Tales of a Spiritual Warrior

Chapter Seven: Uncertainties

When he got back to Gryffindor tower, Harry sent an owl to Remus Lupin, as he had promised. He apologized for his bad behavior over the summer, and told Remus a little bit about Luna. He asked permission to show her the Shrieking Shack, since she was curious about it. He was delighted to receive a response later that very night.

Dear Harry,

I was not angry with you over the summer. We all deal with grief in different ways. The important thing is to survive, grieve as you need to, and then move on. If you are ready to talk about it now, that tells me you are moving on. I know we will both always miss Sirius, but he died a man for the cause he chose. It's no one's fault. None of us sent him away. His sense of honor led him away from us, and we must honor him by respecting that choice.

I'm glad you are adding more friends to your inner circle. No matter what you have hanging over your head, you are still a young man, and it's only natural to want to be young when you are young.

Luna Lovegood was very loyal to you, and you will need that kind of loyalty from your peers if you are to continue doing everything you need to do. I always thought she had more going on under the surface than she showed.

Of course you may show her the house in Hogsmeade. It may come in useful someday to have someone else you trust who knows the truth about it it.

Now I must bring up a topic less pleasant. Something has caused Voldemort to back off temporarily, and for that we are grateful, but we are all anxiously awaiting news.

We will keep you informed of any developments.

As ever,

Remus Lupin

Harry was able to take Luna to the Whomping Willow the next day with a clear conscience. Luna, who could find something interesting in almost everything, was very interested in the story of the willow, the secret tunnel, and to Harry's surprise, the derelict house.

"Oh, how lovely!" Luna exclaimed, entering the disordered, dusty room at the end of the tunnel.

"Lovely? Luna, are you mad?"

She walked around slowly. "No, Harry, really look at it. Look at the construction, and the flow of the rooms. It's a well-built house, and it wouldn't take much to set it right again and make it a good home."

Looking around the gloomy interior, Harry was doubtful, but with a few carefully aimed spells from Luna, the front room became cleaner and brighter. With the coating of dust gone, the polished wood floor looked much better, and the upholstery on the sofa looked rich and inviting. He sat down as Luna cleaned the fireplace with a wave of her wand and a cheerful, crackling fire appeared. She turned at him and smiled, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Good job, Lu. I didn't know you so much talent for household spells."

"After my mother died, I had to learn how to take care of the house. If you told my dad to clean up, he probably wouldn't know which end of his wand to use." She sat next to Harry, and he put his arm around her, and they sat comfortably together watching the fire. He laid his cheek against her hair, which was soft and smelled clean, in spite of its perpetually dingy blonde color. She turned to look at him, and he put his hand on her cheek, gently tracing the line of her jaw before bringing his mouth to hers. He kissed her lightly at first, then the kisses got longer and deeper.

They almost didn't get back to the Great Hall in time for dinner. Harry spent the entire week just waiting for Sunday to come again. He made it to Friday, but had to get up early for Quidditch practice. He was looking forward to a good breakfast afterwards, but when he and Ginny got back to the castle, they found Neville Longbottom looking for them, frantic.

"What's wrong?" Ginny cried, and ran to Neville. He put his arm around her, but looked straight at Harry.

"It's Hermione. It's bad news. We heard this morning that Durmstrang was attacked. Apparently, Karkaroff went back to the school to gather some of his things he'd left behind. He was ambushed and killed. They think it was the Death Eaters who went to the continent with You-Know-Who."

"Why would Hermione care about Karkaroff?" Harry asked, confused.

"I'm sure she doesn't," Neville sighed, "but Viktor Krum was visiting the school when it happened. He's been helping the new headmaster. He tried to intervene and he was killed as well. Hermione and Krum were good friends, you know. Ron's in the common room trying to comfort her, but he's not doing a very good job of it. He never liked Krum."

"That fool!" Ginny sighed. "This is no time to be jealous. We must go to her."

As they crossed the hall, they met Luna coming back from breakfast and decided to take her with them, since she was good at staying calm in a crisis. They found Hermione sitting in a squashy armchair, her face red and her eyes swollen. Ron was leaning over her, trying to calm her down. "What did you bring her in here for?" Ron sighed, eyeing Luna. It was extremely unusual for students from different houses to visit each other, and while Ron had gotten more used to Luna since Harry had started dating her, she still had a tendency to make him uncomfortable. Luna and Harry both ignored Ron. Harry knelt by Hermione, taking her hand.

