Harry Potter and the Daoimear de Dán

Chapter Eight- Films and Old Friendships

At half past eight, every student and teacher was summoned into the Great Hall. Dumbledore looked unusually grave as he summoned those squishy purple sleeping bags once more. Harry remembered all too well the last time- when Sirius got into the school. This was serious. Even Maura had been summoned to the Hall.

"We have had reports that a group of Death Eaters plan to come to the school," he said solemnly. At first, everyone began chattering in panic, but Dumbledore silenced them simply by raising his hand.

"You do not need to be afraid. We have a group of Ministry Aurors arriving and you have the protection of every Hogwarts teacher here. For your own safety, you are to stay in the Great Hall tonight. I must ask you most seriously to remain in here. As a rare treat, Professor Flitwick has charmed a Muggle video player so that you can watch a film until it is time for bed."

Dumbledore clapped his hands and a large screen unfurled, seemingly from midair.

"I suggest that you make yourselves comfortable for the night," he finished. Then, he and the rest of the teachers began marching swiftly out of the room.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Maura shared a look before dashing after Dumbledore.

"Professor!" Harry called. Dumbledore turned around, not looking in the least bit surprised.

"Harry, I thought you might come after us. But you are all to stay here. Understand?"

"But-"

"No. You are to stay here. Harry," he said quietly "you're going to be needed for much more important things soon. Stay here."

"Yes Professor," he said, hanging his head slightly. Dumbledore nodded, then rejoined the teachers.

"Sirius!" Harry called. "Be careful, OK?"

'Professor White' grinned and nodded. Then all there was left to do for Harry and his friends, was to turn back and return to the Great Hall.

***

"What film are we getting?" asked Ron.

"I'm hoping for some kind of action movie," said Dean. "With Bruce Willis or Sylvester Stallone."

"Ooh! I hope it's Die Hard," said Maura with a gleam in her eye. She had initially been particularly irritated by being considered 'a child' and being forced to stay in the Castle, but she seemed excited by the prospect of lots of terrorists with guns, one cop and a big tower.

Everyone who had lived in the Muggle world had their own opinion on what would be the best choice. Harry had only ever seen things Dudley liked, that ultra-violent sort of film usually starring Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme, but he had no desire to see anything of the sort. Hermione was hoping for something old and black and white while Justin Finch-Fletchley the Hufflepuff was rooting for something starring Barbara Streisand.

Madam Pomfrey came in with Dobby, Winky and several other House-Elves. They were each carrying large trays of food and drink. Madam Pomfrey also had the film in question. She seemed quite unsure of what to do with it so Hermione, fully in her Head Girl role, went and helped her. When she saw the title, she threw a smirk at the Gryffindors. She started it up and soon enough, the title DOCTOR ZHIVAGO came up on the screen. For the benefit of the people around her, Hermione explained what it was about. Groans filled the air as they realised that Dumbledore had saddled them with a thirty year old epic about revolutionary Russia.

"I'll bet it was because it's old and quite dry," Hermione whispered to Harry. "He didn't want everyone getting all agitated and excited over Die Hard, I'm sure."

"Yeah. It's boring, Hermione."

"No it isn't. Watch and learn."

Perhaps it was the novelty of seeing a film at Hogwarts or it was the story, but by the halfway mark, everyone in the room was riveted to the film. Hermione, who had seen it before, was humming the theme from the start, but by the time came to sit through the intermission, everyone seemed to know the tune.

"All right, Hermione?" Harry whispered. "Want another biscuit?"

"No," she replied, shifting in her chair to get comfortable. Without thinking, his arm went around her shoulders. She paused for a second before leaning into him. Behind them, Maura nudged Ron. Ron looked over at them and smirked.

The film had the expected tranquilliser effect on most of the students, and by the end, most were either asleep or very close to sleep. Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, were wide awake. As the credits rolled, she shifted in his arms and, the illusion broken, they both became uncomfortable and self-conscious.

"Um.... Did you like the film?" she whispered to him, careful not to wake anyone around them.

"It was all right."

"Good... good. Night then."

"Yeah. I think I'll wait up for Dumbledore."

"Harry, go to sleep."

"But I..."

"Harry!" she hissed sharply. "Get some sleep."

"Fine," he grumbled, sliding into his sleeping bag and allowing sleep to take him over.

***

The next morning, Harry awoke to the sound of excited chattering. The sun was shining brightly through the windows of the Great Hall, drowning him in bright yellow light. In the next sleeping bag, Hermione was still asleep, a faint smile on her lips as if she were in the middle of a quite pleasant dream.

"Harry!" Professor White came bounding over, his usual dazzling smile in place.

"Siri- Professor! Everything OK?"

"Just fine, Harry. Quite easy really. We managed to stop them even getting through the gates. Although they brought a few playmates."

"Like what?"

"Oh nothing big, just enough to keep us on our toes. A few trolls, a couple of other highly illegal magical creatures. All enough to earn every captured Death Eater a nice long spell in Azkaban. Hope they give it my love."

Sirius said this last part in a quiet, but deeply bitter voice.

"Lucius Malfoy?"

"Wasn't there. No sign of the slimy blond git. Not surprised though. He knew he wouldn't take Hogwarts. Probably just wanted a sign that Narcissa was here. Which he didn't get."

"Is she here?" Harry whispered.

"I don't know," said Sirius. Harry nodded. Even if Sirius did know where she was, it was unfair of Harry to ask. "Anyway, you missed training the last two nights. You'll be with Professor McGonagall and myself this evening. Don't want you getting sloppy."

"Yes, Professor."

