The Legend of the Phoenix Well

Chapter Four: Bad and Worse

Harry wasn't sure whether it was Dumbledore's expression or the tear-stained face of Mrs. Weasley when Lupin told her the news that made him feel a sharp stab of dread in his stomach. The rest of the Order sat silently, waiting for Dumbledore to give them the news.

Finally, after conferencing with Moody, Dumbledore turned to face the Order again. He cleared his throat.

"Wait a minute!" Mrs. Weasley said quickly. "Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Icicle, out!"

Ron's jaw dropped in surprise. "O-out?" he repeated. Mrs. Weasley hadn't told them to leave the room since the summer before their fifth year.

"You can't make me! Professor Dumbledore said I could listen!" Ginny protested.

"This is different!" Mrs. Weasley said. "I don't want you to have nightmares!"

Harry felt the dread in his stomach grow.

"Molly," Remus said quietly. "I believe Harry needs to hear."

"Why? To give him more nightmares?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Trust me, Molly, there is a reason," Remus said patiently.

"But this is horrible!" Mrs. Weasley said, bursting into a fresh burst of tears. Mr. Weasley awkwardly patted her arm. She calmed herself down. "Fine. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Icicle... please, go."

Perhaps it was the sadness and worry in Mrs. Weasley's voice, but the four quietly made their way out of the room.

Dumbledore expelled a breath. He looked ill and old, something Harry wasn't used to, but seemed to be getting more frequent ever since Voldemort came back. "Now then, the bad news, or the worse?" Dumbledore asked.

"It doesn't matter, Professor," Tonks said.

"All right, then," Dumbledore said. "Diagon Alley has been attacked."

The Order suddenly gasped, and worried phrases were heard. Harry dimly remembered that he, Ron, Hermione, and the others had been planning to go to Diagon Alley, but had been sidetracked by Rita. It was the first time he was grateful to Rita Skeeter.

Dumbledore went on. "It seems like Voldemort is back in action. The Aurors saw him there this time."

"How...how bad was it?" Fred asked worriedly. Harry didn't think he had ever seen Fred or George this worried before. It frightened him a little.

"One hundred twenty eight killed, two hundred eighty seven injured, one thousand four hundred forty two able to get away," Lupin said.

"Do... do we know about Lee?" George asked worriedly. Harry knew the twins cared a lot for their best friend.

"Mr. Jordan was able to escape by using one of your newest jokes, I believe... the Flying Folder?" Dumbledore said, a very faint expression of amusement on his tired face.

Fred and George looked relieved.

"What happened exactly?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked.

Snape took over. "At approximately two in the afternoon, a few shoppers saw black cloaked figures. They thought they were radicals of some kind, and paid them no attention, even though they had come straight out of Knockturn Alley." At this, Snape looked thoughtful. "When they reached the area near Gringotts, they drew their wands and killed everyone near them. It grew chaotic quickly. Those who were lucky were able to run into Gringotts before the goblins locked the doors. The others escaped in ways like Mr. Jordan, or Disapparated. When the Ministry arrived, the Death Eaters and Voldemort Disapparated, and none were caught."

Harry sat silently in his seat. Snape's comment about shoppers and store owners escaping... what about those who didn't know how to Apparate? Mrs. Weasley started sobbing as if she had known about Harry's unspoken question.

"Arthur... m-most of them were children..." she wailed.

"Hogwarts students?" Emmeline Vance asked in her stately voice.

"A few," Snape said. "Most were younger. The students were able to find ways out. Old enough to think in a crisis. The younger ones, however..."

McGonagall stifled a sob. "Which of the students?"

"We don't know yet," Snape said. "All we know is six Hufflepuffs, three Ravenclaws, and five Gryffindors."

"No Slytherins," Harry thought.

"Why is Voldemort just getting involved now?" a silver haired wizard asked.

Tonks took a deep breath. "So... what's the regular bad news?" she asked.

