Learning to Vanquish

Chapter Thirteen

Training to Win

On Friday, while the class was filing out of Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall asked Harry to stop for a moment. "You're not in trouble, Potter," she reassured him. "The Headmaster asked me to give you this note." She handed him a sealed note that had nothing on the outside. "You're not to open it unless you're alone. Now, join your classmates."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said as he ran to catch up with Ron and Hermione. It wasn't until after his last class of the day that he was able to be alone for a few minutes to read the note.

Once he broke the seal and opened it, he recognized Snape's handwriting immediately. Wear your Invisibility Cloak and meet me at Hagrid's at the usual time, was all that it said. Harry wondered what kind of training he was about to receive.

He was at Hagrid's five minutes early, holding the cloak against the brisk breeze that had sprung up as the sun had set. Snape was already there, talking quietly with Hagrid. Harry didn't know how, but Snape knew as soon as he got there. "Prompt. Very well, Mr. Potter, follow me. Good night, Hagrid."

Snape set off through the Forbidden Forest at a brisk pace; Harry was hard-pressed to keep up with him without losing the protection of his father's cloak. It was nearly half an hour later when they reached a large clearing. More of a meadow, really, Harry thought, looking around. The ground was carpeted in wildflowers, which added a heady perfume to the air; it was a lovely, peaceful spot that Harry thought Snape didn't fit into at all. Snape turned around, his robes billowing behind him. "You can take off the cloak now, Potter. This area is thoroughly warded against our being seen or stumbled upon."

Harry removed his cloak and folded it carefully onto a nearby rock. "What are we doing here tonight?" he asked.

Snape sighed. "In reviewing what you have learned, in Defence class and in my sessions, Professor Dumbledore pointed out that you do not yet know how to Apparate. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't teach you until after your seventeenth birthday. In fact, all seventh years have the opportunity to take a class in the subject. However, if something should go wrong and you are captured by the Dark Lord and his other followers, your knowing how to Apparate could save your life. So, we are here for you to learn to Apparate."

"I thought no one could Apparate at Hogwarts," Harry said. Hermione had certainly repeated that often enough, quoting her beloved Hogwarts: A History.

"No one can. The only way to break through the Anti-Apparation wards would be to use an enormous amount of power--more power than any wizard living currently possesses." Snape scowled. "However, we are currently outside Hogwarts' wards. The Headmaster thoroughly warded this clearing this afternoon; no one will be able to see us while we are here. Nor will you be able to Apparate outside the wards. If, for some brainless reason, you try, you will find yourself stopped at the edge of the clearing. Any other questions?" Snape's eyes glittered dangerously.

When Harry shook his head, Snape began lecturing on Apparation. He said that Harry could pick up the theory on his own. In fact, if Harry wanted his Apparation licence, he would have to study the theory as it was on the test; however, Snape wasn't going to waste his valuable time on it. He did explain the process completely. Harry thought it sounded easy, although he suspected putting it into practice would be more difficult.

"What you do," Snape explained, "is picture a spot in your head, in as much detail as you possibly can. Then, you push yourself through space until you are there. The reason people splinch themselves is that they either don't picture their destination clearly enough or they don't picture themselves clearly enough; you must be fully aware and fully visualize your entire body."

"Can't people Apparate to a place they've never been before?"

"That is a more advanced topic. What is important for now is that you learn the basics. To begin with, Apparate to that stump."

The first several times Harry tried, he didn't go anywhere. The first time he actually Apparated, he landed on the other side of the meadow from where he intended, having left his right foot where he had started. Snape didn't seem to be able to decide if he should sneer or smirk as he put Harry back together, but he did explain to Harry what he'd done wrong. After one other unsuccessful attempt, in which Harry again didn't land where he'd aimed, he successfully Apparated to the other side of the meadow. Snape was impressed when Harry told him it was where he had intended to go; Snape had told him to move a mere six feet.

After several hours of practice, Harry was able to land wherever Snape told him to go. Snape finally nodded and said, "You have the basics down, which is all you need to know for now. You can learn the rest on your own, or take the class next year." He had turned to go when he suddenly looked down at Harry's right hand. "Where's your ring?"

