Harry Potter and the House Divided

Chapter Fourteen The Darkening Scene

Harry awoke some time later, head pounding ferociously.

"Awake there Harry?" Tonks asked, voice amplified by a Sonorous charm in his horribly pounding head.

"I'm awake," Harry groaned, "but it'd be a bloody big favour if you could stop shouting."

Tonks' laughter grated on Harry's ears but maybe not quite as much as her first greeting had.

"Hate to tell ya this, Harry but I wasn't shouting."

"Could've fooled me," Harry sighed, wondering when Madam Pomfrey would come in, lecturing him about personal safety.

Fortunately for Harry, it seemed that he'd only received a minor bump, which Tonks and Professor Dumbledore had been more than able to treat themselves. The Headmaster said that he should stay in bed for a couple of hours and told Tonks to report any further problems immediately, should Madam Pomfrey's services be needed.

By the end of his mandated bedrest Harry felt more or less fully recovered. Most of his ongoing discomfort was related to embarrassment over the likelihood that there was a better way to break Katarina's power over him than knocking himself out had proved to be.

Deciding that he felt OK and not having anyone around to check on him, Harry rose from bed, pulled his shoes on, and descended the stairs toward the kitchen where a number of voices could be heard.

"All right there Harry?" Tonks asked, grinning.

"Yeah, fine," Harry said, glancing around the room. Fleur, Bill, Tonks and a large portion of the Delacour family were sitting around the table, but Katarina didn't seem to be present.

"Where's she?"

"She was here until about ten minutes ago. I think she's veiling herself for the next little bit," Tonks said.

"Probably just as well," Bill Weasley said with a grin. "Until today, I'd never met anyone who tried to knock himself out in order to get away from a beautiful girl."

"Shut up," Harry said, embarassed.

"Don't feel bad," Tonks said, grinning evilly. "After all, this is the first time that Fleur's let Bill in the house since Katarina got here. If you ask me, she's afraid that he'd do a lot worse than you did against a Veela's charm."

"Ees true." Fleur said passively. "E's only recently been able to be around my mozer wizout making a fool of heemself."

Harry saw Bill's ears turn red much as Ron's did when he was embarassed or angry.

"You did great with her Harry," Tonks said grinning. "I gave Dumbledore a flutter on how long you'd last, and although he didn't take me up on it, he did tell me to say that your endurance was very impressive. Katarina said the same thing."

Harry was embarassed, and not just by the praise. Though he was fairly innocent about such things, he knew that Tonks' comments could be taken more than one way and really didn't want his headmaster, guardian and financial adviser talking about his endurance. The fact that two of the three participants in that conversation were attractive women didn't help a bit.

"Uh..." he said, moving quietly toward the table.

Before Tonks could say anything further, Dobby raced into the room.

"Dobby has letters for Harry Potter sir!" he crowed, pulling the envelopes out of the pocket of the garish shorts that he was wearing.

"Thanks Dobby," Harry said, more than a little relieved by the interruption.

Conversation around the table then turned to other matters like the growing dissatisfaction in the Wizengamot with Minister Fudge. Tonks and Bill seemed to be of the opinion that he couldn't be gone soon enough while Remus and Fleur's parents were equally convinced that it was better for Fudge to stay in place for now. Harry, who had learned much from the conversation that he'd had with Remus on this topic earlier in the summer, sat back, surprised at the vehemence of the discussion.

"I say that anyone's better than foolish old Fudge," Tonks said derisively.

"Anyone?" Remus asked, using the same tone of voice that Harry had heard so often during his third year Defence Against The Dark Arts classes. "Lord Voldemort..." he began, ignoring the shivers that rippled around the table at his use of the name, "...has many covert supporters in the ministry. They have a lot of power in important offices and could cause a great deal of trouble there and in the Wizengamot if they wanted to. Cornelius Fudge may be incompetent, but at least he is willing to listen to Professor Dumbledore."

"I'm not so sure about that," Bill said with a snort. "Dumbledore's been pushing Fudge to ease up on the goblins and other magical beings, werewolves included, for months now, and he's not done a bloody thing. The goblins are getting restless and I've heard a few say that they think that now'd be a fine time to either cut us off from our money or even give most of it over to Voldemort in exchange for the freedoms that he's promising them."

