The Beginning of The End

Title: The Beginning of the End, (9/?)

Author: Casca, [email protected]

Classification: H/G R/H, multiple POV, romance/drama

Summary: Spans the course of Harry's seventh and final year at Hogwarts, detailing Harry's struggle with the path that has been chosen for him and the roles his friends play to aid him in the ultimate defeat of Lord Voldemort.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's note: For the sake of this story, it has already been established that Harry is the Heir of Gryffindor. Also, for the sake of this story, Sirius' name has been cleared; however, Harry was unable to live with him seeing as they were both targets of Voldemort. That's all for now. Enjoy! :D

Chapter Nine

Family

The next day was a free day, completely void of all classes. But Harry wasn't joining the rest of his classmates as they all piled outside to enjoy the last of the nice weather before it became unbearably cold. He was walking slowly down the long corridors of Hogwarts, making his way to the staff room where his presence had been requested yet again. It seemed as if Harry's presence was required all over the school this year--first in Dumbledore's office and now in the staff room.

The note he'd gotten from the Head Master last night had sent Harry, Ron and Hermione into a conversation that had lasted well into this morning. As with the note he'd received before, this one was very vague, requesting Harry to come to a meeting regarding the Bene Omnia Vincit spell. There were some "discussions" that needed to take place regarding some "issues" that needed to be dealt with.

With only one night to wonder what on earth this could be about, Harry now stood at the door to the staff room and paused, a hot swoop of dread coursing through him. Suddenly, he didn't want to go through with it--he wanted to tell Dumbledore that there had to be another way to protect Hogwarts. He knew, in his heart that there wasn't, knew that this was his duty, but knowing that didn't make it easy to deal with. It didn't make it any less terrifying.

He knocked on the door. Sirius greeted him.

"Harry," he said, clapping him on the back and studying him. "How are you?"

Harry shrugged, more relieved than anything to see his godfather. "Okay, I guess."

Sirius nodded, his eyes still on Harry's. "I wanted to send you a note to tell you I'd be here, but Dumbledore said he was going to contact you yesterday. There was no time."

"I'm glad you're here."

Sirius nodded shortly and Harry saw that his black eyes wore that restless look. It wasn't blatant and Harry thought that anyone who had never seen it probably wouldn't be able to know. But Harry had seen it, and even if had only been for a brief time he recognized it now.

Last year, when Sirius' name had been cleared it had been one of the biggest reports in the wizarding world. When Wormtail had been caught by Aurors, he'd been fed Veritaserum and had rightfully taken the responsibility for the murders everyone had believed Sirius had committed. Harry couldn't remember ever feeling happier. But his happiness had been short-ended when Dumbledore had stated that it was impossible for Harry to live with Sirius, for Sirius was also a target.

They walked into the room and to Harry's shock; Dumbledore and Snape were not the only people who occupied the staff table. Dumbledore was at the head of the table; next to him was Lupin and directly across the table, next to Snape, was Mr. Weasley.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore said soberly and gestured to a chair. "Please have a seat."

Mr. Weasley and Lupin smiled at Harry and he nodded back. Snape sat very still, his eyes unreadable and on Harry. Harry ignored him and sat down next to Sirius who took the seat next to Lupin.

Mr. Weasley spoke. "Harry, I hope you don't mind that I'm here- Molly and I were concerned."

Harry shook his head quickly, feelings of gratitude racing through him. "Thanks," he said in an oddly constricted voice.

Dumbledore started to speak. "The time has come to start training for the protective measures that I have been researching. Hogwarts is not invincible anymore, Lord Voldemort had seized many dwellings that were said to be as safe as Hogwarts throughout the world, the most recent being Gringott's bank."

Harry looked up in shock even though nobody else took this as a surprise.

Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Not Gringott's London, Harry, the branches in Germany, Ireland and Israel. It is true that the security of those branches did not approach the quality of protection that London and Egypt have, nevertheless, the capture of those locations was a deed that had been proclaimed unfeasible. Lord Voldemort has accomplished it."

Dumbledore heaved a huge sigh and continued. "Onto the tasks at hand. Harry, the reason for this meeting is to devise a method of how to go about training. I am sure you are aware that in order to prepare for this, we need the presence of a dark force. The obvious solution is using a dementor."

