Training and Confrontations

Chapter III

Harry woke up, stretched, and froze. His eyes were still shut, but he could tell he was naked in a large bed with crisp sheets. It felt even better than his bed at Hogwarts, and there was a subtle, pleasant, feminine smell in the large soft pillow.

Harry opened his eyes. Things were a tad fuzzy because he wasn't wearing his glasses, but he was in a room something like he imagined Hermione would someday have. To his left, there was a door and the rest of the wall was filled with bookshelves. In front of him, the wall had a small, curtained window in the center, with a larger mirrored dresser and a wardrobe on either side. Continuing his glance, the right wall had a desk cluttered with papers, phials, a battered cauldron, and assorted quills and ink bottles, with a Hogwarts trunk next to it.

And then there was a large man sitting in an large chair, looking back at him.

"Good morning, Mister Potter," he said very politely. The man was tallish, and seemed to be on the stout side, with very short, very light brown hair. And gray eyes.

"Mister Lovegood?" Harry asked. He started to sit up, but stopped when he remembered he was naked under the sheet.

"Daniel Lovegood," the man agreed. "Please, don't get up," he added. The man started to rise, but at that moment Luna came into her bedroom from a door next to the bed.

"Good morning, Harry. I hope you rested well?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Harry managed to say, more than a bit embarrassed.

"Sit down, Luna," Mister Lovegood said. Luna gave her father a strange look, but sat down at the desk chair.

"Now, Mister Potter. . . ."

"Harry," Harry said.

"Thank you. Now, Harry, tell me what happened last night, and why you're here."

"It started a little before midnight. I wasn't ready to try and go to sleep yet, so first I polished my broomstick . . ." Luna giggled slightly, "and then started to polish my wand. . . ." Luna snorted with delight.

"Luna, calm down," her father commanded. "She took her potion a short time ago. It makes her a bit giggly."

Harry glanced at Luna, who was now the one blushing from embarrassment. He carried on. "I heard what sounded like people portkeying into the house. Before I could do anything, two people portkeyed into the room I stayed in. It was Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange."

Harry turned to Luna. "Dolohov is the one that nearly killed Hermione, and who gave us such a difficult time at the Ministry. Lestrange is the one that killed Sirius."

Luna nodded her understanding.

"I hexed them, and heard shouting downstairs. Now, you have to understand, living with the Dursleys is, well, it is hell."

"Didn't like living with Muggles, hey?"

Harry frowned. "I don't like living with THOSE people!" Harry then proceeded to give Mister Lovegood a twenty minute precis on what living with the Dursleys had been like. After seven minutes, Luna had started tearing up, and after twelve, Harry realized he was now somehow holding her, comforting her and getting comfort from her.

When he was finished, he hugged Luna and told her father, "That's why I don't like living with them, sir."

"Why did you, then? I'm sure there are other families who would have taken you in and cared for you. And how does Dumbledore enter in to it?"

Harry first gave Mister Lovegood a fifteen minute explanation of how Dumbledore had been running his life, and then concluded, "And why does he make me go back to the Dursleys every summer, even though he knows what it is like there? because I was supposed to be protected there! My mother died to protect me, and she invoked some kind of ancient magic. I was supposed to be safe from magical harm while I lived with them, and I thought they were supposed to be protected from my enemies. Obviously, Voldemort at least found a way to attack me there!"

Lovegood clearly disapproved of both the Dursleys and Dumbledore, but all he did was nod. "They were protected, in a sense. Somehow, your relatives managed to invite someone into their home who was acting for You-Know-Who. It would have had to have been a follower who didn't have the Dark Mark. A Dark Mark would have sent off alarms, I'm sure, as would anyone under the Imperius Curse. This person planted passive portkey targets. They are made in conjunction with the portkey, and would only register as magical when used. The Dursleys were all killed, but not by magic. That wouldn't have worked. They were stabbed to death, according to the accounts I've found out."

"No," Lovegood went on since Harry was too stunned to speak, "it's not in the paper yet, but I have lots of sources. The story will all come out tomorrow. Now, you didn't just hex the Death Eaters, did you? Why did you use the Reductor Curse?"

Harry hung his head. "I wanted to hurt them," he said softly. "I didn't realize it would do that much damage."

Luna looked up at Harry, and he averted his head in shame. "How much damage could it do?" she asked. "Even if it somehow killed one of them, the other shouldn't have been hurt too badly, and it should have only killed someone if it hit them in the head."

"You forget," Mister Lovegood answered, "your friend here is growing into one of the most powerful wizards alive. If I had done it -- and I am a very capable wizard, Harry, I was an auror for a few years -- one would likely have had very serious damage, perhaps fatal damage, while the other would have been incapacitated."

