Harry Potter and the Amulet of the Moon

semprini

Story Summary:
Sequel to Harry Potter and the Antiquity Link. Following the recent disaster suffered by the Aurors, new Auror Leader Harry Potter recruits fifteen trusted members of Dumbledore's Army to become the backbone of the Aurors. To prepare quickly to defend an Auror-less society, they go to an uninhabited island and go back in time a year, planning to train uneventfully, isolated from the rest of the world, and the timeline. But they're pulled back into the whirl of wizarding events in a way they never would have expected.

Chapter 13 - The False Prophet

Chapter Summary:
Angered by a perceived lack of respect, Xenophilius withdraws his assistance to an operation Harry hopes will bring an end to torture at Hogwarts.
Posted:
10/17/2009
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Chapter 13

The False Prophet

Harry fell asleep at about 6:00 a.m., after Hermione and Dean had finished dealing with the captured Death Eaters and their assistants. Yaxley, however, would be kept for a while longer. The last thing Harry did before sleeping was to leave a message in the Pensieve for the other Ron and Hermione.

He awoke in his quarters on the island and decided to go out to the beach for a swim and to get clean before talking to anyone. When he finally reached the table, he greeted everyone; only Ron, Hermione and Dean weren't at the table, as they were still sleeping. Luna was the only one who'd been in the cave who was already at the table. He gave them an update on what had happened, and asked for theirs. He found that Lee and Angelina had spent half of the night talking to Katie, who lived in her own place; she had offered to put up one or two people at a time if it would help. Angelina suggested that this offer be taken up only if there was dire need, as being caught assisting those opposing Voldemort could have serious consequences. Harry appreciated Katie's offer, but agreed with Angelina.

Katie had also offered to help procure supplies, if she was given the money with which to do it. She had specifically mentioned miniaturized food, but again Harry wasn't inclined to take her up on it, as sales of such things might be being monitored. He knew something had to be done, though, as food supplies for those on the run were running low. Harry knew Malfoy might have more money, but wasn't inclined to ask him for any. Malfoy might be helping them wholeheartedly, but he likely wouldn't be above leveraging the money for more control over various aspects of their lives.

Harry explained that at the next switch, he would Apparate into his Gringotts vault and take as much as he thought could be carried. To his surprise, Corner raised an objection. "Harry, wouldn't that really be the money belonging to the other Harry? Shouldn't he be consulted about whether and how it's used? After all, it is his money."

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You really do like to be argumentative, don't you?"

A few people chuckled as Corner met Harry's gaze. "Yes, I've heard that. And?"

"Do you really think I'd do it if I thought he'd have a serious problem with it?"

Corner shrugged. "I don't know."

"Isn't it awful how he's always kissing up to you, Harry?" joked Lee.

"Bootlicker," added George.

"Um, George... could you really not find another phrase?" asked Terry.

Loud laughter ensued. "Damn!" exclaimed George. "That's the first accidental joke I've made in a long time! I do like them to be intentional."

"Really?" asked a surprised Terry. "I must have heard every boot-related joke that's ever been thought of. Fortunately, by second year, all the Ravenclaws got tired of them."

"Well, anyway," said Harry, "I would ask him if I could, just for form's sake, but he's out of commission, so I have to make decisions for both of us. I never really cared that much about the money anyway. So, Michael, you shouldn't worry about it."

"Is that an order?" inquired Corner, with a hint of a smile.

"Sure, why not," responded Harry lightly. "So, the next morning at Hogwarts, did anybody notice that Yaxley wasn't there?"

Padma answered. "I saw a few people noticing that he wasn't at the teachers' table for breakfast. Do you want us to spread the word next time?"

"No. It may be a few days before they send in another, and it has occurred to me that they may not get any better. But I had an interesting idea last night. And to do it right, I'm going to need people in each dormitory. So, Justin and Ernie, you can help in Hufflepuff; Terry, Michael, Padma, and I'm sure Anthony will help in Ravenclaw, and of course Parvati, Seamus, and others in Gryffindor." He went on to explain the plan.

"Wow, that could get chaotic," said Seamus.

"That's part of the idea," agreed Harry. "So, the next switch is tomorrow afternoon. We may not be able to arrange this for a few switches, but I'd like those who are so inclined to start doing some writing. And sorry, George, but it can't be humorous."

George appeared disappointed. "And here I had already come up with one: 'Researchers Find Correlation Between Dark Wizards and Small Willies.'"

Laughing, Harry shook his head. "Sorry."

"How can we write when we can't bring it over?" asked Padma.

"Okay, good point," conceded Harry. "But I think if you write it, you'll remember most of it, and can write it over there again. And of course, this is top secret at Hogwarts."

The conversation splintered off into three or four smaller ones as people started exchanging ideas. Shouldn't be hard to fill up four pages, thought Harry.

* * * * *

Harry decided to avoid any major operations during the next switch, as he wanted to spend the time preparing for the one that would take a lot of time and energy. He did finally Apparate into his vault, and as Malfoy had predicted, had no problems whatsoever. They still lacked Muggle money, of course, but gold could be melted down and converted if necessary. Justin said that Colin had offered to help with that, with the assistance of his father.

In that and the following switch, many logistical tasks were handled. Kingsley and Remus did stationary magic spells to greatly increase the apparent space of the cave, creating eight separated sleeping areas, a meeting room, and one 'common room.' One sleeping area, for Luna and her father, was larger because it also contained the printing press, for which Xenophilius already had most necessary supplies, though a few had to be purchased. Malfoy met with Kitterman, who to Malfoy's astonishment asked for seven Galleons per miniaturized meal even though the retail price was one Galleon. Harry and Malfoy agreed that they would get by with Muggle food, though Malfoy often criticized it when actually called upon to eat it. Hermione discovered that there already existed a kind of food that was tasteless and didn't require heating; it was used to feed those in Azkaban. Kingsley knew how to acquire some, and they put Yaxley in the Chamber with a week's supply of food, water, and a container with a Vanishing field at the bottom to serve as a toilet, which according to Kingsley was also standard for prisoners, including at Azkaban.

It bothered his conscience a bit, but Harry decided not to lift the Memory Charm he'd put on Slughorn, even though he'd said he would. By now, Snape would have already asked Slughorn, and determined that Slughorn hadn't assisted voluntarily, but given Snape's irrational attitude towards Harry, it was more likely than not that an inopportune question from Snape could get Slughorn in trouble. Unfortunately, Slughorn would have started keeping the Veritaserum and Polyjuice Potion in a different place at Snape's behest, perhaps even in Snape's office or quarters. Harry and the others would have to get by with what they had.

Five days after Harry had gotten the idea when talking to Snape, he met in the cave with six of the Auror trainees as well as Malfoy, Kingsley, Hestia, Blackstone, Lupin, Tonks, and Xenophilius.

"Okay," began Harry. "We have all the articles, and Mr. Lovegood tells us that it's more than enough to fill it up, so some of it may have to be cut. It'll be four pages, same paper size and lettering type as the Prophet, since we'll be inserting it into all copies of the Prophet before they go out. At the top, it'll say 'Special Insert--Secrets Revealed.' Then--"

"Harry, I don't think 'Secrets Revealed' is good," said Kingsley. "It sounds too sensational. It cries out not to be believed."

