except for lupin harry was the only one who visited him and buckbeak was getting more and more depressed. harry was thinking about asking professor dumbledore to return buckbeak back to hogwarts, as he scratched him behind his ears. also they visited diagon alley twice, so harry and the others could buy their christmas presents. the diagon alley was crowded more than it was last time. maybe no one expected the death eaters attack on christmas. the day before christmas day harry was wandering around the house again when he came across to locked door he didnt know about. he was definitely sure no was there for a long time. a year or so harry thought according to the layer of dust on the ground. dobby missed another spot, i shall sack him, he thought to himself with a smile. and then something strange hit him. he looked all around the corridor. the walls have been repainted and the windows cleaned. the corridor sparkled with cleanness, only for the door in front harry stood. he tried the door handle again, but the door wouldnt budge. he withdrew his wand with a sigh and pointed it at the door. alahomora! he muttered. nothing happened. that wont do any good harry, came the voice of remus lupin. harry wheeled around. lupin was standing, leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. he was smiling at him. what do you mean? the door are heavily magiced. it could be only opened with a specific key. and who has the key? harry asked curiously. me, lupin sighed. so you know whats inside, dont you? unfortunately im not the one who is supposed to know. sirius gave my this key last year. he said i shall give it to you when you became mature. so you dont know whats inside? cant we have just a little peek? harry said with a smile. lupin merely laughed. ***** harry was awaken by ron next day very early. come on, wake up, ron urged him. harry opened his eyes a bit. it had to be very early, harry felt tired and it was

still dark outside. whats the matter? he asked ron groggily. what?! its christmas, thats the matter, ron scowled. lets get downstairs to see our presents. harry took his glasses and put them on. he checked his watch- 6:30. ron are you kidding me? harry groaned. we cant get the presents anyway, we should wait for the others to wake up. forget it, lets get dressed. so harry gave up and then they dressed. harry tried to tell ron that at least they should go quietly so they wont wake entire house, but ron didnt hear him. he disappeared in such speed that reminded harry about dobby. when harry reached the ground floor, he saw disappointed look on rons face. mum locked the door to the living room, he groaned. i told you, it is too early. lets get back upstairs i may be able to sleep a bit longer, harry said. rons face suddenly lit with excitement. or we can use alahomora charm! wait here while ill bring my wand. you better forget about that, ronald weasley, came the angry voice of mrs. weasley. they both wheeled around. mrs. weasley was standing in the middle of stairs, her arms crossed, looking livid. youll have to wait for the surely awaken now because of can do now is to prepare the disappeared, muttering under others to wake up. oh, of course everyone would be the racket you two caused. the best thing you breakfast while ill go dress myself, she said and her breath darkly.

ron shot harry apologizing face. sorry mate, i didnt mean her to be angry at you. when will you grow up? harry asked him darkly, but was smiling nevertheless. as they went to the kitchen and started preparing the breakfast, the inhabitants of the house gathered slowly. first came hermione and ginny. they both looked like still sleeping and hermione shot ron furious look as she saw him. sorry, i couldnt help myself, ron whispered. hermione just shook her head and sat at the table. as they finished the breakfast, whole house gathered around the table. the last one to came were the grangers who looked still very sleepy and sat next to their daughter. ron gulped. he tried so much to make a good impression on hermiones parents but he embarrassed himself nearly every time. when they all finished the breakfast mrs. weasly got up and unlocked the doors and all of them gathered inside. the room was nicely decorated, apparently dobby did his best. there was a christmas tree, decorated with magic snow and

sparkling stars and another magic snow was falling from then enchanted ceiling. naturally it disappeared as it touched the ground. they all sat at the various sofas and armchairs and began opening their presents. first of harrys presents he opened were another three knitted socks and sweater from dobby. he missed harrys size and the sweater would suit rather to ginny weasley. his next present was the sweater and large amount of home-made sweets from mrs. weasley. oh harry wonderful, ron yelled out aloud as he withdraw a guide book for the keepers in quiditch. pity that maybe i wont be needing this anymore, he sighed. harry shook the image of quiditch out of his head. he really missed it too and was hoping that dumbledore would find a way to reinstate it. he opened another present to reveal large amount of jokes from fred and george. they both winked at him as he searched through the pile. there was everything they had on the list, even the exploding bubble gums professor sered liked so much. he regretted not even buying her a present as he opened a large box revealing a golden frame with a picture inside. there was a picture of henrietta as a baby. harry read a note which was attached to the frame. happy christmas harry. try tapping the frame with your wand. harry laid the frame aside, he didnt have his wand with himself now, he would try it later. wow, harry. thank you. hermione said aloud, when she opened her present. it was her own volume of history of hogwarts, updated one. harry got another book from lupin. if it will continue like this, i might buy myself a large bookshelf, he thought for himself as he opened another present, revealing just another books from hermione. next came the usual the large bag of honeydukes sweets from hagrid. harry felt very sorry for him, he havent visited him whole year. he promised himself to visit him right after he came back. as the pile of presents was running low, harry got many little presents from various members of the da. then came the presents from bill and charlie weasley. but the present harry was most curious about, was the one ron handed him as the last one. it was quite large and heavy. harry read the note first. it was from ginny. he smiled at her and opened it. inside was his own pensieve. though this one was merely a half of the size of dumbledore, it was quite large nevertheless. harry was stunned, he didnt really expect this. he could only wonder where ginny got so much money to afford this. he looked at her. i thought you might want to clear your mind sometimes, she said nervously. its perfect, harry breathed out. as ginny opened her present from harry she gasped in surprise. inside was a brand new nimbus 2001. she looked at him also stunned.

just thought you might want to change the old cleansweep, harry said. harry looked around the room. everyone was looking at the two of them, everyone was smiling at them, like they understood something harry and ginny didnt. he blushed a bit and opened his last present, this time a new braces for his quiditch robes from ron. when they all opened the presents it was time for their lunch. they had a delicious turkey and mashed potatoes. many other members of phoenix appeared amongst the guests and the meal was really enjoyable. after the meal mrs. weasley came to harry. harry, dear, professor dumbledore is waiting for you in the study on the second floor, she whispered in his ear as she took his plate. harry frowned slightly, he didnt know what dumbledore could want. he excused himself and ran the stairs to the study quickly. he knocked on the door and entered. professor dumbledore was sitting in one of the two armchairs. he smiled at harry and motioned to the armchair in front of him. harry sat there nervously. happy christmas, harry. i felt like giving you your present from me myself, dumbledore said and with a flick of his wand a very large package appeared on the table next to them. harry gulped. he forgot about his headmaster. professor dumbledore im really sorry i have no present for you. dumbledore merely smiled. harry, there is no need. i must say i received enough presents in my whole life and believe me it is very long. please, open your present, dumbledore said and motioned towards the package. harry got up and opened the package curiously. inside was a high stack of books. he ran over the names of the volumes. advanced occlumency techniques, legillimency as a weapon, secrets of your mind, improving your psychical techniques harry eyed dumbledore curiously. he motioned to sit again. harry, i have another important thing to share with you, dumbledore said, looking very serious suddenly. harry sat and eyed him nervously. there was a long pause, when dumbledore was thinking about the beginning. harry, i already told you the time you spent to master the occlumency and also a basics form legillimency was remarkably short. so i dived myself into one research harry have you ever heard about the animemagi? harry firstly though that he knew, but that was animagi. and then he knew only methamorphagi he shook hi head. harry, animemagi were the wizards and witches who are natural with all the mind skills. the animemagi are very rare, in fact there has been no note about

living animemagus for nearly a century. the last known is elizabeth evans, your grand grandmother. no one knows how one becomes the animemagi. if its written in your blood or because of another circumstances but that isnt important. harry im sure youre the animemagi. the speed of your improvement and the amount of power is great. but there isnt only a bright side of the story. there were not many animemagus, and even less of them who didnt abuse their powers. harry, people get very afraid of the animemagi, they are afraid the animemagi will use their powers on them, dumbledore continued. but how can you be so sure? harry asked. he didnt really expect this. great, another thing makes me freak, he thought. harry, believe me ive researched this for long. it also gives us a reason why voldemort chose between you and neville when he heard about the prophecy, dumbledore said. harry lowered his head. the life prepared him another unpleasant surprise. why couldnt he just be a normal ordinary boy? so what does it mean? harry dont worry, you can lead an ordinary and normal life. but there is one thing. responsibility. you are responsible to develop your skills as much as you can. harry, those books will help you. im sorry to say, but i wont be able to teach you the powers regularly anymore. voldemort is gathering his army outside of the europe and there are many more countries which suffer from his reign of terror. does this mean i need to do this by myself? harry groaned. no. harry, you could always rely on your friends. ron, ginny, hermione, susie sered dont forget about them. they love you and will be here for you if you need them. what do you mean with the professor sered? harry asked. harry, professor sered is a great witch. she is very powerful and gifted. but then her fianc died and she disappeared. she returned but broke and without any note of self-confidence. harry, please take a good care about your friends, youve got the power to do it, dumbledore said with a smile. harry nodded briefly. that is the spirit. harry, i have to go now. please start with these books as soon as possible, dumbledore said. he got up and left the room closing the door behind himself and leaving harry in his thoughts alone. chapter 33 : the new year hello everyone, i mangaed to get some rare free time so i was able to write this chapter yesterday... anyway i really enjoyed writing this chapter. one might think it has stupid and predictable end but i like it this way p.s. btw i know that i'm stupid in writing hagrid and madam maxime, just get over

it,please. please read and review. thx and enjoy! chapter 33: firewhiskey chat the familiar feeling of distance with others which harry felt until he told ginny about the prophecy returned as dumbledore told him about the animemagi. he once again felt that no one could understand what he has been through and he thought that even another chat with ginny wouldnt do any good. so he spent most of them time in grimmald place on his own, hidden in the study with the stack of books dumbledore gave him, flicking through them. there were mainly full of meditation and mind exercises. there were also many new techniques written but harry was too afraid to experiment with these on his own. he put one of the books on a table with and with a sigh he buried his head in his hands. oh, how im i supposed to do this, he asked himself. there is no way i can defeat him. instead of returning to his book he got up and took the photo album he found during the last summer. he was halfway through it, when there was a sudden knock on the door. harry, are you there? it was remus lupin. harry was silent for a moment, but then he realized he couldnt avoid them for the rest of his life. yeah, he muttered silently, hiding the stack of books from dumbledore under the sofa he was sitting on. the door opened and the figure of remus dressed in shabby robes entered. he looked much older in the dimly lit study room. harry noticed they were many patches of grey in his once brown hair. he felt really sorry for him. he was his guardian after all and harry hardly paid him any attention except for the classes. he tried to remember when he talked to him for the last time but couldnt. mind if i join you? remus said softly. harry didnt answer, he merely shifted aside on the sofa to make some room for him. remus sat next to him and spotted the album on harrys lap. oh, i havent seen this for ages, i thought it was lost! mind if i have a look, harry? lupin asked him excitedly. harry merely shook his head and passed the album to remus. he opened the album on first page and laughed at the sight of baby sirius. he flickered through the pages and laughed again and again, although his laughter was less happy with every picture he saw. when he reached the picture of them after the n.e.w.t.s examination no laughter left his body. he closed the album and put it on the table, where harry put his books earlier. there was a moment of awkward silence when they both looked into the fire harry lit earlier.

you miss them really much, dont you? harry started the conversation and felt stupid immediately. you have no idea, remus said with a sigh. harry, what is wrong with you? huh? harry asked, surprised by the question. ron, ginny and hermione wrote me a letter yesterday. harry, theyre worried. they say you dont talk to them since the christmas day. they care about you, harry. i care about you. you cant keep running from us. harry sighed. you have no idea what im going through now. quite the opposite, harry. harry raised his head and faced him. dumbledore told me. harry felt sudden surge of rage towards his headmaster. harry, dont get angry, he didnt really tell me. i helped him with the research dumbledore barely has time nowadays with voldemort on his reign of terror again. so it was who found out about you being animemagus first. i dont know why it really didnt surprise, i always knew there is something special about you. then you understand whats wrong with me, harry said lowering his head again. no i dont, remus said. harry raised his head again. what do you mean? the most dangerous and probably the most powerful sorcerer is on my ass. and now i found that im some kind of some animemagus freak that people would fear about because of his powers. and i should be in mood for celebrating? harry spat at lupin angrily. yes. dont you realize the obvious? this could be the power that will help you defeat voldemort, remus said. but i dont want to have these powers. theyre dangerous i could hurt someone i dont want to. thats why you have to learn to control these powers. harry, this gift was given to you and you have the responsibility to develop it. and you know you cant do this alone. harry merely nodded. remus took the album and opened it again. he opened it on the picture from the party in the common room after the n.e.w.t.s exams. he chuckled. look harry. i remember this as if it was yesterday, i never saw anyone other but sirius drank so much firewhiskey during one night. ***** harry approached ron, hermione and ginny next day after the lunch, which he again didnt eat. he hardly felt hungry lately. they were just in the living room talking about what happened throughout the last year- it was the last day of the december and the last day of this year. they were just talking about the swamp prank from fred and george when harry came to them. they stopped the

conversation abruptly and eyed him nervously. ive got to tell you all something, harry started without waiting. and he talked. and talked. he told them about everything- about the prophecy, about the dreams he had through the summer and first term, about him being animemagus the trio listened patiently and didnt interrupt him, only hermione gasped when he firstly mentioned the animemagi. when he finished all of them were silent for a moment. then hermione got up and hugged him. dont worry ill help you, she said softly. ron got up and extended his hand which harry shook firmly. you can count on me with anything. ginny got up and hugged him. ill always stand by you, harry, she whispered into his ear. harry felt urge to cry, but he resisted. thanks, all of you, he said. he sat next to them and they talked for the rest of the day and not only about the dark things. as the evening come, harry felt relieved like never. he felt even better then when he told ginny about the prophecy. the thought of sharing all of his burden with another three friends of his was very comforting. around six oclock they had a dinner, which was most enjoyable because many members of the order appeared and there were no dark things mentioned, everybody kept talking about pranks they made as young, about various parties. as the dinner ended, harry noticed that the people didnt depart. quite the opposite, more and more people appeared. you better change your clothes harry, you dont want to celebrate the new year with those shabby muggle clothes on, remus told him, beaming. he came moments ago accompanied by professor sered, who greeted harry pleasantly. they both looked stunning, wearing brand new robes, which matched together perfectly. what do you mean? oh, come on harry, youre old enough to celebrate new year, we celebrated for the first time in our fourth year. we were separated with maradauers, of course, suzie said and smiled at remus. yeah, you should have seen the new year in our sixth year, remus smiled as he remembered. and you should come too, hermione, ron and ginny. harry looked at the others, who shook their shoulders. o.k., well come. they all left the dining room and were climbing the stairs. have any of you ever been to these parties? harry asked them. they all shook their heads. mum never let us, i dont know whats the big deal, ron said. well, i think these parties are useless i mean whats the point of celebrating what happened last year, hermione muttered to herself.

when they reached their rooms, they dressed up in their best robes. harry decided to wear his dress robes, although they reminded him of the yule ball, which wasnt very pleasant experience for him. as ron saw harrys robes he searched his trunk for his own new dress robes fred and george bought him. they looked at each other in criticising way and both shot disgusting looks before they burst out laughing. when they reached downstairs, harry could barely recognize the living room. the sofas and armchairs were set against walls to make a huge space. huge table with snacks was set against the wall as well and even though they had their dinner only half an hour ago they went there first and stuffed their mouth with all their favourite and then they opened a bottle of butterbeer each. they were looking around the room, sipping their butterbeer in silence. it seemed that whole order of the phoenix gathered there and also many minister representatives and teachers from hogwarts were amongst the guests. remus and suzie were talking to tonks, who was accompanied by wizard harry didnt know. and next to them deep in conversation with alastor moody was none other than rubeus hagrid. he didnt understand why he couldnt see him earlier, it was hardly to miss him. come on, he said to ron and they both set off to meet him. hello hagrid, mr. moody, they both greeted them. moody and hagrid stopped the conversation abruptly and turned around. oh, hello harry, and ron, hagrid said as he embraced them in tight hug. havnt seen yer two for long tim. did you fergot where my cabn is? he teased them. err we had lot to do they both said as they lowered their heads. yeah, i can imagine that, alastor moody said, fixing his both eyes at them. got troubles with your n.e.w.t.s, eh? he growled. they both nodded. ah, there is deadalus, excuse me hagrid, moody said and marched off. dont yer two worry, im not angry, i undrstand, hagrid said. how is grawp? harry asked him. oh, hes doing fine. i hav found him a gerl friend, one of the giants ministry captured, hagrid said, his eyes gleaming."thenk yer for yer tea set and treat fer fang." "don't mention it," harry smiled. hello, hagrid, came hermiones voice. they spun around and found ginny and hermione standing next to them. they were both wearing their dress robes as well and also some makeup. hermione had once again tied her bushy hair into elegant knot and ginny hair were curled. ron looked absolutely stunned. he shook his head violently, walked over to hermione and kissed her on cheek. you look beautiful, hermione, he said. ron, she scowled, but then she smiled and blushed a bit.

how are the creatures going, hagrid? ginny asked him with a smile. fine, ginny oh, look who came! hagrid shouted happily as another giant figure appeared- madam maxime. she spotted hagrid and with a huge smile walked over to them. hagrid, how naiz to see you agan, she said sweetly and kissed him on cheek. he blushed violently. olympe, these are my students and mates from hogwarts. harry, hermione, ron ginny, hagrid said as he motioned to every person he introduced. each of them shook their hand with her. ah, of corz young mr. potter, ve met at the turnament two years agou, she said as his hand slipped into her giant one. harry got the feeling that she might crush his finger without any effort. err yes, its pleasure to see you again, he muttered. iz dumblydorr coming tonight? she asked hagrid. yeh, he might drop later i missed you olympe, hagrid said. come on, hermione nudged ron and harry into ribs and the four of them disappeared. they went to the snack table again so hermione and ginny could grab their butterbeers as well. hey harry, come and have a drink with us, remus called at him from the other end of the room. they all moved over to where remus was standing with suzie, mundunguns fletcher, tonks, moody and deadalus diggle. hello, harry potter, im glad you could drop by, deadalus greeted him. nice to know you too, he greeted the others. wotcher, harry, tonks greeted him. hello harry, come and have a drink, all of you, mundunguns yelled in drunken voice. thank you, we have these harry started. you aint to drink this shit here, mundunguns yelled even louder as he poured four cups of firewhiskey and handed them to harry and the others. they looked at each other uneasily. harry, we shouldnt hermione started. dont try to offend me, missy, he said as he drank his firewhiskey in one gulp. harry shook his shoulder and poured the liquid down his neck in one gulp as well. it tasted horribly. harry felt the burning sensation all the way firewhiskey travelled inside his stomach.

