Harry Potter and Gaining Momentum

Harry walked down the snowy streets of Hogsmeade, oblivious to the world around him, which was covered in a soft blanket of snow. He couldn't see farther than a hundred feet before having his vision obstructed by falling flakes. He was thinking: 'Think about what has happened so far this term.'

The most monumental change for Harry was his mostly recently-acquired gifts. He was able to see magic! Magic had always amazed him, no matter how many times he had seen it with is own eyes. But it was different now: he could physically see it. He'd spent the last four days of the term in the Room of Requirement, casting spells, just to see what they looked like. He was also allowed by Ron and Hermione to look into their magical cores, to scan for potential talents. He'd seen exactly the same thing Mr. Clause had perceived - but Harry had actually seen them. The magic displayed different colors besides just gold, which is what wizards usually radiated when he wasn't looking for an aura. He also spent those four days going around school and summing up the other students by looking at their auras also. Some, even in Slytherin, seemed to be just above squibs; these included Crabbe and Goyle.

"Harry!" Harry turned around to see Hermione walking beside him with her hands on her hips, scowling.

"What?" he asked, giving her a questioning look.

"That was the third time I said your name... what's wrong with you?"

"Oh... sorry, I was just thinking."

"Oh, well, never mind that; I think I've found the solution," she gushed, delighted.

"Solution to what?" he asked, confused.

"To Draco," she said, looking at him again, but this time as if he'd grown another head.

"What kind of solution did Draco need?" he asked.

"How to get past the Veela predicament, and out of his marriage contract with Pansy... you did know about that, right?" she asked hesitantly.

"I've known about the contract to Pansy since the beginning of the year, when I detained her and Nott after they tortured him, remember?"

"Oh, of course; well, shame really... that Pansy didn't get sent off with Nott, that is," she said darkly.

"Well, she didn't actually do anything, Hermione. Nott did all the dirty work," Harry reasoned.

"Oh, well, enough about that," she said hastily, "I figured out how to get out of both of them. Draco asked me to look into it just after you and Professor Snape got splinched into the same Animagus form. Do you know what cloning is?" she asked, looking at him appraisingly.

"Genetic duplication; making a carbon copy asexually," he muttered.

"Correct. Well, I think you and Draco may be able to conceive a baby this way," she said. Harry stopped in his tracks. Baby? He was too young to have a baby. The world was too dangerous right now. How could logical Hermione even consider this?

"What?" he asked blankly, his mind stopping short.

"Okay: when you clone someone, you take the nucleus out of an egg and replace it with genetic information from another person. You then give it a shock and make it start dividing and forming a zygote. This can be the tricky part, but with magic I think it will be possible," Hermione said, speaking very quickly. "I think that if I donated an ovum, your genetic material can be put in it and Draco can fertilize it with a sperm cell. I know it sounds very complex, but I think if the charms were done just right, it would work," she said, standing on her toes and looking at him expectantly.

"Baby?" he said dumbly.

"Oh, Harry, you won't have to actually have the baby yet! As long as he conceives a child! Meaning the egg only has to be fertilized before the Veela heritage is gone. We can then put a preservation charm on it to keep it fresh until you graduate and find a surrogate mother for it," Hermione explained.

"Well, it sounds really tricky. The trickiest part is getting Draco to go along with this."

"Oh, he's willing. I've already asked him. He said a couple of words of praise, and then kissed me... Harry, he kissed me!" she said, like she was trying to get through to him.

"So he was happy about it?" he asked, confused.

"Well, to tell you the truth, he looked more relieved than happy; but either way, it's a breakthrough," she said tersely.

"Okay, so where do we keep the fertilized egg until we find someone to carry it?" she asked.

"The safest place you can think of. Do you have any idea how much in demand this baby is going to be? That would be Voldemort's next mission for sure: to get that egg, have someone like Bellatrix Lestrange carry it, and then raise it as his own. You have to consider, Harry: the baby will be the heir to Gryffindor, and Slytherin, and have Veela blood in it. That is a very powerful baby, so I'm not so sure it would ever be wise to actually have it carried to term; but for now, it's the only way you and Draco can be together."

"What about the marriage contract?" Harry asked.

"He can easily get out of it. He gave me a copy a couple of weeks ago, and I've looked into it. Lucius left a very small hole of opportunity for Draco to weasel out of it; but there was no way for Pansy to. The only way he's going to get out of it is if she's not pure when Draco is with her the first time. All we have to do is talk someone into shagging that nasty pug and we'll be home free, and Draco won't lose his estate or you. Do you know anyone who would shag Pansy?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.

"Hermione! I can't even believe that you're thinking about doing this!" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry, this is Pansy we're talking about. I've asked Draco, and he says that she doesn't know about the hole in the contract, because it's tradition that the female do everything to make sure the male is happy when the contract is actually validated - total rubbish, if you ask me," she added. Harry stood looking at her for a moment. A year ago, Hermione would have been scandalized at such a notion; but now she was doing it for him.