"Nymphadora, dear, that was the 'regular bad' news," McGonagall said quietly.

The Order gasped collectively. "You're not serious, Minerva!" Emmeline Vance said. "There can't be news worse than this!"

Snape stood up. "One of the spies was able to smuggle the information out that the reason the Dark Lord has been inactive..." he seemed to be able to say no more. Instead, he moved his mouth wordlessly like a goldfish. It would have been funny if it happened somewhere else, but Harry was in no mood to laugh.

Neither, it seemed, did the Weasley twins. Fred stared at Snape, the one teacher besides McGonagall and Dumbledore that the students knew they could count on to not lose their heads. George gaped, then said, "What is it?"

Harry suddenly knew. His scar exploded with pain, and he started laughing insanely, happier than he had ever been in his life. His potion had worked... the test had worked... and there was a bonus... dead Muggle-borns...

"He's... immortal..." Harry ground out. "Alley... was a test... see... if... Death Eater...killed...Malfoy...still...alive...nothing...could...kill...not...Muggle weapon...magic...Vol...took...potion..." The pain suddenly stopped. Harry looked up.

The Order looked frightened.

Mrs. Weasley broke the silence. "You see? He's hysterical... poor dear... come on, dear..."

"Molly, he is not hysterical," Dumbledore said calmly. "Harry was feeling Voldemort's happiness; am I right, Harry?"

Harry nodded. His head still hurt. He had forgotten how much it hurt...

"Wait... so Voldemort's immortal?" Bill asked. "How...?"

"He found the potion he used the first time," Snape said, having found his voice. "Malfoy was his test subject. They tried the Killing Curse. It didn't work. They went to Diagon Alley, where they knew people would try Muggle methods as well. Malfoy is still alive."

Mrs. Weasley was still hovering over Harry worriedly. "But what does this have to do with Harry?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry as if to ask him, "Are you ready to tell the entire Order?"

Harry nodded. Dumbledore gave a reassuring nod, and pulled out his pensieve from his sleeve. Harry took it, and prodded it with his wand. The silver liquid swirled, and the dark room of the Hog's Head was shown.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives..." Trelawney's harsh voice filled the room. "The one with the power to vanquish..."

Harry prodded the basin once more, and the liquid turned silver again. He looked up at the Order. "That's the reason. That's also the reason why my parents died, why Voldemort tried to kill me."

"What about Neville?" Fred asked. "His birthday's at the end of July."

"The dark lord will mark him as his equal... Fred... Harry's scar..." George concluded.

"Voldemort only heard the first part," Dumbledore said. "That was the prophecy we were guarding that year."

"Harry... needs to kill V-Voldemort?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"He's the only one who can defeat him," Dumbledore said. "But now... we'll have to find a way."

"The prophecy said he could defeat him," a woman with salt and pepper hair said.

"Yes, so it does," Dumbledore said.

Mrs. Weasley was sobbing once more.

***

"Professor?" Harry said as Dumbledore was putting his hat on.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Aunt Petunia... she gave me a necklace with a phoenix on it. She said you gave it to her?"

"The necklace? Why, yes."

"Well... I was wondering... what is it for? Someone's trying to get it. They used Fleur to try and take it today."

Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Yes... they would... that necklace belonged to Merlin, Harry. Before he went into exile, he told me to give it to the boy with the 'sign of the storm' on his head. I was young at the time... only twelve, so I put it away. But when I saw you... I figured it out. And I left it with the letter. Keep it with you at all times, and don't lose it."

"Exile? Wasn't he locked away by Nimue?" Harry asked.

"No. That is the muggle version. Merlin went into self-exile about a hundred and twenty years ago."

"Oh. Thank you, sir."

"Goodbye, Harry," Dumbledore said, before walking out the door.

