Purpose

~ Chapter 29: Interlude ~

In the Infirmary...

Now that everyone else had gone to either attend classes or teach classes, Harry was beginning to feel a little bored. He looked at Draco's bed and sighed, trying to think of something he could do. The Slytherin prefect had fallen asleep, like a blinded hawk after he had covered his face with his pillow. Harry had stepped out of bed and wanted to take a walk but Madam Pomfrey stared at him icily and he turned back to sit on his bed. He let out a sigh of acquiescence. There was still a bit of Fenix's cake and he decided to snack, leaning against his pillow as he daydreamed.

The room darkened steadily and he heard the low growls of thunder, rumbling across the land. His thoughts turned to the sleeping Slytherin. I can't believe that I actually sympathize with that guy. He was a spoilt brat belonging to a wealthy, pure-blooded wizard family then got himself repudiated by his kin because he helped me, only to be carried away into a family that's organized by a strange woman. Just thinking about the idea that Draco's going to be part of their lives, just like how Fenix had gradually fitted Snape in their daily lives, was giving the young man a splendid headache. Harry was still deep in thought while munching away on the cake when the Headmaster entered the room, almost regally. Harry looked a little confused when he saw a dark shape looming over his right and smiled when he saw that it was Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Harry," the Headmaster greeted him and closed his eyes briefly when a bright flash of lightning hit the wall of the castle. "You are well, I hope?" he continued.

"Yes, I think I'm fine now. But Madam Pomfrey insisted that I remain here until tomorrow," Harry replied, suddenly wishing that he was back in classes than hanging about like an invalid.

"Sirius had told me some of your thoughts," Dumbledore began, taking a chair and carefully rearranged his robe before sitting down. "I am beginning to think that we should have suspended the lessons after all." He sighed almost regretfully and stared at Harry piercingly.

"But we still could send the students back right? Especially the juniors," Harry offered a cake as he said that.

"I am afraid it's too late now, Harry. The students and their families are already committed to fight Voldemort. Even now, there are plans of skirmishes to take down Death Eaters and the Dementors. While the other side also have plans to reduce our numbers," the Headmaster informed him as he took the proffered piece of cake. "There is a high possibility that we might have to cancel the exams," he paused for a moment to chew on the cake. "Interesting flavor," he remarked.

"Fenix baked it," Harry responded and Dumbledore smiled faintly.

"I wonder where she had found the time to bake this," he said, then looked solemnly at the young man. "Professor Trelawney had made another prediction."

Harry gazed intently at the Headmaster, whose aged eyes were looking at him worriedly. "The war between Voldemort and us would continue for until the planet Jupiter crosses the path of the sun, creating a solar eclipse. And that had already been calculated."

Harry stared mutely and waited for Dumbledore to continue. "The war will go on for approximately four years, ending sometime in winter of that year. That is if you live long enough. If you somehow died within that four years, the war will continue on for a much longer period," the Headmaster said gravely.

The Boy Who Lived was stunned by the news, color draining from his face quickly. Draco, who had been awake when the Headmaster came in and was listening to their conversation secretly, pulled his pillow from his face slowly. His pale face mirrored the same kind of horrified expression that was on Harry's face.

"I thought..." Harry choked on his words, not able to continue.

"It is war, Harry. I'm afraid that the confrontation between you and Voldemort will take longer than just a day, or a month," Dumbledore said gently. Harry covered his face with one hand as he trembled suddenly, trying not to think about how many casualties will result from this war. The thought of losing his close friends because of it was strong enough to make him cry. The Headmaster stood up from his chair and clasped his shoulder before quietly walking off, nodding to Draco on his way out.

"He definitely has a good sense of timing," Draco spoke up, staring at the beams and Harry could not tell if the Slytherin was being sarcastic. "Gloomy thoughts to complement the nice weather over the castle." Harry nodded his agreement and fell silent as a series of loud growls of thunder filled the room.

**********

Lunchtime...

The hospital wing was filled with murmurs of conversation, occasionally punctuated by thunder. The presence of their friends in the room helped the two boys to forget about the grim news that Dumbledore had passed on temporarily. Hermione was informing Harry just how much he was missing out on lessons and also told him that he, herself, and Ron made up a group to complete a Transfiguration project that McGonagall had given them. And the date when the project will be due will be sometime during the first week of October.