"How long do we have left?"

"Draco turns seventeen in February. This means we have to act as soon as possible. Do you think you can rig something up by then?" she asked him.

"Rig?"

"You know what I mean. Get some poor soul of a guy to shag Pansy. Actually, you could use your Shadow Phoenix gift of persuasion, and have them both drooling over each other," she added thoughtfully.

"You mean you don't think someone would do it willingly?" he asked.

"Har-ry," she droned out, "This is Pansy. Of course no one would willingly shag her! We could always have Draco take care of that part, he's good at convincing others to do things. Maybe there's someone in Slytherin that he trusts, who would do it as a favor to him... what do you think?"

"Truthfully, he's never mentioned anyone in Slytherin supporting his ideas, just his money. I'm not sure who or how close he is to any of them," Harry said.

"Oh, well, we'll talk to him later about it when we all meet at the Three Broomsticks. Right now I have to finish my Christmas shopping... how 'bout you?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm doing also. I still can't think of anything to get my friends. I got both Dobby and Dumbledore wool socks that they love so much. I got Ginny a charmed diary that she can set the password to, and several new cloaks. Then I got Ron a new set of Quidditch balls, including the snitch; and a book on being an Animagus. But I still haven't bought for you, Draco, Neville, Luna, Remus, Moody, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, or Petunia," he listed.

"Oh, well, I can help you there if you like. Well, not with my gift; I always hated knowing what I got before I opened it; but I'll help you with their gifts," she offered graciously.

"Thank you so much; I didn't know if I was going to finish today. So, why don't we start with Luna, because she's usually the easiest to please?" Harry offered.

"Um... anything odd will catch her attention," Hermione said.

"Do you think she'd like an animated stuffed animal?" Harry asked. Hermione looked at him like he was nuts. "I think you misunderstood me. I wanted to get a stuffed animal that looked like my Patronus for her, and have it animated. Do you think she'd like it?" he asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Harry, that's a wonderful idea!" she gushed, and they made their way to a nearby toy shop. Harry beamed at her compliment.

"Well then, shall we?" he asked, opening the door to the shop for her. She gave him a look of mock appreciation for his considerate manner and walked ahead of him.

"Need help, my dears?" an elderly woman asked as they began to browse the shelves. They both turned to look at her. Harry's immediate impression was that she was the female version of Professor Dumbledore. She had blue eyes that twinkled knowingly, and she wore deep purple robes that demonstrated the solar system with animation. Stars, moons and planets revolved on her robes in a very distracting way, and he had a hard time looking her in the eye, due to being drawn to the motion.

"Er... actually... I was wondering if you would be able to do a bit of charm work for me?" Harry asked. The woman looked interested for a second before she clasped her hands in front of her robes.

"It could be arranged," she said shortly, but all the while smiling and twinkling.

"If I were to conjure a model of an animal, do you think you could replicate it, and charm it to act lively?" Harry asked.

"Well, dears, that completely depends on the animal," she said, as if that were obvious.

"Er... right," Harry said shortly, then took out his wand.

"Oh, just a second dear, let me get my wand," she said before moving back behind the counter and bending down. While she was apparently rummaging around under the counter, several students from Hogwarts walked in and flashed him and Hermione grins and waves, before moving off to examine the endless shelves.

"Right!" she said, effectively getting their attention returned to her, "Go right ahead, Mr. Potter." Harry raised his wand, then looked at her oddly.

"How'd you know my name?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"Doesn't everyone?" she questioned him back. He nodded somewhat slowly, and returned to attend to his current project. He flicked his wand, and a small figure of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack dropped from his wand as if he were pouring a large water drop from it. It landed on the floor with a thud, and Harry stood back to appraise it. After a second of examination he gave a curt nod of satisfaction, and looked to the elderly witch who was now staring oddly at the small animal.

"Dear, what is that?"

"It's an animal my friend thinks exists, er... well, I think that's what it's supposed to look like. One of my Patroni came out in this form, so I'm only guessing that the Patronus was made from what I gathered out of her ideas. I think it's close, though," he added, looking back up to the woman after examining his creation with a critical eye.

"Oh, well, no mind. Right, here we go... might want to step back, m'dear," she said, glancing at him and Hermione. They both complied, (Hermione with a worried expression,) but stood next to the first shelf. The witch started murmuring incantations, and batting, scissors, fur-like fabric, and marbles started flying about, all the while missing her squatting form.

"Harry, you know you probably could have done this if you wanted to; what do you think Will Magic is for?" she said, staring at the woman.

