The Honeymoon's Over, Mr. Potter

Chapter Six: Drill Sergeant Moody

Monday, 20 May, 1996

Harry awoke to a very wet, very cold bed. "Mad-Eye, what are you doing?" he said, noticing the hour, "It's four a.m.!"

"Getting you up, lazybones; you have a long day ahead of you."

Harry dragged himself out of bed and Moody tossed some conjured sweat pants at him.

They went to the fitness club, where Moody proceeded to exhaust Harry further with more physical training. On the bright side, Harry was so tired he barely felt anything, but on the not so bright side, on the rare occasion that he dozed off, he was hit in the face with a stream of ice water.

After two hours of torture, Moody finally let Harry go back to his room and take a short nap before changing for the day. Refreshed and alert, Harry met Moody in the common room around eight and they set out for Diagon Alley.

Deciding to treat himself, Harry, now with different glamour and voice-altering charms than those of the day before, led Moody into Madam Malkin's.

"Good afternoon, Mr..." Clearly Madam Malkin was looking for a response, so Harry obliged.

"Delacour, Pierre Delacour," Harry responded with a French accent. Harry hoped Fleur would forgive him for using her last name.

"Well, Mr. Delacour, what can I do for you?"

"I need casual robes in black, grey, green, and blue; blue, green, and red dress robes; and summer cloaks in blue and green. I'd like everything in styles that will fit in anywhere in the world."

"What kind of blues and greens would you like, Mr. Delacour?"

"Um, that green, this blue, and that red." Harry pointed to a hunter green robe, a navy blue cloak, and a dark red jumper.

After a minute of contemplation, Harry added, "I would also like any protection you can cast into the robes, such as counter curses and the like."

"I'm afraid it's impossible to cast counter curses into robes, but if you're looking for protection, may I recommend Stephen's Arms and Legs? It's in Knockturn Alley, but Stephen is the best arms master in England."

As it turned out, the robes looked very nice and would get Harry through the summer. He knew he'd have to come back for Hogwarts robes, because asking for them now was sure to raise questions.

When he asked Madam Malkin for her advice about what colors would look nice on him, her eyes lit up and before he knew it, she was holding various hues next to him with a speed and ferocity that Molly Weasley would have been hard-pressed to match.

"Why do I need two brown robes?" he asked curiously when she held up robes of tan and beige. That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, because Madam Malkin looked highly offended when she said, "Brown? Those are not brown. This is beige and that is tan, don't you see the difference?"

Harry was quick to assure her that he had not meant to be rude and yes, he did see the difference now that she mentioned it. He looked to Moody for sympathy, but the man was no help at all, smirking at Harry from behind the irate seamstress.

"You know, I think my cousin would like some new robes, as well, Madam. You have very nice clothes, perhaps something in pink?" Moody's smirk quickly changed to a look of horror that he only barely managed to mask before Madam Malkin pushed him into a room and began to measure him.

An hour later, Harry barely made it out of sight before he started laughing hysterically. Moody found it less amusing, and told Harry that he would no longer think it was funny once his training started.

Next, Harry walked into Eeylops Owl Emporium and, half an hour later, walked out with a barn owl and an eagle owl, both of which had seemed to call out to him. The shopkeeper had claimed both were very intelligent and would serve him well. Harry knew that Hedwig was too recognizable, and after Umbridge hurt Hedwig the year before, he knew that he could not risk her safety and his anonymity in his plans. He only hoped he could convince Hedwig she was not being replaced, or she was liable to peck him to death.

After two hours in Flourish and Blotts, Harry exited the large store with two of his highest capacity bottomless bags full of shrunken books on a variety of subjects, with emphasis placed on Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Potions; those were the subjects he knew least about and he thought they might come in handy. He had also picked out Defense Against the Dark Arts books (including those on both hexes/curses and dark creatures), Charms books, and Transfiguration books because he would be taking them in school.

