Harry Potter and the Sword of the Hero

HARRY POTTER AND THE SWORD OF THE HERO

Chapter 27 - Take a Deep Breath

The way to bring out the best in the British people is to attack them.

~~ Alasdair Macintyre

Harry side stepped Dermas' blow easily and countered quickly with one of his own. It was blocked of course and another returned. He jumped back and swung his stick around hard, the sound of wood hitting wood resounding across the empty Hogwart's grounds and the vast expanse of the ice crusted lake.

Time blurred as their sword sticks whistled through the air in carefully calculated moves, leaving no margin for error. They were attacking each other at such a rate, that a mistake on either's part could result in a broken finger, or rib, or wherever the blow fell.

"Impressive, Harry," smiled Trask, spinning on his ankle and repelling a strike from his student. "See I told Snape you aren't a useless waste of space, as he put it."

Harry laughed, but he was panting heavily from their fight. "He said that?"

Trask nodded and with a swing brought his stick crashing down into Harry's shoulder. Harry winced in pain but it was nothing new. Recovering quickly, he took a swipe at Dermas' legs, causing the blade master to jump back. Harry moved his shoulder, assessing the damage. It stung, it ached, but it wasn't broken. A bruise maybe, but nothing worse.

"That hurt..." Harry managed, blocking another onslaught from Trask.

"Well, yeah," smiled Dermas. "A knock like that would."

Harry shook his head and grasped his stick with two hands, giving himself more strength with which to block and attack with. He parried around the slushy ground, slick with icy snow, and then with a cry brought his whittled stick crashing down hard towards Trask's skull. Dermas got his up to block it of course, but the force in which it struck jarred both of their arms and snapped the sticks into a hundred splinters that whistled away in all directions. Both Harry and Dermas were left with a splintery broken stub in their hands.

"Oops," Harry shrugged, stepping back and throwing his stub to the ground.

"Nicely done," breathed Trask. "I've taught you all I can with the sticks. Time to move on to something more real, I think."

"You mean real swords?" asked Harry, sitting down on the log as they always did after training.

Trask sat down as well. "Yes. It'll be different, a lot more dangerous, but you'll manage. You've come a long way already."

Nodding, Harry looked to the palm of his left hand, at the slightly ropy scar that cut diagonally across it. He touched it and it tingled, it was sensitive. It was his blood promise, bonded in magic. It was the promise he would kill, or die trying.

After training with Dermas, Harry headed back up to his common room. The castle was still asleep as he and Trask had been out early because of his struggles with nightmares. Images of destruction haunted his mind, namely that of Beauxbatons. Hundreds had died, and not just Muggle borns, but purebloods as well. But there had been several dozen survivors, that had fled to the French Ministry, which was mobilising its Aurors for war. Madam Maxime, the half giantess Headmistress of the school, had led four members of staff and fifty two students to safety.

After entering the common room he discovered, to no surprise, that no one else was up yet. It was only six thirty in the morning. The sounds of movement and showers running could be heard up the stairs though. Harry's eyes instinctively flicked over to the fireplace, where he had kissed Ginny three days ago. It had been an impulsive thing, something he had wanted to do. Ginny hadn't complained of course, but what did it mean....

They had agreed to take it slow. Harry had told her that nobody could know, not yet. It was too dangerous, too many enemies. If he lost her, if he lost any of his friends, Harry wasn't sure what he would do then. It wouldn't be good, he knew that much. Since that kiss, he reflected, nothing much had happened. There were a few heart warming smiles whenever they met and they had talked briefly once or twice.

She was his strongest tether against all the bad in his life. Along with his friends, and the unbreakable conviction to destroy Voldemort for the rest of the world, Harry felt slightly happy for once. He had something to fight for, something to strive for. He and Ginny couldn't be happy until the war was over and the world could not survive if Voldemort did. All of this had strengthened Harry's resolve against the insurmountable odds and his will to defeat Voldemort. Ginny's love, her kindness, her selflessness, had pulled him back from the abyss and he had seen a thousand reasons to continue the good fight. It had been close... too close, but the world was now awakening along with Harry, to fight against their common foe.

Harry headed back up to his dorm and opened the door just as Seamus and Ron walked sleepily out towards the showers. Ron patted Harry on the back in an attempt at a greeting and muttered something about canary creams before yawning heavily.

"Morning, Ron," Harry said with a smile and walked over to his trunk. After flinging it open, Harry took out his day's attire. Marcus Elendil had sent the fully restored, armoured boots, cloak, and pants last Saturday. Along with his chest plate, Harry now had the full set. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a loose white polo shirt before collecting the dragon hide boots and chest piece.

