Harry Potter and the Dawn of a New Age

Chapter Five: They Just Do

By fbline

Those first few days back at Hogwarts went past very quickly. One of Harry's biggest concerns was about how Filch would treat the students now that he was a professor, but he was greatly surprised by the change in their former caretaker. It was strange to see him now in his professor's robes instead of his usual tatty suit that looked as if it had come over on the ark. Gryffindor had Defense along with the Ravenclaws this year, and although he didn't wow them all with his charismatic abilities, he did not treat them unfairly. He did seem to teach from a set syllabus, and that suited Harry and the other students fine, since it was a thousand times better than the Ministry driven propaganda that they were force fed the year before. Filch also stressed that their practical applications were extremely important, which was also a welcome change from their previous teacher. After their first week of classes, even Ron had to admit that Filch wasn't doing that badly with them.

Snape, on the other hand, was exactly the same as they remembered him. With his O on his O.W.L. Potions exam, Neville was in his Advanced Potion's class, much to the obvious displeasure of the professor. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were also in the class, along with Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle didn't make the cut, so he was forced to fend for himself now. Ron pointed out that seeing Draco on his own was like seeing mashed potatoes without gravy, the thought of which instantly made him hungry for lunch. Harry thought at first that Snape might actually cut him some slack after the events of the past year, but he quickly found out this was not going to be the case. Snape still took delight in criticizing him and his fellow Gryffindors. The fact that he had to resume Occlumency lessons with him also failed to help his opinion of him. Harry decided that he really would try harder with Occlumency this year, despite his feelings towards Snape. It was because Voldemort had been able to get into his head that he was able to trick him into coming to the Ministry which lead to the death of Sirius. He didn't want Voldemort to have the chance to do it again, even if it did mean extra lessons with Snape.

Professor McGonagall also continued to give them vast amounts of homework, Being sixth years, human transfiguration and introductory Apparation were things that they were studying now. On top of all this, she informed Harry one day after class that she would be instructing him in his introductory Auror training on Saturdays after dinner, since Quidditch matches took place early in the afternoon. By the time the first month had gone by, Harry wondered if he would have time enough to sleep and eat by the time it was all over with. Hermione insisted he could request a time turner like she had, but he decided that he'd had enough experience with those from their third year.

Still, not matter how busy the trio were, they always made a point of going down to see their friend Hagrid at his hut. They no longer needed to take Care of Magical Creatures, but they still liked to visit him whenever they got the chance. They hadn't seen much of Dumbledore so far this year, but they supposed that this was due to his involvement with the Order of the Phoenix, and the fact that Fudge was now sending him daily owls asking for his advice. Now that the whole of the wizarding world knew that Voldemort was back, Fudge was now being pressed to come up with a plan of action. He was now begging for Dumbledore to help him, much to the amusement of those that could remember how he had previously labeled Dumbledore as a crackpot and a trouble maker.

As the homework level continued to rise, Harry found himself seeing less and less of Luna, and he was surprised by the fact that he really did miss seeing her everyday. Ron and Hermione were, of course, his best friends in the world, but without the calming influence Luna seemed to have on him he felt anxious and depressed more often than when she was around him. Of course, seeing Draco and his cronies didn't help the feeling either. He used to get very worked up when Draco would say something crude or threatening to him, but what he did now was even worse. Draco would now merely stare at him. Harry knew that Draco would like nothing more than to see him dead and if looks could kill, he would have had his wish. Neville continued to become more and more involved with the trio, not to mention Ginny. Harry sometimes marveled at the fact that a boy who was once short, round, and hopelessly insecure was now getting taller, thinner, and much surer of himself and his capabilities. It seemed that he had proven something to himself during the battle at the Department of Mysteries, and he no longer thought of himself as a "nobody". Harry was thrilled with his change of attitude, knowing how Neville's own childhood mirrored his own in its tragedy caused by Voldemort.

Harry had to admit that he did miss Fred and George being around. He knew that the two of them played rather fast and loose most of the time, but it did make things much more enjoyable. He couldn't swear to it, but he thought that most of the teachers even seemed to wish they were still around. In fact, Ginny told them one evening at dinner that tiny Professor Flitwick had asked her about them and made sure to have his name put in their mailing list. One person Harry could have done with seeing less of was Cho. Being a seventh year, she was kept busy with studying for her N.E.W.T.'s, but he still saw her often enough in the halls, usually causing the pair of them to give a nervous smile and continue walking. Harry couldn't think of anything he wanted to say to her anymore and thought that she likely felt the same. Dean had told him that they had finally broken up, making Harry wonder who she would end up with next. Another female he tried to avoid was the latest in the line of the Creevy family. Elizabeth Creevy was a first year with much the same unbridled excitement as her brothers, especially when she was around him. Harry remembered that Colin had once told him that his father was a milkman and wondered if dairy products caused them to act the way they did.