At this Harry sat up strait. "Bring a dementor here?"

"No. We will not be training inside Hogwarts, there is a safe location we can reach where the curse will not affect anything. My concern, Harry, is about the dementor. Remus had informed us that the level of your protection against the dementors is strong. Do you feel confident of this?"

Harry sat glanced at Lupin, but before he could say anything, Snape spoke.

"Headmaster, forgive me for intruding," he said, his black eyes falling on Harry and staying there. "However, it matters not whether Potter is confident in his patronus. There is no other way; it is essential to use the darkest force we can. Potter has to do this, whether he feels confident or not."

"He doesn't have to do anything," Sirius' voice was firm and sharp.

"I disagree," Snape said coldly, fixing his eyes on Sirius now.

"I have every confidence that Harry can handle the dementors," Lupin stated. "Harry?"

Harry thought about it. "I feel confident of my patronus," he said slowly. "But I'm not sure I... I'm not sure I can trust myself not to..."

"Pass out," Lupin said quietly. "That is something that we should consider."

"May I make a suggestion?" Mr. Weasley asked. "Perhaps you can start with something slightly less... consuming than a dementor. Something that will ease him into the intensity?"

"We should not waste any more time than we already have," Snape said firmly.

But Dumbledore looked at Mr. Weasley. "What do you suggest?"

Mr. Weasley leaned forward. "Perhaps we can transfigure something into a dementor. It will take the form of it and Harry will not have to feel the intensity of the dementor and simply have the physical form of it to take on at first."

"What about a boggart?" Harry asked, suddenly thinking back to his third year. "We used a boggart to teach me how to conjure the patronus."

Everyone turned to look at Harry, but Snape let out a derisive laugh.

"A boggart? We are preparing to fight against the Dark Lord, not a first year defense class. Headmaster, as I've told you before the concern here should be whether Potter will be able to contribute in banishing Lord Voldemort, not if he can handle what we use in place of him to train."

"He's seventeen years old," came the furious voice of Sirius. "He's not a grown wizard who's accustomed to dealing with the Dark Arts, Severus."

Snape opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Mr. Weasley.

"There is only one issue with using the boggart. Harry, will it still turn into a dementor for you?"

Harry stared at him then turned to look at Lupin. "I-I don't know. I... have no way of knowing, do I?"

Lupin shook his head. "However, I think that will be the proper way to go about the first session. If the boggart does turn into Voldemort, then it shall be all the better, right?"

"I quite agree," Dumbledore said.

Snape looked furious, but said nothing.

"Harry?" Sirius asked, but his tone had turned gentle.

Harry thought about it. He personally didn't feel like seeing a dementor or Voldemort and he felt an irrational laugh at the back of his throat when he thought of voicing this in those very words. Ron's voice sounded through his head. "They're both dumb gits, mate, how will you ever chose?" Hermione's face swam in his mind. "Harry, perhaps you can imagine the boggart-Voldemort had turned into your cousin Dudley. That will most certainly make him more humorous, and therefore easy to defeat, don't you think?"

Ron and Hermione's voices faded in his head when Harry glanced up to see everyone thinking very hard, their eyes on him. "We can start with the boggart, I suppose. If that's okay."

"Then that's what we'll do," Dumbledore said with a final tone to his voice. "If that's the case, then we can start strait away; we shall hold the first session here in the castle this week. We will use the eight-floor room down the west corridor, which I will have emptied. It is large enough in there. Severus can you search the castle for a boggart tonight? If you have no luck I will get in contact with the Aurors to have one brought here." Dumbledore stood. "It appears that everything shall begin moving forward. Shall we all go down to dinner?"

Harry looked at Sirius suddenly. "Will you stay?"

Harry saw a look he'd never seen before come into Sirius's eyes as his Godfather smiled. It was something like nostalgia. "Haven't eaten in the Great Hall in... well, it's been a few years."

"More than a few," Lupin commented dryly as he stood up.

"That's nothing for you to brag about," Sirius said to Lupin.

Harry, Sirius, Mr. Weasley, Lupin and Dumbledore made their way into the Great Hall. There were gasps in the crowd of students who recognized Sirius at once and then a collective sigh of relief as they remembered his innocence. And after the relief came the excitement. Harry could hear various comments as they made their way to the Gryffindor table.