***

Although Professor McGonagall had promised them space to roam, they found themselves back in that beautiful but small teachers' garden.

"Professor Dumbledore didn't think it safe for you to be out in the grounds at the moment," Sirius explained.

The lesson began, although they had progressed beyond lessons into what was really just getting used to their new forms. Maura came along to watch, still quite enamoured with the idea that they could become animals. Sirius transformed with them, and soon a spirited game of chase had begun between the dog and the lion. The phoenix seemed quite content to sit in the highest tree, singing beautifully on occasion. The tiger joined in the chase occasionally, but seemed quite concerned about crushing some of the plants.

"Are you Maura?" a soft voice asked. Maura spun around quickly, surprised. She came face to face with the clearly quite weak Narcissa Malfoy. Her blonde hair was dull and she looked almost painfully thin.

"You're Narcissa Malfoy, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"I saw you when you arrived. Are you all right?"

"Yes. I am now. Are you... Are you Maura?"

"Yes."

"So you're the girl George wrote about," she said, studying Maura closely.

"George wrote about me?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh yes, George often wrote to me. After he joined you, he wrote several times. He said he'd fallen in love with a beautiful girl."

"Can't have been me then."

"He wrote one last time after you were married. Before the battle. I never... I never told Lucius about it and I hid the letter. I knew who you were. My friend Lily was the Heir too. She died... a long time ago."

"Harry told me."

"I'm sure he did. But I never told Lucius what she was. I knew what Voldemort had done in killing Lily, and I knew that you would one day come to avenge her death. A lot of people want to do it, you know."

"I know. Harry-"

"And Sirius. And Remus. And everyone who ever knew Lily. She was a good-natured girl, full of love."

"Sounds too good to be true," said Maura. She winced slightly at the pain on Narcissa's face. How she wished she wasn't so blunt and barbed all the time.

"She was too good to be true. But she.... Lily didn't want to be perfect, she just was. She was too nice to hate. And she had a nice line in self-deprecation."

"You should talk to Harry," said Maura.

"I know, I shall. Perhaps I'll wait until he's finished playing with Sirius. You would think spending twelve years in Azkaban would make a man grow up. But I think Sirius will always be a little boy," Narcissa sighed, the sigh of a woman who has spent twenty years in a life she hates. "You have a little girl, don't you?"

Maura looked up at Narcissa.

"Yes. Deirdre. She lives with George's parents. Your family."

"I wasn't sure it was you at first. I was looking for Maura Richards, you see. When Professor Dumbledore told me that your name was Maura Kennealy I thought I might have the wrong person."

"I've never called myself Maura Richards."

"Why not?"

"Didn't seem right. We were only married a week."

"But you were still married. And he did love you. I know that much."

At the other end of the gardens, the animagi had transformed and now several excited teens came bounding over with Sirius.

"Narcissa, are you all right?" Sirius asked with concern. "Should you be out of bed?"

"I'm really fine, Sirius," she said. "I'm not a child or an invalid, you know."

"But still..."

"I'm fine. I was actually wondering if I could talk to Harry."

"Me?" Harry looked both suspicious and curious.

"Yes. I have a couple of things that belonged to your mother."

"Really?" Harry's eyes lit up like Blackpool Tower at Christmas. Narcissa nodded.

"Well, we've finished the lesson," said Sirius. "You're free to go."

Harry nodded and followed Narcissa back into the castle.

"Well, that leaves us free to get pie," said Ron. "Who's up for a trip to the kitchens?"

***

"Mum!" Draco leapt out of the chair he'd been sitting in as Narcissa and Harry entered her guest room deep inside the Castle. "Where did you go?"

"Sit down, Draco. I only went to the gardens."

"Anyone could have seen you!"

"No they couldn't. Calm down Draco," she said in a soothing tone that actually appeared to calm him down.

"What are you doing here Potter?" asked Draco with his characteristic sneer. "Don't you have stray puppies to save?"

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? Don't you have a dungeon to skulk around in?"

"Draco, Harry, I do wish you'd stop sniping at each other," said Narcissa firmly. She opened a drawer and pulled out a small leather bag. "Sit down, both of you."

They complied and she opened the bag. She pulled out several photographs.

"After I was married to Lucius, I wasn't allowed to see my old friends at all. But sometimes I managed to get out into the real world."

Narcissa sighed very sadly again. The first was of Narcissa and Lily. They were both smiling happily, two small bumps where Draco and Harry were already beginning their lives.

"This was taken when I arranged to see them in London. We were in a Muggle restaurant, far from Lucius' spies and informants. But I think you'll like this one best."

Narcissa held up another picture. It was of two small boys, each about a year old. One had a shock of dark hair and mischievous green eyes. The other had very blond hair and a charmingly cute smile. Anyone looking at the picture would imagine the two to be the very best of friends.

Draco looked shocked and horrified. Harry looked faintly amused, if a little pale.

"What is that?" demanded Draco.

"This was taken the last time I saw Lily. We had managed to make a regular play-date for the two of you- I told Lucius that I was visiting my family each time. The two of you were terribly good friends, you know."

"I don't believe you," said Draco stubbornly.

"It's true. After this, after James and Lily died, you missed Harry terribly. I had to quiet you down at home before your father realised what was going on."

"What does this have to do with anything anyway?" asked Draco, regaining some of his cool.

"I need you both to understand that you were once friends. I know you're not fond of each other anymore, and I don't expect you can ever be friends like that again. But Dumbledore and I are both concerned that you trust each other."

"Together we're strong, divided we're weak," said Harry. Narcissa nodded.

"I loved your mother, Harry. She was the best friend I've ever known and when I was forced to leave my friends and marry Lucius, it broke my heart."

