Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

By fbline

Chapter Ten: Paper Doll

Professor McGonagall reprimanded the group for cutting it very fine on their punctuality, but they had expected that. Harry and Ron in particular had seven years of experience with her strong disapproval of tardiness. Also, as they were the only four members of Gryffindor house to go out for Auror Training, their lateness did tend to stand out. Once they were all seated at the one long table before the professor's own desk the purpose of the day's session was revealed.

"Today, we shall be testing you in actual combat situations. As an Auror, you will be involved in life or death situations on a routine basis. There is no more dangerous and demanding job in the whole of the magical world. So, in order to prepare you for the inevitable situations that will no doubt arise, you will now be tested in a semi-controlled environment. Now, who can tell me what the three R's are in relation to being an Auror? Ah, Miss Granger."

Hermione ceased her hopping up and down in her chair and lowered her arm.

"The three R's, as explained in our text, are: Readiness, Response, and Resolution."

Professor McGonagall nodded.

"Correct, Miss Granger. Yes, as Alastor explains in our text, these are the three factors to consider in all combat situations. You must be in Readiness at all times for the possibility of an attack, Respond immediately and decisively in the event of an attack, and work towards the safest and quickest Resolution possible. This means bringing the confrontation to and end with as little injury and loss of life as possible. To further explain our objectives for today, I turn you over to Professor Dumbledore."

The four students all turned at once to see the aged wizard enter through the classroom door. Standing before them all, he appeared to have a lot on his mind that caused him great concern.

"Good day, students. Yes, as Professor McGonagall mentioned, the job of an Auror carries with it a great deal of danger. To that end, you will all be facing your worst fears in today's training. Only by confronting the worst can you hope to prepare yourself for what may lie ahead. Now, before we begin, I wish for you all to enter into different areas of the training facility in the dungeons, as you will not be working together for this exercise. Once you have taken up your positions I will further instruct you on what you are to do. So, please make your way to the dungeons and spread out. I shall be down momentarily."

The four students all left to take the stairs down to the unused section of the dungeons that housed their Auror training facility. Once they had shut the door behind them Professor McGonagall spoke.

"Albus, are you absolutely sure about this? I think it's far too risky this early to place the students in this type of situation. What do we really know about these supposedly advanced powers? What if they aren't at the level you suppose them to be?"

Professor Dumbledore turned his weary eyes to her.

"And what if they are? What if they continue to grow unchecked? What if the corrupting influence such a level of power creates claims him as it did with Tom? No, it must be tested now. If my theory is correct there will be no danger to him. It is the others we must be concerned with. If we were to lose him now with his powers increasing as they are, we are all doomed. I agree that this is an extreme approach we are taking, but the situation itself is an extreme one. We must know the extent of it, Minerva."

Professor McGonagall looked as if she would further argue this point but instead ended up giving a resigned sigh.

"You're right of course, but I still don't like it. He's still a child in so many ways, Albus. He's never been allowed to have a normal life and now he'll never even have the chance. How long do you think we can keep this from getting out if what you are expecting happens?"

Professor Dumbledore bowed his head.

"I don't know, Minerva. It has been too many years since I went through it to remember it all. I was tempted and resisted, but that was very long ago. The power we are talking about now is much stronger. We must find out what we are truly dealing with so that we can accurately plan for the future. I must go now and tell them what I want them to do. They will be reluctant, but it must be done. We shall talk afterwards, I promise."

Dumbledore then turned away from her and made his own way down to the dungeons. Behind him, Professor McGonagall now looked as troubled as he had.

"I hope you're right, Albus. And I hope that Harry forgives you for it."

**********

By the time that Professor Dumbledore entered the room that Harry was in, the boy had begun to think that he had been forgotten. He had sprung out of his chair at the slightest sounds, succeeding only in scaring the life out of a few mice. Now that the professor was there, he gripped his wand tighter in readiness for whatever might await him.

"I am sorry to keep you waiting, Harry. There were a few details that needed seen to before we could start. Your objective is to get to the other end of the dungeons. As you would expect, this will not be a leisurely stroll for you. As an Auror participating in fieldwork, you must be prepared go face multiple foes, sometimes several at one time. Today you will be facing one attack at a time, but you will be in no less danger. As I said in class, you must be prepared for anything, even your worst fears. Are you prepared to start, Harry?"

Harry nodded anxiously.

"I'm ready, Professor. Having confronted Voldemort on more than one occasion, I'm getting used to confronting my worst fears. Where are the others? Are they already done?"

Dumbledore's face remained stoic.

"There are worse things in life than battling your worst enemies, Harry. As for the others, they are busy elsewhere. Your testing will begin once you have left this room. I will be following your progress as you proceed. Good luck, Harry."

Dumbledore then stepped away from the closed door as Harry steeled himself for what he might encounter. As the door closed behind him, he soon discovered what the Headmaster had meant when he said that there were worse things than fighting your worst enemies.

Harry had only gone about seventy feet when he saw the flash of red to his right. Turning quickly, he very nearly sent a stunning hex at one of his best friends. His hesitation was all Ginny needed to hit him with her own hex.