hermione was coughing hardly, while ron looked at harry nauseated. ginny on the other hand looked perfectly normal. i had few of these during our last hogsmeade visit in fourth year, she said, as if she was apologizing, when everyone was staring at her. thats my girl. let me pour you another one, mundunguns said and was just about to take ginnys cup when fletcher! are you trying to get them drunk?! came the voice of mrs. weasley. molly dear calm down, its about time they tried it, mr. weasley soothed his wife with a smile at harry and others. what? you too arthur? they arent even mature, mrs. weasley yelled at her husband. come on mum, we tried those when we were in our fourth year, fred said as he and george appeared from the crowd. even you? i never had these problems with charlie or bill she didnt finish the sentence as bill and charlie appeared, both holding glasses of wine. my family are bunch of alcoholics, mrs. weasley yelled frustrated. calm down, molly have a drink also, mundunguns shouted and poured a glass for her. at first it looked like mrs. weasley would throw the glass at him, but then she drained it in one gulp. well, just for tonight i guess, she said and disappeared in the crowd again. take care of yourselves, mr. weasley told them with a wink and disappeared after his wife. after another two shots of firewhiskey harry thought that the taste was bearable. the only one who drank with him was ginny, hermione still looked rather pale and when ron suggested another for himself she looked at him so sternly that he didnt take it. the party was passing very quickly and it wasnt only because harry had good time. he lost the sense of time after the third shot and he felt also little bit dizzy. so he decided to rather drop the shots and returned to his butterbeer. as the midnight was near most of the people were under influence of alcohol and suddenly music began and people started to dance, which was quite dangerous because of the size of room. remus was dancing with suzie, madame maxime and hagrid were waltzing their way through the crowd, everyone was backing from them in fear of injury. after a while another pair harry wouldnt expect to dance appeared- hermione and ron. ron was sporting hurt face, harry was sure it was hermione who dragged him to dance. come on, harry, lets have another drink, ginny tug on his hand, smiling. her eyes were watered and a bit bloodshot. no, ginny i dont think you should have another harry started, but was stopped by mundunguns who handed ginny another glass. harry looked around desperately

for any kind of help but there was none he knew. lupin was still dancing with suzie and tonks just left to dance with deadalus. so he grabbed ginnys hand desperately and dragged her to the dance floor. i thought you dont dance, ginny giggled. i dont, harry said desperately as he tried to move as far as from mundunguns as far as possible in the rhythm of music. the tune changed suddenly to slow one and harry wanted to leave the dance floor, but ginny held him even more tightly and placed her head on his shoulder. harry looked around in the desperate search for some help, but on the other hand he couldnt help to notice how was her touch comfortable mundunguns suddenly came to the centre of the room and conjured himself a chair, which looked very odd shaped because of his state. he stepped on to it and whistled. every head turned to him, harry felt as ginny raised her head as well. one minute to new year. i wasnt supposed to be the one to tell you this, but dumbledore seems late anyway lets hope that it is going to be better than this. we lost many dearest friends but got many more. so lets make a toast to those who we lost and those who we found, he raised his goblet and so did everyone who had one as well. mundunguns drained his goblet and then cleared his mouth with the back of his hand. now everybody has your partner?! he yelled loudly. there were many yes and yeah coming from the room. mundunguns checked his watch. o.k. here we go ten, nine, eight, the crowd all around chanted with him seven, six, five, four, three, two one happy new year. everybody kiss your partner now! he yelled and jumped of the stool and ran to dobby, who appeared to be the only one who remained alone. harry looked around himself, panic now in his veins. people all around were kissing each other. hagrid and madame maxime kissed each other on cheek, remus and suzie shared a quick kiss on lips, hermione and ron were in deep passionate kiss and then it happened- ginny touched his chin and turned harrys face, then she hugged him around neck. they were face to face, staring deeply into each other eyes. she moved her head closer and their lips met. harry didnt want this, she did only because she was drunk but on the other hand he really enjoyed that. the kiss he shared with cho was nothing compared to this. and then he remembered about dean. he ceased the kiss quickly and pulled apart. ginny, i cant do this he said softly. tears appeared in her eyes. no, its me i shouldnt, she sobbed and without any further ado she released harry and ran upstairs to her room. no, ginny, wait! harry called after her but she was already gone. chapter 34 : return to hogwarts

sorry! i barely have time to update lately, but i try. sorry, this chapter is short and dull, ive got some kind of block now. just hope i get over it soon. big thank to those, who read and review chapter 34: back to hogwarts harry awoke very early the next morning, feeling very thirsty and a bit dizzy as well. he never had had a hangover and it felt horrid. but his first hangover wasnt the thing he was most concerned about. he couldnt get one particular image of red-haired girl out of his mind. he very much remembered the feeling when she kissed him- excitement, passion he couldnt understand why but he wanted it to happen again. but with this always came the most oblivious fact. ginny was drunk and she didnt really mean to kiss him. and then there was dean. clearing his mind, harry got up and nearly collapsed to the ground as his head gave unpleasant lurch. he reached for his head and closed his eyes for a moment to focus his mind. he opened them moment later and put on his glasses. ron was still fast asleep, snoring loudly. he remembered how they looked like together with hermione last night and couldnt help to crack a grin. he dressed himself silently and went downstairs to have some breakfast and at least a jug of cold water. when he reached the door to the kitchen horrible smell, which he recognised vaguely attacked his nostrils. he opened the door and entered. suzie sered was standing at the stove, stirring some mixture in large cauldron. when he entered the room she turned to him and smiled. rough night? she said. yeah whats that awful smell? harry asked. sobering potion, there are lot of people here who will be needing it. i thought you would recognise it by now. would you like some, you look like you could use some? yes, please, harry said as he sat on one of the chair. so exactly how many people stayed here? he asked her after a moment of silence. i dont have an idea, at least twenty for sure, she said as she sat in front him, handing him a cup of fuming liquid. it smelled horribly and tasted the same, harry thought as he drained half the cup in one gulp, but he could feel the effect nearly immediately as his headache ceased and his stomach became steadier. he finished his cup with another long gulp. thanks, that really helped, he said. dont mention it, suzie replied with a wink as she sent the cup away with her wand. so what exactly happened between you and ginny weasley yesterday? she seemed rather upset. harry couldnt understand how the women always understood each other so easily. he

wasnt very enthusiastic about the idea of talking about the kiss with anyone. i dont know what happened between you and remus lupin? he asked quickly. good one, suzie said with a sigh. she started to play with the red stripe of her hair. its difficult, you see. remus had always had a place in my heart i always hoped he would ask me out sometime, but he always seemed shy and hiding something. and i understand him being a werewolf, having no friends until hogwarts. you knew he was a werewolf? i thought dumbledore kept that secret well, it wasnt that difficult to find out was it? the maradauers, always vanishing in the night of the full moon, they nicknamed him moony and he always sported bites and scratches after the full moon. and then in seven year when we hanged out together he told me. but why you were going out with sirius? nah, i dont know. maybe i was trying to make remus jealous or something similar stupid. anyway we didnt last long, only one month to be honest, she said with a sigh. and the we left hogwarts and i started dating one boy from ravenclaw we went to the education academy, thats where new teacher are trained, we were both interested in potions. then one of his mixtures went wrong and he died, she said, wiping a tear which appeared in her eye with her sleeve. i dont know why i was blaming myself for his death. i felt so alone she sighed. harry waited her for continue, but she was silent for a moment. this would seem like perfect moment to ask her about the veil. and then, when he was just about to ask her, she spoke again. anyway, remus invited me yesterday and we had really good time. i dont know if this is heading somewhere, he seems to feel a bit awkward about standing next to me. no wonder, she said with a sarcastic smile. harry could imagine that. a greying man next to the girl who looked like she just matured recently. so now you tell me whats between you and young ms. weasley? harry sighed. it was her who had a good point now. i dont really know. nothing probably. dont tell its nothing, thats not true. i see the way she is looking at you. and i saw you two kissing yesterday, suzie said. well, maybe she used to be after me, but hermione told me that shes not after me anymore. she had dated two boys since then. she kissed me yesterday only because she was drunk, thats it, harry said and was surprised to feel a jolt of bitterness that burst inside him. and im not interested in her either, he added quickly. tell that to someone else, suzie replied, and harry was surprised to hear a slight note of anger in her voice. she wanted to tell him something else, but they were interrupted as the door to the kitchen opened and tonks entered the room, her nose totally misshapen and her eyes bloodshot.

hello tonks, suzie greeted her as she got up and poured another cup of sobering potion. then she leaned to harry and whispered in his ear. we will finish this later. harry barely nodded and when tonks friend appeared in the kitchen harry made himself a toast to get on another thoughts. but it didnt help. the toast tasted like paper and harry lost the appetite after three bites. hermione appeared moments later, the first person who looked like she could handle without the sobering potion. she sat next to harry. morning, hermione, harry muttered. he leaned forward. have you talked to ginny at all? he said silently. hermione looked at him sternly first but her face softened as she saw harrys. yes, harry i have. and? well, she told me nothing sense at all. i dont know what there is between you two, but you better sort it out soon. and harry be nice, she said. harry nodded, took two buttered toasts he wont eat anymore and went upstairs to room which ginny and hermione shared, thinking all the way up what he would tell her. when he reached the door he took a great breath and knocked on the door. come in, he heard ginnys voice. he entered the room. ginny was still laying in bed. when she saw who came, she looked at him uneasily and embarrassed. oh, sorry, ill come later, harry muttered. no harry its o.k. come in, ginny said. harry came in, his planned speeches evaporating from his mind immediately. he looked at the stack of toast he was carrying. i brought you these, he said. ginny smiled a bit. oh, harry its not you who should feel embarrassed. i apologize for what happened yesterday, harry. i dont know why i have done that. i just felt like doing it. maybe it was that firewhiskey, i dont know. harry felt as a heavy burden fell from his heart. so he didnt need to say anything at all. its o.k. i shouldnt have let that happened. i mean, neither of us didnt really want that to happen. for an instant he could swear ginny would burst into tears at first, but then she smiled at him slightly. ***** they all gathered by the grate in the entrance hall next day, their luggage packed and they were dressed once again in their school robes. the christmas holiday ended by this day and class would begin again tomorrow. suzie sered was the one who accompanied them to the school.

after another unpleasant journey by the floo network they ended up in the great hall in hogwarts. they said goodbye to suzie and marched towards the gryffindor common room, talking about the upcoming classes. hermione as always fussed about ginny not preparing for her o.w.l.s exam, which seemed to be closing in rather fast. they said the new password as they reached the portrait of fat lady and stepped inside the common room, which was already packed with people, who talked about their holidays and presents. there were many members of the da among them. they went to their dormitories to unpack and then they met again in the common room. ron brought his chessboard, and they played several games with harry, observed by ginny. hermione was shooting them reproachful glances as she raised her head from the potions book she was reading. hermione, i think no one is going to test you right after the christmas holiday, ron scowled as hermione shot them another look. come on hermione, let him be, harry said with a smile. youre the one who should be reading your books dumbledore gave you, hermione told him. harry gulped. he almost forgot about that. dont worry harry, we will help you, ginny said. sure harry, hermione said. i have an excellent idea! what about bringing those powers to the da? are you serious, hermione? do you have any idea how this stuff is difficult? half of the da would turn their back on us when we bring this up. no one is too enthusiastic to show their weakness, harry said. harry, i think everybody could use with a bit of occlumency, hermione said. i dont know hermione, he muttered and returned to the game with ron. moments later neville and lavender joined them at the table. hello, had a good holiday? lavender greeted them. so, who are you going to the valentine ball? she asked them a with smile, pointing at the notice board. harry and the others looked where she was pointing. there was a huge sign pinned there that announced the valentine ball. harry almost forgot about that and now he fell gloomy. he too well remembered how the last ball went. he remembered the chase for a free girl and the uncomfortable feeling, which occurred when he asked someone. it doesnt say weve got to go there with a partner, harry tried. oh, come on, its valentine ball, lavender said smiling. i guess pavarti wont be bad again, harry what do you think:? ron teased him. hardly, pavarti is going with seamus, they are going out now, you know, lavender said. well, it wont be bad if we dont turn up, ron muttered and harry nodded.

you two are not serious, are you? youll have to be there ron, the prefects are supposed to help with the organization. and i thought you would ask me out, hermione said, looking hurt. ron looked at her uneasily. well of course. hermione, will you go to ball with me? hermione stern face softened and she smiled at him sweetly. yes, of course i will. what about you, harry? who are you going to ask? lavender asked him. well, im still thinking about not coming at all, harry muttered. and what about you ginny? lavender asked her. ginny merely shook her shoulders. i dont know, she muttered. lavender looked at her first and then at harry, but luckily she made no comment. right. see you all later, neville said and they went off. chapter 35 : animemagi lessons well, i wont apologize this time its always the same- no spare time, lot of school stuff... but my final exams are approaching and after that ill have a lot of free time. im happy with all the reviews i got even if its only six or less. thank you all very much. btw, this story is coming to an end slowly, only about five or six chapters left... chapter 35: animemagi lessons harry regretted that he didnt study nearly at all during the christmas holiday the very first days of the second term. he wanted very much to be back at the grimmald place, locked in his favourite study by himself reading from a book during his transfiguration lesson on monday. professor mcgonagall went furious as she found out that nobody except for hermione and few others didnt revise throughout the christmas holiday. whats that for? seamus groaned to himself to loudly as professor mcgonagall gave the whole class extra homework worth an hours of extra studying. mr. finnigan, do you realise how fast your n.e.w.t.s are approaching? mcgonagall asked him. the whole class was staring at her in amazement. i dont think you should neglect studying for this year exams, but theyre compared to your upcoming n.e.w.t.s. professor mcgonagall, you cant be serious the n.e.w.t.s wont come until year and half, ron scowled.

which is just enough time to prepare you for them. i expect nothing but good results, from all of you, mcgonagall said as she looked at neville. transfiguration was the only classes neville still had some problems with and harry couldnt understand how he could scarp to this class. charms on tuesday werent any better. even the kind tiny professor flitwick went angry when harry failed to heal a nasty cut on one of the sleeping mouse. he fussed about the n.e.w.t.s as well. all of the spells we have covered form the first year up to your seventh could pop up on your exam, he squeaked. with all that harry was glad to face the thing he enjoyed most at the hogwartsthe da. he was wondering where everyone else was, walking to the room of requirements by himself, thinking about the hew spell they should cover. the whole common room was already empty and harry felt slightly hurt that even his best friends seemed to leave without him. however it was apparent where everyone else was as harry opened the doors of room of requirements. the room was packed with whole da and harry could see they were discussing something, but stopped the moment he entered. they eyed him awkwardly. what is it? harry asked them nervously as a fifty pairs of eyes were watching him. hermione sighed. harry, please dont be mad at me. we were just talking about our next task and i brought up the occlumency harry felt a pang of anger hitting his body suddenly. what did i tell you? i dont want to bring that stuff here? harry, they all agreed hermione pleaded him as the others looked at him uneasily. harry weighed the idea in his mind. he really didnt feel about sharing any bit of his mind with his fellow students. but than, he owed them something are you all serious about this? you have no idea how it is unpleasant. somebody would have to use legillimency on you to train the occlumency. everyone has his own skeleton in cabinet, something you would never want to share with others. and im not speaking about how dangerous it is. ron stepped forward. as long as you do it, im not afraid. me neither, professor sered said. wait harry, youre telling me you know how to use legillimency? zacharias smith asked him with a note of doubts. i know some basics, harry replied coldly. zacharias smith fell silent, glaring at him. he looked around the room, surveying the looks on each face. there was some fear here and there, yes. but mainly their eyes was glowing with anticipation.

hermione is right, it couldnt hurt. o.k., i didnt really thought about this, maybe some basic facts in the beginning harry was thinking aloud. he looked over at hermione who had always had some sort of plan, but she was looking at him with the same face of the anticipation as the others. right, so the basics the most essential thing. clear your mind. you must think about nothing. when your mind is clear and focused, youre not making it too easy for the one who is using legillimency on you. when somebody is using legillimency on you and you dont defend yourself properly some images might appear. you mustnt get disturbed by these, remember that. basics? cho said sarcastically with a nervous smile. harry just shook his shoulders. then sudden thought struck him- how were they supposed to train occlumency when he was the only one with some experience with legillimency. err, hermione i think there is one problem we didnt think about. im the only one here who knows something about legillimency. hermione sighed. i know, i was thinking about that maybe you could teach legillimency some of us but still you have got to try us all tonight. harry looked around the room again. fifty or so people. this looks like to be the longest da ever. right we better start up so we manage it to the curfew. who wants to go first? no one really was keen to be the first and in the end it was hermione who volunteered. she stepped in front of him and harry drew out his wand. he gave her last questioning look. are you sure about this, hermione? she nodded but said nothing. when i cast the spell on you, we will both see the images from your past. it depends on what are you thinking about or what im looking for so clear mind. try to fight me off. ready? legillimens! he yelled as he pointed his wand at her. he wanted to be as soft as possible, but still the room dissolved instantly as harry said the incantation. the image of her parents in grimmald place appeared suddenly. just as he thought that this would be harder than he had thought, the room came into focus again and he saw hermione, still standing on her feet firmly. bravo hermione, you managed to hold me off, harry said with a broad smile. i saw my parents so i failed, hermione said. well, were you expecting to repel harry completely on the first time? ron asked her, rolling his eyes. it was remarkable how he started using hermione mimics. i say it was good, harry said with a matter-is-finished tone. who wants to go next?

the rest of the group seemed to be comforted when hermione survived so one by one they walked over to harry. and so harry used the legillimency on every single da member. he was at first amused because ron and creevy brothers came after hermione and none of them managed to repel harry. harry saw younger versions of fred and george doing one of their famous pranks on ron. he was choking and harry could see that his tongue was ten times larger than normal- big tongue tofees. mrs. weasley, yelling at ron because of the bad o.w.l. results, dennis creevy whacking bludger towards lestrange (how he terribely missed quiditch), a tentacle of giant squib this isnt going to be that bad, harry thought. he regretted it almost instantly as ginny came over next. harry couldnt help to think about dean and there he was- he appeared in the vision, lying on the ground in hogsmeade dead. he broke the connection immediately. ginny was on her knees, panting but refused his help when he offered her hand. more and more da members changed before harry and when he was halfway done he wanted very much to stop. he felt very tired and the amount of absorbed images were making his head dizzy. he couldnt wait for his pensieve. and another images appeared- a scenery bathed in sunset from professor sered, funeral of nevilles grandparents, yule ball from lavender, seamus in the common room from parvati, bat bogey hex on malfoy from luna, disastrous date in teashop from cho. some of them were slightly nervous, but jack reiley was definitely most. harry at first thought he wouldnt want to be tried at all but then he approached him, shuffling his feet. knowing that this would be an easy target, harry pushed him only slightly. in one second lasting image he saw an old male yelling at him- probably bills father. bills face couldnt be more relieved when harry broke the connection. not all of them resisted too long but there were few exceptions. hermione, suzie and to harrys utter amazement zacharias smith and richard grady. he was mostly surprised by the success of the slytherin first year. if there was a promising talent amongst them it would be him. by the time they all changed harry felt totally exhausted. his head was throbbing painfully and his brain was surely about to explode. his only wish were now only good long sleep and his pensieve. he glanced at his watch. half past ten, half an hour after curfew! he yelled, surprised. we all better get going, or well get into trouble. i dread to think what would happen if mcgonagall or another professor found harry started but cut the sentence at the reproachful look suzie gave him. well set the next meeting for next tuesday. suzie, zac, hermione, would you mind coming here tomorrow at five? the three nodded. right, thank you. oh, homework everybody, try to clear your mind before you go to sleep, harry said. they all nodded and said their goodbyes and dissolved in packs, all of them chatting about just ended session excitedly.

