Immortalitas Aestas

Draco opened the door to the library and scanned the room for Harry. He didn't see him, which meant that he was most likely at one of the more secluded tables in the back, and that suited him just fine.

He smiled in greeting at Madam Pince, who frowned slightly and watched him with suspicion, no doubt thinking he was up to no good. Draco fought to keep a straight face, knowing that she was probably right.

He veered around the librarian's counter and headed towards the back of the library, ignoring a trio of Hufflepuff girls, who were watching him avidly and giggling into their hands, and side-stepping a Ravenclaw who decided at that moment to get up from his seat.

He walked down one of the aisles and finally spotted Harry in the farthest corner of the library. Draco stopped and simply stared; it was nice to be able to watch the other boy without anyone noticing or making comments. Harry was sitting at a table with one of his feet tucked under him, head resting in his hand, quill moving quickly over the roll of parchment in front of him. He had several books open on the table and was pausing every once in a while to search through them. Harry's hair had finally dried, and was back to its usual messy style, helped along by the hand he shoved through it as he sighed in irritation.

"Well, are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to sit down?"

Draco jumped slightly at Harry's voice, mentally shaking himself. He hadn't realized that Harry had noticed his presence.

Harry turned around in his chair and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, smirking slightly, and Draco rolled his eyes in response before sitting down across from him, slinging his bag to the floor.

"What are you working on?" Draco asked, leaning forward to grab one of the books.

"History of Magic," Harry replied, reaching across the table and seizing Draco's wrist to keep him from closing the book. "Don't lose my page."

Draco nodded, and laid the book back down, making sure it stayed open to the page Harry needed. "How much more do you need to write?"

Harry didn't answer for a moment, continuing to write on the parchment, mouth reciting the words he was inking. His quill stopped moving and he tilted his head to the side, eyeing the essay in front of him. "I need about four more inches, I think. Have you started on yours?"

Draco smiled slightly. "Of course. It's nearly finished. I just have a few more sentences to add to my conclusion."

Harry nodded again, attention once again on his essay. "You're welcome to use my books," he added absently, frowning slightly as he reread what he'd written, then crossed out a word.

Draco reached down into his bag and pulled out his parchment, reaching for the blue book Harry had set to the side, and marking the page it was opened to before turning to the index to find what he needed. The two boys continued to work in silence, the pages of the books turning and the scratch of their quills the only sounds in their quiet corner. Draco finished first, and glanced up to see Harry engrossed in a heavy tome, finger skimming the page in front of him as he searched for information. Blowing on the ink in front of him, Draco used the time to study Harry more closely.

Harry seemed to be more well-rested than previously; the circles that had been under his eyes had faded slightly and his face wasn't as pale or drawn. Draco let his eyes travel down the rest of Harry that was visible over the table, down the green jumper and over his arms, settling on Harry's right hand. It was gripping his quill tightly as it moved along the parchment, writing in somewhat messy penmanship. It paused and Draco lifted his head, wondering if Harry had noticed him staring, but Harry was once again looking at the book he was balancing with his other hand, apparently oblivious to Draco's attention.

Draco rolled his essay up and placed it carefully in his bag. As he rooted around for his Potions book, his attention was once again grabbed by his companion, who had shifted in his seat and was unfolding his leg from underneath him. The legs stretched out and Draco felt his mouth go dry at the bit of skin this move uncovered between his jumper and jeans, which was covered up quickly as Harry tugged the jumper down. Suddenly a book snapped shut and Draco jumped at the sound, banging his head on the underside of the table.

He swallowed the curse he wanted to yell, and sat up in his chair, rubbing his head. Harry was looking at him with amusement, and Draco frowned at him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Right."

Harry gave him a stunning grin and Draco felt a flutter in his stomach, ignoring the voice in his head that sounded very much like Pansy telling him to stop acting so ridiculous.

"Did you finish your essay, then?" Draco finally asked. "Have you got any other homework?"

Harry nodded, before rolling up his parchment. "I have an essay for McGonagall that's due on Wednesday, but I'm nearly finished with it. Why?"

Draco felt a smile slide slowly across his face, and his silence drew Harry's attention, who glanced up with a questioning look before laughing at the lascivious grin.

"Ah," was Harry's only response, before he stood and began gathering up the books in front of him. "Did you need any of these or have you finished with them?"

Draco shook his head in response, pointedly looking Harry up and down, who rolled his eyes.

