Harry Potter and the Guild of the Night

Chapter 3

The next morning Harry was making his slow way down to the dungeons. Snape had sent word that the mornings would be the best time for his Occlumency lessons during the summer. He was on his own this time; Remus had offered to come with him but Harry had wanted to try this one on his own. He'd been down to the dungeons so many times in the past five years that he felt he wouldn't have any problems. Remus had reluctantly agreed and had given him a small amulet to wear. If he ever got lost he could hold it and say 'Invenio' and Remus would be able to find him. He felt a surge of triumph as his hand brushed the door to the dungeons and he knocked loudly on it.

"Come," he heard Snape say from behind the door. He pushed it open and stood on the threshold for a minute so that he could remember the layout of the room. He then made his way to the front of the classroom and stopped when his hand hit Professor Snape's desk.

Snape noticed that Harry's movements were much smoother and more assured today and came around to the front of his desk. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and was grimly amused when Harry jumped at the contact.

"It will be easier if we are both seated for this," he said as he steered Harry over to the front row of desks and allowed him to fumble his way into a seat. "We will be doing these lessons somewhat differently now as it is no longer possible to approach you by making eye contact and you cannot use your wand."

Harry started. "I can't be attacked by that kind of Legilimency anymore? Er, sir."

"No, Potter, it requires conscious eye contact by both parties. I shall use a different type. It is more subtle and is harder to defend against. You cannot defend against it by casting a spell, you must either deny me access to your mind completely or cast me out if I am in there," Snape replied. "Shall we begin?"

"Er, yes, sir," Harry said a little nervously and waited. At first it appeared that nothing was happening and then he felt something odd in his mind. It was as though someone was sneaking in and rummaging around in his head. Snape was right, this was much more subtle. Harry tried to locate Snape inside his mind. It was very difficult; every time he thought he had him, he'd slip away into another part of his mind. Very shortly, Harry was sweating profusely. He felt the presence disappear from his mind.

"Stop," Snape ordered after about half an hour and placed a glass of water in his hand. "Drink this and rest. Then we will try again." As Harry gratefully drank the water down, Snape continued. "You have the right idea, Potter, you are just too slow. Don't wait to see what I am doing. I am attacking your mind, rush me and throw me out. Manners are not necessary." Snape paused and his voice became silkily insulting. "Unless you would prefer the Dark Lord to know all your weaknesses."

Harry flushed and banged the glass down on the desk. He winced and one hand rose involuntarily towards his eyes and he shivered. Snape watched this with narrowed eyes and he recalled how the boy had been blinded.

"Ready, Potter?" he snapped.

Harry jerked and shook his head. "Yes, sir!" he gasped and ripped his mind away from the memories of what had happened to him. Again he felt that odd sensation in his mind. This time he did not wait and rushed towards the presence but it slipped away from him at the last moment. Harry drew back and located the presence again. He tried rushing it again but it slipped away from him. He frowned and drew back for a moment. When he located the presence again, he tried something a little different. Instead of just rushing it this time, he tried to circle around and rush up on the presence from behind. He wasn't sure how he knew how to do this; it almost seemed to be instinctive. This time his attack was more successful. He managed to grasp the presence for a moment before it convulsed and broke free. It faded from his mind again and he collapsed back into his chair.

"Better, Potter, but you are still too slow," he heard Snape saying. He wiped his face with one hand as Snape continued. "That is enough for today. Be back here at the same time tomorrow and remember to clear your mind every night."

Harry nodded and stood, picturing the Potions classroom in his mind so he knew which way to go. He paused halfway out of the room. "Professor?"

"Yes, Potter?" Snape replied impatiently.

"How could I have known how to do that in my mind? Is it something instinctive?" Harry asked.

"Knowing that someone is in your mind is instinctive, yes," Snape replied neutrally, "but tracking and repelling the intruding mind is something that can only be honed by practicing extensively." Snape paused. "Your effort today was acceptable. You were able to locate my presence in your second attempt but you did not grasp it sufficiently tightly and you were not able to expel me. You will find it easier as you continue to practice."

"Oh, okay," said Harry, "thank you, sir." He turned and made his way out of the classroom, leaving a somewhat confused Potions Master behind him.