"Seems like homework is piling up on me," Harry groaned as he watched Hermione began listing down all that needed to be done. "And what about that Vigilencia potion?"

"Hasn't Snape talked to you about it?" Ron asked casually. Harry shook his head and Ron exchanged a look with Hermione.

"Well..." she began nervously. "He said that you and Ma-- Draco would resume making that potion on Saturday morning." Harry sighed as she finished her sentence and examined the list that Hermione handed over to him. It did not seem too bad to Harry and he brightened up.

Over at Draco's side, Montague was briefing his friend about his homework. His group of boys had boldly cast Parkinson's group aside without fear, as Crabbe passed Draco several Chocolate Frogs. The pale-haired Slytherin listened attentively to Montague's words while Alamanda squeezed herself into their group. She seemed to be very popular to the Slytherin boys, much to Parkinson's horror, but she could not do anything about how Draco's gang was favoring the first-year girl. Warrington had made several veiled threats to everyone who decided to play tricks with Alamanda, eyeing Parkinson particularly as he said it.

Ginny was looking at them with a mystified expression on her face, whispering secretively to Hermione, both of them possessing the same sly glints in their eyes. "Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron whispered into her ear, feeling somewhat suspicious.

"I'm not doing anything," she calmly replied. "I just want to see how Draco will react to Alamanda's presence with Parkinson hanging in the background," she explained in a hushed voice, her eyes not leaving the bunch of Greenies. She smiled faintly when she saw Draco's face lit up when he caught sight of Alamanda, just when Montague finished his briefing. Alamanda was blushing prettily and seemed to be slightly breathless when the taller Warrington pushed her forward. She tittered nervously. The Gryffindors and Draco's group of friends waited somewhat anxiously.

Draco beckoned her closer and she complied, making Parkinson narrow her eyes into mere slits. The pale-haired young man leaned towards the young girl and nervously whispered. "Did Snape say anything to you?" Alamanda blinked her eyes and nodded shyly. "So what did he say?"

"Detention on Friday at five," she whispered back. Draco lifted an eyebrow and asked her in an almost rakish way.

"Would you be there?"

Hermione quickly buried her face on Ron's chest, trying to muffle her giggles. Alamanda nodded shyly then quickly pushed past Montague and fled away again, her hands covering her flaming cheeks. Draco's gang burst out in laughter and Warrington clapped Draco's back carelessly.

"Good man," he grinned roguishly, ignoring Parkinson's shocked expression.

"Someone's turning really, really into a Greenie," Ginny whispered to her friends and they studied Parkinson, who was looking at Draco lividly.

"What is the meaning of this, Draco?" she hissed out angrily. Her friends chose that moment to leave the room and the Gryffindors surrounded themselves with conversation, trying not to listen to Parkinson's shrill voice.

"I thought it was obvious," the young man replied calmly. "You don't get it? Then I'll explain. I'm absolutely tired of your senseless chattering. I don't mind the cuddles but I rather like the cuddles to be silent without any kind of background vocals. So, to sum it all up, I'm breaking off with you."

The Slytherins fell silent and waited patiently. "You'll regret this!" she stormed off and the Slytherin guys sighed with relief.

"I'm so glad you finally did it that I could almost kiss you," Montague said fervently to his friend who just smirked, "and the rest of you, don't even dare try to court her or her friends." He looked fiercely at the rest of his friends.

"Don't you think it's better if you warn Alamanda to be careful, Montague? Parkinson really knows how to keep grudges," Alicia Spinnet called out to them. Warrington nodded and headed out along with Crabbe and Goyle.

The visitors waved their goodbye and left the room for their classes and left Harry and Draco alone again. The atmosphere turned bleak again. Harry studied Hermione's list but not really reading it. Not able to stand the silence and the heavy thoughts that were about to surface, he stood up and walked over to the Slytherin's side, flopping on to a chair carelessly. Draco narrowed his eyes warily as he stared at his rival.

"I've been wanting to ask you this," Harry began, talking casually to the Slytherin.

"What?" Draco asked curtly.

