Luna's year

A while later Harry accompanied Hermione down the street to Scrivenshaft's, as she'd seen it fit to remind him of his own quill's rather ragged state. True enough, he thought, but his had lasted him for five years!

Hermione was asking the shopkeeper about the writing qualities of the various quills arrayed throughout the store. After much indecision and head-shaking from Harry, she finally managed to pick out five quills to her liking. Harry, on the other hand, wasn't fussy. He simply picked a quill that appealed to him aesthetically, a long brownish one that apparently came from a tawny owl.

They exited the shop and proceeded down the main street towards Dervish and Banges. Just as they approached Luna drifted out the front door, strolling up the street so dreamily that Harry wondered how she didn't walk straight into buildings. Though she'd gone into the shop to look for owls, she'd evidently come up empty-handed.

"Hey Luna," Harry called out as they caught up with her. "Didn't they have an owl you liked?"

"Oh yes, several," she said dreamily. "But I ended up picking a raven, actually. I think Daddy will be happy; it is the symbol for Ravenclaw, after all."

A raven? Harry thought. Normally people used owls, he'd never seen a raven used for post before. Well, Sirius used tropical birds once, didn't he?

"Oh, he was a Ravenclaw too, then?" asked Hermione, as the three of them slowly began walking back towards the Three Broomsticks.

"No, he was in Hufflepuff," said Luna as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out her woollen yellow mittens, the late morning air still quite chilly. "Mum was in Ravenclaw, though; I think it made him happy that I was, too."

"Hey, wait a second," said Harry, stopping in his tracks. "Aren't you forgetting your bird?"

Luna turned to him and smiled dreamily. "No, I asked the shopkeeper if I could leave him there until later. I didn't want to carry that cage with me all day, he's really quite large, you know."

"Oh, right," said Harry, resuming their walk.

Harry heard a familiar voice calling out his name somewhere down the street, turning around to make out Ron leading Ginny and Neville towards them at a brisk pace, each with a fair-sized bag in hand.

"Where were you guys for the last hour?" asked Harry as they joined up in the middle of the street.

Ron grinned and shoved his bag under Harry's nose. Peering inside with caution, lest it be an exploding prank courtesy of Zonko's, Harry ascertained that they'd a fair sum at Honeyduke's; the bag was nearly full of every colourful treat imaginable. Ginny was sharing hers with Luna and Hermione, and the sight of Neville's grimacing face was an obvious indicator that he'd bitten into a less desirable sample of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"Sorry we're late," said Ron, "But I found them at Honeydukes... what's a guy to do?"

"It'll cost you," Harry grinned, pulling out a chocolate frog from the bag.

Suddenly Ron's countenance changed as he looked past Harry, a slight frown on his face. "Hey, look...what would you wager they're up to?" he said, pointing down the street.

Harry turned around and saw Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, walking briskly across the road, glancing in every direction before disappearing between two buildings across the street. The way the Slytherins were going along did seem rather suspicious.

"Think we should follow them?" He asked Ron.

"Yeah, let's," answered Ron without hesitation, not needing much prodding to go after Malfoy.

The two of them marched briskly down the street when he heard Hermione cry out. "Where are you going?" she asked as she and the rest of the group caught up to him.

"We're following Malfoy's, I think he might be up to something. The way he crossed the street just now, it was like they were making sure they weren't being followed," Harry said, maintaining his brisk pace.

Coming to the two building where Malfoy had disappeared, Harry spotted the Slytherins walking quickly up the hill, away from the village.

"I think they're heading for the shack," he said, putting his chocolate frog in his pocket for later consumption.

"What, the Shrieking Shack?" asked Neville, moving beside Harry for a better look.

"Looks like it," replied Harry. He turned to the others. "There's nothing in that place, so why would Malfoy be going there? Should we check it out?"

"Are you kidding?" said Ron. "Malfoy's going there for a reason Harry! I'm sure they're not all going off for a walk!"

Hermione had seemed about to speak but apparently had second thoughts. Ron, Ginny and Neville were staring at Harry expectantly, though Luna, on the other hand, was gazing off into the sky, dreamily observing a flock of passing swans.

Harry was slightly disconcerted. He was used to leading the DA lessons, but this was something else; they were in the field now, which was a world apart from the safety of the Room of Requirement.

"Well," he said finally, watching the Slytherins become smaller in the distance and making his decision, "Okay then, let's go."