"Incarcerous Ferrus!"

Suddenly, a wave of what appeared to be black tar shot straight at Harry. In reality, the fluid was a living iron that spread out and surrounded him completely. While he could only look on in shock and confusion at the girl he had come to look at as a little sister, the magical iron spread over his face and tightened at his chest, causing his breathing to cease. As his wand lay useless beside his iron coffin, he tried to focus on using non-verbal and wandless magic. Unfortunately, his lack of oxygen and the unending tightening of the iron around him caused him to lose his nerve. As he succumbed to the growing darkness, he felt an increasing warmth flow throughout his body. With a final thought of Luna's beautiful smile, he felt his life escaping from him.

"I have a new set of clothes for you, Harry."

Harry opened his eyes expecting to see someone with a halo and a pair of wings. Instead, he saw that it was Professor Dumbledore standing over him. Two other things also became immediately clear. First, he was completely naked. Second, he was lying in what appeared to be an iron canoe. Taking a deep breath of cool air, he looked back up at the suit of clothes that the Headmaster held out to him.

"Sir, I don't understand. Why did Ginny attack me? What did she do to me? How did I get out? What am I naked? What's going on?"

Dumbledore handed over the clothes for Harry to get dressed.

"Miss Weasley attacked you under my direct order. She had been very reluctant to do so, but I assured her that you life would not be in any danger. As for the hex she used, that was an advanced form of Incarcerous that is not taught here at Hogwarts owing to its intent of killing rather than simple confinement. I instructed her in its use, and she was very adept at it. I should have known she would be, owing to her expertise with the Bat Bogey hex. As for your nakedness, that is due to the method you used to escape your iron cocoon."

Harry buttoned the last button on the crisp white Oxford and looked back up at Dumbledore.

"But, I didn't cast anything. I didn't have my wand, and I couldn't focus enough to do any wandless or non-verbal spells. I just remember not being able to breathe and then getting really warm."

Dumbledore nodded.

"That is correct, Harry. You were not able to consciously cast any spells, but you did not need to. Tell me, have you experienced any unusual occurrences of magic that you were not aware of causing?"

Harry cast his mind back and remembered his fight over the summer with Dudley.

"Yes, I have. A few months ago, my cousin Dudley beat the living hell out of me. Without meaning to, I accidentally blew him through two walls of the house. Then, when my uncle confronted me about it and I told him about Dudley beating me up, he said I was lying. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw that my face looked untouched, even thought I knew I had to have a broken jaw and some missing teeth. Is that connected to what happened here?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I dare say it is. What you experienced then and just now is a very rare form of magic that requires no wand, and no incantation of any kind. In a sense, your body and mind were acting independently in an effort to ensure your survival. In this case, as you were enclosed in iron your body reacted by generating enough heat to melt your way through it. Once you were free, the metal cooled around you, forming the shell that you were lying in when I woke you up. Naturally, as you melted through the metal you melted through your clothing as well. Miss Weasley steadfastly refused to leave until she was convinced that you were fine. Of course, it may have also been because you were naked. Regardless, apart from passing out from lack of oxygen, you escaped any real injury from what is normally meant as a fatal hex. To further test your abilities, I must ask that you continue on through the next door and continue your exercise."

Harry turned to look at the closed wooden door.

"Sir, am I going to meet any of the others? Is this what you meant by facing our worst fears?"

Harry then turned his head back to look at Dumbledore, only to find that he was alone again. Going through the door as instructed, he wondered what, or who, he would encounter next.

He didn't need to wait very long to find out. Rounding a corner, he came face to face with his sister, Hermione. Knowing that she would likely act just as Ginny had, Harry reached on instinct for his wand, only to realize that he had failed to pick it up after his last encounter. His lapse gave Hermione ample time to act.

" Amputus Mortalis!"

This time instead of a black tar-like substance, Harry was subject to a blizzard of razor like projectiles. As he opened his mouth to scream, the only noise he could manage was a weak gurgle as the blades sliced through his throat and face on their way to imbed themselves into the stone wall behind him. Choking on his own blood as it poured out as fast as his heart could pump it, the welcoming darkness came upon him much faster than it had before. There was no time to panic and no time to steel himself for what might await him. Lying in a large pool of his own blood, he had an increasing feeling of his entire body tingling. It was the voice of the Headmaster again that caused him to open his weary eyes.

"Here you are, Harry. I'm glad I had the foresight to obtain your measurements from Molly. It does make conjuring a new suit of clothes much easier."

Harry noted that Dumbledore had yet another full outfit for him to put on. Looking again at the clothes he was currently wearing, he noted that they looked as if they had been run through a shredder. The large amount of blood on them caused him to check his body for injuries, only to find that he appeared to be completely unscathed. His mind returned to the beating that he had received at the hands of his cousin, and how he had ended up unblemished then as well.

"Sir, I assume that you knew that all those blades going through me wouldn't actually kill me?"

Dumbledore smiled as he once again handed Harry a new suit of clothes.