In the stationary store, he bought some high-quality quills, ink, and stationary. At first he had been afraid that all the stationary would look like his Aunt Petunia's (the paper itself was silver, decorated by a gold border with pink and white stripes, and her monogram as a header). However, upon walking into the store, he realized that the Dursleys' stationary was more a product of Mrs. Dursley's lack of taste than a lack of options. While there were some pretty wild patterns (one had pictures of animals constantly running across a leopard-print background), most were noticeably more elegant.

Harry knew that people were judged by their stationary in written correspondence as they were judged by their clothes in personal communication, and because of this, despite his hatred of writing, he resolved to buy the nicest he could find. However, because of his lack of experience in such matters, he first picked the most expensive one and had it not been for Moody's derisive laugh and recommendation that he pick something he liked rather than what was most expensive, Harry would have walked out with gold stationary with a silver border and dark pink stripes where the lines were supposed to be.

In the end, he decided on stationary with a crème colored background and a simple navy blue border. He also resolved to get a copy of his family crest and debated having the crest put on the personalized stationary. In the end, he decided to buy it after he was emancipated, so that he could take care of legal correspondence that way. Though he did not like the thought of writing letters, he knew that it was an important skill to have.

Harry was enjoying his day of keeping a low profile. His next stop, he decided, would be Quality Quidditch Supplies. Because this was his first summer of being able to fly outside of school, Harry resolved to build a pitch no matter where he ended up so that he would always be able to relax. This was, of course, more than partly influenced by the ad in the window:

No-Sick Broomstick

For beginner Quidditch players, this broom is a safe, relaxing way to learn the best sport on broomsticks.

For all you old hands, watch out for Zeus' Lightning Seeker Brooms, Thor's Hammer Beater Brooms, Mercury's Chaser Brooms, Hades' Keeper Brooms, and, coming soon, the Aphrodite Cocktail to wow your new significant other after the match.

Price upon request.

Harry ended up with a full set of Quidditch balls and goalposts ("self-extending, just place them upright and say the magic word"), fourteen of the latest brooms, and enough gear to fully outfit three teams.

Then, they headed to Stephen's Arms and Legs.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked the arms master, who Harry assumed was Stephen.

"Yes, please. I'm looking for armor, obviously, but I'm not sure where to begin."

The arms master asked, "Are you looking for something decorative or something you can actually use?"

"I'm a collector, you see, but I'd rather have armor that fits me and is serviceable. I have no interest in pieces that are showy but useless. I'm more interested in utility and uniqueness. I want something I can wear and fight in. What are my options?"

It occurred to Harry that if spells bounced off suits of armor, perhaps metal armor could shield against curses. When he asked as much, the arms master said that it depended on the spell. Some spells, like stunners, could be reflected because their physical manifestation was a narrow beam of light. Others, like the body-bind, could be stopped by armor, but because it hit the body in several different places, could not be reflected directly enough to petrify something else. Others still, like the Cruciatus and Imperius, could not be stopped because there was no physical manifestation of the curse. They both impacted the brain, and whether they hit the target was a question of the caster's focus, not aim. The Killing Curse could not be blocked because there were so many beams of light; some would bounce off the armor, but if any of the light hit the wearer, then the armor was no good. The only thing preventing the Killing Curse being used for mass murder was that once one beam killed something, the rest of the beams lost most of their effectiveness.

"Still feels awful, though," he finished. Harry nodded, remembering the feeling when Cedric and the spider died in his fourth year.

"I have basic steel armor, costs five hundred Galleons for full-plate. Unfortunately, it's pretty heavy, because weightless charms can't be used on magically enhanced armor."

"Have you followed Muggle advances at all?"

"Sometimes, but the business for it isn't great. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering because they came up with a new material a few years ago, Kevlon or something."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I can look into it, for an extra fee."

"I think it's a bunch of strands that, when woven together, can protect someone from arrows and things like that."

"Oh, if it shields against arrows I imagine it would help shield against bludgeoning hexes and the like, but is probably not particularly effective against cutting hexes. However, if you combined it with something like Demiguise hair and then covered it with plates of dragon hide, I think it would be even more versatile in the range of curses it blocks. However, I've never worked with the stuff before, so I couldn't tell you for sure."