"Actually, I have to know what I want before I can do Will Magic. Remember, it relies on my will. I'd have to know what had to be done first; and seeing as how I've never actually seen a toy made, I thought it best to watch first, before getting in over my head. Looks like I was smart; those scissors, pins, and needles aren't missing her head by much," he said with wide eyes.

"Harry?"

"Mmm?" he said distractedly.

"What does the magic look like?" she asked him in almost a whisper. His head snapped to hers. He gave her a critical look for a moment before taking her hand. She looked startled by this, and looked down at their hands.

"Close your eyes, Hermione," he whispered to her. She looked at him strangely for a second before complying. Harry watched the elderly witch and willed the images to Hermione. There was a moment's delay before she finally gasped, and gaped at the scene before her, even though she wasn't actually seeing it with her own eyes.

"Harry, it's beautiful," she said in a whisper.

"Isn't it?"

"Do you always see this now?"

"No, only when I want to. I've gotten the hang of this gift faster than the others. I think it has something to do with my Occlumency," he said as an afterthought.

"I wish I had a gift like that," she said, breaking the connection, and looking longingly at the scene she was now viewing with her own eyes.

"The sight or the animal?" he questioned her with a grin. She swatted him, grinning also. "What if I told you I may be able to give you the sight?" he asked. She looked shocked for a second before quirking an eyebrow. "Well," he hastened to explain himself, "Will Magic is supposed to be endless; I mean, look at Professor Snape; I took his Dark Mark away."

"Do you really think you could do that?" she asked.

"Truthfully, there's only one way to find out... though I'd hate for you to be the first person to be my guinea pig," he said, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"I wouldn't mind!" she beamed.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"It would be my Christmas gift, you wouldn't have to get me anything else," she said, almost in a begging manner.

"Well, if you're sure," he said slowly, before nodding and agreeing to do it. "When do you want to do it?"

"You can't do it now?" she asked, almost crestfallen.

"I'd rather not in front of a crowd. And you have to promise that if I do this, you'll tell no-one. If it gets around that I can give people gifts, I'll have all sorts of people trying to get me to do things for them," he warned.

"Promise," she said instantly. He hadn't seen Hermione this happy for a long time, not since she'd established S.P.E.W. Suddenly, he knew what he wanted to get her for Christmas.

"Hermione, can you wait here for me to get back? Better yet, here, here's my pouch; pay for it when she's done and take it to the Three Broomsticks with you. If she will, have her wrap it so that no one sees it, okay?" She nodded and agreed, though she gave him a sudden suspicious look. He left.

Harry all but ran out the door and down a nearby alley. With a flourish of snowflakes, he was gone, and reappeared at the apparition point in Diagon Alley. He took off quickly, not wanting anyone to see him away from Hogsmeade. Walking at a pace he rarely did, he made it up to and into Gringotts in record time. He approached the Head Goblin and waited to be noticed.

"Yes?" the goblin asked, not even looking up at him.

"I'd like to open a vault and have some money transferred into it," he said politely. The last time he was here he hadn't exactly been nice.

"Name?" the goblin asked, still not looking up.

"Harry Potter," Harry said; and the goblin's head snapped up.

"Oh, Mr. Potter, right this way," the creature said, stepping down from his small podium and leading Harry away to a small room.

"A new vault, you say?"

"Yes; but it's not for myself, it's for a friend," he said.

"Here is the required paperwork, but why don't I just fill that out for you? If I could only ask a few questions about the account's properties, I'll have this squared away in no time," he said. Harry nodded thankfully at him. "Will this vault have a name, or will it just be under the holder's name?"

"Both. The vault is for an organization. It will be under the direction of Miss Hermione Granger," Harry said.

"And the name of the vault?"

"Magical Individual Safeguard Society for Education and Discrimination, or M.I.S.S.E.D.," Harry recited. He felt rather proud for being able to spout that out off the top of his head. The goblin looked at him oddly for a moment.

"May I ask, Mr. Potter, what the organization is for?"

"Certainly; it will push for laws protecting individuals who are not recognized as beings, but magical creatures," Harry said.

"Who will this include?" he asked again.

"Well, to me, the difference between a being and magical creature is communication. If I am able to carry on a rather intelligent conversation with a magical creature, it hardly seems fair to call them a creature or animal, instead of a being. Take yourself, for example. For hundreds of years your people have been oppressed because you look different, but, you also run the largest chain of wizarding banks in the world; not to mention you hold all of the wizarding world's money. I would think it would only be fair that you be allowed to live by the same laws as other beings, such as wizards and Muggles," Harry explained.

"Who else would this include?"

"Giants, because I have a great friend who is half-giant and rather intelligent; he actually teaches Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts. Werewolves, because my fathers best friend is a werewolf, and is still one of the gentlest people I know. Not to mention Centaurs, Goblins, and House Elves," Harry said, thinking off the top of his head.