"It gets straight to the heart of the matter," protested Xenophilius. Harry had a feeling that Xenophilius was not going to be happy with many decisions made at this meeting, but felt he had to include him, as it was his printing press that was making this possible.

"Yes, it does," responded Kingsley, "but that's a different question than whether it'll be believed. This has to be written in the way the Prophet would, the same style. We'll be asking, expecting, people to believe that this is a special section of the Prophet. We have to be very careful."

Harry turned to his right. "Mr. Blackstone, what do you think?"

The man answered instantly. "'Special Section' rather than 'Special Insert.' 'Insert' sounds like it was put in by outside hands, which it will be, but we do not want people to know that. As for the next words, I recommend 'Uncensored by the Ministry.' This will cause it to be widely believed, because it has the ring of truth. Most people already believe the Prophet is censored by the Ministry."

"Which it is," put in Tonks.

"In fact, Miss Tonks, it is not,' responded Blackstone confidently. "The Prophet has always self-censored; it tries to please those in power." Kingsley glanced at Tonks and nodded his silent agreement.

"Okay, 'Uncensored by the Ministry' it is," agreed Harry. "Then the big headline: Torture At Hogwarts. Three pictures below that, of Carrow, Yaxley, and Goyle, all in the act of torturing students. Then the headline of the main article..." He looked around for the outline Hermione had written, and read, "Dark Arts Professors Introduce Unforgivable Curse as Curriculum and Punishment."

"Isn't that a little too... mild?" asked Tonks. "It seems like it should be stronger, considering that it's such a heavy accusation."

Malfoy spoke. "Like Shacklebolt said, we need people to believe it. Better to err on this side rather than to sound like a screaming tabloid."

Nobody else commented, and Harry went on. "First paragraph: In news so stunning and dramatic that special measures were required to get it to our faithful readers at all, The Daily Prophet has learned that since former Head of Slytherin House Severus Snape became headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, some professors hired by Headmaster Snape have used the Cruciatus Curse against students as a form of discipline. More than two dozen students have reported having the Curse used against them for trivial violations of school discipline, or for no valid reason at all."

"Sounds good," said Kingsley.

"I strongly suggest," said Blackstone, "that the 'former Head of Slytherin House' reference be omitted, regarding Headmaster Snape. This should not be presented as a House vs. House issue. The reference is likely to alienate a number of citizens who are former Slytherins; they will not want torture to be occurring at Hogwarts, but they may become defensive if they feel their former House is being blamed."

"Out it goes," agreed Harry; he caught a surprised look from Hermione, who had written it.

A clearly annoyed Xenophilius spoke up. "Mr. Potter, will you be following this gentleman's every suggestion?"

Not wanting to be impolite, Harry regarded Luna's father calmly. "Pretty much, yes. Maybe not automatically, but if no one can persuade me that he's wrong, then yes." Feeling a need to explain himself further--he appreciated the use of Xenophilius's printing press, and didn't want to agitate him--he went on, "The thing is, we're not trying to sell papers. We're trying to achieve a political objective: to make people support this government less, to put pressure on them while not provoking an all-out war. And, to stop torture at Hogwarts. We're aiming at a very small target, and Mr. Blackstone knows a great deal more than anyone in this room about how to hit that target exactly."

Blackstone showed no reaction to this, but as he didn't have eyes, his reactions were often hard to discern. Malfoy looked satisfied, Ron and Hermione surprised, and Xenophilius trying to control his unhappiness. Clearly, he thought of this as a field in which he should be considered the expert.

"Okay. Now, the second article on the front page, which will be above the middle... I'm sorry, Mr. Lovegood, what did you call it?"

"Above the fold," supplied Xenophilius.

"Yes, thank you. Above the fold, the headline: Many Signs Point to Return of You-Know-Who. The article goes on to list--"

"Excuse me for interrupting, Leader Potter," said Blackstone, "but I believe that this is a very bad idea."

"I see. Well, what do you suggest for the headline?"

"I mean that the article itself should not be published."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Ah. Well, sir, I'm afraid you're going to have to convince me of that."

Blackstone's voice turned noticeably flintier. "I do not 'have to' convince you of anything, Leader Potter. Ignore my advice at your own peril."

Well, diplomacy was never my strong point, thought Harry. "I apologize, sir, I chose my words poorly. I'd appreciate it if you'd explain why this article shouldn't be published."

There was no outward indication that Blackstone had been placated, but his tone returned to his normal one. "A few minutes ago, you rather succinctly stated the purpose of this endeavor, so I need not repeat it. Implicating the Dark Lord does not achieve this purpose."

"Why is that?" asked Kingsley, who Harry could tell was also not happy at the prospect of scrapping the article.

"The people of the wizarding world do not want to believe that the Dark Lord has returned, and the Dark Lord also does not want them to believe it. Without explicit, undeniable evidence, they will continue to deny it. Many would continue to deny it even in the face of undeniable evidence, short of seeing the Dark Lord with their own eyes. They may not want to believe there is torture at Hogwarts, but they will, especially if the Hogwarts side of this operation is successful. A small number would also believe, already believe, that the Dark Lord has returned and is controlling the government. But most would not. And not believing this article would put the entire supplement in doubt in their minds. A few broad hints that a darker power is responsible for this would not be amiss, but no more than that should be done. If this article is run, I am confident that the overall effectiveness of this operation would be seriously compromised."

Unhappy, Harry paused. He didn't want to think that people couldn't be persuaded that there was torture at Hogwarts and that Voldemort was back at the same time. "Malfoy?"

Malfoy looked surprised to be asked. "Of course, I agree with Mr. Blackstone."

"Draco," said Blackstone sharply but gently, "the Auror Leader wants your opinion, not an echo of my opinion."

Malfoy thought. "Remember, Potter, I told you about two weeks ago that I thought an uprising wouldn't work, because people wouldn't want to get involved. That's why they'd rather deny he's back: because if he is, they feel bad about ignoring it, they'd think they should do something. But they don't want to, so they deny it. Then they won't want to believe this article, which takes away the credibility of the whole thing."

Harry sighed, then looked at Kingsley. "You clearly don't like it, Harry, and I can't say I do either. I don't agree with Blackstone and Malfoy 100%; I think there's more room for doubt on this than they represent. But I can't deny that there would be risks. Some people would react as they suggest; it's just a matter of how many. Remember, Fudge already announced that he was back, shortly before Scrimegour took over."

"And even then, there were many who didn't believe it," pointed out Lupin. "And now, a year and a half has passed with no overt sign that he's back. Personally, I think that's a big part of the reason he's kept his head down for such a long time. Partly because he's been gathering forces, but also because he wanted to give people time to forget the announcement that he was back. Now, most people think it was just a false alarm. Put that in this paper, and it'll be like, we've heard this before, but where's the proof?"

Hermione spoke up. "The pictures come from the victims' Pensieve memories. Couldn't we do the same thing with Harry's memories? Yes, I know they can be faked, but I would think people can tell a real one from a fake one."

Malfoy looked at her and responded. "If you don't want to believe something, all you need is a reason, even if it's not a good one. And the fact that Pensieve memories can be faked is a good one. The only reason it works for the torture thing is that we'll have a few dozen living, breathing witnesses.