Ten minutes later he emerged fresh and clean from the shower, dressed in his black jeans and boots. He wore the polo shirt and the chest armour could be seen as a dark blur underneath it. Harry went back to his trunk and was about to close the lid when a glint of silver caught his eye. Harry reached in and pulled out Ethan's blade.

Harry sighed and looked the dagger up and down. This dagger was about eleven inches long from handle to blade, the blade being seven inches long. The handle was black and the blade had runes etched the length of it. The runes he wasn't familiar with, but Harry now knew what he was going to do with the blade.

He pulled up the cuff of his jeans and looked down to the boot on his right foot, or more accurately, at the sheath built into the boot for a dagger. He slipped it in easily, as if this particular sheath had been made for this blade. The boot itself came up and over his shin so there was enough room for the seven inch blade and the hilt was easy enough to grasp. It fit perfectly and the weight was nothing more. He could feel the dagger on the side of his leg and it was reassuring, another weapon.

After cleaning his glasses with a quick wave of his hand, Harry headed down to the common room to find Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waiting patiently for him.

"Morning," he said, as they made their way to the portrait hole.

"You up early again, Harry?" asked Hermione, taking Ron's hand with a comfortable familiarity as they walked side by side.

"You definitely look tired," Ginny commented.

Harry nodded. "Sleep doesn't come easy anymore. Dermas and I got in some longer practice earlier this morning."

They fell in with the crowds heading towards the Great Hall as they passed the many portraits and suits of armour, talking softly. Once in the Hall, Harry and Ginny sat next to each other on one side of the table, whilst Hermione and Ron took the other. Glancing at the staff table, Harry saw once again that Dumbledore wasn't there. He had not seen the Headmaster since his outburst in his study last Friday.

Harry absentmindedly ate a bacon sandwich as he waited for the arrival of the post owls. After finding out about Beauxbatons the hard way, Harry had sent off for his own subscription to the Daily Prophet. He had paid for a year's worth in advance so all he had to do was wait for the delivery owl to arrive.

"It's starting to get a little warmer," Ginny whispered to him, looking up at the enchanted ceiling.

Harry brushed her hand with his under the table and smiled. "What have you got first today?" he asked.

"Transfiguration," she answered. "How about you?"

"Charms and Healing all the way up to lunch."

"Have you seen Dumbledore lately, Harry?" asked Hermione.

Harry looked up to her and his eyes also flicked over to the High table. "Not since Friday. I think he may have gone to France, you know."

Hermione nodded as she sliced a piece of fruit in half. "I hope other countries help now, as well," she whispered. "I mean it's about time they saw what a threat You-Know-Who is."

Ron sighed and passed a hand through his scruffy hair. "They probably won't want a bloody thing to do with it," he said with a slight edge to his voice. "I mean would you, if you had the choice?"

"That'll be what Dumbledore's doing," Harry said in a moment of realisation. "With somewhere as strong as Beauxbatons gone, he'll be using that to convince more Ministries to get involved."

"Do you think that'll work?" asked Ginny.

No one spoke for a moment as they all thought about that. "If it doesn't," Harry said grimly after a lone minute, "it is going to be a lot harder for me to kill him."

Ron scoffed. "As if that isn't going to be hard enough," he joked, attempting to put some much needed humour into their conversation.

It was at this moment that the post owls descended upon the Great Hall and a stony silence passed over all the people in there. Nobody could know what tales of death and destruction the paper brought, if any at all. Students and teachers alike lived in almost constant fear of hearing that somewhere, someone they knew had been attacked.

Harry pulled his paper from the bird's leg before it had even landed. The offended owl took off again with a disgruntled hoot. Harry unrolled the paper with a growing sense of dread clenching his stomach, but his face remained a mask of calm.

Worlds of Change

Ian Lighterman

In a shocking decision by the International Confederation late last night, following intense discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwart's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, a task force is being created with the aid of several world wide Ministries in the biggest joint project since the days of the Muggle World War.

As the threat of the Dark Lord grows with every passing day, and more and more join his legion, the Ministries of the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, America, New Zealand, Italy and Canada, have united in a stand against You-Know-Who. An army is to be created from Aurors and Hit wizards from every Ministry named above.

Details are unknown at this early stage but the 'Army of Light' as it is already being called, is expected to number at least eight hundred witches and wizards, and, with the insistence of Albus Dumbledore, is to be positioned at the school of Hogwarts. Now one of two magical schools in the Northern hemisphere, Hogwarts is the largest school in the world. With the power shown by You-Know-Who through the destruction of the Beauxbatons wards, Hogwarts has been highlighted as the largest potential target within Europe. The Army of Light will be there to guard the school, as well as the neighbouring village of Hogsmeade, from attack.