When he was about halfway up the corridor he broke out in a grin. He could tell as he left that Professor Snape had been confused and was enjoying throwing him off balance. He had made a conscious decision that he was going to be polite and civil to Snape, no matter what it cost him. He was still haunted by dreams of Sirius falling through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. He had had plenty of time in the week he had been confined to bed with his eyes bandaged to think about everything that had happened on 'That Day' as he had come to refer to it.

He still didn't like Snape that much but he had realised that he had been a bit unfair to him. He had allowed himself to forget that Malfoy and his cronies had also been in the room when he had yelled out to Snape about Sirius. Junior Death Eaters, Harry thought with a snort. Snape had reacted exactly how he had to react. Malfoy and the others believed that Snape was still a loyal Death Eater; if he had broken cover to help Harry he would have been signing his own death warrant, not to mention robbing the Order of much needed information.

He had also realised that it wasn't his fault that Sirius had died. That had been the result of a chain of events that no-one could have predicted. But it was his fault that they had all ended up there; he had stopped his Occlumency lessons and Voldemort had been able to show him that false vision. He was determined that wouldn't happen again and that meant mastering Occlumency. And if that meant being polite to Snape then so be it.

Dumbledore had been pleased with his attitude when he had spoken to him towards the end of that interminable week. He had also taken the opportunity to apologise to the Headmaster for his behaviour in his office. They had spoken at some length and had come to an agreement. Dumbledore would no longer keep him out of the loop. Harry had come up with a winning argument when he had mentioned that according to the Prophecy he was supposed to defeat Voldemort and that it would be especially difficult if he didn't have the information he needed to do it and any information could be the thing that was crucial. They had also agreed that if Dumbledore had some information that he didn't want to tell Harry just yet and Harry asked about it, he would give the reasons for not telling. That way, even if Harry didn't like or agree with those reasons, at least he knew what they were. Harry had told Dumbledore how he felt; that if he had known why Voldemort kept coming after him maybe he would have made some different decisions.

He was making his way along the wall of the Entrance Hall to the corridor that would take him back to the hospital wing when he heard the outer doors open. He heard whoever it was that had entered put down some bags and walk over to him.

"Hello, Harry," said an unfamiliar, accented voice. "My name is Master Nhean. I believe that Professor Dumbledore will have spoken to you about me."

Harry gaped and stammered out a reply. "Er, hi, sir! Um, welcome to Hogwarts." He stopped, blushed a little and gathered his thoughts. "Er, sorry about that Master Nhean. We weren't expecting you for another couple of days."

Master Nhean laughed. "I know, that was the original plan but I found that I was able to wrap up my affairs in Cambodia much quicker than I thought I would. So I thought, rather than wait, I would come on as soon as I could."

Harry gave a small shake of his head. He thought Master Nhean's accent was fascinating and found it very soothing and almost hypnotic. "Um, can I take you to Professor Dumbledore's office?" he asked.

"You would be able to find your way there? I understood that your blinding was very recent?" Master Nhean asked in surprise.

"It was," Harry said, "but I've been wandering around the halls of Hogwarts for five years now. Remus came up with the idea of me picturing the route to where I want to go. I've been here so long that I know where everything is, I just have to think things through carefully now." Harry paused and gave a small laugh. "Mind you, the shifting staircases will probably end up being a minor problem though when I start using them again."

Master Nhean looked both intrigued and approving and it came through, much to Harry's pleasure, in his voice. "That was well done! And quite clever of this Remus of yours. Well then, lead on, Harry."

Harry grinned and carefully thought out the way to Dumbledore's office. He had just turned in the direction he needed to go when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Harry," said Master Nhean, "I step very lightly at times and I wanted to make sure you knew that I was indeed following you."

Harry nodded in understanding and started walking. When they got out of the Entrance Hall, he found out what Master Nhean meant by stepping lightly. He could hardly hear him and in some areas if he hadn't had Master Nhean's hand on his shoulder he would have thought he wasn't being followed at all. Master Nhean was also very good about not distracting him from remembering the route he had to take and in fairly short order he felt the shape of the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office under his hands.

