Harry Potter and the Rise of the Phoenix

* * * * * * *
Now, I'm not a hero... No!
But the weight of the world
Is on my soul.
These images burn my eyes.
They're burning me up inside.

Full Blown Rose ~ Somebody Help Me
* * * * * * *

Harry already knew this week was going to be long and he hadn't even made it to breakfast yet. Any day that started out with him looking forward to going back to bed before he had even left it could be nothing but long. And a Monday that started that way always meant a long week. He hated starting out a week like this. What with the rumors going around, the prospect of another press conference, adding more training classes, and the coming Order meeting, it was not going to go well. He knew it and he hated it.

He entered the Great Hall, looking around for Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. He had gone to take a shower, while they had gone right to breakfast. The lucky three had gotten off easy because Harry had made a major mistake early on. Bryant, the evil git, had had Harry running through corrective exercises while the others watched him, freed because of that stupid mistake. Bryant was a good man, but there were times when Harry would be happy if the man fell off a cliff never to return. Spotting them at the table, Harry walked over, stiff and exhausted.

"You alright?" Ginny asked as he slumped into the seat next to her. Hermione was pouring her customary morning cup of coffee while Ron made a face at the smell.

"Yeah," he answered. "Hermione. Coffee. Black. Now. Please." His three friends exchanged worried looks, but Hermione poured him a cup without hesitation. "Thank you."

"What's up with you today?" Ron asked, putting his fork down.

"Tired," he said, breathing in the smell of the drink. He took a long sip, pursing his lips at the taste. He didn't like coffee, which was why his friends were worried, but he was going to need the caffeine to make it through the day.

"Nightmares or worse?" Ginny asked, rubbing his thigh in sympathy.

"Neither, just a bad night's sleep," he replied after a second swallow. "I think everything is piling up. I need to get rid of some of the stress."

"Sorry, I can't kill Rita for you, mate," Ron said with a laugh. Harry glanced at the upside down headlines of the Daily Prophet in front of Hermione and frowned. He had made the front page yet again. "She's not worth going to Azkaban over. Malfoy though, is going to go," Ron added, handing Harry his copy of the Quibbler.

"'Malfoy Charged with Dumbledore's Murder: Theodore Nott Senior and Junior Implicated'," Harry read out-loud. "That's good news, I guess."

"You guess?" Seamus asked from the other side of the table.

"I just wish it had never happened, but seeing that it did, I'm glad he's paying for it," Harry explained. "I guess I just wish that no one from our year had gotten dragged into Voldemort's clutches. I'd rather Dumbledore be alive and Malfoy not have the Dark Mark on his arm."

"What a wonder that would have been," Neville said with a humorless laugh. "A Malfoy not supporting Voldemort. Wouldn't happen."

"Still can wish."

"Yes, you can, luv," Ginny said with a small smile. "You have any ideas for getting rid of your stress?"

"Cut back Quidditch," Harry suggested. Surprisingly everyone looked at him blankly, Harry hadn't expected this reaction. Dean's fork actually fell from his lifeless fingers. "Cut back, not quit," he assured them quickly. "Become Captain in name only. Skip a few practices when I need to do homework or something else that's important. But definitely not quit."

"Good, I thought you were going to do something stupid," Dean said, picking up his fork. "You can't quit Quidditch if you're going to play pro."

"Yeah," Harry said half-heartedly. It fooled Dean, but Ginny and Ron gave him questioning looks. He wanted to put off any of their questions, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "McGonagall wants me to give a press conference to get these rumors in check."

"What do you want?" Hermione asked from her seat across from him.

"I want them all to disappear and never reappear," Harry said with a tired smile. A quick wave of his wand had the coffee pot pouring him a second cup. "But I know that isn't realistic. I'll probably do it, if that's what others think I should." That was the main topic on the Order meeting agenda that night. Something had to be done before the public lost too much faith in him or their side of the war. "I just hope it doesn't backfire and get me more press coverage in the long run. I don't want that."

"I hope it doesn't either," Ginny said, brushing her hand across his cheek. "You've stopped eating at meals again. You need to eat more. "

"I'm trying," he assured her. "I just haven't had an appetite."

"You—"

"Gees, Mum, leave him alone," Ron teased his little sister. In reply, she kicked Ron's shin under the table. "I should take points away from you for that," Ron complained, rubbing his sore leg.

"And I won't approve them," Harry assured him.

"Thanks, luv," Ginny said, handing him a note. "Hedwig arrived with that while you were showering." Harry took it and read the note from Thia.

Harry,

I know we talked about the extra training with the Aurors already, but I have a few more things to go over. How about during dueling practice? Seeing that it's so horribly cold out and we won't be working out at all, let's meet in the Great Hall for it.

See you then,
Thia

"Have I told you guys that Thia wants to add Auror training to my list?" he asked thoughtfully, trying to remember if he had in the summary of the last Order meeting. But before the others could answer, Seamus interrupted them.

"Look at Snape," Seamus said excitedly, pointing at the professor. "I haven't seen him this cross since... well... I can't think of a time."

Harry turned in his seat to watch Snape sweeping up the aisle between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. Two fifth years were talking and didn't see him coming. He snapped at them, and they got out of his way quickly. The scathing looks they were giving his back spoke volumes to what he must have said to them. Once the man was sitting, Harry got a good look at his face.

"I hope he burns this out by the time we have double Potions this afternoon," Ron muttered. The other seventh years nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well, I have him next," Ginny said forlornly. "Must remember not to tease him."

"Think it has anything to do with the twins?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

"You know, now that you mention them, I bet you're right," Hermione said with a slight frown. "Don't you have Occlumency with him tonight?"

"Yeah, after Potions," Harry said with a nod. "I'll probably find out then, won't I?"

"Ugh, private lessons with him while he's in that mood," Ron said, motioning his head to point at the professor. Snape was sawing at his slice of ham as if the pig it had come from had personally insulted him. He was ignoring McGonagall's attempts to involve him in conversation. Finally, she said something snappy and turned her back on him.

"It should be great fun," Harry said dryly. "Can't think of a better time."

"What did the twins do?" Ginny asked as the bell rang. Snape ignored it, spearing his eggs with cool efficiency. They all stood, Ginny giving Harry a peck on the cheek. "Remember me with fondness."

"Are you kidding? I'm not going to make it through double Potions," Harry said, walking with her out the door. "And if some how I do, I won't make it through Occlumency."

"See you at lunch," Ginny laughed, kissed his cheek a second time, and started down the dungeon stairs.

"Wait! Gin!" he shouted. She turned around and climbed up a few steps so that she could see him. "Thia wants to meet for dueling in the Great Hall."

"Couldn't you have told me that at lunch?" she called back, pushing against the flow of students to reach him again.

"I guess so," he said sheepishly. "I'd forgotten."

"Oh, Harry," she said with a slight laugh. She pecked him on the cheek once more. "Later."

