Harry Potter and the Amulet of the Moon

Chapter 2

One Last Visit

The next two days felt like two weeks to Harry, as he spent a great deal of time in the Auror Leader sanctuary, where time didn't move. He had long discussions with the portraits about training and tactics, and spent many hours reading ancient books to which they directed him. In addition, the tenth Leader had taken over soon after a war in which the Auror ranks had been decimated, and so had been in a similar situation to Harry: a war hero who had to recruit many new Aurors at the same time. The main difference was that that Leader's recruits had been almost a generation younger, while Harry's recruits were his contemporaries, leading to unique problems. Still, he found the Leader's experiences interesting and useful.

Harry was walking through Diagon Alley for the last time before the trip. He would not see the place again for a year, but had to remind himself that he would be back the next day, from the inhabitants' point of view. He passed by a cul-de-sac known informally as Gourmet Alley, as it contained nothing but a dozen mid- to high-end restaurants. The largest, at the far end, was called the Golden Dragon, and from the outside it looked even fancier than Malfoy Manor. He'd heard that the cheapest meal still cost more than ten Galleons, which was more than an average day's salary for most wizards. He imagined its interior had to be highly ornate and decorative. Not my kind of place, he thought. The owner had once stopped Harry in the street, introduced himself, and tried to invite Harry and whoever he chose to bring 'as our guest.' Harry assumed that meant he would not be expected to pay; he said as politely as possible that he would try to do so sometime. He wondered if the man had read the article on Harry that had appeared in Witch Weekly; Harry had made a point of saying (and of making sure that Pinter included it in the article) that he couldn't and wouldn't accept free service or merchandise from any business, much as he appreciated the intentions of those who made such offers. On telling the Leader portraits what he had said, he found that most thought he was being overly fussy and cautious, though the two most recent thought it was a good idea.

Turning down the next street, an owl flew over his head and dropped a letter in front of him. Harry absently wondered why some owls dropped their letters while others' were attached to their legs. He levitated it high enough to easily grasp it, then opened it. To his surprise, there were only three words: Malfoy Manor--NOW!

With a slight chuckle--surely no one else in England would speak to him in such a tone--Harry thought briefly of ignoring it, but realized that either it was important, or Malfoy was quite angry. In either case, his curiosity had been piqued. Shrugging, he Disapparated.

He appeared in front of Malfoy Manor, at the beginning of the brick path that led to the front door. He walked towards it, but a second later heard the popping of an Apparition. He turned to see Malfoy, who was wearing a slightly hostile expression.

"You rang?" asked Harry lightly, in a tone not meant to be snide, but to tweak Malfoy about the peremptory tone of his owl.

"You're fucking right I rang," responded Malfoy; Harry couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at Malfoy's use of language. Since Malfoy hadn't sworn much at Hogwarts, even when there were no teachers to overhear, Harry assumed that Malfoy was truly angry. "I want to know if you're being deceitful, or just an idiot."

It struck Harry as mildly interesting that he wasn't even slightly offended at Malfoy's insults. Since the conversation they'd had in which both had been under the influence of Veritaserum, they felt they understood each other. "Since I'm pretty sure I haven't been deceitful, it must be the second one, at least by your reckoning. So, what did I do?"

Malfoy stared in amazement. "You really don't know."

Harry shook his head. "But I'll admit, now I'm pretty curious."

Rolling his eyes, Malfoy gestured Harry to walk along another path, which seemed to lead to a garden a few dozen meters away from the mansion. "You told the Auror-lings that you asked me to join."

Harry gave Malfoy a sharp glance. "How do you know that?"

"Never mind how I know! It's true, right?"

"Yeah, it is! So what?"

Malfoy shook his head, as if unable to believe what he had heard. "You must be kidding. Yes, I know you're not. So, Potter, have a go. Why would you guess I'm ticked off about this?"

Harry paused to think it over. "You don't want any communication with me, or any part of it--even the parts I said--told to anyone else without your permission?"

Malfoy sighed. "Yes, of course, but that's not even the main thing. The problem is that you told them that you asked me. The mere fact that you asked me tells them more than I want them, or anyone, knowing. It tells them that you trust me, or at least, think it's possible that I could be trusted. I see that look on your face that says, what's wrong with that? What's wrong, Potter, is that there's a high level of confidentiality around the way you know that. You may not have repeated anything I said, but you gave information from which can be deduced things that I want to be the one to decide whether to reveal to people or not. Maybe I want to keep people guessing about my intentions, maybe I want shady characters to think I'm on their side. The point is, that's for me to decide, not you. What you told them betrayed my confidence, even if you didn't mean for it to."

Harry thought it over, and was chagrined to realize that there was nothing Malfoy had said that he could dispute. Making eye contact with Malfoy, he said simply, "You're right. I apologize."

Malfoy's eyebrows rose; he apparently hadn't expected that. "You shouldn't have done that, I was going to rake you over the coals some more."

Amused at having taken the wind out of Malfoy's sails, he responded, "Sorry about that. Do go on."

"Ah, never mind. Now, damage control. Did you say anything else?"

"No."

"Are they likely to spread it around?"

"I don't think so. I'm surprised it even got back to you in the first place. I was very specific in saying to them that anything I said wasn't to leave the room."

"Next time, mention the part about making sure no one can deduce it by other things they do or say," said Malfoy humorously.

"Good point," agreed Harry. "So, are you going to tell me how you heard?"

Malfoy shrugged. "Ah, you'd probably find out anyway, he'll probably admit it. I ran into Boot an hour ago in Diagon Alley, and he just sort of spitted it out. 'So Malfoy, I heard you almost became an Auror.' Imagine my surprise. Thank Merlin no one was around. I just denied it, let him have a few insults, and got out of there."

"Ah, I see. He probably thought it was okay to mention it because you already knew, so nobody new was finding out. Well, I'll talk to them, let them know that was my fault, and warn them not to make the same mistake themselves. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that no one else will let it slip, but I'll ask them and make sure."

"Why did you tell them, anyway?"

"An example of the fact that they weren't going to agree with everything I did."

"Good example," agreed Malfoy. "So, how do you like being Auror Leader?"

Harry chuckled humorlessly. "It's weird. I have to learn ten million things, have this huge responsibility and pressure. I have huge popular support, but it's hard to take satisfaction in that, because I know it can change. And... not the Auror-lings, as you call them, but a lot of the people in Diagon Alley are trying really hard to kiss my ass. Which isn't as much fun as you'd think."

"I could get used to it," said Malfoy, with a small grin. "But I get why you don't like it. They're just out for something, which is something I'd take for granted, but you probably aren't used to yet. It's funny, we had that conversation about influence, then without trying, you go from having big influence to being the most influential person in society for the next half-century. If the people in Diagon Alley knew what I know about you, they'd treat you like a normal person, and it'd work better, you'd like them a lot more."

Harry nodded. "True. A few of them do, and they're the ones I like."

"So, why did you decide to bump Umbridge out of her Undersecretary seat?"

Harry had already been told by Kingsley that it was well known throughout the political world that she had resigned at Harry's instigation. "Yeah, it seems I wasn't subtle enough about that."

"About as subtle as a brick through a window," agreed Malfoy. "C'mon, you're seen talking to her at St. Mungo's, then she resigns the next day. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. So, why?"

"Mainly because she deserved it--she deserved worse, really--for what she did to Muggles during the Voldemort time. And trying to kill me, of course. Also, to open up an Undersecretary slot for Kingsley to fill, so he has at least one supporter, and doesn't have to worry about a coup so much." A Minister could be deposed by the unanimous agreement of all the undersecretaries, though it rarely actually happened.

"They'd never dare," said Malfoy. "Not with you supporting him publicly. I'm not surprised by your answer, but it's funny as hell. Some people in the political world were saying that what you did was a master stroke." Malfoy giggled slightly at the thought. "Since pushing her out was the first thing you did as Leader, they thought that you were deliberately asserting your influence, making an example of her, to say that they shouldn't cross you. And she was the perfect one to do it to, since you had the goods on her. And, you had just saved her life, so that made it even better! He saves her life, then cuts her off at the knees. Don't screw with him." Malfoy chuckled. "If they only knew."

"You won't tell them, will you?"

"Not cheaply, anyway."