"Fizzing Whizbees," he said and took Master Nhean up the circular staircase. At the top he knocked on the door and opened it at Dumbledore's "Come in, Harry."

Dumbledore looked up when Harry walked in and was surprised to see Master Nhean.

"Nhean! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect you for a couple of days," he said.

"I know, Albus," Nhean chuckled. "I found myself ready early and rather than wait I thought an early start with young Harry here might be worthwhile. I was surprised to find him in the Entrance Hall and impressed when he offered to lead me here."

"Harry has an excellent knowledge of Hogwarts and its many secrets," Dumbledore said blandly as Harry grinned mischievously.

"Indeed?" Nhean replied, equally blandly, making a note to himself to ask Harry about how he knew these things. From the look on the young man's face, it would probably make interesting and amusing hearing.

Dumbledore clapped his hands. "Now, Nhean, you and I have much to talk about. Do you wish Harry to remain?"

Nhean considered things for a moment. "No, he and I will be having a long conversation and I think it best not to mix conversations. Is that alright, Harry?"

"Um, yes, that's fine," Harry replied

"Good," Nhean said, "but before you go, would you answer a question for me?" Harry nodded. "You were clearly coming from somewhere when I arrived, was this from anything in particular or was it just random rambling?"

Harry hesitated and looked towards Professor Dumbledore.

"It's alright, Harry. Any part of your education can be discussed with Master Nhean as he will now be in charge of it," Dumbledore said reassuringly.

"Okay," Harry said, "I was coming back from my Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape."

"Occlumency lessons?" Nhean said curiously. "Interesting. Well, I think any discussion of that will come later, Harry. If we start now, we'll still be going hours from now and Professor Dumbledore would be most impatient."

Both Harry and the Headmaster laughed at that and Harry made his way out of the room. The two men waited until they heard him going down the stairs then Dunbledore ushered his old friend into a chair by the fire and took the chair opposite. He summoned a house elf and ordered tea for both of them.

"Well, welcome to Hogwarts, Nhean," he said, "and I must say how relieved I am to see you here and early at that!"

He paused when the house elf returned and poured the tea. When the tiny creature disappeared, he leaned back in his chair. Master Nhean eyed his old friend and took in every detail.

"Now, Albus," Nhean said, "tell me everything about young Harry that you think I need to know. This situation quite obviously has you severely troubled."

Dumbledore sighed and stared into his tea. "Yes, Nhean, it does. I do not know what ongoing effect this is going to have however," he said almost absently and then took a deep breath. "I believe I will start at the beginning, Nhean. It is important you understand why I asked for the concessions I did as much as understanding what has happened to Harry."

Nhean nodded and gestured for Dumbledore to continue.

"Harry is the son of James and Lily Potter, who were also students here at Hogwarts. A year or so before Harry was born a prophecy was made. Basically it said that the one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort, whom I always knew as Tom Riddle, would be born at the end of July, that the parents would have defied Tom three times and that Tom himself would mark this child as his equal. In the end it could have been one of two children, it was Tom himself that chose Harry. We had placed Harry and his parents in protection using the Fidelius charm."

Dumbledore paused at this point and considered what to say. "James had three great friends while at school. Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. The four called themselves the Marauders and were quite the little troublemakers. James and Sirius were as close as brothers and when the Fidelius charm was performed everyone naturally assumed that Sirius was the Secret Keeper. Unbeknownst to us all, they had changed at the last minute. Peter was made the Secret Keeper; the theory being he would be the least suspect, Tom would spend all his time trying to get his hands on Sirius and James, Lily and Harry would be safe. Unfortunately what no-one knew at that time was that Peter had already defected and was now a follower of Tom's. He betrayed James and Lily and led Tom straight to where they were hiding. Tom killed both James and Lily and attempted to kill Harry."

"Attempted," said Nhean. "That implies he failed. Quite remarkable if he was using Avada Kedavra as I assume he was?"