Draco reached over and took his mother's hand. As he did so, Harry noticed that there was no longer a wedding ring on her finger.

"We can work together," Harry told her. Draco paused for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Fine. But I still don't like him."

"I have one other thing, Harry," said Narcissa. Reaching into the leather bag, she pulled out a ring. An emerald surrounded by diamonds, set in gold. "She gave me this the last time I saw her."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Her engagement ring." Harry's eyes goggled.

"Why?"

"I was never really sure. I think now that she understood what was going to happen to her. I'm sure that she was determined to protect you. When she gave it to me, she told me that when I could, I was to give it to you. Seems like this is as good a time as any."

"Her engagement ring," said Harry with awe. His father had given it to her.

"Did Sirius tell you how James proposed?" asked Narcissa. Harry shook his head. "It was really quite sweet. On our last day of school, as we were all about to leave Gryffindor Tower, he called to her that she'd forgotten something. She insisted that she hadn't and then he threw the box over to her."

"How romantic," said Draco dryly. His mother shot him a look.

"I should go," said Harry, getting up. "If you um... need anything?"

"Thank you, but between Sirius, Draco and Albus, I'm very well looked after," said Narcissa with a smile.

***

When Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room, he found several crying First years being comforted by Hermione and Ginny.

"What's the matter?" he asked. Hermione looked up at him, her face deathly white.

"Death Eaters attacked some wizard families in Leeds," Hermione said in a choked voice.

"Oh," he managed. One of the First years, a boy Harry recognised as Andrew Henreid looked tearfully up at him.

"My Dad..." he said, trying valiantly not to cry. "My Dad is dead."

Harry sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"You'll be all right," he said, although personally doubting it.

"Will you..." Andrew sniffled. "Will you fight the baddies again, Harry? Like you always do?"

Harry felt tears pricking at the backs of his eyes as this young boy put all of his faith and hope into him. He nodded.

"That's the plan, Andrew."

Andrew managed a small smile. Hermione stood up and held out her hand to him.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Andrew?" she asked gently. He sniffed again and nodded. The little boy took her hand and allowed her to lead him, and the other First years, up the stairs. Harry leaned back in his chair and groaned. War was coming, really coming.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" demanded Ginny.

"I can't tell you. And even if I could, I don't think I would."

"Why not? Why do you three all treat me like a little kid?"

"This is not the time, Ginny," Harry said tiredly. "It's not just you, it's everyone."

"Fine, I mean, it's not like any of us could help," she said in a maddened voice.

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione as she came back into the common room.

"Nothing, nothing at all," said Ginny, turning in her seat to face the fire.

"Where's Ron?" asked Harry. "Didn't he come back with you?"

"Yes. He went back out again. Kitchens, probably."

The portrait swung open and Ron came sprinting in. His face was devoid of any colour at all and he looked panicked.

"Ron?" asked Hermione. "What's the matter?"

"The..." Ron breathed deeply. "The Death Eaters have attacked the Burrow."

***

It spoke of the workmanship involved in the construction of the Burrow that it was, more or less, still standing. Death Eaters had done quite a fine job in breaking down the protective wards but had been unable to destroy the house.

"Ron, wait!" called Harry. They had taken a hastily conjured portkey (a book about lions) to Ottery St. Catchpole and now Ron was running to the house. "It might not be safe!"

"I don't care!" he shouted back, still running. Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and ran after him. Hermione and Ginny followed in hot pursuit.

"Mum? Mum! Dad?" Ron screeched as he went through the kitchen door. Out of habit, he checked the clock. According to the clock, Molly, Arthur, Percy, Fred, George and the newest addition Angelina, were all 'At the Burrow'. He watched as his own arm flicked to the same setting. Then as Ginny came in, so did hers.

"They're here," he said, quite confused. The silence in the house seemed to suggest otherwise. The house had been ransacked by Death Eaters, but there didn't seem to be any signs of a fight. They quickly searched through the entire house. There was nobody there.

"Bloody Hell!" shouted a voice downstairs. They ran into the kitchen to find Bill Weasley standing in the kitchen looking shocked and angry. "Who the Hell did this?"

"Bill!" squealed Ginny, throwing herself into her eldest brother's arms.

"Hey Gin, I just spoke to Sirius Black over the fire. Where is everyone?" he asked. Then he spotted the clock.

"We don't know. We can't find them anywhere," said Ron, giving his brother a quick hug.

"I think I know where they'll be," said Bill, going into the living room. He pulled up the rug. "You're too young to remember, but Dad built this in the Seventies."

"What? The floor?" asked Ron impatiently.

"No, stupid," said Bill, tracing a pattern on the floor with his wand. "This,"

The outline of a trapdoor had formed on the seemingly solid floor. Bill grabbed at the handle and murmured a quick incantation. He pulled the door up to reveal a comfortable looking sitting room below the floor. Inside were six Weasleys, all looking highly relieved to see them.

"Mum!" cried Ron, helping her out of the hole. "What happened?"

"I think I'd like a cup of tea first," said Molly, hugging her children. "Hello Harry, dear. And Hermione. Did Professor Dumbledore let you come here?"

"Not exactly," muttered Hermione. Molly headed into the kitchen and began making a large pot of tea. Everyone sat down and began talking all at once.

"Must've been about twenty Death Eaters," said Fred.

"Twenty at least," added George.

"We were just eating dinner," said Angelina. "And the protection wards went down."

"I built this hidey-hole during Voldemort's last reign of terror. You were all just babies, so I built it for Molly to hide you all in. The beauty is, only a Weasley can reveal the door, let alone open it. It just means we mustn't all go down there at the same time," Mr Weasley said, eyes twinkling.