"It's all about what people see as their interests," Malfoy went on, now focusing his attention on Harry. "It's not in their interest to know that the Dark Lord is back, because then they feel they have to do something. They aren't immediately affected by anything now. Only the Muggle-borns are, and that's okay with them. But their children's interests are their own, and their children being tortured is really going to anger them. That's why this was such a good plan--now, you really thought of it yourself?"

Harry gave him a wry grin, with a 'very funny, now get on with it' look.

"That's why this was such a good plan, because it motivates people to protect their interests. But shoving the Dark Lord in their faces doesn't appeal to their interests."

Ron protested. "Surely people must know that if he's back, that's not in their interest, because he's going to change society in a way that's not good for anyone who isn't a Dark wizard."

Malfoy tilted his head as if to acknowledge a minor point. "I should have said, it doesn't appeal to their short-term interests. People are much better at looking out for their short-term interests than their long-term ones, especially when they conflict. In this case, it's the frog-in-the-cauldron thing. He takes power, vents his followers' desire for someone to persecute by letting them have the Muggle-borns, which most wizards don't protest because of the already existing anti-Muggle-born feeling. Then, over a few years, maybe even ten, he slowly turns up the temperature of the Dark influence on the Ministry and society. Maybe they'll try to make it so that torture is an accepted form of interrogation. Up until a hundred years ago, it used to be. By that time, people will be ready to accept things that they'd recoil from in horror right now. It's all about timing."

Nobody spoke for a moment. "I am impressed, Draco," said Blackstone. "An excellent analysis, which I fully endorse."

Malfoy seemed touched, though trying to cover it. "Thank you, sir."

"Okay, you've convinced me," said Harry unhappily. "The article is out. I suppose that knowing that torture is happening at Hogwarts will cause some people to conclude that it's what's-his-name's influence, and it's better if they reach the conclusion on their own."

"Exactly," agreed Malfoy. "I was thinking that, too."

Harry turned to Blackstone. "Mr. Blackstone, assuming all goes as we think it will with this, if you were what's-his-name, what would you do after this?"

"I would back down," replied Blackstone. "A short-term retreat in the furtherance of long-term goals. I would order Headmaster Snape to ensure that all torture ceased, and install as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor a current Auror, for a pre-designated period of two years. The Dark Lord has overreached, and your plan quite capably exploits that overreach."

"Do you think he'll do what you just said?"

"No, I do not. I think he will, through his surrogates, dispute the veracity of the claims in some way. In the end, he will be forced to make a choice: back down, or tighten his grip in such a way as to anger some segments of the population. I find it more likely that he will do the latter, after which the time will be ripe for further attempts to undermine his authority."

Harry nodded. "It's all about timing," he said, glancing at Malfoy.

"Quite so," agreed Blackstone.

"Now, the next article--"

"Potter," interrupted Malfoy, "I wrote one this morning I'd like you to look at." He handed Harry a piece of parchment.

"Headline: Malfoy Reportedly on the Run," read Harry, who looked at Malfoy in obvious surprise. Malfoy gave him a 'go on, read it' hand gesture.

Harry read out loud. "Prominent Hogwarts student Draco Malfoy, widely expected to be chosen as Head Boy in what would have been his seventh year at Hogwarts, has apparently decided to forego the final year of his studies. He has not appeared at Hogwarts since he was seen escaping from there, guiding a severely injured Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to safety, in the wake of a strong attack on Hogwarts that was barely beaten back by forces loyal to Dumbledore. A few Dark wizards were apprehended in the aftermath of the attack, as was reported in the Prophet at the time.

"Malfoy's father Lucius, a high-level advisor to former Minister Cornelius Fudge, abruptly withdrew from public life in June of last year. Around the time of his son's birth, the elder Malfoy was suspected of having been a Death Eater and supporter of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but was welcomed back into society after persuading the authorities that his actions had been taken under magical duress.

"A source who saw Lucius Malfoy six months ago related that Malfoy appeared haggard and unhealthy. 'He put up a brave front, but compared to the confident and powerful Lucius Malfoy I've seen in the past, this was a shell of a man, defeated and desperate,' the source told the Prophet. Whether this is related in any way to his son's actions is unknown.

"Another source, who refused to be identified for fear of coming to harm but known to the Prophet to be highly reliable, told the Prophet that Draco Malfoy was seen a month ago in the company of Harry Potter, who also has not been seen publicly since June. This would be a surprising development, as the two students were the most prominent at Hogwarts, and well known to be highly adversarial to each other. 'They came to blows more than once last year,' said the source. 'I can't imagine what would have made them join forces.'"

Harry found himself grinning. "This is very good."

"I'm glad you're perceptive enough to understand that," said a deadpan Malfoy.

"Is this really something you want to be widely known?" Ron asked Malfoy.

Harry decided to answer. "I think the idea is it doesn't increase his danger, since the one he's in danger from already knows this, or suspects it. But the main thing is, I love how subtle this is. A lot of people won't get it, but clearly, Malfoy's written it with the idea that the reader will conclude that his parents suffered because he helped Dumbledore, and why would they suffer for that? Since the article mentions that his father used to support what's-his-name, the conclusion is obvious without being too obvious. The article says that what's-his-name is back and active, but it's subtle enough that the reader will congratulate himself for being smart enough to figure it out."

"Page one?" asked Hermione

Malfoy shook his head. "Page four, left side column. Visible, but--"

"Not obviously drawing attention to itself," said Hermione. "I get it."

The conversation went on for another hour as they discussed the rest of the articles. When Harry finally called a halt, everyone stood; Xenophilius stood more abruptly than others, and walked out of the room in a mild huff. Harry exchanged a glance with Luna; she let him know without words that she would talk to her father, and left the room.

People slowly exited, until there only remained Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, and Blackstone. "What's with that guy?" wondered Malfoy in distaste.

"He is one of the many people, Draco, who believes he is more important than he is," said Blackstone. "He fancies himself a veteran newspaperman who influences many. Strange as it is, he does not realize that his publication is read by many at the Ministry as an unintentional humor magazine, a parody of the type of magazine like Witch Weekly. I saw his estimate of his own power slowly decrease throughout the meeting."

Harry shook his head sadly. "I did the best I could."

"You did well, Leader Potter," Blackstone assured him. "You were respectful while not allowing him to dilute the content of what you are doing."

"But doesn't he know how stupid he looks?" asked Malfoy.

Harry had a feeling he knew the reason, but he wasn't going to reveal personal matters about Xenophilius that he learned during his visions after leaving Japan, when he sought information on how to defeat the dementors.

To his surprise, however, Blackstone answered. "He has had personal tragedies, Draco. Two wives and another daughter, dead before their time. Such things can have a terrible impact on a person's life, affect him in unpredictable ways. In this case, it seems to have distorted his sense of reality, taken him along this... sad path. In other circumstances, he would be laughed at. As it is, he is... pitied. Some who knew him subscribe to his publication as a form of charity. Such people, Draco, are best humored if possible. They may, as Leader Potter found today, have their uses."

Harry found he didn't like it put that way. "Well, sir, to be honest, I view it more as hoping not to take away his dignity. I would try to treat him the same way even if he wasn't of use."