"That sounds wonderful," Harry said. "There are some other people who might be interested in something similar, and I'd like to either bring them in or arrange for you to measure them. Of course, I'll pay extra for your time if you travel. Would you be interested?"

"How much extra, and how many people are we talking about?"

"Probably around twenty; I'll give you three thousand Galleons extra to come out and fit them and an extra two thousand for your silence."

"Deal. I'll send you an owl in a week letting you know what I can do with what you told me. If I can't do it, your armor will be ready in two weeks; if I can, I'll give you an estimate via owl."

"That would be great, thank you," Harry said.

Having finished, Harry and Moody spent the rest of the day wandering around the West End, buying whatever caught Harry's fancy, including a full wardrobe, two laptops, three sets of walkie-talkies, five satellite phones, and a do-it-yourself home security system. Dropping some of the equipment off at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, he and Moody went back to the Savoy, where Harry scheduled a wake-up call for three forty-five, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Harry woke up with the alarm, cast a silencing spell around his feet, and walked over to Moody's room, keeping the lights off. However, as soon as he'd opened the door, he was nailed in the face with icy water. Coughing and spluttering, he opened his eyes to find Moody's wand in his face. Moody lowered the weapon slowly.

"Good job, boy," he said, a hint of pride evident in his voice, "I didn't even hear you coming until the door opened. Remember, it's very easy to ward a door. Remind me to teach you revealing spells. Now that you've had your shower," Harry snorted, "go get ready and I'll see you out here in ten minutes."

Four hours later, Moody let Harry back upstairs to shower and change. He helped him set up the Foe-Glasses and anti-wizard, anti-Muggle, and anti-Apparition amulets. After making Harry a Portkey and setting up a ward over the door ("I'll know if it's been opened or if you leave, so don't do it unless there's an emergency.") he left and Harry took out his books and began to look through them.

Upon opening Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts, he blushed bright red because he could immediately see why Lionel had laughed. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been researching during his fourth year, he remembered using the book, and didn't know why Lionel laughed. However, someone had apparently switched the cover with that of a book on defense, because this book was a detailed and moving guide to dominance, discipline, and bondage!

Later, when Moody returned, he laughed good-naturedly ("Of course I knew; I figured either you knew and wanted it for...recreational purposes, or you didn't and I could see the look on your face; either way, it was win-win.") before quizzing Harry on the other things he had learned that day. He also said that he'd had a chat with Fred and George, who were making remarkable progress on the things Harry had left for them and that he'd dropped a few hints about when he was on guard duty, as the Order still didn't know he was missing.

After practicing their dueling in the common area, to give Harry real experience fighting around objects, he went to sleep.

After about a week of the rhythm of getting up obscenely early, training for hours, having full days of practice and lessons on skills ranging from camouflage to leadership to tactics to dueling, and going to sleep fairly early, Harry suddenly had an idea, one so simple, he wondered why no one had done it before.

Later that morning, he asked Moody, "A lot of Muggle wars lately have been fought by mercenaries. For example, in Sierra Leone, when the government was too corrupt to pay their own soldiers, they hired mercenaries to fight the Lord's Army. Is there any sort of wizarding equivalent?"

Moody seemed to be furious for a moment, before he seemed to understand and said, "I'll excuse that, as you were never told much about wizarding culture. You see, a few hundred years back, the Muggles all used mercenaries in some form. A soldier's pay came from the spoils of war, and because of that, the use of mercenaries is considered so dishonorable that should you use them, even if you win, you would be Kissed and every person who fought on your side would be stripped of their titles and exiled.

"The Dark Lord has no qualms about using mercenaries, which is what the Death Eaters are, because he has nothing to lose. If he is caught, he and his followers will be lucky to keep their souls, assuming they have any, let alone their titles, and if the Dark Lord wins, he will set up the Wizarding World to suit his tastes and it won't matter what the laws say."

"Can I hire people to train us, at least?"