"It's a very good idea," said Ron. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

"We haven't needed it since 1981," said Arthur, looking over at Harry quickly. "Molly spent that Halloween night down there with you all."

"Bill, you really should think about getting a hair cut, dear," Molly was saying to her eldest boy.

"I like my hair the way it is, Mum."

"Yes, but what must the people you work with think?"

"Mum, I'm a curse breaker. The people I work with have, on average, been dead for three thousand years. They don't care."

"I really should get home," Percy was saying to no one in particular.

"What, dear?" Molly turned her attention to Percy.

"Penelope will be absolutely terrified, I'm sure. I was meant to be home two hours ago."

"She'll just think you've got a girlfriend," teased George. Percy straightened up.

"She will not think that," he said without humour. "But I might remind you that my wife is expecting a child. I must get home to her."

"Of course dear," said Molly, kissing him on the cheek. "You'll bring Penelope over for Sunday dinner, won't you?"

"Yes Mother," he said before Apparating out with a pop.

"And you lot," said Molly, turning on the Hogwarts students, "I want you back at school right this minute!"

"Mum, it isn't safe for you here now," said Ron. "The protection wards are down. You should come back with us."

"But..."

"He's right, Mrs Weasley," said Harry. "Professor Dumbledore has been adding even more wards to the school. You'll be safe there."

"But this is my home!" she said. "They didn't drive me out twenty years ago, they won't do it now."

"Now Molly," started Arthur.

"No, I won't..."

"The war is coming, isn't it?" Bill asked quite suddenly, looking at Harry. He nodded solemnly.

"Yes. Some wizard families up in Leeds were attacked tonight too."

"Who?" asked Arthur worriedly.

"The Henreids, the Crawfords and the Howards," replied Hermione.

"Well then," said Bill authoritatively. "We'll come to Hogwarts."

"What?" asked Molly.

"Mum, we're going so that we can help," he said. "I'll go to Percy's and bring him and Penelope up to the school. Then I'll owl Charlie at the new sanctuary in Croatia, tell him what's going on. Tell Professor Dumbledore that we're coming."

"All right," said Harry, pulling the portkey from his pocket. "Everyone grab hold."

Bill apparated while everyone else grabbed onto the portkey/book. They then felt the familiar tugging behind the navel before landing in the gardens at Hogwarts.

***

The next morning at breakfast, it was impossible for anyone to think that life was the same as before. The large number of (mostly redheaded) guests was hard to ignore, as was the number of shattered looking students. It was no surprise then, that Dumbledore stood up to speak.

"As you may or may not know, there were attacks on several wizarding families across Britain last night. The war against Voldemort is most certainly going to be upon us very soon. You are all safe here, as I have told you before. The duelling lessons many of you have been taking will soon be needed in the fight against Voldemort. I will remind you once again that together we are strong while divided we are weak. Now is the time for us to forget petty arguments or house rivalries and stick together as one."

Dumbledore sat down as everyone began talking at once. After breakfast was done, he approached Harry and his friends.

"We will be meeting in the chamber this evening. Maura will tell you more about it once she gets back from Kilburn."

"What was she doing there?" asked Harry.

"Getting the Guardians for a plan we have. Don't worry, she's perfectly safe. As far as we know, Voldemort is not yet aware of her identity. I'll have Dobby fetch you from class when she's back."

Dumbledore then headed out of the Great Hall with the Weasleys, leaving the trio to their thoughts.

***

"I really don't care about this stuff," whispered Harry. He, Ron and Hermione were sat in Transfiguration taking notes for NEWT preparation, but he was finding it hard to care about exams at the moment.

"Me neither," added Ron.

"Come on," said Hermione. "Even I don't care about NEWTs."

They both turned to look at her with looks of extreme shock and horror. Before McGonagall could castigate them, however, Dobby turned up.

"Professor Dumbledore says Harry Potter and his friends must go to the Entrance Hall," he told McGonagall. Expecting at least a little annoyance from the teacher, Harry was most surprised when McGonagall simply nodded. He realised then that they were not the only ones who knew that there were more important things than NEWTs. The three gathered up their books and shot out of the room towards the Entrance Hall.

"What's going on?" demanded Hermione when they found Maura pacing the length of the Entrance Hall looking particularly agitated. Her hair was even messier than usual, her shirt was creased with a rip down one sleeve, while she was cradling her right hand as if injured.

"We need to talk, all of us," she said solemnly. She turned to Ron. "Your family, is everyone all right?"

"Yes," he said. "How did you hear?"

"I'll tell you later. First of all, we need to speak to Dumbledore. He's getting more guests."

"What are you talking about?" asked Hermione. Maura pointed at an alcove in the hall where three people were sat, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"This is Alex Richards, his wife Eloise and their daughter Anne Marie."

The man, Alex had a stately bearing and was dressed in the best Savile Row suit money could buy. His dark hair was streaked with silver and he had a friendly smile. He stepped forward and shook Harry's hand.

"You must be Harry Potter, right?" he asked.

"That's right... sir."

"Maura told us about you and your friends," Eloise added, also shaking his hand.

"This is Hermione, and this is Ron," Maura told them. Anne Marie nodded to them.

"I would get up, but..." she shifted slightly to reveal to the three a little girl, nearly a year old, fast asleep in her arms.

"Is this Deirdre?" asked Hermione. Maura nodded with a rare broad smile.

"Yes." The smile disappeared and she was back to business. "Hermione, this is important. Owl your parents. Tell them that they must come here as soon as they can."