Not everyone is seeing this as ideal, though. With the involvement of so many Ministries, the Dark Lord's servants are, unfortunately, expected to triple. The Dark Wizards throughout the world may flock to You-Know-Who's side as their country involves itself in the growing war.

We, in Great Britain, are now entered into a conflict of a global scale and the outcome is extremely uncertain. Intelligence from around the world suggests that many Dark Wizards have already begun migrating to our shores and that You-Know-Who is gathering his strength for a crushing blow on the school of Hogwarts. The Dark Lord's location is currently unknown, but many sources believe he may be drawing his Dementors to him from one of the many hidden castles of Salazar Slytherin, whose location is only known to a direct descendant from that line.

The storm is coming. Albus Dumbledore has been saying it for almost two years, and, for the most part, has been ignored. Our safety has been ripped away as the horrors of war once again fall across the world. The Muggle heads of government have, of course, been alerted to the threat but beyond that they are merely spectators to the darkness. Nothing anymore is certain; no longer can we be sure of our peace, of our freedom.

A few now lead us against our common enemy, in the greatest military undertaking in half a century. The Prophet will, beginning tomorrow, Tuesday the 25^th of February, be printing a special war booklet in every edition of the paper. This booklet will contain current information on the state of our fight and of the battles, losses, and victories gained in the coming weeks.

Pg 2 - Transcript of Confederation Meeting

Pg 5 - The fall of the Dark Lord

Pg 9 - Harry Potter's Fate

Harry folded the paper back over in his hands and looked at the table in front of him. To his friends it appeared that he was staring past the table, and into thoughts that none of them could ever share. It was the look of someone who was trying to get a handle on life, and finding nothing. It was the look of defeat.

"Harry...' Ginny said urgently, as she put down her own copy of the paper. "What's the matter? This is good, isn't it?"

Harry didn't say anything for a moment as he turned and stared at her, no emotion on his face betraying his feelings. He finally smiled slightly and spoke. "I suppose...." he managed, "but a lot of people are going to die for this. Too many...."

"Mum's going to go mental when she reads this," Ron sighed from across the table. "Hogwarts likely to be attacked...."

"Creating an army here, though..." whispered Harry, they all heard him. "A lot has changed...."

For the rest of that day Harry trained hard. He worked fast through the curses Thomas Fright set him to learn and did them so many times they were ingrained into his memory. He learned curses that would stun, that would destroy, and that would break bones. He strived to learn everything short of the Unforgivables.

In Magical Tuning he successfully managed to stop a cauldron from hitting him that Rose had levitated through the air. Without even moving Harry stopped it dead in the air with a thought. He was progressing with this branch of magic so fast that soon he would be in a league of his own.

Monday gave way to Tuesday and Harry had his first sword lesson with Dermas that actually required the use of a sword. Harry had called Gryffindor's sword from within him, but at first the weight of it felt unfamiliar in his hands after the weeks of training with a stick. He and Dermas took things slowly, practicing their moves efficiently so as not to injure each other. It was one thing to work with a stick, it was another to work with an extremely sharp blade. They had to be careful; a mistake here could cost one of them their life. It was a very fine art.

The world was changing around the sanctuary that was Hogwarts, though. Many Wizarding families were fleeing Britain as they saw it, correctly, as the place where the major battles would be fought. A hundred new Auror recruits had been called for by the Ministry. After leading the forces of Light against that of Dark in Hogsmeade, Kingsley Shacklebolt had been given command of training the Aurors. It was a position that would give the Order more power at the Ministry, and more access to its resources.

Voldemort had disappeared, completely and despairingly. He was simply nowhere to be found. The Dementors had not been active, no Muggles had lost their lives or their souls, and Death Eater sightings were nil. It was as the Prophet speculated. It appeared as if Voldemort was gathering all his strength for an attack. The target was, presumably, Hogwarts.

Dumbledore had returned to the castle and given a speech over breakfast that morning, informing students and staff alike about the current state of things. An army of Aurors was indeed going to be marshalled at the school and would operate out of special headquarters that would be constructed along the road leading to Hogsmeade. Students were advised to give them a wide berth as they patrolled the castle and its grounds. The first Aurors were expected to arrive in a week, from the British Ministry and France. The rest would follow at intervals soon after, determined by their own Ministry.