"What happened?" Luna asked.

When Harry couldn't answer, Lovegood said, "They were both blown apart, and there was actually some structural damage done to the house."

Harry squeezed his eyes tightly, but didn't cry.

"Now tell me, Harry," Lovegood went on, "why did you run? why did you run here?"

"I knew there were more in the house than those two, and that some people had come to fight them. Lestrange and Dolohov weren't in full costume, so I wasn't sure I could tell who was who. I didn't realize the others would . . . well, kill the Dursleys. I figured they would be furious with me for the noise. If Dumbledore made me stay with them, they would have been even worse than they had been. And if he didn't, where would he make me go? Where would I be safe? And what would the Ministry do? They tried to snap my wand last summer for driving off dementors. This was a lot worse." Harry was starting to panic, but Luna hugged him, calming him down.

"Why would you be safe here?" Lovegood asked.

"I knew I couldn't be here for long," Harry admitted, "but I can leave now that I've rested. I was going to hide out in Muggle London, but I was just too tired to go on this morning. It was a long flight"

Luna looked up at Harry and glared, and Lovegood shook his head. "Dumbledore doesn't have some safe house for you. . . ?"

"There is a place," Harry admitted. "In some ways, it would be as bad a prison as the Dursleys'. It's Dark, in every sense of the word."

"No matter where you are, you're going to feel confined," Lovegood pointed out. "Still, I tell you what. Stay for a few days while I think of something, and I won't tell Dumbledore or anyone else for that matter. If they can find you here, then You-Know-Who wouldn't be far behind."

"Alright," Harry said, "if you're sure."

"I am. Diagon Alley itself is fairly safe, as are the buildings. Unless you go outside, they should never know you're here, and none can easily enter an apartment without being invited. Luna, just buy food as you normally would. I'll be in and out of my office for the next two days or so. Leave me any messages there. Don't wander far off, alright?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"I'll see you for lunch in two days." Lovegood hesitated, decided not to say anything more, and left.

"Do you hate me?" Harry asked.

"Why would I?" Luna asked back.

"I did kill two people," Harry reminded her, his heart heavy.

"You did, and you feel remorse," Luna responded. "If you took real pleasure in it, then I would be worried, but I still wouldn't hate you."

"Thank you," Harry said.

"What else is bothering you?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess I'm wondering why I'm not feeling more, why I'm not feeling worse. I mean, I didn't like the Dursleys, and they hated me, but I didn't want them . . . dead."

"True. It will probably hit you more later."

"That could be. Where did your father put my robe?"

"What? Oh, no, Harry, Daddy was already at work this morning. I brought you in, gave you a bath, and put you to bed."

"You gave me. . . ?" Harry turned as bright red as any Weasley.

"I've never done it to anyone over the age of three, but the general principle seemed much the same," Luna went on in her typical fashion, and then came to a full stop. "Well, there was one difference. . . ." She giggled. "A big difference."

Harry made some inarticulate noises.

"Well, part way through, you . . . well, your. . . ." Now Luna had gotten shy. She took a deep breath and said, "Harry, you do know you've got an enormous penis? Right?"

Harry burbled what might have been an agreement.

"Well, it was getting in the way, so I did what I had to. I hope you don't mind. . . . It was actually rather . . . interesting to, well, take things in hand."

"Err. . . ."

"You tasted lovely, too."

Harry went past ultra-embarrassed Weasley blush mode, and looked about ready to pass out from embarrassment.

"I know it was an invasion of your privacy . . . please forgive me."

"My first time, and I don't even remember it," Harry managed to mutter.

"Harry, if you want, if you would consider me . . . your girlfriend. . . ? No, of course not."

"I came to you, in part because I thought no one would think to look here, and in part because I know I can trust you," Harry answered, telling her part of the reasons he had come. "I do like you, and I think you're . . . attractive. I just wasn't planning on trying to date so soon."

"You don't have to say that just because you're here," Luna said.

"You're the only girl I would consider dating," Harry said, and to his slight surprise, he knew it was true. Ginny and especially Hermione were attractive, but seemed slightly more like sisters than dating material at the moment, and he didn't think he could date anyone other than one of those three close friends.

Luna kissed him, and stood up. "There's a toilet and sink through that door. I cleaned your robe, and it's in there. I'll finish cleaning the other stuff after lunch. Go on," she said, leaving Harry alone.

"Master," Julian acknowledged, bowing low.

"The attack on Potter failed."

"I regret any errors I might have made, Master."

"You are fortunate, Malfoy. You did everything correctly, and there is no hint of, well, never mind. You have almost no magical talent, but you have intelligence. Potter seems to have disappeared for the moment. Advise me."