"Of course, as long as you don't have them actually fight for you. I'll see what I can do when we get back."

"Get back?" Harry asked, surprised. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Aye, we are, laddie. Pack your things, we're going to Romania."

Chapter 7: Romania Part One: Shopping and Karkaroff

Wednesday, 29 May, 1996

"We're going Muggle, but bring a robe or two. Oh, and put this on, and do not take it off until I specifically tell you to or we're liable to draw an unhealthy amount of attention from both the Brits and the Romanians." Moody tossed him a strange amulet.

Harry knew better than to ask questions so he nodded, put on the amulet, and went to his room to pack while Moody made a few phone calls. Ten minutes later, he had packed enough clothes and gear to last a week.

"You'll need cash. We'll stop on the way."

Harry and Moody stopped in a Bank of England and withdrew two million US dollars in twenties. The teller looked at Harry in shock and checked his identification twice, but it matched and in the end, after a trip to the vault, Harry put the money into his bottomless bag. He walked into a lavatory, took the money out of the bag, and put it into his new wallet. He placed the wallet back into his pocket, flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and walked out of the lavatory.

Less than an hour after Harry found out they were leaving, Harry and Moody got off the tube at Heathrow Airport and walked to the ticket counter.

"Your name is Stephen McCallister, you're nineteen-years-old, and your birthday is on September twenty-second. Don't forget it."

Upon reaching the desk, Harry checked his card to ensure that the information and picture matched. Satisfied that it did, Harry turned to Moody, who took out his own card.

"You didn't think you were the only one to have one of these, did you?" Moody asked in an undertone as they walked away from the desk. Harry felt silly for being surprised; though he had been led to believe there were not many cards like his, it was foolish to believe that Moody would have been unprepared for such a trip.

Four and a half hours later, after a one hour stop in Vienna, Harry and Moody got off the plane in Timisoara, Romania. Harry was surprised to find that the Romanian officials did not seem to care who entered the country, as they barely glanced at his passport. However, deciding that this was probably not a bad thing, Harry moved along as instructed.

Reaching the other side of what passed for security, Harry was amazed at the sight of the city. From what he'd learned in school, Easter European countries had beautiful capitals because of the pre-Communist architecture, but the rest of the country was bleak and drab.

The city was breathtaking; there was no doubt about it. There were many different kinds of buildings and though the city was unmistakably Eastern, it clearly had Western influences, as well.

However, there was very little time to admire the city because Moody said, "Come along, boy," and walked off. Harry was barely able to keep up because of how much attention he was paying to the sights around him.

Perhaps it was that the Dursleys never took him anywhere, but Harry found that there was something magical about travel and other countries. He resolved that when the war was over, he was going to take a nice long vacation and travel around the world. Maybe he'd send his dear family a postcard from Majorca, informing them of his good fortune, preferably with a picture of his new house. 'Greedy bastards.'

Harry started when he realized he'd almost lost sight of Moody. He resolved to save the daydreaming for after he got back to England.

Moody led Harry to the Avis stand and rented a small car. They drove to the outskirts of the Bazos Arboretum and parked in the nearby lot.

"Put your robes on and follow me."

Harry pulled on a set of nondescript, black robes and a cloak and Moody made some changes with his wand.

Confused, Harry followed Moody into the tree preserve. They had reached an especially heavy clump of bushes when they heard a voice call, "Halt, what are you doing here?"

Moody responded, "We're going to Lienz Piata. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, you have to pay the toll. That will be fifty Galleons each." The heavy, thickset man stated, holding out his hand.

"Here you are," Moody responded gruffly, tossing a small pouch to the man. The man seemed to weigh it, then tipped his hat and said, "Thanks very much, have a good day."

Mentally adding that to his list of questions, Harry concentrated on following Moody down a small, winding street.

"Stay close, boy, and don't look at anyone. These people would sooner cut your throat than look at you." Harry did as he was instructed.

Harry asked Moody quietly, "Why do they speak English?"

"They don't; that's a side benefit of the amulet, that you can speak and understand whatever language you're addressed in for as long as you're wearing it."