Harry grinned, understanding that Malfoy was kidding, and that both clearly understood that all conversations were confidential. "Of course, I should have known." Having reached the garden area, he looked up to see a dozen rows of what looked like small trees, the tallest of which was no taller than twelve feet. "What are these?"

"They're coffee plants. This is one of the rarest varieties in the world."

"I thought coffee couldn't grow in England."

"Well, Potter, there's this thing called 'magic,' and you use it--"

"Very funny."

They chatted for ten more minutes before Harry left, reflecting that Malfoy would be one of the few people he could just be himself with when he talked, without worrying about rank or responsibility or appearances. Funny world, he thought.

* * * * *

At 6:00 that evening, he Apparated to the Park and found all the Auror recruits in the lounge in which he'd talked to them two days ago. A quick head count revealed fifteen. Harry breathed a slight sigh of relief; no one had decided to back out.

"Okay, I have a few things to say before we go. First, I got an angry owl from Malfoy wanting to know why I told people that I offered him--"

Harry cut himself off as Terry Boot raised his hand. "I'm sorry, that was my fault," he said, going on to relate the incident in Diagon Alley much as Malfoy had. "I realized afterwards that I shouldn't have done it, and by his denial that it was something he didn't want people knowing."

Harry nodded. "We live and learn. And thank you for admitting that it was you. It's not as though I'm never going to make mistakes, and I'll tolerate them a lot better if you admit it and try to find out where you went wrong than if you deny them, or are too defensive, like, I couldn't possibly make a mistake." Relating something he'd been told by the Leader portraits--something he imagined he'd be doing a lot, given that he was getting the benefit of centuries of accumulated wisdom--he added, "Making a mistake is a problem, but a much bigger problem is failing to recognize the mistake, and making the same mistake repeatedly. Back to the Malfoy thing, I shouldn't have told you what I did, since I had an understanding with him that I inadvertently broke. So you can learn from my mistake, and not only don't repeat something private, but don't do or say anything that allows someone to guess the private thing. And as for Malfoy himself, don't draw any conclusions about him. If you deal with him in the future, don't assume you can trust him. He has an understanding with me, but not with you.

"Now, as you know, Kingsley and Hestia are coming with us. I already said that Kingsley is a former Auror there, not the Minister. Hestia is an Auror, but she has no authority over you except for any that I specifically give her, which I might in some situations. But they are the only people alive with Auror experience, so we'll all do well to listen carefully to what they have to say.

"I also want to say... when I was in Japan from June to September, I found that it was a very group-oriented culture, compared to ours, in which the individual is more important. That was strange to me, and it took me a while to get used to living there. There are bad points to it: people can't really be themselves, if they're pretty different from most people. They have to pretend they're like everyone else. Their choice of actions is much more restricted than ours. But there are also good points, for example, greater social security, a feeling of belonging, comfort in numbers. I mention this because we're a group now, and I hope we can have a group feeling. I don't want anyone to repress their individuality, but I do want us to keep strongly in mind that we are a group, and that we have responsibilities to each other as well as to society. So let's take our relationships with each other seriously, be honest with each other, but not offensive if we can help it. If someone criticizes you, think about it carefully and don't take it as an insult. If someone insults you... well, there shouldn't be any of that. Tell them you felt insulted; maybe it was a misunderstanding. But never say to yourself, 'I don't give a damn if I don't get along with Auror Smith or Auror Jones.' It should matter. If you don't like someone, get to know them better. You might find something you like."

"Like you and Malfoy?" asked George with a knowing look.

Harry grinned. "No comment. Lastly, I want to bring the other people who are coming. I'll escort them in by Apparition, one at a time."

Harry disappeared, reappearing in a few seconds arm in arm with Luna. "Hello, everyone," said Luna cheerfully. "It's nice to be with you."

There was a chorus of friendly greetings. "So, why are you coming along?" asked George.

"To talk to my father," said Luna simply.

This drew some puzzled looks. "Is this the thing that you said was Luna's private matter?" asked Padma.

Harry nodded. "Not anymore, apparently."

Luna glanced at him in surprise. "I'm sorry, should I not have said anything?"

Harry grinned. "No, it's fine. I meant it was up to you. Next..." He Disapparated again, then reappeared, holding the arm of Cho Chang. Harry could see the surprise on many faces. Cho waved at the group as Harry spoke again. "Cho is here mostly in a medical capacity. She's spent the last year or so in the Healer training program, and her job is to look after the medical condition of everyone who goes. Only healthy, mostly young people are going, so she shouldn't be very busy with that, but she'll be able to take care of most types of non-major injuries or diseases, things like that."

Ernie raised a hand. "That reminds me, I was thinking yesterday, what happens if there's a life-threatening illness or injury while we're there?"

"Of course, that has been thought of," said Harry. "Soon after we arrive, Kingsley will fly to Australia. There are a few small islands between ours and there that he can hop between by Apparating, to save some time, but it'll still take twelve hours of flying time. Landing in Australia, he'll set up a long-range Portkey in an isolated spot within Apparition range of a hospital, well camouflaged. Then, he'll take the Portkey back here. The danger to the timeline is minimal, since records show that there was no travel between England and Australia during the Voldemort time. Still, we take the timeline danger seriously, because it's so grave. That Portkey will only be used in a critical situation, and we don't expect to have to use it at all.

"Back to Cho, she's also responsible for teaching everyone first aid, which all Aurors should know. She and Padma, it turns out, share an interest in nutritional science, which I didn't even know was a kind of science, but anyway, they know spells which will increase the nutritional content of the food we're bringing, which as you know has already been purchased and miniaturized."

"Do you know any spells that will help the taste of the food?" asked George hopefully, to chuckles. "Non-fresh, miniaturized food doesn't sound like the most appetizing thing in the world."

"This is the individuality I was talking about earlier," said Harry wryly.

"I just said what I'm sure most people were thinking," protested George.

"Well, maybe. No, this year is not going to be a gourmet's delight. But this is a sacrifice you make for society."

"I hope society appreciates it," grumbled George.

"Probably not specifically," answered Harry. "But Aurors are given a lot of respect by society, and it's partly for things like this, even if they don't know the specifics. You all may have had some experience already where people treated you differently because you've been selected, which I assume most people know about." Half a dozen heads nodded in agreement.

"Not to criticize you," said Parvati, "but just so you know, Lavender wasn't happy that you didn't even talk to her about this."

Surprised, Harry asked, "Is there anyone here who thinks I should have chosen Lavender?" It was well known, he thought, that Lavender had been one of the weakest DA members.

"That's not what I meant," said Parvati, annoyed. "Not that you didn't choose her, but that you didn't talk to her."

"What's the point of talking to her if I had no intention of choosing her?"

Cho spoke. "I think the idea is, you could have let her down easy," she said, as Parvati nodded. "Not that you had to offer her a spot, but talk to her, ask what she intended to do in the future, tell her you might ask her for help sometimes, like that. Since you talked to almost every DA member, she felt bad that you didn't talk to her. It's not a bad thing to keep in mind for the future."

Harry nodded, recalling that the Leader portraits had emphasized the quality of empathy as one most needed by an Auror Leader. He also realized that Lavender might have been especially stung as the only member of that year's Gryffindor class not joining the Aurors. "I will," he said. "Anyway, Cho will also be helping Luna in the general 'things that need to get done' area. They'll be gathering fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables, which there are on the island but not enough to have every day. There are also some animals, like pigs, chickens, and turkeys, and of course we can fish."

"How did chickens and pigs get to a South Pacific island?" wondered George. "Well, okay, the chickens flew, but the pigs?"

"It's been used for purposes like this before," Harry acknowledged, getting the thrust of George's question. "Luna is... less than fond of the idea of slaughtering animals, so Cho will--"

"No, I've changed my mind," said Luna. "I'll help with that."

"Are you sure?" asked Harry.

Luna nodded determinedly. "It's not fair to make Cho do all of it. If I eat meat, and I do, then I should be able to do that."

"I was going to say," put in Harry, "that Kingsley tells me that this is something every Auror should know how to do, in case you're in the jungle in some survival situation. I know, there are no jungles in England, but you get the idea. That kind of training isn't usually in the first three years, since it's not that important, but since we'll be there anyway... Cho and Luna will have the main responsibility, but all of us, including me, will be taking our turns."