Harry pulled the ring out of his pocket and put it back on. "I took it off after I splinched myself," he answered. "I think part of my problem was that I was using too much power. I know it went better when I was deliberately using as little power as I could."

Snape looked at him warily but didn't say anything else. They walked back to the castle, Harry under his Invisibility Cloak, in silence.

According to the calendar Hermione had calculated, the next Quarter Day was that Monday. During Potions class that morning, Harry looked for Draco but he was missing. When he asked Blaise at the end of class, the Slytherin nodded. "Yeah, Draco got permission to go home, on family business, today and tomorrow. The official reason is to see Orion, his baby brother, but everyone knows it's not true. Do you know what he's up to?"

Harry shook his head. He had suspicions, but he didn't really know anything.

That evening, Harry felt an overwhelming feeling of joy through his link with Voldemort. It wasn't triumph, not yet, but Voldemort believed he was very close to realizing his goal with Draco.

Harry started on his Occlumency on Wednesday morning before he went down to breakfast. He was glad that he did, because, when Draco walked through the Great Hall to walk past him in the Great Hall, Harry felt his scar starting to burn, but was able to control it enough not to let on.

When he went to the Hospital Wing after breakfast for a headache potion, Madam Pomfrey insisted she give him a full examination. She explained, after finding nothing wrong with him, that the headache potion she'd been giving him no longer seemed to be working. She finally gave him a potion designed for people with severe migraines. It worked, but it made Harry drowsy and unable to pay attention to anything. It also made him queasy when he smelled food, or anything else with a strong smell.

The next night, feeling a little more himself, Harry used the mirror to contact the other universe. Sirius answered quickly. "Has anything else happened?" he asked sharply.

Harry shook his head. "Only that whatever Voldemort's doing with Draco is working. Any time I'm near Draco now, I'm fighting a Voldemort-sized headache. We're still not sure what he's doing."

"Nothing good, sounds like," Sirius agreed. "I'm glad you contacted me; I wanted to talk to you about those rings." At Harry's questioning look, the older man continued, "They're serving a definite purpose now, but as soon as Voldemort's destroyed, they have to be disenchanted. It's possible they may have to be destroyed as well, but I'd start with disenchanting them."

Harry found that, as little as he'd liked the idea of the rings in the first place, he was now loath to give them up. "Why?"

Sirius closed his eyes and sighed. "From what we can tell, if you continue to have access to all that power after the bastard's destroyed, you'll probably start craving power and, eventually, become as bad as he is. It's too much power." Sirius sighed again. "They're a good idea, but I wish your Hermione had never thought of them. They represent much too much danger for you. On a happier note, our premier expert on Potions and lycanthropy thinks he's developed something to make the transformation even easier. I'll be sending the parchment with the formula through; you can give it to your Snape. Our Remus will be trying it this month; if yours could as well, we can see how it really works." Harry agreed to take the papers to Snape at his next training session and went to find Hermione.

It took a while. She and Ron were doing their prefect rounds after curfew that evening, and had stopped for a goodnight snog in an empty classroom on their way back. Harry found himself feeling wistful as he watched them; they were so happy, and they both deserved that happiness, but he wished he had something like it for himself. After a moment, he cleared his throat and they jumped apart.

"Oi, mate," Ron said, untangling his hand from Hermione's hair. "You're lucky we don't assign a detention; you're out after curfew."

"So are you," Harry said, amused.

"But we're prefects and we're out performing our duties," Hermione said primly. When Harry gave her a sceptical look, she laughed. "Well, we were until we stopped here," she said. "Do you need something, or are you just here to tease us?"

"While teasing you is always the highlight of my day, I was looking for you to discuss something serious," Harry said. He sat down at one of the desks. "I have a question, a request and a warning." He explained what Sirius had told him about the rings. "He's sending research about an improvement to the Wolfsbane, but I think there will be a warning about the rings in it. That's the warning. The question is how many of them are there and who has them. The request is," Harry sighed, "if I start acting, well, like a Dark Lord, please, no matter what, destroy them all."

