Harry Potter and Gaining Momentum

"What did I do?" Harry asked looking at Hermione who just rolled her eyes.

"Well if you don't know, I'm not telling you," she said with a sniff.

"How am I supposed to know then?!" Harry said getting very irritated.

He had just asked Draco to meet him in the girl's lavatory so that they could go to the Chamber of Secrets that night and got totally blown off by the boy. Of course though, not before Draco sneered in his 'old-school' way and stalked out of the Great Hall in a huff.

"Honestly Harry, you're so clueless," Hermione said turning on her heel, her bushy hair tossing defiantly, and stalking away much like Draco did. Harry wanted to scream.

"Do you know why?" he turned and asked Ron, and then noticed that Ron was almost in stitches trying to suppress his laughter. "Ron! It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry Harry, I know it's not, it's just odd seeing Draco play out the woman's role in the relationship," he said. His face was red and his ears pink from trying to control his suppressed outburst.

"Well, are you going to tell me or not?" Harry asked scowling at his friend who was finding humor in the whole situation.

"He mentioned to Hermione that you hadn't said a word to him all day. I think it upset him that he sat with you all last night in the hospital wing, and you didn't even note his existence today."

"You're kidding! I can't believe this; I was with Albus all day!" Harry said exasperated.

"Don't tell me mate, tell him."

"Great, just great! Not only am I exhausted from expending all that energy today making that blasted staff, but my boyfriend is mad at me for not taking time out of my busy schedule for him. I do have a busy schedule!" Harry added at Ron's speculative look.

"I know, though, I do have to ask, did you even look his way today?"

"I don't remember; I was preoccupied. He knows what the prophecy says, and I need to be prepared. Maybe I should just break it off, after all, it will be easier to focus on what needs to be done if I don't have to worry about making him mad all the time," Harry said putting his face into his hands and trying to rub the exhaustion away.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Ron said wincing a bit.

"Why? Of all people, I thought you'd be happy," Harry said looking up at him sharply.

"Harry, if it makes you unhappy, I wouldn't benefit from it. Its just---well---," he trailed off.

"It's just what?"

"Well, if you break it off, aren't you scared he may go back to his old ways and tell You-Know-Who the prophecy?" Ron suggest with a pained expression as if waiting for Harry to explode.

"No Ron, I don't think he will. Snape is his Godfather and I would hope that if anything happens between us, he'd go to Professor Snape for consolation," Harry said sighing.

The truth was...the idea did scare him a bit. Draco had just recently become open enough to show his feelings, well, other than lust, and Harry wanted to keep it that way. He couldn't help thinking though, what would happen if the one person that the light side depended on pissed Draco off, what Draco would do. Harry was almost certain that he'd go to Severus first, but then, what if he didn't. There had been many times when Harry needed someone to speak with and he refused to lean on Albus. He simply hated burdening other people with his problems. It made him look even more incompetent than most already thought him to be. He wanted to be viewed as a young man, not as a child anymore, and running to Professor Dumbledore every time something didn't go his way was not what he wanted everyone to see. He hoped Draco wasn't in the same frame of mind.

"Just talk to him first, then if he insist that you make time for him, tell him you think you guys should just take a break for a bit. You know, ease off until things cool down, then stand back and look at the situation properly from the outside instead of being caught right in the middle."

"When did you get all enlightening on me?"

"When I started to realized that Hermione isn't always going to support your every decision. You need someone to talk to, everyone does," Ron answered shrugging.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

"Anytime, now you better go talk to him before he does something rash," Ron said smirking at Harry.

"Alright. Now wipe that smirk off your face and stop acting like that!"

He left the Great Hall and made for the dungeons, where he was sure he'd find Draco. He debated with himself for a second between going straight to Snape's office and checking the Slytherin Common Room. He opted for Snape's office first so to avoid having to expose he and Draco's relationship, which wasn't exactly Hogwarts news yet. Only Harry's small circle of friends, with the addition of some of the professors knew. He entered Snape's classroom and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Snape's voice sneered. Harry had a very strong urge to roll his eyes.