***** the next day harry met up with hermione, suzie and zac and filled them in with the basics of legillimency. harry couldnt make a better choice- after four hours of trying they managed to perform the legillimency on each other in turns. even zacharias felt really excited and when they parted he even smiled at harry as he said his goodbye. hermione took a lead of his animemagi lessons and even she couldnt teach him anything she, ron and ginny volunteered to become harrys testers. harry was glad hermione was so initiative, dumbledore could be barely seen even at the teachers table in the great hall during meal times, even though voldemort was still staying low. he practised using the distant legillimency and even managed to involve himself in an hour lasting mind conversation with hagrid from the top of the astronomy tower during one particularly boring lesson. he wanted to proceed further more with his powers but hermione insisted on mastering the previous skills first. since then they have begun every single da session with training occlumency. harry, hermione, zac and suzie were the ones who were legillimencing the others. the progress was very slow, because they were too many and were unbalanced but steady nevertheless. harry never felt so confident with the da as recently. harry would like to say the same thing about his classes, but couldnt. although he had managed to deal with the routine very soon his marks didnt improve much. but at least he wouldnt fail from nothing from the moment, which was probably his record because he always failed in potions. but one thing harry missed very much. suzie didnt ask him to reinstate their meeting right before the da sessions and harry would feel a bit awkward if he was the one to ask for it. he still couldnt get out of his head asking her about the veil. but every time he was about to ask her either someone appeared or another thing happened. he managed to bring up the theme very near to the veil once after the da but she merely coughed and fell silent for a moment before she changed the topic of the conversation. harry hated being her so secretive, but he knew she would crack sometime. meanwhile january came to its second half and harry was set up against another thing- the valentine ball. he really didnt want to go, but when he mentioned this to ron, he begged him to go. he didnt want to go as well, but as he already asked hermione out he had to. the atmosphere in the castle was very similar to when the yule ball approached, maybe even worse. harry kept bumping into people in the corridor, who were talking in packs about the ball or asking someone out. he still hadnt found a date for himself and as the day passed the choice was getting lower and lower. he could imagined malfoy would smirk at him if hr appeared on the ball without the date. not that no one asked him out. he was asked out by few girls from second and third year. imaging malfoy once again, how he would make fun of him if he brought someone so young he refused, although he was more polite than in his fourth year. he wanted to ask some of his fellow da member but it seemed that nearly all were taken. he pointed this out during one game of chess harry and ron had together in the beginning of the third week of january. well, maybe you could ask ginny out, i think she has got none yet as well, he

muttered between his turn. harry considered this for a long time. yes, they had a bit of difficulties in their friendship on the new years party, but they solved that out he looked over where ginny was catching up on some o.w.l. work with help of hermione and when she saw him she smiled at him, before returning to her book. harry made up his mind and got up, leaving ron at the chessboard still deeply thinking about his next move, oblivious to the fact that he was playing alone. harry could feel his nerves raising, like when he asked cho out, but he couldnt understand why. ginny was his friend and he should feel perfectly normal asking her. as a friend, naturally. hi, he greeted them as he sat at the table. not really knowing how to begin he glanced over her shoulder to what they were revising on. switching charm, how interesting he muttered. really? i find that rather boring, ginny said and stretched her arms. hermione first looked at annoyingly at her and than at harry as if she was angry harry disturbed them. ah, listen ginny, harry started, well ron just told you have no one to go to the ball with. and so i. so, do you think we might err go together? for an instant it looked like she was going to flush but in the end she didnt. harry was glad that she didnt. are you asking me out, harry? she asked him with a smile. it looks so, we might go as friends. oh, yes sure, ill be delighted, she said and at first harry thought her smile faded a little, but then he though he just imagined that. so its settled then, harry said and she nodded. i better get back to ron, he said and left the table. that wasnt too bad, harry thought to himself as he returned to the table where ron was sitting. so how did it go? ron asked him with a smile. o.k., were going together, he said as he moved his another piece. harry potter is going on date with my little sister, i thought i would never live to see that, ron smirked and moved his other piece. oh, shut up. were going as friends only, harry said. he then wanted to add that ginny wasnt his little sister anymore but felt silent as ron moved his another piece and yelled in triumph, defeating harry for fourth time in a row. chapter 36 : valentine ball chapter 35: the valentine ball harry found out that when he had someone to go with on the ball he was actually looking forward to it. it couldnt get any worse than the yule ball, he thought. the time ran like water and harry suddenly faced second week of february,

three days before the valentine day. but there was another think that made harry even happier. it was so good that harry first thought it was some kind of not very amusing joke. harry was in common room, finishing another of his extra transfiguration essay when the portrait door of the common room opened and ron and hermione appeared. ron was grinning smugly, while hermione looked pleased. harry couldnt understand why, because he knew they had prefect meeting. at least he couldnt understand why ron looked so happy. as they both spotted harry they came to join him at his table. what are you two happy so about? harry asked them curiously. they looked at each other and even hermione cracked a grin but they said nothing. well? dont taunt me like that. what happened? harry pushed. lets just say i had the best prefect meeting for whole my life, ron said, still grinning. hermione even forgot to shot him reproachful look as he said that this was the first meeting worth it. whats so great about it? harry asked, feeling annoyed now. why dont you ask hermione, it was her idea? so what? hermione leaned forward so no one could overhear them. well harry, dont get too excited, but we might have sorted out the quiditch problem, hermione whispered. for a second harry didnt understand. and than it struck him. are you telling me that youre going to reinstate quiditch? he breathed out. he couldnt belive it. sssh, this is supposed to be kept in secret until it is really done, hermione whispered irritably. so they would finally let us out? harry asked with a note of excitement. well, not exactly, hermione shook her head. harry face darkened again. hermione spotted this and comforted him. dont worry, harry, youll know everything by tomorrow, o.k.? what do you mean? another prefect meeting will take place at seven and this time all the quiditch captains are invited. so be at prefect lounge at seven. so harry had to wait till the next day. he didnt make false hopes, but still he expected the next day with anxiety. precisely at seven oclock he entered the prefect lounge to find out that all the prefects were already there. harry also spotted cho chang and madam hooch amongst the crowd and they didnt have to wait for more than a minute when blain and christian connor appeared. all the captains sat at the same table, looking puzzled.

the prefect lounge was very big room and it didnt resembled any classroom there was. there were four long tables, for each of the house where the six prefects for each house and/or head boy and girl sat. there were other spare tables and one was occupied by the quiditch captains who looked around them bit uneasily. the walls were lined up with bookshelves where hundred of dusty volumes laid. in the head of the prefect lounge was a long table, which was above the level, where all the heads of the houses sat. professor mcgonagall for gryffindor, professor sprout for hufflepuff, professor flitwick for ravenclaw and professor sinistra, the astronomy teacher and the new appointed head of the slytherin house. it was professor mcgongall who rose to her feet first. now that all of us gathered we can begin the meeting. perhaps you are wondering why are invited you tonight, she said as she nodded towards the table where the captains were seated. you are here today so we could discuss the possibility of continuing the quiditch tournament. harry tried to sport a surprised look as every other captain did, he thought professor mcgonagall wouldnt be happy if she knew hermione told him the secret. cho and christian looked most excited, it was their last year and they wanted a chance to scarp a last cup as a team member. blain on the other hand after recovering from shock looked slightly bored. i dont want to make any false hope, be assured. the new form of quiditch would be very much difficult to organise and would require all the help you can provide. cho raised her hand. does this mean were allowed outside again? she asked professor mcgonagall with a sparkle in her eyes. no, ms. chang. we dont know what might be lurking in thee grounds, though they are protected, mcgonagall replied with a sigh. cho lowered her hand in disappointment. but kindly hear ms. granger out. she was the one who got the idea. hermione went to the head of the room and cleared her throat. as you all know the quiditch was cancelled because the grounds werent considered safe enough. for whole winter we tried to find an alternative but failed. until yesterday. we decided that the quiditch matches will be held in the great hall. there was utter silence from the table where the captains sat. everybody looked at hermione as if she was mad. the great hall isnt big enough to fit a quiditch pitch, cho complained loudly. well, quite the contrary we made some measurements and it seems big enough to hold a game. naturally, the game cant be so quick inside and the balls would be needed adjusted what about the weather? coping with the weather, thats half fun on quiditch, christian piped up. youve got enchanted ceiling and professor flitwick thinks that the different weather condition could be magicked inside the great hall, hermione said. harry doubted very much that the simulated weather could be accurate enough.

what about the spectators? where we put stands? cho commented. you are absolutely right cho, thats true. there is no way the great hall could hold stand for hundreds of people so that there would be enough place to game on. that is the only real problem, but we got that planned out as well. thats why we included two new persons on broomsticks- the observers. the observer would be chosen from the two houses which dont play. they would fly around the great hall, watching the game through the enchanted omniculars. these omniculars would be connected to two mirrors planted in the common room. the students will watch the game from there, hermione said. harry, raised by muggles knew exactly what hermione thought. the others on the other hand looked at her as if she was crazy. thats ridiculous, what would prevent the observers from interfering with the game? blain asked her with a snort. points would be subtracted from house where to the observer belong, hermione said calmly. hermione, the support of the spectators means a lot to the team, harry said. thats why the common rooms would be connected to the great hall so the players could hear what is happening in the common rooms. everyone was still looking at her in disbelief, but harry could see that cho and christian nodded, only briefly though. look at least we can give it a try, what do you think? she looked at them anxiously. its the best option we have under these circumstances. i like it, harry said, mainly to support her. the rest of the captains looked at harry and than nodded, still looking bit unconvinced. hermione beamed at him. o.k., the only thing left is to organise the matches, she said. ***** at ten that evening the meeting dissolved and everybody went to their common room. harrys head felt swollen many times with the new absorbed information and he was immensely tired but was happy nevertheless. they finally agreed on the training and matches schedule. right after valentine, the training sessions will commence and the first match was set on the first of march- slytherin vs. hufflepuff. harry and cho were elected as the first observers. that night he came to the common room and summoned his whole team. large of the amount of happiness left him as he remembered that dean was dead and he had to replace his position. he asked kimberly cook whether she was still interested in playing. given the circumstances, kimberly wasnt as happy as she should be and merely nodded when harry asked her. that meant he had to devise new tactics to involve kimberly and was very happy that their match isnt coming up to the half of the march. as harry announced the new whole his team seemed to burst out with happiness. dennis and colin creevy started dancing around the room, while parvati beamed

at him so much that harry had to look away. the only team-mate who wasnt all that happy was ginny weasley but harry understood why. the students have to talk about something else except from valentine, which was the next day. the castle buzzed excitedly and harry felt happy that quiditch was gaining on ball amongst the topics of conversations. when the ball was announced officially that morning by professor mcgonagall (professor dumbledore was yet again gone) whole great hall burst into huge applause, which lasted longer than harry ever remembered. but the quiditch tournament vanished from many mind the next day when they woke up. as harry and the others had their breakfast in the great hall, everyone talked about the upcoming evening excitedly. morning was the only time where harry saw ron and hermione, as all of the prefects help teachers with the organisation and decorations. harry enjoyed the remaining of the day with his fellow students in the common room. nobody felt like studying that day, they were so excited that none couldnt concentrate. instead all of them were chatting happily or playing some games. harry was involved in a game of chess with seamus, which he won very easily (seamus was nothing compared to ron) and than he played many games of gobstones and exploding snap with creevy brothers. harry couldnt remember the common room to be so loudly. three hours before the ball the girls started to dissolve towards their dormitories, chatting excitedly about their dress robes and agreeing on help with their appearance. the boys shook their heads and continued on mayhem. two hours before the beginning of the ball the prefects appeared. the three girls run to their dormitories, fussing how they had short time. even hermione did. the boys joined the games and ron beat harry in chess thrice before it was an hour and they thought they should better get prepared. they washed themselves and then put on their dress robes each. ron dressed in his new blue robes, while neville was wearing brown and seamus canary yellow, which made them all laugh. they had fun trying to flatten harrys hair, but they were stubborn as he was. after what felt for hundredth time they failed, seamus suggested scissors and harry was glad that it was time to leave. they all went downstairs to common room to find out that girls were already there waiting for them. some of the gryffindors were meeting with someone from another house so they left through the portrait door. ron spotted hermione, who was dressed like on the new year party, perfectly. harry was searching for ginny in the crowd and when he found her, his mouth opened in surprise. her hair was curly again as on the new year party and she was wearing dress robes which perfectly matched her flaming hair. the robes were definitely from the second hand as harry surveyed them, on the contrary they looked brand new. he walked over to her. you look beautiful, he breathed out. thanks, she muttered. mum made these for this day when we were on christmas holiday. she stepped closer to him and brushed of some dust of his shoulder, than she straightened up his collar properly. i want my date to look perfect, she said teasingly.

harry smiled and offered his arm in bemused way. ginny took it and together they walked over where ron and hermione were standing, waiting for them. they went to the great hall in silence. there was already large crowd standing and waiting for the great hall to be opened. harry was hailed up by many of the da members, all of the girls wanting a dance with him. harry gulped uneasily. he didnt really fancy dancing and the thought of dancing for whole evening haunted him. harry caught a glimpse of malfoy who snorted in disgust as the girls from da asked him out. he was accompanied by pansy parkinson again and flanked by crabbe and goyle who again to harrys amusement couldnt find themselves a date again. at exact seven the doors opened and the students walked inside. harry felt slightly sick at the sight of the amount of pink and red colour the great hall was decorated with. the four long house tables were gone and they were tens of small tables spread all around, making a large place in the centre which was supposed to be a dance floor. the enchanted ceiling was raining heart-shaped pink and red confetti which harry found very ridiculous. in the head, at the usual spot was the teachers table. harry couldnt remember seeing so many teachers and other members of staff altogether. the only one who was missing was dumbledore. they were all dressed in dress robes except for hagrid and firenze, naturally. in front of the teacher table there was a long table laden with food. there was definitely not enough food for everybody, which harry found odd. he, ginny, ron and hermione seated themselves at one of the tables. the excited talk ceased immediately as professor mcgonagall rose to her feet. let the ball begin, she said loudly and clapped her hands. the lights were extinguished and the room fell into semi-darkness. hundreds of small lanterns were lit and bathed the great hall in many colours. the quick rhythmic music sounded suddenly and some of the students got up and walked over to the dance floor. harry gave ginny unease look. oh, come on harry, it wont be that bad, she said, rose to her feet and dragged harry towards the dance floor. in a moment they were joined by hermione and disgusted looking ron. harry let ginny lead them and after a while he despite of himself he enjoyed it. shall we go and get something to drink? ginny offered. harry nodded and lead them towards the food table. whoa, he yelled in surprise as new bottles of butterbeers materialised on the spot harry took two bottles. sure you werent thinking this was sufficient to feed you lot, professor mcgonagall voice came from the teachers table. potter, they are girls here at this tables expecting you to ask them for a dance. harry looked upwards to see professor mcgonagall smiling. he smiled back weakly and than went back to their table with ginny. they were soon joined by hermione and relieved looking ron. they sipped their butterbeers in silence, talking and harry felt as normal as he could be, which he didnt feel for a very long time.

throughout bit uneasy occasional dressed in

the night many girls asked harry and ron out for a dance. harry felt a when cho asked him and michael corner asked ginny. he was shooting glances towards ginny and michael as he danced with cho, who was dark blue robes.

harry, hello im talking to you, he heard chos voice. she sounded slightly offended. sorry, where were we? he said as he steered cho so he could get better view at ginny. he didnt know why the amused look on her face made him angry. harry kept his word and approached the teacher table where he asked nearly all of his teacher for a short dance before returning back to the table where ron and hermione sat. ginny returned as a song ended, from what appeared to be third dance with michael through the evening. whats up with you, harry? she asked him as she saw his look. nothing how is michael? he asked her without really meaning it. oh, harry, she sighed with a smile and dragged him to the dance floor again. you dont need to be jealous of michael. im not jealous, why would i be? its not were going out or something. i just thought we were here together, he muttered. but you were dancing with cho, ginny said, slightly offended. o.k., lets forget it, he said with a test grin and was relieved when ginny grinned back. the music went very quick now and they were joined by hermione and ron, who didnt wear his disgusted face anymore. they danced and made funny dance figures and harry couldnt remember enjoying himself more as the whole great hall danced to the rhythm of the bird dance. then suddenly the tune changed to much slower and at first harry stood as rooted to spot but then ginny seized him again and they were moving to the rhythm of the music, looking into each others face. harry suddenly felt very hot in his cheeks and looked away. only few feet away from them ron and hermione were dancing, much closer to themselves that harry and ginny. on his right he spotted professors sered and lupin dancing together. they both smiled at him and he smiled back nervously. he looked at ginny again. ouch! watch where are you going, filth, came malfoys voice suddenly. harry stopped dancing immediately, so did malfoy and pansy. watch your mouth, malfoy, harry said threateningly. or what? malfoy pushed. harry, ignore him, ginny pleaded him. dont let him ruin this moment, she said and actually steered him again. malfoy smirked. you call that pitiful moves dance? harry released ginny and drew out his wand. show us your moves, than. tarantagella! he cried.