"No, I did not assume anything. Remember, when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me. Ha, that's an old joke, even for me. Yes, I was sufficiently confident that your innate magical defenses would react in the same way that it had done before. Miss Granger was even harder to convince than Miss Weasley that you would be in no mortal danger. The Amputus Mortalis hex is an advanced and deadly version of the severing charm, and like with Incarcerous Ferrus, widely forbidden because of its intention of maiming and killing rather than disability or simple containment. You have now passed through two potentially lethal situations, Harry. Past the next door will be your third test. I will meet up with you again at its completion. Oh, and you won't be needing another change of clothes afterwards this time."

With a small grin and a wink, Professor Dumbledore passed through a side door, while Harry was directed to continue through the door at the far end of the hall he was in. Prepared for any possible attack from any possible direction, he was not at all prepared for the bizarre sight that confronted him as he stepped into the dimly lit room before him.

Harry had suspected that he would encounter another of his friends, that part of the tests he had come to understand, but he was also under the impression that he would be defending himself from them, not trying to save them from themselves.

Something wasn't right with Neville. His movements weren't natural looking, and his eyes seemed to have a glaze over them. Harry had seen this look before. It was the same look that Marietta had on her face when she had denied knowing about the DA back in fifth year. Neville, Harry realized, was under the Imperius Curse, and what he was doing under its influence made his stomach plummet. Neville was climbing up onto a chair to place a noose around his neck. Time seemed to slow down as Harry ran to try and get him to stop.

Suddenly, Harry found himself propelled backward by an invisible force. A stasis field had been created around where Neville was standing, making it so that Harry couldn't reach him. Rising to his feet, Harry noticed his skin glowing again and the air around him crackling with magical energy. Looking directly at Neville, he felt his mind projecting outward to enter into his friend's own head.

Harry could feel the presence of someone else in Neville's mind, a presence that was overpowering his thoughts and telling him over and over to hang himself. Neville was struggling to fight the intruder, but he was unable to overcome the power of it. Harry immediately came to Neville's aid and joined in with him in the attack on the intruding force. Instantly, the attacker lost their control over Neville and was forced to flee before it could be utterly destroyed. Once Harry's mind had returned to his own body, he opened his eyes to see a complete reversal of what he had previously experienced after his tests. This time, it was Professor Dumbledore that was lying on the ground looking much the worse for wear. Harry immediately rushed forward to check on him.

"Professor! Professor, are you all right? Say something!"

Neville, looking thoroughly confused, joined Harry at Dumbledore's side. Just as Harry was about to tell him to go get help, a smile broke out on the aged wizard's face.

"Something."

Dumbledore then got to his feet, with the help of Harry and Neville, and brushed himself off. When he had recovered his composure sufficiently, he clasped both boys on the shoulder.

"Very good, Harry. And thank you, Neville. I can see now that Mr. Potter here has surpassed even myself as a Legillimens. This would explain why you were able to best Voldemort and gain his location of his former base of operations, and why he has not attempted to seek control of your mind since then. This is very good news, Harry."

Harry would have been proud of the praise that Dumbledore was giving him, but at the moment he was too upset over his close friend being forced to hang himself in front of him.

"What do you think you're playing at? You could have made Neville kill himself!"

Dumbledore smiled even more, something that only made Harry madder at him.

"Harry, I assure you that Neville was in no danger for his life. Here, I'll show you."

Dumbledore than got up on the chair himself, placed the noose around his own neck, and stepped off. Even before Harry or Neville could react, the professor was standing on the ground again with a long chord of rope lying next to him.

"The rope was merely suspended using Wingardium Leviosa. Even if Neville had succeeded in attempting to hang himself, he would only have managed to bring the rope down with him. Using the Imperius curse is of course listed as an unforgivable but, as you know, Death Eaters very rarely comply with the Ministry rules and regulations. Any one of you might fall under the Imperius, and you must be able to recognize and fight it. I do not believe that there is a wizard alive now that could take over Harry's mind, and I also now feel confident that he could throw off the effect on any one of you. However, the thing that is most impressive is that Harry did not merely dispel me himself, but that he assisted you in doing it yourself. Had you ever managed to throw off the Imperious before, Neville?"

Neville shook his head.

"No, I haven't. When Professor Moody placed it on us back in fourth year, I was never able to fight it at all. Harry was the only one that managed to throw it off."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Correct. Now that Harry is able to add his own magical energy to others, all of you will benefit from it. This is one of the reasons I wanted to test these powers now, so that it would not be first discovered in a real combat situation. At the moment, these powers are a secret from Voldemort, and one that we need to keep as long as possible if we are to defeat him once and for all. Now, Harry, I think it is time for you to move on to the next test. If you would just step through the door into the next room, your next encounter awaits you."

The large oaken door to the main hallway opened up for Harry to proceed. Stepping back out into the dark, it wasn't long before another of his friends confronted Harry. This time, it was his oldest and closest friend that he met up with.

"I'm really sorry, Harry."

Ron was unable to meet his friend's eyes as he opened the chest that contained a dementor. The use of a boggart to stimulate an encounter with a dementor was a common practice for upper level Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. The use of an actual dementor would have been far too dangerous for the average student. Harry was by no means an "average" anything. The dementor was real, and so were the waves of despair it was assaulting Harry with.