Harry looked at the necklace in his hand, and wondered what it could do. He wished Merlin had bothered to tell Dumbledore what the necklace was for. Slowly, he made his way up the steps, and into the room he shared with Ron.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Icicle, Fred, and George were already in the room. "Harry! Finally!" Ron said, grinning. Harry tried to grin back. "Fred and George won't tell us what happened."

Harry looked at him. "Leave the poor guy alone, Ron," Fred said. He and George were pale, and looked ill.

Hermione looked at the three. "Honestly, what's wrong? It looks like... are you three ill?"

Right on cue, Fred threw up. George quickly cleaned it up.

"Fred?" Ginny asked.

"It's all right," Fred said. "I'm okay."

"Tell us what happened!" Ron said. "Harry, what happened?"

Harry looked at Fred and George. "It's your choice, mate. We couldn't tell them," George said.

Harry was caught in the middle. He felt like he owed his friends to tell them about the prophecy, but he didn't want them to worry. Taking a breath, he said, "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course we do!" Ron said.

Harry took a deep breath, and told the entire story. "...and so, we have to figure out how to defeat him," he finished.

Ron was watching him. "You... you have to kill him, or be killed?"

Hermione threw herself at Harry. She started hugging him and sobbing.

"Give him some air, 'Mione!" Ron said.

"You're not mad at me for not telling you earlier?" Harry asked.

"Of course we're not. We support you," Hermione said.

Harry felt a little more lighthearted after that.

***

Harry was flying in the air, his Firebolt curving and twisting. Hermione and Hagrid were on either side of him, also riding Firebolts.

"Catch, Harry!" Hermione said, Ron's voice coming out of her mouth. She threw a book at him.

Harry caught it. It was Quidditch Though the Ages. Suddenly, it turned into the phoenix necklace.

He found himself in a well-lit cottage, Stonehenge clearly in view. An old man in plain blue robes, who looked remarkably like Dumbledore, sat across from a young boy in what Harry would describe as David Copperfield clothes. The boy had blue eyes, and auburn hair. But it was the blue eyes that Harry knew he had seen somewhere before.

"Why am I here, sir?" the boy asked. "Abe told me he wanted me at the ball. Father's coming back to London."

"Al...I'm going into exile."

"Sir?" The boy fiddled with his gray "newspaper boy" hat.

"Now, Hogwarts should be enough for you. After all, you can still contact Arthur if you wish."

"But Arthur's at Avalon!" Al protested. "Please, Merlin, stay!"

"Al...you have learned enough. You are one of my greatest students. And Al, you know I can see the future. I know you will not need me. My second sight tells me this."

"Merlin..."

"Al, I want you to do something for me."

"Anything, sir."

Merlin drew out a golden necklace out of his pocket. "This necklace was once given to me by an old friend." He looked sad for a moment. "Back when I was only a little older than you. I want you to give it to the boy with the sign of the storm on his head."

Al took it, puzzled. "Sir? Sign of the storm?"

"You'll know someday, Al."

And then, Harry could have sworn Merlin winked at Harry.

Harry woke up with a start. A redheaded person was looked straight down at him. "Ginny?" Harry said groggily. "Why are you so close to my face?

The redhead immediately yelled and jumped backwards. It took Harry a while to figure out it was Ron.

"Harry, it's nine o'clock already! We have to hurry, or we'll be late!" Ron said.

"Since when were you so worried about the time? Couldn't we Apparate to Hogsmeade or something?"

"Since when did we all switch personalities?" Hermione's voice said from behind Ron. She grinned. "Look, I'm Harry, Ron's me, and you're Ron."

"Ewww... there is no way I'm kissing Harry," Ron teased. Harry rolled his eyes.

"You know you want me, Ron," Harry said, grinning. He quickly left the room to change, and to give Ron and Hermione some privacy.

It had been about a month since the Order meeting. It was September 1^st, and Harry was itching to go back to Hogwarts. Grimmauld Place was so dull. The attack on Diagon Alley had become more of a dull throb of anger at the Death Eaters, and not a stab.