"Master?"

"Advise me. You have some skills. While Potter lives, few will believe in my power."

"Potter is what? Sixteen, Master?"

"In a few weeks."

"Does he have any close friends, Master?"

"He does. Wormtail!"

Pettigrew poked his nose around the door. "Master?"

"Come here and tell Malfoy about Potter's friends. Malfoy, ask any questions you need to ask."

Both men bowed while Pettigrew spoke. "Yes, Master. Potter had two close friends two years ago, and they are still with him. Ron Weasley is in his year. They were best friends from the time they first met on the Hogwarts Express."

"Tell me about him. Is he related to Bill Weasley?"

"Yes. There are six brothers, and a sister. You know the family?"

"Vaguely. Weasley was a Gryffindor prefect in my year."

"The Weasleys were a large, if poor, ancient Pure-Blood family. Most were killed in the 1940s and 1970s. Bill is the oldest brother, Ron is the youngest. Ron is intelligent and fairly capable for his age, but lacks discipline. The sister, Ginny, is a year younger still. The father is a minor official in the Ministry."

"They should be easy to locate, unless they're under the Fidelius or something similar. And the other boy?"

"A girl, actually. Hermione Granger, also a Gryffindor. According to many of the teachers, she's supposed to be the most intelligent student to come through Hogwarts since, well. . . ."

"Since I went through?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, Master," Pettigrew said apologetically.

"Granger? Half-blood?"

Pettigrew shook his head. "Mudblood."

"Really? Interesting. Anything on her family?"

"Not really. Very posh accent, and I think she might be an only child."

"It may take some time, Master, but I should be able to locate the Grangers before the students go back to school."

"Go on."

"Unless she stays in her house, and is very well protected there, I can easily arrange an accident which could injure or perhaps kill her. I may also be able to arrange to capture her, although that could take one of the more sophisticated portkeys. Would either be useful to your plans, Master?"

"Perhaps. Find her, and let me know how she is protected." 'There is one more thing I want to try first,' Voldemort thought but didn't say aloud. He was learning to keep some of his plans to himself.

"I really do apologize for embarrassing you, Harry," Luna said as she served up chicken soup and bread-and-cheese.

"Is this something to do with the potion your father mentioned?"

Luna looked away. "I told you my mother died in an experimental charms accident?"

"Yes."

"Well, she did. She was trying to help me. You see, Harry . . . I'm a Seer."

"Like Trelawney claims to be?"

Luna nodded. "Something like that. The problem is, from late childhood through late adolescence, those with the full Gift can find it very difficult to bear."

"In what way?" Harry wondered if Trelawney hadn't known about this, hadn't taught this, or if he hadn't paid close enough attention.

"Visions, disconnects with reality, speaking in tongues. Ghosts and other spirits are drawn to us. Some make prophecies, although not all do. To make things worse, many of the visions turn into hallucinations. Many were driven mad, until an inhibiting potion was developed a little more than a hundred years ago."

"An inhibiting potion? What does it do?"

"Just what it sounds like. It dampens the Gift. Not totally, of course, but it does prevent the false visions and the hallucinations, and most of the others. Still, when I saw you enter the compartment last September, I knew my life would be directly linked to yours."

Luna smiled her slight smile. "I grant you, at the time I thought it meant that my schoolgirl crush on Ronald would finally be fulfilled, and that I would be drawn into your circle that way. That idea lasted through November, and then died quickly."

"What else does the potion do, and what does it have to do with your mother's accident?"

"Mother was trying to develop a charm that had most of the same effects, and fewer side effects. Like I said, it backfired and killed her. As for the side effects, well, it does tend to make me rather giggly for about an hour or more afterwards, and it seems to hurt my concentration at times. I have to take it twice a day, on an empty stomach, so I can't eat for two hours before or an hour afterwards. I take it around 10:30. I don't think I'm normally as passive and dreamy as I would appear to others."

"That's why you did so much better in the DA than most people expected. We usually met in the evenings, and you hadn't had your dose recently."

"That's right. I hadn't had breakfast this morning when I found you. The combination of low blood sugar and the remains of the potion might have, well, lowered my inhibitions a bit."

"Alright."

"So don't feel compelled to, well, you know. . . ."

Harry leaned over and kissed Luna's forehead. "Don't be silly. You do still want to date, don't you?"

"Oh, yes!"

"Does this potion affect your school work?"

"Sometimes. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick were very good about scheduling my classes. I've never had a class between Ten and lunch."

"What are your other two classes, by the way? I don't think one of them is Care of Magical Creatures."

"Why do you say that?"