"Sirius Black, is here!"

"Did you know he's Harry Potter's godfather?"

"He went to Azkaban all those years and he'd been innocent!"
"My Dad always said he was innocent."

Harry grinned at Sirius. "How do you like being famous?" he asked him in a low voice.

"You be quiet," he muttered.

He spotted Ron and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table and when they looked up, they grinned astonishingly and waved.

"If it isn't two of my favorite people," Sirius said, sitting down across from them. Harry took a seat next to his godfather, an immense pride sweeping through him all of a sudden. He had a member of his family sitting next to him in the midst of all the Gryffindors. He forced himself to forget about boggarts and dementors and concentrate on making this meal with his godfather memorable.

"Hi, Sirius, how are you?" Hermione asked, smiling happily at him.

"I'm doing well, Hermione, and you?"

Hermione beamed. "Very well."

Sirius glanced next to her at Ginny who was looking at Sirius almost shyly. "Hello," he said politely.

"Sirius, this is my sister, Ginny," Ron said.

"Nice to meet you," Ginny said, smiling.

"Ah, I should have know," Sirius smiled. "You look like you dad."

Ginny's horrified look made everyone break into laughter.

"Speaking of dad, why is he sitting at the head table?" Ron asked suddenly.

"What?" Ginny shrieked and squirmed in her seat to get a better look at the head table. Then she let out a squeal of excitement and waved at him.

"He was at the meeting," Harry explained in an undertone.

"How did it go?" Ron asked.

"Everything is fine," Sirius stated firmly and changed the subject. "Ron, pass me the bread pudding, I'm starving."

Ginny eyes were darting back and forth between them. Harry caught her eye and saw her cover up the hurt very quickly. He let his eyes stay on hers however, and when she looked back at him, he gave her a small smile. It didn't take long for her to return it--her cheeks turned rosy and her eyes crinkled at the corners. Harry felt his heartbeat quicken.

"He chooses to sit with the teachers and not his own children?" Ron was saying cantankerously. "How rude. Wait till I tell mum."

"Don't you mean, 'wait until I tell Ginny to tell mum in her next letter?' " Ginny asked him scathingly.

"Same thing." Ron yanked Ginny's hair and she slapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, if it isn't the apples of my eye," Mr. Weasley said wryly as he approached the table with Lupin in tow. "What will your mother say when I tell her that the children were misbehaving?"

Ginny grinned happily and jumped up to give her father a hug. "It was all Ron's fault, Dad."

"Yes, of course, it was," Mr. Weasley said soothingly.

"Oh, swell," Ron said sarcastically.

"Why don't you sit with us, Dad?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, Arthur, Remus, join us... please?" Sirius added a slight pleading tone to his voice.

Harry grinned up at Sirius. "Are we not suitable company for you?"

"No, don't know when I've had more stimulating conversations," he said, but his grin gave him away.

"Welcome to my life," Mr. Weasley said as he sat down next to Ginny after she'd made Colin move over one seat. Lupin joined Harry and Sirius on their side of the table.

The stimulating conversations ran from how Ron spilled his frog guts in Potions; Hermione's new book A Witches Guide to the Wives of Henry VII, Muggle King (Ron collapsed on the table and pretended to snore loudly); reliving Harry's birthday party from over the summer; funny stories about Mr. Weasley from the Weasley family holidays; and hilarious memories of Harry's dad, Sirius and Remus. The Gryffindor table laughed and talked loudly, making such a scene, that people from other houses looked on enviously.

Then everyone glanced up as an owl swept through the rafters of the Great Hall and flew strait for Dumbledore. Harry and Ron started talking again, but Harry could feel Sirius's eyes still watching Dumbledore. At the head table, Dumbledore stood quite suddenly and began walking down the aisle to the doors and at once, Sirius, Lupin and Mr. Weasley stood from their seats and followed him.

Harry stared. "What do you think...?" he started to ask, and then Hermione voiced the thing that suddenly crossed his mind as he stared at the head table.

"Where's Hagrid?"

Harry was out of his seat and sprinting down the hall in seconds, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, following him. They met Sirius in the hall.

