Trinity

Chapter 28

The next morning Harry and his friends headed up to the Headmistress' office before breakfast and Harry told her about his so-called vision of Voldemort planning to attack Azkaban. The Headmistress looked briefly horrified that the visions had resumed then assured Harry she would see that the appropriate people in the Ministry would be informed and shooed the three students out.

"Who do think the appropriate people are?" Ron asked idly as they walked down towards the Great Hall.

"Probably Shacklebolt and Tonks," Harry replied absently. "Listen, what did you two think about Remus' suggestion last night? The one about Moody."

"It...might be a good idea," Hermione said slowly. "We've nearly been caught out once by him. How many times can we put odd things down to trying to play pranks? Particularly if he picks up on how many times we're sneaking down to Hogsmeade. He can see through the invisibility cloak, remember?"

"I think you should talk to...to them first," Ron said firmly. "You'll have to tell them Remus knows anyway."

"Mmm," Harry said indistinctly as they walked into the Great Hall.

They dropped the conversation since the Hall was filled with students eating their breakfasts and they joined Neville, Seamus and Dean. Halfway through breakfast a rather scruffy owl swooped through the Hall and landed in front of Harry. He quickly removed the note from its leg and glanced at the handwriting. When he saw it was from Aberforth, he tucked the note into his pocket and gave the owl some of his bacon rinds. The owl took them with obvious delight and flew off.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked in a whisper.

"Aberforth," Harry replied as Hermione leaned in to hear the answer. "It's probably got to do with those lessons he promised me. I'll read it later."

He got his chance to read the note in Potions. Slughorn had set them to brew Dreamless Sleep and while he was waiting for the first part to simmer, he pulled the note out and opened it up.

Harry,

Heard you found the latest artefact. Why don't you come down to the Hog's Head on Tuesday night and we'll get to work.

Abe

Harry gave a sigh of relief and showed the note to Hermione. She echoed his sigh and handed the note back.

"Will you speak to them as well?' she whispered, keeping a weather eye on Slughorn.

Harry nodded. "Might as well kill two birds with one stone. Besides I suspect I know where I'll be having my lessons since Aberforth specified that I should come down there and not stay here."

Hermione grinned. "I'm sure...he'll be able to help."

They stopped talking when Professor Slughorn wandered along their row and stopped to peer into their cauldrons.

"Ah, excellent! Excellent!" he said beaming at the two of them. "Wonderful colour and consistency. Not that I wouldn't expect that from the two of you. Now, Harry, Hermione, I'm having a little gathering of friends on Friday and I'd like both of you to be there." They opened their mouths to answer but Slughorn didn't allow them to say anything. "Uh, uh, I won't take no for an answer. The Headmistress has told me that you're both terribly busy this year but I insist. A little social soiree would be just the break you need from your studies and whatnot. Friday, 6pm, I insist!"

Harry looked at Hermione rather helplessly then the two of them nodded reluctantly.

"Excellent!" Slughorn said as he beamed at them both then he sailed off to peer into Ernie MacMillan's cauldron.

"I wish I knew how to say no to things like that," Harry growled softly.

"So do I," Hermione said with exasperation.

"You've got the rest of the week to think up some way of getting us out of it," Harry said quietly.

"Me? Why me?" Hermione demanded.

"Because you're the smart one," Harry replied with a quick grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just for that I should make you think up your own excuse."

Harry snickered then they both settled down as Slughorn sailed past them again. As soon as the class was over they escaped from the room and hurried up the stairs to their next class.

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The next evening Harry slipped under his invisibility cloak, grabbed the Map and headed down to Hogsmeade. He had one nasty moment walking through the castle when the Map showed that Moody was approaching him. He was able to avoid any awkward confrontation by ducking into a secret passageway. Once he got out of the castle he breathed a sigh of relief and walked down to the village. He ducked in via the back door and slid into the main bar. He crept behind the bar and tugged lightly on Aberforth's robes.

"It's me," he whispered.

"Downstairs," Aberforth whispered back and Harry ducked out of the bar.

He made his way to the stairwell and from there down to the room where the Headmaster was hidden.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore said cheerfully when he pulled the invisibility cloak off.