Harry, however, found himself worrying about Voldemort at times, especially when he was alone. He stopped worrying, however, when Ginny and Icicle came by.

"Hey," Icicle said.

"Hello," Harry said. He didn't blush or do anything. Neither did the other two. Harry had figured out it had been surprise that made him blush around Ginny the first time, since he felt fine around her after that. Ginny had returned to normal as well. Icicle wasn't too forward, but he caught her flirting with him a few times.

"Why are you coming out here? Planning to give us a show?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, right," Harry said. "Nah... just don't go into Ron's and my room."

"Wh... oh!" Icicle said.

"In that case..." Ginny said, grinning evilly at her crime partner.

"We crash the snog fest!" Icicle said. Giggling, the two girls tiptoed down the hall.

Harry shook his head and went into the girl's empty room. A moment after he finished changing, he heard Hermione shriek, and Ron's muted swears. There were footsteps, and Icicle came running into the room. She closed the door and stood against it, gasping for air between fits of laughter.

"What are you doing in here?" Icicle asked when she calmed down.

"Nothing," Harry said.

Icicle grinned. "Looking through our stuff?"

"Yeah, I'm a perverted freak who looks through underwear that might fit me," Harry said sarcastically.

Icicle giggled. "Which one do you think would look better on me, this one, or this one?" she asked, holding up two black jackets that seemed identical to Harry.

"Er... aren't they the same?" Harry asked.

Icicle rolled her eyes. "No, stupid, this one's got silver buttons, and the other one has gold buttons," she said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "Which one would go better with my outfit?"

Harry looked at her black dress. He found it pointless to say that she was wearing all black. "Erm... the one with the silver buttons, I guess."

"Hmmm," Icicle said. "Thanks."

Before Harry knew it, she was kissing him. Not on the cheek, either. He was just a little scared.

"Icicle?" he said when she got off.

"Hmm?" she kissed him again.

"Icicle, I don't..." She cut him off. The door opened.

"Icicle..." There was a gasp. Ginny stood in the doorway, watching Icicle snog Harry, pushing him into the wall. Harry supposed it must have looked quite wrong to Ginny.

Without a word, Ginny fled. Icicle watched her go, mouth agape. "I-I didn't know she still... I-I've got to go... GINNY!" she said, running after Ginny.

Harry stood there, staring into space. He didn't move until Hermione came back in. "Harry, do you know why Ginny's crying in the bathroom, and why Icicle is banging on the door?"

Harry didn't answer. Instead, he walked out silently, Hermione following him wordlessly. Ron was watching Icicle bang on the bathroom door. Harry could hear loud wails and sobs coming from the bathroom.

"Ginny, please, let me in!" Icicle said. There were footsteps from the direction of the stairs, and Mrs. Weasley came up.

"What is going on?" she demanded. "Ginny, stop that right now!"

"Wait," Harry said. He knocked. "Gin, can I come in?"

The door opened, and Harry stepped in. Ginny slammed it shut after him. She turned her tear-stained face towards him. "Who do you think you are?" Ginny said. "Flirting all the time with me, pretending you like me, and then going off with another girl?" her voice rose with every word.

"Ginny..." Harry said.

"DON'T 'GINNY' ME! I THOUGHT YOU LIKED ME, OR AT LEAST RESPECTED ME AS A PERSON, AND NOT JUST 'RON'S LITTLE SISTER'!" She slapped him hard. Harry stood there, and didn't say anything. It was totally his fault. Had he been flirting with her, and misleading her?

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! SAY SOMETHING!" Ginny screamed hysterically. Harry looked at her, still in thought.

"SAY SOMETHING, WILL YOU? YELL THAT YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, OR SOMETHING!" Ginny said, and before Harry knew it, she had flung herself into his arms, sobbing.

"I'm sorry..." Ginny said, repeating it over and over again. Harry patted her back awkwardly, suddenly feeling a swoop in his stomach.