"But zey wouldn't truly gain from 'is winning would zey?" Fleur asked, apparently surprised by Bill's news.

"Of course not," Bill said, disgusted. "He'd break down the doors and steal every knut in the bank. If he beats Albus Dumbledore, there won't be a thing that they can do to stop him wiping them out too."

"I zought zey knew eet," Fleur said, concerned.

"Oh, most do," Bill agreed with a sigh. "But there are more and more that don't like the fact that Fudge hasn't done a single thing about some of the grievances that they've brought to him since 'You-Know-Who' came back into the open. He, on the other hand, has offered them some things that sound pretty good and they're listening."

Katarina's entrance and a piping hot beef stroganoff from Dobby brought this conversation to an early end. Dinner discussions were somewhat lighter and Harry, who felt tired after his morning's work and the injuries that it caused decided to head for his room once it became clear that Quidditch scores and other topics of little consequence were to dominate the evening's social time.

"Don't forget your mail," Remus said, reaching out to catch Harry's sleeve as he was walking toward the door.

"Oh, thanks," he said, pleased to have something interesting to do for a bit before he went to bed.

Remus nodded absently, attention turning back to the heated debate over the likely outcome of the match between the Tugshill Tornados and Wimborn Wasps set for that weekend.

*-*-*-

Harry went upstairs, still careful not to awaken Mrs. Black's portrait as he passed. When he got there, he found that Hermione and Ginny had written to him.

Hermione's letter was first and Harry was surprised to see that it seemed to include a couple of short clippings from the Daily Prophet.

Dear Harry

I wanted to write to tell you how good it was to see you yesterday. We didn't really have time to talk about much but I wanted you to know that I was surprised and very glad to see that you looked as happy as you ever have after a summer vacation.

I know that its been very hard for you this summer and much as I wish you'd talk with me about things, I will respect your desire not to for now. I do hope that you have someone with you've been able to talk to because holding the feelings that you must have inside isn't good for anyone and I really think that it's important that you get them out before the new school year starts.

Last year was hard for all of us and with Voldemort back I'm sure that this one will be even worse.

I really appreciate your being willing to help me get more comfortable with flying this year. I don't know why riding the thestrals was easier for me than using a broom or being on Buckbeak but it was. Unfortunately for me, it's almost certain that the next time we have to go somewhere there won't be an option to use thestrals so I think it's necessary to get comfortable on a broom.

I'd like to tell you that I don't think there will be a next time, but I had a long talk with my parents this summer, and after convincing them that I had to finish at Hogwarts if I am to survive the war, we talked a lot about you and your reasons for going to the Department of Mysteries last year. I realized that you haven't been lucky enough to have the kind of family that I did as a child and so must value those of us who love you even more than someone like me or Ron who feels that they deserve to have others feel about them the way that we do about you.

I don't know if you even recognize it yet, but I want you to know that there are a lot of us at Hogwarts who love Harry Potter, not the 'Boy-Who-Lived', very much. We love you for your 'Saving People Thing', your principles and we love you for the fact that you haven't let your fame go to your head. We love you for the fact that you love us and most importantly we love you because we have seen that you care about others enough to stand up and be counted when they needed you to.

Though I don't have any romantic feelings for you, I know that with the exception of my parents, there is no one in the world that I love or respect more than I love and respect you. I still think that we have a lot to talk about once we can find time at school but for now I just want you to know that I think I understand more of your reasons for being so desperate to get to the Department of Mysteries last spring and I'll do anything that I can to help you have better ways to find out what is happening to the people that you care about so that you can't be tricked into having to do something like that again this year.

Have a great time with all that you're doing and good luck with your homework.

Love from

Hermione

Harry had to blot his eyes and nose several times while reading this letter. Knowing that Hermione would support him in doing what he had to without pushing him to go to places that he wasn't ready to yet was a huge comfort. Ron would of course, but he also wouldn't be able to understand the terrible pressure that Harry now felt himself to be under. Hermione did, in part because she had felt that she had to be better than everyone else because she was muggle born. They had never talked about her need to be a 'Know-It-All' but her continuing willingness to accept the abuse that she took after repeatedly showing that she did know the answers told him just how important she believed demonstrating her abilities was to securing her place in the wizarding world.

