Harry Potter and Gaining Momentum

"Averte Statura," Moody mumbled; but Harry heard him and threw up a quick shield.

"Protego."

"Incarcerus."

"Ipera Ivanesca," Harry said, making the robes burn while still moving. He was totally on the defense. He had no time for anything else; he hated dueling with Moody. Harry knew so many spells that he was sure half of them would stun the old man, but he never even got the chance to use them.

"Impedimenta."

"Protego."

"Petrificus Totalus."

"Protego."

"Diffindo." Harry was almost stunned by this. He didn't think Moody would actually use such violent spells against him. Deciding he could duel better without his wand, Harry shoved it in his back pocket and waved his hand.

"Evanesco." The spell disappeared. Moody stopped for a moment to stare.

"Solum Pavesco," Harry said, waving toward the ground at Moody's feet. Much to Harry's surprise, Moody kicked the Earth Shattering spell away. Harry cursed under his breath.

"Ipera Ivanesca," Harry said, willing to try anything. The old coot was too fast for him. His reaction time was better than Harry's - and he was a Seeker.

"Protego."

"Avis," Harry said. Well, he thought, at least he's on the defensive now, and not me.

"Evanesco," Moody said, pointing at the phoenix that just dodged gracefully.

"Serpensortia Multiplico." Salazar had taught him that one.

"Evanesco," Moody said, only to have the number of snakes double.

"Eludo Veneficium," Harry finally got out. He knew the duel was over, and bent down to put his hands on his knees while panting. The last one was a ward that Godric had taught him. It was also one of the wards that controlled the Wizarding Prison, Azkaban. He would never have had the power to cast it on that scale, but he could use it on individuals. It made the other dueler incapable of magic. Unless someone of Dumbledore's power tried to break through it, nothing would happen.

"Nice ward, Potter. But if it had been Voldemort, you know he could have torn it down," Moody growled, walking over to him while putting his wand away. "Mind gettin' rid of the snakes, so they stop looking at me like I'm dinner?" Harry waved his wand.

"Finite Incantatem; Evanesco."

"Thanks. You probably would have done better if you could have moved, but we know you have good reactions. I just wanted to see how you did when it wasn't physical, just purely magical," he said. Harry nodded. It took all his effort not to remove the ward that Moody had put up before they began. The ward rooted their feet to the ground. Neither one could move out of their spot.

"So, did I pass?" Harry asked. It was possibly his last lesson with Moody, and Dumbledore was going to bring in someone else for Harry to practice with. Dumbledore told him that by the time next year began, he would no longer be taking any of his normal classes, but rather he would be tutored by many Hogwarts visitors who would be training him in different areas. The only person that he'd be working with that was from Hogwarts was Snape. This was because he was still the best potions master in all of Britain.

"Aye. I figure Dumbledore's already got someone else lined up for yeh to start with; so I'll be lettin' yeh go after today," Moody said, then conjured a chair and sat down. "Yeh know, this thing is bloody heavy," he said, tapping his finger on his golden leg, after he'd crossed it over the top of the other one. "Bloody useful, though. Yeh see me kick that spell out of the way with no problem?"

"Yes," Harry said bitterly, but with a small smile. "That's one of my favorites, too."

"It's a good spell, but yeh don't want ta use it unless you know you're on the ground floor or on solid ground. Can turn out bad if the ground under yeh collapses," he said. Harry nodded; he'd never thought of that. He made a mental note.