The International Confederation had also agreed to alert the entire world of the growing threat and provide information daily on the crisis. A huge battle was imminent, that much was clear. With both sides preparing themselves and increasing their numbers, a major confrontation was inevitable. And, as the biggest army of Aurors in the world was going to be based near Hogwarts, there was a fair chance Voldemort would strike there first, and wipe out one of the biggest threats. At least that is what Harry concluded he would do, and considering he knew Voldemort better than most, he was probably right.

At lunch time that Tuesday, Harry received another owl from Marcus Elendil, the dragon armourer. He wanted to confirm their agreement that tomorrow he would come to the school and outfit the DA. He also said that he would be bringing nine of his employees with him and asked that Harry reply to this as soon as possible.

"Who's that from, Harry?" asked Ginny from across the table. She nudged his shin with her foot as she spoke and smiled warmly when Harry looked up at her.

"Marcus Elendil," Harry replied kindly. "He and a few of his workers are coming to the school tomorrow to outfit the DA."

Ginny nodded but frowned. "I think Dumbledore should be told if anyone is coming to the school, Harry," she said. "They could be Death Eaters."

Harry nodded in agreement. He had already thought of that but really didn't want to see Dumbledore yet. They hadn't spoken since their argument last Friday, when he had stormed out after explaining the destruction of Beauxbatons. Dumbledore hadn't expressed much sympathy or sadness for the destruction. He had looked at it from a strategic point of view. He had looked at how it would affect the war, not at how many lives had been lost or ruined. Harry knew that it was Dumbledore's job to do that, as no one else could. But it had still angered him. Though, as Ginny had said, he needed to be told.

Looking up at the staff table Harry could see that the Headmaster wasn't there. Clicking his teeth he turned back to Ginny. "I'll see you later," he said, standing up and squeezing her hand affectionately, quickly. "Dumbledore's probably in his office."

"You'll be at dinner?" she asked.

Harry stood over and turned off the bench at the table. "Depends," he shrugged. "Fright might want to catch up on some missed curses that I... well... missed." Ginny nodded. "Tell Ron and Hermione I said 'Hi'."

"Will do."

Harry made his way up through the castle at a slight jog, not wanting to miss Dumbledore if he was there. As he went he thought about what he was going to say. He was going to apologise first, and then tell him about Marcus. No doubt some more serious topics would be breached, such as Harry's well being, but he'd cross that bridge if he came to it and didn't find it already burnt down.

"Canary Cream...." Harry sighed at the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. Quickly he jumped on the ascending staircase and followed it around as it came to a stop. The oak doors before the study were closed and the torch on the wall flickered warmly. Taking a deep breath, Harry grasped the handle and pushed the door open.

The room was empty. Harry looked from Dumbledore's desk to all the odd trinkets littering the room and finally came to rest on Fawkes who greeted him warmly with a small note and a flap of his wings.

"Hello, Fawkes," Harry said with a smile, stepping into the room and across to the perch next to the Headmaster's desk, he stroked the phoenix's neck. "Is he here?"

Fawkes tilted his head and sung a low note. Harry frowned and looked around again, no one was there. With a heavy sigh he sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk and strummed his fingers on its arm. He didn't know where Dumbledore was or how long he would be, but he'd give it a couple of minutes.

"How many times will you walk those steps, boy, bringing the weight of the world with you?"

Harry jumped in his seat and looked around quickly for the source of the voice. His eyes scanned the room sharply, from the fireplace to the stairs that led to the Headmaster's quarters. He finally gazed upwards and into the painted eyes of the portrait, of Phineas Nigellus.

"I'm sorry?" Harry replied, confused.

Phineas looked him up and down before finally sitting in the chair painted next to him. "Dumbledore isn't here," he said after a moment. "He has just flooed to the Ministry, he shouldn't be long." Harry nodded and, for lack of something to do, looked around the room again. "Something the matter?" Phineas asked.

Harry looked back up to the portrait. "No..." he answered with a shrug. "Not really."

"Not come to shout at the Headmaster again then?" Phineas said from his portrait, raising an eyebrow.

Harry bristled. "That has nothing to do with-"

"He has done more than you could know," Phineas interrupted and several other portraits nodded but remained silent. "Has made more sacrifices than most... has suffered more than most."

Harry didn't say anything but kept his eye contact with the portrait of the previous Headmaster. After a long moment he did speak, and a shadow passed over his face as he did. "Don't speak to me about suffering..." he whispered dangerously.

Phineas scoffed in his portrait and Harry's eyes blazed with anger. He was about to argue but Phineas spoke first. "See that pile of parchment there, boy," he pointed to a small stack of parchment on Dumbledore's desk that was in arms reach of Harry. "Pick it up."