"We will," Ron said. When Harry and Hermione both looked at him in surprise, Ron shrugged. "It's a danger. We've known it was a danger right from the start. I don't think it'll happen too fast for us to see and stop it, though, or I would never have agreed to wear one." He held up the hand with his ring on it. "I believe in you, Harry. I always have. Whatever you need, if I can give it to you, I will."

Harry was touched at Ron's unconditional loyalty. He couldn't say anything; he was too overwhelmed. Ron seemed to understand. He didn't seem to expect Harry to say anything; he just put his arm around Hermione, pulling her close, and gestured out the door. "Let's get back so Hermione can give you that list."

Hermione gave him a warm smile. "It will be all right, Harry. Power isn't something you've ever wanted; it's just something you use to protect you and those you love. That doesn't mean you can't abuse it, but I think we can stop it before things go too far."

On Monday evening, while he was studying in the library, Harry felt the beginnings of one of his visions. He decided he was really going to try to stop the visions once and for; he left the library for his dorm. Once there, he lay down on his bed, closed the curtains, and began his shield exercises and his Occlumency exercises. His scar not only continued to burn, but the pain became stronger and stronger. Finally, he decided that, if he couldn't stop it, he would take control over it. He dropped his shields, stopped the Occlumency and pushed out with his mind.

Almost immediately, he found himself sitting behind a desk. Lucius Malfoy was sitting directly in front of him. He looked worn and tired, but still impeccably dressed and groomed. He seemed to notice Harry's presence, or at least a change, almost immediately. "Is something wrong? Should I ask Draco to . . .?"

"You will leave Draco alone," Harry said sharply. He could almost see Voldemort's plans for the younger Malfoy, but then Voldemort managed to shield them. He tried to take a good look at the papers on the desk, and saw a list of names. Harry tried to memorize all of them, but the change in concentration broke the spell. He found himself back in his own bed, his head feeling as if it were to burst open. At the same time, he had a feeling of triumph. It hadn't been much, but he had broken in intentionally, he had seen the list of names, he had almost seen Voldemort's plans for Draco and he was still in sufficiently good enough shape that he could report everything to Dumbledore. He sat up to do exactly that.

When he got out of bed to retrieve his shoes, he ran into his other dorm mates, who had been sitting on their own beds watching over his. "Get back in bed," snarled Seamus.

"What shape are you in?" asked Ron.

"I'm fine. What's your problem?" Harry wanted to get to Dumbledore while he could still remember the names. "I have to see the Headmaster."

Ron picked up a piece of parchment from his bedside table. "Write down whatever you're afraid you'll forget; I'll get Dumbledore." He left the room, grabbing Harry's invisibility cloak as he did so.

Harry looked at the time. It had been less than half an hour. "What's everybody's problem?"

The other three boys exchanged a look. "Harry," Neville finally said, "you've been unconscious since last night. We're just worried about you."

"Since last night?" Harry asked. That at least explained why everyone was acting so peculiar. "Has anything else happened?"

"No," Seamus snapped at him, "we all think watching our friend lie in his bed looking like he died is absolutely nothing!"

"I'm going to tell the girls," Dean said, leaving the dorm. "They've been worried, too."

Neville and Seamus finally let Harry go to the toilet, but Seamus walked with him to make sure he didn't fall or otherwise hurt himself. Harry rolled his eyes but went along with it. Seamus worrying about him was better than Seamus thinking he was an attention-seeking lunatic.

When they got to the door to the dorm, Ron was waiting for them. He grabbed Seamus's arm and led him down to the common room, indicating with his chin that Harry should go back into the dorm. Waiting for him inside were Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey. "Honestly," the school nurse said, "I spend more time checking you over." She did so, and then smiled at him. "Everything's fine, Mr. Potter. Perhaps you just needed the sleep; you still look a bit tired. You can ask him whatever you need," she said to Dumbledore as she left. "Please do make sure he makes an early night of it; we don't want him wearing himself out." She bustled out the door.