"When I was out, I found myself standing near the edge of something. So inches away from solid ground was a curtain of blackness," Harry paused as lightning bolt hit the castle and a great roar of thunder vibrated through the walls. "And at the bottom-- somewhere below, I saw a steady flicker of light," he continued.

Draco leaned on his pillow as he looked at Harry thoughtfully. Finally, he spoke up. "It's a place where you can enter and never come back." At his rival's confused look, he began explaining. "You go in, you might never wake up from your comatose. That's how some people ended up from a state of unconsciousness into a brain-dead state." He casually tossed a Chocolate Frog to a shuddering Harry. "Now, it's my turn. What in the name of Bel happened to Snape?"

"I don't really understand the change either. But Fenix played a large factor in that. And you know... Snape's not even a Death Eater anymore. He doesn't even bear the Mark; if you had watched carefully during that particular train-hijack." Harry tore off the wrapping and chewed on the Chocolate Frog thoughtfully.

"I only saw something silver gleaming on his left arm," Draco mused.

"It was a Phoenix. Fenix was the one who gave him that. As far as I understand it, Snape's been given the full redemption," Harry informed him. "Did you receive any news about your father, Drake?"

The Slytherin watched him carefully. "No. But I suspect that my mother had been in contact with him. Peculiar, isn't it? She didn't trust me enough to tell me anything about my father."

"I don't know if I should tell you this, but maybe I should."

That mysterious sentence made Draco sat up straighter and looked curiously at his rival. Harry cleared his throat uneasily. "Your father's sort of maimed right now."

"What?" Draco yelped, his eyes going round.

"There were several attempts from the Dark Lord to gain Snape back into their midst but Snape refused them firmly. Your father was dueling Snape at that time and Snape shoved a... this might sound a little revolting," Harry warned the Slytherin prefect.

"Go on," Draco instructed firmly. "He shoved what?"

"He took a sharp stick and jabbed it into your father's right eye," Harry quickly described what had happened. Draco inevitably winced and unconsciously rubbed his right eye. The queer thing that Draco noticed was that he was not even angry at what Snape did to his father. I'm just too tired to react properly I guess. I can't believe I'm talking to Potter right now. That woman must have grown on me when I was not paying attention. She probably was starting to influence me during the Defence lessons.

**********

In Sirius's office. Before dinner...

Snape knocked on Sirius's door and Harry's godfather admitted him in. Snape looked at him curiously and sat down on a chair, watching Sirius marking carefully on a student's parchment.

"Why did you want to see me?" Snape asked and Sirius looked at him blankly for a moment before snapping his fingers together.

"I almost forgot to tell you that Fenix and I would be scouting on Saturday evening," Sirius said then went back to marking his student's paper, ignoring the Potions Master. Snape's mouth thinned as he suppressed his anger.

"Sirius, you're shorting her," Snape told him in a cold voice.

"I know, but she accepted the invitation. We're going with the wolves this time. It's risky enough with the centaurs being very selfish with their territory, bad enough there's one lost giant out there somewhere, and even worse that Death Eaters had came so close to the students. We need to keep a close eye on that Forest, so we'll be covering more ground than usual."

Snape took a deep breath to calm himself, but the offhanded manner Sirius had spoke somehow irked him. "Fine then," the Potions Master snapped out. "I have to inform you that Harry's behind his Advanced Potions so I have to give him some extra tutorials on Sundays."

"No," Sirius said flatly, and Snape instantly bristled. "Sunday's family day. It's the time the kids get to relax."

: I wonder if you really care about Harry's future, Black. : Snape's mindvoice was steely.

Sirius slammed his fist down and leaned forward, scowling furiously. : What are you implying, Snivellus? :

: I am implying that you are spoiling your godson too much. Having extra lessons won't hurt the boy. Or maybe... you are afraid that he might disappear even before you get to say that you love him? : Snape almost jeered at him.

: So what if I say I am? : Sirius stood up, staring eye to eye to the Potions Master. His face was pale with suppressed anger and Snape stared back angrily, his black eyes shining brightly.

: You are still the arrogant boy, Black. You can't even tell him a simple thing, : the Potions Master continued to taunt him.

