Ad Astra Per Asperum: Part One

CHAPTER TWO

HOGWARTS BEGINS

September the first approached quickly. Every day Harry went out to the fields and read while he lay in the sun, or flying around on the pitch, practicing the moves for not only Seeker, but also Beater and Chaser. He had enough free time to do so. The incredible load of books had finished coming from Flourish and Blotts, leaving a very large pile in his trunk. Besides the extra books for his current subjects, he also bought texts on reviewing for his upcoming O.W.L.s. All in all, his fifth year looked to be difficult academically.

Harry also wondered what the exam on the fifth of September was about. It was mandatory, he knew, as the letter stated, but should he have studied? What was the basis of the test? And everyone he asked stayed tight-lipped, not revealing a thing. Normally, Harry would have gone straight to Hagrid, since the half-giant was never good at keeping secrets. But on the first day that Harry had stayed at Hogwarts, he discovered that Hagrid wasn't there. It struck him as odd, as Hagrid stayed at Hogwarts all year round.

And then he remembered. When Harry had escaped from Voldemort after the third task of the Triwizard Tournament during the previous school year, Dumbledore had suggested to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, to send envoys to the giants. Harry supposed that Hagrid and Madame Maxim, the half-giant Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, were off to settle peaceful relations with the exiled giants.

Still, Harry felt odd being at Hogwarts as the only person under thirty, at least. And he hadn't caught sight of any new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Perhaps he'd be going on the Hogwarts Express with the students. Or making a grand entrance just like Moody had the previous year. Whenever he sat down next to one of his professors during a meal, he felt nervous. Harry had becoming increasingly better at masking his emotions, but he couldn't help but feel that they noticed he was nervous. It wasn't as if he normally ate next to Flitwick or Snape during the year.

Despite feeling that he had to push his friends away in order to keep them safe, he felt an ache in his chest every time he thought of them. He knew he missed them, but he couldn't swallow his pride and determination and actually read one of their owls, or send one to them. He knew he'd be in for it by the time they returned, but he was going to avoid confrontation for as long as possible. Even after Dumbledore had told him to hold onto the friendships he had formed in his past four years at Hogwarts.

But was it worth it? He felt so much blame and guilt and shame when he brought back Cedric's body. He barely even knew Cedric. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would have felt like if he was bringing back Ron's body, or Hermione's. Or anyone else he knew well, anyone he cared about. Everyone told him that it wasn't his fault that Cedric was killed. He supposed it wasn't, since he didn't actually say the two words that brought Cedric's demise, but it was his fault that he hadn't done anything. He should have tried harder to keep him alive. He should have done something. And now Cedric was dead.

Thinking of Cedric always made him thing of Cho Chang. Cho was the girl he had a crush on the year before. She was pretty, and the Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Sometimes he even thought of asking her out again, inviting her to Hogsmeade with him or something like that, but then he always thought of Cedric. Cho was Cedric's girlfriend. She had been, until he died. At the hands of Harry. Picturing her face always made the guilt return two-fold. He never saw her face as the smiling girl with her friends, or the determined one on a broomstick during a Quidditch match. She was always the girl crying as she listened to Dumbledore at the Leaving Feast at the end of his fourth year.

After seeing the tears that he had imposed, he knew he'd never like her like that again. Besides, he could just hear Draco Malfoy's voice if Malfoy heard he was going to Hogsmeade or anywhere else with Cho. "Kill Diggory to snatch his girlfriend, Potter?" Malfoy would taunt. "Couldn't find any other way to get her?" His cheeks flamed just thinking about a moment like that. Malfoy would also make sure to do it right in front of Cho. No, he was better off forgetting about her like that. She'd just be the Ravenclaw Seeker and that was it.

The day school was to begin, Harry was nervously pacing his dormitory. That night, there would be four other people living in the dorm with him. That night, he would have to face everyone again. He wished he could curl up and sleep through the war, leaving Dumbledore and all the experienced Aurors to go and defeat Voldemort. That wasn't so, he knew now. He wondered if Dumbledore knew he had been eavesdropping when he spoke to Sirius. "Soon he will have to face his destiny. The destiny that will weigh heavily on his shoulders. Soon he must know that the fate of the entire wizarding world lies in his hands." Talk about pressure. Of course, he had subconsciously known that he would have to fight Voldemort again and again until one of them was gone ever since his first year. That didn't make it any easier when Dumbledore had actually said it to Sirius.

Then there was that question. Why was he the one that was sought after by Voldemort? No one had ever told him, and it wasn't for lack of asking. Why was defeating Voldemort his destiny? Was it connected to Voldemort going after him, or was it his destiny because Voldemort tried to kill him. It was apparent that Voldemort wanted to kill him and his father only. Not his mother. Which was odd, since Harry thought that Voldemort would have just made a clean job of it and killed all three of them. Unless he was after him and his father for a specific reason. Which brought him back to square one: why.

Harry sighed and crawled into his bed. He took off his glasses and placed them on the nightstand beside his bed. It was time for a nap, he decided. Maybe sleep would take his mind off of things. Whenever he thought too deeply about Voldemort, he ended up exhausted. The dark lord consumed too much effort and energy, even when he wasn't physically there. Harry yawned slightly and closed his eyes, quietly drifting off to sleep.

Hours later, Harry awoke. He rubbed his eyes and slipped on his glasses again. He glanced at the clock and with a jolt realized that the Welcoming Feast had probably already started. He quickly scrambled out of his bed and pinned on the Prefect badge after straightening out his robes. Harry ran out of the dormitory and rushed out of Gryffindor tower, running down to the Great Hall. She slowed his step down a bit before nearing the huge archway. He listened for what was going on, and heard Professor McGonagall calling out the name of the last first year to be sorted. Harry glanced at the Gryffindor table and caught sight of Ginny's red hair.