"Yeah," he replied, heading off to his office to listen to any and all complaints the students had.

"Okay, I need to talk with you, Harry," Thia said, her normal cheery demeanor replaced with a seriousness that didn't fit her quite as well. Everyone sat at the Gryffindor table: Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron on one side, Thia, Volker, Tonks, and Remus on the other. Harry eyed the stack of parchments Thia had set down suspiciously.

"Are those for the Auror training?" Harry asked, guessing the reason for the seriousness and the stack.

"Yes," Thia said with a nod. "You'll need to apply to the Auror Academy, and then they'll give you special training."

"Is this for the long term?" Harry asked, the question coming out more wary than he'd expected it to. He wasn't the only one surprised by his response.

"What do you mean by 'the long term'?" Remus asked for everyone.

"Well..." Harry stopped, aware that he'd have to admit that he didn't want to be an Auror anymore. "Let's say, that when this is all done for good... if I didn't want to be an Auror... would... I have to continue with... the Academy anyway?"

"You don't want to be an Auror?" Tonks asked surprised. "Since when?" Everyone else nodded, though Ginny seemed the most understanding. She had heard most of his fears and dreams about the future. It likely cleared up a few confusing points she had.

"I've been having second thoughts for..." Harry paused to count the months, but gave up. "Since summer really, but a little before that too. I've known for sure since Christmas. I don't really want that life."

"You're a natural," Volker argued.

"Doesn't mean I'd enjoy it," Harry argued right back. "It's just too physically, emotionally, and psychologically draining. I've stared death straight in the eyes way too often already; I don't want to make a career of it."

"And Quidditch?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"I don't want the fans," Harry answered truthfully. "And I don't want Gin sent to Azkaban for killing the first fan to feel me up or something like that." Ginny smiled sweetly and innocently.

"I wouldn't get caught," she assured him.

"I don't even want to put you in a position where you could get caught," Harry continued, kissing her on the nose. "I don't want my job to be the one thing I've always used to escape from my troubles. What happens when that's my trouble? No, best keep that from happening. Maybe coaching or something in the background, something where getting on a broom wouldn't be a part of the job."

"So... what are you thinking instead?" Remus asked in a voice that Harry thought of as "fatherly."

"Honestly? No idea," Harry shrugged. "Live off my wife's earnings." Ginny elbowed him in the ribs, frowning at him. "I'd take care of the kids and do the chores," he offered reasonably. Ginny laughed at that and nodded, but Ron made a sputtering noise.

"Wait, since when is Ginny called your wife?" Ron asked in a voice that Harry termed "big-brotherly".

"Well, you see, when all you brothers were busy picking on Perce, Harry and I snuck off and eloped," Ginny answered with a straight and honest face. She grinned up at Harry with what was supposed to be an endearing smile. "Surely you've noticed the ring by now."

"I was going to ask you guys, but I figured I wouldn't live long enough to say 'I do' so I just skipped that step," Harry said, playing along. He grabbed a hold of Ginny's hand and kissed the ring. Ginny sighed outrageously, but Ron didn't seem to catch on with the joke. "Sorry that you couldn't be my best man, Ron, I hope you understand." Ron opened and closed his mouth several times in surprise.

"That look always reminds me of a fish," Ginny stage-whispered. "Open, close, open, close. Just like a fish." Harry laughed at that, Ron's ears turning redder.

"Seriously, mate," Harry said, finally taking pity on him. "We're joking. I haven't even officially asked her. Just promised that in a year or two I will. You can calm down."

"Don't—ever—do—that—again," Ron ground out, taking deep breaths between each word.

"I'll ask at least one of you brothers first," Harry promised. "Probably work my way down the list so that none of you think I skipped that step. You'll be the first to know, Ron, don't worry."

"You okay?" Hermione asked, squeezing Ron's hand.

"I'm fine, now," he said evenly. "I was caught between strangling my best friend or my little sister first. You just assume you'll marry her, then?"

"Yeah," Harry answered with a shrug. "Gin doesn't have a problem with that. She's going to finish off Hogwarts, I'll get around to proposing, she'll finish off her healing courses, and then we'll get married. That's the plan, right?" He looked down at Ginny, who nodded. They had talked about it on their last date.

"Impressed," Tonks said with a whistle. "But... this is way off topic."

"Very true," Thia said with a brisk nod. "Once you graduate you'll be free to go. If Voldemort hasn't been taken care of by then, you'll have to reapply. You're always free to drop from double-A, we don't want to keep people when they're unhappy in such a demanding life."

"It makes it harder for the rest of us to stay in, too," Tonks said with gritted teeth. "I actually made it all the way to the bell before I stopped myself."

"What made you stick with it?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"I have this memory of Auntie Bella telling me I was too little to climb the tree in the backyard of our house," Tonks answered bitterly. "I never got it when she was around, but by the end of that next spring I could. I ran to my mum and told her to get Auntie Bella over so I could show her. Mum made me tell her why I'd want to show her," Tonks' voice held a note of venom Harry had never heard before from her, "and Mum never talked to her sister again. That ended up being the last Christmas either of her sisters ever came to visit... Of course, Bella's extended stay in Azkaban shortly there after hadn't helped either. I'd gotten fed up with being yelled at for my lack of stealth, but when I got to the bell all I could hear was Auntie Bella laughing and taunting me for failing again. I couldn't pull the rope. I had to show her!" Remus leaned over to whisper something in her ear and then to kiss her cheek.

"I always forget you're related to Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy," Volker commented, choosing to ignore Harry and Ron's fake retching. "You're the polar opposite to both of them. Unbelievably nice, unlike Bellatrix, and unbelievably beautiful, unlike Narcissa."

"And unbelievably taken," Remus said companionably.

"Aye, that's right," Tonks agreed, kissing Remus on the tip of his nose. "Don't worry, hon, I haven't forgotten."

"Back to topic," Thia said crossly. "What do you say?"

"Sure, why not?" Harry finally answered.

"Well, the training times," Thia said truthfully. "We all agreed that it has to be three days a week at least. So far this is when we're thinking. Tuesday, the last hour of your lesson with Druce and the break before supper."

"That's Quidditch practice," Ron exclaimed, but Harry shook him off. Quidditch wasn't as important as this was.

"And?"

"Wednesday, this one is the stickiest. You'll get off the last thirty minutes of Care of Magical Creatures, and your free period will be devoted to training. Shower time will have to cut into your office hours and you're responsible for any missed work." Harry nodded, visualizing his schedule in his head. "And then Friday morning, during your old Defense times."

"Why not delete Wednesday and use my two free periods Friday afternoon?" Harry asked.

"We thought you should continue using those for your work on the Theory," Remus answered. "And once the research group finds something, you and I will work on it then."

"Not to mention you'll be too exhausted to do physical training almost four hours straight. We don't want to drive you into the ground," Thia added. "So, what do you think?"

"I suppose it'll have to do," he answered after a few more minutes of thought. "The Order cool with this?"