"Professor," Harry greeted him making him look up.

"What do you want Potter? Come to show off your Supreme Magical Abilities again?" he sneered curling his lip.

"No Sir, I was wondering if you've seen Draco?" he asked as politely as he possibly could.

"Yes, I've seen him all day, though, I see that you barely noticed he existed," he said turning back to the essays he was grading.

"Please Sir, do you know where he is now?" he asked getting desperate. He knew Snape knew why Draco was mad, but he was intent on not letting greasy git goad him.

"It is not my responsibility to make sure you keep track of your flings Potter, now leave, I don't have time for this," Snape snapped at him.

"But Professor...,"

"I said leave Potter!" Snape bellowed at him. Harry had to fight the urge to hex him on the spot. He knew exactly what Snape was doing. He was trying to keep him from Draco and not letting him apologize so to end their relationship.

"Fine, I have other means of finding him," Harry said harshly before leaving. Snape gave him a surprised and scared look before he cast down his eyes quickly. Harry made it out into the hall and raised his hand and bellowed, "Accio Marauder's Map!"

He waited for about a minute before the map came zooming down to him. He unfolded the map and recited, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," and then searched for Draco on the map. It took him a second before he found the small name on the map. He was indeed in the Slytherin dorms, only a short walk from Snape's office.

He headed off in the right direction with one goal in mind; he had to settle this time issue with Draco. Making it to the outer passage to the dorms, just where he found it to be in his second year, he knocked hard on the stone entrance and waited.

"What?" the snappy response of Pansy Parkinson came.

"Can you please ask Draco to come see me?" he asked as politely as he dared.

"No," she answered sharply.

"Fine, tell Draco I want to speak with him," he said leaving no room for objection, but Pansy apparently found one.

"Don't you see Potter; you're no longer in his good graces. He doesn't care anymore, now leave," she said in a stone cold voice.

"Apparently I didn't make my self clear, I wasn't giving you an option to refuse me Parkinson, get him out here or I'll make you," Harry said in what he hoped was an intimidating voice.

He was sort of out of practice in these parts. He'd been trying ever since he came back to Hogwarts, and had his talk with Albus in Grimmauld Place, to loose the attitude that Draco said he needed to be successful in the political world. It seemed it didn't suit him, or his friends for that matter.

"And apparently you didn't get my drift when I said no, now leave," she said closing the wall again.

Harry stood there shocked for a moment, apparently he didn't sound as intimidating as he wished his had. Now he had no way to talk to Draco, he didn't have a password, nor did the Dungeons have any windows he could break into to see Draco. It was then that the little figuring caught his eye.

On one of the bricks, almost camouflage to the naked eye, was a tiny serpent so small that it could have easily been mistaken for a crack or rough spot in the whole that was Hogwarts. It was pointing downward looking at the ground and was barely two inches in length. Getting an idea, he said.

"Open," in a hiss. Open it did as the small serpent figure turned and looked towards the ceiling instead of at the floor as it previously did.

The stone work on the wall began to fold in. For a second, Harry hesitated, but fought his inner battle to go waltzing in the horde of hornets that were known to spawning off Death like flies. He straightened his robes, ran a hand though his hair and braced himself. Walking though the small archway seemed like dejavu. Just like back in second year, the first thing to be seen upon entering the opposite side of the arch way was green carpeting and damp muskiness of the moist dungeons. He walked directly into the common room and looked around. There was hardly anyone there at the moment. Beside the fire, there were two students, both sitting in high-backed, green velvet chairs and sitting at an angle where they were facing away from Harry. He walked a bit closer to them due to them being closer than the other two that were playing a game of Exploding Snap across the room on a silver and green striped shag rug.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat to be noticed. A girl, who looked to be a second or third year looked around her chair and squealed, effectively getting the attention of everyone in the room.

