The War of Shades

Chapter 36 Hogsmeade Set-Up

With Hedwig doing better, Harry returned to his routines. That brought him out to see Hedwig every day anyway, as he continued wizard training with Hagrid. Hagrid was also attending the Monday evening patronus sessions. Those were proceeding well and by mid-November another dozen students had tested with the lethifold and plenty more seemed close to having a fully corporeal patronus. Hagrid had gotten a later start than most, but he was producing a decent silvery mist that was trying to take a form.

At that point also, it was decided to disband the training section of the DA: there were only a few students who couldn't do all the basic sparring spells, and Harry would take a few minutes with each of them at the meetings, but mostly they were able to participate with the platoons. A few wanted to go to the squadrons - those who had been flying at their homes - but it was felt they needed to master at least the basic spells with their feet on the ground before trying to do them while managing a broom.

By mid-November, Hedwig had taken to the air again.

Despite all the progress, fighting amongst the students was even worse. Students would come in from the squadrons with physical injuries Harry rarely even saw in quidditch. Both the squadrons and the platoons had vicious fights breaking out between and among the teams. It almost never happened with Harry in the immediate vicinity, as if his authority as coach kept them in line. But as soon as he was a fair distance away, the heated voices would rise and he would start to see spells used that had nothing to do with training.

Late one Wednesday evening, Harry, Ron and Hermione were working on a Potions essay in the Gryffindor common room when Ginny got back from detention. She looked at their NEWT-level books and groaned.

"I don't know how I can get caught up on all my work," she moaned.

"Erm, fewer detentions?" said Ron.

"I'm trying!" she cried. "It's like I'm marked."

"You know that could be," said Harry. "Once you get a reputation as someone who steps over the line easily, people start watching you and gigging you for things that other people get away with."

"Oh, great!" said Ginny. "Well, if I've got to act like little Miss Priss over here, I'd rather have detention!"

"Hey, Ginny, that's not fair," objected Ron angrily, "just because she doesn't have a poisonous tongue like SOME people doesn't make her a goody-two-shoes!"

"Well, I ..." Ginny began to reply with uncharacteristic spite.

"Enough!" said Hermione, glancing over at Harry and noticing his evident discomfort at the tension. "Ginny, you need a break. It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Do you have plans?"

"No, it's been all training and studies and detention for me. I've got no social life," replied Ginny.

"Well, that's it, then. You're coming with us," said Hermione.

"Hermione!" said Ron. "I thought we were ..., I mean ..."

"You thought what, Ron? You wouldn't leave your dear sister to moulder in her dorm, would you?"

"Well, actually ..." he began, then seeing the set to Hermione's jaw, he relented. "No, of course not. We'd be happy to have her come along," he said unenthusiastically. Then he brightened up. "In fact, Harry said he was going to come along, too."

Harry looked up from his essay, shocked. He hadn't gone on a Hogsmeade weekend in a year. The last time he had, he was so jumpy, Hermione had spent half her time unhexing people who got within a hundred feet of Harry.

"Are you, Harry?" said Hermione joyously. "That's wonderful. You need to get out of the castle as much as anyone!"

"Well, I suppose, but ..."

"Oh, and think of this, Harry, most of the people in the village will not be wearing sunglasses," added Ginny.

"Hmm, you sure know how to tempt a guy," said Harry thoughtfully.

Ginny smiled impishly. "Well, yes, I do, but that has nothing to do with this."

Ron twisted his head her way, arching an eyebrow visibly over the sunglasses. Harry continued to look thoughtful.

"I was going to speak with Dumbledore tonight anyway. There's been a change in Voldemort's plans. I'll ask him about Hogsmeade, too."

"Well, hey, mate, let's go up and call now," said Ron. "Unless it's stuff I shouldn't hear."

"No, you can hear it. I'm at a good stopping point on this. If you're ready, let's go."

Harry and Ron started packing their supplies.

"Are either of you wanting to listen in, too?" asked Harry to the girls.

"Oh, no," said Hermione, "I'm only on my fifth parchment."

"It's a three-parchment assignment," said Ron.

"Oh, I don't see how you could possibly cover the subject in three!"

"I try to write large," he answered sarcastically.

Ginny laughed at Ron's exasperation, and then said, "I'll have to pass, too. I haven't even started my essays for this week. Besides," she added with a smile, "Ronnie gets all upset when I'm in the boys' dorm rooms."

"Ginny, it's a different matter when I'm there, too," said Ron.

"Oh, like you could fight off Harry if he tried to take advantage of me!"

"It's probably Harry that needs the protection!" said Ron.

Ginny reached for her wand, and Ron grabbed his book bag with one hand and Harry with the other. "Come on, Harry, gotta go!"

Harry and Ron heard Ginny and Hermione laughing all the way until they reached the 7^th year boys' room. Harry went to his trunk to get the mirror, throwing another stack of t-shirts on top of his Sneakoscope, which never seemed to stop whirring and whistling around Hogwarts.

"Harry, you've got to help me out. I had plans to make this a special day for Hermione and me," said Ron.

"Oh, yeah," said Harry, with a smirk. "How special?"