: Harry doesn't need to be told, Snivellus. He has far more sense than you do! :

Snape had enough. Somehow all the tension from the day he had met the Dark Lord again at the Ministry finally caught up with him and lunged at Sirius, giving a powerful blow to the side of the Black's face. Sirius lay stunned for a while at a corner where he had landed, and shook his head a little. Harry's godfather retaliated by giving Snape a punch, and the Potions Master backed away from him with a bleeding lip. The Elementals watched them with alarm and amusement. Some wanted to inform their mistress about the two males but Krill told all of them to stand down, saying that the two men needed to break it all out.

Both of them were careful not to land on Sirius's desk for fear of ruining the students' answer scripts. The scene was ghastly, much like a brawl between two drunken men in a tavern. Since the two of them were sane and clear-headed, the damage was much more pronounced. Sirius was the first to give up, leaning against the window and took shallow breaths, clutching the right side of his waist. Snape followed, leaning against Sirius's cupboard, massaging his jaw.

"I think both of us have lost our minds," Sirius gasped in pain.

"I don't believe it myself. Brawling, like a bunch of fifteen year-olds. Gods," Snape agreed. "I wonder why the idea of a professional duel didn't come to me."

"Same here. Damnation. I promised Fenix that I would come down to the Hall for dinner."

"So did I." Snape gazed helplessly at him, finally looking at the damage he caused Sirius.

"Oh damn. We are going to get killed." Sirius groaned, then slowly sat down. "What are we going to do?"

"You tell me." Snape snorted, flinging his head back and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw Sirius bowing his head down, body shaking. A light chuckle came out of Harry's godfather. It slowly turned to an all-out laughter. Snape shook his head in disgust at the situation, and helplessly joined in Sirius's infectious laughter.

"We're a pair--" Sirius doubled up laughing.

"--Of fools." Snape said weakly, laughing so hard that his eyes misted.

***********

Snape suppressed a brief sigh of resentment. He still needed to get changed. His robe was torn and several buttons of his shirt had popped off. Sirius helped the indignant Snape collect all the missing buttons, continuously laughing. He was peeking out from Sirius's office, hoping fervently that he would not bump into anyone out the corridor. It's a good thing I could still move swiftly. He gave a brief nod to Sirius and briskly walked to his office and let out a sigh of relief when he safely entered his office.

"You are still going to get killed you know," Krill's amused deep voice echoed in the room and the Potions Master winced.

**********

Sirius looked at the mirror and flinched at the sight of his bruised cheek and his eye was just starting to swell. At least I do have the reputation to be a rogue since I was a student here but Snape doesn't. He grinned wickedly and stepped out of his quarters and cheerfully went down to the Hall. He whistled and winked at the girls who were staring curiously at his handsome, battered face and entered the Hall as if he had not just engaged himself in a fistfight. He put on a bland expression and tried not to wince as he sat down beside his oathsister. Fenix's fork had clattered noisily onto her plate when she caught sight of his face.

"What?" Sirius innocently asked. The people surrounding Sirius watched him with baffled expression. "What?" he asked in exasperation. So far I'm doing all right, but it will blow off anyway when Snape gets here. There were hushed whispers erupting from the Slytherins as they watched a figure clad in black strode forward calmly to the Gryffindor table. Ron choked his pumpkin juice and both Hermione and Ginny quickly patted his back. The Potions Master calmly sat in his place and began to eat his dinner in silence.

: Has she started screaming yet? : Snape asked in a worried tone, although his face remained impassive. Sirius copied his image.

: Surprisingly, no. : Harry's godfather answered calmly. He tried to watch Fenix by the corner of his eye and was careful not to sigh with relief when she picked her fork back up and resumed eating. Her silence was a warning sign and the two men who had misbehaved waited in trepidation. Sirius suddenly realized his best friend was missing from the table and asked Fenix in a soft voice.

"He's gone for his patrol with McGonagall, along with the wolves," Fenix said in an expressionless voice. Sirius remained silent after that and concentrated on his dinner. Then came the avalanche.

: Sirius, I'm disgusted at you, : she first said to Sirius privately and then to Snape. : And Sev, I am absolutely shocked. : She calmly left the table and exited from the Hall. Snape actually sunk in his seat a little. The students exchanged a baffled look and shrugged, staring at the two men who were actually flushing with embarrassment.

