The Cevalo Ring

"Eat quickly, boys. We want to get an early start this morning. Traffic just keeps getting worse every year."

It was four weeks later. Harry had had an enjoyable August at Ron's house, and was excited about returning to school in four days. Today, the family, along with Harry and Hermione, was going to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies.

Ron and Harry sat at the table, trying to eat everything that Mrs. Weasley had laid out for breakfast. The table was laden with enough food to feed the entire Gryffindor House.

Hermione and Ginny appeared at the foot of the stairs. Mrs. Weasley quickly handed them two plates filled with food. Hermione had to grab it with both hands to keep from dropping it.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," she said, eyeing the mountain of food on her plate. "It looks delicious."

The two girls sat down across from Harry and Ron. Hermione picked up her fork and knife, and stared at her meal.

Harry watched her. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes dancing in amusement. "Oh, nothing. I'm just trying to work out a strategy for attacking my breakfast."

Ron appeared from behind his food pyramid. "Work from the top down. Trust me - Fred and George once tried it bottom first. Lets just say they never did it like that again."

Harry snorted. He speared a piece of bacon before turning to Ron. "Where are Fred and George?"

Ron barely looked up from his food. "They're at the shop. They've hired people to run it, but they like to be there themselves most of the time. We'll meet them for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron."

Harry nodded. He was about to respond when Mrs. Weasley came back into the room, announcing that it was time to go.

He, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley lined up at the fireplace. Harry stood next to Ginny, watching as Mr. Weasley disappeared in a burst of flame.

Ginny looked up at him. "Are you nervous?" she asked, as Hermione took a pinch of dust between her fingers.

Harry didn't know how to respond. He was nervous - he hadn't been out into the wizarding world since Fudge had admitted to Voldemort's return. How were people going to react? Would they blame him?

Harry shook his head. "No," he told her, watching Ron vanish into the fire. "I've gotten used to Floo powder."

Ginny caught his eye. "That's not what I meant," she said quietly.

Harry tore his gaze from hers. "I know," he whispered.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, pushing the tin in front of him. "It's your turn, dear."

Harry staggered out of the fireplace, coughing madly. He felt a hand grasp his arm, and looked up to see Mr. Weasley helping him out of the grate.

As he stepped into the Leaky Cauldron, he noticed how quiet it was. Looking up, he was surprised to see that, rather than being almost empty, it was full of people. The reason for the silence was explained, however, because everyone in the room was staring at him.

Harry felt frozen. He didn't know what to say or do. The silence slowly turned into a hissing noise as the crowd began to whisper. He felt a hand on his arm, guiding him slowly through the mass towards the back door. As Harry moved through the crowd he heard snatches of whispered conversations:

"...back, and he saw..."

"...and Fudge, he..."

"...-Know-Who, and Dumbledore..."

"...Kingsley told me months ago..."

"...telling the truth all along..."

Harry tried to block it all out until he got outside. Only when he was standing in the bright sun of Diagon Alley did he relax.

"You okay, mate?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded slowly, squinting in the sunlight. "I think so," he said, giving Ron a quick smile. "I guess I should've expected that, right?"

Ron grinned. "It looks like you're back to being the poor, misunderstood hero again."

Harry laughed. "Better than being the attention-seeking nutter, I suppose."

Hermione joined them as they walked towards Flourish and Blotts'. "Loads better," she smiled. "Ron, your mother said she would pick up our books for us so we could go visit Fred and George."

Ron grinned. "Excellent. You two are going to love this."

Ron led them to a small shop at the corner of Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley.

Hermione looked down the shadier version of Diagon Alley. "Ron," she murmured, "aren't your bothers worried about getting customers from...down there?"

"Worried? They love getting those types of customers. George says that he's met some really interesting folks from Knockturn Alley's 'clientele', as he puts it."

This did nothing to ease Hermione's nerves. Harry, noticing this, took her hand.

"Don't worry," he teased. "I'll protect you."

Hermione huffed indignantly. "First of all, I don't need a protector, Harry, and second of all - "

Harry interrupted her, laughing. "'Mione, it was a joke. You'll be fine, I'm sure."

She looked up at him. "Good, just so we're clear." They began moving towards the entrance of the store. "But, if you could just stay near..."

They entered the shop just as an earsplitting shriek split the air around them.

Hermione jumped a foot in the air. "What in the - " she gasped, looking around wildly.