It soon was replaced by sadness, however. Ginny stopped crying, and said quite clearly, "I hate you, Harry, I always will."

It was that moment that Harry realized he was head over heels with Ginny Weasley.

***

It was an hour later when a very tired looking Harry opened the door to the bathroom, the front of his shirt wet, and rubbing his eyes. Hermione and Icicle were still outside of the bathroom.

"How is she?" Hermione said, looking at Harry's shirt.

"She hates me," Harry said dully, trudging down the hall. Without bothering to change, he grabbed his trunk and went downstairs, hoping the hustle and bustle would get his mind off of Ginny.

The ministry cars had arrived already, and Ron was standing in the hall, his trunk next to him, Pig perched on top of it.

"Whoa, mate, what happened?" Ron asked, looking at Harry's shirt.

"Oh. That." Harry waved his wand, and the shirt dried. He dug through his trunk, hoping everything was there. Since Diagon Alley had been attacked, their supplies had been sent to them by owl. Harry pitied the owls who had to carry first year materials.

"What happened?" Ron repeated.

Hermione and Icicle came down the stairs, followed by Ginny. Hermione was still comforting Ginny, handing her tissues. Harry expelled a breath.

"Wait, what happened?" Ron asked. Ginny shook her head. Icicle and Hermione didn't answer.

"It's my fault," Harry said before anyone could stop him.

"Wait..." Ron said. Suddenly, he punched Harry hard. Harry didn't move. Ron's jaw dropped. "S-sorry... I-I-I..." He dropped his arm, and backed away, wide-eyed. "I-I didn't j-just do that, did I?"

"It's quite all right," Harry said. He dragged his trunk to the door frame. "You should have done much more than one punch."

"Look, mate..." Ron said.

"I was serious, Ron, not sarcastic," Harry said.

Ron grinned. "All right, then." He punched him again. Harry felt a little better after that, but he still felt Ginny's eyes burning into his back.

***

The scarlet Hogwarts Express waited on the tracks, while everyone bid their families goodbye. Harry, Ron, and Hermione pinned their badges onto their shirts, and boarded the train, headed for the Prefect's car. Ginny left to go the other way without a word to Harry, and Icicle tentatively followed her.

Fred and George, who had come with them, pretended to cry, and George, who had a frilly pink handkerchief, said, "Aww... our little Ronnniekins, Harrydidims, and Mione are all grown up!"

"Screw you," Ron said, before rushing off to the car.

"See you," Harry said.

"Bye," Hermione said. Harry and Hermione went after Ron.

"This is not fair," Harry said when they stepped into the car. The Prefect's car was on large compartment, for the meeting on the train at the beginning of each year. It was far better than the normal compartments.

"Sucks for you, mate," Ron said, shrugging and sinking into one of the seats. The three were the first people in the car.

"So, what did she say to you in the bathroom?" Ron said. "Was it a declaration of love that you rejected?" he added, sniggering.

"Quite the opposite," Harry said, "she told me she hated me," he added.

Ron looked like Christmas had been canceled. "She hates you now? But there's no..."

His sentence was cut short as the door to the car opened, and two very unwelcome Slytherin Prefects came in.

Pansy Parkinson was laughing a high laugh, probably because Malfoy had told an unfunny joke. Malfoy looked disgusted to be next to Pansy.

"Weasel. Mudblood," he said in greeting. He turned to Harry. "What are you doing in here, Potter? Aren't you supposed to be with Weaselette, your little girlfriend?"

"Why are you talking to me like that Malfoy? I might decide to take five points off Slytherin for insubordination," Harry said, smirking. Ron snickered.

"What are you..." Malfoy said, trailing off when he saw Harry's badge. Trying to hide his surprise, he sneered and said, "Dumbledore's favorite wonder boy becomes Head Boy. How very predictable."

"Malfoy's son is an ugly idiot," Harry said. "How very predictable."