"Could you please wait here for a second, Mr. Potter?" the goblin said, and left without waiting for an answer. In all honesty, he was in quite a hurry, and wanted to leave as soon as possible so as not to be seen out and about. He waited patiently for the goblin to return. As he waited, he raised the hood of his cloak to not be seen by others hurrying past the open door of the meeting room, who were doing their morning errands and such. He saw some parents of his peers at school, and was constantly turning trying to avoid being seen.

"Mr. Potter," the goblin said, getting his attention when he was turned the other way so as not to be noticed by Neville's grandmother.

"Yes?" Harry said, turning around and seeing that he was being looked at by at least six more goblins. He was suddenly very scared of what they might do. Were they going to tell Dumbledore that he'd left the grounds of Hogwarts or Hogsmeade? Were they going to scold him for trying to butt his nose into something they'd fought wars for centuries over?

"These are the representatives from the Gringotts branches across Britain. We have a proposition for you," the Head Goblin said. Harry was now listening intently.

"Sure, anything," he said, but then almost bit his lip. Goblins were known for being greedy.

"We will all put shares into your organization and help run and maintain it under Miss Hermione Granger, if you will push for laws for equal rights for us without violence. Can you guarantee at least some progress after the war?" He asked. All the other goblins were almost leaning forward to look at him.

"Truthfully, if it were up to me, you'd have what you want now; but I'm not going to be the director, only the partner behind the scenes. In all respects, Hermione Granger is the most brilliant witch I know. Last year she made history with the highest scores ever for her O.W.L.S. You couldn't ask for a better representative, or a more passionate person willing to pursue what you want," Harry expressed. "When you say shares, what exactly do you mean?"

"Exactly that... we have establishments all over the world, and each establishment will be more than willing to take a hand in your organization - given, of course, that you promise some headway after the war," the Head Goblin said.

"So you don't want to own part of the company?" he asked apprehensively.

"No, Mr. Potter. We are forced to recognize that you are a strong political figure in the magical world. With your hand in the organization, we don't see much room for disagreement. Tell us, will it be a non-profit organization?" He asked in return.

"For me, yes; but for Hermione, I can't say. If she wishes to pursue this full time once out of school, it hardly seems fair that she should sacrifice her livelihood and intelligence fighting for others with nothing in return. I'm going to insist that whatever this organization is worth, she be allowed at least five percent of all donations, shares and profits received per annum. Anything further will go back into the organization for the cause. Some people might think it would sound mercenary, I admit; but I know she'd agree to work for nothing; I know her well. If she chooses to have an assistant or such, they will be paid by me or by donation. It only seems fair," Harry said, standing defiantly in front of the goblins. They all turned toward one another and started grunting and such. Harry was somewhat surprised. He knew they had their own language; after all, Percy said that Barty Crouch Sr. could speak gobbledygook well; but he'd never actually heard them speak anything but English.

"Should Miss Granger fulfill our request, we will see she is paid well, without taking any profit from the organization. For now, she may take what she needs, and we will provide her with any assistance needed with the account, information, laws, or such. Please let her know we are glad to be doing business with her," the Head Goblin spoke again, sticking out his hand to shake Harry's. Harry was absolutely delighted, and shook the Goblin's hand excitedly.

Harry and the Head Goblin finished filling out the appropriate paperwork, and secured a vault guarded by dragons before Harry was able to leave. He had a huge folder of information that had to do with the account, and the wishes of the Goblins. There were fifty-four Gringotts banks around the world, and each had decided on an annual donation of one hundred thousand galleons. Harry, being the one that was starting the organization anyway, put in a million to make sure everything started off smoothly. The goblins agreed that even after their needs were met, they'd still donate annually for as long as the organization remained in operation, or still had magical creatures to liberate. Hermione didn't have an assistant, but Harry had a feeling that after he talked to a certain someone, he'd be more than happy to put his lot in with Hermione. All-in-all, the organization was already a success - and it hadn't even officially started yet.

Harry Apparated back to Hogsmeade, and went to the Flourish and Blotts branch there for books that might help Hermione get everything off the ground. He then had everything gift-wrapped, including the documents for the organization, and tucked them away. He finally made it to the Three Broomsticks, and spotted the others right away.

"Hey, guys," he said, grinning from ear to ear. He hadn't bought presents for everyone yet, but he was very happy with his gifts so far.

"Hi," they chorused together.

"Get all your shopping done?" Ginny asked.

"No, not yet; I still have a whole list of people to shop for, but I'm almost there. Hey, do you think that Fred and George would like to open another shop in Hogsmeade?" he asked Ron and Ginny.

"I think that's what they're saving up for now; why?" Ron asked.

"I was going to give them another thousand galleons to start one... do you think they'd accept it?"

"Harry, they'd love you forever!" Ginny squealed; and Harry smiled.

"Good; that's one more gift out of the way. All that's left is Bill, Charlie, Molly, Arthur, Moody and Moony. Any ideas?" he asked.