Harry led the way through the short alleyway into the fields beyond, just as Malfoy's group disappeared behind the ridge in the distance. Harry's breath was steaming up the late morning air as they began marching up the slope leading up towards the Shrieking Shack. Looking back behind him, Harry made sure everyone was keeping up, Luna looking for all the world as though they were on a leisurely Sunday morning stroll with her lightly bouncing gait.

They came to the top of the ridge, Harry slowing his march as the Shrieking Shack came into view, scanning the area around the old abandoned house for any sign of the Slytherins, who had seemingly vanished.

As they came closer, Harry looked more intently at the decrepit house, the front doorway and windows still apparently boarded up. They walked through the old overgrown garden, Harry turning to the others and putting a finger to his lips. If Malfoy was inside, the last thing he wanted was to give away their approach.

He slowly walked around the right side of the house, hugging the wall as he moved, the others doing likewise. Every window on this side were still solidly covered up by planks as well.

Harry turned the corner to the rear of the house and almost jumped as he heard a muffled patting sound emanating behind him. Spinning around, he saw Ron frantically beating his coat, then quickly stomping his foot on the ground.

"Blimey, Harry!" whispered Ron, catching sight of Harry's bemused stare. "The spiders here are huge!"

Harry thought of reminding him of Aragog's brood, but thought better of it. They proceeded around the rest of the house, looking for any sign of entry. Finding none, Harry stood back from the wall and looked around. There wasn't anyone in sight except for his group.

Scratching his head, he wondered if perhaps Malfoy might have managed to enter the house through some other means, but it seemed unlikely. They couldn't yet apparate, and all the entrances appeared undisturbed, down to the ancient cobwebs that marked every dusty corner of their frames.

"Harry," called out Ginny from near the forest's edge, "I think they went in here. There's a trail, see..."

Harry and the others moved closer. Sure enough, there was an old overgrown path heading into the woods, and as Malfoy wasn't anywhere to be seen, it seemed a fair bet that Malfoy had taken this route.

But why? Harry wondered. Malfoy wasn't one to go gallivanting around the woods for no reason; he certainly wasn't the nature-loving type.

"Harry," said Hermione, breaking the silence, "Maybe we should turn back, we don't know what's in there..."

Harry looked at the others, who were looking to him once more and awaiting his decision, except for Luna, who was busily picking up fallen acorns from the short yellow grasses near the forest's edge.

"Look," said Harry, wanting to get Hermione onside, "Who knows what Malfoy is doing...if he's up to no good, and I'll wager he is, how are we going to find out anything if we turn back now? We'll just be second guessing ourselves later if something comes of this..."

Hermione seemed to consider that possibility. "Well...since you put it that way..."

Her words indicated an acquiescence that her doubtful expression did not mirror.

"Right then. Okay, let's keep quiet in there," said Harry as he made his way along the path into the woods.

"Blimey, I feel a bit stupid carrying this around here," said Ron, laying his sizeable bag of treats atop an old stump for temporary safekeeping before hurrying off after the others.

They made their way silently and carefully into the forest; they could see a fair distance as the autumn-hued trees had lost much of their canopy and weren't blocking out the light entirely. Nevertheless, the further they walked, the more apprehensive Harry became, not being remotely familiar with this part of the forest.

Harry was in the lead when he heard Ginny behind him.

"Stop," she whispered as loudly as she dared.

Harry froze. Everyone else also stopping in their tracks. He looked at the path ahead, thinking she'd seen something, but all that was visible was the ongoing, meandering path heading deeper into the forest. He slowly turned his head around to look at her.

"What'd you see?" he whispered.

Ginny shook her head. "No, listen," she whispered back.

Harry strained his ears, though he couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary. In fact, he suddenly realized, he couldn't hear anything at all. It then dawned on him; the forest had grown eerily quiet, the natural sounds of chirping birds and wildlife had become conspicuously silent.

He looked back at the others. They'd all noticed it now too...something was clrealy amiss here. Ron quietly moved up to join him.

"Harry," he whispered, "Hear that? There's no noise at all..."

"I know," Harry whispered back. Much as he wanted to know what Malfoy was up to, he was getting the distinct feeling that they shouldn't be here. The others seemed to be echoing his feelings, looking rather anxious, except for Luna who was staring at him serenely. They were all waiting for his lead.

Harry could feel his own anxiety slowly increasing; they couldn't just stay here. He was about to ask if they wanted to turn back when he felt a chill go down his spine. Something terrible was nearby, something he'd experienced before; a rapidly growing sense of dread permeating his thoughts.