Malfoy rolled his eyes; Blackstone tilted his head. "It is a... kind impulse," said the old man, with emphasis on the word that suggested that he might disapprove of it. "It hurts nothing so long as nothing is sacrificed in the service of it. Though I would point out that had it not been his printing press, he would not have even been included in the meeting. If concessions are made to such things, however, you may be taken advantage of others who would exploit your kindness."

Harry respected Blackstone for his knowledge and ability, but found that he didn't like the man's attitude. People were tools that one manipulated to serve one's own ends, viewed in terms of their usefulness. Even a fundamental human value such as kindness was nothing but a luxury, to be dispensed so long as it didn't get in the way of power.

"I'll keep that in mind," said Harry. "Excuse me." He turned to leave, followed by Ron and Hermione.

After they were out of the cave, Ron looked at Harry. "Nice man." They continued walking, away from the cave and out into the clearing.

"Wouldn't want to be kind to people," agreed Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "His help is very important, so..."

"He's only doing it for Malfoy," pointed out Hermione. "Malfoy won't be safe until what's-his-name is dead, so he helps Malfoy. If his interest was helping what's-his-name, he'd help him. No conscience."

"We don't know that," said Harry. She gave him a sideways look. "Not for sure," he added, silently conceding that she could well be right. "His help could save lives, so we take what we can get. The Leader portraits have talked about this kind of thing. Everyone has an agenda, everyone looks out for themselves. The Leaders think that I should have the ability to look at the world in the way Blackstone does. Of course, not to look at it only like he does. But then again, do we know that's the only way he looks at it? Yes, he's a Slytherin type, and he seems that way, but he'd hide it if it was true, especially from people like us, who he doesn't know well. And he obviously has affection for Malfoy. So, just because he comes across this way, who are we to decide?"

"Well," said Ron, "my gut tells me that Hermione's right. But I get your point. Doesn't matter anyway; like you said, we'll take what help we can get."

Hermione turned to Ron. "Could you help me put it together?"

"Sure." They headed off, leaving Harry alone.

* * * * *

The next switch would happen the next night, which was a Monday; the operations would be carried out early Tuesday morning. They would arrive in the other dimension at a quarter to midnight, and leave a few minutes after noon; it would be the first time a switch lasted more than twelve hours. As usual when a switch was mostly at night, they tried to sleep on the island to prepare.

He woke up after sleeping for six hours, and sat on the sofa in his tent, reading a book. Fifteen minutes or so into his reading, he heard Luna's voice in his head, asking if he minded if she stopped by his quarters. He replied that of course, he didn't mind.

When she came in, it was easy for Harry to tell that she had been crying, relatively recently. "What's wrong?"

She sat next to him, looked at him sadly, and took his face in her hands. She leaned in and kissed him, gently and lovingly. While pleased, he was mystified, and knew his face showed it.

"I watched your Auror Leader test."

Now he understood, but didn't quite know what to say. He took both of her hands in his, and gave a light shrug. "That's why I went to Japan. Actually, I just got on a plane without knowing where it was going. I just couldn't be around anything that was familiar."

"I can understand that. Now that you mention that, I don't think I've heard much about your time in Japan."

They both moved to more comfortable positions on the sofa, still holding hands. "It turned out to be a good thing for me to do, and I was lucky; I ended up in the home of a good man, who was happy to have me there and understood Western culture and customs. He had a son about my age, and we got to be friends. For the most part, life was quiet, I learned a lot of things, and nobody knew that I was, you know, 'Harry Potter.' That was really a good thing for me right then."

"How was their culture?"

He chuckled. "I could spend hours telling you the differences, and probably will someday. It's very hierarchical, and respecting older people is a big part of it. Even if someone's two years older, you treat them with respect, and they do with you if they're younger."

"That reminds me, why are you so respectful to that man, Blackstone? You always call him 'sir,' and so forth. Is it because of your time in Japan?"

"No, not exactly. The first time I saw Malfoy talk to him, he talked like that. I saw that this was someone Malfoy had a lot of respect for, and since I'm trying to get along with Malfoy, I decided to treat the man the same way. Now, knowing him a little, I get the feeling that he considers it natural, that he deserves it. He may not be Japanese, but I think that hierarchy is more important for him than it is for most people. Respect is probably a big deal for him."

She nodded. "I see what you mean. My father doesn't feel very respected these days. Before the last switch, I talked to Draco. I asked him if he would mind trying not to roll his eyes so much when my father is around, or when he speaks. He seemed a little annoyed, but he said he would try."

"I'm sorry that your father feels the way he does. I'm just not sure what to do about it. Did you talk to him after the meeting?"

"Yes, I did. He wasn't happy, but I was able to calm him down. I think it's just hard for him to accept that he doesn't have control of what comes off of that press, because he always has."

Suddenly curious about something, Harry changed the subject. "Why did you decide to look at the Auror Leader test?"

"I was saying to my father that you sacrificed a lot to become Auror Leader, and I realized that while I know the general information, I didn't know the real story. And since you and I are together, and I should know you as well as I can, I should know that, since it would have a big impact on you. I knew it would be hard to watch, but I didn't know it would be that hard. It was terrible."

He nodded. "Yes, it was. I wonder what I would have done if I was older, had a wife and children. Could I still have done the same thing?"

"I think you would have," she said gently. "I think that's the point of the test, that it gets down to the person's essential character. This is yours, that you'll do the right thing, no matter how painful it is. I don't think I could do that." She looked into his eyes, and again he saw that... specialness--he knew it wasn't a word, but it was what came to his mind--that quality, whatever it was that made her Luna, what he had come to value as a friend before falling in love with her. "All I can say," she said earnestly, "is that I'll do anything I can to make your life less difficult while you do the things you need to do."

He was touched, partly by her words, but more by her eyes, and what he knew was in her heart. He had never before seen such emotion directed towards him; the closest thing he could recall was from his mother, during the Auror Leader test. Not knowing what to say, he leaned over and kissed her. It turned into a long, lingering kiss, driven equally by love and passion. After they finished, he looked at her, and the thought occurred to him that he loved her. He thought of telling her, but hesitated, for reasons he himself wasn't sure of.

"Do you want to go outside, wait for the switch with the others?" she asked.

"An hour before, yes. But right now, I'd just like to stay here with you." He shifted to a half-reclining position. She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder, arm across his chest. Rarely, he realized, had he ever felt so contented. He also had a thought he hadn't had before: even if we can't figure out how to stop this, and we end up living in the other dimension permanently, at least she and I will still be together.

* * * * *

They started to work on the fake Prophet section as soon as they switched, but it wasn't until 1:30 a.m. that the articles had been double-checked and the layout set. Kingsley and Tonks had acquired a few copies of the real Prophet to use as a point of comparison for lettering and general style matters.

When it was ready, Harry asked Xenophilius to print out ten copies of the insert as a test. It took Xenophilius ten minutes to set it up, but once he did, the copies printed out in only a few seconds. Hermione picked them up and distributed them. Harry and the others tried to read them quickly while checking for errors or other problems. It took fifteen minutes, and he could detect none.

"Looks good to me," said Harry.

"I can't find any problems," agreed Ron. "Malfoy?"

"Not finished yet, but so far, it looks okay."

Hermione spoke. "I don't see any errors, but what's this thing at the bottom? Page four, I mean, at the very end."