Dumbledore sat down on Ron's bed. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Harry proceeded to do so. He even demonstrated the shields and techniques he had used to try to block the connection, and what he had done when they hadn't worked. "At least, I got the list of names. I don't know what they mean, but I thought the Order could work it out." He handed his list to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore glanced at the list, and then folded it and put it into a pocket. "I've been thinking about this connection you have with Voldemort," he said. "Would you answer a couple of questions for me?" After Harry's nod, the Headmaster continued, "You are frequently aware of Voldemort's moods and emotions. Do you ever sense those of your peers?"

Harry thought about it a moment. "No more than they can sense mine, I don't think," he finally said.

"That tends to argue against your being a true empath and implies that your connection with Voldemort isn't simply an emotional one. And neither shields nor Occlumency can break the connection?"

Harry thought about that one for a moment. It wasn't quite true; the shields and the Occlumency weakened the connection, and made it more bearable. In fact, Harry realized, after the first day Draco was back, it worked completely against Draco and whatever was happening there. He explained that to Dumbledore, who looked thoughtfully at the wall behind Harry.

Finally, standing to leave, Dumbledore smiled down at Harry. "Keep doing the best you can, and let us know when your efforts don't succeed as you wish them to. We'll investigate these people and look into . . . other things." With that, Dumbledore strode out of the dorm and out of the tower. Harry could hear him speaking to the other students as he left.

Once things had quieted down, his friends came in to check on him and catch him up with what he'd missed. His four dorm mates, Hermione, Parvati, Lavender and Ginny piled onto his bed and chattered at him. After reassuring everyone that he was fine and that he had every intention of being in classes the next day, Harry just sat and listened to his friends talking excitedly. His head still ached a bit and he rubbed at the scar, trying to ease the ache.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked, looking very worried.

"My head still hurts a bit from last night," Harry answered. "Nothing to worry about."

"Let me see if I can do something?" Parvati said. She scooted behind Harry and began rubbing his temples. He let his head drop back on her shoulder, closed his eyes, and enjoyed what she was doing. The others continued talking; telling him about something Malfoy had done that day in Care of Magical Creatures. He had managed to make Hagrid angry enough that the half-giant had actually taken points! It was only five, but from Hagrid, it was worse than McGonagall or even Snape taking fifty.

After several minutes, Harry realized that the conversation had stopped. He opened his eyes and looked around. Everyone but he and Parvati had left. "What happened to everybody?" he asked.

Parvati smiled, looking very pretty. "You looked so peaceful that they thought they'd let you enjoy the moment," she said. Harry looked up at her and realized her face was coming closer. Then, they were kissing.

When she pulled away some unknown time later, Harry looked up at her, feeling rather dazed. Then he shook his head and sat up straight. "I like you, Parvati," he started.

"But?" Harry couldn't tell if she was angry with him.

"As long as Voldemort's around, I don't think it would be fair for me to have a girlfriend," Harry said. It was hard to say; he liked Parvati and, even if he wasn't in love with her, she was pretty and nice and fun. Still, he was a target and anyone close to him was one as well.

"Hm," Parvati said. "Hermione and Ginny both warned me you might say that. They gave me very strict instructions as to what I was to do if you said something along those lines."

Harry decided he was going to kill both Hermione and Ginny as soon as he could. "And they are?"

Parvati reached up, pulled his head down, and kissed him even more thoroughly than before. Then, she said, "Unless you say you don't like me, I'm right here. Can you say that?"

He should, Harry knew. Her feelings would be hurt, but she'd get over it; he doubted she was any more in love with him than he was with her. But her kisses felt wonderful, better than anything else in his life, even Quidditch, did. "I'm going to worry about you every minute of every day," he told her. "If anything happens to you, or your family . . ."

"Harry, if your parents had thought that way, you'd never have been born." Parvati gave him one last kiss, "For good night," she said and left the room.