Harry frowned but with further prodding with Phineas, he did it. He picked up three of the leafs of parchment and looked them up and down. At the top of the first one the word 'Beauxbatons' was written and underlined. Beneath that was a list of names, several hundred long. Confused, Harry looked at the next two and it all became clear. The second piece had 'Hogsmeade' written at the top and the third 'Diagon Alley'.

"These are list of all those that have died..." Harry said sadly, looking down at the endless names, his voice catching in his throat.

Phineas nodded solemnly. "Dumbledore has written hundreds of these lists in his life, more than anyone should ever have to. He carries the world in his pocket, and it would be a sorely darker place if not for him."

Harry reached over to the desk again and pulled another piece of parchment from the pile, this one from the bottom. It was an older piece and across the top was written 'Diagon Alley' again. This also had the year at 1979. His eyes grimly scanned the list of names.

"This is from the first war?" he asked quietly, with a confused note in his voice.

Phineas heard him. "Yes..." he replied, scraping the arm of his painted chair.

Harry frowned and past a hand through his hair, wrenching his eyes guilty from one parchment to the next. "But the names look the same..."

Phineas stood and sighed again. "They always do...."

Harry looked up at this but it was at that moment that the fireplace blazed to life in green flames. Harry quickly replaced the parchment on the desk as Dumbledore came spinning out of the flames. "Professor," he said, standing up and stepping forward.

"Harry?" Dumbledore said surprised, but then smiled welcomingly. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing really..." Harry began. "I really came to apologise for..."

Dumbledore walked over to his desk, stroking Fawkes as he went. "Think nothing of it, Harry. We are all due our outbursts from time to time." The Headmaster was smiling.

Harry nodded. "Yeah... well I still want to say sorry. So... sorry."

"Apology accepted," Dumbledore said, seating himself behind his desk. "Now I believe there may be something else you wish to discuss."

Harry frowned and for a moment didn't speak. A long minute passed before he remembered. "Oh... yeah. I've asked an armourer to come to the school tomorrow, to outfit the DA. I came to ask for your approval."

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled. "Yes. Marcus is an old friend of mine. We have been in correspondence for a few weeks now. I know he can be trusted, as can his staff."

Harry sat back down in his chair. "So I can owl him back then? For tomorrow?"

"Yes..." Dumbledore nodded and fell silent.

"How are things going?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore surveyed him for a moment before replying. When he did, it was in a distant, old voice that sounded deeply regretful. "An end is coming, Harry. Faster than any of us can imagine. I believe a key battle will soon be fought, and it is imperative that we win."

Harry nodded. "And you think it will be fought here. That's why the Auror army will be based nearby."

Dumbledore sighed and his eyes seemed to look past Harry and into the uncertain future, searching desperately for answers only Destiny herself knew. "Nothing is certain anymore, Harry. But I do believe Tom will attack here. To break Hogwarts will be to break the morale of our world."

"He won't do it," Harry said with a great conviction in his voice. "Hogwarts can withstand him."

Dumbledore merely smiled sadly and folded his old hands into his lap.

*****

"You up for a trip, Hedwig?" Harry asked kindly as he entered the owlery.

His snowy white owl descended from a perch three quarters of the way up the room. She circled him on the way down before coming to a rest peacefully on his shoulder. With an affectionate peck of his ear, Hedwig then stuck out her leg professionally for the letter.

Harry smiled genuinely. "Just a minute then," he said. Using the cheap quill and parchment provided, Harry wrote a quick note to Marcus Elendil. He confirmed everything from his letter and said he looked forward to seeing him again tomorrow. Once it was written Harry gave the ink a moment to dry and then folded and attached it to Hedwig's still outstretched leg.

A moment later and she flew out into the bright sky in a flurry of white feathers and Harry watched her until she fell over the horizon, and out of sight.

For the rest of that afternoon Harry continued to practice advanced magic in the Room of Requirement. He had no special lessons until three thirty, when he would be learning yet more curses with Thomas Fright. So Harry didn't want to waste the few hours before that, and spent it productively. He also enjoyed a brief flight around the room as a griffin.

With his ever growing magic inside of him, Harry had begun to see it more of something he would have to bend to his will. To him, it was like a flooded river, torrents of water gushing in an unstoppable force. His magic was that water and the river was his mind. The power of the river couldn't be stopped, but it could be redirected. In his days of training, Harry was slowly redirecting his magic to where he wanted it to be, to what he wanted it to be.