"Ron! Harry! Hermione!" The three looked up to see Fred walking towards them, a beheaded rubber chicken in his right hand. "Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!"

Hermione held a hand to her throat. "Fred, what was that?"

Fred looked puzzled for a moment before his expression cleared. "Oh, the scream? That was our shrieking mirror. Latest gag gift - the person looks in it and the mirror screams bloody murder. Like it?"

Hermione closed her eyes briefly. Ron looked over at his brother. "I think it may have given her a heart attack."

Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked out of the shop fifteen minutes later. Hermione hadn't bought anything, as most of the twins' merchandise was still rather dangerous. Ron and Harry, however, were each carrying several new toys and gadgets.

Hermione looked over at Harry. "I thought Ron gave you a whole box of Wheezes stuff for your birthday."

Harry looked up from his cache. "Well, he did...but Fred and George gave us such a good discount! I couldn't insult them by not buying anything, now could I?"

Ron nodded. "Give us a break, Hermione. We're just doing them a favor."

Hermione snorted. "I'm not even going to respond to that." She looked up and her face paled. "Oh, no. Harry, look up." Harry and Ron did so.

Draco Malfoy was standing fifty feet away from them in front of Madame Malkin's shop, talking to his mother.

Harry felt his stomach drop. The last person in the world, other than Voldemort and his Death Eaters, that Harry wanted to see was standing fifteen yards away from him.

"C'mon, you two," he said, grabbing Ron and Hermione by their arms, dragging them into Flourish and Blott's.

"Oh, there you are!" a voice cried out. Mrs. Weasley came towards them, her arm filled with books and quills. "I thought you three were going to meet us in the Leaky Cauldron."

The three of them looked at each other. Hermione spoke first. "We finished in the twins' shop earlier than we thought, Mrs. Weasley."

"Well, all right then," Ron's mother said. She handed them each a stack of books. "Help me with these for a moment, would you, dears?" Mrs. Weasley looked around quickly. "Where has Ginny gotten off to now?" she asked as she walked off.

Ron nodded to a sitting area in the corner. "Let's sit down, shall we?"

The three of them sat on squashy armchairs that reminded Harry of the Gryffindor common room. He was suddenly struck by a painful wave of homesickness.

Hermione looked at him worriedly. "Harry, are you alright?" she asked.

Harry nodded quickly. "Yeah...just wanting to get back to school."

Ron smiled sardonically. "I wonder what they'll give us for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year."

"Who they'll give us, Ron," Hermione corrected. "Not what."

Harry snorted. "I think, considering our past teachers, Ron was right the first time." Ron laughed, and Hermione cracked a smile.

"What book do we have this year for our class?" Ron asked, rifling through the stack on his lap. Hermione and Harry did likewise.

"Ooh, found it," Hermione said excitedly. "Understanding and Combating the Dark Arts by Loki Zenith. Hmm. Doesn't sound too bad," she said, leafing through the volume.

"Yeah," said Ron. "None of that theory rubbish that cow gave us last year."

"Ron!" reprimanded Hermione. "You shouldn't talk about teachers that way."

Harry and Ron looked up at her in shock. "Are you actually defending Umbridge?" Harry asked, disbelievingly.

Hermione looked up quickly from her book, her eyes widening in surprise. "Oh!" she said, blushing. "I didn't even think...force of habit, I guess."

Harry grinned at her. "What's a force of habit? Defending teachers or scolding Ron?" he asked. Hermione looked bashful.

"Both, I guess," she said, looking up at Ron apologetically. Ron snorted.

"Well, at least you can admit that you give me a hard time," he said sardonically.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Like you don't deserve it."

"Hey, I resent that! I - "

"Harry - what's wrong?" Hermione asked, worriedly. Harry was staring at a page near the end of his Dark Arts textbook. At the sound of her voice, he looked up, recovering from his surprise.

"I'm in here," he said, looking back at the book in his lap.

"Oh," said Hermione. "Well, you're in several books, I'm not really surprised that you're in one of our - "

"It's not just a mention of me, Hermione," Harry said. "It's a whole bloody chapter."

Ron grabbed his copy of the textbook and leafed through it. "Hey, he's right. He-Who-Must-Not Be Named, Albus Dumbledore, and Harry Potter: The Latest Struggle Against the Dark Forces." Ron looked up at Harry, an unreadable expression on his face. "So we're actually studying you in class?" Ron asked.