"We'll talk about it tonight at the meeting, but I'm going to have you fill out the paper work now," Thia answered. "You'll be admitted. Order members are on the Auror Academy admittance committee right now, so there's no question about that. Here you go, these three can help you."

"We're going to go now," Tonks said, standing up, oddly cheerful and a twinkle in her eyes. "You four are free once that paper work is complete."

"Drop them off at Headquarters once you're done," Thia added. The four adults left the Great Hall, most likely heading for Thia's office.

"Isn't that nice of them," Ginny mumbled, picking up the first sheet. "Just fill out these forms and then you can go. It's going to take the rest of the period to complete these." They worked in quiet for ten or fifteen minutes, each thinking about what they were signing Harry up for.

"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively, looking up at him from her sheet of parchment. "Are you really going to be able to do this?" Harry didn't answer right away, but continued with the form he was filling out. Hermione continued to watch him for a few minutes, but went back to her work when he didn't answer.

"I don't know," he answered once he was done with his form. "I really, honestly don't know. But I have to try. I need to be ready when this happens. I need training that's way beyond you three, no offence."

"None taken," Ginny said sadly. "I just wish you didn't have to."

Harry didn't say anything in response. After all, what else was there to say? None of them wanted him to be the savior of this war. But honestly? What choice did he have?

Harry watched Snape leave the classroom as the bell rang, his billowing robes helping to mask the limp he now had. Harry, himself, wasn't in a much better mood. Filling out paper work that would only add more stress to his already stressful life was not a project that inspired joy and happiness. And that's not mentioning listening to students complain about trivial things, listening to Bill lecture a group of Slytherins about cheating (three guesses to which Slytherins), and listening to both Althea and Ginny tear apart the essay he'd written for Healing.

"No luck about a nicer Snape for Occlumency," Ron said wryly, nursing a nice size boil on his elbow. "I'm going up to the Infirmary to complain. Maybe Pomfrey will yell at him for making me work with this all class period."

"Not that that's going to help any," Hermione said, lifting Ron's bag along with her own. Ron prodded it experimentally with his wand and it started to ooze a very nasty and thick yellow substance. "He's not in any kind of mood to listen, no matter who it is." She stared hard at Harry, ignored Ron's grunt of disgust, and said sternly, "Don't provoke him, Harry."

"Yes, 'cause that's what I was planning on doing," Harry responded once he got back from putting his cauldron away. "Let's all go bother Snape when he's in the mood to kill."

"Bother, bother, bother," Ron snorted out, laughing at the thought, completely distracted from the boil. After all, it was only one boil and only oozing normal pus, so it was nothing much out of the ordinary. "No. Maybe not the brightest of ideas. You're very presence might provoke him though."

"But skipping the session definitely will," Harry said, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Send Ginny after me if I don't show up for supper."

"See you later, Harry," Hermione said at the door.

"Yeah," Harry replied, not too sure about that.

"You'll be fine," Ron assured him. "You can take Snape, easily."

"Thanks, Ron, later you two."

"Bye," Hermione said reluctantly. They both hovered at the door, not sure if they should really leave him to face the temperamental Potions Master.

"Go!" he snapped at them. "Ron's right, I can handle myself and having you two hovering will only piss him off more." They smiled at that and started walking down the corridor to the Great Hall. Pausing at the corner, they waved and disappeared. Harry took a deep breath and walked toward Snape's office. He paused at the door, hand hovering before he knocked.

"I can do this," he whispered to himself. His knuckles rapped on the door and Snape called out for him to enter. Harry pushed against the door, and it opened slowly. He hesitated still not sure if he really wanted to enter. Once the door was half opened, Harry caught sight of the office interior. Ducking his head so that Snape wouldn't see the smile that sprang to his lips, Harry had to admit, the twins were daring if nothing else. And they were definitely missing a healthy sense of self-preservation.

Red and gold streamers hung from the ceiling and anywhere else it was possible to hang from, including but not limited to the: fireplace, shelves of potion ingredients, bookshelves, the desk, chairs, and the doorframe. Confetti of the same colors drifted gently from the ceiling, hit the floor, and then whisked to the edges of the room where it climbed the walls to do it all over again. Party favors sat on one of the tables, next to two identical unopened birthday gifts. A huge chocolate cake sat on another table. Forty or so candles lit the top and peppered the sides, as if there were not enough room for them on top. And to finish it off nicely, over Snape's desk hung a red and gold banner alternately flashing and scrolling: Happy Thirty-Ninth Birthday, Uncle Severus!

"Don't say a word, Potter," Snape hissed as he caught sight of Harry's smile. "When I get my hands on those two, I'll—I'll—" Snape stopped, no words to explain what he had planned for the twins.

"I'm impressed that they pulled this off," Harry said looking around. "You should add wards on your office to keep related Gryffindors from paying you unwelcome visits."

"Legilimens!" Snape spat out, but Harry mentally brushed the spell aside.

"Is this the cause of your bad mood today?" Harry asked, walking over to examine the cake. Snape didn't respond. "Or is it that Malfoy was charged? Or both?"

"I have no fondness for my birthday. And this abysmal color scheme did nothing to help my mood as I read that my Godson is being charged for the murder of my mentor and father-figure," Snape responded, his temper kept in check for the most part.

"Red and gold are very homey colors," Harry responded defensively. He was amazed at the dislike all Slytherins seemed to have for the combination of red and gold. "You shouldn't let them see you this angry tonight. They were telling us how boring pranking Percy is these days. He just takes it and doesn't react at all. Pretty soon they'll get tired of him and start looking for their next victim." Snape frowned, examining the advice thoughtfully. Carefully picking up a knife, Harry cut a piece of cake.

"Or you could be nice and give them the fire-spitting, brimstone throwing Potions Master we all know and love." Having successfully maneuvered the cake onto a plate, he held it at eye level inspecting it carefully. If he had learnt anything, it was never eat anything the twins offered without careful examination first. He wouldn't put it past them to tamper with a birthday cake meant for a Potions Master. Finding nothing incriminating, he took a small bite. "You should try this. It isn't half bad."

"I'm allergic to chocolate," Snape answered, wearily sitting at his desk. Harry paused in chewing his second, larger bite. Allergic to chocolate! No wonder Snape was always in a foul mood! He swallowed the cake, thankful that he wasn't allergic to chocolate.

"Or you could be super thankful and appreciative," Harry added thoughtfully after a third bite. "That would freak them out and everyone else who has seen you today."

The Slytherin started to nod his head slowly, then shook it in what was a decisive no. The customary sneer graced his face and he let out one, short chuckle. "No, what I should do is pretend I didn't notice anything. After the initial shock, they'd just take the thanks, as fake as it might be, as a compliment and encouragement. If I just ignore it, they'll start to get desperate."

"Perfect," Harry agreed. "It'll drive them mad. I'll even help. Everyone knows I have Occlumency lessons today. But if two, very sane men say they didn't see anything, everyone will start to doubt the two, very insane twins."