He paused, trying to think of anything that he felt he should say that he hadn't said yet. "Oh, yes... not that this'll be relevant, but I'm told that it's important that while we're back in time, there be no further disruptions in the 'space-time continuum,' I think was the phrase used. Basically, that one disruption was not specifically dangerous, but one on top of another could have a..." he paused to remember, "a geometric effect on space-time. So, for example, nobody should get the idea that we should use the Time-Turner for any reason once we've already used it the first time. Not that we would, but I'm just saying, it's important not to."

Harry confirmed again that no one had any allergies, medication needs, or other conditions or requirements that would present a problem for being separated from most of society for a year. Satisfied, he announced that Kingsley and Hestia would now arrive. He Disapparated, then came back in a few seconds with the two, both of whom were wearing shoulder bags that they put down.

Harry sat on the edge of a nearby easy chair as Kingsley addressed the group. "Hello. I've met some of you, though not all; I'd say introductions aren't really necessary now, as we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other.

"I'm speaking to you right now as Minister. Once we're on the island, I'll just be Kingsley. And on the subject of titles, I should say that when you're speaking in public, or to people you don't know well, you should--this is a suggestion, not a command, since even as Minister I'm not in a position to tell you what to do--you should refer to Harry as 'Leader Potter.' Harry's not the type who stands on ceremony, but sometimes it's a good idea to emphasize his role, because it's a very serious thing. He has a grave responsibility, the responsibility to keep society safe. In helping him, you are also serving that function. Whether your motive for joining was that, or to help Harry specifically, as Minister--the representative of the people--I want to thank you officially for helping him shoulder this burden.

"All right, that's all I have to say as Minister, but I do mean it as well. Harry, all the supplies are in the room," he said, pointing his wand at a tall, thin object that looked like a hat rack with no hooks on which to hang hats, "and the two-way Portkey is now active. So, everyone should move on out."

Harry nodded. "Kingsley, you go first; I'll go last." Not that he expected there to be any stragglers, but it just seemed like a good idea in general. Everyone picked up their bag or backpack, and one by one or two by two grasped the pole and disappeared. When all had gone, Harry finally did so.

Arriving in the large room, Harry deactivated the Portkey as he heard Kingsley already speaking. "We're in the Foreign Ministry, what they call the Departure Lounge. Sometimes diplomats travel great distances to other countries, and of course, they don't do it by flying. This opens up a portal leading to another spot on the globe. Usually, it's set to the exact coordinates of another country's foreign ministry, and both sides must agree before any travel can take place. It's rare to use it as we are now; the Foreign Ministry is rather protective of this system, since it could cause an international incident if misused. In fact, even though I'm the Minister, I got a lot of resistance when I said it would be used without their oversight. Only when I told them that the Auror Leader wanted it did they stop their protests."

"Bet they still complained among themselves," said Harry.

"Probably doing it right now," agreed Kingsley as he operated the controls. "Harry, longitude and latitude, please?"

Harry stepped over and entered the numbers on the paper he had brought from the Auror Leader sanctuary: -9.139455 latitude, 166.378981 longitude. He entered them carefully, then checked them again.

"Why is Harry doing it?" wondered Padma.

"Because the island's location is secret," said Kingsley. "No one but Auror Leaders can know it, and no one but Aurors should even know that it exists."

"What if Harry enters the information wrong?" asked Parvati, seeming to be trying to control nervousness.

Without looking up from his checking, Harry answered, "Then, we go for a swim in the warm South Pacific." Now looking up at her, he added, deadpan, "You can swim, right?"

A few people exchanged concerned glances; George grinned. "Harry! You're developing a sense of humor! Fred will be proud. Can't wait to tell him."

Now, Harry smiled. "Don't worry, these coordinates are accurate to six decimal places, and I've checked three times. Hermione, how far is a millionth of a degree longitude?

She thought for a few seconds. "A few feet. Pretty accurate."

A few people gaped at her, including Ron. "You can do it that fast?"

"There are formulas in Arithmancy," explained Padma, as Hermione nodded.

Harry pulled a lever, and the far wall lit up; a view of the path from where they stood to their destination started to unfold in front of them, as if the leading edge of the path was a camera. It sped over land for a few seconds, then there was nothing but water. Looking at a globe, Kingsley said, "The first land we see should be the U.S., Florida State, followed by the Gulf of Mexico, then Mexico."

A minute in, there was land for another few seconds, then water, then land, then water again. "Now, nothing but water until our destination."

It was hard to get a sense of movement now, as the water remained more or less constant; the only difference to be seen was cloud cover changing. After another minute, the Auror recruits watching raptly, the scene finally reached a halt. The sun shone over a calm, blue ocean.

The recruits exchanged glances. "Where is it?" asked Ginny.

"I thought that might happen," said Kingsley. "We can't see it. Presumably, we will see it when we get there."

"Presumably?" repeated George, feigning concern.

"I have to be first," announced Harry. "As soon as I set foot on it, we'll all be able to see it. I mean, we're all going together, but I have to be at the head of the line. Kingsley, you'll take up the rear." Harry realized that this was an interesting opportunity to take the measure of his comrades. Many, like Ron and Hermione, were unruffled, obviously trusting in Harry completely. Others, especially Corner, Parvati, and Seamus, seemed to be trying to affect the expressions the others came by naturally.

Kingsley gestured them to a very long golden... it didn't look to Harry like a rope exactly, but it was the closest thing he could think of. Cable, perhaps. "Everyone wraps this around their body three times, with twenty feet in between," instructed Kingsley. "If somebody falls off--which, believe me, isn't going to happen--we'll just pull them back up. We'll also be attaching these crates, with the miniaturized supplies, and the crates of course have been made virtually weightless. The rope is strictly a precaution, always used when large numbers are traveling over water."

Harry wrapped it around his waist, over his shoulder across his body, and around his waist again. One at a time, everyone else did so, and ten minutes later, they were finally ready.

He walked into the wall; there was no massive movement at first, and he realized things wouldn't start zipping by until everyone was on the path. About a half a minute later, the familiar feeling kicked in, and land was zooming by on all sides. He heard a few exclamations of surprise at the unusual sensation; a few people said 'wow!' and 'cool!'

Harry didn't talk while he walked. He had the impulse to look behind him, but decided not to, that if there was any problem he would hear about it. He headed straight down the path. Land, water land... Florida, Mexico, he remembered Kingsley saying.

Finally, the accelerated movement stopped. He continued walking, apparently into the water... even though he knew his foot would hit land, his body prepared to fall in... the water was firm--as soon as his foot touched it, he was surrounded by land, trees... they were there! He had been sure, but it was another thing to see the island come to life around him. He walked a few feet ahead and turned, trying to make sure there was enough room for those behind him to comfortably come out. He started to unwrap the rope, and was soon free.

He saw some people putting down the boxes; soon, the last person had emerged from the portal. They were not far from a beach, perhaps 20 meters. The ground under their feet was partly sand but mostly dirt. A dense patch of trees was not too far away, the weather was sunny and warm. He looked up; seagulls were flying, along with one somewhat larger bird. Harry noticed that it was orange; could it be a phoenix? Did they live on this island?

"Okay, everyone, gather around," said Harry. "Time to go back." He had already agreed with Kingsley and the Leader portraits that they would go back in time as soon as they got there, so there would be less chance that the group, once they had made it back to the current time naturally, would accidentally come across themselves as they were now.

Everyone stood in a circle, with the large boxes in the center of the circle. The golden cord was wrapped around the group several times, the ends tied together, and the Time-Turner attached to the cord. Harry's spell caused both to glow, a glow that extended to all of the people, and the boxes in the center. Everything would go back as it was supposed to.

"Here we go," said Harry. The Time-Turner had been modified to work in increments of years rather than hours. Harry gave it one turn.

When he had used it before, things whizzed by them, super-fast, in reverse. This time nothing seemed to happen; he wondered if the group never ventured near this area, or if they were going back so fast that individual actions couldn't be seen. He could see trees and other plants getting smaller.

Finally it stopped. There was no discernible difference, but Harry was satisfied that it had worked. It should now be October 7, 1997.

"Hey, look!" shouted Neville. A phoenix descended rapidly, heading towards the group.