The visions in Harry's mind were macabre beyond description. Horrific deaths of his friends, mutilations of the people he cared most about, and the reality of a Voldemort conquered world. He felt the icy cold seizing him, causing him to curl into a fetal position on the cold stone floor. Bile forced itself up into his throat as he pleaded with his mind to just shut down. The black void of death would have been a welcome relief from the living hell he was in now. And, as the dementor swooped down to lay its soul-stealing kiss upon his parched lips, the thought of living on as an unfeeling shell held no fear for him. As it turned out, he would not be the one whose existence would be ended that day.

Dumbledore had already petrified Ron by the time the dementor bowed to administer its kiss. As he was about to cast a patronus to dispel he hellish creature, a blinding light caused him to instead shield his face for fear of permanent sight damage. When he was able to open his eyes again, Harry alone remained slumped on the floor, all traces of the dementor gone. Ron, who had been able to watch the scene in total, recapped what had happened for the both of them once they had recovered and his immobility was ended.

"Professor, it was amazing! I had just raised my wand to try and cast a patronus to help Harry would when you petrified me. And then, Harry, that dementor went down to give you the kiss, and I didn't want to watch, but I didn't have a choice. Just when I thought you were a goner for sure, your eyes opened up and they weren't like your real eyes at all. It was like this glowing white light that shone like a lighthouse. The light filled up the whole room and I could see that the dementor was trying to get away, but it couldn't. Then it started to melt and bubble on the floor over there. One second it's a real dementor, and the next it looks like a pile of cat sick. How is that even possible? I didn't even know that dementors could be killed."

Harry took the block of chocolate the Dumbledore handed to him as the two teens looked to their Headmaster for an explanation. Ron was right, there was no previous record of a dementor being "destroyed." In fact, there was very little known about them at all. The professor gave a block of chocolate to the hopeful looking Ron as well.

"Quite right, Mr. Weasley. It is possible that you have just witnessed the first destruction of a dementor ever. I hesitate to call it a death, since I do not fully believe that they are ever truly alive in a sense that we can understand. They are merely the embodiment of our worst fears and phobias. A dementor cannot normally be destroyed because it would take a force of good strong enough to counter its extremely evil presence. This tells us two things about young Harry, here. Firstly, that his magic levels have increased to levels impossible to measure. Indeed, his power could now be best described as essentially limitless. This is of course a benefit in the fight against evil, but it also carries an equal amount of danger. As we have found out with Tom Riddle and countless others like him, power is a corrupting influence, and the more power the higher the chance of corruption. I must confess that I feared that the corrupting influence of Harry's great power might consume him. Fortunately for all of us, his virtue has expanded along with it, as we have now seen with the destruction of this creature of darkness. The blinding light and unquenchable fire you witnessed was the righteous fire that dwells within you, Harry. Just as Voldemort has embraced the darkness and hatred, you have embraced the light and love. Hate and love are opposing powers, but they are both very powerful. As his powers have increased, so have yours. The difference is that as his drive for power has left him empty inside, yours has filled you with the love and admiration of others, as well as the ability to love in return. The surge of positive emotion was too much for the dementor to endure, causing it to be consumed by its power. You have proven all of my theories correct thus far, Harry. You have shown me more than I could have possibly dreamed of. I have only one more task for you to complete. In this final encounter, you will be faced with your worst fear yet, as will they. This shall be your hardest test yet, Harry. I shall talk with you again when it is complete. Good luck to you."

Dumbledore then placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder and went through into the last room before the stairs to the castle's ground floor. Harry knew what was coming. He knew who would be behind that door. The one person he had ever truly been in love with, the one person that meant the entire world to him. Ron knew it as well. Giving Harry a sympathetic look, he held the door open for him so that he could brace himself for whatever his final task would be.

Harry's assumption was correct, Luna was standing in the middle of Professor Snape's classroom, her wand gripped tightly in her hand. His focus went immediately to her upon entering the room, taking in her crying face and frantic screaming. The cause of her distress was centered between the two of them. There, on the ground a few feet in front of where Harry now stood, was a figure lying prone on the ground. He recognized the person immediately. It was a mirror image of himself. When Luna looked at the real Harry standing before her, she screamed as he had only heard one other person ever scream before. That time it had been Mrs. Weasley screaming over the sight of her husband and family lying dead at her feet. Luna screamed again and pointed her wand directly at Harry's chest.

"You monster! You've killed the man that I love! You've killed the brightest light in this dark world! Harry once told me he was unable to cast the Crucio hex two years ago. There was too much love in his heart for it. Well, you've taken all of mine from me now. I hope you rot in hell! Avada Kedavra!"

The sudden flash of light streaked from Luna's wand like a shot. Harry would have never imagined she could have cast it, but she most certainly had. The green light struck him with the force of an atomic bomb. He caught a last brief glance of Dumbledore off to the side and couldn't believe he had let this happen. He was going to die, and it was the old man's entire fault. He felt the impact on his back as he was blown backwards through the foot thick stone wall behind him and then felt the displaced stone fall on top of him, burying him under it all. After that, all became dark and quiet.