"Well, Mum has always wanted to go to the theater, but never has time. If you bought her tickets, she'd have to go because she wouldn't want to waste them," Ginny commented. Ron nodded in agreement.

"I know what I want to get Bill, but I'm not too sure about Charlie," Harry said.

"You can get Charlie anything that has to do with Quidditch or dragons; he's as bad as Ron is about Quidditch," Ginny commented. Ron scowled lightly at her but he couldn't really argue - not after all the extra practices they'd had lately.

"I know what I'm getting Moody, too; but I'm not too sure about what I want to get for Moony."

"How about a pensieve of all your memories of Padfoot? He might like that," Hermione suggested.

"Well, I don't really have that many; he has more than I would. I think it needs to be something he can use. Oh, I know! Do you think he'd like robes? His are awfully tattered. Oh, and maybe a pendant with a dog, stag and wolf on it... what do you think?" he asked, just spouting off ideas from the top of his head.

"I think he'd definitely appreciate it, Harry," Ron commented. Harry believed him; they had seen Remus more than he and Draco did last summer.

"So, who's left?" Ginny asked.

"Petunia, Neville, and Draco," Harry said, sitting between Neville and Draco. "You know, you guys could make this easy on me and just tell me what you want."

"It doesn't matter to me, I'm just happy for the rest I'll get while on Holiday," Neville said grinning. Everyone laughed at him. Of all those who had lessons with Harry, it was easy to see that Neville was the one that was the most exhausted from them.

"How about you, Draco?" Harry asked. Draco diverted his eyes from Harry for a second and scanned the other occupants of the table as if he were afraid of saying something.

"Well... actually... I was hoping that you'd let me give you something instead," Draco said, not very confidently. Harry looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"A while ago, I told you that I couldn't give you something because it would always be dark..." he trailed off, and looked at the occupants of the table again as if waiting for them to laugh. He began again, "For Christmas, I want you to accept my heart..." he trailed. He didn't look embarrassed, but more scared and hopeful. It was perhaps one of the only times Draco had actually looked innocent and insecure. Harry looked away. If he continued to keep eye contact, he'd never even be able to think about it before he agreed to it. No-one at the table was saying anything. Both Neville and Ron were looking around at the crowd like they hadn't heard it. Ginny was looking at Draco curiously, and Hermione was looking at Harry intently. Under the table, Hermione grabbed his hand to show support; but neither one of them really acknowledged the gesture.

"I... well... I have to think about it. Hermione told me earlier about her solution, and I need to ask you some questions that would be better asked in private before I give you an answer. Can you accept that?" Harry asked in almost a whisper. Draco nodded; he looked a bit disappointed, but relieved and hopeful.

"So," Ginny burst out to get rid of the tension, "Do you want me to help you finish your Christmas shopping, Harry?"

"Please!" he begged and slid off his stool. He hadn't even had time for a Butterbeer yet, but didn't care; he couldn't take the tension either.

"We'll see you lot back at the castle, okay?" Ginny said to the group; they all nodded.

Harry and Ginny made their way out of the pub and into the snow-covered street once again. The first place they went was to the local robe fitting shop. Harry had no idea what Remus' measurements were, so he purchased a gift certificate for two hundred galleons, and then proceeded to the local jeweler. Harry spent about thirty minutes here telling the shop owner what he'd like, and for whom he wanted it arranged. They decided that they would initially shape the pendent as a lily, and have the stag, dog, wolf and phoenix lying on the petals. Ginny absolutely loved this idea, and gushed about how beautiful the pendant would look. Harry then had small emeralds put into the phoenix' eyes, and into the center of the lily. He had sapphires put into the eyes of the dog and wolf, and then had tiger-eye stones put into the stag. The end product was breathtaking - not to mention very expensive. He also got a dishy necklace for Petunia that had a phoenix carrying a lily and a petunia in either claw, and gave the phoenix emerald eyes. He decided to charm both the pendants later himself, with a bit of Will Magic. The owner gave Harry a rather large discount for saving his shop during the siege of the Death Eaters, and Harry walked away with the pendant costing half price.

Next it was off to the weapons store, where they had agreed to get Charlie an enchanted shield that was fire-resistant. Harry chose one rather quickly when he saw that there was a Hungarian Horntail on the front of it, and put the charm on it himself to make sure it would stay put. It looked to be more of a decorative piece; but whether he used it for show or for the field, it wouldn't tarnish.

"Have you decided what to get Neville?" Ginny asked as they walked out of the weaponry. Harry shook his head.

"Any ideas?" he asked hopefully. Ginny too shook her head.

"I know that the one thing he wants the most, he'll never get," she said. He looked at her oddly for a second.

"What does he want?" he asked. She looked at him as if it were obvious.