"Is that Fawkes?" asked Padma. Harry realized he had no idea, since he had never seen another phoenix; for all he knew, they could all look exactly alike.

The phoenix swooped past the group at eye level, coming to a halt in front of Harry. Hovering in front of him, its back to him, its tail feathers were just a foot in front of Harry's face.

Kingsley walked over to get a look from the front. "This is Fawkes, I'm almost certain."

"What does he want?" asked Parvati.

Harry had no doubt. "I'm supposed to grab onto his tail feathers. He's going to take me somewhere." He started to reach out, but Kingsley held up a hand. "Harry, you might want to take a few minutes, think this through. Phoenixes can teleport, and you don't know that he won't inadvertently do something to endanger the timeline. It's an unknown element of risk--"

Fawkes shook his hind quarters, causing his long tail to whip back and forth. Ron and Hermione had walked over, and were standing next to Harry. "I think that means there's no time to lose," said Harry.

Kingsley moved to walk in between Harry and Fawkes. He didn't shove Harry, but moved to within a few inches of him, a distance that caused most people to unconsciously back off. Harry, however, wasn't going to. "Stand back!" he barked at Kingsley who, taken aback, abruptly did so.

"I know Fawkes," said Harry firmly. Fawkes had stopped the tail movement, but continued to hover where he was. "He saved my life once, and I'm sure he wouldn't do anything to endanger me or something important to me, like the timeline. Professor Dumbledore said once that phoenixes know the best thing to do, and that's what I'm going to assume here. I'm doing this." Harry reached out and grabbed the tail. Fawkes started flying, and in a bright flash of light, he and Harry were suddenly gone.

* * * * *

Harry was suddenly near the ceiling of a room--a very familiar one. Even before he looked down, he felt he knew where he was, as the smell, while being nothing he could pin down--slightly musty, perhaps--was associated with this room. He looked down as they descended, and his hunch proved correct: they were in the headmaster's office. As they reached the floor, Harry saw to his alarm that the person behind the desk was Albus Dumbledore.

Mild panic hit him as he realized that in October 1997, Dumbledore had already been dead for four months... could Fawkes have taken him back in time?

Dumbledore looked up, and appeared equally shaken. "Harry? But this is not... why would Fawkes..." He then gaped as he saw Harry's Auror robe, with the insignia of the Auror Leader near the collar on the left side. "Auror Leader?"

He immediately took out his wand and pointed it at Harry's forehead. Harry couldn't see the result, but saw from Dumbledore's expression that it confirmed what the collar indicated. "Professor, what--"

Dumbledore cut him off with a gesture as he reached for a long, thin metallic instrument that reminded Harry of a conductor's baton, too thin to be a magic wand. He pointed it at Harry's head, then broke out into a smile. "It is gone! The Horcrux is gone! You are... from the future?"

Dumbfounded, Harry nodded. Dumbledore's grin became even more radiant. "Then you survived! My dear boy, I cannot tell you how pleased I am to know this. I did not dare hope... and Auror Leader! But you are still so young! Harry, what is your age?"

"Professor, I really shouldn't say anything. If we damage the timeline--"

"Fear not, my boy. I would not do anything to damage such a happy future. Voldemort is defeated?" Harry nodded; Dumbledore closed his eyes in triumph. "Oh, thank you Harry, and thank you, Fawkes, for letting me know this. You know that I do not have much time left. I can die truly at peace."

Despite Dumbledore's assurances, Harry still felt slightly panicked at the notion that the timeline was in serious danger; the Leader portraits had hammered the message home strongly. Now, it seemed, there were dozens of ways in which it could be irreparably damaged. What if Snape were to suddenly walk in... "Professor, when is this?"

"It is late June, 1997, the end of your sixth year at Hogwarts. In one hour, I will call on you--the younger you, of course--to join me on a quest to procure one of the Horcruxes." Dumbledore eyed Harry carefully, noting Harry's mild cringe and his eyes. "I gather from your face that today is to be my last. Is it not?"

"Professor, please!" Harry nearly pleaded. "The timeline's already in enough trouble as it is--"

"Harry!" said Dumbledore, generating a more commanding tone without raising his voice. "You have my absolute vow that no matter what you tell me, nothing will change. I believe this is why Fawkes felt it safe--he certainly would not have done this if it would destroy the timeline--for if I am to die in a matter of hours, there is little damage I could do even if I chose to. However, nothing will change. Now, do you believe me? Do you trust me?"

Confronted so directly, Harry found he had little choice. Exhaling a deep breath he hadn't noticed taking, he said, "Yes." The extra words 'I trusted you even when you sent me to my death' almost came to his lips, but this had already been discussed in the King's Cross meeting, and it would wound Dumbledore, who had really had no other reasonable options, to no good purpose. With a little difficulty, Harry held his tongue.

"Good. Now, how old are you?"

Harry paused for a few seconds. "Eighteen years, two months." He went on to explain why Kingsley had thrown him into the test; Dumbledore nodded. "We had feared Voldemort might tempt some Aurors, but we did not expect he would be as successful as he was, or, will be.

"Now, Harry, you must tell me all of what is to happen today, so I can be careful to replicate it as exactly as possible. All will happen as it did, but extra care must be taken, I'm sure you will agree."

Restraining the urge to protest yet again--he felt at this point he had no choice but to completely trust Dumbledore, and Fawkes--he launched into an account of that fateful day. Dumbledore listened carefully and, at the end nodded, satisfied. "Severus did me, and Mr. Malfoy, a great service. How did Mr. Malfoy fare, after these events?

Harry gave a brief account of Malfoy's activities, finishing with, "It looks very much like he's going to take a different path than his father."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good, very good. Again, as much as I could have hoped for. And Severus?"

Harry shook his head. "Killed by Voldemort, less that a day before Voldemort's death."

Dumbledore glanced down in sorrow. "I almost expected it; it somehow seems karmically appropriate, payment for his past sins. It also seemed as though he could never be truly happy, so it was as well for him to die doing what was right."

After a short silence, Harry asked, "Professor, why did Fawkes bring me here? I mean, I'm glad it gives you the peace it does, but I can't understand why he would bring me back in time, take all these risks, just for that reason."

"Again, Harry, phoenixes know the 'right' thing to do. How did Fawkes know to come to you in the Chamber of Secrets? He simply knew. There are many things about phoenixes that we do not truly understand. You may rest assured that he would not act in any way that was not for the good.

"As to his exact purpose, he may not even know precisely; as in the Chamber, it is simply the best thing to do. But I have one suspicion that may shed a little light... Fawkes, what do you think?"

Fawkes, who had perched on the stand near Dumbledore's desk, promptly flew over to the desk and perched on Harry's forearm. Smiling, Harry lifted his arm up a little to get a better view; Fawkes did not move.

Dumbledore also smiled. "I thought as much. Fawkes has been 'my' phoenix, inasmuch as one can own a phoenix, which one cannot. Phoenixes are very peaceful and sensitive creatures, and with their teleporting abilities, cannot be captured. They choose whom they accompany, and I was honored to have Fawkes as my companion for many years. As I hoped he would, he will now look after you. It is in keeping with their character; phoenixes are fiercely loyal to the one they are with, and you have been no less loyal to me over the years... even when I was not as deserving of such loyalty as I might wish to be. Fawkes now rewards you, and me, by switching that allegiance to you, now that I am soon to be gone. Be selective in what you ask him for; phoenixes usually only involve themselves in human affairs in matters of great importance. But if something is of great importance to you, though it might not be to others, he will likely oblige you. Never take him for granted, and always keep in mind that his presence is an honor."

Staring at Fawkes, Harry nodded. "I will, Professor. Thank you. But I'm wondering, it's been over a year since you died, and Fawkes hasn't been heard from all that time. But as soon as I went back in time one year--me and half of the DA members, it's a long story--on an island in the South Pacific, Fawkes was waiting for me, ready to take me here. Why not just join me after you died? Did he need to mourn?"