Back in the room he had once been in, Luna let out another blood curdling scream. Dumbledore had dispelled the boggart, causing the girl to return to her proper senses. She had killed Harry. Her worst nightmare had now become a reality. Ron got to the pile of rubble first, owing to his still being in the room that Harry had been blasted into. Immediately, all three of them began to levitate the larger stones out of the way. Luna continued to cry frantically as Ron merely seemed to be too stunned to react at all. When several layers had been removed from the pile, something happened that caused both Ron and Dumbledore to divert their attention from Harry's wellbeing to Luna.

Neither of them noticed when Luna had stopped crying. They were both more concerned with finding Harry under all the rubble. The sound had been a soft murmuring at first, not loud or coherent enough to concern them. However, as the murmuring got louder, both Ron and Dumbledore could no longer ignore it. Ron felt that he had heard something similar to it once before, but could not quite place it. Dumbledore was very aware of what it was, but could not believe that he was really hearing it. There was no doubt that the sound was coming from Luna, though. And soon, it was also apparent that the same noise was coming up through the rubble. Luna suddenly became even more possessed with freeing her love and lifted the remaining layers of rock without any assistance. Instantly after it's removal she threw herself onto Harry and cradled him in her arms as the boy coughed up the dust that had settled upon him. For the second time ever, a person had survived the killing curse. Both times it had been Harry. This time, he wanted to know why.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at? Do you get some sick pleasure at trying to get me killed? Look what you've done to Luna! She could have killed me, and it would have been your entire fault! I'm sick of you hurting all the people I care about!"

Harry was instantly off the ground and at Dumbledore's throat. Three seemed to be some kind of barrier around the Headmaster, but Harry broke through it with very little effort. A golden glow surrounded Harry and magical energy rose off of him like fingers of flame rising off of a raging fire. Luna and Ron quickly grabbed each of his arms in an attempt to arrest his actions. For the good it did, they may as well have tried arm wrestling Hagrid. Harry's arms were like steel as he gripped Dumbledore's throat like a vice. No sound came from the old man's throat as his life drained away before their very eyes. Luna knew she had to do something quickly if Harry was not to become a murderer.

"Harry, stop! This isn't what you want! I'm fine. You're fine. We're all fine. Please, let the professor go. I love you, Harry. We all do.

The magic radiating off of Harry began to die down, his as he grip on Dumbledore did. After a few tense seconds, the old man's feet were back on the ground and he was gasping deeply for air. When he had recovered the ability to speak, he called out for the rest of them to come join them, as they had all been waiting outside the classroom door. After explaining to those who had not witnessed what had happened why there was now one less cell in the dungeon, Dumbledore took a deep steadying sigh and further explained why he had decided to do all of this.

"Harry, am I right to assume that you have not fully explained the prophecy to all of your friends?"

All faced turned to Harry as he stared down at the floor. He had known this say would come, but it did not make him feel any better about it. Returning his eyes to look at them all, he nodded.

"Then the time has come to reveal it. They are all now as much a part of this as you are. The entirety of it you may divulge to them later. For now, I wish to draw your attention to one part of it in particular. In the prophecy, it states that neither you nor Voldemort can truly live while the other survives. This we may interpret to mean that one of you will be required to kill the other if you wish to ever truly be alive yourselves. However, it could also mean that neither of you can die except at the hands of the other. I had suspected something like this might be true since your first year, Harry. Tonight, I wanted to know for certain. I assure you, I take no enjoyment out of being proven right, since the method I had to use in order to do so was so unkind to all of you. For that, I am truly sorry. The information we have gained though is invaluable, and must therefore be kept secret. In short, Harry is now virtually invulnerable. Killing him by Muggle or magical means would be unsuccessful by even the strongest of means. You can still be gravely injured, make no mistake of that, but the path to death is now temporarily closed to you. The only thing that will return you to mortal status is the destruction of your prophesied nemesis. In short, only by the killing of the other will the killer be freed of their immortality. Until then, the two of you are as constant as the tides and seasons."

The others seemed to be thinking these revelations over, but Harry was still angry.

"But why did you need to go about testing me in this way? Why use my friends against me? Why did you have them do the things they did?"

Dumbledore surprised them all by giving a soft chuckle.

"I told you all that you would be facing your worst fears today. Can you think of anything worse than fighting against your closest friends? As for why I had them do that they did, think back to your first year, Harry. What did Voldemort do when you refused to hand over the Philosopher's Stone?"

Harry needed no time to remember this. The memory was as strong as the day it had happened.

"He had Professor Quirrell try and choke me."

"And what happened?"

"He wasn't able to do it. Whenever he touched me, it burned him. In the end, it killed him."