A pink tinge appeared on Malfoy's face. He, however, flung himself on a seat across the room from Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

The rest of the Prefects filed in. Harry gazed around the room for the Head Girl badge. He couldn't find it. The Head Girl had not yet arrived. Harry took it to be a sign that he would be constantly annoyed for the year.

The train started to move, and the Head Girl still wasn't there.

"Right then," Harry said. "I guess we'll start the meeting." At those words, a scroll appeared on the table in front of him. Harry unrolled it, and found that it was a list of discussion points to make.

"Erm... detentions must be filed properly, or the detention is not valid..." Harry said. "They changed the forms. They're now purple."

The door slammed open, and the Head Girl stood panting in the doorway. It was Padma Patil. Harry was annoyed. "You're late," he said.

Padma looked up. "I thought you could handle the meeting just fine," she said coolly. "Do you need me to just read a few lines?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, but ignored her words, which were a direct insult to non-Ravenclaws.

"Next, because of the return of Voldemort," a few of the Prefects flinched, "all students need to be in their Common Rooms by 9:30. Prefects will patrol the halls, and the Head Boy and Girl will take attendance. I'm doing Gryffindor and Slytherin, Padma's doing Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

"So, pretty much the same thing as last year," Malfoy said, sneering. "You would know that, Potter, if you had been a Prefect, like us."

Harry, to Malfoy's surprise, grinned. "Five points off Slytherin for insubordination, Malfoy, I warned you." The non-Slytherin prefects grinned. Malfoy looked livid, but stayed quiet.

"I think that's it," Harry said. "We can all go now." He, Ron, and Hermione left for their normal compartment. Suddenly, Harry remembered one detail he had forgotten. Ginny was there. And Harry was avoiding Ginny at all costs, so he wouldn't make a fool out of himself again, and make the situation worse.

"Er... I think I'll go back to the Prefect's car..." Harry mumbled.

"No, you're not," Hermione said. "You're coming with us." She pulled Harry forcefully behind her, despite Harry's protests.

Ron opened the compartment door, and Hermione dragged Harry in. She dumped him on the seat. The seat next to Ginny, that is.

"Hey," Harry mumbled.

Ginny just gave him an icy glare. Icicle was looking nervously at the two from the seat across from them. Ron and Hermione sat down next to Icicle. Neville, who had been studying a Herbology book, looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny. Luna had her head stuck behind the Quibbler, and didn't notice anything.

The compartment stayed silent until the compartment door opened again, and a sneering face showed itself.

"What now, Malfoy?" Harry said crabbily.

"Temper, Potter," Malfoy said, smirking. "Just checking on the dream team..." He stopped short. Harry followed his avid stare, and his eyes landed on Icicle. Ron seemed to have noticed as well. He glared at Malfoy.

"Well," Malfoy said. "It seems we have someone new."

Icicle looked up. Harry was surprised to see her look at Malfoy thoughtfully. Finally, she said, "I'm Isidora Cleopatra Velour."

Harry was even more surprised. Why was Icicle telling him her whole name, instead of Icicle Weasley, the nickname she had given herself?

"Velour, eh?" Malfoy said. "You shouldn't be with... people like these."

Harry knew Malfoy was taking a lot of effort to say 'people' instead of 'filth'. He smiled. Malfoy had a crush on Icicle. "Would you like to come with us?" Malfoy said.

Ron was wide-eyed. Icicle, who they had never told about Malfoy, accepted. Ron was speechless as Icicle left with Malfoy, waving back at them.

"Well..." Ron huffed. "I'm going to have to talk to her... going off with a Malfoy!"

"It's no worse than going off with a Potter," Ginny said quietly. Harry flinched. Ginny had no idea how much that comment hurt him.

"Why?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"Because I found out where he got his jerk streak from," Ginny said. "I thought he was different. Remus said he was. But he's no different from his father at age fifteen."