"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed, "He failed because Lily chose to die for her son. It allowed for a rather powerful form of blood magic to occur. That blood magic caused Tom's spell to rebound. It didn't kill him but it did destroy his physical body temporarily. It was, of course, assumed that Sirius had betrayed them and, to my shame, I too had been taken in. He was quickly arrested after he had appeared to murder Peter and several muggles. This was why I had one of my associates rescue Harry from the remains of the house and bring him to his only living relatives. His mother's sister and her husband. They were the only choice remaining with the apparent betrayal of his godfather. Yes, Sirius was Harry's godfather. There was also the benefit of Petunia being a blood relative. I did not believe that Tom was dead; I knew that one day he would return and if Harry was living with a blood relative, some very powerful protective wards could be put in place."

"So Harry grew up with his relatives and we in the wizarding world had very little contact with him. I felt that this was for the best. Harry was famous. The Boy-Who-Lived. I wished for him to grow up away from that; to grow up as normally as possible. What I did not know was that Harry was mistreated by his relatives. Oh, not beaten, but neglected and left unloved and unwanted." Dumbledore sighed sadly. "Arabella Figg, whom I set to watch over Harry as best she could, did not report this to me. She did tell me that Petunia favoured her son over Harry but as far as she could tell the boy was not being badly mistreated. She was unable to get too close to the Dursleys so she was not able to really see how the boy was being treated."

"So the boy arrived at Hogwarts not as happy or as well-looked after as I would have liked. But he was a normal, unspoiled boy. He had a knack for making good friends and was clearly enjoying his time here at Hogwarts. But every summer I have sent him back to his relatives to renew the protective wards. He has had some eventful years here, Nhean, though perhaps you should ask him about those. I daresay I have only half the story on many of the events he has been through. But last year was a touch different. There was a considerable amount of Ministry interference here at Hogwarts that I was unable to combat. Added to that was Harry's increasing vulnerability to Tom. No doubt you noticed the scar on his forehead. That scar symbolises the link that was somehow established between Tom and Harry when he was a baby. For some time Harry could feel Tom's emotions when they were strong or he was close. But last year, with the strengthening of Tom and particularly after his re-embodiment, Harry was having visions where he was seeing things from Tom's point of view. You see, Tom has only ever known the first part of the prophecy and the only record of it, other than the one in my head, is held in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry."

"Tom spent much of the year trying to lure Harry to the Ministry so that he could use him to get the Prophecy and he finally succeeded at the end of the school year. I was not here; I had been forced to flee by the representative of the Ministry who was foisted on us. Tom sent a vision of Sirius being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. Harry and a number of his friends went to the Ministry to rescue him."

"But the vision was false," Nhean said matter-of-factly.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied sadly. "Professor Snape was able to get word to Sirius and a number of other members of the Order and we went to the Ministry to rescue Harry and his friends from the Death Eaters." Dumbledore chuckled sadly at the memory. "Not that we were needed that greatly. Harry and his friends were doing extremely well on their own. But during the fracas, Sirius died; he fell through the Veil that is housed in the Department of Mysteries. Harry and Sirius had met during Harry's third year. He found out the truth of what had happened and over the last couple of years had formed a strong bond with Sirius. Sirius' death devastated him but also protected him as well. Tom and I had a little confrontation at the Ministry. Tom took over Harry's mind but was driven out by his feelings for his godfather. Tom cannot bear to be in close contact with such strong positive emotions."

"Again I sent him back to his relatives, Nhean, though I regret that I did not keep a closer eye on him. It appears that his Uncle came upon hard times at work. From what we have discovered so far, Vernon Dursley was accused of embezzlement, theft and fraud, though we are unsure if the accusations are true. He was certainly placed under great pressure. That was added to by a number of harassment claims that were filed against him. It was apparently started by a young woman who was working for him and then 3 others were filed shortly afterwards. Apparently they gained courage after the young woman complained. From what Harry has said, this went on for a week without Vernon saying anything at home. Things were compounded again when on the Saturday night, Vernon's son was brought home by the police with strong indications he would be charged with assaulting a young girl the next day. The arrival of the owl of Harry's friend, Ron, seemed to be the final straw for Vernon. He beat Harry quite severely and threw a cracked glass at Harry's face. The glass shattered along with Harry's glasses and Harry did not have time to close his eyes. The Dursleys have run and we are endeavouring to find them."