It saddened him that she was probably right and his insides twisted at the realization that her life might well depend on her knowledge of, and ability to use, many forms of magic simply because she was muggleborn.

The clippings were also of interest.

One was a short piece on discussions about which of the pureblood families would hold the seats allotted to them by right in the Wizengamot for this year. Harry was pleased to see that the Bones, Emersons, Boots and Macmillans seemed likely candidates for some of these seats.

The other piece had to do with massive transfers of money into and out of Gringotts that were being carried out by a variety of corporations across the wizarding economy. Hermione had written a small note saying that he might want to ask Katarina about them and see if she had any ideas what the activity might mean.

Harry thought that this was a good idea and put the clipping aside, ready for his meeting with Katarina tomorrow.

Ginny's note was short and sweet but very much appreciated all the same.

Hi Harry

Mostly this is a big thank-you for helping me with the broom yesterday. Mum and Dad say that you've come into a lot of money lately but, knowing you as well as I do, I'm sure that you'd have been happy to help before your inheritance. No matter where the money came from, it really will be nice to have a top-drawer broom this year.

It was great to see for myself that you're OK. Bill said that you were but he's almost as protective as Mum and Dad sometimes and I wasn't really sure until I saw you for myself.

I'm excited about this year, even though I've got O.W.L.s to study for and hope that it's a quieter one for all of us. Somehow I don't think it will happen but it's a nice thought at least.

I hope that Bill and the rest aren't keeping you too busy this last few days and look forward to seeing you on the train.

Thanks again for the help with the broom

Ginny

As it was still early, Harry decided to write back to Hermione and Ginny before going to bed. Happily, seeing Hermione seemed to have helped both of them work through some of the problems that lay between them without discussing them and the letter that he wrote her was as easy to pen as his earlier apology had been hard to write.

Dear Hermione

It was great to see you yesterday. There's a lot on my mind and I do think that we should talk about some of it but thanks for not pushing me for now. I'm not good with emotional stuff and have a lot to try to deal with. Maybe its time for me to reach out to my friends more but doing it isn't going to be easy. There is a lot going on here and since we're to have a form of the D.A. this year, I'm glad that everyone has been spending time helping me get ahead of everything at school. It will be a busy year for us but I'm happy to help with your flying and anything else(not that there's much) that I can do for you. In exchange I'm sure that I'll need help in potions.

I hope that you stay safe and well the rest of the summer and it'll be great to see you on the train in a few days.

Harry

Ginny's letter was also easy for him.

Dear Ginny

You're right, I would have been happy to help you with your broom even before things changed for me this summer. I only wish that Ron would stop being such a prat and let me help him with things when I offer to.

I was poor when I was at the Dursleys and wouldn't have taken money from someone either, but with all that your family's given me I wish Ron'd let me help, since it's not like I can invite him to my house or anything like that.

You're right, it will be a busy year and it'll be even busier for you since you're a prefect. I wasn't one last year but hope that you'll let me help you any way I can. If Colin's your partner, you'll need it for sure.

See you on the train on September first.

Harry

After folding and sealing his letters, Harry put them on the desk, where he had told Dobby to find outgoing post. Though he wasn't sure how Dobby did it, the letters always seemed to disappear by the next morning without his noticing. Since Dobby was always around for breakfast and no one had complained about being awakened in the middle of the night, Harry assumed that the little elf either delivered them silently or held them until he could give them to their recipients during the day.

However Dobby did it, Harry was sure that Hedwig was not happy about the lack of work that he'd had for her during the summer. While she never snapped at Harry or cuffed him about the head, Harry thought that neither he nor Dobby would be on Hedwig's Christmas card list this year.

*-*-*-

The rest of Harry's summer was a whirl of training with the residents of No. 12, Grimmauld Place. His ability to resist Katarina's charm grew slowly, and by the fourth day he was able to have a fairly normal conversation with her. He had slipped once and told her about him being Harry Potter. He would never forget the dazzling smile that she graced him with on hearing his attempt to impress her.

When he talked with Tonks about it later, the young Auror simply smiled and said:

"As unnaturally clean and mean as those muggles of yours are Harry, I'm amazed that you've come out as well as you have. It's probably a great break for her to hear a wizard try to impress her with what he really is rather than the best lie that he can come up with."