"Harry!" yelled Hermione shrilly, not bothering to whisper.

He turned to look at her, feeling an invisible weight pressing on his shoulders. His stomach heaved as his vision slowly dimmed. Were his eyes playing tricks on him, or did it seem much darker than it had been only moments before?

She was staring wide-eyed and pointing into the woods. Harry saw it. A large, grey-clad figure seemingly floating inches above the forest floor, slowly gliding towards them. Its rotting face was concealed in darkness beneath its shabby hood, yet Harry knew its identity at once.

A Dementor!

He fumbled for his wand, his movements slow and clumsy, his fingers stiff with cold. Finally disentangling it from his coat, he was about to point it at the approaching horror when Neville grabbed his arm.

Neville was pointing in the opposite direction. A second Dementor had appeared and was floating towards them, closer than the first. Harry quickly turned his wand in its direction.

"Cast your Patronus!" Harry called out, his own voice shaking in his ears.

They all drew their wands. "Here's another one," Harry heard Luna say, her voice sounding eerily serene. He glanced in her direction and saw a third Dementor creeping closer, gliding above the trail from the direction they'd come.

It was now or never. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted.

A small wisp of pale, silvery mist shot out of his wand and dissipated in the frigid air before even reaching its target. Harry cursed. He was acting too hastily here. He closed his eyes and thought of something other than the approaching horrors.

He thought of the day not long ago, standing in the bushes along the lake, when Luna had reminded him of his extended family, right here at Hogwarts. The memory came flooding back into his mind.

"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled. A large, brilliant white stag shot out of his wand and charged at the Dementor, who quickly turned and retreated back into the forest.

"Stag!" Harry called out, "This way!" He pointed towards the Dementor on the opposite side of the trail.

As the stag charged through them he became aware of a smaller brilliant figure shooting forth from Hermione's wand, quickly taking the shape of the otter she'd conjured up in their DA lessons. Faced with two Patronii, the Dementor quickly drew off into the woods.

Harry saw a similarly small silver form shoot from Luna's wand, rapidly scampering along the trail behind them towards the third Dementor, who quickly followed his fellows into the wilderness.

Immediately the sense of dread began to slowly ebb, the natural sounds of the forest slowly returning to normal. Harry's fingers no longer felt the icy cold numbness of a few moments before.

"What is that?" Neville was asking Luna, pointing to the small Patronus scurrying along the path before them.

Harry moved closer, glancing around to make sure there were no other Dementors, though the reawakening of the forest and the disappearing cold reassured him that they were safe. He looked down at Luna's dissipating Patronus; it looked to be some sort of charm gone wrong, as the odd combination of a beaver's body and a duck's head didn't exactly make for the most natural form.

"Professor Lupin said a Patronus takes the form of normal animals," said Harry, "But I've never seen anything like that before."

"It's a platypus," said Luna, tucking her wand back behind her ear.

"It's a what?" asked Ron.

Luna turned her large silvery eyes on him. "A platypus."

Ron looked even more confused. "That's what I thought you said, but - "

"It's an animal that lives in Australia Ron," said Hermione. "I've seen them in books; they live in water, mostly. Anyway, I'll show you once we get back to the library."

"Well, okay," said Ron doubtfully, as though disbelieving that such a strange looking creature could exist outside the Wizarding world.

"Well," piped Harry, bringing them back to the subject at hand, "Those Dementors were here for a reason. I'd guess they were here to guard something."

"Harry, maybe we should go tell Professor Dumbledore," counselled Hermione. "He should know about this." She looked at him hopefully.

She was right, of course, Harry knew, but he couldn't bear the thought of not knowing what Malfoy was up to, especially now that the Dementors had been dealt with. Clearly, keeping the DA sessions a secret had paid off; Malfoy had certainly not bargained with students who could cast Patroni.

Could Malfoy be in cahoots with Dementors? Harry wondered.

"Okay," he said finally, "Ginny, get back to the village and find Dumbledore. Let him know what happened here, tell him we're going to go ahead and keep looking. Don't worry, we won't do anything stupid until he gets here."

"What? Why can't I come??" asked Ginny, looking angry and shocked.

"Well, someone has to tell Dumbledore," said Harry consolingly. "Look, Neville will go with you, just make sure you get back with Dumbledore as quick as you can."

"What?!" exclaimed Neville. "I want to go see what's going on too!"