Harry glared at him. "Don't look at me like that - I didn't write the bloody book!"

Ron grinned. "Harry, I was just thinking how great this is!"

"Great?" Hermione and Harry asked in unison.

"Think about it, Harry - you're the ultimate cheat sheet! This is brilliant!"

Harry closed his eyes and put one hand to his head. "Just wait till Malfoy sees this. I'll never hear the end of it."

"Till I see what, Potter?" a voice drawled next to them. Their heads snapped up to see Malfoy standing three feet away.

"Nothing, Malfoy, leave us alone," Hermione said, turning back to her stack of books.

"Nothing? It didn't sound like nothing," Malfoy said. His eyes fell on the open book in Ron's lap. Before anyone could blink, he had snatched it up and was scanning the page.

"Malfoy - " Harry started angrily.

"He-Who-Must-Not Be Named, Albus Dumbledore, and Harry Potter: The Latest Struggle Against the Dark Forces," Malfoy read aloud. A hard glint came to his eyes. "Is this a joke, Potter? A way for you to get a little more fame and attention?" he sneered.

Harry had had enough. "Yes, Malfoy, I did this. I found an author, paid him to write about me, got the book published by using my extensive contact list in the textbook industry, and persuaded Dumbledore and McGonagall to accept this as our curriculum this year. Just a little joke of mine." Harry smirked. "Malfoy, get a life."

Malfoy had turned an inhuman shade of purple, causing Ron to laugh out loud at the sight of his face. "Not really your color, is it Malfoy?" he snickered.

Malfoy spun on his heel and walked off. Harry, Ron, and Hermione started laughing.

"Kids!" Mrs. Weasley came up to them, Ginny close behind. "Come on, we're late for lunch."

Harry sat back in his chair, and stared contentedly around the crowded table. He, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley had joined up with Mr. Weasley and the twins for a highly satisfying lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. The group was in a private dining room, something Harry was very grateful for, and they were picking through the remains of their desserts.

"...protection for the students..."

Harry looked up as he caught this snippet of Mr. Weasley's sentence. He and Mrs. Weasley were sitting next to Harry, their heads bent towards each other, deep in conversation. Harry, feeling slightly guilty, listened to what they were saying.

"Dumbledore's enlisted practically an army of Auror's to guard the school," Mr. Weasley was saying. "Mostly Order members, in fact - Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, Lupin - they're all going to be at Hogwarts this year. I think one of them may be the new Defense teacher, in fact. They'll keep an eye on everything."

Mrs. Weasley looked distressed. "But, Arthur, there are only so many Auror's. Won't we need them elsewhere, as well? Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, the Ministry of Magic - why put so many at Hogwarts?"

Mr. Weasley glanced up at Harry, who pretended to be very busy with his pudding. "Molly," Mr. Weasley said. "Dumbledore knows You-Know-Who's primary target. He wants to make sure nothing happens to..." Mr. Weasley nodded his head toward Harry.

"You-Know-Who wouldn't dare to go to Hogwarts...would he?" Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with worry as she looked at her children. "I mean, with Dumbledore there, the school is almost a fortress."

Mr. Weasley looked serious. "He's been getting reckless, Molly. My god, Ron's first year there, You-Know-Who spent the whole year possessing a teacher! And you know what happened at the Triwizard's final task - he managed to get Harry away from Dumbledore's protection. And last year, he actually showed up at the Ministry!" Mr. Weasley lowered his voice, causing Mrs. Weasley - and Harry - to lean in closer. "I don't think You-Know-Who is as cautious as he might have been before he disappeared. I think he might be distracted by...something." He looked at Harry significantly.

Harry pondered this for a long time after their conversation had been over. When the talk moved on to Quidditch, Harry was still mulling over Mr. Weasley's words.

So, I'm making Voldemort nervous? Reckless, even? Harry didn't know whether this made him feel better or worse. Better, in the sense that Voldemort seemed to view him as a threat. Worse, because Harry knew that there was very little substance behind that. Harry knew that, while he had used his quick thinking and talents on some occasions, the only reason that he was still alive was a mixture of luck and a lot of help.

How on earth was he supposed to defeat Voldemort?

"What about Tonks?" Ron asked.

"Seriously, Ron, can you really see Tonks teaching us? She can barely keep her head on straight!" Hermione said, tiredly.