malfoy face was first surprised and than as his legs danced uncontrollably his face twisted into rage. he drew out his own wand but wasnt quick enough. expelliarmus! ginny cried. malfoy wand flew away into the crowd. he tripped and fell to the ground, his feet still moving quickly. people all around them looked at him and laughed openly. harry grinned smugly and was relieved that ginny was smiling as well. whats the commotion? came stern voice of professor mcgonagall. oh no lets run for it, quickly, ginny said and grabbed harrys hand. they ran back to the common room very quickly, both laughing like mad and didnt stop running until they reached the portrait of the fat lady. looking at each other they burst out laughing again. password? fat lady sat irritably. it took a great time to say the password to both ginny and harry through their fits of laughter to the great annoyance of fat lady. finally harry managed to spit it up and the door opened and they entered. harry stopped laughing suddenly. he turned to ginny. sorry i spoiled the evening. ginny smiled at him. no i had excellent time. it was malfoy not you. i had really good time with you, harry. me too, harry said a bit embarrassed, realizing where could this lead to. ginny walked closer to him, looking deeply into his face. she was inches only now she kissed him lightly on lips. good night, harry, she said softly and run up the stairs to her dormitory. harry touched his lips, as if to prevent the kiss from leaving him. he stood there for a very long time watching over to the stairs to girls dormitory. chapter 37 : quiditch training hello, this chapter is sort of a filler and is really short, i will continue as soon as possible. chapter 37: training quiditch legillimens! harry cried pointing his wand at hermione. the image of the room of requirements dissolved and harrys head was filled with several images. hermione, facing her boggart mcgonagall, who told her she failed all her classes, then came image of the last christmas in grimmauld place, then dementors closing around her in hogsmeade, a death eater killed the mother of the boy she was protecting right in front of her eye and then he saw himself and ginny dancing on the yule ball protego, he heard hermione whisper out of nowhere. instantly, the last image dissolved and harry could suddenly see images of his

own. hermione lying on the ground in hogsmeade, unconscious, then the graveyard in little hangleton, where the death eaters made a circle enclosing harry, voldemort and cedrics limp body, ginny dancing with michael in the great hall and then ginny approaching him in the common room he concentrated hard and the room came back into focus again. hermione was standing in front of him, panting. there was a note of fear in her eyes. without any words harry collapsed on the sofa and hermione to one of the armchairs. the room of requirements was very small today, because it held only two people. hermione and harry were trying to develop harrys skills and there was no place better. harry and hermione were practising the legillimency after tuesdayss classes. harry barely trained with anyone but hermione. her, ginny and ron were the only he would not fear to share his fears with them, but while ginny at least managed basics in occlumency, ron was nearly totally hopeless. so it was only harry and hermione training harrys skills in the evening. it was three days after the valentine ball. the excitement was over and everything fell into old tracks. teachers didnt seem to lower their expectations and the exams were nearing very fast. the fifth years and seventh year were the ones who felt it most and therefore the common rooms were always filled with studying groups and was very quiet. the only person who didnt seem to be concerned about the exams was ron. you heard, what mcgonagall told us? these exams arent that important, its the n.e.w.t.s i should be studying for. as long as i dont fail some classes, i dont care what marks i get, he said one night in common room as all of the gryffindors were studying and he read a book, sitting in bug comfortable armchair. i dont think reading a book about quiditch will help you in your auror career, hermione said sarcastically. ron merely said something under his breath and then buried his nose again in his textbook. seamus dropped his quill later with a sigh and took rons lead. hermione looked at them both disapprovingly. harry longed for a break as he observed ron and seamus chatting about quiditch, but he needed top marks of everything to become an auror so with a sigh he returned to his potions textbook, but somehow was always distracted by an image of certain girl, which appeared always when he tried to concentrate. and he was thinking about ginny as he was sitting on the sofa, already tired. he didnt know how he would manage to lead a da session, which was going to take place in less then half an hour. but his tiredness wasnt the thing which bothered him most. he was very confused about ginny. he remembered hermione telling him last year that ginny didnt have a crush on him anymore. but harry was nearly convinced from what happened three days ago that ginny still felt something towards him, more than a friendship. and harry suddenly realized that he wanted to be more than a good friend to her. yes, for harry finally understood why he felt a surge of anger towards michael corner, when he asked ginny for dance. he understood why he didnt flinch when she kissed him both at new years party or valentine ball. he finally understood why he always felt butterflies in his stomach he looked, when at ginny lately, the feeling he got when he saw cho in his fourth and fifth year. he understood the meaningful look from ron on their journey back to london, when

ron said ginny should date someone else and than looked at harry. he couldnt understand how he couldnt notice ginny before. but than finally recognition struck him. ginny was always only rons young sister who had a crush on him since she had first met him in the king cross, when harry was leaving for his first year at hogwarts. she was always the shy girl, who was blushing every time he spoke to her. until the last year, when she finally managed to get over with harry as hermione told him. but then he shook his head furiously. he too well remembered what happened to those who loved him. his parents, sirius he didnt want ginny to be the next victim of lord voldemort. he knew why hermione managed to repel him and cast a shielding charm. ginny was his weakness. hermione, still panting slightly seemed to be thinking amongst the same lines as she observed harry. what happened harry? she asked him softly. harry sighed. i dont know hermione, he lied quickly, but instantly knew hermione would see through this. dont tell me that, harry. one time you were using legillimency on me properly and next time i managed to deflect it. and not only deflect it, but also use it on you, she said. harry, is there something between you and ginny? it took harry long time to say something. i dont know, hermione. one time youre saying that she doesnt have crush on me anymore and next time but you saw it didnt you? harry, do you love her? hermione asked him, looking tense. i dont know hermione. what do you mean by love? does that mean that i want to spend more time with her? does that mean that i want to as close to her as possible. then yes, i do love her hermione. you are asking me why didnt i notice before? he asked her as he saw the looks she gave him. well, it was difficult to notice her wasnt it? well yes, she grinned slightly. well if you like her, and she likes you, why dont you say that to her, tough? harry sighed. he got up and paced answered. hermione, i dont want know im not talk some sense into mouth to speak. but i dont want telling her. around the room for a long time before he to put neither of you into more danger. i you and ron, he said as hermione opened her ginny to be her in more danger. im not

suit yourself harry. but that wont protect ginny if voldemort used legillimency on you. the emotion you feel towards ginny disturb you and therefore you are easy target for legillimency. i know, so we have to train more. harry managed to get the image of image out of his mind for the rest of the evening and when the other da members came, him, hermione, zac and suzie used legillimency on the others. harry felt really proud of the da, as he saw that another members started to get the trick. ron and ginny on the other hand felt angry with them as neither of them managed to repel harry or hermione (harry

asked hermione to partner with ginny instead of him). at the end of the session harry felt totally exhausted. he was using legillimency now for four hours in row and once again he felt his head would burst because of the amount of images. he was really looking forward to his pensieve, which was already full of various images by now and what relieve it would bring. harry only hoped it had enough capacity left. he considered the meeting finished and was just about to leave the room of requirements when suddenly ron called after him. harry, havent you promised us some sort of competition? ron asked with a grin. harry tried to remember hard, but it was a long time before he knew what was ron talking about. yeah, but thats long time ago and we have quiditch back. so there is really no need for it he said, but was silenced by great burst of complaints from everyone of them. you still want to do it? well, next week than? he asked them. they all nodded eagerly and some of them also cheered loudly. right, its settled then. well, we are finished now, so see you all next week, he said and left quickly so he wouldnt need to speak with ginny. ***** harry was thinking the same night about how he would sort out and organise the tournament for a very long time before he went to sleep. finally he thought they would ask the room of requirements (it still felt strange, even after nearly two years to ask a room to do something) to look like some kind of arena. and first they will battle in groups and than the members of two best groups would battle against each other in pairs. so that will leave for people for semi-final if we made a groups a four, he thought before his eyes closed and he dreamed about battling several of the da members. he woke several hours later to find he had another thing to face- the great hall would be prepared today for the quiditch and the first training would be devoted to gryffindor. he couldnt wait to get on his firebolt again, although he knew this would be very different than when he was flying in the grounds. the classes went so slow that day that harry thought he was back in the history of magic classes, which were boring and always made him drowsy. after the dinner he ate rather hastily he returned to the common room to prepare for the training. he took his firebolt and his broomstick service kit and polished every inch of its surface, feeling how it vibrated in his grasp. he also straightened the few straws which were sticking out of the tail. ron came to the dormitory as well and took his broom and his training robes with a huge grin towards harry. harry grinned at him back hoping that hermione told him nothing about their conversation in the room of requirements. they went to the great hall together, finding that rest of the team was already there, with professors mcgonagall and hooch and also hermione. madam hooch was carrying the crate of balls and a broomstick on her shoulder. ready for first training, potter? she asked him cheerfully. but her enthusiasm hadnt lasted long. harry knew it was only for the first time

but he hadnt witnessed worse training session up to now. the quiditch pitch was very much wider and higher. harry and the others found themselves nearly bouncing into the wall in high speed many times. unfortunately, size wasnt the only thing to complain about. the bludgers were much slower than they used to be and harry found very easy to duck them. he doubted they even could unseat any player while they were so slow. whats the point of beaters now? colin yelled angrily as he whacked the bludger with all his might, expecting it to go at least a bit faster, but it didnt change its speed, only direction. harry could be happy about one thing- there was nothing done to snitch, which sustained its speed. also, they had another problem with kimberly. after several training sessions harry devised difficult and successful tactic for dean, ginny and parvati line. now he had to think of a brand new tactics. he at least expected some advices from the chasers, but the only one who was talking to him was parvati. ginnys voice was cold when she spoke to harry. after two hours they landed, all of them looking annoyed and angry. hermione approached them nervously. well, it was the first time, you know, she said in silent voice. dont worry, hermione. no ones going to blame you, ginny said. yeah, dont worry, ron agreed and took hermiones hand in his. well work this out. but the next training they had on saturday turned out nothing better. colin and dennis were still complaining about bludgers, harry about the size of the great hall and kimberly still didnt fit in very well. ron was the only one who complained about nothing and harry doubted it was because he had nothing to add. hermione nearly broke into tears at the end of the training as they all landed and shouted complaints on mrs. hooch. at last they agreed theyre still some changes to be done and postponed all the trainings from different houses. ginny wasnt still talking to harry and he found out he liked it as long as she was away from him. he very much wanted to be with her, but he knew he couldnt. hermione tried many times to talk some sense into him. she always said it was she who volunteered to go on the rescue mission for sirius. but she didnt help him much, in fact she brought the memory of sirius back to him. he spent most of the weekend by himself, reading books dumbledore gave him. now he could perform the legillimency perfectly, he wanted to proceed to another skill, the sognosency- the ability to read someone dreams in night and controlling them. like lord voldemort used it on him various times. he didnt want to know, why he wanted to develop this particular skill, maybe it just felt like the easiest one. when he went to sleep in the evening that day and ginny appeared in his head again, he felt like he nearly forget how miserable could he feel. then he cleared his mind as he always did and went to sleep. chapter 38 : duelling competition

hello everyone, so this is it. my final exams are in three weeks and i doubt i would be able to write anymore up to that time. im sorry if i dissapointed you, but this exam is really important in our country and would determine my future etc. etc. i might be able to update next weekend but im not sure about that. i enjoyed writing this chapter very much. hope you like the ending it might look a bit stupid. thank you all for your wonderful reviews i really appreciate them. to those who havent reviewed please please please do so. :-) chapter 38: duelling competition everyone from the da was looking forward to their session on tuesday because of the duelling competition. they kept bumping into harry and asked him how he would organise it, what spells they should learn harry got a bit annoyed by tuesday and was really relieved when he, ron and hermione entered the room of requirements, when everybody was expecting him eagerly, waiting for him, ron and hermione. harry waited for the excitement chatter before he spoke. soare you all ready? harry asked them with a smile. they all nodded. so ill split you into groups of four, harry started and one thing suddenly hit him- he havent given any serious thought about how he would divide them. dont worry harry, ive got all planned out, hermione inquired. remember how it was during the triwizard tournament. ive enchanted this goblet and put all of our names inside. right now it should be giving the random groups, she said and as she finished the goblet glowed scarlet and emitted shoots of sparks. every single member looked at hermione with admiration as several scarps of parchment shoot out and hermione picked them up. what? she asked them as she noticed their looks. hermione, how you had done it? ron asked her, his mouth slightly opened. well, she blushed. its nothing as advanced as the goblet of fire only a random charm, merging charm for the bits of parchment to merge and flarious charm for the effect, she said. she unrolled the bits parchment and started to divide them from the paper. harry potter, richard connor, zacharias smith, seamus finnigan ron weasley, ginny weasley, suzie, cho chang... me, michael corner, bill reiley, emilly aureily, she continued reading and the da members were forming the groups. richard, seamus and zacharias smiled at him as they moved to his side. harry smiled back. after a while hermione stopped reading and moved over to michael, jack and emilly. and now we need a bit change of decoration, harry said and closed his eyes. we need this room to look like a arena obstacles and so on, harry thought furiously. he opened his eyes and looked around him, stunned by the sight. the room didnt look like comfortable anymore. it was like a large arena. the floor changed from stone to dirt and the walls were lined up with stands. all of them looked at the surroundings, many of them having their mouth opened.

how are we going to fight? zacharias smith asked. i thought we could fight each other and then choose two best. and they will fight again, and the winners would split into pairs and the winner pair would fight one-to-one what do you reckon? harry said. if you want to have it your way we better get started immediately, hermione said. so hermione draw a table quickly. and then they started- harrys group against rons group. all the other groups went to sit on the stands. harrys group formed a line and rons did as well on the other end of the arena. ehm how are we doing this? harry asked hermione, who sat in the first row. well, i dont know lets say you duel until everyone from the other group is incapable of duelling. and dont use dangerous curses, we dont want to end up in hospital wing do we? they all nodded and harry, ron and the others faced themselves again. nothing happened for a few seconds. then suddenly harry drew out his wand quickly and before anyone other could react harry pointed his wand at rons group. stupefy! he cried. a red beam of light erupted from the tip of his wand and sped towards rons group. they scattered quickly, hiding behind several stone boulders and the stunner hit one of the walls of room. hide! harry yelled and they scattered as well, harry and richard hiding behind one boulder and seamus and zacharias behind the other. what do we do? richard asked harry excitedly. harry felt as one of the curses from the opposite team hit the boulder they were hiding behind. harry got an idea. he risked a quick glance from behind the boulder and was nearly hit by a stunner aimed from suzie sered. richard took advantage of her recklessness and shot disarming curse at her. her wand flew out of his hand and she dived for it. stupefy! zacharias yelled, pointing his wand at her. the stunner hit her and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. harry heard jeers from the stands. he got up and pointed his wand at the boulder where ginny and ron were hiding. reducto! he cried. the boulder evaporated leaving a large pile of ash. ginny and ron were looking at harry, surprised. stupefy! all from harrys team. one stunner missed them, one hit ginny and two hit ron. they both collapsed to the ground. cho chang looked from behind her cover, a note of hopelessness in her eyes. i give up! she yelled. harry felt a wave of excitement rush through him as he walked over to ron and ginny. enervate, he muttered pointing his wand first at ron than at ginny. what happened? did we loose? ron said groggily. harry merely smiled and helped him to his feet. when he offered her hand to ginny, she merely shot him a cold look and ignored it completely.

next came the match of hermiones team against a team which consisted only from hufflepuff. they stood against each other, waiting for the first move. then susan bones from hufflepuff aimed her wand at hermione. it was the obvious thing, hermione being the best witch in team. impedimenta! she cried. but hermione was ready. protego! she cried and the jinx rebounded on susan who collapsed to the ground, struggling against the jinx. accio wand! hermione cried. susans wand flew over to hermione and she pocketed it quickly, before turning her wand against the others. immobilus! she yelled. ernie mcmillian managed to dive behind one of the obstacles, justin finch-flitchey and hannah abott hadnt so much luck. they stood motionless as if they were rooted. michael, bill, emilly, be ready. wingardium leviosa! she cried, pointing her wand at the boulder where ernie was hiding. the boulder flew few feet high, revealing ernie. stupefy! he yelled. emilly aureily collapsed to the ground, but just then two michaels stunner hit ernie. the match was over. the spectators were chatting amongst themselves excitedly as hermione revived ernie and released hannah, susan and justin from the curses and returning hannahs wand. everyone knew hermione was good, but no one expected this. after another few matches it was clear that there was nearly no match against harrys and hermiones teams. the only one who could keep up with them was rons team. not a very long time later came what harry feared most, battle with hermiones team. they faced each other. as i shot the first spell, take cover immediately, he muttered to the rest of his team. they nodded slightly. expelliarmus, harry cried, taking random aim. the spell hit no one, but provided enough distraction for harrys team to take cover. harry risked a quick glance and saw that hermione teams did the same. reducto, he yelled, pointing at boulder he thought they were hidden behind. but there was none. immobilus, he heard hermiones incantation and felt his body numb. harry! he heard panicked voice of richard. he stood up and shot a stunner at hermione but she ducked again. finite incantatem! he muttered pointing his wand at harry. nothing happened. whats wrong? he asked in frustration. her spell is too powerful for you to break, you must manage without me, harry said disappointedly. from a corner of his eye, he saw as zacharias smith got up. reducto, he cried pointing his wand at hermiones cover.

protego superfices! harry heard hermiones yell. he saw as the beam from zacharias smith hit the invisible wall around hermione cover and rebounded on his cover. his cover vanished and he and seamus were easy target for michael, hermiones and bills curses. seamus fell to the ground, rigid as board and zacharias was laughing madly as bill reiley hit him with the tickling curse. richard wanted to continue fighting but emily suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shot a jet of sparks from her wand. they blinded richard and he collapsed to the ground. emily walked over to him and took his wand. are you o.k.? she asked him. yeah, he said and took back his wand. harry had to wait until hermione came to him and broke the immobilus curse. thanks, he said. what was the spell you used against the reducto curse? he asked her. it was advanced shielding charm, i read about that from book about auror from library. it has same properties as the ordinary shielding charm, but it affects certain area, she said. got any more surprises prepared for us? harry asked her with a smile. hermione merely grinned. next came the match between harry and team, which consisted of neville, parvati, dennis and anna grady. harry managed to stun dennis and anna before even they managed to draw their wands. neville managed to put zacharias into full bodybind, but was hit with a jelly-legs jinx from richard afterwards. he dropped his wand in surprise and didnt manage to get back to it as he wobbled around the arena. parvati was then hit by seamus with disarming curse and couldnt reach her wand because seamus used wingardium leviosa charm on it and levitated it out of her reach, laughing at the sight of her hopping into the air, reaching for it. after another few matches everyone was once again very excited. next match would be rons team against hermiones and everyone was longing to see if hermione got any more aces in her sleeve. and indeed she had. before anyone could react, she drew out her wand and pointed at the ground before rons team. paurus vede! she cried. the beam hit the ground. apparently nothing happened. harry, observing from stands had never heard about this curse before, but understood its purpose immediately. ginny collapsed to her knees and burst into tears suddenly. ron was running away from the spot hermione curse hit the ground, yelling something about a huge spider. chos eyes were wide with terror and suzie observed the spot with disbelief in her eyes, her wand swaying limply by her side, both stood still. all of them became very easy target for hermiones team. what was that? harry asked her after the match. ginny was still sobbing silently, ron and cho looked very pale and susan as if she had spotted a ghost. terror curse. reveals greatest fears of the target to him, its used for breaking opponent morale. but i never thought that the effect would be so intensive, otherwise i wouldnt be using it, she said as she observed ginny, suzie, ron and cho.