"Neville," said Harry, trying to sound reassuring, "There's probably no more Dementors around, but if there are I want you to go with Ginny, you're both pretty good with the Patronus charm."

"Well...okay," said Neville reluctantly. Both he and Ginny were obviously loath to leave their friends, but finally turned and ran quickly back along the path, Harry watching them go until they were out of sight.

He'd thought about sending Luna back as well, but he felt inexplicably more secure with her at his side, this despite her current preoccupation of kneeling down along the edge of the path and dreamily watching a large yellow butterfly rhythmically opening and closing its wings while perched on a yellowed shrub.

"What now?" asked Ron. "Should we wait here, or - ? "

Harry nodded towards the path heading further into the forest. "Let's stick to the trail," he said, "We won't get lost that way."

Ron nodded, though Hermione seemed less than convinced. "Harry," she said, "Maybe Ron's right, we can wait here for Dumbledore, can't we? I really don't think we should go charging in blindly."

"Well, we're not exactly charging," said Harry. "We'll just be quiet and as long as we - "

He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Luna stand up slowly, moving her hand in a hushing motion. She turned to him, her large pale eyes staring into his.

"Someone's coming," she said serenely.

Harry listened intently. Aside from the normal sounds of the forest, he could hear nothing out of the ordinary.

"Are you sure?" he asked. It couldn't be the Dementors returning, could it?

"Listen..." she whispered. Then, very faintly in the distance, Harry heard the sound of a snapping branch.

He quickly pointed to a spot just off the trail. "Get behind those bushes!" He whispered.

They crouched down behind the thick shrubs and listening carefully. A few moments later the sounds of someone walking through along the trail became unmistakable.

Harry could make out some movement in the distance through the branches, but at this range he was having trouble making out any details. "See anything?" he whispered to Luna next to him, though she had no better luck peering through the shrubbery.

As the figures loomed closer he could gradually make out some shapes. The figures were wearing dark coats, Harry assuming it must be Malfoy and his henchmen.

His suspicions were confirmed the moment he caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy's head as he walked by briskly, following closely by Crabbe and Goyle. They were heading back in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.

"Let's get 'em!" whispered Ron, fumbling for his wand.

"Wait!" cautioned Hermione in a whisper and frowning, putting her hand on Ron's arm to restrain him. "We don't even know if they did anything wrong, and anyway, it's better if they don't know we're here."

Ron looked disappointed, but her argument held an undeniable truth. It was best to keep Malfoy in the dark until they had a better idea of what was going on.

They waited until Malfoy's group was out of sight. "Okay," said Harry, pushing himself up from the ground and brushing away various leaves and twigs sticking to his coat. "I doubt they'll be back anytime soon, let's go check up ahead."

They made their way back to the path and took a last look back to make sure they weren't being followed before making their way further into the forest.

They had been walking for several minutes before Harry stopped to stare at what appeared to be a small campsite along the trail up ahead. He could see wisps of pale smoke rising from a smoldering fire, a small cauldron sitting amidst the embers. A thick brown blanket had been laid out on the ground, a small haversack just next to it.

They approached cautiously, looking around for any sign of the individual who had obviously encamped there. Harry peered into the cauldron; it appeared to contain the remnants of a stew. Ron began rummaging through the haversack.

"Ron!" said Hermione sharply, moving to his side. "You shouldn't be going through that, it's not yours!"

"That's why I'm looking through it!" Ron protested. "Malfoy's been here before, so we have to know who was he talking to, don't we? Hey, look at this," he pulled out an old leather-bound book and held it up to her. "Maybe this might - "

"STUPEFY! ACCIO BOOK!" Harry jumped back from the cauldron at the sound of the shrill voice. A flash of light enveloped Ron and sent him crumpling limply to the ground. A moment later the book flew out of his hand and vanished into the woods.

Harry and the others quickly whipped out their wands, but there was no one in sight. Harry shuddered. The voice had sounded eerily familiar.

"Where'd that some from?!" asked Hermione in alarm, pointing her wand in the general direction that the book had flown off. But there was no target upon which to cast a counterspell.

Harry shook his head, his own wand waving uncertainly, desperately scanning every tree and branch -

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" the same hoarse voice shrieked, as a jet of light shot out from the woods and struck Hermione. She immediately stiffened and dropped rigidly to the ground.

"Harry look," said Luna, pointing her wand towards a large poplar tree about twenty metres away.

"What?" asked Harry, pointing his wand in the same direction Luna had indicated. "Are they hiding behind that tree?"