So that was how his last dueling lesson with Moody had gone, two weeks ago. He was now dueling with Professor Flitwick, who had been a dueling champion in his time. Harry had never participated in such strenuous duels. The small man knew more wards and charms than Harry would ever be able to memorize. He spent the majority of his time on the defensive, like he did with Moody in his last lesson, and was usually very dirty from dropping to the ground while moving out of the way. For such a small man, the professor had an astounding amount of power behind those charms, wards, and spells. But unlike Moody, if Flitwick thought Harry was hurt, he'd automatically stop - whereas the ex-auror kept right on throwing what he could, until Harry got up and was on the defensive again. To tell the truth, Harry like Moody's way better. There might be many times when he'd be hurt in battle, and he needed to learn how to cope in such situations. Harry had a feeling that Professor Flitwick thought Moody was a bit reckless. He'd mentioned once or twice that Harry was no good to train if he was hurt. Harry just wanted to tell the small Professor to stop coddling him.

He'd been having small lessons with McGonagall since the beginning of the month. Since Harry's favorite dueling style was animated, Dumbledore thought that Harry would benefit from the professor's knowledge. Harry already knew and could do a lot of what she could; but his transfigurations of people weren't nearly as good as hers. She explained that a lot of it had to do with feelings, so Harry had to really want to transfigure her into a mouse, for example, if he expected the spell to work properly. He also soon discovered that all these years, he could have just taken the easy way out. There was a structure to the art of transfiguration. The prefix was always different if you were turning an inanimate object into an animate object of a different form. The suffix was the reversal. This seemed to help him immensely, and he thanked her many times over for this. She told him not to tell anyone else, because people would tend to start guessing at the incantations if they knew these small tricks of the trade.

Harry's training with Salazar was going well also. He had learned more from Salazar in the last three weeks than he had in all the months that he'd been training with Godric. Salazar seemed to really want Harry to defeat Voldemort, and as soon as possible. He apparently detested anyone who would kill children for the glory of power. He also didn't take kindly to the fact that Tom Riddle had used the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets for such a ludicrous reason. Salazar had hoped that his heir would one day do what he could not: segregate those children who grew up in the Wizarding world from those children who didn't; but he had never meant to use the Basilisk to terrorize or kill students. He told Harry that the only reason there was a Basilisk in the Chamber was to protect the school from invasion. It was a weapon that was left for his heir. And with one of his heirs as headmaster or professor, he would have a great weapon at his disposal should the school ever be in harm's way. As Harry thought more about it, this made perfect sense. It definitely was a weapon. And if one were a Parseltongue, it wasn't hard to control the serpent.

Godric's training was going well, though Harry hadn't told him he was also getting training from Salazar. He didn't know if they spoke much; but he hoped, if they did, neither would mention it to the other. Harry was afraid that Godric, being head of the Gryffindor line, might take offense at him getting instruction from someone else - particularly his rival. At the same time, Harry felt almost an obligation to learn under Salazar too, because like it or not, he was also now a part of his heritage. He hoped that if one found out about the other, they wouldn't hassle him too much. He truly wanted to learn from both of them. Gryffindor worked in truly white magic: magic that could never be referred to as dark. Salazar liked more obscure, dangerous, and rare magic. He seemed to skirt the line between light and dark a lot, but stayed on the border, making sure not to step over it. He did admit to having used the Killing Curse once to Harry. He had killed the person that had killed his brother. Harry could hardly blame him for such an action, because he certainly wouldn't have blamed Ron if he had to avenge one of his brothers' deaths. Hell, Harry thought, even Dumbledore had had to use it once. He did warn Harry not to use it, as had Salazar. But when push came to shove, Harry wasn't going to let someone he loved die while he wrestled with his ethics.

Snape had adopted the Slytherin Suite as his living quarters, so he sat in on a lot of Harry's lessons with Salazar. He found a lot of understanding in what Salazar said, and even gave Harry his own examples once in a while. Harry still hadn't told his friends that he was on a first-name basis with Severus yet, and preferred to keep it that way for the time being. Snape was a very complicated person, with a terribly complicated life. Everything with Snape had to come naturally; nothing could be forced. Harry thought that maybe he was the same way. People couldn't just get close to him effortlessly; they had to show themselves as worthy friends first: not just as a friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, but a friend of Harry Potter - just Harry.