"Hermione, we're sorry. We're all really, really sorry."

"I just can't believe it," Hermione gulped, large tears splashing down her cheeks. "He was really nice, you know, and we were trying to organize some of the Durmstrang students and staff to support Dumbledore. The new headmaster was allowing it, because Viktor was handling everything. We wanted to have as much contact between foreign wizards as possible!"

Ron's face cleared. "So that's what you've been doing?"

Hermione ignored him as well. "Now they will all be afraid. I can't believe they'd support the Death Eaters after seeing what they are capable of, but I doubt if they will be eager to support us, either."

Luna had been wandering about, examining everything in the Gryffindor common room with great interest as Hermione had been sobbing out her story, but now she turned back. "There are other issues here. The Death Eaters might have just been trying to punish Karkaroff for trying to break ranks with them, or they may have been targeting Viktor for his sympathies, but there are other possibilities, too."

"Like what?' Ginny asked, her bright brown eyes wide and alert.

"Durmstrang is an ancient school, with a lot of tradition. It's similar to Hogwarts in many ways, and I would think it would have been protected by a lot of the same enchantments that protect us here. If the Death Eaters wanted to test a way of entering a protected area, it would have made a lot of sense to try it somewhere else first," Luna said simply. "I'm sure the new headmaster at Durmstrang is a very good wizard, but confronting him if the plan failed would not have been nearly as dangerous as confronting Dumbledore. Killing Karkaroff and/or Krum may have been the goal, or it may have been a bonus. "

Harry stared at her, amazed. "Good point! How DID they get in? And would it work here?"

"We have no way of knowing that until they try it, do we?" Neville asked uncertainly.

"I need to talk to Dumbledore," Harry said firmly. "Come on."

He held out his hand to Luna, who took it at once. "I'll take you back to Ravenclaw tower, and then I'll go see him," Harry told her.

Harry walked hand in hand with Luna. They were both silent for awhile, lost in their own thoughts, then she finally spoke. "It's starting, isn't it?"

Harry sighed. "I think so. And it makes me angry. My object is to save the world, while still leading a pleasant life. I was so happy. I forgot for awhile...that I...that is, with you..." He stopped rather embarrassed.

"I enjoy being with you, too Harry, and I really appreciate the fact that you've been taking things slowly," Luna said gently. "With the way things are, we have to be careful not to let it go too far. I love you, and I believe you love me, but there's a time and a place for everything, and this may not be the time for us."

"I know what you mean, and I do understand." Harry shook his head ruefully. "I was just really impressed by how comfortable you made the shack."

"Oh, we can definitely go back to the shack," Luna said, "but we have to set some limits. I thought it was only fair to tell you that. Are you angry at me, too, now?"

"No."

"Good. Because, Harry, there's more than one way to clean a shack!"

Luna gave him a very uncharacteristic wink, and left Harry standing open-mouthed at the foot of Ravenclaw tower. He stood there for a long time before he remembered he was supposed to be seeing Dumbledore about the fate of the wizarding world.

He was still so disconcerted he almost walked past the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. He was about to start running through a list of sweets in his head to try and find the password, when Dumbledore appeared.

"Harry! Aren't you supposed to be in Transfiguration soon?"

"I really need to talk to you, if you have the time. Do you think Professor McGonagall would mind?"

"I think we can explain things to Professor McGonagall. Come in." The headmaster led the way, and he and Harry were soon up the hidden staircase. Everything in the headmaster's office looked as it always had, and Harry was relieved to see that none of the things he had shattered out of temper after his godfather's death had been irreparable.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk, and indicated to Harry that he should take a seat. "I assume you are here because you have heard the distressing news about Durmstrang."

"Yes, Sir. Hermione is taking it very badly. She thinks that the work she was doing with Krum may have had something to do with what happened."

"That is possible," Dumbledore replied, looking keenly at Harry.

"Luna, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and I were just talking. We thought it might also be a revenge attack against Karkaroff."

"That too, is possible."

"But Luna had another idea. We were all wondering how the Death Eaters managed to get onto the Durmstrang grounds, and she said that might have been the point. If the Death Eaters were testing some way to gain entrance to protected areas, Luna was worried they might have plans for Hogwarts."