well, you won though, harry said. looks like all is determined. and he was right. although they several matches left to fight it was sure that harrys and hermiones group would fight against each other in the final round of team matches. for the rest of the time left to final, harry was thinking about tactic against hermione. and then, when it was time to face hermione it finally struck him. they assembled against each other, harrys team trembling slightly. dont worry. aim for hermione first, he said. zac, seamus and richard looked at him as if he was mad. nobody knew what new spells hermione learnt. trust me, harry muttered and they nodded slightly. he faced hermione again and drew out his wand quickly. she did as well. sola she started. legillimens! harry yelled, this time not really making his spell weaker. the room dissolved immediately and harry saw a figure of dementor towering her, before the room came back into focus and harry saw hermione lying sprawled on the ground. harry felt a surge of excitement rush through him. michael, bill and emily looked at her body and than at harry with fear. harry expected the rest of the team to shoot their stunners at them but nothing happened. he looked at them. they were also looking at him with fear. what are you waiting for? stun them, before they strike back, harry said angrily. but none of them moved. than he saw ron running towards hermione, who was still lying on the ground. and than he understood. you didnt stun her did you? richard nodded slightly. harrys heart dropped as he ran towards the spot where hermione was crumpled on the ground. ron was cradling her, slapping her on face lightly so she would wake up. what did you done that for? ron spat at him angrily. ron, i didnt mean to harry croaked. he collapsed on his knees. stand back ron, ill get her to the hospital wing, suzie said and conjured up a stretcher where they laid her body. then she levitated the stretcher and walked to the door. harry got up and was about to join them. where do you think you are going? ron muttered at her angrily. what do you mean? i didnt do that on purpose and i want to know what happened to her, he returned the tone ron gave him. harry, i think it would be better if you go to the common room, suzie said softly, before she levitated the stretcher out of the room, ron closely behind her. he turned around. everyone of them was still looking at him with fear in their eyes. i didnt mean that. you know i didnt, he said. but the others still staring at him dissolved silently. few of them didnt even said any goodbye. ginny and most of the former members still stood there. for the first time in week harry hadnt seen that cold look from her but look of concern.

sorry, he muttered and left the room slowly. ****** harry followed suzies lead and went to his dormitory straight away, not because it was an order but because he wanted to be alone. he slammed the dormitory door, furious with himself. this was what dumbledore warned him about for several times. harry knew something like this might have happened, but he never thought he would hurt hermione, who had helped him develop these powers. why it had to be me? he asked himself silently. again, someone who he loved got hurt because of him. i should have start to get used to it now, he thought for himself bitterly. he felt like he would never use his talent again. hour passed and harry was still alone. they better transfer me to a single room, i doubt anyone would like to share a room with a freak who maybe killed one of his best friends. he imagined a door next to the sixth years dormitory labelled harry potter. behind them would be nothing but dark room with a single bed, where he would share the rest of his life with misery only. or maybe theyll throw him into a cell of kabazan. harry doubted that even without dementors the wizarding prison would be a place where he wouldnt like to have to spent the rest of his life. there was a knock on the door. harry rolled over in his bed, hoping that the person would leave him alone. there was another light knock on the door and harry heard the door creaked open. the dark dormitory was lit by the light of torches from corridor and harry could see a person standing in the door frame. harry, are you awake? came ginnys voice. harry closed his eyes tightly, hoping that ginny thought he was asleep and leave him. however, he heard the door close again and shuffling footsteps, moving towards his bed. harry? he heard her, much closer now. he felt a as weight dropped on his bed at his feet, where ginny sat. go away, he muttered angrily. he felt her shifting more closer. harry, hermione is o.k. she is awake and she doesnt blame you at all for what have happened. ron just told me, she said in comforting voice. harry felt as some of his anger left him, replaced by relief. he was extremely grateful to ginny for her words. harry, at least face me, i dont want to talk to your back, she pleaded him. harry turned around slowly. what happened? he asked her. no one really knows harry. i remember only you casting the legillimency curse at her. and then she grabbed her head and shrieked before she collapsed. ron said she was already awake when they got to the hospital wing. she is o.k. now, but madam pomfrey still insisted on staying at hospital wing for a night or two. just a precaution, she said.

what had suzie told her? exactly what happened. madam pomfrey is aware of your occlumency and legillimency lesson and asked no question. she examined hermione and said there was no lasting harm done. hermione kept saying that it wasnt your fault and insisted on that youre not to be punished, ginny said. she is the only one who thinks it, harry said bitterly. harry, thats not true. everyone knows how its difficult to master these powers. half of us was expecting something like this would happen much earlier. and we still learned it. so then how come no one wouldnt came back here anymore? why is that that im the only one in dormitory two hours after curfew? am i no one to you? ginny asked him, sounding hurt. of course youre not. everyone was waiting for ron to return from the hospital wing. he returned only five minutes ago. is ron pissed with me? harry asked. no, actually he wanted me to tell you that hes sorry for certain things he said, ginny assured him. harry sighed with relief. i wish i was never born, he said suddenly. harry felt ginny moving even closer and her hand stroked his head. why do you say that? she asked him softly. i put everyone in so much danger. my parents died because of me, cedric as well and sirius and now it was nearly hermione. i wish my life wasnt so cursed. i wish i could lead perfectly ordinary life lives, like anyone else. dont say that harry, you were meant to do great things, ginny said, still running her fingers through his head. yeah look what i achieved until now, he spat sarcastically. i managed to get those who i love eight feet under soil. harry, thats not true. ron and hermione love you and theyre both alive. remus loves you too, otherwise sirius wouldnt make him your guardian. and i love you too, she whispered softly, leaned closer and kissed him lightly. harry was breathless. there was the person he loved here now, telling him that she loved him. and still he couldnt do it. ginny im sorry i cant, harry sighed. but why? is that because of voldemort? i should be the one who makes up my mind, ginny said and laid next to him. harry reached out for her face and stroked it lightly. hermione told you? harry asked her. she nodded. im sorry, he said.

nothing is your fault, she said. do you want me to go? no, harry said frankly. ginny closed the curtain of his bed and laid again, getting even more closer to him. chapter 39 : aurors at hogwarts hello, i said i may might update on weekend so there you go. im studying for exams now as ive told you before so next chapter will be on 18th or 19th chapter. hope you will wait. thanks all for your reviews, i will may be get over 200 which i never hoped i would. chapter 39: aurors at school harry woke up next morning and at first was very confused to find ginny still lying next to him. it took him a long time before he remembered what happened yesterday. what happened to hermione and what happened when ginny came. their fingers were still tangled as they were yesterday, when they looked into each eyes for a long time before they fell asleep. they barely talked and when they did, it was short and mostly nonsense. harry heard as him roommates entered their dormitory around midnight but they made no comment and went straight to the bed without any talk. they all fell asleep very early. all except for ginny and harry. ginny fell asleep as the night went on. harry couldnt sleep, because his mind was full of thoughts. he didnt know what he would do anymore. he had unwanted power that made him dangerous to his friends. yet still they stayed with him, some of them even wanting to be some more than friend. he fell asleep very late and woke up very early. his roommates one by one woke up and left the dormitory one by one to their breakfast. but harry didnt feel like getting up. he wanted to lye with girl he liked in bed forever. ginny stirred and open her eyes. she smiled at him. feeling any better? she whispered. yeah, he muttered uncertainly. harry, i want you to know that ill be there for you whenever youre ready. ill wait for you until you feel ready, she said. thanks, he said. listen, we better get up or well be late. i want to visit hermione before i go to classes. oh, do we really have to? she teased but got up nevertheless. they both went to bathroom and changed their robes before they met down in the common room and set off to hospital wing first. madam pomfrey didnt want to let them in at first, but she finally gave up on their pleads and lead them inside. hermione was lying in fartherest bed. she was reading a book and there was a tray with clean dishes on her bedside table. she rose her eyes from the book

and smiled at them as she saw them. harry brought himself and ginny two chairs and they sat next to her. how are you feeling? harry asked her as soon as they sat. im o.k. just having a little headache. really, i feel normal, she said at look harry gave her. i just wished madam pomfrey would let me into classes tonight, but shes so stubborn. harry chuckled nervously. hermione, im sorry this happened. i didnt mean that, harry said. he wanted to say something more but his tongue betrayed him. hermione patted him on back of his head. harry, i know you would never mean to happen something like this. and it wasnt really your mistake i fainted, she said. what do you mean? harry asked her. it was the memory of dementor that made me sick. madam pomfrey said that im probably one of the few persons who were so close to dementors kiss and managed survive. i managed to recover but the dementors affected me more than ever before since than. when you casted legillimency on me, the image of dementor appeared. and i felt like i was back at hogsmeade, surrounded by those wicked monsters, she said and her voice was quivering slightly. harry nodded and felt as surge of relief ran through his body. so it wasnt entirely his fault. so when would madam pomfrey let you out? ginny asked her. well, i tried to convince her that i could go to classes today, but she insisted that i stayed up to afternoon. i hope you wont do anything important today, i could imagine what i could miss with a one day off, hermione scowled. theyre were talking for another minute or two, when hermione insisted that they should go and get some breakfast before the classes start. see you in the evening, she said with a wave. take care, they both said in unison and left the hospital wing. the great hall was tense for some reason. most of the students chatted about something enthusiastically and most of them were smiling. harry could see more daily prophets copies than usual. but what surprised harry most was that the teachers table was much longer than ever and there were many people harry havent seen there before. harry recognised kingsley shacklebolt and nymphadora tonks amongst the wizards dressed in aurors robes. what is happening? ginny asked as they moved over to the gryffindor table where ron, neville and seamus sat. they all greeted him very cheerfully, the very opposite harry expected. what are you so happy about? harry asked them. they didnt answer, seamus merely tossed him one issue of daily prophet. the front page was filled with many pictures of wizards and witches, each of them with a number. ginny leaned as well and they both began to read the article.

you- know- whos sustains heavy blow last night, members of the order of the phoenix and department of magical law enforcement managed to conduct several successful raids throughout the country. many death eater, the members of you- know- who ranks, were captured, including antonin dolohov, frederick goyle and ralph avery, who were members of youknow- whos inner circle. minister of magic cornelius fudge also claimed that a pack of spies, who were passing information to you- know- whos supporters, some of them on high post inside the ministry. due to these successful raids many you- know- whos plans were ruined. interrogation revealed, that the death eaters were planning a large scale attacks on various places all around the country, including ministry of magic, diagon alley and even hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. if those attacks were to succeed, the consequences would be unpredictable. albus dumbledore, headmaster of witchcraft and wizardry and head of the order of phoenix warned that wizard community shouldnt get too comforted. most of the death eaters are still at large and even though it would take a long time for voldemort to recover from such a blow, we should all train constant vigilance, alastor moody commented. harry read with his breath held in his chest. when he finished it he couldnt believe it. he looked at ron, who was grinning as broadly as harry could remember. look over to slytherin table, he yelled delighted. all of them looked over there. the slytherins looked very uneasily indeed. most of them on the contrary looked grumpily. mainly crabbe and goyle, who for the first time harry could remember didnt look menacing and as if they owned the place. on the other hand they were shooting each other rather sulky looks. harry looked over the teachers table again. dumbledore just appeared in the great hall and sat in his usual chair. kingsley shacklebolt nodded as harry and tonks gave him a tiny wave of her hand. ouch! he yelled aloud, as something nibbled his finger. he looked down and saw hedwig standing in his plate, a letter tied to her leg. he took it and thanked her. she hooted softly, took a bit of bacon from his bacon and left, probably to the owlery to get some sleep. harry, please come and see me after the dinner in my office. dumbledore harrys heart sank. dumbledore probably heard about what happened to hermione and wanted to speak about it. whole school was talking nothing but the article printed in the daily prophet. harry couldnt remember seeing more smiles recently in the corridors. most of the students felt that war was already won. even some of the professors looked much cheerful- suzie was singing under her breath for whole class, stopping only when she instructed her students and professor flitwick was so excited he fell of the stacks of books he was standing on. the only professor who behaved as usual was professor mcgonagall and harry didnt know if it was just her usual self or she didnt feel comforted by the news. harry didnt have common emotions with everyone else. he was glad that so many death eaters were captured, but whenever he thought about the meeting with

dumbledore that night. he was even afraid dumbledore would be furious with him, even though he knew this wasnt probable. he barely ate that lunch and dinner, which lead into many questions from ginny and ron. he faced the gargoyle outside of the dumbledores office few moments later. zonko, he muttered, hoping that was still the password. the gargoyle sprang aside and the spiral staircase started to rise. he walked it up and knocked on the door. enter, dumbledore pleasant voice came. harry drew a big breath and entered the room. there was dumbledore sitting behind his desk and also suzie sered and remus lupin. he looked at each of them puzzled. hello harry, they all greeted him. he barely nodded. i see youre quite confused by the appearance of remus and suzie, dumbledore began. i called them because i wanted to know how are you dealing with your new powers. i heard some rumours about an extraordinary event which happened yesterday. dumbledore, that was an accident, lupin started. i talked to madam pomfrey, the girl is going to be, suzie started, but dumbledore held his hand to silence them both. im aware of the state of ms. granger. madam pomfrey told me that what happened wasnt really harrys fault. however, this happened while you were using legillimency, harry. therefore professor mcgonagall send me an owl. so harry tell me, how are you dealing with your talent? harry sighed. i dont know sir. ive had a lot of help from hermione. she took the liberty of leading my classes while you were away. this was first time this accident happened, harry said. well, harry this isnt the first time you nearly hurt someone, is it? dumbledore asked him, looking suddenly stern. harry remembered what happened in september when he nearly hurt dumbledore. he lowered his head. dont worry, harry. i know you didnt mean it happened. i knew something like that might happened. that is the reason why i wanted from you to train your powers. which you did, according to what suzie and remus here told me. i think that teaching your fellow students how to defend their mind was splendid idea and suzie says youre really good teacher, dumbledore continued. harry raised his head. all three of the adults were looking at him and smiling. remus, suzie, i wish to be alone with harry now, dumbledore said. please harry step forward and draw out your hand. remus and suzie smiled encouragily at him before they closed after himself. harry looked at dumbledore. legillimens, dumbledore muttered without warning pointing his wand at harry.

this felt like nothing ever before. this time dumbledore wasnt going to make it easy for him. the room dissolved and another images filled harrys mindhe was racing on his broom with malfoy in the pursue of snitch in his second year, he saw dudley and his gang from roof of the school building, ginny lying in harrys bed only when harrys o.w.l.s exam appeared he started to repel dumbledore. he concentrated hard on breaking the connection, he didnt feel like using legillimency himself. the room came back into focus and harry was relieved this was over. he looked at dumbledore who was smiling at him. well done harry, this was something, he said. tell me harry, what other skills you have learned? err ive trained legillimency and ive just started with sognosency, although i never tried that before. so its time you do that. i know it might sound a bit unfair towards you friends, but i want you to use sognosency on them while theyre asleep. dreams can tell a lot about the dreamer, dont underestimate your dreams. they reflect your thoughts and desires. thats another reason why you should clear your mind every time you go to sleep. harry didnt really like the thought of discovering his friends desires and thoughts but knew he had no other choice. and then he had remembered what he saw in the great hall in the morning. sir, could you tell me why they are aurors in the school? harry asked him. dumbledore looked suddenly grief. harry are you aware that many of the death eater were captured last night? harry nodded. we captured one of the death eaters from voldemorts inner circle. nymphadora tonks morphed herself into the appearance of the death eater. she went on a mission to azkaban. thats why we were able to find so much about the death eaters so we could capture them. harry nodded. nymphadora managed to gather all information she could about the voldemorts plan. that is the way we knew voldemort wanted attack ministry, diagon alley and mainly hogwarts. voldemort will try to get the atlis again, harry said. yes and there is another thing he wants. you, dumbledore said, looking at him through his spectacles. harry gulped. in my dream i had during autumn voldemort wanted me to join him. but i thought he wanted to just kill me after the prophecy had been, harry said. harry you managed to deceive him five times already, not to mention how many times you escaped his death eaters. voldemort is arrogant and this is where he made another mistake. he thinks he is the greatest wizard in the world. and how is possible that even the most powerful wizard isnt capable of killing young boy. therefore he came to logical conclusion. the prophecy meant only one thing- you and him should rule the wizarding rule forever. harry looked at him, amazed.

but as long as im here its o.k., no? its the safest place there is. dumbledore looked griever if that was possible. you didnt add one ingredient to make the potion. professor snape. whats snape got to do with this? harry said. professor snape, harry. although, youre right he isnt professor anymore. he is a prisoner of voldemort now. professor snape bears many secrets about the charms protecting hogwarts. hes one of those who helped to made them. and they interrogated him so thats why are the aurors here? harry said. exactly, dumbledore nodded. but dont worry, harry. voldemort wont attack for a long time. his army is in chaos now thanks to courage of nymphadora tonks. you could still consider this as safe place. chapter 40 : dreams o.k. i know that i promised next chapter ages ago, but the celebration of my graduation were longer than i thought. also it was really hard to get back to writing my story. before the exams, i got thousands of ideas of what would happen in next chapters. now my mind seems like to block somehow. i hope ill get over it soon. you could expect another chapter in three or four days, maybe even sooner. thanks to all who wished me luck during the exams and also thanks for you congratulations. chapter 40: dreams harry and dumbledore were training occlumency and legillimency for a long time, until dumbledore dismissed him. harry got to the gryffindor common room at nearly twelve in the night. the common room was bathed in semi-darkness, the only light came from a pile of ash in the grate which was glowing lightly. the room was empty so harry went to his dormitory straight away. all of his roommates were fast asleep so he put on his pyjamas silently and laid in his bed. he felt very tired but on the other hand excited. harry remembered how dumbledore eyes shone with pride when he left his office earlier. harry managed to repel dumbledore many times and when it came for his turn he could break into dumbledores mind easily. but again and again he managed to use legillimency successfully dumbledore reminded him of the amount of responsibility harry had towards the others. and harry was thinking about something else dumbledore told him. i want you use sognosency on your friends, harry. harry knew he should train his skills but the idea of reading others dreams still seemed uncomfortable. he was afraid of what he may saw. he was afraid what would he find about himself in their dreams. but mostly he was afraid what might happen if his friends found out he used another of his skills on them. still, he knew he had to train this somehow. harry closed his eyes and repeated the technique in his mind.