It was nearing the end of February when Tonks finally took a sabbatical from the Ministry (with Dumbledore paying her, of course) to give Harry lessons in disguise and concealment. Out of all his lessons, he found Tonks' the most entertaining. Not only did she show him potions and charms to do the trick, but even how to transfigure himself into something else. It wasn't metamorphmagus abilities; it was wand-work - and hard wand-work at that. He started to feel as close to Tonks as he did to Hermione. While they trained and worked, Harry told her about Draco, and where he thought his relationship was going. She would give him advice, due to her experiences with the Malfoy clan. She told Harry that Draco's family was at one time very big on gift-giving for any occasion, mostly due to the amount of money they had. But she added that romance was huge with them too, due to their Veela side. Harry catalogued this knowledge away for future use.

Harry's training of his friends was coming along great. Ron could now successfully turn into a griffin whenever needed. He and Ron started taking flights over the quidditch pitch and the Forbidden Forest every other night. They weren't looking for trouble; they just enjoyed the feeling of freedom that flying gave them. To them, flying on a broomstick and on their own wings were two totally different things. To actually have the control was a lot different than willing the control into an object. Neville had also decided to take up Animagus training - and discovered that he was, of course, the courageous lion. It was a bit eerie to Harry how appropriate his Patronus forms were. Neville was coming along great, and actually at the same speed that Harry and Draco had. He supposed that Ron had taken so long because he had a magical creature, whereas Neville only had a large cat-beast. Hermione and Ginny wanted Animagus lessons also, but opted to wait and do them in the summer, when they would have more free time. Neville, due to his parents being in the Order, wasn't going to be around as much. His parents were planning to have him sent to a small, secret camp that was set up for children of members of the Order, where they would learn to defend themselves. Dumbledore actually got the idea from Harry's DA group, and because the Order members and their families were already in great danger, just by opposing Voldemort. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had seriously considered sending Ron, from what his mum's letter said; but they figured that their kids would want the time off. After Ginny had endured her O.W.L.s, and with Ron starting his N.E.W.T.s the next year, they would both need a bit of relaxation. As far as Harry knew, Luna had yet to even mention Animagus training - not that Harry minded. What would he actually do if she turned into a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?

***

Harry was sitting on the couch in the lounge of his Suite, when green flames erupted from the fireplace. He lowered his book to see what Severus needed. He knew it must be Severus, because he was the only one who knew that he could floo into Harry's quarters. Over the last couple of weeks, he had had to go to Severus' quarters a few times to undo some of the charms that could only be countered in the language of Parseltongue.

"Harry," he said as he entered. Harry smiled at this. Snape had accidentally slipped into calling him by his first name about two weeks ago, and Harry had teased him relentlessly for it. By the end of that week, Harry had him convinced that it was much more fitting for Severus to call him Harry, rather than walking around and calling him Potter all the time. It sounded much too formal, for all the time they had to spend in one another's company.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Remus needs the Wolfsbane potion brewed tonight. He has less than a week before the full moon, and forgot to remind me that it was so near. I have prior engagements, and don't have time to do it. Do you think it possible for you to take on the duty?" Severus asked.

"Yes, actually, now that I'm thinking of it: I suppose I could send a house-elf to Hogsmeade to get me extra ingredients. Actually, I think Hermione has been talking about distributing free Wolfsbane potion to the werewolf clientele they have at M.I.S.S.E.D. She may even offer to take the funds from their budget... I'll have to remember to speak with her about it. Oh, sorry, I'm babbling. Yes, I'll make it; not a problem," Harry said, standing up.

"Oh, you don't have to start it now. It takes a good six hours, I admit; but you should prepare it in one go," Severus said, motioning for Harry to finish up what he was doing.

"But I have to speak with a house-elf, then with Hermione to get me some numbers so I'll know how much of everything I'll need. It's all right. I have nothing better to do right now anyway. This is one of the few parts of the day when I'm bored. Every other time I'm studying, training, or teaching.