Quickly, Harry strode over to the empty seat next to Ginny, but not without attracting a few glances his way. He slid into the seat next to Ginny, which was across from Hermione and Ron. He could feel Hermione's intense gaze as he muttered, "Hello," to the three of them.

Ron and Hermione nodded in response, but Ginny said softly, "Hi Harry."

Harry quickly turned his head to look at her, and she smiled calmly at him. He tore his gaze away and looked back at Dumbledore, who was standing at the center of the Head Table, talking about extra safety precautions and security measures that were being taken. He sighed and zoned out. It was nothing he hadn't heard before.

"And now, I would like to introduce your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Dumbledore said with a smile. Harry snapped to attention, eyes glancing back and forth between every teacher sitting at the Head Table. "Samuel Gray!" Dumbledore motioned to a man who was sitting next to McGonagall. Harry eyed Professor Gray with interest. He had dark black hair with a slight tinge of gray, and a pointed noise. His eyes were a pale, mischievous gray and his lips were thin.

"He looks familiar," Harry muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Only Ron heard him. "He does? Doesn't look like anyone I've ever met," Ron said, glancing at the professor suspiciously. Harry stared for a moment. Gray winked at him before looking away. Harry blinked slowly, and turned back to Dumbledore, still thinking about Gray's familiarity.

"In addition, Professor Hagrid is unavailable at the moment, so in his stead is Professor Lupin once more. He will, temporarily, be taking over Hagrid's position as Care of Magical Creatures instructor, as well as groundskeeper," Dumbledore continued, motioning towards Lupin, who was sitting next to Gray, smiling. Harry grinned at the sight of one of his father's old friends, who was also the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor he had so far. He caught Lupin's eye, who nodded at him slightly and then looked around the Great Hall absently.

"And let the feast begin!" Dumbledore announced, snapping his fingers. Foot instantly appeared in the large dishes on the long tables, and everyone dug in. As instantaneously as the food appeared, though, so did the questions from his friends.

Ron, filling his plate. "Doesn't the food look great?"

Hermione, a paranoid, motherly type of concerned. "Where were you at the beginning of the Sorting?"

And Ginny, her brown eyes soft. "Are you okay?"

Harry's heart leapt at her gentle concern, something that seemed so unlikely coming from her. She was no more the childish little girl, elbows in butter, and a permanent blush on her cheeks from being in the presence of Harry Potter. She looked older, prettier, and seemed quite fine with being in his company. He was rather happy that she didn't redden and stammer every time he spoke to her.

"I'm fine," he replied, to all three of them. "I was asleep. Forgot to set some kind of alarm charm. And the food looks delicious." He reached over and spooned out some mashed potatoes onto his plate.

The three of them looked settled. "Did you hear what Dumbledore said about security?" asked Ron lazily, lifting his fork to his mouth.

Ginny nodded slowly. "It's mad to think You-Know-Who could come after us here," she said, shivering slightly.

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry nervously. No one besides Sirius, Dumbledore and whoever else they had told knew exactly what had happened after the portkey brought Harry to the graveyard. Harry stiffened noticeably when Ginny said this. "Yes they can," he said quietly, not looking any of them in the eye, and especially not Ginny. She didn't know anything about all of it.

Ginny blinked. "The real You-Know-Who, Harry. Not Tom Riddle." She whispered the name, as if she was still scared of it.

Harry shook his head. "I am not talking about Tom Riddle. The real Voldemort got me to him last year. I think he can do it again," he said to her, his green eyes piercing her brown ones.

Ginny glanced away, staring at her plate, looking ashamed. Hermione reached across the table and took Harry's hand, which was resting at the side of his plate. She stared at him straight into his eyes unblinkingly. "No one knows what happened during the third task at the Triwizard Tournament, Harry. All we know is that we'll stand behind you, no matter what happens, because you are our friend."

Harry stared back her intensely. Then he stood up abruptly, his hand falling to his side. His eyes clouded over as he said firmly back, despite what Dumbledore and Sirius had told him the day he had come, "I am your friend, you say. I'm just afraid that it's what's going to kill you." Without blinking, he stiffly turned and walked away, leaving Ron, Hermione, and Ginny staring after him.

* * *

Harry entered the common room exhaustedly. He had been wandering all over the castle for the last two hours, despite any safety measures he was supposed to be taking. He had pushed off his job as a prefect to bring the first years up to their dormitories, leaving Hermione and the sixth year prefects to do so. He figured he'd receive admonishment about it--after being confronted about his disappearance act.

"Harry James Potter!" came a frantic, stern voice. He looked up, his eyebrows raised. It was Hermione, standing there with her hands on her hips. Behind her, Ron and Ginny were playing a game of wizard chess.

"What?" he asked dully, his green eyes boring into her brown eyes. She recoiled slightly but bounced back quickly.

"Where on earth have you been?" she demanded, her face filled with worry and... fear?

"...Yes, honestly," Ginny stepped in before Hermione could continue. "It's been horrid having to put up with the rows Ron and Hermione have been going through. I've been dying to get one of their friends to neutralize, but they won't listen to me, or anyone else in their year!" Harry laughed quietly, flashing a grin at Ginny.

Ron looked up, glaring at Ginny. "We have not been having arguments."

Ginny snorted. "Well there's you, Ron, who won't shut up about Hermione having any sort of love life. And there's Hermione, who gets fed up with you not shutting up about her having any sort of love life."

Harry smiled again and flopped down on the couch next to her. "And here I am, Boy Wonder himself, here to break up the fighting," he said, the sardonic smile on his lips hard to miss. "What love life, anyway?"