It was after six weeks of school had past that Professor McGonagall informed Harry that he had been chosen by her to be Captain of the house Quidditch team. The first people he told about it were Ron and Hermione, both of whom congratulated him. Ron immediately asked for his Keeper position again, and Harry agreed immediately. Hermione rolled her eyes at that point and muttered something that sounded amazingly like "boys" under her breath. Once Ron's position was finalized, they set about scheduling a time for try-outs. Not wanting to waste any time, Harry decided to schedule it for the coming Saturday and wrote up a flyer to stick up on the common room notice board. He hoped that there would be a lot of people try-out, since they would practically need to replace the entire team.

When Saturday morning did roll around, Harry was quite dismayed at the pitifully small amount of people who had turned out for Quidditch try-outs. When he looked around at whom the people were that had shown up, his confidence slipped even more. Clearing his throat to get their attention, he addressed the small group of them in front of him.

"Ok, everyone. I'm this years Captain, so I'll be heading up the try-outs. The first thing I want to do is..."

A hand flew up in the air.

"Yes, Lavender?"

"I take it that since you're the Captain your lifetime Quidditch ban is no longer in effect?"

Harry barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes.

"That is correct; I will indeed be playing again this year. Now, the first thing..."

Another hand shot up in the air.

"Yes, Parvarti?"

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that the reason more people didn't show up is because they didn't believe you were really back on the team."

Harry couldn't help but give an exasperated sigh.

"Then it's their loss. It shouldn't matter who is or who isn't on the team. You're supposed to be playing for Gryffindor, not me. Now, that's it for questions. First thing I want to do is establish what everyone is here to try out for. I guess we can assume that I'll be the Seeker, unless someone wants to try for it."

Harry looked out over the small group and noticed that they all seemed to think that the idea of someone vying for Harry's position would have been mad.

"Right, that's taken care of then. How about Keeper? Anybody want to give Ron a go?"

Once again, nobody raised a hand or made a noise. Harry wondered if anybody was actually here to try out, or simply wanted to ask him questions.

"Ok, next up is the Chaser position. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie have all graduated, so we'll need all new ones. Anybody want to try out for that?"

This time Harry was pleased to see a couple people step forward. He smiled as Ginny, Lavender, Parvarti and Dean all presented themselves before him with their brooms.

"Excellent! I've seen Ginny play, but I never knew you other girls played."

Lavender and Parvarti giggled and cast sly glances at one another. Harry gave them both a questioning look.

"What's so funny?"

The two girls began giggling again, causing Ginny to roll her eyes at them.

"They've been practicing over the summer. They wanted to try out this year to see if they could be on the team with you and Ron."

Harry blushed deeply, causing Lavender and Parvarti to giggle even more.

"Well, uh, ok, as long was you can keep your mind on the quaffle, I don't care what brought you out. Dean, I know that you attended a Quidditch camp in Swansea over the summer, right?"

Dean gave a sideways glance at Ginny and nodded. Harry assumed that Dean knew that he would have found that information out from her.

"Yeah, I did. Mind you, most of the people there were first years trying to learn the basics. I'll do my best. Of course, how good do I have to be up against Lavender and Parvarti? I shouldn't have to try too hard against a couple girls."

Harry immediately knew that Dean had put his foot firmly in it. The looks on the faces of all three girls affirmed his suspicion. All three of the females briskly mounted their brooms and stomped off from he ground. Ginny shot Dean a look that scared the life out of Harry, even though it wasn't directed at him.

"Well then, show us 'girls' how good you are. I hope your moves have improved since the last time I saw them."

The other two girls laughed and flew into position above the pitch. Dean's grin faded quickly and he looked worryingly over at Harry, only to receive a smile and pat on the back from him.

"You heard her, Dean. Let's see what you've got."