"Does this mean you'll not be attending class today?" Snape asked, raising an elegant eyebrow. Harry paled; he had forgotten that he had Potions today.

"I guess I can go after class," Harry said.

"Since you're doing me a favor, I'll allow you to miss," Severus said.

"What potion are we brewing?"

"The Draught of Peace." Harry paled again. This was one of the potions he needed to work on the most. He'd tried doing it two weeks ago, and had just about blown himself up. The potion demanded precise timing.

"I still need to work on that one. I'll just go to class, and take care of everything else afterward," Harry said, running a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated. It seemed that he never had free time any more. He just wanted to be able to sit down sometimes and read a simple Defense book, without having fifty other things going on in his head at the same time.

"As you wish. You may partner with Granger in class so that you can discuss the Wolfsbane, and get a list of all the items the house-elves will need to purchase," Snape said.

"Thanks," Harry said with a sigh. Severus then nodded, and left Harry to make use of his last thirty minutes before class.

He spent that next half hour trying to skim though a book that Salazar told him would be a good look into dark apprentices' heads. The book was actually quite morbid. The ideas some of the dark wizards had developed for world domination were scary. One actually wanted world domination for the sake of love. 'He called himself Endymoon. An Endymion is a beautiful young man, and it is often said they are beautiful because they are loved by the moon.' Harry had to laugh a bit at this. He just couldn't see someone killing and making wars simply to bring about love, world love. It didn't seem like a sensible cause, because anyone could have love. Apparently, Endymoon wanted the entire world to love him. 'It was theorized that he was either a high elf or a Veela.' Harry let out a laugh-like snort and closed the book, then made his way to potions.

He grabbed his text and potions kit, which was a bit more plentiful and had rarer ingredients than Hermione's, and made for the mirror. He made it to Gryffindor Tower quickly to walk with Hermione, and in no time they were standing out front of the Potions classroom, waiting for Snape to arrive. Of all his classes, this was one of his least favorite. It wasn't the Potions, or even the Professor himself anymore; it was the students. All the N.E.W.T. level students for potions were in this one class. Having all four houses in the same room did not make for a good class. The Slytherins were hated by everyone; and lately there was even a bit of hostility between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, due to a silly Quidditch match that had been held just after Christmas. Cho had followed Harry into a Wronski Feint, when he was trying to shake her off his tail and make her stop following him around. Apparently, she blamed Harry for her injuries; but he doubted she'd do it again.

Snape arrived and opened the door to let everyone enter. As he entered, Harry automatically noticed that the ingredients they would need were already on everyone's lab desks. Snape strode to the front of the room, turned to face the class, and spoke in a bored monotone.

"Today we will be starting on the Draught of Peace. Can anyone tell me what this Potion does?" he drawled. Of course Hermione's hand went up instantly. Harry knew also, but didn't raise his hand. Although he and Severus were getting along fairly well, there was no way he was going to put Snape in a situation where he felt obliged to call on him. To the rest of the school, they were still enemies. Appearances and reputations had to be upheld.

"Yes, Mr. Boot?"

"The Draught of Peace, if brewed successfully, will put the drinker into a deep sleep. The drinker usually appears to have no inner or outer vital signs," Terry said, gaining nothing more than a nod from Snape, who then continued.

"I should not have to tell you that this potion is very sensitive to time, nor that some of the ingredients should only be mixed in the proper way... that is, unless you prefer to be stunted in growth, or postpone having children." No one said a word, and Professor Snape waved a wand to the board where the instructions were listed. "Begin."

"Hermione, can you estimate the quantity of potions ingredients you'll need to have to make the Wolfsbane potions for all your werewolf clientele at M.I.S.S.E.D.?" Harry asked, as he added two level tablespoons of beetle eyes to the cauldron first.

"Quite a bit; why?" she asked while chopping the Merlap Root.