"Serves them right the way they trashed my office," Snape muttered, ending that conversation. "Speaking of the meeting, you do know that Minerva is going to recommend that you answer questions for the press, correct?"

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, finishing off his piece of cake. "I'm willing to do it, as long as it works. Mind if I have another piece?" Snape shook his head.

"Eat the whole thing if you wish," he answered.

"I wish there was a way to know if it'll work or not."

"It should help.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, repeating himself from earlier. "I just wish there wasn't a need for it. No press, no headache."

"What did you expect?" Snape said in a tone Harry hadn't heard in over a year. "A fan club without the cover spreads and camera toting stalkers? Surely you are not that naïve." Harry turned to look at the man, not believing what Snape had just said. Did he really still believe that?

"I don't want either!" Harry snapped. Hadn't they come further than that in their new relationship?

"Legilimens!" Snape cast quickly, interrupting Harry's thoughts. Harry started to panic when he couldn't push Snape out. Between his horrible day, lack of sleep, and the nasty surprise, he wasn't able to just brush Snape off like normal. It had been months since he had to work to push the man out. And now, he wasn't able. That simple question had really hurt, had really felt like a betrayal. His recent thoughts, images from the past, came forward and Harry could do nothing to push them away.

His burning scar the first time their eyes had met.

Being bullied by the professor during the first class.

Snape whispering in Malfoy's ear and then the penetrating look he gave after Harry spoke in Parseltongue.

Remus drinking the potion that Harry was positive Snape had poisoned.

The Slytherin in a heap after they had knocked him out in the Shrieking Shack.

Snape and Sirius shaking hands after the Third Task.

Snape agreeing to go spy once more.

Snape and Sirius almost killing each other at Christmas.

Understanding the horror of Snape's worst memory.

Snape not understanding the hint about Sirius in the Department of Mysteries.

Watching Snape cast the anti-apparation spell on the Burrow.

Seeing Voldemort give Snape the final ultimatum.

Watching Snape take his mask off.

Owing Snape his life.

The decent classes and detentions that followed.

Watching Snape fight with Lucius and kill the man.

Waking up from a flashback and seeing the concerned and understanding eyes of Snape before realizing that everyone else saw him falter as well.

Listening as Snape explained everything in the Slytherin Common Room.

The bottles of butterbeer during Occlumency lessons.

Talking things out with him.

Uncle Severus.

Worrying about Snape overworking himself looking for that cure.

Watching Bellatrix's green spell hit him.

Christmas with his once most loathed professor, now one of his favorites.

Realizing that Snape was taking over the empty spot in his life, stepping in where Remus and Dumbledore had both failed.

The sense of betrayal he had felt when Snape had asked the question about fan clubs and cover spreads and camera toting stalkers.

Finally the spell ended as Snape removed it. Harry cleared his vision, his eyes regaining focus. He only stayed long enough to see Snape's stunned face. That look was more than enough to motivate Harry into bolting from the room.

How could he let Snape see all that? The man who had told him not to wear his heart on his sleeve! The one person who would not appreciate the sentiments. The one person who wouldn't understand. Oh shit!

Severus was shocked.

Very little shocked him any longer.

But this—this had.

Seeing the memories Harry had of him, how Harry had felt, how Harry had changed, how Harry now felt was disconcerting. Yet nothing was as disconcerting as the sense of betrayal Harry had felt and how he had run from the office. The sense of déjà vu was unavoidable; the only difference between that time and now was that Harry was the one too ashamed to face what was shared, not Severus.

Harry was taking it a tad bit better than he himself had; throwing glass jars of ingredients was not a memory Severus was proud of. He had been the adult; he should have acted as such. There was no denying the sense of shame he still felt at the memory of that long ago O.W.L. exam. There was no denying the panic he had felt expecting Harry to join in with the laughter of his godfather and father. That was no excuse. He should have acted as an adult. Yet... it had been enough at the time to justify the loss of temper.

Not that Harry's plan to deal with the sharing was much better. Hiding away, for any reason (What if those memories were misleading?) was not the right way to deal with it. Severus would not push Harry to talk about it, just as Harry had not pushed to continue with Occlumency back then. But what to do about Occlumency lessons now? Minerva and he had talked about teaching Harry Legilimency to help control any mental attack Harry made against the Dark Lord.

Severus pulled a face that Harry knew well, one filled with loathing and hatred. A look once common on his face any time he saw Harry. Now... it was self-loathing and self-hatred that filled it.

You can't even think the name, you fool.

But then he shook his head. Some fears were rooted to deeply to dismiss offhandedly. Even a year of freedom was not enough. Severus let out a short, bitter chuckle. Freedom? No, not freedom; that was a foolish thought. The Dark Lord was waiting for him to make a mistake, to be caught out in the open with no one to back him up. Severus tried to suppress a shiver as it shook his body. What had happened to Pettigrew was only a taste of what he would experience, should the Dark Lord capture him.

But, Harry... If he agreed to learn Legilimency, Severus was the only one qualified to teach it. If Harry agreed, he agreed to private lessons with Severus. Would he only do it out of duty? The boy already did quite a lot because of his over-developed sense of duty and responsibility as it was. Would this become one more thing he did because he felt he had to? Why was that, of all things, bothering Severus the most?

"Spot, may I have a firewhisky?" he called out. Stopping all thoughts, Severus relaxed his eyes until the falling red and gold confetti blurred into a moving sheet of colors. A pop, a clink of glass on wood, a second pop, and still Severus did not react. Sometimes stopping all thoughts was beneficial. Sometimes it was not. Finally, he shook his head to clear his eyesight and took a drink from the glass.

He had to admit that the times spent with Harry had become... enjoyable. The boy was sufferable without the other Gryffindor idiots tagging along. A second gulp of the warm liquid had Severus frowning at himself. He didn't actually mean that. When had Gryffindors become anything more than annoying, bumbling, cauldron destroying cretins that mocked his existence? Even Longbottom, any potions professor's worst nightmare, hadn't messed up in years, at least not noticeably or remarkably. Sure, they tended to be the loudest of the noise makers, but they weren't naïve about it. One comment about reality brought them down to earth, only to shoot back up once they had dealt with it.

Harry's year had always been the worst in his mind. The walking disaster Longbottom. The air-headed Parvati and Brown. Doodle all over my homework Thomas. I'm Irish, worship me Finnigan. I will not talk in class Stemmins. The insufferable know-it-all Granger. Poorer than dirt Weasley. And Potter, enough said.

Now they were... decent. Being adopted into the Weasley family had not felt as horrifying as it would have seven years ago. It really hadn't felt all that horrifying at all. Hearing Ginevra defend him to the other Gryffindors on Christmas had felt... nice. Bill was a competent teacher and he wasn't afraid of hard work. Even this joke the twins had played was not so bad considering the jokes they could have played. If you changed the colors from red to green and gold to silver and change the cake to vanilla, it wouldn't have been a prank at all, but a wonderful birthday gift.