"Hey, this is our friend Hermione we're talking about."

"So! She'll decide how far things'll really go. So what were you planning?"

"You know, a real nice - private - time. I've reserved a table at Madame Puddifoot's, it should be cold enough so I was going to take her ice skating after that, and I've got a private booth at The Three Broomsticks reserved for dinner - you know, nice! I can't have my kid sister tagging along."

"Sounds real special - she'll like that you took the effort to plan. So you want to have me along, too. Aww, that's sweet."

"No, I want you to take Ginny someplace else."

"Wouldn't that seem like I was making a date of it? She's been friendly enough lately, but I still think she's not interested in being a couple."

"I think she's over that now. You never know until you try."

"Yeah, but if you're wrong it'll backfire and she'll stick to Hermione like glue. I don't mind helping you out, but we need a way to suggest something to her that won't seem so much like a date. And no planning will matter if Dumbledore says no."

"Oh, Harry, what happened to the devil-may-care boy who sneaked out to Hogsmeade these many years ago," said Ron, sounding very much like Fred or George.

"He learned what the stakes really were. Don't give me a hard time for being responsible, alright."

"Yeah, alright. Maybe we'll get a chance to be aimless idlers for awhile once you off Voldemort," said Ron.

"You say that so casually. Perhaps you'd like to have first crack at him."

"No, thanks. You know I'll fight anyone I need to, but I'll skip that one if I have the choice."

"So would I. Must be nice to have such choices," grumbled Harry. He held up the mirror and called for Professor Dumbledore.

Soon the familiar face of the headmaster appeared. "Hello, Harry. Your voice doesn't sound too urgent, so there must not be an attack. Is there something you need to discuss?"

"Hello, Professor. Yes, there are two things. The important thing is that there's been a shift in strategy. They are no longer going to try to upset me by these attacks. A few of the Death Eaters are going to coordinate attacks around Great Britain to keep people disarrayed and to tie up the aurors and auxiliaries. But Voldemort is not going to be involved in the choices of targets or the timing. It'll be a campaign of terror pure and simple. The bigger part is this: he is also laying preparations for a possible attack on Hogwarts."

"What!" interrupted Ron.

"I'm sure you don't say that lightly, Harry," said Dumbledore.

"No, there's nothing funny about it. The giants have thrown in with Voldemort and he's preparing to have them moved back across to England - it will be a slow process. He's got most of his Death Eaters fanned out all over the world gathering as many followers and mercenaries as they can recruit."

"Do you have any idea what has sparked this change of strategy?"

"Yes, sir. Two things: the aurors and auxiliaries were responding too effectively: they can no longer afford the attrition. And the squabbling amongst the students has him thinking that he should attack sooner, rather than let all the students I have trained join the rest of the wizarding world. He sees the tide turning against him if you were to ask me to stay here to keep training classes of the DA, producing excellent fighters who are brave and loyal. He believes he has to wipe us out now and that he can," then Harry got a particularly grim tone, "especially while we cannot get along."

"That has you concerned as well, Harry?"

"Yes, Professor, it does very much. Everyone is coming along so well, and with me they are courageous and dedicated and cooperative. But everywhere I turn I find people fighting and squabbling and even hurting each other. At the rate things are going, if he does attack, we will only be at half strength. I know he'll have several hundred giants and many more wizards. In a few months that could be a lot more, depending on the recruitment. Even if we have most of the students healthy, we'll have under a thousand truly qualified fighters, and we won't be effective at defending ourselves if we can't cooperate."

"I understand your concern, Harry. Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Do you see the problem as that bad?"

"Well, I reckon there's been a bit of high-spiritedness. There've been a few injuries as people got carried away. I think it's just nerves over the war," said Ron.

"Ron!" exclaimed Harry. "You know it's a lot more than that! The squadrons have sent no less than ten people to the Hospital Wing every training night this month, and most of those are hexes, not physical injuries. I don't know the details of your training, but it sure doesn't involve the hexes I've been seeing!"

"Yeah, well, Harry, training is intense and I drive them pretty hard. They get pretty emotional. They also are feeling pretty powerful, so they don't take any guff from anyone, even each other."

"Yeah, well all that swaggering's going to get them killed if they don't rein it in!"

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat pointedly to interrupt the argument. Both boys jumped.

"Please, Professor Dumbledore, you must remember Umbridge doing that to interrupt people. For goodness' sake, don't do that!" said Harry plaintively.

Dumbledore gave a small smile. "Still haunted, Harry? Just relax. Harry, I think it's time you took a few minutes from the next DA meeting to explain to everyone just how important keeping their tempers and cooperating is. Do you have any sense of the timetable for any attack?"

"Yes, sir. He couldn't assemble all the forces he plans to use until near the end of the school year, but he wants to get it done before we leave. He likens it to eradicating a nest of vermin."

"Well, we've been preparing and we have at least five months more it seems. Now you said there was something else?"

"Oh, yes. Ron wants me to go to Hogsmeade this weekend so that I can get Ginny away from Hermione and him. I told him I'd have to check with you about whether it was safe and advisable."