Harry assimilated all the curses he could with Thomas Fright and even used some lesser ones in a quick duel with the Auror trainer. Harry held his own against him and Thomas was deeply impressed. But duelling with Fright was quite different than duelling with Voldemort. For one, Fright wasn't trying to kill him. But it went deeper than that. Harry had duelled Voldemort and survived. When duelling the Dark Lord, Harry felt as if he knew Voldemort's next move and countered quickly. He and Voldemort shared a deep connection that gave them an understanding of each other's minds. They accurately anticipated one another's moves. It would be a challenge to over come that.

Harry didn't share such a connection with Fright, so duelling with him was a surprise as he truly didn't know what to expect. It wasn't easy, though. Fright was an accomplished dueller, but then war had forced Harry to learn fairly fast the skills needed to defend himself. He soon bested Thomas Fright.

After Offensive and Defensive spells Harry had Pure Magic training with Minra Algren. This was a lesson he only had three times a week because it was primarily theory and acquiring knowledge. Minra taught him magical theory, which made spell work easier and increased his capacity for power. She taught him what little techniques there was known on controlling pure magic to its potential and even gave him some lessons in Occlumency, which helped Harry evolve his mind from a jumbled mess to an orderly field of trained skills. With a clear mind he could have free, clear access to all his spells in every separate arsenal he held for different branches of magic.

He also asked her to teach him concentration techniques in Occlumency because he wanted to keep Voldemort out of his mind when he slept. He would be able to learn faster and more efficiently if he didn't wake up tired. Minra's lessons were a lot more enlightening than Snape's though. She actually taught him how to do, and not force it upon him as the git of a Potions Master had done. In only a few lessons he had already learned more than Snape ever taught him.

Friday dawned and Harry was up and out of bed before five o'clock. After a quick shower he put on his clothes for the day and his dragon boots and chest piece. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a loose fitting black shirt over the chest armour and had Ethan's dagger in his boot sheath. He decided not to wear any robes that day, as he really couldn't be bothered with them.

After physical training with Siamus and Trask, Harry and Trask went to their spot on the grounds by the lake and practiced their art. Metal clanged on metal as slowly, but professionally Dermas taught Harry how better to use a sword. He had learned most of the basics with the wooden stick, but there were some things that could only be taught with the real thing. Skill was one of them, as he didn't want to face a swordsman with a wooden imitation.

Harry spent breakfast with his friends and nervously awaited the delivery owl with his copy of the Prophet. When it did arrive there was nothing overly devastating in the news. Construction had begun on Auror Headquarters out of Hogsmeade and two suspected Death Eaters had been caught and hurriedly sentenced to life in the French prison, Nabakza.

He also received a reply from Marcus with Hedwig. After giving her some bacon rinds and sending her off to the owlery, Harry read the letter and would meet Marcus and his staff in the Entrance Hall at six o'clock tonight. Dumbledore would be there as well, and then they would head up to the Room of Requirement. Since the DA was so big now, with over one hundred members, the fake galleons were no longer in use. It was widely known throughout the school that Harry Potter was the head of a defence club, and that the club now had regular meetings.

For the rest of that day, Harry waited for the DA meeting to roll around. He spent some time with Rose practicing Thought magic and also with Grace learning some healing charms.

Since the Hogsmeade attack just over two weeks ago, Harry had dedicated himself to learning more offensive spells he could use in a duel. He didn't want to rely on the Stunning spell or Disarming charm anymore than he had to. He had taken to learning at least three new curses everyday. His lessons with Thomas Fright helped him achieve that, and now barely two weeks on, Harry had knowledge of several more deadly curses at his disposal. Dozens in fact, the least of all being a bone breaking hex.

As promised and arranged, that night Marcus and his employees arrived. Harry and Dumbledore were talking quietly in the Entrance Hall, as the rest of the school was a stone's throw away in the Great hall enjoying dinner, when he and his staff entered. Marcus was just as giant as Harry remembered him to be, but his smiling face showed him to be the gentle man he was. His staff were good natured as well and all of them were very happy to meet Harry. There were five witches and four wizards. Harry only remembered a few of their names, though.

After the introductions were over, Harry fell in line next to Dumbledore as they headed towards the Room of Requirement. Marcus and Dumbledore talked like old friends would and when they were about halfway to the room Harry struck up a conversation with one of the witches who had come with Marcus.

He offered to carry her bags and she smiled her thanks and reintroduced herself as Melissa, Marcus' niece. She worked for her uncle and was more than happy to help out Harry and the DA. Melissa was seven years out of Hogwarts and now twenty four. She was very forward and asked Harry a lot of questions about the rumours she had heard. This slowed them down somewhat and they fell back to the rear of the group.

"It is really an honour to be meeting you," Melissa said, awe in her voice.

Harry smiled. "I'm no one special..." he said, not entirely truthfully. He really didn't like his fame.