Hermione looked panicked but forced herself to remain calm.

"What? Why?"

"Because they're in danger. Or if they're not yet, they will be soon. Don't ask questions!" Maura said, suddenly angry. "I must see Dumbledore, now!"

"Yes, Miss Kennealy?" Dumbledore appeared in the hall, his voice as calm as ever.

"Professor," she said. "I must ask that you find space in the Castle for the Richardses. And Hermione's family."

"Is something wrong?" he asked, voice still calm. Maura, on the other hand, was less than calm.

"I don't know what's going on exactly, but the Guardians have been keeping an eye out. We found Death Eater spies at the Richards house. After some, uh... questioning," here Maura revealed her bloodied right fist, "I found out that Voldemort knows my name now and he went after the family. Being the evil sort, I reckon he heard about the battles last year and put two and two together."

"What does this have to do with my family?" asked Hermione, looking truly terrified now.

"They said that if they couldn't get to Harry Potter himself, they'd get to his friends. And if they couldn't get to his friends, they'd get to his friends' families."

"That's why he attacked the Burrow!" said Harry, eyes flashing with anger.

"Now Harry," said Ron in a reasonable voice, knowing his friend's inclination towards self-recrimination. "That won't have been his only reason. We're a pretty powerful lot when we put our minds to it. He'd have done well to get rid of us before the fighting started. But we're also pretty hardy." Ron flashed a bright grin at them.

"I'll go and owl my parents now. How will they get here?" Hermione said, winning her struggle to stay calm and collected. Dumbledore smiled at her.

"Tell them to go to the Leaky Cauldron as if they were taking you for school supplies. I will have Professor White meet them there."

"Sirius!" Harry turned to the Professor. "He's still being hunted! He can't hang about in a pub!"

"Harry," Dumbledore said, still calm. "Professor White is a Hogwarts teacher and as such will be trusted by all at the Leaky Cauldron. He will meet the Grangers and bring them back here where they will be protected. I will take the Richards family and get them accommodation."

His calmness eased the rising panic in the room.

"I still have to tell you about the plan," said Maura as she pacified herself.

"We'll do it after Hermione's owled her mum and dad," said Harry. "Everyone's in class. Come to the common room."

"All right," said Maura, taking her daughter from Anne Marie. "Lead on Professor."

Dumbledore, Maura and the Richardses headed off into the castle. Once they were out of sight, Hermione sat down and promptly began hyperventilating.

"My mum... my dad..."

"Calm down, Hermione, we'll go and owl them now. You can use Hedwig," said Harry in an attempt to comfort her.

"They won't know what to do.... I've kept so much from them.... They don't know what's going on, who Voldemort is..."

"I know, I know," he said, hugging her tightly and rocking her in a soothing motion. "Come on, love."

She stood up, still gripping Harry's arm quite tightly. She nodded.

"All right."

***

Dumbledore was as good as his word. The Richardses were given rooms in the rapidly filling guest quarters while Sirius was dispatched to the Leaky Cauldron, where they all recognised him as Professor White: Hogwarts teacher. He brought the bemused and rather worried Grangers to the castle. Dumbledore also discreetly put the word out that anyone wishing to help in the fight against Voldemort was to come to the castle.

Meanwhile, the four met up in the deserted common room. There that Maura laid out the plan.

"The Guardians have been working on this since... since September, basically. But they're not magical like you lot, so they've been running up against brick walls. Which is where the Order came in. You're not the only members of the Order that have been working non-stop since before Christmas."

"What does it entail?" asked Hermione, ever interested in the academics of plans.

"Do you remember Ron's first trance?" asked Maura. They nodded.

"I saw a diamond and a circle, and us."

"Right. We are the four points of the diamond," she said, pulling out a sheet of paper and putting it on the table. She drew four points and then connected them in the form of a diamond.

"Where does the circle come in?" asked Harry. She smiled and drew a circle from the points so that the diamond was within the circle.

"The Circle is made up of the members of the Order. We are in the circle, but we also make up the diamond. Does this make any sense to anyone but the Guardians?"

"It does," said Hermione, looking at the drawing. "But what does it mean?"

"It's a very complex spell rooted in ancient magic, like the best rituals always are."

"Power transference?" asked Ron.

"Sort of. It's more of a binding, I think," said Maura. "I must admit I didn't really listen that closely when Clara was telling me. She has a tendency to go on a bit."

"A binding?" asked Harry.

"Yes. The four points within the circle become the diamond. I hope this is making more sense to you than it is me."

The three of them looked blank.

"Thought so. We'll have to talk to the Order about this. Did Dumbledore tell you about the meeting later?"

"Yes."

"Well, you'll have to show me the way, I've got no idea where we're going."

"All right," said Hermione. "I'm off to the library."

"What a surprise," said Harry and Ron together.

"Sod off," she said, equal parts amusement and irritation before heading out of the common room.

***

Harry found Hermione knee-deep in books when he arrived in the library an hour later. Madam Pince was looking over quite disapprovingly at the mess Hermione had made. It was quite astounding for the usually neat Hermione. Books were piled up on the table, on the chairs, on the floor, and several of the piles had fallen down making the mess worse. In the middle sat Hermione, her hair wild and her eyes wilder.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to find out about this ritual," she said. "I want to know what it entails. I do wish Maura would listen to those Guardians of hers more closely. Anyone would think she didn't care."

"Calm down, Hermione."

"Calm down!" she shrieked, earning a reproving glare from Madam Pince. "How can I calm down? We're about to go to WAR! My mum and dad are here because there are people that want to KILL THEM!" Hermione was shaking quite violently now. "We have to take part in some strange ritual and I don't think it's unreasonable of me to want to know more about it."