"Hello, sir," Harry replied as he folded the cloak and draped over the back of the couch.

"Potter."

Harry gave a start as the Potions Master came down the stairs then he gave the man a nod.

"Professor," he said neutrally then he grimaced. "I've got something you both need to know and I'm not sure if it's good or not."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said benignly, his eyes twinkling. "And what might that be?"

"Remus knows," Harry said bluntly. "He realised we'd snuck out a couple of nights ago and was waiting for us in the common room. He was able to...smell both of you on us. We had to tell him."

Dumbledore sighed. "How did he react?"

"He...wasn't very happy," Harry said slowly. "But he promised not to say anything to anyone."

"You should have just obliviated him," Snape said sourly.

"I don't know how to cast that one and I wouldn't start with Remus," Harry replied indignantly. "Besides, it does give you something of an alternative if something goes wrong and Ron, Hermione or I can't help." He paused for a moment. "Remus did suggest that we ought to tell Moody."

"I am reluctant to have too many people know," Dumbledore said. "It greatly increases the risk to Severus."

"I know but Moody's been suspicious of us once," Harry replied. "We managed to deflect him that time but eventually he's going to figure out that we're sneaking out of the castle a lot more than we should be."

"That's why you have your cloak, Potter," Snape said sharply.

"Moody can see through it," Harry replied promptly. "Found that out in Fourth Year. I had to sneak through a secret passageway tonight to avoid him."

The sound of someone coming down the stairs had them all looking around then they relaxed when they realised it was Aberforth.

"Well, this looks terribly serious," Abe said amiably.

"Remus knows about Severus and I," Albus said calmly.

"Ah, I wondered when something like that was going to happen," Abe replied. "How did he find out?"

"He realised Ron, Hermione and I weren't in the castle and was waiting for us when we got back the other night," Harry said. "He could smell the Headmaster and Professor Snape on us."

"Interesting," Abe said thoughtfully. "I don't think we ever took that into consideration."

"And Harry has just suggested that we should tell Alastor," Albus added.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Abe replied bluntly. "I can't always be available to help if something goes wrong and neither can Harry and his friends. Having a couple of allies up at the castle would be a damn good idea. And having a few more Order members aware of what's really going on will help if Severus has to make a hasty retreat. He's likely to get hexed into oblivion at the moment. Moody would be able to keep the hotheads under control until you could make your reappearance, Albus."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. After several minutes he looked over at Snape.

"Severus, you are most at risk, what is your opinion?"

Snape scowled. "It would be useful," he conceded reluctantly. "It is unlikely I will escape unscathed after disposing of Nagini. Between Potter and Moody I should survive the Order."

"Very well," Dumbledore said as he looked over at Harry. "Tell Alastor but be discreet."

Harry nodded. "Of course."

"I have located the Hufflepuff artefact," Snape said before anyone else could say anything. "At least I believe I have."

"Where?" Dumbledore said intently.

"You mentioned it was a small cup," Snape replied.

Albus nodded. "Yes, gold with two finely wrought handles and a carving of a badger."

Snape nodded. "Yes, that is what it looks like," he said almost to himself. "It is in Riddle Manor."

Harry sighed. "Damn. That's...not going to be easy. Is there any way of getting it out of the Manor?"

"Not easily," Snape replied. "And not without the Dark Lord knowing."

"Leave it until last," Abe suggested. "Deal with the Horcrux then deal with Voldemort."

"Except last time I dealt with a Horcrux, I ended up with burnt hands and absolutely exhausted," Harry objected. "I really don't want to have to face Voldemort at anything less than my best."

"You managed to escape from him during the Third Task when you were in not very good condition," Abe said.

"I had help," Harry said firmly, paling slightly as Albus shot a warning look at his brother. "And I was lucky. Neither of us expected that Priori Incantatem thing to occur. Voldemort was as surprised as I was. And those...ghosts that came out of his wand helped me. They distracted Voldemort long enough for me to get to Cedric and get the Cup. I thought I was going to die. When I cast the spell that helped start the Priori, I expected to die. I just wanted to go out on my own terms."