"Excuse me," Harry said, standing up. He left the compartment, and sat outside on the floor. From there, he could hear the other's conversation.

"What do you mean?" Neville said. "Ginny... what's going on?"

"Nothing, Neville. Just some jerk went and... nothing."

"I think you should apologize," Luna's dreamy voice drifted out. "He looked sad to me. Maybe you misunderstood him."

"No, Luna, you misunderstood the situation. There was nothing going on between us at all."

Harry saw Luna shrug on the window opposite the compartment. "It seemed like it to me."

It was silent again in the compartment. Harry watched as the midday sun slowly started to set, turning the sky orange, and then finally, a dark blue as the moon rose. He opened the door of the compartment again.

Ron looked bored. He and Hermione were playing chess, and it seemed like Ron had already won fifty times. Hermione's face was screwed up in concentration. Luna was still reading her Quibbler, and Neville was reading his book. Harry sat down next to Neville.

Finally, after Ron's 52^nd win, Hermione stretched and said, "Why don't we change into our robes now?"

Ginny picked her robes up silently and went out the door to another compartment to change. Hermione and Luna followed her wordlessly.

Neville looked at Harry and Ron. "Would someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Can't. I don't know myself, really," Ron said, shrugging. He pinned his badge onto the front of his robes.

There was a scream. "What was that?" Harry asked. The screams became louder, as more people joined in. Harry grabbed his wand, and rushed outside, Ron and Neville with him. Hermione, Luna, and Ginny were already outside of their compartment.

The lights flickered off, and all Harry could see were outlines. It had suddenly become very cold in the train.

"Dementors," Harry answered his own question.

"Lumos," Hermione said. Harry did the same.

"Stick together. Six patronuses are better than one," Harry said.

"But I can't do a patronus, Harry," Ron said worriedly.

Harry rolled his eyes. In a crisis, Ron always went stupid. "Five, then," he said impatiently.

The sound of rattling breaths was coming closer from both sides. Harry clutched his wand tightly. What could the dementors want?

"Keep it with you at all times, and don't lose it," Harry heard Dumbledore say from the recesses of his mind. Could the dementors be after the necklace?

Harry could see the hooded figures now. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted, thinking of the time he got his Hogwarts letter.

"Expecto Patronum!" Hermione shouted. Her otter bounded in the direction Harry's stag Patronus hadn't gone.

A few of the dementors slid away.

"C'mon!" Harry said.

"Expecto Patronum!" Luna said. Her Patronus, a pixie, began to chase some of the dementors. Neville tried, but nothing came out but a silver gas. The gas whizzed around, managing to chase one dementor away.

"Ginny?" Ron asked.

Ginny was on the ground, screaming. She seemed to be reliving something horrible, and was shouting a name loudly. Harry realized it was his.

A dementor reached the group. Harry felt the memories of Sirius dying, of Voldemort, of Cedric, and all the worst things come back. Slowly, the dementor reached from its cloak, towards Harry's necklace. Harry couldn't move. The dementor moved closer.

"Expecto Patronum!" Neville shouted. A shape came out of his wand... an animal. It was a lion, mane flying from an invisible wind, fierce eyes on the dementor. The lion charged for the dementor, which fled. There were loud cracks as wizards and witches in blue Auror's robes Apparated in.

The lights came back on, and the train was warm again.

Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks came up to Harry and the others. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Harry said. He grinned at Neville. "Thanks."

Neville didn't hear him. He was too busy staring at the lion Patronus in awe.

"I... I did it! I made a Patronus!" Neville squeaked.

Ginny sat on the ground, chewing on a piece of chocolate an Auror had handed her. She stared at the ground.

"Bet you heard that," she said as Harry came by. "Bet you loved that I had nightmares about you getting hurt, and that you scored a point."

Harry passed by wordlessly. He didn't want to say anything back. And it wasn't anger stopping him. It was annoyance at himself for being so stupid.