She sat back down again and Harry took the only chair not covered in books- the seat opposite hers.

"Want some help?" he asked as if her outburst hadn't just happened.

"I'd appreciate it," she answered, throwing a book at him. "Here, take this."

"Fine," he said taking a book from her. They sat in near silence for a while, both reading.

"Have you seen your mum and dad yet?" he asked.

"Briefly. Professor McGonagall was going to explain the whole war thing to them."

"McGonagall?"

"Yes. She was the one who came to our house after my Hogwarts letter turned up. She's really quite good at explaining the seemingly inexplicable."

She looked down at the page she was reading and flicked to the next. She stopped and flicked back.

"I think I've found it!" she said. "Look at this."

Harry moved round to stand behind her. On the page was the same diagram Maura had drawn roughly in the common room, a diamond within a circle. The points were mapped out and marked as The Soul, The Heart, The Head and The Spirit.

"How do we know who's who?" he asked. She shushed him and continued reading.

"It's obvious," she said, slamming the book shut with a grin.

"It is?"

"Yes."

"Mind explaining?"

"No. Not until later. I want to know if that's the plan. It's genius, really!" Hermione squealed excitedly and jumped up.

"Come on, let's go!

"Go where?"

"Anywhere!" She skipped out of the room, Harry in hot pursuit. They ended up outside surrounded by rose bushes.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern. She'd gone from stressed and shouting to this, whatever this was.

"I'm fine. Don't look at me like I've grown a second head. If the plan is what I think it is, we're going to be fine. Brilliant, in fact."

"Does it entail ritual sacrifice of any kind?"

"No."

"Will anyone have to get married?" he asked, thinking of the last ritual Maura had been involved in.

"No. But you might want to bring your Order robes with you."

"And they won't get ruined?"

"No. There's not even any blood involved in the ritual. Well, it works better if we do..."

"How much of that page did you manage to read in two seconds?"

"Oh, I've been terribly slow," she said with a giggle. "I've read about it before, a long time ago. It's a binding ritual of sorts."

"Will we hear each other's thoughts and other very creepy stuff?"

"No... I don't think so. I think it's best if we wait until later, all right. I don't think I'd explain it very well. And it might not be quite the same."

"Fine. Don't tell me."

"I won't."

"Good. I don't want you to tell me."

"You know I was thinking," she said. "How do you suppose this war will work? Will Voldemort just turn up here one day with his Death Eaters? Will there be more attacks before anything happens? Is it prearranged? Do we make an appointment with him to start fighting at ten on such and such a date?"

"I don't know," he said, sitting down on the grass. Spring was arriving, and he plucked idly at a strand of grass. She sat down beside him.

"Harry?"

"Yes."

"I really think we're going to win, you know."

"Good. I'm glad you have confidence in us."

"I always have. You should try and look on the bright side, Harry."

"I do try. But I didn't have a bright side for quite some time, and it's a new feeling for me."

Hermione stroked the side of his face with her hand. He shuddered slightly at the contact, and shut his eyes tightly.

"It doesn't have to be," she said. He pulled away from her as if he was on fire.

"Don't," he said. Her eyes flashed angrily for a moment.

"Don't what? Don't be your friend?"

"Just... don't."

"You rarely make any sense, Harry," she said, standing up again. "I'm off to get something to eat. I might just remind you of what Maura said about connections months ago. This binding, however it works, won't work at all if you try and get noble and heroic and pull away from us."

Then, she stalked back inside, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

***

Harry did as Hermione asked: he got his Order robes out. She'd clearly tipped off Ron too, as he came into the common room carrying a blue bundle. Hermione emerged about two minutes before they intended to leave for the meeting, her purple robes neatly folded in her arms. They led the way for Maura's benefit and once again headed down the stone steps into the Order's chamber. The entire order was there as were Maura's guardians. He noted with a smile that the Order were all dressed in their Order robes. He threw his own on over his clothes.

"Come in, come in," said Dumbledore when they paused nervously at the foot of the stairs. They took their seats, and Hermione realised that not only was Harry was opposite her, Ron was already placed where his point of the diamond would be. As if it had all been pre-arranged...

"We have somewhat swelled ranks, this evening," started Dumbledore. Hermione looked to see Maura and her Guardians, not sat away from the Order, but at the table. And Maura was opposite Ron in an ancient looking robe of emerald green trimmed with red. The diamond, Hermione realised, was already in place. With Maura and the Guardians at the table now, so was the circle.

"All right," said Harry in a cold, determined voice Hermione had never really heard him use before. "What do you want us to do this time?"

Sirius grinned at him from his place next to Ron. He was proud of Harry's boldness, of his unwillingness to be cowed by the older people in the room.

"There is a ritual," began Patricia, the eldest of the Guardians. She had the faintest trace of an Irish accent. During their training with the Guardians, Ron and Hermione had barely heard her speak: Clara, the younger Guardian seemed to talk enough for the both of them.

"It is an ancient ritual of binding," she continued.

"What does it involve?" asked Sirius, casting a worried glance over at his godson.

"A promise, Mr Black," said Patricia. Her deep voice seemed to command attention without having to rise above a low volume. Like Dumbledore, thought both Harry and Hermione.

"A promise?" asked Snape. Patricia just nodded.

"A promise by all in the circle to fight for freedom, truth and the light. The promise binds the four points into the diamond and gives them ancient powers rarely invoked."

"How long will it last?" That was Hermione, thought Harry quite fondly, always wanting to know everything.