A long silence fell as Nhean tilted his head back in thought. "Hmm, I have heard of reactions like that before." At Dumbledore's querying glance, Nhean elaborated. "I know you are angry at this Vernon Dursley, Albus, but I believe he was not entirely responsible for his own actions. Great stress, such as what Vernon Dursley was subjected to, can lead to the situation where, with a trigger event, the sufferer can temporarily lose hold of their sanity. That is probably why they ran. Although the Dursleys clearly did not like Harry, they had never harmed him physically before. Vernon Dursley was probably afraid of his own reaction as much he was of yours."

Dumbledore nodded and his face cleared a little. "Yes, there is a great deal of sense in that. It will not stop us from punishing him for what he did but we will take it into account."

"You may wish to speak to some Muggle counsellors," Nhean suggested, "as they will be able to give you better information about how and why this can happen." He stopped and cocked his head slightly to one side as he thought. "Admittedly his reaction was quite extreme but if, as you say, he had a strong dislike for Harry beforehand, at may explain why things went so terribly wrong."

"Indeed," Dumbledore acknowledged, "but truth be told, I am more concerned with Harry at this point in time. Nhean, you have dealt with those who have been suddenly blinded before. Are Harry's reactions normal? Is there something we should be watching for?" Dumbledore leaned forward, a look of grave concern on his face.

Nhean sipped his tea as he contemplated what he had seen of the boy. "It's not unusual, no. From what you told the Council, he had a week of contemplating this outcome and was probably able to prepare himself somewhat for it. Oh Albus, don't worry. He will have days where he seems perfectly adjusted to his new life and he will have days where the bitterness and anger will get the better of him. I have known men and women who have been blind for over forty years who still have those good days and bad days." He put his teacup down and laced his fingers together. "The important thing that you and all those that care for Harry must do is to constantly remind him that he is loved. That his being blind does not change your feelings one iota. And while you do that, I shall watch him to ensure all is well."

Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled. "I do not think that will be a problem. It has been all I can do to keep the Weasleys and Miss Granger from coming to Hogwarts. They are desperately worried about him."

"Some of those good friends of his, I assume," Nhean said.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "Ronald Weasley was his first friend. They met on the Hogwarts Express. The two of them became friends with Miss Hermione Granger after a run-in with a troll which you must ask them about. I believe you will enjoy the story. Arthur and Molly took Harry into their home and truly do treat him as though he were their son." Dumbledore paused. "If I had not been so sure that Tom would return and that the need to protect Harry was paramount, I believe I would have asked Arthur and Molly to take in Harry after his parents were killed. He could not have grown up with a better family." Dumbledore shook off the melancholy mood that was threatening to overtake him. "Ron and Hermione, along with Arthur and Molly's youngest child, Ginny, were among those who accompanied Harry to the Department of Mysteries."

Nhean cocked an interested eyebrow. "Indeed? And who were the others?"

"Miss Luna Lovegood and Mr Neville Longbottom." Dumbledore paused, "Mr Longbottom was the other boy I mentioned, whom the prophecy could have been about. Harry knows of this but I believe that Mr Longbottom does not."

Nhean nodded and thought for a moment. "Do you think that Miss Lovegood and Mr Longbottom would be willing to come to Hogwarts as well? Would Harry mind?"

"I do not think that either the Longbottoms or Mr Lovegood would mind," Dumbledore said. "As for Harry, we will have to ask him. Why do you ask?"

"It seems to me that Harry and these fellow students who went with him formed a rather formidable fighting group," Nhean said, "and I think I will take advantage of this. I will have to train him to work in concert with others and they will do perfectly. I'll ask Harry myself when I speak with him. And speaking of that, where is Harry staying at the moment? I think he and I might have lunch and spend this afternoon chatting. Then we can get started tomorrow."

Dumbledore rose. "Harry is staying in the hospital wing for the moment. I'll take you down there, my friend, and I will contact the Longbottoms and Mr Lovegood about Neville and Luna."

He waved Nhean out through his office door and the two men walked through the corridors of Hogwarts towards the hospital wing. They were a study in contrasts. The Headmaster was tall, with long, white hair and beard and piercingly blue eyes, dressed in elaborate robes. Master Nhean was a small man with almost caramel-coloured skin and short, cropped black hair and he wore very plain, buff coloured robes. The only thing they had in common on the outside was an air of great wisdom. They were chatting away as they entered the hospital wing, where they found Harry talking quietly with Remus.