"Because I've been asked to brew Remus' potion tonight, and thought I'd make enough for the whole organization while I was at it," he said.

"That's a lot of potion, Harry. It has to be taken every day for a week leading up to the full moon."

"Couldn't you take it out of the foundation's budget?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sure I could. With the new donations we've received from a couple of the other Wizarding Societies, we should have more than enough to spare," she said. Then she carefully sprinkled her root particles into the cauldron.

"You should start an account at the apothecary, so you can just have it taken right out of the L.E.T.S. budget. I'm sure you could even hire someone to brew it for you after we make this batch. Anyway, the only reason I was asking is because I was going to buy it all if you didn't want to take it from the organization. I'll understand if you want to keep the money," he said, glancing sideways at her as he added crushed fairy wings to the mix.

"Oh, no, it's fine. We're stable enough right now to be able to afford it," she said. "I'll contact Gringotts by owl just after the lesson, and give authorization for the withdrawal," she said; Harry nodded. "But how are you getting all the supplies? It would take trip upon trip for you to get all that to Hogwarts," she asked curiously. Harry frowned a bit. He was going to ask the house-elves to do it, and he knew that Hermione would have a huge problem with this. But - thank Merlin - he was saved from any explanation when a blood-curdling scream ripped through the dungeon. Everyone turned and looked toward Pansy and Millicent's lab table. Pansy was shrieking about something; but she was so hysterical that no one could understand what she was babbling about. Snape looked ready to tear into someone when he approached and waved his wand three times.

"Miss Parkinson, what did I tell you about precise timing?" Snape asked coldly.

"That it was very important," Millicent spoke up, since Pansy was bawling.

"And, Miss Parkinson, what happens when Hag's nails are put in before the Merlap root?"

"The beetle eyes don't have enough time to dissolve, and it reacts with the Hag's nails," Millicent answered again.

"It looks like even though your partner paid attention, you did not, Miss Parkinson. You may see Madam Pomfrey to heal the burns. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about your fertility - unless the potion has not had time to be absorbed into your system. I suggest you hurry, to make sure it hasn't gotten too far," Snape sneered, before Pansy took off. He gave Millicent a pointed stare before turning and going back to his desk.

Harry was stunned for a moment. No children? How was Pansy supposed to give Draco an heir without being fertile? The simple answer was: she couldn't.

"Hermione, you just prepare the ingredients over there. I'll deal with the potion. I don't want anything like that happening to you," Harry said, budging her over.

"Oh, Harry. The fertility thing only happens if it takes more than twenty minutes to get out of her system. And the infertility only last for a few years. I'm sure she'll be fine," Hermione said logically.

"How long does she have to get the counter-potion into her system, before the potion accident irreversibly affects her?"

"The counter has to be administered within ten minutes; and then the potion has to make it throughout the system in about ten minutes also. Failure to do so will result in stunted growth, and/or a lapse in fertility, for about three to four years," Hermione said, like she was reciting it from the text.

"Oh," Harry said, a little less excited now. He felt awful that she could be infertile for a few years - but also excited. He realized that this meant that he and Draco might be able to have a relationship.

Harry and Hermione went back to their potion; and as Harry added ingredients, Hermione kept an eye on the clock to keep precise timing. Harry had just added the last ingredient when there was a knock at the door. Everyone in the class spun around, save Harry and Hermione. The very last part was that it had to be stirred counter-clockwise fifty times, with no more than two seconds between each stir.

"Professor Snape?" a small girl from behind him and Hermione asked.

"Yes," the potions master drawled, putting down a book and looking at her lazily.