Harry watched them for about an hour, although it didn't take nearly that long to decide. He wanted to give Dean a fighting chance, even if the girls didn't. He knew that Chasers had to have good communication and complete trust in one another. Ginny was never a question, he knew that she was an excellent flyer, and a fierce competitor. Dean was a decent enough flyer, but he didn't seem at all comfortable with the other three, especially Ginny. It was clear that he would have to have one or the other, and he knew who he wanted. This left him with Lavender and Parvarti who he would have never imagined in a million years would be playing for him. They weren't really that good at flying, but he couldn't deny that they seemed to work together perfectly. He assumed that their years of constantly gossiping together had brought them to a high level of understanding one another. The idea that they were mainly there because of he and Ron was a little frightening to him, but the fact was that they were the only options he had left. When he had watched enough, he blew his whistle for them to come down.

"That was very good for a first effort. I think I understand now why Angelina, Alicia, and Katie did so well when they were here. It must be some kind of women's intuition that they use. Sorry, Dean, I'm going to have to go with the girls on this one. Thanks for coming out."

Dean couldn't help but let his bruised ego show on his face. Ginny very maturely didn't gloat, but certainly didn't look disappointed. Lavender and Parvarti gave a cheer and hugged one another. Ginny joined in and the three of them went over to join Ron and Harry.

"Right, one more position to go. With Fred and George gone, we'll need two new Beaters. Since I can assume that the rest of you are all here for that, why don't you all get up there and I'll let the bludgers loose. Knock them back and forth to one another for a while and we'll see how it goes."

Dennis and Colin Creevy, along with Seamus, all rose into the air and did as they were told. Once again, Harry was reminded of last year's squad. Fred and George had been superior Beaters, and none of the three people before him now were anywhere close to them. The position of Beater also required great communication and understanding, a trait that siblings seemed to have naturally. Seamus wasn't too bad of a flyer, but his heart didn't seem to be into it, whereas the Creevy brothers seemed to work at it as if their lives depended on it. After about an hour, Harry blew his whistle again and had the three of them come back down.

"Thanks to the three of you for coming out. Again, I think that communication and trust are key factors for the job. All three of you are decent enough flyers, but I'm going to have to go with Colin and Dennis. Sorry about that, Seamus."

Seamus merely shrugged and lifted his broom onto his shoulder.

"No big deal, Harry. I mostly came out because Dean asked me to come out with him. Well, that and the fact that I wanted to see Lavender break a sweat for once."

Seamus laughed and Harry couldn't help but join in. The sight of Lavender not looking perfectly groomed was a rare event. Harry then turned to the madly grinning Creevy brothers and then to the rest of the team. It certainly wasn't the team he had envisioned for this year, but the fact that he was on the team at all was still comforting.

"Well team, congratulations to you all. I'll inform McGonagall of our roster and we'll set up a practice schedule. As Ron and Ginny will tell you, the first couple weeks are the worst, but it's important to get as much airtime as we can. Since Hogsmeade weekend is coming up next weekend, we'll start two-a-day practices in two weeks. Morning practice will start at six, and evening practice will be fit in after the last bell and before dinner. Our first game this season is against Hufflepuff, and they've got most of their team back from last year. We may not have as much experience, but that just means we'll have to work harder, faster, and longer."

Harry looked at his watch and smiled back at them all.

"It's getting close to lunch time, so we might as well leave it here for now. You'll all hate me about a month from now, so I think I'll try to stay on your good sides for as long as possible. Just remember, first practice will be in two weeks at six in the morning. And please, be on time. As my first Captain Oliver Wood used to say, 'if you're right on time, you're late'."

The new members of the team gave a little laugh before they saw that Harry wasn't smiling. After hefting their own brooms to their shoulders they all made their way back to the castle, leaving Harry, Ron, and Ginny behind. Ron gave out a deep sigh and shook his head.

"What a motley crew we're going to be. Lavender and Parvarti as chasers? They'll be too busy doing their nails to pass the quaffle around. I mean, Ginny's fine, but those two are too girly."

Ginny glared at her brother.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm not a girl? That's funny, I seem to have these lumps growing on my chest and I must have misplaced my penis somewhere."

Ron's faced reddened, as it always did when Ginny said something he considered vulgar.

"Ginny, don't say things like that!"

Harry decided that he had better step in quickly before things got carried away.

"Ginny, what Ron meant to say was that Lavender and Parvarti have never expressed an interest in Quidditch before, whereas you are already a proven player. I'm sure he feels the same about the Creevy brothers."

Ron nodded as his face started to return to normal.

"Yeah, those two make me nervous. I just hope they don't fly around with cameras trying to take Harry's picture."

Ginny laughed.