"Right. I'll just put these away, then." Harry walked away, balancing the large pile of books in his arms, and Draco stood and followed him.

Harry stopped in front of the shelves labeled "History of Magic" and stood up on tiptoe to place one of the heavier volumes on a top shelf. Draco watched, mesmerized, as the movement caused Harry's jumper to rise again, before shaking his head and casting a quick look around. No one was near, so he stepped up to Harry and wrapped his arms around him, purposely sliding his hands along Harry's sides.

"Draco," Harry said quietly, jumping at his touch and nearly unseating the book from the shelf. "Someone could see us...." His voice trailed off, though, as Draco leaned forward and kissed the nape of his neck.

"And?" Draco asked, sliding his hands further under Harry's clothes.

"I have to put these away," Harry said weakly, although he leaned into Draco, allowing him to touch. Draco grinned, turning his head to kiss the spot below Harry's ear that he knew drove the other boy crazy, and received a quiet groan in response.

"So put them away," Draco murmured, tongue sneaking out to tease. "I'm not stopping you."

Harry laughed shakily. "Right," he repeated. He managed to get one more book on the shelves in front of him before giving up and turning in Draco's arms, kissing him fully on the mouth, books sliding to the floor forgotten. He wrapped one hand in Draco's hair, gripping tightly, and slid the other underneath Draco's shirt, pressing it against his back.

Draco broke the kiss, taking a deep breath. "You make me want to do wicked things to you, Harry," he whispered, removing Harry's glasses and placing them on a shelf behind his head, before kissing him again. Harry laughed slightly at that, which turned into another groan as Draco pulled their bodies flush together.

"Oh, God, Draco," Harry said, both hands clutching at Draco's shirt, no doubt causing wrinkles in the fabric. His breath came out in a hiss as Draco lowered his head and slid his tongue along Harry's jaw before lowering further and licking along his neck, causing his skin to feel tight as the wetness dried. Harry tilted his head back, resting it on the shelf behind him, to give Draco better access, and Draco obliged by placing a series of kisses down his neck and into the hollow of his throat, sliding his hand down until it came in contact with the waistband of Harry's jeans.

Draco pulled back to give another look around before undoing the button of Harry's jeans and sliding his hand under the fabric. Harry gave a groan, which he quickly silenced by biting his bottom lip, wide green eyes meeting Draco's grey.

"Draco...." He trailed off as Draco's hand closed around him, eyes closing quickly and hand tightening once again in the blond hair, biting his lip again to keep quiet.

Draco lowered his head and kissed Harry then, swallowing Harry's gasp and moans as Draco's hand moved over him quickly. Draco could tell that Harry was close to the edge, but suddenly those green eyes opened and Draco noticed a rather devilish glint in them, before choking off a gasp of his own as Harry's free hand cupped him through his trousers.

"Let's see who can be quieter," Harry whispered into Draco's ear, breath catching on the last word as Draco's hand squeezed in response.

The two boys moved together, completely oblivious that they were, indeed, in the library and that anyone who needed a book about History of Magic could easily stumble upon them. Draco kissed Harry again, Harry's moan rumbling through Draco's chest, as he finally fell over the edge, one hand clinging to the back of Draco's neck and the other continuing to move, trying to bring Draco to completion as well.

"Come for me, Draco," Harry said into Draco's ear, running his tongue over the lobe before pulling it into his mouth and biting gently.

That was all Draco needed, and he felt himself fall, Harry's hand grasping tightly onto his shirt to keep them both upright.

They stayed that way for a moment, Draco leaning against Harry, who was trapped against the bookshelf, waiting for their breathing to return to normal.

"Fuck, Draco," Harry finally muttered, turning his eyes to look at the blond.

"Now's not exactly the place, Harry," Draco murmured in response, watching with delight as Harry blushed.

"Right," Harry said again, running a hand through his hair before he muttered a cleaning charm. "Straighten yourself up, for God's sake. Someone could be along here at any time."

"That didn't seem to bother you five minutes ago," Draco said smugly, and Harry rolled his eyes in response as he fastened his jeans.

"Yes, well, I'm thinking a bit more clearly now, after all."

Draco was about to retort when a voice behind him made him jump and spin away quickly.

"There you two are! I've been looking for you, Harry."

Harry smiled feebly at Hermione, who was bearing down on them. "Hi, Hermione." Harry coughed, and Draco fought to straighten his clothes out. "You found me."