Harry knew she was right. He also knew he wasn't going to stop worrying about it any time soon. After going over all of her kisses several times in his head, he reached for some parchment and started a letter to Remus.

He was almost finished when Ron walked in. "Glad to see you've finally seen some sense," his friend said with a laugh. "What are you writing?"

"A letter to Remus," Harry answered. "I think I need an adult's advice."

Ron sniggered as he got ready for bed.

Two days later, Harry got a letter from Remus telling him that he would visit before the full moon the next week. Harry was looking forward to this visit a great deal; all of Gryffindor now knew that he was dating Parvati; she walked with him to most of his classes, holding his hand. He'd started carrying her books along with his but he couldn't decide how he felt. Waiting in the queue for Potions, Ron laughed at him, "Most blokes dream of your problems, mate."

"They dream about having Voldemort after him, about knowing that they have to kill a madman to survive?"

Ron looked shame-faced. "Er, no, I don't think anyone envies you your Riddle problems. You're just over-thinking the whole Parvati thing." When Harry looked at him, not understanding, Ron continued, "You're not in love with her. OK, she's not in love with you, either. She likes you and wants to know you better. She knows the risks."

Hermione had come over to them and added, "Would you like to know what she told me?" When Harry nodded eagerly, she said, "Parvati told me, and all of the girls who would listen, that dating you might be risky when it comes to Tom Riddle and Death Eaters and not being able to go to Madam Puddifoot's. But, she also said you kiss very nicely and you're a perfect gentleman. Unlike some boys, she doesn't have to worry about your hands."

Harry blushed about the "kiss" comment, but then asked, "What about my hands?" He looked down at them; they looked perfectly normal to him, but was Parvati implying something else?

Hermione had opened her mouth to answer Harry, but Ron put his hand over it. "Love, let me explain this one. We'll all find it a lot less embarrassing."

Hermione blushed prettily and nodded.

Ron didn't need to say more than three words that evening before Harry understood what the girls were talking about. He blushed, as much because Ron thought he was that innocent as because of the subject. When he said, though, that being a gentleman just seemed right, Ron nodded. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind doing more but I'm not just in love with Hermione. I like her."

"And we'd both like to go on liking both girls," Harry agreed.

When Harry repeated the conversations to Remus when he visited the next Tuesday, the day before the full moon, Remus laughed. "You sound like James. Sirius never did quite get that idea through his head, but after the first girl left him fit for the Hospital Wing, your father did. Lily would quite approve and so, I think, would James. For different reasons though," he said with a merry smile.

"Remus, do you think I'm being stupid or selfish for dating Parvati?" It was the question he hadn't dared ask anyone else.

Remus shook his head. "No, I don't. You need to be careful, you need to make sure she's careful and letting the Order, or at least a member of it know is also sensible. Not that members of the Order didn't know almost immediately," he said, with a teasing laugh. "When I mentioned your letter to the Headmaster, and asked to visit, he told me he'd already heard about you and Parvati from half a dozen different sources. I'm guessing," he continued more soberly, "that you didn't say anything to Severus."

Harry shook his head. "I never know whether he's going to decide that I have a death wish because I'm too careful, or because I'm too reckless. It makes my head spin sometimes."

Remus laughed. "I suspect it's worse when he believes both at the same time, which is probably what he thinks right now." Remus shook his head, and then grinned. "Minerva, on the other hand, approves. Parvati's been working harder on her schoolwork, which Minerva thinks is all to the good, and she says you actually look like a sixteen-year-old boy, which she was starting to believe wouldn't ever happen."

They talked for over an hour. Remus would be trying the new version of Wolfsbane and had high hopes for it. "Severus, however, has been sure to remind me that it's very experimental and may be worse than taking nothing."

"What if it is?" Harry asked.

Remus shrugged. "Then, I don't take that formulation again and Severus and his colleagues, in both universes, go back to work. I'll be securely locked up; I won't be able to hurt anyone, so I'm not terribly worried. I can survive one transformation."