"No, Harry," said Dumbledore. "The reason, I am sure, lies in what you possessed then but now, do not." At Harry's blank look, Dumbledore extended a long finger, pointing at Harry's scar. "The Horcrux. If you have killed them all, you know that nothing less than evil incarnate lies in each one. As I said, phoenixes are sensitive. Much as he may have wished to, Fawkes could not have spent time near you consistently while you remained burdened with the Horcrux inside your head. He could not tolerate its presence for long periods of time. He endured it long enough to help you in the Chamber, for example, but the longer he endures such a thing, the harder it is for him. Even though in the Chamber it was relatively inactive, since Voldemort had not yet returned, he could still sense its presence. When I had the one that cost me my hand, he was nowhere to be found. If you have gone back in time--and I would love to hear the story, but I fear we have not the time for it--then it means that the time he met you was his first opportunity to do so with you in a Horcrux-less state. Was it not?"

Harry slowly nodded. "Yes, it was. And it makes sense. But I still don't understand why he brought me here."

Now Dumbledore regarded Fawkes. "I do not know, Harry. All I can tell you is, while it may take one month, one year, or ten years, one day you will know. You will look back and say, if Fawkes had not done that, such-and-such would have happened, and how fortunate it is that it did not. I suspect that it is partly for my peace of mind, Fawkes's kind good-bye present to me. It may in part be to allow me to explain this to you, though I am not telling you anything you could not find in a book. But I am sure there is a reason."

Harry was suddenly conscious that in a way this was Fawkes's gift to him as well, a chance to talk to the living Dumbledore, not the portrait, one last time. "Professor," he said, speaking slowly, "I know... that you set me on this task, finding the Horcruxes... knowing that it would end in my death, and that you felt you couldn't tell me." Harry could see surprise on Dumbledore's face, and remembered that he would not know this if not for having seen Snape's memories, something that Dumbledore didn't know about. "I just wanted to say, I understand why you did it. If I'd been in your position, I might have done the same thing. I'm sure you weren't happy to do it."

Dumbledore looked very affected. "That, my dear boy, is the understatement of the century. It broke my heart. I did tell Severus, who seemed to sense a coldness on my part. I chose not to share my feelings with him, but it pained me greatly. Harry... there is something I should tell you, now that we are both gone, about Severus, why he did what he did--"

"My mother," interrupted Harry, who went on to explain having seen Snape's memories.

Dumbledore nodded, then looked at a timepiece. "We have ten minutes. I do feel as though I used him somewhat, perhaps unjustly; one could say I manipulated his feelings. At the same time, however, I feel as though I was giving him a reason to do the right thing, when the easier thing to do would have been to follow the path he had been following."

"I guess we all do what we think is right," mused Harry.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Interesting. Some people arguably do not--when a wizard turns toward darkness, is he doing it because he thinks it is 'right'? Because it suits the darkness in his heart? Or, as in the case of one like Bellatrix Lestrange, because she is arguably mentally ill? But on the other hand, some might define 'right' not as what is good or best, as we might, but as what is best for them at that time, or what their wounded ego tells them to do. Perhaps it feels 'right' to them.

"Well, the time Fawkes has given us is almost gone. I want to say, Harry, that this time has meant a lot to me. I depart knowing the future is in safe hands. Do not worry; all will go as it should."

"Thank you, Professor," said Harry, emotion rising. "It meant a lot to me too. Even if Fawkes did it for only that reason, I think it would be enough."

"I agree, of course. And Harry... as Auror Leader... trust your intuition. I do not mean in preference to facts or ethics, but where facts and ethics provide insufficient guidance. Distrust your ego, your pride. If you feel your pride demands such-and-such behavior, that is reason to give even more careful examination to whether such-and-such behavior should really be done. More often than not, I believe, it will turn out that it should not. And please keep in mind what I said after Voldemort came back--"

"To do what is difficult and right, not what's easy and wrong," Harry quoted. "I remember."

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, since you are Auror Leader, it means that you have done the most difficult and right thing that can be done," he said solemnly. "I hope you will model such behavior for society. The more people do that, the better off we all will be."

"I'll do my best," said Harry as they both stood.

"It is difficult to say goodbye, Harry," said Dumbledore heavily; Harry thought he saw tears behind Dumbledore's eyes. "I would very much like to believe that I will see you again." He extended a hand.

Remembering King's Cross, Harry smiled as he shook the hand warmly. "I believe you will. Be well, Albus."

"And you, my young friend," responded Dumbledore, as Fawkes hovered next to Harry, tail feathers protruding. Not wanting to string out the goodbye, Harry reached out and grasped the tail. Fawkes flapped his wings, they rose,

And they were back at the island, but not the place from which they had departed. Fawkes deposited Harry on the ground, a very large grassy area that Harry estimated to be the size of one or one and a half British Muggle football pitches. He'd been told of this part of the island by the Leader portraits, and had in turn told Kingsley a few days before they'd left. It was where Harry intended to set up the shelters, establish the common area for eating outdoors, and conduct practices.

"Harry!" shouted Hermione and a few others. The group, bags and crates in tow, were approaching his location.

"Oh, good, you found it," said Harry. "How long have I been gone?" Those at the back hurried forward to see and hear Harry.

"About an hour," said Kingsley. "What happened?"

Harry would have preferred to wait until they were all settled in, but he could understand their curiosity and concern. "He took me back to talk to Dumbledore, on the day he died."

Many people gaped. "Further back in time?" Ernie gasped. "Isn't that dangerous?" Harry saw a very concerned look on Kingsley's face, but Kingsley said nothing.

"Dumbledore assured me, more than once, that nothing would change," Harry told them. "He also said that Fawkes wouldn't have done it if it would change the timeline."

"Can you take his word for that?" Ernie persisted. "I mean, he was about to die... could he have just wanted to see you, and asked Fawkes to go to the future and get you--"

"He wouldn't risk the timeline like that for selfish reasons!" said Harry firmly.

"But, I was going to say, maybe he persuaded himself that it wasn't risky when it really was. Did you tell him anything?"

Becoming slightly irritated by Ernie's tone, Harry answered the question anyway. "He asked; I told him everything."

Ernie's mouth fell open. "And you don't think it's possible that a man who's about to die might get cold feet, and use the information to change things around? Who wouldn't be tempted to do that? That's an enormous risk to take!"

Harry took a deep breath, struggling not to lash out at Ernie. Control your emotions at all times, the Leader portraits had said. Easy for them to say, Harry now thought. About to point out that he knew things that Ernie didn't, Harry suddenly had another idea. Turning to his left, he asked, "Hermione, what do you think?" As he spoke, Fawkes settled on Harry's right shoulder.

Smiling a little, gesturing at the phoenix, she said, "I think Fawkes is giving an opinion, right now. But my answer is that even if you don't trust Dumbledore," she glanced at Ernie, "you can trust Fawkes. Phoenixes are well known for doing the right thing, and he just wouldn't have done this if he thought Dumbledore was going to abuse it. Of course, if Dumbledore was the kind of person who would do that, Fawkes wouldn't have been with him in the first place. I've read about phoenixes, and they only stay with people who have a very high moral grounding. So, while it's not 100% risk-free, I'm comfortable with what happened."

Wondering if others would think she was defending Harry only out of friendship, he asked, "If you didn't agree with me, you'd say so, right?"

Surprised and amused, she responded, "You've met me, right?"

This got some chuckles, including from Harry. "Just making sure."

"What did you talk about?" asked Padma.

Harry shook his head. "Look, I'll tell you about it later, but right now we've got a lot to do. So, let's get going on that. Tents should go over here, twelve in all, two rows of six..."

* * * * *

Having left in the evening but arrived in the morning, local time, they were starting to get tired by mid-afternoon, after several hours spent setting things up. Eight of the tents would be Auror quarters, the fifteen trainees plus Hestia. One would be shared by Luna and Cho, who not being Auror trainees wouldn't have their living arrangements randomized; one would go to Kingsley, and one to Harry. The last one would be used as storage, and as an indoor group eating and meeting space in case of rain. For the most part, group activities would be held outdoors.

A long table, not very fancy as it was made for all weather conditions, was set up about ten meters from the tents, very close to the food preparation area. It was slightly oblong in the center, so everyone could see everyone else even though it wasn't a circle. After most basic things were set up, most everyone was hungry, and the miniaturized, pre-cooked food was taken out. Each package contained a specific set of dishes; this group was Chicken Kiev, scalloped potatoes, and sliced carrots in sauce. Dishes and implements would be conjured, a skill currently possessed by Kingsley, Hestia, Angelina, and Seamus.