"For as long as there is a battle to be won. Once your Voldemort and his minions are defeated, the powers will leave you, but the bond will remain. The bond itself is unbreakable without the complete agreement of the entire diamond."

"Does it let us read each other's minds?" asked Ron.

"Does it involve a marriage of any sort?" asked Maura, both echoing Harry and Hermione's earlier conversation.

"No, and no," said Patricia, smiling slightly at Maura's question. "It is a spiritual bond. In the old days, it was known as the Heart and Soul ritual although that is not exactly accurate. It binds them together. When one of the people involved feels despair, the rest can bolster them through the bond. Strength in numbers, as they say. The power given to you is a rare gift. Many have been corrupted by it, and when it left them, they went mad. It is not to be undertaken lightly."

Harry glanced at Hermione, who was quite obviously thinking of those other druids. He smiled reassuringly at her. Perhaps Patricia noticed this, because she continued speaking.

"We would not consider the ritual if we did not all think you were each worthy of the gift, or if you were not strong enough to shoulder such a burden."

Normally such things would flatter Harry, Hermione and Ron. But now they were simply too worried to notice. Harry glanced over at Hermione to try and see if it was what she'd thought it would be. She seemed deep in thought. She looked up and caught Harry's eye.

"I'm in," she said. Harry also nodded.

"Me too."

"And me," said Ron fervently. There came a long pause and they all looked to Maura with concern.

"Oh, I'm in," she said with a wicked grin. "But I had you going for a minute, didn't I?"

Half the room glared at her for joking at such a serious time, while the other half laughed. Clara, Harry noticed was in the former group while Patricia was in the latter group.

"We are agreed, then?" asked Patricia. The four of them nodded before the rest of the circle joined in.

"Well, I have no doubt that they will do a commendable job," said Dumbledore. Now it was Professor Flitwick's turn to speak.

"We have spent weeks researching the spells involved," he started in his slightly squeaky voice. "The spell will require all of us to take part in the casting before the four are bound."

"The four points of the diamond represent the four elements required: The Head, the Heart, the Soul and the Spirit," explained Patricia.

"Which is which?" asked Sirius. Patricia smiled.

"Actually, we thought it was rather obvious," she said. Sirius thought carefully for a moment before nodding to her. Some of the others who did not know the four as well still looked rather confused.

"I know," said Hermione. All eyes were now on her. "Well, I'm the Head, quite obviously. Ron, the resident shaman is the Soul. Maura, our warrior queen is the Spirit and Harry the Gryffindor is the Heart. We're already in place too."

"How do you mean, Miss Granger?" asked Dumbledore. He seemed to know the answer but wanted her to say it.

"Well... The head and the heart are opposites. They sometimes end up in conflict. In the same way, the earthly, active Spirit sometimes ends up in conflict with the more ethereal, peaceful Soul. But they all link together and when they're all in conjunction, well, we can achieve anything."

Patricia nodded approvingly at Hermione.

"Exactly. We will do it now."

"Now?" asked McGonagall, not prepared to undertake such a huge effort immediately.

"Yes. We have everything we require and I think it prudent to do it as soon as possible. We are all here, we are all in agreement," said Patricia. McGonagall nodded. "Clara, we should set up,"

Clara nodded and opened a bag by her side.

"Excuse me," she said. "I need to get around the table." The Order members moved away and she began sprinkling a shimmering purple power around the edge of the table with an exactness to be admired. When she was done, they all took their seats again.

"The three of us need to add to your number," said Clara, pointing to the gold basin which contained a drop of blood from every member of the Order who had ever been initiated (with the exception of Salazar Slytherin, whose blood had been removed when he left the Order). Dumbledore nodded. Patricia cut her finger and allowed a drop to fall in. Clara looked quite squeamish, but allowed her Grandmother to do the same to her. Maura took the dagger herself and slashed her palm open without so much as a wince. Flitwick then healed their cuts quickly with a simple healing charm.

"We are ready?" asked Dumbledore? Patricia nodded, sitting down.

"We must all link hands," instructed Flitwick. "Like the Muggles think they need to do for seances. And we must stand."

A few sniggers were heard as the Order thought about the slightly ridiculous Muggle idea of seances, but they held hands just the same before then standing. Patricia began speaking in an ancient form of Gaelic, which nobody seemed to understand.

"Heart, Soul, Head and Spirit," said Flitwick in translation. "Come together as if in one body. Come together as if one entity. Bring the four together in harmony. Give to them the power of the ancient ones so that they can battle the coming darkness. Give to them the strength they need to banish the coming evil."

"Do you each agree to shoulder this burden?" asked Patricia, motioning for everyone in the circle to reply.

"We do," they said in unison.

"Do you each agree to fight the coming darkness at the side of your champions?"

"We do," they repeated. Hermione thought it sounded a lot like her initiation, but supposed that once you've heard one ancient ritual, you've heard them all.

"And do you, our champions, vow to uphold the freedom of all even if the price is death?"

"We do," the four replied.

"Do you vow to work as one, do you vow to stay loyal to each other and uphold this bond?"

"We do."

"Do you also promise to give up the power bestowed upon you when the time comes to relinquish it?"

"We do."

Magic surged through each member of the circle and they gripped hands tighter than ever. The purple powder which had shimmered now positively glowed, and seemed to be the only source of light in the room. At the four points of the diamond, it glowed so bright that Hermione had to look away. Then four shafts of gold light erupted at the four points. From Hermione, the gold surged towards Ron in a perfectly straight line. From Ron's point it moved to Harry's, from there to Maura and from Maura back to Hermione. A gold diamond of light shone within the circle now. It remained for no more than five seconds before they all felt another surge of magic. The members of the circle began to feel weak as the magic drained from them into the diamond. It glowed even more brightly so that nobody could look at it. Then it disappeared as they each collapsed, exhausted and drained. Only four people remained standing, and they had been at the four points of the diamond.