"You sort of put Hagrid down when we were getting off the train last September, but you only referred to what other people thought, not what you thought, which seemed out of character for you."

"I suppose you're right. Anyway, I take three classes, like almost every Ravenclaw," she said proudly. "I'm taking Divination, Muggle Studies, and Runes."

"Divination?"

"I have the Gift," Luna said simply. "I have to learn how to use it. I know Professor Trelawney is overly dramatic, and she's rather morbid, but she actually does know a fair amount of the theory. I do hope she's allowed back. Professor Firenze certainly knows a lot about Astrology and Astronomy, but not much that would help me."

The two finished their lunch, and Harry helped Luna clean up. "What should we do now?" Harry asked.

"Never ask a Ravenclaw that," Luna said with a smile. "Tell me everything you remember about the O.W.L.s." That kept the pair busy together, until they started to fix dinner. The only surprise had been Hedwig's showing up as soon as Luna had opened a window that afternoon.

That evening, Bill Weasley made his way to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Although Molly and Arthur had hoped to stay at the Burrow, the attack on Privet Drive had made them decide to move themselves, Ron, and Ginny to Grimmauld Place that afternoon, at least for a few days.

Bill didn't notice any of the small changes in the house as he made his way to the kitchen in the cellar. The kitchen, at least, was fairly cheery. Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Dumbledore, and three other members of the Order were sitting down to dinner along with the Weasleys (including the twins) as Bill came in.

"Any news?" Ron asked.

"Some," Bill hedged.

"Children, come back in half an hour and we'll eat then," Molly commanded.

"No," Ginny stated.

"What! Ginevra Weasley!"

"You can try and keep any other news secret you want, but you can NOT keep news of Harry away from us," Ginny stated firmly. "We have more right to know that than any of you, except perhaps the Headmaster."

"Ginny!" Molly and Arthur scolded.

"Ginny's right, Mum," Ron said, "and you know it." Ron turned to Dumbledore. "You and Mum and everyone kept us and Harry in the dark last year, sir. Did it make things better or worse?"

"Ron!"

"Ronald is correct, I regret to say," Dumbledore said. "Nobody needs to know everything, but they do need to know this."

Molly frowned, but acquiesced. Bill sat down and dished himself some curried chicken. "Let me remind everyone that if the information is spread that I told confidential Gringotts information, I will be lucky if the worst thing that happens is that I'm fired."

Everyone nodded their understanding.

"Alright then, Harry did show up sometime early this morning, before normal hours."

"And they let him in?" Ron asked.

Bill and most of the adults smiled at that. "Of course," Bill said. "That did cost Harry an extra ten Galleons. There are always goblins there, doing book keeping and other things. Likewise, there are often people who want to do a little extra-curricular business and are willing to pay for it."

"Anything else?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry found out he can get current accounts and a Muggle credit card," Bill said drily. "The goblins were very surprised that Harry's legal wizarding advisor never informed him of his rights or the Potter Trust."

"I take it that would be you," Molly said to Dumbledore with a frown.

"Harry has more than that vault full of gold?" Fred asked, shocked.

"The Potter Trust is one of the larger family fortunes in Magical Europe," Dumbledore said. "Not the largest, by any means, but certainly in the top thirty or so."

"Twenty-first," Bill said. "Remember, most of the family was killed by Grindelwald's people, and Harry is the only survivor. Nobody has spent any of the money in almost fifteen years."

"Wow," Ginny and Fred said.

"Harry also withdrew some money, and converted some to Muggle money, but I've no idea how much," Bill concluded. "Harry did have the invisibility cloak with him, so he could be literally anywhere."

Dumbledore turned on the four youngest Weasleys. "Fire talk with Miss Granger tonight and invite her over tomorrow. I want each of you to suggest where you think Harry might have gone."

"Where are you going, Harry?"

"To bed, why?"

"That's Daddy's room. You're my guest; won't you stay with me?"

"Are you sure?"

Luna smiled. "Yes, and it's not quite time for my potion yet, so I am still sober. Just remember, you can't cast any spells here. I can get away with some, but can I trust you enough not to have to cast the contraceptive spell tonight?"

Harry blushed furiously.

"I'll take that as a yes. Could we do what I did to you this morning, only this time when you're awake?"

Harry was blushing all over, and starting to sweat, but managed to say, "If you want, that would be . . . wonderful."

Voldemort had very bad timing. He tried to enter Harry's mind while the teen's excitement and hormones were at their height. Had Harry lasted much longer than the forty-five seconds he did, Voldemort would have been serious injured.

Voldemort had no idea what had just happened, but vowed to stay out of Harry's head from then on. Then he passed out.