"Madam Pomfrey wants to know if you have any antidotes left for the potion Pansy has absorbed?" her small voice asked. Harry dropped his spoon that he was stirring with. Hermione caught it in time for the potion not to blow up; and Harry stared wide-eyed at the little girl. It had been a good thirty minutes already, and they hadn't even given her the counter-potion yet? He looked over at Hermione, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"No, the actual potion must be brewed first, before the counter-potion can be made from it. If she has none, she'll have to wait until one of the students are done with theirs before I can brew it. Is anyone close to finishing yet?" he asked the class, as if it were no big matter.

Hermione and Harry raised their hands as they finished the last left stroke, and the cauldron gave a mighty burp - which made Snape raise an eyebrow; but he motioned them to come forward. They stoppered a quick vial, and put their potion and spoon aside and began to descend to his desk, when he spoke again.

"It would probably be best if you brought the potion for inspection," he said, smirking. Harry flushed a bit. That's what Snape wanted to begin with, and they were going down there like they were about to have a friendly chat. Harry doubled back for the stoppered potion vial, and made his way back up to Snape; Hermione followed. He looked at their potion before taking the stopper out of it and giving it a brief sniff. "It will do," he said lazily, then reached into his drawer and put an ingredient that Harry didn't catch into the vial, and handed it back to Harry. Harry just stood there for a second, wondering what that was all about.

"Well? Are you going to give the remedy to her, or are you hoping that Miss Parkinson will be short for the rest of her life?" Snape sneered at him. Harry ducked his head a little, then walked to the door and handed the vial to the girl, who looked like she was a second or third year. "You two may go. There's no sense in you being here to cause distraction if you're finished with your potions," Snape said, waving his hand toward the door, as he went back to reading his book and ignoring everyone again.

"Can you believe him?" Hermione fumed. "You'd think he was doing that on purpose, taking so long questioning her, and then not having any antidote prepared! And thanks to his lack of proper concern, she won't be able to..."

"I think it was done on purpose," Harry said, thinking back to the class he'd just left. Hermione, being slightly frazzled about being interrupted in the middle of a rant, looked at him sharply.

"What?" she asked, scandalized.

"Did you see the look he gave Millicent?" Harry asked. "You know, when he finally sent Pansy to the Hospital Wing?"

"I wasn't paying attention to that. I was only listening because I was trying to dice the Hag's nails properly," she said, miffed that she had missed something significant.

"It was a pointed look: like he knew she did it on purpose, and knew her reason for it," Harry said.

"Are Millicent and Draco close?"

"I don't know; why?" Harry asked, meeting her eye.

"Draco could have paid Millicent to do it for him. Snape may have been in on it too, for all we know. Or he just realized what happened, and didn't care what happened because of what she had done to Draco. Or maybe it's just because he wants to prevent any more Dark Lord supporters or sympathizers from being brought into the world," she theorized.

"That's a lot of 'what ifs,' Hermione. While all of them are possibilities, I'll have to ask Draco if he had a hand in any of that," Harry said.

"And if he did?"

"I don't know. I agree with most of the points you made a second ago, and I can't say I'm too torn up about it."

"But Harry! It's just wrong!" she started to rant again. Harry stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wrong? Like using my gift of persuasion isn't?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. She started to look a bit uncomfortable.

"I told you that that should only be considered as a last resort," she said, huffing. "Besides, there's a big difference between shagging and taking a women's right to bear children away!"

"Oh, but a woman's right to choose whom to shag isn't that important?"

"Stop making it out to be bigger than it is, Harry. You know what I mean!" she said, flushing with anger.

"No, Hermione, I'm afraid I don't. I fail to see the difference between taking a woman's virginity away against her will, and taking her right to bear children away against her will. When it all boils down, it's still against her will!" Harry ranted, getting just as worked up as Hermione now.

"Harry, I'm not having this conversation right now. There's a lot we have to do if we're to make enough Wolfsbane potions for M.I.S.S.E.D.," she said stiffly.

"Fine. I'll go to the kitchens and ask a couple of the house-elves to go down to Hogsmeade in about an hour. That's how long it will take Hedwig to get to Gringotts," Harry bit back, just as miffed.