"Ah, Harry, Remus," Dumbledore said expansively, "there you are!" They looked up in surprise and smiled at the Headmaster.

"Remus," Dumbledore said, "I would like to introduce you to Master Nhean. Master Nhean, this is Remus Lupin."

The two men shook hands and appraised each other. Nhean was surprised at the appearance of Remus Lupin. His greying hair and tired face gave him the appearance of being older than he actually was and Nhean was strongly convinced that there was something about Remus that was unusual. He dismissed the idea of asking about it. If he needed to know he was sure he would be told.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Mr Lupin," Nhean said with pleasure, "and even more pleased with the way you have given Harry the confidence to move around on his own."

Remus blushed and studied the tops of his rather battered shoes momentarily. "I, ah, well, thank you," he stammered. "It wasn't really me though. I mean Harry knows Hogwarts so well." He and Harry exchanged secretive grins. "I just thought that if he stopped and really thought about where he was and where he was going he'd be able to find his way."

"Nevertheless," Nhean said firmly, "it was a very clever idea and I will not allow you to avoid the credit for it." He smiled kindly at Remus and Remus blushed again and looked briefly at Harry, desperate to divert attention.

Nhean chuckled kindly at Remus' discomfort and directed his next question at Harry. "I think it's time for you and I to have a chat, Harry. Perhaps over lunch, though I suspect it will go into the afternoon a touch."

Harry nodded, both eager and a little apprehensive.

"Perhaps it would be best if you had your lunch in the Gryffindor common room," Dumbledore said. "I think this should remain a private conversation between the two of you. I shall take you there myself so that the shifting staircases do not confuse you, Harry." Harry grinned and nodded his thanks. "Remus, would you be so kind as to ask the house elves to organise lunch for Harry and Master Nhean."

Remus nodded and patted Harry on the shoulder. "I'll see you later," he said quietly and left the room.

Nhean walked over to Harry and offered his arm. "Take my arm, Harry," he said, "I think you will find that the easiest."

Harry groped forwards and slid his hand a short way through Master Nhean's arm. He felt a bit odd doing this but soon realised what Nhean had meant as they made their way out of the hospital wing. Even though he was being led, he still had a measure of control; he could after all let go whenever he wanted. It felt like Master Nhean was guiding him, rather than taking him somewhere and it made him feel much better. It wasn't long before he heard the Fat Lady asking for the password and Dumbledore replying. Master Nhean and Professor Dumbledore helped him through the entry hole and very soon he and Master Nhean were settled in at Harry, Ron and Hermione's favourite table, with a simple lunch of sandwiches and pumpkin juice in front of them. Dumbledore placed a hand on Harry's head briefly before leaving.

"Perhaps we should eat first?" Nhean suggested and Harry quickly agreed. The work he had done with Snape this morning had made him hungry. They demolished the sandwiches and pumpkin juice in short order and, at Harry's suggestion, settled themselves into a couple of the soft, squashy chairs in front of the fireplace.

"Now, Harry," Nhean said quietly, "Professor Dumbledore has told me about what happened on the night you were blinded and I have no intention of revisiting that right now. Perhaps someday, if you feel up to it, you will tell me the full details of what happened but it is not important right now." Harry relaxed and sighed in relief. Nhean smiled at the reaction and continued. "The only thing that is important is looking ahead at what needs to be done. There is no use dwelling on the past. It cannot be changed."

"Now I would like to ask you a number of questions and then after that you may have at me with any questions you may have for me," Nhean said and at Harry's nod began to ask away. To Harry's relief, Master Nhean stayed away from what happened during each of his years at school and seemed more interested in the specifics of what he had learnt in his classes and what his various teachers were like. When they got to Harry's fifth year however, Master Nhean's questions began to stray a little.

"So what did you do in response to Professor Umbridge's lessons?" Master Nhean asked.

Harry squirmed a little in his chair. "Do you mean in class or outside of it?" Harry asked.

Nhean raised both eyebrows. "Well, both if you don't mind telling me, otherwise just outside of class will do."