**********

After nine...

Sirius was walking down to the hospital wing unhurriedly. Peeves was loitering about the hallway and with a flick of his wand he triggered a complicated looking trap that the poltergeist was still fixing. Peeves wailed out in distressed and his cries attracted the Bloody Baron who picked the poltergeist up-- trap and all, before vanishing. He gave a wicked smile and jumped suddenly when a peal of thunder broke over the castle.

Entering the ward, he saw that Fenix was sitting closely to Snape and knew that she was Healing the Potions Master. He was a little surprised to see Harry sitting on a chair beside Draco's bed and the four of them seemed to be discussing about something. Draco lifted an eyebrow when he inspected Sirius. Even his godson was scrutinizing him carefully. Finally, Harry spoke up, via mindspeech.

: Sirius, : Harry began in a slightly pained voice, : what on earth possessed you that you absolutely have to pick a fight with our greasy-haired Professor Snape? :

"That's easy to answer, Harry," Sirius said with full aplomb. "I always pick a fight with him when I have the chance to. It's his problem that he had chosen to participate." Harry laughed heartily at his thick-skinned godfather.

"Just for that, I'll let your eye swell shut," Fenix said firmly, not looking at Sirius. She clinically poked Snape on his back and he flinched, scowling darkly at the Fire Master. Sirius chuckled lightly.

: How are you doing? : Sirius asked his godson and Harry answered with a grin. : What were you guys talking about before I came in to interrupt you? :

Harry stretched his back as he answered. : We were talking about the night we were flying to the Headquarters but ended up taking a side trip. Draco wanted to hear the details about his father and about Snape's redemption. :

Fenix absently pulled Sirius close to her and began to Heal him automatically. He gave in to her administration and listened to their conversation distractedly. It was beginning to rain again. An hour passed and Fenix quickly gave all four males a hug, saying that she wanted to get some sleep. She gave a severe look at Snape and warned him to go to bed as soon as the healer chase them all out.

"She's quite an austere woman, isn't she?" Draco observed, eyeing Snape with dry amusement.

"Be nice," Harry responded. Madam Pomfrey came into the room and looked significantly at the four of them. Sirius sighed and motioned Harry to go to his bed. The lights were dimming quickly and Sirius took enough time to hug his godson.

: Goodnight, Harry. :

: You too. : He gave a small sigh. : Just one more night. I'll be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow. That's a nice thought. : Sirius chuckled at Harry's almost petulant mindvoice.

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat impatiently and Sirius lingered long enough to tuck the blanket in. : Hey, : Sirius faltered, feeling a little embarrassed, : I love you, Harry. :

There was a sudden flash of lightning and Sirius briefly saw his godson's bright smile. : I know. : The room plunged back into darkness. : And I love you too. I sort of regretted that I had never said that to you, especially when I thought that you were really gone. :

: Well, no more regrets then, : Sirius said cheerfully, feeling as if a great deal of weight disappeared from his shoulders. : Have a good sleep. : Sirius quickly took himself out of the ward before Madam Pomfrey could complain and joined Snape as they headed back to their quarters while the infirmary was watched by the Elementals.

***********

Thursday, 21^st September.

Madam Pomfrey was giving the two students a last minute check up and pronounced that both of them could return to their dormitory but said in passing that they were not required to attend classes yet, but they could if they wanted to. Harry and Draco walked out of the hospital ward together and parted as Draco moved to a portrait that would lead the Slytherin straight down to the Entrance Hall while Harry went to a portrait that would lead him to the seventh floor.

The Fat Lady was waiting expectantly as she watched him trying to remember the password that Hermione had whispered to him yesterday. He grinned broadly and said, "Silver Wheel." The Fat Lady smiled briefly and swung open to admit him in. The common room was silent, as the students had gone off for their classes. He clambered up the staircase to his dormitory to pick up his towel and gave himself a bath. Feeling absolutely refreshed, he went back to his room to change into his school robes. He sighed when he tried to comb his hair but it just would not cooperate and he got out his gel. He spent several moments styling his hair and swiftly turned around when a soft tender hoot filled the room. It was Hedwig, gracefully perched at a chair's back. Harry went straight to her and scratched her neck fondly. He had missed Potions tutorial and thought he ought to go down for his Transfiguration practical that day. He lifted Hedwig from her perch and she carefully hopped onto his arm before placing her talons slowly on his shoulder.