"Harry! It's still freezing outside. Winter is only just fading! You can't send them out in that!" she wailed, aghast. Harry rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Hermione. They have a lot more efficient ways with magic than we do," Harry said. "Say, do you think Remus would feel up to coming to Hogwarts tonight to help us make the potion? If anything, he can help prepare the ingredients."

"I think he may. He's taken his responsibility in this organization very seriously. He's even gone so far as to start a support group for his department; and I think he's thinking about putting in a petition and request for money, so that safe houses can be built for full moons," Hermione said. She was still bothered by the argument, but was making an obvious effort to get over it. That was probably why she didn't protest when Harry had changed the subject so quickly.

"I think you should push for individual donations also. Call the campaign something like... 'Sponsor a Magical Being'; or... just ask them to make a donation for one of the many causes. It will be a way to raise money, and you could donate to potions masters who are looking for a cure for Lycanthropy. Many potions masters work for years in their free time to develop useful potions. If you donated money to their research, then they'd have more time for it, and would need to work less," Harry said, throwing ideas out. "Or," he said thinking, "I could just start a research potions lab, and all the profits it generated could go back into the organization. I would also be able to pay for potions masters," Harry mused.

"Harry, all of these are great ideas. M.I.S.S.E.D. is supposed to be a non-profit organization, so I'm not sure it could justify paying researchers. I like the second idea better. With the kind of money you have coming in, you could start a research lab, and never have to worry about losing a knut," she said approvingly.

"Why wouldn't I have to worry about losing a knut?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I'm your financial manager. Believe me: a small business like this isn't going to make a dent in your account. It seems that your funds increase by five percent every day. Most of this, at the moment, is due to your partnership in W.W.W.; but some of it is just interest. You'll never have to worry again about money," she said, as if she were tossing around the idea.

"Do you actually think anyone would want to work in a research field?"

"Of course! Most potions masters do. They just don't have the means to do so without making a little money, so they take jobs like Snape, and use their resources as they can," Hermione said logically. "Not to mention, with your name, potions masters may flock at the chance to work under you. You'd have to have a research supervisor; and the only potions master I know that is good enough for such a job is Snape."

"Well, since he won't have to work there, only make visits to check on progress, I'll talk to him about the idea later."

"Good. When you take out the ad in the Daily Prophet, just make sure you tell them that it is paid research. Oh, and don't forget to mention that you own the company. Your name can take you a long way," she said. Harry rolled his eyes at this. He was hearing things like this a lot lately; he hated being told by people to exploit his fame to get things done.

"So, from what I understand, you've looked over the marriage contract that Lucius bound Draco to?" Harry tried to ask casually.

"Yes."

"Can he get out of the contract if she can't give him an heir?"

"Of course. The fact that he could get out of it if she wasn't pure, was only in there because Lucius believed that his son should have a bride that waited for him. It's sexist, really. Draco could have been around the block and back, and he'd still be able to marry Pansy. The only reason we were looking for someone that would help break the contract was because we knew she was able to bear children. We didn't even touch on that aspect; but now that she can't - well, most likely can't - we can quit looking for someone to intervene," Hermione explained.

"Well, don't worry about sending Hedwig to Gringotts; I'll just give them the authorization while I'm there. I'll go now myself, so that I can open a new vault for the research lab. I still have to buy a place suitable for a lab, purchase the equipment, and hire the potions master; but I think we may have this done by the end of the week," he said, happy with their new idea.

"Do you want me to go down to the kitchens and ask the house-elves to fetch the ingredients, then? That way you can get back before dinner."

"Are you going to give them a hassle?"

"No!" she said, flustered and angry at the insinuation. Harry laughed softly at her.

"Okay, okay; I was only joking. Yes, please, go ask them to get the ingredients, and tell them what to get, how much, and what account to charge it to," he said. "Hey! Do you think I should start a greenhouse for magical plants and such? It will make it easier on the potions masters."