"They'll have to compete with Lavender and Parvarti. Still, I don't think we'll be too bad. Parvarti was right; most of the others didn't believe you'd be back on the team this year so they stayed away. It's just hard luck that we lost so many players to graduation. On the plus side, Slytherin was gutted as well. We should still be able to compete at least."

Harry nodded.

"I hope you're right. I really do feel I made the right decisions. Dean looked like he was in misery up there, and Seamus didn't seem like he cared one way or the other."

Ginny snorted.

"Dean is still acting weird around me, so that would have been a distraction. That, and the fact that he's a gigantic prat bastard. Seamus was telling the truth, he just came down to lend Dean some moral support. We really did get the best of the lot, there just wasn't that big of a lot to choose from."

Ron nodded.

"You're right Ginny. I just wish we could have had more people to choose from. I wonder when the try-outs for the...wait...who is that coming towards us?"

The three of them looked towards the right side of the stadium where a blonde female was making her way towards them. Ginny smiled at her.

"Hey, Luna! What brings you here?"

Luna leisurely walked over to the three of them and smiled at them all.

"Hello, Ginny, Ron, Harry. I just thought I'd go out for a walk and came down here. I thought everyone did very well."

Ginny and Harry were smiling along with her, Ron was not.

"Thought you'd take a walk did you? Just happened to come down here? A likely story."

Harry turned to look at him.

"What's your problem, Ron?"

Ron gave a derisive little laugh.

"What's my problem? Isn't it obvious what she's really doing?"

"Trying to get a moment alone with Harry?" Ginny interrupted.

"No! She's a spy from Ravenclaw to see what kind of team we're going to have. You mark my words, by the end of the day Cho will know everything about us. This is awful."

Before Harry or Ginny could say anything in response to Ron's insinuation, Luna's childlike giggling cut them off.

"Oh Ronald, you are so funny! I'm not a spy, you silly goose. Spies hide in the shadows and wear elaborate disguises. Besides, if I was going to spy on you I wouldn't have come over here, would I? I don't think James Bond ever walked up to Sal Paradise and talked to him while he was trailing him, did he?"

Ron and Ginny both looked completely perplexed by Luna's statements, but Harry got the gist of what she meant.

"I think you're confusing Ian Fleming with Jack Kerouac, Luna."

"Oh, am I? Sorry about that. I guess I shouldn't try to read six books at the same time. You know what I mean though, right? I'd make a terrible spy. Besides, I don't think Cho likes me."

Ron's brows narrowed.

"What makes you think that?"

"She told me she doesn't like me."

"Fair cop."

Ginny cleared her throat.

"Well, that's settled then. Ron, why don't we head back to the castle for lunch? On the way, you can give me some tips on handling first years. I've been instructed not to hit them, but I'm wondering if there's a loophole."

Ron's automatic instinct was to wait for Harry, but Ginny tugged on his arm to make him go without him. For his part, Harry wasn't sure if he was happy for Ginny's help or not. He was now alone with Luna, something he had not been since they'd returned to school. A few moments of awkward silence passed before Luna spoke up.

"It looks like you'll have a very...diverse team this year."

Harry chuckled. 'Diverse' was certainly one way to put it.

"Yeah, that we will. Apparently nobody seemed to think that I'd really be back on the team, so they didn't want to come out. To be honest, I'm not that surprised. The main thing I care about is that I'll be able to fly again. That's one of the things I've missed most these last few months."

Luna smiled at the passionate gleam that came to Harry's eyes when he talked about flying. Someday, she wished, he might get that look in his eyes when he talked about her.

"I wish I could be on your team, Harry."

Harry looked at her in surprise.

"Really? I didn't know you played Quidditch. Why haven't you ever tried out for Ravenclaw? I think they might have a few positions to fill as well."

"No, that wouldn't work. I've never played a game in my life. I'd want to be on your team so I could experience being with you in your native element. I know that you feel the most comfortable when you're flying, and I'd like to share that with you. You look so peaceful when you fly. I feel most at peace when I'm surrounded by nature. I love taking long walks in the forest, or hiking in the mountains. It really helps put things in perspective when you look at the vastness of the world around you."

Harry nodded. Luna was right; he did feel most at peace when he was amongst the clouds. He also agreed that she did seem the most comfortable when she was outside. He recalled the times during the summer when they had all been swimming or walking or just hanging around outside, Luna always seemed to be at home with her surroundings. At school, she seemed to be slightly disoriented a lot of the time, just as he had felt without being able to take to the sky.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you, are you planning on going to Hogsmeade next Saturday?"