Hermione glared at the three of them. "I can't help any sort of squabble that Ron and I are pulled into." She paused for a moment, staring sternly at Harry. "The real issue is Harry here." Harry raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "Don't you give me that look, Harry Potter. You know that you've been avoiding the rest of us. Even Snuffles is willing to collaborate with us on that one!"

Harry shot a glance at Hermione and quickly looked at Ginny. Hermione grimaced openly. "She knows about Snuffles," Ron put in quietly. "Must have been a few days after your birthday that he came barging into the house. Nearly scared Charlie to death, mind you. Mum already knew about him, but she never told anyone. Fred and George had their wands out instantly, so did Bill and Ginny. Took everyone quite a bit to settle it down, but I reckon they all believed Snuffles when he demanded to know if we'd heard from you and talked on about how he was worried."

"We told Dad after that, also," Ginny said. "Told him that Dumbledore trusts him and all, so he's to be reckoned with." She hesitated slightly before continuing. "The only person that doesn't know is Percy. And everyone thinks it's best to keep it that way."

Harry nodded solemnly. He understood. Ambition was an awful thing at times, and Percy certainly had enough of it. He aimed for the highest, just as Crouch had. Look where Crouch had gotten--sending off his son to the Dementors. He shivered slightly, the idea of Percy sending Ron off to Azkaban flitting through his mind.

"Let's get back to the real issue, Harry," Hermione broke in. She crossed her arms and said stiffly, "We have to talk."

"I was under the impression that we were talking right now," Harry said. "But in spite of that... talk then." He rolled his eyes and waited for them.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance. Was it supposed to be that easy to talk to Harry? Probably not. He never explained his emotions if he could help it. People said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Harry kept his eyes clouded. Every time Hermione looked into them, she knew that he was guarding himself, trying to keep himself from looking, and feeling vulnerable. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but she couldn't do anything about it now. He wouldn't open up, and she didn't need to pry to know it.

Harry was the wizard with the weight of the word on his shoulders. No one knew how he felt about it. Not really, anyway. His friends knew he despised having to have his face splashed across the Daily Prophet, and having people look at him as if he was an amazing hero. They didn't know what he thought when his mind drifted to actually having a real face off with Voldemort. They didn't know what he thought about the fact that vanquishing Voldemort was his destiny. One could only assume that he was contemplating that weight on his shoulders while watching the flames flicker in the fireplace.

He was.

Voldemort was a constant thought. Not one that could be so easily shoved away. From the thin lightning bolt scar on his forehead to the constant reminder of Cedric's death, it all led back to one man. If he could even be considered a man. Voldemort.

Hermione sat down on the couch beside him, and Ron in an armchair on the other side. "We don't know what happened at the... wherever you went. All we know is that there was a portkey straight to Voldemort," Hermione began, rolling her eyes at Ron, who was wincing at the name. "And you returned, with Cedric's dead body. That's it. We do not blame you for not saying a word. For all we know, only Dumbledore knows about it. You've been through things that most fifteen-year-old wizards haven't, Harry. But we're not just going to let you storm off because you're worried we'll die."

She spoke as if the idea of their deaths was the most unlikely thing in the world. Or rather, a light thing that could be treated as if it were nothing. But it wasn't. Not to him, at least. Not to The-Boy-Who-Lived, the hero Harry Potter. Before Hogwarts, he had not one friend. Now, he was surrounded by his friends, and others that cared about him. Why would he want it to be ruined because they didn't treat Voldemort darkly enough? Ron nodded vigorously in agreement. "We're your friends, mate. We don't turn away because stuff gets bad."

"Will you turn away when someone dies because of me?" Harry hissed, his green eyes darkening. He stood up abruptly. "Oh wait, someone already did." His tone was laid thick with sarcasm. "Maybe it isn't such a big deal to you, but you're not the one that had bring a corpse back to Hogwarts after a duel with the darkest wizard in the history of magic." He spoke with no bravado, just a deadpanned expression that pained his friends.

Hermione sighed. "Think of it rationally. He didn't die because of you. He died because of Voldemort."

"Say You-Know-Who!" Ron hissed, his face pale. Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead again. Ginny looked as if she agreed with Ron as to the use of the dark lord's name, but decided against voicing her agreement. She was watching the entire exchange between the three with dark interest, idly wondering if Harry was annoyed at their rationalizing. She figured he probably was, she knew she would be if they acted like that towards her.

Harry bit his lip, his eyes clouding over with anger and frustration. "Look," he said firmly. "I had this conversation already with Siri-Snuffles and Dumbledore. I don't want to get in it again. I know you don't understand, and I don't hold that against you." He paused briefly. "I don't think anyone will ever understand." He blinked slowly, watching them under his intense green gaze. "Good night."

* * *

"Hello, I am Professor Gray, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor," he introduced himself, standing behind his desk, looking around at the fifth year Gryffindors. It was the last lesson of the day, and frankly, Harry was bored. He had already sat through four lectures of how the O.W.L.s would affect his life greatly and how he would have to study impossibly hard. He idly wondered how long it would take before Gray began to talk to them about the O.W.L.s and their significance.

"Well," Gray said, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I see you've had quite a few teachers for this subject." Harry looked around the classroom to see the other Gryffindors nodding tentatively, bracing themselves for his commentary on the previous professors.

"So," Gray said, pacing around the front of the classroom slowly. He was dressed in neat, expensive dark gray robes that were lined with silver and had silver clasps in the front. Underneath he was wearing black trousers and a black shirt. His neatness reminded Harry of Barty Crouch, Senior, just less severe. "What have you covered in Defense Against the Dark Arts these past years?"