"Well, Hogsmeade has been engaging in community patrols and has been one of the safest wizarding places in the nation, after only Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. And with Voldemort's change in strategy, it's less likely you will need to call in attack warnings. Besides, I have a task that I would like you to perform for me, Harry. And if you get Miss Weasley to assist you in it, I am sure that Mr. Weasley would be most appreciative."

"Well, okay, what is it?"

"I'm sure you remember the cave that you visited Sirius in three years ago. There are quite a number of such caves in the hills around Hogsmeade. I have need to select one for a particular purpose. I do not want to say what the purpose is so I cannot ask you to make the selection, but I would like you to take a map and some parchment and examine them all, taking notes on their size, shape, ceiling height, accessibility, the surrounding vegetation, etcetera. There are about fifteen of them which may be suitable for my needs. Sirius has already given me the information I need on the one he used. I asked him when he came to visit Professor Nigellus one day. That leaves fourteen more."

"That's a lot to cover. Ginny and I may need to split up to do it," said Harry.

"I don't think that's wise, Harry. You're too powerful to attack in the open, but you need someone to cover the cave mouth while you scout out the interior. Besides, while one of you explores, the other can take notes from what the one in the cave says about it. I would feel much more comfortable about the whole situation if you had Miss Weasley with you."

"Harry, it's perfect," said Ron. "She won't refuse to help on a task for Professor Dumbledore."

"Yeah, but with all those caves to check, she's sure to insist you and Hermione help, too."

Professor Dumbledore began to chuckle. "I'm afraid Mr. Weasley would be absolutely of no use in this matter."

"Huh," said Ron, a bit put out. "Why's that, Professor?"

"Particularly at this time of year, these caves are all quite thoroughly infested with spiders."

Ron turned completely pallid. "S-s-s-s-spiders?"

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Millions of them."

Ron got weak-kneed and began quivering.

"Okay, that takes care of Ron. And I imagine Ginny won't make Hermione go if Ron can't. Thanks Professor," said Harry.

"Thank you, Harry. This mission is very important to me. It will take the better portion of the day, so I'll have Madam Rosmerta prepare a portable lunch for the two of you to pick up before you head out. And how is your owl doing?"

"I suspect you know, but I'll say it anyway. She's back to flying. She was a little shaky at first, and getting used to the different feel of the magic talon, but she's doing very well. She's started catching most of her own food again."

Ron added, "Last night she even was patrolling over the squadrons as we drilled. I reckon she liked the company, and she knows a good number of us."

"You didn't mention that before," said Harry.

"Slipped my mind," replied Ron.

"I am truly pleased," said Professor Dumbledore. "That owl is an excellent friend for you, Harry, and an excellent judge of character."

"I'd be heartbroken if she had died. She's the most precious thing I own."

"Indeed," agreed Dumbledore.

When Ron and Harry came back down to the common room. Harry chose a seat at the table as Ron took up position standing behind Hermione's chair.

"So, Harry, how'd it go?" asked Hermione. "Are you going to be able to come with us?"

"Well, yes and no. I can come into town with you, but then I have to head into the hills to check on caves for Professor Dumbledore."

"Oh, really," she said. "That sounds interesting. That'll be fun."

"Uh-uh!" said Ron strongly.

"Ron, what's wrong?" asked Hermione.

"Spiders," said Harry, "Lots of spiders in the caves."

"Oh, well, Ron, you can wait in town while the three of us check the caves."

Ron leaned over the chair and whispered in her ear.

"Really?" she said aloud.

Then he whispered some more, and she responded in a deeper quieter voice, "Really!?"

Then he whispered some more and she giggled and said, "Really, Ron!"

Then to Harry she said, "Well, I'm sure I would only be in the way. You'll make better time without me."

"Hrmf!" said Ginny. "You can count me out, too. I don't need to spend my first day off in months poking around some smelly old caves"

"Ginny, you have to!" said Ron, a bit too forcefully.

"Why do I have to - just because you want to play kissy-face with Hermione? It's Harry's project, not mine."

"Actually," said Ron, smugly, "Dumbledore suggested that you help him out."

"Really?" asked Ginny suspiciously.

Harry spoke up. "Yeah, he reckoned it was a two-person job. One to go into the caves and one to take notes and stand guard."

"And he just thought of me, huh?"

"Well, he asked who I would be with Saturday and suggested you would be the most effective partner for this."

"Oh, great - because my brother's the Amazing Spiderman I get stuck clambering through the rocks in freezing weather."

"Well, Dumbledore's already arranged for a picnic lunch to be waiting for us, and - tell you what, it'll be my treat for dinner and butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks afterwards. Better?"

Ginny shifted her face around to the eager faces around her, then pointed at Hermione. "I'll expect some help getting through these essays as well."

"Of, course, Ginny," cooed Hermione. "What are friends for?"

"Good," said Harry, "since that's set, I'm off to bed. Coming, Ron?"

"In a minute," he said, as he began nuzzling Hermione's neck.

Ginny rubbed her knees, stiff from detention, and started to the girls' dorms.

"Get a room!" she hissed wickedly.