Harry looked at the back page, and saw at the bottom a pattern, running along the bottom from far left to far right, of what appeared to Harry to be sideways '8's, connected to each other. Then he realized it was more like an infinity symbol than a sideways '8'; it had sometimes confused him in school.

"Okay, I see it. Mr. Lovegood, what's this all about?"

Xenophilius shrugged. "It is simply a publishing symbol that indicates that one has reached the end of this particular publication."

Harry had a suspicion that he needed to verify. "Does this appear at the end of each issue of the Quibbler?"

"Of course," said Xenophilius.

"I've never seen this before," said Malfoy, who seemed to be trying, and largely failing, to keep disdain out of his tone.

Xenophilius sniffed, "You are quite a young man, and I suspect that you have had other things to occupy your time than reading such publications."

"Well, I haven't read the Quibbler," admitted Malfoy, again struggling to avoid being impolite. "But I have read others, and I've never seen that."

"Are you really sure you would have noticed that if it was there?" asked Harry.

Now, Malfoy showed his annoyance. "No, I can't say it for certain."

Harry looked around. "Remus? Kingsley? Tonks?"

Xenophilius glared at Harry. "Young man, you could just simply take my word for it." The three who Harry asked, out of Xenophilius's field of vision, all shook their heads.

Now it was Harry who had to struggle to be polite. "Sir, this is very important. We have to be absolutely sure that--"

Harry cut himself off as two newspapers flew into the room, Summoned by Kingsley. He picked up one Prophet as Lupin looked at the other. Finding what they were looking for, both held up the last page of the papers to everyone else; there was no such line of symbols at the bottom. Harry looked at Xenophilius.

"Well, I do not know why those two papers do not have the symbol, but I assure you that it is common practice. It will appear peculiar if this does not appear. So, all other things being as they should be, we should get on with the printing, should we not?"

Harry repressed a sigh; this was going to take a lot of diplomacy, which didn't come easily to him. "Mr. Lovegood... I do understand your point. But the problem is that it's the Prophet we're trying to imitate, and two recent issues of the Prophet don't show this symbol. So it seems that the safe thing to do is just to do it exactly as it is here."

Xenophilius was trying to control his anger. Pointing at Blackstone, he said, "Mr. Potter, that man is the political expert, and you took his advice without hesitation or argument. But here, I am the only one with publishing experience, and you seem predisposed to ignore my point of view."

Harry wondered if Luna would get involved, but she remained silent. "Sir, if these issues of the Prophet had the symbol you put there, I would put it in with no hesitation. But they don't, and you've said you don't know why. If you could give me a persuasive reason why these two Prophets don't have the symbol but ours should, I'm all ears. But you haven't done that."

"Mr. Potter, every publication I have ever made has had that symbol at the end of the issue! A string of infinities, it symbolizes the limitlessness of knowledge, and that no publication truly ends, it is simply constrained by space and time. It is utterly suitable, and does not relate to the content. From your point of view, it is irrelevant."

Harry couldn't help but visibly wince. How stupid was this man? "It's extremely relevant, sir. Any hint that this is anything other than the genuine Prophet will ruin this project. We are trying to stop the torture of Hogwarts students. All it would take is a few people to notice that the Quibbler always runs this symbol, then they would tell the Prophet, which would run a story the next day that would persuade most people that it wasn't the Prophet. What we need, Mr. Lovegood, is for this to be so good that even if the Prophet denies it was involved the next day, most people will believe it was really them, and they just have to deny it. This could have the opposite effect--the credibility of the accusations would be destroyed, and more torture would occur. Nobody would believe future accusations. Do you want that on your conscience?"

Harry believed that he had given it his best shot, but apparently it wasn't enough. "It would not happen that way," Xenophilius stubbornly insisted.

One more try, thought Harry. "I think it would, sir, and I'm the one who has to make decisions like that. I'm the Auror Leader. People can die because I made a mistake. I have to do what I think is best, and if someone suffers for that, then it's on me, I have to deal with that. But I can't make decisions like this on the basis of 'take my word for it, it'll be all right.' I'm responsible. It's your printing press, and I can't force you to do anything. But I can't do this unless I have confidence that it'll work, and if that symbol goes there, I don't have that confidence. So, please, I'm asking you to run it without the symbol."

"If you do not have confidence in my word, then I don't see why you should be asking anything of me," said Xenophilius coldly.

Harry closed his eyes and bowed his head. He turned to Kingsley. "Okay, we're not doing this, we have to think of something else. The rest of you, with me, to the main meeting area."

"What??" exclaimed Malfoy in disbelief. "After all that work?"

Harry headed off, speaking as he walked. "Having it not work would be worse than not doing it at all--"

"Potter, it's not like he can stop us--"

"No," shot back Harry, turning to face Malfoy. "Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. Let's go."

"The fact that he's your girlfriend's father--"

"Has nothing to do with it, Malfoy, and you're starting to piss me off. Let's go."

"Well, Merlin knows I wouldn't want to piss off the Auror Leader," muttered Malfoy sarcastically as they filed out, the Aurors and Lupin ahead of them, Ron and Hermione behind. He expected Luna to stay, perhaps try to persuade her father, but she left with them. When they approached the meeting area, Luna pulled Malfoy aside and started talking to him. Glancing up to see through Luna's eyes, he saw Malfoy looking surprised, then nodding.

The conjured seats were still there, and everyone sat, except for Luna and Malfoy. "Okay," said Harry. "I was wondering if it would be possible to do this at the Prophet. What does everyone think?"

Kingsley spoke. "It would be extremely risky, I would think, and require much more direct... force, I suppose you could say. It would involve the forcible removal of the people responsible for the printing equipment, and so forth. I just don't think it's doable. Put it this way: it would require substantially more coercion than you're willing to exert here." Malfoy entered the room and sat.

"I hate to say it, Harry, but Malfoy has a point," said Ron. "Coercing him would really seem to be the lesser of two evils. I mean, this could prevent torture, and we're going to let it go by because he's behaving like a five-year-old child who's going to take his ball and go home?"

To Harry's surprise, Blackstone spoke. "Mr. Weasley, I believe that your friend the Leader has done exactly the right thing. The Auror Leader's power is based on persuasion, not force. Some people simply cannot be persuaded, and the Leader must deal with that. To begin resorting to force in this kind of situation would lead down a road that would end with citizens fearing the Leader because they know he will use force when reason fails. It would utterly undermine his authority. Leader Potter knows this not intellectually, but rather, instinctively."

"It just feels wrong," agreed Harry.

"That is another way to put it, yes," said Blackstone dryly. "And Mr. Weasley, though yours is a somewhat apt analogy, it is not so much a matter of childishness as it is ego. He staked his ego on this one point, trivial though it may be, and having done so, to surrender would be a diminution of his ego, which has already taken a beating. In situations like this, the best solution is usually to find a face-saving way for the other person to back off. Unfortunately, in this situation, such a way did not exist."

"Too bad," said Malfoy. "This was a good idea."

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "It's especially unfortunate, since I don't get that many of them."

Malfoy and Ron chuckled. "I understand your humorous intent, Leader Potter," said Blackstone gravely, "but as a general matter, self-deprecating humor may not be appropriate for the Auror Leader, whose position and respect derives in large part from his image, how he is seen in the eyes of his fellow citizens."

Harry tried not to roll his eyes; he felt like a child being reprimanded by a strict but well-meaning parent. "I understand. So, let's have some ideas on what to do next."