But... Harry Potter? Sure, they shared the same adopted family, but when had he become anything other than his school rival's son? Watching him struggle with nightmares and keeping up a happy facade—that had been the most effective way of realizing Harry was not James Potter, no matter how much they looked alike. Harry's extended stay with the Dark Lord and the suicide attempt had created another bond. Severus might not have ever tried to take his own life, but he had to admit there had been times when death seemed welcome. As a Death Eater, Severus knew what the Dark Lord's Cruciatus felt like. How had that boy survived for so long with such personal attentions from the Dark Lord?

The way they handled the Occlumency lessons this time around had helped as well. He had realized that teaching the boy how to protect his mind in the exact same way his father had taught him was not going to work. Severus had felt it cruel and unfair when he'd had to learn it that way and there were better ways to teach it. Once they had set aside their differences, Severus had found Harry to be a quick study. Harry had wanted this protection, and now that he understood why, he didn't question it like he had before.

Time for supper came and went, Severus still deep in thought. He ate the meal Spot brought him, not caring that Minerva would scold him for missing the meal. At seven, Severus stood and left his office. Pausing to brush the confetti from his hair and robes, he wondered what the next hour or two would bring.

Ron dove to his far right, but Blaise's quick pass to Ginny both fooled Ron and allowed her an open shot at the middle hoop. He pushed his broom, his fingertips just touching and bumping the quaffle. He held his breath, spinning on the spot to see if the slight bump had been enough to save the goal. The cheer from the three chasers told him all he needed to know before he saw the quaffle falling on the other side.

"Call it here or go one more?" Sephra yelled to the other three as she sped back with the quaffle. The score was tied; Ron had managed to save as many as he hadn't.

"Once more," the Weasley siblings said at the same time. Ron grinned over at his sister.

"You both are hopeless competitors," Blaise complained before zooming to the other side of the pitch. The three chasers circled together, talking over their game plan. Ron waited patiently. There was nothing else that he could do, and his years of keeping had taught him that.

The other three broke apart and flew to hover near each of the hoops. Blaise was in the middle, quaffle tucked under an arm. The rules stated that the chasers started, one in front of each hoop, the quaffle with the middle chaser. They had unlimited time to shoot, but only had one shot. All other chaser/keeper rules of Quidditch applied. It was a great exercise and one of Ron's favorite games.

He watched them exchange looks and then Ginny shot forward. Sephra zoomed down and forward, Blaise went up and to his right. He dropped the quaffle in Ginny's waiting grasp as she passed under him. Ginny slammed on her break and the two Slytherins crossed directly in front of her. After that, Ginny started to sprint at the loop to Ron's right.

He moved to hover between that hoop and the middle one. Ginny hated shooting in the right hoop, so he felt confident enough not to guard it. But just in case, he had moved over slightly; she could always surprise him. He searched her arms, looking for a small bit of red leather. Not finding the red ball, Ron turned to look at the other two. Blaise was making his slow way toward the left hoop. Ron's gaze turned to Sephra. The witch was zigzagging wildly, making it hard for Ron to search for even a spot of red. But, he did find the missing quaffle, safely tucked in the crook of her arm.

Sephra was heading towards the left now, so Ron moved to hover in between the left and middle hoops. Ginny must have noticed for she sped to the left and then crossed Sephra's path behind her only to zoom forward and cross her path again, heading towards the right. The quaffle exchanged hands and Ginny was now heading towards the right hoop, again. He had to wonder how they had gotten her to agree to shoot towards the right. Ginny hated it so much that Ron had to re-design the whole Gryffindor playbook so that she never had to shoot there.

But Ginny was shooting there and was closing in fast. Ron took one, quick, second long glance for the other two. Only finding Sephra, who was hanging back in the middle, Ron decided to fully commit to the right hoop and block Ginny's oncoming shot.

Only—it never came. Just as he had decided to protect the hoop, Sephra shot forward to catch the pass Ginny had thrown ahead of her. Sephra passed it up and forward to Blaise just as Ron slowed down enough to pivot back to the left. He watched as Blaise shot and scored.

Ron grimaced as he flew down to pick up the quaffle. "Nice play," he managed to say as he landed next to the three celebrating chasers.

"Can't believe you fell for that," Ginny teased, throwing an arm around him. He laughed and threw an arm around his little sister, willing to take the jabs. He couldn't believe it either. He tossed the quaffle to Blaise and turned to head back to the castle. He could feel his stomach protesting the missed meal.

Though the game had seemed like a good idea earlier, he wasn't so sure now. With Hermione coming and leaving supper with no more than a quick, "Need to talk to McGonagall about my animagus form. Bye." and Harry never returning from Occlumency, Ron and Ginny had been quite bored for the first few minutes of supper. Though they had joked about Snape killing Harry, Ron trusted the greasy git enough to know he wouldn't actually hurt Harry. They had probably decided on an extra long Occlumency lesson to work on Harry's recurring nightmare problem or something like that. So, completely stranded without their better halves, Ron and Ginny had readily accepted the impromptu chaser/keeper duel Sephra and Blaise had challenged them to.

They had left a message with everyone at the table should Hermione or Harry show up and went to the pitch. Knowing that Hufflepuff had the field after supper, they had been eager to start as soon as possible. But now, his stomach was complaining, Harry still hadn't shown up, and the other three were laughing at his loudly growling stomach. An Occlumency lesson had never lasted to the very end of supper and if they didn't hurry, they'd have to go to the kitchens for food. And what had happened to Hermione's animagus form that she had to go talk to McGonagall during supper? Surely anything that important couldn't be good.

"We're not going to make it to the Great Hall in time," Sephra commented after looking at her watch. "Are we going to have to make a detour to the kitchens for you two boys?"

"It'd be much appreciated," Blaise replied, holding the door open and bowing the two girls through.

"I'm still a growing lad," Ron added. At six foot three, he had beaten all his brothers and he hadn't stopped yet. Hermione's five foot seven was dwarfed next to him, but she fit perfectly under his arm.

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny said, her rolling eyes adding to her derisive voice. "What's your excuse going to be once you stop growing?"

"You're just jealous," he teased back. Though Ginny had finally passed their mother last summer, her five foot four was nothing compared to any of her brothers, not even Bill who was the shortest. And Harry's five foot eight had finally beaten Hermione, much to Harry's joy. Harry just hadn't realized that no one thought of him as a short person. His persona and aura made him seem taller while his experience and knowledge made him seem older. It really hadn't processed in his mind that people two or three (even four or five) times his age followed his orders without question. But that was just Harry. Naïve and yet, so very mature. Oxymoron to the bitter end.

"That may be," Ginny replied as she turned down the corridor for the kitchens, Ron following right behind her. "That doesn't change the fact that in a few years you'll need a different excuse."