"Erm, well," Harry said a little uncomfortably, "in class I stood up to her, told the truth even though it got me detentions. Outside of class, we started the DA."

"The DA?" Nhean asked.

"Yeah, the Defence Association, as it was officially," Harry said, getting more enthusiastic. "Unofficially it was Dumbledore's Army, though I wish we hadn't actually written that down. It got Professor Dumbledore into a bit of trouble."

Nhean gave a shout of delighted laughter, causing Harry to grin sheepishly in response. "Who thought up that one?" Nhean asked with amusement.

"Erm, Hermione, I think," Harry replied. "But we all agreed to it. We figured it's what Fudge would fear the most and it was him we were the angriest with. Umbridge wouldn't have been there without his interference."

"True," Nhean acknowledged. "So what did you do with the DA?"

Harry went on at some length about everything he had taught them, how he had learnt it originally and how well the others had done. Nhean was a little stunned and mentally made some quick revisions to the teaching plans. He had not expected Harry to be so advanced in Defensive spells, particularly in such advanced magic as the Patronus spell. He began to get rather excited about teaching a student such as Harry.

"Truly remarkable work, Harry, I'm very impressed," Nhean said regarding the DA before getting things back on track. "Now, you took your O.W.L. exams at the end of the last school year. What subjects do you think you did well in? What had you planned to do next year? And what were your plans for the future?"

Harry slumped in his seat as he realised that any plans he'd had were now well and truly shot to pieces. He brightened a little when he realised that he was now going to be training to become something just as remarkable, if not a little more, than an Auror. And I won't have to do Potions, he thought with a certain amount of glee.

"Well, Master Nhean," he said, turning his attention back to the questions he had been asked, "I think I definitely passed Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures and Potions, though other than Defence I'm not sure of the kinds of marks I got." He paused and then decided to go ahead. "I'm sure I got an O for Defence though. I'm pretty sure I failed History of Magic and Divination." Harry paused again for a long time. "I...I had planned on being an Auror after I finished school so I guess I had planned on taking Defence, Charms, Transfiguration and Potions next year if I got the marks."

"Good," responded Master Nhean with satisfaction. "Those tally up very well with the kinds of things I will be teaching you. What about these Occlumency lessons you spoke of in Professor Dumbledore's office?"

Harry hesitated for a long moment before he answered. "Did Professor Dumbledore tell you about my scar?" he asked.

"Yes, he did," Nhean replied. "He also told me that you have felt Voldemort's emotions and that you have been sent visions. He also told me that the scar hurts at certain times."

"Okay," Harry sighed. "Those were the reasons I was having Occlumency lessons. So that I could block out Voldemort."

"But they didn't work too well," Master Nhean prompted, feeling a little like he was pulling teeth. Clearly this was something Harry was reluctant to talk about.

"Erm, well, yes and no," Harry said slowly. "I was being taught by Professor Snape and, well, he and I..." Harry trailed off while he tried to find the best way of putting it. "Well, he and I don't really get along," he finished a little lamely and then hurried onwards. "Well, we had a...a...well, I suppose you might call it a disagreement and neither of us were inclined to continue the lessons."

Nhean considered this in silence. It was obvious that there was some deep-seated disagreement between the two that Harry did not wish to talk about. Nhean wondered whether he should push on this matter but eventually decided against it. He would much prefer that Harry tell him these things voluntarily.

"So who is teaching you now?" he asked.

"Er, well, Professor Snape, actually," he stammered. "We seem to have decided on something of a truce."

Nhean's eyebrow shot up at that statement but he chose not to comment on it. "I take it those lessons are taking place at the same time everyday?" he asked instead.

"Yes, in the morning," Harry affirmed, relieved that Master Nhean wasn't going to pursue that one.

"Very well," Nhean said, "I think you should continue those lessons for obvious reasons so I shall work in around Professor Snape's schedule. Shall we start tomorrow after your Occlumency lessons? We could meet in the Entrance Hall. I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore about a permanent place for our lessons but we will be out and about a bit."

"That sounds good to me," Harry said, starting to grin a little.

"Good," Nhean said in satisfaction. "Now I have one final question for you and then you may question me to your heart's content. Do you have any objection to Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood joining the Weasleys and Hermione when they come here?"