close your eyes and clear your mind of any of the emotions, he muttered under his breath. think about the person, whose dreams you want to see, but dont forget to keep your mind clear and focused. his mind naturally raced towards his best friend, ron. he imagined him in his mind and tried to stay focused. and now try to keep the image of the dreamer until you fall asleep, he muttered and nearly immediately his eyes closed and he fell asleep. but he wasnt really sleeping. he saw his dormitory, but when he looked around himself all looked very different. nothing around him looked as in real world. the dormitory was oddly shaped and coloured. the stone walls vanished, replaced by orange, golden and red wallpapers. here and there he recognised pictures of some wizards and witches he knew and some he didnt. there were chess pieces and dirty robes littered all around the floor. he saw a glint of golden light circling around him and for a second a tiny small ball came into halt, before it zoomed all around againthe golden snitch. his hand tried to reach for it but it slipped through his fingers. he could swear he nearly got it many times but it always escaped. youll never going to catch that, draco malfoys voice appeared out of nowhere. shut up, he heard rons voice from his mouth. where are you, coward? show yourself! hahaha, malfoy merely smiled and than his hand appeared out of nowhere and caught the snitch on first attempt. the snitch and the hand disappeared, but the laughter didnt. youll never going to beat me, filth. and suddenly another voice sounded. ronald, how come youre such a slob? i dont know what im even dating you for, hermione yelled and laughed. but it was not her warm and pleasant laughter. this was more like a laughter of belatrix lestrange. ill clean this up, hermione. please, just dont desert me, ron said desperately and attempt to pick one of the robes on the ground. but as he picked up a thing that littered the floor another two would appear. im trying, ron yelled desperately, but suddenly the litter vanished and one of the bed from the dormitory appeared in the middle of the room. harry recognised two shapes lying on the bed and from the moves under the blankets he realized they were enjoying each others company. dont tickle, i hate when you do that, harry again heard hermiones voice, but again it appeared as if it wasnt her at all. he stepped closer to the bed and recognised that one of the person on the bed was hermione. rage, as huge as he never felt ran through his veins and he wanted to kill the other person. the other person was clearly touching her belly under her robes and kissing her neck at same time. hermione was clearly enjoying this. she was patting the other person on hair and moaning silently. when she caught rons eyes she shot him evil grin. the other person turned around and at first ron wanted to scream. there was no face, no face at all, only a wisp of black smoke. than it

suddenly formed into a face of draco. you didnt think she really liked you, did you. oh, but you did? how sad, he mocked. ron froze on the spot. he knew he had to do something. there he was, a person he hated most, snogging with his girlfriend. but before he could say something the face changed. it was harry now. oh, ron forgive me, i didnt mean to, harry stuttered. it just happened. then his face changed into smile. it was her fault. she wanted a change because she is bored with you. weve been doing this for ages she was just too afraid to tell you that, he said in cold voice, which didnt suit him at all. yes, ronald im over with you, hermione said and shot him an evil smile. suddenly with a swish of a cloak a tall figure appeared. ron nearly screamed. the person was talk and had a grey skin. he had no hair and two eyes were glinting like rubies in the darkness. the person had no nose at all, only small slits like snakes do have. it was voldemort. see? all have left you, voldemort said coldly. no! none of this would happen. they would never do that, ron yelled at him. ron, help us, he could hear harrys voice. hermione moaned loudly. ron drew out his wand and pointed it at voldemort. leave, now. voldemort laughed, a high pitched laughter which made rons skin prickle before he drew out his own wand. ron knew he should do something but again, he froze on the spot. you fool! you thought you could stop me killing those who you love? voldemort yelled. well, let me teach you a lesson. avada kedavra! voldemort yelled and a huge green blast erupted from his wand. voldemort was laughing an insane smile as the blast moved towards the bed. ron closed his eyes. he kept them closed until he could harrys and hermiones scream, which lasted not too long. he opened the again, afraid of what he might see. the room vanished and there ron found himself on a plain of burned grass. the ruins of hogwarts could be visible in far, but that wasnt most terrible. all around him were bodies- many bodies. harry, hermione, ginny, molly and arthur, remus, suzie, seamus and many of others. the high pitched laughter sounded in his mind until all vanished. harry awoke with a start. his mind was sharp and he felt he wasnt sleeping at all. he let out a sigh of relief. none of this happened and it definitely wouldnt happen according to what dumbledore said. this was just a dream of ron, a very strange one. he rolled over in his bed and shut his eyes. before he fell asleep he heard ron crying from a bed next to him. ***** wake up, were going to be late, ron awoke him next morning cheerfully. harry opened his eye. he didnt feel like he was sleeping at all. he still felt

tired and he had a headache. ron on the other hand looked his cheerful himself as usually. well, as cheerful as you could look when you had woken in the morning facing a day full of exhausting classes. harry knew from his own experience that he couldnt remember his dreams at all next day. too bad he could recall rons clearly as he was seeing it now. the thing harry feared most happened. he saw what he shouldnt. what he saw made him angry. did ron really think harry would betray him and have a thing with hermione? still, he remembered as ron said he didnt trust voldemort. and he wanted to save them and cared about them a lot. still harry wouldnt rather see this. what are you so happy about? harry asked him groggily as he put on his glasses. dont tell me you dont know? honestly, are you still our captain? he tutted, amused. were going to try the great hall again. harry couldnt understand how ron could feel enthusiastic about the idea of quiditch in the great hall anymore. he already gave up his hopes last time and couldnt think of a way how it could work, the whole day passed in one blur and harry got many extra homework in every single class of the day because he kept falling asleep. all harry wanted to do after the classes ended was to get to the bed as soon as possible. he even thought he was to tired to eat his supper but was hungry at the same time. all of the members of the quiditch team sat around him looking at him eagerly. harry was even thinking about leaving his captain duties to ron or ginny for this day but he didnt want to hermione think he got bored with her tires of reinstating the quiditch so at seven they all met in front of the door of the great hall. this time there wasnt only gryffindor quiditch team, but also teams from other houses. hermione and professor hooch were already waiting for them. harry knew madam pomfrey wanted hermione to stay quiet for a few days but harry knew that was no good. hermione was eyeing them nervously when they were let inside, but harry was sure it was nothing compared to his nervous feeling as he remembered himself snogging with hermione in his dream. nobody expected what they saw. the great hall was even more larger now than it was before. it wasnt lit by torches anymore, but harry didnt know what was the source of the light. he felt a light breeze on his face. apparently, the weather could really be simulated, which they all had doubted. but what made harry most curious were the walls. they no longer appeared to be solid and when harry moved over to one of them and touched it lightly, his hand bounced off that he nearly punched himself. professor flitwick enchanted those walls so that none would get hurt too much, harry could hear hermione explaining. also the bounce effect could be also used in devising new tactics. and the bludgers? dennis and colin asked in unison. are they still so damn slow? all of them laughed lightly, even hermione. look for yourself, hermione said and pointed over the crate with balls. dennis approached the crate and opened it and released the bludgers out carelessly

and was nearly hit with one of them in his face. harry immediately recognised the bludgers as the old good ones. even more, with the bounce effect they were faster than ever before. they were all watching them with their mouth wide open, occasionally one someone had to duck. goyle even got hit by one of them in the back of his head before madam hooch restrained them again. so why dont you try to fly around a bit, hermione said with a smile. they all mounted their brooms, twenty eight players and professor hooch. although there were so many of them, they all managed to fly around and find out that the size was satisfactory enough now. how are you going to change the weather? chos voice came yelling from another end of the hall. hermione withdrew tiny watch from her robes. this is a weather turner, most recent invention of the department of mysteries. they devised a way to control the weather on a small area. let me show you an example. fancy a little blizzard? she said jovially and set something on the watch. the weather changed instantly. harry was hit by a such strong wind he didnt expect that he was nearly knocked of his broom. his vision was suddenly obscured by a clouds of snow and he could hear nearly nothing through the howling of the wind. instantly, the blizzard ceased, replaced by a light wind and warm rain. oops, guess i got a bit overenthusiastic, hermione apologized quickly as she saw their faces staring at her angrily. they spent flying all around for what appeared to be hours, first time feeling confident about the match in great hall. they all cheered when hermione asked about their opinion and hermione glowed red with pride. harry was very happy when they finally dismissed the meeting, after they agreed on training program. gryffindor was to be the first team to train in the great hall on saturday and than on mondays and wednesdays. he said good night to his friends and collapsed on his bed exhausted. ****** harry found himself floating in a golden light. all seemed very peaceful and at first harry thought he was still asleep. but than pat on his shoulder made him to open his eyes. dumbledore was in front of him, smiling at him. harry got used to things like this to happen so he scared. they werent floating anymore but standing on a firm land. professor dumbledore where are we? is this a dream? well, harry yes and no. it is true that we both are sleeping now and one would say that we dream. but it is impossible for two individuals to have a same dream. everyone of us has his own character, his wishes, desires and fears. therefore, no dream is the same. so this isnt a normal dream. its, shall we say another way of communication when were connected through our minds. will i be able to do this, sir? harry asked him eagerly. well, definitely yes when the time comes. now tell me harry, did you try

sognosency yesterday? harry felt as his eagerness evaporated on spot replaced by depression. he told dumbledore all about the dream he had last night. dumbledore was listening to him, kindness and concern reflected in his eyes and when harry finished he patted him on his shoulder again. harry, as i told you, the dreams can tell you many things about the dreamer. mr. weasley was always and is afraid of you. not that you might hurt him, no. he is afraid you might overshadow him. youre the one who has done so many good things, which surely dont need to be reminded. although he has helped you lot many times, he still feels he has done nothing. so deeply inside, and im sure he would never admit it or if he is really aware of it, he is afraid of you. but on the other hand he cares about you and ms. granger very much. his greatest fear is that he wouldnt be able to help when you and ms. granger would need it most. is there something i could do for him sir? harry i think you dont understand. dreams reflect wishes and fears from the greatest depth of our consciousness. and there most of them stay. this is why you cant remember your dream when you wake up. i doubt that mr. weasley is aware of having those dreams. but yes, in future you would learn how to take control over dreams and then you could help him if he wants. now harry, i see youre exhausted, so ill leave you for tonight. goodnight harry, dumbledore said and with these words all disappeared. chapter 41 : close shave so i finally managed to keep my word- here is another chapter in three days as i promised. plase read and review. chapter 41: close shave with all the successful actions against voldemort and death eaters and the upcoming quiditch matches the atmosphere in the castle lightened a lot. it was most cheerful since the battle in hogsmeade and for the first time in a very long time harry found out that his school results and quiditch trainings were troubling his mind more than prophecy or him being animemagi. students got also another thing to care about besides quiditch- the end of year exams. library again became overcrowded and students, revising gathered in packs could be seen all around the castle. harry felt very lucky that he hadnt had to study very hard for this exams. he felt like passing would do it, so he could concentrate on his captain duties. on the other hand, two members of his teams were torn between studying and quiditch- ginny and colin who were about to take their o.w.l.s examination in less than month. they both were sporting stressed faces with huge circles under their eyes, because they were studying until very late. the only person who was studying as hard as them was hermione. ron kept his word and nearly didnt study at all, always hanging out in the common room and playing games with less occupied students. well, sometimes he helped harry with quiditch tactics. the first match of the season, ravenclaw against hufflepuff was nearing very fast. due to lack of time the match were scheduled this way- first weekend ravenclaw against hufflepuff and slytherin against gryffindor, second weekend gryffindor against hufflepuff and ravenclaw against slytherin, third weekend

gryffindor against ravenclaw and slytherin against hufflepuff and on saturday afternoon or sunday (depends how long the matches will take) the final match. only two days left till the first match on saturday were left and harry was just observing his team on their final practice session. his feelings were torn apart between absolute delight when he saw moves of colin and dennis and disappointment as he saw kimberly cook drop another pass. harry couldnt remember if she was so lousy during their tryouts but now she was. perhaps it was only because she felt nervous but harry surely didnt need that. if there was enough time he would call for another tryouts, but time was luxury he couldnt afford. i only hope kimberly will turn out to be another weasley-like player, he thought as he saw ron perform another spectacular save. he remembered ron from their first training and match. he suddenly cracked a grin as he remembered the famous slytherin song- weasley is our king. he only hoped they had nothing like that prepared for kimberly. the night before the first match another unexpected thing happened. around curfew madam hooch appeared in the gryffindor common room, welcomed with curious stares from many students. professors hardly visited common rooms and harry could only remember mcgonagall being there twice or thrice. he was working on final lineout, thinking between parvati and ginny for lead chaser, when madam hooch appeared. ah, there youre mr. potter, she muttered and went straight to him. you have been appointed as a observer on tomorrow match. please come half an hour in advance, you will be given your omniculars and instructions. sorry? harry asked her confused. observer- the one who flies around the pitch with omniculars and projects the match in the common rooms. are you telling me you forgot? madam hooch asked him, bit annoyed. of course not who is the observer from slytherin? draco malfoy. hes undoubtedly the best flier from his house. i know you two have some difficulties between you, but i hope that youll be able to get over with it. so remember, half an hour before the game. goodnight, potter, she said and left the common room. well, that would be hard, harry sighed ironically, as he remembered what happened last time they met face to face on valentine ball. the image of malfoy lying on his back on the floor, with his feet jerking violently made him laugh. whats so funny? ron and ginny asked him in unison as they returned from the library and joined him at his table. i was just imaging how it would look like, if malfoy fell of his broom and started bouncing all around the great hall tomorrow, harry said with another smile. what do you mean? ron asked him, confused. malfoy was appointed observer tomorrow? ginny asked him, a note of comprehension in her face.

yeah, so was i, harry replied. ginny sighed. well i just hope youre not going to throw from your broom each other. imagine how would our match on sunday look without any seeker. or can you imagine crabbe or goyle going after snitch? ginny said with a wink. harry had to smile again. ***** harry got up as first from his dormitory next day, because he needed to have breakfast half an hour earlier. than strange idea occurred in his mind. wherere we going to eat if the great hall is to be set for quiditch? the answer came as he went to the common room. all tables were laden with food as it was the morning after battle in hogsmeade. two big mirrors in golden frames were sat on a wall, harry supposed these were the mirrors on which students will see the game from his view. and malfoys also. he finished his breakfast just as his roommates walked down the stairs. well, i could accustom to that easily, ron said as he observed the food in the common room. harry smiled at him and than dashed upstairs to get his firebolt. his friends greeted him and than he went to the door of the great hall. madam hooch was already waiting for him. there youre mr. potter. here, these are yours, she said and gave him a pair of ordinary looking omniculars. now, well just have to wait for mr. malfoy and ill give you your instructions. malfoy appeared in less than five minutes. he shot menacing look at harry, as he approached them. boys, remember what i have told you yesterday. this is no time for dealing with old debts. i hope you will both behave by rules. if you interfere with game in any way you will be severely punished. points will be subtracted from your house and you will be given detention, further break of the rules could lead into expelosure from your house teams. am i understood? both boys nodded without looking at each other. i trust youll make this game entertaining for the rest of your house. now, kindly wait here while ill fetch the balls. it was the longest five minutes in harrys life. both boys were walking around the corridor like tigers in cage not looking at each other. the tension between them was almost visible. harry was relieved when madam hooch returned, followed by ravenclaw and hufflepuff teams. o.k., match begins in five minutes, lets go inside, madam hooch said and opened the door. seventeen of them walked inside the magnified great hall, all of them eager to get on their brooms. observers, get on your omniculars, madam hooch said sternly. everybody mount your brooms.

she walked over to the box and kicked it open. the bludgers rocketed outside, nearly knocking one of the ravenclaw players, followed by tiny golden snitch. madam hooch took the quaffle in her hand. i hope i dont need to remind you that i want nice clean game, she said. good luck, harry mouthed both at cho and christian they both smiled at him, cho giving him tiny wink. and the game is about to start, harry could hear ernie mcmillian voice inside the room. weve got a light breeze outside and the sky is a bit clouded. please, set the weather condition, he said and harry suddenly felt the light wind cooling his face. and the quaffle is released, the game begins. and ravenclaw takes the quaffle immediately, i cant see which player is it oh yes, its michael corner in possession and hes heading towards the hufflepuff goal posts, passes to boot, pass intercepted by zac smith, on his way to goal, ducks a bludger oh, the bludger bounced off a wall and hit him in head. he looks o.k. but drops the quaffle, and ravenclaw back in the game, boot ducks another bludger and he scores, ernie groaned. ten zero for ravenclaw. harry could hear loud cheers from the ravenclaw common room clearly. he was just wondering how it was made when suddenly a bludger was pelting towards him. he ducked him easily, trying to stay as far from game as possible, but as near to get good view. and ravenclaw gets the quaffle again and zac surprises corner and steals the quaffle and is heading for a goal post ducks a bludger, steers around boot and patil and beats williams! superb zac! ten to ten, ernie yelled excitedly and his yell was followed by loud cheers and catcalls from the hufflepuff common room. harry was circling around the great hall following quaffle and the players with his head. then he suddenly saw a glint of golden light and snitch stopped next to the hufflepuff goal post. he quickly jerked his head away so no one would see him staring at it. wait, was that a snitch? ernie mcmillian yelled excitedly and regretted it instantly. cho was observing harry and now ernie said that he had seen the snitch. she looked at the hufflepuff post and saw it immediately. she sped towards it, expanding her right hand. christian connor made last attempt to block her, but she ducked him easily. next time she was circling around the stadium, tiny ball clasped in her hand. oh, im such an idiot, harry could hear ernies swears. sorry, professor mcgonagall so this game ends surprisingly shortl and the winner is ravenclaw one hundred sixty to ten. cho halted in hovered in air next to harry. thanks, she said with a nasty grin, the tiny ball still in her hand. well it wasnt very clean from you, harry said with a smile. see you in final, cho said and sped of towards her team. what makes you sure well be in final? harry yelled after her.