"But I don't understand," Harry said. "I mean the wizards that I saw trying to chat up the Veela at the Quidditch world cup were lying about how much they'd made or things that they'd done."

"Well, Harry," Tonks said thoughtfully. "I think you don't understand some things about the average witch or wizard. They don't have your money or your fame but most importantly, they don't have your desire to avoid the centre stage. You don't want to draw attention to what you've done because you wouldn't have done anything else. Most can't say that and so amazing though you really are, you just don't get that you're quite a wizard and Kat gets that. I'm guessing that if you stay like this at school and there isn't too much crazy talk this year, you'll be beating the witches off like flies up there."

"Great!" Harry grumbled, "and I'd hoped that all I'd have to worry about was Voldemort."

"Nope," Tonks said with a grin and a shiver. "Witches are far worse than he could ever be. If you can handle them he'll be no problem for you."

"Thanks, Tonks."

"No problem," she chirped happily.

*-*-*-

Harry had hoped that the last night at No. 12, Grimmauld Place would be a quiet one. There had been far too much to think about over the summer and too little time to do it in. Unfortunately, Alastor Moody had other plans for him.

The dinner conversation had gone smoothly and Harry could now manage to be in Katarina's presence with only minimal effort. She was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and one of the smartest as well but as Tonks and Professor Dumbledore suspected, he was able to control his response to her much as he had mastered his Patronus, defeated the Imperious curse and performed a perfect Summoning Charm. His Occlumency training was a help, but fundamentally it came down to simply not letting oneself be distracted. He'd learned a lot about that this summer and worried a little that by learning how to be focused he was forgetting how to have fun.

Harry's musings on this frightening possibility were cut short when Moody clunked his way into the kitchen, face grim and magical eye levelled on him.

"Busy, Potter?"

"Uh, no," Harry said, used to the older wizard's gruffness but not sure that he wanted to be taken away from the conversation that the group around the table had been having about the differences between the French, English and Bulgarian Ministries of Magic. Though he'd never been interested in such things, Harry realized that knowing how governments worked and what different politicians did when faced with similar situations might help him if he had to deal with Minister Fudge or anyone else from the Ministry this year.

"I'd better brief you then," Moody said gruffly, pointing at Tonks as he did so.

"Time then," she asked, bouncing to her feet, sending a goblet of pumpkin juice into Fleur's lap as she did so.

"Past time I'm thinking," Moody barked, waving his wand to clear up Tonks' latest mess.

"Let's go then," Tonks said, hastening around the table, people grabbing at their plates and drinks in order to safeguard them as she passed.

"Up to the drawing room, then?" Moody demanded as Tonks reached the door.

"Good a place as any," she agreed, grabbing Harry with her free hand as she stepped through the door.

Fortunately, their trip to the drawing room proved surprisingly uneventful. They found seats and Moody was just about to open his mouth when he stopped and began glaring at the door.

"We'll wait for Remus and Stepanova I think," he said.

Moments later Harry's parents' last true friend and his financial adviser slipped in through the door before closing it. Remus cast imperturbable charms on it as well as a number of other spells that Harry recognized as being good for defeating any magical or muggle spying devices that might be in the room.

"So we're all here, then," Moody barked, glaring at Remus and Katarina. Although Harry couldn't be sure, he thought that Moody was displeased that he'd had to wait for them to arrive.

"It took time to decide what we should tell you before you got on the train tomorrow. Dumbledore wanted to brief you himself but it seems that Voldemort has some plan that he's going to spring tonight or tomorrow and Albus didn't think that he could be away from the school so we'll brief you instead."

Harry was glad that the headmaster was finally going to let him in on some things, and worried that, whatever it might be, was bad enough to keep him from telling Harry what was going on himself.

"First things first," Moody said, taking a nip from his hip flask.

"You'll portkey to the station tomorrow, landing on the platform at 10:30. Aurors'll be there to make sure that the landing area is clear but you'll need to be on time or there'll be a right mess of things. There'll be some added help on the train but we're expecting that you'll be able to take care of yourselves. If the train stops anywhere other than Platform 9¾ or Hogsmead you'll have a portkey to get you to Hogwarts. Use it!"