It was much later that night, and she, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were sitting in the boys' room, mulling over what Harry had told them of the conversation he had overheard earlier. He hadn't mentioned that he was the reason for all the extra protection: instead, he had let the others believe that the Order members were stationed at Hogwarts for the protection of all the students. Not really a lie, but not the full truth, either.

At the moment, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were debating over which member of the Order would be teaching DADA that year.

"But she's an Auror! She knows what she's doing," Ron responded. Ginny shook her head.

"Nah, she's too young. I think it'll be Lupin - he's done it before, he knows what he's doing," she said.

Hermione thought about this for a moment. "It would be nice if Lupin taught us again...but I don't think many of the parents would go for it. Especially now...werewolves are too closely tied in with Voldemort."

"Yeah, but Dumbledore might not mind," Ron said. "I mean, he hired Firenze, right?"

Hermione looked over at him. "Ron, we've been over this - werewolves are much more dangerous that centaurs." Harry looked up at this.

"Hermione," he said. "Do you remember what almost happened to us in the Forbidden Forest last year? Those centaurs almost killed us - if it weren't for Grawp..." he trailed off.

Hermione nodded quickly. "I know, Harry. I meant, that werewolves are seen as much more dangerous that centaurs. I wish that people would give Lupin a chance...he's such a good teacher..." Ginny nodded sadly.

Ron grinned suddenly. "What if Moody taught us? It'd be interesting to see if he teaches like Crouch did..." he trailed off at the look on Harry's face. "Sorry, Harry, I didn't - "

Harry cut him off. "No, don't worry about it," he said, forcing a smile onto his face. He didn't like to think about Barty Crouch, Jr. any more than he had to. "It would just be really odd to see him teach again, y'know?" He laughed slightly. "I wonder if 'constant vigilance' was his thing, or Crouch's."

"I guess the answers to all these questions will be answered soon, huh?" Ginny yawned. "We're going back to school in - " she checked the calendar " - four days."

Hermione yawned, too. "What time is it?" she said, closing her eyes sleepily.

Harry checked his watch, and winced when he saw the time. "Nearly three o'clock." Suddenly feeling much more tired than he had a moment earlier, he said, "I think I'm ready for bed."

The other three agreed readily. The girls said their good-nights, and left. Harry and Ron climbed into their respective beds, both relaxing into their pillows.

"Night, Ron," Harry murmured, his eyes closing. Ron muttered something incomprehensible as he turned onto his side.

Ten minutes later, they were both dead asleep.

Harry was standing in dungeon where he confronted Quirrell in his first year. The Mirror of Erised was standing in the center of the room, and through it, Harry could see his parents...and Sirius. He walked slowly towards the Mirror, and when he reached it, he simply kept on going, and stepped into the frame...

...to find himself flying through the Chamber of Secrets, holding onto Fawkes' tail. That is, until Fawkes' turned into a giant black dog, and Harry was flying out of the Chamber, over the lake, over an army of dementors, until the dog had taken him to a cemetery...

...where he landed in the middle of a dozen masked Death Eaters. Harry paused only for a moment, before turning and running towards a door twenty yards away...Harry knew this door, for it led to the Department of Mysteries...

...and he was in the cavernous room where he had last seen his godfather. Harry was standing in the center of the room, where the black curtain should have been. Death Eaters and dementors surrounded him, and they were closing in slowly. The Death Eater's pulled out their wands and, in unison, sent curses in his direction.

They all bounced off an invisible shield that was apparently surrounding Harry.

As the Death Eaters continued to futilely fire curses at Harry, the shield began to appear. He saw that he was standing in the middle of a gigantic golden ring.

Amid the yells of frustration coming from his attackers, Harry made out a small whisper:

"Hidden love will be your weapon."

Harry woke up sweating and gasping for air. He sat up slowly, trying to process his dream, and found himself wishing he had his copy of Trelawney's dream-interpreting textbook.

What did that mean? he asked himself. What did that voice say...'hidden love will be your weapon'?

He turned towards Ron, wanting to talk to someone about his dream, only to find Ron peacefully drooling on his pillow.

The image calmed Harry, as he looked at his best friend, asleep without a care in the world. Go to bed, Harry, he thought sternly. You can worry about this tomorrow.

It was easier said than done. Harry didn't fall asleep until dawn.