Ten minutes into the discussion, Luna entered the room. "He's changed his mind," she announced to all while looking at Harry. "He'll do it your way."

There were a few surprised expressions, including Harry's. "Well, that's good. Let's get started."

"There is one thing," she said. "He's... kind of embarrassed about what happened, and he doesn't want to have to talk to anyone. He said he'll package up bundles of 200 and have me Summon them out of the room to you."

Harry shrugged. "Okay."

Malfoy scoffed. "Which allows him to do Merlin knows what to them. Probably every 'o' will be changed to an infinity symbol."

Luna calmly regarded Malfoy. "He changed his mind sincerely, Draco. He isn't going to do that."

"I hope not," replied an unconvinced Malfoy. "So, what happens after the Prophet staff find out what we've put into their paper?"

"Well," said Kingsley, "I'd imagine they'll start notifying their superiors up the line, and within a half an hour--maybe sooner--Mr. Hardington, the Prophet's publisher, will become a much-sought-after individual. He'll know nothing about it, of course, and he'll be appalled. He'll question his staff, who'll also know nothing; I wouldn't be surprised if in the end Veritaserum is used, assuming they can lay their hands on any. In the meantime, as it's the focus of the special section, somebody will be sent to Hogwarts in short order, at which time the sparsity of attendance in the Great Hall should alert everyone that something is up. By then, of course, it'll be too late."

"And then," added Malfoy, "all hell will break loose, and it's impossible to say what'll happen."

"Exactly," agreed Harry. "Should be interesting."

While they waited for 4:00 a.m., Harry Apparated to the Room of Requirement to meet with those who were assisting him there. In order to avoid Filch--he should be sleeping by now, thought Harry, but you never know--he Apparated Ernie to the entrance to the Hufflepuff area. Ernie gave the password and escorted Harry inside; Harry installed the Portkey--for each common room it would be a large metal chain, symbolizing being held prisoner--securely from five feet above the floor to inside the floor, and cast an extra spell he'd learned from Hermione to make it very difficult to remove. He then repeated the procedure for the Slytherin and Ravenclaw common rooms, this time Apparating directly into them, which he could as he'd been to both before. Gryffindor was last. He made sure to put up a magical sign near each Portkey reading 'Portkey to go home,' and he left twenty copies of the Prophet special section in a prominent place in each common room.

He returned to the cave just before 3:45 to find that Xenophilius had just finished the last copies. He Apparated with Kingsley under the Cloak to the Prophet offices, to the room they would need to be in to put in the inserts. Papers would roll through on a conveyor belt toward a space into which inserts were stacked. This would cause each paper to magically fly open, and an insert would shoot from the bottom of the insert pile into the open paper, which would close again. At the rate of two papers per second, it would take an hour and a half to finish. The first ones would go out on owls to the farthest-flung locations, then gradually to the closer locations, and the last ones would be physically transported in bulk to specific locations. Harry and Kingsley stayed in the room under the Cloak for almost the whole time, wanting to make sure no one noticed. It was almost the most boring ninety minutes he'd ever spent, but at the same time he had to be on high alert, ready for someone to come in, notice that something was wrong, and try to do something about it. Fortunately, they were left alone.

Satisfied that the papers would go out as planned, Harry decided to go back to the Gryffindor common room, sit in a corner under the Cloak, and observe what happened.

Seamus and Neville were in the common room; it was safe for them, as Harry had installed Portkeys to the Room from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff seventh-year boys' dormitories, so they could go there, and from there to the cave, without having to creep around and get past Filch. Seamus and Neville found everyone who came out of the dormitories starting at 6:00, and asked them to go back and wake up the others.

When there was finally a small crowd in front of them, Seamus and Neville spoke. "Listen up," said Seamus. "Some of you have already been reading these special sections of the Prophet, which came out today. They show what's been happening at Hogwarts. The main reason this is being allowed to happen is that our parents don't know it's happening. Some of us have told our parents, in owls, and we haven't gotten responses, so we have to guess that the owls are being intercepted. What's happening today is a way for us to fight back."

Neville now spoke. "The torture has been happening to more Gryffindors than other Houses, but to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as well. In each common room, there's one of these Portkeys. The student leaders in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are now giving a talk similar to what we're saying now. What we want to encourage you all to do is to take that Portkey. It'll take you to a park, where other transportation will be available to get you to your homes.

"The purpose of this is as a protest against the use of the Cruciatus Curse that's been happening here," continued Neville. "It's supposed to be very illegal, but they've been teaching it and using it. You all know what happened to Seamus a few days ago. That man is gone, and so are the Carrows, but we have no reason to think that the next one they send will be any better. Tell your parents that what's written in the Prophet is true, because as you know, it is. They may not believe you, and Snape may deny it. Tell them everyone at Hogwarts knows it's true. Tell them you don't want to go back until Snape promises there'll be no more torture at Hogwarts. It's supposed to be a school, not a torture chamber."

Seamus spoke again. "Now, what we're suggesting you do is against Hogwarts rules. I can't promise that you wouldn't get into any trouble for it. But if everyone does it, there's less chance that any one person will get in trouble. The important thing is that this is the right thing to do, and Gryffindors do what's right. Any questions?"

A fifth-year girl asked, "Where are Harry, Ron, and Hermione?"

Seamus grinned. "I don't know. But one thing you can be sure of is that they're doing something, something that's good for wizarding society. We have to try to do the same thing."

"Think about it this way," suggested Neville. "If you were parents, would you want your children to go to a school where torture was used? Where it might be used against them? We have to stand up for ourselves!"

Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd. "Should we take our trunks with us?" asked a fourth-year boy.

"I'd say no," answered Seamus, "because you probably will be back, though maybe not soon. But I would say, don't leave anything here that you couldn't stand to lose. Really, though, it's up to you."

People started to head back to their dormitories to change clothes and get ready; others stayed and talked. Harry was impressed with Seamus and Neville; both obviously had leadership skills. He silently headed for the seventh year boys' dormitory, where he took the Portkey to the Room, and from there to the cave.

There was no one in the main meeting room, so Harry decided they must all be at the pickup site. He walked down the main hall, checking each room to be sure; no one was in the cave at all except Xenophilius. "Leader Potter," the man called as Harry walked by.

Harry stopped and turned to face him, making an effort to remove any emotion from his face. Silently, he waited for Xenophilius to speak.

"I..." Emotions, mostly shame, played across his face as he hesitated. "I would like to apologize for my actions before. I still believe I was correct, but I should not have taken the attitude I did. In addition to having saved my daughter's life, you are the Auror Leader. I should do as you ask even if I do not agree with it. My apologies."

Harry wished Xenophilius realized that he was wrong, but he would take what he could get. "I understand, Mr. Lovegood, and I appreciate it. I'm not sure, but we may be needing to use that again."

"You have only to ask," said Xenophilius with a slight bow.

"Thank you. Sorry, I have to get going." Harry walked down the hall, stopped in the room he was sharing with Malfoy--Ron and Hermione had their own room--and took the small vial among his possessions. Grimacing in revulsion at what was to come, he opened and drank it. He felt his body stretching, and when it finished, he was a slim, sandy-haired man slightly taller than himself. The hair had been taken by Hermione from a random Muggle.