Harry sat down and ran a hand through his hair as he stared at the floor. "I've been lucky every time. I don't think it's ever been my skill that's helped. It's always been luck or someone else. In First Year, I wouldn't have got through if not for Ron and Hermione and then I just got lucky. Second Year, it was Fawkes and the Sorting Hat. What did I know about fighting Basilisks? Third Year...well, Sirius wasn't really trying to kill me. He was trying to protect me so that doesn't count. Fourth Year, Moody...well, Crouch actually, helped me every step of the way even if I didn't know it at the time and I just told you about the cemetery. Fifth Year..." Harry swallowed hard. "Fifth Year was Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and particularly Neville. And you sir." He glanced over at Dumbledore. "I've never gone into anything with a proper plan. It's all just been luck or someone else."

There was a long silence after that outburst.

"I think you sell yourself terribly short, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "Yes, Ron and Hermione helped you reach the Philosopher's Stone but it was you who was able to find it. Because you were the only person other than myself who stood in front of the Mirror of Erised and did not want the Stone for your own purposes. You were the one who faced Voldemort then and held him off. And when you discovered the advantage you unwittingly held, you used it. Sometimes winning a battle is not about casting spells or killing your enemy. Sometimes it is merely denying them what they want."

Harry frowned at that as Dumbledore continued.

"In the Chamber, you showed great courage and loyalty," he said with a growing smile. "It is true that your defeat of the Basilisk was due largely to luck. But it was not luck that called Fawkes to you nor was it luck that enabled you to pull Gryffindor's sword from the Hat. It was your loyalty, your courage and your determination to succeed. You did not run from what was in the Chamber, you stayed and fought. You took gambles, you let your instincts guide you. Harry, there is an old saying that plans seldom survive the first encounter with the enemy. Do you understand what that means?"

Harry frowned as he thought about it. "I...Maybe. Is it...because you don't what your enemy is going to do, you can't plan for everything. So once the battle starts you just have to...play it by ear."

"Exactly," Dumbledore said with a proud smile. "Battles are rarely fought like chess games, Harry. You don't have hours to contemplate your next move. You must simply trust in your judgement to know what to do next and trust in your training to give you that judgement. You did that in the Chamber, both when fighting the Basilisk and when you made the decision to use the fang on the diary."

"I...guess," Harry said dubiously.

Dumbledore sobered. "I made a terrible mistake in allowing you to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry. One I regret to this day. I could easily have used the rules to declare your entry invalid but I allowed myself to be convinced by the false Moody that allowing you to compete might just lure whoever had placed your name in the Cup out of hiding. Moody also promised to watch over you and guide you where he could."

Harry snorted. "He certainly did that. I wouldn't have made if not for what he did."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "What precisely did he do? He told me he was doing nothing more than giving you the occasional piece of advice."

"Well, he did that," Harry replied. "But he did a lot of other stuff sort of behind the scenes. He told Hagrid about the dragons, knowing that Hagrid wouldn't be able to help himself. He'd want to show me since he wanted me to be safe...and to win."

"I noticed that none of you seemed overly surprised about the dragons," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Harry grinned. "Well, Hagrid showed me while he was on a...date with Madame Maxime. And Karkaroff was lurking around as well. So both Krum and Fleur knew because of that. And...well, I told Cedric because I didn't think it was fair that he didn't know when the rest of us did. Moody overheard me telling Cedric and that when he helped me. He suggested I should play to my strengths." He gave a self-deprecating shrug. "And really at that time my only strength was Quidditch and maybe Defence."

Albus and Abe chuckled as Snape sneered.

"Cedric helped me with the Second Task," Harry continued, giving Snape an amused look. "Of course, Moody had helped him, knowing Cedric would feel he owed me and therefore tell me." Harry grinned. "He told me to...take my egg and...have a bath. Contemplate the problem there. He even told me to use the Prefect's bathroom on the Fifth Floor and gave me the password."

"Hah!" Snape exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew you were there."

Harry rolled his eyes as Abe and Albus looked amused. "Yes, I was," he said dryly. "Anyway, Moaning Myrtle helped me with the egg as well. She seemed quite amused by the whole thing."

"I presume you did steal the Gillyweed from my office then," Snape said archly.