"Fast metabolism," Ron replied, not letting Ginny win. Blaise paused in the Entrance Hall listening.

"Guys," he said, his voice slightly worried. "I think I hear fighting in the corridor," he finished pointing up the main staircase. Ron exchanged a frown with his sister, but turned back to investigate. Years as a prefect and Hermione's best friend and boyfriend wouldn't let him not see who was breaking the rules. At the top of the staircase, the others could hear as well, and they raced towards the sound. His long strides carried him beyond the others, and so he was the first one to turn the corner and see what was happening.

What he saw was not good. Gryffindors and Slytherins were at each other's throats. First years were fighting muggle-style, wands forgotten on the floor only to be tripped on by others. Seventh years were all-out dueling, every promise to Thia and Harry forgotten. Ron could see at least one member of every year, but thankfully, it wasn't everyone from every year. A full on war between the houses would not be good. Not that this was much better.

Blaise skidded to a halt next to him. "I've never seen a fight this bad in all our years here," he said, shouting to be heard over the din of name-calling and spell casting. Ginny and Sephra joined them, Sephra's mouth open in disbelief. Ginny wove her wand and a high-pitched whistling screech echoed in the hallway.

"You could have warned us!" Ron shouted, but Ginny had obviously cast a deafening charm on herself and couldn't hear him. He cast one as well, but he suspected that his ears would be ringing for the next few days. The screeching finally stopped (he could tell because the students had removed their hands from their ears) and he experimentally removed the spell from his. Finding that his inference had been correct, he looked around the corridor. Several prefects were on the fringes and they obviously had been trying to stop the fray before Ron and company had shown up.

"We'll take it from here," Blaise said grimly, looking at Ernie, Hannah, Padma, and the other prefects. There wasn't a Gryffindor or Slytherin prefect in sight, excepting Ron and Blaise.

"You'll be partial," Ernie stated, his voice almost complaining.

"Do you think a life time sentence of serving detention with Filch is partial?" Ron replied, his voice just as grim and disappointed as Blaise's. He caught sight of Dean and Seamus trying to sneak off. "Thomas and Finnigan! If you leave I will personally see to it that Snape is in charge of your detentions. And no matter how much he has changed, he will not appreciate the fact that you were in a duel with his Slytherins."

"But the bloody gits were beating up on those second years over there," Seamus complained, pointing to a group of Gryffindors.

"I don't care who was beating up on whom!" Ron shouted. "Everyone—and I mean everyone, Finnigan—up to the Headmistress' office, pronto!" There was a bunch of grumbling, but everyone started to head up to the Headmistress's office on the next floor. Ron checked his watch. Ten minutes before the Order meeting was to start. Hopefully, not too many members had arrived early.

Harry sat under the tree in the Room of Requirement, the wind, rain, and branches ripping and tearing at him. Give or take two hours had passed, and Harry was wondering when his friends would start worrying. He was surprised that he'd managed to go this long without someone showing up. Maybe something was wrong? No, he was over-reacting. They probably thought he could handle Snape on his own, and was just fine. Maybe they thought Snape and he had agreed for a longer than normal class, then they had eaten in Professor Snape's office, and then headed right to the meeting.

The meeting!

Harry jumped up, and exited the Room. He sped down the halls, heading towards the headmistress's office. He was going to be late, he knew it. He skidded to a halt as he entered the hallway to McGonagall's office. At the other end was Snape, his face neutral until he caught sight of Harry. The surprise was evident, but the man covered it up quickly.

"Mr. Potter," Snape said formally in greeting. Harry nodded, sure he had lost another mentor. "Ginger Snaps." The gargoyles jumped aside, allowing them entrance to the magical stairs. "After you, Potter."

Harry couldn't help but feel like Snape was leading him up to see the Headmistress to be punished. He stood up tall; he hadn't done anything wrong. Snape was the one who had pried! Harry opened the door, not bothering to knock. What he saw surprised him.

Several Gryffindors and Slytherins sat on benches in front of McGonagall's desk. Hermione and Sephra stood stiffly behind them, a frown on their faces. McGonagall hadn't looked this stern since Harry's first year when she had caught them out past curfew.

"Ah, Severus, Harry, I just sent Mr. Weasley and Mr. Zabini to search for you," McGonagall said stiffly. "Miss Weasley is looking for Bill as well."

"We must have missed them," Harry said, standing next to Hermione. "What happened?"

"These students decided an impromptu duel was the right thing to do," Hermione said in a voice as severe as the Headmistress's. "Several of their companions are up in the Infirmary right now, nursing some bruises and unlucky charm combinations. Luckily they didn't do any permanent damage."

"When?" Snape asked; Harry could already see the vein in his temple start to twitch. Snape was in no mood to deal with such a massive amount of rule breaking.

"We stopped the fight twenty minutes ago," Sephra answered. "They've been in here for about fifteen."

"How did this start?" Harry asked. Dean and Seamus were there, neither willing to look him in the eye. Obviously they weren't part of the "we" that had stopped the fight. This Monday had really started out badly and had only headed downhill from there.

"We're waiting for Bill, Ron, and Blaise to arrive, and then we'll have the everyone," Minerva answered. Harry nodded, walking over to stand next to Hermione. This was some serious rule breaking, something Harry thought Gryffindor and Slytherin had passed a long time ago. He was forced to admit that he had been wrong. Completely wrong.

Bill arrived, Ginny following him into the office. She walked over to stand next to Harry and they waited. It wasn't long before both prefects returned, surprised to see Snape and Harry already in the office.

"Now, can anyone tell me what happened?" Snape asked, his tone short and dangerous. All the students in trouble looked down at their shoes, no one willing to be the first to speak. Whoever that poor soul was would be the first to receive Snape's harsh words. Yet, Harry found it hard to feel bad for the person. "Well?" Snape barked, only scaring them more.

"Come, now, be honest," Bill said, his Weasley temper strongly held in check. "It'll be easier for you if we don't have to pry the details from you."

"But don't think you'll be out of trouble," McGonagall quickly assured them. "I haven't been so disappointed in a bunch of students since Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom, and Mr. Malfoy were all caught out of bounds their first year. Thankfully none of them were involved in this!"

"And we lost fifty-points each," Harry added as an afterthought. "Come on, who started it. I don't believe this was any one person's fault, probably a cascading effect, so don't think you're going to take on all the punishment alone."

There was another pause, and then a second year stood. Harry was dismayed to recognize Chris Harens, the Gryffindor boy he had dormed with for a night the Christmas holiday before last. "Um, I guess I kinda started it," he said, his voice soft.

"Speak up, boy!" Snape snapped harshly. McGonagall gave the professor a severe look but said nothing.

"Some of the third year Slytherins have been giving my best mate Hank Simonetti a hard time," he explained, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "I, um, confronted them as we passed in the hallway which turned into a yelling match."

"I haven't done anything to his friend," one of the Slytherins said. He was a third year and was sitting next to another third year Slytherin. "Neither of us have," he said, pointing a shoulder at her.