Hands flew up all over the room, people obviously eager to impress the New Guy. "Miss Granger?" Gray asked, looking down at a piece of parchment on his desk, which Harry assumed was the list of students.

"We've covered creatures like werewolves, vampires, hinkypunks, and boggarts, and also some counter-curses and... the Unforgivable Curses," Hermione said promptly, only faltering slightly when she came to the Unforgivables. She immediately glanced straight at Harry, and he stared back, his expression unreadable.

Gray looked back at forth between Hermione and Harry. "We'll be reviewing all of those, and adding in more, of course. The review should be helpful for your O.W.L.s. I remember I didn't study properly for them, despite one of my best friends nagging me to constantly," Gray said, flashing the class a mischievous grin. Harry looked up at Gray suspiciously. Something about that expression seemed so familiar. It was quite annoying to recognize Gray but not remember from where he remembered him.

Ron chuckled quietly, earning himself a glare from Hermione. "I'll begin with the review today, since I'm sure all of you have heard the lectures about studying for the O.W.L.s already from your other professors," Gray said, smiling. "Your expressions betray you. Your faces fell immediately when I said 'O.W.L.s'. And I can't say I blame you, either. However, reviewing is still necessary, and we will still proceed."

He glanced down at more rolls of parchment on his desk. He frowned slightly before looking back up at the class. "All right, let's begin with the Unforgivable Curses. They will be overused in the years to come." His expression darkened for a few moments before clearing as he looked around the class again. "Now, can anyone name them?"

Parvati Patil raised her hand quickly and when called on, she said promptly, "The Imperius, the Cruciatus, and Avada Kedavra."

Gray nodded at her. "Five points to Gryffindor. Now, who can tell me what they do, and what they are used for?"

Neville Longbottom raised his hand. "The Imperius is used to control the person. Avada Kedavra kills the target and the Cruciatus... physically tortures the person." Neville's voice faltered only slightly over the last Unforgivable, which pushed Harry into thinking of Neville's parents that had been pushed into insanity by being Cruciated too many times by Voldemort during the first reign of terror.

"Precisely," Gray said. "Five points to Gryffindor." He glanced around the room, eyeing each person specifically. "Except for Mr. Potter, here, whose been targeted with Avada Kedavra, I'll wager that none of you have experienced the Unforgivables, but--"

Gray was cut off with Dean Thomas' hesitant raise of his hand. "Um, Professor Moody used the Imperius on us last year. Said that he wanted to see if we could resist it."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Did he?" he asked archly. "Well, then, lets see if you can resist it." He looked around the classroom briefly before continuing. "You can be my first test target, Mr. Potter," Gray said, looking straight at Harry. Harry rolled nodded impassively and waited for further instructions. "Stand up in the front here," Gray said, motioning towards the empty space at the front of the classroom.

"Yes, sir," Harry responded, sounding almost bored. He rose and walked over to the space in front of the classroom. He faced Gray nonchalantly, waiting for the curse.

"Now, lets begin." He lifted his wand and said forcefully, "Imperio!"

Bow...

Bow down.

Bow down NOW.

Bow... Just bow...

Harry calmly looked up at Gray. "No," he said simply, standing his ground firmly. He saw Hermione looking apprehensively up at him and quickly shrugged off her concerned expression.

"An impressive beginning," Gray said. "Sit, Mr. Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor." Harry shrugged again and walked back to his seat. It didn't seem like such a big deal, just standing there as someone told him to bow. All he had to do was stand there and not bow. No one else in the class had such an easy time, though. Hermione had come the closest to beating it, but in the end did quick jumping jacks in front of the class.

As soon as all of them had their chance against the Imperius, Gray dismissed the class, despite the fact that they still had fifteen minutes before class ended. Harry walked out of the class with Ron and Hermione; trying to block out Ron's mutterings about how ridiculous it was to have to have the Imperius put on them.

"You're only saying that because you couldn't fight it well," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "It's not so ridiculous, really. We all know the time will come when we'll need to be able to fight it. We might as well be prepared when it comes."

Ron scowled at her and continued walking towards the portrait of the Fat Lady in complete silence. When they stepped into the tower, Harry walked straight up the steps to his dormitory and slung his bag down onto the floor beside his bed. He quickly sat down cross-legged on his bed and pulled the red velvet hangings shut.

"Harry?" came Ron's tentative voice. "All right there?"

"Yes."

"Dinner's in half an hour," Ron said, trying to keep his voice down. "Meet you in the common room?"

Harry shrugged, though he knew Ron couldn't see him through the closed hangings around his bed. "Okay," he responded, keeping his voice neutral. "See you." He heard Ron's hesitant retreating footsteps and the quiet click of the door as it shut, before hearing the footsteps down the staircase.

As much as he loved his friends, he wanted them to leave him alone. Didn't they understand that he needed to do this for him? For them? He loved them too much to let them be targeted because of him, Harry Potter. Once again he got lost in his dark thoughts, wondering deep in the back of his mind, if any of his friends would ever understand.

* * *

Harry woke with a start. Breathing heavily, he slipped his glasses on. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was early in the morning, exactly 3:15. Not exactly the best time to wake up. Although with the dreams he had been having for the past few days, it was to be expected.

He tossed and turned in his bed, trying to lull himself to sleep, but it never worked. His eyes were wide open, and he didn't figure he'd be drifting off to sleep any time soon. The latest dream had been Voldemort torturing a masked and cloaked figure. He hadn't been in the nightmare long enough to find out who it was. His scar was burning slightly, but after a while he'd grown so used to it, he brushed the pain away.

With a sigh, Harry slid out of bed and walked down the stairs to the common room. When he quietly stepped onto the landing at the end of the staircase, he caught sight of dark red hair on the couch. Cautiously, he stepped forward, getting closer. "Ginny?" he asked quietly.