She tsked at them, taking in their appearances. Both were flushed and breathing slightly heavier than normal, and Draco was still struggling to get his shirt tucked back into his waistband. She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two. Someone could have seen you. And look what you've done to those books!"

Harry laughed before leaning down to pick up the jumble of books that were the cause of Hermione's consternation while Draco tried to smooth his hair back into place.

"Well no one did," Draco replied in response to Hermione's first statement, bending down to gather up the remaining books.

Hermione sighed and shook her head in response, turning her attention to her housemate. "Harry, I was wondering if you'd finished with the Encyclopedia of Spells. I need to borrow it to finish my Transfiguration essay, as it's the only book I can find that lists all the spells I want to talk about."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not finished with it quite yet, but you're welcome to it. I can just get it back from you when you're done with your essay, as I'm sure you'll finish before I will."

Hermione hmmed before hefting a large red book from the floor. "You're probably right," she finally said, wiping the cover off gently and placing it carefully on the shelf. "I know you told Blaise we'd meet at three to go over his breakthrough on the Contego spell, but Dumbledore pulled me aside after you'd left the Great Hall. He wants us to meet at one o'clock instead."

"Okay," Harry said. "Will Dumbledore be there for the meeting?"

Hermione nodded. "I think something must have happened, Harry. He looked really worried, which is odd for him. I wonder what he wants to tell us."

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, but whatever it is it's probably not good. Tell everyone about the change of time for the meeting. I'm going to look over what we've figured out so far and see if I can get some idea of what's going on. With the heat spell being broken I'm sure it's only a matter of time before something else happens."

"I will, Harry. And I'll be there to help you go over things as soon as I've finished letting everyone know when to meet. Two sets of eyes are better than one, after all."

"Three," Draco interjected, looking over at Hermione. "I want to help, too."

Harry smiled at Draco while Hermione simply nodded. "Of course," she said. "I'll see you both in a bit. Where do you want to meet? In the Prefect Lounge?"

Harry shook his head. "No, let's just go ahead and meet here, at that very back table. I have some of the notes and maps with me here already. Besides, I think Blaise and Tracey are going to be using the Lounge to practice their new idea for the Contego spell, and I'd rather not have to talk over them or interrupt them."

Hermione nodded. "Okay. I'll be back in a little bit, then."

Harry watched her walk away, then leaned over and gave Draco a short kiss. "Let's get to it."

***

When Harry entered the Prefect Lounge later that day, he saw at once that this meeting was going to be much more serious than any of the previous ones.

Dumbledore was standing in front of the newly-lit fireplace, the silver stars embroidered into his blue robes sparkling in the firelight. There were several members of the Order of the Phoenix present as well. Harry saw Sirius and Professor Lupin talking quietly to each other; both were wearing worried expressions.

"Wotcher, Harry," said a voice behind him. Turning, Harry saw Tonks entering the room, her hair its usual shade of violently bright pink.

"Hello, Tonks," Harry replied with a brief smile. It had been a while since he'd seen Tonks, as she was generally required to stay at the Ministry.

"Feels rather ominous in here, doesn't it?" she asked, stepping aside as Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room.

"Yes," Harry replied. He didn't like seeing the nervous faces of the Order members at all.

Just then Dumbledore held up his hands. "Will everyone please take a seat? We've had a development that requires immediate attention."

Harry moved to sit next to Ron and Hermione, who were already seated in their usual spots on the sofa. He left some space for Draco as well, who'd just entered the room with Pansy.

"Has he said anything yet?" Draco asked as he sat down. Harry shook his head, but was cut off by Dumbledore, who spoke again.

"After consulting the maps that Miss Granger and Miss Parkinson showed us the last time we were together, we feel that we know with almost one-hundred percent certainty what Voldemort's next move will be." Dumbledore waited a moment to let the inevitable winces at the Dark Lord's name subside before continuing. "We believe that his next move will be to strike the Ministry of Magic."

"Why?" Ron asked, voicing the question that all the other students were thinking. Harry caught his eye and gave him a small smile.

"Because there is something there that Voldemort wants. Something he feels he must have before he can proceed with his plans."

"What is it, Sir?" Harry asked, leaning forward to get a better view of the Headmaster.