The small street could not have been more different from Diagon Alley. While Diagon Alley, with its cheerful atmosphere, seemed like the ideal place for families, there were no children in the ominous and dark Lienz Piata and people seemed to be trying to escape notice.

Stopping at what could only loosely be characterized as a bookshop, Moody led Harry to the counter. Harry was surprised that the shopkeeper followed their movements with a hostile gaze but did not offer to help.

"Don't touch anything," Moody warned. Harry nodded and went back to looking, while Moody spoke quietly with the shopkeeper. He mentally noted some books and other items that looked interesting. The shop seemed to be very similar to Lionel's, and Harry looked around for things he hadn't seen back in Knockturn Alley.

Harry started in surprise when he saw an uncut diamond about the size of his fist.

Moaning Diamond

The Moaning Diamond appears to be an uncut diamond about the size of a human fist. At all times, it gives forth a baleful, moaning sound, as if in pain. Despite the noise, the Moaning Diamond is not evil. The wielder of the stone can, three times per day, call upon it to reshape up to five thousand cubic feet of stone or earth. 10,000 Galleons.

Making a note to himself, he continued looking around.

Arcane Eye

This set of two small spheres can function as a security device. Simply place one sphere into a Pensieve and the other in a place you wish to monitor. The recordings will be collected in the Pensieve and you can peruse them at your leisure. Connect several sets for a surveillance network. 500 Galleons per set.

Harry made another note and walked toward Moody, who seemed to be finishing with the shopkeeper.

Moody said, "Anton is going to make you a wand, boy. Follow him into the back." Harry did as instructed and Moody followed behind him.

Anton spoke up, "Hold your hand over the materials and pick out what feels right to you."

Harry ended up picking three core materials and two wood types.

"A tricky customer, are you? Well, well, I will find a way to fit this together. Try this." Anton handed a metal rod to Harry, who recoiled at its touch. They went through several metals, with similar results, until Anton finally handed him the right one. It felt welcoming, as if Harry was coming home after a long day.

"I think this is the one, sir," Harry said, and Anton took the metal back.

"Ah, I might have guessed. Well, so you know, your wand core will be made up of powdered diamond, unicorn blood, and basilisk venom, and your shaft will be eldar and oak. Come back in an hour and I should have the wand ready. Will you buy anything else?"

Harry said, "I'd like twenty sets of Arcane Eyes and a Moaning Diamond, please." After also picking out several books he was sure were not available in England, he paid and they left the shop.

Everything went normally until someone brushed by them in the street. Harry thought he seemed familiar, but could not place him until Moody said, "I smell Karkaroff...Keep quiet; it's time for your second test." Harry shut up and they followed the man to a bar (the name of which translated, to "The Rusty Nail"), where they saw him meet with another cloaked figure. They followed the men into an alley and hid in the shadows.

"I hear you have need of my services," the other man said.

"Yes, I need a bodyguard."

"Yes, you do." The other man took out his wand and cast a spell on himself.

"You!" Karkaroff whispered, horrified. "Tell the Dark Lord I had no choice. I promise to do better next time. I couldn't help that the girl wasn't at home. I watched her for weeks; there was no way I could have known. I caught the werewolf--does that count for nothing?"

"There will be no next time, Karkaroff." Harry and Moody stunned the unidentified man and Moody grabbed Karkaroff, who was trying to run out of the alley, while Harry stunned him too.

Moody transfigured both men's stunned bodies into acorns and put them into his pocket, then grabbed Harry's shoulder and Apparated them back to their hotel room.

Moody took a bead out of his pocket and transfigured it into a sturdy chair that reminded Harry of the chair in Courtroom Ten, only without the chains. Moody then made two short pieces of rope, also from his pocket, into two sets of handcuffs. Next, he transfigured a square piece of cloth into a robe and transfigured Karkaroff back into a person. Moody waved his wand and Karkaroff's robes were replaced with the one he had transfigured. Waving his wand over Karkaroff's body, he pulled off three knives, four wands, and a small handgun with two shots.