He picked up his wand and tucked it into his robe, then carefully examined his bag. Finding that all his writing utensils and the books necessary for his classes for the rest of the day were in it, he zipped his bag close and lifted it to his left shoulder. Looking at his wristwatch, it showed exactly ten-fifteen and he decided to go down the library to kill time. "Hey, I'm going to the library. Why don't you fly back to the Owlery to rest? You can come find me in the Hall during lunch time later. Will that be all right?" Hedwig nibbled on his ear gently and he opened the window to let her out. Hedwig slowly edged her talons to the lower part of his arm and he gave a powerful toss and watched as Hedwig soared over the clear autumn sky. He watched his owl disappear from sight and closed the window back, then stepped out of the dormitory to head down to the library. He suddenly remembered that he had a belated gift to deliver to Hermione. He went back to his room and searched for the gift that he had kept in his drawer. He got out a slim black paper packet that contained his gift. It was one of Hedwig's secondary feathers that he had obtained when she shook the loose feather free from her wings. Without help from anyone, he had made a nice-looking hair accessory for his friend. With that packet safe in his pocket, he went out of the Gryffindor Tower and went down to the library.

He was a little surprised to see Draco in the library reading a book. Suddenly feeling awkward, he briefly nodded a greeting before choosing a table at a corner that was nearer to a window. He fished for Hermione's list of homework and scanned it. His eyes lighted up on an essay writing for Herbology and felt that he ought to spend sometime in the library to find information on how to grow and nurture the Magnolia Projectivilien. He got up from his seat and searched through the Herbology section, and finally came up with two thick books that seemed promising. He leafed through the pages of one volume as he went back to his seat.

By the time Harry had finished writing down some respectable notes, it was ten minutes to eleven. There was no time for him to look at the second book but jotted down the reference so he could find it again if he needed to. He packed up his bag and placed the books back into their shelves and unexpectedly bumped into the Slytherin.

"McGonagall's?" Harry asked the pale-haired Slytherin who nodded. They walked toward their Transfiguration classroom and Harry secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Hermione and Ron waiting outside the classroom.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted in delight.

"What are you doing here?" Ron queried and Harry chuckled softly.

"I've rested enough in bed," he informed them in a contrite voice. Ron was eyeing Draco suspiciously, who was gazing intently at them. Hermione was about to say something but Harry gave both her and Ron a look signifying, 'I need to inform you of something but later'. Then he pretended to check his robe for something but in actual fact he was fingering the Gryffindor crest attached to the school robe. His friends got the idea immediately. He finally got out Hermione's gift and she glowed that he had remembered her birthday. The door unlocked and Hermione was the first to enter and stood frozen in the middle of the classroom. Wondering what had caught her perplexity, Harry looked about the classroom. Professor McGonagall was already waiting for them, as a cat on her desk. However, she was the only thing that looked normal in the room. Harry caught sight of a brown rat but had the hind legs of a crow. He saw a statue but it had a pair of flapping winds.

"Bloody hell..." Ron muttered under his breath. The Gryffindors placed their bags to one corner and stared at the weird stuff placed in all directions about the room. Draco was peering curiously at a palm-sized mirror but when he flipped it to the other side, he gave a small gasp of surprise when he saw a mouse protruding out of the mirror. Professor McGonagall-- in her cat form-- was staring at Harry. She waited until all were present before leaping off from the table and transformed into her human self.

"Welcome back Mr. Potter and you too, Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall greeted them slowly. The temperature suddenly increased but dropped back down instantly. Harry looked at Draco, whose eyes were glimmering with intense anger. "Well, class. Today we shall see just how good you are at figuring what had been what," she informed all of them with a faint smile hovering on her lips. Her eyes scanned the room quickly as she counted heads and told them to work on an object in groups of threes. Draco quickly took Crabbe and Goyle and that left Parkinson alone, who seemed to be still glowering at him about their breakup. Parvati and Lavender with heavy hearts accepted her into their group.