They sat at the table, ten on each side. Harry made an effort to be among the first to sit, and chose the middle; he didn't want to be seen as choosing to sit near anyone in particular. As it happened, however, Ron and Hermione sat on either side of him. I guess it's natural, he thought, all those years at Hogwarts, they might do it without thinking about it.

"This stuff isn't as bad as I was afraid it would be," commented Corner after his first bite.

"No, pretty good, actually," agreed Dean.

"It should be, it's fairly expensive," said Kingsley. "I had a hard time trying to get together the supplies for this mission, especially this part. The Ministry Budget Department didn't want to let go of the money for this when I wouldn't explain what I wanted it for. 22,000 of these meals isn't a small amount, of food or of money."

Ron spoke up after finishing a bite. "I thought the Minister could do pretty much anything he wanted."

Kingsley grunted. "Pretty much, yes. The exception is when it comes to spending money. For that, the Minister has to have some real clout, which I seem to lack these days."

"Couldn't you have had Harry talk to them, get him to get them to do it?"

"I would've if I'd had to. For him, they'd have done it. But I'd rather have Harry using his muscle at the Ministry as little as possible. There were other options, as this island apparently has a convenient livestock section, though I haven't seen it yet."

"I could have sworn I heard some clucking in the distance," volunteered Cho. A few others agreed.

"And other things, so we may not have to use these meals at all," said Kingsley. "At least, I hope, though we had to come to the island as if there was no food here at all. I took out a line of credit from the Bank of the Phoenix just in case, got the food on credit with the understanding that it could be returned, though there'd be a return fee of 1% for every day I had it before returning it."

Some people laughed. "That's cheating," chuckled George. "They didn't know you were going back in time."

"I'd prefer to call it savvy negotiating," responded Kingsley with a grin. "Agreeing to that helped me get a price of a half a Galleon a unit; usually, they go for a whole Galleon each."

Ron whistled. "That's not cheap."

"I wish I'd known about these," said Harry. "I'd have used my Gringotts money and bought a few hundred for us to use while we were on the run." After a slight pause, noting Hermione's slightly askance look, he added, "In no way am I criticizing the cooking you did for us, of course."

She didn't look mollified. "In no way are you praising it, either." Ron stifled a giggle.

"You did a very good job with what you had, and I will be forever grateful," he said, trying to convey as much sincerity as possible. He saw some amused grins around the table.

"We'll talk about it later," she said without expression, but Harry was sure he saw a smile in her eyes.

"So," said Ron to Kingsley, "did your buying for this trip get noticed?"

Kingsley nodded. "Trying to keep something that's on a big scale secret is pretty tough. Nobody knows what we're doing, but they know that something's going on. Especially the food and water, some of the other supplies... and I don't think the Foreign Ministry staff is going to keep quiet about being pushed out of their own Departures Lounge for over a day. Who knows, with all that information, somebody might actually be able to guess it."

"The most reasonable guess, from the outside," suggested Hestia, "is some sort of disaster relief mission, combined with Auror assistance. Of course, no known foreign situation fits that description. So, there'll probably be a lot of wild guessing when we get back."

"What will we say?" asked Parvati.

"You, and I, will say nothing," answered Hestia, "unless specifically authorized by the Leader. As a general matter, Aurors don't talk to the media."

"I meant, when asked by friends," Parvati clarified.

Hestia exchanged a glance with Kingsley. "I'm sorry, but I can't talk about what I do," they said in unison. "That's a phrase," added Hestia, "that you'll be using a lot. With friends, relatives, even parents and future spouses. Nobody is supposed to know about what you do, even if most of the time it's utterly ordinary and unremarkable."

"What will Harry say," Parvati persisted, "when people he runs across in Diagon Alley ask him?"

"It's up to him," said Hestia. "Probably some variation on that, except as the Leader, he's not bound by any rule on this. But, Harry doesn't strike me as the type to blab."

"No," agreed Ron, "he's pretty good at keeping his mouth shut."

"Thank you, Ron," said Harry sarcastically.

"No problem, mate."

"Harry," asked Luna, "will you always be eating with us?"

He looked baffled. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you're the Leader," she pointed out. "Leaders don't always eat with the troops, or at least that's the impression I get, from history."

Ginny chuckled. "I remember you asking about that once. 'Did the leaders eat with their troops?' Professor Binns was kind of annoyed, like he didn't want to be bothered with something like that. But I thought it was an interesting question. It might give some information about what the leader was like."

"Yes, that was part of the idea," agreed Luna. "Also, I was just curious."

"It is a very good question, actually," agreed Kingsley.

"There is stuff about this in the Auror Leader chronicles," said Harry, having decided to use the phrase every time he referred to the portraits' comments. He wished they weren't so fussy about not being known publicly, but he would respect their wishes. "Different Leaders had different opinions about it, and if there's a consensus, it's that it depends on what feels best for that particular Leader. Some of them were more formal and aloof, and they didn't spend much time with their Aurors, certainly not eating with them. Others thought it was important to spend time with them, to build a relationship. As for us, this is a unique situation. After all, I shared a dormitory with four of you, was the same year as more than half, and so forth. So, I'd think it would be weird if I suddenly started doing things separately from you. Now, there does have to be some... separateness, I guess, and that's why I'll have a tent of my own. But, as much as I can, I want to be with the rest of you. The... chronicles did say that the more time the Leader spends with the Aurors, the more tolerant he has to be of disagreements, sarcastic comments, things like that. He can't expect them not to be themselves. But I think I'll be okay with that."

Ron grinned. "I'm sure we'll be testing you out on that. Certainly George will, anyway."

Harry shrugged. "George is a special case."

"I've always thought so," George agreed. "So, Harry, are you going to tell us the story?"

He spent the next fifteen minutes relating the story in as much detail as he could remember it. Near the end, he saw Hermione getting a little misty on his right. "Obviously, I still don't know exactly why Fawkes did it. We may never know. But I'm glad he did. I think Dumbledore felt guilty about what he did with me, and I had a chance to tell him that I knew and understood. I didn't say the exact words, but it was like I forgave him, and I could tell it meant a lot to him."

"What about the timeline?" asked Ernie. "Even if Dumbledore didn't do anything wrong, there's still the other aspect. You said there shouldn't be any other... distortions of space-time once we're already back, and the first thing that happens is he takes you further back. If what you said is true, wouldn't that be a problem?"

Harry shrugged. "Keep in mind that I'm extremely far from an expert on the subject, I'm just saying what I was told. As I told you, Dumbledore said more than once that if it would have caused any problems, Fawkes wouldn't have done it. So, I'm banking on that."

Ernie raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "Really."

Harry didn't speak for the next twenty minutes as there was an explosion of conversation, points debated back and forth. Everyone spoke at least once except for Harry, Kingsley, and Hestia. The consensus seemed to be that phoenixes could be trusted, and the conversation turned to Harry's new connection to Fawkes, who had been seen a number of times near Harry throughout the day. "It's kind of nice for you that you get to have a pet," Dean remarked, and was instantly greeted with several retorts to the effect that phoenixes were most definitely not pets. "Well, how was I supposed to know?" responded an irritated Dean. "We never studied them."

Mock-sadly, Seamus shook his head. "Among the many sad disadvantages of the Muggle-born." Dean rolled his eyes.

Harry didn't think it over; he just knew he didn't like it. "I'd rather nobody made comments about Muggle-borns."

"Hey, he's my mate, I can say it to him if I want to," retorted Seamus.

"When you're alone, I don't care what you say. In the group, I don't want that word used unless there's some very good reason."

"Hey, c'mon, I've got nothing against them, I'm half myself," responded Seamus defensively. "I'm not using the other word, I'm not some kind of bigot."

"I'm not saying you are," said Harry. "I'm just saying, this is how it's going to be."

"Harry, is this because of Hermione?" asked Dean curiously. "Because I really don't care."

"It's not because of Hermione. It's because of what happened to Muggle-borns over the past year. Persecuted, wands taken, jobs lost, falsely accused, and a whole lot more. Hermione and I saw some of it with our own eyes, and Ron's heard lots of firsthand stories. Look, I know nobody here is prejudiced, and Seamus, I absolutely didn't mean to suggest otherwise. I'm just very sensitive to the idea that we get divided at all based on that. I'd rather live in a society where that was so unimportant that nobody thought to comment on it."