"I cannot say, Harry. All you and the others need to know is that Voldemort is determined to possess this particular object and will not rest until it is his. I will explain more as I am able, so please do not ask me any other questions."

Harry leaned back against the sofa with a sigh, a frown clear on his face. "I'm confused, Sir, why you called us all here then, if you're not going to tell us anything?" Harry tried to keep his voice light but couldn't help the tinge of frustration that colored his words.

"Because, Harry. Should Voldemort succeed in gaining the object he seeks, his next move will most likely bring him here to Hogwarts."

And me, Harry thought to himself, ignoring the worried look Hermione gave him.

"The Order is of course going to do its best to ensure that Voldemort does not achieve his goal, and is finally going to have Ministry support to help us. Minister Fudge is going to make a formal announcement later this evening regarding what everyone already knows: Voldemort is back. He's also going to give reasons as to why the Ministry took so long to release the information-"

"Other than 'he's an idiot'?" Sirius cut in. Harry, along with several others, laughed.

"-and will no doubt say he did it for the morale of the Wizarding World," Dumbledore continued, smiling at Sirius.

"Does that mean we'll have more Aurors on our side, Professor?" Hermione asked, clearly worried about any impending attacks.

"Yes, Hermione," he replied. "And let us hope it will be enough."

Harry frowned again at this, knowing that there was a lot Dumbledore was keeping from them - particularly him - and not liking it one bit.

"It seems we're coming to it at last," Dumbledore said after a moment. "While the Order and the Ministry officials work together to stop Voldemort's attack on the Ministry, I need everyone here at Hogwarts to work to ensure every possible safety measure is put into place to protect the school and its students. So while I speak privately with the members of the Order, the rest of you can start that by turning our attention to Miss Davis and Mr. Zabini, who have at last found a way to sustain their Contego spell."

Blaise and Tracey moved up to where Dumbledore had been standing; Dumbledore took a spot at the rear of the room. Blaise cleared his throat.

"Right. Well, as I mentioned last time, what we needed to finally be able to use Contego was an object to focus the spell through. Conveniently, each of us has that in the form of the rings that we all wear on our wand hands."

There were murmurs around the room as each member of the Adversarius looked down at the silver rings on their fingers. Blaise waited to continue until everyone was again silent.

"Tracey and I have already practiced this several times today and each time it worked perfectly." Harry hid a smile at the arrogance coloring the other boy's words; sometimes Blaise sounded so much like Draco that Harry had long ago decided that it was perhaps a Slytherin thing. "Obviously," Blaise continued, "we've had more experience working with the spell than the rest of you, which is why we were able to cast Contego so easily. The rest of you will have to learn the components of the spell first, so it is going to take some work, but I think we can all agree that the end outcome makes any work worthwhile."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Harry, especially, having experienced the Cruciatus curse firsthand, knew he never wanted to feel that way again.

Tracey spoke then. "What we're going to do is divide everyone into two groups. Blaise will work with one group and I'll work with the other. We won't actually get into casting the spell today at all; the component stuff, as Blaise mentioned, has to be learned first. So I'll take Lavender, Ron, Mandy, Morag, Susan, Ernie, and Terry, and everyone else will work with Blaise."

"Let's get started," Blaise said, and everyone moved into their groups, Ron grumbling slightly at not being able to work with Harry and Hermione. Instead of joining Blaise, though, Harry sought out Dumbledore, who was talking with Mad-Eye Moody.

"Sir," Harry began, knowing Dumbledore was probably once more going to refuse to tell him anything but also knowing he had to try, "what is it that Voldemort is after? Does it have anything to do with me?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry through his half-moon spectacles with a very serious expression. "I think we both know, Harry, that it does."

"Then why won't you tell me what's going on, Sir?" Harry asked, again trying to keep the frustration he was feeling from showing in his voice. He noticed Mad-Eye was listening intently and ignored him; this was between himself and the Headmaster.

"As I said before, Harry, I cannot do so at this time."

Harry fought the urge to stamp his feet. "But will you tell me?"

Dumbledore was silent for so long that Harry was sure he was going to say no, and was therefore very surprised at his response. "Yes, Harry. I will tell you everything." He held up his hand to cut off Harry's reply. "In time, Harry. In time, I will tell you everything."

"You've been saying that for years," Harry replied, somewhat bitterly. "I think, seeing as whatever this is, it involves me, that I have a right to know what is going on."