"His mother's and father's sanity back!" she almost yelled. Harry was stunned. He'd never really known Neville to be a person to talk about his problems or dreams, but he knew that he too would have liked something like that.

"You know, I think I may be able to do that," Harry said as an afterthought. Ginny looked at him as if he were being cruel. "No, seriously... Aurors have to learn a bit of Occlumency when they go through training; I read it on the train on the way to Hogwarts. Right now, they're just stuck behind their own walls. what if I were to tear those walls down, the way I did Draco's?"

"Do you think it would work?" Ginny said numbly. She couldn't believe that something like this could actually happen.

"I'm almost positive I can do it; I'll just need a memory enhancing potion and a calming potion, to make sure they don't go into shock afterward," Harry said, getting excited.

"They don't sell already-made potions at the Apothecary; you'd have to get them from the castle and then go to St. Mungo's to heal them. Do we really have time for that?" she asked quickly, looking down at her watch.

"If we're quick we will. Come on, grab on and we'll make this quick," he said, holding out his hand for her to take. In a whirl of snowflakes they were gone and reappeared in the potions classroom. Snape was sitting at his desk, and stood immediately upon seeing them teleport in.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

"Nothing, actually; but I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me with something?" he asked almost hesitantly. He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt facing the Potions Master.

"What?" Snape said, but not harshly.

"I think I've figured out a way to heal Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom," Harry said quickly. Snape stared at him for a second before narrowing his eyes.

"How?"

"Can you just trust me, please? We need to act quickly. School lets out tomorrow, and I want this done before Neville leaves," Harry pleaded. Snape looked like he was about to question Harry's methods again, but thought better of it.

"We can use my floo," he said, as he started walking towards his office.

"No, we can't. If the healers know that I can do this... that is... if it works, they'll want me to do it for everyone. Just grab two calming potions and two memory enhancing potions, and we'll transport right to their rooms. I've been there before." Snape gave a curt nod and strode quickly into his office before returning with the four vials. "Grab on," he said warily as Snape did; and again, for the fourth time that day, he disappeared in a flurry of snowflakes and reappeared in the isolation ward of St. Mungo's Hospital.

Harry quickly strode forward and assessed the situation. Both the Longbottoms were asleep, and weren't moving. Harry looked at Snape again.

"Do you think we could get the potions in them without actually waking them up?"

"It's been done before. Let me," he said, striding forward and uncorking two of the potions. While he was administering them he began to speak to Harry again. "Can you tell me exactly what you're going to do?"

"I'm going to bring them out of their own minds with Legilimency. I'm going to try to enter; and then, using my Shadow Phoenix gift, persuade them to come back out of the prison of their minds. I think it may work; but I also think, while coming out, they'll experience the ordeal that put them in this position to begin with," Harry informed him. Snape looked to be calculating something in his head before he finally nodded and looked back at Harry.

"It seems so simple that I find it hard to believe it's never been done; but as you explained it, it has the potential to work," he said. Harry felt relief wash over him at this comment. "Okay, I'll ground you so that we aren't risking you getting pulled in," he said; and Harry nodded. To his great surprise, he grasped Harry's hand and motioned for Harry to start.

Harry, holding onto Severus' left hand with his right, sat on the edge of Mrs. Longbottom's bed just next to her shoulder. He lifted her eyelids and gazed into her eyes. The feeling of being under water encompassed him as he began to tear away the very thin wall that Alice Longbottom had erected subconsciously, and he slid neatly and painlessly through. The woman's mind was chaos. Actually, painful was the only word for it. It was like being hit with the Cruciatus curse repeatedly. With every small move he made, the pain began to get worse. He stopped for a moment and gathered his wits. He remembered Dumbledore telling him his mind could do anything as long as Harry believed it was happening. So Harry focused all his energy on beating the curse. First he willed himself to feel it as a tickling curse instead, but then changed his mind soon after. He realized that he was starting to laugh and was afraid that Severus would pull him out if he started to sound crazy; so he reduced the sensation to a mere tingle. He began to move once more, and as he did, the tingling began to recede from his nerve endings as if his body had almost fallen asleep. He arrived at the center of Alice's mind, but couldn't find her - or rather, sense her - anywhere. He decided to work from where he was, and just have her come to him.

"Alice?" he said in a whispery voice, "Follow my voice, I will take you home." There was a wail just after his small comment, but nothing more. "Come on, Alice, Neville is waiting for you. Your husband needs your help also; follow my voice."

There was suddenly a presence, and if Harry had been in his own body, the hairs on the back of his neck would have stood up. The air seemed to turn cold and damp.

"Who are you?" a scared voice said; a voice, in fact, that reminded him of Neville.

"My name is Harry Potter, I've come to take you home," his said, caressing the lady's worried mind to try to put it at ease. She recoiled at his touch the first time, but then she came back slowly and touched Harry. He tried to think of thoughts that brought him joy and love, so as to project them to her and make her mind stronger, and make her more determined to come with him.