Melissa never missed a beat. "I mean we've all heard about you over the years but its nothing like meeting you in person."

"How so?" Harry asked with a frown, lifting her bag over his shoulder.

"Just being around you," she whispered. "I mean I can feel the power radiating from you! It's very cool."

"It is, huh?" Harry said matter of fact, shrugging his shoulders.

"You hear stories in the papers and everything," she persisted. "And I know now most of them are probably true, just from meeting you."

"What stories?" Harry asked. There were so many it as hard to keep track.

Melissa shrugged. "You defended the Ministry against You-Know-Who last June."

"It wasn't just me," Harry said thinking of Sirius.

"You were at those attacks in Abingdon and Hogsmeade and you duelled with You-Know-Who."

Harry nodded. "I was there. I did duel with Voldemort."

She flinched at his name but didn't want to lose her chance to find out more about The Boy Who Lived. "Some of the rumours I hear are a bit far-fetched though," she said with a grin. "You know there's a rumour that you actually killed a Basilisk after it bit you."

"Is there?" Harry said gently with a smile as they came to, and entered, the Room of Requirement.

****

After an hour in which Dumbledore departed on Headmaster business and Harry got to know Marcus and his staff better, the DA started to arrive. They came in groups of friends up from dinner, and after about quarter of an hour, all one hundred and five members were present.

Harry got up and welcomed them all, and announced that Marcus and his staff, whose presence in the back of the room had not gone unnoticed, were going to measure and fit everyone for a full set of dragon armour.

"We're going to need groups of ten, then," Harry said to the group. "Sort yourselves out and then please see Mr. Elendil and his staff up at the back. There's no need to rush, we have a few hours for this."

The DA began to break away into groups and Marcus and his staff moved forward, taking out tape measures and order forms from the bags they had brought as they went.

Ginny moved over towards him through the crowds of black robed Hogwarts students as they sorted themselves into groups, mostly corresponding to their own house. Harry saw her coming and smiled warmly and happily when she lightly brushed her hand against his.

"How've you been?" Harry asked as they required armchairs to sit in.

"Fine. Long day of potions, though. OWLs are coming fast now...." she sighed.

Harry laughed. "I won't say they're not bad because, well, they are. But you'll do fine. Study hard enough and you could beat Hermione's perfect score."

Ginny laughed and pushed her back behind her shoulders where it had come loose. "How can you beat a perfect score?"

Harry frowned in thought. "Er... well. You can't, but you can equal it."

Ginny seemed to think for a moment. "You think I can?"

"I know you can."

She smiled. "Thanks, Harry." After that she hugged him quickly before going to join the group of Gryffindors that had lined up next to Melissa. Ron and Hermione were in that line, as were Neville and Luna.

It took the majority of the meeting to get down everybody's size and order and it was almost nine o'clock when the last of the Ravenclaws were done. Marcus and his staff packed up all of their information and were waiting patiently at the back of the room again. Harry gave the DA a minute to get seated again before he spoke.

"Well that's that," he said after it grew quiet. "I'm afraid that's the meeting over for tonight. It's just turned nine o'clock so Filch will be on the prowl. Next meeting will be Monday, when we can get down to some more practical work. So... until then, goodbye."

The members of the DA began to filter out of the room, some came and said goodbye to Harry and others thanked Marcus, Melissa, and the rest for their time. Eventually it was only Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna left with the armourers.

"Well for an order this big I'd say it is going to take at least two weeks to get it all in, March 14^th at the earliest," Marcus said with a quill and parchment in his hands, doing some quick calculations. "And at one thousand, two hundred and fifty galleons per head, that'll be...." he grew silent for a moment and his quill scraped across his parchment. Half a minute later and Marcus let out a low whistle, as if he knew this was the moment he would lose the order. "That'll be one hundred and thirty one thousand, two hundred and fifty galleons."

Harry just nodded. "I'll get on to Gringotts," he said. "Do you have a vault number?"

Marcus and Melissa smiled very happily and the rest of the staff seemed in good spirits as well. "Number forty two," he said, scribbling something on the parchment and then tearing that section off. He handed it to Harry. It was his bank details.

After saying their goodbyes, Harry walked with Marcus and Melissa to the Entrance Hall. The rest of the staff had already gone on ahead and his friends had returned to the common room. "How you getting home?" Harry asked outside on the stairs at the castle entrance.

"Floo from The Three Broomsticks, now it's open for business again," Melissa said as Marcus shrunk their bags and placed them in his pocket.