"Did the other Sirius say anything about the rings?" Harry asked. He'd been worrying about that ever since he'd given the parchments to Snape, but no one had said anything to him about it.

Remus smiled gently. "Yes, he did pass on the warning; he also said he'd told the same thing to you. It's nothing we didn't already know." Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Would you like to hear why nobody here is especially worried about it?" Harry nodded and Remus said, "First, they weren't your idea and you were horrified when you realized what they were. Hermione described that scene to Minerva in great detail, for her own comfort and for ours. Second, they are temporary and removable. The person wearing the ring can change their mind and can also decide not to allow the access at any specific time just by removing it. And, finally, Hermione described the spell with which she created the rings in the first place. Several of us have examined it and none of us believe you could drain someone against their will." When Harry sighed in relief, Remus continued, "It's doubtful if you could even pull someone's power at all for a purpose with which they disagree. Although it would have been better if she'd talked to one of us, Hermione was quite careful when she designed the spell. None of us want to watch Voldemort's successor be created. Feel better?"

"Some," Harry said. "They still scare me."

"They should," Remus agreed. "When they stop scaring you is when I'll start worrying."

The next night, just after dark, Professor McGonagall hurried into the common room and told Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to follow her. His stomach clenching in dread, Harry did so. From the looks on the others' faces, they were as scared as he was. Their Head of House seemed flustered, not at all her usual, calm self. She led them straight to Dumbledore's office.

When they walked in, Professor Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk with a huge smile on his face, his eyes twinkling merrily. Snape was sitting in a chair in front of his desk, scribbling quickly on a parchment in front of him. Remus was standing in front of the window, looking at the full moon with a teary smile on his face. Hermione shrieked.

"It's a cure?" Harry asked. The others looked as stunned as he felt.

"No," Snape said shortly without looking up.

"Not a permanent one, anyway," Remus said. "I have to take it for the week before the full moon, every full moon. It tastes worse, which I didn't believe possible, than the old Wolfsbane. With enough use, there are some pretty serious side effects. And it's the most miraculous thing I can imagine, standing here, human, looking at that moon, thanks to Severus's work." He smiled. "I wonder what my Boggart would be now."

"Not my work," snarled Snape. "I followed their lead."

"I read those notes as well as you, Severus Snape," Professor McGonagall said sharply. "According to them, your Wolfsbane was almost there; they only had to make a few minor adjustments. Most of which you made; they kept going up blind alleys."

Snape flushed, his sallow face going dark. "They did much more than that."

"It's wonderful, sir," Harry said, hoping Snape would believe him.

"You just might become the most famous Potions Master alive," Hermione said softly. "The man who cured the werewolves."

Snape refused to look at any of the others, focusing on the notes he was taking. "Lupin," he snapped, "you will come with me to the next Potions conference, correct?"

"I think having a known werewolf, whom you are known to despise, standing in front of a room full of noted Potions Masters and Mistresses on the night of a full moon not transforming might be the most dramatic way of proving that your potion works," Remus said, smiling. "I'd be delighted."

"It'll be published before that," Snape mumbled. Then he stiffened, his hand going to his arm and the Dark Mark on it. "I must go." He left the office at a run.

"He'll be all right, won't he?" Harry asked.

"You sound worried," Dumbledore said. The twinkle had dimmed a bit when Snape left, but he was still smiling.

"We need him, for a lot of things," Harry said. "I'm not sure we could win this war without him."

"Hmph," snorted Professor McGonagall. "It's high time people started realizing that."

"I don't know who was more surprised when I stood there, in the moonlight, fully human," Remus said, his voice soft and thoughtful. "Severus and I both stood there staring at each other for I don't know how long. Then he actually shouted in triumph."

"As well he should," Hermione said staunchly as the others nodded.

The four of them stayed for a bit, talking with Remus, whose eyes kept wandering out to the full moon on the grounds. When Professor McGonagall realized that they were out past curfew, she escorted them back to the common room. "For now, don't spread this around," she instructed them. "Wait until it's reported. We don't want to steal any of the glory for this."

"Will he be able to publish it?" Harry asked, suddenly thinking about how Voldemort would view this.