She jumped up and looked in his direction. "Harry?" she asked, a slight flush rising to her cheeks. "Why are you up so late?" He walked forward and sat down on the couch next to her.

"I could ask you the same thing," Harry replied neutrally.

Ginny grinned at him slightly. "You could," she said. "But you could also answer my question instead of avoiding it."

Harry shrugged. "I could," he said simply. He looked down at his hands as she fiddled with a lock of her red hair nervously. Finally, he breathed in deeply and explained impassively, "Nightmares. I'm not sure if they're visions, or if they're fake. The most recent one was Voldemort torturing someone. He seems to enjoy the looks of the Cruciatus Curse on others."

Ginny shuddered at the thought. "I know the feeling of dreaming of him," she revealed softly. "Sometimes I see Tom again. Writing to him, again, or just watching myself be led into the Chamber of Secrets."

He nodded understandingly, but then his eyes clouded over and his expression became an inscrutable mask. "He won't get anyone else, soon. I won't let him."

She gazed up at him, her eyes trained on him thoughtfully. It wasn't a girlish hero-worship sort of admiration that she had previously held, but more of an respect for his determination and firmness in achieving a goal he set out for himself, despite the fact that he was only a fifteen year old wizard that was still in school. She chuckled. "You're good at pushing your friends away, you know that?" she asked, smirking.

"It's for their own good."

"Typical Harry stunt to pull, pushing your friends away when you need them the most," Ginny continued, rolling her eyes at him.

Harry arched an eyebrow at her. "You would know, being the Harry Potter psychologist?" he asked sardonically, if not amusedly. He paused. "Since when did this happen?"

She smiled at him softly. "Since I became more observant," she said decidedly, in a tone that clearly implied that it shouldn't be pushed. He shrugged. He didn't even want to push it, or at least not admittedly so.

"We should probably get some sleep. We're going to have to wake up in a few hours, and that exam thing that they wrote about in our letters is today, too," Harry said, standing up.

Ginny nodded. "Right," she said. She stood up, her dressing gown billowing out behind her. "Good night, Harry."

"Night, Gin." He quickly turned and walked up the stairs to the dormitory, thinking over what Ginny had said. "Typical Harry stunt to pull, pushing your friends away when you need them the most." What was that supposed to mean? He crawled beneath the covers with a quiet yawn, and promptly fell asleep.

When Harry awoke hours later in time for breakfast, he heard loud voices coming from the common room. Immediately, he identified one of the voices as Hermione. He groaned, knowing already that the opposing side would be Ron. They'd been getting in arguments every day now, and it was getting annoying. He threw on a robe and walked down the steps quickly, the volume of their voices increasing.

Ginny was standing in between them, looking desperate, as Hermione shouted, "It's none of your business!"

"Yes it is! You're one of my best friends, I make it my business!" Ron yelled back, his ears red and his cheeks flushing. Hermione's face was brilliantly red as she unsuccessfully tried to calm herself.

"You cannot baby me like you try and baby your sister!" Hermione said, looking more annoyed than angry. "I'm my own person, and I assure you I can handle things just fine on my own! Don't waste your breath or time trying to be an overprotective prat!"

Ron glared at her. Harry stepped between them quickly, facing Ginny and rolling his eyes at her. "What is the matter with you two?" he demanded, looking back and forth between his two best friends, his green eyes stormy and frustrated.

Hermione groaned. "Ron here thinks that I'm incapable of living my life without him interfering!" she said loudly, glaring fiercely at him.

Harry raised his eyebrows and looked at Ron. "I didn't say she was incapable! I was just asking her about a few things and she blew up at me! It wasn't my fault, so no use in blaming it on me!"

"You read my personal correspondence and asked me about it!" Hermione exploded. "How could you say that it's not your fault?!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "This is ridiculous," he said expressionlessly. "Apologize and make up. There's no point in carrying out this argument when you know it's not going to get you anywhere." He grimaced and muttered under his breath, "Except for finally admitting that you fancy each other." He had a feeling that both Ron and Hermione heard him, but only Ginny acknowledged the comment with an agreeable grin.

"I won't apologize to him! I have nothing to say sorry for! He's the one that was being a nosy git!" Hermione said, glaring fiercely at Ron. Harry glanced at her, and back at his redheaded best friend.

Ron made a face. "It's not my fault you left it out in the open!"

"Oh so because it was there, you just had to read it? Don't you try and blame it on me, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione shrieked angrily.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ginny? Breakfast? I'm hardly in a mood to listen to them squabble like an old married couple, again."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, rounding in on him.

Harry glanced at her. "You heard me," he said coolly. "You two argue so much that if I just heard you two without seeing or knowing you, I would have guessed you're an old married couple. Goodness knows you sound like it." His eyes flickered briefly with amusement. "In fact, I'm surprised neither of you see why you're arguing so much." He looked at Ginny, who looked surprised but pleased. He began walking towards the portrait hole, Ginny beside him, his two best friends staring after him with disbelief.

Harry and Ginny walked down to the Great Hall silently, sat down silently, ate silently, collected themselves and walked back up to Gryffindor tower silently. He appreciated the quiet. When back in the common room after the meal, a quick glance at the clock told him he had fifteen minutes until Care of Magical Creatures. He quickly walked over to Fred and George, the team Beaters, who were sitting together in a corner of the room, talking quietly.

"We have to get a Keeper for the team," Harry stated.

"Organize try-outs," Fred said, shrugging dismissively.

Harry blinked. "Do either of you have something you have to be doing Saturday at three?"

They shook their heads. "Great," Harry said. He quickly moved on to Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet, the three Chasers on the team. "Keeper try outs are on Saturday at three," he informed them. They nodded and promised to help spread the word.