Harry's train of thought was derailed when he heard her question.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am."

Luna continued to smile and look at him. Harry realized that she had probably not meant it to be a simple 'yes' or 'no' question.

"Uh, Luna, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"

"Why Harry, how nice of you to ask me! Of course I'll go with you. Ooh, I know, we could use that coupon that Cho gave you."

Harry's head snapped up from looking at his shoes to stare open mouthed at Luna. He tried to speak, but his shock caused him to mainly sputter. Luna giggled at him as he turned several shades of red.

"Relax, Harry. Just because I'm incapable of lying doesn't mean I can't joke around."

Harry immediately swallowed and exhaled in relief. The thought of ever going back to the tea room sounded about as appealing as putting on a meat suit and wrestling Fluffy. The idea that Luna might have a dry sense of humor impressed him. After six years of hearing Ron's jokes, he had adapted an appreciation for dry humor. With Ron, you could always count on the punch line involving someone breaking wind or experiencing some other bodily function. Hermione's humor was slightly better, but when you had to have the joke explained to you, it severely took away from the humorous impact. Ginny was actually the funniest one of the lot, although most of her jokes were disgustingly filthy. Harry had developed his own sense of humor to amuse himself during the long hours of his childhood that he had been locked up under the stairs. Luna continued to giggle at Harry's reaction, which pleased him since he enjoyed hearing her laugh.

"Well, I'd better let you go. I've got a Potions essay to do on the properties of Polyjuice potions. I'll see you at dinner later, Harry."

Luna then raised herself slightly onto the balls of her feet and kissed Harry on the cheek. Giving him one more smile, she then walked back towards the castle, leaving Harry behind to watch her go. It didn't hit him until a few minutes later that he had now officially asked Luna out. He really hadn't even thought of doing it before a few minutes ago, and yet he had done it. Unlike with Cho last year, he didn't feel nervous or scared, but calm and happy. It was no big deal, right? It was just the two of them going to Hogsmeade together. They'd done plenty of that over the summer. As a smile began to cross his face, the dreaded voice in the back of his head spoke up.

"Yes, you were together, but there were always the others with you. This time, you'll be on your own with her."

This thought scared Harry a little. The voice was right, the two of them had been together a lot over the summer, but there had also been Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. He hadn't thought of it just being the two of them. What was she expecting? Did she plan on the being a date? The last (only) date he had been on went horribly wrong, would this one? The smile on his face quickly vanished as he started on his way back to the castle. What was he going to do now? What should he do? As he walked a million thoughts whirled through his confused and frustrated mind. What he wanted most of all now was to get some advice, but who could he ask? He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that it wasn't until he gazed absently at the clock tower that he remembered the other things he had to do today. Missing lunch wasn't a big deal, but missing Occlumency with Snape would be. With only a few minutes to spare he broke into a dead sprint and jumped down the stairs to Snape's office, getting to his door just as the last chime stroke of the hour of his appointment. Quickly knocking on the oaken door, the cool voice of Snape told him to come in.

"Ah, Potter, there you are. I am most honored that you have deemed me worthy of your valuable time. I do not tolerate tardiness in my classes Potter, nor will I accept it here. I am merely doing this as a favor to the Headmaster; it would be very unwise of you to make it any more tedious for me that it is."

Harry's face reddened in anger as he continued to stare at Snape's desk.

"Sorry, Sir. Quidditch try-outs ran long."

"I could not possibly care less about your pathetic excuses, Potter. You know why you are here; now clear your mind of all thoughts and emotion. On the count of three. One, two, three, Legilimens!"

Instantly, Harry's mind opened up and all manner of thoughts flashed before him as if they were being projected onto a movie screen. Dudley breaking his glasses, uncle Vernon tearing up his Hogwarts letters, aunt Petunia locking the door to his cupboard under the stairs, the five girls kissing him on his sixteenth birthday...

"Potter! What was that last memory about?"

Harry's sense of balance was taken from him and he fell heavily to one knee. He was becoming more familiar with the feeling of his thoughts being leeched from him, but it didn't make it any easier on him.

"What memory...Sir?"

"The one where there was a line of girls kissing you. It looked fairly recent."

Harry stood up again but still felt rather weak.

"It was from my sixteenth birthday party."