"Actually no, I didn't," Harry replied. "I had no idea that Gillyweed even existed, let alone that it could help me. Apparently Moody hoped I would ask Neville for help since he had a book on water plants that would have told me about Gillyweed but when it became obvious I hadn't, he staged a conversation in front of Dobby, knowing that Dobby would do anything to help me. So it was Dobby who stole the Gillyweed. I had no idea where he'd gotten it from. I was running late." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. "And he helped during the Third Task by making my path a lot easier and getting rid of Krum and Fleur. I guess he would have gotten rid of Cedric too if he'd been able to. So you see? It's all been sheer dumb luck as Minerva once put it."

"Again, I think you sell yourself rather short," Albus said firmly. "But I daresay this is neither the time nor the place to convince you of that. I do agree that facing Voldemort directly after destroying a Horcrux would not be a good idea."

Harry's gaze lingered for a moment on the Headmaster's burnt hand and he swallowed hard. "Sir? How...did that happen? If you don't mind me asking."

Albus sighed. "I overlooked a warding spell that had been placed on the ring and when I destroyed the Horcrux, the warding spell...exploded for lack of a better word. As I happened to be wearing the ring at the time, you can see the price I paid."

"But why were you wearing it?" Harry asked.

"It was necessary to activate the containment spells around the Horcrux," the Headmaster explained. "If there had been another way, I would have taken it."

Harry nodded. "So it wasn't the containment spells that did the damage. Good. That worried me a little after what happened when I destroyed the locket Horcrux."

"No, the damage was caused by the wildfire event," Abe said. "You made a very crude but serviceable attempt at earthing the magic and the overflow of magic burnt your hands."

Harry looked down at his hands and flexed them briefly. "So how do I avoid that happening again?"

"I will teach how to earth magic properly," Abe explained. "What did it feel like just before you realised that a wildfire event was occurring?"

"The magic was getting out of control," Harry said promptly. "The wards collapsed too fast and the shields and the wards on the room weren't able to handle the flow of magic even when I strengthened them."

"And what did you do then?"

"I...grabbed at the magic," Harry said a little sheepishly. "I'm not really sure why. I was just trying to...I don't know, direct the magic somehow. Channel it somewhere safe."

"Instinctive earthing," Abe said with a shake of his head. "I've heard of it being done before but not with so little damage. You're a very lucky young man, Harry. Most people would have been badly hurt. The fact that you are personally quite powerful would have helped I suppose."

Harry gaped at the Headmaster's brother. "What?"

Abe blinked. "You are rather powerful, Harry. Surely you knew that? Easily as powerful as myself or Severus and quite likely as powerful as Albus. Even the most well-motivated student, if he lacks the power, would not be able to produce a corporeal Patronus at the age of thirteen. Many people cannot produce a Patronus even when they are adults."

"I...what...really?" Harry stammered, looking to the Headmaster for confirmation.

Albus nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement, and Harry shook his head in amazement.

Snape snorted derisively. "Did you really think your teachers pushed you so much simply because they enjoyed making you miserable?"

Harry gathered himself a bit. "Er, well, I thought that's why you did that but otherwise I didn't really think about it."

Snape scowled. "With your power you should have been in the top five percent of your class."

Snape looked like he wanted to say something further but a warning glance from Dumbledore had him falling silent. Harry shook his head then looked back over at Aberforth.

"So...because I've done this once, I should be able to do it again?" Harry asked. "Except properly this time."

Aberforth chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure you'll have no problems. I was surprised that Bill hadn't mentioned this in his notes but after I spoke to him I understood. He is quite a powerful young man himself and he'd never faced a situation where the warding spells were so powerful. He'd never needed to know how to earth magic."

"So what precisely does that mean?" Harry asked. "Earth magic."

"It means sending magic back into the earth," Aberforth said with a smile. "Where did you think magic came from?"

"Er, I don't know," Harry said. "I never really thought about it."

Abe chuckled. "Most people don't. They simply accept that the magic is there for us to use and that is enough for them. Magic permeates everything around us. Exceptionally strong witches and wizards can see it flowing through the world. Albus can, I can, Severus is slowly starting to see it, Minerva sees it as well. You'll be able to as well one day. But that's beside the point at the moment. What I am going to teach you to do is to create what is know as a shunt. It's basically a magical pipe that you create between yourself and the earth that you feed any excess magic through. The earth simply absorbs the magic. It's capable of accepting far more than any wards or shielding spells. Then you can practice feeding energy through the shunt. Ready?"