Harry was startled by this question and he leaned back in his chair to consider it. He didn't really have a problem with Neville being there. They'd shared a dorm for five years after all and, after finding out about Neville's parents and that it could have been Neville instead of him in Voldemort's firing line, Harry had felt on odd kind of kinship towards his fellow Gryffindor. He was hesitating more about Luna though. She was definitely a bit odd; she often seemed a little disconnected from what was going on around her and she was very forthright when speaking. Then he remembered how she had been so loyal throughout fifth year even though she had only just met him on the train that year. She had believed him, never doubted him and had even got her father to print that article.

"No, Master Nhean," he said finally, "I don't have any objection. In fact, I'd like them to be here, they're my friends."

"Good," said Nhean in satisfaction, "I'm glad you agreed. I'm looking forward to meeting them. Now, I believe it is your turn to question me."

Harry thought for a moment, organising all his questions. He decided to start with the most recent one. "Why did you want Neville and Luna to be here as well as the Weasleys and Hermione?"

"Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Luna and Neville were the students who accompanied you to the Department of Mysteries, yes?" he said. "From what I have been told by Professor Dumbledore, the six of you worked well together there. They were also your best students in the DA as I understand it. Part of what I will teach you will be working in concert with others. I thought it might be best to use those five friends of yours."

Harry thought that one through and nodded. "What else will I be learning?"

"Ah," Master Nhean said in excited anticipation, "I will be teaching you everything I can. But I suspect you want a few more details than that!" Harry laughed and nodded. "Well, we will start by getting you used to moving around in the dark. By the time we've finished with that, you will be able to identify where you are in the castle simply by touching the walls and if you get really good, you may not even need that. You'll be able to tell where you are by the feel if the air, the way sound echoes, the smell in the air. We will also work to get your senses working to their maximum capability. Then I will start training you in wandless magic and the various martial arts we use and how to combine the two." Nhean paused and said seriously. "It will not be easy work, Harry, but I believe that if you are prepared to put in the effort you could be one of the greatest Night Warriors the Guild has ever produced."

Harry looked startled at this pronouncement. "Why?" he asked.

Nhean looked at him a little curiously and that curiosity was reflected in his voice. "You truly do not realise how remarkable your efforts in the field of Defence Against the Dark Arts have been, do you?" When Harry continued to look bewildered, Nhean continued with a small laugh. "Harry, you have mastered some highly advanced magic at a very young age. To produce such a clear and precise Patronus in, what was it, third year, is quite remarkable. And then to go on and be able to teach it to others and have them succeed." He trailed off and shook his head. "Let us just say, Harry, that I have had to revise my plans for your spell work in light of what you have told me today."

Harry continued to look stunned for a moment and then shook his head. Nhean gave a kind laugh. "Never mind, Harry. I didn't mean to embarrass or overwhelm you." Harry gave a lopsided smile and Nhean continued. "Now, we've been talking for an awfully long time and it's getting very close to dinner. Do you have any questions which you would like to ask privately or should we head downstairs to dinner and you can ask me the questions as we go?"

Harry's stomach chose to growl at the mention of dinner and both he and Nhean laughed. "I think my stomach has just answered that question, Master Nhean!" Harry said with a grin.

They both rose from the comfortable chairs and Harry reached for Nhean' arm. They made their way down from the Gryffindor tower with Harry asking a myriad of questions about the specifics of his training. They were still in animated conversation as they came into the Great Hall. Nhean guided Harry to his seat next to Remus and took his own seat opposite him.

Remus placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and asked him how things had gone. This prompted Harry to launch into a detailed description of the things that Master Nhean had said he was going to learn. Between Remus' fascinated questions, Master Nhean's answers and the contributions from the other teachers at the table, Harry found that dinner flew by and he couldn't actually remember what he eaten or how he'd managed to eat it. After sweets, Master Nhean left to arrange things for the next day after confirming with Harry that they would meet in the Entrance Hall after Harry had finished his Occlumency lesson. After he had left Harry leaned against Remus for a while and then finally made his way back to the hospital wing. He got into bed but fell asleep before he could dwell on what had been a truly remarkable day, even for him.