Harry expected some kind of sarcastic remark about his birthday, but he was surprised by not hearing one. In fact, it almost looked as if Snape took on a pained expression. Harry assumed that it must have had something to do with his father. He hoped that Snape wouldn't take out any more of his anger towards him for what his father had done to him. After a few seconds, Snape cleared his throat and returned to his usual cold demeanor.

"I see. Tell me, was Miss Granger one of the females I saw kissing you?"

Harry's feeling of anger towards Snape bubbled up once again.

"How is that your business, Sir?"

Snape looked even angrier now, and that was saying something.

"It is my business Potter because you are the best hope the world has of bringing about the end of the Dark Lord. Instead of frilling away your days making out with various members of your fan club, you should be spending that time preparing yourself both physically and mentally. When the Dark Lord opens up your mind, which he will do only too easily, do you really want him to see the people that you care about, people that he would be only to happy to destroy merely so he could make your life a living hell?"

Harry was mad enough at Snape to choke him, but also mad at himself for knowing he was right.

"No, Sir. I don't want him to hurt the people I care about."

Snape gave him an evil smirk.

"Excellent, then we are at least agreed on that. I know that the three of you think of yourselves as being untouchable, but I can assure you that you are not. If you care at all about Miss Granger, you would do well to keep your feelings in check. Do you understand me, Potter?"

Harry's blood continued to boil. What the hell did Snape care about Hermione, or anyone else for that matter? He was correct on one thing; Harry couldn't stand the thought of Hermione getting hurt because of him.

"Yes, Sir. Hermione and I are just close friends."

"Very good. Now, we'll try this again. Clear your mind, Potter. Why don't you actually try this time, just for something different? On the count of three. One, two, three, Legilimens!"

This pattern repeated itself for another hour before Harry finally was able to focus enough to cast sparks from his wand, causing Snape to look away and the spell to break.

"Very good, Potter. I was beginning to think that the furniture would pick up Occlumency before you would. I think we'll leave it here for today, since I'm sure falling to the ground a couple dozen times has given you quite an appetite. We will pick up here on Tuesday. Shut the door on your way out, Potter."

Harry picked up his cloak and turned towards the door. Once he had shut it behind him, he set off to climb the stairs up to Professor McGonagall's office. Apart from Occlumency lessons, he was also getting introductory Auror lessons. After knocking on her door, he was told to come in and took a seat in front of the Professor's desk.

"Well then, Potter. How was your Occlumency lesson?"

Harry sighed.

"Oh, you know the usual stuff. Snape and I had a spot of tea and exchanged health and beauty tips."

Professor McGonagall gave Harry her familiar thin lipped frown.

"Professor Snape is doing you a service by giving you Occlumency lessons, Potter. I know that the two of you aren't exactly...friends. But that doesn't mean that you should treat him with disrespect. Do I make myself clear?"

Harry uttered a low grunt but nodded his head in affirmation.

"Yes, Professor."

Professor McGonagall would have liked a more enthusiastic response, but knew that she would have to content herself for now. Truth be told, she didn't understand why Snape had to be the one to teach Harry Occlumency either. Professor Dumbledore was at least as good at the art as Snape was, and he didn't have the obvious animosity towards him that Snape did. She had asked the Headmaster about it once but was told that he had his reasons, whatever they may be.

"Well then, let's get down to business. With your shown aptitude to Defense, a career as an Auror is certainly a possibility. Mad Eye would be the best person to instruct you on this, but with his duties for the Order he is kept rather busy. I myself completed Auror training under his guidance, but decided that a career in teaching was really what I wanted. Now, the first thing we will need to work on is Awareness. What I mean by this is what all you take in of your surroundings. For example, when you walked in here, what was the first thing you noticed?"

"I saw you sitting at your desk."

"Correct, anything else?"

"Uh, not really. You told me to come in and sit down, so I did."

"True. People most often take in only what is directly in front of them, like a thestral with blinders on. An Auror, on the other hand, must learn to take in all points around them. Imagine if I had been a Death Eater and you had run in here. It would have been very easy to have someone hidden behind the doorway to pick you off as soon as you entered the room. An Auror must assume that there will be someone waiting to ambush them. Remember this, Potter. It is the enemy that you don't see that you should be worried about. You do have one advantage, of course. Your father's invisibility cloak will serve you well. I had to purchase my own when I was in training. They are grossly expensive, and I was forced to turn it in when I left the ranks. Take care of yours, Potter. It may well save your life."

Harry swallowed hard when he heard the professor mention his father's cloak.