"You said you knew Neville... my baby Neville?" she asked emotionally. Harry caressed her mind again with his, and answered an affirmative.

"Come with me," he said in his coaxing voice once again. She began to follow, but was hesitant the whole way. Harry totally tore down her Occlumency shields, and left her wide open for any kind of attack; but at the moment he didn't care, he just wanted her to emerge. He began to slip out, and right when he felt the swimming feeling, what he was afraid of started.

"Alice! Get upstairs, they're attacking... they want Neville!" Frank Longbottom yelled at his wife. She cast some sort of ward on the stairwell that led upstairs, and looked at Frank determinedly.

"He's my son too, and I'll be damned if I let them have him!" she said, taking up a spot next to her husband. Frank looked like he wanted to argue but didn't.

"How did they know where we were?" she asked.

"I don't know; this is the whole reason we weren't going to take the Fidelius charm off yet!" Frank yelled over the sound of the straining wards as they finally broke.

"Stupefy!" Alice yelled, and shot a spell out of the windows that had just broken. Frank began doing the same thing. There was suddenly a crash from the back of the house, and Alice spun around making sure to keep her back to her husband's. She cast another warding spell on the staircase leading upstairs, as the baby resumed crying at the ruckus going on down on the lower levels.

"Crucio!" a voice yelled, as Frank fell to his knees and hit the floor. There was nothing he could have done. He wanted to move from the curse, but his wife would have been hit. He screamed in agony as his nerve endings felt like they were being fried in spitting grease.

"Frank! Stupefy!" Alice yelled at the woman holding the curse. The blonde woman crumpled and hit the floor.

"Crucio!" another voice called this time, one that belonged to a man. Alice fell to the floor as her world was overtaken by the agony.

"Alice! NO!" Frank yelled as he tried to jump up and tackle the man; but it was a futile gesture. His knees gave way under him and he fell, still too shaky from his own bout with the curse to help his wife.

"Shut up, you!" the man yelled, letting up on his wife and taking down the hood of his cloak.

"Rodolphus!" Frank gasped, looking horror-struck.

"Yes; tell me where he is!" Lestrange yelled furiously.

"Who?" Frank asked, still shaking. Rodolphus moved around and revived his wife, as another Death Eater entered the front door. Rodolphus looked at the man.

"Where's Crouch?" he asked the man.

"I posted him as look-out," the Death Eater said, moving around into Frank's view.

"Rabastan, I told you that you are to be the look-out!" Bellatrix screeched at him.

"Bella, you're not Master, and I'm in higher rank than you. Shut up, woman!" he told his sister-in-law.

"I am higher-ranked than you... and I think you should have listened to Bella!" Rodolphus yelled back at Rabastan Lestrange.

"I want to have some fun too. Let the young whelp stay out there, I want to at least watch," he said, smirking down at the crumpled form of Alice. "Can I have some fun with her first?" Bella cackled at his comment.

"We are here for only one reason, Brother," Rodolphus reminded him sternly, and then turned back to Frank. "Where is our master?!"

"I don't know," Frank said shakily.

"Crucio!" Bella yelled with her wand pointed at Alice. Alice's screams filled the house once again, as the baby upstairs started crying again. Bella finally let up.

"Where is he?" Rabastan asked this time, as Bella cackled madly while looking down at Alice, who was crying and still whimpering.

"Dead!" Frank said, getting angry seeing his wife so helpless.

"Crucio!" Rodolphus yelled this time, furiously hitting Frank with the curse. Bella squatted down and motioned for her husband to stop.

"Now Alice, dear," she said in a mock-soothing voice, "Just tell us where the Dark Lord is and we'll leave peacefully." Alice acted like she wanted to say something, but blood came from her mouth instead. Bella grinned at this and motioned to her husband again.

"Crucio!" he yelled at Frank once again. Frank began screaming again as Alice began crying on his behalf.

"Crucio!" Bella screamed at Alice, making her stop crying and instead making her scream like her husband. Rabastan laughed.

"Pathetic excuses for Aurors," he said, sauntering up to Frank, "Crucio!" he yelled helping his brother. Frank started bleeding from the ear. Rabastan let up and pointed at Alice who was still under Bella's whim, "Crucio!" he yelled. She started leaking blood from her mouth as she screamed and choked. He let up again.

"Lestrange!" a voice coming from the doorway yelled, panting. All three spun to see Crouch. "Aurors!" he yelled; and with that, there were four pops and they were gone - along with Frank's and Alice's minds.

The last bit of the memory could only be heard, not seen. Harry could tell that this was where Alice lost her sanity, and dove into her own mind for cover. He continued to soothe her with his mind by keeping focused on positive thoughts.