"How did you get in here!" she yelled in a high pitched voice.

"I have my ways." he said shortly, "Could one of you please fetch Draco Malfoy for me?" he asked politely.

"Err," the girl said looking at the second girl for help.

"No," the second girl, who looked a lot like Millicent, answered.

"Okay, let me put it in a better phrase," Harry said putting on a steely look, "Please fetch him now." Both girls eyes widened in shock at this statement, but neither one moved. Finally a third voice entered the conversation.

"Potter, what are you doing in here? I just told you Draco doesn't want to speak with you. How did you get the password?" Pansy demanded.

"There are more effective ways to get into the Slytherin dorms without a password. Please fetch Draco," Harry said shortly.

"I told you no already, now out before I fetch Snape," she said crossing her arms.

"Merlin you guys are really thick aren't you. Well, fine, I'll find him myself," Harry said taking off toward a set of stairs across the Common Room. Pansy smirked at this and Harry soon found out why. As soon as his foot got to the third step, he was thrown back on to the concrete Common Room floor with a back breaking thud.

"Potter, don't you know that people of other houses aren't allowed in the dorm of any house?" she said as if Christmas had come early. He narrowed his eyes at her and looked back at the stairway.

"Allow all to enter," he hissed at the staircase. Several people gasped at this, thought the two girls that were still in front of the fire held nothing back as they shrieked. He dusted himself off and tired again.

It had worked. Though he was leery at first, he figured by the fifth step that he had efficiently disabled the staircase to the dorms. He made his way down the small hall that displayed, no doubt, previous alumni Slytherins on the walls, until he was met with a fork in the road. He did a bit of any-mini-minee-moe, before he chose the left passage and made his way forward. He was grateful when he saw the first room was labeled 'First Year Boys'. He strode forward more confident that Draco lied just ahead.

Making it to the door he wanted, he knocked until he heard Draco's husky voice mutter a 'Go 'way then opened the door anyway.

"Draco?" he said lightly in a whisper.

"Huh? Harry? What are you doing in here, how did you get in here?" he asked scrambling to his feet from where he was sitting on his bed clutching a pillow with his head buried in it.

"I let myself in," Harry said as if it didn't matter than hurried the conversation ahead. "Ron told me why you were mad at me. I just wanted to come and explain myself before you had time to brood on the fact that you hate me."

"Hate---I don't hate you," he replied unconvincingly.

"Then why are you sitting in here like this and why did you tell everyone not to let me in?" Harry asked walking forward and leaning on the opposing bed.

"I'm just disappointed right now is all," he said.

"I was making my staff and charging it. I couldn't do it alone because, well, you heard what Mr. Clause said. It could kill me and everyone around me if something went wrong while I did it."

"You mean you were able to charge it?"

"Yeah, but only because I used a magical core that was of my own creation."

"Made?"

"I used two of my own Phoenix Feathers."

"And that took care of the problem?"

"It seems so, though it still brought out a bit of my Slytherin side when I charged it. Draco, you should have felt what I felt. It was like, I don't know, like, I had all the power in the world. I wanted more---needed more. I became greedy very quickly; I tried to push myself further to release more than I should have just so I could feel the magic. But then the oddest thing happened. It punished me, or rather, the emerald did. It burned me and drew away not letting me have it. I don't know how to explain it, but it was just intoxicating," he poorly explained.

"Did you tell Dumbledore this?"

"Yeah, he said because the emerald's virtues, it made me do what was right. He said should I have had the Ruby, which is the queen of hearts; I would have embraced the feeling of wanting more power. Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about that, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry I didn't make time for you today. I should have been more considerate with my time. I know I don't have much, and Albus did offer to let me come back tomorrow to finish but I refused because I wanted to finish the staff today."

"So you finished it?" Draco said as his eyes lit up, Harry had to grin at this.