"Professor, how do you know about my invisibility cloak?"

Professor McGonagall then did something she very rarely did; she smiled.

"Give me some credit, Potter. Do you have any idea how many times I saw your father get under that cloak to sneak out after hours? Do you really think that Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, and you have done anything that hasn't been done before? When you're older I'll have to tell you about one time in particular when your father and Sirius snuck out and bewitched all the suits of armor in the school to blow a raspberry every time a professor walked by."

Harry smiled at the mention of his father and Sirius. It made him feel better when he thought about the two of them being together again. After a few more minutes, Professor McGonagall realized that their "study" session had turned into more of a stroll down memory lane.

"Well Potter, perhaps we should leave it here for now. My homework for you is to practice Awareness. When you arrive back in the common room, see how much you can take in using your peripheral vision. Try using a four point system where you focus on taking in the four corners of the room. When we meet next week we'll move on to step two; instinctive Defense methods. Now, one more thing before you go..."

Harry braced himself for what might come next. Was it something more about Snape? More homework? Did she somehow care about him kissing Hermione?

"How does this year's Quidditch team look?"

Harry let out a large sigh; this was a subject he was much more comfortable with.

"Not bad. There wasn't much of a turn out, but I think we'll be able to compete. Ron and Ginny are back, and they've both improved. The Creevy brothers are Beaters, and they've certainly got the energy for it. Lavender and Parvarti are the other two Chasers with Ginny. They're the only two I worry about, but, like I said, I didn't have much to choose from. The other teams have lost people also, so we shouldn't be any further behind than they are."

Professor McGonagall listened intently and nodded her head. The idea of the Creevy brothers running around with bats and Lavender and Parvarti on the team didn't exactly thrill her, but she contented herself that at least Harry would be there.

"Very well, Potter. You may go now. Oh, and don't forget your essay for me that's due Monday. I'm sure you and Mr. Weasley will need all the time you can have for it. And do try not to copy verbatim off of Miss Granger, please."

Harry groaned as he left the office to make his way back to Gryffindor common room. Between the ache in his knees from continually hitting the ground during Occlumency lessons with Snape and being reminded of his essay for McGonagall, he very much wished that he could go back to sitting by the pond at the Burrow.

Returning to the Gryffindor common room, Harry was glad to see his friends all grouped together around one of the large tables. Ron and Ginny were busy talking about different strategies of Quidditch, Hermione's head was hidden behind a book, and Neville mostly just sat there and looked at Ginny. Harry came over to them and plunked himself heavily into the last empty chair.

"Hello, all. Did I miss anything exciting at lunch?"

Ginny stopped her discussion of the single wing formation long enough to turn to look at Harry.

"Hey, Harry. Not much really. The cream of asparagus soup was pretty good, and Ron came close to breaking his record of cream puff consumption. Other than that, pretty much the same as always. Well, except for that person that asked where you were."

Harry's head whipped up to stare at Ginny who responded by giving him her most devilish of grins.

"I told Luna that you were taking some extra lessons. Oh, and then one of the Muggleborns left their retainer on their plate and it disappeared with their food. Being a prefect, I had to take the little bastard down to the kitchens to get it back. And then, after I have all the house elves scouring the place to find it, the kid never even said thank you. Can you believe that? I tell you, these first years are the worst ever. I know I was never like this in my first year. They all need a swift kick up the arse if you ask me. Colin's no help, either. He wants to be their friend, or something. Well, not me. Bloody cretins."

Ron laughed.

"They couldn't be any worse than the ones last year. Those were the dumbest kids I'd ever seen. I think most of them would have starved to death in a supermarket. Anyway, let's talk about something else. Hogsmeade weekend is coming up, and I was thinking that you and I, along with Harry and Hermione, could all go together and see if Honeyduke's has anything new this year. I've heard tell that they've introduced white chocolate frogs. What do you say?"

The prospect of white chocolate was very tempting to Ginny, but she had already made other plans.

"Sorry, Ron. Neville and I are going to go shopping for some new clothes for him."

Ron's face reddened.

"What does he need new clothes for, and what does that have to do with you?"

Ginny smiled and gave Neville a pat on the arm.

"Since Neville has lost weight and gotten taller this summer he needs some new clothes. I'm going along with him as his fashion consultant."

Neville nodded while his cheeks went slightly pink.

"I'm hopeless when it comes to shopping for clothes. My gran has always done it for me in the past. Ginny offered to help, so I took her up on it."