"But..."

"Use it, boy. You're a thumping good wizard but you're also Voldemort's top target. You held off his lackeys because they couldn't attack you not because they couldn't beat you. This time you'll not have anything save your own skills and while they're good you're not ready to take on his people without help."

Harry had to concede that this was true. After all, had Voldemort and Professor Dumbledore not intervened in June, Bellatrix Lestrange would have beaten him easily.

"Your friends'll have portkeys too and someone from the Order is telling them to use them just like I am telling you."

Harry nodded, glad that his friends would have a way to escape if things went badly and angry that they wouldn't be able to stay to help if that became necessary.

"As to whatever plans he has, we have some idea of course but our spy thinks that he may not know everything that's planned. So far as he knows the train'll be safe but we're expecting a lot of trouble now that Dumbledore's going to have to be at Hogwarts watching you students. If you see anything at all, Dumbledore's told me to give you this journal. Write down everything you see and the information'll get to three Order members who have linked copies. They can write back to you without anyone intercepting."

"Who are they?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore said that you could know that he and Tonks have them but the keeper of the third copy's to be secret in case your Occlumency training fails."

"OK," Harry said, recognizing the need for this even if he didn't like it much.

"Dumbledore didn't want me to say it to you but I'll remind you anyway. Constant Vigilance will be your best Defence this year. Vigilance against spells, spies and stupid comments on your part'll carry you further than any active spellwork or Defence that you can come up with. Don't talk to anyone unless you're certain that you're not being watched. Don't talk to anyone that you don't trust implicitly beyond exchanging thoughts about the weather or the next Quidditch match. Don't take any food, packages or study materials unless you've checked them for magic or that house-elf friend of yours says that they're safe first."

"So don't trust anyone," Harry said bitterly.

"No, boy, not that. Trust only the people that you know you can trust.

If they can be coerced or manipulated against you then don't trust them.

If you don't know the person who sent you things then don't open them. Show a little common sense and you'll be fine. Charge ahead like you do sometimes and you'll make a right nasty mess that it may be hard for us to clean up."

Harry nodded. After what had happened last June, he really didn't need Moody to spell out for him just how nasty a mess he might land in.

"Oh, and one more thing," Moody said. "Dumbledore says that you'll be continuing Occlumency work with him and some others at the school. He wanted me to remind you that your mind's more open if you drink or take a lot of the memory potions and stuff that get passed around by the older students. So stay away from all that unless you want Voldemort to get his claws into you."

"Right," Harry said, more than a little angry that his lot in life meant that he wouldn't be able to try the fire whiskey that rumour said Seamus planned to bring with him to school.

"That's all I've got," Moody said gruffly. "You have anything Tonks?"

"Nope, or at least not this kind of stuff," Tonks said with a grin at Harry. "But a bit of coaching on girls..."

"Shut up," Harry said, embarassed.

Tonks only grinned, winking at him even more cheekily than she sometimes did.

"Anything from you Remus?"

"Not much," Remus said. "I'll be away, doing some things for the Order that we don't dare let you know about until your Occlumency is better than it is now. I may be hard to reach but I will respond to any notes you send me as soon as I possibly can."

OK," Harry said, disappointed that his parents' last true friend would be so hard to contact.

"Stepanova?"

"No." Katarina said. "Harry and I have vorked ewerything through for now. I vill have to come to Hogwarts to talk about some things this fall I think. Ve may get chance to talk ven you arr in Hogsmead. I vill veil myself either way so don't vorry about my effect on your friends."

"Thanks," Harry said, glad that he would continue to get help and advice from Katarina and thankful that she wouldn't cause any more disruption than necessary. With what Moody had just told him he suspected that this was not going to be an easy year. Having it known that he was seeing a Veela and stand talking with her while she was unveiled could only make it more complicated.

"Then get some rest before tomorrow, Potter," Moody barked. "Rest is the best prop for constant vigilance."

Harry rose and smiled at Tonks who was rolling her eyes at Moody's apparent paranoia.

"See you tomorrow, then," he said, waving at the four adults as he left the room for his bed.

Unfortunately for Harry, Voldemort's plans for wizarding Britain would, this night at least, interrupt his sleep.