Dumbledore smiled grimly. "Miss Lovegood is one of the cleverest witches of her age that I have ever met. Her demeanor is deceiving. You did well when you accepted her friendship"

"So you think she may be on to something?"

"The same thought has crossed my mind. Hogwarts may indeed, no longer be safe, a fact that distresses me a great deal."

"If Voldemort comes here, he will be looking for me. I still don't know how to fight him. With lots of help, I've been surviving on sheer luck and nerve, but I still don't know how to destroy him. I need answers."

"Harry, we are working on it. When I know more, I will tell you, but I think luck, nerve and the support of your friends will always play a part."

"Especially when one of my very best friends is a true Ravenclaw?"

Dumbledore flinched, and Harry had the satisfaction of knowing he had succeeded in surprising the headmaster, no easy trick. "Miss Lovegood told you that?"

"Yes, but only because Draco Malfoy confronted her first. I don't like having to get my information from the enemy, Professor, and I don't like the idea of the enemy researching my friends."

Dumbledore stared Harry down. "You knew that was bound to happen, and so did they. You must continue to stand together. There are bonds between the six of you now that must not be broken. We already saw the result of that in the last generation. Do you think anyone is faltering?"

Harry considered this. "Hermione will never break the chain. It's personal for her now, as it is for Neville. Ginny and Ron have been raised to fight this fight. They're not like Percy. They won't desert anyone because of ambition, or fortune or fame. And Luna..."

"What about Luna?" Dumbledore was looking so intently into Harry's eyes, that Harry wondered if he knew what Harry and Luna had been doing, but Harry did not want to discuss it with him. It was private. Someday he knew he would have to tell Dumbledore that what he and Luna had together was serious, but today was not going to be that day.

"Luna believes in truth, and she sees truth in me. She believes in what I am trying to do. I enjoy her company. She is good at making us see things from different angles than we normally would, and she's so serene, she keeps us all calm. I would trust Luna with my life."

"Someday you may have to, but I think she will be up to the task. Is there anything else troubling you? "

Harry thought hard. "Yes. When Malfoy confronted Luna, he mentioned something about Godric's Hollow. I remember you telling me once only a true Gryffindor could have pulled the Gryffindor sword from the sorting hat. Did you mean that literally?"

Dumbledore suddenly looked very old. His face had gone gray. "I told you once that Sybill Trelawney's prophecy could have applied to either you or Neville Longbottom. I told you that when Voldemort marked you, he made it clear that you were the one he saw the most danger in. That does have to do with the fact that you are a Potter. The Longbottoms are an old and established family, but the Potters always had more power. They were from the Gryffindor line, yes, although that is not common knowledge."

Harry was angered at this new betrayal. "Why didn't you tell me outright? Why does information have to jump up and bite us before you deem it necessary for me to know?"

"There's too much emphasis on blood in the wizarding world. Your grandparents never wanted it discussed, and your father never did either. You are the child of a pureblood wizard and a muggle born witch. You get your strength of character from your mother, which is just as important as any power you get from your father. Never doubt that." Dumbledore hesitated, then continued. "It only becomes important when others make it so. Voldemort was afraid of your father's power, and that is why he wanted him dead. He thought he had a better chance of defeating James when he was distracted in trying to protect you and your mother. That was probably true. He would certainly have been much happier had he wiped out the Potter line, which is a threat to him."

"But is that why I supposedly have the best chance defeat him?" Harry really wanted to know.

"You have the best chance of defeating him because of who you are, and you are a very complex person, Harry. If knowing this gives you more confidence then I am glad you know. But never start thinking that blood is all that matters. That kind of thinking has brought us too much grief already." He rose and Harry also got up from his chair.

Dumbledore saw something sparkle, and asked Harry if he could see his rune necklace. Harry held the chain out, and Dumbledore took hold of the charm at the end, which shone extra brightly in the headmaster's hands. "Very nice, and appropriate in many ways. Where did you get this?"

"Luna brought it back for me from Sweden," Harry said, taking back the charm and tucking it into his robes.

"Very interesting. Very interesting, indeed," said Dumbledore, his tone of voice giving Harry an uneasy feeling once more, but then he simply added, "I will give you an note to take to Professor McGonagall. It's time you got back to class."

Harry went, but his mind was troubled. Dumbledore had told him a great deal, but Harry couldn't help thinking that certain pieces of the puzzle were missing.