"Not so sure it's safe to be walking down Hogsmeade Road this late at night," Harry said with a frown. He was more concerned for Melissa than Marcus, as Marcus was a giant of him. "I'm sure Dumbledore...."

"S'all right, Harry," Melissa replied. "There are Aurors right up and down the streets and on the road to Hogsmeade. They're overseeing the construction of that Army of Light Headquarters."

Harry nodded. "OK," Harry shrugged. "I'll see you in two weeks time then."

Walking back up through the castle alone, Harry thought about the construction of the Auror Headquarters. It was either going to attract Voldemort here, or keep him away until his forces grew. It was a chance either way, but Harry dreaded the former. In a full blown attack on Hogwarts, a lot could happen then. A lot of innocents could die. Harry no longer considered himself innocent in this war, if he really thought about it he hadn't considered himself that since Cedric had been murdered. He had taken life in his battles, and in doing that he had saved some poor soul a painful death... hadn't he?

Harry shook his head and headed up a flight of stairs. It was just as he reached the top step and walked onto the new floor, that he heard quick footsteps behind him. He turned sharply, palm already tingling with magic. There was no one there, just darkness and shadows from the soft glowing torchlight.

"Who's there?" Harry called. He hadn't expected a response and didn't get one, so with a shrug he turned and carried on walking. He walked faster now, if he was being followed he hoped to lose whoever it was. He stepped up to another floor and down the hall, turned the corner and-

"Harry," Ginny said happily. "I was just coming to see what was keeping you."

Harry nodded and then looked quickly behind himself, back once more into the shadows that flickered across the walls, and the brief starlight that shone in through the windows.

"What is it?" she asked, looking for herself.

Harry shrugged and then turned to face her. "I thought I heard...." he began. "Nothing. You found me then," he smiled.

Ginny nodded with a grin and put her arms around his neck and embraced him properly, as she had been unable to do in front of the DA. He leaned back and caught her lips briefly in his own, just for a moment. "I missed you all week," he said. "Couldn't get five minutes alone to talk."

Ginny laughed and let out a frustrated sigh. "You got five minutes now?"

Harry tapped his foot and then made a spectacle of looking at his watch. "Well... I dunno?" he joked and then he made to escape her arms around his neck but Ginny was having none of it.

"Oh no you don't, Potter," she grinned and then pulled him over to a window ledge that looked out over the castle grounds, towards Hogsmeade and the distant mountain in the distance that guarded over the magical graveyard. They both sat down, close to each other on the small ledge and looked out at the world.

They were both hidden partially in the shadows, and for a few minutes they talked lovingly to one another, like they couldn't around anybody else, for fear of being discovered. That was a storm that Harry didn't want to break, because there may be no coming back from it.

Harry blinked to clear away those thoughts, though, because he didn't want to think about losing Ginny. He looked out towards the Forbidden forest and then the Hogsmeade road. He could see two pinpricks of light slowly moving down the road. He assumed they were the light from Marcus and Melissa's wands.

He turned back to Ginny and looked deep into her eyes, searching for comfort there. He found it. "I think that's five minutes, Ginny," he whispered as she put her head on his shoulder, her arms still around her neck. "Any longer and we'll be missed."

"Let us be missed then," she sighed happily, but pulled herself up anyway.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Just thinking," she replied.

"About?"

"...about You-Know-Who...."

Harry sighed and his eyes narrowed angrily. "Ah! Him..." he said bitterly. "What are you thinking about him for?"

Ginny folded her hands in her lap. "It seems that's all everyone thinks about these days," she said regretfully.

Harry really didn't know what to say. He could see that Ginny was slightly fearful at the moment, and it was well founded, but he still wasn't sure how to react. Comfort wasn't something he was particularly good at, as it had been lacking for most of his life. "It will get better one day, Gin," he managed after a moment.

"But when?" she asked, sounding slightly desperate with a shake to her voice. "How long will we have to hide in the shadows? How long will we have to worry about the people we love? How long will good people die needlessly?" Ginny had worked up quite a steam now, but her voice was a whisper as she came to her final point. "How long will you have to suffer, Harry?"

Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "For as long as it takes," he said simply. "For as long as it takes...."

Several feet down the hall, hidden in the darkness, stood a tall blonde Slytherin. Harry's shadow from the floor below, the source of the mysterious footsteps. He watched Potter hold Weasley as she cried slightly, then he watched the two of them stand. Potter kissed her deeply before they walked away and out of sight.

The smirk on Draco Malfoy's face was one of glee. This is interesting he thought to himself. This is very interesting... Barely making a sound, Malfoy turned and headed in the direction of the owlery. Finally he had some information, some information that could make him worthy of the Dark Mark.

****