"Yes you do," Dumbledore replied. "You are right that I have most likely kept some facts from you for far too long. I will try to rectify that as soon as I can. But I cannot tell you what Voldemort seeks. Please try to understand that doing so might jeopardize any chance of surprise we may have, and might also jeopardize the lives of those we hold dear."

Harry looked around the room at the other Order members, at Sirius and Lupin, at Narcissa, and at the students. He watched Ron reciting the spell for the Contego shield, Hermione leaning forward in her chair to make sure she caught every word Blaise was saying, and Draco, who was looking straight at him and not listening to Zabini at all. He knew he could never risk putting them in more danger than they were in already, and sighed, turning back to Dumbledore, who was watching him carefully.

"I understand, Sir," Harry said resignedly.

"I thought you might. Nonetheless, please meet me in my office tonight. I will tell you as much as I can, and only what I can. It will have to be enough, Harry, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir. What time should I be there?"

"Let's make it seven o'clock, just after dinner. We're going to set up a wireless in the Great Hall so that everyone can listen to the Minister's official announcement. I'm sure you're feeling as anxious to hear it as I am."

Harry rolled his eyes at this, earning a smile from the Headmaster. "I'll see you then, Professor."

As he sat down at the table, choosing the chair between Draco and Hermione that had conveniently been left open, he was so focused on Dumbledore's words that he didn't hear Blaise's comment.

Harry's head snapped up. "Sorry?"

"I said, 'it was nice of you to join us'. Now that you're here we can finally get started. I already went over the basics of the spell, like what it will do and feel like, and in order to get through all the information today I'm afraid I can't waste time going back and covering it again, so you'll have to ask someone what you missed."

Harry rolled his eyes again but refrained from commenting. He felt Draco looking at him, so turned to meet his gaze.

"Did he tell you anything?" Draco whispered, as Blaise had once again started talking to the group, this time focusing on what it would take to cast the spell.

Harry shook his head. "Not yet. He said he will 'in time', whatever that means. He's been telling me that for years. But I am meeting with him tonight to at least get some facts on things, although he once again didn't tell me what. So we'll see."

Draco nodded, holding his gaze for a moment longer before turning his attention back to Blaise, who had conjured a chart and was writing down the spell components. Although Harry was curious about whatever it was that Dumbledore was going to tell him, he knew that what Blaise was saying at this moment was more important, and so cleared his mind of all thoughts of what the Headmaster was hiding.

Harry was very impressed as he listened to Blaise. The Contego spell wasn't just a small idea; it was amazingly complicated, in fact, and Harry knew it had taken them ages to simply figure out how to go about creating it. Seeing it all drawn out on the chart in front of him gave Harry even more respect for the two Slytherins. It was apparent that they'd poured their heart and soul into every step.

"All in all, this spell is very complex and takes a lot of focus and energy to cast correctly. This won't be like anything most of you have ever cast before, and as such we're going to take it in small steps. We're going to start with practicing the activation spell - without wands, of course - and then will work on the wand movement. Once I'm sure you have that down perfectly, we'll work on trying to cast the actual spell." Blaise looked at the students around the table. "Does anyone have any questions yet?"

Hermione's hand shot up, as Harry knew it would. "How did you two figure all this out? It's really very complex and must have taken quite a lot of work."

Harry tuned Blaise's response out, turning again to look at Draco, who was watching Blaise with a hint of a smirk.

"What's so funny?" Harry whispered. Draco gave a slight laugh in response.

"Oh, it's Blaise. He just loves having everyone's attention and praise. Granger better be careful; she's going to give him an even bigger ego than he already has."

"Must be a Slytherin trait," Harry replied blandly.

Draco smirked again. "Yes, I think you're right."

Harry laughed softly before again focusing on Blaise, who was now going over the spell's pronunciation.

The rest of the meeting passed quickly. Harry felt confident that he'd learned all the basics, and had already read over the information he'd missed as Hermione had, of course, written everything down. The wand movement for the spell was just as complex as the rest of it; there was no simple "swish and flick" but instead a very difficult design that had to be "drawn" in the air. While this was not ideal, as it meant taking a bit of time to bring the shield up, it was definitely better than the alternative, which was having no shield at all.

By the time they were finished going over the spell, Dumbledore and the Order had left. Harry stood and held his hand up to get everyone's attention.