"Yes, do you want to see it?" he asked hopeful. He wanted to show off is flawless work of art.

"Yes," Draco said instantly.

Harry held out his hand and muttered, 'Cambiarsi ring,' to make the ring on his middle, right hand become a staff once again. He had morphed it not long after he left Dumbledore's office just so he didn't have to haul around the large staff or be stared at. Draco breathed in awe.

"It's perfect," he said reaching out to touch it.

"Don't!" Harry said taking a step back. Draco looked hurt at this. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout, but I put a Signature Restricting charm on the core. It can only be used by me until I die. If anyone else tries to touch it, I'm not sure what will happen," he enlightened Draco. Draco's eyes went wide but then he nodded in understanding.

"How do you do that charm?" he asked clearly intrigued.

"I used will magic, but there is a particular charm for that, just ask Severus and he'll be able to tell you. That's how I finished it so quickly. Usually wizards use Muggle skills to forge a staff, you know, carve it themselves, but because I can use will magic, I was able to do it like that. You should get into wandless magic you know. It would come in handy with a staff," Harry added as an after thought.

"Actually, I've been trying, but I haven't been able to focus enough. It seems I don't have the mind for it," he said sitting on his bed gloomily.

"Everyone has some potential for it. Tell me, can you beat off the Imperius?"

"I've only tried once with Moody, but I didn't do a very good job then," he admitted.

"Well, how about we work with it down in the chamber some night this week. Once you are able to fight off the Imperius, this may come as pie to you. It's all just a state of mind anyway."

"Easy for you to say, you fought it the first time Moody put it on you. You even broke it when the Dark Lord himself used it on you."

"A strong mind it all it takes and you most certainly have that. You just need the will to put behind it. We'll practice this week."

"Have you had it cast on you since the Dark Lord tried?"

"Yes, just the other day Wormtail tried, I laughed at him. His magic seemed to intensify after that," Harry said furrowing his brow.

"What?" Draco asked seeing this.

"It's just---he's always hidden behind everyone because he was always so weak. I just never expected him to be so powerful. I barely saw some of his spells coming at me."

"Don't you know what Dark Magic does to people?"

"I've read---why?" Harry said tilting his head in interest.

"You become addicted. It could be that when he was on the light side, the magic was just that---magic," Draco informed him.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning---that when one does Dark Magic, they become addicted. They want to do it all the time, so they do. Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'Practice Makes Perfect'? The more he practices, the better he gets. He practices more because he's addicted to the feel of the magic. He likes the high that it gives him when he's above someone else like, say, a Muggle or a child. Simple really," Draco said as if it were obvious.

"That's sick," he said disgusted.

"That's Dark Magic," Draco said logically. "Now that you know he's not dead, does it still bother you that you beheaded him?"

"Only slightly, because I know I could do it again," Harry answered grimacing.

"Well look at it this way Harry. You didn't really do it; you brought it on by means of something else."

"Such as?"

"An Armored Suit."

"No I threw the shield at him."

"Yes, but if the suit of armor wasn't there, you wouldn't have had the means."

"That's dumb. That's like Voldemort justifying killing Muggles and Half-bloods because the Avada Kadavra was available to him."

"Okay, okay, sorry, I was just trying to make you feel better about it," Draco said lacing his fingers with Harry's.

"I thank you for that, but you'd have to think of a better argument," Harry said smiling.

"Well, you need to leave because I need to get some sleep and you do too. It sounds as if you've let off a lot of energy to day that you need to have returned to you."

"Yeah, I have, but I just wanted to make sure you understood what I was doing before you did anything rash," Harry revealed.

"Like what?"

"Like break up with me for ignoring you all day, no matter how unintentional it was."

"I'm not some child; it's happened plenty of times before. I guess I was just hoping that you'd never do it," Draco said, but Harry could tell he was just trying not to show his grief at the statement.