There was silence, as nobody seemed to know what to say. After a few more seconds, Luna asked, "Harry, do you ever feel like you were a Muggle-born?"

A dozen heads looked at Luna as if she had asked a very strange question, but Harry slowly nodded. "I had never thought about it exactly like that, but yes, I think so."

"Why?" asked Seamus, puzzled. "You may not be a pure-blood, but both your parents were wizards."

Understanding dawned on Ron. "Because you didn't know you were a wizard until you went to Hogwarts."

Harry looked at Luna with a great deal of respect. "Exactly. Nobody was ever rude to me like they are to Muggle-borns, but I always had the same gaps in my knowledge that Muggle-borns did--not knowing things that all wizards know, like about phoenixes--and having the same Muggle cultural knowledge that they did but those born in the wizarding world didn't. So I suppose I may have felt like one, even if it never occurred to me exactly that way. Now, I don't think that's why I'm sensitive about it--"

Luna spoke during a slight pause. "But it makes you able to understand how they feel, more than the rest of us."

Again, Harry was impressed by her insight. "Exactly."

Seamus shook his head. "Wow, I didn't know that. I mean, you might have said something about it once, when you first got there, but for those of us who grew up in the wizarding world, Harry Potter was such a household name that it wouldn't occur to most of us that he was anything but a part of the wizarding world. Funny how that is."

About to ask Hermione, Harry realized he didn't want to ask someone who appeared to have a vested interest. "Ron, do you think I'm being too sensitive about this?"

Ron pondered for a few seconds, his expression showing that he found it a difficult question. "Maybe a little, but it's understandable. Probably what got you about what Seamus said were the words 'sad, unfortunate.' Now, obviously we all know that Seamus was just having fun with Dean, but those words may have hit you the wrong way. It is very sad and unfortunate what happens to a lot of Muggle-borns, especially the past year. So... I don't think you need to worry about it; even if you hadn't said anything, you wouldn't have heard it all that much anyway."

Harry nodded. He felt an impulse to reassure Seamus that he hadn't intended any offense, then realized he had already done that, so there was no point in saying it again. A thought popped into his mind, and he decided to change the subject. "Kingsley, did anyone do a timecheck since we got here? Just in case something went wrong and we did actually go back to when I met Dumbledore?"

Kingsley waved his wand. In midair suddenly appeared the words 1997, October, 7, and 15:56:51 appeared. "We're when we should be," he said.

"Just thought it was worth a check. So, we're not doing anything else today, right?"

Kingsley shook his head. "No, the plan was just to use today to get set up, since we've all been up for a while right now, and should be getting tired."

"Okay," agreed Harry. Turning to the group, he went on, "So, we arrange quarters, do some unpacking--don't do too much, of course, since you'll be moving once every week or two--read, hang out, whatever you want. Wakeup time will be sunrise--about 5:30, I think it was--and will be every day. There's no enforced bedtime, it'll just be expected that everyone will schedule things to make sure they get enough sleep. The time to stop doing anything that might disturb your roommate is eight hours before sunrise or when your roommate wants to go to sleep, whichever is later.

"Now, so you can get set up, let's see about the first-week roommate situation. I've learned a spell that randomizes things, and I'm pretty sure it works. I just wave the wand over this paper," he said, having produced the paper with the list of 16 names from his robe, "and point it at each tent twice. Number one..." He pointed at the first tent, and the names came out, "Longbottom" and "Jones." Neville and Hestia exchanged a glance. He pointed at the second tent: to his great surprise, "Granger" was followed by "R. Weasley." "Are you sure you didn't fix that thing?" joked Seamus amid general commentary.

"Any rules about what goes on in the tents?" asked Dean with a smile.

Harry feigned ignorance. "Well, no violence."

Ron wagged a finger at Hermione. "See, you heard him. No more of that."

A few people laughed; she rolled her eyes. "Very mature, Ron."

Harry shrugged. "I thought it was funny." He continued pointing; next was "Pd. Patil" and "Finnegan", followed by "Corner" and "Boot." Harry was again surprised when the next combination was "Finch-Fletchley" and "McMillan." "Just like at Hogwarts," Justin commented.

The quarters were rounded out with combinations of Ginny-Parvati, George-Dean, and Jordan-Johnson. Harry's spell affixed the names to each tent, so everyone would remember where to go, as all tents looked the same. "Tomorrow," he announced, "after breakfast, we go out and explore the island, all twenty of us together. "We'll start training in the afternoon, and also set up fishing equipment. Just for tonight, nobody goes out past the grass area. That's all for now," he concluded. Half of the people headed for their tents, and half stayed at the table talking. Harry walked to his tent and entered.

He hadn't actually been in one; it was very much like a Muggle hotel room. Not that he'd ever been in one, but he'd seen them on television. It was about the same size; the main difference was the design. The two beds were separated by a wall which extended only a little further than the beds themselves, and the rest of the room was open space with a simple sofa, two chairs, two end tables, and a coffee table. Amazing, he thought, that it just looked like a tent from the outside. An ingenious touch, he felt, was that the bathroom was behind the beds, also separated by a wall, and each person could reach the bathroom by leaving his bed, walking to his right (in the case of the bed on the right), and making a 180 degree turn. In this way, neither had to walk past the other's bed to reach the bathroom in the middle of the night, and both had equal access.

Harry lay on his bed, feeling a need to relax, and relaxed so much that he nearly dropped off to sleep. He came back to full consciousness on hearing a knock at the door. He pointed a wand at the door, it swung open, and Kingsley entered. "Just out of curiosity, can these doors be locked?" asked Harry.

"No," said Kingsley, who came in and pulled up a chair to sit not far from Harry's bed. "Reconsidering your answer to Dean's question?"

Harry chuckled. "No. They're adults, and I'm not going to try to tell them what to do. I know you said a few days ago that a few of them are bound to do something unwise, but I haven't changed my mind about that. If they do, they do."

Kingsley nodded. "Just wondering."

"So, you're here as the Devil's Advocate?"

"Yes. I was thinking, it'd probably be useful for you to try to guess what I'm going to say. Being familiar with the arguments against your actions seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea."

Harry thought for a minute. "You think I shouldn't have gone back with Fawkes."

"Not exactly."

"But close." Harry thought again, and finally shrugged. "I give up."

"I understand the 'we trust the phoenixes' angle,' and as the group ended up deciding, it's a pretty decent reason. My main criticism would be that you didn't give the decision enough time."

"Fawkes was doing that thing with his tail--"

"You had already decided to go at that point," Kingsley pointed out. "You had no reason to think it was urgent."

"Well, it turned out okay," Harry pointed out.

Kingsley looked at Harry with disappointment, as if he had expected better of Harry. "When you talk to the Devil's Advocate, 'it turned out okay' doesn't end the discussion, nor is it any defense for questionable decisions. And I don't mean this one was, but I mean, in general. What I'm about to say is important to understand. There are some things you're not going to know, because you're so young. I don't mean facts, I mean things you learn from experience. One of them is that you can make a bad decision and get a bad result. You can make a bad decision and get a good result. You can make a good decision and get a bad result, or a good result. Granted, a bad decision is more likely to result in a bad outcome, and the same with good, but not always. Chance can affect the outcome. Things you didn't know and had no way to know can affect the outcome."

Harry pondered this, then asked, "Then how can you judge the decision, if not by the outcome?"

"You do it by analyzing the facts and the situation that existed when the decision was being made," explained Kingsley. "Not only the facts that the decision-maker knew, but the ones he could have known, or should have known.

"For example, you said in that Witch Weekly interview a few weeks ago that I shouldn't have been blamed for the nuclear blast that killed most of the Aurors, because I couldn't possibly have known that the goblins would blow up Gringotts like that. That was kind of you, but the fact is, I could have. I've lived in the Muggle world, I knew about nuclear weapons. One could easily argue that before sending every Auror but one into the same place, I should have considered any and every way in which they could be in danger, when in fact, I only considered magical ones. Now, it's true that nobody would have imagined that the goblins would destroy Gringotts, their home for many years, and nobody would imagine that they would know enough and have enough interaction with the human Muggle world to get ahold of a nuclear weapon. So, there are many who would not blame me. But the point is that I could have imagined it. I had the information, I had the imaginative capacity. I simply didn't."