"That was easy," he muttered to himself, walking up to his dormitory and grabbing his books for class. "Should it be that easy?" When he walked back down into the common room, he saw Ron and Hermione talking quietly together. Of course, they made up already. Unsurprisingly. Ginny had told him about all the arguments between Ron and Hermione over the summer, when Hermione had stayed at the Burrow. Raising an eyebrow at the two, he quickly left, heading down to the grounds where Lupin would be waiting for his class of Gryffindors and Slytherins.

When Harry arrived, everyone except Ron and Hermione was there already. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Thank you for joining us. Where are Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger?" Lupin asked politely. Harry smiled briefly and shrugged, indicating he didn't know in the slightest. A few minutes later, Ron and Hermione ran breathlessly into the class. They muttered apologies, red in the face, and sat down beside Harry. He didn't bother to ask what they had been doing that made them late to class.

They had a fulfilling lesson (according to Hermione) about centaurs. Harry was just relieved he was able to slide through a Gryffindor-Slytherin joint lesson without any derisive comments from one Draco Malfoy. It was unusual, but his bodyguards of sorts, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, quietly flanked Malfoy. They walked by the trio without a word, and after sharing puzzled glances, they walked back to the main castle. Lupin was better as a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Harry thought, but he was still a good teacher to instruct about Care of Magical Creatures in Hagrid's stead. Though, frankly, Harry was concerned that people would be snide about Lupin as he was a werewolf. Harry had the sneaking suspicion that Sirius would come by as Padfoot the dog and hang out with Moony the werewolf in the Shrieking Shack when the full moon came around.

At the end of lunch, Dumbledore stood to get everyone's attention. "In one half hour, at one thirty, you are to proceed back to the Great Hall from your common rooms." He paused and smiled down at all the students, who from fourth year and above, were looking slightly apprehensive. "Bring only your wands." Everyone stood up to leave from there, and quickly walked back to their respective common rooms.

"I wonder what they'll test us on," Hermione said interestedly. "I don't recall ever hearing about this sort of exam. Maybe it's a new thing that they've come up with." Harry shut his eyes briefly, hoping Ron wouldn't answer. This was not the best small talk. Especially because Ron would probably say something sarcastic.

Ginny interrupted Ron's almost-attempts at answering by saying, "They've probably done it before, just swore everyone to secrecy or something. Bet you Malfoy knows what it is. Or anyone with parents that tell them everything. Asked my mum, and she wouldn't say a word."

"Neither would any of the professors, or Snuffles," Harry put in, emitting a small smile from Ginny and Hermione simultaneously. Instead of letting Hermione continue, he said to Ron, "Keeper tryouts are on Saturday at three. Are you going to come?"

Ron nodded vigorously. "Definitely! I've practiced a lot with Fred and George over the summer. I hope I make it as Keeper. And if not, I'll go for Chaser or Beater next year." He shrugged. "As Captain, you'll have hell of a job getting three chasers and two beaters next year. Let's see if you can do it."

"Thanks for the premature vote of confidence, Ron," Harry said sarcastically, groaning slightly. "I'll burn that bridge when I come to it, though. For now, I'll set my sights on finding a decent Keeper. I wonder who'll try out. I haven't really noticed any other Quidditch players in the House, except for the ones on the team." The four of them climbed into the common room and settled themselves near the fire, Ron and Harry still discussing Quidditch while Ginny and Hermione animatedly theorized about the soon-to-come exam.

Twenty minutes later, the seventh years stood up and headed towards the portrait hole. Prefect Katie Bell called out loudly, "Time to go everyone!" A flurry of students squished through the portrait hole and began making their way back to the Great Hall. When they arrived, the long tables were not set out normally. In fact, they were nowhere in sight. In their places were many small tables and chairs stationed far away from each other. It looked like a strategic battlefield to Harry. He figured that they'd just sit at the chairs and take a written exam, probably sitting far away from each other in order to prevent cheating. It seemed a bit ridiculous to Harry because Dumbledore could always place anti-cheating spells over the entire room.

"Take a seat!" Dumbledore said, standing on an floating platform at the front of the room. Harry sat down at a table in between Ginny and Hermione, with Ron on the other side of Hermione. When everyone was seated and accounted for, Dumbledore began to explain. "You will be taking a series of practical and written exams. Do not worry, quill and ink will be provided," he added at some of the puzzled looks he received. "When it begins, walls will form, enclosing you in an unbreakable, sound-proof cubicle. There are surveillance charms in each one of them. To collect proper results, the review board will go through each of the exams, as well as watching the surveillance." He paused and smiled kindly at everyone. "You have a total of two hours to complete the exam. Should you finish before the allotted time, please quietly return to your House. Now, any questions?"

Hermione nervously raised her hand. He nodded at her, waiting expectantly. "What's the exam for?" she asked bluntly, a deep blush rising to her cheeks.

Dumbledore beamed at her. "That will be revealed with the results. Which, by the way, will arrive by owl in one week." He looked around. "Any more questions?" Not a soul moved. He smiled again, raising his arms and saying, "All right. Begin now."

Harry looked around as he saw walls rising from the ground all around the room. Moments later, the roof closed completely and parchment appeared on the desk in front of him. He glanced down it and read, 'Tap your wand into the circle below. From this you will receive the correct quill and ink for your use.' Harry was slightly puzzled by this, but nonetheless tapped his wand to the circle and suddenly a quill and two pots of ink were next to him. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a Phoenix Quill and scarlet ink.