He Apparated to the Muggle park; Kingsley had used his connections in the Muggle world to arrange that the park be put off limits to anyone until noon, and had then put Muggle-repelling charms around the site. No Muggles would see anything.

People were pouring through the Portkeys as Harry walked over to Kingsley. Ron and Hermione were also disguised, but Kingsley, Lupin, and Tonks were their normal selves. Sidling up to Kingsley, Harry said, "Kingsley, it's me."

"Ah, there you are. People are asking questions, and--ah, there it is."

Kingsley pointed as the Knight Bus slowly came into view; Tonks's job had been to arrange this transportation. "Amazing that that bus can hold three hundred people," marveled Harry.

"The magic of apparent space," nodded Kingsley. "They just usually don't have so much call for it. How much did you end up paying for this?"

"A hundred Galleons, which gets us exclusive use until 3:00 p.m.," said Harry, as students began to run by, having seen the bus. "Highway robbery, as the Muggles would say, but I told Tonks not to haggle too much. One of the luxuries of having money."

The door of the bus opened. "All aboard, all aboard," called the driver, a different one than Harry had remembered. "One at a time, don't push. This may take a while. Six levels, no problem."

An older boy walked towards them, and Harry saw to his surprise that it was Blaise Zabini. "Excuse me," he said to Harry. "Are you one of the organizers of this?"

"That's right," answered Harry, remembering to change his voice so he wouldn't be recognized.

"I have a few questions. Can I speak to you, in private?"

Harry was surprised--as far as Zabini knew, Harry was a random person--but decided to accommodate him. "All right." They walked off to a nearby bench, far enough away not to be overheard, and sat."

Zabini gave Harry a crooked smile. "How's it going, Potter?"

Harry did a double-take. "Sorry, who?"

Chuckling, Zabini shook his head. "Nice try, but you're not a good actor. I'm not saying how, but Polyjuice Potion doesn't fool me. Now, do you want to talk, or not?"

This is annoying, thought Harry. It could also be dangerous; mentally, he went on full alert. "If you insist, Zabini. I must say, I'm surprised to see you here. You're Head Boy, after all, and this is more or less a protest. You could lose your badge."

The Slytherin tilted his head. "It's called keeping your options open. I can always say that a lot had gone before me, and I went for the purpose of making sure nothing happened to them. Or, I can be part of this glorious protest."

"So, torture's okay with you?"

"As long as it's not happening to me," said Zabini offhandedly. "To be honest, I don't like it at all. It's crude and counterproductive. Just right for Goyle and Crabbe, that type. Not going to stick my neck out to stop it, of course. You write that paper?"

Harry shrugged. "Me? I'm just some guy."

Zabini grinned. "As you say. I'm impressed that you got into our common room. I'd love to know how, though I doubt you'd tell me. My assumption, of course, is that it was Malfoy. Tell him I said hi."

"So, you're not going to sign up with the Dark Lord?"

"Not my style," said Zabini. "I mean, like any Slytherin, I like power; I just don't like my hands drenched in blood. I'm funny like that. See, at least I knew that about myself. Malfoy would've been Head Boy, but he bit off more than he could chew. Thought he could do it. Killing's not for everyone. I saw the stress he was under last year. Now I know why."

As Zabini talked, it occurred to Harry that he had to try to see the situation as Blackstone would, and as the Leaders' portraits encouraged him to. What was Zabini's motivation? He hadn't yet gotten to the point, if he had one. If he didn't, Harry realized, then the purpose of talking to him was simply to let him know that Zabini knew who he was. Why? An implicit threat? That he could blow Harry's cover any time he wanted to? Harry glanced over at the bus; people were still boarding, and some were still coming through the Portkeys. There was time. Then again, maybe Zabini was making an overture; he might decide it was in his best interest to help Harry.

"So, tell me, Blaise, how would you like this to end? With the Dark Lord in power, or in the ground?"

With a small grin, Zabini shook his head slightly. "Ah, it's very Gryffindor of you. Which side are you on. You should know, Potter, that--"

Harry caught on. "It's hard to say right now who'll end up on top, and you'll stay on the side that looks good, while not losing the option to switch sides if something changes."

Zabini was mildly impressed. "So, you do know. Then why'd you ask?"

"Thought it might be different. You never know. You might be another Malfoy."

"No, I'm smarter than him. At least, it appears that way now. You know why?"

Harry found he understood. "He's committed. You still have options."

"Not bad, Potter," said Zabini, with a mild degree of condescension that Harry tried to ignore. "You might not have made a bad Slytherin."

"Thank you. Except one thing. Malfoy's going to end up on the right side."

Zabini's eyebrows rose slightly. "He is, is he?"

Harry nodded confidently. "He is. You know why?"

"I'd be so interested to hear." The sarcasm was light, and Harry sensed that Zabini was actually interested.

"Because the Dark Lord's decision-making capacity is... let's say, not all it could be. I know why, and it's a secret, but there's evidence. Think about it. He wants to hide that he's controlling the government, he's not attacking anyone but Muggle-borns, but then he allows children to be tortured? How does he think the parents are going to react? Does that make sense?"

Zabini nodded thoughtfully. "No, it doesn't. I'd actually had that thought. This would have happened anyway, you know. Christmas break was in a week and a half, kids would have told their parents. You didn't have to do this."

"This makes it an issue," Harry pointed out. "He has to respond. The smart thing would be to back off, but I'm betting he tightens his grip. And if he does, it gets harder to pretend he's not running the government."

"True, but I don't see how that helps you."

"The point is to keep up the pressure," said Harry, remembering his chess lessons. "Keep him on the defensive. He'll make mistakes. The more I annoy him, the harder he'll try to get me. That also will cause mistakes."

"But he doesn't know it's you. Does he?"

"No, he doesn't. The time may come that I'll let it be known. But only when the timing is right."

"When will that be?"

"I'll know," said Harry confidently. "So, do you believe in prophecies?"

Zabini grinned. "That is the question, isn't it." He looked over his shoulder. "Well, Potter, most of them are on board, so I should go. It's been an interesting chat."

"Yes, it has. I trust I can count on you to keep it between ourselves?"

Zabini gave him a sly grin. "Why would I?"

"Your own self-interest."

Again, Zabini was surprised. "And how would that work?"

Harry understood that Zabini was trying to get him to reveal more information by making him explain why Zabini shouldn't tell anyone. "Letting it be known that it's me would... annoy me, and limit your side-switching flexibility in the future."

Zabini gave a light shrug, as if he didn't find this very persuasive. "I'll keep that in mind." He stood, and Harry stood with him.

Harry decided he needed to make it clearer. "You should also keep in mind... that it wasn't Malfoy in your common room." While he spoke, and after, he gave Zabini a hard stare. He was sure Zabini would get the message: if I can get into your common room, I can get into your dormitory. While you're sleeping.

Zabini slowly nodded, clearly understanding. "That's what I thought." With another nod, he turned and walked away.

* * * * *

Shortly after noon, ten minutes before the switch back, Kingsley Apparated into the cave. He found Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Malfoy in one room. "I got a report from an Auror I keep in touch with on the inside. He said that the Ministry's going crazy, the shit is really hitting the fan. The number one question being, naturally, how did this happen. The number two question being, is it true about torture at Hogwarts? The Ministry didn't know, and they don't like it. They, and the governors, already called in Snape. Snape apparently put them off, saying there had to be an 'investigation,' and he refused to answer any questions, no matter how simple."