"We're going to hold the next meeting in the Room of Requirement, as that's the best place I can think of to practice the actual casting of the spell. If you're not sure how to enter the Room, or where to find it, please see either Hermione or me and we'll walk you through the process. Let's go ahead and meet tomorrow night at seven o'clock. We'll work until ten and then continue to meet throughout the week until everyone is able to cast the spell. If there are no questions, you're free to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Everyone got up then and gathered up their things. Harry watched them leave, noticing that Draco had yet to leave his seat, but remaining silent until they were alone.

"You're worried again," Draco finally said. Harry sighed.

"I'm worried about a lot of things, actually," he finally said. "I'm worried about what's going to happen at the Ministry. I'm worried about what Dumbledore is hiding from us. I'm worried about how we're going to protect the school and the students, and I'm worried about the people I love once again being put straight in harm's way."

Draco stood then and wrapped him in a hug. "I'm worried about those same things, Harry. But all we can do is just work to make sure everything is as protected as it can be, and worry about Voldemort as he makes his moves. We need to start thinking of ways to keep him out of the school, and to keep the students - especially the younger ones - protected and safe."

Harry pulled back and looked at Draco. "You're being so sensible about all of this."

"Well, I've been told that I have a rather calculating way of looking at things. You, on the other hand, feel them with your heart first. A Gryffindor trait, I think," he said, mirroring what Harry had said to him earlier.

Harry smiled and nodded. "I think you're right. Maybe there's some sort of protection spell we can put on the students. Something that will make it so only they can enter the school. I'll have Hermione look in the library; for all I know she could already know of such a thing. But we'll have to act fast. From the sound of things, Voldemort is planning on attacking the Ministry any day now, which means we may not have much time before he attacks here. There's so much to do," he added softly, closing his eyes. Draco leaned down and kissed him.

"We'll get it done," Draco said matter-of-factly. "We'll get it done because we simply have no other choice."

Harry sighed again before wrapping his arms more tightly around Draco. The two boys stood there for several minutes before Harry finally pulled back. "Dinner is soon. We should get back to our common rooms so that we can drop off our things before we eat. We have the Minister's announcement to listen to, after all, and then I've got that meeting with Dumbledore."

"Will you tell me what he says?" Draco asked, leaning down to pick up his bag.

Harry nodded. "As much as I can. I doubt I'm really going to hear all that much myself."

Draco pulled Harry close for another kiss, then let him go, holding the door to the Lounge open so that they could walk through. "See you later then," he said, giving a wave before heading off towards the dungeons.

Harry watched him go before setting off to the Tower, mind swirling with the possibilities of what Dumbledore was finally going to tell him, knowing that there was much - too much - that he still didn't know.

***

Fudge's announcement later that evening was met with several pairs of rolled eyes, some not-so-appropriate comments, and a lot of variations of the word "idiot" as the students and staff listened to the wireless.

Fudge apologized several times for not revealing the return of "You-Know-Who" to the public, stating, as Dumbledore had said, that the Ministry felt that doing so would be detrimental to the people's morale and would cause widespread panic.

"Because seeing the Dark Mark in the sky is so uplifting," Harry muttered, causing Ron to grin at him.

Fudge went on to say that the Ministry was fully focused on bringing "You-Know-Who" to justice ("Because of course you can just lock him in Azkaban!" Harry snapped.) and that due to the threat against the Wizarding World new safety precautions were being put into place, which the public would be able to read in tomorrow's issue of the Daily Prophet. Fudge encouraged parents to discuss the situation with their children and to make sure a plan was in place if an emergency should arise.

"Because that will just solve everything!"

"Harry, shh! Were you really expecting him to say anything different? He's made a fool of himself for three years now and has to try to say something that sounds a little intelligent," Hermione said.

Harry fell silent, knowing she was right, but still unable to put his anger at the Minister aside, especially since Fudge and his officials had tried to discredit Harry and Dumbledore at every turn.

Fudge ended his speech by reminding everyone that "You-Know-Who" was very dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances, earning a "No, really?" from Harry and several others around the Great Hall. Fudge added that any suspicious behavior should immediately be reported to the Ministry, and then signed off with another apology.

As the wireless was switched off, the Great Hall was silent for a moment before erupting into noise as everyone started discussing the Minister's speech. Harry, however, remained silent, as he didn't trust himself to stay calm if he tried to say anything about what they'd just listened to.