"You have too!" Chris exclaimed. "You stole his potion's essay today and he lost twenty points for not having it!"

"Prove it!"

"Enough!" Snape shouted. "Mr. Harens, Mr. Simonetti didn't say anything about his essay being stolen."

"As if he'd tell you," Harry muttered, unfortunately loud enough for the professors to hear him. He cleared his throat and started to address everyone to make up for the mistake. "Professor Snape, you were in a foul mood today, everyone knew that. The boy would have been an idiot to accuse two older Slytherins of stealing, especially to you of all people. And none of the teachers would have believed him without proof."

"Mr. Potter does have a point," Bill said, dangerously sticking his head out as he was standing right next to the Slytherin Head of House. "But either way, you started arguing. Please explain how that turned into the brawl Miss Weasley told me about."

Then the rest of the story came out. A bunch of fourth year Gryffindors had heard the shouting and had reacted badly to one of the Slytherins pushing Chris. One of them had the guts to actually admit that they had only made it worse. A fifth year Slytherin had seen the mess and had gotten into a verbal argument.

"That's when Pansy and company showed up," the fifth year finished, disdain filling her voice. "They started egging everyone on, and we lost it."

Then Dean spoke up, explaining how Seamus and he had stumbled onto the fight and had started dueling with Goyle because he had been pushing a Gryffindor down the stairs. He had fired the first spell. Seamus cut in, saying that all the older students started dueling after that. The first years chimed in, saying that they had happened on the mess from different directions and taken the opportunity to fight. When spells hadn't worked, they threw their wands aside and started fist fighting.

"Anyone else have anything to say?" McGonagall added with a sigh. There was silence. Harry was glad he wasn't the judge on this one. "Fine." She stood and walked to the front of her desk. "Everyone involved, including those in the hospital wing, will serve two weeks' worth of detentions, to be assigned later. Each of you has also lost thirty points for your Houses.

"You older students should have known better and will serve an extra week of detention," she said looking at the sixth and seventh years. "Mr. Harens, you will serve an extra two detentions and lose an additional twenty points. If your Heads wish to add more, they are more than welcome to do so. Do not do this again! Is that understood?" There were several nods and sounds of agreement from the students. "You are dismissed. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Zabini, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, and Miss Granger, if you would all stay and take an empty seat." They nodded and did just that. The chastised students filed out, heading separate ways at the bottom of the staircase.

The door closed and McGonagall sat with another sigh. "What a headache."

"You were too easy on them, Minerva," Snape informed her. He transformed a nearby bench into the original chair and sank down onto it.

"Most of the students are quite ashamed of what they did," she informed him. "I want you to speak with Miss Parkinson and her friends. They have gotten quite out of hand lately. If you wish to assign your students harsher punishments, you may, both of you. But do not lighten it without consulting me first."

"Trust me, if anything I'll be harder," Snape replied. The others frowned, but at least Harry understood quite a bit of the man's bad temper. Could he be any angrier because of what he had seen earlier?

"I wanted to thank you four for stopping this mess," she said to Ron, Ginny, Sephra, and Blaise. "I'm giving you forty points each for stepping above such petty rivalries. I know eighty points is nothing compared to the loss each house just sustained, but it is something. I'm afraid this fight has lost both houses the chance to win the House Cup this year." There were a few nods and angry frowns at this very true proclamation.

"That is all," she said, dismissing the remaining students. "Mr. Potter, did you wish to speak with me?"

"I did, along with Professors Snape and Weasley," he said, giving them a reason to stay as well. He waited until the door shut before asking, "Where's everyone for the meeting?"

"I floo'ed Bill right away and had him tell everyone to wait for a Patronus message before coming for the meeting," she answered. "Let's start getting everyone here."

Twenty minutes later, the room was filled with Order members. The Weasley twins were watching Snape carefully, but the Slytherin had schooled his face into a frown. It seemed that the events of the past thirty minutes were not so easily dismissed. They spent the next five or so minutes discussing the reason for the delay, most everyone surprised by the news.

"I thought the two houses were getting along," Charlie said, surprise evident in his voice.

"They are," Harry answered, "at least on the surface. There are old grudges and years of mistrust to overcome. A few months or even a year of friendship between some of us isn't enough to clean the slate completely."

"And the stress has been adding up," Minerva added. "Between the arrests of Malfoy and Nott, the poisoning of the Weasley siblings, Albus' death, the battle, and petty differences something had to give. I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt. A few bruises, a broken nose, and some unfortunate charm combinations are nothing compared to what could have happened."

"What would have happened had Sephra, Blaise, Ginny, and Ron not stopped it," Snape added pessimistically. "I still say you were too lenient."

"Having a harsh punishment from the Headmistress who was so recently the Head of Gryffindor would not have gone over well with your Slytherins, Severus," she replied, her temper finally wearing thin. "Even if I did the same with Gryffindor, they would have conveniently forgotten. It is best if you add to it, rather than me."

"I have a meeting at the Ministry at 9:30, so if we could start with the actual meeting, I'd appreciate it," Thia said, checking her watch nervously.

"Alright, let's start," Minerva said with a nod. "Harry, did you agree to the Auror training?"

"I did," he replied. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the twins arguing under their breath. "I filled out the paper work and gave it to Thia earlier this afternoon."

"Very good," she answered. "And Thia, you've handed it off to Alexander, yes?"

"Yes," Thia responded. "And Harry and I agreed to the new schedule, though Alexander did say something about adding a weekend lesson."

"There needs to be one more hour of class," Alexander Appleby explained. Harry knew that he was a high-ranking Auror and had to be one of the Order members on the admissions committee. "To make it double-A compliant, there has to be one more hour. His work with Bryant every morning will count as a class and his work with Druce and Althea combine to count as another. All three are certified as teachers at the double-A. Shacklebolt will be in charge of the new lessons."

"He needs three?" Molly asked, her mothering senses picking up on a very overworked boy.

"Well, yes, to be admitted, an applicant must sign-up for at least three courses or twenty hours," Alexander replied. "We've changed three lessons he already takes so that more won't be added to his load. But this third class needs to have one more hour supervised by Shacklebolt, to get the twenty hours. And, though normally it's an either/or requirement, the Admissions Committee decided it had to be both seeing that it's a special circumstance."

"Saturday will work," Harry said, interrupting the conversation. "It's basically free, excepting dueling practice with Thia, Remus, and Tonks."

"What about homework? Free time?" Thia asked, concerned.

"I don't do much homework on Saturday, anyways," he answered. "And as for free time, most of Saturday is either spent sleeping, dueling, or preparing for a week's worth of D.A. meetings. Whatever time left over is for a chess game or a walk or something. I can cut into any of those things for an hour or two quite easily."