He glanced back at the parchment and saw that there was now a Potions exam. Thankfully, it was a written one. Harry went through it relatively quickly, or at least as quick as he could, being that Potions was never one of his better subjects. Snape had never hesitated to remind him that, as well. After Potions was complete, there was a practical Transfiguration section. He found it surprisingly easy. Transfiguration was nothing he had ever struggled through, but he knew he wasn't all that amazing at it. Not like Hermione was, at least. He slid through the easy parts speedily, as matches into needles was first year material, and he could do it instantly. Finally, he came to turning a rat into a cushion. The rat squeaked and crawled around the table as Harry tried thinking of the spell.

He couldn't remember. He learned it last year, but it was just nowhere in his accessible memory. He glared at the rat as he racked his brain for the correct words to say. He nearly fell off his chair when suddenly the rat became a cushion. His wand was in his lap at the moment, hands not even touching it. Harry blinked and slowly eyed the cushion suspiciously. Moments later, it faded away, the parchment changing into another written exam on History of Magic. He thanked his lucky stars that he had actually been bored enough to read some of his History books during the time he spent at Hogwarts for the end of summer break.

After History of Magic was Charms. He had always done well in the class, especially with little cheerful Flitwick as his professor. He completed it quickly, and moved onto a written exam for Care of Magical Creatures. Harry had a feeling he failed miserably at this, as most of the creatures in it he had never even heard of.

The final subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts. That was his prime subject. Obviously they weren't going to ask 'How many times have you come face to face with Lord Voldemort and lived to tell the tale?' but it he had never had much trouble with the class. Even when Lockhart was teaching, he still got high marks. First, Harry went through some questions about different curses and spells that he had learned the previous year, and the curse portion ended on the Unforgivables. The parchment went blank and suddenly the words on the page read, 'Defeat these creatures'.

Harry waited, and suddenly felt his insides go cold. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. It was a Boggart. And apparently his worst fear was still a Dementor. He was quite surprised, considering he knew how to fight them and didn't think them so frightening anymore. He figured that he'd be seeing Voldemort should he ever come across a Boggart again. He opened his eyes and looked at the anticipated Dementor. He gripped his wand tightly as his eyes grew wide. This wasn't just a Dementor as it previously had been. He took a deep breath as he stared at the scene in horror.

It was everyone. Sirius, Lupin, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, and the rest of the Weasley family. They were all cowering under the 'gaze' of a group of six Dementors. The Dementors started gliding towards the group of people, trembling with fear. Harry's eyes quickly trained on Dumbledore. It was the first time he had seen anything resembling fear connected to the headmaster. Quick as a flash, Harry raised his wand and concentrated his thoughts on the happiest memory he could remember at the moment before shouting, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" with as much strength as he could muster. A golden stag erupted from his wand and burst forward, charging down all six Dementors within a few moments. Harry briefly puzzled over the odd color of the stag, as Lupin had showed him that a Patronus was to be a silvery color. Quickly snapping to, Harry let out a forced "Hah!" of laughter and waved his wand as he said, "Riddikulus!"

As the scene dissipated, Harry sat back down in the chair, clearly shaken. A golden Patronus and wandless transfiguration? What was next? And why was it a group of Dementors going after his friends and not Voldemort?

With a start, Harry realized that there were more written questions to answer. They were about dark creatures, such as werewolves and vampires. When he finished the last question, he signed his name on the line and wrote the date. He set down the quill and everything on the table disappeared as the walls began to fade away. He stood up and looked around the room. It looked as if he was one of the first ones done. A quick glance at his watch told him that he had only been working for forty-five minutes. He looked up and saw Dumbledore's curious gaze trained on him. He nodded at the Headmaster and quickly turned to leave.

Upon arriving back at Gryffindor tower, Harry discovered he was the only one done from Gryffindor. He sat directly in front of the fire, staring at the flames. A million emotions ran through his head as he remembered everything from his last four years at school. From the Sorcerer's Stone to the Chamber of Secrets, from the meeting in the Shrieking Shack to the Goblet of Fire. There was Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, Igor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, and of course all the professors of Hogwarts. There was Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and so many other people. They all made up his life in a strangely patterned design. But there was only one that ruled it.

And that was Lord Voldemort.

No one else might think so, but Harry knew. His life would never be completely still until Voldemort was dead. And did he have the power to defeat him? Was Dumbledore going to? Was anyone going to? So the fate of the world was in his hands. That meant he had to kill Voldemort, didn't it? Sure, he knew words of the Killing Curse. That didn't mean that it'd work. He was only fifteen. Most of his heroics were by chance, not by intent. He went after the Sorcerer's Stone only because he knew he needed to get it before Snape did. He went to get Ginny because he was he was the only one who knew where the entrance was, and the only one who knew parseltongue. He saved Sirius and Buckbeak because Sirius was his godfather. It went on and on, but it wasn't as if he tried to get into obscenely difficult situations. It just happened.

And if you were a complete fatalist, you'd believe that it was meant to happen. All the difficulties and anguish that related to Voldemort. That was fate. A destiny. A destiny that Harry very clearly didn't want. But the truth was, he was a victim of circumstance and sheer dumb luck.

People began to enter the tower. Slowly, one person at a time. Each murmured a greeting to him, to which he never responded. All he did was continue to stare straight into the fire. Hermione and Ron both passed by, and after no response from him, they were seated in a corner of the room, playing chess. About forty-five minutes after he had come into Gryffindor tower, someone else sat down next to him. A slight glance to the side told him that it was Ginny. "Hello," he said quietly.

"Hi," she answered simply. She didn't speak further. He appreciated her silence. Sometimes he just enjoyed being in the company of his friends, no talking involved.

Finally, "How do you think you did?" he asked her.

Ginny looked almost surprised by his speaking. Without skipping a beat she replied, "Not too bad. I think I did badly with Potions, though. And History of Magic. I hardly know anything about them."