Malfoy nodded. "Playing for time, to wait for instructions from the Dark Lord."

"Undoubtedly," agreed Kingsley. "As for the special section and its impact on parents, it's too soon to tell. I'll be able to tell you more when you come back. Which is tomorrow, I think you said?" he asked, looking at Hermione.

"Yes, that's right. From 3:50 a.m. to 5:12 p.m."

"Amazing. You're almost spending more time here than there."

She nodded. "The switch after next is the first time that'll happen."

"Is there any plan to do anything different with our Harry?" asked Kingsley.

Harry shook his head. "I'm looking into it," said Malfoy. Ron gave Harry a look, one that suggested that Malfoy shouldn't be trusted with the task, as his actions had caused Harry's problems in the first place. Clearly, though, Ron knew that Harry didn't want Malfoy to be needlessly aggravated.

"Oh, Potter," said Malfoy, "I finished looking at the memory of your meeting with Zabini. It was interesting."

"Did you know he could see through Polyjuice Potion?"

"It's funny. In fourth year, occasionally he'd say something like, there's something wrong with 'that professor,' he'd never use Moody's name. When we asked him about it--I didn't bother to do it more than once--he just acted like it was only a feeling. Then at the end of the year, he was all, 'I was right, wasn't I?' Like he wanted us to think he had some special power. Obviously, he's got some artifact."

"Well, it's good that we now know for sure he has it," said Harry.

"Yeah, it surprised me a little that he gave that up, just to talk to you, when he had nothing special to say. I suppose he just wanted to make contact, try to get what he could, and hope he could hold something over you." Grinning, Malfoy added, "I liked that bit at the end, where you basically said, don't screw with me. He clearly wasn't expecting that."

"Well, I'm learning, I guess," said Harry resignedly.

"Yes, you are," said Malfoy, intending a compliment. "You shouldn't act so put out by that. You should learn these things."

"I suppose," said Ron, "that taking to it naturally, rather than learning it reluctantly, is the difference between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor."

"That's a good way to put it," agreed Hermione.

"Wonder if a Slytherin's ever been Auror Leader," said Ron.

"Actually, after Harry became Leader, I looked it up," said Hermione. With an annoyed look at Malfoy, she went on, "I saw that smirk, Malfoy. I've put up with plenty of your comments, you can restrain yourself--"

"I was restraining myself," protested Malfoy. "It was a smirk instead of a wisecrack."

"Oh. Well, then, I appreciate that," she said sarcastically. "Anyway, there were three Leaders before Hogwarts was established. After that, there've been thirteen, including Harry. Every single one, a Gryffindor."

"Not a surprise," said Malfoy. "Even a Slytherin Auror is a rarity. Of course, a large percentage of Ministers and undersecretaries are Slytherins. Just means the Hat knows what it's doing."

"I guess so. But it's interesting that--"

"Harry," said Hermione, "it's only a few minutes. We should get back in there."

"Yes, that's right, I have to be lying down," agreed Harry.

"I'll go too," said Malfoy. "Need some sleep."

"Okay," said Harry. "See you tomorrow." He entered his 'room' in the cave, lay down in the conjured sleeping bag, and stared at the cave ceiling. In a minute, he was in his tent on the island.

He talked with the others about the events of the past twelve hours, then went to his tent, planning to sleep. Luna asked him through their necklace if he minded a visit; he told her to go ahead.

"You don't have to ask, you know," he said after she came in. "You should feel free to walk on in."

"Well, all right," she said. "It just feels strange."

Lying on his bed, he started to get up, but she waved him off. "I'd just as soon lie down and talk, actually," she said. She lay down on the bed next to him. A queen-size bed, it could hold two comfortably, but with little extra space.

He rolled over towards her and took her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. I wanted to thank you for how you dealt with my father. I could see how frustrated you were, but you still gave him every chance."

"It wasn't easy," he acknowledged. "How did you persuade him to finally do it?"

She looked unusually serious. "I asked Draco to bring his Pensieve. I showed him my memory of your Auror Leader test."

Harry's eyebrows went high. "Wow. That's pretty... heavy."

"I know. I didn't really want to. But the way he was acting... sometimes he gets... in his own world, and he doesn't see how things look from the outside. I thought that if he knew what you had done, he would realize what it means to be Auror Leader, and it would pull him out of his own point of view. And it did. But it wasn't only so the paper could go out; it was also that he wasn't having the respect for your position that he should have had."

Harry was silent for a minute, thinking about it. A thought suddenly came into his head. "How did you show him that, anyway? It takes an hour to watch, and you were only gone for about ten minutes or so."

She gazed back serenely. "I'm sorry, but Draco helped me with that, and he asked me not to tell anyone. Of course I trust you completely, but I don't want to break my word to him."

The answer came to Harry quickly. "Oh, the artifact. The white one, that stops time. The Malfoy on our side loaned it to me."

"Well, I suppose I didn't break my word, then," she said with amusement.

He smiled. "No, you didn't."

They lay in silence; she moved closer, and they held each other, him on his back, her nestled in his shoulder, hand across his chest.

Harry's eyes started to close; only now did he realize how tired he was. Luna was breathing heavily, nearly asleep. He thought about moving, but he was comfortable.

The next thing he knew, he was on his side. He looked over; she was on the bed next to him, wearing the same clothes as she'd been before. "How long have you been awake?" he asked.

"Only a few minutes. I think my waking up woke you up."

He looked at his watch. "Wow, it's been a little over five hours." Slightly embarrassed, he added, "I wonder what people will say, since they know you've been in here all this time."

"You shouldn't worry about that," she gently chided him. "But if they must know, tell them the truth. Just say that we slept together."

He laughed. "Yes, I suppose we did." He leaned over and kissed her. "It was pretty good."

"Yes, it was," she said matter-of-factly. With a tiny grin, she added, "But I think it'll be even better next time."

He smiled broadly. "I think so too."

* * * * *

He slept another two hours, this time alone, before the switch, which would come in the middle of the night. Some of those on the island intended to sleep through the switch, keeping more normal hours, while Harry and those with him would continue to make efforts to be awake for the entire time spent in the other dimension. He sat with them at the table until a few minutes before, when as usual he went to lie down in preparation for the switch.

He saw the ceiling change, and sat up. To his surprise, Kingsley was in the room. "You ought to come to the meeting room."

Harry stood. "What's going on?" asked Ron. Looking at Kingsley's glance in response, Ron nodded. "When we get there. All right." Luna joined them on the way to the room.

In the room already were Malfoy, Blackstone, Tonks, Lupin, and to Harry's surprise, Bill. Harry nodded in greeting. "Hello, Bill. What's up?"

Bill took a breath before answering. "All Weasleys except me, Charlie, and Ron were captured last night. They're now in Azkaban."

* * * * *

Next: Chapter 14, Azkaban: In a dangerous raid on Azkaban, Malfoy and Luna find themselves in mortal danger after taking impulsive action, disregarding Harry's instructions.

From Chapter 14: Before Harry could answer, Malfoy exploded in anger. "Damn you, Potter! You said you told me everything you could do, but you kept this from me!"