"Did you use your wand to do this?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, I didn't. It was on the ground. You told me it was my mum's blood that burned him when he tried to hurt me. But now, Voldemort can touch me. We have the same blood in us both."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Exactly, Harry. Your mother's blood is no longer able to protect you. However, you no longer need that protection. When Mrs. Weasley cast Incarcerous Ferrus on you, there should have been no chance of your survival without your wand. You could have tried wandless magic, as I'm sure you thought about doing, but you would not have had much time, especially with the panic you were undoubtedly experiencing. Instead, your body and mind acted on their own and succeeded in causing what air was left around you to heat up enough to melt the iron that surrounded you. Like in your first year, the act was an unconscious one. Unlike in your first year, this was entirely your doing. There are no longer any outside protections needed to help ensure your survival. You are now quite capable of doing so yourself."

Harry nodded. He hated to admit it, but Dumbledore usually did know what he was doing, even if his methods were often questionable.

"Ok, I can understand that, but what about the others?"

Dumbledore took it in turn to look at each of the other students as he referred to them.

"In your second year, you were fatally poisoned by a Basilisk. Again, you are the only known survivor of such an event. That time it was Fawkes that helped you. Now, you can heal yourself. In your third year, you were very nearly received the dementor's kiss and proved yourself capable of producing a corperal patronus. Now, you yourself are capable of dispelling them without one. In your fourth year, you were exposed to all three of the unforgivable curses. The Imperious curse is perhaps the worst since it robs the victim of all that they are, making them into little more than a puppet. You had already proven yourself capable of protecting yourself from the effect, and now you possess the power to aid others in fighting it off as well. Lastly, the most deadly of the curses is the Avada Kedavra. There is no blocking it, and there is no counter curse. When cast with enough intent, the effect is immediate. When Miss Lovegood was under the influence of the boggart, she saw the real Harry as being Voldemort standing over the false Harry's dead body. Her feelings for you being what they are, she was most capable of casting the curse with ample force of emotion behind it. Had the prophecy not given you these extra abilities when you came of age, you would have been dead after the first test. All of you have become very powerful magically. I feel sorry for the Death Eater who has the misfortune of crossing any of you. There is one thing that I had not expected, however. Luna, Harry, how long have you been able to Dream Speak?"

Dumbledore focused his blue eyes on Harry and Luna, the both of them still holding onto one another closely. None of the students seemed to understand the question he had asked except for Hermione who looked as if she had finally realized something that had been troubling her for a long time. When Harry looked at Luna expecting to see a mirror of his own confused expression, he saw that she instead looked as if she had been expecting this. Her attention turned from Harry to Dumbledore.

"I've been doing it since my mother died. I talk to her quite a lot, really. I don't know about Harry. I only found out he could do it when we all went to the Ministry back in my fourth year. When he said he could hear the voices, really hear them, I knew I had found the one person I was meant to find."

The rest of the group that were not among the top two students in the school looked even more confused. Dumbledore was about to explain it to them when he saw that Hermione was bursting to speak. Giving her a slight nod, she launched into her familiar studious mode.

"Dream Speaking, or Dream Talking, is the ability to talk to wizards or witches who have died. It is so called because of the fact that it is normally done while the person is asleep, since that is the time that the barrier between the two worlds is the thinnest. As with other forms of magical communication such as Parseltongue and Astral Projection, the gift is very rare and often establishes a close bond between those few that possess the gift."

When she had finished her textbook definition, Ron finally realized where he had heard the sounds Luna and Harry had been making.

"It was back when we were in the room with the veil. Harry kept getting closer to it and saying he could hear voices. I was right there with him, and I could only hear a low humming noise. Luna mentioned hearing it as well, but I kind of chalked that up to her being a bit of a nutter. No offense, Luna."

Luna smiled at Ron's blushing.

"None taken, Ronald. I was shocked myself when Harry said he could hear the voices. I had never heard of anyone else who could do it beside myself. Daddy often says that he wishes he could so that he could talk with mother again. I had already known that I wanted Harry to have some part in my life, but at that moment I knew that he would be a bigger part of it than I could have ever dreamed of."

Harry blushed slightly as Luna gave him a feather-light kiss on the lips and hugged him to her. Dumbledore smiled warmly at the two of them.

"You're quite correct, Miss Lovegood. Just as Harry and Voldemort are linked by their Parseltongue abilities, the two of you are linked by this unique ability."

A light went on in Ginny's mind.

"If Luna has the ability to talk to her mum, then I take it that Harry can talk with his parents?"

A heavy silence followed that statement. Harry and Hermione had done as Dumbledore had instructed and not told their friends about their parents being alive. To steer the conversation away from this area, the Headmaster motioned them to ascend the staircase back to the castle.

"Harry and Luna can indeed talk to anyone that has passed on that they wish to speak with. Often they are not even consciously aware that they are making contact until the person appears in their dream to offer advice or a warning. Now, I will return you to Professor McGonagall. I am required to attend a meeting of the Order. You have all done very well. I shall see you all later at dinner."

Dumbledore then led them all back to their Transfiguration room which doubled as their classroom for Auror Training. Once there, Professor McGonagall gave them their assignments for the next session and dismissed them. As the six of them headed back towards Gryffindor tower, all of them apologized to Harry for what they had done. Dumbledore had assured them that he would be perfectly safe, and their trust in him and Harry's abilities convinced them to go along with it, however reluctantly. Hearing this, Harry merely nodded. He was too tired to get upset anymore.