she halted in midair and shook her shoulders at him and than joined her team, who each gave her a quick hug. nice job potter, im surprised hooch didnt punish you for that, came malfoys voice. harry wheeled around to face him. malfoy was looking at him smirking broadly. tell me that after i beat you tomorrow, harry said through his gritted teeth. well see, malfoy said, landed and left the hall quickly. ***** harry spent the rest of the day, thinking about upcoming match with slytherin. he wasnt too nervous, they met with slytherin four times already and never lost. but still that was when malfoy had no firebolt. harry started to loose his confidence as he remembered how he wasnt able to catch him in september. he didnt sleep very well that night, dreaming about various tragic scenarios the next one worse than last. it was like back in third years when he dreamed about slytherin riding dragons or neville longbottom as their seeker. he got up very early next morning, feeling like he had no sleep at all. he looked out of the window. it couldnt have been more different from yesterday. the sky was clouded and from the movement of tree harry could guess that wind was blowing really hard. knowing that he surely couldnt fall asleep again he got up dressed himself in his robes, shouldered his firebolt and went downstairs to common room. food was again sat on every table, but harry didnt feel like eating at all, although his stomach grumbled a lot. between the various meals he found a small good-luck cake from hagrid, remus and suzie, and moments later hedwig arrived with good-luck card from mr. and mrs. weasley and dobby. it didnt take a very long time for whole team to assemble in the common room, one by one they appeared, all looking grumpy and nervous. the food remain untouched until their fellow gryffindor came, although harry insisted on some food for every member. the common room was shortly filled with excited chatting crowd and where it was time to go, gryffindor team was hailed by tens of voices so loudly that it made windows rattle. as i told you, im not very good in this, harry started speaking as they were walking to the great hall. just play as you played on wednesday and well be fine. their beaters are slow and lousy so bludgers should be no problem. dennis, colin try to use some of you moves. aim at malfoy and lestrange first. ginny, parvati do your best. kimberly dont get nervous, i know youve got it inside you. same goes to you ron, harry babbled on. ginny took his hand in her and squeezed it tightly. relax harry, its going to be fine. harry smiled lightly and nodded and than they were in front of the great hall. slytherins, cho, zac and madam hooch were already waiting for them there. slytherins were eyeing them with disgust and smirked at them, whispering amongst each other. zac shook hand with every member from gryffindor and cho wished them good luck. harry mumbled something in answer. o.k., lets get on wit it, madam hooch said as she observed her watch.

they marched towards the centre of the great hall, harrys legs suddenly feeling like made of lead. madam hooch stopped and they followed her lead. captain, shake your hands. harry and blain walked towards each other and shook their hands, both trying to crush each others fingers. remember fair play, madam hooch said before she blew her whistle. the game began. harry raised into the air quickly. he wanted to catch the snitch and end the game as soon as possible, before slytherin could take any lead. and the game begins, its gryffindor in possession, ginny heading towards the slytherin goals come on zac a bit faster, thank you and its still ginny weasley, passes to cook, who drops the pass, oh no lestrange on his way towards the gryffindor goals, ducks too bludger at a time and drops the quaffle, patil has it and passes to weasley, ducks around crabbe, tricks blain and scores ten zero to gryffindor! a big mass of cheers could be heard all around the great hall, not only gryffindors, but ravenclaw and hufflepuff as well. ginny punched air in triumph and soared around the hall, smiling happily, when a bludger aimed from crabbe hit hear in her back. boos erupted and a sharp sound of whistle sounded. you dont attack a player during the interruption. penalty for gryffindor! madam hooch yelled. patil took the quaffle and prepared for the penalty, meanwhile harry flew towards ginny. are you o.k.? harry asked her. although she had tears of pain in her eyes she nodded and smiled at him. parvati managed to score which made the walls of great hall shake again. harry soared higher again, watching around for any sign of golden light. meanwhile the game continued. and gryffindor again in possession, ginny back in the game and heading towards slytherin goals, steers around lestrange and simmons, passes to kimberly, cook shoots, oh blain had a tight spot over there, ernie groaned. he passes the quaffle towards lestrange who is on his way to gryffindor goals, ducks around patil, ducks a bludger and only him and weasley now, come on ron argh, ernie groaned again as lestrange managed to score. twenty to ten for gryffindor. harry was circling around the ceiling of the hall when suddenly drops of water began to pour from it. this is bad, he thought for himself and increased his speed even more. he knew he had to find the snitch really soon or the weather could change dramatically. he was watching all around the hall and occasionally shot look at malfoy to see whether he saw it before him. he was very surprised, hearing that gryffindor lead fifty to twenty. and here we have another action of gryffindor ginny passes to patil, patil is attacked by three slytherin chasers, makes clean pass to kimberly, kimberly heading for a goal

crunch! goyle collided with her deliberately at full speed, kimberly is thrown of her broom, caught by dennis creevy this isnt looking good, she appears to be unconscious and harry potter calls for timeout. they all landed and gathered around dennis who was cradling unconscious form of kimberly. madam hooch rushed forwards. step aside, step aside. enervate, she muttered, pointing her wand at kimberly. kimberly opened her eyes and looked around herself, confused. are you alright, dear? madam hooch asked her. no, my arm hurts i think its broken, kimberly winced. goyle, escort ms. cook to hospital wing. if i hear you laid a finger on her, i will make sure youre expelled, madam hooch said and blew her whistle. that will be two penalties for gryffindor. this punishment was welcomed with many cheers from gryffindor supporters and boos from slytherins. both ginny and parvati shot the penalties, parvati scored, ginny missed. sixty to twenty for gryffindor. so after dreadful foul from slytherin beater the game continues and its lestrange in possession and he pelts towards the gryffindor goals and he scores. nice steer around weasley, i have to admit, ernie said miserably. harry, youve got to get it soon, or there will be more injuries, harry heard ginny yell at him. he ignored her comment and again soared higher. and than he saw something which made the time still. malfoy was speeding towards slytherin stands, his face lightened with triumph and his hand outstretched. in far harry could see golden glitter. he put on a great burst of speed but knew he couldnt reach on time. malfoy was only few feet away from victory and harry could almost imagine him smiling broadly. he evaded a bludger and continued towards the snitch. he was only a feet or two near wham! wham! malfoy was hit by both bludgers and fell of his broom. higher above creevy brothers gave each other five. creevys path again did the trick. harry, not caring about if malfoy got hurt sped towards the slytherin goals. every slytherin tried to stop him, but harry evaded them easily and closed his fist around the tiny ball. harry was made deaf by cheers that followed. his whole team landed and harry ran towards colin and dennis and hugged them both very tightly. they grinned at him, blushing. parvati and ginny were jumping up and down like small children yelling we have won, we have won, than they both hugged harry, ginny planted him a kiss on his cheek before she took his hand, offering her other to dennis. come on, party is waiting, she said and all six of them disappeared, holding

their hands, not saying a word towards the slytherin team. chapter 42 : quiditch final hello, well again it has been long time since i updated last time, but i had to study for applying exams on university. well, the exams are gone so im free. :-) it was very hard for me to write this chapter, i think the whole indoor quiditch was one big mistake. hope you like it anyway. sorry, i have hastened things up, but i wanted to deal with quiditch as soon as possible enjoy, and thanks for your reviews chapter 42: quiditch final nothing could have matched euphoria harry and the rest of his team felt after winning their match against slytherin, even the rest of the gryffindor house looked like christmas came early. when harry and his team arrived they were pulled inside the common room by at least ten pair of hands. whole common rooms was decorated with gryffindor banners. twenty minutes after they arrived the door of the common room opened and lavender and a group of another girls appeared, their arms full of nicked food. nobody cared that it was sunday and they had classes next day, all everybody cared about now was to make as much noise as possible to reflect their happiness. students began to dissolve not until midnight. harry and ron stayed until nearly everyone disappeared and went to bed very late that night, their stomach stuffed with delicious food and drinks. harry found out that he couldnt keep the grin out of his face and so ron. they both changed into their pyjamas and discussed the game for what appeared to be hundred time with neville and seamus for a very long time, before they fell asleep. next morning went as predicted. harry and the rest of the boys were woken by neville, who was the only one who looked like he got some sleep. they all dressed up and went for breakfast quickly, because they were already late. harry wanted nothing more than get back to his bed and ron nearly drowned himself in cereals with milk. class went on very fast that day. perhaps teachers understood that gryffindors were tired and unable to concentrate, because harry found the classes somehow easier and more bearable than usual. even professor mcgonagall seemed less strict. after the success of indoor quiditch everyone was eagerly expecting next weekend, waiting for another two matches. another most discussed, but less popular topic were the exams. harry was again surprised how time flows quickly when you expect something dreadful. he couldnt understand how it was possible but he was facing second weekend of june in no time. but harry wasnt nervous anymore. after their victory against slytherin all members of team became more confident and even kimberly, whose arm was repaired in no time, seemed to improve after her first try. besides, next match was against hufflepuff which should be piece of cake, harry thought. but than he remembered what happened when he played against diggroy and trained even harder. he didnt need to worry at all. gryffindor took early lead by five goals and hufflepuffs seemed already accepting the loss, so gryffindor won by two hundred points. to everybodys disappointment harry managed to catch the snitch in les than ten minutes so the game was really short.

on the contrary, the result of the match between slytherin and ravenclaw was really unexpected. harry again played as observer with zacharias. the teams seemed to be very equal, at no point of the game any team lead by more than twenty points. everybody understood that this game would be decided by seekers. harry was flying around the pitch, very excited. this was one of the best matches harry saw, mainly because it took very long time, before either draco or cho could spot the snitch. finally, both cho and draco could see it. unfortunately for draco, it halted right in front of cho, who caught it easily. no one was expecting this. everyone was used to gryffindor and slytherin play against each other, but now with two losses, only miracle would help slytherin to get into final. and miracle did happen, but not as anyone guessed. slytherin needed to win by more than hundred points to get to the final. they lead by hundred and twenty when christian connor got the snitch and they won the game. so to everybodys surprise, slytherin was the last. harry and ron amused themselves by talking how lousy slytherins were whenever draco was near enough. draco would only flash them dark looks, but otherwise he did nothing. harry was feeling a bit nervous about it, he never saw malfoy to behave so calmly. next match was gryffindor against ravenclaw, the last game before the final. harry was getting nervous again. from what he saw when he was observing the matches ravenclaw played, he knew that they were not to be underestimated. cho managed to make a great team and she was an excellent captain. and harry knew how badly she wanted to win- it was her last year and last opportunity to win the quiditch cup. in addition, by score ravenclaw lead the tournament with seventy points more than gryffindor. and than the game was about to begin. harry and cho and their team-mates stood in two lines, facing each other. the atmosphere of the match was tense, but not as it was with slytherins. the two lines were smiling at each other nervously and when cho and harry were asked to shake hands, they shook them, smiled at each other and wished luck. and then the game began. and the game begins, the very last game before the final match, ernie mcmillian said excitedly, and ravenclaw is in possession of the quaffle corner heading towards the gryffindor goals, gets past cook and weasley, shoots and weasley misses the ball by inches ravenclaw scores. loud cheers from ravenclaw common room could be heard and than again as michael managed to score another goal moments later. harry was feeling even more nervous by now. he was flying around the pitch top speed in desperate search for gold glimmer. and here comes the gryffindor weasley passes to patil, who is heading towards the goal, boot and smith on their way to stop her she passes back to cook, who has clear way, she shoots gryffindor scores! twenty to ten for ravenclaw. harry stopped i mid air to look as ginny flew around ravenclaw goals happily. he got a glimpse of cho disappointed face and he couldnt help not to grin. but his grin didnt last too long as boot managed to score another goal. thirty to ten and here comes the revenge of gryffindors all of the chasers heading to a goal, theyre passing the quaffle between themselves cook, weasley, patil, no weasley, patil again she ducks one bludger, passes to weasley, who scores. thirty to twenty and the game continues look at chang! ernie yelled excitedly.

harry wheeled around in midair and his heart stopped. cho was diving, triumphant grin on her face and under her, hovering only few inches above to ground was the snitch. harry put on huge burst of speed, laying as flatten on his broom as he could. he shot as a bullet towards the ball. before cho could see what was coming, harry appeared and caught the snitch quickly before cho managed to stretch out her hand. no! he could hear her yelling frustrated. harry landed on the ground grinning from ear to ear. he managed to catch the snitch before ravenclaw took any significant lead. this meant that ravenclaw had to lead with eighty points before cho caught the snitch in order to win. harry almost felt like as if cup was at home. cho came and shook his hand. she looked disappointed but smiled at him nevertheless. well see tomorrow, she said before she left the room. the atmosphere in gryffindor common room was very tense that night. everybody was expecting the match eagerly. gryffindor could win the cup for third time in a row. in addition, gryffindor and ravenclaw were nearly tie in inter-house competition. slytherin was third and hufflepuff again fourth. harry was running all his tactics in his mind, hoping he would came across another, which nobody knew about. however, he found it really hard to concentrate and at ten he went to bed, insisting that the rest of his team went as well. but luck wasnt definitely on his size next day. first thing harry noticed was another quick change of weather. the day before they played under cloudless blue sky with no wind at all. today it looked like storm was coming, with thick grey clouds and strong wind. another thing happened right after the beginning of the match. parvati had to duck a bludger and she slid of her broom. considering the height it could have been much worse, this time she only broke her ankle. she wanted to continue the game but madam hooch sent her to hospital wing immediately. gryffindor was one chaser shorter. and since than the game was nearly disaster. for the first few minutes gryffindor looked like in the lead of game, after two chasers managed to score two goals, but ravenclaws enraged that gryffindor managed to get early lead, pull themselves together and were now scoring goal after goal. and thats another goal for ravenclaw, fifty to twenty and gryffindor has the quaffle, cook is heading towards the ravenclaw goals and fails to evade the bludger, she is hit in her arm, drops the quaffle well, this isnt looking good for gryffindor, not good at all cook is alright, she hurries after the quaffle again, but she wont make it its up to weaslyscorner passes to smith, pass intercepted by ginny its not, smith gets it and scores i could have sworn ginny got it ravenclaw leads sixty to twenty, anyway. harry could hear an odd ringing in his ears. sixty to twenty, that was half of what ravenclaw was supposed to score before cho catches the snitch. and the situation didnt look any better, harry thought for himself as ron managed to save a shoot from smith. ron was yelling something at his sister as he passed the ball and ginny looked at him with mix of anger and desperation.

enjoying the game, potter? ive never seen your play worse, is that your new tactics? harry could hear voice he didnt want to hear most. draco malfoy, wearing omniculars, was hovering next to him, sneering at him. harry chose to ignore him and flew around the pitch, but malfoy found excuses to pop out of nowhere and block harrys way, until mr. malfoy! twenty points from slytherin! if that happens again you can say goodbye to your seeker carrier, madam hooch shrilled at him. harry didnt forget to shot a grin at malfoy, before he flew around again. so after first punishment of interference of observer the game continues eighty to twenty eighty?! the ringing in harrys increased. only two more goals and cho can end the game! harry looked around and he saw cho, already desperately searching for the tiny ball. and suddenly harry saw it, it was zooming around the tail of ginnys broomstick. his heart hammering, harry sped towards the ball. only few feet now, he thought for himself and extended his hand. suddenly cho chang appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way. harry had to duck her and missed the snitch. when he behind his shoulder, it was gone again. damn, harry cursed out aloud as he saw chos grinning face. and michael corner together with boot managed to score another goal. so if ravenclaw caught the snitch now, it would be tie. harry wanted so badly to win, he ignored what was going on around him. his only concern was the snitch. he was circling around the stadium for a while, looking here and there but it was nowhere to be found. and than he suddenly saw it underneath him. he sped towards it, concentrating hard. suddenly he saw a blur, which levelled with him- cho. she was trying to block him. or did she want a tie? they both extended their hands and were speeding towards the snitch and then it moved out of harrys reach and cho managed to catch it. the great hall suddenly exploded with cheerful yells from ravenclaw common rooms. they all landed and harry went to congratulate cho. nice catch, well i guess tie isnt that bad, harry said grinning. tie? harry, you werent listening to the commentary? smith managed to score another goal moments before i caught it. weve won, she said with a huge smile. and she was right. ginny and parvati joined harry, both looking depressed and disappointed. creevy brothers were comforting ron, who looked like he was going to break his broom in two. how could i have been so stupid, harry asked himself. its o.k. harry, we cant win every time, ginny comforted him. someone snorted behind them. harry and his team turned around to face malfoy. youre such a pathetic fool, potter. well at least he managed to catch a snitch this season, malfoy, ginny said angrily.

no one asked your opinion, filth. you thing potter will marry you when you defend him? you suppose you could get some money from him? harry and ron both launched themselves on malfoy. luckily the rest of the teams were alert and ginny and parvati pulled harry backwards, while dennis and collin pulled ron. leave it, you two. hes not worth it, ginny yelled loudly and she pulled harry even further from him. they all turned around and were just about to leave, when malfoy called after them. soon potter, youll meet your end. sooner than you think. chapter 43 : the feast, that went wrong finally, they let me post a new chapter. i dont know whats wrong i just hope that it will be o.k. now. i can imagine how difficult job admins have. some of you complained that the last chapter was too short and i passed the quiditch tournament too quickly. well, i want to be done with this book as soon as possible so i can start on something new. so enjoy and please read and review. chapter 43: the feast that went wrong harry and the rest of his team felt depressed about their defeat in final match for the rest of the weekend and none of them felt like doing anything else than mourning for the next few days. gryffindor house wasnt full of usual chatter and laughter. it seemed like the whole house was commiserating with their friends from the team. well, at least one thing made the defeat bearableslytherin house was slaughtered in all of their matches and for the first time in many years, maybe even centuries they were the last in inter-house competition. but students had another thing to mourn on too. with monday the exam week began and it all began with arrival of the o.w.l.s examining commission. harry remembered most of the people from the last year and some of them even smiled at harry when he passed them in corridor. ginny was getting more desperate with every minute that passed until her first examinations on monday- history of magic, herbology and care of magical creatures. colin creevy looked as pale as wall and he was seen few minutes before examination still reading his notes on goblin rebellions. for harry on the other hand these exams were something he didnt really care about. monday began with defence against the dark arts and transfiguration. lupin was as usually smiling at harry when he finished his practical test and wrote something like a in his notes. transfiguration was on the other hand something else. he managed to turn his mice into rock, but failed to perform more complex switching charm to turn it back. ron was now looking somehow desperate. everybody knew he neglected his study for whole year. he managed to turn his mice into a chunk of wood instead of stone and set in on fire as he tried to switch it back. hermione, on the other hand looked more confident than any other of her peers and later during dinner she complaint that the exams were all too easy, earning reproachful looks from the whole table. the atmosphere in the common room on monday evening was tense, mainly because of people taking o.w.l.s and n.e.w.t.s. there wasnt any sound but ruffling