The shrill voice sounded out for the third time: "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"Resista!" cried Luna, spinning around and pointing her wand at Harry.

Harry was dimly aware of a clash of yellow and greenish light wash over him, his sight quickly losing focus and blurring. He'd barely had time to feel his knees buckle and the ground hit him before darkness enveloped his senses.

* * *

Harry felt his body shaking through the encompassing darkness, though he was just barely aware of it. He vaguely thought he could hear something, so distant and muffled as to be practically indistinct. He felt as though he were just slowly awakening from a terribly exhausting dream...he just needed to get back to sleep.

He felt himself shake again.

Another misty voice sounded through the darkness, a little more clearly this time.

"Enervate."

The words seemed to be whispered from a great distance, as he could barely hear them. But just then he felt a surge of warmth rush through his body, his mind slowly beginning to clear. He felt his body move again, becoming suddenly aware that he wasn't moving himself; someone was shaking him.

"Harry?"

The soft voice was familiar, reaching into his clouded mind and touching his memories. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids wouldn't move, almost as though they were welded shut. He tried to move, but his muscles were deaf to his commands. It was as though his mind was awakening but his body remained resolutely shut down. Then he heard the voice again.

"Enervate."

An orange glow shone through his eyelids for a moment, the same brief sensation of warmth rushing through his body as before. He felt his hand twitch.

He tried opening his eyes again. This time they reluctantly obeyed, and he squinted painfully as the flood of light returned to him.

"Harry?" he heard the voice call to him again.

His sight gradually cleared and came into focus. He became aware of a pair of large, wondrous silver eyes staring down at him.

"Luna?" he croaked.

An expression of relief cross her face. "Oh, good," she said, sitting back on her haunces. "I didn't want to risk another Enervate...Professor Flitwick said it wasn't a good idea to use it too often on the same person, you know, and I'd tried it three times already..."

Harry gradually became aware of his surroundings. He was lying on his back, and judging from the branches overhead he was evidently still in the forest. Indeed, it seemed as though not much time had passed since he'd fallen. Ron and Hermione were still lying on the ground just a few feet away. He tried to sit, but as he pushed himself up on one elbow his head throbbed so painfully he thought it would explode.

He decided sitting tight for a bit would be the better option, feeling queasy. He looked back up at the young Ravenclaw.

Luna was a mess. Her long, dirty blonde hair was severely dishevelled, with twigs caught in several places both in her hair and on her coat. One of her sleeves was badly torn, her face was sullied with dirt and she had a nasty cut on her forehead. But despite all of that, she had quickly regained her familiar dreamy composure. Harry noticed she had a wand tucked behind her ear, along with a second one in her hand.

"W-what..." said Harry hoarsely, as he struggled finally to a sitting position, his head still throbbing painfully. "What...happened?" he said finally.

Luna drew back and sat beside him.

"She was hiding herself with a disillusionment charm, Harry" she said solemnly. "That's why you couldn't see her. For a moment I was rather worried I hadn't been quick enough. Anyway...I finally managed to catch her with an Expelliarmus and get her wand," she said, pointing to the one tucked behind her ear. "I think she disapparated after that because I couldn't see her at all..."

She turned to Hermione and waved her wand. "Finite Incantatum," she said as a soft white glow shot forth and enveloped Hermione, who quickly gave a shudder. Within moments she sat up slowly, having been released from her imposed paralysis. Luna then got to her feet and walked over to Ron.

"Harry!" said Hermione, moving quickly next to him, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay?! She used an Unforgivable Curse! I heard everything! I - I tried to move, but I just couldn't!"

"I know," said Harry, trying to sound reassuring despite his hoarse voice and feeble strength. "Don't blame yourself, a Petrificus charm would get anyone..."

Hermione looked terribly worried. "Thank goodness she missed you with that Curse, Harry," she said, her brown eyes misting. "I was sure she'd hit you..."

Harry tried to recollect his memories of recent events. "I...I don't think she missed, Hermione," he said as he watched Luna revive Ron with another Enervate charm. Ron groggily moved up into a sitting position. "I think Luna cast a spell on me just before it hit..."

A thought suddenly occurred to him. She'd cast that spell on him instead of herself, without knowing who the intended target had been for the Curse.

Merlin's Beard, he thought, she risked everything on a guess! He looked at Luna again, who was now helping Ron struggle to his feet. A strange feeling swept through him. He swallowed hard...