Harry listened somberly, wondering what hell Kingsley had put himself through for what had happened. "What they did was so bizarre, so irrational... you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."

Kingsley met Harry's eyes. "As I hope you never find out, but probably will, what you should blame yourself for and what you do aren't the same thing, aren't governed by rationality. Luckily for me, most people don't know enough about the Muggle world to understand that I could have known."

"But they were going to remove you as Minister. Why would they do that when as far as they knew, it was something you couldn't have known?"

"They, the citizens and some of the political class, will judge you and me by the outcomes in our respective areas of responsibility, whether our actions had anything to do with them or not. My point was that when I offer feedback in my role as Devil's Advocate, it'll be based on what you could or should have known when you made the decision, not how it turned out."

Harry nodded, reminding himself not to offer as a defense for his actions that it had turned out fine. "I understand."

"Okay. Now, as I was saying, even before Fawkes indicated any urgency, you'd already made the decision to go. Now, sometimes there'll be things that you know that I don't, and you'll have to tell me about those. I knew the general facts about the Chamber, but I'd assumed that Dumbledore had sent Fawkes to you; I didn't know that he came by himself. I can see why that would give you a very strong trust in phoenixes, or in Fawkes especially. Still, it's hard to see where it would have hurt you to take a few minutes to think about it. By the way, did you know that phoenixes could travel through time?"

Harry shook his head. "The only reason I even knew they could teleport is that I saw him do it once."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, I was unconscious at the time," said Kingsley wryly. "I understand it was quite impressive."

Harry grinned at the memory. "Anyway," Kingsley continued, "that was in the category of things you could have known but didn't know. Now, I don't expect you to be a walking encyclopedia, no one does, and among the reasons I wouldn't blame you for not knowing is that I shoved you into this. There's a reason that seventeen-year-olds never take the test. It's simply a factual matter that you could have known but didn't, but it does underscore the fact that the more you know, the better decisions you'll make."

Harry nodded. "The portraits have really been after me about that. They're always telling me to study this or study that."

"Or, if you don't have the information, the next best thing is to know where to get it."

"You mean, Hermione."

Kingsley smiled a little. "In your case, yes. When we get back, you want to get in contact with scientists, intellectuals, and so forth. If the Auror Leader needs information or advice, people will be happy to give it."

"Won't they just want something in return? Like, I'll do you a favor if you do me one?"

"Some will," agreed Kingsley. "Some will give the information as a public service. You'll have to work out who belongs to which group, and whether the information or advice is important enough to do them a favor. As for here, you already know that Hermione knows a lot of things, though of course not everything--"

"Seems like it, sometimes," Harry mused.

"But it would be a good idea to find out more about all of your Aurors. You already know them to various extents, but there are certainly things about them you don't know. Maybe one is a history buff, maybe another likes to collect obscure spells. Maybe one loves horticulture, and that could come in handy sometime. As Leader, you never know when such information could be important. In the situation earlier, a reasonable question would have been, who here knows anything about phoenixes? Before making a decision, get as much information as reasonably possible, in a reasonable time frame. Also, your Aurors will want to help, and will appreciate that you called on them to give their expertise. Everyone has an ego, though it's best not to make decisions based on it. As Dumbledore mentioned, according to what you said."

"I understand."

There was silence for a few seconds. "Well," said Kingsley, "that may be as much as you can absorb at once, so we'll let this go here. That ought to give you enough to think about for a while.

"I guess so," Harry agreed. "Thanks."

Kingsley stood, moved the chair in which he'd been sitting to where he'd found it, and exited. Harry lay back down, his head swimming. I was so sure, he thought, that when I took Fawkes's tail I was doing the right thing. Maybe I was, but it looks very different now, after all that stuff Kingsley said. The Leaders had said stuff like that, but this was more specific, and applicable to a particular situation; the Leaders' advice had been more general.

Do I really have it in me to take all this kind of stuff into account before making a decision? I've always just done what I thought was best, and it's usually worked out. Yeah, except you went to the Ministry two and a half years ago, and now Sirius is dead. He winced at the memory; he wondered if it would always haunt him. Dumbledore had taken the blame, but part of him knew better. That was bad decision-making, he told himself. Kingsley's saying I should slow down, get information, think it through. I guess I can do that, it's just hard to change.

He mulled this over for a little while, then decided he needed to stop thinking about it. He got up and walked outside. A half-dozen people were still at the main table talking, and he saw Neville and Ginny taking a walk in the field. He walked to the second tent, pulled back the flap, took a step in, and knocked on the door. "Come in," shouted Hermione after a slight pause.

She and Ron were sitting on the sofa. "I hope I'm not bothering you," said Harry, imagining they'd been kissing.

"No, it's fine," she said, as Ron nodded. "What's up?"

He'd come over for a different reason, but found himself answering, "I don't know, I just feel stressed." He described his conversation with Kingsley. "I just feel like... I don't know if I can always stop and think of all these things that Kingsley says I should, the portraits say I should. And what if I don't, and..."

"Somebody dies because of it?" asked Hermione gently.

Taking a deep breath, Harry nodded. He hadn't been consciously aware that he was thinking that, but as soon as she said it, he realized it was true. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look that suggested neither knew quite what to say. "Did this ever come up with the Auror Leader portraits?"

He shook his head. "They said things like, your decisions will have life-or-death consequences, but this particular thing didn't come up. Now I wish I could talk to them about it, but I can't, for a year."

"Isn't it pretty unlikely that any life-or-death decisions will have to be made in the next year?" asked Ron. "You could consider this a time where you have a chance to get used to the idea."

"Couldn't you talk to Kingsley about it?" asked Hermione.

"I wouldn't do that," said Harry emphatically. "He feels responsible for those forty deaths, then I go and complain to him that I might one day feel responsible for people's deaths? That... wouldn't be good."

"I can see that," she agreed reluctantly. "But another way to look at it is that this has been the case since you started at Hogwarts, you, we, were always involved in dangerous things. Ron or I could have died more than once, but we always chose to go into danger with you, because we thought it was right. These people, by becoming Aurors, are choosing that too. They know there's danger, and they know you're not perfect. I don't know what else..." she trailed off, with an apologetic and helpless shrug.

Ron's expression was more serious than Harry had even seen on his friend. "I do get it, Harry, at least as well as I can hope to. Last year--well, this year, but you know what I mean--when I left you two, I imagined all kinds of things. I imagined that one or both of you might die, a death that could have been prevented if I'd been there. If that had happened, I'd have felt horribly responsible for that. So I understand, at least a little. But my feeling is, and I hate to say this, that there's nothing to be done about it. I have a feeling that if you could ask the Leader portraits, they'd say that this is part of the deal, something that can't be avoided if you're responsible for people in this way. Probably every Leader went through this kind of thing, and just dealt with it as best they could."

"It's in history too," added Hermione, "and literature. In Shakespeare, kings worried about the men who would die in battle the next day. I suspect that it would be very strange if you didn't feel this way. But I do think Ron is right, it's best right now to try to put it aside if you can, and just focus on the time on the island. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow."

Staring straight ahead, Harry gave a tiny nod to show that he'd been listening. Not very helpful, he thought, but what else could they say? "Thank you, both of you," he finally said. "Maybe I just need to talk about it once in a while, and you're right, Ron, there shouldn't be many important decisions coming up very soon. I hope, at least."

He paused, then changed the subject. "By the way, Hermione, you haven't gotten all the books out yet, have you?" He had charged her with the task of gathering some of the books in the Auror library, whichever she thought most useful, and reducing them to take to the island.

"No, there hasn't been time. Why?"

"I want to have a look at the encyclopedia."

"What topic?"

"Phoenixes."

* * * * *

Next, Chapter 3, The Chess Game: Harry tries to turn a game of chess into an object lesson for the Auror trainees, but George's taunting leads to conflict between him, Ron, and Harry.

From Chapter 3: Again, Ron's position was starting to fall apart under Harry's organized onslaught. George spoke again. "Wow, Ron's playing like he's under a Confundus curse--"

Harry had had enough. "Cut it out, Malfoy," he snapped, glancing up at George. He heard a collective intake of breath, knowing that everyone was surprised at his words, even as he stared at the board.