Harry drew in a deep breath. "As I'll ever be. What do I do?"

"We'll start with creating the shunt," Abe said. "The incantation is Maguscutula. You won't need your wand but you will need to concentrate on what you're doing. Concentrate on connecting yourself with the earth. If you've got it right you should be able to feel the connection between yourself and the earth."

Harry nodded and his brow furrowed as he concentrated then he said, "Maguscutula." He paused for a moment then grimaced. "I don't think I did that right."

"That's alright," Abe said patiently. "Just keep trying. You'll know when you've got it right."

Harry nodded and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly as he concentrated. He repeated the incantation, trying not to get frustrated when it failed again and again. Finally he growled and stood up, pacing around the room.

"What am I doing wrong?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Abe replied with a chuckle. "Just keep trying. It'll come. You have the strength to do it."

Snape and Dumbledore had been watching silently up until this point.

"Perhaps try changing your perception of the connection," the Headmaster suggested.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out, forcing himself to relax. He returned to his seat and tried again. It was on his third attempt this time around that he gasped and jumped before once again consciously relaxing.

"I...think I did," he said tightly. "It feels very strange."

"Good," Aberforth said. He held his hands out in front of himself and conjured a large ball of pure energy between them. "Now, I want you to reach for the magic between my hands and feed it into the shunt. Do it slowly and carefully."

Harry nodded and frowned as he mentally reached out for the magic in much the same way as he had for the containment spells.

"Careful!" Abe snapped and Harry pulled back sharply. "A little more delicately there, Harry. You need a gentle touch."

Harry nodded and reached out again. This time Aberforth didn't stop, just watched intently as Harry carefully drew off some of the magic. Once he'd done that, Harry hesitated, unsure of how to do the next step. He saw Aberforth and the Headmaster were watching him intently but from their expression they clearly wanted to see what he would do. He frowned slightly then drew the magic closer to where he could feel the start of the shunt. As soon as he got near the shunt, the magic was pulled out of his hands. He gasped and caught at it but quickly let it slide through his 'hands' when he realised it was being sucked into the shunt.

Realisation dawned on him and Harry reached out again for the magic being held between Aberforth's hands. This time he didn't just pull a piece off, he drew out the magic like a string. He brought the end of his magical string over to the shunt then let the string run through his hands as it was sucked down into the shunt.

He soon found that he couldn't simply let things run passively. The 'string' didn't pull off the ball of magic cleanly. It came with lumps and thin bits and he saw that the smoother it was, the easier the process went. He also had to control the speed of the process since if he let it run too fast then the shunt showed signs of being blocked. Finally the last of the magical 'string' disappeared down the shunt and Harry relaxed, suddenly realising he was exhausted.

"Well done, Harry," Aberforth said with delight. "Now, close the shunt. Just use Finite."

Harry nodded. "Finite Incantatem."

He felt the shunt dissolve and then his exhaustion really hit him and he slumped down in his chair with a muttered, "Whoa."

He heard movement in the room then a goblet appeared in front of his face.

"Drink this, Mr Potter," came the voice of Snape.

Harry took the goblet in shaking hands and swallowed it quickly, grimacing at the taste. He felt some of his exhaustion flow out and he put the goblet down on the table.

"Thank you," he said to Snape, who was still standing in front of him.

The Potions Master inclined his head and returned to his seat.

"Well, I would say that was a very successful first effort," Aberforth said with enthusiasm. "The tiredness you're feeling now is perfectly normal, Harry. It takes a great deal of effort to direct and guide the magic but it is something that becomes easier with practice. And practice you shall! I want to see you down here every night after dinner. I'll speak to Minerva and make sure it's alright."

Harry nodded then something occurred to him and he looked over at the Headmaster. "You know Moody's going to want to confirm that I'm telling the truth?"

Albus nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Yes, I have no doubts he will. Bring him down, Harry. Now I think you should head back and get some rest."

Harry nodded and pushed himself out of the chair. He threw his invisibility cloak over his head and disappeared up the stairs.