McGonagall nodded. "He'll think that the necessity of taking it every month a sufficient weakness. It will still be expensive; it's still a difficult potion to brew. It's not a final answer, but it's an amazing start. Even if," she suddenly grinned, "Remus complains terribly about the taste."

Harry went to bed smiling, but his dreams that night were nightmares, filled with blood and screams. He couldn't remember what had happened in them in the morning, just that they had been terrible.

Part of the answer as to what had happened was in the Daily Prophet the next morning. WEREWOLVES KILL THREE AURORS was the paper's headline. A dozen werewolves, the names including some Harry had given Dumbledore earlier that month, had attacked four Muggles' homes. Aurors had been dispatched to all four in time, but the team at one of them had been overcome. The werewolves at that house had killed everyone there, Muggles and Aurors alike. None of the names were ones Harry recognized.

Hermione had glanced at the headline, but had filled her plate before picking up the newspaper to read. Once she did though, she gasped in horror.

"What is it, Hermione?" Lavender asked.

"The Muggles, the ones who were killed, they're, they were, our neighbours," Hermione stuttered out.

Everyone around her was quiet for a moment, stunned at the news. "Are your parents all right?" Ron finally asked. He put his arm around her and pulled her close, for comfort.

"It doesn't say anything about them," she said, her voice trembling. "I . . . I should talk to Professor McGonagall."

"Right." Ron stood and pulled her up with him. For once, he didn't even glance at the meal he was leaving behind; all his attention was focused on Hermione. He guided her up to the Head Table, where he spoke for a moment with Professor McGonagall. She nodded, stood and led the two students out of the Great Hall.

"What should we do?" asked Parvati, her voice wavering. "Should we go to her?"

Harry thought about it for a moment. "Class will be starting in just a few minutes and Hermione would be the last person who would want any of us to miss it. Let's go on to class; if we don't hear anything by the end of class, I'll go looking for them." The others seemed to think that was a good plan.

The first class of the day was Potions. When the class had been seated and Snape looked around the room, he noticed the two missing students. "Where," he asked, his voice cold, "are Weasley and Granger?"

"Some people Hermione knew were killed last night, Professor," Harry answered. "Ron took her to talk with Professor McGonagall."

Snape glared. "Pity. If they're not excused, they'll get zeroes for the day." He whirled around and put the day's assignment on the blackboard. Harry, working with Parvati, got right to work on his potion.

Fifteen minutes into class, Ron walked in. He walked straight up to Snape, handed him a note and walked back to an empty desk, where he started setting up to brew the potion on the board. Snape read the note and snapped, "You will stay after class, Mr. Weasley."

Ron nodded. "Yes, sir."

When class was finally over, Harry stopped by Ron on his way out. "She's OK," Ron whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "Her parents are fine; they didn't know until this morning. McGonagall took her to see her parents; she'll be back this evening."

"That's Professor McGonagall, Weasley," Snape had walked up to the two of them while Ron was talking. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your appalling lack of respect for your Head of House and five for your not leaving for class on time, Mr. Potter."

Harry flushed and headed out the door when he heard Snape ask Ron, "Are Miss Granger's parents well, Mr. Weasley?" Harry shook his head as he ran to his next class.

Hermione came back that night. She told everyone that her parents were fine; they'd never known what was happening next door. She told Ron, later in private, that they suspected her neighbours had been attacked as a warning: she and her parents were very much targets.

When Slytherin played Ravenclaw the next Saturday, everyone except Slytherin rooted hard for the Ravenclaw team. It was a close match, 210-170, but Slytherin finally pulled the win. Harry was able to congratulate Blaise and Daphne at the next DA meeting, but it was hard.

"Whatever happened to the days," Ron asked when Harry mentioned it, "when Slytherin was evil and we could just enjoy hating them?"

"Maybe we've just grown up," Hermione said, her lips as thin as McGonagall's. "And it's past time for doing so."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. Hermione might be right, she probably was, but it didn't feel like an accomplishment.