"Muggle technology; he's scared," Moody said softly to himself.

"How do you know? And why would he only have two shots?" Harry asked, confused.

"Because of this." Moody held up the gun. "There's one for an attacker, and if that fails, one for himself. It should make things easier, as if he had a failsafe, he wouldn't have the gun -a failsafe is a method of suicide should he be caught, like a poison set to activate at a certain time unless the antidote is administered or something meant to react badly with something else, like Veritaserum. It would make our lives extremely difficult if he was to die before he could answer any questions," Moody said before he cuffed Karkaroff to the chair and pulled out a small vial of Veritaserum and a pipette. After squeezing three drops into Karkaroff's mouth, he revived him and asked, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," came the dull reply.

"Who were you meeting at the Rusty Nail?"

"Zacharias Bole."

"Why?"

"I wanted him to become my bodyguard."

"Why would a retired Unspeakable become a bodyguard?"

"He's been doing it for years. Unspeakables and Aurors double as bodyguards for the Ministry's leaders."

"Who was it, actually?"

"Erik Montague."

"He serves the Dark Lord?"

"Yes."

"What did he want from you?"

"I was to present Hermione Granger and her parents to the Dark Lord, to atone for my desertion. I failed. I'd hoped that capturing Lupin would be enough, but it does not appear to be so."

"Where is Lupin?"

"Under a trapdoor in the Rusty Nail."

"Where is the trapdoor, how do you open it, and is there anyone there?"

"The door is three paces from the back doorway and the password is 'toujours pur.' Rodolphus Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew are there, guarding the werewolf."

"What is Voldemort's plan for the werewolf?"

"All I know is that he said not to kill it yet."

Harry wanted to set out immediately, but Moody convinced him to wait by placing him under the Full Body Bind until he agreed to cooperate. After they'd finished questioning Karkaroff, Moody pulled a few hairs, ignoring Harry's look of confusion, stunned him, and transfigured him back into an acorn. Then, he took the other acorn and transfigured it back into someone Harry recognized as Montague.

"What is your name?"

"Erik Montague."

"Why are you in Romania?"

"I was sent to track down Igor Karkaroff."

"Who sent you?"

"The Dark Lord."

"Why did the Dark Lord send you?"

"I proved my loyalty and He did not want me in England, where I was within Dumbledore's reach."

"Why did he worry about Dumbledore getting his hands on you?"

"I found a vulnerability in Hogwarts' defenses. The Dark Lord was worried that if I stayed in England, it would be discovered before it could be exploited."

"What was the vulnerability?"

"Before I was retrieved from the Vanishing Cabinet last year, I discovered that it is one of a set, and that the other was in Borgin and Burkes. If it is repaired, it can be used to send my master's servants into Hogwarts without alerting the old fool."

"What is his plan for Hogwarts?"

"My master does not deign to involve me in his plans."

"What do you know?" Harry asked impatiently.

"The levitation charm is Wingardium Leviosa, a shield charm is Protego--"

"Shut up," Moody barked. Montague stopped talking. "I have to teach you to interrogate, boy."

Harry, feeling rather foolish, was quiet as Moody finished his questioning.

"Now Montague, do you know of Voldemort's plans for Harry Potter or his opposition?"

"I know that we have been instructed not to kill Potter or Dumbledore, but no one survives the Dark Lord."

Looking disgusted, Moody pulled a few hairs from him too and turned him back into an acorn that he out into a compartment in his trunk.

"Come on, boy; it's time for your third test. You brought the Polyjuice Potion?" Seeing Harry nod, he continued, "Good. Bring me four doses and two vials." Harry rushed to comply and Moody put one of each man's hairs into an empty vial and another into a vial of Polyjuice Potion. "Now, we don't want to waste the potion, so we won't put hair into the second dose unless we need it, which we shouldn't. Don't take it until I tell you."

They put on their cloaks and picked up Harry's second wand, which, the shopkeeper had assured, was not tracked in any way. Then, they went to the Rusty Nail.