of papers, scribbling of quills or occasionally a chat about some curses or potions. even ron sat over the books in last futile attempt for next day examscharms, potions and care of magical creatures. next day was perfect weather and it was awfully hot in castle. sweat trickled down on everyones faces as they were writing essays about all sorts of healing charms and finally came the practical part, curing enlarged animals of their cuts or another injuries. and then came practical exam in potions where students chose randomly three of the potions they were making throughout the whole years. harry felt confident for the first time with potion final exams as he passed three vials of potion to smiling suzie. and it all continued for the rest of the week until friday when exams ended. all papers were handed out, all practical tests ended and the o.w.l. commission left. students wanted nothing more to go out and enjoy the sunny weather, but the security rules were still very strict, so all of them had to stay in castle. the end of the exams had some cheering effect and gryffindor common room was again full of fun. ginny, colin and the rest of the fifth years were comparing for results for ages and the seventh years were enjoying their last week on hogwarts. classes were less strict and demanding during their last week. all of them were already in holiday mood, chatting excitedly about places they were going to visit. only harry seemed depressed. the end of the year meant that he had to go to his hated dursleys, even though it was for the last time. the weasleys and hermione tried to cheer harry up, thinking about how will they again meet in grimmauld place during the holidays and were planning adventures and discoveries they were about to face. and than it came. the last dinner in the great hall before their departure next day. all things were already packed and prepared for journey on hogwarts express. harry sighed once again as he closed his trunk and prepared hedwigs cage. he met with his friends moments later in common room, thinking about nothing but enjoying his last moments on school. the great hall was decorated with ravenclaw and yellow flags. the ravenclaw table was the most cheerful, they hadnt won the house cup for years. the leaving feast was delicious as it always was and by the end of the feast, harry felt nicely full and wanted nothing more than sleep, no matter how enjoyable the evening was. after the dinner, dumbledore rose to his feet. he cleared his throat and the hall felt silent immediately. another year gone. and how extraordinary this year was. we had perils, loss of our dearest friend and family members. everyone affected by the events of last year, even though those who lost hope that next year will not be that eventful, and if, then the should be pleasant. to face many of us was somehow nothing. let us what happens

all of the students and teachers clapped as dumbledore finished. and now, the house cups needs awarding. so in last place, slytherin with two hundred and twenty eight points, dumbledore started. there was a silent clap here and there, mostly strained. in third place, hufflepuff with three hundred and thirteen points. the applause was much louder than with slytherins. all of the students clapped,

mainly those who were from da. on the third place, with four hundred and five points- gryffindor house, dumbledore continued. harry felt again a pang of bitterness. and on first place, ravenclaw house, with six hundred and thirteen points. loud cheers erupted from the ravenclaw house table and all of the applause from another houses seemed to vanish in roar of triumph. but suddenly another sound cut in. high pitched sound of horn, that bore warning in its tones. all of the students looked at teachers table for answers. all of the teachers got up and drew out their wands. prefects and heads, please escort your students to their common rooms at once. dont delay any moment, dumbledore said urgently and left the great hall with the aurors quickly. remus, suzie and professor sprout stayed behind and organised the escort. what is going on, remus? harry asked him nervously as his guardian came to them. no time to explain, you must get into the common room as fast as you can, remus said quickly. but harry started, but remus raised his hand quickly. harry, just go. now! he yelled at him and left the hall as well. come on, off you go everyone, professor sprout urged them. harry, come on hurry, hermione pleaded him. everyone, get to common room quickly. as fast as you can. harry and the others left the great hall quickly. harry tried to keep up with hermione, but she was running at top of her speed. suddenly, he could hear screams from a distant part of castle. what is going on, hermione? harry asked her as they climbed another set of stairs. security breach. someone broke into the castle, we must get to the common room quickly, hermione said, panting. what? he barked. harry, just wait until we get to the common room, hermione pleaded him and ran even faster. they reached the portrait of fat lady in record time. godric gryffindor was one of the school founders, hermione said slowly and clearly. oh, so it happened? fat lady asked nervously but opened nevertheless. they all entered common room and the portrait door closed after them. all of them were short of breath, looking confused. harry, ron and other prefects started to count the students. im missing colin and emily, hermione said desperately.

dont worry, theyre over there, ron assured her. with a sigh of relief hermione collapsed in one of the sofa. ron sat next to her and took one of her arms. she looked at him and smiled slightly. so now you can tell me what is going on? harry asked her. i told you already, someone broke in the castle. after the battle of hogsmeade, new security precautions were installed. like the siren you heard in great hall or the new password, hermione said. then why do we just sit here? harry yelled at her. dont worry, a special auror squad was established, theyll be here in minutes. and nobody knows about the new password, only prefects, heads and teachers know about this. and the portraits, naturally. they wont open until the danger has passed. the room has been sealed so nobody on the other side can hear us. and besides, you still have to know where the common room is. so calm down, you have nothing to worry about. well, wormtail knows about the common room, he was in gryffindor, harry said. hermione looked frightened by the thought. they still have to get through the portrait. it was enchanted to sustain more damage than it used to be. and fat lady never let a stranger in, remember? ron said. harry wasnt still comforted enough and paced around the room nervously. he didnt have to wait for long time before he could hear muffled voices from the other side of portrait. the gryffindors looked at each other nervously. hermione looked petrified. are you sure that this is it, pettigrew? harry could hear a cold voice from the other side. y..yes, an unease and nervous voice sounded. all right. let us in, the cold voice demanded. nothing happened. you have to know the password, pettigrew piped out. i can see that, idiot. we have to destroy it. everyone get into your dormitory, now, harry yelled and drew out his wand. not again, ron muttered and got up. he drew up his wand as well. students ran up the stair to dormitories, everyone looking panic. harry looked at the portrait, hoping it was strong enough to last. reducto! many voices yelled from behind the portrait. nothing happened, luckily. harry looked around himself. only twenty or so students stayed behind, most of them from the da. all of them had a note of fear in their eyes. harry said nothing, but ducked behind one of the armchairs. harry could see everyone taking

his lead, seamus and neville upturning one of the tables. reducto! voices sounded again. the portrait didnt resist another attempt. shreds of portrait filled the common room. a cloaked man with a mask appeared in the common room. stupefy! six stunners hit the death eater in chest and he collapsed to the ground. another death eater appeared in the doorway, and was immediately put into full-body bind. another death eater merely glanced inside before and another stunner hit him. paurus vede! hermione yelled, pointing her wand at the corridor, where the death eaters covered. shrieks could be heard from the corridor and neville and seamus cheered loudly. james, sirius argh! pettigrew screamed loudly. harry could hear many pair of footsteps running away. idiots! finite incantatem! the cold voice sounded again. harry recognised lucius malfoys voice. come back here again. you will let bunch of kids defeat you. potter! nobody needs to get hurt, just come out. you have three seconds. harry looked around the faces of his friends surrounding him. most of them shook their heads. hermione and ron mouthed no at him. have it your way, potter, malfoy laughed. lets get them. two death eaters appeared in the doorway and looked around themselves quickly. stupfey! protego superfices one of them muttered. the stunners ricocheted off the barrier and one of them hit colin creevy in his head. colin disappeared behind the chair and didnt appear again. reducto! one of the death eater yelled, pointing his wand at sofa, where lavender and parvati were crouching. it exploded in tens of big splinters. parvati had a large chunk of food sticking out of her belly. she was either dead or unconscious. lavender was knocked few feet away and a big splinter pierced her right hand. she was whimpering in pain, crawling to another cover. crucio! yelled the second death eater pointing his wand at her. she started to roll madly and was screaming at top of her lungs. the death eater was sneering from under his mask. no! you bastard, neville yelled and stood up from behind his cover. stupefy! prot the death eater tried but too late. the stunner hit him and fell limply. neville, get down! harry cried, but too late. the second death eater casted cut hex at him, which hit him in chest. he passed out, bleeding like a stabbed pig. curses were now flying all around the common rooms. more and more death eaters

appeared inside the common room. with every stunned or bind death eater another two appeared. stupefy! stupefy! expelliarmus! harry was yelling a curse after a curse. he looked around himself desperately. many of his friends were lying on the ground unconscious or too hurt to fight on. impedimenta, hermione yelled pointing her wand at two death eaters, who were enervating stunned comrades. they both collapsed to the ground, struggling against invisible binds. crucio! malfoy yelled, pointing his wand at uncovered hermione. her screams filled the common room and pierced the ears of those who remained fighting. hermione! ron yelled loudly and stood up to run for her. ron, dont ginny tried to restrain him, but he fought out of her reach. immobilus! malfoy yelled, pointing his wand at him. ron froze, unable to move. your pathetic fight is over, potter. come out or well start killing your friends. harry looked around the room. there was none left who fought. all of his friends were unable to carry on fighting. potter, last warning. come here. harry stood up and pocketed his wand, revealing his bare hands. what do you want me to do? he said hatefully. touch its a portkey that will lead you to our master. i have another business here to care about, malfoy said, an insane smile on his face. portus , he muttered, pointing his wand at chunk of wood. get ready, potter. harry gave him last piercing stare. how do i know you wont kill them? you dont, malfoy said with another smile. touch it, youve got ten seconds left. harry extended his finger and placed it on the chunk of wood. six, five, four no, harry, ginny yelled and ran to them. both malfoy and harry stared confused after her. she put her finger on wood as well. what are you doing? harry yelled loudly at her, but too late. he felt a tug behind his navel and the common room disappeared. chapter 44 : the end chapter 44: the end harry hit the ground with a painful thud, but managed to stay on his feet. he

heard another thud somewhere behind him as ginny landed. instantly, very sharp pain erupted in his scar. it felt like someone was spitting his head with a chainsaw. he collapsed to the ground, reaching for his forehead. harry knew what that meant. voldemort was somewhere near. harry opened his eyes, realising they were watering with pain. he looked around himself. they were in some kind of dungeon, which was bathed in semi-darkness, the only light coming from few torches. there were people standing behind him in lines. they were all wearing dark robes and masks- the death eaters. and behind them he saw tall figures dressed in dark cloaks, who were floating in airthe dementors. he raised his wand and pointed it at the group. he knew no curses which could take down all of them, but they were never going to catch him without fight. expelliarmus, cold high pitched voice cried from behind him. harrys wand left his fingers and landed on ground with a loud clatter. he heard another clatter as ginnys dropped her wand as well. accio wands, the voice said. harrys and ginnys wand flew somewhere behind harry. harry turned around, preparing his mind what he was about to see. there was a throne in the far end of the room. it was black and huge. snakes were carved on it. and sitting on it, dressed in black robe was none other than lord voldemort. as he saw him, another surge of pain ran through his scar, but he didnt wince. harry potter, we finally meet again. and you brought ms. weasley with you perhaps it would make everything much easier, voldemort said, sneering at him. so harry, have you considered offer i proposed to you? harry suddenly felt ginnys eyes upon him. he knew what voldemort meant, dumbledore explained it to him. i would never join you! harry yelled at him. voldemorts smile vanished and he got up from his thrown. he walked down the steps which lead to the throne. he put one of his white-skinned hand into his robes. harry thought he was reaching for his wand, but his hand remained in his pocket. harry, you have to see it as well! there are nearly none adult wizards, which survived one encounter with me. and lets look at you. you managed to defeat me when you were only year old. and since than you escaped my reach for how many times? four? and im not counting times you escaped my servants, voldemort said, his voice nearly soft. thats not true, harry spat at him hatefully. many of wizards escaped you. my parents, the longbottoms, moody and dumbledore. and as long as dumbledore is alive, you stand no chance. voldemort acted as harry said nothing. harry, youre remarkably powerful, dont you see it? do you have any idea what we could achieve together. together, we can rule the wizarding world. and we dont have to stop there. our kind will be in power, not that muggle vermin. and we everybody would serve us, voldemort said excitedly, still pacing around the room. is that the same babble you used on wormtail? harry said with a sarcastic smile.

voldemort stopped pacing and looked at him hatefully. he finally withdrew his wand. than you have to face consequences! crucio! he yelled, pointing his wand at harry. harrys whole body was suddenly on fire. he collapsed on his four and than he started shaking. his eyes were rolling in his socks madly and he felt like he was about to pass out. he heard ginny yelling at voldemort to stop and the pain ceased suddenly. he opened his eyes, panting. ginny was lying next to him and cradling him. oh, harry, she sobbed lightly. so harry, have you changed your decision? voldemort said with a cold smile. perhaps a little bit more of pain can do it? for your friend? crucio! he yelled, pointing his wand at ginny. her eyes reflected her pain instead of fear and she started screaming. the scream seemed to fill voldemort with energy. he closed his eyes and harry could almost swear he was purring. stop it! harry yelled at him. voldemort let the curse affect little but longer, but finally he lifted his wand. i take it you have enough, voldemort said. harry and ginny were looking deeply into each others eyes for a long time before harry lifted his head. whatever, just dont hurt her anymore. send her back to hogwarts, right now. i swear ill do anything you want straight away, harry said, defeated. im not leaving you harry, ginny hissed through her gritted teeth. she was still twitching slightly. see harry, another thing we have in common, voldemort said, sounding entertained. we both have power affect people to our purposes. face it harry. both raised by muggles we hate, we both speak parseltounge, we are connected by your scar. and by a prophecy. havent you wondered what the prophecy might be? imagine it says we are to rule the wizarding rule together, voldemort said. harry prayed that ginny didnt look at him now, but from a face of voldemort he saw that she did. or perhaps dumbledore knew about the prophecy? and you have told someone else? perhaps your friend here? voldemort said with a cold smile. he pointed his wand at ginny again. legillimens! harry saw as ginnys eyes went suddenly unfocused. voldemort was muttering something under his breath. he ended up suddenly, smiling his cold smile. ginny looked into harrys face, wearing face of guilt. ah, i see you tried to teach your friends some occlumency. how interesting but ms. weasley isnt as far talented as you, potter. legillimens!

ginny went rigid again and this time voldemort succeeded, for he stopped moments later, looking triumphant. well, well, well. so this is the prophecy. we cant live together and one has to kill each other. you have both served your purposes. we shall fulfil the prophecy right now. goodbye potter, weasley. avada voldemort started, but was cut as many groups of people filled the room, each of them touching some thing between them. he smiled at harry coldly and lowered his wand. my dear lucius, you are back. so have you what i send you for? voldemort said with expectation. malfoy gulped uneasily. my lord, the atlis was to well protected. theyve have captured half of us and we proceeded no further. i i called for retreat, we can have another chance. my lord malfoy nearly whimpered, but voldemort silenced him with a wave of hand. i dont want to hear your pathetic excuses lucius. believe, should i be in normal mood, i would have killed you right now. but youre lucky you managed to bring potter with you. well potter, you may seem to have another purpose. well see how much does dumbledore value life of his students but this doesnt mean we cant have some fun, does it? lucius, wormtail? malfoy sneered at ginny from his mask and pointed his wand at her. crucio! ginnys screams filled the air again. harry wanted malfoy to stop, he got up and wanted to kill him with his bare hand. immobilus, malfoy muttered, pointing his wand at him. harry couldnt move any further, but at least ginny stopped screaming. wormtail, have a go on potter, voldemort said with another smile. harry was expecting to see excitement and expectation in peters eyes, but he didnt really expect to see fright. and did he really saw pity in those eyes. wormtail, go on. or do you want me to help you? voldemort said pointing his wand at him. wormtail said nothing he merely pointed his wand at harry. c-crucio, wormtail stuttered. harry was prepared to another dose of pain, but wormtails spell had nearly no effect on him. he merely felt unpleasant sensation somewhere around his stomach. whats the matter wormtail? gone too soft? harry yelled at him hatefully. he didnt care that wormtail didnt want to hurt him. he was the reason his parents were dead and they destroyed his future. you fool! voldemort yelled loudly. with a swish of his wand, wormtail hit one of the walls forcefully. with another swish of his wand, wormtail was floating in air and with another swish he hit the ground. voldemort walked to him. i told you wormtail, that i wont tolerate more of your incompetence. crucio! voldemort yelled, pointing his wand at him. wormtail started to scream and

he collapsed to the ground immediately. master, i beg you, he shrieked. voldemort didnt care about his shrieks and let the curse for a very long time before he lifted it. wormtail didnt move again, he was merely shaking. voldemort kicked him in ribs and spat on his robes. than he turned back to harry. well, potter where did we finish? ah crucio! voldemort yelled, pointing his wand at him. harry never met with so intense and long pain. voldemort ceased few times and than he started again, with every time the pain was more intense, until harry knew no more. ***** harry woke up in some very small dark room. his whole body still hurt from the aftermath of the cruciatus curse. he didnt have any clue about the time. as he tried to sit, suddenly memories filled his mind. memories of evil his facedof torture, of sirius falling through the veil, of his parents he suddenly saw a dementor walking around his cell through the bars. he stopped at the bars, facing him for a very long time, sucking on his happiness. he heard a light moan from his left. he looked over there and saw the form of ginny lying on the damp floor. he crawled to her quickly, still unable to stand up. he reached for her hand. it was cold as ice so he started to rub it. ginny, are you alright? wake up, harry urged her. please, wake up. ginny moaned again and than she awoke with a start. leave us be! she yelled loudly. another yells followed hers. it seems that the cells around were full of people, who were yelling as well. harry suddenly knew where they were. they surely were in azkaban. ginny, calm down. its me, harry whispered into her ear. ginny stopped yelling and looked into his eyes. oh harry, she moaned again and hugged him tightly. harry stopped shivering immediately as he felt warmth of her body. why did you do it, ginny? why did you come with me? harry nearly yelled into her ear. he suddenly felt furious with her. she was the one who made him feeling guilty again. i dont know harry, i really dont. please dont get mad at me, ginny pleaded him. he calmed down at tone of her voice. im not mad at you, ginny, he said. she hugged him even more closely. harry, how are we going to get out of this? ginny asked him desperately. harry was silent for a moment. ginny, i dont know, he said softly.

they were just looking into each others eyes for what appeared to be hours but harry knew that only minutes passed. twice the dementors appeared again, feeding upon their happy memories and hopes. in those times harry wished to be rather that than alive. ginny always started shaking uncontrollably when the dementors appeared. suddenly they could hear footsteps in the corridor which lead to them. harry somehow knew that somebody came for one of them and he didnt want to die before he told ginny, what he felt towards her. ginny? he said. the footsteps were nearing. yes? ginny, if i wont come back i want you to know, the footsteps were even closer. harry could now hears voices of two death eaters, talking to each other about dementors, i want you to know that i love you. i love you too, she whispered, hugging him even more. ginny, we have to survive through this, harry whispered and kissed her on hair. the footsteps stopped at their cell. potter, come out. the dark lord wishes to speak with you. harry gave ginny last quick kiss on lips. ill be back, he said and got up. so this is the end! i know that the end is very cliffy, but i felt confident with ending my story like this. i will start the sequel, altough im still not determined when. lot of you complained on my english and grammar. well as i told you, im from czech republic and therfore im not native. so if anyone of you would be interested in being my beta for the next story, i would appreciate that very much. i want to thank to all of you who have reviewed regulary. i never imagined i would be getting so many reviews, i remember how happy i felt when i got the 1st one and i ended up with nearly three hundred. i hope that everyone of you who read the gem of power would continue reading my another novel. p.s. btw if anyone has an idea about what should appear in my next novel, send a review and i will think about it. thanks everyone and see you soon. this story archived at harrypotterfanfiction.com http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/viewstory.php?psid=19345 www.harrypotterfanfiction.com. an unofficial fan site. all stories remain the property of their authors and must not be copied in any form without their consent. this is an unofficial, non profit site, and is in no way connected with j.k. rowling, scholastic books or bloomsbury publishing or warner bros.. it is not endorsed by any of the aforementioned parties. rights to characters and their images is neither claimed nor implied.