"There's nothing to apologize for. I know you were doing it to help me. Dumbledore has some bizarre ideas sometimes, well, ok, most of the time, but they usually turn out to be right. It is a little frightening to think about. What happens if my power does corrupt me? If I can't be stopped, what could that mean for the rest of the world? I couldn't live with myself if I was responsible for people getting hurt or killed because of what I've done. It would be up to you guys to take me out somehow. Promise me, if something happens to me, you'll stop me before I can turn out like Voldemort. Please, promise me that."

Harry had tears in his eyes as he looked pleadingly at his closest friends. All of them looked back at him with equal emotion. Luna placed her hands upon his shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"Harry, that isn't going to happen, so don't let it enter your mind. You could have taken the easy path long before this, but you didn't. Your heart is pure, and you have so much love in your heart. I love you, and your friends and family love you. Nothing can take that away, Harry. Nothing can, and nothing ever will."

Luna leaned in and gave Harry a deep and passionate kiss. When the kiss had gone on for nearly a full minute, the others began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, Ginny cleared her throat quite loudly.

"Oi, get a room! You might be all-powerful and stuff, but that doesn't mean you can dry hump your girlfriend out in front of everyone. Besides, that's not a very good example for the Head Boy to set, is it?"

The rest of the group laughed as Harry made a gesture towards the read haired girl. Needless to say, it did not mean for her to save him two seats at lunch. Luna gave him a swat on the arm, but she did so while laughing along with everyone else. Harry then took her by the hand and set off in a different direction than the rest of them.

"Fine, we will. Luna and I will just go down to the kitchens and get some cocoa. Come on love, we'll go snog somewhere more private."

The rest of the group continued to make comments as the two of them headed back down the stairs to the kitchens. Harry merely waved to them while Luna giggled like a child on their way to the candy store.

**********

The hot chocolate had been an excellent idea. The chocolate had helped them both recover from their experience, while the opportunity for them to be along together made them both put their own problems aside for the time being. The house elves that worked in the kitchens had at fist been exceedingly eager to serve them in any way possible, but once Harry had succeeded in convincing them that what they really wanted was to be left alone, they obediently gave the two of them their privacy, something that they took full advantage of.

The tow of them had grown very accomplished at kissing. They had also become quite skilled at finding just the right places to touch to drive the other to distraction. Their make-out sessions had a satisfying pattern that they followed that kept them both happy, while not allowing things to progress too far. Today, that pattern became altered.

Harry didn't notice anything at first. He was more focused on the feel of Luna's lips on his while he ran his fingers through her long blonde hair. It was the noise that alerted him to something being different. He had worn his old pair of khakis that day since it was a weekend. The zipper on it kept getting stuck for him. Luna didn't seem to have that problem with it.

Harry's body responded immediately. He was a teenage boy after all. He was also a teenage boy being touched for the first time by a girl. His eyes closed as his tiredness was replaced by a feeling of euphoria run through him. Kissing his neck up to her ear, Luna whispered to him in a huskily seductive voice.

"I was so scared I lost you today my love. I couldn't have gone on living without you. I love you so much that it consumes me. I want to be with you. I want to be with you in body and mind. Please, Harry. Please make love to me. The future is so uncertain. Let's enjoy the time we have."

Luna moved on to sliding Harry's belt slowly through the loops on his pants. The feel of her lips on his neck, the strawberry smell of her shampoo, the warmth of her body pressing against his, all of these things combined to make him feel very lightheaded. In the back of his mind, a small voice was saying something, but it was very faint, and he didn't really care. As Luna's progress continued, the voice became louder. Just as Harry was about to lose himself completely the voice, which he now recognized as Hermione's, rang out in his mind like the bells of a cathedral.

"No! We can't, Luna. I'm sorry. Not here, not now. It wouldn't be right."

Luna had been in the process of pulling his pants down, having loosened them enough to do so. The disappointment in her eyes tugged at his heart. Why did going the right thing always involve hurting someone? And damn Hermione for being the reason all the time. When Luna spoke, her voice trembled with emotion.

"Harry, please. I thought I'd lost you today. What if the next time I really do? What if I lose you and we've never had a chance to express our love for one another? I'm ready for this. I know that it will be awkward, and that it will hurt me at first, but as long as I am with you it will be perfect. I love you, Harry. Let me show you how much."

Luna leaned into him again and kissed him hard on the mouth. There was desperation in the kiss; along with a passion that was as powerful as any magic either had witnessed that day. As a testament to his resolve and strength of character, Harry managed to pull away.

"I love you too, Luna. I love you so much I can't think straight most of the time. But I also love you enough to want our first time to be special. I want it to be everything you've ever dreamed of. I mean have you ever dreamed of our first time being in the kitchens here at school?"

A devilish grin appeared on Luna's flushed face.

"Actually, I have. It was rather... messy."

Harry's face reddened while Luna giggled.