It was now an hour later and Harry was currently seated in the Headmaster's office, still trying to keep hold of his tongue. Dumbledore was watching him intently from behind his desk, waiting to see if Harry could continue to keep quiet.

He couldn't.

"Sir?" Harry asked, fiddling with the hem of his jumper.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Do people really believe all that garbage about 'protecting the morale of the Wizarding World'?"

Dumbledore smiled. "No, I don't think they do."

"Good." Harry slumped back in his chair. "Because that was possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I would tend to agree."

Harry didn't reply, instead watching the small silver contraptions whirl and spin on Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster remained quiet as well, until Harry finally had enough and spoke.

"Sir, about why I'm here...."

"Harry, as I told you earlier, I cannot tell you all you want to know yet. But I will try to answer some of your questions, as I know I owe you that after all these years."

"Is the connection I share with Voldemort the reason you can't tell me everything? Are you afraid that he'll find out what you're planning?"

"That is a part of it, Harry, but there is more to it than that. Perhaps it would be better if I simply told you all that I can. You can ask questions once I'm through, although I reserve the right to postpone my answers."

Harry nodded, although he would have preferred to hear everything now. "Yes, Sir."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair and regarded Harry with solemn eyes. "As you know, Voldemort took a special interest in you when you were a baby. The reason for this is one of those things you'll have to wait to hear at a later date, of course, but needless to say Voldemort has not forgotten how important he once thought you were, and still thinks you are."

Harry frowned, and was about to interrupt when Dumbledore held up his hand.

"One moment, Harry. Let me finish. What I can tell you is this: the object in the Ministry is something that Voldemort believes may give him a way to defeat you, or will at least give him an advantage in a one-on-one duel. It is my belief that he is mistaken, but why I believe this is yet another thing I cannot tell you.

"As you know, when Voldemort tried to kill you all those years ago, parts of him were transferred into you. It is this transfer of powers, so to speak, that lets you see what he's feeling if he's feeling something strongly enough. It is my belief that, as of yet, Voldemort is unaware of the connection he shares with you, but I fear that the longer you experience your visions the more likely he is to discover the connection, and I do not want to put you or anyone else in danger should this occur. This is why I cannot explain everything to you until it becomes absolutely necessary, as it will if Voldemort succeeds in gaining the object from the Ministry. If he fails it will mean the object has been destroyed or is now in the hands of the Order, at which point it won't prove as big of a threat and more information can be given to you."

"But even if he fails, won't telling me still be a risk, if you think he can somehow read my thoughts?"

"It would generally mean this, this is true. However, we're working on something that should not only help end your visions but also close the connection between Voldemort's mind and your own. Once we succeed, there will be no danger in telling you anything because there will be no way for Voldemort to get the information."

"What are you working on? Or is that yet another thing I'm not able to know yet?" Harry tried yet again to keep the anger out of his voice, and once again failed.

"I know this is hard for you, Harry," Dumbledore replied.

"Yeah, you keep saying that, Sir, and yet you still won't tell me anything that I don't already know in some form." Harry stood up then and started pacing around the room, ignoring the portraits of the former Headmasters, who were awake and watching with avid interest from their frames, some not too impressed with the way Harry was behaving.

"Harry, all you need to know right now is that we're working to try to find a way to close the connection between yourself and Voldemort and once we do so I'll tell you anything you want to know. But you must give us time to make the proper arrangements, and you must also remember that you are not the only one affected by what I am going to tell you."

Harry threw himself back down into his chair with a sigh, knowing that he was behaving rather childishly and not being able to help himself. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm just frustrated."

"You have reasons for being frustrated, Harry, and I understand that much of the frustration is directed at me. But for now I must ask you to please stop thinking about Voldemort and what may or may not be at the Ministry and instead focus on ways to protect the school and its students. I understand that you're looking for a charm that will ensure only the students and staff be allowed into Hogwarts?"

Harry looked up at the Headmaster, wondering yet again how he always seemed to know what was going on. "Yes. Do you know of any spell like that?"

Dumbledore nodded towards an old book on the corner of his desk. "I think you'll find what you're looking for in there. And with that, I think we'll call it a night, as I'm sure you want to get back to your common room to discuss things with your friends."

Harry took the book carefully in his hands, sticking it under one arm. "Goodnight, Professor."

He walked out of Dumbledore's office and rode the winding staircase down, all the while thinking about everything he still didn't know and wondering if he'd ever get all his questions answered.