Harry, Ron and Hermione went off for the statue with the pair of wings. Ron was studying the pair of wings carefully. "Harry, what do they look like to you?" He pointed his chin at the wings. Harry went over to examine the wings while Hermione was carefully poking the statue and scrutinizing it carefully.

"It really looks like it belonged to a chicken, don't you think?" Harry answered Ron's question.

"It's worth a try..." Hermione shrugged and discussed with her group members the spells they should use. They had forty minutes to gain themselves some points for their House but it seemed that whatever the statue was, it was not a chicken.

Hermione was feeling very vexed. It so happened that her team had picked the most difficult object when Professor McGonagall happened to stop by their group. "It's not a statue, nor a chicken or a stone," Hermione whispered in frustration.

"How about an egg?" Ron suggested. Hermione gave a snort and they cast their spells. To Hermione's profound amazement, the statue with the wings was suddenly enveloped in a golden glow and it grew so bright that all of them were forced to turn away from the source of light. When the light dimmed, there, sitting on a red cushion was one chicken egg. Ron was staring at it stupidly. "That was just a joke!" he protested incredulously.

"Congratulations! Ten points each! Class dismissed!"

Harry and Hermione walked toward their bags and Harry lifted Ron's. His best friend was still staring at the egg. "Ron!"

"What? Oh... yeah... coming..." Ron shot a disgusted look at the egg before he retrieved his bag. Hermione was silent all the way. Only when they sat down at the table did she asked Ron why he thought of an egg.

"I dunno..." Ron said almost sheepishly. "It's just that you tried stone, rock and even limestone. So, the idea of egg just popped in my mind..." Hermione did not seem to be satisfied with his answer but dropped the subject when Neville came and sat down beside Harry, looking blankly at a cream puff.

"Hey, Neville. What's wrong?" Hermione asked him in a quiet voice. Neville did not answer. Fenix was suddenly there, as if she had just Apparated. Some of the students jumped; she however, took no notice of them.

"Neville?" Fenix laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. He looked up at her slowly; his eyes were still unfocused. "Come." He took her hand and they vanished.

"How come I'm having the feeling that something bad had happened?" Ron whispered uneasily. His friends did not know what to answer so they kept quiet, trying to gulp down the sudden feeling of alarm.

***********

Later that afternoon...

Hours passed and soon, wherever there were students, the place was surrounded by excited conversation. Harry and his group of friends were sitting around the Hall, surrounding Hermione who was holding a special edition of the Daily Prophet. They now understood why their friend had looked as he did during lunch time. It seemed that somehow the Dark Lord had found out about the transfer of the St. Mungo's patients and he had launched a surprise attack on patients and personnel alike. One Auror was down and several patients were killed; one of them was Neville's father, who had for a brief moment acted like the Auror he once was to protect his wife and killed several of the Dark Lord's followers with him.

Hermione was actually crying as she read it; nor was she the only one. There were some of them who were just too shocked to even let their tears flow. They seemed a bit surprised when they saw Fenix in the picture-- she looked a little strained, her face was displaying an expression of trying to suppress her tears as she helped to direct the volunteers about, and Healed those who had been injured. Harry wondered when on earth she had gotten there. They also saw several of the members of the Order. Moody, Tonks and several others were there in helping in the move and securing the area.

Those who had gathered about Hermione went and sat down on the nearest tables, looking silently at each other. Ron had one arm hugging Hermione and she wiped her tearful eyes. "What are we going to do? I mean... Neville will know that we already know... but I don't want to hurt him with sympathy." Harry closed his eyes and buried his face in his palms. Sensing that nobody would give them any kind of attention now, he decided to inform them of their latest addition to their family and also told them what Professor Dumbledore had told him about Professor Trelawney's prediction. Ron looked dumbfounded while Hermione looked at him with a terrified expression. She was repeating herself in a soft voice. "Four years..." Harry understood how she felt. Hermione had studied Muggle history too, and she probably understood the consequences of wars better than he could.

There was a clamor over the Hufflepuffs and others turned to look at them. Lee shouted, looking inquiringly at them, "Hey! What's going on with you?"

"We were just wondering if it would be better if we start training up for war," one Hufflepuff spoke up.

"Are you people mad? We could get killed, boy," a Slytherin lashed out suddenly.