"Uh, yes, well, be that as it may, I want our first time to be done right. Being with you will be perfect, but I also want it to be something we'll want to remember for the rest of our lives. And I do mean our lives, our lives together."

Luna's eyes went wide. Well, wider.

"Harry, are you... asking me something?"

Harry tried to figure out what Luna could have taken as a question in what he had just said. As he reached the end of his last statement, it clicked.

"No! I mean, no, I'm not. I do want to be with you forever, but I think we're both a bit young for anything that serious now, don't you?"

Luna's dreamy smile returned.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps something has to happen first, some kind of life altering event. You never know when something like that might happen. Anyway, let's get you back to Gryffindor tower. Ron and Hermione will be getting on each other's nerves by now and you'll be needed to keep the peace. I know those two care about each other deeply, but some things never change."

Harry smiled as he got out of his chair and took Luna by the hand.

"Yeah, you're right. Some things never do change. Just like my love for you."

Harry drew Luna close to him and kissed her deeply. Pulling back, a slightly dazed look appeared in both of their faces. Luna's devilish grin soon reappeared.

"There's no use trying to get on my good side now, Harry. I'm not in the mood any more."

Both of them laughed as they left the kitchens to return to their separate towers. That night as the two lay in their respective beds, they both thought back to their time together that night. Luna realized that Harry was right in wanting to wait and loved him all the more for his depth of feeling for her. Meanwhile, Harry could only think of the softness of her hands and the feel of her body pressed against him. Would it have been so wrong to give in to his physical desire? His head kept telling him that he had done the right and chivalrous thing, but the rest of his body was still hoping for a second chance. Needless to say, he did not sleep well that night.

Breakfast on Sunday morning was much like it was on Saturday, but with slightly more anxiety. Students who had assignments due the next day and had not placed the first drop of ink to parchment ate hurriedly and went off to the library, while those that were caught up or decided to wait until after dinner remained behind. Since Harry and friends were under the constant threat of Hermione's wrath if they put off any of their assignments, they were all able to enjoy a more leisurely meal. This day, however, would not be one of those days.

They heard Professor McGonagall's heals clicking on the stone floor from across the great hall. When she had arrived at their table, she motioned for them to lean in close to her.

"You are all needed immediately in the Headmaster's office. You will all come with me right now. Hurry."

The six of them got up immediately and followed the professor's hurried steps out of the hall. As Harry passed the Slytherin table he looked over to see Draco's eyes following them out. The usual contemptuous look wasn't there. Instead, he looked afraid. Could Draco know what was happening? And if so, what could it be to worry him so much? Harry had a bad feeling about what was going to happen to them and fought against the overwhelming dread that it could mean that Voldemort had returned.

When they all entered Dumbledore's office, they were surprised to find that most of the order was there as well. For Harry, this confirmed his fear that Voldemort was back and caused him to now wonder what the monster had done. Without hesitation, he approached the Headmaster's desk.

"Professor, what's happened? Is it him? Is he back?"

Dumbledore looked gravely back at Harry but shook his head.

"No, Harry. We have no indication that Voldemort has returned. The reason why we have called this meeting of the Order, and the reason we have invited the six of you to attend, is because we are awarding Mundungus Fletcher a medal of bravery."

Ron chuckled in relief that it wasn't something serious.

"Dung? What did he do to get that, help an old lady across Diagon Alley?"

Ron's laugh stopped immediately when he noted the dire faces of the surrounding Order members. Dumbledore's usually twinkling blue eyes looked stonily at him.

"No, Mr. Weasley. Mundungus Fletcher is receiving the Order's award of bravery for losing his life in the line of duty. He has a sister living in Holmfirth. She will receive his medal and personal affects. His assets are meager, but she will also receive a stipend from us through the Ministry. She will be told that he worked in the Investigations department and was killed while working on a case."

All six of the students were stunned. Mundungus was dead? How could that be? He may have been little more than a crook, but he had always been loyal to Dumbledore. Hermione was the first to ask the question that was on all their minds.

"Professor, what happened? How did he get killed? Do we know who it was?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Mundungus was on patrol in Dover. His assignment was to keep an eye on the ports and make sure that we were alerted in the even that any of the Death Eaters returned that way. From what we understand, he was given a message to meet someone at the docks that traded in black market magical items. Alas, when he got there, instead of meeting a tradesman, he was attacked and killed instantly. Aurors were called upon, as were members of the Order, but the assailant managed to escape. Specialist Aurors were called in to try and trace the source of the Avada Kedavra that was used, and they were able to come up with the killer's identity. That is why I have called you all in, so that I can warn you all to keep a close eye on one another."

Harry gripped Luna's hand tightly in his. Dumbledore sounded as worried as he'd ever heard him. If Dumbledore was this scared, things were very bad indeed.

"Sir, who was it? Who killed Mundungus?"

Dumbledore fixed his troubled eyes on Harry.

"Lucius Malfoy. I'm afraid I have to tell you that he has returned to England, and that he will no doubt be making his next move very soon. Our belief is that he will be making his way to Hogwarts in order to exact revenge for the Death Eaters being forced to exile themselves. If this is so, that will mean that we are all in grave danger."