Ron continued to look slightly put out and turned to look at Harry again.

"Well, whatever. Harry, Hermione, and I will go without you then."

It was now Harry's cheeks that went slightly pink.

"Sorry, Ron. I've got plans with Luna on Saturday. I'm not entirely sure what she'll want to do, but maybe we could meet up at the Three Broomsticks later in the afternoon? I'll just run up and write a quick note to Luna and see what she thinks. I wouldn't think it would be a problem, but I'd better ask. I don't want a repeat of the St. Valentine's Day massacre with Cho. I'll be right back."

Harry then got up from the table and started towards the boy's dormitory steps with Ron frowning after him.

"Harry, what are you doing? Didn't you already talk with her once today? You've got all week to ask her about Saturday, why not wait until the next time you see her?"

Harry stopped at the bottom of the staircase and turned around to look at them all.

"I know, but I owe her a letter anyway. She's a really good writer. She says that it's easier for us to communicate by writing because we can 'hide behind the quill'. She's really something, you know? I'll be right back."

Harry then turned back around and made his way up the steps, leaving the rest of them to take in what he had said. After a minute or two, Ginny got up and pushed her chair in.

"I think I'll head down to the library and get some study tune in before dinner. Neville, why don't you come with me? You can help me figure out what to review for my Herbology exam."

Neville nearly flipped the table over in his enthusiasm to get up. Flushing deeply, he followed Ginny out of the portrait hole on their way to the library. When the portrait hole had shut behind them, the last two occupants of the table realized they were also the last two people in the common room period. Hermione then reopened her book and reached into her bag to get out a parchment and quill.

"Now that we've got some peace and quiet for a change, why don't we get some work done on our essay for McGonagall? I've already finished my fifth draft, but I thought that you might...Ron, what's wrong?"

Hermione had just turned to look at him and found him looking very angry.

"I was really looking forward to this weekend, and now everything is all messed up. Why did Luna have to get involved? I honestly can't stand that girl."

Hermione's first instinct was to laugh and roll her eyes, but she realized that Ron would only get mad at her as well. She decided on a sympathetic smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"What's wrong, Ron? Why don't you like Luna? I thought the two of you got along fine. I thought you said she was all right because she appreciated your sense of humor?"

Ron continued to look sulky.

"That was before she became an interloper. All she does now is butt into everything. You saw how she was this summer, constantly hanging around us all. She needs to get her own friends. It's not our fault if the rest of the school thinks she's a nutter."

Hermione's sympathetic smile vanished. This was a side of Ron she'd seen too much of.

"Ron, you're jealous of Luna."

Ron rounded on her.

"What? Me, jealous of her? You must be bloody joking! Why would I be jealous of that idiot?"

"Ron, do you know who the number one student is here at Hogwarts?"

"You are, of course. You have been since first year."

"That's right. Do you know who number two is?"

"Malfoy?"

"What? Why would you think Malfoy?"

Ron couldn't help but grin.

"I don't know. When I think number two, I think Malfoy."

Hermione shook her head.

"That doesn't say much about me either, you know. No, number two in the school is Luna. She's very bright, Ron. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be in Ravenclaw."

Ron looked far from convinced.

"It just doesn't make sense. Ok, so she's smart, big deal. Harry already hangs out with you, what does he need her for?"

"Ron, there are other factors to consider here as well."

"Like what?"

Hermione again have him her sympathetic smile.

"Well, I would say that it's pretty obvious that Luna has feelings for Harry, and she did let it slip to Ginny and I this summer that she found him attractive."

Ron laughed.

"Attractive? Harry? Pull the other one! What's so attractive about Harry? If he was, than why hasn't any other girls ever said anything?"

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes this time.

"Other girls have said things Ron, just not directly to Harry. And Luna's right, Harry is attractive, you both are. I've heard plenty of girls gush about the both of you. It was rather sickening, really."

Ron looked at her again, this time looking very serious.

"Really? Girls think I'm attractive?"

Hermione smiled at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, Ron, they do. And no, I'm not going to tell you which ones."

Ron smiled briefly before giving a deep sigh.

"I don't know, Hermione. When did things get so complicated? Why do things have to change? I mean, for six years we've been best friends, and now everything seems different, like everything has to have a label attached to it. Why do things have to change like this?"

Hermione continued to hold Ron's hand and placed her head on his shoulder before giving out her own deep sigh.

"They just do, Ron. They just do."