They weren't quite sure what to do. Harry glanced over at Hermione, who looked quite invigorated by the experience. Patricia was the first to speak.

"You can sit down. And we don't need to hold hands any longer," she said, sounding tired.

"I've done a lot of magic in my time, but what was that?" asked Sirius.

"We collapsed because our bodies are unused to so much magic running through them. We were vessels for the old magic," said Clara. Now that the ritual was done, Patricia seemed to be letting her do the talking again. "There's so much of the stuff that we needed the entire circle."

"And it's all in us now?" asked Harry worriedly, casting an eye around the clearly drained group.

"Yes. It's a very subtle sort of power," said Clara. "You'll all be able to access different parts of it. Ron will find his trances a lot easier now, I'm sure. Hermione will also be more skilled in certain druidic fields, that sort of thing."

Dumbledore stood up, not looking quite as weak as the others despite his age and Harry once again marvelled at the man's strength.

"I believe that's everything?" he asked. Patricia nodded.

"That's it? That's all we needed to do?" asked Ron quite incredulously. He received several dark glares from exhausted members of the Order in return. He had the grace to look sheepish.

"We will reconvene again soon," said Dumbledore. "For now I think it's probably best if we return to our usual routines of reconnaissance and defence. We must not let Voldemort know that we have this on our side. It may only prompt him to investigate ancient magic of his own. He must think that his greatest enemy is a seventeen year old boy."

They each nodded, although Harry looked a little put out about Dumbledore's description of him.

"We must not speak of this to anyone," added Dumbledore most solemnly. "Not husbands or wives or confidantes. I do not like to invoke Phoenicium Celare, but I will do it if I must. This is the crux of our operation, I believe and we must keep it secret. Which means no talking in the common room," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "It does not leave this room."

They each nodded in agreement.

"Well then, I think that's it. I'm off to the kitchens. I'm told Winky's baked a large pumpkin pie," he said, standing up. This was everyone else's cue to get up. Most members of the Order were still quite obviously tired and some remained seated. Ron bounced over to Harry.

"This is the weirdest feeling," he said. Harry sighed.

"I wouldn't get used to it, if I were you."

"The first feeling of power will dissipate, Mr Potter," said Patricia, hearing him. "But you are right. The power will not remain. You would probably do well to remember that."

"Thank you," said Harry with a nod. Maura then came over.

"Well, I just feel plain bloody weird. I'm off to see Anne Marie and Deirdre. See you tomorrow?" she asked. Harry and Ron nodded before adding their 'good nights'.

"I feel..." said Hermione, as always searching for just the right words. "I feel as if I've just drunk a large vat of the strongest coffee I could find."

"I know. I'm definitely not tired," added Harry. He got a mischievous grin on his face that Hermione found reminiscent of Sirius. "I've got an idea. Follow me," he said, bounding up the stairs with Hermione and Ron in hot pursuit.

"Blimey," said Sirius as he as Remus watched them leave. "Wish I had that much energy."

"You used to," remarked Remus. "Some of us are glad you don't have quite that much anymore. Twenty years ago, you'd be dragging us out into the grounds to lark about as animals."

Sirius and Remus shared knowing looks.

***

Ten minutes later, after taking their Order robes to their dorms, three Gryffindors stood outside preparing to become animals. Remus, it seemed, had been spot on.

"Want to?" asked Harry.

"Well..." began Hermione. "We've never done it alone and we're probably not allowed and..." she trailed off as Harry and Ron looked at her pleadingly. She sighed. "Fine. But if we get in trouble, I'm blaming you."

Harry smirked at her before transforming quite quickly into his animagus form.

"Don't roar too loudly, you'll scare the first years," Hermione told the lion. It stuck it's tongue out at her before nodding.

"Thanks Rex," she said with a grin. "That's what we'll call you: Rex!"

Rex nodded and bounded off down towards the lake. Ron looked at Hermione.

"Rex?"

"Yes. Lions are called Rex. You know, King of the Animal Kingdom and everything. And you didn't get the Simba reference."

"Not my fault I've never seen a Dismal film."

"Disney, Ron. It's Disney," she said, rolling her eyes. They transformed at much the same time and headed off towards the lake: one on all four paws and one flying.

The lion bounded across the grass feeling for all the world like a million galleons. For the first time in his life he really felt like he could conquer the world, that victory over Voldemort was really possible.

The phoenix swooped up high above Hogwarts until the big cats roaming around were mere specks on the ground. The world has a very different perspective from here, she thought. From here it all looked so small and insignificant and even the biggest hurdles seemed surmountable.

The tiger bounced along the lakeside, wondering if real tigers actually bounce. For the first time he felt like an individual. Nobody else he knew could become a tiger, nobody else was a shaman. He felt needed and loved and appreciated, and that meant the world to him. He purred contentedly as the water lapped at his paws.

The phoenix watched her friends closely. She watched the tiger play with the water and noticed that the lion had sat down, his head in his paws. She swooped down to him and landed gently on his back. She sang quietly for a while. The lion settled down into a lying position and listened to her song. Lara's Theme, the lion thought as he recognised the song the phoenix crooned. It was from the film the school had seen. The haunting melody vibrated through him as it rose through the night. The phoenix snuggled down onto his back as she sang, and the lion was filled with such happiness he thought he might cry.

***

To Be Continued....