Harry allowed himself to grin slightly. "Potions was awful for me. The rest was okay. Oh, Care of Magical Creatures? I hardly knew any of it. There weren't exactly lots of questions about Blast-Ended Skrewts, really."

Ginny giggled slightly. "Yes, well, Hagrid would never teach us about normal animals, would he? Only horrific monsters." She smiled. "Even Lupin didn't teach us about many of the animals on the exam."

He smiled faintly. "I wonder what it's for, though."

"What?"

"The exam," he said. "Why would they give us a two hour test and not explain to us the purposes of it." He stared into the fire pensively. "I think other people have taken it before. Like Snuffles, and Lupin. They just won't say anything about it. I don't understand why they won't, though. If it's just some inconsequential exam, then it wouldn't be a big problem for them to tell us, would it?"

Ginny looked surprised that he was putting so much thought into it. "Perhaps they want to count out our magical abilities on some sort of scale," she offered. The words came out before she had even thought about them. "Sort of like a Muggle IQ, only in magic."

Harry looked up at her, surprised. He didn't expect her to be familiar with Muggle IQ's and things like that. Though with a father like hers, it wasn't too surprising. Mr. Weasley was obsessed with all things Muggle. It was a good idea, besides, and he told her so. She flushed at the compliment. "A magical level. Maybe it is the same. Magical quotient." He paused, cocking his head to the side thoughtfully. "But what's the point? Why would they want to figure out what level we're on randomly? And why wouldn't they tell us about it?"

Ginny shrugged. "Maybe they didn't want you knowing what to study," she said. She smiled. "Though most people probably wouldn't have, anyway." She nudged him with her elbow. "Why do the names Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley come to mind here?" she asked mockingly.

He snorted. "True. I wouldn't have wanted to study. But look at who is one of my best friends. Hermione Granger. Now what comes to mind when I say that? Person who would have made me study?"

"Of course, but there's only so much you'll do, even when a person is nagging you," Ginny said. "Though I wonder what you'll do when the O.W.L.s come around. Going to let her nag you into actually studying or will the great Potter be able to do that on his own?"

Harry made a face. "I think I'll manage to study on my own. Or maybe I shouldn't. I could always set the record and get no O.W.L.s."

"No, I'm sure Crabbe can do that for you," Ron interrupted, sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Hermione sat next to Ron. They were close enough that their legs touched.

Ginny smiled again. "He is dumb as a tack," she said. "Or is the dumber one Goyle? I can't remember."

"They can break the record together," Hermione conceded. Ron nodded in agreement, shifting so that his hand brushed against Hermione's slightly.

Harry arched an eyebrow at Ron and Hermione. "Is there something I should know about?" Ginny stifled a laugh at the horrified expressions on their faces. Hermione looked absolutely scandalized, and Ron was in catatonic shock. "What?" Harry asked innocently.

"How did you know?" Hermione choked out. "We just finished talking two minutes ago!"

Harry smirked at them. "I'm your best friend, remember? I can tell."

"Oh, that and it's been obvious that something is going on between you two," Ginny put in. "Whatever happened to your blazing row this morning, anyway? I could have sworn Hermione was ready to hex Ron into next year." She flashed a wicked grin at Harry. "Or did Hermione realize that Ron was trying to be the overprotective prat he is and make sure Krum didn't, ah, break her heart?"

"Ginny," Ron growled threateningly.

Harry let out an appreciative laugh. "I have to admit, I'll go with Gin on this one. Sounds like she's right." He shot a questioning glance at Ron and Hermione. "Are you going to tell us what's happened or do we have to spread insane rumors until you break down and confess the truth?" He looked as if nothing would have made him happier than giving false information to any of the gossipmongers.

Hermione smiled prettily. "Well, Ron and I had a talk. Which he initiated, by the way, and we both admitted that we like each other." She blushed furiously. "And... And then Ron kissed me."

Harry whistled and grinned at them. "Nice going Ron," he said, clapping Ron on the back.

"You do know that the entire Gryffindor House and half of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are expecting all of this?" Ginny asked, placing it as more of a statement than a question. "Everyone suspects something with you two. Honestly. You're going to end up being the famous couple of Hogwarts."

Ron's ears turned red as Hermione flushed pink. "We'll do nothing of the sort," Hermione said. "This isn't about fame in school, it's about admitting that we like each other and going somewhere with it."

"Yeah, going to the Astronomy Tower with it," Harry muttered sarcastically under his breath. Only Ginny heard him.

Ginny stifled a laugh. "Congratulations, then." Ron and Hermione nodded their thanks. "Now go over there and spend some time alone with each other. We all know you want to anyway." She pointed at a corner where there were two comfortable looking chairs next to each other. They both reddened and quickly walked over and sat down next to each other, starting up a lively conversation.

Harry was sitting comfortably in his seat, but his jaw was set and his shoulders tense. "Worried that you're going to be the third wheel, aren't you?" she asked him, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Harry nodded slowly. "I'm just wondering how this is going to affect the trio as a whole." He sighed thoughtfully. "They're going to be doing the whole couple thing, and where am I in that picture?"

"You're right by their side," Ginny said. "Their newfound relationship is going to make them together a little more, yes, but you're still going to be their ultimate best friend. Don't worry, Harry." She flashed a grin at him. "Plus, do you really think that they'll turn away the great Harry Potter?" she asked mockingly, smirking at him.

He laughed softly. "Of course they won't. A lightning bolt scar is really going to keep me at their side, won't it?"

Ginny smiled softly. "No, but a good friend like you will." She chuckled. "Don't worry too much, Harry. Everything is going to be just fine." She paused and repeated the last statement, more for herself than him. "It'll be just fine."