"I'm not your father and I'm defiantly not ignoring you for the same reasons. I'm ignoring you because I'm working on the greater good, not because you're an unneeded burden, like I'm sure you father thought of you as," Harry said fiercely. Draco gave him a gratified smile before leaning in and kissing him. When they pulled away Draco gave a startled look before asking,

"Have your eyes ever changed colors before, or have they always been that toxic green color?"

"Always---why?" he asked confused.

"Because, I could have sworn they flashed blue for a moment," he said shaking his head as if confused, then gave a snort, "Sorry, just imagining thing. I need some sleep and so do you. Good night love," Draco finished and gave him one more short kiss before showing Harry to the door.

***

Harry rose that Monday feeling ten times better than he had the day before or the day of the staff forging, but for being the end of September, he felt strangely cold. So cold in fact that he put on one of his heaviest cloaks before heading down to the Common Room to read while everyone else woke for the day. Yesterday was a Hogsmeade weekend and no doubt many had gone due to it being the first. Harry decided to go to the small town that bordered the Hogwarts grounds. He had only about a hundred Galleons to his name and needed every bit of it incase his vaults were never turned over to him again. He realized, though, that even with all this custody stuff happening, he never once missed the money he had in Gringotts. He had never been one to horde money anyway, but the thought of loosing it didn't really bother him as much as he thought it should. After all, it was because Sirius and his parents died that he had the money to begin with. All three had died to save him, so it felt like such a small thing next to the sacrifices they endured to ensure his safety.

He dove into his mind games and began reading dueling book he wanted to work out of for the first DA meeting that he was informing everyone would be that night. Of course, he'd have to go to Albus with the course material so that the Headmaster knew what he'd be covering in the practice sessions, but this didn't bother him as much as it used to. It seemed Albus' presence was beginning to grow on him, especially after Dumbledore told him of the prophecy where Albus was meant to help Harry.

He'd probably only read about four chapters when the first person came down the stairs and into the Common Room from the direction of the girl dormitories.

"You're up early Harry," Ginny said making her way to sit next to him on the couch that was adjacent to the fire. She sat only inches away and leaned a head on his shoulder. Harry brought himself out of his mind games for security reasons.

"I've been sleeping less lately, but I've been sleeping well so I'm not complaining," he enlightened her.

"Why are you wearing such a heavy cloak for, it's going to be nice outside today. You'll be sorry when you're sweating your shoes off on the walk to Care of Magical Creatures," she said staring at the fire and talking to him absently due to her still sleep filled eyes.

"Actually, that's why I'm in front of the fire; I woke up freezing this morning. I think someone left the window open in the dorms last night," he said turning a page. She didn't respond.

They sat there like that until Hermione made her way down. Hermione being Hermione had a book under her arm and her wand in her hand. He hadn't seen her up this early in a while, but didn't tease her. It looked like her relationship with Ron was keeping her up later than she was usually used to.

"Sleep well 'Mione?" he asked as she placed the book on the small coffee table and conjured a huge mug.

"Better than yesterday," she admitted.

"Looking forward to forging your staff?" he asked for conversation sake.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall and I are going straight to work on it today after classes and are working on it until tonight," she said as she recited a lax incantation and what looked like steaming coffee poured from her wand. She took a sip and sighed. "Have you started on yours yet? You were gone all day after we got back Saturday," she said. They really hadn't seen each other yesterday due to Harry being with Albus and in the library using his time turner most of the time. The others opted for Hogsmeade.

"Yeah, I'm done with it and it's charged. Though I haven't used it for anything besides making nice jewelry," he said grinning as he looked at his hand. The emerald there showed bright in the flickering of the flames from the grate.

"You're done!" Hermione squealed in delight. Ginny jumped from her slumber looking around wildly. Harry laughed at her before answering.