Luna was helping Ron over to them when the redhead's legs gave out, sending them both crashing heavily to the ground next to Hermione.

"Oy," Ron said, grabbing his head, "I feel like I've had about a dozen mulled meads..."

Luna pushed herself back up into a sitting position, brushed the dirt from her hands and picked up the second wand where it had fallen, tucking it back behind her ear.

"I think we should wait for the others," said Hermione. "I don't think we can get very far like this..."

She looked at Harry worriedly again before turning to the Ravenclaw. "Did you get a good look at her, Luna?" she asked. "That voice..."

Harry saw Luna glance at him. "Yes..." she said softly. For a moment Harry thought she would say nothing more. "It was that woman we saw at the Ministry last year..."

"Lestrange!" Hermione cried.

Luna nodded sadly.

Harry felt his stomach heave. She...it was her...that woman who killed Sirius! He felt his anger quickly surge into rage. He tried to get to his feet but his legs would not support him.

"We...have to go after her!" he said, furious that his legs remained resolutely powerless.

Hermione put her hands on his shoulders, restraining him. "She could've disapparated anywhere Harry...I'm sorry," she said gently, her eyes watering. Luna was staring at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

Despite his fury, Harry knew Hermione was right. His feeling of rage turned into one of despair; even if he knew where she'd gone, he couldn't even walk on his own, let alone muster the energy to face off against a Death Eater in a duel.

Luna looked up, towards the trail in the distance and slowly got to her feet.

"Someone's coming," she said quietly, moving past Harry and Hermione, coming to a halt a few metres from them, wand held at the ready. Hermione quickly got up and joined her, Ron stumbling back to the ground when he tried to do the same. Harry hoped it wasn't Malfoy returning. He was virtually helpless...

"Luna! Hermione!" Ginny's voice called out.

He heard the rustling sounds of many footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw the familiar figure of Professor McGonagall looking down at him worriedly.

"What happened here?" she said brusquely, kneeling down to get a better look at Harry. "Good lord Potter, you look like you've been subjected to a good half dozen Expelliarmus hexes!" She took out her wand and pointed it at him.

"Oh, not another spell, please," he begged weakly.

"Not to worry, Potter, this won't harm you in any way," she said. "Mobilicorpus."

Harry felt himself grow lighter, McGonagall pulling him up to his feet with little effort. Looking down, however, he saw he wasn't on his feet at all; rather, he was floating several inches above the forest floor. She moved off and cast the same spell on Ron.

Harry saw Dumbledore walk up to him quickly, his intense blue eyes full of concern.

"I've just been made aware of the happenings here, Harry," he said. "It would appear that you were the victim of a partly blocked Killing Curse...however the effects of even a near miss can still be quite serious, as you've no doubt surmised. Miss Granger has also informed me of the identity of the individual in question..." he looked at Harry understandingly. "But I must convey to you, Harry, the extreme danger you put yourself in by attempting to confront her. She is a most formidable opponent, and confrontation with her should be avoided if at all possible. It is most fortunate that she was concealing herself with a disillusionment charm, otherwise...well, we really must get you back to Madam Pomfrey."

"Professor," Harry said weakly as Dumbledore was about to turn away, "I don't understand...why...why was it 'fortunate'?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry a moment, then smiled slightly. "Ah, yes," he said, "I don't believe you've studied that yet. A disillusionment charm is quite useful, Harry, but it also has one weakness: any attempt to use the more powerful magics while under its cover causes the charm to end, thereby making its user visible."

"So...that's why..."

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Had she not been trying to conceal herself, she may well have cast the Killing Curse on your friends as well, without any warning."

"But..." Harry said, "what was she doing here?"

Dumbledore's expression changed. He looked very serious. "That," he said, "is a very interesting question, Harry. The Order has not been able to learn any information about Lord Voldemort's plans over the last few months, and I fear we may have become too complacent in light of his recent inactivity."

He looked at Professor McGonagall, who had arrived next to Harry, holding Ron's arm. "Are we ready, Professor McGonagall?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Miss Granger, come here, if you please."

Hermione ran over to them. "Please take his arm, Miss Granger," ordered McGonagall, indicating Harry. "You'll have no trouble moving him along."

As Dumbledore moved back along the path, the others followed closely behind, Harry feeling the strange sensation of drifting along effortlessly. Hermione looked up as she pulled him along, trying her best to smile at him reassuringly.

As they passed Luna, Harry caught sight of her staring at him, mouth slightly open, her luminous silver eyes full of concern.