"It's over; come," he said to Alice. For a moment, she didn't move. Harry could tell she wanted to stay and help her husband. "It's not real, Alice; it's just a memory. Frank is waiting for you... come," he said in his whispering voice, as she started to follow him.

The water-engulfed feeling came quickly as he latched on to Alice's mind with his own and dragged her to the surface with him. Harry shook his head and blinked several times. His eyes were still blurry, and he reached up to feel for his glasses. They were wet. Had he cried, or was it just perspiration? He straightened up and realized he had a death grip on Snape's hand and hastily let go. Looking down at Alice, it was startling to see her staring back at him with her eyes filled with emotion. He took her hand and leaned closer to her.

"Neville will be here tomorrow to see you; I suggest you get some rest while I go get Frank, okay?" he asked softly. She narrowed her eyes at him as if she weren't sure if she could trust him or not, but let her eyes flutter shut as the calming potion did its job and put her back to sleep - this time, in her sane mind.

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon before Harry, Snape and Ginny made it back to Hogwarts. Snape had complimented Harry, though lightly, and suggested he get some rest. He gave Harry a Dreamless Sleep potion, and told Ginny to make sure he made it to his dorm. After they got into the hall, Harry excused himself and teleported to the Gryffindor Suite, and fell into his bed, exhausted.

Harry opted to stay at the castle for Christmas, and didn't wake in time to see anyone off to the station. He had not signed up to stay, but didn't really think it was necessary since he always had stayed before - well, besides last year, when he went to Grimmauld Place with Sirius. He quickly shoved that thought out of his mind, and went about his morning routine. He still had to deliver Petunia's and Remus' gifts, and give Bill and Moody theirs. The first place he went was Privet Drive. Harry teleported straight into the living room of the drearily normal house, to find no-one there. There was a Christmas tree erected, and it was piled high with gifts. He took the pendant out of his felt bag, and set it on the coffee table. Pointing his finger at it, he willed it to be unbreakable, and give the wearer protection against any curse he could think of. Harry knew this wouldn't apply to the Killing Curse, just like the wards in the Hogsmeade Battle were weak against the Killing Curse; but hopefully, she'd have enough sense to get away before that. He conjured a box for it, wrote a small note telling his aunt what it contained, and left it under the tree.

Next up was the Burrow where the Weasleys were; though Ron and Ginny were not there yet. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gone out for the day, and while they were out, they would be picking up Ron and Ginny. Bill and Charlie were there. Harry reached into his bottomless felt bag and heaved out the shield he'd gotten for Charlie, and gave it to him. He received a whistle and a slap on the back as a thank-you, and was told his gift was with the family owl. Harry said that was fine; then took Bill aside to give him his gift. He'd decided, due to Bill's profession, to give him the gift to be able to see magic at will. He hoped that this would help him when it came to breaking curses, so he could see what type it was before even working on it. He put his hands on either side of Bill's head and concentrated on making Bill see magic, the same way he did when he wanted to. The end result was a success, and Bill looked awed at Harry's power. Harry did make Bill promise not to tell anyone about what he had done, for the same reason he'd given Hermione earlier.

Last of all, he teleported to Grimmauld Place, where he knew he could find Remus and Moody to give them their gifts. Due to a full moon having ended the day before Christmas, Remus was unavailable. Instead, he sniffed out Moody, and promptly stunned him... literally. He was sure what he was about to do would not be welcomed by the ex-Auror.

"Accio peg-leg," Harry said lazily, and then put it down next to him. He put a body bind on Mad-Eye, and levitated him to the couch.

"Segmentum Sura," Harry commanded, pointing his wand at the leg that was missing its peg. Liquid gold began to flow out of his wand, much the same way that silver came out of Voldemort's wand when he had done this same thing to Wormtail in the graveyard. In a matter of minutes, Harry had created a perfect leg on the man, and put his wand away. After writing Remus a quick note in explanation of his pendant, then charming it, boxing it and banishing it to Remus' room, he did a bit of Will Magic and revived Moody, quickly leaving before Mad-Eye could react.

His last stop was Diagon Alley, where Harry decided to get Severus a gift for his help the day before. He knew a lot about potions; but Harry wasn't sure what a Potions Master would prize the most. So instead of trying to guess, he simply went to the Apothecary to ask. After much debate, he decided to put together a gift basket of sorts. He bought a platinum cauldron, which was guaranteed to never melt (and cost a pretty galleon), and then filled it with dangerous and rare ingredients that he had to have flooed over from other shops that were in association with the one in Diagon Alley. After the orders were placed and delivered, Harry had the huge cauldron filled with ingredients such as mermaid fins, griffin claws, basilisk eyes and fangs, and even hag nails. Thoroughly disgusted now, Harry teleported back to Hogwarts, and left the cauldron in Severus' office, where he would get it later. He then teleported back to the Gryffindor Suite for a much-needed nap before dinner.