"Very well," Minerva said. "Any other concerns?" There were no answers. "Next, we've all been concerned with the bad press Harry has been receiving lately." There were several nods and a few muttered curses aimed at Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet. "Vachel, your work has been appreciated, but it hasn't stopped the decline in public support. You suggested a press conference. I'm not sure having Harry do anything that public will work. It'll seem too desperate and pathetic."

"Point taken," Vachel agreed. "How about an interview then? With Harry and his friends?"

"What do you think, Harry?" Minerva replied.

"Sounds better than a press conference," he said with a shrug. "Sure someone can't just squash Rita and say they thought it was just an ugly bug?"

There were a few chuckles at that; the most surprising was Professor Snape's. Several people argued for a bit over the interview. "Wouldn't an interview make it look like Harry has a higher opinion of himself? Wouldn't it play right into Rita's hand?" a dumpy little witch Harry thought was named Anne Shake said. The comment was met with silence, making the witch squirm a bit uncomfortably. She was new and must think that everyone thought it a stupid comment.

"She's right," Moody said gruffly. "Rita would have a field day with that.

"What about an interview with Harry's teachers and professors instead?" Emmeline Vance asked. There were a few nods of approval and thoughtful looks at this.

Harry gave a mental little sigh of relief; if he didn't have to give an interview, he didn't want to. "So, have Druce, Althea, Bryant, Professor McGonagall, Remus, Thia, and Tonks talk about all I do at Hogwarts? Is that what you're thinking?"

"That could work," Vachel said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Yes, that will work. It would be better, because this way Harry isn't saying anything, and yet everyone knows he's doing something."

"But keep the Auror aspect hidden, and most of the details," Moody interjected. "After all, we don't want He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to know what Harry's learning if we can help it." There was a lot of discussion on the details, but Harry was glad to realize that even by the end of the discussion, he still wasn't giving the interview.

McGonagall asked about Hogwarts defenses and Thia answered. She explained that Hogwarts could withstand a siege of several weeks, turn back an all out attack (as they had before Christmas), and that they were working on formalizing the escape routes and patrolling schedule Ron had come up with that night.

"The twins were smart enough to disguise their shop," she finished off, "and the entrance into it, so I'm sure that none of the students knew where they floo'ed from." The twins preened under the praise, but Harry thought they looked very distracted.

They moved on to talk about finding Voldemort's lair. Thia said it had been narrowed down to a searchable area. One of the reasons she was meeting at the Ministry was to finalize plans for a reconnaissance mission. Many of the other Aurors seemed to get "bigger" at the thought that finally they were able to do something. After that, they talked about the research, headed by Condan Flint, McGonagall's old friend. Snape pledged the use of his private library, which Flint had been more than willing to accept.

"Anything else from the others on the team?" Minerva asked, glancing around at those included. No one said anything so she cleared her throat and plowed on. "Severus has made an inference and a suggestion that I agree with whole heartedly." She nodded at him and he continued where she had left off.

"Whatever this ancient magic turns out to be, it will be akin to Legilimency," Snape started, but Moody stopped him.

"You want to teach the boy Legilimency, don't you? No! Albus always said it was a burden to carry!"

"Alastor, be quiet, and let Severus continue," chided McGonagall.

"I do wish to teach him Legilimency," Snape continued. The way many of the Order members reacted it seemed he had admitted to a heinous crime. Harry was actually intrigued; he had thought that Legilimency would be helpful, but had turned the idea down thinking they wouldn't let him learn. Or that Snape wouldn't want to teach him. "And I have my reasons. What Harry described over Christmas holidays sounds very much like instinctual Legilimency. Not exactly the seeing into others' memories, but impressing one's own memories on another. It is an often over looked branch of magic, and one that will be needed if we have guessed correctly."

"Can you only teach him that part?" Thia asked, her brow knit in worry and thought.

"No," Harry answered for him. "I thought of this over break, and did a bit of research." He turned to look at Snape, his Occlumency shields at full strength. Did Snape really want to continue private lessons with someone as hopeless as himself? Had he not really frightened the man away? "Are you really serious about teaching me? The stuff I read about instinctual Legilimency describes what happened almost to a tee. You'd have to take out everything that happened before, but we've already established that the scar link throws all the rules out the window. I didn't think you'd want to, or that anyone would let me learn."

"Why can't you just teach the 'instinctual Legilimency'?" Remus asked; he knew very little about Occlumency or Legilimency.

"Without any training, many successful Occlumens can turn the tide and use instinctual Legilimency on their attackers," Snape answered. "But without training it is only instinctual and can get out of hand quite easily. Had the Dark Lord not been in so much pain, he could have easily used the pathway Harry had opened to destroy his mind. He would have done it, had he been give the time or opportunity. Learning the lower levels of Legilimency will give Harry some control over this pathway and keep the Dark Lord from destroying him. Learning the middle levels of Legilimency will give him more or less complete control over the pathway and some control over the Dark Lord's mind, giving him some protection besides overwhelming the Dark Lord with pain."

"And the higher levels?" Thia asked. Harry knew she was the most knowledgeable on this subject, after Snape that is.

"If there's time, he'll become a Legilimens adept, and have complete control over both pathway and the Dark Lord's mind, just like any Legilimens worth mentioning," Snape replied. "Harry has proven to be quite a natural at Occlumency, but that does not mean a natural at Legilimency. I have no idea how far up we would be able to get before he must face the Dark Lord for the final time. But it is training that must start sooner rather than later, if Harry is to manage anything."

"I really do think it will help," Harry added. "What I've been able to find in the library, and what Hermione found, all indicates that whatever spell I'll use to kill Voldemort will need some Legilimency skills."

"You'd have to promise not to use it wrongly," Moody added, realizing he had already lost. "And you do know the burden it will be?"

"What's one more?" Harry added with a shrug. He noticed the looks that several of the adults who were close to him shared. They knew he was starting to break under the weight. "And of course I won't misuse it! I have enough problems with my own thoughts, why would I want to add others' to the mix?"

There were a few chuckles and then a vote. In the end, training Harry in Legilimency was approved by the Order only by a single vote. He had a feeling that many of his friends and family, such as they were, voted against it only so that Harry wasn't shouldering yet another load. The meeting was over soon after, only one report from Bill about what the goblins were doing since the break-in followed. It seemed he was making quite a bit of progress now that Voldemort had moved against them. Thia nearly ran out of the office, severely late for her next meeting. Others left at a more sedate pace, though Harry was the second one out. He had homework to do: a potions essay that the irate professor had assigned and an essay for Druce that needed a final re-write.

As he moved to leave, he heard the twins ask Snape how his day had been. It brought a smile to Harry's lips as he heard Snape reply that it had been quite nice and that he had been able to work in his office without any disturbances during his free period that afternoon. Harry glanced back, and saw through the crowd behind him that McGonagall and Bill were both stunned by the reply. Tonks pushed him in the back muttering something to Remus about having two hours until she was on duty. Before he was all the way out, he caught sight of the twins. They were going to go insane if Snape kept that up for too long. Served them right, as far as Harry was concerned.