"Don't get in over your head yet, Harry. I think a greenhouse is a great idea, but until we get M.I.S.S.E.D. and the new potions lab off the ground, I think you should wait. No matter how much gold you have, it's never wise to waste it," she said wisely.

"Fine; here, take this," he said, handing her his bag, "I'll be back in about an hour, so tell the house- elves they can take their time," he said. She nodded; and with a puff of smoke, Harry was gone.

Harry appeared in the headmaster's office to find Albus in the middle of a conversation with Minister Amelia Bones. Harry didn't have to ask; he knew his face had turned beet red for causing so sudden an intrusion. Minister Bones nearly jumped out of her chair at the shock of his arrival; but Dumbledore just looked at him expectantly, as if he had known Harry was coming.

"Er... I'm sorry. Maybe I should start taking the stairs," he said, backing towards the door a little. "I'll just ask Professor McGonagall."

"Nonsense, Harry; you're my apprentice! You're allowed to pop in when you want," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingertips. Harry cast a cautious glance at the Minister before clearing his throat nervously.

"Well sir, I need to go to Diagon Alley to open a new account, and give the goblins authorization for a withdrawal. I was going to give you the wards, and ask if I need an escort," Harry said, darting his eyes to the Minister to see her reaction; she merely looked interested.

"May I ask, Harry, what the new account is for?" Albus asked kindly.

"Oh, yes - sorry. I'm starting a research lab for potions masters, in hopes that one of them can find a better potion for Lycanthropy. It will also give them time to research other remedies and such. I'm going to ask Professor Snape to supervise, paid of course," he added. "We also need enough Wolfsbane Potion made each month to be able to pass out for L.E.T.S. Hermione, Remus and I are taking care of it this time, but in the future we may not have time, and the clientele may suffer because of it. Remus is starting some safe houses with funds from M.I.S.S.E.D., so people with Lycanthropy can be stowed away safely; but it would still be easier with the potion," Harry summarized.

"I think it's an excellent idea, Harry. What do you think, Amelia?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh, I was quite surprised when you started the organization, and even more when I saw all the work that Miss Granger has put into it. And might I add, we are all very grateful for your work with the Goblins. They'll be sure to stay on our side now," Amelia said in praise.

"Yes, well, when I started it, I wasn't meaning to do that. I simply wanted justice for those who are considered magical creatures, but should be magical beings," Harry said. Here he was talking to the person that could simply veto any of the laws restricting the magical creatures, and she was talking about the war.

"Yes, of course. I'm sure Miss Granger will go far with the organization," she said. Harry wanted to scold her, but held his temper and tongue in check.

"So professor, should you floo someone to escort me, or am I okay to go by myself?" Harry asked, not wanting to converse with the Minister any more at the moment.

"Actually, I'll go with you. I've been in need of a bit of fresh air for a while now. I also have to speak with you about a few matters," Albus said, standing. Amelia looked somewhat confused for a moment as to why she had just been blown off, but reverted her facial expression back to her kind features rather quickly.

"Amelia, it's been a pleasure, though I wish it were under better circumstances," he said, taking her hand and helping her rise from her chair. Harry supposed this was his way of showing her out.

"Yes Albus, likewise," she said. She walked over to the grate and took a pinch of floo powder from the canister atop the mantel. "Mr. Potter," she said giving him a curt nod before throwing the powder into the grate and stepping in. "Ministry of Magic, Minister's Office," she said clearly, and was gone. Harry spoke immediately.

"Sorry I interrupted, sir, but I wanted to get this done quickly so I could get back here to start on the potion," Harry said.

"No problem, my dear boy. Now, should I make a Portkey, or are you up to taking us?" Albus asked.

"I'll do it; I've never fancied Portkeys," Harry said. Albus gave a small chuckle and nodded in understanding.

[Latest edit 4/18/04 - David305]