"This is a school. Not some sort of an army," a Ravenclaw spoke up.

Harry stood up suddenly. "I agree with all three statements," he spoke up softly. "But we are not living in a century of peace right now. You have to be aware that the School may be attacked anytime now, since the Dark Lord's major opponents are present here. They have already attacked a helpless community-- injured wizards and witches. What makes you think they won't think of students as fair game?" The other students had no time to make any kind of rejoinder when Dumbledore's voice was amplified all about the school.

"Your attention please. Students and all staff. Please proceed to the Great Hall immediately. I repeat. Students and all staff please proceed to the Great Hall immediately." Silence descended quickly in the Great Hall.

"That sounded ominous enough," Ginny spoke up in a quiet voice.

The Hall was slowly filled with students and Harry finally saw the grim faces of the teachers. Neville still looked a little shocked and Harry was surprised to see that his grandmother was with him, looking very sorrowful. Harry's eyes scanned for Sirius. His godfather gave him a wan smile as he took a seat on the Gryffindor table, ignoring McGonagall's instruction to take a seat at the teacher's table. Fenix was looking really stressed; she kept rubbing her temple. Her partner and Snape seemed terribly worried about her and sandwiched her in between them, also ignoring some of the astonished looks that the rest of their colleagues were giving them.

The Headmaster walked unhurriedly toward the teacher's table. The Hall automatically fell silent as he moved but did not sit. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked gravely about the Hall, his eyes flashing with concern as his gaze rested on Fenix's head. She was the only one who was not looking at the Headmaster with curiosity, interest or trepidation. Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke up in a soft voice. There was no need to project his voice out for the Hall was extremely silent. "I have requested all of you to assemble here for I have grave news that concern us all. I particularly have no wish to repeat myself and I apologize if I may seem to be blunt in addressing the current situation," his voice was dead serious. Everyone listened attentively.

"I am sure that by now, most of you have received the news about the attack on St. Mungo's Hospital," he paused for a moment and stared at the magical ceiling with a little frown. The ceiling was using the Headmaster's mood to create a gloomy atmosphere but at his determined will, and it took on a more cheerful scene. "I, as the Headmaster of the School and also the Ministry, had come to agreements that there will be no major exams. Also, I advise the students who deemed that studying in Hogwarts could be a little dangerous to submit their names to their respective Heads of Houses. I would not force any of you to stay behind the protection of the School any longer. But I would not deny that we are sorely in need of fighters." Professor McGonagall gave a little gasp and stared at the Headmaster in amazement. She did not realize that he would go that far to be blunt. The Headmaster continued speaking. "There is simply not enough of the... Old Blood to fight the Dark Lord and his mass of followers. You would be surprised to hear that he actually has three times of his followers than all of us put together. If you minus the students..." He let the students think about his assessment for quite some time before continuing.

"So although all exams have been canceled, lessons will be conducted as normal, but I could not promise you that you will graduate timely. We might have to retain you for a few more years..." Several students smiled faintly at his words. "Now as for the Quidditch matches this year," everyone held their breaths, "we'll just see how it goes..." There was a chorus of disappointed sighs. "Professor Snape, McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick, will now pass around a parchment and those who want out, feel free to write your names."

The Potions Master quickly conjured up a parchment and a quill, and briskly moved off to walk around the Slytherin table. Professor McGonagall came down to pass the parchment around and it did get passed around. The first-year Gryffindors shook their head and Aiden McIntyre passed it to Colin Creevey who passed it to his younger brother and so on. Nobody had signed on the parchment and all stared at Neville and his grandmother who was looking at him sternly.

"Write your name on it," his grandmother commanded.

"No," Neville responded and calmly got out of his seat, exiting out of the hall without another word and so the parchment continued making its way down the end of the Gryffindor table. The Founders of the School looked fondly at the grim-faced Gryffindors.

"They're a whole bunch of fools..." Salazar Slytherin smiled sadly at them.

"Brave... and reckless to boot..." Rowena Ravenclaw observed.

"But if they could help the School..." Godric Gryffindor said mournfully.

"Then we just have to guide them properly, I guess..." Helga Hufflepuff concluded, not caring that her statement was off-tune compared to the rest.