"What's going on?" Harry asked him.

Sirius hesitated and then spoke in a hushed voice. "I don't have all the details yet, however, there was a problem in Switzerland with some of the giants. Someone from the Ministry just sent word to Dumbledore. It appears that the ones who have joined forces with Voldemort are attacking the giants that Hagrid had convinced to stay away from him. There's a stampede and it's causing serious destruction to some of the villages surrounding the mountains."

"What does that mean?" Ron demanded. "Does Hagrid have to leave again?"

Harry suddenly felt very sick. "I'm going to Hagrid's," he said and began walking out.

Sirius caught up with him and Ron and Hermione followed, Ron yelling at Ginny to stay put. However, Ginny ran to catch up with them. "I will not, I want to know if Hagrid has to leave-"

Harry broke into a run at these words and raced across the grounds. He could hear everyone running to catch up with him, but he didn't care. His mind set, he took the steps to Hagrid's cabin three at a time and reached the porch in two strides. He knocked before pushing the door open. Dumbledore and Hagrid were inside the small room, sitting on Hagrid's sofa, looking very grave indeed.

"Hagrid, don't go," he blurted out, not caring if he was out of line.

Hagrid looked up at Harry, his eyes somber. "Got ter, Harry."

Harry took a step inside and the others followed him into the room. "No, you don't, you really don't have to. Stay where it's safe, Hagrid."

"I got ter go, Harry." Hagrid met Harry's eyes again. "Yeh understand tha' above anybody, I think."

Harry sighed angrily, not wanting this to be happening. He'd been having dinner with his family not moments before and now one of his family, one of the most important ones, he realized suddenly, was going away. For as much as Harry loved everyone at that table, Hagrid was different.

Hagrid was separate.

Harry was grateful when Dumbledore stood and beckoned everyone from the house. He heard the door close.

"When are you leaving?" he asked him quietly, still standing.

"Tonigh'."

Harry sighed even more angrily than before. "You shouldn't have to go."

"I don' got ter go, strictly speakin'," Hagrid said, his massive form standing up. "Jus' like yeh don' got ter do wha' yer doin' ter figh' You-Know-Who. Dumbledore told me wha' yeh're doin' Harry. I ask myself, wha' would Harry do if it were him? Would he go an' help deal with the giants? Yeah, he would. I'm just doin' no less than you would."

Harry felt a great pressure in his chest and Hagrid walked over to him. "You make me proud, Harry. Yeh be careful, yeh hear? Hopefully, I'll be back before... before anythin' happens at Hogwarts. Ar, hopefully, nothin' will happen to Hogwarts, yeh know. Hopefully."

"You be careful, too, Hagrid."

"Arg," he groaned and slapped Harry on the back, sending him stumbling forward. "Always am. Let Fang out fer a walk and feed him an' everythin'? He likes yeh the best, Harry."

"Sure," Harry said, his voice unsteady.

Harry waited inside the cabin helping Hagrid clean up, pack things inside drawers and straiten what was messy. Dumbledore came back an hour later and told Hagrid it was time to go. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were with him. Harry watched Hermione hug Hagrid tightly around the waist and then Ron. Hagrid turned to Ginny and she buried her face against him. Harry suddenly realized that Ginny must be close to Hagrid as well--he'd never noticed.

Hagrid met Harry's eyes, took him by the scruff of his neck, and pulled him into a crushing embrace. Harry held on for a long time. "Arg," Hagrid said, wiping his eyes as he pulled away from him. "Enough of this, I'll be back before yeh know it. You four, stay with Fang fer a few minutes after I leave, alrigh'?"

"Sure, Hagrid," Hermione said in a shaky voice.

Hagrid reached down to scratch Fang's ears then walked out the door. Dumbledore turned to them. "I'll send Sirius back to escort you up to the castle in a few minutes." Then he closed the door behind them.

They didn't know what to say to each other. Suddenly, Fang turned towards the door and began howling. Harry went over and sank down onto the floor in front of the door. "I know, boy." He muttered, petting Fang's coat. "He'll be home soon." They were silent until they heard Sirius' footsteps coming up Hagrid's path.

To Be Continued...

Review this fic!

Back to

The Hidden Tower