"Yes I'm done. I used will magic on the shaft so I don't have to carve it the Muggle way, and I used one of my own feather from my Animagus form so I didn't have to put a lot into the charge. It's the only reason I was able to make one," Harry explained at her delighted look. Ginny apparently had caught on now because she was pulled her legs up on to the couch in an Indian style position and had a look of anticipation on her face.

"Show us," she said bouncing. Harry rolled his eyes at the two giddy girls but held out his hand and gave an odd wave while murmuring the incantation and the staff grew to its proper height.

"Oh Harry, it's beautiful!" Hermione said getting up and walking around the staff that was holding its self upright without the help of Harry. Hermione, like Draco, reached out a hand to touch it.

"No! Don't touch it. Like I told Draco, I've used will magic to put the Signature Restriction charm on it and it can only be handled by me until I die. I was vague on what would happen if someone who wasn't me handled it so please just don't touch it," he instructed. Both girls looked thoughtful for a moment before Ginny too got off the couch and began to walk around it as if appraising it.

"Its flawless Harry, what charms did you use besides the Signature restriction charm," Ginny asked.

"I used the Unbreakable, Morphing, and the Lost and Found charms. I was going to put an enhancing charm on the emerald, but changed my mind."

"Why?" Hermione asked as if she had planned on using it herself but wanted to know if there was something that she should know.

"Because, depending on the virtues of the jewel, it'd be dangerous to enhance some of the magic if the magic also fits one of the virtues. For example, the emerald is only green if pure, meaning your meaning is more often pure than not. It is the jewel of love, healing, and contentment. Ancient Egyptians used to wear it to promote those properties. If I used a healing spell, then the spell would already be greatly more powerful than it would have with wandless magic or even magic with my wand. If I put an enhancement charm on my core or on my jewel, there's a large chance of it becoming too powerful and the subject of the healing may be too overcome with magic to heal properly and it may do some damage that can't be repaired," he said also reciting what Dumbledore had told him.

"Oh, well, I guess I never thought of it like that. Do you think I would have a problem if I used an enhancement charm on my core or jewel?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.

"Well, I wouldn't think so, but I'd ask Professor McGonagall if I were you. In my opinion, if you were powerful enough to charge a staff, you should have to use an enhancement charm anyway, it's mostly used for those who were barely able to forge the staff."

"Oh," Hermione said with a little uplift.

"Harry! Is that yours?" Ron's voice came from behind him. He didn't have time to answer because Hermione and Ginny started gushing about the details. Harry waited until Ron had too rounded it and looked at it, after being given the warning not to touch it, before he waved his hand and the staff morphed back into the dazzling ring that it was.

"I'm holding the first DA meeting tonight. Does that work with everyone?" Harry asked. Everyone's mood became ecstatic at the comment.

"Oooo, what are we doing first?" Hermione said excited. She knew he was getting private lesson from Dumbledore and was eager to know whether he would be sharing some of the lessons with the group.

"I really think we need to work on the Partonus before we move on to anything else. We also need to talk about recruiting. After the Patronus is over, I'm bringing in a Bogart so that you guys can practice the charm on it. Then I'm hopping to get into some dueling. I want to see if the level of power on everyone's spells has increased over the summer. The DA lessons will also be only half a session of practical practice I'm afraid. I also want to have them all well versed in Occlumency. It has a great effect on ones magic," Harry said and reading from his friends faces, they didn't mind the change at all. He knew that they were both eager to learn Occlumency so they could hear the prophecy and so they could charge their staffs.

"Great idea Harry. I'll turn the Galleon for you and all you have to do is show up to teach," Hermione said beaming.

"Okay, I have a free period first, so I'm seeing Dumbledore then to make up for the time I won't see him tonight and I'll meet you for second period in Potions. If you see Draco before then tell him I'll see him in Potions as well," Harry said getting up and leaving.

As soon as he left the fire side, the cold swept in on him again and he made a detour to his Dorm room to get put one of his Weasley sweaters on. After reattaching his cloak he made his way through the portrait and down the stairs, which he had conveniently asked not to move until he made it to Dumbledore's floor.

"Blood Pops," he said to the gargoyle watching the stone creature spring aside.

"Come in Harry," Albus' voice sounded from the other side of the door after he knocked. He made his way in and into the chair sitting in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Morning Professor," he said pulling his cloak tighter around him.

"Good morning m'boy," Dumbledore said pulling out a small tray from one of his drawers and placing it on the desk. He conjured several kinds of Danishes and scones and offered some to Harry.

"Thank you," Harry said taking one.

"What can I do you for this early in the morning?"

"I was wondering if you had time now to have our session. I've been thinking and I want to have the first DA session tonight so I'll need the night off, but I don't want to cancel on you."

"Of course, I have a small meeting with Minerva but I'm sure she can fit in your slot tonight."

"Thanks," he said relieved that Dumbledore would change his busy schedule for him.

"Not a problem. Now, I was planning on pushing your magic to the limits tonight and giving you an opportunity to use your staff. Because this will be so exhausting, we will only have a half lesson, and then we'll come back here and talk for the remainder of the time."

"Okay, what are we doing?" Harry asked now excited that he was going to both see how powerful his magic really was, and he was going to be using his staff.

"We're reinforcing the wards. In light of Toms recent infatuation with you and I, we need additional protection here at the school; so we're going to be putting up some wards that I've had in my personal library for some time now and hopefully this is the last time I'll have to use these wards," Dumbledore said getting up and retrieving a book from a shelf on the book case.

"I first used this ward in the last war. It works like the Fidelius charm. Other wizards will only know that the school is here if I tell them it is. Otherwise, it will just look like an old ruin of some type," he said flicking through the book.

"But, everyone already knows where the school is, even if they can't see it, they'll know its there, right?" he asked furrowing his brow in concentration.

"Yes in a way. This is how it works: If Voldemort were to show up tomorrow, after the ward was up, he's see the same ruin that Muggles do. If he were to enter the grounds, he still wouldn't be able to see the school or any students that preside under the ward. So, if we see him soon enough, we could assemble an army on the front lawn, and he'd never see one of us. He would have to literally walk face first into the outer walls of the school before he knew where the grounds actually ended and the school began. This would not be safe for him. He could meet his death like this. If we had all the ministry officials here, not to mention the staff, Order, and DA, then we would have quite an army if he showed up. He'd never be able to see us," Dumbledore explained.

"So it's like an invisibility spell cast on the entire grounds? That seems like some really advanced magic. I just learned how to cast the spell on myself," Harry said suddenly realizing how hard this was going to be.

"You must also take into consideration that the smaller version, the one you know, it means for living breathing people. Inanimate objects take to invisibility much better than the human body does. It usually takes a good ten normal wizards to be able to cast this type of ward, but since you have a staff I'm only going to pull Professor Flitwick, Professor Snape and myself to help you with the job. That's the hardest ward, so we'll do it first so that we know we have the strength to put it up, then we'll finish the others on our own."

Dumbledore led the way out of the office and left Harry in the Entrance Hall while he collected the two professors from the Great Hall. Harry read the book Dumbledore left with him. Coming back out, Professor Flitwick seemed overly cheery for some reason, and Snape seemed extra bitter apparently for the same reason. Harry noticed that Dumbledore was carrying a goblet.

"Okay Harry, we're going to the westward part of the wards. They end just outside of the last range on the other side of the lake. We'll use a Portkey to get there and walk back while the Professors leave with the goblet just after the first ward is complete to get to their classes. Portus," he said pointing his wand at the goblet. It showed blue for a moment before going back to its original state and Dumbledore picked it up.

He held it out and they all placed a finger on it. Harry noticed that Snape put his as far away as possible from Harry. Harry had the sudden urge to tease him about catching cooties, but bit his tongue and grinned at the thought.